What I Love About My Best Friend, Buddy, and One True Love, Kirt....

Wild ride, right?! I get emotional Just thinking about how much I love you. I know I don't show it as often as I want to and try to put up a tuff wall. I don't know why. I don't think I will ever truly know why, but you are my one true weakness. For you, I would do anything. I talk tough. I'm a liar. I love you completely and endlessly. Nothing will change that. Nothing can break that. You are my world.

Where to start??? When I first met you, I knew I wanted to know you. I broke my rule of never calling a boy first and called you. It took us a while to get around to dating each other but it happened. It sounds completely cheesy but when you first kissed me I knew I loved you. I knew I wanted to be with you the rest of my life. I can't even put into words how grateful I am I had that higher spot in line at Cold Stone that night. Can you imagine if I hadn't??? You never would have picked up on that high school student who was going to prom the next night.......yea you felt like an idiot.

We had been best friends for 2 years before dating, so I knew you would make an amazing father. I just didn't think you would be fantastic. Seriously Kirt, I know I give you a hard time, but, you are the best father I have ever seen. I find it impossible to keep up with you. You amaze me every day with your dedication to this family and to me. I love and trust you completely. It scares me because I know you of all people can hurt me the most.
 
Trust. But---I trust you. Faith. I have Faith in us. That is what I Love most about you. I knew nothing of either of those two words before I met you. You taught them to me and made me believe in them. I struggle here and there, but you always make me believe in them again. I love your persistence, it is a quality I hate and love all at the same time.

We have had our share of downs haven't we? Or, shall I say, I, have had my share of downs and you have been there to catch me? Yes. That is more of how it went. I love how calm and steady you are. Although I know you don't feel that way on the inside. Thank you for being strong when I needed you to be. I know it wasn't easy, it wasn't fair, and it most certainly wasn't fun. But, You stuck by me. You are amazing. You stuck by me through everything. How can I ever thank you. Without you I would be completely and utterly lost. You and God are the only thing who get me through my storms. You are a blessing I will selfishly keep forever and never share:)

You are so fun to be around. I think after having 4 kids we forget how much fun we can have together. But if we spend even 2 hours away from the kids, our personalities come alive and I think, "Man, this guy is freaking awesome! How did I get so lucky?"

You are such a good sport. I decide randomly I want to go skydiving and your greatest fear is heights. So as my birthday present we go skydiving. WHAT A RUSH!!! What a mood swing?! Right?! Who knows what to expect and you just go along for the ride. Thank you buddy!!! That is a memory I will never forget.

You are patient, you are kind, you are gentle. You taught me to love unconditionally. What true friendship really is, and have always been an example to me in how to live my life. You make me a better person. You truly are my better half. You will sit there and take a lecture when you shouldn't even have one.  I am always in awe of you. I still catch myself staring at you asking myself, "How did I get so lucky??? This guy is hot!" You are everything times a million that I had ever dreamed of having. As far as life with our little family....we couldn't be more blessed, we couldn't be more happier, we couldn't ask for anything more. We have everything we will ever need. We have each other and the kids. That is all that matters. You are my everything.

You are the most handsome man on the planet. Truly, you are. I'm so glad you are mine. I would go crazy if you weren't. You are irreplaceable to this family and to me. I need you, I love you, I'm so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for those late night blessings of comfort. To have that in our home is something I have always promised myself I would have for my family. Thank you for making all my dreams a reality. I love you with all my heart.  niki

What I love about Beckham!

Bekinator!!! The Beckster!!! Well my perfect little brown eyed angel. What can I say about you? I mean, WOW!!! First off you are my one and only brown eyed child. So we are automatically a team. (even though you are a daddy's boy through and through.) But----you are physical proof that my genes exist in the Michaelis boy's. I was just shocked that none of the kids had brown eyes. Brown eyes are dominant!!! But your father says,"He's the man. He'll always be dominant." Whatever. I got you and that is all that matters. And boy are you a treat!!! Everyday I wake up and think, "I get to spend this day with my cute "baby Beckham"".

You are the one child your dad actually delivered. I had an epidural so I couldn't feel anything but I had a feeling you had your own agenda. I was planning on going home that night. I did not want to have you that early. (4 weeks early) But you were coming anyways. And came you did. Contractions started at home and two hours later you were born.......but I'm getting ahead of myself. I had an epidural and I told kirt and the doctor to check and make sure you were not coming out early. They thought I was being paranoid but checked anyways and the doctor yells, "OH! There's the head! I see a Head." and he goes to grab some gloves and your dad runs over and catches you with one hand and the doctor with his other one gloved hand. It was a funny site. Your dad was really worried he was going to drop you.

Then like always......you made us worry. You struggled to breathe and they rushed you to the NICU. You had tubes down your throat and IV's and your mother was an absolute mess. She ended up yelling at one of the nurse's and then as a result got a really fancy basket with gift cards and food from the hospital as an apology......don't mess with mama!!! You came home after eight seemingly endless days and have been healthy ever since. I will say though, and it will make you mad, you are our cute little runt of the family. BUT----you can pack a punch!!! Don't mess with Becks!

I love when we ask you what you name is you don't just say "Beckham". You always say, "Baby Beckham". I love your cute little face that lights up when you say your name. You melt every part of me with that cute face of yours. I feel you are a special blessing in our family and a treasure to have each day in our lives.

I love and am tortured by the fact that when we go to bed you say, "We go bed? In OUR bed?". And if you are wondering why you say our, it is because we gave up the fight, and you now always sleep with daddy and I......every night. And it is killing us. I love it because you are so funny at night. You go through a routine of making your crazy noises and then your crazy pelvic thrusts and then it's lights out. You are so funny.

You are so loving. Don't ever change that about yourself. Your tenderness is one of my favorite things and it melts my heart when you give me your sweet little kisses. I love it when you say, "kisses mommy, kisses!"

I named you after one of the most important and special people in my life. You remind me a lot of him and you look like he did as a child. I named you after your uncle Jesse who went missing 5 years ago, May 24, 2008. Beckham Jesse. You are crazy fun and care free. You love life and see the fun in everything. You are a breath of the freshest air. I love you completely and endlessly.

You put up with a lot. Your two brothers are a lot to handle. I am impressed at how you can hold your own. You not only posses physical strength but I can already sense a strong spirit from you and know you are meant to do great and wonderful things. Watch that little temper cute boy. (All my boys need to watch their tempers.) Nothing bothers your mother more than a nasty temper.

Your blonde hair and brown eyes will get you all the girls. be kind and gentle and loving. I love you my sweet adorable boy. Nothing will ever change that my Baby Beckham.   Love Mommy

What I love about Landon...

Well, my precious little Landon, I have so much to say to you. You are My little angel sent from above. Sent at the most difficult time in my life. You helped soften a blow to my heart that could have killed me if I did not have my precious little baby to care for. Your uncle Jesse was able to see a picture of your handsome face before he went missing from this life. He said you were "so adorable". He was so excited to be your uncle. I love that he got to see you before he left this life. From the moment you were born I knew you were going to be a pretty amazing yet pretty chill little man.

You came into this world at UVRMC in Provo, UT. You came pretty fast, but were by far, my least fussy baby. You were the only one out of the kids that did not go under the lights. (You were my only newborn who did not get jaundice.) I was so happy. I got to hold you more as a baby than any of the other kids because you didn't get jaundice. So that meant lots more snuggles and loves. I needed those. You were just what I needed. You, my precious blue eyes, were my sweet medicine to getting happy again. I thank you so much for what you have done for me in my life. Already, in the short time you have lived, you have saved your mama's life! How do you feel?!

First and foremost, I love those eyes. You're eyes are probably the best eyes I've ever seen. (Although, I do love all my kids eyes) Your eyes can instantly melt me into tiny little pieces and you can talk me into doing pretty much anything.

One thing is for certain, you are you father's mini me in every way, shape, and form. I went up to put you to bed and said you had to be quiet if you wanted to watch the movie I had put on for you and the kids upstairs. I went downstairs to be with your father and you come marching downstairs in a slight rage. "Mom! Why do I have to be quiet for the movie?" I was confused at your question. You are a pro at watching movies and being quiet is not hard for you. You are like your father. He is not a talker. It drives me crazy! To get either of you to talk is like pulling 50 teeth all at once. "What do you mean, Ya-Ya". You scowl at me and say, "Why do I have to be quiet for the movie when all I want to do is go to bed?!!!!" Kirt and I look at each other and start laughing. You hate it when we laugh. You always think we are laughing at you. You scowl again. We stop laughing. Kirt and I say in unison, "You can go to bed Landon." You smile and say, "Oh. Ok. Tank you." and scoot away to bed. We wait for you to leave and start laughing again.  Just like your Dad. You love your bed. You have a time you like to go to bed. You will put yourself to bed just like your dad did when he was a kid. Too funny.

I love how patient you are. (Although, you do have quite the temper as well, be careful Ya-Ya) Your brother Chase can be a little stinker and you do a pretty good job putting up with him. Patience is a great quality to have. Never stop practicing it. You will always be better for it.

You are so fun to be around! Talking to you is one of my favorite pass times. I remember we were walking to meet the family at the soccer field and you slid your tiny little hand into mine and started telling me all about your day and what you were thinking about. I remember looking over at you and thinking, "Wow, this little boy is my sweet child! He is so beautiful! How did I get so lucky?!" I listened to you for 10 minutes and soaked up every word. You were crackin' me up. The way you talk is just hilarious. You have your own slang. I love it.

You are smart, strong, independant, funny, hilarious, and the best person to just chill with. If you need a buddy to hang out with and need no stress involved you are the guy to call. But put you and chase together and we have got problems. You two are gonna cause your dad and I so much grief it is not even funny.

We know you'll probably do something stupid and get arrested. We already know you pick up on girls..........we've witnessed that. I just get anxiety thinking about you two crazy boys!!! Oh well. It makes me laugh too. Because if you weren't getting into trouble you wouldn't be true boys, would you? And you Michaelis boys are definitely true blue boys. Always causing trouble......

I love you YA-YA!!! You are my blue eyed angel. Never forget that:)

What I love about Chase!

I love that I get to write down what I love about my cute babies!!! This is too much fun for me. And that is just what Chase is. One big, round, ginormous ball of fun!!!

What do I love about Chase??? WOW!!! Where should I start? From the minute chase was born I knew we were in for a treat.

Dad and I were about to go on a date and I started having contractions. Of course! We finally got to go on a date and Chase decides to up the stakes. Totally like Chase. I was really frustrated because Kirt was in charge of naming the baby. Kirt had not made any kind of decision. SO I was freaking out. We were going to have this beautiful baby boy with no name. OH! I was not happy. We got to the hospital and you were there within 2 hours! You meant business! When you say go, you mean go.

Your dad was the first to hold you. I wish you could have seen his face. You were his first little boy. He was so excited, happy, and amazed by you. We got a little teary eyed when we looked at each other. I smiled and calmly said, "What's his name?". I could tell by Kirt's face he knew exactly what your name was. He looked at you and then he looked at me and said, "Chase. Chase Kirt." It sounded perfect. When I finally got to hold you, I looked you in the eyes and I knew that you were my little Chase. I knew you would be so sweet. But I also knew, with a name like that, we were bound for a wild and crazy adventure. And Chase, you have never disappointed me:)

Chase. I love you so much! How can words even begin to express the love I have for you? You surprise me everyday with how smart you are. Some of the things you teach me are things I have never even heard of. I love your dedication. When you say you will do something, you do it, That is an amazing quality to have. Never lose it.

You are so trust worthy. I believe you when you tell me things. I trust that you will tell me the truth. I love that I can count on you to be there for me and help me with things when I ask. You have a presence that is calming and makes me feel loved and  very special. Thank you Chase, for all you do for me.

You are so funny! Jokes at the dinner table are one of my favorite parts of the day. I don't know how you have so many jokes and are able to have new ones each day, but, meal times would not be the same with out you!

You are what I like to call my "sweet child" and I'll tell you why. You are the only one of my kids who makes sure that EVERY day I get a big hug. Your kindness and caring for others is amazing to see. Those hugs you have given me throughout the day have literally gotten me through some of my toughest days. I look forward to them each day and am so grateful you never forget to give me those hugs.

Your smile. Who could ever say "No" to that smile. I would do anything to ensure that that smile never goes away. I love your smile. When you smile it lights up the entire room. Your personality is the funnest personality. You are so fun to be around. Staying up late and talking with you is one of my most favorite things. I find myself always wanting to know more about you. Spending time with you is a gift from heaven and I thank God everyday I have you in my life.

You are going to be trouble. I just know it. I remember the first time I realized it too. We were at Lexi's soccer game and you and Landon were wrestling around like you always do. Then, A group of girls walk by.......and automatically you both freeze in your tracks and stare. I was in shock. You are only 6 years old and Landon is 4. What is going on??? You whisper to Landon and say, "Landon, tell those girl to come here." Landon looks at you half angry, half confused, "Why can't you do it?". Chase, "because I told you to do it first! Now do it." Landon looks at you defiantly and then takes the defeat, "oh, okay. But next time it's your turn!"  I am thinking to myself, "Next time? Do they do this often? What is going on?" I decide to let all of this play out. I am totally curious if my boys are actually trying to pick up on a group of 15 and 16 year old girls. The group of girls are standing about 30 feet from them and I am hiding in the background where no one can see. Landon shouts, "Hey girls! Come here!" and then both of you start flexing for them.........I am dying! This is too funny! The girls are not impressed, (obviously). They replied, "No!" and turned and started to leave. Chase whispers in Landon's ear again, "Tell them if they don't come over here, we're going to beat them up!" Landon replies, "Awe Chase. Do I have too?" and Chase says, "YES!! Now stop being a baby and do it!" Chase gives Landon a little nudge and yells so loud a few heads even turn to see who was yelling. "Hey girls! If you don't come over here we're going to beat you up." This is when I finally intervene. "Chase, Landon!! If you want to pick up on a girl, threatening to beat her up does not make her want to come over and talk to you." Both of you looked so confused. And that's when I knew......you boys were gonna be trouble.

One of the things I worry about with you is that you are way too hard on yourself. I wish you could see what I see. You are amazing. Of course I am biased. I am your mother. But, I still speak the truth. You must have confidence. You are so talented. You are so great at sports. It seems every sport we have you try you end up getting really good at it. When it comes time to pick between which sport you want to play in high school I don't know how you will choose. You are one of the fastest on the soccer team and you have got an arm that can really throw a ball.

I love you Chase I need you in my life. You make me so happy! Thank you for all you do for me and for being one of my three most favorite sons!!! I love you sweet boy. I can't wait for my next big hug

What I love about Lexi

Wow. What can I say about this girl? Everything! She is absolutely amazing!!! What a blast to be around!!! She is my best friend and baby girl all at the same time!!! BUT----I do know I am her mother first. And trust me, I'm not afraid of her hating me if I know something is better for her.

This is our family blog. So I guess I get to do whatever I want with it. So I'm going to tell you all the things I love about Alexis or shall I say Lexi.

Lexi first and foremost, is my only girl. So we have a ton of fun together. I could talk to her forever about anything. She has the best personality out of anyone I have ever known. Anything she tries she is good at. (She gets that from her father. It is awesome for her and drives me crazy with Kirt. I'm a little competitive.) That is one thing I wish she knew about herself. She is so talented and never gives herself enough credit.

Another thing I love about Lexi is her kindness. And that kindness comes from my favorite part about her.....her heart. Lexi loves everyone she meets. Her heart loves unconditionally. She is such an example to me. She is so tender. At only the age of eight she wants to save the world. Or at least all of the children in it.

I will never forget the time I was lecturing the boys about not finishing all the food on their plate. I remember telling them about the starving children in Africa, and how some had nothing to eat. The boys seemed un-phased by the lecture and couldn't wait until it was over. I had no idea Lexi could hear what I was saying, let alone that she was in the room, silently listening to every word I was saying. Lexi slowly came over to me with tears streaming down her face. "Is that story really true?" she said. I looked at her. I was shocked to see her so upset. I immediately felt terrible for the guilt trip that wasn't even intended for her. I couldn't lie. "Yes Lexi. There are some children in this world who don't get enough to eat." She began to sob. I put my arms around her tiny little body and squeezed her tight. She calmed down a little and said, "What can we do? Can we sent them the dinner we have on the table? I don't need to eat my dinner. They can have mine." "Awe. My sweet Lexi. If only it were that simple." I smiled and hugged her again. I promised her we would figure something out to help feed the hungry kids in Africa. Only then would she calm down. So tender. I just love her.

There are so many little things I could say. I love, love, love, her giggle. It is the best feeling when you get her to giggle her true giggle. You feel you've just won the jack pot. She is absolutely gorgeous. She is a little tomboy, so getting her to shower, do her hair, brush her hair, and dress in anything fancy, is always a huge fight. I usually cave in. She looks gorgeous no matter what she is in and no matter how her hair is done.

That girl is an artist. She already has an amazing talent. Her pictures and story books are treasures of mine and I hold them close to my heart. She is also an amazing dancer......and boy does she have sass! That girl can shake her little hips and is the most flexible thing I have ever seen. I just love her.

If I am ever gone for the night, we both get homesick for each other. We have developed this routine that, at the end of the night, when all of the other kids are in bed, we stay up and chat. It seems like every time is at least a half an hour. That girls' smile gets her everything. She knows how to work both Kirt and I to get what she wants. She is very good at what she does.

So as you can see I love basically everything about Lexi!!! My life would be so empty without her sunshine to brighten my day! I love my little Lexi!!!