Unglamorous

Just to Prove They Know!

2010-06-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

Marianne and Allison came home from church a couple of weeks ago singing this song. We thought we'd save it for them to reference a few years down the road.

Where Has the Time Gone?

2010-06-07T16:36:00.001-07:00

Well, my friends, it's been over a year since my last post and I am feeling a bit neglectful. But, alas, I'm am back...if you'll have me! There is too much to catch up on since last Spring, so I'll just go on from here, perhaps posting a few of our endeavors that you may or may not have missed. For now, here's an updated picture of all of our sweet little kiddos taken at Alli's birthday party! Marianne is now 6, Allison is 5, Bo turned 3 today and Rachel will be 2 next week. So, here's to hoping I can keep this going again. It's good to be back!!!

Allison's Birthday #4!!!

2009-05-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

Our little Alli Bug turned 4 on May 5th. We celebrated with everyone on the 3rd and had a lot of fun. And, Als had lots of fun playing and enjoyed all of the attetion. So, here's a recap of the day:

The night before, Justin set up the tent in the front room for the girls to sleep in. I think they stayed up until about midnight playing in it before they both zonked out for the night. What fun!

We invited everyone over for volleyball,

some grillin',

presents,

cake and ice cream.

Now for the gush! I love my little bug. She is such a joy to be around. She always has a great big smile and hug for everyone. She is such a big helper and loves her brother and sisters. We all love her more than anything. She is the best 4-year-old out there! I hope you had a great birthday, Alli. I LOVE YOU!!!

What the HECK?

2009-05-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Allison's birthday party are on their way, but I just had to post about Rachel's latest...a new tooth. But, not just ANY tooth...a MOLAR!!! Seriously...what the HECK!?! She has a total of three teeth now. Her front two on the bottom and a top molar. Crazy! She's not even 1 until June 16th! No wonder she's been a little cranky the past few days. Poor kid...poor Mom!

Alli's Turning 4!!!

2009-04-29T17:35:00.001-07:00

Our little Alli bug is turning 4 on May 5. She and Justin share the same birthday and we are all so excited! We are having a party for Als this Saturday at our house. Hope you can make it!

2009-04-18T08:24:00.003-07:00

My Brother, John sent me this YouTube video of one of my piano idols. This guy is amazing. Hope you enjoy!

(p.s. Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of our blog page and pause our tunes first!)

Happy Easter!!!

2009-04-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

We have had quite a week and weekend. The kids and I headed down to St. George to visit Grandma and Grandpa last Sunday and got home Thursday night. We had a lot of fun. I helped Jeri and Sally paint the dining room in St. George, we went shopping, the kids played on the rocks, we went to The Pizza Factory and lots of other fun stuff. I, unfortunately, forgot my camera so the only pictures we got were the ones that my mom took while she was with us. So, if you want to see pictures got see her blog HERE.
On Friday, Justin and I, after a long week apart, went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and to see "Wicked" with two of my brothers and sisters-in-law. Let me just take a moment to say how wonderful and excellent and phenomenal and WOW "Wicked" was! I am so grateful to my parents who got us the tickets. Even Justin liked it and he's not much of a musical nut. Anyway, if you ever have the chance to see "Wicked," don't miss it!
So, on Saturday, we had dinner and colored eggs with Mike and Jeri and their family. Then, on Sunday, the kids woke up to find that the Easter Bunny had paid them a visit. The got to hunt for eggs and eat lots of treats from their baskets all before church! I know, horrible! Anyway, here are a few pictures from Sunday's festivities!

Here the kids pose with their Easter baskets.

Bo shows off the "Shake-n-go" car he got in his basket. The girls got little boxes with 6 rings in them and each of the bigger kids got chapstick, which apparently is a tradition since Marianne has asked for it for two years straight. Fun fun!

Rachel wanted nothing to do with her own basket but EVERYTHING to do with Bo's. Who can blame her? Her's had only fishy crackers and Bo's had CHOCOLATE!!!

Here Marianne finds an egg in the window sill. Sometimes the Easter Bunny doesn't hide the eggs very well.

Allison checks out the orange egg she found hiding in some decorations.

Bo found his eggs (with a little help from his big sisters). This one he found in my half-dead plant. I think I'll water my two plants today. I wish I was a gardener.

Here's a shot of all four kids after church. I made the girls' skirts and I was happy with how they turned out. I may even start making them to sell. So, check in soon to if I venture out on that endeavor!

Bo poses in his Easter duds. What a handsome kid!

Allison show off her pettiskirt.

Allison twirsl for the camerman (aka Justin).

Marianne posing for her shot. What a cutie!

Marianne gives her skirt a twirl!

Rachel was done taking pictures by this point, but she still looks cute in all her fluff!

We had a great weekend. Thanks to Phil and Sally for letting us crash at their house last week. Thanks to my mom and dad for the wicked "Wicked" tickets. And, thanks to everyone who humors me by leaving comments on my blog. I LOVE YOU ALL!!! (hint hint)

Sleepy Boy

2009-03-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

Allison, Bo, Rachel and I went for a bike ride today. I rode the bike I got for Christmas, Allison rode the trail-a-bike (which she was NOT comfortable with) and Bo and Rach were in the trailer behind Als. We rode to the library, about 6 blocks away. The kids loved it...Alli, not so much, but she got used to it when I told her if she didn't cry I'd give her ice cream when we got home. Anyway, it was great to get out and try out our setup in the nice spring weather. Well, I think Bo got a little worn out being in the sun or something. This is what I found about 5 minutes after I put him in bed with his book for a snooze...

He didn't even make it halfway through his Trucks book. Poor little guy.

Yup, he's under there...fast asleep. I love this little guy!

(By the way...that's a library book and it was like that when we borrowed it...promise!)

Marianne Learns to Ride a Bike...Take 1

2009-03-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Marianne had her first attempt at learning to ride a bike. Justin was excited to teach her and Marianne was very excited to learn. See exhibit A:

Exhibit A: Justin and Marianne posing for a picture before Justin sends her off down the little hill on her own. Just look how happy they are!

Marianne heads down the hill to see how far she can pedal before she loses her balance.

Marianne pedaling and pedaling trying to make it as far as she can before she has to put her foot down.

Bo helps Marianne push her bike up ths hill for another go at it.

Marianne made it down the hill a few times before she actually got hurt. She hit the inside of her leg on the seat when she lost her balance. Well, after that, it was a no go! See exhibit B:

Exhibit B: Marianne after the "fall." Mom (not knowing the ins and outs of learning/teaching to ride a bike) asked Marianne if she wanted to be done. She said, "Yes," and Dad shot a look at Mom. But, the damage was done and she was an emotional wreck until we let her stop for the day. So, keep on checking in for our next installment entitled "Marianne Learns to Ride a Bike...Take 2."

Tagged...By ME!

2009-03-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

I just visited my friend's website, and she had this fabulous "tag" on her blog. I love it because it is a "tag yourself if you want to be tagged" so no pressure for anyone who doesn't want to do it!! How great is that?!So here are the rules: The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.

The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!!!So there you have it! If you want me to make something for you...hmm, what could it be? A new toilet paper dispenser? just leave me a message.

The Survivors Club widget

2009-02-22T21:58:00.001-08:00

My Happy List

2009-02-16T15:41:00.000-08:00

My wonderful sister-in-law, Amy posted a list of 25 things that make her happy. I have been tagged on Facebook about a b-jillion times on people's "25 Random Things About Me" lists, so I thought I would do it here where all my loyal readers can enjoy it. I'm not that huge into Facebook, although it has connected me with quite a few long lost friends. I just like my blog better. Call me crazy! So, here goes:

1. Listening to my kids playing from a distance. They don't hold back like they do when they know someone is watching them.
2. Laying on Justin's lap while we watch a movie or our favorite T.V. shows.
3. Warm snowy days.
4. Hearing Allison read to Rachel. I probably enjoy this a little too much, as I sometimes put Alli in charge of Rachel while I finishi dinner, or bread, or vacuuming, or bathrooms......
5. Listening to Marianne sing. She has been such a good little singer since before she could talk. She would "uh" the tune to book of Mormon Stories when she was about 14 months old.
6. Watching Justin interact with our kids.
7. When Justin comes home. I miss him all day long. Sometimes I even play "Devil's Advocate" and try to get him to call in sick on days that I will be home all day.
8. The smell of fresh baked bread.
9. The taste of fresh baked bread, slathered in butter. Can you guess what I'm doing right now?
10. Newborn babies falling asleep on my chest in the fetal position as I burp them...then falling asleep with them.
11. Anything purple...Ashley, I want your purple house, too!
12. Singing in the car with the girls. We can belt out every song from "Enchanted," "Annie," "The Little Mermaid," and our favorite primary songs.
13. Watching Marianne and Allison write.
14. Listening to Allison talk. She has the cutest voice of all my kids. (Can I say that?)
15. T-shirts, jeans and flip-flops. I HATE real shoes.
16. Afternoon naps.
17. FINISHING a sewing project and seeing it on my kids.
18. Late night games of Sudoku right before I go to sleep. Sometimes I dream of little boxes and numbers. Is that weird?
19. Receiving emails. I love when I log on and have 10 new messages...doesn't happen very often, but I love it!
20. House hunting. Even though we aren't seriously looking, when we're ready to buy a house, we'll get the best deal out there!
21. HGTV
22. Campfires and S'mores, but only if someone makes them for me. I'm too impatient.
23. Doing hair...mostly just running my fingers or a comb through my girls' hair, but it's fun when they let me experiment with it.
24. My WHOLE family....Arringtons, Barbers, Groses, Winegars etc. etc. etc.
25. Finding long lost friends.

Wow, that was fun! Hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me and my little fam. I would add my encouragement to Amy's. Do this every couple of years and see how much it changes. Thanks for your example, Amy! You ROCK!!!

Changes

2009-02-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

To start off, I have to admit something. I love to change around furniture! I have done it quite often since I was able to single-handedly move furniture around in my bedroom years ago. Well, I finally got Justin to agree to move things around downstairs, which started a chain reaction. We moved the entertainment center over, then the kids toys downstairs where the entertainment center used to be, then we finished by moving Bo out of his big sisters' room and Rachel out of our room and into a room with her big brother. Anyone confused or tired, yet? Here are some pictures to show off all of our hard work! Thanks Justin! I love you!

Here's Marianne and Allison's spacious room. Now that the crib and changing table are out, they have room to actually breathe!

Here's a picture from the doorway of Bo and Rachel's new room (aka old playroom).

Here's Rachey in her crib. Since moving her out of our room, she has slept through the night and I have had to wake her up at 7:00 am to eat. (Yes, I am nursing ;)

Rachel LOVES her new crib! And I love those bright eyes! What a cute little stink!

Here's a picture of out new seating arrangment downstairs. You can see some of the kids toys behind the futon.

And, here's another view of the t.v. viewing arrangement. One of these days we'll have a nice plasma t.v...one can dream, right?

Here's a shot of the kids's new playroom. They love all the space and all the light from the big windows. What they DON'T love, though, is that it's about 10 degrees cooler in the basement than unpstairs. We make sure they have socks on their little toesies, for sure!

Another shot of the new playroom. The big magnet board you see is one that our friend, Aaron Harkness, built before he died. We feel very forutnate to have a couple of his pieces in our home. We miss him dearly!

So, there you have it! We have been very busy and are enjoying the new set up. The kids love their new sleeping arrangement and their new playroom and Justin and I are enjoying having our bedroom back to ourselves!

Bo's Flying Bum Leap

2009-02-11T13:57:00.000-08:00

Last night Bo was being adventurous. He loves to jump off of things. Well, he has taken it to a new level! Last night he was climbing onto my leg as I sat on the floor. He would then squat down and jump off my leg, pull his legs up and land flat on his little tushy. We were laughing so hard! I love this picture Justin got as he was mid-air. Check out the look on his face! What a stud! Love you, Bo man!

Bo's now-famous "Flying Bum Leap!"

Marianne Turns 5!!!

2009-02-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

Marianne turned 5 on January 25th! I just can't believe that I have a 5-year-old! It's amazing! This year, it seemed like Marianne's birthday lasted a whole week. Her actual birthday fell on a Sunday, so we celebrated just about every other day around it! Here's a little synopsis of what we did!

Saturday, January 24th - Swimming at the South Davis Recreation Center

We went swimming at the South Davis Rec. Center in Bountiful. Jeri, Sadie, Aubry, Carley, Madie and Cody went with us, too. It was so much fun. But, next time we go, we're leaving Bo and Rachel with someone else. They HATED it!

Marianne (always the poser), Bo and Allison waiting for the rest of our group to arrive before heading to the dressing rooms.

(L-R) Carley, Rachel, Aubry, Bo, Allison, Jeri, Marianne, Madie and Sadie in the women's dressing room. We're ready to get wet!

Marianne climbs the rock wall after her swim.

Allison is very brave...she didn't even cry when Justin let her go. (At least not as much as her big sister did!)

Bo wants a turn to climb, too. What a brave little guy!

Actual Birthday - Sunday, January 25th

We went to church where the primary sang to Marianne. I was subbing in Alli's class so I got to be there. We came home and lunch and took a snooze. Then, Marianne opened her presents from us...clothes and a My Little Pony play rug. We took invitations around to our family and friends and ended up at Grandma and Grandpa Arrington's house to play with cousins.

Spotlight Day at Preschool - Monday, January 26th

Justin and I took all the younger kids to Marianne's preschool to read to her class for her spotlight day. Her spotlight poster was up for the whole week and she decided to share the dum-dum suckers she got from the Boli for her birthday. Her favorite book is The Cat in the Hat, but a close second is Green Eggs and Ham. So, we got to read both! It was tons of fun!

Birthday Party - Friday, January 30th

The cake, of course. Marianne wanted a rainbow and Justin came up with the idea of using Skittles for the colors. The clouds are made of mini marshmallows. All the kids went nuts! Yummy!

Marianne opens her gifts. Here, she's holding up a Ring Pop and some candy necklaces from Koby and Sam.

Marianne opening her new pink camoflauge sleeping bag from Jim, Austin, Kyle and Josh.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture of my little Marianne. Isn't she gorgeous!?!

Blowing out the candles. I have no idea what she wished for. She wouldn't tell me lest it not come true!

Justin and I had tried for about a year and a half to get pregnant. When I finally decided to switch doctors to Dr. Healy, it only took us a month for the fertility drugs to work. I found out I was pregnant the night before my Grandma Grose died. Justin and I decided, when we found out we were having a girl that we were going to name her after my Grandma, Mary. We had basically decided on Lauren Mary. But, about a month before Marianne was born, we went to the temple. When we came out, I was asking Justin how he enjoyed the session. He said that it was great and that he had the feeling that we should name our baby girl Marianne. My sweet Grandpa Grose called my grandma his little Mary Ann and even has the sweetest song for her. When we asked my Grandpa if we could name her after my Grandma, his eyes filled with tears and he told us that would be wonderful. So, that's how Marianne's name came about.

I love Marianne. She is such a great helper. She loves to take care of her little brother and sisters. She helps me almost every time I ask her to! She is so stinkin' smart. She can count to 100, write her whole name by herself, knows all her letters and numbers and can write them all, too. Her favorite thing to do is color pictures for people. She works tirelessly on pictures (ususally for an entire family), writes "for" and each person's name on every single picture, then autographs it. For those of you who have received these pictures, you better save them. They may be priceless some day! It nevers ceases to amaze me how much joy a child can bring into your life. Yes, it is difficult, but the rewards are a million times more than the trials! I can't think of a better way to have started off our little family. I love you, Mariannie!

Two of Rachel's Firsts

2009-01-03T13:18:00.001-08:00

Rachel has had a few firsts lately. Her first first was rolling over, which she did about a month and a half ago. Next came sitting up all by herself. She mastered that about three weeks ago. Well, we decided that since she is OVER six months old now, that she should probably start trying some solid food. I don't know why I hadn't started this earlier. I started Marianne and Bo at 4 months and Allison at 5 months. Oh well, she has been growing just fine without it. But, here are some pictures to document our first attempt at rice cereal...not too productive!

Me trying to pry her mouth open with the spoon. This girl has got an iron jaw!

MOM!!!! What are you feeding me?

Really?!? You want me to swallow this?

Am I done yet?

She has done better each day. Today, I think she actually MEANT to swallow the cereal. Good girl, Rach!

And, here's the first that I am most excited about....

RACHEL'S FIRST HAIRDO!!!

She was such a trooper and it only took me about a minute to get this elastic in her hair. I added a little clippy later, but it kind of hid the piggy. Go Rachel! I'm so pumped!

Christmas Recap

2008-12-31T11:48:00.000-08:00

No more pictures of Christmas, but I wanted to share what else we did. We left Jim and Aimee's house and headed North to my parents' house. They gave the girls dresses and Bo a handsome outfit from Old Navy. Justin and I got Visa gift cards and Texas Roadhouse gift cards. YUMMMYYYYY!!! We hung out they for the rest of the day and then at around 7:00 headed to my brother, John's house to play games. It was really bad weather, but I made Justin stay. We ended up driving home in a blizzard. The on ramp to the freeway wasn't plowed, so we had to plow through about 6 inches of snow in the minivan! AAAHHH!!! It was freaky! We made it home alright, but it wasn't without worry. We had a wonderufl Christmas and have spent every night since partying late into the night. I am so grateful for this time of year. I love spending every minute with my family and friends. I am grateful for my Savior, without whom, I would be lost. I am so grateful for my loving family and especially for my AWESOME husband. I am so blessed with my four BEAUTIFUL children. I love them with everything I have. They are perfect! Thanks for everything! You all ROCK!

Christmas Morning with the Barbers

2008-12-31T11:37:00.000-08:00

After we finished at our house, we headed over to Jim and Aimee's for the Barber Christmas party. We always have breakfast and then open presents. This year the rule was "Homemade Gifts." So, here are a few pictures of us receiving gifts.

Mike made Justin this awesome fishing lamp. Yeah, I know! I totally thought they bought it! But, Mike made it by himself! Justin LOVES it!

Judd gave Bo a book and a blanket that he tied. Bo loves the new book and tries out all of the different ways that animals say goodnight whenever we read it! Thanks Judd!

Austin made Allison this "treasure box." It's enraved with an "A" for Allison! Inside was a kit to make some necklaces. She loves it. Thanks Austin!

Josh made Rachel a box, too. Her's had some teething rings in it. She has put them to good use. Thanks Josh!

Marianne got a "treasure box" from Kyle, too. Her's was pink with "M" on the top. She, too, got a jewlery making kit. She loves them both! Thanks Kyle!

I always love Christmas morning with the Barbers! It's such a fun start to a long day! This year, because the gifst were supposed to be homemade, I ended up doing it all, which was fun. We gave Joe a pair of pj pants, Cami, Sadie and Aubry got bracelets, Austin got a picture of his dog, Macy and some dog pj pants, and Brigham got BYU jammies and a BYU fleece blanket that I blanket stitched around. This year, I LOVED giving!

Christmas Morning

2008-12-31T11:18:00.000-08:00

Let me begin by saying that I HATE that when you upload photos on Blogger, they get all out of order. I usually take the time to put them back in the order I had them, but I have too much to post, so bear with me!

I got up at 7:00 to jump in the shower and get ready before the kids woke up...at 8:30! My parents, Dan and Lisa came to our house, too. My mom said that our kids are just fun to watch open their presents. They are getting to be at the perfect age! So, here are just a FEW of the pictures we got of Christmas morning.

Marianne checking out the stockings before we headed downstairs to open gifts.

Bo sorting through his stocking. He got some Matchbox cars along with all the junk. We really try no to go overboard on the candy. We do mostly crackers, juice, fruit, but we always throw in some chocolate for good measure.

The kids got a Little Tykes kitchen for Christmas. It is probably their favorite gift and it was free! Thanks Mike and Amy!

Allison going through her stocking. The girls got little gumball machines from the big man.

Opening gifts. Bo got this hammer and peg set from Justin and Bo DID NOT want to let it go. I felt bad that everytime he opened a present, we would just take it away and make him open another one. Word to the wise: have your kids open the boring stuff first. The clothes I got him were not near as exciting as the toys he got!

Here is Bo after we took his toys away to "make" him open more. He has been doing this "It's the end of the world" routine for some time now. I think it's adorable!

Rachel opening one of her few gifts. What do you get a 6 month old for Christmas?

We had a great morning. Here's what everyone got:

Justin: Electric Guitar Amp, BYU football, Monopoly, John Grisham book, socks

Joann: Mountain bike, pedicure kit, Glenn Beck's "An Unlikely Mormon" DVD

Marianne: Clothes, games, camera, "Horton Hears a Who," socks, underwear

Allison: Clothes, games, camera, "Wall-E," socks, underwear

Bo: Hammer and pegs, Matchbox rescue station, games, socks (I WISH underwear!)

Rachel: Clothes, toys

Christmas Eve

2008-12-31T11:10:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas Eve we have a few traditions. Luckily we get to spend it with just our little family. I love that! We gave the kids a bath and let them put on their new jammies. Then, we headed downstairs to watch the original "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" while we wrapped presents for our family and friends. After "The Grinch" we sang some Christmas carols while Justin played his guitar. I love this part the most, especially now that the girls are getting old enough to sing with us. It is one of the few times every year that I get to hear Justin play his guitar that I got him for our first Christmas together. Then, we put the kids to bed and stayed up watching "A Christmas Story" while we wrapped the rest of the presents. We finished at about 12:30 am. Not too shabby, huh? I love our Christmas Eve traditions!

Marianne, Justin, Rachel, Allison, Bo and Joann in our Christmas jammies.

Arrington Family Christmas Party

2008-12-31T11:05:00.000-08:00

My family's party was on the night of the 23rd. We had Bryan and Becky's family and got them "Family Feud" and lots of candy. My big sister Sharon and her family had us. They gave the girls a basket full of dress up clothes (totally awesome!), Bo some hacky-sac type sports balls, and Rachel a cute little outfit. I wanted to share the outfit that Rachel got. I love it!

When I showed my mom she said, "I don't think that's very funny." I guess it hit a little too close to home for her! Ha!

WE'RE ALIVE!!!

2008-12-31T10:49:00.001-08:00

I know, I know! It's been almost a month since I last posted. Justin has given me a little grief, but I say, "It's his blog, too!" Anyway, here is what we have been up to for the past few weeks!

Allison's preschool program was on December 19th. Her teacher (Justin's sister, Jeri) asked the girls and me to sing "When Christmas Comes to Town." Allison had never sung it in front of a crowd, so I was a little worried about her. I basically thought she would just stand there while Marianne sang their part by herself. Well, such was NOT the case. Alli got ahold of that microphone and WOULD NOT let it go. Marianne and I had to practically yank it out of her hands. You can see that from this picture. Another funny thing is that I messed up on the words in one part. Of course, Marianne knows the song better than I do, so instead of just letting people think that I was doing great, she sat there and shook her head and practically shouting, "No! No! That's wrong!" Yeah, thanks, sis!

Marianne TRYING to share the microphone with Allison.

I put Justin's little brother, Joe in charge of our camera. I was pretty much counting on having one of these photos of his cute family! We love you Brigham, Lizzy and Uncle Joey.

Next was Santa's lap. Bo DID NOT enjoy himself!

Marianne, ever the big girl, couldn't wait to tell Santa what she wanted!

Allison, however, would just get close enough to whisper that she wanted a "present" for Christmas. I love this picture!

Thanks to Mrs. Eggett for being such a great teacher (and sister, and aunt, and friend etc....) We love you!

What's a Mother to Do?

2008-11-25T21:14:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Marianne had a little friend over to play after school. While they were playing, I heard Marianne use the Lord's name in vain. You know the one...the one kids hear EVERYWHERE; "Oh my".....yeah, that one. Well, the first time I heard it, I wasn't positive that that is what had come out of her mouth, so I put it to the back of my mind. Well, the girls were cleaning up the playroom before her friend was about to leave and she said it again. This time there was no mistaking it. So, I quietly told her that we don't say that. Then, after her friend left, I told her that we only talk about Heavenly Father in a nice way and we only use his name when we are talking to Him or about Him in a nice way. I told her that we don't use Heavenly Father's name when we are angry or frustrated, the way other people do. She seemed genuinely sorry that she had said it and said she was sorry. I told her that if I ever heard her saying it again she would get her mouth washed out with soap. So, tonight, we were brushing teeth before bedtime and she said it again. The thing that bothers me, is that it almost seemed like a habit. She just said it so flippantly. How long have I been missing this? Anyway, I took her downstairs to the only bathroom in our house that has a BAR of soap and Justin helped me wash her little mouth out with it. She wouldn't open her mouth, so I basically ended up making her bite it. Yuck! She was crying and crying and my heart was breaking! When we were done, I had Justin try to explain to her why we don't use that phrase; why we don't use our Father's name like that. She continued to sob all the way to her bed. Well, when she got to her bed, she didn't want to say her prayers. I told her that she needed to tell Heavenly Father that she was sorry for using His name the way she did. She just cried and cried and didn't want to have to say her prayers. I was really struggling to keep it together at this point. I told her that she would feel much better after saying she was sorry. I told her that Heavenly Father wants us to be happy and that if we choose the right, we will be. But, using His name the way she did was not something he wants us to do, so she needs to tell Him that she is sorry. How do you explain forgiveness to a four-year-old? Well, after about five minutes of coaxing, I finally got her to say a prayer. She asked Him for the things she needed; to be safe, to have fun, to sleep well etc. Then, I helped her to tell Him that she was sorry for using His name "mean." When she got to this part she could barely speak through her sobbing. I could completely tell that she felt sorry for what she had done. She asked Him to help her to not do it again then closed her prayer. It took everything I had to not break down into tears. I never want to see her hurt like that again! What am I going to do if and when she makes worse choices and makes bigger mistakes? How will I help her to understand the beauty of the Atonement? How will I help her to understand that Heavenly Father loves her no matter what she does? Tonight, I had a very eye-opening experience. It made me realize that no matter what I teach my children, in the end, they will make their own choices and all I can do is love them and try to help them understand that our Father in Heaven loves them as well. It made me realize that repentance is not easy. Sometimes it is difficult to tell our Father in Heaven that we are sorry. But, if we can do it, we will be happy.
After Marianne finished her prayer, I laid by her for a few minutes. I told her that sometimes she does things that make me angry or upset, but that I will ALWAYS love her. No matter what! I think if I can help her understand that, I have begun to be a good parent. If I can help her to understand that whatever she does, that just like me, our Heavenly Father will love her unconditionally, I am doing even better. I pray every day for the strength to be a better parent and for my children to know that I love them and that our Father loves them. I only pray, now, that that is enough to carry them through and help them to overcome those trials, large and small, because right now, that's all I can do.

All I Want For Christmas is a New Vacuum

2008-11-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

I have always thought that THE worst possible gift to give a woman on any occasion, whether it be her birthday, anniversary, Christmas etc, would be a vacuum. Well, I am officially changing my opinion. After months of vacuuming with a vacuum that gets clogged at least three times while I vacuum my house, I am asking for one for Christmas. Now, some of you may argue my opinion, stating that a vacuum should be a purchase for the entire family, but I will share with you my argument.
I am the only one that vacuums at my house. I am NOT complaining. My husbnad works very hard at his job and this is the life that I have chosen; to stay home with my beautiful children and keep a home neat and tidy. Well, I am a woman that is easily frustrated, so when I have to declog the "joints" in my vacuum after each room is clean, I get very frustrated; mumbling under my breath, snapping at my innocent children, and slamming the vaccum down as hard as I possible can to get whatever is clogging it out. So, needless to say, I am NOT a happy mommy, let alone a happy camper. If I had a vacuum that worked, just think of the frustration that would be absent from my otherwise perfect life! I would be happier. Plain and simple. Also, I would have more time to spend doting on my sweet children, which I love to do. How, you ask? Well, instead of taking me 30 minutes to vacuum the house, plus the 20 minutes I spend cleaning it out, I would be done vacuuming in less than half an hour, with a brand new vacuum. What would I do with all of that extra time each week? Oh, one can dream, right? So, if you still think that asking for a vacuum for Christmas or any other special occassion where gifts are involved, please, by all means come and vacuum at my house, with my vacuum just once. I promise you, that is all it will take. So, for anyone that has an opposing opinion, I welcome your thoughts on the subject. If you agree with me, please, I am begging you, plead with my husband to give me the gift that keeps on giving...a new vacuum. Thank you, and goodnight!

(p.s. Yes, this post was written immediately after an hour of vacuuming just the UPSTAIRS of my house! Urgh!)

Not a political blog

2008-11-20T16:02:00.000-08:00

This is not a political blog, and will not be used as one in the future. However, I'm so frustrated with how far away we seem to be getting from the Constitution and our founding fathers that I want to share just one thing. This is a quote from Samuel Adams, and it perfectly sums up how I feel, and how I wish our politicians would act. Feel free to comment if you would like, but I promise this will be the only political-ish post on this blog:

"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

Well, Halloween came and went, and boy, was it fun! This year I made the kids costumes (again) and they were Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I have to say, I think they turned out fantastically! Here's how our day went!

Marianne was Goldilocks, of course. I was able to take Bo and Rachel to Marianne's school for the last 15 minutes to watch her Halloween program. Here she is with her class marching around the table in a "Costume Parade."

Marianne singing a few Halloween songs with some of the kids in her class. Everyone sang, but I spared you on the pleathura of pictures I took. They were so cute!

Marianne posing before school. Look how beautiful her curls are. I wish they would have stayed all day, but as you will see in later pictures, it just didn't.

Here's Golidocks and the Three Bears on Grandma's front lawn. Allison was Mama Bear, Bo was Papa Bear and Rachel was the Itty Bitty Baby Bear. Cute, huh?

Here's all the kids with their Daddy at his work. The kids got to trick-or-treat around the cubicles at Justin's work and they LOVED it! Everyone there thought they were adorable, too. Well, of course!

Rachel posing at Justin's work. Isn't she the most adorable Baby Bear you've ever seen?

Allison loved spinning on the chairs at Justin's office. What a sweet Mama Bear!

Marianne hiding under one of the desks. Notice how flat her curls were by the time we got to Justin's work. If anyone has any suggestions on how to get ringlets to stay, I would love you for it! She is still the prettiest Goldilocks on the planet!

Bo hiding in his make-shift cave under a desk at Justin's work. I have to say that the dark brown costume made his eyes look so amazing. I love my little Papa Bear!

We had a great Halloween. We started out going to Justin's office and showing off the cuties there. Then we headed to my parents' house to have some yummy soup and get some great big treats. We then headed to our own neighborhood to do some trick-or-treating. Our bishop's wife and another mom were making homemade donuts with hot cider. Another couple of families had a grim-reaper rigged to fly across the street to scare people. One of our Rock Band buddies had his garage transformed into a haunted house with smoke and scary music. Justin's brother and sis-in-law had goodies and Rock Band all night at their house, too. It was a fun night, but when Justin and I got home and put the kids to bed around 9:00, we wanted to stay up and watch a movie. We got one started but neither of us made it through. Halloween wore us OUT!!! But, is was a ton of fun! See all you ghosts and goblins next year!

I Want This!!!

2008-10-22T13:59:00.001-07:00

Since Rachel came along, I have felt that my house is not nearly as clean as it was when I had only three kids to chase around. So, I found this doormat on the blog of on of my new "Pigs and Ponies" followers. I totally need it! Although, I think the picture would be more believable on MY front porch, as it is covered in dirt, spiders, prickers, leaves etc. etc. etc...

I Heart Twilight!!!

2008-10-21T22:47:00.000-07:00

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

You're Killing Me!

2008-10-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Allison is at that stage where she says so many funny things. I made the mistake of not writing down all the funny things Marianne has said over her four years, and I don't want to do that again. So, thanks to blogging, I am sharing those "funnies" with all of you and getting them documented at the same time!

Today, while Marianne was at school, I was playing with Allison. She wanted to cut out some circles she had colored at school, so she grabbed the small scissors and started cutting. Well, she is only three, as you know, and the paper kept shifting so her circles were more like squares (or something?). She growled and said, "These scissors are killing me!" I asked her what she meant and she said, "Them aren't listening to me!" Ha! What a nut!

Fabulous Giveaway!!!

2008-10-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

If you have little girls, you need to know about this. There are a whole bunch of "Hair" giveaways going on right now, but if you love me, you will go HERE and enter to win $25 gift cerificate to "All Things Ribbon" and tell her I sent you. There are some unbelievably fabulous things there like bows, headbands and the most beautiful little girl dresses you have ever seen. Her prices are so fantastic that $25 is going to get you A LOT! Good luck!

Bo Bo Bo-dee-o BO

2008-10-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

I know that everyone knows it, but I just love this little guy. He has a part of my heart that I never knew I had and I can't imagine life without him! He is such a little tease and he LOVES water. One of his favorite things to do it take whatever sippy cup he has and shake it until the water (or something worse) empties onto the floor, or couch, or table, or bed, or... So the other day we at aunt Aimee's house again and we borrowed a sippy cup for some water. Well, Bo made his way around the corner, where we couldn't see him and basically emptied out the red sippy cup he had. Stinker! So, we made him clean it up. Which he thought was the coolest thing ever! What a sweetheart!

Bo shows off his mess-maker!

Bo cleaning up after himself. Cute little bum, huh?

So, then yesterday when I was getting the tub ready for the three big kids, I had filled the tub and was getting their clothes and diapers ready before I got Bo in. Well, apparently I wasn't fast enough for him and he decided to climb in by himself. I had no camera because Justin had unknowingly taken it to work in the van. So, thankfully, Aimee lives close enough for me to call and ask her how fast she can be at my house with her camera. She got here in time to take these (and more) cute pictures of Bo in the tub...fully clothed! How can you possibly get angry at that ADORABLE face?!?!

Bo thinks he's the "stuff" because everyone is laughing at him.

Bo stading in the tub, soaked from head to toe. You can see his COMPLETELY filled diaper rounding out his bum. What a nut!

Rachel Just Snoozin'

2008-10-04T11:50:00.001-07:00

On Monday nights, Justin has school, so we usually just have a little Mom and kid time and watch a movie or something. But last Monday, my bro-in-law, Jim was out of town leaving his wife and boys home alone as well. So, I asked Aimee if they wanted to have family home evening with us. We played RockBand for about an hour and then had ice-cream sandwiches. Rachel fell asleep on Aimee's couch in this relaxing position. I love how her fingers are intertwined. I thought it was so stinkin' cute that I had Aimee snap a picture! Isn't she cute?

Rachel snoozes at Jim and Aimee's house.

"Butt Cakes" Anyone?

2008-10-01T18:39:00.001-07:00

Today Marianne had school and "play day" at a friends house. She gets to do this every week, so I try to have something fun for Alli and me to do. Sometimes we play in the backyard, sometimes we bake, sometimes we go to lunch. It's really just a fun time for us to spend together. Anyway, today I asked Al if she wanted to make some cupcakes with me. She came running from outside to help/watch me. As we were filling the cup cake papers, she noticed that there were a lot of cup cakes. She so thoughtfully suggested that we, "Share our butt cakes with our friends." Isn't she nice?

Marianne, Bo and Allison Jo laughing because I told them to say, "I love butt cakes!"

My Proud Mama Moment

2008-09-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, so today was our ward's Primary Program and for the first time I got to have one of my very own kids sing to me! Marianne did such a great job! I had quite a few people come up to me afterward and complement me on what a great singer she was and tell me how impressed they were that she knew EVERY word to literally EVERY song they sang. She even said her part "I have Family Home Evening with my family," all by herself...with no help whatesoever! I loved every second of it and could not wipe the smile off my face! At one point, she was looking at her daddy and her eyebrows went up as if to say, "I'm doing pretty good, right?" Then, she gave a hearty "thumbs-up!" It was so dang cute!

So, then after Sacrament Meeting, the Primary met in the chapel for Opening Exercises. Well, my little 4 1/2-year-old Marianne got to do something so exciting! And it's because she is so brilliant! (Hee hee!) She got to cut off our Bishop's tie with a pair of (not so sharp) scissors! Wanna know why? This year our ward made a challenge to all the Primary kids to memorize all thirteen Articles of Faith. If they get them all memorized, they get to cut off the Bishop's tie. Well, little Marianne finished #13 this week and got to "snip snip," as she would say. I was so proud of her! The first counselor in the Primary Presidency asked her which one was her favorite, which is #10 and asked her if she would say it for everyone. She got a little shy at this point and didn't do it, but she sang a few of them after dinner to my parents, Justin's parents, and Aimee and her boys. I am so unbelieveably proud of her. She really is a smart little girl and she sings EVERY ONE of those Articles of Faith right on pitch. I don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful, sweet little girl, but she really foots the bill!

Here's Marianne with our Bishop, right after she cut off his tie. It was pretty hard, but she got through all the layers! Way to go Marianne! I LOVE YOU!!!

Hair Stuff Giveaways!

2008-09-26T11:16:00.001-07:00

If anyone who has little girls is interested (I guess you don't have to have little girls), you should go to my Pigs and Ponies blog and enter the three giveaways there. Tell them all I sent you and I could win some cute cute bows! Thanks!

Nucklehead Alli

2008-09-09T20:35:00.001-07:00

So, tonight I was getting the kids ready for bed. I had all of their jammies on and was brushing Bo and Marianne's teeth in the bathroom. When I was done, I went looking for Allison. She had found one of Rachel's night gowns and tried to put it over her own nightgown. Combine that with her hair that we had just taken out...I laughed OUT LOUD and ran for the camera. What a silly goose!

Allison's First Day of Preschool!

2008-09-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today was my Alli's first day of preschool. She is such a sweetheart and will do amazing! Here are her pictures. Isn't she a doll?

Allison in her cute "First Day of School" outfit. I love her chubby little legs in these leggings. They are supposed to be about calf length, but she kind of a shrimp, so...ya know!

I think she looks gorgeous and smart in this picture.

Here's Allison with Mrs. Eggett (a.k.a. Aunt Jeri). She is the best preschool teacher out there!

So, here's my bragging section for Als. Read no further if you don't wanna hear it! Allison has been writing her own name for about six months now. It's just the A-l-l-i, but still! She wasn't even three yet! She is always such a great sharer. She doens't even have to be asked. If she sees someone that doesn't have what she's got, she will automatically tell them they can have some. She always shares her drinks with me. Allison has the best laugh of anyone I know. She sounds like those tickle smiley-face toys that giggle and giggle, only cuter! I love you, Al!

Rachel's Blessing Day

2008-09-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

Well, the day couldn't have been more perfect! The weather was gorgeous, Justin did a great job with the blessing, we had many of our family and friends with us and Rachel looked beautiful! Here are some fun pictures from the day!

Rachel in her dress after evreyone left. What great big beautiful eyes!

Here's our family afterward. Marianne, Joann, Rachel, Bo, Justin, and Allison.

Here's Rachel with my adorable Grandpa Grose! Aren't they the cutest?

Here is Rachel at the end of the photo session. She had fallen asleep on her tummy and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get a picture of the back of her dress. It was by far my favorite part of the dress, but definately the most nerve racking. Thanks to my big sis Shron for helping me so much! Couldn't have done it without ya! (Does that suffice?)

Thank you to everyone who came and supported us. It was only so wonderful because of all of you! I hope you know how much we love you all!

Marianne's First Day of Preschool

2008-09-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

Well, the day finally came! Marianne has been chomping at the bit to start school. She is now attending a preschool just around the corner from our house with a couple of boys in our ward. She already loves it! She told me the other day that she was sad to not be in Jeri's preschool, but that she is excited to go to her new school. At least we get to see Jeri and her familia twice a week for Alli's school. Now, if we could just make next Tuesday magically get here tomorrow, Allison would be happy. She has been waiting and waiting for her school to start, which makes me want it to start yesterday! Anyhow, here are some adorable pictures of Marianne the morning of her first day of school! She is adorable and so stinkin' smart!

Marianne by the big old tree in the backyard. She looks so grown up in her babydoll shirt and flare jeans!

I LOVE this picture of my big girl! What a doll, huh?

Here's Marianne with the two boys from our ward, Brady and Joshua. The sun was very bright, so they were all squinting, but they are cute anyway. Brady tells his mom that he is going to marry Marianne. Ah, young love!

Marianne with her teacher, Miss Vicki. She loves her already!

I am the mom so I get to brag as much as I want. If you don't wanna hear it, stop here. When we went to preschool registration, Miss Vicki had all the kids trace their names for their box labels. Well, after Marianne traced her name, Miss Vicki asked me if she could write it herself. OF COURSE!!! (I did hold back, though. I did not tell her she could write Allison and Bo's names by herself, too!) She already knows the names of all the letters and numbers. She knows all of her colors, too. She is a great colorer and often colors pictures for people, puts them in a grocery sack and hands them out the next time she sees them. She is ALWAYS asking questions to learn more and more. She is a sponge, I swear and B-E-A-utiful to boot! Love you, babe! Have a great year!

Fruit of Our Labors (or lack thereof)

2008-09-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we have been cleaning up a bit around the house and in the yard preparing for Rachel's baby blessing on Sunday (which I hope you are all planning on attending!). Well, today, Justin was cleaning out the 33' by 36' area where we attempted our first garden. We planted onions first, which ended up maybe doubling in size from the bulbs we planted. We planted everything else in May, right before that 90 degree weekend. We had not had a chance to get the watering set up properly and almost everything we planted shrivelled up and died. After I had Rachel, I couldn't get out to the garden to weed (didn't really weed much before either ;) so the weeds completely took over the garden area. We had put up some fence sections to keep Holy Moe (the horse) from eating our "wonderful" veggies, so when I say completely took over the garden, I mean it. Anyway, as Justin was cleaning that area and removing the "tree weeds" as he called them, he made me come over and see what he had found! Two full size tomatoes, about a dozen baby tomatoes, and a mini zucccini (about 4 inches long)!!! Can you believe it?!?! I was laughing my head off. And here we thought we had completely BOMBED our first ever attempt at a garden. Go figure!

Rachel Evelyn

2008-08-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Here is Rachel's birth acnnouncement. Along with it is an invitation to her baby blessing on September 7th at 9:00 am at the church across the street from our house. If you need directions, let me know! We would love to have as many of our family and friends there as possible!

My 'nuther Blog

2008-08-19T22:15:00.000-07:00

I decided to start a hair blog just for fun. I have a lot of friends and family who have little girls and a few have asked how I do some of the things I have done with the girls' hair. So, I posted some hairstyles today. I will do better at taking pictures as I go along, instead of just the final product. You can visit the blog by clicking on the "Piggies and Ponies" link under "Places to Visit." Enjoy....and make sure you leave comments. They are so fun!

Camping and Rafting

2008-08-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

So, after our river trip two weeks ago, (adult only trip), I was very excited to take the kids camping with most of their cousins this past week. The girls even got to ride on the upper part of the river in Captain (Grandpa) Jack's raft! We actually headed up the Alpine a day earlier then everyone else so we could get some good play time in with just our little familia. I am glad we did because it was a total blast and there were so many cute pictures. Here are just a FEW of my favorites!

First thing in the morning on Thursday, the kids found the little stream that ran behind our campsite. They couldn't resist throwing a few rocks into the river before we headed to Subway for breakfast.

Here's the three older kids posing on a rock. I think it's so cute. They are still relatively clean and the stream behind them is so pretty.

Bo found this cool little dirt hole and sat in it for a good half hour. He just played with the rocks in his own little spot and was in seventh heaven!

Here's a picture of our campsite before everyone else got there. It was pretty wide open and the kids had a TON of room to roam and play. (Probably TOO much room if you ask Grandma!)

Rachel chilled on my lap while her big brother and sisters played.

We went up to East Table and let the kids play in the water there. Bo was NOT happy about the life jacket, but Justin made him stay in it long enough to take a picture. I am glad!

The big girls show off their big muscles!

My two little sweathearts. That water was so FREEZING! But, they were good sports and let us take this adorable picture of them together sitting in the river.

Bo would not get any closer to the water than he had to in order to throw a few rocks. But, here he is posed on a rock looking his best! Man! Those little girls are going to be in trouble!

Here's the four kids sitting on a log by East Table. Can you believe Rachel is already sitting by herself at only two months! Hee hee!

Bo gets ready to throw a rock or two into the Snake.

Marianne and Allison LOVE their cousins. Duncan was the first cousin to join us by a long shot and they had a blast together!

This is the first picture of Rachel smiling. She is definately a morning person...OH NO!!!

Allison still asleep in her sleeping bag...

And Marianne...

And Rachel...

But, of course, Bo was wide awake ready for the dirt!

Rachel fell asleep in the chair. I think she looks like a little farmer with her hat pulled down over her eyes.

The girls get ready to go RAFTING!!! Alli cried for a few minutes, but enjoyed herself most of the way down. Do you love the dirt on their faces? Try as I might I couldn't seem to keep them all clean while we camped...go figure!

See what I mean!

We had a complete blast! Thanks to everyone for such a great time. Thanks to Amy and Shron for the food. Thanks again to Dad/Grandpa for the rafting, too! And, thanks to EVERYONE that helped with my four little kids, especially Grandma, Amy, Shron and Gus, Lex, London, Kate, Amberly, Haley, Baylee, Jackson and Kendrick. You guys ROCK!

Little Girl Funnies

2008-08-07T14:00:00.001-07:00

Okay, so there have been a few cute things that my girls have said and I thought I would share a few of them. Here we go!

We were leaving a parking lot somewhere (can't remember where) and there was a convertible Mustang parked next to us. Allison gasped and with concern pointed out that, "Uh-oh! Their car is broken!"

We recently hooked up our new trail-a-bike and bike trailer up to Justin's bike. When we had it all done, Justin took the three older kids on a little bike ride around the neighborhood. He ran into one of the men in our ward out working in his yard. The man was nice enough to give the kids some apricots to bring home to share. Well, it was bed time, so the kids came straight in to get ready for bed. Allison was quite concerned about not being able to eat the delicious fruit she had brought home. She asked me innocently if we were going to eat the "Tater-tots" we got from our neighbor!

Last, but not least, Marianne's little quip. We have been having a hard time getting our girls to listen to us the first time and obeying what we say. So, last Monday night we had a lesson on obeying and we taught the girls the Primary song, "When my mother calls me, quickly I'll obey. I want to do just what is best, each and every day!" Well, a couple of days later, I asked Marianne to go get some books to read with me. While she was gone, Rachel started fussing, so I picked her up to try to comfort her. In the meantime, Marianne returned with a whole slew of books for us to read, but apparently I wasn't getting to the fast enough. After a minute of my trying to settle Rachel and Marianne asking me to read, she finally got frustrated enough to break out into this little tune..."When my daughter calls me, quickly I'll obey!" Man, she is too smart for her own good. I laughed hysterically and had to call Justin and my mom to share this funny!

A Rafting We Will Go!

2008-08-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

So, we finally made it to the Snake River after a cancelled trip two weeks ago. Here are A LOT of pictures to exlpain what went on while we were away!

Lisa holds little Rachel. No, Rachel DID NOT ride the rapids this year...maybe in about 8!

Justin LOVES the inflatable kayak. I love pictures like this, and this...

Tee hee hee!

He did finally make it back into the kayak before he hit Lunch Counter.

Our friendly moose across the river getting a little drink of refreshing river water.

I have to laugh really hard at this picture. This is my bro-in-law, Gus going over in Big Kahuna. If you look closely, you can see his dorky jester's hat in the waves. I am pretty sure it was still atop his head, too.

This is the last trip down the river. I am on the front with my brother, Jeff. This was by far the BEST we hit Kahuna this trip. Now, you will see how my sis-in-law, Ann and I got our ride...

Yeah, we pretty much just sunk into the river before we came out of it. I honestly thought we were going over!

Ann and I both got knocked into the drink by the second wave. AWESOME!!!

Still on the way out of the raft.

Both Ann and I were hanging on for dear life. That river is a lot bigger when you are in it!

Yup, still hanging on!

Ann gets pulled in while I am STILL hanging on to the chicken line.

Finally! I tell ya, it was awesome, scary, funny, intense etc. When I got back in the raft and started paddling again, I felt something on my left arm. It hurt when I rubbed it against my life jacket while paddling. I looked and saw the start of a bruise about three inches in diameter. Well, like I said, it was the START of a bruise. Here is what it looked like two days later!

Me and my HEMATOMA! Yuck, huh? I am sure it will still be around when we go rafting again next weekend with all the kids. Let me tell you, it really hurts!

Here's a little funny from the trip. As you can see, my family always weare goofy hats when we go down the river. We are quite notorious around them parts. On our last trip down the river, I was choosing out my hat to wear on the raft. I picked out a great elf hat with bells and EVERYHING! It didn't have anything to keep the sun out of my eyes, so I put it on over my ball cap. I turned to Ann and actually asked her if that looked dumb. My sis-in-law Liz smirked and said, "You want to know if it looks dumb?" Well, okay, I guess it wouldn't have been as great if it didn't look dumb, right?

So, that's our trip. Thanks to my dad for taking us all down the river. Thanks to Joe and Liz (and Brigham) for going with us. It was great to spend some time with you guys while you are here. Thanks to Ann and Angie for arranging all the food for us while we camped. And last but most certainly not least, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU to Mike and Jeri and their girls for keeping our three older kids while we were off galavanting. WE LOVE YOU!!!

Famous In A Small Town

2008-07-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

I stole that headline from Amy's blog, but I thought it fit. Here is the front page of the "Davis Plus" section of the Standard Examiner today. A couple of weeks ago, I went to a friend's house and a photographer took this picture of just a few of the pregnant women and new mothers in our neighborhood. There are 15 or 16 in all, but these eight are the only ones that could be there for the pictures. On the flip side of the page, it goes into detail about a few of us. Here's what it says about me. "Then there is Joann Barber, who just welcomed daughter Rachel into the family, which now has four children under the age of four." I am so proud!

A Day of Glam

2008-07-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, so every once in a while the girls ask me if we can paint their toes and fingers. Well, today I made them a deal...Let me do their hair fancy and I would paint their toes. Here are some pictures to document our fun morning.

Marianne's hair. I just did a twist on the hair headband look. You can see it better in this picture...

Kinda funky, right? I think she pulls it off, though. She looks cute no matter what.

Okay, Alli's was much more involved. here is the front view...not too impressive, but check this out...

Yeah, baby! It looks like lattice, right? It was pretty fun and for the first time in a long time, Allison actually sat still long enough for me to do it. Thanks, babe!

So, after hair, we did nails. Here are the girls' cute pink fingernails. I made them do pink on their fingers and let them choose their toenail color. When I was done painting their nails, I let them have a turn painting mine. Allison chose blue and Marianne chose red. At least it's patriotic, right?

Allison had her nails red and blue. Marianne picked orange, and I got red and blue.

I wanted to show what a great job the girls did. Here's Alli's blue nail polish. Tee hee!

And here's Marianne's job with the red.

I love my girls. It is so fun to do stuff like this with them. They love to play with me and I love when I get to sit down with them for a long time and "play," too. Love you, girls!

Grandma and Grandpa Great

2008-07-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

After missing Grandma and Grandpa Winegar while we were in St. George, we finally caught up with them at their house in Bountiful. We wanted Rachel to meet her namesake, and they couldn't wait to meet her. It was a fun little visit. Her are some cute pictures we took while we were there.

Grandma "Great" and all the girls.

Evelyn Winegar and baby Rachel Evelyn Barber.

Grandpa Winegar playing with Bo.

I thought this one was so cute. Grandma and Bo are playing

Grandpa Winegar adoring baby Rachel. I think it looks like she is looking at him, too.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for letting us visit you on such short notice. And THANK YOU Grandma for letting us "steal" your name for our sweet little Rachel Evelyn.

Tagged Again!

2008-07-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

This time by my sis-in-law Aimee. Thanks! I am actually glad you tagged me today. It was a cleaning day and my house is relatively clean...at least as clean as it gets with four small children! So, here goes!

1. My kitchen sink. I always try to have a clean kitchen sink and counter. If my kitchen sink is empty and clean, my whole kitchen feels more clean!

2. My fridge. Notice the leftovers that need to be cleaned out. Other than that, I think it's doing pretty good...maybe a little on the sparse side!

3. My favorite shoes. Definately my flip-flops. I wear them from the second the snow is gone (maybe even earlier!) until the snow falls again in the fall/winter. Honestly, I would wear them year-round if I could. They are just so comfy and easily put on and more importantly taken off. I HATE wearing shoes!

4. My closet. Okay, this is where I hide it all. All of the clothes on the floor are my "normal" clothes that I need to replace my maternity clothes with. I had all of my maternity clothes on the floor up until about a month before I had Rachel. I am just a little behind in this department!

5. Laundry pile. Today was laundry day and I had already finished by the time I got to checking my blog! Yipee!

6. What my kids are doing. Are you kidding? How else would I have the time to post this if they weren't asleep?

7. Favorite Room. I don't really have a favorite room in this house. If I had to choose one, it would be the front room because it is usually the cleanest of all the rooms in the house.

8. Most recent purchase. While we were in St. George, we bought the kids coordinating clothes for some pictures. I'll post those with all the St. George Vacation photos.

9. Fantasy Vacation. I would love, love, love to take all of our kids on a Disney Cruise when they get old enough.

10. Self Portrait. Okay, here's another place where I struggle. I can get all the kids ready and beautiful by the time lunch rolls around, but as for me? Well...

Hope you enjoyed! By the way, I am tagging my mom, Becky and Amy (because you haven't posted in WEEKS, Amy!)

Memories

2008-07-18T12:56:00.001-07:00

I stole this idea from Krisitna's blog. It sounds fun!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.

Our 4th! (Lots of Pictures!)

2008-07-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

So, I am not one of those photoshop people that can combine a bunch of pictures , so this post is VERY long! There are just too many fun pictures from our 4th of July activities! So, if you are ready, have a looksie!

Justin and the kids swimming at Jeri's house.

Allison showing off her sweet goggles. I think they need a little fixin'.

Jeri playing "Chicken" on Austin's shoulders. I got TONS of funny pictures, but thought I would save Jeri some face and save you some time looking at a b-jillion pictures!

Bo chillin' in the floatie. He didn't love it, as you can see.

Aimee was in heaven holding baby Rachel while everyone swam. (At least she seemed to be). Rachel was content as well.

Allison showing us how to swim. Notice the perfect form!

Bo got a little tired towards the end. What a sad little boy!

It may have been because I made him take a picture with these goggles on. But he looks cute, right?

Marianne and Sadie playing in the tube. What cute girls!

Mike swinging Alli in the floatie. I think her look is so precious. I think she likes her uncle Mike?!?

My two big girls waiting for the fireworks to start.

Bo waits patiently, too.

I can't do without one of these pictures of my buddy's eyes. What a handsome little man!

The girls and I painted our toes while we waited. If you can't tell, we also put little jewels on them, too. Way cute!

Marianne and Justin kicking the ball around. Marianne is getting very good at not using her hands to stop the ball.

Rachel models her 4th of July outfit. What a beauty!

Sadie holding Allison while they watch the fireworks. Try as we might, Justin and I couldn't get any of the kids, but Rachel to sit by us. At least they had fun, right?

Rachel telling me she is ready to go home and go to bed.

Maybe not!

Bo and his cousin Madie playing with the cups and water. I think they were more entretained by that than the fireworks themselves!

Bo playing with the cups again, this time with some fireworks in the background. Cool, huh?

Another one of Bo, looking to see who's calling his name to take a picture...Daddy!

The three oldest kids reluctantly pose for another picture. I was getting after Justin for taking pictures during the fireworks, so we didn't get a great one, but at least you can tell they are there, right?

Thanks to everyone who spent the day with us. We had a blast! Jeri, thanks for letting us raid your house and pool. We love it every year!

No Longer a Baby Boy!

2008-07-03T17:39:00.001-07:00

So, there have been a few changes around our house since Rachel arrived. Bo seems so much bigger to me, although he is still a baby. He decided today that he wanted to walk. The most he has done until today is taken a few steps here and there. But, today he has been waling from piece of furniture to piece of furniture all day long. I don't know, but maybe it has to do with getting his first ever haircut last night. He had whispies that he could have flown away on. But, with help from his daddy, he got his first buzz. He looks so handsome, but just not like a little baby anymore. I guess that's jsut how it goes, right?

(P.S. Thanks to Jim and Aimee for letting us use their clippers :)

Bo eyeing the clippers before Justin gets to work. You can see the little hairs whisping out above his ear.

He really did like getting his hair buzzed. He laughed at his sisters the whole time.

Another great picture of him smiling while he got buzzed!

After the buzzing. Justin had me buzz his head, too. I have to admit, it's not my favorite hairstyle on a daddy, but it keeps him cool in the summer. I am sure he enjoys his 6 mile bike ride to and from the train station with his hair cut short.

Another shot of Bo after his haircut. he just looks so big! Love you, little man!

Rachel Meets St. George Grandma

2008-07-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

We had a Barber family get together last Sunday before Justin's parents take off for Nauvoo for the month of July. They are volunteering at the Nauvoo Pageant all month. This was the first time that Rachel met her Grandma Barber (aka St. George Grandma).

Cute Pictures

2008-07-03T17:28:00.000-07:00

So, last Saturday we went to our Syracuse Idol competetion to support one of our fellow "RockBanders." He ended up taking 2nd...walking away with a popcorn popper, a digital frame and $75 cash! Man! Next year, I'm goin' for it! The winner got the popcorn popper, a digital frame, something else I can't remember, $100 cash and a $500 Visa giftcard! Boy, could I find stuff to spend THAT on! Anyway, here are some way cute pictures of my kids taken that night...at just the right time of day!

Marianne, my little blondie.

Allison Jo in all her stragelly hair glory.

Bo showing off those beautiful dark brown eyes.

Rachel trying her hardest to wake up, despite the bright sun shining in her face.

Happy Reunion!!!

2008-06-25T14:44:00.001-07:00

So, this all happened so fast, but it was so great! Two of my friends called me yesterday to see if we wanted to meet at a park for dinner and fun times. To make a long story short, we ended up getting together with some of my highschool friends that I hadn't seen for at least 4 years! It was so great to catch up with everyone and meet some of their kids for the first time. I really wanted to get more pictures, but I got distracted talking to my good friends! So, here is what I DID get!

A few of us sitting around talking and eating. From left to right, Kari (Hanks) Holliday holding her daughter Bella, Holly McKeeth, Kim (Hawkes) Rosqvist and Jared McKeeth. Angie (Anger)and Kelly Taylor are behind Jared and my little Bo is in the foreground.

Another one of us chatting.

Kari and Richy Holliday.

Kari and Richy's oldest daughters, Eden and Paige.

Bo holds out the cookies like he's ready to share...yeah right!

Jared McKeeth's family (L-R - Logan, Holly, Anna, and Jared)

Richy Holliday's family (L-R - Richy, Eden, Bella, Lincoln, Porter, Kari and Paige) I should mention that Kari and I were friends before she knew Richy. We had some music classes together at Weber State and were inseperable for that year. It makes me so sad that I haven't kept in touch with her over the past 4 years. I am re-commiting myself to not let that happen again!

Kim (Hawkes) Rosqvist's family. (L-R - Kemp, Koby, Sam, Kim and Eric)

Angie (Anger) Taylor's family (L-R - Kelly, Landon, Angie, Nic and ?)

I really had a great time and was so happy to see these people again! I love them all! Let's not let it be another 4 years before we see each other again!

Ah, Short Lived!

2008-06-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

Well, the cute little outfit I posted Rachel in about 4 hours ago has been tainted. Rachel woke up to eat at 4:00 and when I went to change her, she had blown out of the little onesie! Such is the life of a newborn, right? I am just hoping that the "Shout" that I pretreated it with takes care of the stain because that little shirt is just too cute to only wear for half a day before tossing it!

Rachel at a Week

2008-06-23T13:44:00.001-07:00

So, today is the first day that I have actually gotten Rachel ready for the day. We have a family party tonight and I wanted her to look her best. I wish she had been awake, but newborns just aren't too willing to cooperate in that department. However, I still think she is the sweetest newborn on the planet!
As a side note, before Rachel was born I went through all of my newborn clothes to get ready for a boy or a girl. The problem was that I couldn't find ANY of my newborn girl stuff. I had ONE outfit that I had bought for her to come home from the hospital...that's it! I got a couple of things from visiting teachers and my sis-in-law, but not anything near what a new little girl needs. So, after Rachel's 2-day doctor appointment, I headed to Kid 2 Kid to get some stuff. I ended up spending about $35 on a whole slew of stuff. I got this little pair of shorts and cute white onsie for about $5 total! We should be set until she grows into all of the 3-6 months stuff I actually have. One funny thing about this whole thing is that I wasn't worried about not being able to find the newborn girls stuff because I had all of the newborn boy stuff from Bo and I "KNEW" it was a boy. Ha!

Rachel modeling her new "bargain" outfit. I love how huge the shorts are on her! And they are size 0-3 months! Hee hee!

It's GOOOOD!

It amazes me so much how much they change in the first few weeks. I can't believe that a whole week ago I was in the hospital worn out and ecstatic because she had finally made it and we knew we had another little girl.

Just another side note. Rachel had lost about 15 ounces in the hospital and the doctor was worried about her jaundice. So, he had me take her in for a check-up on Friday. When the nurse put her on the scale, I was just PRAYING she had gained a little weight. Well, gain she did and was up to 8 lbs. 2 oz. She had gained 8 ounces in just two days! I was so proud of her. When the doctor checked her jaundice, he said it was not bad at all for a four-day-old baby. He said if it was his baby, he wouldn't even worry about having her bilirubin level checked again. I left the doctor's office completely ecstatic and relieved! I am sure at this rate she will be back to her birth weight by two weeks for sure!

My Smooth Little Bo Man

2008-06-23T13:40:00.001-07:00

Bo has had a rough couple of days. He has had a slight reaction to last weeks immunizations and has been a little irritable. Not to mention that this new little one has taken over his spot as "Baby." He really is a trooper and has started to become his daddy's little pal. Anyway, I snapped this picture of him in my old sunglasses. I love his grin. He just thinks he is the stuff!

Bo is lookin' to pick up some hot chicks! I'm thinking the girls are gonna be in trouble here in about 15 years! He is so cute! AAAHHH!!!

Grandpa Love

2008-06-23T13:36:00.001-07:00

My dad and Justin's dad stopped by this week to meet Rachel for the first time. My dad was in Florida for a work conference and Justin's dad was in St. George when Rachel was born. So, I thought I would share the precious pictures. I love how both of them just look smitten by my beautiful little girl!

Rachel and Grandpa Jack.

Rachel and St. George Grandpa.

It's A.........

2008-06-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

Girl!!!

Rachel Evelyn Barber was born at 4:06 AM on Monday, June 16. She weighed 8 lbs 9 oz, and was 20 inches long. Mom and daughter are doing great.

Horse Sense

2008-06-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

Well, Justin finally realized one of his dreams since we moved out here to this one-acre lot. We took a couple of trips to Farmington to get his horse, Holy Moe. We also had to get some fence sections to protect our struggling garden from the big new animal! So, after Justin spent the morning helping a friend with a tractor, he saddled up Moe and gave rides around the pasture! Here are just a few of the fun pictures!

Allison takes a ride by herself. She really wasn't very comfortable up there, but she was a trooper!

Marianne with her crazy hair. She was a little nervous on her first ride, but couldn't get enough of riding Moe once she knoew she wouldn't get hurt!

Marianne holding Bo on Moe. She was loving it! Him...not so much.

Justin coming back from his ride with Bo. Bo was much happier on his daddy's lap and didn't make a peep!

Justin takes Marianne for a ride with him.

Allison really liked riding with Justin. I think she felt safer on his lap than all alone on such a big horse.

Justin giving Moe a bath. He just kept saying over and over, "What a good-looking horse." I have to agree.

In my attempts to have this baby, I thought maybe this would be a good idea. I think I could have gone into labor just getting on the thing!

Whatta ya think? A few laps around the pasture and this baby's on it's way!

Baby Update

2008-06-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

Just for those of you who are curious...

At the doctor today the baby measured 39 weeks, 3 days and 8 pounds, 10 ounces. These are estimates, but it's still a tight fit in there. The doctor wants to see me again next Wednesday for my last appointment before he will start me on Friday. So, it looks like I've got over a week's wait, unless I can go on my own. The date will be June 20th which means that Bo and this new little one will be a year and two weeks apart! Yippee!! If anyone has any sure-fire ways to go into labor, I am open to suggestions!

Nesting?

2008-06-10T16:24:00.001-07:00

So, this week I decided that I wouldn't have a lot of time after this baby comes to get the stuff done that I needed to do. So, I started making appointments yesterday and am exhausting myself getting them done. Wanna know what my week is like this week? Here goes!

Monday - Made appointments, got hair cut

Tuesday - Took all 3 kids (with my mom's help) to Target for Alli and Bo's yearly pictures. Then went to lunch. Visiting teaching appointment tonight.

Wednesday - Dr. Appointment (I really hope he says I have at least until the end of the week. You'll see why later!) A pedicure (AAAHHHH!). Then, more visiting teaching apointments.

Thursday - Kids doctor appointments in the morning, then I plan on cleaning the house. We'll see if Bo actually lets me this time!

Friday - My eye doctor appointment in the afternoon.

I think that's it for now. Today, while my mom and I were waiting for the pictures at Target, she got Allison a new booster (thanks Mom!) so Bo can have her seat and the new baby can have the carrier. We still need gifts for the kids from their new baby brother/sister and a crib bedding set for Bo. He has been sleeping in the crib with a blanket as the crib sheet and a pink bumper pad since he moved in there! My mom asked if that keeps him up at night. He seems not to mind, but I do!

So, after reading this, if you are all as tired as I am, take a nap. That is one thing that I definately COULD NOT do without at this point. But, I WILL be ready when this baby comes!

Bo Man Turns One!!!

2008-06-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it! My little man turned the "1" on Saturday, the 7th. Justin was golfing in a tournament in Manti, so Lisa (my little sis) slept over at our house and went to breakfast at Doug and Emmy's with us. Bo had his first pancake and LOVED it!!! Then, we came home, made ice cream, frosted his cakes and got ready to head to aunt Jeri's for the birthday party. Here are a few pictures to tell you the story!

Bo's birthday cakes. He got the baseball all to himself!

Opening a few presents.

He didn't enjoy it for very long. Maybe too much excitement?

"Give me the binky and nobody gets hurt!"

"Much better! Now, let 's see some more toys! "

LOVE this picture of Bo while we sing to him. What an angelic face! He really is a sweetheart!

Bo starting in on his cake. I almost forgot to take off his shirt.

Now, he's ready to go! Here, he gets his first taste.

He got much more messy than this, but we had to feed everyone else their cake and ice cream. I have to say that this is one of my favorite pictures, too. It's like he's just checking to see if he is actually allowed to eat something that tastes this good!

Thanks to everyone that came. Even though the pool was a little cold, I think it was still fun. It was a long way for a lot that came, but I hope you know how much I appreciate it! Thanks to Jeri and her family, too, for letting us use their pool, house, backyard, etc. etc. etc.

Happy birthday little man! I love you so much!

Hill Aerospace Museum

2008-06-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

I had a doctor appointment last Wednesday morning and needed someone to take care of the kids. I feel lucky that my mom and sis-in-law, Amy were taking a field trip to the Hill Aerospace Museum. I asked my mom if she would mind taking my three little ones with them. Well, with Amy's help with the stroller, they had a great time! Here are some cute pictures my mom took of the adventure.

Amberly, Allison, Marianne, Bo, Dean and Duncan in front of the "Shark Airplane"

Allison and Marianne pose in a cockpit for this cute picture.

Allison in front of "Her" engine.

Bo spent his day in the stroller...and loved it!

Amy balanced this bird on Bo's toe. He was fascinated!

Try as he might, he couldn't get it to balance by himself.

A few of the kids on the computers. I guess they have added a learning center at the museum. I think this could have been the girls' favorite part.

Thanks Mom and Amy for letting my kids go with you. They had so much fun. And thanks for letting me come to lunch with you afterwards!

5 Generations

2008-06-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

I recently took a 5 Generation picture for a wonderful family. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Bo is Turning 1!!!

2008-06-02T21:07:00.000-07:00

We hope everyone can make it! It should be a fun-filled, wear-out night!

Tan Lines, Here We Come!

2008-06-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

So, we got a call this morning at 8:30 (Yes, it woke us all up. What do you think? It's summer!) It was our cousin Aubry asking us if we wanted to come out and swim! Their pool is OPEN!!! Wee-hoo, we're the first ones in the pool! Here are some pictures for you to see how much fun we had!

Allison and Aubry's friend, Carly swimming around in the pool. Alli finally got up the guts to brave the pool water alone, as long as her floaties were on!

Marianne swimming to the stairs! It's just like riding a bike! She jumped off the diving board and didn't put floaties on until about 20 minutes before we were done.

Bo LOVED the pool! His favorites were being dragged around the pool and being thrown between two of us.

Aubry sprays Carly with the cold water while the little kids play around inthe pool. I will have to get a picture of the kids in their suits next time. They are so STINKIN' cute!

Alli gives a big "Cheese." She will be a fish by the end of the summer, for sure!

Thanks Jeri and girls! We had a blast! For those of you interested, this is where Bo's party will be on Saturday! Hope you can come!

Sleepy Heads and Happy Hearts

2008-05-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

Last night, all of us went to a "Birthday Party" for Justin's friend Aaron that passed away last fall. His wife, Leslie, had thrown him a surprise party every year they were married and she didn't want to miss out this year. We tried a few weeks ago to get together, but Leslie had had a really tough day and decided to postpone. Well, last night, Justin and I and 4 or 5 of Aaron's closest friends, including his brother and his wife, met at Aaron and Leslie's house in Lehi. There was nothing in particular planned, but the night was a huge success.

We sat around for a few hours talking about Aaron and all the fun memories we had with him. Then, before most everyone left, Leslie showed a couple of videos they had taken on some trips and at their wedding dinner. It was really an enjoyable night.

The kids got to play with their friend Aaron Jr. and had a total blast! We didn't end up leaving until about 2 am. Bo fell asleep in his carseat about 30 seconds after I put him in it at 1:30. The girls were asleep before we even hit the freeway. When Justin and I arrived home at 3:00, we pulled into the driveway and realized that the truck was still at the train station where he had left it that morning on the way to work. So, we had to go back and get it because they ticket cars that are left overnight. So, we didn't actually get to bed until 3:30.

I am so grateful to Leslie for hosting this wonderful night. Although I didn't know Aaron as well as his friends from high school, I really had a love for him. He was always there to help anyone in need. If he saw something that needed to be done, he did it. After sitting with Leslie 'till the wee hours of the morning, I had a greater appreciation for the loved ones in my life. The biggest thing she has taught me over the past 6 months since Aaron passed away, is that you shouldn't take anyone for granted. You just never know when they will be gone. She has said multiple times that she wishes she would have not worried about the little things that bothered her, and focused more on the amazing list of good things about Aaron. I know that in my life, I have definately been frustrated by Justin and the kids at times. You know, when you find clothes laying around everywhere or dishes crusted in the sink (next to an empty dishwasher), see toys laying about the house and, of course, stepping on one. All of those things are so trivial. After talking to Leslie and hearing everything she has been going through, I can only think that she would love to find one of Aaron's stained painted on shirts laying on the floor in front of the laundry basket again. Something so trivial when he was here but so ached for since he has gone. So anyway, after last night, I am going to try harder to show my love and appreciation for my family. I want to live so that IF something terrible like this ever happened to our family, Justin and the kids and all of my family would know beyond a shadow of a doubt how much I LOVE THEM!!!

I know that through the generous mercy of our Father in Heaven that Leslie and Aaron will be together again. I know that Justin will get to go horseback riding and camping with him again. I also know that with time, Leslie will be able to make it through this tragedy, but only with the help of our Savior Jesus Christ. I want all of my family to know that I love them with everything that is in me. My favorite part about this gospel is the knowledge that we will be together again forever. The loved ones that I have lost will be waiting for me and I look forward to that day of joyous reunion.

Leslie, THANK YOU so much for last night. You are amazing! I hope that last night was a helpful step on your way to healing. I know it helped us. WE ALL LOVE YOU!

*****

Here are a few pictures we had from our trips to Moab with Aaron and Leslie.

Here we are in the motel room that Aaron insisted we stay in after we showed up at the campground and they had reserved a spot for us...right next to the bathrooms! Yuck!!!

We took the Horses down on our first trip and got some great pictures of everyone riding them, except me, of course. I was 7 months pregnant with Allison!

Aaron and Leslie on our hike up to Delicate Arch.

Aaron and Leslie under the arch.

This one isn't in Moab, but at Fat Cats in Salt Lake. They came to a baby shower held for Justin and me before Marianne Was born.

I'm With Ya, Buddy!

2008-05-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

So, the past few days have been a little overwhelming for me. I went to the doctor yesterday and I am dilated to a 2 and 50 % effaced, which isn't much, but it still made everything super real for me. I planned on cleaning up the house a little this morning because I HATE having a messy house on the weekends. So, I started with the bathrooms. I got one done before Bo started crying. By the time I finished the other two, he was practically hysterical. So, I held him and played with him in the playroom for a little while before we headed out to water the garden. Luckily, he loves being outside, so he didn't cry too much as long as I was close enough to talk to him. He stood at the fence just next to the garden while I watered. We came inside and I really wanted to vacuum the floors, but he would have none of it! So, I fixed some Mac and Cheese (the girls favorite) and we ate lunch. After that, I fed Bo his peas (much to his chagrin) and his bottle. He was very mad at me because I made him finish his peas. So, when I went to finish folding and putting away the laundry, I came back into the front room and found him like this. All I could think was, "Dude, I am totally with ya!"
It has hit me hard that I am not ready for this baby to come! Mostly because Bo is such a mama's boy. But alot, too, with having 4 kids under 4 1/2. I am sure that Marianne and Allison will be a great help, but they get frustrated when Bo cries, too. I am sure that things will be great, but I am very anxious and worried about how everyone will react.

As much of a stinker as he was this morning, I can't help but giggle at his sweetness. He really is a sweet baby and just needs that little extra love from Mommy. What a cutie!

Welcome to the Family!

2008-05-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Well, as if another baby isn't enough for us, we have now (along with many of Justin's brothers and sister) become the proud new owners of four calves. We took the kids out on Monday to visit them and try to feed them. The brown and white cow is struggling and still has to be bottle fed. Of course, they ARE only 2 weeks old. The girls had a fun time trying to get the calf to drink from the bottle, even though it wsan't that interested. Bo just watched, content in his stroller. Anyway, in about 18-24 months we should have some good beef to barbeque and cook up! Yum!! Yum!!

Marianne and Allison watch as two of the calves drink from their bowls. These two are really good at it, the other black one is starting to catch on, but the brown and white calf still needs to be fed with a bottle.

Justin helps Alli feed the brown calf.

Allison tries to get him to drink. Marianne must be watching Liesel (our sis-in-law) trying to get the other calf to drink out of the bowl.

Marianne Finishes Her First Year of Preschool

2008-05-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Marianne has finished her first year of preschool! She is growing so fast! Here are a few pictures from her preschool program.

Marianne and her teacher, Mrs. Eggett, who also happens to be her aunt Jeri. She was a great teacher and Marianne is going to miss her A LOT!!!

Here is a picture of all of the kids that Jeri taught. Marianne is in the left-center on the top row, with Allison next to her. Jeri was nice enough to let Alli sing with the kids because she knew most of the songs.

Singing "I Like Friends." At the end of each verse of this song, the lyrics ask, "And who are you?" All the kids raised their sticks and shouted out their name. It was pretty funny and darn cute!

Here are all the kids waving goodbye after they sang their "Goodbye Song." It was a little emotional for many of the kids and parents, but most of the tears were shed by Mrs. Eggett. WE LOVE YOU!!!

Marianne with her two best friends from preschool, Sophee and Myah. They were referred to quite often as the "Three Musketeers."

Marianne and Alli are excited for the summer now that school is out!

Bo's excited, too!

***
We certainly had a great time in preschool this year. Allison can't wait to be in Mrs. Eggett's class next year. Marianne will be going to a preschool around the corner from our house next year so she can get to know some of the kids she will be going to Kindergarten with. She will for sure miss her old teacher, but is excited to start something new. Thank you Jeri! We love you!

Allison Turns 3!

2008-05-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it's a little later than I wanted, but here are pictures from Allison's 3rd birthday party. We celebrated Justin and Alli's actual birthdays on the 5th (their real birthday). We went to breakfast at Doug and Emmy's, came home and played in the yard for a while. Justin and I went to dinner at The Mandarin in Bountiful while the kids played at Jeri's house. Then, we all watched a movie together in Jeri's garage. For those of you that don't know, her garage is converted to a big family room, so we aren't too weird. Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

Justin, Katelyn and Marianne playng kickball at the party.

Justin kicking the ball. I think he got out!

Alli opening her huge bag of Tootsie Rolls from the Boli. I enjoyed them immensely!

Alli got a Care Bear from Grandma and Grandpa Barber. It came with a few DVDs of the old Care Bear cartoons I used to watch growing up. It has been fun to watch them with the girls!

The hopper ball Al got from Grandma and Grandpa Arrington, sure to bring hours of enjoyment!
Alli blowing out the candles on her frog cake. I LOVE the cheeks!

She also had to taste the cupcakes we made. I always laugh at her face whenever I see this picture!

I had to include this picture of Bo at the Party. He kept looking for me and was not happy to be held by anyone else. He really has got some adjusting to do before this new baby comes in a just a few short weeks.

It has been so fun to celebrate Justin's and Allison's birthdays together. I can't think of a better birthday present to receive than a new little daughter. May 5th will always be such a special day to me. I remember when I was pregnant with Allison, I went to the doctor by myself a couple of times and the last time I went, the doctor asked me if I was ready to have the baby. This was May 4th. He said I could either check into the hospital at midnight that night or wait four days and go in the next Monday. Well, I had to check with Justin because he would "have to" share a birthday. He said he couldn't say no to that. He was so excited! What a special day for both of them! I love both of my Cinco de Mayo birthday babies!

What Disney Princess are You?

2008-05-20T16:31:00.001-07:00

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

A Little Creepy

2008-05-13T22:15:00.001-07:00

So, I found the little widgit to the side of the posts online. A friend of Justin's at work had one on her blog and he thought it was kinda creepy. I think it's creepy, but cool. Anyway, now you can all keep track of our soon-to-be new little one! Enjoy!

2008-05-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

Alli's third birthday is on May 5th. We'll be celebrating her birthday the following Saturday, May 10th with a barbeque and game of kickball. Please plan on joining us for an afternoon of fun.

Front Runner

2008-04-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well, as many of you know, Utah opened it's new commuter rail last Saturday. Justin and I had decided about a month ago that since Monday through Wednesday of this week was free on the train, that we would meet downtown after Justin got off of work and spend some time at the Gateway. So, Monday afternoon, after naps, I, myself, loaded up all three kids and headed to the Clearfield train station. Well, we didn't wait long before the northbound train pulled up and I got these pictures of the kids in front of the Front Runner! Soon after, our southbound train pulled up and we SQUISHED onto it. We had to stand the entire way to Salt Lake. The girls did really well, but I had to hold Bo from about Farmington to Salt Lake. Justin was waiting for us when we got off and we caught Trax and took that to the Gateway. We ate dinner in the food court there and walked around a little bit. After about 45 minutes, the kids were getting crazy, so we headed back the the train. Again, we had to stand the entire way home. Can I just say that being pregnant and holding a sleeping baby standing up in a train for an hour was less than ideal? My lower back and feet hurt so bad, it was ridiculous. After we got off the train, I asked Marianne if she liked it. She told me that she liked the "sitting train" (Trax) better than the "standing train." I thought that was pretty funny. In any case, we can now say that we have ridden "Daddy's Train" as the girls have been calling it for the past few months when we pass it on our way to Bountiful. I think we may try riding it again after the "free days" are past and the excitement dies down a little. Maybe then we will have a seat and not sore backs and feet when we get off.

Here is the Northbound train pulling up.

Allison, Bo and Marianne standing in front of the Northbound train.

I really wanted to get t picture of us actually riding the train, but it was SO crowded that I couldn't even maneuver my camera out of the bag, let alone get back far enough from the kids to snap a picture. Oh well, maybe next time!

Just one more thing. I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the lack of chivalry on the train. On our way down, there were three pregnant women standing while men were sitting just a few feet away. What is worse, on our way home, there was an elderly lady standing by us with nothing to hold on to. She kept loosing her balance when the train would stop and start up again. Well, at her last stop, the train stopped very suddenly and she toppled right over. Luckily, there was a guy with a duffle bag on the floor behind her and the duffle bag broke her fall. But, when she fell, I noticed a bench full of young men and boys sitting not two feet away from this poor lady. It kind of made me mad that they would sit so comfortably as this lady kept loosing her balance and finally fell over. So, for all you men out there that ride this train, this is a call for chivalry! Keep a close eye out for ladies in distress and give your seat to them! Now, I'll get off my soap box and let you go!

First Trip to the Park!

2008-04-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Yippee!!!! It was almost 80 degrees today, so I arranged for a couple of moms and their kids to meet us at the park down the street from our house for lunch. It was so great to get out in the fresh air and sunshine! The girls had so much fun and Bo and I enjoyed sitting on the blanket and snacking on goldfish, apples and a sandwich. Bo had been to the Dr. earlier that day and has an eye infection in his left eye and an infection in his right ear. Poor little guy! But, that didn't seem to affect him while we sat on the blanket and snacked while the girls ran around. The girls mostly played on the slides and in the little window underneath. All of the kids were so cute taking orders from each other like at a restaraunt. I couldn't help but chuckle every time Marianne asked what someone else wanted. It was just so cute seeing them all pretend and play so well together. So, here are just a few pictures from our trip to the park. I almost forgot to take some because I was having so much fun talking to the other two moms that were there, so here's what I did get. Enjoy!

Alli, Marianne, Trevan, and Lizzy in the "Restaraunt."

Marianne cruising down the slide.

Allison at the end of her slide ride.

Trevan making his way down the slide.

Marianne came down so fast that she ended up in Lizzy's picture. I think it's adorable! Cute girls!

Thanks Sarah and Amy for going to the park with us! We had so much fun! Let's do it again, soon!

Our Newest Addition!!!

2008-04-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Well, all of the searching on KSL.com paid off again! Justin still thinks I am a little obsessed, but this time I found us a great little minivan! I always SWORE that I would NEVER drive a minivan. Then, we surprisingly got pregnant (just a little sooner than we expected) and that put us straight out of a 5-seater car into something bigger. I knew that gas prices being as high as they are, that we couldn't afford to drive an SUV, and a couple of weeks of driving my parents Suburban proved me right! Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us borrow it, but I am glad to be driving something that gets a little better than 12 miles to the gallon! Anyway, here is a picture that I took from the ad on KSL.com. I will get a better one with all of the kids loaded in it. Marianne and Allison are so excited. They love their new white minivan! "There's somethin' women like about a mega-van man!"

Here are some stats on the "Megavan"
2000 Ford Windstar, 89000 miles, rear air conditioning, AM/FM/tape/CD player, tinted windows, and lots, lots more. After finally resigning myself to the fact that I would drive a minivan, I think this one is a great start!

My Turn to be Tagged!

2008-04-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Kristina

Four jobs I've had
1. Delivered newspapers (hated it!)
2. Chick-fil-a ('twas okay)
3. Preschool Teacher at Head Start (liked it)
4. Mom of soon-to-be 4 (LOVE IT!!!)

Four movies I could watch over and over
1. Surf's Up
2. Enchanted (only 'cause I love to hear Marianne sing along!)
3. Hitch
4. Any Disney Animated Movie

Four places I've lived (plus 1)
1. North Ogden, UTAH
2. Bountiful, UTAH
3. Farmington, UTAH
4. Orem, UTAH
5. Syracuse, UTAH
Not real exciting, huh?

Four T.V. shows I love
1. The Office (much better when I can watch it with Justin)
2. American Idol
3. Criminal Minds
4. A Baby Story (only when I'm pregnant)

Four of my favorite foods
1. Fresh, warm homemade bread with real butter
2. Homemade Apple Crisp (just not the same if it's bought)
3. Stuffed Hamburgers (let me know if you want the recipe)
4. Anything at The Mandarin (chinese food)

Four sites I visit daily
1. KSL.com (more so when I am looking to buy something)
2. gmail (multiple times)
3. Unglamorous
4. Auto Trader ('cause we're looking for a van)

Four places I have vacationed
1. St. George (at Justin's parents' home)
2. Disneyland (when Justin and I graduated from WSU)
3. Denver (on our Homeymoon)
4. Moscow, Russia (to pick up my big bro. from his mission)

Four places I'd rather be right now
1. In bed, asleep
2. In St. George
3. In the hospital having a baby
4. In Texas to see my new nephew, Brigham

Four bloggers I'm tagging
1. Lee'sa (now it's your turn, too)
2. Jill Tippetts
3. Christy
4. Ash (only because you love it!)

Hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me. Feel free to consider your self "tagged" if I didn't list you. Fun, fun!

Welcome Baby Brigham!

2008-04-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of our adorable new nephew in Texas. Joe and Liz had their baby boy on April 7th. He weighed 7 lbs 13 ozs and is 21 inches long. Isn't he cute? And I KNOW cute! Congratulations Joey and Lizzy! We love you!

Marianne and Allison Have Been Tagged!

2008-04-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

My friend Lee'sa's daughter, Annie tagged Marianne, so I decided to include Als in the tag. Here are 10 things you may or may not know about each of them!

*****

Marianne

1. Is 4 years old.

2. Loves to sing.

3. Still takes a good nap almost every day!

4. Loves princesses (what 4 yr old little girl doesn't?)

5. Knows all the books in the Book of Mormon.

6. Knows the First Article of Faith.

7. Knows the Second Article of Faith.

8. Can sing all of the songs from Enchanted.

9. Knows all of the letters of the alphabet and their sounds.

10. Can get any little baby to laugh their guts out!

*****

Allison Jo

1. Will be 3 years old next month.

2. Sings and reads herself to sleep.

3. Can almost sing the "Books in the Book of Mormon" song all by herself.

4. Likes to play by herself most of the time.

5. Likes to wear anyone's shoes she can find.

6. Has a very big sweet tooth, like her mom.

7. Was potty trained before she was 2 years old.

8. Can write the "A" in her name all by herself.

9. Can sing all of the songs from Enchanted with her sister.

10. Has the most infectious laugh of anyone I know!

*****

Okay, so now the girls have to tag 5 friends. Aaron Jr, Lily, James, Jacey and Duncan. Hope you enjoy!

BIG Weekend!

2008-03-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

We have had a very busy weekend, so here's a lot of stuff to read and look at. Hope you don't get bored! Have fun!

Easter Greetings!

2008-03-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Easter Sunday and it was such a beautiful day! Here are a few pictures to tell about what we did.

We, of course, went to church (right across the street). We decided to snap these pictures before the kids went inside after church. I wanted them to be nice and clean and with this group, that wasn't going to last long.

Here is my cute little man in his Easter duds. I just LOVE his deep eyes and his infectious smile!

Here's Allison in her blue Easter dress. Blue is Alli's favorite color, so I just had to use this fabric!

Marianne, as you can tell, loves anything pink! So, she got the same print as Allison, but in a bright corally pink! I was very happy with how the girls' dresses turned out!

All three kids diving into their baskets that the Easter Bunny brought while we were at church. WAY too many goodies!

Marianne was all about finding eggs. We basically had to rip Alli out of her basket to find her fair share of the eggs before Marianne got them all!

I am in love with this little boy! He got his fishy crackers from the Easter Bunny, but he didn't want to give up on getting his sisters' jelly beans and such. We had to keep a close eye on the little sneak! Ahhhh, those eyes!

As I said before, Alli was all-consumed with her Easter basket. I had to finally put it up out of her reach because she just kept shovelling treats into her mouth! What a turkey. She must take after her mom.
*****
It was such a beautiful Easter day. We enjoyed each other's company as well as that of our wonderful families. Thank you Sadie for coming out for lunch and playing with us. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Arrington and Grandpa Grose for letting us come out and play week after week. (And THANK YOU for Enchanted!) We are so grateful for our families and we are so glad we have the gospel of Jesus Christ that teaches us that we can be with them forever. I am personally grateful for my Savior and that he was willing to come and set a perfect example for me and then to suffer and die so that I might live again as he does. What wonderful blessings our Father in Heaven has given to us to know these truths! We love you all!

Ward Party

2008-03-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

So, after we worked so hard in the yard Saturday Morning/afternoon, we got to go to our Ward Dinner and Dance Saturday Night. While the kids slept Saturday afternoon, I made a couple of pies to take to the party. Then, at 6:00 we loaded up and drove to the Stake Center. They had delicious BBQ Brisket sandwiches, chips, pickles, olives, and carrots. Then, they had about 20 different types of pies and cookies that the Relief Society provided! We really had a great time together on Saturday and go a lot done in the process!

Justin and Marianne square/line dancing.

Allison and I doing the Macarena!

The girls and me doing the Twist. A little awkward for a 6 month pregnant lady, but fun nonetheless!

Justin taking Allison on a stroll around the dance floor. They both loved it!

Now for Marianne's turn. What an adorable couple, don't you think?

The girls shared a slow dance with each other after their turns with Justin.

Bo basically boogied with a chair the whole night. You can't tell from pictures, but when he heard the music start, he would bob up and down wherever he was. He's already got rhythm!

What a Difference a Day Makes!

2008-03-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a very busy day for us. We are attempting a garden this year with all of the space we have. After figuring out how Justin's Dad's tiller worked without slipping out of gear, things went pretty smoothly. Here are a few pictures to tell you what we did.

Justin and Cooper Tilled the garden spot while the kids and I played and worked in the back yard. I got a spot cleared out for an herb garden behind the garage and the kids played like crazy. It was a little cold, but they still enjoyed it.

Here are the cuties on a blanket playing with some toys. Bo did so well. We were outside for a good 4 hours and he didn't start crying until the last 1/2 hour or so. What a trooper!

Here's a cute picture of my boys. Aren't they handsome?

Marianne and Allison loved to play in the back of the truck. They wanted to help load stuff in to go to the dump. What great helpers!

After all of our hard work and play, Justin cooked us some hot dogs and brats and we had a picnic on the floor inside. It was getting a little cold because the wind was blowing. Thanks Daddy!

So, here is the finished product of our hard work in the garden. If you look closely, you can see the row of onions that we planted. If everything goes well, we will have everything we need for salsa. Wish us luck!

Grandpa Winegar

2008-03-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

I just adore this video of Justin's Grandpa Winegar singing at a family party. He has got to be one of the cutest grandpas on the planet...in addition to my own ;) Hope you enjoy a good chuckle!

Books Anyone?

2008-03-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

So, I have been in a reading slump for a few weeks 'cause I just don't know what to read. I have read all of the Stephenie Meyers "Vampire" books...LOVED them! I have also read a couple that Justin suggested by Dan Brown. Very good as well. If anyone has a good suggestion for a good read, I would greatly appreciate it! I like a good "story." You know, the type with a plot and climax and that kind of stuff. A little suspense is good, too. Maybe a little romance mixed in...I'm not talking mushy Romance Novels, just a little romance in the mix. Anyway, hope I can get some good ideas! Thanks everyone!

Joann's Celebrity Look-Alikes

2008-03-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

Dakota Fanning? I guess Marianne looks like her and she is my daughter. I just don't see it. I can, however see the resemblance with Magic Johnson! Ha!

Justin's Celebrity Look-Alikes

2008-03-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

What do you think? I don't know who most of them are, but I can see the Tom Brokaw resemblance!?!

Marianne's Look-alike Meter

2008-03-14T14:19:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb - Collage - Morph
I have never thought that Marianne looks much like me. What do you think?

Bo's Look-alike Meter

2008-03-14T14:13:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family history - Ancestry search
I think Bo does look like both of us. I have also had MANY people tell me that he looks just like me. So, I guess I am down with Bo's results!

Allison's Look-alike Meter

2008-03-14T14:08:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Geneology - Geneology software
Now, I don't know about anyone else, but this one is COMPLETELY off! Sorry Lookalike-Meter...you got this one dead wrong! Maybe we'll take some different pictures and try again!

New Beds!

2008-03-05T11:17:00.000-08:00

I have been searching and waiting for a good deal on a used set of bunk beds for the girls. My searching finally paid off last weekend when I found this cute set for $50 on KSL.com. Justin gave me grief about how much time I spent looking for them, but I knew what I wanted and knew that I wouldn't have much time. I missed one set of older and not as good beds because I didn't call until the ad had been on KSL for 15 minutes! Well, I am glad those didn't work out, because these are much nicer! I called Friday night, after the ad had been on for only 28 minutes. I kind of thought they would already be gone because of my previous excperience, but I was the first caller! I was so excited I was giddy! Justin kept laughing at me, but I was so proud of my perserverence. So, enjoy the pictures and know that I am very proud of my $50 find! Next step...making matching comforters.

Justin putting the bed together. We actually had to meet up with the seller because she forgot half of the bolts, but it all turned out okay.

The girls in front of their new beds! They were so excited that I think it took them about 2 hours to finally settle down Saturday night and fall asleep.

The girls on their own beds. Marianne loves that hers it the top one and that she gets to climb a ladder to get into bed. Alli loves to climb the ladder and play on sister's bed, but she loves to sleep on the bottom.

Allison climbing the ladder to play on Marianne's bed.

I know it's sideways, maybe Justin can fix it. I thought this was a cute picture of Marianne climbing the ladder with Alli swinging like a monkey next to her. Just WAY to much fun!

Justin's Theme Song

2008-03-03T21:51:00.001-08:00

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When Justin heard this song, he about dropped to the floor laughing. It is pretty funny, I have to say. In case you are wondering it is "I'm Still a Guy" by Brad Paisley. Hope you enjoy!

The 80's Rocked!

2008-02-25T11:28:00.001-08:00

One of our neighbors had a few couples over to their house on Friday night. The activity was all planned around their RockBand game. Most of the songs are 80's rock, so we took that and ran with it. Everyone dressed up in 80's rock clothes and we rocked the night away. Here are just a couple of the pictures we took with Jim's camera. They are probably the best ones, but I have yet to see all of them. It was a blast! Can't wait to do it again!

Here's a picture of our Huckleberry Ward Boy Band. From left to right is Brent Hadley (our ward executive secretary), Justin (1st counselor in the Elder's Quorum), Matt Schoefield (High Councilman), and Jim Barber (Justin's brother and a Scout Leader). I just thought it was funny...all these grown men rockin out! You can't tell, but Matt had his face makeup done like the lead singer of KISS. He was hilarious!

So, here's the Hucklberry Ward Girl Band. Left to right is Amy Hadley, Joann, Aimee Barber, and Sarah Schoefield. Best dressed award goes to Aimee and her Tina Turner hair! Rock On!!!

We have a RockBand game too, so if anyone feels up to a night of rock and roll, just give us a call! We'd be happy to provide the entertainment!

New Pictures of Baby

2008-02-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures taken at our big ultrasound on Tuesday. I think they are pretty cool. And, is it just me, or is this baby just adorable?

Here's a good profile picture. You can see the baby's hand on top of it's belly.

Another profle shot. You can see the hand up by the face again, which is where it was for the almost the entire ultrasound. Baby was being a little camera shy while the ultrasound specialist was trying to get good 3D shots. Oh well.

This is one of the 3D shots of baby. If you can't tell, the baby's face is on the right hand side of the image. So, who do you think he/she looks like?

Another 3D shot. I like the hand above baby's head. Just so cool!

It was a lot of fun to see the baby in 3D. All three of the kids went with us this time. I think Marianne enjoyed seeing her baby brother/sister. Especially when she could see the hands and fingers. As much as we are trying not to find out what we are having, it is getting harder and harder. I want the surprise, but every time I go to the doctor and he does an ultrasound, I find myself trying to figure it out. This time, I was sure it was a girl, but then I saw what I thought was a boy part. So, for those of you still wondering...so are we. Guess we'll all have to wait until June!

Tight-rope walker

2008-02-13T15:07:00.001-08:00

Here's another picture just for fun. This was made for a contest on pixeladdiction.com, one of my favorite websites.

Random Pictures

2008-02-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

I was going through my pictures folder, and came across some cool pictures that most of you have probably never seen. If you're like me, it's disappointing when there's nothing new to see when you visit a blog. So, when we don't have anything good to say, we'll just post a random picture for your viewing pleasure.

This one was taken on Alli's second birthday at the Bountiful Temple. It was my favorite picture we took that day.

This was unfortunately the only good picture we got of Joe and Liz on our first attempt at taking engagement pictures. The day was perfect, but unfortunately Joe had a really bad case of allergies hit him, and this candid shot is the only one that you can't see his bright red eyes.

Family Picture

2008-02-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a "rough draft" of our family picture that was taken in St. George. About 10 or 12 faces were swapped in from other pictures. The color still needs to be worked on a bit, but I wanted to get it out so you could see it.

And here's to not needing to take another family picture for a long, long time. Right everybody!?!

PS - You have to click on the picture to get the full effect.