The Barnes Home

Happy Birthday Sam!

2012-01-27T06:19:00.000-08:00

He's 2! I really thought he looked the same as last year but now that I look again, he is kinda huge now. This is probably the last year of doing all the partying on Jackson's birthday and going low key on Sam's. We did get cute pictures of him though which in my book is how you prove a child had a birthday. Happy Birthday buddy!

part of his loot (backpack, coloring book, sunglasses) He is so different from Jackson when he opens presents. Jackson is all about the next present and ready to toss each gift aside. Sam was bothered when Jackson would give him his next gift because he just wanted to play with what he just opened.

Another view of Jacksons amazing candle blowing skills.

So this was on Jackson's birthday but its just a cute video of Sam.

Jackson's 5?

2012-01-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

I had a blast on Jackson's birthday. This is him and his friend Hannah Kramer decorating the cake. Jackson asked for a chocolate strawberry cake. When I was trying to figure out how to make such a cake with his grandma and aunt nienie he told me exactly how to make it, with strawberries in between the layers and strawberries on top.Dipping animal crackers in leftover frosting.
it turned into this. the things you get away with on your birthday.
The finished cake. The strawberries on top are in the shape of a 5.
Ok, this was my favorite part of the day. My gym has an indoor pool. We'd never been but it was a BLAST!! It felt so good on my pregnant body plus seeing the kids have so much fun was well worth the little bit of extra effort to get there. It was also so exciting to see Jackson swimming so well. (He's not touching) Can you find Sam? I'm probably a bad mom but he is so good at swimming independently with his float.

I am so so disappointed the audio didn't record for some reason on this video. I guess it screams for some sort of video music montage but it might be worth watching without sound. Sorry, its shaking because I was laughing.

he kept telling me to be careful not to cut his forehead

2012-01-23T13:13:00.000-08:00

we went from thisto this.
not quite locks of love but pretty close I'd say. He's wanted his hair this short for a while but I've resisted. I love long hair on boys but I gotta say, I love seeing all the expression in his eyes.

So this is what I would tell you if you were here.

2012-01-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

so...can i show you what I'm most excited having for the baby? i mean, I know its silly but its just taken me a while to get excited for girl stuff but today...I am really excited. So this is the dress I bought today that she'll be blessed in. I knew I wanted smocking but can't afford the price tag for most of it but I found this today on sale and knew it was what I wanted. This is the dress my mom bought for her (me) the day after I found out it was a girl. It was the only thing I could picture in my head for a long time. I got this to come home from the hospital in. I wanted something soft and comfy that I really liked. The yellow dress was either grandma dee's or older but something I got from her years ago.

These are some of the other things i've picked up that I liked and were on good discounts or were given to me. The tights were like $1. I probably went a little overboard but I've just been to some good sales since christmas.

These are all the hand-me-downs we've gotten. I haven't had a chance to look through all of it but I am so thankful for all of it. It makes me so happy to go and flip through these things.

well, if you were here I wouldn't have to say this because you would see it but I went from this...

to this.
I would also say that my sister found out that she's having her 2nd baby girl 3 months after ours and that Brittany just texted to tell me her mission call came in and I burst into tears. now my head hurts. We'll find out where she's going tonight!

this is one of those posts where i want lots of comments

2012-01-18T07:18:00.001-08:00

another advice post. i just trust and depend on y'all's opinions and experience so much and i've been obsessing over this question.

Is a fancy double stroller worth it?

Here is my situation. I sold my travel system once Sam grew out of it. I never loved the car seat. it was hard to operate. I figured I made it last for 2 kids, they're not supposed to be used for more than like 5 or 6 years, so i might as well get my new car seat for my 3rd kid.

Now I can't decide if I should buy a car seat + a nice double stroller or just a regular travel system for one infant. We have a double umbrella stroller. I like it because it folds very small and we don't use it a ton. I'm a gym member and so most of my exercise is done there but there are times when I'll take 2 kids out. The umbrella stroller however shouldn't be used with kids under 6 months (so they say). In that time I'll be going on 1 or 2 beach trips (thank you parents!) and my gym will only take babies over 3 months, so I think a good stroller will be important.

A single travel system runs around $250. The phil and ted's stroller double stroller runs about $350 + $30 for car seat adapter + $100 for just the infant car seat. That's a huge difference.

The reasons i've been looking at the phil and teds is 1) it folds up very small comparative with other doubles--brent says that doesn't matter if we have a van but to me space is a big deal. who is right? 2) its easier to push than the cheaper tandem strollers. i hear they are not only bigger but much harder to push. I'm not stuck on the phil and ted's though if there is a better option price/functionality.

Sam and this unnamed baby girl will be closer in age than sam and jackson. maybe i'll use it more? What kinds of stroller systems do y'all have?

Did I write more than you were willing to read?

In our house we say Roll Tide!!

2012-01-10T10:07:00.000-08:00

Yay for the Crimson Tide!

and this was the best pic of the 24 I took. Lori, I was thinking of you.

i felt like my blog wanted some pictures of my kids

2012-01-09T04:58:00.000-08:00

one of 500 forts we've made
playing in the 1000s of impossibly-hard-to-clean-up styrofoam balls from said fort.

i made him try on his clothes for family pictures.

falling asleep in grandma's arms with his fingers crossed.

i couldn't really tell you why i took this picture.

picture outfit. i can only get him to smile for pictures when i count 1-2-3 and his plan is to run away on 3 but i snap on 1. family can back me up on his refusal to smile for the camera.

sharing some dinner on the floor.

grandma jan read books on dvds for christmas. totally loved it.

i love my boys. i love their ages. more so now so close to birthdays i wish i could will them both to stay the same age. they'll be 5 and 2!!! it just seems so old to me.

2011-12-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

ok, so as you may have noticed, I haven't sewn in a long time. A few projects have really cured me of any desire to sew. Now I'm having a girl. I hear my old self looking at fabrics and projects saying "if only i had a girl!" but now I can't motivate myself. Do y'all have some simple-get-your-groove-back ideas for a girl? links to pictures but especially tutorials are very much appreciated. i'd like to have a project to start after christmas. i'd also love to learn how to knit/crochet/something that i can do on the couch downstairs with brent. how did y'all learn?

I might be bragging....

2011-12-10T05:52:00.001-08:00

I hesitantly say, I think I'm ready for Christmas. I'm sure I'll go back to the stores. I'll do more cooking. But for the most part, I'm not stressed and I still have 15? days to go (if we're up to date on our Christmas countdown). Here's my proof.
Christmas at Chilhowie park. We go every year but I really don't know why. They have free hot chocolate, marshmellow roasting, pictures with Santa, carriage rides, balloon animals etc. Well, its free if you don't mine waiting with children in a 20min.-1.5 hour line! Jackson loves it. Last night we waited in the hot chocolate line until we realized they were out. He didn't care. He just moved to the end of the balloon line without ever complaining. He was thrilled the whole time he waited and honestly, I was proud, or rather grateful, for him. I found myself thinking good things come to those who wait and he just seems to know that. (He's been saving his money for Disneyworld for at least 6 months even though I told him we'll go when he's 8.)
Christmas goodies for friends and neighbors.

Christmas cinnamon rolls for the families Brent and I home/visit teach.

I know this just looks like a plate of cookies. It is so much more. I've made the same recipe for my whole marriage. It's awesome. It's my mother-in-laws and deserves a post of its own. Starting in July every time I made them they went totally flat and crumbly. It was so hard going from memorized, easy, always amazing cookies, to flat, crumbly, stressful cookies. I seriously made a dozen recipes of bad cookies and couldn't figure out what was wrong. Last night, I don't know if it was a Christmas miracle or new shortening but they were the beautiful cookies I love. I sang for their beauty and deliciousness but too bad for you, didn't record our festivities.

Well, this is the best Santa picture this year. oh well. nobody's life is perfect. :)

i just have a lot of new things to think about

2011-11-28T10:37:00.000-08:00

sometimes typing my thoughts clears my head

2011-11-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

let's see. my random thoughts from today.

I've never been that into fashion. like real fashion. So if you are, keep your laughing to a minimum. I love love it when for some unknown reason fashion and comfort collide into something amazing. Take uggs. Last year I bought the knock-offs, but if it is socially acceptable for me to leave the house while my feet still feel like they're in slippers heck-yea I'm on board with that! This year, its maternity leggings. really, even if i wasn't pregnant i would probably feel the same way, but pregnancy is what made me cough up $25. (also evidence is my cheapness because that was difficult.) maternity jeans keep sliding down and then my elastic top tears due to my constant yanking. leggings stay put. i wear a non-maternity empire waste dress and I'm set. Its as comfortable as wearing jammies all day. love it! thanks for the gift fashion-conscious people.

I asked Jackson what we should get for papa for christmas. he told me a toy kid so that papa could pretend like he had a real kid. ha!

I cannot make rational decisions when i have fudge in the house. I even botched my recipe so its more like super thick frosting but there's still enough sugar in there for me to enjoy. Its the point where its too good to just throw in the trash but i feel too guilty actually giving it to somebody else. I decided to experiment with it. i froze it then i was going to see how soft it got to determine if I could safely give it to my neighbors. I pulled out like 10 pieces then ate 3 of those in less than 1 minute!! really!!

rain makes my house messy. i'm sticking to that. it's not me, its the rain. or the fudge.

i'm game on for christmas. i wanted to buy and put up my tree today but didn't want to face errands in the rain with 2 kids.

sam has learned the phrase "awww man!" it is the cutest and funniest thing ever. he says it when he's playfully dropping things or building duplo towers that fall down. good good stuff.

i think i'm homesick because i've called my mom probably twice a day for several days now. i'm always bummed when she can't talk longer, and then I send emails to the family. I just seriously can't wait to see everybody. to relax. to go walk on campus. go to lake lurleen. sit on the back deck and talk. talk about babies and what we might name those babies and how big our babies are. to walk/ride bikes on the levy. to talk about this season (anybody from alabama knows that refers to alabama's football season).

i'm so grateful for my protected little life. i know that i have this innocent, happy little life. i hear about the trials others face and my heart mourns for them. i want to take away pain in these people's life but feel so inadequate to do so. i also know that the savior is the only person who can put their arms around that person and say he knows what they went through and can heal their hearts and minds and bodies. i'm so incredibly grateful to know that.

phew....lots of thoughts. maybe i can get something done now.

Ideas please

2011-11-12T13:32:00.001-08:00

What ward or relief society service projects have y'all done in your different wards? I'm trying to think of something for a Relief Society Meeting but it doesn't have to all fit in that night. Before we've done most of the work that night then sent home parts of it to finish. I just want some ideas.

Breakfast fun

2011-10-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Feeding the man on his shirt. notice the cheerio on the surfer's head....
copying everything his brother does. down to feeding popeye his cheerios.

He's tough

2011-10-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

This is the story I was told this morning.

Apparently Sam was about a third of the way up our stairs. Brent said he saw him stand up and turn around but wasn't really sure what was going on. Then he tried to jump. He tumbled down the stairs, completely bewildered as to what went wrong. Are you surprised Brent? It was Sunday when you pushed his loving mothers arm out of the way so that he could try to jump from your parents fireplace. You let him jump 4 times before you told him to stop.

I'm not kidding

2011-10-19T05:20:00.000-07:00

Sam walked up to me yesterday morning and said "I wanna poop poop." He says it often enough. I said "ok go poop poop and then I'll change your diaper." He waddled off then came back in the room with a full diaper. What!?! I actually have put him on the potty before when he has said that but he just acted scared and tried to get down. 20 months?

polyvore

2011-10-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

family pictures by nataliebarnes

It was fun. We're having family pictures done in December with Brent's family. Last night we picked a color theme (grey, navy, yellow, and stripes). Now these aren't the exact things because I couldn't figure out how to do that and of course we're using a lot of what we already have but this is generally what I'm thinking. Honestly, I just think having the clothes laid out like that makes me feel like I'm some kinda fashionista. hehehe I'm so not. I welcome any and all input. What's good about it? What's not working? I want the ties to look more casual and less dressy. Is that working or do we just all look formal?

oops..... looks like Sam figured out how to eat whoppers without bothering to ask somebody to open them. He's probably had 5 packs by now.

Jackson's practicing for the primary program

2011-10-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

my favorite part is when Jesus anointed that prophet in his ear.

a mess of a monday

2011-10-05T05:12:00.000-07:00

i should start out by saying, brent and i really don't get sick very often. We are, however, a little covertly competitive with who feels worse sometimes.

Monday morning Sam woke up crying ridiculously early (like 5:30). I went in, put him back to bed then went back to bed. He started crying again at 6:15 (still very early for us) I ignored it until Jackson came and told me that Sam wouldn't stop crying. I went in to hold him then thought, this will not last so i took him downstairs, gave him milk and cereal then put myself back in bed. He was crying at our door again in 20 minutes or so. I put him in bed and eventually he got still enough that I at least thought he might have fallen asleep. until Jackson came in and wanted to sleep with us. Brent and I are not used to, in fact do not enjoy sleeping with children. Brent gets very impatient and I was so tired of dealing with Sam. We sent the kids to the bonus room. Brent told me he didn't feel good and my response "well, I don't either." (I know very callous.)

Brent got up and went to work and I stayed in bed.

When I got up at 9:00 I went downstairs and the threw up. I didn't think much of this since I am pregnant and it was late for me to get up. I ate breakfast. really thinking I was fine but I was so tired. more so than usual. I was up with the kids but hardly (if you know what that means.) I knew I had to take a shower so I could get to the store because the missionaries were coming over. When I got out, I immediately threw up again. What!? That is not normal. I called Brent to tell him 1) feel sorry for me I'm sick and 2) you really might be sick you might want to come home. I felt better afterwards though and thought, well I still have to go to the store. When I was at foodcity I could feel my insides taking a turn again. I thought I can get through check out. We were quickly walking to the counter when I realized there was somebody in front of me and more importantlly, I was not going to make it. I pulled Sam from the stroller and told Jackson to run with with me. I ran as fast as I could and as soon as I opened the door started going. (luckily it was empty) Jackson was walking around talking about how gross I was. I started crying when i had to tell a worker that I hadn't made it all the way. When I left the store I was going to call brent and tell him what had happened when he called me. I thought "wow, he really loves me. he's in tune. kindred spirits."

He told me he was at work but that he started feeling worse and worse at work and had decided to leave. As he was leaving he go really unstable and stumbled into the break room. He almost passed out and they called the paramedics!! Really!?! He checked out with them but his coworker was taking him to the hospital. I guess I'm cold but I thought that was so silly. He said he didn't want to go but they had insisted. I convinced them to let me take him and let his co-worker go back to work. When I told Jackson daddy was sick he said "He's sick of you being sick." It was like this big issue on the phone with whether or not his work could insist he go to the hospital. It was decided they couldn't (duh) but couldn't require a note from a dr. saying he was ok to return to work (what!). I really didn't want to do that but under the circumstances ok. Taking Brent to the Dr. is not what I wanted to do. (who would even remember I was sick!) I know I'm bad. When we got there we were both practically asleep in the waiting room. They called him back and said they were only taking his vitals and for me to wait where I was then they'd send him right back to me. After a minute or so I heard the nurse say his name a few times, call for help, continue saying his name then say ok nevermind. That woke me up. I wanted to go in there but the door said restricted. (I am a strict rule follower--maybe dumbly so but the door said....) When the nurse called me in she told me he had passed out all the way that time. I now felt so dumb and mean. He had a fever of 103! They hooked him up to an iv.

The Dr. said he thought it was just a bug. Stay home the next day and if you feel fine then, go back to work. We went home to Brent's parents house where we were absurdly pampered. It as so nice to not have to face dealing with the kids and helping each other alone and yet we weren't isolated and could be with people when we wanted to. That's always the biggest dilemma for me. Should I keep the kids or not? I miss them when they're gone but I can't give them much when they're here. It was definitely the best of both worlds. Thanks to all the people that called and helped. We have the best family and friends.

Sam is talking.

2011-09-29T06:02:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe it when it happened but I said "Sam, say cheese." and he said "cheese" in the cutest and cheesiest way possible. I was flabbergasted. My other favorite is "I-wan-pop-pop" (I want popcorn.) His first was diaper.

The last first day of school picture.

2011-09-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

He just started his first real preschool this week. He will not waste his time doing any pose but a cool one.

Daddy loves Sam

2011-09-25T05:23:00.000-07:00

Sam is beautiful. Who wouldn't love Sam? Doesn't it kinda look like an engagement picture though? I mean besides the fact that its a daddy and a baby of course.

in my humble opinion

2011-09-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

If you're not pregnant you should dress like this. You would look awesome and I would be jealous.

When the kids are gone.

2011-09-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

I met my mom halfway between our houses on Tuesday and she took them home with her for a few days. Brent and I will go down there in a couple of hours to spend the weekend and bring them back home.

Here are a few things I've learned.

1.) I'm not the kind of mom that sits around moping because I miss them. I do miss them but I enjoyed the break tremendously.

2.) I can now compare a) kids and not pregnant b) kids and pregnant and c) no kids and pregnant. kids make me way more tired than pregnancy does.

3.) My expectations for my kids are too high. I feel like I should be able to sit down, uninterrupted, at the computer or whatever task I'm doing always. I feel like I expect chores to go when they're here the same way they go when they're not here. That's unrealistic.

4.) If it weren't for my kids I'd never leave the house in the daytime and that would be sad. (I'd also take my shower everyday an hour before Brent got home.)

5.) I can't quilt. Just not a skill I have. I have pulled out a thousand stitches these past few days. I wake up with nightmares of quilts.

6.) As much as I've enjoyed my time without them, I'm jealous of the people around them. I wish I knew what goofy things Jackson said this week. I know I would have laughed when Sam threw his tiny little tantrum or threw something across the room.

7.) I've come to the point in my life that I welcome silence and being alone. I haven't always been like that.

Hey check out the poll and vote

2011-09-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

Jackson has been telling people for months (maybe a year) that he loves his sister even though she's not born yet. When we'd tell him we might have a boy next his response was "that's so silly. i already have a brother."

We're thrilled. Can't wait to meet you on-or-before-but-hopefully-not-after March 16th 2012 Eva/Oliver/Elisabeth/Lucas/Rachel/Grant/Ollie/Scott/Pearl/

Monroe/Hazel/David/Dorothy/Douglas/Sylvia/Isaac/Sarah/

Charles/Ila/Thomas/Mary/Matthew

I can't help it....I just have more girl names right now. Sophia/Melanie/Ellen/Paige/Molly

He keeps making me laugh

2011-08-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

Jackson cracks me up. I just thought i'd share more of his thoughts.

He'll often come in our room in the morning before we wake up asking us to get up. Yesterday morning the door opened and he whispered "mom, i know what I want to be when I grow up." Just trying to dismiss him I asked what. (For months he's been telling me he wanted to be a garbage man. Even going so far as to ask for garbage man clothes for Christmas.) He replied with "an octopus." Then closed the door. When brent asked him later in the morning what he would do when he was an octopus he said "wiggle my arms of course. That's all an octopus does."

Last night we were having friends over. I was busy trying to clean up for them. He said "mom did you put on lipstick?" I told him no but thought wow my son thinks I just naturally look good. Then he said "I think you should put on lipstick. I think our friends would like it if you put on lipstick."

Ok, son. Thanks for the advice.

Thanks Grandma for the extra beach pictures

2011-08-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

these were some of my favorites.

oh and also, thanks for another beach trip.

We've been playing a lot of charades

2011-07-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

here are a few of my favorites of jackson's

here are his hints as he's standing with his legs apart and arms stretched high.

I have screws. I'm made of metal. I'm on paper. [huh??] I don't have a chimney. I don't have magic.

Give up?

it's a picture of a robot.

He's curled up small on the floor

are you curled up like a ball?

nope?

I don't know buddy. All I can think of is a ball.

Yep! I'm a ball.

Another time he's curled up like a ball.

Are you a ball?

I'm a ball on a person.

[uh??]

an eyeball!

I love Sundays

2011-07-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

We have church at 11:30 so it gives us a long time to get ready at our own speed. I was struck Sunday morning at my two boys getting ready for church. It was just a nice morning.
I think I took the toothpaste away from Sam 3 times that morning. He kept just going to get another tube.

I never even got a picture of them ready next to each other but they were cute. Sometimes, when I review my blog, my favorites are the mundane or relaxing time with the family.

The great outdoors

2011-07-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

Amazingly, I convinced Brent to go camping with our friends the Kramers. He's not really a camper. In fact, he slept on a blow up mattress in the van but still, he went. We had so much fun. Even Brent will confess to that. We had running water and bathrooms, picnic tables and sites right next to the car--not exactly primitive but roughing it. Jackson, who is nervous about standing on the stage at church climbed this rock and told me to take a picture. He was very proud of himself. He also go to try a hand at fishing which he'd been wanting to do for a while.
Brent's fish. Can you see it?
....and....the salamander. What can I say beside I told you so. He's gross.

Garrett and Rhada came to visit.

2011-07-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

It was so fun to have Garrett and Rhada come up. We spent a day in the mountains. They hiked the chimneys

we met them at the bottom for snacking, swimming and jumping.

For the 4th we did our annual Belmont bike parade and Brent ended up carrying the tricycle back again.
I don't know why it turns into this.

i did a bad thing

2011-07-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

i saw my sister calling and didn't answer it because I felt too bad about still not putting up a new blog. in my defense, which is small i know, that was 3 minutes ago.

this is a random sampling of what we might be doing at any given point this summer.

what i left jackson doing...
what i came back to find. yeah, this particular activity has happened countless times.

it's been an AWESOME summer! this is just a day to day thing. wait til i show the rest!

Jackson's awesome!

2011-06-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

jackson showed me this trick at dinner last night. when brent asked him to turn him into three he tried real hard bust said he could only do two.

and if you're bored, and i mean really bored, you might like this. just so you, i am not good with animals (or children evidently) and i'm talking like it's the apocalypse. but it did remind me of this other funny video.

Have you ever noticed how the world is perfect when you're at the beach?

2011-06-07T04:50:00.000-07:00

i took a break today.

2011-05-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

thanks julie, becca, and britney. awesome!

happy mothers day to me!

2011-05-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

We had Sunday dinner over at our house for Mother's day. We were watching the Modern Family Mother's day episode when I could hear water and bowls in the kitchen. hmmm.... "Jackson, what are ya doin' sweetie?" "I'm making your Mother's day thing. It's a surprise. Don't come in here." Brent went in to assist with his masterpiece. When I was called in this is what awaited me. A bowl of water with peas, vienna sausages, some sugar, chocolate chips, pecans, and a strawberry (which jackson tasted before he put it in to make sure it was good.)
"Don't you want to taste it mom? I wish I could have some. It looks so yummy."
Then he came at sat on the couch with me and told me he made it for me because he loved me so much and he wanted me to know that.

Even a week later he'll still randomly say "remember that thing i made for you on mother's day? it was so yummy. i wish we still had some more of it."

its kinda weird though

2011-05-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

the kramers are a good family friend of ours. i serve in relief society with the mom, kristy. brent serves in elder's quorum with the dad, brad. and jackson was in preschool this year with their daughter hannah. we see a lot of them separately, but apparently, not a lot of them together. this is the story kristy told me when i picked jackson up from her house today.

kristy: jackson, what should i name my daughter? (she's 6 months pregnant)
jackson: i have a name but it's kinda weird though. brad. it's my dad's friend's name.
k: that's hannah's daddy's name. does you're daddy have more than one friend named brad?
J: ??
k: [kristy showed jackson a picture of brad.] is this him?
j: [very obviously amazed] oh my goodness. that's my daddy's friend!!!

chattanooga

2011-05-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

i was so happy that brent was able to go and serve in the clean-up in chattanooga. it was really hard on jackson though because it seems like he's been really busy on the last few weekends. when we were talking about what he'd be doing this is what he said.

jackson: i wish i could go with daddy and help the people.
mom: wow jackson i'm so happy that you want to help other people. thats so good!
j: [sounding very annoyed] you're happy that i'm sad. thats not very nice.

so what did brent do in chattanooga?

you can't tell in the video but that was a cicada that he ate. even in a group of men, brent will still out gross them all. he told me, "i can never turn down an eating contest." he also out ate all of the youth group at cici's this year. it was something like 20 pieces of pizza and 20 cinnamon rolls. needless to say, i am so proud.

if you needed an image to add to the grossness of it this is a picture of a tree covered in cicadas.

do you want to see sam?

2011-05-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

i posted something like this yesterday along with other posts to be scheduled out but they were all deleted. did y'all have any problems with blogger recently?

this is sam. sweet. happy. cheerful. sam. he spends his days playing with balls. careful though, he will throw them. he is mostly walking these days. he started saying "uh oh" which he says in the cutest little way. his "oh" sounds like either a canadian or minnesota accent (i get them confused but its cute.) he loves to feel a part of things. when jackson and i were watching tangled last week sam would loudly laugh whenever we did. he loves to be thrown backwards. when you hold him, you must hold on tight because he will throw himself backwards so that you'll dangle him upside down. very nerve wracking.

my hometown of tuscaloosa

2011-04-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

i'm thankful that my family is safe and my thoughts and prayers go out to those less fortunate. it hurts to look at. i don't know what to say.

sometimes life is frustrating.

2011-04-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

sometimes i feel inadequate and way behind the learning curve. (in this example of trying to make sugar cookies.)sometimes we feel like nobody is listening. or helping. or leaving us alone.
sometimes we feel trapped. like the world is coming down on us. like everybody can see that we're backwards except us. like we've been abandoned.

i love this

2011-04-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

after he spoke in conference, i was floored. I thought the whole thing was so profound. i want to make a list of all of the christ-like attributes I want to teach my children. I feel like the only attribute word Jackson knows is "nice." I want to build his vocabulary, and who he is, to include words like perseverant, honest, grateful, generous, willing, humble, considerate, dependable, friendly, helpful, positive, and faithful. That's not saying anything about all the ways I need to improve how i discipline and even more importantly, who i am myself.

I did stuff to my house

2011-04-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

I read this blog called nester and she talked about taking risks. Risks are different things to different people. For me its deciding to hang up a picture already. All frames in this post have seriously been laying around unused because I was unsure how/where to hang them.
Maybe I'll do a separate post on this one but we painted this room and I started it by myself. I love the color. Its exactly what I wanted. kind of a brown/gray. It's beautiful if you ask me. (Brent painted the art on the walls in college. It's a collection of chemical engineering supplies that he, dad, and granddad have all used.)
We also pulled the living room color to the foyer and this will be our living room color that you see in the foreground. We couldn't decide and Brent just picked it up one day. I think it'll be really pretty even though I wouldn't have picked it out.
You can't really see here but I used to have pine cones in the glass vases and bowls on the mantel. I decided for summer I wanted something brighter that was fun for kids. (I was thinking may to use for rewards for chores or whatnot) I have starburst and balloons. any ideas for the third?
this is how I hang my jewelry. I bought a wooden picture frame, painted it white and put long screw like things in for bracelets/necklaces. On the other side is fabric rings for earings.
We've had this picture from Jacksons namesake (his great grandfather) for years but I didn't like the framing. I always thought I would get it reframed but then in a whim just decided to paint it white and I like it ok enough to hang up. I don't love the painting but I love having something from William Jackson.
The heart on the bottom left is a scrap from Jacksons beloved kiki. (his blanket)
seriously, all of these frames were just in stacks around my house not being used. I just decided to put them all up. I actually love it but jackson keeps telling me he doesn't like the picture of the bears.
well thats more than you cared to see but i feel good having done this little house projects. It makes our home feel more ours.

not only can sam walk

2011-03-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

he can roll!

really?!?

2011-03-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

So its been nice having 2 boys born at the exact same time of year three years later. All of the clothes sam needs, we have, in the right season. We haven't needed to buy Sam much besides just something nicer that Jackson didn't destroy. But now I'm faced with a slight dilemma. These are Jackson's 18 month swimsuits...

that he still wears 3 years later. in fact, he wore them to the preschool "sailing to the sea" last week. (sorry no picture) So I can't figure out who to buy a new suit for. Even though they were 18m suits they were huge on jackson then but now basically fit. If I buy another 18m suit will it swollow Sam? Do your kids wear the same suit for that long?

its been a really really long since i bought fabric

2011-03-05T20:06:00.000-08:00

butiloveikea
fabric(from a very long distance at least. :( I've been wanting to make an ikea trip for a long time. I've only been once and it was out in Utah when I had to get back on an airplane. I just love their big bold prints on these fabrics. One day I'm gonna go and fill up my van with all sorts of stuff like this.

i want a home phone line

2011-03-05T09:13:00.000-08:00

only so i can have phones like this .

or this
or this

but i wouldn't have to wait on this radio that reminds me of my grandma dollar's pink bathroom. Whenever you turned on the light, old country music would start playing from an old radio like this one. I'm not really into vintage but i love these.

pledge of allegiance

2011-03-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

When this has been your normal...

2011-03-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

this looks tiny and strange.
definitely cute. but tiny and strange

A Q and U wedding

2011-02-28T13:18:00.000-08:00

So for our preschool group I had the letter Q. yuck! What do you do with the letter Q??? Well, in the elementary school I worked at they had a Q and U wedding. I mentioned it to the kids and they were excited but when I thought more about it I didn't want to do it. Like a week later Hannah told her mom that "she still didn't get to marry jackson." I felt bad so we did it. They got into it more than I realized. I mean, the wedding part, I don't think anything about the letter Q stuck.

unfortunately for jackson he is the only boy in his preschool so he had to marry all three girls. he was pretty over it by his 3rd wedding but i made him do it anyway so he wouldn't let the girls down. I did feel bad for him though.

Then we made a wedding cake, complete with buzz and jesse on top--a detail which i loved.

So I wouldn't do it again. They actually got into it more than I imagined. I came downstairs and jackson had kissed one of the girls. It was innocent and his explanation was of course that they were married but I think it might have upset a girls mom. so i'm not recommending this activity but i couldn't not post it.

Coolest car i've ever owned.

2011-02-26T13:02:00.000-08:00

We bought a 2007 Honda Odyssey this month. I've never owned a car this cool in my life. Features: leather, 8 passenger, fold away seating, dvd player with wireless headphones, cd changer, seat warmers, doors that open/close with pushing a button on my key remote, a key remote!, cruise control, like 13 cup holders, rearrangeable middle row seats, sunroof, and durability of a honda. it has 111,000 miles on it but we think we can push at least 100,000 more. We waited a while to make sure about what we wanted. oh, and the coolest thing...we paid in cash! yay! we always said we would but after going to dealerships it was so tempting to go newer. i'm glad we didn't though.

i love to see this when i walk out to the car (i mean minus the escaping baby.) As weird as it may sound to anybody who doesn't own/want a van, I feel so vain driving it. I feel luxurious. I feel blessed and cool. I know we are not all of the same opinion but I'm so glad to be at the van stage of life!

I think 4 is awesome

2011-02-17T08:39:00.000-08:00

or maybe its just jackson is awesome. Think back to 3 months ago. I had been trying to get himto stop sucking his thumb. I told him that babies suck their thumb. I told him that 4 year olds don't suck their thumbs. I told him I was so happy when he sucked his thumb because it meant he was still little and I didn't want him to get bigger. When I'd catch him sucking his thumb I'd tell him to stop to which he'd reply "No, I can because I'm not 4 yet!" Well he turned 4 and that was that. Then recently I noticed I hadn't seen him sucking his thumb at all. I gave it a few days to observe and I still haven't seen it. Is that amazing!? I think it is. The will power. the initiative. Maybe Jackson was right, maybe 4 really is big.

jackson was in bed

2011-02-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

Brent and I grab a bag of pretzels to munch on while we watch watson on jeopardy.

Jackson is within in seconds at the top of the stairs. "um, what's in that bag?" he couldn't see us but he's very familiar with the unique crinkle sound of a bag that is made for snack foods.

i think he has super hearing...when it comes to snacking.

A farewell

2011-02-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

remember how i'm a sap? well, its one those posts.

This 1996 camry was my first car. my parents told me they would pay half up to $4000 if i paid the other half. i wanted a camry. to me they screamed i'm a responsible and practical person. I'm still not sure if I fooled anybody. well, after 237,000 miles, we said good-bye to the camry. It was pretty weak in its last days and on its final trip made it all the way to our street and died 2 doors down. It was a lot like Scarlet's horse that died at Tara's gates after carrying her and Melanie home from Atlanta. (I love that book/movie!)

Because I am a sap I took pictures from the porch.

The man, assuming I was taking pictures of my son admiring the tow truck, told me he'd let jackson sit up front. So i took that picture too.

I don't have pictures of our early days shared together because they were pre-digital photos but here are some special days we shared together.

It only took a year and a couple weeks

2011-02-11T12:50:00.000-08:00

for sam to be added to the banner at the top of the blog. what do you think? Andrea Larson took that picture.

The truth of it

2011-02-10T06:47:00.000-08:00

I've been procrastinating posting because after I posted Sam's birthday I realized that was my 300th post. 300th! I wanted to do something cool to celebrate or something. This morning I sat down, deliberating what I could do but the truth of it is, this is what my bonus room looks like right now. Did you wanna see it again?? yeah....its that bad. Maybe now isn't the best time to tackle an ambitious giveaway.
While I may be behind in some things, every Sunday this year my sons have gone to church in ironed shirts and pants which previous to 2011 I don't think had ever happened. (Judge me however you may for that previous sentence. harshly-because I iron so rarely or awesome-because I did it, but I'm on team AWESOME!)

Sam's 1!

2011-01-26T12:29:00.000-08:00

He's so cute and fun. I've really enjoyed having a 2nd baby. First of all, we're all happier with Sam around. Sometimes I think having 2 kid is seriously easier than having one because it gave Jackson a friend. Sam is the perfect distraction for both me and Jackson to take a bit of the edge off when we've been around each other too long. I also found having a 2nd baby was so much more enjoyable than the first because I wasn't so paranoid about every detail. I could relax a lot more. Now it helped that Sam has been an extremely laid back baby. Before he was crawling he'd be perfectly content to sit in one spot on the floor for at least an hour. Yesterday at Jackson's birthday party he sat in his high chair for like 2 hours and never cried for anything. I mean we'd give him crackers when his tray was empty but he was happy just watching the madness. He, like most 2nd babies I think, is tough. Jackson will hit, yell, squeeze, intimidate with all he can imagine and Sam takes it. I know it's hard to know what aspects of a kids personality will develop into character traits he'll always have but, I imagine that Sam will be peacemaker in our home. Whatever he will be though will be amazing because I can feel the potential bursting out of him. While I'm terribly, ridiculously sad to be losing my baby to toddlerhood I know it'll be an amazing adventure for all of us.

ps. jackson has asked me several times today when he'll have another birthday.

p.p.s. i quilted that sign in the background and love it!

Jackson's 4!

2011-01-25T09:25:00.000-08:00

I wonder whether his birthday is a bigger deal to me or him. Of course he's thrilled. I'm mixed. I know every age has parts that are really exciting and i'm eager to see what four will bring. Man, I loved three though. I mean it was hard but so fun. He says the funniest stuff. Just this morning he said to me "I'm so excited to go show Sam how big I am now!" He said in his prayers the other night "thank you for letting us get to the tree (tree of life after fhe lesson) and thank you that the nephites can't." He's so intense. Talks ALL of the time. He loves attention from anybody that will give it and the biggest compliment he can get is being called silly or funny. not very different from his Dad i'd say with that. In his world there are only best friends and strangers. That's what he tells me. He is so eager to learn new things, from electricity to new words he's embracing this world. He's so excited to be on earf. and, [literally i'm writing w/ my eyes wet with almost tears] I'm so glad he's here on earf with me.

what a view

2011-01-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

if you can't tell from the picture, he's laying over the bar connecting the front two legs of the kithen chair. he wasn't crying or anything. just stuck. his head was too heavy to pick up.

i'd say its a step

2011-01-11T10:20:00.000-08:00

since he's never had anything but sips of water from a cup til now. its soy milk. if you were curious. odd huh?

Here's to a silly new year!

2011-01-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

so sad

2010-12-31T08:13:00.000-08:00

Brent's cousin Kathleen lived in Knoxville for a year. We loved it. We got together a lot. We went to the gym together. The kids had picnics. Kathleen shared her amazing toys. They left on Tuesday. We're sad but I think these pictures are even more sad. pathetic really.

I don't know. Did we get a good one?

emptying the holidays from my camera

2010-12-30T08:02:00.000-08:00

wasn't that so festive?

What do y'all do?

2010-12-03T10:39:00.001-08:00

What do y'all do for your friends at Christmas? The sisters you serve with? the sisters you visit teach? the families your husband home teaches? neighbors? I've normally made cookies on plates with saran wrap but its so hard to get them to people before they all go stale. I also normally make different kinds which, again, by the time you finish all of them i feel like the first ones are getting stale. I'm wondering what recipes y'all use. New ideas? anything? i just need inspiration to get it done this year.

Welcome Hannah!

2010-11-30T14:16:00.000-08:00

Rachel had her baby yesterday which meant i had to get on some sewing projects that i had been procrastinating starting. they're fairly simple so i finished both in about 3 hours. i only took a picture of one though. the other was a nursing cover in the same fabric. rachel had a ton left over from her wedding in march. thats right, i said MARCH! they're fast huh?

until i get a picture of hannah cate herself, behold hannah's hut!

thank goodness for thanksgiving

2010-11-30T13:55:00.000-08:00

wow. it's been so good. my family had thanksgiving dinner, christmas morning and a wedding all within 24 hours of each other! Garrett and Rhada got married the Saturday before thanksgiving and it was quite possibly the best sibling wedding ever. figures by the last one we'd get it down but it wasn't thanks to us it was what they wanted. they're having their open house in a few weeks and so the day of we just hung out together with the fam. after the sealing we all ate dreamland barbecue which brent claims defines his barbecue experience for his life. its that good.this is my imitation of my mom's stockings. i've always loved hers and the fact that they were homemade made them very sentimental. after 6 years of marriage i finally decided to do them. i think because at so many points of the process they made me want to swear i still look at them with spite but hopefully time will heal our wounds. for brent and i i went with our favorite christmas gifts ever so we have a gameboy and pink jambox for us.

the only part of thanksgiving dinner i didn't ruin...sams sweet potato and turkey. (i had to throw a doubled recipe of rolls in the trash. i balled. like totally lost it crazy crying.)

on saturday we took the boys to gatlinburg with the barnes's that are in town. it was so fun! this picture with santa makes me so happy. luckily santa was at the festival of trees there--for free. that saves us $20 and at least an hour of our time which we would have to stand in line to see him.

it really was a fabulous thanksgiving for us. we also went to the chimnies in the mountains but i don't have those pictures. i'm just eager to post what happened yesterday which you probably just read anyway.

Rebecca

2010-11-28T13:42:00.000-08:00

I recently read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. A long time ago we had an enrichment group where we brought our favorite books. A friend (I think it was julie stoner) brought it. That was probably 2 years ago but I've always remembered it. It took me forever to get around to it but i'm so glad i finally did. It was really good. When I first started it I was imagining a jane austen love story. I love that stuff and thats why I started it but after the first chapter i knew it would be different. The main character was a really insecure, young girl who was obsessed with the fear of what others were thinking of her. Not sure about y'all but I can totally relate to that. Anyway, it was really good. I recommend it.

Then I read the Christmas Box. I know a lot of people read that a long time ago but i never did. I was expecting something deeply spiritual that I would ponder for the next few weeks leading up to christmas. I didn't find that at the end. It was a bit of a let down to me.

I love reading. I really do.

guilty

2010-11-08T17:59:00.001-08:00

jackson has told me for several weeks he wanted to drink tea. i told him we didn't drink tea. i gave him all the reasons but he told me he just wanted to taste it.

friday night when we were getting ready for bed he said, "mommy i drank tea today and i liked it."

he totally asked for it at our neighbors house.

sneaky boy

good hearty laughs

2010-11-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

i love fall. i love having two boys. have i mentioned this before?

Your son watches too much pbs if....

2010-11-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

-he runs inside with a dandelion claiming he's found a between the lion.

-he tells you to turn on p-b-s dot org slash read

-whenever you get upset with him he says "be calm and think things through that is what you need to do."

-he bounces down to breakfast saying "its breakfast tiiiiiime."

-when he "works" in the ditch at the park he hums bob the builder.

-after you tell him he can't have ice cream he responds with "i have to mom. It's in my story see[and while pointing to an imaginary sentence below his face says ] Jackson eats ice cream!"

-if he sees a bridge approaching on the road will scream "time bridge approaching!"

yea-he definitely watches too much pbs. maybe i do too.

he's on the move

2010-11-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

i LOVED a happy stationary baby but its also fun to see him crawling.

halloween was awesome

2010-11-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

kid size spider web for preschool
the elephant-jackson only called him "the elephant" if sam was in costume. "mom, the elephant is crying." "the elephant wants my candy."

oranges carved like jack-o-lanterns filled with jello jigglers. thanks brent for doing it and bonnie for the idea.
& the loot. our neighborhood is awesome for trick or treating. so many cute kids. so much candy.

rest in peace

2010-11-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

or pieces. white kiki was lost shortly after this post. i'm telling you that was the saddest night of my sons life. say what you will about how disgusting it was. i know. but it was jacksons best and dearest friend and comfort. seeing him cry, not out of anger, but genuine deep heart sadness made me cry. a few days later he picked up duckie. duckie has had several names since he joined our family but jackson insists it is a she duckie. i'm not sure how i feel about that.

Another house moment?

2010-10-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a friend recently about house cleaning chores and varying definitions of a clean home. I told her about when I was a kid some woman told my mom that her house was "so dirty because she hasn't cleaned her baseboards in a month" or something like that. my mom, realizing that she had never cleaned her baseboards, gave us kids the chore the following saturday. I remember thinking it was silly. So after telling that story, I started noticing my baseboards. They really are dusty. So for the past couple of days, when I see them, and I'm close, and not doing anything else, I wipe them off with my hands--which means basically they're clean around the toilet, walking up the stairs, and next to "sam spots" where he sits down to play. Which also means the floor is now dusty there. Ah, the joys of cleaning house.

a rare moment

2010-10-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

Today's our anniversary. Brent had to work this morning and now he's helping a friend who's remodeling a home. I found myself this afternoon with 2 sleeping kids and a clean enough for me house. I didn't know what to do but document it--remind myself that sometimes the stars all do align for me. It just made me feel at peace. I'm grateful for noise and laughter and time with my husband and pbs and chaos but this is nice too. (i'm teaching our co-op preschool this month. thus the giant calendar in the piano room.)

our monster house

2010-10-13T04:52:00.001-07:00

some things are too cute to not copy.

a very best friend

2010-10-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

this is/was what's left of kiki. (this picture was actually taken 3 weeks ago and it seems to be falling apart now at an exponential rate) for those who don't know kiki is is jackson's blanket. we used to swaddle him in it.

Super Sam

2010-10-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

it has a nice ring to it huh?(can you see kiki scrap in the picture? our house is littered with them)

so sam gets his bib twisted and i think it makes him look like a super hero and take gobs of pictures.

what if your son tells you he wants to be a super hero for halloween. when i ask which one he just keeps with the ambiguity and says a super hero. we have a cape with a J on (thanks Robyn) which he loves. the problem is thats exactly what his cousins were last year. exactly. i don't think he saw the pictures. should i let him and totally take the easy way out or should I try to persuade him another way?

F is for fancy...evidently

2010-09-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

when you have 3 girls and one boy in your preschool, thats what you get. my friends tell me i'm funny for letting it frazzle me but frankly, i find it's fairly frightening to see your first boy fancy-ing up his fingernails.

Family pictures

2010-09-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

We haven't had professional pictures taken of our family since July 2007. I mean don't get me wrong, we've taken thousands of pictures but i don't think we've had a single picture of everybody in our family since i was in the hospital with sam. not pretty. so when desi called me about taking pictures with andrea larsen for a fundraiser for five in training. i was really excited. i haven't gotten andrea's pictures yet but here are some of the ones we took ourself before and after the photo shoot.

ok so click on the link for five in training. even if you just go visit it, it gives their numbers a boost so hopefully they can get sponsors. i suggest though you read the story as to why they're doing this. its very touching and inspiring.

the overdue post

2010-09-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

The cutest, sweetest, and yes easiest stage ever. I dump a bag of toys on the floor and he's good....for like an hour. seriously, an hour.

Yes I know I'm lucky but there is still that girl inside of me that thinks "since he's so good my next will be a terror."

my birthday

2010-09-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

i don't know how many of these i'll get to but i started with gone with the wind.

Book review

2010-09-14T04:54:00.000-07:00

I really want to write on the blog about the books I read. I like keeping track of them. I'm just not really good at doing it when I finish and then I have a hard time remembering what I read. (As I was writing this post I remembered one I'd forgotten.) So that being said, my little book summaries or thoughts aren't very good, because I forget.

My Sister's Keeper by jodi picoult was a good kfast read. I thought the subject was good and it made me think. A 13 something girl is seeking medical emancipation from her parents so she won't have to donate a kidney to save her sister from dying of cancer. I didn't really like how it ended. It had several mini story lines that all ended too abruptly for my taste. Also, I tend to not really notice cussing until a certain word so I don't know if there was cussing throughout but once my sensitive word came up it was rather late in the book so I continued and it got worse after that. More than necessary for me.

Then I read The Peacegiver by james ferrell. I totally loved this book. I borrowed it from a friend but now I wish I had a copy of my own. It's an lds book about the atonement and finding peace. It changed a lot about how I think about the savior, my own decisions, my thoughts, and hopefully they'll change for a long time. While it is an lds book, he never mentions mormon doctrine or the book of mormon without explaining it as if the read wasn't familiar with it. I do think it's a good book even for members of other faiths. It's not a sermon like book, it's fiction so I liked reading it for that reason too. I totally totally recommend this book to the point that I want to re-read it and buy it. (I hate re-reading books and don't even particularly want to own the books I've read. I get almost all from the library so that is saying something.)

Then I read The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. I liked it. I didn't like it the whole way through but in the end I did like it. The beginning I found rather boring but I'm glad I kept reading. It's about a guy who is engaged and the society expectations that surround him in that situation. It's about marriage and what can potentially come from that. (it's so hard to not write what happens but i don't ever know if somebody would actually read the book.)

well there you go. check them out if you want.

vacation

2010-09-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

We went on another vacation. This time to Destin, FL. While the weather didn't fully cooperate with us we still had fun. On the way down we stayed with my sister in Montgomery and decided to take Jackson to see the capital.

I love this shot of Sam.

So honestly, I think my favorite part of this beach trip was Jackson playing with his cousins. We don't get to see them a ton but I think he absolutely loved having them around all the time. They did it everything together: swim, fight, take a "nice warm tubbie"(hehe nico), fall asleep watching little einsteins, had a sleepover with grandma and papa, stayed up late, and more. This is all 5 grandsons.

nursing sam

2010-09-08T20:15:00.001-07:00

scene: I'm nursing sam on my bed, in walks jackson and sits at my feet. since sam was born we've had the rule jackson can't touch either of us while i'm feeding him.

me: hey buddy

jack: [funny face he makes while playing with sam (biting his bottom lip) reaches out to play with sams arm]

me: no touching sam while he's eating

sam: [stops eating to laugh at jackson]

jackson: [bouncing on the bed]

me: jackson no bouncing

jackson: can i bounce my shoulders?

me: no bouncing

jackson: can i bounce my feet?

me: no

jackson: can i bounce my head

me: no

jackson: can i bounce my fingers?

me: no

jackson: [begins to ever ever so slightly bounce while sitting down]

me: [trying to ignore the very very slight bouncing so we'll just be happy]

jackson: i'm bouncing mom

me: get off the bed

It may be of interest

2010-08-20T09:01:00.001-07:00

I added two new links to my favorite links list.

Small Notebook is a blog/website i'm not sure about simplifying, organizing, and housekeeping. I found it last week and was surprised to find somebody writing so much like how I think. While this post converted me (how to make things harder and do nothing), I also liked ah-ha cleaning moments, and the no spend month. Very interesting.

Nesting Place is how I would/hopefully will decorate my house. I just like her style a lot. I've always assumed that people who had a nice house spent a lot of money doing it. She picks up a lot of stuff cheap at thrift stores and such. While I don't have time in my life now to do that. (kids are so hard to take to places like that i think.) I still really like what she offers. Check out cool, calm, and collected.

Sometimes my memory is my enemy

2010-08-17T10:17:00.001-07:00

I remembered being miserable the first trimester with Jackson but not the 3rd. I was miserable the 3rd with sam and felt blind-sided. Why didn't I see this coming?

As is true now with feeding Sam real-ish food. I actually remembered not enjoying breastfeeding because I felt tied down and pouty that it was a job I couldn't hand off to Brent. (with Sam I've actually loved it.) I remember feeding Jackson and not thinking much of it. Maybe I was just so excited that Brent or I could do it. I'm so not enjoying feeding Sam. I guess I thought that since he opens his mouth to put EVERYTHING else in he'd just open his mouth for food. blah. so not true.

On like some where around the 10th time I fed him I gave him his own spoon. Every time he'd try to put his own spoon in his mouth I'd pop my spoonful of green beans in. It worked for a little but then he became less interested in eating his own spoon.

This is Sam after me trying to feed him for a solid 30 minutes. Notice how much we had left. I think he's grinning because he's recognized that he's won.

A survey

2010-08-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

So to all of you moms...when do you do most of your housework? is it when the kids are in bed? is it during the day when they're watching movies/tv? normally i get as much done as i can during the day with the kids but my evenings are reserved for lounging but i'm finding i just can't get it all done. so i just wanted to ask y'all what y'all do.

6 years ago

2010-08-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

we got engaged at Hilton Head. It was special. We took a walk Sunday night on the beach, August 1st, and he proposed.

6 years later Brent was without a wedding ring. He lost it sometime this year. If I was Robyn or Cheyenne or Siobhan I could tell a really romantic story touching your emotions making you laugh and cry, but I can't. I'm not a story-teller. I will tell you though I surprised Brent this trip with a new wedding ring that I gave him while walking on the beach Sunday night, August 1st. It was really special to me and made me all kinds of emotional like only I can get. I don't have a picture of the ring cause like I mentioned before, I didn't take any pictures.

A Barnes Beach Trip

2010-08-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

A Barnes beach trip is very different from a Hutchison beach trip. Although I was reminded of this throughout the week at Hilton Head for different reasons none hit me so hard as when I just sat down with the intent to post and I realized I don't have a single picture. I have a couple goofy expressions of Sam laying on the floor at the condo when I thought "oh no I haven't taken any yet" but then never brought it with me to the beach. I'm sorry mom. I'm sorry to anybody who was curious as to just how gorgeous Hilton Head is. Because it is gorgeous. I'm used to Florida beaches which are lovely but different from this. My favorite part of a Hilton Head beach are the tides. I love going out at low tide when there is so much wet sand to play it. You can ride bikes on it which was shocking to me when I first saw it. Also I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or a truth but the waves seemed bigger at hi tide which I'm sure would have been fun if I hadn't been holding a sleeping baby. [ah sweet sam--the only time my children sleep in my arms is under conditions of EXTREME exhaustion but it is blissful b/c it's so rare]. Another difference was in how my family vacations vs. how the Barnes do. My family is all go go go. We all get ansy being in the condo and consider the day almost a failure if we didn't get to the beach twice. My parents come home at like 8:30am after some intense exercise, calling us all lazy for sleeping in so late. Brent's family takes it all slow. It took me a couple of days to get used to this (I was a bit of a crank--sorry fam) but after I relaxed a bit I enjoyed it tremendously. I did coax Brent and his mom to ride bikes with me that we rented for the kids to ride in which was way way fun. Maybe even my favorite part of the trip. Jackson loved playing in the sand and was tentative but willing to play in the waves. We put Sam in their bathwater-temperature-pool and he loved it too. Brent even dunked him several times although I had to look away for that part. my nerves will be the death of me. all in all it was a way fun trip and we thoroughly enjoyed it. despite the lack of pictures. oh oh if you read this much you might as well know there will be a romantic-picture-less post tomorrow (or soon).

hiding.

2010-07-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

i told jackson he was so cute i just had to take a picture of his cuteness.

Even through such a good papa hutchison and great grandpa hutchison impersonation, i still managed to find his cuteness i think.

this is when i wish i had more pictures of my progenitors to prove their connection.

we went to the fountains

2010-07-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

and i remembered my camera. that's all.

fountain bubbles on sams head. hehe

I love sunday afternoons

2010-07-20T05:24:00.000-07:00

Church gets out at 12:000. Thats a lot of time for games, naps, and disney movies. oh and too much time for bowls of m&Ms.

A vote

2010-07-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

Sam or Hutch?

My sister-in-law Robyn is a natural at nicknames. They just roll off her tongue. They always sound cute and perfect and fun. Weird as it may sound I have a hard time saying nicknames. It's just not natural for me. I love the nickname Hutch since Hutchison is his middle name, it sounds cool and fun, and he certainly looks more like my side than Jackson. Whenever I try to say it though it sounds awkward. like I'm re-naming him or something. Can a kid be called two names? I love them both and can't decide.

As a side note--I love this age. so cute. everything goes in his mouth. always drooly. just a fun baby age.

Our family has a yogurt problem

2010-07-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

I realized this as we left Kroger today.

Brent likes to have a variety of flavors.

I like to put strawberries/blueberries in my low-fat vanilla.

Jackson likes Trix. Now I know I don't have to comply with that one but he was always eating Brent's.

Unfortunately though, I don't see us changing our ways.

At least not while strawberries and blueberries are in season.

more books

2010-06-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

After reading "The Help" I decided I like reading too much to quit. Granted, too often my house goes to pot, but I'm trying to limit what I read at home and do most of it at the gym. I'm horrible at that but I'm trying. So what did I read? I read "The Hunger Games" and then the sequel "Catching Fire." They're teen fiction but I still loved them. Now when I say what they'll about you'll think what the heck but isn't that what you thought whenever everybody started reading about vampires? OK so I enjoyed the hunger games more. basically it's about teenagers that are forced to fight to the death by oppressive government. yeah-not typical natalie reading huh? Catching Fire felt more like a twilight book focusing more on the love story part. i mean it still had a high adventure part but not as much as the first. The best part is the third book in the series "Mockingjay" comes out in August. They're fun super fast reads so I liked them.

Today I just finished John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men." I didn't have a clue what it would be about but I liked it. Two ranch workers in California that travel together--one is mentally retarded. It was really good but a bit emotionally challenging. It was a really fast read as well though. It was only 107 pages.

hmmm....i love reading and then the time afterwards i spend thinking about it.

Quite possibly the coolest thing i've done

2010-06-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

For Father's day we made this book for our dads. You know the Dr. Seuss book "The Foot Book"? Well we made the book but put our own pictures in it. Here are some of my favorite pages but I loved the whole thing.

Left foot Left foot Right foot right

Feet in the morning feet at night.

(Sam sleeps like me, with his blanket over his head.)

Slow feet quick feet trick feet sick feet

small feet big feet

here come pig feet

more and more feet 24 feet

here come more and more and more feet

the pictures don't do it justice.

my house right now

2010-06-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

rachel wanted a post so fascinating as it is...my house right now.

it may look like i purposely made that relief society poster look like jackson made it so i won't have to make one again, but that's not true. I tried.

my foot art still hanging up. i'll post about that later but it's been hanging there for 3 weeks now. and in the background on the wall my cute chalkboard i cut to hang in my painted picture frame. i feel like a handyman b/c i used spray paint and an exacto knife.

cookie plates for visiting/home teaching families.

the reason i was able to make my relief society poster. that's brooke. i'm watching her and her brother owen right now for their mom.

sam-who is now sitting on my lap.

and owen who i accidentally woke up taking this picture but he quickly fell back alseep. whoops.

Photo shoot!

2010-06-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

I love this bumbo. (that's the seat that sam is sitting in.) I sorta justified buying it for this photo shoot but i love love love it! It's so much fun to play with sam in it. I love all of these pictures of the boys too.

more and more feet!

2010-06-16T07:51:00.000-07:00

This started with a small idea and then got bigger and bigger. It was so much fun! It's now hanging from our fireplace and I love it. It's so pretty and colorful.

Mr.and Mrs. Lance Hutchison

2010-06-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

Y'all I know it doesn't look like it but we tried. We combed his hair multiple times. We tucked in his shirt again and again. We practiced and practiced walking the aisle. He still ran up on the stage and stood with the bridesmaids. Then did jump and jacks. I kinda laughed when Katie said we should have candy to bribe him to his seat but in the end that was all that worked.

Aren't these pictures amazing. I haven't seen a lot of them but my mom emailed me these and I thought they were stunning. The whole weekend was so nice. Katie did an amazing job planning everything and it came off perfectly. Katie has been here for all of the other sibling weddings. They've been together longer than anybody else. We're just so happy for them.

Unfortunately, I'm a little bitter towards traveling currently. We've done a lot for all of these weddings this spring and it's all been fine except for the would be last hour of our trip. After an 8 hour drive we thought we were home free once we passed crossville. We then hit dead still traffic. After waiting in it for about an hour we pulled over to feed Sam. Lucky we did b/c while I was feeding him our car overheated. Some hose broke. Brent was able to buy the necessary quick fixes at the gas station and then re-route the gps so we could find an alternate way home. I love that guy and his brains.