Barnes

The Cabin

2012-01-02T10:53:00.000-08:00

Spent the New Year at the cabin this year, I think we have done that for a few years. Did Ryan and I stay up until midnight? Yeah right!! I can barely stay up past 9:00 PM these days. I think I did make it until 11:30 PM. Then woke up again at 3:00 AM to Isaac spewing throw up all over me. Red throw up might I add. Too much licorice I guess.

Boy how my kids love the cabin, every morning this week Isaac woke up and asked what day it was. Friday couldn't get here fast enough. What kid wouldn't love it when you can stay up late, watch movies, eat junk food (hence the red throw up at 3 AM), 4 wheelin'.

2011-11-14T05:53:00.001-08:00

Happy Anniversary! 8 Years and counting...

Lately

2011-10-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

Once again, my lack of posts comes from me being too lazy to get the photos off my computer. So no photos this round. Life is great. Isaac started preschool last month. Boy how he loves it, and it is just adorable. I have started threatening missing preschool if he doesn't listen. That won't last long. He is also in soccer with some of the neighbor boys, so darling. He surprisingly does better than I expected!

As for Liam, still a little stinker. Quite the feisty one, you wouldn't know it unless you were around him a ton. He is pretty shy around strangers (sorry bud). People keep asking if he ever talks, and boy does he! Now that Isaac is in school it has been so fun just hanging out with him. I recently got called as a nursery leader so I get to spend lots of time with the kid. He is so different when he is not around his brother and really is a sweet little boy. But he does love his brother and follows him around every where. They play so cute together when they want to.

Then there is boring me. I started watching a friends kids a few days a week for the month. And will randomly watch another friend's little girl every now and then. Today I had all 5! Had to load them in the car to take Isaac to school today. I texted Ryan and let him know that there was still room for one more :). Last week we went to the library and people thought I had two sets of twins. It has been fun having all these rugrats running around. Keeps my kids entertained, now that the pool is no longer an option these days. Loving this weather though, not looking forward to the 6 months of winter we have. Here is to a long fall!

We just got back from visiting my sister in Vegas. I braved the trip with just me and the kids while Ry lived the bachelor life. Luckily things did get done around the house while we were gone.

And my goal for 12 halfs this year is almost complete! 2 more to go, will be done by Oct 15!! As much as I love running, it will be nice to be done. I am sure I will continue it, just not sign up for so many at a time. The only annoying part is not being able to go do something on a whim because I have a race that weekend. Ryan will be glad to have some Saturdays back to go fishing.

Surprise!

2011-07-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

We had a surprise visit from these guys and kept busy every day this week!

Days of 47 parade.

Fireworks at Cottonwood Heights

Bike rides in the park

Of course we had to hit the pool!

A visit to the "jumpy place". Jump Around Utah, a must do!! So fun and not as far as Kangaroo Zoo, slightly more pricey though, but worth it.

Family BBQ's

And I finally got to meet this little squirt before he was 6 months old.

Meet Elliot James Delaney. I could hold him all day.

Weekend Cap

2011-06-26T14:16:00.001-07:00

While Ryan spent the weekend doing this...

Liam and I spent the weekend like this...

3 day intense potty training began Friday morning. I had everything planned out and ready and realized Friday morning that I really should have planned for Isaac to be busy doing things instead of cooped up with us. Last minute I pawned Isaac off with Aunts/cousins, friends houses, and Grandma (A big thanks to them!). Made it much easier to focus on just Liam, although I sure did miss my Isaac.

I don't tell you this because I think I am amazing and can potty train my kids by 22 months. I tell you this because I am officially a true believer in the 3 day process. Anybody can do this, it just takes A LOT (can't stress that enough) of patience and focus!! I thought I was just lucky with Isaac and really worried that I would struggle with Liam, but Liam has been SO much easier during these 3 days than Isaac ever was. I loathe changing diapers and feel so bad that they sit in their urine and feces often. Liam has had some bad diaper rashes lately, so this will put an end to that! This time I didn't use the portable potty, so gross to clean that up. I would just turn him around on the toilet and let him sit that way. Plus I figure it will get him used to normal toilets when we aren't home.

Day 1: The most difficult. He peed his pants most of the morning. Woke up from his nap dry though, then after his nap he realized what he was supposed to do and could hold his bladder. He wouldn't tell me he had to pee, but I could see it in his face and would rush to the bathroom with only a little pee in his undies. So he figured it out by day 1. As for #2, again, you could see it in his face and as soon as I scooped him up and rushed to the bathroom he would scream, but boy was he clenching those cheeks! So funny.

Day 2: Woke up dry!! But then didn't go potty until about 11:00 AM!! Wow, who can hold a morning pee that long. Well he sure did and boy did he have to go. He still wasn't too excited about sitting on the toilet, would whine most of the time. But I knew he had to go and just made him stay (even though that is against the book, oops!) That happened 3-4 times the rest of the day. Still the same issue with #2, but at least he held it as best he could. I was always too late with Isaac, NOT fun cleaning that up!

Day 3: And here we are on the last day. Woke up dry again this morning. Did his morning potty around 9:30 AM and a couple more times since then. Still a bit timid on the toilet. And doesn't actually say he needs to go, but will look at me when he has to, luckily I know the sign now. And holds it until we get there. He is napping now and we will continue the day at home, hopefully he continues on this path!

I didn't think I would say this, but I will actually look forward to these 3 days with my future kids (or kid). I had so much fun just hanging out with Liam and spending time with just me and him. Not worrying about laundry, housework or anything else.

Now I just need to be daring and venture out of the house, always locating the nearest potty wherever we go! That is going to be a whole other learning experience for him, but I refuse to go back to diapers and am determined to make this work! Wish us luck!!

Summer so far

2011-06-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

Can't even put into words my excitement for this weather.

So far we have...

hit the pool a few times

eaten LOTS of popsicles

roasted smores in the backyard

AND my favorite so far, FINALLY scored a playset from KSL (an early b-day present for the boys). Do you know how fast these things go?!?!? There have been 5 other ones that posted in the last couple of weeks that I wanted but they sold within 20 minutes or less. I couldn't sit on the computer all day hoping one would post. We did find a swingset kit on KSL and snagged that right away, so we were planning on building one ourselves. But then just yesterday, I was randomly checking KSL and saw that this had only been posted for 24 minutes. I knew it had probably sold but I texted the girl anyway. She said it hadn't sold yet and I said GREAT!! WE WILL PICK IT UP TONIGHT!!! Man, I can't peel these kids away from it, and the neighbors finally come over to our house :).

Can't wait for movies in the park, drive ins, concerts, camping, hiking, the list is never ending.

HAPPY SUMMER

(P.S. if you are interested in purchasing the swingset kit it is pretty sweet. All you need to purchase is the lumber and the manual tells you exactly what to do. Comes with all the hardware and swings. You could make it quite elaborate. Let me know before I post it back on KSL)

Today

2011-06-01T06:29:00.001-07:00

Nothing new to report. Just had to be one of the many complaining about this weather. I have been so excited for the pools to open because we practically live there in the summers. I love going the first week they are open because nobody is there. All the older kids are still in school this week so it is so nice to practically have the pool to ourselves. Doesn't look like that will be happening for us this week. Isaac keeps asking me "Mom, what should we do this summer?" Well, we are going to do a bunch of swimming when the weather gets warm. But then the other day he said he wanted to build a snowman. Poor kid won't know how to differentiate the seasons if Mother Nature doesn't straighten up!

April

2011-04-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Spring Break with Delaney's

We could barely keep up, we did something everyday they were here. Parks, swimming pool, Zoo, Children's Museum, Kangaroo Zoo, movie night.

Never leave children unattended with a big bowl of popcorn. They sure loved cleaning it up though.

Why we haven't hit up Cottonwood Heights indoor pool more often this year? I don't know why, but oh so fun!

One decent day of sun spent at the Zoo, still pretty cold though!

The Ultimate CutDown

Ordered a clipper/trimmer and it came in the mail a couple of days ago.

I was too excited to wait for someone with more experience to monitor me so Liam was my first victim. Off to the bathroom we went and away I buzzed. Here he is before...(showing me his eyes.)

...and the after. This wasn't his hairdo yesterday though, originally I had buzzed the sides and left it long up top, then I just needed my sister to teach me how to trim the top. Ry said he looked like Hitler, I couldn't wait any longer so I just buzzed it all. It will grow back and I will get it right next time!

More chopping. The neighborhood spring clean up is this weekend so we decided to cut down some trees in the front yard. Really wish I would have gotten a before pic. Now hopefully our grass will grow without those darn pine needles!

EASTER

Easter Brunch at Gardner Village, it is gonna have to be a yearly tradition.

SPRING, PLEASE COME

Man, warmer weather can't get here fast enough! Playing outside is just a must for these boys, but it is still quite muddy out there.

Moab

2011-03-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a weekend in Moab with just us girlies. So much fun! A bit windy, but it didn't stop us from finishing. Thanks to Jackie (and spectators) for the photos. Who forgets a camera on a girls trip!!

(Sorry for the embarrassing photo of these two nerds below, you know who you are)

Note to self: DO NOT apply 3/4 of this to your back without trying an area first.

We even had it in us to hike Delicate Arch the last day.

2011-02-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

This is what we do when Mom is too tired after a late night with the girls...

(forgive me for my annoying voice)

Love that Liam raises his hand and says "me". This lasted for a good 45 minutes.

Burn

2011-02-21T21:40:00.001-08:00

Here is my conversation with the checker at the grocery store today...

Girl: "Those your boys?"

Me: "Yes."

Girl: "How old are they?"

Me: "3 and 1."

Girl: "Sounds like me, I have a 2 year old and a 4 month old. We are probably the same age too."

Me: "28?" (after I did some math)

Girl: "Oh no, you are way older than me!"

OUCH!!!

Me: "How much older?"

Girl: " 7 years."

Me: "Oh" Well she knows her math well. Now check my groceries!

Now I know why the older you get, the more timid women are to tell their age. Looks like I will begin lying about my age now.

TMM (Total Money Makeover-Dave Ramsey style)

2011-02-14T06:25:00.000-08:00

I read this book for book club and am obsessed! Ryan calls it my newfound religion. I am Dave's #1 fan! It is about getting out of debt and living debt free for the rest of your life (including your mortgage!! Who does that?!) I almost don't want to share this secret with anyone, but it is not a secret, it is common sense and discipline. I wish I would have found this 5-7 years ago when Ryan and I got married. Time goes by too quickly, I am sure we could have changed our financial future drastically in that time. I feel that I have always been smart with money, I can't stand being in debt, this book was just a wake up call on how to be better and plan for your future. I actually already followed a lot of his concepts, just out of order which would have gotten me nowhere and realized what areas I needed to work on and sacrifice some things to get there.

I was also obsessed when I heard about Grocery Smarts and so excited to cut my grocery bill in half every month, that wore off so this might too. Since it is fresh on my mind, I am super excited about it, but ask me again in a month and see if that changes. If anything, you will learn something from it and hopefully spend your money wisely. This is a MUST READ, it is an eye opener and very motivating.

Frumpy

2011-01-27T12:07:00.001-08:00

This is day three of being a frumpy family. My kids have come down with some kind of virus. Today Isaac was going to the bathroom and throwing up on the floor at the same time. Fun. That is why I haven't bothered to get myself ready in three days.

I completed the St. George Half this past weekend. Beat last years time which made me happy. This will be the race time to beat from here on out. It was mostly a flat course. Sadly, it was a bit more challenging than what I am used to since I seem to only run downhill races lately. The weather was awesome. It got up to 60 degrees on Saturday! Really didn't want to come home. Next race in Moab.

Ryan is busy busy with work as always. His work is doing a "Biggest Loser" competition and he has impressed me with how well he has kept up on it. Our Sportsmall membership is finally getting some good use. He had a hard time eating some soup I made for dinner the other night because he could feel the cream/fat go into his body. Whatever, it was just a lame excuse to tell me it wasn't good. If he wins, they give him travel vouchers to where ever he pleases. I am sure it will be some type of fishing trip. Hoping he does well!

I enrolled Isaac in preschool for next fall and fall of 2012, so he is set until kindergarten! I didn't think you had to do this that far in advance, but apparently if you want the good programs/teachers you do! Very excited for him to experience it.

Liam is quite the terd these days. He is constantly telling you no and saying everything is "mine" if you take it away. But the moment he smiles, it melts your heart and you give him whatever he wants. He is getting pretty daring these days. I caught him sitting on the kitchen table one afternoon. Yup, he climbed up the chair and onto the table. Little stinker!

Getting anxious for warmer weather! Cant' wait to go for morning walks to the park, SWIMMING, and just plain ol' being outside! We are definitely getting cabin fever around here.

Mistrial

2011-01-13T10:21:00.000-08:00

Today at Jury Duty, they released us at 9:45 AM due to a mistrial. I had put my life on hold this week to get through this trial and now I don't know what to do with myself, guess I better start sorting laundry and get back to my routine. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience, oddly enough. They kept saying that most jurors selected say that the experience was very rewarding and happy they did it. I would agree. Yes, it is VERY inconvenient putting your life on hold (luckily I didn't get selected for the 6 week trial that some other jurors in our waiting area were there for). I learned a lot and got to meet some new people. Small world, one of the gals grew up close to me and we went to the same elementary (a year older) and knew lots of the same people. We had great conversations about The Bachelor and "do you know..." along with many other topics. Come to find out she lives close to me now and we have seen each other at the Sand library for story time in the past. It is interesting because you are put in a room with 8 other strangers and the one thing that connects you, you are not supposed to discuss. Can I just tell you how hard that is! So it was a bummer being dismissed today, I was really looking forward to Friday and getting all these thoughts off my chest.

As a juror you are treated with royalty! The bailiff learned our favorite drinks and made sure they were available for us during our breaks, the court stands up for you as you enter the room (which is quite embarrassing having all eyes on you), and they are constantly thanking you for your service. My poor kids, they were anxious to see where we were going each morning since it was somewhere new each day. Thanks to family for helping me out! I am thankful I don't have to be out the door that early every morning with young ones, it is a lot of work!

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! Although I am excused now for 2 years :), but when I see that pink paper in the mail again, I won't groan as much as I have in the past and neither should you ;)

Lately

2011-01-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

Today, my kids woke up and diarrhea'd themselves silly. Spent the morning cleaning that up, it is amazing what you can tolerate once you are a mother. I am sure it will make its rounds with all of us. Looking forward to getting sick, but hoping very much so that I don't as today I realized that I have a half marathon in a little over 3 weeks! I wanted to take a month off after the turkey trot, but it has been well over that and I am so unprepared this time. I should be up to 10 miles this week, only gotten to 4.5, wish me luck.

I received the dreaded pink paper to be called for jury duty, I reluctantly called in and registered hoping that it would be as it always has been, you call in every morning for a few days to see if they need you and they don't. Well this time I surpassed that and received an official summons letter to go to the trial. Yippee! Not at all, I blame my Grandmother for making me register when I was 18. This is the 3rd or 4th time that I have been called! I plan to be prejudice in the interview, maybe they won't call me again. "If they are mexican, GUILTY." It better be a good one.

Liam is walking! Happened the week of Christmas, doesn't prefer it quite yet, but thinks it is so funny when he does. Hallelujah!

Christmas was great, yada yada. It is so much fun with the kiddos, but oh so much work. I now see why my mother was kind of a grinch growing up ;).

Candy and puppy dogs

2010-12-28T08:16:00.001-08:00

While standing in line at Franklin Covey yesterday, I came across a sign that said something to the effect of...

"We give candy and puppy dogs to unattended children."

At first I thought how nice of them, then I realized the meaning. I noticed both my kids were running amok around the store. I quickly grabbed Liam and yelled at Isaac to come stand by me. I continued to wait my turn in line, with only one cashier there helping a gentlemen that couldn't make a decision on a darn wallet. As I am frantically trying to control my kids, Liam screaming to get down, Isaac thinking it is funny to run away from me, I was losing my patience. I finally gave up and was willing to welcome a new puppy into the family. I got a good laugh out of that, they must not have kids.

2010-11-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

lOvE these boys...

Isaac has figured out the self timer and takes photos of himself now.

Liam is quite the spitfire these days. Watch out if he is mad...head butts you when you least expect it, pulls your hair, claws you! 2 months ago I never would have thought he would come to this. Still as cute as ever!

LeAvEs

The leaves are never ending in our backyard. Round 1 of raking. The rain/snow today won't help with round 2.

12 in 12

2010-10-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

Running is quite the fad these days and I will be the first to admit I am a follower. Not that it is a bad thing, it is good to see so many people taking care of themselves. Running a half marathon is nothing because so many of us do it these days. I personally have achieved some of my goals that I never expected to do through running and I plan to stick to it. So far this year I have run 7 half marathons and a couple 10K/5K's and have set my personal best and continue to do better each time! For those of you that know me well know that I am not an athlete nor do I like sports. I only went to my sisters college soccer games if there was food involved :). My sister is actually the one that inspired me to do this when we ran our first full marathon over 4 years ago. Never again will I do that, but have stuck to halfs ever since. I can find the time to train for them and not feel too guilty if I miss 2, 3, sometimes 4 days of training. Plus it is something I can do with my kids if I feel like a really good workout. I love when someone gets involved in running, I could talk their ear off. I don't think of myself as a competitive person and I bask in someone else's glory if they exceeded their goal even if it is better than mine :). With all this said, I have a plan for 2011. I am going to try and run one half marathon a month or more. By voicing it, it will force me to achieve this goal. They will be mostly local races since there are still so many I haven't run around town and some repeats that I have enjoyed so much. Man, I should write a book about this, ha ha.

P.S. I am taking sponsors :)

He's mine

2010-09-28T08:18:00.001-07:00

I think it is safe to say he really is mine, minus the curls and brown eyes.

Transportation

2010-09-16T14:23:00.001-07:00

Last year our neighborhood started a little neighborhood preschool where each Mom alternates teaching. It was very successful and fun so we kicked it off again this year. We lost a lot of kids this year to real preschools :(. It went from a class of 9 to 4, darn kids for growing up!

I was in charge of our neighborhood preschool this week and here is what we did...

We started off with the lesson after our morning ritual of clean up, the name song, and the Pledge of Allegiance. Their attention span is quite short so you have to constantly be doing something and change it quickly or they get bored or antsy. So I tried to keep them as involved as possible. The letter and number of the day was C and 2, the subject was Transportation so we matched sounds to pictures of different vehicles, read some books (the book Cars was a hit, they stayed seated and listened to the whole thing), more matching games, and talked about safety (crossing the street with a grown up, looking both ways, wearing a helmet with your bike). I am always surprised with how well these kids catch on or know stuff when I ask them a question.

Next was craft/snack time. I had them glue and color a school bus, we of course sang Wheels on the Bus.

Then our snack included graham crackers with peanut butter to stick M&M's on to represent a stop light. And tractor fruit snacks.

Off to some outdoor activities, played Red light Green light and play time with bikes and other things that go.

You ask what Liam was doing? Well he was content with his bottle of milk, graham crackers and watching the older kids. He will get his turn next year.

Very successful and so much fun. It doesn't take much time to prepare for this. I feel like a kid again setting up a little classroom and teaching but for real this time.

2010-09-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

Liam is 1!

We started the day at the doc. I know, how rude is that, shots on your birthday. I thought for sure he would be a bit higher on the charts than Isaac but he only weighs 19 lbs 11 oz. At least he is in the percentage though.

Then we headed to the pool for one last swim for the summer :(

The festivities begin! Party in our backyard. I have yet to see a kid actually dig into their cake and make a mess with it. He wasn't that impressed with it and didn't last long.

My Mom got him this HUGE box filled with balloons all wrapped up, so when he opened it they all floated up. His face lit up! He loved it! It was a huge hit with all the kiddos. Good job Granny!

What an eventful day. (Liam peed on the floor shortly after this photo and was so fascinated as he watched it.)

Time to get rid of those locks

I had to bribe him with 2 suckers and a popsicle. A little boy shouldn't ever have to sit through a haircut that took that long. Not the hairdressers fault, just too much hair!

Man, I love these two. (Yes, Liam recently discovered something exits down there.)

Yup, we spent a lot of the summer doing this...

Sometimes I would catch him in the front yard! Sorry neighbors!

Today

2010-08-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

Dropping everything to be with my boys.

(see below post)

A day in the life...

2010-08-05T13:22:00.001-07:00

For those of you that think I am SuperMom and all organized, here is the truth...

(and I know all of you Mom's can relate)

This is an example of how I would like my day to go:

5AM-Get a couple hours of work done while kids are asleep, pay some bills

7:30AM-Get myself showered and ready for the day.

8:00-9:30AM-Kids up, breakfast, dressed, straighten up house, sort/start laundry

9:30AM-Grocery Shopping/bank

11:00AM-The Aquarium for some fun time with the kiddos

12:30PM-Home to feed the kids lunch and naptime

1:15 PM-work on more laundry

2:45-3:45 PM-ME TIME, read a book, maybe a little shut eye

3:45PM-Kids up, go for a walk around the neighborhood, play outside.

5:00PM-start dinner

6:00PM-Ryan home, eat dinner together

7:00-8:00PM-hang out with the family (probably fold some laundry too)

8:00PM-go for a run while Ryan bathes the kids and gets them ready for bed

9:00PM-Kids go to bed

9:00-10:00PM-Ryan and me time (and no none of that you perverts)

10:00PM Bed

This is how my day actually went:

8:00AM-Slept in. Kids were up a couple of times, couldn't wake up at 5AM. Dang it, can't get much done while kids are still asleep. Go pay some bills for a bit.

8:30-Liam wakes up, start working on straightening up the house and find that there is more to do than just make beds and pick up a few things. Give up so I bring Liam downstairs to finish paying some bills. Change and nurse Liam, get him some breakfast.

9:30-Isaac wakes up, get his breakfast ready. Isaac comes out of bathroom and informs me he peed all over himself. Clean Isaac up, clean pee off of bathroom floor thinking I should pull out the mop. Go check on kids in kitchen to find that Isaac spilled his breakfast on floor, now I really need to mop. A horrible smell comes from Liam, change his bum, get him dressed for day, get Isaac dressed for the day. Clean up breakfast and dishes from last nights dinner from Ryan and kids (I had a girls night :)). CRAP! It's 10:30. Windex multi spray will have to suffice for cleaning up the sticky kitchen floor where Isaac spilled and the bathroom floor as well (while on the floor, notice the kitchen chairs have food and fingerprints encrusted all over them, make a mental note to clean them later). So much for getting myself ready, throw on some clothes, brush my teeth, throw my hair in a ponytail, look in mirror, good, wait I really need to pluck my brows, no time, do it later. Pack some treats to help get my kids through the grocery store. Hear the garbage truck outside and realize it is garbage day. Get garbages from bathrooms...see pile of laundry that I need to go through. Finish getting garbages and set by back door. Sort through laundry, start a load. Liam crying because Isaac keeps teasing him. Yell at Isaac. Comfort Liam.

11:00-Grocery shopping time, start getting kids loaded up. Liam, what did you eat!! Change Liam again. See the garbages by back door, throw them out and take bins to curb. Isaac screaming that he wants his Lightening McQueen car. Run inside search high and low to find. FIND IT! I will clean up that mess later.

11:15-Let's try this again, off to the store.

12:30-STILL at the store, Liam getting pretty restless by now. Not having the treats and stuff I brought for him, too tired. Isaac has to use bathroom. Have to head all the way to the back again, while Isaac slowly follows since the grocery cart is too full by now and he can't fit in the basket anymore. Get Liam out of cart to join us in the bathroom stall to help Isaac. Nowhere to set Liam down, so hold Liam AND Isaac so he can pee (I don't like him sitting on public toilets and he is too short to stand on his own). Done, head to front to pay for groceries. Forgot eggs, Liam REALLy getting mad now. I will get them later. Get the slowest cashier EVER! Isaac whining that he wants starbursts. Cute lady behind me trying to entertain Liam, she must know what this is like. Get the darn starbursts (he deserved it, he was a good boy). Credit card machine not working right, of course. Finally figured it out. Get to car and open door for Isaac to crawl in himself, put groceries in back, load Liam, put cart back. Finally on the road, Isaac sitting in carseat laughing "You forgot to buckle me Momma". SCREECH!! Pull over, buckle Isaac. Off to bank. Swing by Mom's to pick up lonely dog to hang out with us the rest of the day. Realize it is 1:15 and I need to feed the kids! Look in back to find Liam asleep, really wanted to feed him lunch before.

1:30-Home, unload groceries, get kids out. Liam wakes up to dog barking. Not a bad thing, now I can feed him. Go to put Liam in highchair and realize I forgot to clean highchair after breakfast this morning. Do a quick cleaning of it. Try to get the cold food away while getting lunch for the kids. Continue to put groceries away inbetween bites and realize I need to clean my fridge. Will have to do later, so I just do a quick de-clutter and throw away old food. Isaac wants to play with dog instead of eat lunch. Whatever. Liam really tired. Go to make him a bottle, no clean bottles. Start cleaning his bottles while chasing Isaac around for bites of his PB&J.

2:15-Make Liam bottle and put him down for nap. Try to get Isaac settled and in his bed too. Finally some peace. Stomach growling because I haven't eaten yet today. Make myself a yummy sandwich, Isaac keeps getting up. Finally get him settled and head downstairs to try get some work done like I was supposed to this morning. Realize I need to switch the laundry. Hear Liam in monitor still awake, that 20 min nap in car was apparently enough. Start working again, Liam finally falls asleep at 2:45.

4:45 Realize I need to start working on dinner soon. Kids start waking up, stop working and plan to do more when they go to bed tonight. Play with them outside for a bit (notice the yard is in need of weeding and mowing, will do tomorrow), feeling bad that we didn't make it to the Aquarium. Take them for a walk around the block.

5:45 Really need to make dinner.

6:15 Ryan home, have him help me with kids and dinner, but he needs to finish up some work too. Juggle kids while making dinner, yell at Isaac again for throwing toys at Liam. Switch another load of laundry.

6:45 Dinner/clean up kitchen after.

7:45 Thinking how badly I need to run, but WAY to tired. Hang out with family instead.

9:00 Kids in bath, get PJ's on, story time. Feed Liam and put him down. Fight Isaac for bed for about an hour.

10:30-11:00 Isaac finally asleep (now you see why he sleeps in), really need to finish getting some work done. Head downstairs.

1:00AM Had more work that I thought I did. So tired! Trip over a basket of clean clothes on my way to bed, I will get to that tomorrow. TIME TO SLEEP!!

Things I said I needed to get around to, but didn't:

Something fun with the kids (make that a priority for tomorrow! Maybe a pool day that way I am forced to shower)

Mop floors (which will involve sweeping too)

Pluck eyebrows

Clean up mess I made while searching for Isaac's toy

Grocery store for eggs

Clean fridge

Yard work

RUN!

Finish folding laundry

So next time when asked "What did you do today?" Here is a rough idea ;)

Silly Isaac again

2010-07-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

I am way too lazy to post pictures, we have been keepin' busy all summer long. So here are some more funnies from Isaac and then some...

Apparently I say SOB quite often (guilty), but I have toned it down and say Son-of-a and leave out the last of it. Isaac still likes to blurt out he whole thing quite loudly (kinda cute), so my Mom was asking him the other day what naughty word does Mommy say? Expecting him to say this particular word (yes, we egg it on), he instead thought for a bit and said "She says, Get out of the way douche bag!". I had just dropped him off to my Mom after apparently having some road rage. Hey, at least it wasn't another vulgar word!

On a more spiritual note, we were getting ready to eat dinner and asked Isaac to say the prayer. We often ask him but he hadn't yet. But this particular evening, he whipped out the greatest prayer known to man. We were totally caught off guard. Opened it correctly, blessed the food, thankful that Grandma could come to dinner, and ended with respect. We were shocked and on the verge of tears. Hasn't said it again, but this moment will be remembered forever! So keep praying Isaac, don't listen to Mom's potty mouth.

As for Liam, still army crawling all over. Not standing or even interested in walking like most kids his age. Occasionally gets up on his knees and flirts with the correct way to crawl. He says "Mama", "Kitty", "Dad", "Achoo" (a game we play and he laughs hysterically every time). Poppin' through his four top teeth :(. Cute but, I love the toothless baby look.

Also, just have to brag about Ryan for a bit. We had his annual sales meeting this last weekend and he won top 4 salesman in the company among with a few other recognitions! A goal he has been trying to achieve all year. It has been a tough year for the Barnes' family and it has finally paid off!

No Teeth

2010-07-07T16:16:00.001-07:00

Kids say the darnest things. I want to be better about writing down what Isaac says.

I constantly remind Isaac that Liam doesn't have teeth so to not give him food that he can't chew, as I am paranoid I will turn my back and then find Isaac giving him chips or something that Liam could choke on. Today we were sitting on the front porch and Isaac is making dirt "cakes" for Mommy, Daddy, and Isaac. I asked him to make one for Liam too. His response..."He doesn't have teeth". Sorry Liam, no cake for you. Thanks for listening to Mommy Isaac.

2010-05-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

This is how I feel about blogging lately. I hate the guilt of not updating often. And I also dread getting the photos off my camera because when I do, I like to update my photo album as well so I am not way behind. So blogging can be quite a pain with all that comes with it.

(P.S. Liam really does this with his fingers quite often, it wasn't posed I promise)

MONTEREY, CA

Ryan won an award through work and they took us to Monterey a couple weekends ago. Kids stayed with my aunt and we were off. Beautiful little town. We were pretty spoiled. I feel so weird having people wait on me or do things for me and we got a lot of that on this trip. It was pretty cold, luckily I decided to bring a jacket with me last minute which I wore all the time! Our room overlooked the ocean and it was so fun to sit on the balcony and watch everything. Sleeping in, breakfast in bed, running along the beach, massages in our room, yummy food, horseback riding, bike rides, bonfire on the beach...So fun!

MOVIES IN THE PARK

Sandy City started doing movies in the park this year. BRILLIANT! We hit up the first one this last weekend and had so much fun. Didn't expect to stay the entire time since it starts at 9:00, but they loved it. Can't wait for the next one. So excited for all the summer outside activities!

SpaceShip

Isaac's preschool did a field trip to the Planetarium and we watched a little movie about a cardboard spaceship and outer space. I kept a couple of large boxes from a new desk we recently got and was trying to figure out what to do with them and finally figured it out. Now we just need to paint it.

Moment of Fame

2010-05-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

We had a very random morning today. As many of you know, I work for Brooke's husband Jared shipping ColcaSac's. They were in the New York Times this morning, very exciting! I was going about my business this morning with the kids and doing stuff around they house and I get a knock on the door. I saw a car in my driveway and the driver was looking at me. I don't like to answer the door for strangers (have the hardest time turning away solicitors), but I decided to chance it especially since he saw me. Well it was Channel 5 news wanting to do a story on ColcaSac, like right then. I frantically make phonecalls and talk to Jared, tell my Mom, all while running amuck trying to tend to kids needs (I was watching Isaac's little girlfriend this morning too). So they come in and start filming stuff, hook me up to a mic and get to work. They were in and out in about 30 minutes and I was thinking they wanted to do it in the next day or so, it would at least give me some more time to prepare. I am totally embarrassed (even though I am telling all of you), I know I am going to look like a fool. The story will be on the news tonight, Channel 5 (4:00, 5:00, or 6:00 he didn't have details quite yet). I may have a different kid on my hip in each shot, but what do you do. The first thing my Mom asked me is if I got ready today. THANK GOODNESS I did. I almost didn't. I went for a run while Isaac was at preschool today and I didn't think I would have enough time to hop in the shower before I had to pick him up again. But I had some time to spare and even decided to put some makeup on (which is rare these days). This might be a lesson to make more time for myself in the mornings in case they decide to come back and ask that I model for them ;)

2010-04-19T00:57:00.000-07:00

While many of you were doing this in preparation for the marathon...

(Pay back for "Legalize Leslie")

We spent the weekend with a very sick little Liam. Our whole house has been sick this last week and it has been miserable! We took Liam to the Doc on Tuesday and it was just viral, nothing too serious. By Friday things just kept getting worse and he was so lethargic so we made another trip to the doctor and he had a high fever, ear infections in both ears, and he thought he might have RSV. He was about to let us go and discussed what we need to do to keep him comfortable while his little body fights this, then he checked his heart rate which was really high and suggested we hit up Primary. So we made the trip, thinking we would just be there for a few hours, as Ryan and I needed to carb up for our early morning race. Liam's oxygen level was too low so they admitted us. It was kinda pointless because by the time we made it to the respiratory area, he started to do just fine. The doctors up there said it was due to the albuterol they had given him to help open his airways and asked if we wanted to go home. YES!!! Although by then it was 1 AM, still worth being home though. So Liam is getting better slowly. No RSV thank goodness. Bronchiolitis and ear infections. Hopefully this week is a better one.

FINALLY

2010-04-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

RYAN DID IT!! I was finally able to get him to run something with me. Kinda spur of the moment. His work was a sponsor for this little 5K so they signed him up. He finished in about 35 minutes, not bad for no training! He even pushed the boys in the stroller most of the way (his boss offered to push them for the other portion), and that is hard work. Hopefully this is the first of many to come :) GOOD JOB RY!!

Cupcakes with Ketchup?

2010-04-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

I thought I was so tricky tonight. I was so excited to serve dinner this April Fool's evening...

MeatLoaf with Mashed Potato cupcakes

Isaac thought it was a cupcake the entire time and ate it all! I need to do something like that more often to get him to eat. Chocolate covered chicken?

This reminds me of the time my Mom made green spaghetti. It was HORRIBLE. We ended hitting up McDonald's. Luckily this meal was still pretty good. The blue/green potatoes made you think twice though!

Happy April Fool's everyone!

Picture Post

2010-03-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

What we have been up to lately...

GYM MEETS

Been to a few U of U Gymnastics meets. Love it, such a great family outing. Ryan is obviously taking this photo, concentrating way too hard.

MOAB

Ran Moab this past weekend. It was a fun little get away. My Mom took Isaac to Vegas to visit his cousins, so it was just the three of us. Ryan didn't run and we had some friends out there that had there sitter bail on them at the last minute so Ry watched 5 kids (wish I would have gotten photos of that)! We already booked our hotel for next year! I won't stay at the gross Super8 again. I have a goal to make it to the 10 year club. I think it is a fun tradition. Even if I don't get picked to run, I would love to volunteer.

Isaac's photo skills

Isaac is in to getting a hold of the camera. He has gotten some pretty interesting shots. Here are a few of my favorites.

We have plenty of these kind of photos where we are reaching to at least try and be in the camera. I could have posted a ton of funny ones, but I will spare you the boredom.

A Success! He finally got us centered right!

EASTER

Looking forward to this holiday in our house. It is so fun now that Isaac is now starting to understand holidays and I am not the only one in the house that enjoys coloring eggs :). I don't want it to be centered around the Easter Bunny though, which is all Isaac can talk about. I am taking suggestions on how to teach a 2 year old the true meaning. Ryan's birthday falls on Easter too, so it will be an eventful day.

Operation De-clutter

2010-03-13T09:53:00.000-08:00

My friend posted on her blog to have a goal to get rid of 100 things in her house. I got to thinking how badly I need to do this, but like her, I tend to hold on to things for no reason and will have a hard time parting with them. I have decided to take it to a whole new level and completely reorganize each room. I tell you this because I feel by writing it down or vocalizing it, I will have the will to succeed. Ryan and I have been tossing back and forth the idea of remodeling and as I think if it I get overwhelmed wanting to do it all at once. Well that isn't realistic so I figure by reorganizing/redecorating each room it will make me feel like I remodeled. While I dislike moving, I do like the feeling when you are in your new place. Everything seems so fresh and organized. And since we have been here for 5 years, we have become a bit cluttered. So if any of you have ideas of cheap ways to organize a room, please pass the advice on to me. I will start with my office. Right now we have two desks (one for Ry and one for myself) and it is just WAY too cluttered. And since I am there most of the time, I want it to be a happy environment and not a place that I get annoyed being in because it is so messy. I plan to sell both desks and purchase one we can both use. Get shelves, boxes, etc. Spring Cleaning 101, BRING IT ON!

You have been warned

2010-02-19T15:40:00.000-08:00

I used to clean my house religiously from top to bottom on a weekly basis, then I had Isaac. I would still try to do it at least every other week, then I had Liam. I was thinking about this as I watched a dust bunny float across my kitchen floor this morning and could give two cents about it. Or the cobweb that has been forming for weeks and I keep it there just to see how big it will get. I just laughed, realizing how my priorities have changed over the years. I once heard that having a messy house meant you spent more time with your kids and I remember thinking "oh my house will never be messy", well now it is and I understand why. I would rather spend time with my children than on my hands and knees scrubbing floors while the kids watch TV or whatever. When I do try to maintain my house, I feel like I am always washing dishes or picking up after the kids (Ryan is included as a kid too :)). This week I have let the laundry go, that might be taking it a little too far, but boy does it feel nice not having to fold a single piece of laundry! So this is a warning to you if you decide to drop by and find that my house smells like last nights dinner or the floors look like they need a good mopping. No more feeling guilty for not keeping up on it. After reading all these sad blogs about dying children or horrible tragedy's, I will spend every moment I can with my little boys. So I will try my best to keep it clean at first glance, but just don't look too closely at my dirty floorboards or fingerprints on the walls. Maybe I will hire a maid.

What we have been up to...

2010-02-08T16:26:00.000-08:00

Road trip to St. George with some friends.

The drive out there was so bad we didn't dare stop for Isaac to go potty. Good thing there was a bottle in the car!

The kiddos watching Dora.

I had so much fun running this. My first race back after Liam with many more ahead this year! So glad to be back running again!
Our support team.

Can't wait for summer and the swimming pool this year!

After St. George we took a trip to Vegas to visit my sister. We went to the Children's museum. It was pretty fun!

These two didn't have any stage fright! There was a field trip gathering around the stage and Isaac and Hadley had a great time entertaining them.

Movie Night

What a goofy face! His first plane ride. He loved it. Ryan dropped us off in Vegas and drove home while we stayed a few days and flew home. What an adventure! Luckily it was a short flight with the kids and they did great on the flight, but boy was it a lot of work!

Liam is 5 months!

Isaac started preschool. Our neighborhood started our own little preschool program this last week.

Love this photo!

Hot Air Ballooning. Isaac can't stop talking about Papa and his balloon. He even got the courage recently to go up in it!

2010-01-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. I can't get over how quickly it came and went.

We made cookies for Santa and all Isaac would do was lick the sprinkles.

The traditional Christmas jammies on Christmas Eve.

Was anyone else just waiting for their kids to get up? I was so excited, but they just kept on sleeping! I am sure I will be wishing for them to sleep in when they really understand what Christmas morning brings.

(yes, they both ended up in my bed in the middle of the night. I am mexican, we co-bed. Don't judge.)

What I am most proud of. I made these superhero capes for my niece and Isaac. I am sure they would be easy for someone that is confident with sewing. It was a fun project. I just wish he would wear it more!

Liam is 4 months! He rolled over for the first time last week and we missed it! He was playing on the floor in the living room while we were getting dinner ready and we checked on him to find him on his belly. We had his 4 month check up and he is healthy as can be. Weighing about 13 lbs and in the 100% for height. He is so tall!!

2009-12-23T15:58:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, when I first saw these on cars I thought they were pretty cute. This was before I had kids and before I realized they are practically on EVERY van/suburban out there! Sorry if you have them. It makes 4 children look like a bus full! I might have to reconsider how many kids I want because of it :).

Time for a picture update

2009-12-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

Just a post of pictures...

I can't believe Liam is almost 4 months old! Time goes by way too fast. He is starting to grab things and is so interested in his hands right now. Loves to coo and look all over the place. He doesn't stay in one place on the floor anymore either. He kicks around so much he does a complete circle while laying there and playing.

Liam wearing his Turkey hat on Thanksgiving.

I was working downstairs one morning and could hear that Isaac woke up and he kept running back and forth. I then realized he was throwing his pillows, stuffed animals, and blankets down the stairs. He totes these around whenever he wakes up in the middle of the night and comes to our room. So I guess he wanted them with him as he watched some morning cartoons.

Getting the beloved Christmas Tree. There is nothing like a real Christmas Tree. I still need some ideas on decorating it though. It is still pretty with just lights for now though. When the kids are older, we will be with the crew that cuts down their own tree.

He lasted about 5 minutes when his gloves came off and his little hands were freezing!

Whenever we come home from somewhere, Isaac takes off his jacket and hangs it on a doorknob somewhere around the house. This day he hung his snow outfit on a little chair in Liam's room. It took me a couple of days to find it. Now I know to search every doorknob and anything that resembles a hook when looking for his coat.

We tried rice cereal with Liam today. I remember at Isaac's 4 month check the doc asked if we had been feeding him any other foods yet and I had no idea we were supposed to. I was expecting a step by step guide on how to take care of your child and what to do month to month, actually day to day. So we are a bit more prepared this time around. I will show that pediatrician what is up. Liam will be eating steak when we go for his 4 month check.

Not so sure about it. I forget they need to learn to use their tongue and push back the food not spit it back out. I was full on expecting him to open his mouth as the spoon came to his face, but he has to learn that one too.

Monkey see monkey do. No words need to explain what is going on here.

2009-12-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

No I am not pregnant again, that would be funny. I am just posting about one reason why I miss being pregnant. I am now losing GLOBS of hair! The pregnancy hormones are officially wearing off. It was nice to have a clog free drain for so long. Last time I ended up cutting my hair short because I was getting the nastiest wispies along my hairline and when I pulled my hair back in a ponytail there were seriously bald patches on each side of my forehead.

The Challenge

2009-11-30T07:34:00.000-08:00

My friends and I challenged each other to make a pumpkin and apple pie from scratch by the end of the year. Here is my completed Pumpkin Pie :)

Do you know how difficult it is to find a "pumpkin pie" pumpkin. I called all over town trying to find one. Maybe because it was after Thanksgiving. Finally found one at Whole Foods in Sugarhouse.

Baked the pumpkin in the oven for an hour and a half.

Scooped the fruit from the pumpkin and made a puree.

Mixed all the ingredients together for the pie filling. I was a bit worried at this point because I didn't expect it to be so runny but I continued to go with it.

The crust. I will be honest, I did have Ryan help me out right here because the instructions kept saying you have to get it perfect and Ryan is in kitchens all day so I needed his expertise. He helped with adding the water. BUT I did make another one all on my own because I had so much leftover filling.

The finished crust

Ready to go in the oven

The final masterpiece!

I used a leftover pie tin and box from Marie Calendars, so when I brought it to my Mom's she didn't believe that I made it. Well here is the proof Mom :).

And my satisfied tasters...

I was pretty worried about how it would taste, but it was rather delicious if I do say so myself. I am not a big pumpkin pie fan, just need to add lots of whipped cream and it is tasty. I had so much fun doing this and it was much easier than I anticipated. Your turn ladies, you know who you are!

Stay tuned for my Apple Pie probably during Christmas.

Black Friday

2009-11-27T09:33:00.000-08:00

I have never been a big shopper on Black Friday, nor have I ever attempted it. But now that I have kids it is worth looking at the toys section so I thought I would hit up Toys R' Us at midnight last night. I was getting all nervous to go, worried that I might see drama like in the above picture. So I made Ryan go instead. I told him to just focus on one item, a little motorized Kawasaki thing that was 40% off. Well Ryan said the line was wrapped around the store and people had been there since 1 PM that day. I told him not to worry about it and just come home. Well here comes Ryan, as soon as they open the door he weasles his way in and gets hit in the face by some little mexican woman. He walked right to what he wanted, paid and was out in 10 minutes. He said it was CRAZY! You couldn't even move in the store. So Thank You Ryan! Last time we attempt that!

2009-11-20T10:10:00.000-08:00

If I have to watch this guy one more time this week, I might blow him up! That is the last time I rent any Barney movies from the library. I was even thinking of getting Isaac some for Christmas since he likes him so much, but I don't think I will ever own a Barney movie!

Is it bad to crack one of these open at 11:00 in the morning? This has always been my favorite soda but I never used to drink soda that often until I was pregnant with Liam and I increased my intake big time! It is like a beer after a long day at work! Today I drink to calm me for an overload of Barney.

As of late, Isaac has decided to fall asleep at 11:00 PM or later every night! You would think my nights would be struggling with the newborn in the house. But while Liam sleeps peacefully for hours, Isaac gets out of his bed a dozen times! We start bed around 8:30 (bath, brush teeth, read books, then sleep) and he fights us until exhaustion hits! We have closed the door, put him back in the crib, turned off night lights, etc. Every time he climbs out of bed he has a pillow, his two little blankies and his sock monkey in hand and brings them all to our bed. Last night I pretended I was asleep to see what he would do and he threw everything on the bed and climbed up then settled himself next to me to fall asleep. I was going to let it go and let him stay there until he fell asleep, but he just kept pulling my hair and pinching me trying to wake me up. This phase better end soon, I am exhausted! Maybe I should threaten no more Barney :)!

Isaac's shiner

2009-10-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

Shiner #1: Hanging out at the cabin with some friends, not sure exactly how he got it just heard him crying and saw a big scratch above his eye. Over the next couple of days it bruised. This isn't a very good shot of it, but the only one I've got.

Shiner #2: Shiner #1 had pretty much just healed then he fell on the pavement. Goose egg plus scratch marks from the pavement. Poor kid. He is very proud to show it off. Today it is scabbing over and is healing quite well.

Halloween: Fireman and a Dalmatian. We went to a party the other night and they thought the scratch on his face was makeup. It works for the costume then! Liam looks more like a cow unless he has the hat on and is with Isaac. I really need to do some studying on Dalmatian spots vs cow spots. Oh well, he still looks adorable! Isaac has quite the cheese ball smile here.

I LOVE this hat on Isaac so I had to post a picture :)

Liam is getting so big. These 7 weeks have gone by way too fast. He is such a delightful baby and has made the transition from one to two somewhat easy. I finally feel like I am getting into a routine again and love every minute of it.

MONK-A-MONKS

2009-10-08T14:32:00.001-07:00

Isaac has been pretty naughty lately, getting out of bed 20 times a night, having potty accidents, and he has quite the attitude. Here I thought he passed up any reversions as he had been so good the first few weeks we had Liam home. I thought too soon. My little sister thought it brilliant to tell him to be a good boy or the monk-a-monks will come. There is no explanation of what they are, so he has left it to his imagination. I wonder what he thinks they are, I would love to be in his mind. I know when he needs to go potty though, he says "Monk-a-Monks not coming, they hiding". It works for now, I won't egg it on but it beats having to clean up dirty underwear. He has always been such a soft spoken boy, but if he wants something he is getting quite bossy. "Give me Milk, RIGHT NOW!!" (pointing his finger at you). I love it all though, he makes me laugh all the time. He is still so sweet with Liam. Always asking where he is then giving him kisses. They are going to be the best of friends. Any suggestions on putting him to bed easily would be helpful. He knows how to manipulate us. The other night it took him 2.5 hours to finally fall asleep! I can't have that any more. HELP!!

"2 Minutes"

2009-09-30T10:05:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISAAC!

My little Isaac it 2 today. Time goes by way too fast. He woke up this morning wanting his cupcake. You ask him how old he is and he says "2 minutes". I don't know where he got that one.

We love you so much, Happy Birthday little guy!

Lovin' This...

2009-09-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

THE SLING

I am loving this sling, a must have with two kids. I can do it all still! And Liam loves it too. Need to continue to work with it though, it is difficult to get him in the right position.

NAP TIME

Love that both my kids are taking a nap right now so that I have time for myself, which is usually spent working. I will get a nap in later :).

Here is a picture of Isaac and his mad face because he can't "wash the dishes" since we are giving Liam a bath. "Isaac wash the dishes!!" He talks in third person these days, we are working on that.

Just a cute picture of Liam.

CrAfTy SiDe

2009-09-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

While Liam does a bunch of this...

And Daddy and Isaac do a bunch of this... (football season has arrived, ugh)

Mom has been getting familiar with her crafty side again. (Watch out Craft Crew, I have something up my sleeves...)

The below photos are of Isaac then Liam at about the same age. When I took the photo of Liam, I thought these two photos were more similar. It is fun to compare the two.

(It looks like he is giving the finger!)

The first week home has gone great. I guess when you know what to expect, it isn't so overwhelming. But I have had a lot of help though. Ryan goes back to work tomorrow and I will be on my own with two children! Wish me luck!

2009-09-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

Liam Jack Barnes

Baby Barnes #2 Boy or Girl?

2009-09-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

Today we welcome a new baby into the Barnes family, and he is all boy. All 8 pounds and 21 and a half inches of him. The 9 month mystery of the sex of our child was answered today when Leslie gave birth at 11:07 AM. Here are a few pictures to hold you over until Leslie can make a more formal post. We hope to name this boy by the time we go home (we are taking suggestions). We love you all for all the support and love that has come our way in the past few days.

SUMMER FUN

2009-08-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

We have had quite the summer. Pool time, rodeos, carnivals, fireworks, road trips, bugs, toads, the list goes on. Sorry for the many photos!

July Holidays

I love July holidays! We hit up some parades, parks, and of course fireworks.

CARNIVALS

Our ward threw a children's parade and had all sorts of things to do. Ryan's work party was very similar. So Isaac was pumped full of sugar between the snow cones and cotton candy!

TOADS & BUGS

Random, we found a toad after the Draper Rodeo. I love the third photo, he hasn't realized it hopped out. You can just see the toads legs.

Luckily he isn't as scared of bugs anymore, at least when Dad is around. But they only last for about 3 minutes, poor bugs...

Ryan annual banquet

They held Ryan's annual meetings this year at The Yarrow in Park City. It was so fun to get away for a night!

Random pictures

He needs a hair cut so bad.

Typical little boy. I will catch him in the backyard with his pants to his ankles quite often.

Trip to Elko

My Sister and I took a trip to Elko this past weekend to visit Staci and the kids.

8 Months Pregnant

8 Months and terrified that it is so close!

Movie Day

2009-07-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

I am sick of doing the same old thing with Isaac all the time and have been trying to come up with new ideas to get us out of the house. The playgrounds are way too hot and I just drench my clothes the minute I step outside. The pool is always fun, but we do that all the time. So we decided to hit a matinee where it was nice and cool. I was worried that we would bother the people around us or we'd have to leave in the middle of it, but Isaac did surprisingly well! And there were only two other people in there so I didn't care who we bothered. He loved it though! Just chillin' on his seat with his little popcorn and drink. He was so sad when we had to leave. Cute movie too.

Watermelon

2009-07-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

I can't get enough of this!! As of late, I consume an entire watermelon for myself in about 3 days. I am terrible at picking a good one but the last two have been awesome! I didn't even bother to cut it up this time, I am just diggin' at it with a spoon. Thank you for Watermelon.

"Did it!"

2009-06-29T10:10:00.001-07:00

I have spent the last three days cooped up in the house with Isaac DETERMINED to potty train him. We threw away the diapers (not really, because I will be using them for this next baby) and went straight to big boy underwear and no pull ups! I consider myself a patient person, but this definitely tests that patience. I seriously about gave up on Saturday afternoon and wanted to just throw on the diaper but didn't cave. I don't want to confuse him by switching between the two so there is no going back to diapers again. Hopefully I stick to that. I am feeling pretty good about it today. First couple of days were a nightmare! I think we went through 9 pairs of underwear by noon on day one. Day two he recognized the sign of needing to go and would tell me, but we didn't always make it quick enough. Day three he was holding it in and doing a potty dance until I made him sit down and go and he was so relieved and happy for doing so. At least I know he can hold it though. He even sleeps through his naps and nights waking up dry! No pull ups needed. Still need to work on #2, the first couple of days were a MESS, literally! He hasn't gone since, I am pretty sure he is holding it in because I found a little nugget between his cheeks earlier today (sorry if that is too much info). And being the little boy he is, gotta watch where it squirts! I need to build the courage to get out of the house. It is a continual work in progress but I will be so happy to have only one in diapers!

SuMmEr FuN

2009-06-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

We have done quite a bit this last month. Here are some photos to show for it.

CONCERTS

We have hit up a few summer concerts and the drive inn. I love summer activities!

HOGLE ZOO

Many trips to the zoo so far.

With his cousin Hadley.

The Barnes' cousins

LITTLE GYM

Isaac graduated from his Little Gym class.

THE CABIN

My little Elmer Fudd!

A few trips to the cabin with some friends. Here is Isaac gearin' up to go hunt with Dad.

BIG BOY BED!

We will work on sleeping in it soon. Right now we are going to focus on potty training this next month. Wish me luck!

FISHING

Fishing with Dad. The photo taken after this one (not shown) is of Isaac crying because he doesn't want to hold the fish. Turns out he is scared of them! If Mommy won't touch it, Isaac won't. That goes for most gross things.

BEAR LAKE

Weekend trip to Bear Lake. The weather wasn't the best, rained most of the time. We walked along the beach and what started out as simple splashing in the water ended up with Isaac in jumping in the lake! The cold didn't seem to bother him at all.

We found other things to do since we couldn't hang out at the beach.

6 months pregnant

Here I am at 6 months pregnant, even though today I am 7 months! I can't believe how quickly the time passes. I am getting more and more nervous thinking it is around the corner. I feel so unprepared!

Watch your food!

2009-06-14T16:43:00.001-07:00

Ryan just informed me that he is protective of his food when I am pregnant because I am always asking for bites. SAD! I should probably be embarrassed posting this but I am not. I promise I don't eat like a cow, but there was a time in that 2nd trimester. Now there is not much room these days! Lovin' the 3rd trimester, bring on the back pain and sore everything. And I am thankful for this cool weather though, but it better start warming up here soon! I am running out of activities to do around the house with Isaac.

Moab-Barnes Family Vacation

2009-05-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

We headed out camping in Moab for a family vacation this past weekend. Everytime Ryan and I are there we never explore the town and all the famous landmarks so this trip was dedicated to that. Isaac wasn't a happy camper most of the time. He was popping four teeth and was quite the grump, but I know he still had a blast.

Delicate Arch - Notice the woman to my right in this top photo. Yes, she is just chillin' in her bra. Her and her friends gave quite the show.

The sand is so soft and fun to play in, I am still finding sand in random places!

Of course Ryan and his brothers went out four wheelin' pulling all sorts of crazy moves!

Isaac and Cara out on a stroll

ICECREAM!!

All the kiddos

This just shows a glimpse of how exhausted Isaac was after the trip was over! He is still catching up on his sleep. Overall it was an awesome trip and nice to get away with the family. Can't wait for our adventure next year!

2009-05-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

I have found a new love, mowing the lawn. It is like vacuuming but SO MUCH easier/better! I don't like to empty the bag full of grass after though, I make Ryan do that. I am not one to put those perfect lines on the carpet so you know it was vacuumed, but I want to do it to our lawn. Our front yard has these big pine cone trees that do a number to our grass so it isn't very thick and it is patchy and I have to pick them all up before I mow. It is a game for Isaac though. He will see one and yell "CineCone". We found a HUGE one on our walk the other day, that he just had to bring home. So I suggest trying to mow if you haven't, maybe switch the vacuuming for mowing :).

2009-04-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, I really need to update more often. I just downloaded about 150 pictures from my camera to the computer and we have done quite a bit. So bear with me as I update what we have been up to for the last month.

Here I am 4 months pregnant, I definitely popped out much faster this time around.

Isaac loves walking around in our shoes!

Ryan won a trip to St. George for work so we headed there at the end of March and were so spoiled. Massages, sleeping in, LOTS of food :). I was terrible and hardly took any pictures! We met up with his Dad and some friends to go Hot Air Ballooning one of the days, if you look close you can see the balloon.

The wind was blowing like crazy so we flew a kite! Ryan thought the cheap kite we had wouldn't last, but he spent most of the time flying it and loved it! Isaac got bored quickly and headed to the playground.

I love the mini cones from McDonald's and so does Isaac.

Ryan turned 30 this month. We had a BBQ at his Dad's with friends and family.

Coloring Easter Eggs with his cousin Cara

Easter Morning
Ryan thought Isaac would get bored of looking for eggs so only hid a few, boy was he wrong! He was so excited!

Wheeler Farm

My first black eye after playing in the dirt.

And of course the Salt Lake Half Marathon. I did better than I thought I would. I wasn't worried about time whatsoever and finished in 2 hours! I wasn't off to a good start though because I had to pee so bad before and the lines were so long! So I started 10 minutes after the gun, luckily they base it off your chip time so I wasn't worried. I am hanging up the shoes for now though until this baby gets here!

WISH ME LUCK!

2009-04-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

I will officially be participating in the Salt Lake half marathon tomorrow! I have been training up to this point and felt great, but wanted to get the 100% approval that the little munchkin in my belly is doing well. We had an ultrasound today and everything looks great! I am so excited! I have never been more nervous for a race though. As long as I finish I will be happy, I could care less about my time.

We still didn't find out the gender, they told us to look away when they moved over that area. Let's be honest though, I don't know how to tell the difference on those things, it all just looks like a blur to me! Ryan kept trying to convince me to find out, it was very tempting but after we walked out of there we were glad we still didn't know. Isaac has been adorable about the baby growing in mommy's tummy. He is constantly giving my belly hugs and kisses. And usually when we snuggle he HAS to have his little hand on my belly. Hopefully it will be just as easy of an adjustment when the baby is actually here.

CHEESE!

2009-03-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

We took a visit to the Aquarium and Isaac LOVED the fish! I asked him to smile for the camera, but he wouldn't peel his eyes from the fish tank! I bought him this little bouncy ball with a fake fish inside, he sleeps with it.

Again smiling for the camera, but way to much going on!

Sorry, I love that he smiles for the camera now so this was our week of practicing.

Snowman in March. It really does take some talent to build a snowman. I tried rolling a big ball on the ground, but the snow just wasn't sticking together. I finally just shoveled a bunch of snow in a pile and shaped it myself. It was puny!

Isaac was pretty grumpy so he didn't have as much fun as I thought he would, but it was nice to be out. Hopefully this is the last snowman of the year. Bring on the warm weather!!

Round 2

2009-02-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

I know this isn't news to anyone since I can't keep my big mouth shut! I was going to wait until today when I saw the doc for my three month check up, hear the heartbeat, and make sure everything was okay. But everyone has known for the past 5 weeks. There is one surprise though, we aren't finding out what it is. Since I didn't get to experience a normal birth, and if I have to have another c-section (chances are high), I want something to be a surprise. I have been feeling pretty lousy this go around and stuff my face as often as I can. Pregnancy should come with some kind of pay raise to help support the amount spent on eating out! Nothing ever sounds good around the house and when I get hungry I need it NOW! I totally planned on eating better this time around and working out more so I don't feel so crappy after, but you just can't control those cravings and I am not about to deprive myself of it. It is an excuse to eat how you want and when you want. One night I had Ryan go get me Burnt Almond Fudge icecream and peppered beef jerky, SOO good at the time, no desire now. I have stuck with working out though unlike the first time. It has helped quite a bit, it subsides the nausea and like I said, it has been 10 times worse this time so anything helps. I feel like a terrible Mother most days because I am so lazy and poor little Isaac is cooped up in the house with me all day. This week has been a better week, I finally feel like I am getting some energy back. I am lucky that Isaac takes a 3 hour nap so that I can catch some extra z's in the day occasionally (okay daily). We are very excited though, due the end of August (although I am measuring bigger so I have an ultra sound scheduled next week). Yay, another summer of being pregnant. And yes, I will be at the pool all the time this summer, I can't deprive Isaac of that. So don't be jealous when you see my hot bikini bod by the pool.

P.S. Don't Google images for pregnancy photos, you get more than what you bargained for.

The latest

2009-01-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

We haven't had the best year thus far. We were all pretty sick in the beginning and poor little Isaac had an earache in each ear, stomach flu, and sprouting 4 teeth! We headed to Primary's to pump him full of fluids to be safe. We are all finally doing better!

It was a busy December, and I am finally back into blogging. Here is the latest...

SLEDDING! Isaac only lasts for about 20 minutes, and doesn't seem to thrilled with it all. He hardly plays in the snow because he can barely move in his snowsuit!

New Year's Eve: We barely made it. We headed to the cabin with our friends Brooke and Jared, made fondue and ate ourselves silly. I think Ryan and I stayed up 2 minutes past midnight before we finally went to bed! Isaac was up all night too, this is when we both got pretty sick. So it was a sleepless night, but a nice little getaway.

We finally put Isaac in a forward facing seat and he loves it! He STILL isn't 20 lbs (being sick didn't help that either), but the doc okayed it.

15 months and his first haircut. He was starting to sport a mullet. The top of his hair doesn't grow, but the back needed a little help. We hardly cut off anything, but it made a difference.

The Family

Adorable

2008-12-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

Need I say more!?!? Update to come soon.

Dinner and a Movie

2008-11-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

This last Friday was our 5 year anniversary and what do we do? The typical Dinner & Movie. We rarely get out to movies anymore these days so it was just fine. Ryan took me to Cucina Toscana, an italian restaurant downtown. Very upscale, I was seriously expecting to order mozzarella sticks for an appetizer, a small dinner salad, and an entree. Well, I am so not used to the "fine dining" experience. To start out, our waiter asked us what "type" of water we would like, and I thought he was suggesting drink options. So all I say is "just water". Then I can't even pronounce the meal I wanted. It was very intimidating, but a very lovely dining experience. It was such a busy joint! The owner was there greeting every table, and helping prepare plates. Very unique, I really felt like I wasn't in Salt Lake anymore. Next year, Olive Garden is just fine for me though. We also stayed at The Red Lion for the night, just to feel like we got away. Then Saturday morning we hit "Body Worlds 3". It was alright, I wasn't all that impressed with it. Still very interesting though, just too much to look at. We were there for a good 2 hours.

NKOTB Concert!!

"The Right Stuff"

And to top the weekend off, I took my 8 month prego sister to New Kids on the Block. Still singing their cheesy tunes! I only loved New Kids because my sister did, so it was perfect to take her. She went to their concert when they were here 15 years ago!

Our Halloween

2008-11-04T16:17:00.001-08:00

Meet Charlie Brown.

He still has very little hair, we thought it would fit him well. And a very simple costume to make.

We headed to the library for some festivities. Hadley was hesitant to share her sucker, but when she finally did she kept it comin' for him.

Pumpkin carving with friends the weekend before Halloween.

Ryan should have just cut a big circle in his (top right). Ha ha, you have to have a real talent for this!

People thought he should have been Freddy Krueger in this shirt.

It snowed leaves in our backyard. I swear this happened in a day. We get so many!

He had already bagged half of this before I thought about getting a picture. And Isaac was napping, otherwise I would have let him have a hay day! He will appreciate it one day.

The final product. And today, our yard looks like we did nothing to it. There are still two big trees that haven't lost all their leaves.

Isaac just chillaxin' while we are hard at work. He kept leaning on his hand like this, too cute.

1...2...3 Parties and other stuff

2008-10-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

Isaac's birthday was on Sept 30 and I am now just blogging about it. We had three birthday parties for him due to family feuds, but I am sure he wouldn't complain!

PARTY #1

I am very proud of this cake. I found the idea on Kraft Foods. They have many other ideas too it is great. The master chef (Ryan) of the house was even impressed with my work. It was so fun and easy to do. I had a full on photo shoot with it. It is so hard to get a good shot of food! Props to those photographers.

Isaac didn't like it so much :( Just like his Dad, doesn't like frosting. I made him put his hand in it and this was the result. He hated having his hands dirty. So no, he didn't dig it and it didn't last very long.

He did better once he had his own spoon, but kept spitting the cake out after each bite.

Birthday gift from Mom and Dad. We got him this little pop up tent with a bunch of those balls, which end up all over the house, but he loves it!

PARTY #2

Of course we had to celebrate his birthday on the actual day. We just kept it simple and ordered Cafe Rio and hung out at the park with some family.

Strike a pose! He kept pursing his little lips and walking around like this all night. Too cute.

His awesome Tonka truck that he loves!

Aunt Gona (Jordan) got him his first sport's gear.

He loves to give "Loves" to everyone, especially his little cousins!

PARTY #3

We planned to have a party at the park so all the kids could run around. It rained all day! It was perfect the Friday before and the Sunday after, just not the day of. Of course! The hour before we called everyone to come to our place. It was a little crammed but it worked out great!

Round 2 with the cake, still no luck. I just smeared it all over him to make it look like he had fun. I even tried practicing during the week with cupcakes and nothing. Just isn't a cake boy.

Dad kept stuffing his shirt with tissue paper to give him some muscles.

MOAB

We headed to Moab this past weekend for "The Other Half". It was a fun little get away and great weather!

Isaac cheering Momma on!

We never get the chance to explore Moab when we are there so we headed to Dead Horse Point. BEAUTIFUL, absolutely breathtaking. So worth it. Next time we will hit The Arches.

Gardener Village

Of course we made a stop to see the witches. It was WAY too cold when we went so we only lasted for about 30 minutes. We are going to head there again to enjoy it better. I just love Gardener Village.

I can't believe Halloween is a couple of weeks away. I am so terrible and haven't done much as far as decorating. I don't like carving pumpkins too early because they just rot. So I think that will be our family activity this week. I am sure I will be the only one enjoying it!

Happy Fall!

2008-09-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

Time to pull out the warm clothes! My friend got Isaac the cutest clothes when he was born and they have just been sitting in the closet waiting to be worn.

Isaac likes to wedge himself between the footboard and the mattress while he watches cartoons. He has gotten himself stuck a number of times.

Isn't this the coolest tomato! I didn't have the "heart" to eat it :) I love home grown tomatoes, so yummy. We have been getting a plethora of them from neighbors.

Fall brings on the Football season (ugh!). Ryan was so excited to get Isaac a Utah sweater. He did so well at the first game. He cheers when everyone cheers, it is so cute. I was showing him pictures of a stadium (below) and he started clapping right away. Dad couldn't be prouder!

To kick off the football season, Ryan and his brothers made a weekend trip to the Utah/Michigan game.

We headed out to the Utah State Fair, we finally got them both looking our way to get a picture.

My cute niece eating corn on the cob. She would occasionally share with Isaac.

I wanted to get the fried PB&J, but the line was WAY too long and I had already stuffed my face with all the other low calorie fantastic food the Fair brings.

We had quite the eventful summer, family trip to Bear Lake, which I accidentally deleted the pictures off the camera :(. I ran a couple half marathons with one more coming in October. And lots of hanging out at the pool!

Just Bragging

2008-09-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

Isaac is walking now! He still prefers to crawl, but gets more confident every day.

(I wanted to post a longer video, but the stupid blog wouldn't let me.)

Our week

2008-08-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

We finally got our camera back so here is what we have been up to...

CAMPING IN MENDON

We had a family reunion for Ryan's family on Saturday morning in Mendon, so we all decided to camp out the night before. It was short and sweet but so much fun! You have to pack so much for just one night even! I was a bit worried about how Isaac would do but he did just fine. We shared the tent trailer with Geoff and Traci and I made sure it was an open buffet all night to keep him quiet.

I didn't want him crawling around in the dirt so we set up a tent as a playpen and put the babies in it. So you see Isaac pressing his little nose up to the tent. He was so exhausted by the end of the trip, he fell asleep drinking his juice. We have another camping trip this weekend with my family that I am so excited for!

COUNTY FAIR

About a month ago, Ryan's cousin took a photo of Isaac in a box while we were at a bridal shower and submitted the photo to the Salt Lake County Fair. So that is what this first photo is, a picture of a picture. It took 3rd place, not sure in what though because every entered item had a ribbon on it for something. It was 1st place to me! We also showed Isaac the animals which he was a little hesitant about, but he loved it. Oh, and don't worry, he spilled apple juice all over him right when we got there so he has the spare clothing on from the diaper bag, which I should have updated because the pants were too small for him so we didn't even bother putting them on.

Balloon Festival

Ryan's Dad owns a hot air balloon and he was in the Sandy Balloon Festival this weekend. They usually launch on Friday and Saturday morning then hold a balloon glow on Saturday night, but the weather wasn't the greatest so they weren't able to put the balloons up on Saturday night. One guy did though, and the wind blew it all over! It is so cool when all of them are up and lit!

Isaac gets a bit scared when the burners are lit because they are so loud, but he better get used to it no that Dad is in training to be a pilot!

We had quite the busy weekend, but it was so fun!

P.S. This might be my last post, I had to post this thing like 3 times because it kept giving me problems! I thought this was supposed to be easy!

9 Month

2008-07-30T23:35:00.000-07:00

Our camera has been having problems so we sent it in to be fixed (2 months ago!). It is unfixable, luckily they are replacing it but it is taking WAY TOO LONG. I have missed out on too many adorable moments, we recently had his 9 month photo shoot so I just had to brag about my handsome little man...

Just look at those lips!

Wow, three posts within a week. I am on a roll!

TAGGED

2008-07-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

Three Joys:

-My Boys, and all my family

-Watching Isaac learn something new

-Running

Three Fears:

-The dark (I leave the hall light on at night when Ryan is gone.)

-Losing a child

-A terrible death

Three Goals:

-Put together a photo album and keep current (not a scrapbook, just an album of pictures, I so don't have the patience for a scrapbook)

-Get some more house projects going (i.e. redo upstairs bathroom, landscaping, KITCHEN!! The funds just aren't coming in fast enough and something else always comes up, ugh!)

-Go on an extravagant vacation! (You are lucky Liz!)

-I am adding a fourth: Since I work from home now, my goal is to go running in the morning and be showered by 7AM so I can get my work done by 1PM.

Three Current Obsessions:

-Keeping my house clean, or at least looking clean. You wouldn't think this if you saw how dirty my kitchen floor is. Isaac's toes are always black. As long as the dishes are clean, counters wiped down, and beds made I consider that clean. I used to be obsessed with big time cleaning once a week, but I would rather spend my time with Isaac.

-Going to the pool once a week. I want Isaac to love the pool like Ryan and I did as kids. Plus, I want to try and keep a good tan going! Don't worry, I keep Isaac well lubed with sunscreen or scoot the chair halfway in the shade for him to drink his juice or eat a snack while I get my sun on. He loves the pool!

-My new Mac, I am now an Apple convert. This thing is amazing! iPhoto will support my goal of putting together an album.

Three Random Facts About Me:

-I will NOT pass someone on the Highway when it is a one lane road, I always close my eyes until it is done. Could you imagine a head on with that speed!

-I have to have most of my food heated, I can't stand eating cold food. Except for what has to be cold of course, like ice cream and what not.

-Ryan and I rent from RedBox a lot to watch a movie when the baby goes down at night, and I fall asleep everytime! Then I try to watch it the next day but that never happens and there is no way I am paying another $1 to keep it another night just to fall asleep again. The cycle never ends.

Recipe

2008-07-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

So now that I am home more, I have goal to have dinner ready by 6PM to help us avoid eating out and to become the "homemaker" that I long to be. So yesterday was day one and it seemed to be a success. With Ryan being the food connoisseur that he is because of the deliciousness that he sees on the job, I hate cooking because he is so picky. If the cheese isn't imported directly from Mexico, he is not having it! He enjoyed this recipe so I thought I would pass it along. It is so easy, healthy, and yummy. I think it is from a Weight Watcher's recipe book too!

Slow Cook chicken breasts with a bottle of salsa (I just used picante). I set it on the 4 hour setting. When done, shred chicken then add a can of black beans and corn. Just needs to heat up for a few minutes then serve on tortillas with sour cream, cheese, and lettuce. DELISH!

Stay at home

2008-07-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

So I now work from home. It was getting to expensive using a sitter and with Isaac getting so mobile my granny couldn't keep up with him. It is going to take a while to get in a routine of things and I really need to wake up early to shower and get ready as I normally would, otherwise I will be in my pajamas until 3PM! And Isaac just tears up the basement while I work away.

We bought a new MacBook. Gotta love the Apple. All I have managed to play on since we got it is the camera. Ryan just thinks I am weird. Here are my latest creations. I tried to get some good ones of Isaac but he moves too much. Although he busts up laughing every time he sees himself.

A blog of photos

2008-06-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial weekend we took a trip up to the cabin. It was a fun little get away with our little family. Definitely not baby proof, but Isaac loved it!

If you look real close you can see we attempted to spike his hair after the bath. It is coming in pretty well, just too slow!

The other night I just let Isaac cry himself to sleep and I poked my head in to find him standing up in his crib just staring at the door. So we have adjusted his crib to avoid any accidents.

I finally found a ball cap hat that fits his head and he looks so dang cute in it. Big ears and all.

We took a trip to Elko at the end of May to visit my sister for her birthday. It was a short little trip, but nice to get away.

Ryan's work had a golf day so we had to go practice. He did pretty well!

Isaac and I watching Dad become the next Tiger. Isaac looks constipated here, but it was the only picture of him looking at the camera.

Singing in the rain

2008-05-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

Was anybody else caught in the MAJOR rainstorm that hit?!? I decided to mix up my running route and head out to Sugarhouse Park. I get around once then it starts sprinkling. I think, I will be able to make it around again. I still had about 3/4 left before my car is in sight and it DUMPS!! I look like I just got out of the shower. There was no one in sight, I don't understand how they disappeared so quickly! And at first it wasn't just rain it was sleet. So I had a million drops stabbing my body. I decide to go under a tree for shelter, which is a total no no since it was thundering and lightening, but I was desperate. There were people in their car on the side of the road just watching what an idiot I was. I forgot to mention I had Isaac with me too. I don't have the weather guard for the jogger stroller, but now would have been a great time to have had it. Luckily he was sheltered enough that he hardly got wet. I think he loved it though. So note to self...check the forecast before heading out.

Juicy Couture

2008-05-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

For Christmas my friend gave out Juicy Couture undies in this little cupcake holder that you can really bake with. I have been meaning to try it out the few times that I have made cupcakes but keep forgetting. Well I didn't this time and it is the greatest thing! I want to get a dozen of them and bake all my cupcakes in them. I think they even make pans too! It turns out so bubbly rather than overflowing and fat like when you put too much batter in the paper ones. Very recommended. And I give props to those food photographers. It was hard to get a good shot of this sucker to show all the details. Yes, I had a photo shoot with a cupcake...

GENIUS!

2008-05-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

Isaac has accomplished a lot this last week.
1. He cut his first tooth. So cute.
2. He officially crawls! I swear it happened in a day. He has been playing with it for a while now, but he all the sudden just picked it up in a day.
3. He does patty cake on his own. Granted it is only the clapping hands part, but as soon as you start singing it he is all for it.
4. And just today he lifted himself up from floor to chair!

He just still seems to little to me to be doing this stuff. But it's gotta happen someday!
I don't have many picture updates. I have been bad at photo taking lately. I need to figure out how to put footage on here from our camcorder.

THEN AND NOW

The Latest

2008-04-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have done an update. Isaac is so close to crawling and has been for a while now. He gets on his hands and knees, moves his knees, then collapses. He just needs to figure out what to do with those arms. For now he has learned to scoot all over the place. Looks like it is time to start baby proofing the house little by little!

We recently refinanced our house and took out a little money to put into the house. Well instead of the new kitchen, we had to re-roof. We were tired of worrying whether or not our roof was going to cave in every winter or rain storm. Flat roofs suck, although the contractors that redid it did AWESOME. There is nothing getting through it now! It only took them two days! So if you need any roofing needs, let me know. We have been doing little updates inside though which has been fun.
We were all wearing the same colors this day, comletely unplanned.
6 Month Check up. Isaac went down in his weight percentile from the last visit. I think he barely gained a pound in 2 months! I promise I feed him. Scrawny little kid. He takes after his Dad. He is now on a pretty hefty diet. 3 meals of solids a day with many snacks in between. And boy does it get messy.
We were bored waiting for the Doc, so took some pictures. I think Isaac has Ryan's eyebrow/eyeframe so I was trying to capture them both raising their eyebrows. This was the best I could get.
6 month photo shoot. His personality is really shining through these days. Oh how I adore this child!

"Won't you be my neighbor"

2008-04-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

So I got mad at Ryan once because he was playing on his stupid computer while watching the baby and when he wasn't looking, Isaac rolled over and bonked his head on the computer. Well, the other day Isaac and I got back from a walk and I was unlocking the door and left Isaac right next to me in his stroller in the carport. I had also checked the mail so I brought it all in and put it on the counter. I started rummaging through it, Isaac is still in plain sight two steps away. All the sudden I hear my neighbor say "Uh Oh", I step out the door to find Isaac rolling down the driveway onto the street!! He was catching some pretty good speed too. So my neighbor and I are running down the street to catch up, while Isaac is just watching us chase him. Had my neighbor not been there I would have thought he was kidnapped. If you look out our living room window that straightaway street is where he was going, not even angled towards a curb, straight down the road. Who knows what would have stopped him. So thank goodness for friendly neighbors. I have nightmares about it still. Next time I will use the brake...

Easter bunny came to our house.

2008-03-25T17:29:00.001-07:00

I was going to post stuff about Hollie's day, but I think between all of our friends we got that covered. So here is our first family Easter. I wanted to color eggs knowing Isaac really didn't care for it, and Ryan complained that it was too messy. After Isaac was done sucking on the egg, he had green all over him! So yes, it was messy but oh so fun!

Yes, one egg broke. And Dad ate it, that is all the help he was willing to give.

Here is the cute Easter outfit Grandma bought him. He is ready to go golfin'! He has learned how to take the hat off now, so it doesn't stay on long.
Hope everyone had a lovely Easter!

I'M ALIVE!

2008-03-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finished the race feeling pretty good. I was within my time frame so I am satisfied. Now I just need to knock off about 30 minutes for the next one...One day... It was so much fun. Beautiful weather, wonderful trip with family and friends. I need to get Ryan to run one of these with me! I was a little sore, but no injuries. The long car ride home didn't help with the soreness either.
Here are some of the highlights...

Isaac was such a good boy! He slept most of the way there, which made it easier on Mom and Dad. And did so well at the hotel! Our hotel was right on Main street so it was nice to just walk every where and not have to load him in the car seat every time.

We almost stayed at some hostel, like a camp ground with cabins too. Luckily there was vacancy at the Best Western. We have to think of a baby's comfort now!

Our first little family road trip. It was so nice to get away and so fun to see friends there as well!

So Ryan's buddy "Wrigaz" (Dave Wrigley), joined us as well. On Saturday night Ryan and him went out and played pool while Tara and I passed out at the hotel. They came back around 12:30 AM and Wrigley was so wired!! He wanted to have "Pillow Talk". We pretended to listen, and Tara was a great sport staying up the longest to hear him ramble :). Just kidding Dave, we loved listening to you! It was great having you on the trip with us!
On the way home we found a motel called Pillow Talk. How random.

Stupid Crooks!

2008-03-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

So I get home from work yesterday and find my jewelry box open. I never get in there there is nothing valuable in there. Just some cheap mexico jewelry. I call up Ryan and family and ask if they have been going through it. No, nobody has. Wierd, don't really think anything of it. I got Isaac this new jumper thing and I was so excited to put him in it, I go to get our cam-corder which was on my kitchen counter charging for our Moab trip and it is GONE!! Along with our regular camera. I started bawling. First thing I thought of was all the footage that was on there from the last 3 months that I hadn't quite figured out how to transfer to video. We bought it around Christmas, after months of saving. So we call the cops and they come over and do their thing. I realized I watch too much CSI because I full on expected them to tape off our house and finger print and everything then Rambo their A**. Not really, but it did cross my mind. So it may be a while before I can post pictures of our little family. It is one thing to have your car broken into, but your house! I feel so violated. Some stranger was in my HOUSE, uninvited. What if someone is stalking us, or just some random person walking down the street. You never know, but can't help but wonder. I am thankful I wasn't here. It was within a 3 hour window when no one was home in the middle of the day! I truly believe in Karma. It will come back to haunt them and I hope it does bad! I keep looking on my porch hoping they felt bad and decided to return it. I am so sad I lost all that video! Anyway, I just had to vent. Thanks for listening and LOCK YOUR DOORS!

EEEK!

2008-02-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

As I was on the treadmill this morning I was thinking about how I needed to update my blog. I realized all I really post is pictures of my wee one so I was trying to think of something else to post. I am scheduled to run the half marathon in Moab in two weeks. I am absolutely terrified! I have run a couple before but this was pre-pregnancy over a year and a half ago and yeah right I kept up working out through the pregnancy. I vowed to get as fat as I could because it was the only time I would be allowed to eat a dozen cookies in one sitting without feeling too guilty. Anyway, they choose you from a lottery and both Ryan and I got in. It was a push to get us both in shape and get back in to working out because I did miss running. Well I have been a terrible trainer! I really hope that I can finish this race. Ryan backed out because he just so is not prepared for it. Plus we need someone to stay back with Fig. I thought for sure it would be easy to find the time to workout but between work, baby, household chores, etc, I would rather spend the extra time with my little boy. So here I am crunching to be ready for this race, I had to share so that you all would keep me in your prayers! I will let you know how I do, even it is a picture of me being swept up by the clean up crew! Wish me luck!

Our eventful weekend

2008-02-02T16:35:00.000-08:00

We had quite the eventful weekend. My cute little niece turns 1 on Feb 3. She is a little spitfire and so stinkin' adorable. Since my sister lives in Elko, they came up to here for the festivities.

We also went to the Utes Gymnastics meet. When we left, I was pretty confident that I could do all they could and more. It was amazing to watch! GO UTES!
So I am having Ryan take lots of pictures of me with my long locks. It takes too long to fix and I always put it in a braid, I just don't have the energy for it anymore so I am chopping it off. So anytime it is fixed, I make sure to get some photos of it because it may be the last ones. I might dig the short hair too much to want to grow it out again. When I lose the rest of this BABY WEIGHT, chop chop. My younger sister is a hairdresser and she is worried I am going to do the "Mormon Mom" cut so she is working on finding a hair style for me. So any thoughts or ideas would be much appreciated.

2008-01-24T10:56:00.001-08:00

THREE MONTHS!! It just can't be. Here are some photos from his 3 month photo shoot taken at the beginning of this month. What a handsome young man.

Don't worry son, you will grow into your ears!

So I am working 3 days a week and I have my Grandma and Sister watch him, well yesterday my Grandma called to ask when he started to roll over. WHAT!?! I haven't even seen that! So I missed it. I think he arched his back and had his legs up just enough to roll over to his tummy. Accident or not, I missed it. So for all those stay at home Mom's, you are very lucky! Maybe one day...

"Many Tismas"

2008-01-04T15:00:00.001-08:00

Yeah I know, I am a terrible blogger. Julie helped me out and I have failed her. So I guess it is my New Years resolution.
We had a wonderful Christmas. Crazy, but it was a fun filled day. I just let Grandma spoil him. We couldn't think of anything cool to get a 3 month old. We did get a new camcorder to capture all his cool new things though.
As you can tell I couldn't just pick one picture so I choose as many as I wanted.
Hope everyone is doing well!

My little Bumbo baby. I still think he is too little for this, but he doesn't seem to think so. He does something new everyday that amazes me.

Tummy time! Squeaky Clean!

Just Chillin'

Phase One

2007-12-20T22:18:00.001-08:00

Phase one of improved posts.

Huked on foniks wurked fore me!

2007-12-20T22:11:00.001-08:00

Meet my mentor. She taught me how to blog correctly!! I will no longer be posting pictures on the side of my page like a dumb a**. Thank you for putting up with it. New and improved posts to come...

Blue eyes?

2007-11-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

Just posting some new pictures. We think he will have blue eyes. Wierd! Never thought the mexican in me could make a blue eyed blonde haired baby. He grows so fast! He coos and smiles all the time now.
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

"Puff the Magic Dragon"

2007-11-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

I was struggling trying to find a costume small enough and found a doll costume at Pottery Barn Kids. So meet my little dragon! He is his father's child. I don't think any of my genes made it to this child.

Up all night

2007-10-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I didn't realize that what I eat still affects the babe. I pounded a bag of tootsie rolls yesterday and wow, Isaac was up ALL NIGHT LONG! It is 10:15 AM and he is finally starting to look tired. I make Ryan sleep in the other room so he can function at work, I miss sleeping next to my hubby :( Yeah I might be taking a few naps today, and throwing away the tootsie rolls.

Meet Isaac James Barnes

2007-10-08T13:06:00.001-07:00

He is here, and I can't believe he is a week old already. It was a long and somewhat traumatic labor but well worth it! I love every minute of it, even the sleepless nights. I could just eat him up!

FINALLY

2007-09-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

No, he is not here yet. But I do see the end. We are going in tonight to start the induction process. I went to the doctor on Wednesday and still hadn't progressed at all. My doc doesn't like to go past 41 weeks so we decided to just hurry the process along. Plus if I wait any longer, he will be bigger and I don't want to be poppin' out a toddler! So that is the latest. I will let you all know the outcome. I am going to be a Mommy tomorrow! (Hopefully).

9 Months 3 Days

2007-09-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

Over due. Nothing happening. We went to the Doc last Friday and did the non-stress tests, baby is as cozy as ever and just doesn't want to come out. I haven't progressed at all either. I am thankful he is healthy though, but it just means more waiting. We go in for more tests tomorrow and see the Doctor on Wednesday to discuss inducement options. Hopefully we don't make it that far though. But if we do, it looks like we will be induced on Friday. So there is an end, but it sure it taking forever! This has been the longest weekend of my life! I have been so incredibly bored. We have tried everything. LONG walks, the pizza from Trio, and the deed that got us here...Nothing works. Just have to sit it out...

The Countdown

2007-09-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

So I had my weekly appointment today and I was so hoping my blood pressure was high (stress from work) or SOMETHING so that they could just force this baby out of me! I had my bag packed and everything. I was convinced today was the day. Well all is healthy, both with me and the little guy. So yes that is a good thing, but just more waiting... I am going crazy! I want to meet him!
I was bored of looking at the same web page so I have attached some pictures of the nursery. This is the finished product, thanks to Ryan's patience and hard work it turned out just how I wanted it.

STILL WAITING...

2007-09-07T08:11:00.001-07:00

Any day now and I will be poppin' out a babe! These last few weeks have been quite annoying, just anxiously waiting. We finally put the nursery together, after having painted it a couple of times. Ryan makes fun of me because I am "nesting" big time! Everything has to be in its place. I would post a pregnancy picture of me, but they aren't very attractive. I will keep everyone updated!