If anyone doubted "Chuck" as his name...

As Janet so eloquently put it in her Text to me:

"Balloon + Sucker = BEST DAY EVER!!!"

This kid makes my day...almost as much as my Wifey (and the other five Kiddlets and the Pup).

His latest game to play with Janet is when she prompts him to say "Ma Ma", he replies with a grin and a perfunctory "Da Da!"

What a kid!

Addiction

Does anyone else find themselves completely addicted to the Internet? Not like the "oh-I-spend-too-much-time-on-the-Internet" addicted, but the "if-I-don't-get-my-fix-I-think-I-may-kill-someone" kind of addicted.

I need help.

And yet here I sit on the Internet of all places, hoping to find that help. I've looked into a free online timer but haven't had any luck. Anyone have suggestions for Explorer?

Change

...no, not diapers although we do plenty of that around here.

I'm just wondering if ayone else is tired of looking at the bloody Band-aid. So I think it's time for a change.

A quick update is in order. Half of my children are now in school. The girls started 2nd grade at George Washington Academy, a local charter school (and by local I mean a 45- to 50-minute drive round trip). C.J. has not been accepted yet but is 2nd on the wait list for the 1st grade. He's still at Coral Cliffs about a block away. They're all loving school so far and Anthony and Jamie seem to enjoy being at home with just us again. Chuck is "crawling"...if you can call it that. He gets from point A to point B, albeit in a really amusing fashion. He looks sort of like a seal or a walrus as he scoots on his belly, pushing with his left foot and pulling with his arms. I'm not sure he'll ever decide to crawl on his hands and knees before he walks! He's also pulling himself up on furniture, emptying the dog bowls on a regular basis (soaking himself and the floor in the process) and entertaining us all. He's got 7 teeth and loves to eat Kix.

Stefanie moved back in (our former nanny who moved in with us in March and promptly left in May for 3 months!) and we've sure loved having her back, even if she misses home. She starts her 2nd semester in the elementary education program at Dixie on the 24th. Schatzie has enjoyed having Noli around to play with. Noli tolerates her puppy antics pretty well most of the time.

Everything else is pretty much the same. Greg's new calling in church is being a ward missionary, which he seems to be enjoying the most of any calling so far. He's working hard at University of Phoenix and thinking about getting back into the master's program after a short break for my schooling.

I'm still the primary chorister in the ward and I'm really enjoying preparing for our primary program in October. I'm still doing birth stuff (and LOVING it!) but wish I could get my classes more full of pregnant couples hoping for a beautiful natural birth.

We had a fairly laid back summer. We went camping a few times although we attempted camping more times than we actually camped. We went to the Barton family reunion in Panguitch. We played at the splash pad for park day on Tuesdays, at popsicles, went swimming...man, we had a pretty boring summer! We did get to go up and see Greg's side of the family when Michelle was in town, the one time we get to see them during the year. We went to the Hogle Zoo on that trip and the kids really enjoyed seeing all the animals.

Ok...it's late and I'm rambling. But I thought I'd drop a little update. No promises on keeping the blog current but check me out on Facebook for more current happenings.

You should see the OTHER guy!

Ok, so I know that I never make posts anymore...but I figured what better way to come out of Blog-world seclusion than with a cool Band-Aid picture!?

"What the...?" Y'all didn't think I could read minds did you? Here are some details about the strange/funny/disgusting/interesting picture above.

I got in a fight with a piece of wood this weekend...and came off the clear victor! The only drawback to said battle...is that often times the damage dealt in violent situations is not completely one-sided. I was chopping the wood to pieces, and was out-smarted by pretending to be so tough...but when I sent the killing blow, it split open so easily that the axe went right into my finger...darn SMART wood.

This is an actual Band-Aid taken from the actual Ou'ie (spelling still under debate...but the way I see it, if we have come to the point of arguing over the correct spelling of made-up words then we have too much time on our hands). My efforts earned me a box of kindling wood, and 3 stitches. This afternoon as I was changing the Band-Aid, I saw the Smiling Anomaly letting me know that my wounds are nothing serious.

Status

Janet Palmer Barton thinks blogging should be more like Facebook.

Janet Palmer Barton's laundry room is completely empty. There are only two white shirts needing to be washed. :O)

Janet Palmer Barton thinks having a puppy is a LOT harder than she imagined...definitely worse than a newborn.

Janet Palmer Barton loves her awesome husband.

Janet Palmer Barton should be training for her upcoming 5k but hasn't trained since she actually finished her first one {June 6th}.

Janet Palmer Barton doesn't have a Father's Day gift for her hubby yet.

Janet Palmer Barton has been Dave Ramsey-fied and LOVES IT!

Janet Palmer Barton hates having to find babysitters. Two 7-year-olds equal one 14-year-old, right?

Janet Palmer Barton is on call. :O)

Janet Palmer Barton wishes she could blog more.

Janet Palmer Barton's daughter lost her pet snail. One day Chloe just wasn't in the jar anymore. Should she be worried? :O/

Janet Palmer Barton could think of a lot more but she'll stop there. Lots more blogging would get done if she just did it this way all the time!

Schatzie

This is our newest family member who will be coming home on Wednesday evening. She's a German Shepherd who was born on April 22, 2009.

Welcome Schatzie!

Winner, winner! Chicken dinner!

THEY WON! THEY WON! THEY WON!

Hannah took 4th place in the spelling bee and Hailey took FIRST! I could not be more proud. There are five 1st grade classes so I figure there are between 80 and 100 kids that my daughters can spell better than. {Neener, neener, neener!}

Happy Blogiversary!

I can't believe I've been doing this blog for a year. Granted, I haven't posted anything substantial for a few months, but I know you've all been waiting with bated breath, which still qualifies this blog as active, right?

Honestly, I wasn't sure I would keep up with this whole blogging thing when I started it back in May of 2008 so the fact that I made it almost a year before tiring of it amazes me. Greg even made a few cameos here and there, totally upstaging me. Sometimes I wish he'd just take over. But then what about all the cute pictures? {Of which there will be more to come - thanks to Deb at Funny Face}

I suppose it would serve me well to use this post as an opportunity to catch the blog world up on what's been going on in our lives. Then maybe I'll be motivated to keep up with it.

Psych!

{When was the last time you heard THAT!?}

Greg has been working with Turning Leaf Wellness Center as the Director of Marketing since around February in addition to working at University of Phoenix. It has kept him so busy that we never get to see him anymore. :O(

I'm pretty much the same. I still teach Bradley classes to the cutest pregnant couples in St. George, but I moved my classes to Blackridge Chiropractic instead of teaching at home. It's been a bit of an adjustment {no pun intended!} but now my kids aren't such a distraction during relaxation practice! I'm also doing classes at University of Phoenix toward a bachelor degree in psychology. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be able to analyze the crap out of anyone in September of 2010!



The kids are all doing great. Hannah and Hailey love the 1st grade and even have their first spelling bee coming up next week. {I'm considering making them watch this so they really understand the gravity of this momentous occasion - their very first spelling bee.}



What?...I like spelling.



C.J.'s rockin' kindergarten and loves to read. Speaking of reading, Anthony, Jamie and Chuck started Your Baby Can Read about a month ago and they're loving it! Anthony and Jamie can both read about 25 words already and we just started the next volume this week which will add another 25-30 words. I'm glad the older two have been doing the program as well because I'm not sure the level of dedication would be the same on my part if Chuck were my only pupil. The results are more difficult to see with a baby but I know with consistency he'll be reading even better than the other two! {And possibly everyone in the family!}



Chuck is sitting up without assistance now and can officially defend himself with his teeth. {Just ask C.J. and Anthony - they keep sticking their fingers in his mouth to find out.} We just got 6 month pictures done last week {even though he's 7 months today} along with an updated family picture. I can't wait to share the cuteness that is my family!



Ok...enough rambling from me. I've asked Greg to post a little something too in order to satiate the appetite of those with a hunger for more witty and elaborate readings.



Indulge.

Memories...

Remember when I used to post all the time?

Me too.

Already?

Chuck's got a tooth! {He turned 5 months on the 9th.}