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.}

Sleepwalking

I would be completely selfish if I didn't share this gem from the Fail Blog.

Click Here because I couldn't figure out how to embed it. :O(

Not so Thankful?

Dang it...I knew if I tried to start some sort of routine on my blog I'd just fail miserably. Oh well - all I can do is focus on what I HAVE done, right?

I am currently thankful for:

• Grocery shopping without my kids {thanks Greg}
• A king-size bed
• Being a doula
• My savior, Jesus Christ
• My super-smart {albeit ill-behaved} kids
• Broadened horizons

The Meanest Giveaway

I LOVE this blog and now she's giving away the coolest stuff for March Madness! Go check it out - all you have to do is leave a comment on the post to be entered for one of eight prizes. And if you link to the post {like I am} then you can enter again. I must warn you, however, that you may end up hooked on her blog like I am.

Happy Birthday C.J.

My little man turned six today. I can't believe it's been six years. His party will be next week because unlike the girls, who pestered me daily for weeks about their birthday, he couldn't care less. When I asked him yesterday, "What's tomorrow, C.J.?" he responded with {lengthy pause}..."Ummm....Wednesday?" Yes, C.J. - Wednesday. "And what else?" I prodded. {Another lengthy pause}..."My birthday!" He's definitely his father's son. Without the constant reminders, I failed to get invitations out in time for a party today. Oh, well - there are no accidents. :O)

In honor of my awesome kid, here's an awesome picture:

{This is what happens when you leave your camera unattended.}

And finally, six reasons I love C.J.:

1. He has a very tender heart and is genuinely caring and kind.
2. He gives me amazing hugs and kisses.
3. He is a good big brother and so helpful around the house.
4. He is very smart and loves to read.
5. He is hilariously funny.
6. He is a miniature Greg.

Thankful Thursday

Lucky you - you get a twofer today. :O) I thought about my Wordless Wednesday post yesterday and then just got caught up in other things and didn't remember until after midnight.

Today I'm thankful for:

• Flylady. It's seriously changed my life.
• A hubby who works hard to support his rather large family
• Chiropractors {especially John Sorenson}
• A brand new chore chart for the kids - wish me luck!
• Fun memories made over the weekend with extended family
• Water - my favorite drink
• Blood suckers who know how to not bruise you when you're kind enough to donate blood!

Wordless Wednesday...{a little late}

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for...

• Kids who are old enough to get their own cereal
• Greg having not one, but two jobs
• Contacts so I don't have to wear my glasses all the time
• Good friends who will spend HOURS stripping diapers for me to borrow them and try cloth diapering
• An amazing family
• America

Wordless Wednesday

Thankful...Monday

So I wanted to follow Janet's example and make a "thankful" post.

I am humbled, and EXTREMELY grateful that English is my native language! I have had the opportunity to study languages ranging from Pig-Latin all the way to Mandarin Chinese...and I can't imagine trying to learn some of the stupid rules that we have.

When I was learning Chinese, there were set rules...and if there were exceptions to those rules then you could COUNT on a consistent following of said exception, not just on Tuesdays or holidays. The "i before e" rule comes to mind, and a skit by Brian Regan (Check it out on You Tube).

A couple of weeks ago I had an experience with spelling names different ways...which led to why words like "should" and "shoulder" sound so drastically different while looking so similar.
While teasing our brains on how to change things up a bit and spell our names with crazy variation, one of our friends held up a card with these five letters:

GHOTI

She said this is how we should spell fish from now on.

I was as baffled as you probably are right now, so here is her reasoning:

The “F” sound in laugh
The “I” sound in women
The “SH” sound in nation.

FISH=GHOTI

English sucks.

Thankful Thursday

I've seen a few people have a day for thanks on their blog and I think it's a great idea so I'm totally stealing it! I know it's not technically Thursday anymore, but it's still the same day for me until I go to bed and wake up. Unless, of course, I stay up all night in which case the day changes just after 4:30 am. Because 4:00 am is still being up really late, but 4:30 is getting up really early. I know, you're amazed by my reasoning. Feel free to steal that reasoning for future reference.

On with the thanks:

I'm thankful for...

• 6 amazing, beautiful, healthy kids
• an equally amazing and healthy {yet not so beautiful} husband :O)
• breastfeeding - I love it!
• Costco - I finally remembered to use the big orange cart this time.
• Dean Nixon, Turning Leaf and the life-changing seminars {http://www.turningleafseminars.com/}

Shell Shocked

I feel that I owe an apology to everyone for not having made any kind of post on here since NOVEMBER!!! It seems as though Life has somewhat thrown itself at me...with vigor! We had an entire week taken out of our lives when Chuck was in the hospital for his surgery. Then came the holiday season along with the activities and parties that come along with that. I had my MBA class, work, and trying to get Christmas under control all at the same time. Then on Christmas day I was laying on the floor with Jena and looking at the sore she had on her leg, and found that she had another growth on her face. Merry Christmas! Your dog has Cancer, and you get to choose when she dies!
I want to take a few minutes here, and talk to all of my friends and family about a VERY special dog. Those of you who know me well, have met Jena, and know that she is from the streets of Taiwan. I am not sure that she has ever met a person that she did not win over, from my Mom (who has had her fill of dogs in the family) to our friend Stefanie who would get the Heeby-Jeebies if Jena would touch her with her nose. Cousin Shauna realized that Jena was slowly trying to get on her good side. She would sit on the other side of the room, then at the opposite end of the couch, then on the couch, then 3 feet away, then 2 feet away...This process was over a matter of months, and finally she would lay next to Shauna but not touch her. Then Shauna would pet her, and even let Jena rest her head in her lap! By the time we let her go, Jena was as excited as the other kids to see Shauna walk through the door.

Jena is one of the smartest dogs I have ever had the pleasure to meet. The above picture looks almost like she is trying to understand exactly what it was I said. You can almost hear her thinking "Did he just say Walk?".

Speaking of smart...Does she think she is going to drive? She may be the oldest girl in the family (9+), but she can't reach the pedals! This is where Jena would sit and wait for us to get back to the van, she knew that in order to leave we had to sit where she was!
The kids loved her so much, every time I would start wrestling with the kids and Jena would be in the middle of the heap within the first minute! She wanted to get me just as badly as C.J. did! The best part about it is when I would play rough with Jena...rough enough to almost break skin...and one of the kids or even Janet would reach in to play, Jena would just lick their hand and play soft!

There are years worth of memories, and pages worth of "Jena Quirks" that I could talk about but I will let everyone remember their own thoughts. The day came just a couple of weeks ago, when I came home from work and Jena just looked tired. She was bleeding from her leg, and I knew she couldn't keep pretending forever. The hardest part about deciding when a good time to let Jena go, is that she was trying so hard (up to the very last day) to prove to me that everything was OK and I had nothing to be sad about. A couple of days before she left us, I would look at her and be flooded with thoughts about what life would be like without her and start crying. She would get up, come over to me, and try to snuggle with me as if to tell me it would be OK and there was nothing to cry about. This of course would only make things worse!

This is one of my favorite pictures. It shows my two best friends, and how much love they had for each other. My Wife has been so wonderful in helping me move through the grieving process.
We took Jena in to see Dr. Brinkerhof, who was compassionate enough to cut his date short and meet us after hours. We took her in the office, the Doc gave her an anesthetic that made her sleepy. She fell asleep in my arms, and in just over a minute after he gave the second shot she was gone.

Despite the fact that we have 6 kids...our house seems so empty. There are many reminders that creep up as cruel taunts that she will never step foot in our home again. There is no bark after the doorbell, she doesn't run and hide behind the chair if I raise my voice, she isn't around to eat the end of the chicken breast, we actually have to CLEAN the floor after dinner now, she isn't curled up outside the shower or in the dirty clothes pile, and she doesn't push her nose under our hands anymore as we sit at the computer.

We love you girl, and know you are running with The Big Man now. See you later.

Greg, Janet, Hannah, Hailey, C.J., Anthony, Jamie, and Chuck.

Thanks to Deb from Funny Face Photography for the amazing "goodbye" pictures of our Asian Girl.