The Pandemoniacal Barton Family Domicile

Greg's Trip...Only Not a Fun One

2010-06-20T00:57:00.010-06:00

Greg left Wednesday morning at 9:00 am to go on a trip with Brent. He got back from getting a new transmission for Hecktour in SLC at 4:00 am (he left Monday afternoon for that trip). The new transmission is a post in and of itself. What a cat poop sandwich that situation turned out to be.

So Brent needed Greg to go on the trip since his wife is 37+ weeks pregnant with #2 and #1 decided to come at 38 weeks. Brent would be away WAY too long if he had to do all the driving to Atlanta by himself. The plan was to take a truck and trailer, carrying a buggy of some sort, to Atlanta, sell the buggy and pick up some motorcycles. Well, a tire blew on the trailer somewhere in Texas. This held them up overnight since there was no place open to get the tire replaced and the spare was the wrong freakin' size. I'm so glad they were okay.

Then, when they finally got to Atlanta, the motorcycle thing fell through. So then they waited for 6+ hours for some pizza ovens from some guys that never showed up. I think there was another guy they waited on for another deal too, but finally they ended up just leaving Georgia and starting home, hoping they could find something to pick up on the way back. They lucked out and were able to pick up a truck on the way home, but the jerk who dropped it off to them left without using his magic to put the truck on the trailer, even though that's what he agreed to do. So they had to buy a hand pulley wintch thing and push/pull the trailer inch by inch up on the truck. In 100+ weather and horrible humidity. Talk about heat exhaustion.

Now mind you, they left Wednesday, got there Friday, and hadn't slept other than just trading off napping in the truck. No shower either.Fastforward to Saturday night (now they're in even worse condition), when they were back in Texas. Damn Texas. The SAME TIRE blew on the trailer A.G.A.I.N. Wow. Greg put it best when he said, "The tire Gods hate us." I'm writing this at 1:30 am Sunday and hoping Greg will be home at some point on Father's Day. Smelly, exhausted, and most likely pissy, but home nonetheless. Luckily he and Brent enjoy spending time together. Otherwise, I think they might have killed one another by now. Regarding this picture, Greg said, "I told Brent to stop looking at me like that ...so if he tries to give me the ooglie-eye again...I'd eat his friggin' eyeballs with my new 'Hill-Billy-Bling-Bucktooth' glasses!" Good thing they had SOME fun. :D

We've missed him like a child misses their blanket (man, I hate those lyrics) this past week. It sucks being a single mom. I seriously don't know how my mother and all those other single ladies do it. Much props. And Shauntae has been a HUGE help since she got back from HER trip from hell. Check out her blog - I'm sure she'll be posting about her adventures soon. Thanks for keeping my head above water this week...and my kids' heads too. :D

Hurry home, baby!

Fly What!?

2010-06-20T00:53:00.003-06:00

FlyLady. Dot net, that is. I heart FlyLady and everything I've learned from her website over the past few years. I'm so glad Dy introduced her to me and I'm sure my family thanks her, too. She's helped me become more organized, keep better control of my house, and be a better mom and wife. So here's her shout out. She's got really great tools on her site too. Shauntae just used my pink hammer tonight to put blankets up on the kids' window (since she's about 10 feet taller than me) and it worked wonders. Yay for kids actually settling down at 9:00 pm, even though that's when the ice cream man decided to drive through the neighborhood. I should have chased him down and punched him in the weiner.

And my baby is really wiggly right now. Maybe it's a good thing I'm not trying to sleep, even though it is 1:00 am.

I Hate Coming Up With Titles

2010-06-10T20:54:00.003-06:00

I feel like my posts are lame without pictures. Here goes anyway.

I got to do Young Musicians Choir Camp again this past weekend and as always, it was a blast. I enjoyed three fun-filled days with family, friends and 70 awesome kids from the area who love music. It's so fun to see the amazing talent among this group and witness the beautiful sound they are able to create as a group in just three short days. This is the first year (and certainly not the last) any of my children have been able to attend and the girls absolutely loved it. I'm sure they'll be talking about memories created there for years to come.

Just last night I was sorting through pictures for a slide show I'm preparing for my upcoming birthday party and reminiscing about my days at Idaho State University music camp in Pocatello, Idaho. As luck would have it, my friend of 27 years with whom I attended this camp for 3 or 4 years passed through St. George on her way to Las Vegas and we were able to bring back those memories together this evening. It's crazy to think how far we've come from the punk teenagers we were back then. Now we're just punks. :D

Speaking of whatever it is you were just thinking about...my birthday bash is going to be AWESOME! I'm having my golden birthday (turning 30 on the 30th) and I'm throwing a huge 80s party on July 2nd to celebrate. I picked up some sweet old-school stuff at DI today and I'm excited to start ordering party supplies. It's going to be epic. And gnarly, dude.

Alive

2010-05-24T22:10:00.003-06:00

I'm alive. And so is everyone else. We're super busy in the Barton house, which is nothing new. I still suck at blogging, but for the two people who read this, I figured an update was long overdue.

Speaking of being due...I'm 30 weeks today so I've got another 12 until this baby is here. Did I mention yet that I want some 42-week vibes coming my way? That would make this baby's birthday 8/9/10 and Chuck's birthday is 10/9/08. How fun! We don't know the sex of this baby and I'm really enjoying the surprise.

Greg and I are both working temporary jobs for the Census Bureau, him as an enumerator and me as a crew leader. He's going out meeting with people who didn't send in their questionnaire and I'm supervising my own crew of people who are doing the same thing. So if you didn't send yours in, watch for someone knocking on your door to drag the info out of you! The work has kept me plenty busy on top of being a mom and wife. I am taking a break from teaching childbirth classes and working as a doula until the first of the year so I have time to enjoy this little one though.

The kids are out of school on Thursday and they are excited about all the end-of-year fun, but haven't said much about summer break. We're planning on swimming at the Washington City Community Center pretty much every day so I can tolerate the summer. :D Hopefully it will keep the kids busy enough too so they don't end up bored before school starts again.

Follow me on Facebook if you want to know what's going on with us on a more regular basis. Peace out.

Showing off Signs!

2010-03-22T20:25:00.000-06:00

Let's see if this works!

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Favorites

2010-03-05T00:12:00.024-07:00

I got this from Jaylyn's blog. She said I should do it so I obliged. It was fun but took FOREVER to post. Stupid perfectionism. But since I didn't provide the answers, you should post your guesses in the comments. :O) Most of them are self-explanatory but a few of them may be tricky.

To do this: enter your answer to the question in the Flickr.com search box and choose a picture from the first page as your answer.

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What high school did you attend?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Who is your favorite Disney princess?

7. What is your favorite drink?

8. What is your dream vacation?

9. What is your favorite dessert?

10. What do you want to be when you grow up?

11. What do you love most in life?

12. What is one word that describes you?

13. What do you dream about?

Prostitution???

2010-02-28T23:55:00.002-07:00

I am an avid reader of the Washington County Sherriff's Office bookings site. For some reason I love seeing if anyone I know has been arrested and especially to see what people are getting arrested for.

Tonight I found a first for me. The charge is statute 76-10-1303 Patronizing a Prostitute. WTF!!!??? Here? In little ol' St. George!? And the best part is, not only did I find ONE person who was charged with this, there were FIVE men in Washington County who were arrested and charged with patronizing a prostitute in the past 48 hours. (I must admit my first thought was that the charge was to protect the prostitute, i.e., this definition of patronize: to behave in an offensively condescending manner toward.) :O) I guess on the plus side, all of them were at least remotely attractive.

But the real question here is: How the crap did I miss out on the opportunity to participate in these services!? Either as a prostitute to earn some extra cash or as a patron of said community-building services. I wonder, though, if there was even prostitution going on because I saw no woman (or man for that matter) arrested and charged with prostitution. Does that mean this was an undercover job? Go Washington County Sherriff's Department! Way to catch those bad guys.

New

2010-02-28T21:03:00.003-07:00

We're finally getting a new camera.
I'm hoping this will make updating the blog easier and I'll do it more. It's easier to tell a story with pictures, you know? And this camera is supposed to be "tough." Hopefully it will hold up in our house. It says it's shockproof from 5 ft. and waterproof to 10 ft. We'll see...

And we're officially on the hunt for a beastly 12-passenger van. If you see any good deals in the $3,000-$6,500 range, let us know.

We're finally getting a new camera.

Dentists and Death

2010-02-15T22:19:00.004-07:00

We're headed down to Las Vegas tomorrow morning for a funeral. Crappy, I know. But funerals are slightly better when they're attended by a family member who is pretty famous. I don't want to name drop or anything, but Greg's first cousin once-removed {his cousin's son} sings this song and this one too. Think I should ask for an autograph and a picture while he's grieving the passing of his mother? Yeah, me neither. {Although I'm sure some idiots will!} I just hope it doesn't turn into a publicity/press fiasco with people crawling the walls trying to get a glimpse, you know? At least I've got a good excuse; we're family. :O) I just hope there are funeral potatoes.

Brandon's mother had a brain tumor for years and was not expected to hold on this long. I only met her a handful of times, but Greg always spoke very highly of her. Funerals are sad but at least I know she's in a better place. I am so thankful for my beliefs about the after life and to know that she is doing good on the other side.

I also have dental work that needs to be done on Wednesday so we decided to just stay the night rather than make two trips. Ugh...a funeral and dental work. What a crappy couple of days.

Blah. What a crappy post. See why I don't blog more?

Showers

2010-02-08T22:45:00.002-07:00

I'm sitting down to blog just because. I don't have anything I've been thinking about writing so this post may be especially boring and of the rambling type. For some reason lately I hate to shower. Part of it is my detest for mornings, which is most often the best time to shower. Once the kids are up it just seems I don't make time for myself throughout the day {unless it's to sleep. I've got my priorities!} Maybe it's due in part to the pregnancy. It could also be due to my constant struggle with depression. My entire family has suffered with depression at some point and my father committed suicide after struggling with bipolar disorder, among other things, for many years. The frustrating thing for me is that I KNOW what to do to control my depression, or at least alleviate it, yet I don't do it. I had a therapist last year tell me there is a prescription for depression that has no side effects and costs next to nothing. You do five things EVERY day, whether you feel like it or not:

Exercise {boo!}
Express your feelings 100% of the time - don't hold anything in
Service
Remain social
Look forward to something every day

It seems simple, right? Wrong. Once the depression has set it, it seems impossible to do even one thing on this list sometimes. I know the two I struggle with the most and slowly I've begun to struggle with the rest. I find myself sleeping days away without actually having done anything productive, including taking a shower.

I do not post these things to cry for help. As I said, I know how to handle my depression and I have an amazing support system to help me through whatever struggles come my way, especially the best friend and support I could ever have: the love of my life. I simply want to put this out there for anyone else who struggles with mental illness and because of shame, embarrassment or fear does not talk about it. I'm talking about it. I'm not less of a person because I struggle with depression. I can be honest with myself and honest with those around me that I have faults and trials that oftentimes seem out of my ability to handle. However, I WILL overcome this specific challenge and triumphant, will offer help to anyone I know who stands in need.

Thanks for the ear...or eye, as the case may be. I told you it would be a rambly post. :O)

Stupid, stupid Blogger

2010-02-07T01:06:00.001-07:00

I hate Blogger. Only because it hates me.

I just wrote another AMAZING post that it decided not to publish for me. I even tried to copy and paste it before publishing it and even that deleted it. Grrr. Oh - and it also decided not to simply paste my typed information from Word. WTH!?

So I was rambling about some random stuff and now I don't have the energy to rewrite it. Stupid, stupid Blogger. Anyone else have this problem?

My post I was going to make was a cool one about procrastination, the girls' baptism {minus pictures until Bryan gets them to me because we are still without a functional camera}, me trying to do the easy things in life when they seem the most difficult, and trying to make my blog more like Reagan's Blob because I love hers.

The end.

STOP THE PRESS

2010-01-28T04:42:00.003-07:00

...it's a new blog post. {Just for you, Jaylyn!}

I don't have anything interesting to write about other than my new haircut, Greg's new job, our new baby on the way, Hailey having no front teeth, our giant "puppy," the need for a 12-passenger van, and my insomnia, but I'll share nonetheless.

Greg's working at Turning Leaf Wellness Center again after parting ways with University of Phoenix at the end of October. It's been a rough ride financially so far but we're hopeful for the future. And we've still got our eye on China - it's just a matter of finding a job, obtaining 9 passports/visas, finding a place to live, and paying $1,000+ per plane ticket. Oh yeah, and the dog.

The new baby is due in August. We're not finding out if it's a boy or a girl until we can see with our own eyes. :O) This new baby is requiring we get some new wheels. We thought briefly about getting a suburban, but we would FILL it. No sense in never having the option to take someone else with us and worrying about trunk space when we travel. So...we're going to get a beast of a van when we get our tax return. Hooray!

Our "puppy" is now 9 months old and HUGE. She's grown about as tall as she will get but will continue to put on weight and get even heavier. Not that we lift her anyway. Our chiropractor would frown on that. She's a great protector of our family and we don't feel like killing her all the time anymore...potty training has helped immensely with that.

I can't sleep and that's why you're blessed with a new blog post. I would put pictures of my new haircut and the dog up but Blogger is being stupid and telling me the link to add a picture is broken. :/ Check me out on Facebook to see the updated look.

Peace out.

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

2009-08-27T12:43:00.002-06:00

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

2009-08-25T09:19:00.002-06:00

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

2009-08-19T04:17:00.005-06:00

...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!

2009-08-02T17:01:00.002-06:00

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

2009-06-18T14:46:00.003-06:00

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

2009-06-01T23:50:00.004-06:00

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!

2009-05-19T00:43:00.007-06:00

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!

2009-05-09T08:00:00.003-06:00

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...

2009-05-04T00:51:00.001-06:00

Remember when I used to post all the time?

Me too.

Already?

2009-03-18T14:23:00.004-06:00

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

Sleepwalking

2009-03-07T16:16:00.006-07:00

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?

2009-03-06T00:20:00.002-07:00

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

2009-03-06T00:17:00.002-07:00

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.

2009-02-18T17:04:00.008-07:00

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.:

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

Thankful Thursday

2009-02-12T17:57:00.005-07:00

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}

2009-02-12T17:30:00.002-07:00

Thankful Thursday

2009-02-05T08:39:00.002-07:00

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

2009-02-04T09:02:00.002-07:00

Thankful...Monday

2009-02-02T15:48:00.003-07:00

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

2009-01-30T00:19:00.003-07:00

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

2009-01-22T18:56:00.011-07:00

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.

Mommy Treats

2008-12-30T22:41:00.005-07:00

Don't you hate it when you have to hide your sherbet behind the peas so your kids don't steal it? {I wonder as I take another bite of the berry rainbow goodness...}

Does anyone else have "mommy {or daddy} treats" that they just don't want to share?

{Ohh...and does it bug the crap out of anyone else when people say "sherBERT instead of pronouncing it correctly!?}

Cuteness Update

2008-12-18T00:54:00.005-07:00

For your viewing pleasure:

Oh yeah...and we have some other kids. They're pretty cute too.

MeyerBook

2008-12-17T23:41:00.002-07:00

First of all, I know you're all aching for a Chuckie update with cute pics and fun stories and I promise I won't disappoint, but first here is a fun thing I jacked from Ruthann's blog. If you've read Twilight and use Facebook, you're going to love this!

Bella Swan is moving to Forks—ugh!
Charlie Swan is watching the big game.
Bella Swan is not looking forward to the first day of school—plus the rain sux.
Mike Newton is whoa whos the hottie!!1!!LOL
Eric Yorkie commented on Mike Newton’s status:
“Dude, seriously! Wonder if she’s going to the dance with anyone…….”
Mike Newton became a fan of Hot New Girls.
Eric Yorkie became a fan of Hot New Girls.
Mike Newton and Bella Swan are now friends.
Jessica Stanley is wondering what the fuss is all about.
Jessica Stanley and Bella Swan are now friends.
Lauren Mallory is like, so over the drama.
Bella Swan is curious about those pale kids in the corner. Plus the rain sux.
Edward Cullen is slightly uncomfortable.
Edward Cullen requested to leave the group “Junior Biology.”
Bella Swan is confused.
Mike Newton and Bella Swan are attending Forks HS Prom.
Bella Swan is no longer attending Forks HS Prom.
Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley are attending Forks HS Prom.
Mike Newton created the event First Beach Bonfire!
5 of your friends are attending the event First Beach Bonfire!
Bella Swan and Jacob Black are now friends.
Edward Cullen is WAY PISSED!
Bella Swan is OMG that van almost hit me.
Bella Swan is doing a little internet research.
Jessica Stanley created the event Prom Shopping in Port Angeles.
Bella Swan is attending the event Prom Shopping in Port Angeles
Bella Swan is in the alley wondering who those creepy drunk guys are, oh well! LOL
Edward Cullen is WAY PISSED!
Bella Swan and Edward Cullen are In a Relationship.
Jessica Stanley is shocked.
Rosalie Hale is making dinner…I know, right??
Alice Cullen is feeling like everything is going to turn out ok.
Bella Swan became a fan of Vampires.
Bella Swan and Alice Cullen are now friends.
Jacob Black is wishing he was a few years older……
Jacob Black joined the group Quileute Power!!
Charlie Swan is watching the big game.
Bella Swan is dazzled.
Edward Cullen is feeling moody…and thirsty.
Emmett Cullen created the event XTreme Baseball.
8 of your friends are attending the event XTreme Baseball.
Rosalie Hale is ready to kick some a$$ at baseball tonite!
Victoria and James are In a Relationship.
James is thinking evil thoughts.
Laurent is peace out.
Edward Cullen is WAY PISSED!
Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale tagged Bella Swan in the Note “Road Trip to Phoenix!”
Bella Swan really hates Forks! PSYCH! :(
Bella Swan is OH CRAP.
Edward Cullen is in a ballet studio?
James is no longer online.
Victoria is WAY PISSED!
Bella Swan is in the hospital but omg Edward is so hot.
Jacob Black is :(

100 Things

2008-12-03T19:46:00.003-07:00

Sorry my posts aren't nearly as cool as Greg's. I can't get my video of Chuck to upload, otherwise I would win!

I got this from Kassy's blog and couldn't help but let everyone know some of the cool {and not-so-cool} things I've done.

Do it yourself! Copy and paste the list into your blog and bold or highlight the items you have done. Here we go....

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance - I forgot about this one! I just got to ride in one when Chuck was moved from the "new" hospital to the "old" one after his surgery. Not really emergent, but I have been transported in one now.
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your ownI've done 49...you????

Something to think about...

2008-12-02T13:01:00.001-07:00

In all honesty, saying more would only prove the point.

Practice Run

2008-11-30T20:41:00.008-07:00

Our friend is leaving town for a whole week to do some work in Phoenix, leaving behind his awesome wife and crazy little Lizard to fend for themselves. They called me up on Saturday to see if I could let Lizzy play with my kids while they went to a movie. Look at that picture and tell me you would have said no...Yeah, I couldn't either.

The only hiccup...Janet got a call from her sister and needed to go out of town on Saturday to help out, so it was just the kids and me (of course Jena was there to fill her new role as a Sheppard-dog). I thought to myself "No problem, The Lizard will just run around and play with the older kids and I can get my last assignment for school finished up". You know how things like a budget always look SO good on paper, but never quite work out in the real world? Yeah I didn't work on my assignment.
This was a GREAT reminder of what we went through with our little rug-rats (that is Jaylucifer not Janet above). This morning Janet asked me casually if I remembered what it was like to have 5 kids under 4 years old and I truly believe that I have repressed those memories. I think I was in survival mode, just living day by day and trying not to kill ANYONE (it was also pre-Seminar days). Now that my kids are older, help out more, are more fun to play with, and actually turn my jokes right back on me I have just forgotten the tough times of 3 years ago.

I had a BLAST with Lizzy, as did my kids, but it reminded me that the bottom of the tree doesn't get decorations, cupboards and drawers need locks, silence is NOT a good thing, and don't let the toddler hand you the glass dishes when loading the dishwasher. This little princess was so much fun, she had this guttural laugh like a dirty french-man, made farting noises like her dad (immediately followed by afore-mentioned laugh), played with everything in the house from Teddy bears and blocks, lids and cups from the lower drawers, and Jena's food dish (Personally I think this was her favorite).

She eats cookies like her daddy...by the fistful, and LOVES Elmo's World. The best part of the day was when I put on an Elmo's World video for Lizzy, and before I knew it ALL of my kids were sitting down with her watching it while they munched on some home made cookies. All in all it was a fabulous afternoon with a house full of kids VS. the Dad. The only casualty of the afternoon was my school work, but that is what Mondays are for right?

Thanks Jon and Sarah for letting me bond...it was great!

Utah Utes MVP

2008-11-23T16:54:00.006-07:00

I appreciate my Wifey giving me a night to chill out and let the fumes of Saturday's game dissipate a little.

I have to say that I am very glad that the Utes are going to a BCS Bowl game, that only builds the credibility of the Mountain West Conference (in case having 3 teams in the top 25 teams in the Nation didn't help), plus it will bring in more money for our conference. While my Blue Pride wanted BYU to win this game, I am STOKED for the Utes and all their fans...GREAT SEASON!

Now, on to my topic. I would like to put on my hat as the "Sunday Afternoon Coach" and rant about Max Hall's performance on Saturday.

One of Hall's strong points as a quarterback is that he can thread a needle with his passes. He has the ability to hit a six inch hole with defenders on all sides, and complete a pass to Collie or Pitta when he is being chased down by the defense and everyone is covered by at least 2 defenders. I think he is an outstanding QB, and has Professional level talent. Saturday was proof that the Ute defense was on their A game, forcing 5 interceptions and blocking or batting down even more than that.

This is where Mr. Hall went awry...EMOTION. Max is the leader of the team. He is responsible for having a clear head, guiding his team through the peaks and valleys of the game, and calling plays that will instill confidence and build momentum for his Offense.

Hall started out the game in the deficit however. Before the first kickoff, Utes and Cougars met at the center of the field in heated words and a few shoves. Absolutely shocking to me was that Max Hall, the leader and supposed example to the rest of the Cougars was not trying to break things up, but was being pulled out of the fray by his coach! Then as the first half ended (and in my opinion the beginning of the Y's downfall) after Hall threw yet ANOTHER interception, he was charged with a PERSONAL FOUL for shoving a Ute! Way to lead by example.

You can see by Coach Mendanhall's expression here that he to was not amused.

So, to all you Ute fans out there, please no more snide comments on the dismal Cougar performance...I AM WELL AWARE WE LOST. We are bringing back our team next year, and I am hoping that Bronco can help Max learn from this experience that as the leader of a team there is no room for losing your cool. I think we would have seen a much different game (not saying a win, but maybe a better second half performance) had he kept his head and not gotten caught up in the negative emotions and trash talking.

In all fairness, maybe his wife was sick and in the hospital...or someone kidnapped his uncle and told him the only way to see him alive was if he threw the game...there has to be SOME reason. =)

WE'RE GOING HOME!!!

2008-11-21T11:49:00.003-07:00

Chuck's excited for the ride

Still Grateful...and an Update

2008-11-20T11:10:00.005-07:00

Chuck's recovery is taking longer than we had hoped {we're still in the hospital}, but he's doing well. He's kept down some food since the surgery so we are fairly certain at this point that it was a success. He's still vomiting occasionally after a feeding so he had an x-ray taken this morning to see if there is some barium contrast {from his original study for the diagnosis} still in his system from Monday that would interfere with his body functioning properly. At this point we are just being patient {which is what the surgeon suggested} and continuing observation to see if he just needs a little more time to get back to normal.

We are understandably tired and emotionally drained......but so grateful not only for modern medicine, but also for our wonderful support system. We could not ask for a more amazing group of family and friends. We offer a big thanks to all of those keeping us in your thoughts and prayers, those who have fed us, cleaned our house, watched our kids and come to visit us. It's such a relief for me, as a mother, to know that my other children are being loved and well cared for in my absence - it's given me one less thing to worry about.

Chuck's a strong little guy and is going to come through this with flying colors...just as soon as his parents learn what they need to from this experience.

Overwhelming Gratitude

2008-11-19T13:32:00.012-07:00

In our lives we have ups and downs, pains and joys, as well as those lovely "growth promoting" experiences. The birth of our latest bundle of baby goo has brought a remembrance of the important things in life back into focus. The power of God has been evident through the pregnancy, during the labor process, in birth, and now even further in our latest experience. We have been humbled and awed by the power given to us to act in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The power of the priesthood and the love of our Heavenly Father have been made manifest in our home over the last two months with power that I have not seen since my mission days.

A couple of weeks ago our little Chuck decided to start throwing up after he would eat. As time progressed he started losing more and keeping less. Janet got so good at it that she would feed him next to a garbage can and when he would make "the face" or "the sound", she would calmly point him at the can and really cut down on laundry duty! She read a doctor's opinion which said puking was a laundry issue not a health issue for babies, plus she had a friend that told us all of her babies were pukers, and even spoke with her midwife about it. We thought we simply had an Up-Chuck-er...end of story.

On Monday Janet took him in to get weighed at the doctor's office because his puking was so bad we weren't sure if he was getting anything at all. He was obviously losing weight and looked scrawnier than when he was born. I had to sleep in the recliner so he would be sleeping in an upright position and wouldn't choke in the night. Janet had her whole afternoon planned out: she would run by the doctor's office, then go to Wal-Mart, then to Harmons to get produce and some things for dinner and run a few errands as well. She said she would be gone a while...(little did she know!)

Janet ended up going downstairs from the pediatrician's office to have some images done, and then they sent us to the ER to start surgery prep and stabilization. We were told that he had a case of pyloric stenosis, yeah just follow the link... They had to cut open our little 5 week-old baby boy in order to make him feel better. My brother Bryan and I gave him a blessing, and once again the upside down state of my life was righted and I was at peace.

His surgery went well and we were told that his stomach was quite distended and his pylorus muscle was huge for his size. We have been in the hospital for 2 days now waiting for him to recover and his stomach to adjust to taking food again.

We are FILLED with gratitude that we live in a day when this can not only be diagnosed, but also treated. I am humbled that...due to no effort on my part...God has allowed us to live in this day of miracles. My wife and I do not need to sit and watch our little son slowly starve to death and not know why or how to stop it. Then I am reminded of situations like my brother Brad and his amazing wife Jaaga and what they have gone through...and are still struggling with...in the life of their little Amanda.

I am grateful that I not only live in a world of the restored gospel, but that I have a testimony for myself. Our God has a plan for us, grand and also on a very personal and intimate level. He wants us to be successful and the priesthood power is the secret weapon he has given us to use not only against temptations, but also for our trials and as a life-line when in our pains and sorrows.

When life gets too hard to stand...Kneel.

There can be only ONE Number Two!

2008-11-13T18:05:00.008-07:00

We have a very real, and very serious problem to address in our Universe. Tensions have arisen between Dwight Schrute and Darth Vader as to whom should be the supreme Number Two, in their minds there can only be ONE Number Two! They have agreed that the voice of the people should be heard (maybe not heeded, but at least heard). I would like to present our two candidates, and enumerate just a few of the strengths and a distinct weakness of each. I will then give all of you exactly ONE WEEK to put in your thoughts and cast a vote in this historic election. Choose wisely.

Dean is acting as my official Coin tosser to ensure equal representation. Dwight has won the coin toss, and will therefore be outlined first.

DWIGHT KURT SCHRUTE

Dwight is the Assistant to the Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin Inc. Paper Company. He serves Michael Scott in all regards, unless the need arises (as laid out in his chart) for all control to revert to Dwight. He is personally resposible to ensure that no time or company resources at Dunder Mifflin are wasted. This has been especially dificult since there are no other employees alive with the intelect, drive, work ethic, or skills that Dwight posesses. He often finds himself in conflict over issues that are common knowledge (or should be) such as the fact that Brown Bears are best!

Strengths:

Purple belt in karate. (Granted, opponents are in elementary school).
Proficient in Mace deployment.
Paintball gun skills that are worthy of at least $500 for lessons.
Wrestling experience with his cousin Mose.
Possesses a variety of weapons, including Bow Staff, Taser, Brass knuckles, and even nunchaku.
Power of persuasion through use of supreme intellect, rapid-fire fact reciting, cunning, and even intimidation.
Strong Sexual attraction by members....member of the opposite sex.
Business owner, has found opportunity to open "Rustic" bed and breakfast at Dwight Farms.

Major Weakness:

Attacks have NO EFFECT on Jim.

DARTH "SKYWALKER" VADER

Darth Vader is the second in command of The Empire, serving under The Emperor. The Emperor's sole purpose is to bring unity to the Galaxy, and ensure that no one goes hungry or feels like they are inferior to anyone else. The idea of poverty is non-existent under this rule of government. There is no "class system" because everyone is treated equally, every citizen has a job, an education, a place to live, and free health care. Why can't the rebels understand that it is THEIR fault people are dying in this unnecessary war?

Strengths:

Can sense the presence and approach of enemy.
Has the ability to move items, open doors, and even cut off air supply of disrespectful subordinates (Jim would NEVER put Vader's stapler in Jello).
Skills with Light Saber are matched by the number of individuals with....I mean counted... on one hand!
Follows orders so thoroughly, loyalty could not possibly be questioned.
Survivability...Lord Vader is the LAST of his kind.
Has a cool Egg shaped personal chamber...or charging station if you will.
Can make funny faces during tense conflict negotiations...and none would be the wiser!

Major Weakness:

He wears a cape. Everyone knows that is the downfall of EVERY super hero...or villain.

Remember to take your time in this decision, use both the facts listed here in conjunction with your personal knowledge of each candidate.

As a reward for your participation, each vote caster will be entered into a drawing...prize yet to be disclosed.

What exactly does it mean to be a Veteran?

2008-11-11T14:29:00.011-07:00

So, I am sensing a theme here...My wife is always posting cute pictures and Witty one-liners, while I am writing the political and make me feel good about myself posts! Hope you all will stick with me for a minute here, if not then scroll down and look at Chuck scowl at you.

I have had many congratulatory and supportive text messages, phone calls, and emails today for my service in the military. Each time I hear one, it makes me cringe because I did not ever serve in an "active" war zone. After I told the third individual that I am not deserving of any appreciation or recognition, I decided to take a step back and look at things from a different perspective.

My sweet Bride was almost 9 months pregnant with our third baby (including two-one year old babies in tow!) when I got the call that I had been activated to go to Iraq. I was so excited, I couldn't sit still! I was finally getting the opportunity to serve my Country and prove my worth! My Woman on the other hand was drinking nasty Oil and doing jumping jacks to get my son out before I left.

The night before my unit was to fly out, I was given a stand-down order along with 4 other guys from the 142nd MI Battalion. I was heart broken and felt like I was being punished, while Janet and all others in my circle of family and friends were saying prayers of thanksgiving that I would not be going to war.

To this day I don't know why I was called to stay behind, but I am sure that God was the driving force. It took me many years to come to grips with, and I obviously still hold on to it, but I did serve my Country. I gave almost 10 years of my life to serving in the military, and was given the unique responsibility of maintaining the operations from other arenas of the world while my brothers were sent to Iraq.

I am very proud to have been a part of such a noble profession for so many years, and to stand in line with other brave men and women today. Today is a day to celebrate those who have served, Memorial Day is a day to remember those who gave all. So by this definition, yes I am a Veteran.

Thank you, a HUGE and heartfelt thank you goes out to all the men and women through out the world that have made the commitment to keep us safe on our soil. Taking the fight overseas as to spare us the agony of seeing the ugliness of war on our hallowed land.

Pictures {Halloween, etc.}

2008-11-10T23:34:00.004-07:00

This is for Grandma Barton! She's been dying to see some pictures of the kids at Halloween, so here you go. {They were doctors and accident victims. The boys have some pretty awesome gory temporary tattoos.} And there are some other various pictures from the last couple of weeks as well. Enjoy! :O)

Jamie actually fell asleep with a quesadilla against her cheek. I have no idea why she put it there in the first place!Yes, I even bought scrubs for our sweet Jena. I'll let Greg tell you all about this obsession in another post.Don't you love the way Chuck holds on to Greg's hand? Greg just about loses his finger when he tries to pull it out!Chuck's troubled scowlDoesn't Chuck look like he's wondering, "Why the CRAP did you let Jamie hold me!? She's only THREE!"

Mr. President, I SUPPORT YOU

2008-11-05T00:25:00.006-07:00

Today was a marvelous day not only in our Country, but in the World. We live in a time in which we see violence as the solution to problems of all types. We see road rage here in America where a person gets shot for driving too slowly, in Iran a woman gets beaten with a stick for showing her face, in China people are beheaded for producing faulty toys and shaming the country. The list goes on and on with examples of senseless and brutal attacks on humanity. This is why I feel so grateful for the outcome of our elections today.

Don't get me wrong, I am a strong conservative voter and things did NOT go as I would have preferred today. The reason I have such feelings of peace is because the American people are not happy with the leadership of our great Nation, or the direction we are headed. They feel the bite of a rough economy, the look of the diplomatic stance of the US, or seeing the lack of respect certain nations have for us in the international arena, and at the perceived lack of progress in a war-torn region under our guidance. The people from California to New York and everywhere in between took these uncomfortable feelings to the polls today, and in a very orderly and peaceful manner let our leaders know what they think.

The voice of the people has been made known. I may not agree with all of the policies or viewpoints of President-Elect Barack Obama, but he will be my president in a few short months and for that deserves my respect.

I have heard from numerous people tonight about their fear of what is going to happen to this country, and that President-Elect Obama will bring about the ultimate destruction of the United States of America as we know it. I say keep your peace. There are still enough patriotic and God-fearing people in this Country that will not stand for things of this nature to occur. I have been told that our Constitution will hang by a thread, and it will be the voice and power of good moral men (and women) that will save it.

The United State Constitution is an inspired document which was written, as I believe, under the direct influence of our Creator and Father in Heaven. He saw our day, He knew the challenges we would face, and He also knew that just as a child who has not been taught proper respect or boundaries the people of this Nation would rebel. Our day of humility is to come, but it does not mean that our day of extinction or destruction is coming in the next four years. The Spirit will stir in the hearts of good men who will be ready and willing to stand and defend the virtues and values to be found in our wonderful constitution.

Take heart, God still loves us even if there are a good number of people in our government who have low moral character. I do not in any way equate the supporters of President-Elect Obama as evil or sending our country down the drain. In fact, I know of many good-hearted, moral, patriotic people that voted for Barack Obama in good conscience.

I love this Nation, and would still choose to live under Her protection even in the rough times over a country in which I was not free. God has blessed us today with peaceful elections and in a few months we will witness a smooth transition of power. In January President George W. Bush will get on a helicopter and leave the White House and President Barrack Obama will take over. We will not see tanks in the streets, there will be no violent clashes with police, and there will be no hostile take-over or political executions to mark the beginning of a new "regime".

I thank the brave soldiers of this and previous generations that made today possible.

Its the way I roll!

2008-10-30T12:13:00.002-06:00

I am not going to lie, I am the luckiest guy on earth! Look at my beautiful family! I was given the opportunity to marry once of Gods most special creations and I have 5 amazing kids and one more that isnt really anymore than a ball of baby goo that seems to always be attached to my wife.

I am in the process of getting a Masters Degree, The Big Man Upstairs has allowed me to be born in this time and place to learn what I need to in this life. I am surrounded by great people including friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and my Taiwanese Dog! So, why did I translate this into wingdings? For FUN! The first person to reply to this post and tell me what we call the little ball of baby flesh, will get a nice warm batch of Peanut Butter Bars from methat is unless you live outside of the St. George area, then they wont be so warm.
Good luck!

Name Game

2008-10-27T00:37:00.002-06:00

I got this from Hayley's blog and I couldn't resist passing it on. As she said, reading through it will make you want to do it too. :O)

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car): Tobi Odyssey
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Peppermint Comfy
3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Green Dog
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born): Palmer Salt Lake
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first three letters of your last name, first two of your first name): Barja
6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink): Pink Orange Soda
7. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers): Miles Jay
8. STRIPPER NAME ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Be Delicious Fishies
9. WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your fifth grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Lundell Louisville
10. SPY NAME (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Autumn Daisy
11. CARTOON NAME (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now): Apple Bottoms
12. HIPPIE NAME (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Chocolate Aspen

I'm going to make this into a tag since I always feel so sad that no one ever tags me. {My sad little blog hasn't even been tagged once!} :O(

I'm tagging Parch, Sarah, Danielle, Julie, Nikki, Jen and anyone else who reads my blog religiously but doesn't comment so I don't know about it. :O)

Pumpkin Cookies

2008-10-27T00:11:00.005-06:00

Greg is such a good Daddy that he makes sugar cookies. I know, that's typically a woman thing but I really suck at cooking {pretty much anything - that includes baking} and more importantly, I really don't enjoy doing it. So Greg made cookies for the kids to decorate. He even remembered to make them wait {although Anthony did sneak one bite first} until he could get pictures so I could blog about it. He's so thoughtful!Greg's vampireChuck doesn't want a cookie :O(HannahJamieHaileyAnthonyC.J.

Halloween Party

2008-10-26T19:38:00.004-06:00

Greg and I went to a Halloween party that was thrown by the Jacobs who live up the street from us. I went as a nurse and Greg went as an accident victim. My little Chuck went as the cutest doctor in his own little scrubs. {Thanks Sarah!}Before he ateAfter he ate :O)Word to yo mutha!

Pictures from the Week

2008-10-26T18:10:00.010-06:00

I know you all want to see lots of pictures of Chuck and I'm happy to oblige.

I had to show you this one of Chuck in my ring sling because you can see his dimple so well. He loves having his hands by his face too.
This is my favorite one of him in my sling. {Well, technically my friend Dy's sling, but I'm totally buying my own. I don't know how I survived my other kids without one of these!}
I think we may have another thumb sucker. It's hard to see in this picture but he's hanging on to his thumb for dear life!
Don't I just look fabulous!? {And totally two weeks postpartum}
Ater a bath in his elephant towel that he got from my aunt Susan.
Sleeping babies are so cute!

Chuck's Birth Story and Pictures

2008-10-20T20:28:00.010-06:00

*****WARNING*****

DON'T READ THIS UNLESS YOU WANT A LENGTHY, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF MY BIRTH. I'M NOT SURE WHAT WILL BE OFFENSIVE TO PEOPLE SINCE I DON'T OFFEND EASILY. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. :o)
{THERE ARE NO GRAPHIC PICTURES}

**This story is meant for me to keep rather than being focused on telling someone else the story so bear that in mind as you read**

Chuck Jonah Barton’s Birth Story
By his Mommy

It’s hard to know where to start, but seeing how he’s now going on three days old, I need to get it written before I forget details due to lack of sleep. (Okay, I technically didn’t finish the story until he was 10 days old.) I had been experiencing labor every night for about five nights before “true” labor started. I would have irregular contractions that would keep me awake most of the evening and through the night. Monday night (the 6th) I was sure the contractions were not going to stop and I would have him soon, but I still woke up pregnant. I was “due” on the 1st but was not anxious at all about being done with my pregnancy. I endured all the discomforts of a term pregnancy with a smile because I knew he was to be my last and knew I would miss the feeling of carrying another life inside me.

Wednesday night (the 8th) I slept fairly well until I was waking up with contractions around 4:00 am. I noticed that these seemed to come more frequently than previous nights, though I was dozing off between them. I began watching the clock since I wasn’t getting much sleep anyway and noticed that they were almost exactly 10 minutes apart. They had never been that regular but I tried not to get too excited. Around 6:00 am I felt like getting in the shower so I woke Greg up and had him shave my legs, figuring today was to be the “birth day.”

I made a few phone calls around 7:30 or 8:00 am to let people know I thought today would be the day, but not to come over yet. As Greg got the kids off to school I told them someone would come pick them up if the baby was coming while they were gone. Greg worked on cleaning and assembling my birth pool as I labored in the bedroom, listening to some upbeat music. My contractions were anywhere from 7-12 minutes apart. I’m not sure what time I called people to start coming over, but I think Jaylyn got here first and Laura and Dy got here about 10:30 am. Josh, the videographer, arrived some time before Deb (my photographer) and Sarah got here around noon. I had a videographer there because I, along with two partners, am producing a series of educational birth videos, one of which is to be on homebirth after cesarean (HBAC). We are also in the process of producing a video on out-of-hospital birth transfer procedures.

The whole labor is already somewhat of a blur because I purposely had the clocks covered up to allow myself to labor unencumbered by the pressure of time. I labored some in the bedroom, leaning over the end of the bed during contractions and sometimes walked around the house between contractions. I sat on my birth ball often and rocked back and forth, working through the back pain I was sure indicated my baby was posterior by having someone (usually Greg or Dy) provide counter pressure or doing a double hip squeeze.

I felt like going for a walk a little while after Dy and Laura arrived. It was nice to be out in the fresh air and Greg was either still finishing up the birth pool setup or had begun making lunch. Once we got back from the walk I was bored so we got Settlers down from the game closet. We never did even assemble the board, but it was a nice thought to keep myself entertained between contractions. As I sat on my birth ball in the front room talking to everyone, Jamie brought my brush out and brushed my hair for me. It was sweet to see her working so hard to keep me relaxed and comfortable. Greg made a delicious lunch of chicken and baked potatoes while my contractions continued. I felt like what they lacked in frequency they made up for in intensity. I may go 10-12 minutes without a contraction, but when it came it was like a true active labor contraction.

I didn’t want to get in the tub too early and slow my labor down or get sick of it because I had been in too long so I waited until I felt like I truly needed it, which I think was after lunch. Right before I got in the tub for the first time, Jaylyn sang to me. She sang “Lullaby” by the Dixie Chicks and I cried through the whole song, thinking about my sweet baby and how excited I was to meet him. She sang to me twice more during my labor; once with a song called “Breath of Heaven” by Amy Grant and the other was a song with the lyrics “I Will Love You.” I cried each time her beautiful voice helped me through contractions.

I was in and out of the tub for the rest of the afternoon and evening. When I was in the tub Anthony and Jamie were usually close by. C.J. would also frequently come close to me during contractions, putting his hand gently on my arm, sometimes rubbing very softly. Sometime in the afternoon he wanted to go to his friend T.J.’s house, but he was ready to come home around 6:30 pm. Anthony liked pouring water on me with a cup, but I think he got as much on himself as he did on me! Jamie was so vigilant throughout my long labor. She used a cup to pour water over my back during and between contractions, tickled my shoulder and talked to me. She must have realized she was on camera though because she had three different wardrobe changes and even had three different hairstyles (down, ponytail, braid and back to down).

My sweet husband could not have been more amazing. He lovingly supported me through nearly every contraction I had, often running to my side as one began. At one point I asked him when he ate last and he told me he could eat later because he did not want to leave me. When we talked about my labor late in my pregnancy, he had been concerned that we had not put in enough time “practicing” for the birth as we had with Anthony and Jamie and especially C.J. He was worried he would not be able to support me the way I needed. He could not have been more wrong; taking care of me comes naturally to him.

In the late afternoon, maybe around 2:30 or 3:00 pm I wanted to have a vaginal examination. I was simply curious about my progress, not anxious or nervous that there was something wrong. This showed that I was about 6 cm dilated and only 50% effaced. When Laura and I talked about the lack of effacement, she encouraged me that my cervix was very soft and stretchy even though it was not thin. Although I was wishing I had been closer to delivery, I was not discouraged by the information.

Hannah and Hailey got home from school around 4:15 pm, which was late. They should have been home by 3:45 pm. I had been asking what time it was because I knew they should have been home. I sent Jaylyn to find them and luckily they had just gone to a friend’s house after school. They seemed a bit overwhelmed by everyone in the house and the fact that I was actually using the birth tub that had been sitting in my front room for the past two weeks. I do remember helping Hannah with her math homework and checking both of their papers when they were done. One of them would often come out after I had been making a lot of noise during a contraction only to go back into whatever room they were in and announce to the other, “She’s not having the baby yet” or “No baby yet.” They didn’t seem too excited about the wait.

My photographer, Deb, had to leave to do a photo shoot around 6:00 pm so she taught Sarah how to use her camera and she got some great shots as I continued laboring. At this point I was definitely in active labor with my contractions closer together and becoming stronger. I changed positions frequently, laboring on hands and knees and squatting as much as possible to encourage the baby to turn anterior. I used the bathroom often but had very hard contractions on the toilet, probably due to the simulated squatting position.

I remember having a hard time with my contractions and feeling like I could not do it anymore when it was still light outside. My support team encouraged me that that meant I was almost done, but they said the same thing when it was dark outside. I was VERY frustrated at this point, telling them they had said the same thing when it was still light! I believe Laura had checked me again later in the evening (maybe around 8:00 or 8:30 pm?) and I was around 8 cm dilated; I do not remember if I was completely effaced. She suggested that Greg and I labor alone for a while since my house was bustling with people and activity.

We labored in the bed for a short time before I felt like getting in the shower. I definitely hit transition at this point. I think I needed to be alone with Greg to really let go and “lose it.” He got in the shower with me as I cried about not wanting to go on, feeling frustrated about how long it was taking and that I could not enjoy labor as some women did. I had hoped this time would be different, but the back pain I had was more than I thought I could bear. After I got out of the shower I got in the tub again and my contractions spaced out so much (probably every 10 or 15 minutes) that I was dozing off between them. This had to have been after 9:30 pm. I was enjoying the break between contractions and was simply riding them out rather than working with them directly. I remember thinking at this point that I just wanted to get on my back, push with all my might and have this baby. I even tried pushing through some contractions to see if it felt better or if I could get my water to break on its own, hopefully speeding things up.

After I’d been in the tub for a while, laboring with just Greg, I think Laura checked me again in my room and suggested that it was time to try and have the baby. I don’t remember her telling me how far dilated I was at the time, but I think I had just a lip of cervix left. She suggested we go in the front room where we had set up a birth area by the pool and not let anyone come in until the baby was coming. I started pushing with my contractions even though I didn’t feel like it. It hurt in my back and definitely did not feel right to push. I started losing more blood than Laura was comfortable with, especially considering the fact that I had passed a clot and was continuing to lose more. The baby’s heart rate had been consistently 155 even during hard contractions, but as I began pushing it dropped to around 120. Although this is not an alarming heart rate, it certainly was not normal for him.

I’m not sure when everyone came in the room, but all of a sudden it was full of people. I don’t know how long I pushed, maybe 15 or 20 minutes (during which my water broke spontaneously), before we had Josh turn the camera off so we could discuss what to do. Laura explained that I was losing blood and that the baby’s heart rate was lower. She also later told me that while I pushed my cervix swelled and actually closed to about 7 cm. Someone suggested calling Liz, but we didn’t think there was anything she could do. Sarah asked if Greg had given me a blessing. Josh anointed my head with oil and Greg gave me an amazing priesthood blessing. He blessed me with peace about the birth, however the baby needed to be born. He reminded me that Anthony and Jamie are here because of modern medicine and that sometimes things don’t work out the way we would like them to. He commanded me, in the name of Jesus Christ, to have peace about the birth and to make the right decision. (At least that’s how I remember it going.) As soon as he was done with the blessing I knew we needed to transfer to the hospital. I didn’t know why but I knew it was right. I was truly at peace with whatever would happen there. I was not sure I would have another c-section and was sad to think about the recovery I would experience while trying to take care of my kids, but I knew it would be okay if I did need one.

I said, “Let’s go in” and Greg again suggested maybe calling Liz, trying to give me an out, but I knew it was time to go. Did I mention I’m producing a video on out-of-hospital birth transfer procedures? I swear I did not do this on purpose! As we got ready to leave I told everyone that if the baby was okay I wanted an epidural. Having experienced an “emergency” c-section already when there was NO emergency, I wanted it to be very clear that I was NOT going to have another surgery under general anesthesia unnecessarily. I even grabbed Dy by the shoulders and said, “Dy – I want an epidural!”

We loaded into the van (at about 10: 45 pm), Greg driving, Josh crammed in the deep back with the camera rolling and Dy next to me in the middle seat so she could check heart tones all the way there. (His heart rate never went down, even during hard contractions.) Greg drove quickly and the bumpy ride was not fun, especially during contractions. At one point Greg called police dispatch to inform them that he would not be pulling over if a police officer drove up behind him. He gave them our vehicle description and license plate number. They must have told him to obey all the traffic laws because as he hung up his phone and threw it on the seat he said, “Obey this!”

We arrived at the hospital within 8-10 minutes of leaving my house and a police officer pulled in right behind us. Greg showed him his driver license as we all got out of the van and headed inside. I had a contraction just outside the doors as Greg went inside to get some help. Laura told me that the nurse on shift knew me so I asked if it was Pearl. She said she didn’t know but she was excited to see me. When we got to the doors and I got in the wheelchair, Pearl said, “Janet – What the hell!?” It did not seem that she was asking what the hell I was thinking, but rather what I was doing there again in a similar situation. (Pearl had been one of the nurses on shift when I transferred to the hospital with Anthony and Jamie.) We laughed and joked about the situation as they wheeled me into the room. I told Pearl that I wanted an epidural, hoping she understood what I meant and that I was not exactly begging for medication. On the way to the hospital I did not feel that I would need a c-section, but figured that if I could get the epidural, I could push him out since I would not feel the excruciating back pain anymore that I felt was holding me back from pushing.

I got into the room and had one contraction in the wheelchair before getting on the bed. I had another contraction as the nurses assembled things and tried to put a gown on me. I remember asking, “Why do I have to have that on?” as Laura pulled it off me. My third contraction started as one nurse (Kristen) was finishing inserting my IV. I held my breath and grunted a little with that contraction and I could hear Dy whispering in my ear, “Janet, are you pushing?” I told her I didn’t know and she asked me again, trying to get me to admit that I was pushing and that my body was in fact doing it. I finally said, “I guess.” I think I remember her telling me that I could push the baby out and offering other verbal encouragement. I still wasn’t sure I could do it because the pain in my back was still so intense that I didn’t think I could do it even if my body felt like it.

Pearl wanted to check me and although I didn’t want her to, I just said “Hurry Pearl. It hurts like a bitch!” As she checked me she asked if I felt like pushing through the contractions. I told her I wasn’t sure because of the pain in my back. She said, “On the next contraction pull back on your legs and push with all you’ve got and let’s see if we can’t just have the baby.” As I began pushing with the next contraction I could actually feel the pain in my back moving down slightly, which was encouraging to me because it definitely felt like progress this time. I pushed until I could feel the intense stretching from his head and reminded myself as I felt his face coming out to ease up so I wouldn’t tear. After I had his head out Pearl reminded me to push again for his shoulders as she guided him out with her hands. As soon as he was born I was asking for her to put him on me so I could hold him. Seconds later Dr. Ott walked in and unfortunately immediately clamped and cut the umbilical cord. This may not have been such a big deal though since I delivered the placenta so quickly.

I looked at my sweet boy for the first time, amazed that I had actually birthed him vaginally. We were allowed ample time to bond while I delivered my placenta and Dr. Ott checked my perineum and surgery scar. Since I had come in with bleeding he wanted to make sure my scar was intact and luckily there were no problems. I did not even tear! I know that the priesthood power and my faith in Jesus Christ made it possible for me to give birth the way I did. I am fairly certain that the ride to the hospital helped with his positioning with all the turning, bouncing and moving in and out of the van. There truly are no accidents.

My chubby kid, born at 11:08 pm, weighed in at 9 lbs 13 oz and measured 21 ¼ inches. He had a 14.6 inch head. And although the (apparently ill-trained) baby nurse gave him Apgar scores of 3 and 8, he was perfect in every way. The doctor had said I could leave after 2 hours, but we left the hospital just shy of 4 hours after his birth and it only took that long because I waited around for a RhoGam shot (he’s A+) to save me a trip to the doctor’s office.

I am so happy with my birth experience even though I did not get to push him out here at home and climb into my bed right afterwards. I do not feel any regret or grief over his birth and feel completely empowered by the experience. I was the one calling the shots. And I gave birth vaginally after a c-section! I DID IT!!!

Jamie brushing my hair between contractions
Mommy's little helpers

My boys helping with the water temperature
Helping Hannah with math homework between active labor contractions
The best labor companion in the world

My midwife, Laura, and doula, Dy
The amazing nurse, Pearl, who caught Chuck. She's been there for all of my births except C.J. {I was in American Fork with him}

A Rose by Any Other Name...

2008-10-20T01:44:00.004-06:00

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - Shakespeare

My point: he's still the cutest baby ever made, even if we did decide to change his name.

Greg and I were both struggling with calling our new little son the right name. When someone asked Greg our son's name, it took him about 5-10 seconds to remember. And we have both called him Gavin (my nephew's name). Hailey kept calling him Noah. The name Jonah just didn't fit. Greg and I threw around a few names on Thursday and prayed about it a whole bunch. We didn't come up with anything until Friday afternoon when Greg came home from work and said, "Look at those eyes and tell me he's not a CHUCK." I must admit that at first I was not too excited about the name even though the spirit told me it was right. It's growing on me and I'm pleased to announce the NEW name of our 6th child: Chuck Jonah Barton.

Here are some random pictures from the past 10 days. Unfortunately for him he's number 6 so there will never be as many pictures as there were with the first. Good thing he's a boy because he won't care as much.

Too bad we didn't win. :O(
We're not using a pacifer so Greg has agreed to be the substitute.

Jonah's Announcement

2008-10-13T13:30:00.006-06:00

My hubby has done such a good job of keeping everyone updated that it took the blogging pressure off of me for a while. :O) {Thanks!}

So here is the announcement that my wonderful photographer {already plugged in a previous post, but she's SO amazing she deserves another one!} put together for me. The picture was taken about 30 minutes after he was born. I will post more pictures when I get them uploaded to my computer.

The story is coming - I'm still working on the long version to keep for myself and when I have that done I'll put some details on here...or maybe just a link to the full version. Anyone have a preference?

What Jamie wants....isn't always what she gets!

2008-10-11T21:23:00.005-06:00

OK, so I don't know how many of you are familiar with my little Angel Jamie. When she was a baby, I wanted to throw her through a window because she was a screamer! I don't mean like not happy screaming, I mean like Jurassic Park soundtrack-worthy screamer... Luckily she survived those years, so that she could be so helpful on Thursday with my Wife.

Janet was fortunate enough to do most all of her laboring at home, so Jamie was able to be right there by her side, ALL DAY LONG! When Janet was laboring on the bed, Jamie would rub her feet or tickle her leg. When Janet was in the birth pool, Jamie would pour water on her back with a little green cup. When Janet was leaned forward, Jamie would tickle her shoulders or brush her hair. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

So Friday morning when Hailey, Hannah, C.J., Anthony, and Jamie were meeting their new little brother Jonah they were great. Hailey would comment on how tiny his ears were, C.J. would laugh at his sneeze, Hannah gave a play-by-play on the amount of eyeball which was visible at any given time, and Anthony just starred. Jamie was the last one to come in, and Janet asked if she wanted to come meet her little Brother (a boy) Jonah. She came over to the bed, and with those big eyes (see attached photo for example of said expression) and quietly said "But I wanted a girl..."

After much discussion, and mommying however, Jamie has decided that a little brother will do just fine!

Cleatus the NOT fetus

2008-10-10T13:01:00.004-06:00

At 11:08 last night (10/09/08) my beautiful Wifey brought Jonah Kay Barton from one life into another! While I was there, and yes I did pay attention Jon, I am choosing not to share anything but the briefest of details here. As much as Janet has talked about how amazing her experience was, I will give her the opportunity to explain it later.

I also don't have any pictures to put up, but we all know we aren't missing anything...newborns are not all that cute to look at. The basics: 9 lbs 13 oz, 21 1/4 inches, 10 toes, 10 fingers, one head (with all normal and working parts minus teeth), I would mention the arms and legs, but seeing as how I already mentioned the digitals at the end of each...that seems redundant.

Mom and baby are doing great, but for some reason I am more tired than them both...How does this happen?

Janet will get on and probably post her story with some pictures from Funny Face Photography. Deb was amazing, if anyone is in need of a photographer she has a gift for seeing and framing the most amazing shots.

You know what to do...

2008-10-09T08:36:00.001-06:00

Attention all Janet Groupies...you know who you are...

LIGHT 'EM UP!

I am DOOMED!

2008-10-07T10:39:00.005-06:00

So, to get our minds off of the fact that Cleatus has a very real possibility of coming out looking like a California Raisin (purple and shrivelled), I have decided to tell a story about my adorable children.

I have created a family of monsters, and just as when I am doing something stupid and end up getting hurt...I have no one to blame but myself. At the moment, I have a house full of sarcastic and sassy kids that will eventually grow into sarcastic and sassy teenagers.

Example you say? Ok, here is but one of the myriad of examples of what I mean. This last weekend, I was helping C.J. sound out scaredy cat. He finally read it out loud in a bit of a questioning tone. I looked at him and said "You're a scaredy cat" to which my 3 year old Jamie promptly replied with "I got your scaredy cat right here".

Of course I thought that was so funny that I called Janet to tell her. Once I hung up Jamie asked me who was on the phone. I said "your mom". To my dismay, she shot back with "your mom"...I said "No it really was your mom"...only to hear "it really is your mom" in response...

I am doomed! and I have no one to blame by myself...(resigned sigh of despair)

Still going...

2008-10-06T21:05:00.002-06:00

I don't have any new pictures to post since I usually take those on Wenesdays, but I wanted to let all inquiring minds know that yes, I'm still pregnant. I'm going on six days "overdue" (yeah...like this baby's got a CALENDAR in there!) and I've even beat my personal record since C.J. was born at 2:08 pm on the 5th day past his due date. Yay for a new record!

I'm doing great. I'm still loving being pregnant and although I'm anxious to enjoy my baby and revel in the fun newborn sounds, nursing, and cuddling, I'm still not anxious to be done with pregnancy.

Greg, on the other hand, is getting really impatient. :O) He calls from work multiple times a day to see if anything is happening. He's also dragged me on a walk for the past three or four nights, constantly offering nipple stimulation when he's around me. :O) He has admitted that part of it is that he's ready for the time off work. (Don't tell Jon!) I'm just content to let this baby come when it's ready, whenever that is.

I'll try to post as soon as I can after the birth because I know you're all waiting anxiously to hear the news. Thanks for thinking of us - keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we approach this wonderful birth.

Happy Due Date to Me!

2008-10-02T09:19:00.013-06:00

Well, technically it was yesterday, but I had a pretty busy day so I couldn't get to this post until now. I went and got a massage {thanks Mom for watching the kids!} and did a video shoot. {I know you're jealous!} I'm producing this video as a joint venture with my sister and a guy that actually has production experience and knows what the crap he's doing. :O) I can't release all the details now, but when the project is complete and ready for roll out, you'll be the first to know.

Here are my 40-week pictures. I know the ticker at the right says I'm 38 weeks, but that's because I set it for 42 weeks since I usually gestate longer and I get tired of people asking, "You haven't had that baby yet!?" Not that this really stops people from asking though.

Here I am in front of my birth pool {where I will preferably be birthing this little one.} I thought it would be fun to get pictures in the clothes I wore for many of my pregnant pics. They certinaly don't fit like they used to!

I'm feeling really great and am having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that these are literally the last few days I will be pregnant for the rest of my life. This being my last pregnancy, I am cherishing these moments with this little one still inside. It's truly amazing what our bodies are capable of and it is definitely worth the minor discomforts of pregnancy to be such an incredible vessel.

And by the way, isn't my husband the best!? He goes through the pregnancy as much as I do {albeit in a different way} and has been a really great support. He's rubbed my feet, cooked me dinner, bathed the kids {he normally does that, but it's extra hard when my belly is so big}, let me have innumerable naps, let me cry on his shoulder when I'm feeling extra emotional, and helped around the house. And he even blogs publicly about how great I am, throwing his wonderful sense of humor in during the process.

I'm excited to see him become a new dad again because even though he doesn't love the newborn stage, he's so cute with our babies. I'm excited to see him swaddle our baby so tight that you couldn't get in with a crowbar. I can't wait to see the expression of true joy when he gets that first smile or the look of adoration as he watches me feed our little one. I love him more than words can say. {Please try to overlook the obvious corniness.} :O)

See what a cute Daddy he is!?

We all love you!

Maybe It's In HERE!!!

2008-09-30T07:57:00.007-06:00

Ok, so I have a theory on why there is no baby here yet...MAYBE I AM THE PREGNANT ONE! Let's look at the facts here people...on second thought lets leave facts out of this, what have they ever done for us any way. Maybe my wife just has a VERY strong affinity for carmel apples! There is the possibility that she just can't get enough of my cooking, and always wants more! I am the miserable one here, the stretch marks, the back pains, the mood swings, the strange cravings...I just don't know what is going on with my body these days!

Hear anything honey? THERE IT WAS! Did you feel it kick you?

What? That was just gas? You mean...It is ME that is just fat?
"DADDY!!!!" The kids all yell in exacerbated frustration at my foolishness.

I suppose you are right, I have no superpowers like my wonderful wife. I am sure my wife is excited to give birth to our 6th child...and raise all 7 of us. My wife is so amazing. She has a 40 pound bag of water and baby parts strapped to her, and she still has time to love me, take care of our kids, do her transcription AND Gagina classes, keep the house clean, and she even finds time in there somewhere to sleep!

I love you Wifey!

No Baby Yet

2008-09-25T20:33:00.006-06:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't had my baby yet. I'm not really feeling anxious about being done either. I'm just waiting until this baby is ready to come on its own and I'm actually enjoying this last bit of pregnancy. I really like being pregnant and I know I'm going to miss it so I'm trying not to take it for granted. Here are some pictures from the last few weeks. I'll let you know as soon as the baby comes (well, as soon as I'm feeling up to it!) :O)

37 weeks

38 weeks

My beautiful henna tattoo. Once the henna peeled off it turned a light brown color (much lighter than this) and will stay on for 2-3 weeks. It's fun to feel like my belly is beautiful right now and this only cost me $20! It took about 15-20 minutes - she is an AMAZING artist. Let me know if you want her number...it's a fun way to celebrate your pregnancy. :O)

39 weeks and holding

2008-09-11T17:57:00.011-06:00

So, today marks the seven year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our country. I have been going back and forth on whether I should post my thoughts in such a public forum. I have decided that there is no better way to honor those who lost their lives than to allow them to reach through the years and touch our lives today.

Today has brought back memories of what I was doing that morning, as I am sure it has to you as well. I was serving in military intelligence at that time, and I was like everyone else - I watched this whole thing unfold live on CNN. After the first crash we were not put on alert simply because no one knew for sure what was going on. But 15 minutes before the second plane hit the towers, we were placed on full alert. We all watched with bated breath as the second tower was hit, followed by feelings of horror mixed with rage.

I have deep feelings of respect for the people of our country as I think back on how such a thing brought us together so quickly. However, it has been heart wrenching to see such stark lines drawn in the sand over the past seven years. To hear political posturing and the leaders of our great nation speaking of our actions overseas as if we were a country of tyranny brings a spirit of sadness and foreboding for the future.

I am proud of our troops and the sacrifices they are willing to make in order to keep our land free of other such incidents. I am POSITIVE that we have no idea how many plots have been found out, and subsequently spoiled before they ever reached our soil. I thank God on a daily basis for the relative peace we have enjoyed in our homes. Thank you for allowing me a medium to express my feelings regarding this somber day.

GOD BLESS THE USA!

Arachnophobia

2008-09-09T20:52:00.006-06:00

Last week while Greg was up in Salt Lake for his monthly enrollment counselor meeting, Anthony told me there was a spider on the Love Sac. I hoped it was dead, but no...sadly it was VERY alive. It was about the size of a nickel {the pictures don't do it justice} and was crawling toward the edge. I knew I had to take care of it, but I'm not terribly fond of spiders. I don't necessarily have a phobia of spiders - they just creep me out. I wanted to take some pictures before I killed it so I could have some proof that I actually took care of it by myself {C.J. wasn't home to rescue me} :O( and when I started taking pictures of it, it moved even faster so I quickly {and bravely I might add} smashed it/picked it up with my two paper towels and hurried to throw it in the garbage. Eeewww.

This is as it's crawling away from me. Apprently it didn't like the flash!

Funny Video

2008-09-07T20:49:00.001-06:00

I found this on Rachelle's blog and Greg and I laughed so hard that he requested I add it to our blog. Enjoy!

Skirt and Shirt Giveaway

2008-09-03T22:15:00.003-06:00

Go here to create a link and be entered to win this fabulous Grosgrain: Table Cloth Skirt and Dinner Party Top

Wouldn't this look SO cute on Jamie?

Hangin with the Homies

2008-09-01T12:37:00.004-06:00

'Nuff said. Peace out.

Preggo Pics

2008-08-30T18:45:00.005-06:00

Since I don't have the software to make those cool collages, I finally figured out how to post a slideshow of my belly pics so here it is. This will catch everyone up from my 23-week pictures.

I know, I know - I'm HUGE! Strangers tell me all the time with stupid comments like, "Any day now, huh?" "Wow! You're REALLY pregnant!" and "You look like you're ready to pop!" People really should think before they speak.

Pawden Jox

2008-08-27T08:41:00.018-06:00

I discovered again this morning that my children evidently watch entirely too many movies. Luckily we do not have satellite service in the house anymore so I don't have to worry about what exactly they're watching, but we watch our fair share of movies.

I need to include the disclaimer that this may not be as funny when it's typed because it was what I HEARD Anthony say that made it so funny. I'll do my best to recreate this moment though.

My sweet 3-year-old Anthony came in from watching the girls go to school this morning and said in his most serious and surprised tone, "Mom! There's pawden jox outside!" I was completely confused by this statement and all I could come up with was "What?" So he repeated himself, emphasizing it this time: "There's pawden jox outside!" Still perplexed, I heard C.J. pipe up from the kitchen to correct his brother. "They're not pollen jocks Anthony. They're bees."

Thanks Bee Movie. Now my kid doesn't even know what a bee is.

Going backwards...that's how I roll!

2008-08-23T21:55:00.022-06:00

So, it's the jolly fat man at the keyboard once again. It has been a while since the unmasked crusader has been on. I was looking through the plethora of available photos to comment on, and realized I had never talked about our kids' first time on the back of a horse! We met our good friends Jeff and Vickie from Las Vegas up at Pine Valley for a break from the heat. They brought up their three horses and our kids loved it!

This is Ninja C.J. on Lady with Vickie

Here is Hailey with Jeff on...some other horse (give me a break, that was two months ago! I can't even remember what I had for dinner yesterday!)

"Look Mom! I'm so cute they let me go by myself!"

Hannah's turn with Jeff. It is fun to see the differences between Hannah and Hailey when it comes to adventure! Hannah was ready to take off without Jeff on a full gallop, while Hailey was ok with a leisurely stroll down the driveway and back.

So here is our little cowboy...I couldn't decide between the horse picture, or this one in Jeff's hat Then in hit me. I AM IN CONTROL! Both it is.

GIDDYAP!!!

Here is Pregasaurus. She had to stand on this huge rock just to get on the horse. We almost had to give Vickie a horse tranquilizer just to relax enough about Janet to let her even get on one.

The Wife had fun, but was severely disappointed when her ride ended up being as long as Hailey's! Down and back, nothing extravagant, but she still got to ride. Doesn't she look like a natural?

So, the common theme I am sure you all noticed...Yes, I do NOT ride horses. I was getting FREAKED out every time the butt of a horse was aimed at me...I just knew they were going to kick me in the head. I was sitting in a chair, and one of the horses turned her back towards me and I thought for sure I had earned myself a horseshoe shaped face. Luckily I am a wimp for no good reason at all.

Baby Countdown

2008-08-01T00:18:00.003-06:00

At the request of a friend, I decided I would finally give in and put up a baby ticker. But I really didn't like the ones where the baby is floating in the fluid - they kind of creep me out. So I looked online for something different and found this one here. You can change the background color to blue, pink, green or a yellow-gold. There are other types of badges too, but I liked this one the best. Now you can all keep tabs on how much longer we'll have to wait for this little one to arrive. :O) Happy waiting...I know I'll be enjoying the next 10-11 weeks!

3 Things

2008-07-23T13:32:00.002-06:00

The rules are as follows: list 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions, and 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Here goes...

Joys

1. Family
2. Childbirth (experiencing it myself as well as helping others)
3. Singing

Fears

1. Grasshoppers (weird, I know - let me know if you want the full story)
2. Not being a good mom
3. Losing one of my children

Goals

1. Learn Chinese
2. Become a midwife
3. Serve a mission with Greg

Current Obsessions

1. The Twilight series
2. Blogging (mostly reading others lately)
3. Air conditioning :O)

Random Surprising Facts

1. I've never been to Disneyland
2. I've delivered someone else's baby
3. I'm a member of MENSA

I'm tagging people that read my blog and have a blog of their own. Have fun!

Kind of a tag

2008-07-16T20:45:00.004-06:00

Okay, so it's a lame excuse for a post since it's copy and paste, but I wanted to let everyone know I am, in fact, alive. :O) We're headed to my dad's extended family reunion at Duck Creek this weekend so hopefully I'll remember to take some fun pictures and actually take the time to post them when I get back. No promises though!

I saw this on Sarah's blog and thought it would be fun to see what kind of memories you guys come up with. It can be a memory of Greg or me individually or even both of us together. I can't wait to see what y'all remember about us.

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

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

2008-07-09T19:51:00.004-06:00

So, it's me again.

I have yet another disclaimer. I don't know how to get the pictures from the camera to the computer...so you will notice this is a picture from two years ago. If Janet doesn't already have it on the computer...it won't be on the blog.

I wanted to get on and plug in my two cents about the 4th. Janet's Grandpa died last week, so we threw the kids in the van and traveled up to the cold country for a weekend of ups and downs. We spent Thursday morning at the funeral, followed by a trip to a Veterans Cemetery. This was a great experience for me to teach my kids about the brave men and women who have died to keep us free. I teared up a few times as the Color Guard played taps, fired the 21 gun salute, and folded the flag. I took C.J. aside, and explained to him what they were doing every step of the way.

We took the opportunity to stay at Brad and Jagaa's house this weekend. The kids had an absolute BLAST playing with cousins their own age. Little Abby chased C.J. around all weekend, copying everything he did. Amanda was the group mother. She got up and cooked pancakes and eggs for everyone, and even cleaned up the mess afterwards.

When it was time for the fireworks, we congregated at the Mom and Dad's place for a Bar-B-Q and then went to Micks house for the fireworks show. I was sure to wear closed toe shoes this year, because I was a monkey's uncle a couple of years ago and got a hot firework spark stuck between my toes!

Dave made the comment that it was quite a joy having someone with ADLAK (Attention Deficit... Look A Kitty) lighting the fireworks. I couldn't sit still, so I had 3 or 4 screamers going at the same time. We even got the neighbors out to watch our masterful production.

The weather was absolutely AMAZING! We left the 110 degree heat of the desert to enjoy a nice cloud cover and a breezy 85 degree evening.

Ever wonder?

2008-07-08T09:00:00.005-06:00

DISCLAIMER: This is not a picture of me in a Spidey Costume...

So as I check in with my sister and all other diligent bloggers, I realize that waiting for a pregnant mother of 5 children to do all the blogging could take a while.

I would like to take this opportunity to say hi to everyone! Hi!

I, along with many other unsuspecting passers-by have been sucked into the world of blogging. I used to light-haertedly laugh at others who had succomed to this exciting and fast-paced arena until I realized that I could actually keep in touch with my sister on the other side of our Nation! Bring it on!

So as I was contemplating what I should post, be it funny or sweet and tender I came across this picture of Spiderman. It brought to my mind that there are three possibilities in this picture:
1. Mr. Tuddly lost a bet with his college buddies, and had to stand on a street corner in the Spidey Suit.
2. He is part of Community theater, and this is an exercise he uses to overcome stage fright.
3. His parents were heavily involved in experimental drugs during the developmental phases of his early life.

This is a game that Janet and I play on long road trips. We watch people as we pass them, or they pass us, and we make up a story about them.

I am willing to let you all copy us though, it is a free Country. Besides with 5 2/3 children, we have to get creative on things to keep our sanity.

23 weeks

2008-06-14T11:15:00.004-06:00

Okay...here is the first of many catch-up posts. These are my 23-week pictures and another of my cute shirts I told you about.

An "action shot" of me walking. Greg's such a nerd. :O)

The 23-week belly in all its glory.

One of my three favorite shirts. I find it even funnier because I'm not wearing any!

Wait for it...

2008-06-08T23:52:00.006-06:00

New posts are coming, I promise. I've been super busy this last week trying to recover from three days of choir camp and drudging through a HUGE pile of tapes for transcribing. But I'm done with the transcription now, so hopefully I can get my pictures uploaded (always the worst part for me!) and get the new posts made. I've been working on some fun ones. Well, I think they're fun anyway! So keep waiting and maybe I'll surprise you with them tomorrow. =Þ

22-week Pics

2008-05-30T21:50:00.005-06:00

Here are my 22-week belly pics. I had them taken at the Young Musicians Choir Camp {new post regarding that awesome event will be forthcoming} at Pine View High School. They are a couple of days late because I was so busy organizing YMCC.

I wish the shirt would have been a little bit longer, but unfortunately they don't make polo shirts {for embroidery} in maternity sizes...go figure!

Is this thing on?

2008-05-27T23:09:00.000-06:00

Is anyone reading my blog? The only way I know how to tell {except for some tracker thing I've heard about but don't know the name of} that people are reading my blog is by getting comments. I don't just do this thing for me, you know. I can look at my pictures any time I want without having to add them in just the right order, wait forever for them to upload and then put some cute caption under them. So please share comments and let me know you're reading this. I'm feeling a little insecure about my blog at the moment...I think I'll go cry myself to sleep. :O(

Pics of Hailey

2008-05-27T02:31:00.000-06:00

This is Hailey, our official oldest child {well, except for Jena...she's technically the oldest!}. She is two minutes older than Hannah {and eventually will try to use that to her advantage as well, I'm sure}. She obviously turned 6 the same day as Hannah, January 5th.

Here's Hailey's Lagoon picture.

Hailey does a wicked monkey face. :O) She gets that from me I think.

This is at Baskin Robbins after C.J.'s preschool graduation.

More of Deb's amazing work. Hailey's smile lights up her whole face!

She was definintely laughing in this one!

2008-05-27T01:56:00.000-06:00

This is Hannah, one of the older pair; her twin is Hailey. She turned 6 on January 5th and started Kindergarten this year.

Hannah on her first day of Kindergarten.

Here is Hannah's "in-case-you-get-lost" picture. They all happened to look really cute that day!

This picture is from the day she lost her first tooth. I didn't think that was supposed to happen this early!

This is a typical sassy Hannah look. She can be so coy!

And this is what she looks like when you really get her laughing. Good job Deb!

Pics of C.J.

2008-05-27T01:04:00.000-06:00

This is my handsome little twin sandwich, C.J. He turned 5 on February 18th. He's finally figuring out what it means to be a "twin sandwich" and to be the only singleton (so far) of our kids.

I am letting his hair grow long so he can have the hip new look that I think will look so good with his unusually large head and think hair. So we rocked it out a little for this picture. I tried to get him to do the Kiss pose, but he wasn't down.

Don't you just love when the kids get a hold of the camera and take the most random pictures? I had to show off this Hulk/WWF wrestler one that one of his sisters took of him. I know it's blurry, but you get the idea. :O)

Here he is at preschool graduation on 4/23/08. {I had just changed the battery on the camera and forgot to update the date.} What a handsome little man!

My kid should seriously be a freakin' model. He's gonna be a real ladies man, especially with those dimples!

Another cute model pose. Not that I'm biased or anything. :O)

Pics of Anthony

2008-05-27T00:26:00.000-06:00

Here is Anthony, the other side of the younger pair. He is also 3 {duh!} and is technically older than Jamie by two minutes. I'm sure once he knows what that means, he will figure out how to use it to his advantage!

Here is his picture from our Lagoon trip...just in case he got lost. {See the post Pics of Jamie}

Just being cute in my office...my poor, neglected office.

My sister, Krista, took this one with her awesome camera. {Insert jealous overtone}

More amazing pictures by Funny Face Photography.

He's my little thumb sucker. I'm pretty sure he was sucking his thumb in the womb. I figure he'll quit before he heads off to college so I'm not too worried about it. Luckily I've only had one out of five be a thumb sucker. My mom ended up with FOUR out of five!

Pics of Jamie

2008-05-26T23:44:00.000-06:00

I thought I would put up some recent pictures of my kids individually for those who have not met them or not seen them for a long time. We'll start with Jamie and work our way up. :O) Jamie turned 3 on March 23rd and is one of a pair - Anthony is her twin.

This picture was taken when we went to Lagoon as a family. We all wore bright yellow T-shirts and I took pictures of all the kids in case one should get lost. That way we could show what the child looks like and what s/he was wearing. Good idea, huh? This is the kind of stuff you think about when you have a big family. ;O)

I have NO idea what this face is, but I thought it was cute enough to share.

This one was taken at Sand Hollow after swimming for C.J.'s 5th birthday.

Doesn't Deb do amazing work!? These were taken in November of 2007.

Here's Jamie trying to look innocent. Don't buy it for a second though...she can be pretty mischevious!

Strawberry Jam

2008-05-26T11:40:00.000-06:00

So here's the first sign that Greg is in the kitchen. ALL the cupboards get left open! I don't know if it's a guy thing or a Greg thing, but maybe in his mind it just takes too much time to shut the darn thing, especially when he's busy cooking.

Mmmm...strawberries from Costco. They were SO sweet! And I bought enough for him to make about 20 jars. A bit excessive, you say? Well, my family went through one jar in just over a day, so hopefully this will at least last us through the summer.

Here's Greg shaking the chopped strawberries. C.J. said it makes his face shake when he does it, but that was not quite captured in this picture.

Here are my boys cookin' in the kitchen {but not with Dina}. Interestingly enough, the girls were out working on cleaning the garage while they were making jam. Talk about role reversal! :O)

This is three of the four batches...he was still adding to the fourth when I took the picture.

Boiling the strawberries and all that yummy sugar {I try not to think about how much sugar is actually in it}. Greg has many burns to show from this part of the process. :O(

The finished product! {Minus the jar we already finished, the one in the fridge and the five jars he still has to make from the batch that is sitting in the fridge.}

Yay for homemade strawberry jam!

Pink eye...or got high?

2008-05-26T11:16:00.000-06:00

Greg either discovered the results of rolling a doobie with half marijuana and half oregano, or he has pink eye....you be the judge. He's been miserable since Saturday night. He couldn't sleep all night, waking up every 45 minutes. He did not discover why he had such a short night until the next morning when he looked in the mirror and realized he looked like he drank only half of a gin and tonic. We were thinking that the bacteria is to blame for the zit above that same eye as well. :O)

Greg showing us how he feels about having pink eye.... :O(

Unfortunately {or fortunately I guess}, the pink eye bug has already made the rounds in our house. I watch my nephew, Gavin, while my sister works and he brought it to us. All of my kids had it at one point, but only Jamie had it this bad. And I'm thinking it's kind of like chicken pox in that it's worse when you get it as an adult. Either that or Greg is a total wuss! He got it on Memorial Day weekend, which is a bummer because you can't get in to see a doctor for a prescription. We were going to try some natural treatments, but he was just too miserable and we happen to know an M.D. who wrote us a prescription yesterday {Jay's dad}. So after a few drops and some much-needed rest, Greg is feeling much better today. So we're off to the park for a picnic with some family.

Happy Memorial Day! {Is that even okay to say considering why we "celebrate" the "holiday?"}

JAY IS HOME!!!

2008-05-26T11:05:00.000-06:00

This is our good friend, Jay, who came home from his mission to Chile on Friday. We are SO excited to have him back because now we have someone to play Mario Kart with again! :O)

Jay and Hailey at his open house after the "homecoming," which we all know is now just a regular ol' talk.See my other post to find out why Greg looks like a pirate. AARRRGGGHHH! ;O)

Swelling :O(

2008-05-24T12:16:00.002-06:00

I've had some swelling already in this pregnancy, which I think is directly related to the increased heat lately. Here's what my cute little feet normally look like {sorry for the unpedicured toes...not something you get to do much when you've got five little kids}.

And here's what they looked like last night before I went to bed. I'd been sitting at my computer blogging {entirely too late!} and didn't have my feet elevated. :O(

So now I'm drinking tons of water and making sure I keep my feet up. Greg let me sleep in this morning and then made French toast for breakfast/lunch. :O) Isn't he just the coolest!?

Edit: I updated pictures because these show the true swelling better.

Frazil...Mmmmm

2008-05-23T23:42:00.000-06:00

If you have not tried a Frazil yet, you should! I don't know if it's a pregnancy craving or the heat, but I'm addicted to the Tiger's Blood Frazil. Most gas stations have them by their drinks. I've found quite a few places in town that have them. {I even found some places that sell them in 32-ounce cups!} Mmmmm....I want one now. Too bad it's too late for one. :O( Maybe tomorrow!

Pregnant Pictures

2008-05-23T23:03:00.001-06:00

I want to use this blog to keep everyone updated on the size of my ever-growing belly, so I'll start with a picture of me a few days ago at 21 weeks and compare it to my 5-week picture.

I got the shirt here. I bought a couple of other cute ones so I'll try to get pics in those soon.

And here's me at 5 weeks. What a big change already. You'd think my body knows how to do this whole pregnancy thing or something!

Cute Layout

2008-05-23T22:24:00.000-06:00

How cute is my blog??? I found this link from Nikki where you can get FREE layouts and they're super cute! They are pre-designed pages, which works great for beginners like me. Maybe eventually I will upgrade to the do-it-yourself kind. :O)

http://www.leeloublogs.blogspot.com/

I'm going to work on my blogging skills in the next little while so hopefully it won't look so retarded all the time. I have fun pics I can put up of my kids and my growing belly so I'll do my best to edumucate myself on this whole blogging thing.

Wish me luck!

C.J.'s Preschool Graduation

2008-05-09T16:48:00.000-06:00

It seems like there is (unfortunately) a graduation for EVERYTHING
these days and preschool is no different. However, it was a fun event and it's
so cute that since he went to the Dixie State College preschool, he got to wear
an actual cap and gown (minature sized, of course) and walk through a tiny D. I
know the time will fly and before I know it, these will be pictures of a real
graduation. :O)

Taking the Plunge

2008-05-09T16:43:00.000-06:00

So I've decided to take the plunge and jump into this whole blogging thing...again. I tried unsuccessfully last year to keep up with a blog, but it was during the time we were building our house. I'm hoping I can make more time for it this time around!