The Barnes

Oh, Gavin

2012-01-29T16:09:00.000-08:00

Emily had talked Gavin into playing dolls with her. She decided that she was going to be the doctor. She was examining Gavin's sick baby and here's what happened:

Emily: "Gavin, this baby is really sick. She is going to have to spend 21 days and 20 nights at the hospital."
Gavin: "GOOD!!!!"
Mom: "Gavin, why in the world is that a good thing?"
Gavin: "Then I don't have to spend any time with her."

Future Father of the Year?

Potty Training

2012-01-23T09:56:00.000-08:00

I have been patient in waiting for Kate to be ready to potty train. I found out the hard way with my previous children, that if they aren't ready, it is a disaster. I have waited 37 months for Kate to be ready. I decided last night that today is the day!

We got the potty chart made, the rewards purchased and pull ups and panties waiting. She was so excited!

She has been successful twice this morning and I really got my hopes up. However, the third time has been a little trickier. I have tried EVERYTHING I can think of to help her be successful. We have read books, sang songs, counted, recited our ABCs, etc., etc. Nothing is working. As I am sitting there, trying to positively encourage her, my mind wanders to the countless things that I need to accomplish today. Suddenly sitting in the bathroom, waiting, waiting, waiting, does not seem like a great idea. But, how can I turn back now?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.....

*An update to this post *
Not only do we have to sit for 30 MINUTES every 20 minutes to get any results, she also insists on being naked. So basically, I spend my entire day sitting by the potty with her. PLEASE HURRY KATE!!!

Science Fair

2012-01-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

Tyler was required to do a science fair project this year for school. He decided to design and build three different towers using only spaghetti noodles and hot glue. His best tower held a little over 27 pounds! He worked long and hard on his project and tonight it all paid off!

His teacher told him that he should probably come to the award presentation tonight, so we knew that he would be receiving an award. They went through honorable mention and third place without calling his name. He was starting to get a little bit nervous at this point. Second place came and went. He got FIRST PLACE!!! He now gets to move on to compete at the District level. After he was presented with his certificate and ribbon, they asked him if he would stay on the stage for a minute. He was then presented with the Best in Show award for going above and beyond on his project. He was so excited, and I am SO PROUD of him!

Tyler and the other first place winners from the school.

Receiving the Best in Show award. Don't let his frown fool you. He was super excited, just a little bit nervous. They made him explain his project in front of the audience. The microphone was WAY too tall. It was pretty funny ;) He did a great job and you couldn't even tell that he was scared to death!

Here's his board

WAY TO GO, TYLER!

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!

Luke Skywalker Pancakes

2012-01-19T18:59:00.000-08:00

Kate loves pancakes and insists on Minnie Mouse pancakes every time I make them. I have gotten so good that Gavin requested a pancake in the shape of Luke Skywalker. I really impressed him with this....

Who knew I was so talented?

Chocolate Milk and the Favorite Straw

2012-01-12T11:01:00.000-08:00

Kate LOVES chocolate milk. And she loves to drink it in her favorite cup with her favorite curly straw. We have lost several of her favorite straws in the dishwasher and I have been very responsible in washing her last favorite straw by hand. Last night we had pasta for dinner. Her straw was in the sink, waiting to be washed. Not even thinking, I drained the boiling water from the pasta in the sink that the straw was in. It warped it pretty badly, but I thought it would still be usable until it could be replaced. I tried to make it super fun for her this morning when I got her chocolate milk.

She's not buying it.....

I ruined her entire day. She sat, silently and stubbornly, for 45 minutes like this and refused to talk to anyone during this time.

Poor little Kate. I promise we will get you a new straw.

Lost Tooth

2012-01-12T10:51:00.000-08:00

About a week ago, I noticed that Gavin's permanent tooth was coming in behind his baby tooth. I freaked out a little before calling the dentist to see what he suggested. He wanted me to try to wiggle it out. If it wasn't out in a week, to call him and he would have to have it pulled. Well, last night I decided that I should call to make an appointment today.
In the meantime, Gavin and his friend, Skyler, were playing in his bedroom. Gavin frantically ran out of his room yelling, "MY TOOTH, MY TOOTH!!!", with Skyler following close behind yelling, "I AM SO SORRY, GAVIN! I AM SO SORRY!" I found Gavin's tooth hanging by a thread, blood dripping down his face. He passes out any time he sees his own blood so I quickly laid him down, just in case. After I got things under control, I asked the boys to tell me what had happened. Here's Gavin's version (I had the recorded, but my video won't upload)
Gavin: "I was in my room. I was biting only my big ball and then Skyler slapped onto it and then my tooth fell out."
Mom: "Did it hurt?"
Gavin: "Ya."
Mom: "Did it bleed?"
Gavin: "Ya."
Mom: "Did you cry?"
Gavin: "Mmm Hmmm."

Poor little Skyler was so afraid that he was going to get in trouble. I should actually be thanking him for saving us the dentist bill ;)

Gavin was so excited to put his tooth under his pillow. Emily even gave him her special tooth box to use. He went to bed way before bedtime which was wonderful! Around 3:00 a.m., he snuck into my bedroom to show me the dollar the toothfairy had left him. He was super excited to go to school today and show his friends and his teacher his toothless grin. He is the first one to lose a tooth in his class and can't wait to put his name on the lost tooth chart!

Talk about a great first story of a lost tooth!

If you're not dead.....

2012-01-10T13:01:00.000-08:00

Here's another cutie from Gavin:

"Hey mom, when I get old and if you're not already dead, you can come and live with me."

Thanks, Gavin. It's nice to know that someone will be looking out for me :)

Camp Out

2012-01-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

The kids love when I let them set up their tents in the family room to watch a movie and sleep. This time we had a boys tent and a girls tent. I even spent the night (OK, half the night) in the girls tent. Emily claimed that the boys tent is sweaty and stinky. I took her word on that!

Doesn't look like a whole lot of sleeping going on ;)

Preston Rodeo

2012-01-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

The Preston Rodeo is another family tradition that we look forward to each year. It is so much fun to spend time with family that we don't get to see near often enough.

Gavin has the opportunity to be his true cowboy self.

Uncle John took Tyler this year to pick out a cowboy hat for himself. He has declined the opportunity in previous years, but John didn't give him a choice this year. Look at the smile on his face! He loves his hat and proudly displays it in his bedroom! Thanks Uncle John!

Amy took Emily and got her a feather in her hair. Funny little side note..... Travis and I were talking on the way up to Preston about this exact topic. I told him I seriously doubted I would ever take my girls and get feathers in their hair. Amy took Emily to the sidewalk sale and she returned with this....

I was in no way disappointed, because she looks adorable!

Gavin and Zack

Ashley and Emily at the parade

Kate and her best buddy, Marlin.

We can't wait until next year!!!

Park

2012-01-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

When we weren't swimming, you could find us at the park. I love to be outside, and so do my kids. This is one of the funnest park around. Even Tyler, the fun hater, had a great time.

Tyler was feeling a little sick to his stomach at this point.

This was the best picture I could get of all four of them together. And I was lucky to get this one ;)

Summer Fun

2012-01-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

I've been dreading these next few posts for a while now. I think it's obvious that I love to take pictures. I've been trying to decide how I could sum up the entire summer with less pictures, but there is no possible way. If you've ever thought I have used a lot of pictures before, wait until this..... Natalie, I really need you to show me how you make your pictures so condensed and neat looking :)

South Ogden Splash Pad

We made several trips to the local splash pads during the summer. The kids had so much fun cooling down.

This first trip was actually pretty nice. It was a warm afternoon, however, it was sprinkling. We were the only ones at the park. It really didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, because the kids are getting wet anyway. Who cares if there were a few drops of rain? We picked up a Domino's pizza and enjoyed the park all to ourselves!

Kate was a little hesitant at first, but it didn't take her long before she got the idea.

Tyler was willing to go along with us, but was a bit of a party pooper.

Aquatic Center

Kate HATES getting water in her eyes. She cried and cried until she spotted these goggles in my bag. She insisted on wearing them and was a happy girl for the remainder of the afternoon. Don't you wish you could be as confident as she is?

Kate's wet little footprint.

Riverdale Splash Pad

This was Kate's favorite toy. She didn't move far from it all afternoon.

Wouldn't it be fun to be Gavin for a day?

I love that cute little diapered behind :)

Kate loved being pampered by her cousins. They each took a turn pushing her in the swing.

Gavin and grandma enjoying their creamies

So fun not to have a care in the world.

Park and a Picnic?

2012-01-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

Let me make this clear. This post is NOT a catch up post. The following events actually took place today, Thursday, January 5, 2012. Who would have thought?

The weather has been beautiful the last couple of days. I've been confused because we usually spend our January days cooped up inside the house. Well, today I decided, January or not, we were going out! We packed a lunch, hitched up the bike trailers and off we went!

We had to take a short detour to let Gavin explore his favorite "Big Hill"

We were famished by the time we got to the park.

PB & honey for Gavin

Plain PB for Kate, and PB&J for me

For dessert.... coconut cream pie. I don't like coconut cream pie and today was the first day the kids have ever tried it.

Do you think she liked it? Actually, neither of them did ;)

They did, however, enjoy their chips!

After lunch, it was off to the playground.

Kate really enjoyed the small slide (after I had cleaned it off, of course!)

Gavin beat me in a few games of Tic-Tac-Toe. Smart little man!

We hung upside down on the monkey bars.

Swung from the zip line.

And had a "pole sliding contest". Once again, Gavin was the winner!

Kate was nervous to go down the big slide by herself. I was more than glad to accompany her.

And for the photos of the day.....

So sweet,

And so silly!

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my kids today. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to be a mom, and especially for these wonderful kids!

Manti, 2011

2012-01-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

We look forward to our Manti camping trip all year long. This year did not disappoint. I always enjoy the week away from daily distractions and the breath taking beauty that surrounds us. However, his year was a little different. The trip happened to fall on a different weekend than we had planned on. Travis had high adventure and youth conference scheduled for the same week. The kids were devastated by the thought that we may not get to make the trip. I decided to step up and do it on my own. Travis pulled the trailer down for us and was able to spend one night making sure that everything was in working order. Then he kissed us goodbye and headed to Moab for High Adventure Camp (Moab in July? Doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me!) Now, I'm not trying to sound like a hero here, but things actually went really good. Tyler and Emily really stepped up to help me keep an eye on the little ones. The kids were really well behaved and made our trip possible!

You never had to look too far for Kate. She spent most of her time buckled into Grandpa's Rhino (by her own choice!) She loved pretending to drive!

FOUR WHEELING

Gavin really enjoyed the four wheeler. Thanks to Ben for entertaining all these cute boys......

and girls!

CATCH OF THE DAY!

This is Sam, the Salamander. The kids captured him from the pond and really enjoyed time playing with him. At the end of the trip, I told them to release Sam. Now if you have ever had an eight year old daughter with the most beautiful eyes, you will know that it is really hard to seem them sad. I told Emily that IF she could find a way to transport Sam home, we would do so. I have add that this was probably the only time during the trip that the kids were glad their dad wasn't present. He would have NEVER agreed to that. I am much softer than their father. Where there's a will, there's a way. Emily, being the smart little girl she is, transferred Kate's wipes into a plastic bag, and presto, a perfect little cage for transporting salamanders. Sam is still alive and well!

They even convinced me to hold the little bugger!

FISHING

We spent lots of time fishing. Emily proved herself to be the champion fisherwoman once again. Every time she cast her pole, she got a bite. What luck! Thanks to Derek for stepping up to help me. It is very difficult to try to keep four poles in the water at the same time. Especially without a fishing license of my own ;)

Gavin and Emma

RAFTING

We started the tradition of rafting last year. Dustin is such a good sport to make sure that each of the kids get a turn. They absolutely love rafting with their uncle.

Ready to get going!

Emily and Dustin, ready to roll!

Gavin giving me the "Thumbs Up"

We Survived!!!

Dustin guaranteed that Tyler was going to end up in the water.

Before.....

And after! The water was FREEZING!!!

Grandma and all the kids!

SLEDDING?

If you remember this summer, it was a little crazy. The snow just did not melt. In fact, we weren't sure that we would even be able to make the trip because the camp site remained closed until the day before we left. The raft doubled as a sled! Who knew that you could wear your swimsuit on a rafting trip and then turn around and sled in the same day, at the same place!

Cody blazing a trail for the "sled"

Emily was thrilled when she got to drive herself, Gavin and Ben back to camp!

DIRT

The kids sure enjoyed the dirt! There was plenty to go around!

SHOOTING

Tyler and the rest of the boys spent the majority of their trip shooting BB guns.

WILDLIFE

There was deer and other animals a plenty. This is one of my favorite part of the trips. It is so thrilling for me to watch for animals in their natural habitat. Incredible! This little deer stuck close to our campsite. It was so fun to watch for her to make her daily appearance.

BUGS

The bugs this trip were freakishly large. While fishing I spotted this family of ants (?). They were HUGE!

Gavin spotted this gross looking moth (?) What this picture doesn't show is the yellow goo dripping down the post. Disguisting!

FOOD

Camping should not include food like this. Thanks to our camp chef for making us all of our delicious meals. This is really roughing it ;)

These are by far my favorite! Paul makes the BEST potatoes EVER! He jokes that I need to save some for everyone else. He says it like he's just joking, but he's probably not!

Absolutely amazing! Thanks, Paul!

MOVIES

When the kids wore themselves out, they all huddled around the portable DVD player.

This is the good life!

I cannot wait until next year!!!

Jensen Pond

2012-01-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

While Tyler and Emily were busy at school, the rest of us enjoyed being outside. One of our favorite things to do is ride our bikes to Jensen pond to feed the ducks and enjoy a picnic lunch.

If friends are able to join us, it's even better :)

Last Day of School

2012-01-05T08:16:00.000-08:00

No, the last day of school is not in January. That's just how behind I am. I am scrambling to get caught up on all this stuff!

Both of the kids had excellent teachers this year. Tyler's fifth grade teacher was Mrs. Shelton. Mrs. Shelton is an extremely talented teacher. She makes learning so much fun for her students. She pushes them to their full potential and doesn't put up with any misbehavior. My only regret is that she is retiring at the end of next year, so my other children will not have the opportunity to learn from her.

Mrs. Shelley was Emily's second grade teacher. She was so loving and caring. Just what Emily needs. Emily woke up every morning, excited to go to school. She learned so much from Mrs. Shelley and truly enjoyed her school year.

Thanks to both of these outstanding women. It's teachers like you that truly make a difference in the lives of our children!

Kate's Birthday

2012-01-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

My baby girl turned three December 8. I thought I was going to have an anxiety attack the night before her birthday when I laid her in her crib for the last time. Then I got in the bathtub and cried :*( It's so hard to see her growing up so fast.

Kate LOVES giraffes. Not quite sure why she loves them so much, but was so much fun to surprise her with a giraffe birthday cake! She was SO excited!

It was hard to think of anything that Kate really needed for her birthday. She is a little young to understand the concept of receiving gifts. When asked what she wanted for her birthday, she would reply, "a birthday cake". That's easy enough. We decided that this would be a good opportunity to buy her a big girl bed. Here she is for the last time in her crib. She is growing so fast, as you can see, that it was clearly time for the big switch.

Travis asked me if I could disassemble the crib while he was at work so we could put her "big girl bed" together when he got home. I told him no. I'm sure that I could have physically taken it down, but emotionally, there was NO possible way. Time is flying by so quickly, it makes my head spin. Taking down the crib for the very last time was really difficult for me. BUT, she adores her new bed and I love to see her so happy!

We had a relaxing night with the family. We had the grandparents over for a chicken pasta dinner (one of her favorites), opened gifts and enjoyed our cake and ice cream. If you look close enough, you can see how much Kate enjoyed hers ;)

Kate is so much fun! She is sweet and sassy! She refuses to wear anything but a dress or a skirt. I am finally getting the hang of matching fingernail polish to the shirt she is wearing and which leggings look good with which skirt. I had no idea that such a little girl could have such a big opinion ;) Travis insisted one day that he could get her to wear jeans. He dressed her in jeans, t-shirt and tennis shoes and she cried and cried and cried. Then he put her in a skirt. I have come to accept that if that's how she is comfortable, so be it!

She was so excited to go to sleep. I was a little bit worried that she would be in and out of bed all night. She has been such a great sleeper that I was dreading the switch. She did great! No problems at all! Way to go, Kate!!!

Happy birthday my sweet Kate! We sure do love you!

Kate's Advent Calendar

2011-12-18T16:22:00.000-08:00

It was bound to happen. Sooner or later, someone would eat their entire advent calendar in one day. It happens every year. I have been very careful for 17 days to let each of the kids open one day on their advent calendar. They would savor the sweet chocolate found inside and yearn for more. This morning I forgot to place Kate's calendar out of reach. She came in my room and said,
Kate: "Mommy, I ate all my chockits. Are you happy?"
Mom: "No. Not very happy. You will be very sad tomorrow when you don't have a chocolate to eat."
Kate: "It makes me happy."

I hope she feels the same tomorrow :/

Emily's Birthday

2011-12-18T07:12:00.000-08:00

Emily celebrated her 9th birthday in October. So sad that I'm barely getting around to blogging her special day.

She LOVES Angry Birds. There was no hesitation when I asked her what kind of cake she wanted!

She also loves Monster High. These pajamas were the perfect gift for her.

Emily and Grandma Great

She loves to scrapbook. A great choice from Grandma Paulette

Tyler made her a survival bracelet. She was thrilled!

Emily is a very good girl. She is such a sweetie and has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She is a friend to all and would do anything for anyone. She is a great student and is finally beginning to love reading. She loves to sew and has started piano lessons this year as well. She is a wonderful athlete and especially loves soccer and running.

Here's a little bit more about Emily:
Favorite food: Bajio salad
Favorite animal: Dolphin
Favorite color: Lime green, brown and white
Favorite song: Knee Deep
Favorite artist: Adam Levine (She think's he is dreamy. Should I be worried?)
Favorite TV show: The Voice
Favorite movie: Soul Surfer
Favorite toy: Monster High dolls

Piggy Back

2011-12-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

We came home tonight and found our reindeer like this. Emily noticed and said, "Oh look, mom. It looks like one reindeer is giving the other one a piggy back ride." It has been super windy today so I just laughed and replied, "Yes, it does. The wind must have blown one on top of the other one."

Pretty funny. I couldn't stop laughing.

Now who's the jokester?

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2011-11-26T08:53:00.000-08:00

We have been listening to Christmas music today. Santa Claus is Coming to Town came on and here's what Gavin said:
Gavin: "Mom, this song is lying."
Mom: "Why?"
Gavin: "It says you better not cry."
Mom: "I think it means that you shouldn't have tantrums. Santa is watching and he only brings presents to kids that don't have tantrums."
Gavin: "Well, when I was little I used to cry and have tantrums all the time and Santa still brought me lots of presents."

Oh, the wisdom of a five year old.

Play Ball!

2011-11-23T14:58:00.000-08:00

We had another successful baseball season! All thee kids played and I really enjoyed spending so much time at the ball park.

Tyler's team struggled. It was a bit frustrating for him to have a winless season. However, he played really well. He played second base and had some really good hits.

Good eye, Tyler!

Gavin is just Gavin. He has a killer arm and can really hit that ball. But, he tends to get a little bit bored when playing in the outfield.

Here is is picking and throwing grass.

And here he is again with his best back somersault! Daddy was so proud ;)

Emily wasn't going to play this year. She had decided to take a year off. However, her soccer coach, whom she dearly loves, talked her into playing on his team. She did FANTASTIC! Teams her age are still playing co-ed and she could definitely hold her own against all those boys. She loved playing catcher and was never intimidated.

During her last game, she really got a hold of the ball and hit a homerun! I was super excited and wish I could have gotten it on video.

Here she is, running into home. Awesome!!!!

Bad Week

2011-11-23T09:24:00.000-08:00

I was having a particularly bad week. I don't mean to paint a "poor me" picture, but I was feeling like I was all alone on this journey and that there was nobody that really cared. After I finished showering one morning, I glanced down at the sink before wiping it out. Imagine my surprise when this is what I found. * Note - this photo has NOT been altered *

Absolutely amazing! It made me realize and remember that someone was looking out for me.

But that's not all.....

Travis and I were watching TV one Friday night. Around 10:00 p.m., the doorbell rang. When I went to answer the door, this is what was waiting for me......

I babysat one of my friend's daughters for a few months while she tried her hand at working outside the home. I did not want to accept payment. I believe that there are certain times that you do things to help others out and this was one of those times. She hung up her career after 4 months and took up creating furniture. I loved this particular bench and she thought this would be a good way to pay me back. Thanks, Darcie, you're the best :)

One more. Travis home teaches the sweetest little lady, Sister Genereaux. She ties the most beautiful quilts I have ever seen. She is the one that made Kate her favorite blanket that she just can't get enough of. He came home from visiting her one Sunday and handed me a quilt she had made for me with the following note attatched:

Dear Sister Barnes,

I admire you so much. You are so patient and kind and you are such a great example to me.

When I saw this material I knew exactly who I should make it for. Please accept this with all the love and warmth that is in my heart for you.

Sister Genereaux.

Talk about an emotional couple of days. I am so grateful for a loving Father in Heaven and those that choose to listen and serve others. I hope that if I ever get feeling unloved and alone again, I will be able to look back on this post and realize that someone out there has my best interest at heart.

Mixed Up

2011-11-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

I am going on a blogging marathon during the next couple of days. Things are definitely out of order, due to some computer problems. I love to take pictures. I had so many pictures on my computer that I had NO memory left. I was frantically trying to back up my pictures when the computer crashed :( Luckily we were able to have the pictures restored and saved to an external hard drive. Lesson learned. So here it goes.......

How old ARE you?

2011-11-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

So much to catch up on, but I had to blog this today before I forgot.

I was volunteering in Emily's class yesterday. I took Kate with me and she was being a bit stubborn. It had been a long week for her. The kids had early week all week long and she hadn't had a chance to take a nap. I'm sure she was exhausted. Anyway, she ran to the corner by the door, about 30 yards away from me. I was watching her like a hawk, making sure she didn't try to escape out the door. A nice lady walked in and spotted Kate in the corner. I heard her say, "let's go find your mom", sure she was just going to bring her back to me, not really sure why she cared if she was in the corner or sitting right next to me. She tried to hold Kate's hand and Kate refused, so she picked her up. She started walking towards me and said, "Oh, does she belong to you?" I quickly claimed my daughter and this woman said, "You look way too young to have children. In fact, I thought you were a student here."

For real?

This reminded me of a couple other incidents.

When Travis and I were newly married, we went to one of his little brother's high school football game. When paying admission, he noticed that they only charged him for one ticket. He told them he needed to pay for two tickets and the gentleman replied, "Junior High students get in for free."

Hmmmm.

One more..... when we were living in Roy, I had a salesman knock on my door. When I opened the door, he said, "Hi. Is your mother here?" I just stood there, speechless, sure that he was trying to be charming before he made his sales pitch. After a moment of silence, I responded, "Nope. My mom is not here." And shut the door.

More of Gavin......

2011-11-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

Gavin was on a roll yesterday. Here are two of my favorite conversations with my favorite 5 year old.

Travis is travelling this week in California. I was explaining to Gavin that he wouldn't see his dad for a couple of days. Here's his reply:

Gavin: "Mom, do you think they have cows in California?"

Mom: "I'm sure they do. Why do you ask?"

Gavin: "I'm just wondering if that's why they call it Cowlifornia."

When Travis is out of town, I let the kids sleep in my bed with me. I fell asleep in my clothes and woke up in the middle of the night, super uncomfortable. I stumbled to the closet and grabbed the first thing I could find. It happened to be one of Trav's t-shirts. I put it on and went back to sleep. When I woke up, I saw Gavin just staring at my shirt.

Gavin: "Wow! I wish I had a shirt like that one."

Mom: "You do? Why?"

Gavin: "It has a pocket on the front. I would love a shirt with a pocket."

Mom: "Hmmm. Why?"

Gavin: "I could put all kinds of stuff in that pocket."

Mom: "Oh really? What would you put in your pocket?"

Gavin: "Oh, like a whole bunch of dice and stuff like that."

Foul Mouth?

2011-10-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

Gavin is fascinated with rhyming words. However, whatever word you ask him to rhyme for you, he always chooses a word that starts with the letter B. For example, if you ask him what rhymes with toy, he will answer boy. If you choose a word that starts with B, such as ball, he chooses a word that starts with H, as in hall. He was sharing his knowledge with us at the dinner table tonight. After several different rhyming words, he blurted out, "I know what rhymes with witch.... b%*@!#." I just about spit out my mashed potatoes. He had no idea that that was a naughty word. We all started giggling and the poor little boy started to cry. I really shouldn't think it's funny. But I do ;)

Breaking Up

2011-09-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my mom on her cell phone while she was driving up to Park City on Saturday. She started losing coverage and I said, "Oh, mom, you're breaking up." The line went dead and I hung the phone up to wait for her to call me back. I glanced over at Gavin and he had the saddest looking little face I have ever seen before. When I asked him what was wrong, he asked, "Grandma and Grandpa are breaking up?"

He is so sweet! And he was very relieved when I explained that Grandma and Grandpa were sticking together :)

The Dirty Dash

2011-09-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

I organized a team to participate in the Dirty Dash and the long awaited day finally arrived! 16 of my friends ended up running. My friend, Windy, dropped out at the last minute, so Dustin took her place. At the first of the race, there was a contest. The first one to run to a certain point up a muddy hill, back down again and slide home-run style was the winner. Guess who won? (Hint: Not me!)

Joe came up with our team name, Skid Marks, and we had some awesome shirts printed.

Here's a before shot:

Front row: Amy Gunn, Kevin Spraker, Steffanie Barnes, Kim Knudsen, Amber Barton

Back row: Maggie Arave, Dustin Barnes, Jennifer Barron, Anne Ringle, Kaylene Spraker, Jamie Moline, Shaylin Cunningham, Brittany Christensen, Gary Bowers, Joe Christensen, Shantel VanWagoner

Our race time was 9:20 a.m. We had to leave at 6:45 on Saturday morning. When we first got there it was pretty cold. When I saw this...

it made me a little bit nervous. I didn't know exactly what to expect. I definitely didn't expect to have the most fun I have EVER had!

The first obstacle was a HUGE mud hill that we had to climb up. There were tons of hay bales to jump over, walls to scale, tunnels filled with mud to crawl through, swamps to wade through, balance beams to cross (but it was more fun to crawl through the mud below), cargo net walls (this one was a little scary), rope swings. I had two equally favorite obstacles. On the first one, they had a series of blue tubes that most of the people were straddling and flopping over. My team decided to go underneath them. It was so unlike me to do something so crazy, but it was super fun! The other one was a huge blow up slide. Before going down, they squirted you with dish soap. I ran, slid on my stomach and zipped down the slide so fast. It was a blast!

Here's our group approaching the finish line. This is the same puddle of water as above. I was wishing at this point that we could have done the 10k. I was having so much fun, and I didn't want it to be over.

I absolutely LOVE this picture. We look like a bunch of sea creatures emerging from the swamp. So much fun :)

Post race portrait!

Shantel, Kim and Amber

Shay, Joe, Brittany and Jamie

Shay and Jamie

Kaylene

This is a race that encourages costumes. There were lots of crazy, creative and just plain weird ideas. I could have sat there all day long and just watched. These guys were definitely my favorites. Probably not the best costumes I saw, but they were the most fun! I was tempted to give them a big muddy hug.....

I love this picture of Jamie after her shower. Showers were available after the race, but they were ICE COLD!!! I washed myself off the best I could, but the cold water made my head hurt SO BAD! I still had mud all over my face, but there was NO WAY that I was putting my face in that water.

I had so much fun with this race. I am so grateful for such a fun group of friends. I cannot wait until next year!!!

Kickin' Back

2011-09-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

I put Star Wars on for Gavin to watch while I showered. When I came out to check on him, he was kicked back in the La-Z-Boy watching Star Wars, eating his breakfast. I asked him why he was not eating his breakfast in the kitchen. He replied, "Mom. I wanted to watch the show, relax and REALLY enjoy my breakfast."

This kid makes it REALLY hard to enforce the rules ;)

Sweet Conversations

2011-09-08T17:00:00.001-07:00

Another sweet conversation with my sweet 2 year old.

Me (to Kate): "What's your name?"

Kate: "My name is Kate."

Me: "What's your last name?"

Kate: "My name is Kate the Great."

I cannot get enough of this child :)

Labor Day

2011-09-05T15:53:00.000-07:00

We decided to spend Labor Day fishing at Mirror Lake. We got up bright and early and arrived at the lake around 9:30. We had tons of fun fishing.

Kate was a little unsure about the fishing, but she sure enjoyed her cream soda!

I would have to say the highlight of the day was when Gavin got a big bite while we were all messing around and not paying attention to his pole. The monster fish drug his pole right into the water, about 10 feet from the shore. Gavin was in tears and Travis immediately rolled his pants up and went in, shoes and all, after Gavin's pole. He saved the pole! What a hero :) Unfortunately, we never got to see the fish.

We finished up at Mirror Lake and drove to Trial Lake for lunch. We sat by a campfire and grilled hot dogs. It was so quiet and peaceful. I loved skipping out on the daily distractions and focusing all of my attention on the family.

Travis drove home barefooted. Thank goodness he didn't get hypothermia ;)

I love my family. This was the best day we've had in a long time!!!

The Letter

2011-08-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

Emily found a letter that Fed Ex delivered for Travis today. This is what the return address looked like:

THE CHURCH OF

JESUS CHRIST

OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

Emily rushed into my bedroom and excitedly announced:

"MOM!!!! YOU JUST GOT A LETTER FROM JESUS CHRIST!!!!!"

Isn't that sweet? I hope it was good news.........

Kate's Booger

2011-08-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

The family was playing around on my bed last night and Travis noticed that Kate had her finger in her nose. He asked her why she had her finger in her nose and she said, "I have a booger in my nose." On a side note, I have never heard anyone say the word booger cuter than she does. A few seconds later, the booger emerged from her nose and was sitting on her finger. Travis asked her, "Now what are you going to do with it?" She looked at it for a few seconds and I went to get her a kleenex. When I came back, the booger was gone. I asked her if she had wiped it on my bed. She replied, "No. It's on daddy's pillow!" So funny! We really shouldn't have laughed at her, but how can we help it?

Have you been drinking?

2011-08-25T12:25:00.001-07:00

Travis and our former bishop and friend, Mike Palmer, went golfing on Saturday. They had a hard time making golf fit into the busy day and the only time they could both make it work was 2:00. They had planned on playing 18 holes, so I was a little surprised when Travis walked through the door 2 hours later. He looked like he was about to die. He went straight to the bedroom, without saying a word, to lie down. I was a little concerned. I went to check on him and he said, "It was just too hot today to play 18." I was still a little worried and asked him, "Have you been drinking?" As soon as the words came out of my mouth, we both started laughing hysterically. What I meant to say was, "Are you hydrated?"

I am still taking quite a bit of flak from this comment. It still makes me giggle. I thought I'd better write it down. This is one I don't want to forget :)

First Day of School

2011-08-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

Back to school. Sigh. It always brings me anxiety. I hate change. I hate how fast time it going. I hate that the kids are getting older. I really wish I could freeze them in time and keep them exactly as they are.

We had the traditional cinnamon rolls. I found a 1 hour recipe that I am very grateful for. I got to sleep in until 6 a.m. The kids were so excited. They were both up at 6:30 to help finish baking. Gavin was up and ready at 7:30. He was sorely disappointed that he had to wait until 11:25 to start afternoon kindergarten.

TYLER

Tyler started sixth grade today. SIXTH GRADE! I cannot believe it. He got Mrs. Adams as his teacher. She is new at Cook this year, so I don't know a whole lot about her, but she seems nice. His classroom is in the computer lab. Kind of weird. They are building a portable for their class, but that will take 3-6 weeks. He has a few of his good friends in his class and came home super excited to apply for student council. Here's hoping.....

EMILY

Emily started third grade. When I took her school shopping, she picked some clothes I never would have imagined. I always thought she would be a t-shirt and tennis shoe girl. Kind of like her mom. She was picking out darling clothes, but they were shirts with scarves attached, long shirts with leggings and fancy boots. Hmmmm. Who would have thought. She said, "Mom. I'm changing my style a little this year." Another sigh. She got Mrs. Price and Mrs. Horsley and loved both of them.

GAVIN

Gavin started kindergarten today. Huge sigh. I cannot believe that he is starting school. What am I going to do without him? I'm definitely the one with separation anxiety. I walked him to his class and he was ready to go. He hung up his backpack, got his blue bin and quickly found his seat. Then he wrote his name on his paper and started coloring a picture. I gave him a kiss and a hug and walked out the door. As I left, I turned to look one more time. I shouldn't have. I saw him sitting there so big just doing his thing. His entire life flashed before my eyes. Then I had to go back in and give him just one more kiss...... I had to remind myself that he would only be gone for two hours.

This is the last thing I saw as I walked out the door. Now you tell me, would you have cried?

A pretty good looking bunch of kids!

As much as I hate how fast the kids are growing up, I am so grateful for each of them. I enjoy every minute I have to spend with them. I hope they realize how much talent, ability and potential they have. Most of all, I hope they know how much they are loved.

Some cute stuff

2011-08-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Kate woke up sick at 3:00 this morning. Travis happens to be out of town. She was asking me when he was coming home. I told her that he was coming home tonight, but she would probably be asleep when he got home. She replied, "HURRY!!! GO TO SLEEP SO MY DADDY CAN COME HOME!!!"

So cute. So sweet. And a little sad.

Preston Biathlon

2011-08-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Last year at the rodeo, we saw lots of runners and bikers. Dustin and I discovered it was a biathlon. We decided it would be lots of fun to run it together this year. Jamie, Levi, Ben, Tyson, Ashley, Dustin, Connie, Bailey, Stetson and I all participated. Paulette bought us all matching shirts to wear in Grandma's memory. I wasn't really worried about training too hard for this race. I had been riding my bike a little bit here and there and thought that the course was going to be flat so it wouldn't be that big of a deal. I ran my 5k in 29:38 and set out on my 14 mile bike ride. Much to my surprise, the course was ANYTHING but flat. I'm talking some BIG hills. I struggled. A lot. I really think I could have gotten off my bike and walked up the hill faster than I was riding. However, my pride wouldn't allow me to do that. At one point, I started feeling nauseous and thought I was going to die in the bushes. I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to breathe through it, and almost went off the road. I quickly decided that wasn't a great idea and focused on just getting through the race. Once again, Ashley came to my rescue. She caught up to me kept me company for the rest of the ride. It was a lot easier to finish with a friend! I ended up finishing in 1:45. Not too impressive. I was hoping for under 2 hours, but the winner finished in just under an hour. An HOUR!!! Regardless of my results, it was a fun experience participating with such an awesome bunch of people. I now know what I need to train for next year. And maybe a new bike wouldn't hurt. My $30 mountain bike just didn't cut it ;/

Here we are, all ready to go!

Me and my running buddy, Connie

Post race photo. Feeling a little disappointed at this point.

Dustin, Connie, Stetson, Ben, Levi, Jamie, Tyson, Ashley, Bailey and Steff

My favorite part of the race? The fans, of course. We ran by grandma's house twice and rode by it once. I was so excited to have the family cheering all of us on and adored the signs they had made. It was great to feel loved!

I can officially say that I accomplished something hard.

Where've I been?

2011-08-01T07:13:00.001-07:00

I have sooo much to blog. The only problem is that my computer's memory is full. I have 20,000 pictures on my hard drive that I am desperately trying to get backed up and off my computer. I cannot download any more pictures because every ounce of memory is used up. I decided that I'd better start blogging, even without the pictures, before I forget what it was that I supposed to be blogging. I will just add pictures when I get my computer problem worked out :)

Time for lunch

2011-07-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

I had to blog this one before I forgot :)

I called Gavin in to eat lunch. Here's the conversation we had:

Mom: "Gavin, it's time to come in and eat lunch."

Gavin: "Well, Mom, I had like 8 muffins for breakfast (he had 2). Half of the muffins I ate were for breakfast and the other half were for my lunch."

I love the logic of a 5 year old :)

Breakfast

2011-06-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

I made hash browns, scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast this morning. I tried to dish Kate a plate and here's the conversation that took place:

Kate: "I don't want this. I want muffins."

Steff: "I didn't make muffins this morning."

Kate: "FINE. I'll take waffles."

I love my sweet girl :)

1/2 Marathon

2011-06-08T14:24:00.003-07:00

I ran my first 1/2 marathon last October, and to be honest, it wasn't the most pleasant experience that I have had with running. I decided to give it one more shot to see if it got any better. If it was anywhere near to my previous experience, I had vowed to stick to 5 and 10k's.

Looking back, I made plenty of mistakes with the first run. I had gotten sick a few weeks before the race, so I didn't feel like I was properly trained. There were only four aid stations on the course, and I opted only to stop at one of them along the way. I also started out running WAY too fast. I was aware that I was running too fast, but it's hard not to try to keep up with others that are passing you. I hit a wall, HARD, at mile 12. My muscles started cramping up and I thought I was going to die!

I trained smarter and harder this time around, and it made a world of difference. I decided to stop at more aid stations. Hydration for me made a huge difference. I also decided to focus only on myself and not try to keep up with others. I talked to plenty of experienced runners, and they offered me some great tips.

The day was absolutely perfect. The weather was wonderful and the course was beautiful. It was so peaceful and I thoroughly enjoyed taking in the scenery. At about mile 14 the course took me past my grandma's old house. It was a little emotional for me. It's hard to explain, but it gave me the extra boost I needed to finish strong.

I had set a goal to finish in 2:10, and I crossed the finish line at 2:10:19. I was so proud of myself and am pleased to say that I plan to continue running 1/2 marathons. Is there a full marathon in my future? Hmmm. Possibly.

Next up: Preston Biathlon in July :)

Soccer Season

2011-06-08T14:24:00.001-07:00

All of the kids had fun and successful soccer seasons this year.

GAVIN:

Gavin played for Syracuse City twice a week. He did a great job and even though his team never scored a goal, he loved every minute of it.

EMILY:

Emily is a very talented player. She scored several goals during each game and absolutely adored her coach.

TYLER:

I coached Tyler's team and loved doing it. I have such a passion for the game and coaching was so much fun for me. He is a great little defender and had a great season. He decided to try out for the new comp team in Syracuse and made it! I am so excited for him and can't wait for his adventure to begin :)

Tyler's Birthday

2011-06-08T14:23:00.001-07:00

Tyler was born on May 5, 2000. I have looked forward to the day that he would want to celebrate with a Cinco De Mayo birthday party. This was the year, and it was so much fun!

He invited just a few friends over for a little fiesta! He just wanted to have some Mexican snacks and play night games. We served mini tacos, Taquitos, chips and salsa, seven layer dip, and queso dips. The boys had a great time and it was, by far, the easiest party I've ever thrown :)

He got all the supplies that he will need for boy scout camp.

Grandma and Grandpa Shorty got him a sleeping bag.

Ty and Jess gave him money to spend on their shopping spree.

Grandma and Grandpa Paul gave him the Harry Potter series. He rarely shows emotion, so I love this picture. He was so excited!

Cari and Guy gave him a game for his DS.

I am so proud of the young man Tyler is becoming. He is a very obedient and responsible kid. He is a huge help to me and is usually very willing to do whatever is asked of him. He is very thoughtful and kind and is a friend to all. He continues to excel at school and sets a good example for his brother and sisters to follow. We are so proud of you Tyler and love you very much!

Options

2011-05-06T09:05:00.000-07:00

I am currently off all of my medication, but I am not convinced that that is the right decision for me right now. After a year + of taking Methotrexate for my RA, I found out that it can cause Leukemia. I promptly decided to go off the medication because I surely don't want to take a chance of leukemia developing. I have been pretty sore. I think the fluctuations in the weather have a lot to do with that.

That being said, I have been researching some alternatives for medication. I found one on the internet that sounded promising. I requested more information on the particular drug and it arrived in the mail yesterday. I was expecting some miracle drug that would take my pain away without side effects, instead, this is what I found:

Safety Considerations

Serious infections have happened in patients taking ? (I won't name this particular medicine). These infections include tuberculosis and infections caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria that have spread throughout the body. Some patients have died from these infections. ? may increase the chance of getting lymphoma or other cancers. ? can cause serious side effects including allergic reactions, hepatitis B virus reactivation, nervous system problems, blood problems, heart failure, certain immune reactions (including a lupus-like syndrome), and new or worsening psoriasis.

Needless to say, I opted not to take this medication, and actually found it a little humorous that some would even consider this option.

In the meantime..... I am still searching for my miracle cure and hoping that I feel good enough in 15 days to run a 1/2 marathon :)

Got Milk?

2011-04-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

Gavin: "Hey, Tyler, do you like milk?"

Tyler: "No."

Gavin: "Why not? Milk is a proud sponsor of the Disney Channel."

This kid watches too much TV ;/

I do this for fun?

2011-04-28T11:35:00.002-07:00

I am in the process of training for a 1/2 marathon on May 21. I was supposed to run 12 miles yesterday, and struggled through 8 1/2 before I finally called it quits. I kept getting a side ache and for some reason, my feet felt really wet. When I got home and removed my shoes, this is what I found......

One of my toenails was a little too long and with each step I took, the toenail sliced into my other toe. The kids were shocked and thought I needed to see a doctor. Kate kept telling me that it was "Bisguisting" and Gavin wouldn't get near me until I showered and cleaned it up.

Needless to say, it wasn't the best run I have had. I had to keep asking myself, "Why?" Maybe after a successful race, I'll be able to answer that question ;)

Easter Fun

2011-04-28T11:35:00.001-07:00

Wow! What a fun, busy couple of days!

Barnes Easter Egg Hunt:

Saturday started with the annual Barnes family Easter egg hunt. The kids were super excited! Grandma Great Barnes shared stories about what Easter was like when she was a child. We had a picnic lunch followed by some hunting. They got tons of treats and were happy kids :)

Kate was so exhausted. She came home and crashed right here on the floor.

The Eggs:

Saturday night we colored the eggs.

They turned out great! We dyed 4 dozen eggs this year. Good times!

Easter morning:

The Easter Bunny gets pretty tricky at our house. He hides the entire basket. The kids claim that he hides them in the same place each year, so he really mixed things up this year, causing lots of confusion. I'm sure he was a happy bunny!

Tyler found his in pantry.

Emily's was on top of the fireplace. She loved the chocolate marshmallow eggs.

Gavin couldn't find his anywhere, not even in his usual spot. He was sorely disappointed and was sure that the bunny had forgotten him. Sad.

Hurray! With a little help, he was able to find his in the cupboard.

His favorite treat was the mini Robin Eggs.

Kate's was next to the TV. She LOVED the jelly beans!

Easter outfits:

They all looked amazing dressed in their matching dresses and ties. Gavin has decided that he wants to comb his own hair.......

Grandma and Grandpa Shorty's egg hunt:

Travis and I had the pleasure of hiding the eggs this year. Lexie still hasn't found her last egg. Sorry about that, Lex.

Silly Guy. He decided to help Kate find hers. She was delighted :)

Grandma, Grandpa and the girls.

What a fun, crazy, tiring couple of days!

Wash Day

2011-04-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

It's safe to say that Kate is as addicted to her blanket as I am Survivor. She is constantly dragging her blanket around and I don't think there's a moment in the day when she doesn't have it in tow. The blanket gets rather stinky and dirty.

The time comes when the blanket needs a serious washing. This is the longest two hours in a little girls life time.

Kate seriously sat in front of the washer until I put the blanket in the dryer. The blanket wasn't dry enough by her naptime, and that was the longest two hours of MY lifetime ;/

The Tribe Has Spoken....

2011-04-25T12:27:00.001-07:00

One thing you need to know about me is that I am a Survivor FREAK!!!! I'm not even sure how to describe my addiction to this wonderful show. I have to Tivo it each week. As we watch it, the kids CANNOT make a peep. It makes me pretty moody if I miss something someone says. The next day, I have to watch each episode again, and analyze it. Ya, I know how crazy it all sounds, but everyone has their guilty pleasures, right?

Needless to say, my kids are a bit obsessed as well. This season features a rather odd individual, named Phillip. Now Phillip is one of those that you love to hate. He is a rather bizarre character that claims to be a former federal agent. He also has a knack for mispronouncing words. He is entertaining and rather comical to watch.

Right as the contestants were submitting their votes last week, Gavin came out with his vote

Phillip, I'm sorry to say, that THIS tribe has spoken.

Surprise!

2011-04-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

These beautiful flowers arrived one afternoon, with the following note attached....

And I did! Thanks, Travis! You made my day :)

Gavin's B-day

2011-04-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

Tyler and Emily decided to surprise Gavin by decorating his bedroom. They woke up early and made him a sign, and decorated with crepe paper and balloons. What a good brother and sister!

The kids love to earn their own money in order to buy a gift for the birthday child. I still love taking them to the store to see the perfect gift they pick out.

Emily picked a big ball in Gavin's favorite color.

Tyler picked some Ben 10 guys for his Alien Creation Maker.

Travis got him a baseball bat, glove and ball.

I think he likes it.

Every cowboy needs a pair of boots.

After the kids headed to school, we headed to Toad's. It was so much fun just enjoying him and watching what he chose to spend his tokens on.

He loved the batting cages. I was amazed how well he hit, even with a bat that was too big and a helmet that could have fit me. What a slugger!

Here he is with all his loot!

Gavin LOVES Chinese food. He feasted on Hot and Sour soup, Schewan Chicken, Ham Fried Rice, and House Special Lo-Mein at Maple Garden's.

This friendly little guy made sure that everyone knew that it was his birthday. The waitress really took care of him and made sure he got a birthday treat.

Yep, I wore him out!

But, we STILL had more celebrating to do....

He started soccer this year and was really excited to have practice on his birthday. After soccer, we celebrated with family. What a special, lucky little man!

Grandma and Grandpa Paul

Grandma and Grandpa Shorty

Gracie, Cari, Jess and Ty

Happy Birthday, Gavin! We sure do love you!

Happy Birthday, Dear Gavin!

2011-04-25T11:56:00.001-07:00

Gavin really, really wanted a friend birthday party this year. We decided to celebrate with his friends during Joy School.

Parker, Gavin, Ty, Emma and Jayli

All he wanted was Root Beer Floats and cupcakes

OH MY!!!

I'm sure these girls were blue for several days after the party!

The kids had tons of fun and I think his first "party" was a success :)

Arrow of Light

2011-04-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

Tyler has worked really hard to earn his Arrow of Light award. He received it at the Blue and Gold Banquet in March.

Look at his awesome support group

Congratulations, buddy! We are so proud of you!

Bowling

2011-04-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

Travis was out of town again, and we needed something fun to do. We decided to go bowling.

Tyler started off nicely.

A strike for Emily, too!

Fun-loving Gavin always having a good time!

Sweet Kate never got bored.

I love these kids!!!

Here's the final scores. I am a horrible bowler. I hate to admit, but I even used the bumpers. Even Kate beat me :(

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-04-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

I know it's a little late, but I had some problems getting the pictures off of my camera. Better late than never, right?

Gavin made this at school, and I thought it was pretty funny.

We actually had a really fun St. Patrick's Day this year. I usually don't do much, but this year we celebrated with a green dinner. We had stuffed green peppers, green salad, green jello salad, broccoli and green Kool-Aid. The kids loved it, and I love seeing them smile :)

Marry Me

2011-03-04T12:05:00.000-08:00

Gavin came to me today and wanted to talk. He was very serious and it was hard for me to hold a straight face during our conversation.

Gavin: "Mom, I've been thinking. I wanted to let you know that I've decided to marry Kate, instead of you.

Mom: "Really? Why?"

Gavin: "Because when I am a dad, you will be their grandma. You can't be their mom and their grandma too."

This boy is wise beyond his years and will make someone a very lucky girl someday :)

Ogden Temple

2011-03-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

Announcement: 24 August 1967

Site Dedication: 8 September 1969 by Joseph Fielding Smith and Alvin R. Dyer

Groundbreaking: 8 September 1969 by Hugh B. Brown

Public Open House: 16–30 December 1971

Dedication: 18–20 January 1972 by Joseph Fielding Smith

Temple Renovation

On February 17, 2010, the Church announced that the Ogden Utah Temple block will undergo a complete overhaul, which will reshape the existing temple into a beautiful new east-facing, stone-clad temple with art glass windows. While the interior structure will remain largely the same, some rooms will be reconfigured, and all interior design and auxiliary systems will be updated. The adjacent tabernacle will also sustain changes including the removal of its steeple, which will lend more prominence to the temple. The current above-ground parking structure will be replaced with surface and underground parking. All landscaping will be redone, featuring two new beautiful water features on the east and west sides of the temple.

On January 4, 2011, the First Presidency announced by letter the official closing date of the temple as Saturday, April 2, 2011. Construction is expected to last approximately 2–3 years. Following the renovation, the temple will be rededicated. Members are encouraged to attend other nearby temples during the closure.

Temple Facts

The Ogden Utah Temple was the fifth temple built in Utah and the second built along the Wasatch Front.

The Ogden Utah Temple was the first temple dedicated in the state of Utah; the four previous temples were dedicated in Utah Territory over 78 years earlier.

Ground was broken for the Ogden Utah Temple on the 96th birthday of President David O. McKay. He passed away just 4 months later. The temple was subsequently dedicated on the second anniversary of his passing.

I thought it would be a great opportunity to visit the temple with the kids so they can show their kids what it used to look like.

The flowers were beautiful, as usual.

This was taken in front of the fountain. For some reason it wasn't on. Bummer.

The kids loved this little "Island" in front of the temple.

This is the tabernacle. I'm not sure what changes will be made, but thought we should remember the original.

It was a little sad to think that such a magnificent building will be torn down. I'm sure that the new temple will be spectacular. I guess I'm just a sentimental girl.

You can't visit the Ogden Temple without a trip to Farr's Ice Cream. Today was no different.

Gavin chose Play Doh. One of my favorites, too!

Kate didn't really care what flavor she had, as long as it was "PINK!!!" She ended up with Cherry Chocolate Chip.

I decided to branch out from my usual Play Doh and try Cream Cheese and Blackberry. Delicious!

As long as we were making some memories, I thought it would be fun for them to remember how much an ice cream cone from Farr's cost. Do you remember when our parents would tell us that ice cream used to cost 5¢? Well, now it's $1.99 (really? For an ice cream cone?) One day when an ice cream cone cost $5, my kids will laugh at this picture!

We had such a fun day today! In fact, it came pretty close to a perfect day. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to have the rest of the family with us.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

2011-03-03T13:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Our New Addition

2011-03-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

Kate LOVES her turtle.

Kate hugs and kisses turtle all day long and goes with us wherever we go.

She loves him so much that he has officially earned himself a spot at the dinner table. She refuses to sit down to eat unless turtle has his very own spot as well.

The problem is, we only have 6 chairs.... who do we kick out in order to make room for turtle?

I swore that I would never cater to a child like this, but I guess I had never had a child like Kate when I said that :/

Krispy Kreme

2011-03-03T12:26:00.001-08:00

Gavin had a field trip to Krisy Kreme donuts. I hadn't been there for quite some time, and forgot how much I enjoy a warm Krispy Kreme.

Here's a picture of the group:

Jayli, Emma, Kate, Adrie, Parker, Noah, Ty and Gavin

Watching the donuts

Gavin's favorite part of the field trip? Well, when we ate the donuts, of course :)

What a lady!

Boston

2011-03-03T11:49:00.000-08:00

Travis has been traveling quite a bit lately. He had the opportunity last month to go to Boston. I'll have to ask him to help me with these pictures, but figured I'd better get them on before I forgot. I was just pretty impressed that he remembered to take pictures ;) He loved the city and was amazed how much actually took place in Boston. We are hoping to make it a family vacation in a few years.

Here a couple of views of the city from his hotel room.

Fenway Park. Too bad he's a Yankees fan.

I was so excited that he got to go to Cheers. He said the food wasn't that great, but I used to love that show and thought it was fun that he got to have that experience.

Boston Garden

Beiber Fever

2011-02-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

Emily got several Justin Beiber Valentine's cards from her friends. Gavin found one and here's the conversation we had:

Gavin: "Mom. Is this Justin Beiber?"

Mom: "Yes. What do you think of him?"

Gavin: "Weird. He looks like a French kid."

Mom: "A French kid? What does a French kid look like?"

Gavin: "Like Justin Beiber."

Duh, Steff. I should have seen that one coming.

OCD?

2011-02-15T07:51:00.001-08:00

I would never call myself an obsessive compulsive person, but doesn't everyone have their little quirks?

Take for instance the kitchen cupboards and doors. They are meant to stay CLOSED when not in use, right?

Or maybe the stereo in the car. When flipping through channels, you happen to come across a good song on one of your presets. Doesn't everyone have to push the preset button, even though the radio is already on that particular station?

But the one thing that really gets me is the towels in the bathroom. My rule is, if it's hanging on a towel rack, other than the hand towels, it's for decoration only. NO exceptions. Each member of the family has their own hook with their own towel hanging on the back of the door. Lately, a certain member of our family has struggled with that concept. My towel hangs over my bathrobe, and he has the one on the other hook. It's been that way for 15 years. I have noticed lately when I get out of the shower, my towel is wet. I have tried everything to solve this problem, even going as far as switching hooks. But to no avail. My towel has been wet every morning for the past week.

Last night, Travis came to me and said, "I think you have OCD with the towels." I laughed hysterically. And couldn't stop laughing. And laughing. Because it's true. Is my obsession so obvious to everyone? I asked him why and he said, "Because I have gone through 6 different towels this week already."

I kindly explained to him that I did not care to put the same towel that he used to dry his butt with on my head. And laughed some more. I'm still actually laughing right now.

So, what's a good solution? I guess just change ALL towels right before I shower. Hence, 6 dirty towels every day. Will it work? Time will tell.

One Smart Muffin!

2011-02-15T06:53:00.000-08:00

I tried to pull a fast one, but Emily was too smart. The kids LOVE blueberry muffins for breakfast, and we probably eat them twice a week. I was feeling a little thrifty and decided to buy the Jiffy blueberry muffins for around 80¢ a box. After we finished breakfast, Emily asked how much the "other" muffins cost. I told her around $2.50 a box to which she replied, "Oh good. I have enough money to buy some of the yummy muffins."

No more "other" muffins for us. It's tough to pull one over on Emily ;)

Skiing

2011-01-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

This is the first winter that I haven't wished away.

I think it's due to my new found love of

SKIING!!!

I have not been skiing in 15 years. I had forgotten how much fun it really is. I took Tyler to Snow Basin on New Year's Day, and he did great! It was so much fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed our time together.

He did so well, that I decided that Emily could join us the next time we went. I cannot believe the natural talent these kids have!

When we stopped for a lunch break, we ran into one of Emily's best friends. She had lots of fun skiing with her friend for the rest of the day.

We went for a third time this past weekend. They have made so much progress, and we got a TON of skiing in. We were all exhausted by the end of the day.

Hopefully we can make one more skiing trip before the end of the season! Why didn't anyone tell me how much fun I was missing out on? I love it :)

2010-12-31T11:20:00.001-08:00

A few cuties from Kate.

Mom: I love you, Kate.

Kate: I love my blankie, Mom.

Kate: I need my sippy cup.

Mom: What do you want in your sippy cup?

Kate: Marshmennows!

That's my kind of girl :)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-28T17:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning is so exciting! I still get just as excited as the kids do, and find it hard to sleep. We told the kids that they had to stay in bed until 6:30, so we got a wake up call promptly at 6:31.

Looks like Santa made it to our house:)

Kate was not super happy about waking up so early, until she saw that her stocking had been filled.

The kids must have been very good this year, as they got most everything on their wish lists plus a few extra surprises!

Emily and Tyler both asked for a DS and spent lots of time playing!

Are you surprised that a Harry Potter wand was on the top of Gavin's list?

Kate was loving ripping the paper off of her presents.

This shirt just screams Tyler!!!

Emily with Kate's Zhu Zhu pet. She liked her sister's better than her own. Oops!

Sing-a-Ma-Jigs for everyone!

Look at the eyes on the kids in these pictures. There is, indeed, something magical about Christmas!

Gavin really wanted Tangled characters. I thought that was such an interesting choice! Come to find out, it was really just the horse that he wanted.

Kate loves her baby.

And Gavin loves his Webkin.

Tyler was really excited and could hardly wait to give his gift to Travis. He worked really hard getting this #1 dad key chain just perfect.

We had a really fun and relaxing day. We had Grandma and Grandpa Paul over for breakfast and spent lots of time playing with toys and games.

After Kate's nap, we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Shorty's house for more fun!

Harry Potter made an appearance at the party. Gavin was so excited when Ty and Jess gave him this Harry Potter gear. He is now convinced that he looks EXACTLY like Harry.

Tyler loves to organize his gifts before he has to put them away, and take a picture of them so he will never forget what he got that year.

Gavin thought that was a great idea!

What a fantastic Christmas! We are already counting down to next year!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2010-12-28T17:37:00.001-08:00

The kids decorated the tree all by themselves this year. All I did was string the lights. A little cluttered and unorganized, but that's what it's all about :)

Here they are with their favorite cookies that they chose for Santa. Kate missed out on frosting the cookies. She was too tired and went to bed early.

No post is complete without something silly about Gavin. The kids insisted on 8 carrots for the reindeer. Gavin caught Travis eating a carrot, to which he replied, "DAD!!! YOU ATE DIXON'S CARROT!!!!!"

They are all ready and excited for Christmas to come!

I'm a runner

2010-12-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

Granted, I have never ran a marathon, and chances I probably won't, but I thought this was super funny and can definitely relate to this :)

Look Who's Two!

2010-12-12T09:33:00.004-08:00

I can hardly believe my baby is two years old already. She is such a joy and is definitely the princess around our house. She has each of us wrapped around her little finger.

We started out by opening presents. There's honestly not much that this little girl needs, and I found it hard to find something worth buying. She ended up with a Sing-a-Ma-Jig, a sorting farm toy, a Lucky Ducks game, new clothes and PJs. We put the rest of the money we would have spent in her savings account.

While we waited for everyone to come for cake and ice cream, we had a busy and fun day. We went to lunch, did some shopping and decorated her cake. She loves Minnie Mouse and was thrilled to see her cake when she woke up from her nap.

Throughout the day, she loved to hear me sing Happy Birthday to her and even sang several times to herself.

Kate is such a fun baby! She loves to hide in cupboards, read books, fake asleep, suck her thumb and snuggle her blankie. In fact, she loves her blankie so much and constantly drags it around, that my sister bought her a new one. We told her that she got a new blankie to which she responded, "That is NOT my blankie". She'll definitely tell you how it is. She is a very girlie girl. She loves to wear "pretties" (bracelets) and changes her shoes several times a day. She's got a bit of a stubborn streak and knows exactly how to get exactly what she wants. Heaven help me ;)

She loves her grandmas and grandpas and "calls" them several times a day on her telephone.

Kate and her girls, Bree and Lexie.

Did I forget to mention that this one is a sweet tooth? She ADORES the sweets. This was a perfect ending for her day. Her farm, Sing-a-Ma-Jig, sippy cup of milk, smarshmallows and new jammies. What more could a girl ask for?

Sea World

2010-12-12T09:33:00.003-08:00

We took a break from Disneyland on Wednesday and headed to Sea World. We really enjoyed seeing the ocean from the car, and I was wishing we would have had a little more time to visit the seashore. Sea World was a fun, relaxing day. A totally different experience than Disneyland.

Who's excited for Sea World? Gavin is!

The first thing we saw was the Beluga Whales. Kate and I spent quite a bit of time learning all about these fascinating mammals while Travis and the others were on a ride. I really was intrigued. It was very relaxing to watch these animals move so effortlessly through the water.

The penguins were next. All of my kids absolutely love penguins, so it was a lot of fun. A little stinky, OK, a lot stinky, but fun.

The shark encounter kind of creeped them all out. I'm not sure why. I think they were afraid of falling into the tank to be devoured by some ferocious creature. I was hoping for a HUGE shark!

The Fresh Water exhibit. The kids thought the transparent fish and the piranas were amazing. Tyler was disappointed that we had to miss the feeding of the piranas.

The Sea Lion show was very good. The kids thought it was hilarious! I have to say that I impressed myself with my vast knowledge of sea lions. Following the show, they did a question and answer session about sea lions, and guess who knew all the answers? Yours truly :)

The dolphin show was pretty disappointing. They tried to make it into some sort of musical something or other and there was very little focus on the dolphins. Bummer.

The Shamu show is always entertaining and we weren't disappointed. Maybe in my next life I will choose to be an animal trainer ;)

We got the opportunity to pet sting rays. Gavin and Tyler were extremely nervous. We were told that the stingers were cut off so Tyler decided to give it a shot. Gavin, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with them.

Tyler and Emily loved riding Atlantis, Gavin cried throughout the entire ride. Gavin and Kate enjoyed the Sesame Street Bay of Play.

My kids and I love walruses, but they are truly disgusting animals. They use their whiskers to feel for their food, gulp it down and spit out the remains of the fish. They were also puking and pooping all over the place. Gross!!!

Kate loves her daddy! Daddy loves his Kate!

What cute girls I have!

Disneyland

2010-12-12T09:33:00.001-08:00

For those that know me, you know I LOVE to take pictures. Imagine the difficulty I had in narrowing down the pictures Disneyland to 37! This will be a long post, with lots of pictures :)

We set out driving to Disneyland on Sunday, November 14. We drove half way to Mesquite, and stayed at my parents place. The kids travelled really well and much to our surprise, the fighting was non-existent! We got a few hours of sleep and headed out early the next morning. The kids were so excited to finally get to the park!

DISNEYLAND

The park looked so pretty all decorated for Christmas. They even had "snow" after the fireworks each night.

KATE

Some will say that Kate was too young, that she will never remember the trip. I agree, she won't, but I will always remember how much fun she had. I will remember how many times she wanted to go on the Winnie the Pooh ride, and how her face lit up while watching the parade.

TYLER

Tyler loved the roller coasters. He drug Travis and I on California Screamin' until we were both too sick to ride any more times. He loved watching Emily get soaked on Splash Mountain and enjoyed taking Kate on several rides. Especially Winnie the Pooh and Heimlich's Chew Chew Train. He still hated Pirates of the Caribbean, but was a good enough sport to ride it several times with his eyes closed tightly. He is grateful that he was sitting by mom, instead of dad. You'll find out why in Emily's section. His favorites were Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Soaring Over California, California Screaming and Monster's, Inc. His ultimate favorite ride was Tower of Terror. Mom's screaming didn't even embarrass him.

EMILY

Emily's favorites were Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. She has always hated Pirates of the Caribbean, but after her dad literally held her eyes open during the ride, she discovered that it wasn't that bad, and that she actually enjoyed it. A few more of her favorites: Finding Nemo, Space Mountain, making her dad sick on the Tea Cups, Toy Story Mania, California Screamin' and Winnie the Pooh. Oh, I forgot to mention, no trip to Disneyland is complete without a caramel, chocolate covered pretzel from Pooh Corner. Emily especially enjoyed this delicious treat! I know she would have loved Tower of Terror, but she wasn't quite sure she wanted to be that brave this year. She also wanted me to add that she is a bit like her mom, we both HATE the ferris wheel.

GAVIN

Gavin was a funny little guy. He was a bit surprising for someone who is usually so brave and daring. He HATED Splash Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Travis took the kids on Thunder Mountain Railroad, and he opted to stay with his mom, safely on the ground. However, when it was my turn to ride, he was right by my side saying, "I feel safer with my mom. And if she is going to die on the ride, I am too!" After riding it two or three times, it became one of his favorites. More that he included amongst his favorites were Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story Mania, Winnie the Pooh and Monsters Inc. I would say that Gavin's highlight of the trip was becoming a Jedi in Training. He did such a great job fighting Darth Vader and was quite proud of his certificate.

SMALL WORLD

Do you remember as a child absolutely adoring this ride? I remember wanting to ride it over and over and over again. Ummm, NOT my kids. I took Gavin and Kate, and they were both literally trying to crawl out of the boat. Gavin hated this ride with such a passion that when it was time for us to all go as a family, he flat out refused!!! I don't get it.

TIKI ROOM

Oh, and the Tiki Room? Another one of my childhood favorites. I remember how nice it was to go into a cool room and sit after walking so long, relax and enjoy the birds singing. Once again, NOT my kids. Travis had to take Kate out because she was screaming, and the others acted like they were being tortured. The best part of the Tiki Room? NO, not when it was over. Waiting for the show to start eating pineapple ice cream. YUMMY!!!! Oh, and these darling pictures I took of the kids while we were waiting.

Gavin was thrilled that he wasn't quite tall enough to go on Indiana Jones. Tyler and Emily regret going. They were not too happy that Travis had taken them on that adventure.

This was taken during a parade. I loved their faces. Doesn't it make you wonder what conversation was taking place?

I had never seen the Nightmare Before Christmas. I watched it when we got home. It is actually a pretty good show.

CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

I have never enjoyed California Adventure quite like I did this time. There was no one there. It seemed so relaxing. We could actually let go of the death grip we had on Gavin's hand and let Kate out of her stroller to stretch her legs and walk around by herself. It was so much fun! The kids loved the roller coasters, and I loved watching them have the time of their lives. Bug's Land was awesome! We rode Monsters, Inc. over and over and over again. In fact, that became one of my new favorite rides. We enjoyed eating rice bowls, and especially the World of Color show. It was incredible!

We did get Gavin on Tower of Terror, and he was, well, terrified! As we were getting off the ride, I told him to tell Emily how much fun the ride was and that it wasn't really all that scary. He looked at my face with confusion and asked, "You mean you want me to LIE to her?" Well, I didn't let him lie to his sister and he proceeded to tell her how terrible it was.

We were finally able to find Donald Duck on the last day as we were leaving. Hooray!

This was taken outside of the Muppet Show 3-D movie.

LOOK OUT TYLER!!!!!

We were all surprised that Kate was not terrified of the characters. That is not usually her personality.

Toy Story Mania. This is the ride we waited the longest for. 30 minute wait. The kids did pretty good. As good as 4 excited kids can do! Well worth the wait!

5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

SCREAM!!!!

Santa could not believe how much Gavin has grown this past year. He asked Santa for a Harry Potter Wand. Kate asked for a baby. They have both been really good kids. We'll have to wait and see what Santa has in store for them this year.

Gavin could not wait to take his dad on the bumper cars. He just knew he would love them. Which he did.

I loved this picture of the kids. Look at the smiles on those faces! I love that they're having so much fun!

I loved this bench in Bug's Land. It was made to look like popsicle sticks. How clever.

This was taken at our Character Breakfast. A must if you visit Disneyland!

Exhaustion had finally set in at this point. This picture was taken during our trip back to Mesquite. Our plan had been to leave the park early enough to beat the rush hour traffic. We let the kids pick their favorite things to do one more time before we left, and by the time they rode their favorites and picked out their souveniers, it was 5:30. I'm not sure we ever got over 40 mph on the freeway and we didn't arrive in mesquite until 1:30 a.m. We were very grateful to be in bed that night.

We can't wait to go back in 2012. Definitely the Happiest Place on Earth :)

More Gavin....

2010-11-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

Gavin's primary teacher asked him how Jesus died, to which he replied, "On the crosswalk." Now, I don't mean to brag, but I am such a good parent ;)

Emily's Baptism

2010-11-08T09:16:00.002-08:00

Emily was baptized on Saturday, November 6, 2010. She was so excited for her big day and spent lots of time helping with the planning.

I was overwhelmed at how many people were there for Emily. It's amazing how much joy she brings to everyone around her. She is so tender hearted, caring and full of love.

It was so much fun shopping for her dress. I loved watching her try on dresses and twirl in the mirror. She felt pretty and she looked absolutely beautiful!

After the baptism, we went back to the church for dessert. Everything was so yummy and the day turned out perfect!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-08T09:16:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I'm barely finishing up Halloween. It seems so long ago, I can hardly remember it. I'll start with the pumpkin carving. We ended up with 13 pumpkins, and we were all very excited to carve every last one of them. Needless to say, after four, the kids were done. There was no way I was going to carve 8 myself, so this is what we ended up with.

Emily wanted to be a 50s girl, and wanted Kate to have a matching costume. Kind of a funny story about her skirt.... I bought what I thought to be a pattern in Emily's size. When buying the material, I kept thinking that she was cutting an awful lot of fabric, but hey, I'm no expert! As I was sewing, I thought the skirt seemed awful big, but then the pattern probably knows better than I do. When it was finished, the skirt was HUGE!!! Emily could have fit three or four of her friends in the skirt with her. I put so heavy duty elastic in the waist and cut at least 8 inches off the bottom, and presto, we all had matching skirts ;) Too bad there's no pictures of all three of us.

Tyler has never been one to dress up, but he made a good looking crossing guard.

Gavin had the hardest time deciding what he wanted to be. He ended up as Heat Blast (from Ben 10). Personally, I think he just loved the mask.

When Halloween finally rolled around, it was cold and rainy. Kate only went to three houses, but was thrilled with handing out candy at home. She still got her fair share of candy, thanks to some great neighbors, and especially loved the suckers.

I think Tyler's favorite part of Halloween is sorting and analyzing his candy. He has done this every year since he's been three years old, and I am amazed that he still continues to do so.

Black Island Farms

2010-11-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

Emily decided to have her birthday party at Black Island Farms this year. She wanted a small party, in fact she only invited 5 friends, which was fine with me. It was a lot less stressful to keep track of the kids.

The weather couldn't have been better. I was a little nervous because the day started out rainy, but it ended up perfect!

Emily and her BFFs!

I thought this was the cutest thing I had ever seen. Emily's friend, Megan is moving to Idaho Falls in the spring. It's hard to lose good friends, but Travis travels there quite frequently. Emily can't wait to go visit during one of her dad's trips.

Pig Racing! Still makes me laugh!

Kate is afraid of heights. I guess that's one disadvantage to having a tall daddy :)

Kenzy, Megan, Gavin, Taylor and Emily

Animal train

Emily loves being a big sister

Is he OK?

I loved this! There's a little cup at the bottom of this chute that you fill with grass, pull the rope to lift the cup of grass up to....

A hungry goat. So funny!

She had a great birthday party with some great friends!