1..2..3.. Smile!

I just noticed that there is maybe one photo of me on this whole blog! I guess that tells you how much I like pictures of me. Today while the girls were both in a good mood I thought I would set the timer and take a photo of us. Can you tell I'm not wearing any make up? Yuck! Oh well this is for posterity right?

Lost friends

Have you ever lost touch with a friend and you don't know why? I have a friend that we have kept in touch over e-mail pretty well for the past few years. All of the sudden last year around this time she stopped responding to my e-mails. I find myself wondering what I've done to make her mad or what could possibly be the reason for not hearing from her. I'm sure I've bugged Brett about this until he can't stand to hear about it anymore. It's just such a puzzle to me. Well, since I started blogging I sent an e-mail to all of my friends and family to let them know so that they could check in on us. I think it was last week I noticed that someone had visited my blog from the area that this friend lives. I pretty much know that it has to be this friend but it could be someone else who knows. I just think that if it is this girl that I'm talking of she obviously has an interest so I wonder why she doesn't communicate with me. Maybe I'm crazy and I shouldn't even care anyway but it always kind of digs at me what could have happened. I'm also kind of sad because she had a baby about a year ago and I don't even know what she had. The last e-mail I received from her she said that the next day she was going to find out the sex of the baby. I have said a few times (to Brett) that I'm not going to e-mail her anymore. That lasts for awhile and then I start thinking about it again. I feel like a crazy stalker that can't get the hint. Maybe we just weren't that great of friends anyway but I kind of thought we were. I guess I'm blogging about this so if she does see this then she will know how I feel. It's possible that she doesn't have the same e-mail and hasn't received my e-mails. I just hope that I can stop wondering about the whole thing. I'm past the point of feeling hurt it's just the not knowing that's bugging me.
Wouldn't it be interesting to be able to see yourself through the eyes of someone else? That sounds weird but what I mean is that I could be walking around thinking that I'm a fairly nice person but people around me could be thinking that I'm a big jerk. I think I'm a pretty good judge of people and I try to be friends with the people that I come in contact with. I don't always go out of my way to make new friends but when I do I really treasure them. I don't know.
Anyway! Maybe now that I've talked about this I've purged my mind of it and I wont have to wonder anymore.

Shopping is harder now

Remember the days before you had kids and you could go shopping and it wasn't a huge hassle? Weren't those the days? We went to the east side of the valley today and it's funny how quick the time slips away from you and how much stuff we found that we took with us. When you have four kids to get in and out of the car and four stops to make it's amazing how long and how much stuff you have to pack and unpack at each place.
We had a lot of fun and got done what we wanted to get done it was just an adventure and it cracks me up thinking about how hard it is to go anywhere with kids. Especially when you have four little girls to wrestle with.

Madilynn's hair

Ok! I'm so sorry for all the entries today but I almost forgot. The other day after I took Madi out of the bath I decided to flat iron her hair. It's curly enough that it's hard to tell how long it really is. I took some before and after photo's so you could see. I'm also thinking about trimming her hair especially after seeing how uneven it is when it's straight. What do you think? Brett thought that Madi's hair looked so cute straight. She just looks so different.

Before

After

Small miracles

Remember the photo's that I posted of Madi on the potty? Well, since then she has decided that she wants to use her little potty chair and not the big potty which is fine with me I just want her to do it. Yesterday I asked her if she was ready to go potty and she immediately started saying the usual things. "NO HAND!" She says that because she doesn't want us to hold her hand to walk her back to the potty. She also does her little "Humph" And what else.... Oh she says, "I don't want to go potty like a big gurl!" Pretty much if I put Madi on the potty shortly after she eats she'll do it just fine even if we have to fight to get her there. So yesterday I finally got her into the bathroom but she just wouldn't cooperate. She was putting up a serious fight so I just decided to give up and put her down for her nap. When we got into her room she got even more upset because she didn't want to take a nap either. I just laid in her bed with her and held her until she stopped kicking. When she calmed down I told her that I was going to go out so she could sleep and she sad in a sad little voice, "Mommy. I want to go potty." So we went into the bathroom and she did it! YEAH!! Woo Hoo!! After giving her the reward of two small marshmallows she went down for a nap. After her nap which is usually two to three hours long she came out into the family room and started playing. Now I know you're probably thinking, "Why is this post called Small Miracles?" Well, I was in the kitchen working on some bows and Madi came over to me and said, "Mommy! I gotta go potty like a big gurl!" So we went into the bathroom and she did it! YEAH!! And Woo Hoo again! I was so excited that she told me that she was ready to go. It kind of feels like a short lived thing because now we are back to the fight to get her to go. Anyway, I'm just happy that she is starting to show signs of doing it all on her own. What a big girl you are Madilynn!

Little Miss Attitude

A few days ago I was in the kitchen making dinner and Brett was in the family room with the girls. I could hear that Madi was being a bit of a pill to her Dad. She got mad about something and smacked Brett. Brett was stunned for a second and then took Madi to her room until she could be nice. After a minute or two she stopped crying so we decided to wait another minute or two and then go get her out. Then the door slowly opened and Madi appeared. Brett looked at her and said, "Are you ready to be nice?" Madi would just fold her arms and make the little Humph sound and turn and shut the door. She did that probably five times. It was funny and it's hard not to laugh when she is doing stuff like that because she is so cute. Finally she came out to Brett and he asked her if she was ready to say sorry and she replied, "I guess so." I was still in the kitchen but heard her say that so I had to try not to laugh out loud. She has such a big tude for such a little person.
She has also been telling us that we aren't her friends. Brett and I have been telling her that it's not nice to say that and it hurts our feelings. It's funny because sometimes when she is being really sweet she tells us that we're best friends. I just don't want her to say that to any of her little friends because it hurts. Well, she has been spitting lately and I think it's because she knows how to spit in the sink after brushing her teeth. Sometimes she will spit at us when she is mad. Now, it's not like a big yucky spit it's more like slobber but I don't want her doing it. Well, the other day she spat in my direction so I went to the fridge and got the hot sauce. Needless to say it didn't go over very well. She was very mad and I felt bad right after I did it. We went right into the bathroom so I could brush her teeth and get the taste out. I even gave her a piece of chocolate. So did it work? Well, I think it did and just bringing it up on other issues has helped too. Now if she says that we aren't friends I tell her that she will get the hot sauce (even though I will never do it again it was traumatic for both of us). She's been really careful about saying that lately. I just have to say I would have never thought of putting hot sauce in her mouth until I read our friend Stephanie's blog about her little girl biting. So, I have to say thanks Steph for the idea doing it just one time will probably brake Madi of a whole list of naughty things.

What's for dinner?

We have really been working with Madilynn trying to get her to eat what we eat for dinner. There are certain meals that I make that she eats really well and other's that she puts up a fight. Ever since we went to the allergy specialist I've been trying to figure out how I'm going to keep Madilynn eating the same food that we eat. Pretty much everything I make has milk in it. It's so frustrating. I even noticed today that spaghetti o's has milk in it. Ahhh!! So tonight for dinner we had this yummy cream cheese chicken. Madilynn just loves it and eats it all up and even asks for more! Well, it's loaded with milk and dairy. Brett and I decided that she could eat it and that we should just keep her from having straight milk. After she was finished eating I looked at her little face and she had the red rash around her mouth. I don't remember her getting it from this meal before. It only seems to bother her if it gets on her skin and even then I don't think she even notices anything. So we just clean her face off and she goes about her day. I guess as long as it doesn't appear to be hurting her we will just keep giving her these things. That or when the doctor says no more at all.

Kimber Giggles

Tagged!

Mindy tagged me! Here it goes!

• 3 Joys

1. My girls! Watching Madi playing with Kimber
   
2. Brett!
   
3. Finishing a crafty project
   

• 3 Fears

1. Something bad happening to my girls or Brett
   
2. Spiders!!!
   
3. Having to use the Epi Pen on Madi!! Hopefully I never have to do that.
   

• 3 Goals

1. To be more organized!
   
2. Meet my sister (That's right I have a sister I've never met)
   
3. I have to get on the ball and read the Twilight books
   

• 3 Current Obsessions

1. Blogging
   
2. Making Bows
   
3. Going on walks with my little family. That only happens when the temperature outside is below 110
   

• 3 Random Facts

1. I was hit by a car when I was four years old
   
2. I have a scar on my hand where a cat bit me really bad. My sister put kerosene on the cat trying to kill the fleas and then I got bit while we were trying to clean it off. I should have renamed this my list of injuries.
   
3. I was an Aunt even before I was born.

I tag Beth McGaha, Sharon Gifford, Jaimie Haley, Sally Barrington, and Tifany Wright

Post these rules on your blog. List 3 Joys, 3 Fears, 3 Goals, 3 Current Obsessions/Collections and 3 Random/Surprising facts. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

Memory Tag!

Well, I guess I'm going to do this. I saw that a few people had done this on their blogs and thought, "How fun!" So this is my tag from my friend Heather Dahle.

1. As a 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 cool (and 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.

"Are you ready to say sorry?"

Madi's tif with Daddy. Madi hit Daddy and so she was put in her room until she could be nice. She came out to check every once in awhile and Brett would ask her if she was ready to be nice. She would fold her arms and make the little Hmph sound. Then turn and shut the door. Finally she came out into the living room and Brett asked her if she was ready to say sorry and she replied, "I guess so."

Sound sleeper

I pretty much sleep like the dead so I don't hear much of anything that happens at night. Most mornings and when I say most I meal all, I wake up to Madi sleeping next to me. I have no memory of her coming in the room. She doesn't wake me when she comes in she just climbs into bed and goes back to sleep.

Madi's blessing dress

Duh I need to put Madi's dress on here too. Isn't it beautiful? I'm just so glad to have them and how cool that their Aunt made them. Thanks again Katie!

Kimber's blessing dress

Brett's sister Katie does the most amazing work with her crocheting. She made Madi's blessing dress and then this one for Kimber. She has such a great talent. I don't know if you can see it very well but the dress is absolutely beautiful. Even though Kimber was blessed a couple of months ago I needed to post these photo's to brag about the dress that Katie had made. Thanks so much Katie I know it took you many long hours to make this dress. I'm so glad that our girls will have their dresses to pass on to their daughters some day.

Thank goodness for good friends!

It's so nice to have good friends that will bale you out when you are in need. Sometimes you go on a walk and it gets dark too fast so you need a ride. Good friends will drop what they are doing and come and pick you up (Tifany). Sometimes you don't pay attention and you run out of oil that you need to make some salsa. Good friends are there at 12:30am to loan you some (Holly). Sometimes you just need a good friend that will listen to you gripe. I think I have too many of these instances to list.. What can I say I'm a work in progress.
My normal game plan is to try not to rely on anyone except of course Brett. I just don't want to be a bother to anyone and I don't want to be disappointed if someone doesn't keep up their end of the bargain. It's just so nice to know that when I haven't planned ahead and I need something there is always someone there that is willing to help me out. Thank you to all of our good friends near and far away we wouldn't want to be without you.

No peanuts! No Milk!

A few weeks ago I thought I would try to give Madi a peanut butter sandwich because isn't that a kid favorite. She didn't want anything to do with the peanut butter but she did nibble at the bread a little. She mashed the sandwich up so it got on her skin and most likely under her fingernails. I cleaned her off when she was finished but I didn't scrub her down which is probably what I should have done. At first she seemed just fine she even took a nap. A few hours later she started getting extremely upset and complaining that she was scratchy. We gave her a bath and after that the hives really started showing up. She was so miserable I felt terrible for giving her something that made her sick. We gave her Benadryl and put Cortisone Cream all over her. She was in terrible pain and scratching so hard that she was bleeding. Brett just held her while she cried for two hours straight and then she finally went to sleep. I learned my lesson on that one.

Madi has also showed signs of being allergic to milk at least on her skin. Anytime she eats anything dairy and gets it on her face or hands she gets a rash kind of like hives. When it first happened I mentioned it to her doctor and she said that Madi would grow out of it. We started just giving her soy milk and after awhile I switched back to regular milk but the same thing started happening again. I brought it up to her doctor again and she suggested that we take her to the Allergy Specialist.

Today at the Allergy Specialist they tested Madi for peanuts and milk. The doctor really thought that the milk allergy was unlikely since she didn't show any other sings like vomiting or diarrhea. Well, the test for both came back positive. It was scary listening to the doctors instructions about the Epi Pen. I don't ever want to have to give Madi the Epi Pen but I'm so glad that there are things like that to help when you need them. As we were walking out of the doctors office I had Madi repeat after me, "No peanuts for me thank you." I heard her saying it later as she was playing. I guess the fun thing about all of this is Madi now gets to wear a medical alert bracelet. She totally loves wearing jewelry so it will be so cool to her.

If you look close in this photo you can see the redness on Madi's legs. This was the peanut butter incident.This is what happened after eating Macaroni and Cheese.She had to be poked with a pin six times. She was a real trooper and even giggled because she said it tickled. She just kept on watching Finding Nemo.This is after 20 minutes showing positive.Kimber just watched her big sister the whole time. It was so sweet!

High Jinks of Madilynn

2:30AM this morning I was surprised to hear a sweet little voice say, "Hi Mama." Totally freaked me out! We called Daddy on the phone so that Madi could tell him that she loved him and hopefully he could talk her into going back to sleep.
Later this morning after Brett was home from work Madi started bringing her toys into our bedroom. She had left her doll stroller in the middle of our bathroom so I called to her to have her come and get it. She simply said, "No. I'm a princess!" Brett laughed and said, "That's blog worthy!"
She's a little crack up so I've decided that this will be a regular post that I will continue. It will be funny when she is older and I can recall all of these funny things that she did.

This is her regular everyday attire. Isn't she glamorous?

Fourth of July!

Yesterday I found myself missing our hometown of Vernal really bad. I missed being around family and all the things we would do with them. I thought about my family and how they probably walked to Main Street to watch the parade.It's just a fun little parade with all the firetrucks blowing their horns and running their sirens. It's always fun to watch the kids cover their ears because it's so loud. Then to add to the noise the jets from Hill Air Force Base do a fly over. That's always a big hit. (I don't think I would care much about the jets anymore since we hear them everyday as they fly over our house.) Then the barbecue and sitting on the deck talking for hours. Sometimes we would go sit on Grandma Woolley's porch and watch people go by. It's so fun because people always honk and wave. Later in the evening we all load up in Grandpa Woolley's truck and drive to the Ashley Stake Center to watch the fireworks from the parking lot.

This year I really wanted to take Madi to see the fireworks. We were on our way to the ball park where they were being set off to find out they were canceled. What a bummer!! It was extremely windy and the dust in the air was crazy so it was a good thing we weren't out in the weather. On the other hand we did get a really cool lightning show. If we weren't all sick I would have watched the lightning longer. Oh yeah that's the other thing. We were all sick yesterday so that was a bummer. Besides all of the mishaps we had fun hanging out with the Wright's and the Jankowski's. The kids had a lot of fun playing dress up and running wild. Oh and then Brett saw Madi and Ty Jankowski walking around holding hands. It was pretty cute! The kids had fun with the confetti party poppers that Tifany gave them. Oh and we did get to watch the fireworks from Tempe on TV so I guess that made up for Buckeye's being canceled. Woo Hoo!!

As I'm sitting here writing this I realize that even though the day didn't go just as I would have liked I am so blessed to be an American. To have the freedom that I have to say and do things that I like. We are free to travel to other states and see our family if we would like to and in parts of the world they can't because of their government. I'm proud of my family members including my cute husband that have been in the military protecting the freedom that we have. The fireworks and barbecues are a fun part of the day but we need to remember what the day is actually about and be thankful that we are so blessed to live in this country. I am thankful most of all that I have the freedom to say, "God Bless America!"

It's no fun to get hurt

Today I found out that our little friend Payton fell off of her bed and broke her arm. I told Madi that Payton got hurt and she asked me if she had a band aid. I told her that she has a really big band aid that covers her whole arm. She was very concerned about her friend Payton and said that we should go to her house. I told her that we would go to Payton's house but not today. Awhile later Madi came running to me where I was in the kitchen and she said, "Mommy! I want to fall down and get hurt!" I had to explain to her that it wouldn't be fun to get hurt and that she would cry a lot. I think she understood that she shouldn't go and jump off of the furniture because getting hurt isn't fun. So I went about what I was doing and a few minutes later I heard a bump and Madi had bumped her head on the recliner as she was walking behind it. Silly little munchkin! She cried and I gave her a love and kissed her boo boo better. I think she got the point that getting hurt doesn't feel good and it's not fun.

Potty training

I believe that these pictures speak louder than words. Here are a few quotes from Madi.

"I don't want to go potty like a big gurl!"

"It's not pair!" (translation, "It's not fair!")

"I don't want to go potty eber!" (translation, "I don't want to go potty ever!")

So as you can see we are having so much fun working with Madi on her potty training.. Hopefully soon she will decide that the potty really is her friend.

Joy School

My good friend Tifany called me this morning to see if I would be interested in taking part in Joy School. What's that? From what Tifany told me it sounded really great and Madi would have time to be around other kids her age! It's a do it yourself preschool where 3 to 6 mother's take turns teaching the Joy School in their home twice a week. Here is the website so you can go and check it out http://www.valuesparenting.com/joyschool/
Brett and I have been discussing whether or not to put Madi in preschool so this will be perfect. I'm so glad that Tifany thought of Madi and I for this. Thanks Tif I'm so excited!

Little girls are CRAZY!!

Last night Madilynn didn't sleep really well. She kept waking up crying and anytime I went into her room to see what was wrong she just cried this yelling cry and wouldn't talk. When I finally got her to say anything coherent she said that her foot hurt. I think her foot hurt because she was kicking the wall when I walked into her room. She was just so sleepy and her nose was running so I propped her up on some pillows so that she could breath. I think she slept ok after that.
So, this morning she wakes up at the crack of dawn and goes about her day as usual. Around 10:30am she starts whining at me saying that she wants to go to her bed. So I get up from what I'm doing to take her to her room to take a nap. She doesn't follow me, she just stands at the doorway in the living room and whines that she doesn't want to go to bed. What?! Didn't you just tell me you wanted to go to bed? I'm so confused... So I go back to what I was doing and she starts in again that she wants to go to her bed so I fall for it again. Same thing happens. I finally got smart, she didn't want to go to her bed to take a nap she just wanted to go to her bed to get her silky. I'll have to explain the silky later but just know it's similar to the "Woobie" on the movie MR. Mom. She just cracks me up because she totally knows how to manipulate me into getting what she wants and she's only two!! Little girls are crazy or at least my little girl is crazy. For instance, When I'm putting Madi to bed I always ask her if she wants the fan on. Usually she says yes but there are times that she says no or grunts no. So I go to leave the room and she starts crying because she actually does want the fan on. She is so silly I love her but she's crazy.. I know Brett's reading this thinking, "All women are crazy.." It's probably true but if we weren't wouldn't life be boring for our husbands? Just kidding!

Midnight snack!

11:23 pm I just happen to be sitting at the computer and an e-mail popped up from my neighbor and good friend Holly. She had made some Pina Colada's (virgin of course) and wanted to know if I would like some. I said of course I would love some so she ran some over with some yummy salsa!! Delicious!! Thanks for the yummy treat Holly! I guess this is a preview of what the girls are going to have at the recipe club. Why did I pass on the recipe club again? You guys have so much fun and I've seen how cute the recipe books are. Maybe I could sneak in or something.. Anyway here is what Holly brought me.. Doesn't it look yummy and so cute? Look at the umbrella on the straw!

Something I learned today

When I make a meat loaf I separate it into a few pans so that I can freeze some for another day. Well, today when I took a loaf out of the freezer I noticed that the foil covering the pan had some little black dots on it. When I took the foil off I could see that they were not dots and that they were little holes. There were even spots on top of the meat loaf that you could see little pieces of foil and it looked like melted foil. I immediately had to call my mother in law to find out if it was safe to eat. She said that the tomato in the chili sauce has so much acid in it that it ate through the foil and it's happened to her too. She just told me to scrape the foil off before I put it in the oven. It's just funny because usually I wrap everything in plastic wrap first and then foil but for whatever reason I didn't this time. Weird!! Anyway, we ate our meat loaf and it was yummy.. So the moral of the story is don't wrap foil around anything with tomato in it or you'll have to scrape the foil off of your food.

Oh and for those of you who are thinking, "Meat loaf beet loaf I hate meat loaf!" Here's the recipe it's so yummy and freezes really well.. Ha ha ha!! No really it freezes well just put plastic wrap on it first..

Mitzi's Meat Loaf
2 to 2 ½ lbs. Hamburger
1 Pkg. Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage
1 Cup Bread Crumbs
1 Egg
1 bottle Chili Sauce
1 to 2 Tbsp. Minced Dried Onion Flakes
½ Tbsp. Poultry Seasoning

Mash Hamburger and Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage together.
Mix in Bread Crumbs, Egg, Chili Sauce, Onion, and Poultry Seasoning with your hands
Put into large loaf pan and smash down really well.
Before baking slice across 5 times
Bake @ 350 for 1 to 1 ½ hours Remember to drain off the fat.

The Bachelorette

So, I know how cheesy it is that I watch the Bachelorette but I totally want her to end up with Jason. If you aren't a dork like me who watches the show Jason is a guy from Seattle, Washington with a three year old son. He seems like such a sweet and genuine guy. Besides his personality he has one huge thing going for him... He's a father and if you ask me there is nothing more attractive than seeing a father with his children. I can't tell you how many times I've watched Brett with our girls and I'm sitting there trying not to cry because he is so sweet with them and I can tell he loves them very much. Anyway, back to the Bachelorette. I think that Jesse seems to be a very fun, sweet and genuine guy but, they seem to be so different. Jesse is a guy from Breckenridge, Colorado and he is a pro snowboarder. Out of the two guys I think that Jason seems to be a better fit. Nothing against Jesse because he really seems like a great guy I just don't see the two of them mixing well with their different lifestyles. Anyway, I hope she picks Jason but since that's the one I want her to end up with she'll pick the other one that's just how it usually goes anyway.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I watch that show but some of it is so sweet. I think I started watching it (The Bachelor) so that I knew what the girls in the office (Horizon Banks) were talking about. A lot of it is very laughable and whenever Brett comes in the room I pause it or turn the channel so he doesn't tease me. I guess it's one of my guilty pleasures.. Anyway, we'll see next week who she picks and I'm pulling for Jason.

Happy Birthday Bretty!

Brett turned 32 on Tuesday the 24th! I made him his favorite dessert which he calls the chocolate dessert. He was out of town all day and when he got home he was completely exhausted so he went to bed for few hours. I think he finally woke up around 8:00PM and we had dinner. I love my Bretty so much he is such a great man and the best Dad. I'm just so thankful that he is my Bretty and I'm so thankful for all that he does for our family. He really is my best friend we have so much fun just hanging out and doing nothing together. I am thankful that 32 years ago he was born in Vernal Utah and that we met for the first time when we were both 13. Ahhh!! I don't usually get so mushy in public but I felt the need to tell my man how much I love and appreciate him and that I'm glad that he was born 32 years ago. The other reason for writing this is to tell everyone that Brett is 32 and he says he isn't having anymore birthday's and will be 29 forever. What a silly willy! Happy Birthday Bretty!

Brett at 2 years old. Now you see where Madilynn gets her curly hair. He'll probably be so embarrassed that I put the baby photo of him up but I couldn't help myself it's just so cute!

You know it's hot when...

You know it's hot when...

• You turn on the faucet to get cold water and all you get is boiling hot water.
• You open your front door and it feels like a convection oven.
• You walk bare foot on the cement and your feet feel like they are going to burst into flames.
• After being outside for a few minutes you nearly have sun stroke.
• The air conditioner is running non stop.
• You can't stop anywhere after you've been to the grocery store because you don't want spoiled milk.
• Planes can't take off at the airport. (I need to ask my brother Boyd why this is.)

Last year Brett and I barely made it through the hot months and this year we look at the temperature when it reads 105 and we say, "Oh it's going to be a nice day!" I guess we are getting used to the temperature down here but boy is it hot..

Big day for Brett

Tomorrow is going to be a big day for Brett and for our family. We aren't counting our chickens before they hatch so I can't say much about what's happening. I just wanted to let everyone know that we need your prayers and thoughts today. Don't worry it's not something bad it's something really good. Sorry to be so vague I'm just digging for prayers. I'll keep you all posted and give you more information in a few days. Tomorrow is also Brett's birthday! Happy birthday Brett!! He says that he stopped having birthday's at 29 because he feels old.. What a silly boy..
Thanks again for all of your love and support!

He's a good man

This morning when Brett arrived home from work Madilynn greeted him so he fed her breakfast. When Brett came into our bedroom and woke me up he told me that he had fed her. In my half awake state I couldn't be sure that he told me that she had eaten so when I saw Madilynn in the living room I asked her if her Dad fed her some breakfast and she said, "He's a good man!" It was so cute I had to run down the hall and tell Brett right away. She is such a sweetie! I am in awe of her and how amazing she is. She does and says things that are so thoughtful she seems so wise for her young years.

Three months old!

Kimber is already three months old! Where does the time go? She is already rolling over and lifting her head! She is a big talker, we have the best conversations with one another. She has such a sweet smile and the cutest dimples. It looks like her eyes are going to stay blue just like Madi's, I don't know how that happened.. When she is angry look out, she has the scream of a banshee. She loves to be on her stomach which is completely different from how Madi was. People ask me if she looks like Madi or who she looks like, I think she is a good mix of Brett and I just like Madi is. On June sixth she had her two month doctor appointment. She weighed 11 pounds 8 ounces and 24 and a half inches tall. She didn't appreciate her shots at all. We explained to her that she had to have them so she wouldn't get sick, I don't think she cared. Kimber loves her big sister. Anytime she sees Madi she smiles really big. Madi loves to be near her little sister too. Sometimes when I've been out of the room when I return I find Madi laying next to Kimber. Madi always makes sure that Kimber has a blanket and toys to snuggle with. They are so cute together I hope that they are always the best of friends.
This last photo is just funny! She totally looks like she is ready for a brawl or something. Maybe she is going to be a boxer like my Dad was. I'll have to get the photo of my Dad it's cute.. Anyway, that's a story for another time.

Bows bows bows!!!

So, a ways back there was a Relief Society Super Saturday that they taught how to make hair bows. I didn't know about it in time to sign up so I missed out on how to learn. Well a few friends from church learned and taught me how. That totally got me on the kick of making bows. Since then I've found a bunch of new ways to make bows. Here are a few of what I've made already. So fun and Madi loves them!

Cute baby!

So this is a video of Madi when she was three months old. I was looking at her baby pictures today and this is just so cute so I had to post it. I just love how she has so much expression in her face. What a doll!

Time for a checkup!

Madilynn went to have her six month checkup at the dentist today and she was, in her own words, "A big gurl!"

Here she is wearing her special dentist shirt that they gave her on her first visit.

She gets to wear sunglasses so the bright light doesn't hurt her eyes.

The dentist office is so fun! They have TV monitors on the ceiling so she could watch Alvin and the chipmunks while having her teeth tickled. On previous visits to the dentist there have been many tears but she didn't cry at all on this visit! She is growing up so fast..

Here she is at her first visit at one and a half years old. She wasn't crying at this point I just had to show how little she was.

Since she was so good she got to pick some prizes. She picked two bracelets and a note pad. She also got a pink balloon.
She has eighteen teeth and they are all perfect. No cavities for this girl! Good job Madilynn!

This dentist visit went really well. I guess all of the talking about the dentist and how they were going to look at her teeth paid off!!

Aren't garages for cars?

Tonight as I was out walking I noticed how many people don't use their garages for their cars. I don't get it especially with the heat here. Some of the garages that I noticed were full of boxes and other stuff but I have seen some that are empty. One of the reasons this bugs me is that these people usually have a bunch of cars and so to fit them all they are parking on the street. So imagine this, you are driving down the road and you come to a bottle neck because there are cars parked on both sides of the street and there is a car coming from the other direction and you end up waiting for the car to pass.. So annoying! Another reason this bugs me is that you go to back out of your driveway and have to be careful you don't back into a car parked out in the street. Ok now that I got that out I'll go back to talking about things that really matter.

Hubby Tag!

My friend Sally tagged me with this Hubby Tag so hopefully I do it right. Enjoy!

1. What is his name? Clyde Brett Barnes

2. Who eats more? Brett

3. Who said I love you first? Brett says that he did...

4. Who is taller? Brett by 4 inches

5. Who is smarter? Brett but I am smarter when it comes to the TV. Should it be the other way around?

6. Who is more sensitive? I am but Brett has his moments but if we are talking about crying then it's totally me.

7.Who does the laundry? I do.

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do but we have switched a few times. Pretty much every time he has gone away with the military I've taken his side.

9. Who pays the bills? I do

10. Who cooks more? I do but Brett makes really good eggs

11. What meals do you cook together? BBQ Pizza (or as our friends call it, Mormon Pizza) and biscuits and gravy

12. Who is more stubborn? Ummm... Probably me but we both are.

13. Who is the first to admit they're wrong? Brett

14. Who has more siblings? I have six brothers and six sisters. Brett has one brother and two sisters. I win!

15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? Brett always calls me the boss but I think we are fifty fifty

16. What do you like to do together? Everything except Brett doesn't like to go to the store with me.

17. Who eats more sweets? I do

18. Guilty pleasures? Brett says, "Nsync, I want you back." Mine would be chocolate

19. How did you meet? We were in the same ward in Junior High. We met again after Brett's mission when he moved to Salt Lake and we lived together... Not like you're thinking...

20. Who asked who out first? Brett asked me.

21. Who kissed who first? Brett kissed me first

22. Who proposed? Brett did at Temple Square in Salt Lake

23. His best features? His grey green eyes, his crooked smile.... I love all of his features the best.

24. What is his greatest quality? He has a lot of greatest qualities so a few of them would be his great sense of humor, he is the best Dad, he writes really great songs and he works long hours at a job he doesn't love to provide for his family. He really couldn't be a better husband, I'm very blessed to have him... Ahhh!!

25. Tag? Nicole Bender, Jaimie Haley, Cheryl Wellman, Jen Moon, Brooke Jenkins and Beth McGaha. If you've done this one, pick another one to do. Have fun!

Don't mess with Shorty!

Last night the girls and I went for a walk to the park. I usually won't take Madi if there are any big kids playing just so she won't get pushed or something... When we first arrived at the park Madi had it all to herself, but pretty soon three bigger kids showed up, two boys and a little girl. The little girl was probably five or six. Madi started following the little girl around and trying to get the girl to play with her. They all seemed to be getting along pretty well. A short time later I saw our good friend and neighbor Holly walking to the park with her two girls, Brinna who is three and Laci who is nine months. Madi and Brinna were very excited to see each other and went right to playing. Holly and I were talking while the girls ran around and played on the slides. All of the sudden we heard Brinna screaming! She had gone down the slide and the older girl had bumped into her knocking her down. Brinna was pretty upset but Holly got her to calm down. Holly told Brinna that she was sure that the girl didn't mean to do it so Brinna went back to play. At the top of the slide Brinna met up with Madi and she told Madi about what had happened. The older girl was right near them and Madi walked up to the girl and poked her in the chest and said, "You neber eber push Brinna! Eber!" I immediately yelled, "Madi you do not push! You tell her that you are sorry!" I had to say something quick so my little shorty didn't get her butt kicked. I also apologized to the girl explaining that Madi is just little. Holly and I got a kick out of how Madi was so quick to stand up for her friend that is older and taller than she is. A few moments later all the girls were friends and playing together. When I told Brett the story he said, "She's a little pistol." Next to the older girl at the park Madi was pretty small and she had no fear at all telling that girl that she was naughty. Somehow I need to help Madi realize that she's not ten feet tall and bullet proof.

This is a photo of Madi and Brinna that I took just before Christmas last year.

Stop talking!

One day I must of told Madi to stop talking so that I could explain something to her, well now I hear that all of the time... She points at me or Brett, tilts her head to the side and says, "Shhhh.. Stop talking!" It's pretty funny and it's so hard to control the laughter especially when she isn't doing it to me. She is such a repeater, if she hears something new on TV or hears us say something she starts saying it. For example she has always liked the University of Phoenix Stadium because of the big cardinal head on the front. One day we were driving past and Madi started saying that she wanted to go see Birdie Bird. What? Where did that come from? A few days later watching TV with Madi I heard Wow Wow Wubbzi say Birdie Bird. One day Brett was working on something and said dang it and Madi right away starts saying dang it. I'm just lucky that she hasn't heard some of the naughty words we sometimes let slip.. Oops! Kids are great in so many ways and especially in the way that they make you better. I don't want Madi to become a potty mouth so we will make it a habit to use nice words all of the time.

Rolling over!

Kimber is almost three months old and today she rolled over from her stomach to her back!! The first time she did it I wasn't looking, when I noticed that she was on her back I couldn't remember if I had put her there that way or if she had rolled over. I turned her back over to her stomach and then got busy doing something and missed her rolling over again!! I can't believe that she is already old enough to do that.. The time goes by so fast and before you know it they are big. It's so easy to get busy and miss all of these firsts because I'm trying to rush through life. It's a reminder to me to slow down and enjoy my girls.

Kimber's two month doctor appointment

At Kimber's two month doctor's visit she weighed 11 lbs. 8 oz which is 2 pounds more than at her one month appointment. She has also grown in height by two inches. She is going to be our tall girl. Madilynn and Kimber look a lot alike but we've decided that Madilynn takes after Brett more and Kimber takes after me more.

Unlocking the door

This morning I heard Madi yelling, "Daddy!! Daddy!!" She had heard the garage door open at 7:30 this morning and decided to go greet her Daddy who was coming home from work. I knew that she could operate the door lock and I was pretty sure that she couldn't work the dead bolt yet... This morning she figured out the dead bolt. Brett said that she had opened the door to the garage and was waiting for him to get out of the car. It's time to beef up our security.. I try to keep Madi away from the outside doors so she doesn't try to get outside without my knowing it. Anyone that has been to our house has seen our child safety gates and how we can totally contain Madi in the family room away from any danger. I'm probably over cautious but it's nice to know that if I do need to go in the other room she can't get into any trouble or get outside.

My stroller

It's so silly to blog about my stroller but I have to because I like it so much. This stroller really is so cool I'm so excited about it. The seats come off and they can turn to face each other or face away from each other or face forward or backwards. When I go walking Madi usually somewhere in the middle asks me to turn her around so she can look in the other direction, keeping her entertained longer. Love this stroller! When I first purchased the stroller I talked about it all the time to Brett. I kept on telling him how cool it was and all about the neat features it has. I just wanted him to know what a great purchase it was. One night Brett went walking with me and the girls and he pushed the stroller and decided that it really was that cool. I'm so glad that we finally went and bought a double stroller. I had mentioned to Brett that I would like to have one but we decided that we didn't really need it. Well, to go walking with both girls was hard to do if I wanted to go very far and when I go walking for my workout I walk five miles. So before the double stroller I would carry Kimber in a snugly and push Madi in an umbrella stroller. It would out ok but my back was starting to complain. So to sum it all up if you are ever looking for a double stroller I would recommend this one. Did I say how cool it is and that I love it so much?

Daddy has an ouchy!

The night before last Brett got a small cut on his finger at work. Madilynn is very sensitive to when you have a hurt, so when she found out that her Dad had an ouchy she wanted to make sure he was ok. She looked Brett in the face and said, “You got ouchy?” He told her yes and that it needed a kiss. When Brett showed her his finger she stepped back, put her hand over her mouth and said, “Eew! Yucky!” Brett laughed really hard and asked her again and she shook her head no. From the way she reacted you would have thought that his finger was falling off. She really keeps us in stitches.. Ha ha ha!! Oh and the cut wasn't very bad just so you aren't wondering.

Madilynn

The other day I took a bunch of photo's of the girls trying to get some cute ones for a father's day gift. The girls weren't cooperating so I was worried that I didn't get anything cute. I did end up with a bunch that were pretty cute and then today I was doing some editing to the photo's and ended up with something so precious of Madi. I just had to put it up to share. This photo really shows what a sweetie she is.. Man I love my girls!

Kimber a.k.a Boo Boo

Madilynn a.k.a Moo Moo

Dust storms

So I purchased this really cool stroller so I could go on walks with the girls. Well, the heat wasn't so terrible tonight so I decided to try to go walking. I could hear that the wind was blowing but I didn't think it was that bad. Pretty much from the very first step it was so windy and dusty that we couldn't go very far. In Arizona when the wind starts blowing you get really nasty dust storms. Next time we have a dust storm I'll take a picture of the sky it's just yucky and brown.. Ewww!!

Madilynn and her shoes

Our daughter Madilynn like any other little girl loves shoes. Any chance she gets she picks a new pair from our closet to wear around the house. She has a favorite pair of navy blue Mary Janes that we had to hide because she would get so frustrated when she couldn't put them on by herself. Don't get me wrong we always offered to help her but she wouldn't have it so to save us all frustration we put them away. We aren't really sure where she picked it up but she calls all shoes dancing shoes. Anyway, she really loves shoes. One day on a trip to the grocery store she had on a really cute pair of brown sandals with a butterfly on them. We were just about to get loaded into the cart when I heard Madilynn crying. When I looked to see what was wrong out came the vomit all over the place. As I was cleaning her off she cried out, "My shoes!" Some of her throw up had gotten on her sandals and that's all she was worried about. She is such a girly girl and we love it!

Universal Joint

Brett's music website is up and running. Go to http://www.yellowhillsmusic.com/ and check it out.