Trip to Utah (part 1)

We left for Utah Friday (April 17th) around 11:00AM. We pretty much plan on it taking us two days to complete the trek. This time we wanted to drive through Denver instead of through Wyoming. No offense to anyone that loves Wyoming but that drive is so boring and UGLY! So we left our house at 11:00AM and reached Sterling, Colorado around 7:00PM. Eight hours on the road with two kids and not having to stop a hundred million times we thought we were doing pretty good. We decided that Sterling was probably our half way point and a good place to stop and spend the night. So we got a hotel room and had some dinner at the hotel restaurant. The hotel had a game room so we played some pin ball and foosball. I think we started trying to get the girls to sleep around 9:00PM. Madi held out for a little while but finally went to sleep. Kimber on the other hand... She wasn't going to let us sleep. I think I caught a few winks in between the screaming. She just didn't want to be put to bed. We would get her to sleep and then once we went to lay her in the pack n play she screamed. She didn't want to sleep in the bed either. Right about midnight Brett said that he was going to take Kimber for a drive to get her to go to sleep. Then seconds later he said that we should just pack up and go. Let me back up really quick. There was a pretty big snow storm in Denver and in Cheyenne, Wyoming. We had heard that the highway from Denver on the way to Utah was closed and not expected to be opened until possibly the next day. We also had heard that the road from Laramie to Cheyenne was closed. Hmmm! What to do? We thought maybe we would have to drive down to the bottom of Colorado to drive through Southern Utah. Eeek!! Long drive!! So we checked out of the hotel (which they only charged us half price for since we were only there a few hours. So nice! Didn't expect that!) and plotted our course to get us to Utah.

I looked over the map and listened to the road closures on the phone and found us a route from Sterling to Fort Collins, Colorado to the edge of Laramie, Wyoming. It was obviously slower than the freeway but there wasn't any traffic. We did pass a bunch of semi's that we decided must have been getting around the road closures the same way we were. When we reached Laramie we were able to get on the highway and start heading West towards Rock Springs (where we turn off towards Flaming Gorge). We had to drive really slow because of all of the fog and rain/snow. Brett drove the whole night. He didn't want me to drive in the yucky weather. I stayed awake with him so we could keep each other awake. The girls were completely knocked out for this stretch of the drive which made it so much easier. We finally reached Vernal right around Noon. We were so tired by the time we got there and you would have thought that we would have crashed out and let the Grandparent's take the kids.. Nope! When we first got there we found that Kimber had pooped out all over her car seat and her clothes.. Lovely! So right away I had to clean her up and take her car seat apart for washing. Then we unpacked the car. Bud (Brett's Dad) went and got us some lunch. The rest of the day is kind of a blur.. I got myself cleaned up and decided that it was a good time to get my hair cut. So I got on the phone and called around and found someone who could get me in right then. While I was waiting at the salon I ran into my cousin Ann. I ran into her at the grocery store the last time I was there too. It was good to see her. The girl that cut my hair is my new favorite hair stylist but it's too bad she is all the way back in Utah. She told me that she would move to Iowa for me. Silly girl! Anyway, I was totally happy with what she did to my hair. She colored it, fixed my color since it was a little on the greenish side from my home job.. Ick! It wasn't really green but it wasn't a good color either. Since I didn't really know what I wanted to do with the cut she told me something that she thought would be so cute and I said lets do it. I'm really happy with how it turned out and it's a lot thinner now and that's a really good thing. I don't know how I was still walking around after no sleep but I was and I was WIRED!

I was really hoping for a good nights sleep that night but Kimber had other plans. The first night we put her in the pack n play in our room and put Madi in our pack n play in the "King's" room. That ended up being a bad idea. Poor Brett ended up sleeping out on the sofa because Kimber was keeping him awake. The next night we put Kimber in the "King's" room and Madi in our room and that was totally the better way. Kimber was sleeping better because she had her own space and we were sleeping better because she wasn't screaming at us all night. Brett just keeps saying that he is going to tease Kimber so bad when she grows up for all her screaming fits.

Grandma Lela

Brett's Grandma Lela Barnes passed away last week. She had been ill and in the care center in Vernal for the past nine months. This past September when we were in Vernal we were able to go visit her there. When we saw her she was in pretty good spirits. I'm glad that we were able to spend some time with her then and she was able to meet Kimber. She was such a sweet lady. She didn't have the use of one of her arms due to a stroke a few years back so some of the usual everyday tasks were hard for her so she would call upon her sons or some of us grand kids. I remember once when Brett and I were dating we went to her house to paint a shed for her. Brett also liked to get Kentucky Fried Chicken over to her and eat lunch with her. She had the meals on wheels delivered to her house so the greasy fried chicken was a treat once a week. I always got a kick out of looking through the photo albums that Lela had. It was fun to see the uncles and aunts as babies. Grandma also had this funny little dog and cat. The dog's name was Shakia and the cat's name was Patches. Anytime we went over to her house for a visit I searched for the animals. Shakia was such a funny little thing. She would stand on her back legs and claw in the air towards you. She was so excited when someone came over. Whenever I sat down she would jump up on my lap and I would pet her and end up with dog hair all over me. I also remember hearing the police scanner at Grandma's house. Whenever we went to see her she would go turn the volume down so that she could talk to us. She was always up to the minute on what was happening around Vernal. She also loved her sports. She and Brett would always talk about what was happening in the basketball playoffs or whatever was going on at that time.
We were able to travel to Vernal to be there for her funeral. I'm so glad that we were there to support family and to celebrate the life of Lela Barnes. There was a viewing and family prayer at the funeral home and a short ceremony at the grave site. A family friend Denise Allen sang some of Grandma's favorite songs. Over the Rainbow and Amazing Grace. Bud (Brett's Dad) spoke and told some stories about Grandma. Just as Bud was about to start speaking a plane took off from the nearby airport and circled over head. He told a story about when he was just about to speak at Grandpa Max Woolley's (Brett's Mom's Father) funeral and all of the Firefighters pagers went off as if Grandpa Max set that up as a way to loosen the mood. Bud said that Grandma Lela probably had something to do with that plane taking off right when it did to do the same thing.
Bud asked Brett to say the prayer to dedicate the grave. I was so proud of him he did so well.
We will really miss Grandma Lela. I'm so happy that she has finally been reunited with Grandpa that she has been longing for all of these years.

Lela Slaugh Barnes, 81, passed away at the Uintah Care Center, April 16,. She was born in Vernal, Aug. 8, 1927, to Albert and Minnie Postma Slaugh. She married Clyde (Bud) Ronald Barnes June 4, 1952, and was later solemnized in the Provo Temple. Mom met Dad in Southern California after they both left their childhood homes after World War II. They raised their children in Garden Grove, Calif.for 16 years before moving to Vernal, in 1968. Mom worked many years for DE Casada Construction as a secretary. After retirement, she worked for the Forest Service as an information clerk in the Vernal office. She loved the outdoors, fishing, hunting and spending time on Diamond Mountain. Her hobbies included sewing, crocheting, reading, crossword puzzles and canning. She was an independent woman who enjoyed her alone time, but also loved having her family around. She is survived by two sons, Bud (Mitzi) Barnes, Merritt Barnes, both of Vernal; a brother, Ron Slaugh of Vernal; eleven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband; mother and father; two daughters, Pamela Park, and Roni Barnes; three sisters, Lorraine Wilson, Alberta Herren, Naon Colton; and a granddaughter, Kimberly Barnes.The family would like to thank all of the employees at the care center for their devotion to our mom during her time there.

An e-mail that gave me a good laugh

Just Curious

John Smith started the day early having set his
alarm clock
(MADE IN JAPAN ) for 6am.
While his coffeepot
(MADE IN CHINA )
was perking, he shaved with his
electric razor
(MADE IN HONG KONG ..)
He put on a
dress shirt
(MADE IN SRI LANKA ),
DEsigner jeans
(MADE IN SINGAPORE )
and
tennis shoes
(MADE IN KOREA )
After cooking his breakfast in his new
electric skillet
(MADE IN INDIA )
he sat down with his
calculator
(MADE IN MEXICO )
to see how much he could spend today. After setting his
watch
(MADE IN TAIWAN )
to the radio
(MADE IN INDIA )
he got in his car
(MADE IN GERMANY )
filled it with GAS
(from Saudi Arabia )
and continued his search
for a good paying AMERICAN JOB.
At the end of yet another discouraging
and fruitless day
checking his
Computer
(Made In Malaysia),
John decided to relax for a while.
He put on his sandals
(MADE IN BRAZIL )
poured himself a glass of
wine
(MADE IN FRANCE )
and turned on his
TV
(MADE IN INDONESIA ),
and then wondered why he can't find
a good paying job
in AMERICA
AND NOW HE'S HOPING HE CAN GET HELP FROM A
US PRESIDENT
(MADE IN KENYA)

Our little rock star

Madi is always singing around the house. When we are in the car she sings along with the songs that come on the radio and she knows a lot of the words. Anytime we are in the car and she starts singing Brett turns the radio up just a little bit so that Madi will sing louder. She is so cute! Today she was dancing around and singing a song but I didn't know what she was singing so I asked her to sing it again. I knew that I could recognize the melody but couldn't place it right away. When she sang it again for me I still couldn't quite think of what it was but knew it was a Maroon 5 song. So I had Brett listen as Madi sang it again and he knew right away what it was so he started singing the song with the correct lyrics and Madi smiled and started singing along too. It cracks me up what words she was singing. Other than using her own words she was singing the right melody and had perfect timing. Here is what I heard.
"Take a goat.
What do you know?
and another one in my nose!"

So, can you tell me what song that is?

Kimber and Daddy

This week Brett has been working a different schedule so he has been able to come home for lunch before the girls go to bed. It's been nice to have him home in the evening to hang out with the girls. Last night Kimber was just snuggling right up to Brett it was really sweet. I also realized that I hadn't ever taken a picture of Brett in his SWEET uniform. The patch on the other side that Kimber is covering says Blue Bunny. It's AWESOME... (Note my sarcasm)

Are you telling me a pat on the back could have helped?

Saturday before Easter... Brett was sleeping getting caught up from the night of working. Kimber and Madi were napping. I was in the basement working on the computer. I heard Madi crying and then she stopped. Then a few minutes later I could hear her crying again so I went to find out what was going on. When I got into her room she was doubled over holding her gut. I asked her what was wrong and if she needed to throw up. She said no so I asked her if she needed to go to the potty. She screamed YES!!! I took her into the bathroom and she was screaming like she was in the worst pain. To really try to give you an idea of these screams try to imagine how someone would scream if they were being cut in half or how they always scream on movies when they are in labor. Terrible screams! I couldn't get her pants off fast enough I thought she just really needed to go potty and she didn't want to go in her pants. So she sat on her little potty still screaming while I held her trying to make her feel better. She didn't end up doing anything on the potty so I was flabbergasted. I finally went and got Brett up so he could help me figure out what was going on. He took Madi into her room and laid in her bed with her. I called Brett's Mom to ask her what she thought. She had us check to see if her pain was from her appendix. Madi didn't seem to have pain any worse in that area. She just didn't want to have you touch her tummy at all. She had a teeny bit of a temperature but not anything that would make us think she needed to go to the ER. I was just really worried why she was having so much pain. Brett's Mom finally suggested that we put a heat pad on her tummy. Madi laid there for a little while still grimacing every time she moved so Brett and I decided that we should just take her to the ER to make sure there wasn't something bad going on.
Madi and I went to the hospital and pretty much by the time we got there she was just her regular old happy self. As we were standing at the admitting desk Madi burped. I was just like, "Oh!" and then went on about answering the questions and signing the paperwork. We didn't wait very long to be seen. They had Madi leave a urine sample so they could check that. That ended up showing that she was a bit dehydrated probably from her sicky that she had been dealing with for the past couple of weeks. The nurses and doctor were really nice, Madi was just talking their ears off. The doctor told me that she had gas.. GAS!! I was so embarrassed.. He told me I could give her half of a gas-X. He also showed me how I could remedy the gas pain when it happens again.. You know what he showed me.. He showed me pretty much how you burp a baby.. Oh brother.. I guess I'll never learn because when I took Kimber to the ER back in November I said that I had learned my lesson about taking kids to the ER when it wasn't needed. I just didn't know what would cause her to be in such terrible pain. Now I know next time that I should try giving her some gas-x before taking her to the ER. Oh well, it was kind of a funny story.

Spring lawn clean up

Today after Brett left for work I took the girls outside so I could clean up the yard. Before I started up the lawn mower Madi and I walked the yard to pick up all the branches. Our neighbors just behind us have a little girl named Denise who is 8 and when she saw us she asked if she could help with anything. Sweet girl! I said if she wanted to play with Madi that would be a huge help. Last year when we first moved here Denise and some of her friends came over and asked if Madi could come jump on the trampoline with them. It's so cute that the older girls think that Madi is so much fun. Anyway, I went on with my yard work. Kimber was just happy as could be in her stroller with a pretzel in both hands. I'm not sure how long I worked on the lawn but I finished it and even used the leaf blower to get all the leaves that were left behind. When I went over to collect Madi she had a really puffy eye and she kept on rubbing it. The neighbors have a little dog and Madi was playing with the dog and touching the dog toys. She takes after her Dad with this allergy stuff. Brett breaks out the exact same way if he touches a dog and doesn't wash his hands before touching his face.
I think Madi looks like she's been in a gang fight with her puffy eye and red cheek and her scraped up knee. Oh yeah and the tattoo on her right arm. She's so tough... NOT!! Yesterday we went for a walk and when we got home I wanted to trim this bush that over hangs the sidewalk. Every time I walk past the silly bush it whips me in the face. I took Madi out of the stroller so she could run around some while we were outside. Madi was running behind me as I was walked over to trim the bush and she totally wiped out! Poor thing! She wailed and wailed. I took her into the garage to get her all cleaned up and she freaked. She said, "I don't want to get cut!" She is too funny. Anytime she falls or gets a bump that's really not so bad but she is carrying on about it I ask her if we need to go to the doctor and have him cut it off. She always stops crying right away and she usually laughs. I didn't think she really took me serious. I guess I'm a big meany.. When she said that I giggled a little and told her that she wasn't going to get cut and that I was just going to put a band aid on it. She was very excited to have the band aid. This really is the first really nasty scrape that she has ever had. I really felt bad for her because she scraped both hands and both knees but the left was the worst.

Easter dresses

The girls and I went to the park today to take some pictures in their Easter dresses. I think they turned out pretty cute. Now I just need to edit them and I'll like them even better.

OH MY HIDEOUSNESS!!

Last week I went and signed the drop sheet at Madi's dance class. While I was there I picked up the costume and her ballet slippers. I don't know if it's just me and I don't have good taste but I think these outfits are absolutely terrible. I mean, ICK!! I pulled it out of the package when I got home and Brett was speechless. I told Madi she could wear it once but that was it. Brett told her to enjoy it because it was going in the trash. The lady that was helping me at the school said how cute it was. I don't see it. Other than it being so ugly it is so cheaply made and you know how much we paid for this awesome little costume... $60 I really don't know what to say. In my mind when I think of what a costume for little girls in ballet should be I think of pink and fluffy tutus.. Then there is the issue of the make up that they want these little girls to wear. My sister in law is a Mary Kay rep so when I got the list of Mary Kay colors that they wanted I called her up. She looked up the colors as I was talking to her and she freaked. They were all really dark colors. I know that the lights on stage drown you out if you don't have make up on but this stuff was like street walker. Ok I'm sorry for ripping on this dance school I just don't get it. Oh and the tulle on the skirt ripped after Madi wore it for just a few minutes. I can just imagine the costumes after one day of their performances. No thanks! Well, without further adieu here it is..

Our little Kimber

Birthday March 24, 2008 weight 7 lbs 7 oz height 20 1/2 inches

1st doctor visit 4/29/08 weight 9 lbs 14 oz height 22 1/4 inches

2nd doctor visit 6/6/08 weight 11 lbs 8 oz height 24 1/2 inches

3rd doctor visit (I couldn't find the sticker for this visit)

4th doctor visit 11/14/08 weight 14 lbs 14 oz height 26 1/2 inches

5th doctor visit 3/27/09 weight 16 lbs 10 oz height 28 1/4 inches

Our little Kimber is a skinny mini. Her weight isn't even on the charts. The doctor told me that she needed to gain another pound to be in the 5th percentile. She has a pretty good appetite I guess she just isn't eating enough. The doctor suggested that we give Kimber a couple of ounces of Pediasure after every meal to help beef her up a little.

A few days after Kimber's 12 month doctor visit the nurse called to let me know that Kimber's hemoglobin levels were a little low. I should have written the amount down because now I can't think of it. Anyway, she is 1 point lower than she should be so we changed her vitamin to the one that has iron.

I've always known that Kimber was on the teeny side. People are always commenting on how little she is. The ladies that I visit teach say she is like a little pixie she is so tiny. I think that since we've started giving her the pediasure and she is eating more solids she is starting to gain the weight she needs. She never has had the real chubby arms and legs. She is just built different than Madi. Madi was a very healthy baby. She wasn't overly chubby but she had the cute little rubber band hands and feet.

Here she is my little mess maker. Anytime I have a basket with clean laundry in it she unloads it for me. She is such a little helper.

Three Sunday's ago I noticed that Kimber had one single tooth sticking out of her top gum. It's not one of the teeth in the center it's one of her fang teeth. She still hasn't cut the other tooth to match so her little smile is too cute.

At Kimber's first visit here in Iowa the doctor was a little concerned that Kimber hadn't started to sit up on her own. The doctor thought that her strong little legs just kept pushing her over. So they sent Kimber to see the physical therapist. At physical therapy they just worked with Kimber's legs and showed me ways to help Kimber learn how to sit. The therapist said that Kimber's little muscles were so tight that she just needed to practice sitting up and the muscles would loosen up and she would be able to sit. I think it was a week or so later that she started sitting up all by herself. I'm not sure if the physical therapy was really necessary but it was a learning experience non the less.

Upset tummy

The weekend before we went to the zoo Brett and Madi weren't feeling very well. We had put Madi to bed and started a movie. Half way through the movie I could hear Madi crying. When we went into her room we found that she had gotten sick in her bed. It pretty much got every where but she was most worried about her precious silky... Will it ever end with that thing? We got her up gave her a bath and changed her bedding. She woke up a few more times that night and the next day was Sunday so I decided not to go to church because she was sick. This sickness seemed to only last just the one day thankfully.

Now to the weekend we went to the Omaha Zoo. The day went really well but on the way home Madi started crying and wouldn't tell us what was wrong. I knew from the cry that it was her tummy and that we needed to pull over. I just pulled off to the side of the road but she all the sudden was just fine and calmed down. So I went on driving. Just a few minutes later I decided to pull off to stop at a gas station to change Kimber's diaper. Kimber and I left Brett and Madi in the car while we went into the restroom. When we were finished I opened the door to find Brett holding Madi. She had started to do that same crying thing and not talking to tell Brett that she need to get out to throw up. He thankfully acted fast and got her out of the car before anything happened all over in the car.. Ewww.. I can't even think about how terrible that would have been the whole trip home.. Yuck!! Poor little Madi tossed her cookies and got it all over herself and Brett. I do have to say for a little Princess if you are going to do it pink is the way to go. I'm guessing that it was the juice that she drank that made it that color. Sorry for all the description I just thought that it was funny. After we had everyone cleaned up we loaded back in the van and headed on home. We had to take Madi's shirt off and put her in a sweatshirt. Brett had to ride home in his garment top. The tiny whiff that I did get I just have to say how thankful I am that he pulled her from the car. Whew!! That would have been rough.
I don't know what Madi had but it seemed to be the Saturday evening bug since she had the same thing happen the week before. Then this past Saturday/Sunday she was running a temperature of 103.6. I was worried about that one. She totally seemed fine other than feeling hot. She was running around the house like a crazy woman. I was talking to Tifany on the phone and told her about Madi's temperature and how she was running around and Tifany said, "Well at that temperature she's probably delusional." I'm sure she was a little. I was ready to rush her to the ER but after talking to my two Mom's and my good friend Tifany I decided to just keep a close watch and take her to the doctor on Monday if it kept up. Thankfully by Monday morning she was all better. My poor little sicky. I'm just glad she's feeling all better now. She back to her regular sweet and sassy ways.

These photo's are from a year ago when she was so sick. Poor baby! She just looked so pathetic I felt so bad for her. She was so sick she had to sleep in my bed with me. She's just so tiny in our big bed it was cute I had to take a photo of her.

Daddy Daughter Date

Brett took Madilynn on their first Daddy Daughter Date today. Madilynn hasn't ever been to see a movie at the theatre so we thought that would be a fun first with Daddy. They went to see Monsters vs. Aliens. Brett said that Madi just sat and watched the whole movie. She had her popcorn and sprite and just payed close attention to what was happening on the movie screen. After the movie was over they met Kimber and I in the lobby. I asked Madi how she liked the movie but didn't really get an answer, she was more interested in the ring that she got out of the vending machine. Later on that day she started quoting the movie. She would say, "Oh! I scared myself!" Then laugh hysterically. They had a lot of fun on their date and we plan on doing this at least once a month. Kimber will join in on the fun when she is a little older in the meantime she and I will shop while Brett and Madi are in the movie.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

The weekend before Kimber's birthday we went to Omaha to visit the zoo. This was Kimber's very first visit to any zoo and Madi's third. I have always loved going to the zoo. When I was in grade school it was always my favorite when we went on our annual field trip to the Sacramento Zoo. I hope that my girls have fun going to see all the animals and learning about them like I did. We couldn't have asked for better weather that day it was almost hot. The zoo was totally packed with people I guess that we all had the same idea on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The last time we went to the Phoenix Zoo all of the animals were sleeping and hidden from sight so it was really fun to see all the animals out playing. The polar bear was putting on a show for everyone. He kept on standing up and holding his red ball above his head. Every time he did it the crowd roared. It was great fun to watch him play. I loved the windows by the gorillas and penguins. Madi stepped into this bubble window so it felt like she was inside the tank with the penguins. Really cool! I know that this gorilla is strong enough to pull my arms off but doesn't he just look so sweet and cuddly? He just laid there and looked at us looking at him. It was almost like he was posing for us. I wonder what he is thinking. Brett and the girls were standing right in front of where this elephant walked up to. I told Madi that he was coming over to say hello to her. The aquarium was really neat too. I was excited for the girls to see all the fish. This was their first experience going to an aquarium. It was a lot of fun to watch their faces as the fish and sharks swam over their heads. We all had fun walking through the zoo (some riding or being carried) and watching the animals. It was a fun little outing that I hope we continue to do at least once a year.Look out for the killer squirrels!!

A little sneak peak about my next post... Madi got sick on the way home from Omaha all over Brett... Ewww!!

Happy Birthday Kimber!

We celebrated Kimber's birthday this past Friday (March 20) because Brett had the weekend off. I made Kimber a Bunny cake because she is our little Easter baby. Madi helped Kimber open her presents and they both had so much fun with that. We got Kimber this little doll that giggles when you push on it's belly. It's really cute and Kimber just loves it. We also got her the walker/doll stroller. She is doing really well walking behind it. I still need to take a photo of that. She was really funny with the cake. At first she didn't know what to think of it but after a minute she just dug right in. It was such a fun little birthday party. We also went to the Omaha Zoo but that's for a later post.

Ahhhh!! This is just what I wanted!!

I love my baby!

Ewww!! What is this stuff?

Hey! That's not so bad! Yummy!

Worn out after eating so much cake!

Time to play!