Barrus Bunch

Christmas 2011

2012-01-27T13:14:00.000-08:00

Well I am only a month late in posting. Better late than never.
Well we started off the holidays with a wedding. Gavin and I flew to Salt Lake on Dec. 21st for my brother Alex's wedding. He was married to Katie McMullin on December 22 in the Bountiful, Utah Temple. They were married by Katie's Uncle Bishop McMullin of the Presiding Bishopric and it was a sealing unlike any other that I have been too. I learned SO much! It was so spiritual and we are so excited to have Katie in our family! We then had a Cafe Rio catered luncheon and the reception that night in Bountiful. I didn't take very many pictures because I spent the majority of the time chasing Gavin around. I really wish Zac could have been there, sadly he was the only one missing, and everyone missed him.

Grandma Jones and Gavin at the reception. What a cute boy!

Katie and Alex cutting their cake.

On the 23rd Zac's family drove down to Salt Lake to pick up Gavin and I so that we could spend Christmas in Idaho. Zac was also able to get off work a few hours early and drove the entire way making it to Idaho just before midnight. I was grateful he was able to spend all of Christmas Eve with us instead of driving 10 hours in the car. Grandma and Grandpa Barrus came up from American Falls to stay for Christmas as well and it was really fun. I think that Gavin definitely loved his first Christmas (where he actually kind of understood), and he came home with tons of presents!
On Christmas Eve we had a wonderful dinner and then we did the Nativity and a few games. Then everyone opened up the Christmas Pajamas. Gavin was SO happy to finally open a present.

All of us sporting our new PJs. This was taken in the now complete theater room in the basement. Gavin sure spent a lot of time in there.

Everything on Christmas Morning.

This is the pile of our families presents. Gavin had so many that we just let him continue to open the entire time or we would have been there forever. Zac and I mostly got clothes and shoes because that is what we needed. Zac surprised me with a new Hair Straightener, because I broke mine the month before, and a new cutting board.

Gavin got Legos, Toy Story stuff, books, puzzles, clothes, and so much more. He really had a great Christmas.

Here we are on Christmas Afternoon ready to go to church.

I think everyone enjoyed playing legos with Gavin. He really loved building towers with Grandpa. And then of course knocking them down.

Zac's parents gave us a Wii for Christmas with Just Dance 3. Here is Gavin trying it out. I do it for my workout somedays and Gavin LOVES it! He asks to do it all the time.

This is the INSANE puzzle that we worked on. The goal was to start in on New Year's Eve morning and finish it that night.

Here we are getting ready for the countdown, as you can see, we were no where near completion.

Gavin got to help Grandpa set out the rolls for dinner. He really loves to help in the kitchen, I can't wait until we have a house where he can help a little more.

We FINALLY finished it just before midnight on New Year's day. This was THE hardest puzzle I have ever done. There weren't enough distinct colors because of all the blue that the pieces were impossible to sort. But it sure was rewarding when we finally finished.

I am so glad that we were able to spend a whole week with Zac's family for the Holidays. It is hard being so far away and when we do see family the time goes by so quickly. We were able to have time to just relax and enjoy being together and that was the best part. I hope everyone else had a wonderful Christmas just like we did.

Here I am at 27 weeks. I actually don't feel like I have gotten much bigger lately, but people seem to notice a lot more often. I feel like I have been HUGE for a while and I am a little scared of what the next 11 weeks will hold. I am now at my biweekly appointments which means this baby will be here faster than I think. And honestly I haven't done a single thing to get ready yet.

In the latest news, this is what I have been doing for the past week. See the big boy underwear? Yep, that's right, we've been potty training. The first day was AWFUL, I was beginning to think he wasn't ready. I was sitting him on the toilet every 15-20 minutes and he would pee as soon as I took him off. The second day he finally made it twice on the toilet but still there were LOTS of accidents. Potty treats really help, and to be honest, so does punishment. After he got the concept we would put him in timeout for about 30seconds and every time he didn't go when I put him on the toilet I would remind him that if he went in his underwear he would go in timeout.
The 4th day was Sunday and I had major anxiety about him peeing in the middle of Sacrament Meeting. But he did great, not a single accident that day. And he has only had a few over the last five days. He really is doing awesome and I haven't changed a poopy diaper in like 9 days! That is amazing! I am so proud of this little boy, maybe he is a lot bigger than I think.

Here is the video Christmas Morning. We all gathered in the front room for family prayer before going in to see the presents. Gavin didn't really enjoy his time waiting for Great Grandma and Grandpa. I have a video of when we actually walk in to see the tree but it is really dark and Gavin doesn't say anything because he is so interested in his toys. So I hope you enjoy this little bit of Gavin Christmas morning.

Pictures

2012-01-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

I promise to get a Christmas post up soon. I just don't have tons of free time lately. Well, mostly I need to clean and such and Gavin and I both had colds all through the holidays which we are still dealing with. So for now, here are the wonderful pictures Amanda took while we were in Idaho. It is so great to have her, and we appreciate the time she takes to do our pictures. Especially when I have a husband who HATES taking pictures, and does not see there purpose. Amanda....what would I do without you!
What a cute kid we have. (Yeah, we may be biased.)

He has such personality.

Can you say GQ?

Zac really hates this picture, he thinks it's stupid. Oh well, I like it!

Before Christmas

2011-12-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

Gavin and I are leaving for the airport in about 30 min. He is still napping so I thought I would hurry and post. My brother gets married tomorrow morning! I can't believe it, but I am so excited for him. I am especially excited to get to see all of my family today and then Zac's family on Friday! It definitely feels like the last few weeks have flown by! I was on the committee for our Ward Christmas Party and then I sang in the Choir Program and I have had book club, enrichment, laundry, shopping and a million other things, but I am ready to go!
We have been trying to help Gavin get the concept of Santa so he would at least see him at our Christmas Party. He didn't last long, but he actually sat on his lap.

On Monday we were able to go to an Avalanche game. It was so fun and they won 3 to 2 in the shootout. Zac's gave him tickets for box seats! Seriously, box seats! Zac was so excited he could barely contain himself of the way there. Gavin had a blast and has been talking about it since. He loved yelling with everyone and I appreciated that the box kept him a little more confined than regular seats. And considering it was an hour and half past his bedtime he was a trooper.

We hope everyone has a Wonderful Christmas!

22 Weeks

2011-12-09T15:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I better do a small pregnancy update. I haven't thrown up in a week! Hooray! I am really happy about that. Although, the nausea is still around for now, but hopefully that will go away soon. This little boy likes to kick a lot, just like Gavin did. So we will see if he comes out just as active. We are really hoping for a calmer child this time around, but we will just be happy if he is healthy. I am struggling with how much earlier my belly has shown this time around. I don't mind looking pregnant, it just makes me worried about how big I will be by the end.

I have a lot more back pain this time around, but I think that is mostly due to my active two year old, who wants me to walk around holding him every time we are at the store. Gavin really hates his car seat now. About half the time he will get in and the other half he screams his head off and fights me. Which means that I end up with one leg on top of him to hold him down while I buckle him in. (I am sure this is quite a site to see in the parking lot). Hopefully no one thinks I am an abusive parent.

This is actually at 21 weeks.

Last Saturday Zac took Gavin out to play in the snow for a few minutes. Gavin thought it was SO cool. Zac was just cold. It looks like we are going to have to buy him some snow pants. Everytime we walk outside he says, "SNOW!" Like he is so surprised it is there. It makes me laugh everytime.

I am almost done with Christmas Shopping, just a few more things to get. And only a week and half until Gavin and I leave town. I seriously can't believe that Christmas is only 2 weeks away. What happened to the time?

Thank-FULL

2011-11-28T16:19:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving week! Zac's mom was able to come on Monday and spend the whole week with us. It was great to have her here and Gavin was definitely spoiled with attention. He is having a hard time adjusting to the smaller, less constant attention he receives from Zac and I. I am probably the worst. My pregnancy sickness is still in full swing and has been pretty bad the last few days, so Gavin is having a hard time. Zac's Dad, sister Amanda, and brother Nic came on Wednesday and everyone stayed through the week and left early Sunday morning. This Thanksgiving I made my first Turkey which turned out ok. I used the Our Best Bites recipe and brined it and everything. But I just cooked it in out Roaster Oven to leave the oven open for everything else. Had it actually been in a real oven it probably would have turned out better. But it is all a learning experience. We had WAY too much food, but that is part of the joy of Thanksgiving! It all tasted great and we had a wonderful time.

While we finished getting everything ready Zac, Grandpa, Nic, Amanda, and Gavin headed over to Westlands park to play.

Looks like everyone had fun. :)

Ready to eat!

That night Amanda and I went to the Outlets in Castle Rock with some of my friends from the ward. They start their sales at 9pm on Thanksgiving and then we headed over to WalMart to get a few of the Christmas items I needed there. Amanda was a real trooper to come out shopping with me, even though she didn't buy anything her self. On Friday we went out to do a little more shopping at Kohl's and Burlington Coat Factory. We all went to lunch a Cici's Pizza Buffet and then Zac and I went with his parents to Sam's club and then to find a new bed for Gavin for when the baby comes. We found Gavin a twin bed at American Furniture Warehouse and we are really happy with it. Hopefully over the next few months he will learn to sleep in it so there aren't any problems when the baby comes.

Gavin definitely learned how to use Grandma's iPad and everyone's touch screen phones. I was really impressed with his fine motor skills. He is one smart kid. We would laugh as he would lounge around playing games.

On Saturday we went over to Hammond's Candy Factory for the free tour and some free candy canes and then we went out to lunch at Hacienda Colorado. That night the boys went out to an Avalanche game while the girls and Gavin went shopping at the new H&M and 16th Street Mall.

Waiting at Hammond's

The week went by way too quickly, but we always have a busy December. The tree is up, now I just need to finish the rest of the decorations, finish some Christmas Shopping, and before you know it Gavin and I will be flying to Salt Lake for Alex and Katie's wedding on the 22nd. I hope everyone is enjoying the Holiday Season!

It's a........

2011-11-15T15:52:00.001-08:00

BOY!

We are really excited for Gavin to have a little brother, or maybe partner in crime? He doesn't quite understand yet, but we are working on it. The baby looks healthy and everything is great at this point. Now just 21 more weeks to go!

Gavin's 2nd Birthday

2011-11-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

Well, it happened. Our baby turned to 2. He really isn't a baby anymore and I cannot believe how much he has grown in the last 2 years.

This was our newborn:

Here is our 1 year old:

And now he's 2!

I think that he had the best birthday any 2 year old could ask for and he has played with his toys nonstop. He gets upset every night because he doesn't want to stop playing and go to bed.

Here are Gavin's Stats:

As a newborn:

21.5 inches, and 8lbs 7oz

95th percentile

As a 1 year old:

32in, and 23lbs 10oz

95th for height, 5oth for weight

2 years old:

36in, and 29lbs

85th for height, 62nd for weight

The Dr. said that he had a growth spurt. But I feel like he always has a growth spurt. :)

On Thursday, November 10th we let Gavin open his presents as soon as he woke up in the morning. He has really gotten in to Toy Story lately so when he saw Toy Story wrapping paper he was SO excited. We gave him a stuffed Buzz and Woody from the Disney Store as well as an Aquadoodle (best invention EVER!), and a few books. We also bought him new shoes and clothes but he didn't care for those after opening his toys. He was so excited and played with them all day. Gavin and I went to McDonald's for lunch so that he could play in the playplace and then when Daddy came home we went over to Red Robin for Dinner. And by the way, they now have sweet potato fries, SO good! After dinner we video chatted with Grandma and Grandpa Jones as he opened his presents from them of Toy Story 1 and 2. We then talked to Grandma and Grandpa Barrus and Aunt Amanda. Aunt Amanda gave him a Woody to go with the Buzz Lightyear she had sent him in October. And Grandma and Grandpa Barrus gave him a Toy Story Tent and Sleeping Bag. He also received a card and money from Great Grandma and Grandpa Barrus, and a Lightning McQueen Pillow Pet from Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Kellan. It was a great day!

His birthday shirt.

Lots and lots of presents!

Most of his presents

Card from Great Grandma and Grandpa Barrus.

On Friday we had his Birthday Party! We are so grateful to all of our friends who came to enjoy his birthday, and he loves all of the gifts he received! He was given a stuffed Bullseye, a remote control Mater, two cars from the Cars 2 movie, and a Mr. Potato Head. Cars and Toy Story toys are perfect for this 2 year old. He was truly in heaven. We played a Toy Story trivia game and I had the kids try to throw snakes into the basketball hoop (I had a boot attached that read, Get the snake in my boot!). We then had his Toy Story cake and opened the presents.

Ready for a Toy Story party!

He was happy to finally have that cake!

Thank you to all the family and friends that made Gavin's birthday so special!

Gavin was definitely spoiled on his birthday! I am so grateful that I get to be his mom and watch him grow. He is such a joy in our lives.

We are really excited for the coming weeks. We find out the gender of the baby on Tuesday, Breaking Dawn midnight premier on Thursday, Grandma Barrus comes the next Monday and then Grandpa, Aunt Amanda and Uncle Nic come on Wednesday for Thanksgiving. Christmas is just around the corner and we definitely LOVE this time of year!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T15:13:00.001-07:00

Well we started out with our Ward Trunk-or-Treat on the 22nd. I enjoy it, but all of the older kids go around as many times as they can until no one has any candy left. Not many people usually show up, so they feel like they need to get their fill to last them until Halloween. Zac was working that day, but he showed up right when it started and was able to take Gavin around. Quite a few of the kids were SO excited to see Woody! (There is a picture of him near the end.) It is really fun to see some of them get so excited, it was like they were meeting a character at Disneyland. Many people came over and took a picture of Zac and Gavin, they thought it was SO cute that they were Buzz and Woody. I am assuming the most of them had NO idea who I was, not that they needed to take my picture. One person actually told me that I should have dressed up as the cowgirl (Jessie). I explained to her that Bo Peep was Woody's girlfriend. She didn't believe me, but I reassured her that Jessie is Buzz's girlfriend and Bo Peep is Woody's. :)

Doesn't he make such a great Buzz Lightyear?

He has to eat that Candy!

On the Saturday before Halloween we headed over to Boo at the Zoo. The lines were a little long but I would just wait while Zac took Gavin to look at the animals. We even left with a whole loaf of bread, which I thought was awesome.

We then had our Halloween Party that night. Which I of course have no pictures. It was simple but I hope everyone had fun dressing up and enjoying great food.

The best we could do for a family picture. Bo Peep, Buzz, and Woody. We took this picture after we came home from Trick-or-Treating at Zac's work. Gavin filled up his entire pumpkin bucket and couldn't even carry it because it was so heavy. It was great to go, and everyone is always so nice! A lot more people knew that I was Bo Peep, so that was good. We put our sign up for trick or treaters to come to our door, but we only had 4 little kids. Needless to say, we have A LOT of candy left over! Sad part is, we probably won't eat most of it.

After 3 rounds of trick-or-treating I think Gavin has enough candy to last him awhile.

And here is Gavin watching Toy Story for the third time today. It's ok, you can think I am a bad mom.

But I want to say that I love how he climbs in the blanket all on his own. He is growing up so fast! And I can't believe that he will be 2 next week!

Have YOU Heard?

2011-10-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

So I have been thinking about writing this post for weeks, and to be honest, the longer that I put it off the easier that it was. I probably could have waited a WHOLE lot longer, truthfully. But, alas, after a friend kept asking, I decided I would go for it. SO......the news is, I have a new calling! I am now the nursery leader of our ward. I am actually really excited about it. I have spent a lot of time in nursery lately and I kind of miss it from when I was in the Primary (or Nursery) Presidency in our married ward. I am excited to get working on my calling!

Haha......just kidding!

That is SO not the news.

But you know how fall comes and suddenly none of your clothes fit anymore! Its like hello, what happened? I guess it is from all of that comfort food we start eating and the holidays coming up. Thank goodness that we are covered up in layers for fall and winter! But, really I am pretty sure that my clothes aren't fitting for an entirely different reason.

Yep, that's right.

I'm PREGNANT!

(I am sure many of you have already found out by other means.)

16 weeks along to be exact, and just as sick as I was at 6 weeks, bummer.

So although I have been slowly growing out of my clothes, I haven't gained any weight, well a tiny bit, less than a pound. And to be honest, I am kind of ready to not be sick anymore, I really shouldn't complain, many friends have it a lot worse than I do. But, I gotta say, although I was sicker with Gavin, it is a totally different story when I have a two year old to take care of. It is a good thing that he plays on his own fairly well. I basically only got up to get him more juice or something to eat. He has been quite patient with me actually. And whenever he finds me in the bathroom...throwing up, he always asks if I am ok. Such a sweet boy. And of course Zac has been great too, he does wonders with Gavin and is basically a solo parent when he comes home from work because I am too sick or exhausted.

We are REALLY excited to have another baby! And I am really glad that Gavin will be almost 2 1/2 when the baby arrives. He will such a great big brother and helper. He knows that there is a baby in my tummy, but he doesn't really get what that means. He still jumps on me and kicks me a lot, but I am sure that as I continue to grow that he will start to understand.

Zac is probably one of the most excited, he actually gets really angry with me that I don't want to 'announce' it sooner. Because of course he told everyone he works with like 10 weeks ago. :)

I have my reasons for not telling, probably none of them are valid to anyone but me, so we will just leave it at that. :) I am due around April 15th, AND we find out on Nov. 15th what we are having. Only two weeks to wait, and I am really excited to know if it's a boy or girl. So start your guessing!

Let October BEGIN

2011-10-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween time, not quite as much as Christmas, but I think it is so much fun. I already have my decorations up and it seems like the festivities are already starting. We started off the month with General Conference which was wonderful, I felt like missionary work was discussed A LOT! If you didn't know the church just started a new media initiative in a few areas, and DENVER is one of them. As a Stake we have been strongly encouraged to create profiles on mormon.org which the church will use to create video commercials from the ones that they choose. Anyway it was interesting to write out why I have a testimony of the church and try to share it with someone who will be looking at the church from an outsiders perspective. Growing up in the West, I have assumed that everyone has at least heard of the "Mormons," and knows some of our 'weird' values. My senior year of High School I traveled to Boston, MA for Nursing Forum, and my roommate was from down South. She had no idea what a 'Mormon' was, and I kind of explained a few things to her but that was it. I probably should have used that as a better missionary opportunity but I didn't. I know a lot of light has been shed on the church because of the current Presidential Candidates as well as the new Mormon Musical on Broadway. Publicity is great, because it creates curiosity in those who do not know anything about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. On Oct. 3rd the initiative started and I see on average 4 commercials a day from mormon.org. I will be honest it makes me emotional to see these commercials and watch as each person ends the commercial smiling saying, "My name is ____, and I'm a Mormon." If you haven't created your profile do it, or at least check out others that have been posted. Just click on mormon.org.

So, I have been wanting to go to a Pumpkin Festival this year since Gavin is actually old enough to somewhat enjoy it. Most places were doing theirs on Oct. 8th, which was fine, except we woke up to snow, rain and wind with 35 degree weather that morning. Oh well, were going anyways. We decided to head over to Punkin' Chunkin with a few of our friends. Luckily the majority of the activities were inside the building at the fairgrounds, or we would have left. But the punkin' chunking was outside (You know where the launch pumpkins from a giant slingshot/trebuche). And of course the website refrained from telling us that they would only launch pumpkins at 10:30, 1:30, and 3:30. We got there at 11:30. So we had to wait around for a few hours. Some activities were free, others not so much, and all of the food stations were outside so you had to wait in the cold to get anything. Gavin enjoyed playing in a corn pit, and looking at the different stations but he definitely got a restless. He played two bean bag tossing games and made the first one in both times, he's got great aim. Finally 1:30 rolled around and we stood in the freezing cold mud to watch. It was a contest from different groups who built their own trebuche's and then the last one was a professional, that launches like 2,500 feet, it was pretty awesome except there was so much snow that we couldn't see it.

Making corn husk dolls, that were wet in a freezing tent.

A few of us tried on Gavin's pumpkin hat.

Picking his prize.

Gavin LOVES Shrek!

Last night we carved pumpkins for Family Home Evening. Gavin loved the pumpkins themselves, and would have been happy to leave them that way, although he enjoyed the end product. He did not however, like the pumpkin guts. Zac would try to get him to touch it and he said NO! And then Zac would wipe some on his hand and he would cry. And then say he needed to wash his hands. This kid HATES to get his hands dirty, seriously I have a boy, he is not supposed to care! Zac made the Jack-O-Lantern and I did the ghost. I actually really enjoyed it this year it helped that I wore gloves while cleaning out the pumpkin :).

He has a spoon in his hand, it was the only way to get his hand in at all.

Zac has work the next two Saturdays while I have a baby shower, and a Zumba class and Trunk-or-Treat. Then we will go to Boo-at-the-Zoo and do our Halloween Party on the 29th. Then trick-or-treating and Zac's trick-or-treating at work on the 31st. It is going to be a busy month but I think we will enjoy it. I hope you enjoy your October too!

As you can see he wasn't going to get messy. You can even here him say "alright" His favorite answer to any question.

August and September

2011-09-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe how much has happened since my last post, there have been SO many things that I had planned to post on and I just haven't had the time. We were really trying to enjoy the last of summer and get out and do things as much as possible, but it just feels like we've been busy. So here is an update of the last two months!

August:

The month began with my Zumba certification class. It was from 9am to 5pm and lets just say that I was more than exhausted when I got home. My muscles hurt for days afterwards but it was so much fun and felt great to work that hard.

On the 17th we made our trip over to Ely for Alex's homecoming, and I was so excited to see him and all of my family. I think that last time we were all together with everyone was Christmas 2008, so it was great. I had taken the car in to get serviced the day before we left, and the guy made a comment that if my car starts having trouble starting that we need a new battery, I didn't really think too much of it, and I forgot to tell Zac. So of course, we stop for lunch and when we get back in the car to leave, it won't start. Ooops! So I told Zac we needed a new battery, luckily we were just across the parking lot from an auto parts store. But it was like 95 degrees outside and it took a while for Zac to get the battery out and changed, but that was our only problem of the trip, we just lost an hour of time. I taught my first Zumba class for a few people while we were in Ely, and it was a lot of fun, not perfect but I hope everyone enjoyed it. We also had a picnic and took the kids to McGill Pool one day. And then Saturday everyone was finally there including grandparents. We were able to take some family pictures down at the train station and I think the boys enjoyed seeing the trains. Alex gave a great talk on Sunday and I am so proud of him. He served a great mission, and I can tell that he had grown up so much. It sounds like he is adjusting to real life now that he is back at BYU and engaged to his girlfriend that waited the 2 years.

After we made it home, Zac and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary and went out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. It was Zac's first time but I think he really enjoyed the experience and great food.

September:

In September we were able to go to our Stake Fair and enjoy lots of food and games. It is always so fun to go and I love that our stake puts it on each year. Gavin's favorite part was definitely the watermelon.

The next weekend I helped out with a Baby Shower for a friend. I think that it turned out great, but there was definitely a lot of hardwork that went in to it. But Mary Lynn and Dane truly deserve it.

Then we left for our cruise to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico. We took a Carnival with my sister Melanie and her husband, and we even brought the kids. So we had 4 adults and 4 kids, but we had a lot fun, and Gavin really enjoyed the time with his cousins. He remembers their names and loves to say who they are each time he sees their picture.

On Catalina Island we spent some time on the beach playing in the sand and the cold water. Then we took a glass bottom boat and saw some different fish and a lot of kelp forest, but it was really fun.

Waiting to get tickets for the glass bottom boat on the Island.

Nick and Bryton with Aaryn in the back.

Figuring out the beach.

I think he enjoyed the sand, not so much the water.

Gavin loves cousin Jayden!

Melanie and Jayden at the formal dinner.

Gavin is learning to actually smile for the camera!

Our family.

Totally Zac.

The elephant. :)

The next day we went over to Ensenada to spend the day. We went out in the morning and found a shuttle to take us over to La Bufadora (the Blow Hole). There are a ton of vendors trying to sell things to you as you walk down to the blow hole, and after a while I just tried to avoid them, but they get you from both sides. I kind of hated it and we didn't even buy anything but vanilla to bring home. I just never know what to get that I would actually want to display or use but it was fun. The tide wasn't very high so the water didn't spray up too much, but the kids loved it and Jayden loved how it made a rainbow each time.

He hates strollers but for some reason he loved this one and wanted to sit in it all the time.

The view at the Blow Hole.

This one is a monkey they hang from the TV.

The last one was a frog, it is harder to tell, but Zac kept trying to get Gavin to hug it.

Our last day was at sea and it was nice to just relax and enjoy our time on the boat. We had lots of food, and loved just being on vacation. We saw a few shows, and Zac and I even participated in Family Feud, which our team won. It was so nice to be able to enjoy it with some family. Thank You Pay Family for making the trip with us, it was great!

Gavin making his build-a-bear on the boat.

Waiting to debark, we didn't plau anything, the kids just seemed happy to pretend. :)

Getting off the boat waiting to go through customs.

Gavin loves his doggie that he made.

I am definitely ready for fall here in Denver, but the weather isn't quite there yet. I can't believe it is already Conference time. I am excited for a weekend at home, and for all of the upcoming holidays. It is sure to be a busy next few months, but we hope to make the best of it!

Harry Potter 7 Part 2

2011-07-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it to see the movie the Saturday after it came out. We left Gavin with a babysitter, for only the 2nd time. (well, family has watched him a few times but that's it.) And at first Zac said he was going to stay home and watch Gavin and I could go with our friends. He really doesn't like the idea of the added cost to date nights when you add a sitter. Which is the reason why we NEVER go on dates. Anyway, I got him to come and it was SO fun! I made simple ties for everyone that were yellow and red for Gryffindor colors. And then we played trivia while we waited for the movie and then enjoyed the last of the Harry Potter series. I finished the book a few days before and it probably wasn't a great idea, because I was a little frustrated everytime they changed something. But I really was very happy with movie, and happy that I was able to enjoy it with Zac. It ended up being a busy day so by the time we got home at 10pm we were definitely exhausted. I am grateful to our friends who made it possible for us all to see the movie together. There were 8 of us altogether and we wished Alana could have been there, but movies with friends are great!

Here we are waiting to go in the theater. Alexandria went really early to make sure we were able to get seats together. We were one of the first inside the theater so we were dead center it was GREAT!

Zac and I waiting for the movie. The seats were nice, but definitely not for short people. If I was any shorter I wouldn't have been able to see over the seat in front of me.

For a quick update on Gavin. He is really enjoying the summer, mostly because of swimming. We recently bought him a life jacket so that he could be a little more independent in the pool. The first time he hated it, and now he LOVES it. He swims/bobs all over the pool and loves the freedom. He does go face down everyone once in a while but overall he's happy. I have been giving him a little more freedom to see what he can do, but I am never more than 10 feet away. He is also saying so many words and a few phrases now which is really fun. He loves to say Awesome!, Oh No!, Uh-Oh, Grandma, a mess, and a lot of others. He also tells us most of the time when he needs a diaper change now. Hopefully that means that potty-training isn't too far off, although I am dreading it.

AND, my brother comes home from his mission on August 17th and I can't wait to see him!

Finished....

2011-07-12T12:43:00.001-07:00

Harry Potter, what can I say? I decided a few months back that I wanted to read the entire series over again before the last movie comes out this weekend. We are going with a group of friends on Saturday evening, and I JUST finished. I cried off and on from the end of the sixth book to the end of the seventh. And everytime I see a trailer or pictures from the last movie I get teary. It seems so silly, that a fictional book-series can consume so much of my life. My family has been quite neglected over the past two months, as I have spent any time that I could reading. Zac kept saying how much happier he was going to be once I finished the series.

But as I read the last book in about 3 days, it made me sad. I didn't want to stop reading, but I didn't want it to end either! Do you get that way? When you see the end of something really good coming up, and wish it would just stop? Like the end of a book, or the end of a bowl of REALLY good ice cream :)? I physically get a little depressed, not in a bad way. But I LOVE that this is a series that I can read over and over and over again and NEVER get bored.

We have all of the movies and I have watched each one as I finished it's book to compare the differences. I am excited to have children that I can read the series too as a family, you know in like 6 or 7 years when Gavin will actually be interested.

But I just want to say Thank You to J.K. Rowling for giving the world such a WONDERFUL book series. Seriously, I think that it has changed my life. Reading is such a healthy pass-time (When our families are not neglected because of it), and it is SO great to be able to read something that gives you so much joy. I LOVE the Harry Potter Series! I don't think I will ever come across another series that I enjoy this much. They way she writes is perfect, always! I enjoy other series like the Hunger Games and Twilight, but to me it is NOTHING compared to Harry Potter!

It is like reading the scriptures, and allowing yourself to be engrossed in the story and understand why these scriptures are written for us! I have recently become SO much better in my personal scripture study as I have tried to always make sure that is accomplished as well. I think that reading is something that you have to learn in a way, and the more you do it the easier it is. Just like reading the scriptures, the more that I do it, the easier they are to understand and the stronger desire I have to read them.

I am SO ready to watch the movie. I am compiling a set of trivia questions that we are going to play while we wait for the movie, if anyone would like it, leave me a comment and I will attach it, so you can use it as well.

I hope everyone gets a chance to see the movie, I KNOW it will be great! Come on, have you not read the 7th book? :)

June & The 4th

2011-07-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

On my birthday we headed over to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch after some shopping.

Then we went back home to get ready for my party. We had Sweet Pork Tacos with Cilantro Lime Coleslaw from Make and Love It. Seriously THE best tacos, I LOVE them! We played a few games and had brownie sundaes.

This is just to show one of my birthday presents. It is a belly dance scarf, but I wear it at Zumba. Most everyone in the class wears one, and at first I thought they were silly, but they really make you work a lot harder, plus they are not that expensive and I LOVE it. You wouldn't believe how much I sweat when I work out, it is actually really embarrassing, but hey I guess I am burning more calories. :)

Gavin went to his first movie. We went and saw Cars 2 last week. He did a really great job until about the last 20 minutes of the show. But he loves Cars especially MaeMae (Mater) and Queen (McQueen). I love that I get to spend all day hanging out with him.

I also made my first attempt at homemade strawberry jam. Zac thought it was a silly idea, but it really is satisfying to know that I did it myself.

On Saturday we headed to the Zoo early in the morning. We usually go during the week, so Zac never gets to come. Gavin loved having Zac there and I think they both enjoyed it. We arrived just after they opened, which was nice because so many of the animals were active, which we don't usually see.

These two really are the best buds, and I just love it!

I ended up getting a call last Friday night to teach Relief Society on Sunday. I really only had Saturday to prepare, but I think everything went well. It really made me miss teaching, but I am glad that I can help. I have also subbed in Nursery a few times which may or may not help Gavin. He seems to do fine during nursery, but it is the leaving and picking up part we are still struggling with. :)

On the 4th I started out the day with Zumba and then in the afternoon we had a BBQ with our friends and then we went to the fireworks together. It was SO hot during the BBQ, but after a while the clouds came out and it was fine. I made Asian BBQ Chicken from Out Best Bites and it was SO good! I also made some red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and blue sprinkles. And then we made our own ice cream as we sat waiting for the fireworks. I must admit, they were NOTHING compared to Idaho Falls, but the show was about 30min so we can't complain.

Here are the girls: Me, Rachel, Alexandria and Alana. I am so grateful that we have such wonderful friends. It makes holidays without family so much easier!

Travels

2011-06-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Here is my cute boy! Can you believe how much he is growing?

Gavin and I have been making frequent trips to the zoo lately. He really enjoys it, and loves to make the animal sounds whenever we see one that he knows.

For Memorial weekend we flew out to Salt Lake, for Zac's uncles wedding. We are so happy for him and his new wife, and it was great to see the family again. Thanks Nancy for letting us all camp out at your house!

The luncheon was at Tucano's at The Gateway. Great food! After lunch we walked around, and Gavin enjoyed making his first Build-a-Bear. He fell asleep with it on the way home. :)

I think that he found the process interesting, but really just cared about holding the bear. Zac named him Roar on the birth certificate. :) Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

And last Saturday we made our way up to Breckenridge, CO with some of our friends. One of our friends tutors a girl at DU whose parents own this beautiful house. So everyone went up for the weekend. We only drove up and back on Saturday, but it was tons of fun to spend the day with everyone, and we are glad that they let us come up.

This is the house that we stayed at. It had a hot tub, theater room, pool table, as well as a library, a wine room and a TV in like every room. We all agreed that it was nice, but not really a practical house for our taste.

All of our friends that were able to come.

The Olson's

The Hreinson's

The Mitchell's

The Palmer's

Mary Lynn (her husband came up later)

and US!

Next up, my 23rd birthday on Saturday. I LOVE birthday's, it is probably silly, but I really do. I can't believe I am turning 23 though, that is how old Zac was when we met and were married. I remember thinking how old 23 sounded at the time. Sometime's I forget that I really am old enough to be an adult. Maybe it is because I just love and enjoy life so much! :)

Hapari

2011-05-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been to Hapari?

They are amazing swimsuits, seriously, who wouldn't want one.

If you get a chance, go check them out.

The Latest

2011-05-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

I feel like it has been forever since I posted, probably because it has been. We have been a little busy. Gavin and I went to visit my family for a week, Gavin turned 18 months, started nursery, and we have had a lot of rainy days trying to keep a very active little boy busy.

I will try to just post mostly with pictures.

Gavin seems to get bigger and smarter each day.

Stats at his 18month appt:

26.8 lbs (50th percentile)

35inches tall (over the 100th percentile).

So he is really tall, and thinning out a LOT. I feel like he is so skinny now, but he still has some chubbiness which I love. :)

He also says new words each day. His new favorite is Uh-Oh. He says basically whenever anything happens. It is funny, but I wish he would learn what it really means.

The first day of nursery was interesting. We basically have to leave him crying and screaming for us, and then he plays and is fine until we pick him up at the end and he cries again realizing that we just left him for 2 hours. Hopefully he will adjust soon.

I was not happy when I woke up to this one sunday morning. He had gone to bed with a marker in his hand. And learned how to open it when he woke up in the morning and proceeded to draw all over himself. Zac didn't even notice when he got Gavin out of bed. Gavin ran up to me with the open marker still in hand. Luckily it was Crayola and came off easily and that he only drew on himself.

He seems rather proud of what he accomplished.

This is a frequent site of our kitchen. Gavin did this in the five minutes it took me to get the chicken ready for dinner, it is so frustrating to feel like a tornado goes through our house multiple times a day.

I went to see Seussical in Ely with my Mom and Trevor. And then Selina came up the next day with Kamry and Richie. I think Gavin enjoyed his cousins and we introduced them to Yo Gabba Gabba. :)

We took a trip to the duck pond with Grandma and Richie, on the one day that it didn't snow while we were in Ely.
A bath with cousin Kamry. Gavin called her 'baby' the entire time, even though she is only three months younger than him.

We went to a park in Vegas for a little while and they had a play area where water shoots from the ground. Jayden and Richie really enjoyed running through with Uncle Trevor.
Gavin didn't care as much.
I have to add that Trevor took 1st place in state for the 300 hurdles last week. GO Trevor!

I was able to meet one of the authors of Our Best Bites cookbooks. Sara Wells, she is the sister-in-law of one of the women I visit teach. She was just in town for the day, but I was able to visit with her for a half hour and she signed my cookbook. It was great to meet her in person.

We are leaving on Friday night for Salt Lake and will be back on Monday with our next travel plans in August when Alex comes home from his mission. I feel like this summer is going to pass by really quickly. Hopefully our days will be full of swimming, Zoo visits, and other parties throughout the next two months. Not including my birthday in three weeks, and I am also looking into certifying to become a Zumba instructor this summer. Life just never seems to slow down. :)

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. Aside from Zac having to work on Saturday, we enjoyed the time we had together.
On Saturday Gavin and I went to an Easter Egg Hunt with some families in our ward. We gave 15 eggs for each child that we had and then one of the families went earlier to hide them. There were probably 20 or so kids there. And we just went to a small park. Gavin didn't really care to find anymore once he had one in each hand, so I literally had to drag him around the park to look for more. It took us quite a while to get our 15, but he was sure excited when he realized there was candy inside. Each family brought something to share for a luncheon afterwards and it was a lot of fun. I am truly grateful to the families that were willing to set this up! :)

He really only cared about the sticks while we were waiting to start the Easter Egg hunt.

You can see what I mean by dragging Gavin around. Yes, that is a leash or more specifically called a Harness Buddy. Best. Investment. EVER. You may think this is cruel. But I don't care. When your 17 month old child runs away from you in the mall and out into the parking lot to get rocks, etc, etc. You have no choice. And I have had far too many experiences worrying about him. Plus Gavin and I will be traveling to see my Mom in a few weeks and there is no way I would make it through the airport without this. Anyways, better safe than sorry in my opinion.
We were able to go to a free-day at the Botanic Gardens on Friday and of course I took the leash. Or Bo-Bo as we call it. Many of the older adults thought that it was such a good idea. Apparently they had never seen them before. Gavin does get a little frustrated when we cannot run away as far as he hopes, but for the most part it works out really well.
Saturday evening we had a BBQ for my friend Alana's birthday. She is the one in our group of friends closest to my age, and it was fun to hang out with everyone. The weather was a little windy for the most part, but the sun kept coming out every little bit. We eventually moved it inside when the sun started to go down because it was just too cold.
On Sunday I had to be at church early to warm up for the choir before we sang in Sacrament Meeting. The hard part was that we have all been sick for over a week. Gavin got over it first, and it has just held on for Zac and I. Mostly just fever, sore throats, runny noses, that sort. Zac woke up miserable on Sunday, and I just felt stomach flu sick. So I went to church and came back to get Zac and Gavin just for Sacrament Meeting. We were able to hear some wonderful talks about the Savior for Easter Sunday and the choir sang This Is the Christ. I wish that I could say that I enjoy my calling more, it's not that I don't like it, it is just a VERY stressful calling. But, I am grateful for the opportunity I have to share music.

I wish I could say that we had an amazing Easter dinner. But, it just isn't true. I thought about it, but knowing only two of us would really eat it, I decided not to. And good thing too, because I was not up for all that cooking. So we had a simple dinner and while it was cooking I set up an Easter Egg hunt around the house. Zac was able to help Gavin find all the eggs, and I think they both enjoyed it. I love watching them interact together. I have all of Gavin's candy in the closet so that he can't get it. Because he would probably eat it all in a day if he could. With the wrappers still on the candy too. :) So I will just give him a little each day so that he doesn't expect to eat it all day long.

And that's about it. Gavin and I go to playgroup and story hour at the library each week. I have decided to try and read the entire Harry Potter series before the last movie comes out. I forgot how much I LOVE those books. I become so absorbed in the world that J.K. Rowling creates, and I am really sad that series is over. But at least I can read them over and over again. I have also convinced :) three of my friends to join me at Zumba. I hope they are enjoying it, but I am pretty much addicted so my opinion is probably biased. But I love having friends to go with.
Zac has been given some tougher, more complicated responsibilities at work, so he is learning a lot of new things right now, but he still enjoys it.

And here is a picture of a dress that I made. It has taken me a while to finish because I do not have a lot of time to sew, and it is not perfect, but I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

And more importantly. Gavin slept through the night EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. last week. He started doing about every other night for about two weeks before that. Hopefully we don't jinx it and it sticks. But we are SO grateful that he has discovered sleep. :)

Wedding Pictures

2011-04-14T13:21:00.001-07:00

Everyone that was there on the Bride's side. The entire Barrus Family! The Bridal Party. Everyone is family, brothers, sisters, and in-laws. Bridesmaids.

All of the Barrus side siblings.

I just think that this is so funny. :)

Such a cute couple.

Tiffany's dress was gorgeous!

We took this picture to show Gavin's outfit off a little better. He wore it to church on Sunday and just about every person commented on how cute he looked.

Where have we been?

2011-04-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I will tell you. We have been in Idaho. Certainly not for the last month, that I haven't posted, but we were gone for 9 days. Because we were able to see a super cute couple sealed for time and all eternity. Zac's youngest sister Tiffany is now Tiffany Barrus Riggs and I cannot believe it. Tiffany and Kellan met shortly after we moved last year and were engaged a few days before Christmas. We are so excited for them and their journey as they start their lives together.

It has been so long since we have had a wedding on either side of the family(well, since we were married 2 1/2 years ago), so we were really excited. I think that everyone was dying to see us, just so that they could see Gavin and how much he has grown. I really wish that we were closer to family as Gavin is changing so much all the time, but that's ok. Gavin loved Grandma and Grandpa's house, and I can tell that he misses everyone. The day after we got home, he woke up from his nap and the first words he said were, Bo-Bo. Zac's family dog is named Bo, and that was the first word that he learned, when he got there. He now calls every single dog that we see Bo-Bo. Which is really funny, but confusing to everyone else. Anyway each morning he would wake up and we would ask him if he wanted to find Bo-Bo and he was so excited to get out of bed. So it was really cute that he missed Bo that much. I don't know how long we are going to be able to go without a dog, but I still say we need a house first. :)

The week was filled with fun, as we enjoyed time together with Zac's family. On friday we set up for the reception and family arrived. The girls went out to lunch and gave Tiffany gifts and then we had dinner at the house of yummy sweet pork tacos. After dinner we had a party celebrating Tiffany. We had about 20 family members including siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We played a few games, including this really fun one. Amanda has the pictures, so I will post some when I get them. After games we had dessert, and everyone shared a memory or story about Tiffany.

Manicures and pedicures. Wow, that was interesting experience. :) More else, interesting conversations with the asians doing our nails.

On our way to lunch at Olive Garden. I told Tiffany to sit in the front seat, but she said it felt more like a limo in the back, haha, silly girl. In front are Holly and Heather to two cousins closest in age to Amanda and Tiffany on the Warner side.

Opening our gifts. I am not sure that Amanda is quite ready to lose her sister to Kellan. It is definitely a change when your siblings get married, especially when you are as close as these two. Holly and Heather gave a "How NOT to get pregnant kit!" Haha, SOOOO funny. Included things like cheetos, a can of beans, jerky, etc. All things that make you less, ummm....desireable?, to your spouse. :)

Saturday was the big day, and it was such a wonderful experience to be in that sealing room. I loved remembering the day Zac and I were sealed, and listening to those promises again. I am so grateful for the gospel and the opportunity that I have to be sealed to Zac for eternity! He definitely makes my life complete, and I cannot imagine life without him.

Here is my cute boy in his suspenders and bow tie. This was the end of the reception, so don't judge the untucked shirt and lack of shoes. He was definitely the cutest little boy in the wedding, he was also the only child on either side, so that helped. I didn't get any pictures on my camera of how beautiful Tiffany looked in her dress. I was too busy with the video camera and Gavin so I will have to put some up when I get access to them. Her dress was truly gorgeous!

Tiffany and Kellan looked so happy and in love, just they way it should be. Welcome to the family Kellan, it is a great one to be a part of!

That is Bailey, Zac's cousin's daughter. She is SO cute and was the biggest help with Gavin while she was there. We appreciate her so much. She would chase Gavin around and play with him all the time. Gavin was entertained with pounding on the coolers for a good 10 minutes. You can also see his "YAY" that he frequently does whenever he is excited or proud of himself.

The Much Awaited and Anticipated!

2011-03-07T08:11:00.000-08:00

The pictures of the quiet books. Sorry the quality isn't that great, I did the best with what I had, so hopefully you enjoy the pictures. I have posted the links at the bottom of the post of all the sites I used as templates. I am SO grateful to all those who are willing to share their work online and make it free for the rest of us to use! There are some really cute quiet books on Etsy, but I didn't want to pay for a pattern so I used what I could find. there are still many more pages I want to do, but I think I am going to take my time working on those. :) Remember that I did two sets of these, which is why it took so long, but I am sure it was worth it as my cute nephews are probably putting it to good use.

My pages were made with Muslin and then a cotton layer to make the pages thicker. You could always go with Cotton or even Felt. The Muslin wrinkles really easily, but it is much cheaper than the others. I also chose to do a simple cover with just a one button closure. My pages are sewn with three button holes and held together with binder rings found at Office Max. This was the cheapest way that I found to bind the book but still be able to trade pages out, or when we have more kids hand a few pages to each child to play with.

Simple Button Closure and Three Ring Binding

Button The Flowers

Alphabet (Velcro)

Time For Church

Match The Shapes (Snaps)

Puzzles Three different puzzles stored on the opposite page

Noah's Ark I bought Noah at the $1 Store and then a package of Dinosaurs. I searched for some cheap animals but couldn't find them anywhere, so there were dinosaurs on the Ark.

Warm your Hand

Tic Tac Toe

Look in the Tent with a teddy bear inside (Zipper)

Pick the Apples (Snaps)

Who's in the Barn? Chicken, Pig, Cow Finger Puppets

Counting (Velcro)

Write a Letter

Mail a Letter

3...2....1..... Blast OFF!

Make a Phone Call (Gavin LOVES this page) Traffic Light

Lace the Football (Shoelace) Weave the Tower

Each book has this on the inside cover. :)

I was trying to make the books as cheaply as possible but still good quality. With that said, basically all my pages are done with felt, aside from the muslin base. Many of the examples I found were very intricate and beautiful, but I just didn't feel that I needed to spend that much money on extra fabric to make them that way. I also did not have a ton of scraps on hand when I started this project, which probably would help with the extra details.

I hand-stitched all of the titles on each page. This idea came from Homemade by Jill, link below, I really thought it was a great touch, as I am not a big fan of writing the titles on (just my preference). I just wrote the titles in pencil and then stitched over them. The writing isn't perfect, but I really like that detail. WARNING: this is very time consuming I think it took me about an hour to handstitch each page, which is about 30 hours of just stitching, not including everything else.

Sites used: (I used different pages from all the sites, but there quite a few to choose from on each one.)

Homemade by Jill

You can also click on quietbooks on her side bar and see many amazing pages from her book. She has 14 different quietbook posts. I used the Rocket, Barn, and Mailbox templates. Her pages are truly amazing.

Oopsey Daisy

At the bottom of her post there is a link to print off 9 templates. I only used her template for Noah's Ark, but she has a McDonald's Hamburger, Mr. Potato Head, Phone, Gumball Machine, Ice Cream Cone, Chick a Chick a Boom Boom and Stop Light. SO Cute! I definitely want to make some of these later.

How to Make a Quiet Book

Tons of pages to use, with links to many other sites where you can see examples and find templates. I used the numbers page, and used to the apple tree, ABC's and flower page as an example for my own. The Picnic basket and Mail pages are also really cute!

How to Make an LDS Quiet Book

Quiet Book Instructions

I used the traffic light, football, mitten, clock, phone, and shapes pages from here.

Modest Maven

This the blog from the link above, you can see her completed pages here, her choice of fabric is great!

Serving Pink Lemonade

I did not use this site because I did not find it until after. But there are some really cute ideas. I also like the playmats, I want to make some for Gavin. She also has photos for an ABC reverent book that would be great to use during the sacrament and SO cheap just to print the photos a Wal-Mart or something.

Just want to give a Shout Out to my sister-in-law Amanda who helped me tons when she was here in November and also to my Mom who helped me when she was here for Christmas, I could not have finished these without you!

And a SUPER Shout Out to Zac for all of the late nights sewing and the many hours spent sitting at the table while you took care of Gavin. I LOVE YOU!

And just because we need an updated picture of my boys. :)

Super Fly! I took this picture and thought, "Where did my baby go?"

These two are the Best Buds!

Whew! That took MUCH longer than expected!

26 Year Old & 15 Month Old

2011-02-18T20:16:00.000-08:00

Well, Zac had his 26th birthday on the 8th. I feel so behind, sorry.
We didn't do too much for his birthday.

We had some friends come over on Sunday and watched the Super Bowl and had cake to celebrate his birthday. Zac was given 2 tickets to a Nuggets Game, from his parents, on the 7th. So we ventured out to our first game, leaving Gavin with his first real babysitter (this was the first time we have left him with anyone but family). The Nuggets played horribly and it was quite different from Jazz or Suns games but hopefully we will get to enjoy a little more basketball next season. Gavin was sick and whimpered and slept on and off for the 4 hours we were gone. We will see how the next experience goes. I know it is pathetic that he is over 1 and we don't have much experience with sitters, but I have a really hard time leaving him. Ok, we know I have issues. On Tuesday we just had Domino's for dinner and enjoyed a quiet night at home. We gave Zac a tennis racket so that hopefully we can play together when the weather warms up. His birthday wasn't very exciting and I felt really bad, but Zac didn't seem to care too much. I try to make birthday's a big deal, but Zac doesn't really care, so it is hard to know what to do sometimes. But, I love him and I hope that he enjoyed his birthday nonetheless.

I can't believe he is 26! That is SO OLD! :)

sorry pictures are from our phone

On a side note, Gavin is now 15 months old and we cannot believe that there are only three months until nursery. I think Zac is really bummed because he won't have an excuse to get out of Elder's Quorum anymore. I am sure he will make up some excuse about having to check on Gavin just to get out of class for a few minutes. Gavin has grown up so fast, and it really makes me sad each day to watch him and watch my little boy disappear. He is so independent now that he often throws fits when things are not done the way he wants it. I am sure my Mom is laughing right now because I am often told that I was the exact same way.

My Dad especially likes to frequently recall a cereal incident.
He would say: Do you want this cereal? Yes. Do you want this bowl? Yes. Is this milk ok? Yes. Can I pour the cereal into the bowl? Yes. Can I add the milk to the cereal? Yes. He pours the milk. (And then I would proceed to scream and throw a tantrum because he did it wrong.)

Gavin's example: Me: Gavin do you want some juice?(We have been calling water: juice, just because it is in his sippy cup and that is/was all he takes from a sippy cup.) He says yes, juice and follows me into the kitchen. I fill the cup up with water, hand it to him and he sits on the floor and cries and screams. He then tries to reach a different sippy cup on the counter that had juice from the night before. Apparently he wanted real 'juice.' How was I supposed to know.

Anyways he now loves juice and carries around one cup of water and one of juice and drinks out of them simultaneously. He also loves bananas now and and whenever he sees them he says "nana, nana." Implying that he wants one even when he just ate a whole one. He loves to say juice, Jesus, tweet tweet, truck, mom-mom, dad-dad (it is never just mom or dad, always mom-mom or dad-dad), quack-quack, nana, Shrek, bye-bye, cookie, ball, and many more that I can't think of right now. He will even fold his arms when we say prayers, sometimes. :) He has become so much better at basketball too, the ball actually leaves his hands before it goes in the hoop instead of just pushing it over the edge. He is growing so tall, and I really just want him to stop. But, we are really enjoying this stage and how well he communicates with us. Each day is definitely an adventure for all of us, but we wouldn't change it for the world.

Our Best Bites

2011-02-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

What to post about?........... It is really hard when there are so many things you want to post about, but you cannot take pictures of them, and therefore how many actually read the posts without pictures!

So if you have no desire to read the rest of this post, don't worry, I won't be offended if you choose to look at some other site, BUT you will be missing out on a great website. It is called Our Best Bites or OBB. I am sure many of you have already heard about it, but for those of you that haven't, go over there. Seriously, right now, you don't have to finish reading this, just get over there. They are currently being featured on Make It and Love It with a kid-friendly foods segment. They have also been on Studio 5 in Salt Lake because there new cookbook Our Best Bites: Mormon Moms in the Kitchen is coming out soon. I found this blog only because Sara is the sister-in-law of one of the women I visit teach. I quickly fell in LOVE with their recipes and definitely the photos make the food much more enticing. We are even trying out their Chocolate Mousse Crunch Cake for Zac's birthday. So for those of you that have not yet discovered this great little blog. Head on over, it is always nice for some new inspiration on recipes and meals for your family. Because as a wife to a busy husband I make 100% of the meals in this family (which I totally enjoy!), and sometimes I get a little bored with my same recipes. By the way, I am dying to get this cookbook.

And just as a little secret, if you are looking at buying, head on over to Amazon, it's quite a bit cheaper. But, shhh, don't tell. :)

Quiet Book Update

2011-01-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

I feel like I should post about something, but my camera has died, and of course, I cannot find the power cord ANYWHERE. I just used it in November so I have no idea where it has gotten too. BUT I need to find it so that I can post about the finished quiet books. They are all done. And I made 4 books total, well 2 separate books, doubled. I sent one set of 2 to my sister Melanie for Christmas for her boys. And then I have another set for Gavin. Of course they are not perfect, but I am really proud of my accomplishments. SO hopefully in the next few days I can find this power cord and get my post up. I will also link up all the sites that I used to make the books.

Other than that, Zac has been working a lot due to year end and Gavin and I have been hanging out at home. I swear he learns something new everyday. He is such a smart and rambunctious little boy.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-01T12:32:00.001-08:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone and I am so sad. All our decorations and tree are still up, I am just not ready to take them down, althought I will soon. I LOVE Christmas time, it truly is my favorite time of the year. I love the decorations, the music, the food, EVERYTHING! Especially spending time with family, that is the best part. This year we convinced my parents to take the trip to come and stay with us this Christmas. It was our first Christmas tree and first Christmas at home.

It was so nice not to spend the whole time living out of suitcases and worrying about traveling with Gavin. He did pretty well with the presents under the tree and only tried to open two of them. We also left the bottom of the tree free of ornaments so that he wouldn't get to them, which worked out well. Thursday started all the fun and I was able to visit with my best friend from Nursing School, Melanie. Her parents live just north of Denver and she was coming for two days. I am so grateful she took the time to visit with us and meet Gavin. Zac enjoyed meeting your Dad and said that he was cool. :) Hopefully Gavin didn't scare Steven too much. Mel, I love you and miss you and hope that you will move to CO soon so that we can see each other all the time!

A few hours later my family arrived (Mom, Dad, Trevor and Spencer) after a 13 or so hour drive from Nevada. Up to this point we had NO SNOW in Denver, but it seemed to be all over the rest of the world, so driving conditions weren't optimal but they made it safely. On Christmas Eve we did some last minute shopping and then went to Pizza Hut for dinner and drove around Highlands Ranch to see some great Christmas lights. Apparently they do a competition down there and so we saw a few of the participants.

I posted a video on facebook that shows the #1 house and it was truly a sight to see. People were parked up and down the street and many of us got out of the car to watch. It is kind of long, but the last minute is really good. The song is Amazing Grace and is kind of hard to hear. The video also shakes a lot because I was freezing! Sorry about the comment Russ, I hope you take it as a compliment. :)

Then we went home to bed. The next morning Gavin woke up around 6:20 so that's when we started presents. Sorry, the pictures aren't great, as you can see I was sitting behind Gavin most of the time. And I was more interested in the presents than taking pictures.

1: Our tree with all the presents. 2: Gavin ready to open his present from G&G Barrus
3: Enjoying his movies from Amanda, Tiff and Nic. 4: Looking at his books from Aunt Melanie.

Gavin was definitely spoiled this Christmas, with many, many toys I haven't even taken pictures of them all. But, he plays with them all each day and is loving them. We all had a great Christmas this year as well, and are very grateful for our blessings and all we have been given. Family is definitely our greatest blessing and we are so grateful for all those that we get to share our lives with. After presents we went over to Megan (Zac's cousin) and TJ's house for crepes and omelets. The food was great and we enjoyed seeing you guys on Christmas! It is so nice to know that there is family close by. That afternoon we were able to Skype Alex on his mission in Texas. It was great to see how grown up he looks and here his testimony in Spanish. He is such a great missionary and I am so proud of him!

On Monday we went to Lunch with my cousin who lives just North or Denver as well, that we haven't seen in probably 8 years. On Tuesday we ventured out to the Nature and Science Museum, using some free tickets from Megan & TJ (Thanks!). We made it there about three hours before closing thinking that would be plenty of time, but they were VERY busy and it would have been nice to have just a little more time. Gavin and I will definitely be going back. Gavin loved walking around the exhibits and putting his face up to the glass. I was actually surprised how much he enjoyed it. On Wednesday my family left, and I was really sad to see them go, especially because we probably won't see them for 8 months.

I searched for some Elmo pajamas for Gavin before Christmas, but no where had his size. On Thursday I found these at Wal-mart they had one pair of 24 month and all the rest were 4T or 5T, so I figured I better just get them. I do love the footie pajamas that we gave him for Christmas though too (pictured above). This kid is so funny and he gets bigger everyday. He LOVED having my family around and enjoyed playing with everyone. I wish that we could be closer to family so that Grandparents and Aunts & Uncles to see him grow. But I guess that is why we have a blog!

Gavin is such a talker these days and tries to have conversations with us all the time. He can say: Mom, Dad, Jesus, Juice, Truck, Quack, and Fish. He is a pretty smart little boy. He can even walk up to his basketball hoop and push the ball over to make a basket. (We have been meaning to video this for Zac's parents, so I will try to remember the next time).

And Denver was blessed with our first real snow fall on Thursday and I think it snowed constantly for about 24 hours. It wasn't heavy snow fall so we only ended up with 3-5 inches, but it is beautiful to finally have snow on the ground outside our window. Although the sub-zero temps are taking some getting used to, I do NOT know how we survived so many Rexburg winters, we are freezing here!

We had a very quiet New Year's Eve and we were in bed by 10:30 although Gavin kept me up most of the night and Zac ended up on the couch, it has been nice to have some family time together. We look forward to the adventures of the upcoming year! Just to name a few: Amanda receiving her endowments, Tiffany getting married and endowments, Alex coming home from his mission, and the Reid Family Reunion is a cruise in November! Also Zac will turn 26, I will turn 23, Gavin will turn 2 and we will celebrate our 3rd anniversary! I can't wait!

Quick

2010-12-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

I have just been reading posts from recent blogs. And for some reason, I just began thinking how incredibly happy I am. Most of the time I feel overwhelmed over various things such as church callings, things I need to get done at home and others. As I have been preparing for the Ward Choir Program over the past weeks, I have done A LOT of crying and stressing feeling like I have no idea what I am doing. I feel like so much is expected of me, in this new ward, but of course Zac reassures me that I am the one who expects so much. Thanks, dear.

I feel like I do not always express that, in the midst of it all, I am TRULY so very HAPPY. I have a wonderful husband who supports me and loves me even when I am crazy. A little boy who brings so much joy into my life and family each day. I just wanted to quickly tell you all that even though I might seem crazy sometimes, I LOVE my family, and I feel so blessed for what I have been given.

Barrus Family Pictures

2010-12-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving and MUCH More

2010-12-03T13:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I should start out with the week before Thanksgiving. Amanda, Zac's sister, was able to come and spend a week with us. I meant to get pictures taken while she was here, but didn't get a chance. I think I kept her pretty busy most of the time, but hopefully she was able to have some time to relax, after all it was her vacation. Most of all, I am sure she enjoyed one whole week with Gavin. He took a little bit to warm up to her, but would not nap for the first two days because all he wanted was to play with Aunt Amanda. We were SO happy to have her here with us, and look forward to any other visitors that might want to come spend some time with us in Denver! :)

The day before Thanksgiving we made the trip up to Idaho with Amanda. We chose which can be frustrating for a 10 1/2 hour drive each way but we were hoping to save some money. We left Denver with no snow and 50 degree weather. Entered Wyoming where it was very windy and cold and eventually arrived in Idaho with TONS of snow, horrible driving conditions, and 3 degree weather. We were certainly missing Denver weather wise, but we made it safely to Zac's parents house. Gavin LOVED all of the attention from Grandma, Grandpa, aunts, uncle, and tons of other family. He chased Bo, the family dog, around the house just about every day and Bo HATED it. I am sure he was glad to see Gavin leave, but he was probably the only one. We were able to see G&G Barrus and Uncle Lee and most of his family for Thanksgiving and it was great to see everyone.

On Friday we were lucky enough to have Amanda take Gavin's 1 year photos and our family pictures, and later that night we took Barrus Family pictures. Amanda did an amazing job and they turned out great! I am so happy to finally have some professional family pictures of the three of us. We enjoyed our time relaxing for a week with family, and miss you all already. Luckily we will see some of you in February. :) We even celebrated Gavin's birthday again, he received a Basketball hoop from Grandma and Grandpa Barrus and a super cute beanie from his Aunts. I even made a red velvet cake that looked like Elmo. He still didn't eat tons of it, but he sure LOVED looking at that cake. :)

On Tuesday morning we headed back home to Denver. We made it about 2 1/2 hours and our car broke down just outside Montpelier, Idaho. If you haven't been there, you are not missing much, but it is consider a fairly big town as it is close to the border or Idaho and Wyoming. we ended calling a police car to take us in to town to find help. We had our car towed in and our suspicions confirmer that it was the fuel filter. Sadly they had to order one and we were stuck until Wednesday. The promised us it would be ready by 10am so that we could get back on the road. So we got a hotel room and Gavin enjoyed running back and forth across the room for quite some time. (He has been walking for a month now and he is great at it, and goes wherever he wants). Luckily the car done the next morning and we were on the road by 10:30 and made it home and 6:30. The roads were great on the way home and Gavin was actually pretty good in the car. We are so happy to be home and get ready for the Holidays. I am a little (okay, a LOT) stressed about the ward choir program in a week but after that is over we can just enjoy the Holidays. My family is coming to stay with us and I can't wait to see them.

TONS of pictures, sorry.

I hope everyone is able to take time to serve others and remember our Savior as we have this month of December to remember His birth.

Lindsey Ann Photography

2010-11-13T15:03:00.001-08:00

I know this is last minute. But for those of you in Denver, hurry on over to Oopsey Daisy and enter this giveaway. A free photoshoot with L. Ann Photography. I would LOVE so badly to win, but hey, that would be great if one of you won too!

Our BIG 1 Year Old!

2010-11-11T20:03:00.000-08:00

I LOVE birthdays! I love that I get to spend one whole day showing a person how much I love them. If I could, I would turn it into a birthday week so that I could celebrate longer, but I don't think that Zac would go for that. Who knows, maybe over the years I can convince him . :) Part of me has really been looking forward to Gavin's birthday, but the other part of me is very sad that he is growing up. But, I must say that I am so proud of the little boy that he is becoming. He is such a loving and happy baby and he brings so much joy into our home. I truly cannot imagine our lives without him.

Gavin is 32 inches tall and weighs 23lbs 10oz. Yeah that is big, but he is actually declining on his growth curve because he doesn't get enough calories. For the first time I have been told that I need to feed him more. Of course I know this, I can see how skinny he is getting, and try so hard to feed him, but this boy just wants to breastfeed all day long. I am pretty sure that my milk is losing its nutritional value which is why he isn't getting enough calories. (sorry, TMI). We have tried 1% milk a few times and he does not like it. We tried whole milk tonight and he did okay so hopefully we can start fattening him up again. :)

He loves to scream and talk all day long, not real words but, he is getting better at mimicking the words we say. He does not sit still through church and Zac only makes it to about 5 minutes of Elder's Quorum each week. He is doing great in the car though. We give him his book and he just sits there staring at the pages while we drive. It really is the cutest thing. He likes to point at everything, especially when he wants to go somewhere. He also likes to bring us things that he wants, like if he wants to watch a certain movie he will bring us the DVD case which means we should turn it on.

Gavin has been walking for almost two weeks now and gets better at it everyday! He is going everywhere and it is so fun, and he is so proud of himself too. He still has just seven teeth, but he always seems like he is teething so who knows. He does take medicine very well now instead of fighting us the whole time, which helps with the teething. He is getting much better at helping when we get him dressed each day and he loves bath time and getting ready for bed. I definitely think that the favorite part of his day is when daddy comes home. These two love to play together and I truly admire what a great dad Zac is, I feel so blessed that I will get to watch him as we raise our children together.

For Gavin's birthday we let him open one of his presents in the morning, well actually Zac opened it, but Gavin enjoyed it once it was open. I also made him a birthday shirt that he LOVES! It has doggies on it and he grabs the shirt whenever he sees it. Then we went to Wendy's for lunch because he loves chicken nuggets and then went to play group where I brought cookies for his birthday. Zac brought home Little Caesars for dinner because Gavin also loves pizza and then we skyped Zac's parents while Gavin opened his presents. I don't think that he understood what was going on, but he definitely enjoyed having so many toys to play with. I think that his birthday turned out great. I really wanted to do a birthday party for him, but I felt like no one would come on Wednesday night and decided that it wasn't worth the stress. The only presents he didn't get are some quiet books that I am working on and hoping to finish before our 10 hour car ride to Idaho in two weeks.

All of his presents before opening them. You can see the shirt that I made in the left corner. I found a fabric at Joann's and then cut out a 1 and then five of the dogs on the fabric and lined them up along the bottom and he loved it!

Daddy helped open his presents this one is from Grandma and Grandpa Barrus. Two great bedtime books. He LOVES them and we read them each night. Thank You!

We also gave him a whole bunch of clothes, more out of need than as gifts, but we picked out this church suit as his gift from Great Grandma and Grandpa Barrus. Thank you!

Grandma and Grandpa Jones gave him this ride-on. He doesn't ride it yet but he is loving pushing it all around the house. He just needs to figure out how to go in reverse when he runs into the wall or corners. Thank You!

Bags with tissue paper seem to work a little better for him to open by himself. This is a play set of kitchen items.

And because he has been in to Elmo so much lately we found a stuffed Elmo. We didn't want to get a Tickle Me Elmo because we wanted him to take it to bed with him. He actually found Elmo on Tuesday morning before we wrapped it and yelled at me when I tried to take it away from him. He finally gave it over to Zac and we had to hide it the rest of the day because he would go into our room to try and find it. He sure loves Elmo, and I am okay with that.

We also gave him a 'learning cube' thing that has a bead toy on top and then activities on each side of the base as well as a shape cube.

Like most kids he did not care for his cake. I actually crumbled it thinking if it was in pieces he might try to pick some of it up. But he touched the frosting and could have cared less about it. So after few minutes we just put him the tub.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

I was really excited for Halloween this year and now it is over and it seems like it went by so quickly. I wanted to do something fun for our costumes to kind of get zac into the fun of Halloween as well. We thought about it for a few days and ultimately, this is what Zac decided that we should be:

Can you tell who we are?

If not, we are these guys. The Imagination Movers from the Playhouse Disney.

Gavin LOVES Warehouse Mouse, so it was obvious that is who he would be. I was Nina, because she is the only girl in the show. And Zac looks the most like Rich, so that is who he was going to be, but then he decided he should be Smitty because Warehouse Mouse and Smitty go together. (Warehouse Mouse is Smitty's pet right? I have always thought so). Anyways I thought it was a good idea, but I think Zac really just want to grow sideburns and a soul patch. Whatever, he was excited about halloween and that is all that I cared about.

I made Gavin's costume and then we bought the jumpsuit for Zac and I added the patches. It did take me sometime to get it all done, especially because it had to be done before our halloween party last week.

We were able to go trick-or-treating at Zac's work on Friday and he told everyone that I made the costumes and it made me quite embarrased but it is nice to know that he is proud of me and likes to brag about me sometimes. Zac even wore his costume all through work and I was very proud of him and excited to see those that he works with.

Here is Zac's cubicle at work.

Getting the idea of picking out candy.

These were taken at Zac's work, no one else was in the room so I don't really know where Gavin is looking in each of the pictures.

We then had our ward trunk-or-treat on Saturday and it was nice except it was incredibly windy. I hope that Gavin enjoyed his first Halloween, and those who knew who we were, really enjoyed our costumes. I am glad with how they all turned out.

Gavin in our trunk after he finished trunk-or-treating.

A better view of the back of the boys costumes.

I also tried to make pumpkin shaped pancakes for breakfast this morning, this was my attempt.

I am finally done with most of my busy stuff. I now just need to focus on getting Gavin's birthday stuff done. I wanted to do a party but I think we decided it would be too hard to get people to come so we are just going to do stuff as a family and then we will celebrate a little more when we go to Idaho for Thanksgiving.

10 days until Gavin turns 1!

Here he is taking is first real steps. We have been trying to get him to walk for a few weeks and he would sort of take one step and sit down, this is the first time that he took so many steps so I was quite excited.

Halloween Party

2010-10-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

So this year I asked Zac if I could have a Halloween Party and he said YES! I was so excited. I don't think that he quite realized what it meant when he said yes, but he sure thought I was crazy by the end of it. I LOVE to plan parties but I always tend to do too much that I stress for days and worry about whether or not anyone will come and many numerous other things. But when the party ended, I was happy with how it turned out. I just hope that everyone who came enjoyed themselves. I figured that as adults we don't get to dress up and enjoy Halloween as much as when we were kids, so why not have a party.

I made these invitations: Zac told me I could only use materials that I alread had to make them so this is what I came up with. I am acutally quite happy with how they turned out.

We played a game with Halloween words or phrases on our back that we had to try and figure out, a finish the spooky phrase game, we gave each couple two rolls of toilet paper and they had to make the fastest mummy, and we ended with Err Vroom. I was surprised with how well some of them did on Err Vroom, they had to just end the game because they were doing so well. Zac said that is what happens when you play with Masters students.

And a list of the goodies we had: Oreo Truffles, Carmel Brownie Bites, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Frappe, Wassail, Apples, Veggies & Dip, and a bowl of halloween candy. I think all I ate during the party was a few carrots and apples, but there was WAY too much food left over so I have had my share of sweets.

Now I am looking forward to what we can plan for Christmas. :)

Here are just a few pictures of the decorations. We also had streamers up and I forgot to take a picture of the food table but oh well.

Our front door:

These were hanging above the food table:

And this was the one wall that I decorated:

This is how our mantel has looked since the beginning of September because I was just ready for Fall, sad to say that it hadn't shown its face until last week, but we sure enjoyed the warm weather while it lasted.

And I apparantly left a bag of cookies hanging over the edge of the counter top and Gavin decided he would help himself to them. I walked over to the kitchen to find him like this. He didn't seem to mind that he was sitting in a mound of crushed pumpking chocolate chip cookies.

11 Months

2010-10-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

This is just before bed after his bath we read books, say prayers and then into his crib.

I can't believe that this little rascal is 11 months old and his birthday is fast approaching. I wish time would just stand still for a second so that he would stop growing. But, we sure do love this kid. He brings so much love and joy in to our home that is overwhelming sometimes.

Gavin's Nicknames:

Gavin Bug
Bug-a-Bug or just Bug
Gav (only Zac)
Little G
Kid (only Zac)
Stinker Stink (He thinks this one is so funny)
(These are only the ones that I can think of right now, and these are only the ones that have stuck, there were alot more when he was first born. Zac LOVES nicknames, you should hear what he calls me).

He LOVES:
Books, he loves to turn the pages and look at the pictures
Pudding
Yogurt
Veggie Straws
Pizza
Looking at pictures of himself
Stuffed Animals
Chewing on Cords and unplugging them from the wall
Climbing in the kitchen cabinets and throwing everything out on to the floor
Throwing lids on the ground and trying to make them spin
Walking while holding on one or two of our hands
The Good Night Show on Sprout (he thinks that Star and Nina are like the coolest thing ever)
Bath Time
When daddy comes home
His little book of Hey Diddle, Diddle
Playing with our car keys
Jewelry (any jewelry that I wear he wants to suck on it which leaves me drenched, I have resulted to carrying around a necklace just for him to play with and he is quite content with it and even wears it through most of church)

He HATES:

Any type of baby food, he only eats adult food

He still only says Dada, and Mama (But he doesn't know that I am Mama, he just says it). I still think that he will be walking by his birthday, but we will see. He is much more friendly with strangers now, but he still doesn't smile at them right away. He also has seven teeth now with more on their way.

We have so much going on in the next few weeks, I have to plan and teach my lesson, we are having a party, I am finishing our Halloween costumes, I am speaking in Sacrament meeting, getting a new calling, Zac is starting busy season for work, I am teaching a class for enrichment, Halloween is coming and I haven't even started planning Gavin's Birthday. Wow, time is going to fly by and he will be 1 before we even know it. I am really trying to enjoy the Holiday Season this year, and help Gavin to enjoy it. Hopefully I won't get caught up in so many other things that I forget to make time for my family. I just love them so much.

A Miracle

2010-10-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe not quite a miracle but it sure feels like it to me.

Well, I have been waiting to write this post for almost three weeks now, well actually more like 11 months but it has finally happened. Who knows if it will stick, but you cannot imagine how elated I was when I heard Gavin cry this morning. He went to bed at 8pm and woke at 5:30am! Seriously, this is the first time that Gavin has ever slept through the night! I realize that it was only 9 1/2 hours and not the 11 or so that he is supposed to get. But we went to bed a little after 10 and this was the first time in over 18months that I have gotten 7 straight hours of sleep. It truly feels like a miracle that it happened.

I haven't read any baby books, and I will tell you why. I am a nurse, and I guess that it has made me 'cocky' so to speak. I felt that with my knowledge of nursing I should be smart enough to take care of my own child without having to read any baby books, and everything would be fine. When Gavin was born he was not a good sleeper, even as a newborn, it was pretty awful. Even my Mom used to say that it was strange that he didn't sleep better and she had 7 kids. So.... I kind of just accepted the fact that my baby wasn't going to sleep, and no matter what I did he was going to do what he wanted. The worse part was that he wasn't ever a good napper either, so I have been running on very minimal amounts of sleep for the last 11 months. I remember sitting in the Mother's lounge nursing Gavin during sacrament meeting on Mother's Day when I overheard some mother's talking about trying to get their child to sleep through the night at 6 weeks old and my baby was 6 months. I went back in to sacrament and told Zac how I felt like the worst mom in the world because he still wasn't sleeping. But, still nothing changed, and by 10 months there was basically no improvement. I started to realize how exhausted I was when I would get up in the morning with Gavin and then fall asleep on the couch while he played. I felt like I was neglecting my child, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not stay awake. So when we went to the library three weeks ago I gave in. I walked over to the parenting section to look for a book about sleep. I think that they had like three options, none of which I had ever heard of, but I picked up Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West. I read the inside cover to see if it was what I was looking for, and figured I would give it a try.

It is an alternative to just letting your child cry themself to sleep while you wait in another room. I had tried letting him 'cry it out' a few times and it made me feel awful, and never seemed to improve. Zac felt that letting him 'cry it out' was our only option, oh and I must add that Gavin was sleeping in our bed because it was the only way he would sleep, so Zac was totally fine with Gavin crying, but I was NOT. I told him I was going to go and stay in a hotel while he dealt with it if that was the only option. So we started the process outlined in the book, which starts with the Sleep Lady Shuffle and setting a schedule. I was also nursing him about 5 times a night because it was the only way I could get him back to sleep when he woke up. (I know, I am a horrible mom and it was my fault that he was such a bad sleeper, but I was so sleep deprived that I did whatever I could to get him to sleep). The schedule set specific time intervals for morning and afternoon naps, how long they should be and how far apart, and also specific times to eat to help with weaning. Of course, the weaning part came much easier than sleeping. Gavin caught on to the napping part fairly quickly, probably because he was so sleep deprived as well. And after about a week he was only waking up once in the night. And then he got sick for a few days, and was back to screaming his head off for over an hour until I fed him. Until last night.

I agree that there isn't a magical remedy that works for everyone perfectly. (Believe me, I wish there was.) And we are still working with this method, but it is a far cry from where we were three weeks ago. Most nights he cries for about 5 min or less before he falls asleep, and some nights there are no tears at bedtime and it is AMAZING! I just can't believe it. Zac and I now have alone time every night together and this was something that we've really missed having. Our marriage wasn't struggling at all, but I definitely feel that you have to make time for each other, and we are SO much happier with better sleep. If you struggle with a baby who doesn't sleep well and you can't handle the tears, I would definitely suggest this book. Give it a try and see what you think. My favorite thing about this book was that she set up in stages of where your child should be at for hours of sleep, naps and feedings depending on their age. I was able to read the first few chapters and then go right to the chapter on 9-12months.

This was taken a few weeks ago at the mall, and no we didn't pay to turn it on, he was perfectly fine just sitting in it without it moving.

Gavin will be 11 months on Sunday, but this post is so long that I will post on that later.

I Belong To The Church Of Jesus Christ

2010-09-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

So, a few nights ago I was laying in bed reading the Ensign while Zac and Gavin were asleep. I must admit that I am not doing as well on my scripture reading but I do read the Ensign quite regularly so at least I am getting some spiritual enlightenment. :)
Anyways, in the back of the September issue it talks about members using the internet to share the gospel. I know that there have been many times that I have not posted things for the mere fact that I don't want to share too much. And I don't want it to be all about the gospel. After I read the article I thought, why do I do this? I love that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it is everything that I am and everything that my family is. When I was younger I LOVED to invite my friends to church or mutual and I remember giving a Book of Mormon to more than one of them, and then as I got older, it became much harder. I really struggle with sharing the gospel with others and I don't know why. Something is definitely holding me back.
My stake has really been working on inviting non-members to church or other activities and they ask how many of us have invited anyone each week. Everytime I sit there and think, I don't even know a single person outside my ward, how am I supposed to invite anyone? This is no excuse because I live in a building with like 20 apartments and we are the only members. So why am I so scared to talk to people?
Well I have decided that I want our blog to represent more of the church. I know that probably the only people that read this are already members, but you never know, maybe someone else will stumble upon my blog one day, and I want them to know that I LOVE this gospel. I also want to encourage anyone else who is willing, to do this on their blog as well. How many times have you been on a craft blog or other where you wonder is this person LDS? Well, I know I have. Why do we hide it, because we are worried about offending someone, or for some other reason? We should be willing to let everyone know that we are members of this amazing church that allows people the opportunity to obtain happiness for eternity! How can we prevent others from the opportunity to receive such a gift? You never know when you will plant a small seed in someone's heart that will create a desire to learn more about the church. I hope that I can be a better member missionary and that I will be able to find opportunities where I am ready to share the gospel.

For more information about the LDS church please visit:

www.lds.org

www.mormon.org

A First

2010-09-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it had to happen eventually, and when I say eventually I mean that I wanted it to happen much later, but it was inevitable. When Gavin was born he didn't have much hair, it was there, but not much, and even as he continued to grow it still didn't grow very much. By four months it was still quite short but he was growing so fast. EVERYONE has been telling me that he needs a haircut for quite some time now. But, I just couldn't bring myself to do it, I told Zac it was the only baby piece of him that I had left. And then about two months ago I was watching Tori & Dean Home Sweet Hollywood and it was their little boy Liam's third birthday and he got his 1st haircut! Ok, now that is a little extreme, but I didn't feel so bad that Gavin hadn't had a haircut yet. I think in the last two or three weeks Zac has mentioned cutting Gavin's hair at least once a day. And then Gavin turned 10 months on Friday, and by Saturday Zac wasn't giving me the option anymore. So I did it, I cut Gavin's hair (tear), so at 10 months old my baby has his first haircut and he looks so grown up now that I can't stand it. As much as I was trying to keep him looking like a baby it is all gone now. But, I hope to everyone's delight, he now has a haircut.

Earlier in the day at the park, and FYI, Zac got a haircut that night too. :)

Just before I cut his hair, he was asleep and Zac thought he would sleep through it, I knew otherwise and of course he woke up right away.

Just after. You can tell that he was very unhappy with me and cried through the whole thing. It certainly isn't perfect, but it is a huge difference.

I have so much to do in getting ready for Halloween that time is going to fly by and before we know it Gavin will be 1!

We were watching Playhouse Disney this morning and he was standing right in front of the TV like always when Choo Choo Soul came on. I looked down and Gavin was tapping his right foot to the beat of the music, seriously! It was the cutest thing. This boy LOVES to dance and listen to music, I have feeling he is really going to enjoy nursery when he finally gets there.

Gavin's Stats

2010-09-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

We just had Gavin's 9 month appointment and he is 22lbs 14oz. and they said he is still 29 1/2 inches but I think he wasn't stretched out enough because his clothes definitely do not fit the same. Overall he is in about the 75th percentile for everything, I am definitely grateful that his growing has started to slow down a bit. :) Remember I have been carrying around a 20lb baby for about 5 months now. He is such a wonderful baby and a HUGE trouble maker.

And to show the cute hats and booties I made for my nephews:

Here is the headboard of the bed I worked on with my Mom

And this is the footboard (She has finished it but this is what I helped with)

The BEST 2 YEARS!

2010-09-02T12:18:00.001-07:00

On August 22nd Zac and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary. I asked him if the time has gone by faster or slower than the two years of his mission, he said it was the same so I don't really know what to make of that.

It seems like we have accomplished so much in the last two years, 2 Bachelors degrees, 1 baby, and moving to a new city. It is crazy to think that after two short years of marriage we are already paying off student loans and working towards buying a house! I feel like we have officially entered adulthood.

I cannot think of another time in my life where I have been as happy as I have been the last two years. I feel so lucky that I get to be married to my best friend, you are the love of my life, the joy in my everyday, and my companion for eternity, I love you sweetheart.

2008

2010

Zac's parent came up on the 20th for a surprise visit and were able to go to the Zoo with us and they watched Gavin for us while we went out to dinner on Saturday night. It was great to see them and we are grateful that they made the trip.

Grandma and Gavin

Zac is being a Monkey (in case you were wondering)

My Boys

I just love my little family

Ely and a 9 MONTH OLD!

2010-08-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

So much has gone on in the last few weeks I feel like I am incredibly behind on all of my blogging. So hopefully I will just hit on the most important points so that this post doesn't take me forever!

Well starting at the end of July some of my family started heading up to my parents house. We found out about the beginning of July that all of my siblings were getting together at my parents house for a week before April, James and Everett moved to China. So I knew that we had to be there too. Of course Zac we knew that we couldn't have Zac take a whole week off of work so Gavin and I made the trip by ourselves, but don't worry, we flew! There was no way I was going to drive 11 hours each way wiht only Gavin and myself, I am sure we would not have made it in one piece. I was a little stressed about flying and getting through the airport with Gavin, but all was fine, and they even gave Zac a non-boarding pass that allowed him to go through security and then wait with us at the gate, such a blessing!

So we left on the 7th and met my family in Vegas. We left early Sunday morning to drive to Caliente and attended the baby blessing of Bryton. After dinner we headed up to Ely where we definitely had a house full for a week.

While there we were able to celebrate Trevor's Eagle Court of Honor, my Mom and I built a bed and we even took a very long trip to find a Hot Springs where Gavin and I got quite the sun-burn. On the 14th we drove back to Vegas and Selina and I both flew home with our kids. It was a great week to see my family, and Gavin sure loved all of the cousins and enjoyed them any chance he was able, which wasn't always a good thing. He is so used to being the youngest, and then there were three babies younger than him, so it was quite the adventure. The only thing that would have made this trip better was if Zac could have been there with us.

At the Hot Springs

Some Family Pictures

7 children, now 7 grandchildren

The only ones missing from our growing family were Zac, Bobby, and Alex.

9 months old! And, while in Ely our beautiful baby turned 9 months! I seriously can't believe it, pregnancy did not go by this fast and here we are. He LOVES any kind of food that comes off our plate and not out of a baby food jar. Especially yogurt, and he has come to love graham crackers and most any bread. But basically he is just ready to eat real food. I am still breastfeeding (sorry TMI), and I am worried about weaning, it will certainly be a tough time in the Barrus household. He still only has 4 teeth and enjoys biting (ouch!). He has not made too much progress with walking, but his balance gets better everyday as he walks along the furniture and the walls. He is tall with crazy long hair that everyone says I should cut, I am just not ready yet. We worked for about two weeks to let him cry himself to sleep. By the end of the first week, things were fine, then by the end of the second week he was back to crying for 2 hours before I would pick him up because I couldn't take it anymore. So he is currently sleeping in our bed, and he has been quite sick this last week which has made it even worse, but as soon as he gets better we will be back to the crying. And yes, my baby still wakes up two to three times a night. You mother's with babies who sleep through the night, I envy you!

Slacker

2010-07-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

I have definitely been slacking on my blogging. I know, I know, shame on me. I even realized that I didn't update on Gavin turning 8 months, and I probably missed seven months too. So I better update.

We had a doctors appt. the morning of the day we moved out of our apartment in rexburg, so you can see why I missed it. He was still 21 lbs. 3 oz. and hadn't really gained in the last 5 weeks or so. I credit this to the fact that he is crawling like crazy so he slimmed down A LOT! I know that probably not saying much since he is quite the chunk, but some of my family didn't even recognize him because he has changed so much. He is 29 inches long and I swear he gets taller everyday.

He has become a pro at standing up when holding on to something, no matter what it is. And I have a feeling he will be walking here very shortly. He gets more curious everyday and into more trouble, I don't think I am quite ready for him to walk. :) But, he has such personality that we crack up all the time when we watch him. I can't wait for him to start talking, I have a feeling that some very interesting words are going to come out of that mouth. He babbles all through church, and definitely does not enjoy three hours of sitting still.

He is becoming a great self-feeder with the finger foods. Not so much with the spoon. But mhe loves to eat off of the spoon and now eats about 2 jars of baby food a day and then anything that he can eat off of our plate. I think that he is learning to wave but I am not sure if he just likes to fling his arms, or he actually knows what he is doing. Also, he has started to crawl around on all fours and does it quite well, but only when he wants to.

He has started to make this smile that just makes us laugh and he does it all the time when we look at him, I am not quite sure why but it sure is funny. And if you look closely you can see his 4 teeth! Two top and two bottom.

And I have learned that my son is a true dog lover, just like his Dad. I know that it will be inevitable not to have a dog, but I said no dog until we have a house. You can have a dog where we live but it doesn't sound very appealing to me in an apartment. We went to walk around one of the many malls last saturday and it was great! Zac was surprised at how big it was, Eastern Idaho does not have the best selection of malls, and I was loving it. They also have all these plastic animals for kids to play on so Gavin had a try on a few.

Just before we left we stopped by the pet store to look at the puppies and Gavin really enjoyed it, there was also a cage of bunnies and a guinea pig and Gavin loved peeking his head over and looking at them, he did not want to leave that store. We also bought him a front facing car seat. I know you are supposed to wait until a year, but he just fusses the whole time he is in the car now, no matter how far we travel. And he meets the height and weight and it is only like 3 months early. But, I cannot believe the difference it has made. I can now travel in the front seat next to Zac and Gavin loves to look out the window and hardly fusses at all, Yay!

I am getting ready to fly to Vegas in a week with Gavin, I am a little worried about the two hour flight with him, but we will see how it goes. My whole family is getting together for a baby blessing and to see my sister's family before they leave for China for a year. We already haven't seen them in a year because they moved to Ohio last year. I also became an Aunt to two more babies in the last month, Bryton Leroy and Everett Lionel, and I am SO excited to meet these little boys. It is going to be a fun week, I only wish Zac was able to come.

2010-07-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

We were able to enjoy about a week in Idaho. After moving everything to Denver we drove BACK to Idaho on the 28th. I know, we're crazy. I woke up horribly sick with a migraine on Monday morning and tried to convince Zac that I was not up for a 10 hour car ride in my current state, but he wasn't having it. After throwing up and then getting a little rest he forced me out of the house at noon. Meaning Zac packed everything for the trip, which always makes me a little nervous because I usually pack for the three of us. Luckily by 10:30pm we made it safely to Idaho Falls. We spent Tuesday cleaning and checking out of our old apartment. Wednesday we went to Eclipse. Zac missed about the last 30min of the movie because he was out with Gavin, but I thought it was much better than the other two and followed the story line better. We were able to spend lots of time with Zac's family, which was great and we were glad to celebrate the 4th with family. We were glad to see that the celebration was going to take place on the 3rd and we all went down to the river after a big BBQ to watch the fireworks. We made homemade ice cream in a bag while waiting and Gavin seemed to really enjoy the fireworks. We left Sunday to drive back to Denver and by the time we hit Colorado there was a huge down pour and we were hydroplaning like crazy. I think I was drive like 50 in a 75mph for quite a while, but we made it home safe and it continued to pour throughout the night.

And then lucky us, Gavin was asleep in our bed, as often happens, and woke up at about 5:15am throwing up everywhere! All over himself, all over me, and all over the bed, of course Zac was safe. So yelled at Zac to wake up and he put Gavin in the bath tub while stripped down our bed and put everything in the washer. Little did we know we were in for a long day. Gavin threw u notp everything he ate, and when there was nothing left he would dry heeve until he threw up stomach acid. It was awful! I wanted to cry as we would look at me wimper or cry in pain. This went on continuously until 11:30pm when he threw up for the last time. Then Tuesday night Zac said that dinner was bad and it made him sick, but I felt fine and sure enough he got what Gavin had only not as bad. And then Wednesday I felt sick all day but was never able to throw up, but Gavin threw up on me again, TWICE! I mean in my hair and everything, I had to shower both times.

But today we are all well again, and I finally feel like I can get back to unpacking and organizing the house. Sorry, still no pictures yet.

Father's Day/Moving

2010-07-03T10:38:00.000-07:00

Well, time has flown by and I have meant to post on so many things, but when you are moving there is only one thing on your mind, packing....packing.....more packing......and unpacking. Yep.

Father's Day was nice, I gave Zac a picture with with three slots that had Gavin holding the letters D A D. It was cute we also gave him some new work clothes for his job. I am so grateful for him and what a wonderful Dad he is to Gavin. I am overwhelmed with his love when I watch with Gavin, I can tell that he truly loves being a Dad. I am also grateful for my own Dad and his wonderful example and for Zac's Dad and the great way that he raised my husband.

Here are the three pictures I used for Zac's gift:

And this one that I took to give to family. It isn't professional of course but he's just so darn cute! (Yes Mom, I have a picture for you too, I just have to get it to you.)

On to Moving.

Thank goodness for Zac's family because we would not have been able to make this move without all of their help. I tried to pack most of the house before the actual move out day but of course until the day of their just are certain things that are left undone. I think we were able to get everything packed in the truck within about three hours. Considering we were trying to also put Zac's car into the moving truck, I thought it was all pretty impressive. We drove to Denver on Friday, most of the drive was uneventful. Zac's parents left around 3am in the truck and we left at 5am in our car with Zac's siblings following behind in the van. We had to find a dock to unload Zac's car so I think we unloaded in Fort Collins, and boy was it a hot day! Zac's car ended up overheating and traffic was insane in Denver so he was left for about two hours while we finished the drive and his Dad dropped off the truck and went back in the van to get him. So it ended up a little crazy and they had to go back later that night to get the car which drove the rest of the way fine.

Please excuse my horrible hair, it was a hot day of moving. Here's the truck all loaded and ready to drive to Denver.We were able to go to the Denver Aquarium on Saturday after some unpacking. It was a lot of fun and think everyone really enjoyed it. I was quite surprised with all that there was to see and touch. (I tried to put in a picture of at least everyone, there's only one with Amanda because she was taking all the pictures.)

This tank had Dory and Nemo in it. It was a round tank and Gavin really enjoyed looking in it.

I think there was a sting ray above our heads and that's what we were looking at.

We attended our new ward on Sunday and we are excited to be in a Family Ward and have this new experience. We are happy with our new apartment, but I haven't had time to take pictures yet, but give me a week or so. We are very sad to leave so many friends and family but we feel that this is the right decision for our family and we are ready to start this new adventure.

We Have an ANNOUNCEMENT!

2010-06-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been waiting approx. 6 months to post about this. It is something that I have refrained from mentioning much about as the process has gone on. It has been a little overwhelming and sometimes very trying for me. But I am grateful to say that I feel so blessed for the opportunity that we have received and I know that it has come at the best time for our family.

Well, I guess I better mention what this is all about. :) As you know, Zac and I graduated in December. Zac then enjoyed another season working as an Office Manager for H&R Block, all the while looking for a job. In Zac eyes we have only been looking for a job for about two months, but to me it has felt like the entire six months. I would say that as a rough estimate he has interviewed with 12 different companies totaling about 50 different interviews throughout that time (most of them in the month of May).

Now, I know my husband, I know the way he speaks, the way he socializes, and the way he presents himself, and all of those are very impressive. I knew that he would do very well interviewing. I cannot tell you how many times he made to the top 5 or 3 or 2 in being considered for a job and yet we were never given an offer. After each interview I would stress for days about whether or not the company was going to call back, and it was driving me crazy. I just couldn't stop thinking about it. It took a lot of faith and patience to calm myself down and trust that everything would work out.

Well, last week we were offered two jobs, seriously! I felt so much gratitude I couldn't believe it. But then we had to make a decision about which one we would accept. This was almost worse than not having a job at all. We took the weekend to really think things through and find which decision was the best overall for our family. And we have chosen (drum roll please):

Denver, Colorado

And we are moving on June 29th. Yeah in less than two weeks! Can you hear me screaming? We have so much to get done, and we will be leaving our home of the last 4 years of our lives. We have so many memories of meeting each other, getting married, having a baby, graduating college, just to name a few. We will miss our friends, our ward and most of all our family. We love you all, and hope you will come and visit us!

We are so excited for what this opportunity brings for us, and especially Zac as he begins his first career position at First Data.

I've Had A Birthday, Shout Hooray!

2010-06-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

One year older, and oh so much wiser! :)

Well, last week was my birthday, sorry forgot pics, but it was great. I turned 22 and it seems so weird. Zac and I went and bowled a single game on Thursday, and my score was awful but Zac did ok, and then we went to ice cream at G's Dairy. If you haven't been, it is a must, AMAZING ice cream, with homemade waffle cones, yummo! My Mom decided to come up for my birthday because she was already driving part way, so she came thursday night and left Saturday. I am so glad that she was able to come. I love you, Mom. On Saturday we headed into Idaho Falls while Zac worked and went to lunch and then walked around the Mall and such for a little bit. For dinner we went to Zac's parents house and had yummy grilled steaks with baked potatoes, rolls, and salad. Great food, thanks Mom and Dad Barrus! Then we opened presents and had some yummy ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. It was a great birthday and I am so grateful for all of the gifts that I received from everyone, I felt so loved! I just have to mention that I am quite impressed with Zac, at Christmas I had mentioned that I wanted this

and then I forgot about it, but zac remembered and got it for my birthday, I was SO excited and Surprised!

Also I just want to mention this great book that I received. I can't wait to start making some of the projects in it. Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones.

Gavin turned 7 months the day before my birthday and I can't believe what a big boy he is. He tries to pull himself up to a standing position with anything he can get a good grip on. He continues to be a speedy army crawler and it is so funny to watch. Also, his two bottom teeth broke through on Saturday so we are dealing with that but it will be fun to give him different foods now that he has teeth. We love him more each day and couldn't imagine our family without him.Picture taken by Amanda Barrus

KitchenAid Cover

2010-06-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

When we were looking at KitchenAid's I saw that they had covers online, but they were like $20-$30 so I figured I could just make one myself. Our kitchen is black and red, so I got a black KitchenAid so that I can change the color scheme later on and a bright red one would not stick out. So I made a red cover. I was going to follow this tutorial at Make It And Love It, but I found this one this morning. The pattern is at About.com and I got the idea for the pocket at Homemade by Jill. I bought the material about two weeks ago just at Walmart for like $2/yd. The tutorial tells you to use quilted fabric, but I just used what I had on hand. So I added some batting to the fabric because it was just a thin cotton, and I didn't have quite enought to cut double the amount of fabric, so the underside is just the cotton batting, but you don't see it. I also did not have piping, so I just skipped that step. I am really happy with how it turned out. It is not perfect of course, because I am just a novice sewer, but it is my first, as time goes I am sure that I will make others and they will improve over time. The great thing was that I already had batting, thread, and the bias tape before bying the fabric so it probably only cost between $4-$5 if you include all the materials. Pretty good.
I like the idea of the pockets and that I can keep some of the attachments in them. Of course, adding the bow was my own personal touch :).

The Goings On

2010-06-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

Well Gavin just got over his first cold last week and it was miserable. Of course, all of us were sick at some point so that didn't help either. But he is doing a lot better now and we are grateful. It is hard when they are so little and there isn't much that you can do for them. But we have just been enjoying life. Zac has been interviewing like crazy this month, and we are definitely ready to receive a job offer but we are patiently awaiting the time when that will come. But that is pretty much it. Not too much is going on in our home.

Here is a project I did today. About two weeks ago I found these shirts at Old Navy, I had been wanting to do a shirt re-vamp so I picked up two.
And of course they were an awesome price: see $0.97 each, yay!

I got the idea from this blog, sorry its blurry my camera was on a different setting and I didn't realize. Not too bad for a $2 project, plus I have tons left of the second shirt so I am hoping I can find one more and make a different look!
We were able to go to Chesterfield, Idaho where there is an old pioneer town for Memorial Day. It was free to visit that day and it was fun to walk around and see the little town. They even had people sitting in some of the homes that were born in Chesterfield when it was first settled, kind of interesting. But, I forgot to take pictures. Enough of that, lets get to the good stuff, pictures of Gavin :).
This boy LOVES water bottles, he will not drink out of a bottle or sippy cup, just water bottles.

He has THE BEST smiles, we love them so much. Zac calls them 'squinty eyed' smiles, its a Jones thing. :0)

Ok, funny story, Gavin was asleep and woke up, saw the remote sitting on the arm of the couch, grabbed it and then fell back asleep. It was so cute I had to take a picture. By the way, this boy loves to suck on the remote, we try to get him to use the remote from our old TV but I swear he knows the difference, and frequently changes the channel while playing with this one.

At the park today, it was a little chilly because of the wind but not too bad.

And the splash park is now open, but it was too cold to actually get wet so we just let him check it out a little.

Mother's Day and 6 Months, OH MY!

2010-05-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

Well, when I talked to my Mom on Mother's Day she asked if it felt different because this Mother's Day I was truly a Mom for the first time! I said not really, although as I thought about it, as the talks were given in sacrament meeting, I could truly relate. I understand what it is to truly LOVE and care for a crying a baby and to have those sleepless nights. I am learning what it means to be a mother, and I don't think it is something that you ever feel that you have mastered. :) But, I am so grateful for all of the mothers in my life that have helped me to become the wife and mother that I am. So, Mom, Betsy-Mom, Grandma Reid, Grandma Jones, and Grandma Barrus I love you dearly and I am grateful for the wonderful women that you are.

And, I can't help but brag about my WONDERFUL Mother's Day Gift. I have been wanting one since I started college, and kept telling Zac that I wanted one for Christmas because it is quite pricy. But, because he works at Macy's we were able to get some extra discounts on it, so we got it for less than 50% of the normal price. YAY! It is part of my birthday as well because it is such a big gift, but I LOVE it. Thank you Sweetheart! (P.S. It was Zac's idea)

Here it is:

And, the day after Mother's Day my beautiful Baby turned 6 months! Oh my goodness how time flies! I can't believe how big he is. Isn't he just the cutest! :)

Some stats: 21lbs 9oz, just over 28in tall. He scoots around everywhere, he is so fast, but only when he wants to. He LOVES food, some favorites are squash, pears and sweet potatoes. I am sure no one worries about him not eating enough! He babbles all the time, and loves to blow bubbles with his mouth. He loves to stand up, but you have to hold on to him, and he is sitting up really well, still just a little wobbly, but he is great. We sure are enjoying the adventure of watching him grow.

Here is Gavin with Grandpa at Amanda's birthday dinner. He LOVES to pull hair, so be warned.

Dr. Seuss Baby Shower

2010-05-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

Well, my friend was having a baby, I say was because she has now had the baby! A cute little boy named Adam Dell Jensen 7lbs 15oz. Good thing we didn't wait until Saturday to have the party since she went into labor Friday night :)! Well, she recently graduated in Elementary Education and I felt that Dr. Seuss was a great theme for her baby shower. My GREAT friend Courtney sent me a link of ideas because I had just over a week to plan. And that is where I found the idea for the decorations and invites. I came up with the games on my own.

Here is the invite:

Here is the table of food:

I made oreo truffles, green deviled eggs, had a fruit platter, and a bread platter. We had frappe as the drink: rainbow sherbet with sprite. And I also put some suckers and red vines on the table for color and treats.

I decorated a few spots with Dr. Seuss Books.

Here is the gift table, I placed these books there because they were my gift.

When the guests walked in I had them self address an envelope with thank you cards in them so all she had to do was write them and stick a stamp on it.

We played two games: The one that I based off of Are You My Mother: was Who is My Mother? In this game I had each guest draw a picture of a baby and then write their name on a seperate paper. I taped all the names and all of the pictures to a board and they all had to guess who the 'mother' was, meaning who drew which picture. The person who guessed the most of them right won. The other game was from The Cat In The Hat. The cat balances many things on his umbrella. As a Mom you learn to balance a lot of things. I gathered many baby items, ex. baby food, spoon, diapers, wipes, pjs, change of clothes, jacket for you, jacket for baby, shoes, blanket, favorite book and toy, etc. I spread them around the room and whoever could gather them all together in the fastest time, while holding the 'baby,' a stuffed animal, won the game.

Then we ate and opened gifts. I hope Veralyn enjoyed her party and I LOVED throwing it for her.

Here are the sites where I received my inspiration: here and here

Obviously I did not spend the kind of money that they did in these other parties, but I still think that it turned out great.

Trip to Arizona

2010-04-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

Well, we were able to make the trek down to Florence, AZ to attend the blessing of our first niece. And it seems we survived, barely. We probably did close to 40 hours of driving if you include all of the extra driving around thoughout the weekend. And Gavin had enough. After the first day he just cried in the car and would not sleep but maybe an hour or so. So we were happy for the little time that we were out of the car and we were so happy to see family. Thursday we traveled to Ely and were able to watch my brother run in a track meet. Friday we traveled to Florence with some of my family. On Saturday we traveled down to Tucson and went to the Zoo, and it just happened to be a free day. And then after lunch we went to a train museum that was closed, so a worker was there and he opened it up just for us to look around for a little while. He even turned on some of the trains which made the little boys so excited. Sunday, Kamry was blessed and did so well. It was so fun to see her and see how tiny she is. Monday we jumped in the car and headed back to Ely and Tuesday we drove home. I am SOOO ready for a day to just sit at home and relax. My brain hasn't stopped running for almost two weeks. We LOVED seeing everyone and we miss you already.
Sorry all the Zoo pictures are just Gavin, but we like it that way. :)

They had all these booths giving away stuff at the Zoo that day so we had to take some pictures of these antlers on Gavin's head.

Our Monkey and a real monkey.He is such a happy baby when his Dad plays with him.

Outside the train museum.

His first time on the swings, I think he enjoyed them.

All the cute cousins. Gavin, Richie, Kamry, Jayden, Aaryn.

Cute Kamry.

Sick and 5 Months

2010-04-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

Well, not horribly sick. I haven't been feeling welll since Sunday. You know just a cold: sore throat, fever, headache. All that fun stuff. Plus, Gavin is seriously teething so he is not sleeping well. So feeling sick and unable to get some good rest, results in being sick longer. So we have pretty much sat at home all week. Except for a few places we had to go. Zac even stayed home from work on Tuesday which was helpful, but I just ended up cleaning all day while he watched Gavin. Anyway, we have lots to update on. Most importantly we have a 5 month old! Well, tomorrow anyway. I can't believe how the time has gone. Gavin is amazing and does so much everyday. He babbles ALL the time, which is lots of fun, he rolls over, tries to sit up and pull himself up, he also wants to crawl so badly but can't quite figure it out yet. So instead he gives up and yells for someone to help him :). His favorite song is Zippity Do Da. Of course, we only know like one line so we sing that part over and over again. And he LOVES food. We did a little cereal, but I don't think he likes the taste, but he really loves the real stuff. He is great with the spoon. Those are just some updates of our wonderful boy. Here are the stats, we went to the Dr. yesterday: Height and weight is the 99th percentile. Meaning that 99% of kids his age are smaller than he is. He is 20lbs 12oz., and 28in tall. I know BIG kid, but he is so cute. And he looks great, according to the Dr. He even said that Gavin is such a beautiful baby that he should be on a magazine cover or something. I am sure he was just being polite, but of course I think my baby is gorgeous, so I will take it as a compliment. When everyone, and I mean EVERYONE tells you how beautiful your baby is it must be true right? (yeah, I know, just let me believe it). Here are the pics.

Taken today, just about 5 months old.

We just bought Gavin a crib after sleeping in the craddle, he needed A LOT more room. So we picked it up last Thursday and I finished the bumber on Wednesday.

I convinced Zac to let me buy Easter Church Clothes. We wore them the week before Easter because we were having our Easter Program for the choir. Here are my boys ready for church.

I love Gavin's shirt it just screams Spring, which is supposed to be coming :).

ZUMBA

2010-03-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of it? If you haven't, look it up! It is all the craze and surprisingly enough there are tons of classes offered in the area.
But, even better, my friend Kelsie Harris is an instructor. She is a sweet girl from my ward and I had no idea that she even did this until she called to invite me to the class. And I have to say it was AWESOME! Of course it was my first time truly exercising since Gavin was born, yeah I know, 4 1/2 months, but it has been winter so give me a break. But, I consider myself to be in fairly good shape and this really gave me a workout. And it was really fun. A great place to go with friends and get some exercise at the same time.

Kelsie's Classes are at the Middle School on Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30pm-9:30pm. You can buy a punch card for $25.00. This is for 10 classes making it $2.50 a class which is a great deal. If you just drop in without a punch card it is $4.00 a class.
Zumba is latin style dancing set to music that truly makes you want to get up and dance, and even sing along. It is tons of fun and a great way to get some good exercise.
If you are interested and you have any questions let me know!

To Work or NOT To Work?

2010-03-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

That certainly is the question. I have been thinking about going to work. Of course I have thought about since we first found out that Gavin was coming. I wondered when would be a good time to leave my baby and use my education. To be honest, I almost would like to work so that I can make good use o fmy wonderful 4 year college education, and because I LOVE nursing. But, deep down in my heart, I just want to be a mom. I DON'T want to leave Gavin yet. He grows so much each day and I don't want to miss the first time he crawls or walks or anything else.

BUT.... I feel like I have such a wonderful husband who gives everything to us. Somedays he is gone over 14 hours to work. And we miss him so much. And then I just go out an spend all the money he makes on groceries or other items that we need. And I feel like I never give back to him. That I just take all the time and never contribute. Even Zac has told me this is silly and that I do so much for the family. But I just don't feel that way. Is it really so much to take care of the house and of him and Gavin? I am not sure why I feel like this is not enough. Maybe because I have a great degree and I am not using it, so I feel guilty? I really wish that I knew and I wasn't having such a hard time with this. I am sure I am not the only wife/mother who has felt this way. I guess that is why so many women sell things like Scentsy or Mary Kay. It is a way to give women a sense of accomplishment and an opportunity to contribute. I am horrible at selling things though. I'm just not ambitious enough. Who knows, hopefully and can learn to feel like I am contributing more.

In the meantime hear are my recent projects.

Felt Heart: idea found here

Legos Wall Art: I actually don't know where Courtney found this ideaQuilted Coasters: idea found here

Super easy project!

And the reveal, haha. This is what I did with the shelves I bought last month. Zac told me that he thought it was going to look bad with what I described but he really likes how it turned out.

This is the third one that I placed next to the couch.

4 Months and More

2010-03-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

Pretty awful that I haven't posted in like two weeks or something. I feel like I have neglected my blog. And we aren't even busy. I am just playing Mom and loving it, while Gavin and I miss Zac as he gone at work. So this post will mostly consist of pictures, because lets face it, that is why anyone reads a blog anyways right?
Gavin has discovered his toes lately. He LOVES to suck on them.

Gavin and I went to Ely to see my family for a few days. Most of the time he is great in the car and is doing this within a few minutes of driving. If only he would sleep like this at home.Our handsome boy is growing so big. Last week we weighed him while holding him on a scale and he is roughly 20lbs. My 4 month old is 20lbs and he still isn't a good sleeper. But I love him!
He is so funny and he thinks his hands are amazing.
Aunt Tiffany turned 20! We went to IHOP as the girls and Gavin and then went to the Mall for a few hours.
Aunt Tiff LOVES Gavin! Gavin hanging out in Dillards.
Ready for Church, I know my hair looks crazy.

Ready with Dad

In the walker that Grandma and Grandpa Barrus bought for the grandkids.

Pictures

2010-02-23T19:06:00.001-08:00

Well, we have been married for 18 months and I am just getting around to ordering pictures from our wedding and other things. Sad I know, I have wanted to do it for ever! Zac says that know we just have a bunch of pictures of ourselves up. He thinks that we should put some up of our friends, and those are his EXACT words. I know he is funny. I told him that we will put up others when we have more kids but we will not put any up of other people. These pictures aren't the greatest, but you get the idea.

This wall is my favorite. I LOVE how it is set up!

Recently.....

2010-02-22T13:06:00.001-08:00

For Christmas we received this...

Then we bought this for it to stand on.......

Now that we do not have an entertainment center I bought 3 of these.....

I am going to paint them, and I will show you the finished product when I have it all set up the way I want. I am excited to see it finished.

Crafting

2010-02-22T12:29:00.000-08:00

Well, my wonderful friend Courtney is a GREAT crafter. And now that we live right next to them, I get to craft with her all the time. It is wonderful. We haven't done anything the past week because her family is sick. All three of them, and even worse, poor Lincoln has RSV. No fun, which means we can't even see them! Most weeks we sepnd at least three days at each other's houses, so... We miss you guys immensly and hope that all of you get better soon.

In the mean time, I thought I would share with the world what we have done!

1st project: Calendar

Idea found here

2nd project: Mobiles

I made a fish, alligator, bunny, teddy bear, elephant, and chick. The alligator and elephant are my favorites.

3rd project: Subway Art

For this project I used words that represent either my relationship with Zac or words significant to the day we got married. I LOVED this project, it was super easy and I want to do it again.

Idea found here

4th project: Wall decoration
Idea found here
If you haven't seen these before, can you guess what it's made out of?

Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

Ok. So I know that most people hate Valentine's Day but I LOVE it. Well, I love that it is an excuse for Zac and I to spend time together. Zac on the other hand doesn't really get Valentine's Day. He even said, you are supposed to get presents for Valentine's Day? I don't mind not giving presents, I just want to be with him. We were hoping to go to a nice dinner on Saturday and we tried to make reservations but they weren't answering the phone so we drove down to see that it was completely packed. And Zac was starving and a little ornery and Gavin was with us so we know that it can be a little difficult with him. So we resulted to Chuck a Rama. haha, not the most romantic. But there was no line to wait and we were able to start eating right away. Ultimately we left with full stomachs and we were grateful just to be together. Zac did buy me flowers, which he loves to do, and I made him heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast. They weren't perfect but I tried very hard. I was going to do a nice dinner. But we were exhausted so we had Sticky fingers again and I was going to make Creme Brulee, but we both fell asleep. It was a long day but we just thought about our love for each other and how grateful we are to be married to our best friend. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make us both happy, and that is what Valentine's Day is truly about.

25!

2010-02-15T10:04:00.000-08:00

Well, my sweet and wonderful husband turned 25 last week. A few days before he told me that he was having his quarter life crisis. I laughed. He smiled and says, "Yes, I am going to live to 100!" Anyways, I wanted it to be special so I was planning for about a week and a half. You know just thinking about what to get him and what to do. I wanted him to be a little surprised. So planned to do a super bowl party with Courtney and Joel. (Don't judge, yes we watched it after we got home from church. My husband LOVES football and especially the COLTS so it was inevitable. It is something that I have learned to accept in my marriage, after all it is not worth fighting over.) And then I wanted people to come over and have cake. But, I ran out of time and wasn't able to ask as many people as I wanted so it ended up being us and the Burkholders for cake.

I then planned to make a cake for his office and surprise him in Monday(his actual birthday). But he changed his schedule so that wasn't really possible. So instead we took the rest of the cake from Sunday night and shared that with his office. I then went to his parents house and picked up Amanda so that we could pick up the things for dinner.

I asked many times where he wanted to go for dinner. Our new favorite place is Five Guys. GREAT burgers if you are in Idaho Falls you MUST try it. But then he chose to go there on Saturday for lunch and decided he wanted me to try and make Winger's Sticky Fingers. So that's what I did. We really like Winger's but we are often disappointed so we didn't want to go there. Well dinner was a success! I made homemade Sticky fingers and Honey BBQ fingers. With Caesar Salad and French Fries. We enjoyed it with Zac's family and even G&G Barrus came up. then we opened presents and I surprised Zac with a Reese's Ice Cream Cake from DQ. He was very happy and loved the cake. He received some great presents and I am so grateful for my wonderful husband and happy that we were able to celebrate a day about him.

Gavin didn't want to watch Daddy open presents.

Blowing out 25 candles.

After dinner we played Ticket to Ride.

And just a picture of My Boys.

Babies

2010-02-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

I have three sisters, Selina, April, Melanie, (then me). So, when I was about 7 1/2 months pregnant I found out that my oldest sister, Selina, was going to have her second child in February. Then the day after I delivered my sister Melanie confided in me that she was pregnant with her third baby. And about two weeks later my mom told me that my third sister April was pregnant with her first. So Melanie and April will deliver about two weeks apart, and Selina had her baby on Tuesday. The funny part was, I was so done being pregnant so I got to have my baby and all my other sister's got to be pregnant! I don't know about you, but when you are nearing the end of your pregnancy, or if you have a rough pregnancy, when other people deliver you get SOOOO jealous! Or at least I would. Especially in our ward where we have AT LEAST a new baby each month!

So I must say that I am grateful that I was able to have my baby first and enjoy all of other sisters pregnancies, instead of being jealous if they delivered before me. Sorry girls, but it's true. Anyways I am so exicted because this means that from November to July my parents will become grandparents four more times! And Gavin will have three cousins around his age. They will all be in the same grade for school AND they will all graduate from High School at the same time, that will be an interesting graduation season :). I am so excited for this!

And I am happy to announce that I just became an aunt for the fourth time, BUT to my very first niece! Kamry Renae Bennett! And Melanie is having a boy so I am hoping that him and Gavin will be great friends and play together ALL the time. And in a few weeks we will find out what April is having. Oh how I LOVE babies.

Kamry

Beautiful Baby

2010-02-03T15:24:00.001-08:00

Just some cute pictures of our little boy. Almost three months old and he is growing like crazy. We were finally able to get a picture of his cute smile. He smiles tons and in person it melts my heart. I don't know how we were blessed with such a wonderful baby but we love him so much.

Graduation and Gavin's Blessing

2010-01-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

Well, as I mentioned, we finished the school year with flying colors! Oh what a relief! It is great to just spend my time being a Mom and I don't have ot worry about school. I would say that it is great for Zac too, but it seems most days he is gone at work for 9-12 hours and he is busy. We miss not having him home with us during the day.

Anyway my Mom, Dad, Melanie, Nick, and Spencer were able to come up from Nevada for the weekend. And luckily Zac's family is so close so they were all able to make it, including Grandma and Grandpa Barrus.
The morning started early as we had to be at the MC around 8:30 am, give everyone their tickets and drop off Gavin. Luckily for my sister, she was holding Gavin when he has his first blow-out during Graduation. Apparently it was all over him and she spent the entire time cleaning him off and trying to console him. Thanks, Mel!

We didn't finish with Commencement and Convocation until about 12 and we headed to lunch. We then spent the day doing some shopping and spending time together. I loved having everyone together!

A Bachelors in Nursing and Accounting.

On Sunday, Dec. 20th Gavin was blessed and it was great! Zac did a wonderful job and Gavin slept through it, for which we were very grateful. We were glad that family was able to make it up here so that they could share this occasion with us.

This is an awful picture of me, but it has all of us.

He is such a proud Dad.

Where has the time GONE?

2010-01-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update. I am going to post SOON! I haven't had much free time, and all of the stuff I want to post about I do not have pictures of yet! Just so you know how busy we have been, here is the last 3 weeks.

Graduation
Gavin's Blessing
Christmas with Zac's Parents (6 days)
Moved to a new apartment
New Year's in Salt Lake
Zac started work on the 2nd
We have new callings
And we have a Wedding and Missionary Homecoming this weekend.

I swear our lives will slow down soon. (I HOPE)

Exhausted...and Excited

2009-12-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

Well, we are both exhausted! Zac has been falling asleep around 7 or 8 lately because we are so sleep deprived. Gavin has been pretty naughty when it comes to bedtime, for over a week straight he would not go to bed until after 1am, some days it was as far as 4am. Which leaves for some pretty tired parents. The other night he would NOT go to sleep and by 3:30 I was so exhausted and frustrated that I sat there crying on the couch. Zac came out and took him for awhile so that I could go to bed, but then I just felt like a bad Mom because I just wanted to sleep instead of hold my baby :(. But I do love him very much and my life has never been happier than it is now with Zac and Gavin in my life.

Well, I am officially done with school FOREVER! Ok, maybe not, but I would like to think that I am done forever. Maybe in like 20 years or something I will get my masters, but I am not planning on it. I am now Chelsea Barrus RN/BSN. Zac is almost done, he just has two days left and then graduation is this weekend. I feel so blessed that I will get to share this experience with my husband and we are excited for what the future holds. I know that the last few weeks have been stressful, but I am so proud of my husband and the hard work that he has put into his education, he is AMAZING and I am always so proud of him.

We are also blessing Gavin this weekend and I am so excited. I don't know if most moms are excited about this, but I really am. We are also moving at the end of the month, just two blocks away but we are excited for the extra room now that we have a baby.

And Christmas is only 10 days away, and we have only bought one present, and it is not even for us. Sad huh? I am learning how hard it is to get things done with a new baby. Especially when you are breastfeeding and your child likes to eat like every hour when he is awake. I am lucky to shower each day. The house always seems dirty and the dishes are never done, but oh well.

I was laying on the couch playing with Gavin today and it hit me that I will not have as much time to 'bond' with any of my other children. Because he is the only one right now, I can spend my time holding him and kissing every inch of him. I feel blessed to have the time right now to just be a Mom and I am so in LOVE with motherhood. It truly is the greatest blessing in the world, and I feel like Christmas came early. This is the greatest gift that I could ever be given, and I am grateful that the Savior has given me this opportunity as well as Zac giving me this opportunity.

My sweet baby.

Our Baby

2009-11-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I have waited long enough to post. Sorry that it is taking forever! I am just enjoying being a Mom and I am trying to drink in every moment. Even with the lack of sleep and frustrations of a crying baby, we LOVE Gavin so much. Even more so, I cannot believe how much my love has grown for my husband. Zac loves his baby, and is always so willing to change diapers and burp and hold him. I know that it is hard for him to get school work done because he just wants to hang out with Gavin. I was really looking forward to seeing Zac grow in his role as a Dad, and I must admit that he has truly blown me away and I am grateful for his love for our family, especially his love for me.

Well on to the birth story: I will try to leave out all the boring information. :)On Friday Nov. 6th I was having contractions pretty much all day, and they were pretty close together but they weren't really growing in intensity, so my Mom came up on Friday night thinking I would go into labor soon. No such luck. I went and got checked and still had not progressed anymore from three days earlier. I was frustrated and sad.

So Saturday my Mom and I went shopping hoping the walking would start my contractions again, but nothing! Ahh, going in to labor should be easier than this right! Yeah, yeah, yeah. We also made the cradle set for Gavin.

Monday, my mother-in-laws birthday, my due-date, NO baby.

Luckily, my doctor scheduled me for an induction on Tuesday! So we left for the hospital at 7am. They broke my water at about 8:15 and started me on pit. I started contracting right away. And the doctor said that I could have an epidural whenever I needed. I was about 2 1/2 cm and 75% when I went in. So I endured about 7 hours of contractions and couldn't do it anymore. By this time I was on about 13ml/hr of pit and I was dying. So by about 3 pm I had my epidural and it was starting to take effect. But after about a half an hour my body started to transition and it was making me pretty sick. The nurse kept thinking it was because of the epidural but my blood pressure was fine and I knew that wasn't the problem. I got the nurse to check me again around 4 but I was still at 5cm. They put me on oxygen to help with my nausea which helped a little. I didn't get checked again until about 6pm and by then I was complete. And the doctor said that I could start pushing. But, my nurse I had to help deliver another baby so I had to wait about an hour before I could start. I pushed for about two hours and he wasn't going anywhere. I had gotten him down to my pubic bone and he got stuck because his head was too big. So everytime I pushed it just elongated his head without pushing him down. So finally the doctor came in and they tried to tell if he was anterior or posterior, but couldn't. Finally the doctor asked if he should try forceps. I knew that he wasn't going anywhere without some help so I agreed. A few pushes later he was out and a BIG baby(see size in the post below). But he is beautiful! Sadly I had an episiotomy and I tore with almost a fourth degree. My mom said when the forceps were pulled out they were covered in my skin, fun huh? So I was in a lot of pain and it still hasn't gone away. But I LOVE being a mommy and I must say that it will be a little while before we have another baby, but we are so grateful for the opportunity to grow our family.

Here are some pictures:

Daddy loves his Gavin.

Jayden holding his newest cousin.

Gavin Zachary Barrus

2009-11-13T16:32:00.000-08:00

Born: 11/10/09 at 9:18 pm.

8.7 lbs, 21.5 inches.

He is beautiful and we love him so much.

Give us a few days to write the story,

recovery is slow and very painful.

Last Shot

2009-10-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, one last picture before he comes.

I thought I should take one to show what I looked like in the very end.

Well, I look ridiculous. Honestly, it looks like I stuck a soccer ball under my shirt.

Anyways, it could be any day now and we are just playing the waiting game.

The next post will have pictures of our baby boy!

Belly Buttons

2009-10-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

So, I had to write about this because my husband just makes me laugh.

He is the silliest person I know, and he has the most random mind of anyone that I have

EVER met!

Literally, it is worse than a three year old. He could probably be on

Kid's Say The Darndest Thing

as an adult!

So this is really about belly button lint.

First of all, I do not understand how we even get belly button lint.

Maybe it is because I am a girl, and I do not think that I have ever had belly button lint in my life. But my husband, gets it EVERYDAY. Without fail, I do not understand it, he showers everyday, we wash our clothes at the same time, but I do not get belly button lint.

The only difference I can find is that men have hairy stomachs, and women don't.

Anyways, the other night Zac tells me that the lint is always blue. I just laughed at him, and said that it was white. He continued to tell them that it is always blue and I just said whatever.

So after we get home from church on Sunday he comes up to me and says, look it's BLUE!

And of course he is holding it in his hand to show me. Haha, I was laughing so hard!

And then after dinner with the Burkholder's he suddenly states,

"Is it true that women have pink belly button lint and men have blue lint?"

WHAT? I was laughing so hard that I couldn't breathe. Seriously, who thinks like that?

MY HUSBAND! That's who.

But don't worry, I don't mind it one bit! Because I get to spend my days laughing with my best friend. :)

Pregnancy Insight

2009-10-23T16:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my pregnancy is slowly coming to an end (Can you hear the angles singing?)! And I was reading some other pregnancy blogs and it got me thinking. Often as a nurse I am able to talk to people about all circumstances of their life. And recently my teacher was telling us about a woman in a Care Center who had dementia and her daughter was sitting next to her visiting, but of course the woman had no idea that the daughter was her daughter. I know, sad. But then the woman proceeded to tell the entire pregnancy and birth story of her daughter who was sitting right next to her. This story had a point, to help us realize how we prioritize certain things in our mind.

I hope that I will be able to recount my experiences with pregnancy to my son someday, and to each of my other children. I would never say that I have had a difficult pregnancy, I haven't had any complications at all and I am SO grateful for that blessing.

1st trimester- Yuck! Lots of time in the bathroom and the rest on the couch trying to stay hydrated. Everything made me nauseous, and I do not think that I have eaten scrambled eggs in 7 months! There are just some things that are no longer appealing once you have seen them come back up! I was able to spend the first 10 weeks at home which was a great blessing and helped me to get a handle on pregnancy. No one knew that I was pregnant (except for family), and it was nice to spend that time in secrecy :), even though it was killing Zac. I don't think that I cooked anything in the kitchen for the majority of this time, sorry honey. Heartburn.

8 weeks pregnant

2nd trimester- Joy! I am sure that everyone will agree this is the best time in pregnancy. Although, I did have the lightheadedness, it wasn't so bad. I was in school throughout this time and going to the hospital for clinical was sometimes difficult, especially on isolation patients when you have to wear a gown and mask. The mask was awful and made me feel like I would pass-out everytime I was in the patients room. The nausea came back for a while. I felt the first kick at almost 19 weeks, well at least the first that I noticed. What joy! At this point I was anxious to start wearing maternity clothes (which I am now sick of), and of course to find out if we were having a boy or girl! Yeah, a boy! I was ready to start showing, which didn't happen until about 22 weeks, ugh! By 27 weeks I was unable to sleep and uncomfortable all the time! Heartburn.

19 weeks pregnant

3rd trimester- Seriously?! WAY worse than the first. No sleep, tons of pain in the hips, back, belly, and do not think that the baby is enjoying this either! Braxton hicks, okay not painful, but uncomfortable! Anxiety! Fear! Happiness! Gratitude! And so, so much more. I LOVE that I am bringing my little boy to this world! I HATE being pregnant! Heartburn (did you notice that in EACH trimester?)

32 weeks pregnant

I will be honest, I always thought that most women were just wimps. Pregnancy can't be THAT bad! I always assumed it would be easy, go by quickly, and would LOVE it! Boy was I WRONG! Maybe the Lord is humbling me, but I have definitely changed my mind :).

I cannot say that we will be doing this again very soon, but don't worry, I could not handle being a mother of only one :). I think that Zac is struggling with the fact that we have known each other for 18 months and I have been pregnant for just about half of that. He still calls me beautiful, but I know that he is ready to have his old Chelsea back, and SO AM I!

I have started to get ready for the baby, now that my block classes are over and I have Monday, Wednesay, and Friday open. We bought our stroller/carseat set yesterday and have installed it in the car. I cannot wait to see our little boy in that seat. :) 2 weeks left, and I couldn't be more excited for what the future holds for my little family :)!