Underappreciated Crayons

I don't have any cool pictures, so I guess this post will be a monologue. You'll have to close your eyes and visualize with me what I'm about to share.....

Doodle di doo, doodle di doo (picture Wayne's world with the wavy lines going right now)

Ever since we were young, Amy and I have had this problem of cracking each other up in the worst possible places. Church, for instance, or Mr. Andrjewski's freshman chem class. I even remember having to walk out of Spanish 101 at BYU because something set us off and there was no stopping us. We don't do it on purpose. It's just some weird twin phenomenon where we both see something or hear something and we know exactly what the other is thinking and all of a sudden we're rolling on the floor. We turn into 10 year olds all over again!

Last week Amy and I are sitting in sacrament and Lucy is absorbed in her coloring book. We're absorbed in the testimonies. Lucy pulls out a crayon and starts coloring. All of a sudden she stands straight up, raises her crayon and says (in her not-so-primary-voice) "Hey, this not working!" I looked down and saw her holding the white crayon. That's all it took! We are better at controlling ourselves and didn't actually have to leave the meeting, but we couldn't look at each other for a few minutes. It's not even that funny, is it? Lucy moved on and still thinks they put a faulty crayon in the box. I couldn't chance explaining it to her for fear I would start laughing.

Keeping up with the Kiddos

Aah, the challenges and joys of motherhood. In reference to trying to clean up after toddlers, I heard someone say it's like shoveling snow during a blizard. Do I hear any amens out there? I'm a bit frazzled as I try to get my work done, enjoy time with the kids, teach them all that stuff they're supposed to know so that kindergarten is obsolete, and the list continues. But such is life. And the simple joys bring me back to a moment of clarity enough that I don't self-destruct in a whirlwind of Glass-plus and crayon bits. Here are a few simple joys recently:

I swear I didn't do this to them. They were only quiet a few minutes. At first, I didn't notice and continued doing dishes. Then I remembered the truth that all mothers learn early on: although intuition would dictate screaming or crying as a bad thing, silence is really far worse! The result of this silent spell didn't require much clean up. In fact, I didn't "clean up" this mess for a little while.

Ben crawls and climbs all over everything. Sam can't wait for Ben to actually play with him. I found them like this with Ben laughing like crazy! Anytime he gets attention from the big kids, he loves it. I love it, too.

And a little early for Thanksgiving, but always something we love to hear, a little video with some words of grattitude from Sam, Lucy, and cousin Luke. And yes, it's November, but it's still swimsuit weather (kind of).

Who cares about B.O. and J.M., what's happening with the Barney's?

You know those days when life is so busy that you feel certain that things must slow down soon or something will explode? And then you realize that they'll never really ever slow down? Well, I've had a lot of those lately, so I'm putting other seemingly pressing responsibilities aside (you know, like mopping the floor and organizing my shoe closet) to do something even more important: BLOG! I hardly know where to begin so I just chose some of my favorite recent pictures to elaborate on...

Headline #1: Sam and Lucy get a bunk bed!

Lucy graduates from the crib and Sam can touch the ceiling with his toes! And best of all...

they can keep each other company when the bed bugs bite. Lucy snuck up to Sam's bed after we put them down one night. I went to tuck her in only to find her missing! Luckily, she was just a few feet higher than usual, fast asleep. I cringe at the thought of her dragging blankies and Ariel up the ladder in the dark, but she made it unscathed!

Headline #2: My son is smarter than I am!

We got a new bookcase. I asked Sam to help me put it together expecting less help than hindrance. To my dismay, as I sat trying to absorb the directions and figure out what hardware fit in what hole, Sam picked up the pieces and told me exactly what to do! And he was right! Once the directions actually made sense (several minutes later), I could see that what he was telling me was correct. You're probably saying to yourself "Come on, Amber. Any four-year-old should be able to put together a bookcase!" In my defense, I've never claimed to be tool-savvy and I've never really assembled anything out of a box. I leave that stuff to Chris for the most part. I feel capable, but I just know he could do it in half the time. Well, now I know that Sam could also do it in half the time. I think he takes after his tool-belt wearin', drill-gun lovin' Daddy.

Headline #3: Benjamin skips months 4-8 in development in an attempt to keep up with the sibs and stay on top of Dad.

The other kids were content following the normal trend of growth, enjoying each milestone for awhile before attempting the next developmental leap. Ben, impatient and precocious as he is, thinks he can have his rice cereal and eat it too. In the last week he started marine crawling (in honor of Uncle Danny), pulling himself up on sturdy objects (like Dad), and jabbering in real baby language (which Lucy frequently interprets in really broken toddler language). He eats his weight in mushed up gerber nastiness every two days or so and just can't seem to get enough of the world in general. I was hoping for more of a lump on a log with the third child. A little inanimacy (I think I made that word up) would have made my life a lot easier. All the time, though, he laughs and smiles at every accomplishment. I just don't want him to grow up too fast! He's 7 months and 11 days going on 18 months!Other Barney snippets: Chris is busy with a stake assignment helping for Yes on Prop 8. Anyone with ideas on how to prevent people from stealing our Yes on 8 signs, please share. Otherwise, the mew house(that's what Lucy calls it) is sucking up all of our free time with painting, wall-paper removal, yard work, and tile laying. We love it. It's ours.

The Blessing of our Toddler and Spoilage at its Best

You know your kid is a little older than the average blessed baby when you're saying "Suck it in, Ben--you've got to fit into this thing!" He did fit into his blessing outfit with only a slightly strained seam and two snaps left undone (covered by a vest that made me want to sing "Fat guy in a little coat"). I forgot to take pictures that day and I'm afraid in just a week he made it impossible to humanely fit it on him. But the blessing day was wonderful! Not only is it awesome to feel that special spirit of blessing a newborn, but to have so much family around made it even better. I felt really blessed to see the circle of priesthood holders holding Ben including Chris, my Dad, two uncles, Jason (bro in law), Josh Ontko (a friend), and my cousin. My Dad said they almost got a chair for Ben he weighed so much. Here are some pics of the weekend with family including such highlights as 1)going to see Wicked with my parents, sister, and aunt and uncle and it was way cooler than I could have imagined, 2)Balboa Beach with family and 3)dinner at Aunt Shara's who is a good cook AND cooks good stuff.

Did I mention that my parents officially spoiled my kids rotten? I mean it. My Dad gave Sam licorice and chocolate as soon as he woke up the first day they were there. That combined with 2 cups of juice and a strawberry jam crepe equals a big hurl all over the carpet. Everyone loves being the kids' favorites, but who gets to clean up the puke? Yeah, yours truly. My dad said that Carter (my nephew) wouldn't have even batted an eyelash at that much junk in the morning. I'll give him that, but I think they both learned a lesson.

Me and the rents at Wicked.

Chris LOVES digging holes at the beach. Even more than the kids.

My dad love soaking up the sun at the beach.

Me and Amy at Aunt Shara's.

Here's my Aunt Kathi. She's awesome.

Our new backyard!!!

We got a backyard...and there's even a house attached to it (pics soon to come)! Could we possibly ask for more? We are so excited to be moving into our new house this weekend. But we're more excited about being able to go outside and play whenever we want! And I can even send the kids without me sometimes! I don't think they'll know what to do with themselves, but there's a lot of dirt digging and bug catching to be done out there, I think.

Some Tags

I checked out some of my friends' blogs and found three different versions of a version of blog-tag. I like them all, so I'm posting them all. Please choose one and participate. It's a bit of fun, as Nigel Lithgoe says.

Option A:

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


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


Option B:

Take pictures of the following things just as they are right now - no stopping to clean, straighten, or to wipe a child's nose: The kitchen sink, the fridge, the toilet, the closet, the laundry room, your favorite shoes, your favorite room, and your kiddies. No cheating! Post them on your blog OR email me so I can see your true self! (I did half of this one and never finished, so I'll let someone else do that one).

Option C:

Answer these 15 questions about yourself on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Joys:
1) My kids
2) Water skiing on glass at 6am (I found a sitter!)
3) My husband

Fears:
1) Anything bad happening to my kids.
2) My teeth falling out.
3) Never sleeping through the night again.

Goals:
1) Spiritual: Food storage! Go to the temple monthly!
2) Paint my house.
3) Run a half marathon again.

Obsessions/collections:
1) Blogging
2) Running
3) Coupons

3 Surprising Facts:
1) I competed in the first ever High School Ultimate Frisbee National Championship Games in New Jersey as a senior in high school.
2) I didn't have a declared major in college until I was a senior.
3) I shot the sheriff (but I did not shoot the deputy).

A Day in Barneyville

I don't have much excitement to share, so I thought I'd show a photo log of a typical day in the life of the Barney children and Mom. It starts with PJ's and TV, of course (some days I actually wake up coherent enough to go straight to breakfast, but usually I need Bunnytown's help in the morning). But don't worry--they watch Noggin and that's "Like Preschool on TV" so really it's a learning experience.

Next we usually do some morning exercises, which I'm not ashamed to say could be to the music of the all inspiring Greek God Yanni.


Then it's time for dress ups:

Or saving Ben's life (which usually happens a few times a day):

The kids love to take the baby for a walk. Of course they both have to push a stroller and I just make sure at least the one pushing Ben doesn't run into anything.

A few times a day the kids pause to refuel. It actually seems like they eat all day long, so I don't know when they have time to tear the house apart, but they seem to be able to accomplish both pretty effectively. On this particular day, Sam wasn't playing with his food, he was organizing his food.

Lastly, we wash the day away and get ready for bed. This is one of my favorite parts of the day.

Then it's books, brushing, and bed! It might seem monotonous, but somehow every day is very different. I have found that motherhood is anything but boring!

Family Camping Experiment

I never posted this--whoops!

We stimulated the ecomony by buying a really big tent and then driving to Leo Carillo for one night of beach camping. We packed our van full of s'more ingredients and hoped for the best. It actually turned out well! We had to fight off some very persistent squirrel scavengers (they apparently like GF bread) and played on the beach for awhile even though it was cold. The kids slept great! The best part: after the kids were in bed when Chris and I got to sit by the fire with no distractions, a sky full of stars (rare to see in the city), and time to shoot the breeze. I think we might even do it again next year! The worst part: The 4 hour drive home during which Sam threw up his s'mores. Not pretty...

He's an early laugher

Ben started laughing at about 2 months. My sister-in-law found an article that said most kids don't start laughing until 3-6 months old. So I guess that makes Ben an early laugher. That doesn't surprise me since my other kids were all ahead in things, too. Like Lucy, for instance, knows approximately 20 percent more than the average 2 year old about anything to do with Ariel. Sam excelled in his own way, too. He can spin 40 percent longer than most kids his age before falling over. I guess I'm just blessed. But really, they are great kids and I can't get enough of this little guy's giggles!

I love Boats!

My brother-in-law Jason bought a boat last fall and now that I'm not pregnant, I get to reap the full benefits of the purchase. I LOVE BOATING! We got to go out for a short trip to beautiful Lake Perris tonight for FHE (it was kind of a bogus FHE because Chris stayed home with their toddler, Lucy, and Ben since we aren't all legal on the boat). Although we battled some rocky water, there's still nothing like being out on the lake at the end of the day and trying to hold on to that rope until your arms give out. The kids jumped in with me (Gabbi, Luke, and Sam) and they took turns honing their future skiier skills by getting towed in while holding the rope. What great family time and what a great way to enjoy the outdoors even in our urban jungle. Now if I could just find someone to watch the kids at 6am so I can join in on the early morning runs....any takers?

Sea World

We went to Sea World for the first time as a family. Shamu rocked and we got to pet some pretty wild sting rays. Lucy loved holding the starfish. Sam braved the shark tunnel even when one swam right over us bearing his teeth!

Blogging for Idiots

I've spent hours on these blogs and yet you have already read and looked at everything I've done in less than 5 minutes! Well, let's just say I'm learning. But I want to say thank you to all of you who supported me in this blog endeavor, namely my sister-in-law Sarah, who wrote me some gibberish about how to fix things and make things cute that ended up being very useful once I figured them out. Thanks for Sheri and Sarah for inspiring me and setting me on the right track. And I guess I need to thank my mom who has just always believed in me. Yeah, it's late. I'll add something worthwhile soon, but thanks for checking it out.

Welcome to the Barney Report

This is my first ever post. WOW! I've been wanting to start a blog where I can post whatever I want. Here it is! I hope this can be a fun way to keep connected. Stay posted for more.