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.