My Grandma

I put together this video of pictures of my Grandma.  My Grandma was such an amazing, wonderful woman and I continue to be awed by her life's legacy.  This video is a small way for me to pay tribute to her.

Grandma from Kristen  Barnett on Vimeo.

Strawberries

I'm thinking if I leave her here long enough, she might just finish them off for me. :)  Otherwise, I'm thinking there's a strawberry sonker in my future...

Called to Serve

And as if the day of Elise's field trip weren't exciting enough, my little brother, Logan, got his mission call in the mail that day!!!  Since he was down visiting us, my parents were awesome enough to drive the call down so we could all be there to see him open it in person.  So after "patiently" waiting on the call for a few weeks and "patiently" waiting for Elise and I get home from the field trip and "patiently" waiting for us all to get to my brother's house, he was more than a little ready to open the call!

You can see in the background, my brother, Ethan, had a map drawn on the white board, where we had all made our final guesses on where Logan would serve.   We were skyping with my Uncle, Aunt and Cousin while Logan opened his call, and interestingly enough, it was my Uncle Maury who made the only correct guess as to where he'd serve.  You may not be able to hear his comment, but after Logan read where he was going Uncle Maury said, "I've known that for months." :)  Love it.

Logan was so hoping to go foreign and learn a new language, and he got both his wishes.  We are so excited for him.  He's just adorable and was so excited last night.  He leaves in just barely over two months from now.  We couldn't be happier for him.  What a great missionary he's going to be.  I can just feel it. :)

And if you aren't familiar with the missionary service in our church, HERE is a link that tells a little more about what missions are all about.  Or watch THIS video.

Congrats, Elder Jarrell.  I can't wait to cheer you on as you ROCK this thing. :)  

Elise's Field Trip

I chaperoned Elise's field trip this year.  It was an all-day trip to the coast, filled with various activities and lots of fun.

We started off the day at the aquarium, which is always a hit.  We love the aquarium because you can see everything there in a few hours.  This trip was no exception.  It was fun seeing all the neat aquatic life they have there.

At the crocodile tank, this croc (or maybe its an alligator--frankly I have no idea), swam right up to Elise and her friend and watched them really closely.  I don't know if he thought he was making friends or looking at a menu.  But it was neat to see him up so close.

After the aquarium, we made a stop at the beach, where we could walk around all we wanted but were not allowed to get our feet wet.  That is just torture! :)  Still, its always nice to be on the beach. And we found some neat shells to bring home.

Elise's cute class. :)  (You may notice that she wasn't wearing a matching purple shirt.  They tie-dyed these right after we had missed several days when Grandma passed away.  I wasn't prepared and didn't have time to do any shopping, so I grabbed a white shirt from her closet.  I was a little iffy on the fit and style of it, but considering my next option was "none", I thought that shirt would have to do.  So on a completely harried and chaotic morning, I dropped the shirt off at the school.  When she came home with it, I suggested that if it wasn't going to work, she let me know and maybe we could try and tie-dye another one.  Well, she let me know--on the Tuesday before the field trip.  And since the fit really wasn't good and almost inappropriate, I decided to go ahead and tie-dye another one, even though it was last minute.  But I used a different kind of dye and wasn't sure my first attempt was going to take, so I tie-dyed a second shirt.  And wouldn't you know, neither one of us remembered any of them on the morning of the field trip--until we walked into the cafeteria and saw a sea of purple shirts.  So now I have three lovely purple tie-dyed shirts.  As if I needed even one.  Ah, the life of a mom. :))

After the beach, we took a boat ride to a nearby island to observe the marsh, go crabbing and learn about shells. Here is Elise holding "nature" in the palm of her hand.  :)

The inlet where the kids went crabbing.  Elise almost caught two crabs, but thanks to a bad netter (it wasn't me, thank goodness) and a some lines getting crossed (literally), she never quite caught one.  But it was still lots of fun.

Elise touching an Atlantic Blue Crab.  She's so brave. :)

 This is the island where we hiked around for the afternoon.  We rode that boat (way in the distance) to the island and spent the afternoon doing different activities.  We walked quite a ways, learned some neat things, had some fun and got lots of sun.

A bunch of pelicans off in the distance from where we collected shells.

And the view from the boat on the way back in.

After a late night the night before, an early morning (we left the school at 6am) and a day spent in the sun, I was completely wiped out!  But what a fun day I had with Elise.  I'm so glad she let me tag along on her field trip. :)

Things I Don't Want to Forget

We found a lizard in our laundry room a while back and have a couple of lizards that hang out by our front porch.  Paige is fascinated by them, but my favorite part is what she calls them--"losers".  I try to think up different ways just to make her say it, because it makes me laugh.  Phrases like, "I want to see the loser downstairs!" or "I can't find the loser!" always give me a little chuckle. :)

This one goes back a few months, but I was reminded of it by a friend's post on her blog.  Not long after school started this year, Ian mentioned he wanted to grow his hair out.  I was surprised, since he's always had short hair, and asked him why.  He told me that he wanted to grow it out so that he could get hot and sweaty and shake his head really hard and sling sweat beads everywhere.  Needless to say, we're keeping it short for a while longer. :)

Paige went through a phase a little bit ago where she'd say "Please" like, "Plee-lee-lee-lee-lease!!!"  She's just about grown out of it, but she still does it now and again.  And its so cute, she pretty much gets what she's asking for, whenw2 she says it like that. :)

There was a bear sighting in town today.  The little girls wanted to take a walk and I mentioned that we might ought to be careful, in case the bear had come our way.  But Merry Grace had a great idea.  She decided to dress up like a bad guy to scare him away.

Are you scared yet?  Did you know this is how bad guys dress?  Did you know bears were scared of bad guys?  All you have to do is have a 5 year old to learn these helpful life hints. :)

Even better, was that she decided to take along a fake chain saw and a plastic sword, in case the bear attacked.  And when we were over halfway through our walk, she exclaimed disappointedly, "Well, darn it!  I don't think I'm going to get to fight the bear!"  I'm guessing she is blissfully unaware of what an actual "bear fight" would be like.

But luckily, we were prepared.  Just in case.  Too bad the local authorities didn't think to call her in for back up.

Kids can be a lot of work sometimes, but boy are they fun to have around!!! :)

Front Porch Fun

Elise and Ian have been missing Sunday afternoons with their cousins.  So after church this Sunday, Ian went home with Charles-Allen and Emmy came home with us.  The girls had been so good to include Paige in their play, but after a while, they wanted a break.  I convinced Paige that soaking our feet on the front porch would be super fun.

This quickly turned into taking a bath in the bucket.  But she was away from the big girls and having fun.  And looking super cute.  So we went with it.

Although it only took a few minutes for the big girls to decide that this activity actually looked like more fun than what they were doing, and came and crashed our party.

Who doesn't love a spa day? 

This little girl cracks me up!  I love how funny her little tiny self looks in the bucket.  (And for any of you parent-types who think this looks dangerous, the little one was quite well supervised at all times and the buckets are not accessible to her on a daily basis.  :))

Of course, Paige also wanted to get in on the Spa party taking place at the other end of the porch, so she switched buckets on me.  (And the older girls were much more welcoming to Paige tagging along on this adventure.  Especially since she started it.)

She is seriously so cute.  I just cannot stand the cuteness!!!  It should be illegal! :)

And everyone knows you have to put lotion on your feet after you've soaked them.  What fun it is to be a girl!!

 

Merry Grace was at the spa party too, but she got wet and went in to change.  But she still peeked out the window at us while she was inside.  :)

Have I mentioned lately how much fun we have on our porch?  I think it might be my very favorite part of the house! :)

One Year Older and Wiser, Too!

This past weekend, I rang in another birthday.  Thirty-one years, to be exact.  And what a fun birthday this was!

We really started the celebration much earlier than Saturday, as I got to open present from my parents when they were down for Mother's Day.  And then my cute little family let me open a little present every day the week before my birthday.  Cory was so sweet and thoughtful, and always is.  He does a great job choosing presents I'll like and even wraps them in pretty paper.  Then on Friday, a couple of my siblings came over for dinner and dessert.  I also got sweet and thoughtful gifts from them.

I stayed up visiting with my brother Ethan and my sister-in-law, Lois on Friday night and was awake at midnight to actually ring in my birthday.  I was born at 2:18 a.m., and thankfully was NOT awake to celebrate that milestone. :)  My family let me sleep in on Saturday morning, Cory cooked breakfast and then we took it easy until the Scotty party.  That night, my sweet sister-in-law baby-sat our kids so Cory could take me out to dinner and a little birthday shopping.  A date with my sweetheart was probably the best gift I got this year, so a big shout-out to all those who made it possible. :)

Its a tradition around our house to blow out the exact number of candles for your age.  I've never missed a year, even when we had to get creative--like the year I turned 23.

This year was no exception.  After coming home from our date, we lit candles on the last 2 pieces of cheesecake.

Yes, when you cram 31 candle onto two pieces of cheesecake, it gets a little out of control. :)

And by the time the nightly routine was over, I was awake to send my birthday off for another year.

As I reflected back on this last year, since I turned 30, I thought about all the different things that have occurred.  I was reminded of a letter Sister Hinckley (oh, how I LOVE her!!!) wrote to some of her family members.  She said,

"Dear Ones,
Dad talked with you this morning and we gather that these are rather stressful days for you, but even this will pass away and the lessons learned will be a future blessing.  There are some years in our lives that we would not want to live again.  "Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many, but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days".  End of sermon.  You are loved.
M"

I'm not sure I would live this year over again if I could.  Parts of it, maybe.  But mostly, I'm glad I survived it.  And even though it was tough, I wouldn't trade the lessons I've learned for anything in the world.  I truly have been made a better person because of them.

And now, on to make 31 the best year yet. :)

Yeah, We Were There...

Does the name "Scotty McCreery" mean anything to you?  It does in our house. :)  How on earth were we going to miss the big party?

We won't mention how hot it was.  Or what a long day it was.  Or how restless some of the kids got.  Or how big the crowd was.  Because even with all those things we still had a blast being there with our fun cousins and being part of something pretty impressive.

 Most of us adults thought this looked unbearably hot.  But kids don't seem to notice those types of things.

These girls are BIG fans.  And I'd venture to say some of the cutest Scotty fans as well. :)

Although these little girls might give them a run for their money. :)  When we got to the park, Paige (after hearing about Scotty all morning) said, "Yay, we're at Scotty!  I love Scotty."  I'm pretty sure she couldn't pick Scotty out of a line-up.  But since the big kids have decided he's cool, so has she. :)

 Merry Grace found the closest baby she could and quickly stepped in as baby-sitter.  (Thanks, Bonnie!)

 I think they were excited, or something.  And Uncle Neal was a real trooper to give Merry Grace a lift.  It was hot enough standing alone, but holding a 5 year old?  Wow.  I'm guessing he must love her or something. :)

 Boys will be boys.  And boy do we love them. :)  (There was a lot of running, wrestling and chaos with these two.  Thankfully they are super cute. :))

 This is pretty much how I felt too. :)

Anyone else want to share?  I don't even want to know how many kids stuck their hands in this icee.  It must have made it taste better. :)

Total cuteness!!!

We had a super fun day, being a part of local history. :)  Mostly it meant a lot to our kids to be there and for that reason alone, it was worth it.  Any guesses who we're voting for this week?

Conversations

My kids make me smile. :)  Their conversations crack me up.

Paige: I am sick.
Merry Grace: You’re sick?
Paige: Uh huh.
Merry Grace:  Mommy, Paigie says she’s sick.
Me: Paigie, are you sick?
Paige: No.  I not sick.
Me:  Was that just a joke?
Paige: Uh huh.  It was just a joke.
Merry Grace:  That was not a funny joke.

And another one...

Me:  Merry Grace, you have worked so hard this morning.
Merry Grace:  Not as hard as you!
Me:  I don’t know.  I think you have worked super hard for a 5-year old.
Merry Grace:  And you have worked super hard for a.....How old are you?
Me:  Why don’t you guess.
Merry Grace:  Ummmm....sixteen.
Me:  Nope, but that is a great guess. :)

And one more...

Merry Grace:  I am the boss of the kids and you are the boss of the grown-ups.
Me:  Is that right?
Merry Grace:  Yep.  I’m Paige’s boss and you are the big, BIG boss.

I love being around for these everyday silly conversations. :)

Mother's Day

I love, love, love being a Mother.  I love my children who bring me so much happiness and joy.  I love the way Motherhood stretches me beyond my capacity and causes me to grow in ways I never could have imagined.  I love how just when I feel like I've reached my breaking point, I feel a miracle happen as heavenly help comes and lifts me up and carries me through.  I love being part of the miracle of forgiveness, for when I mess up, the quick and heartfelt forgiveness that comes from my family amazes me.  I love the laughter we share in a family.  I love the fun times we have together.  I love the bonds that we share.  I love snuggling with my children, kissing them goodnight and hearing them tell me they love me.  I LOVE being a mother--their mother.

On Mother's Day, though, although I appreciate all the sweet things my children and husband do for me, I love the time to honor my mom as well.  She is a wonderful, beautiful person who is everything someone could hope for in a Mother.  I feel her influence daily as I raise my children and apply the values she instilled in me as a child that have continued to shape and guide my life.  I think about the words of Elder Jeffery R. Holland: "Mothers, we acknowledge and esteem your faith in every footstep. Please know that it is worth it then, now, and forever."  I can only speak for myself, but I hope my mom knows how much I believe these words and am so grateful for her living her life with faith in every footstep.  

This Mother's Day was destined to be a difficult one for all of us, but most especially for my mom.  Mother's Day marked one month to the day since her Mother, my sweet Grandmother, returned Home.  Mother's Day takes on a different meaning when your Mom is in Heaven.  So there was sadness, but also gratitude for the life my Grandma lived and the love she shared. 

So with those things in mind, I had begun thinking about what gift I might be able to give to my Mom.  And in one of those little moments of inspiration, I knew the perfect gift.  Several years ago, my grandma gave me a quilt top she had made years before.  She had made quite a few quilts in her lifetime and this was one of the last tops she had made.  She knew she wasn't going to ever put it together into a quilt, but she knew I enjoyed sewing and had even made a quilt on occasion, so she gave it to me to put together.  But small children and a  busy life left me putting the project on hold.  Until this year.  

So after picking a cute fabric to go with the top, and putting the whole thing together, I finally had it ready for my Mom's Mother's Day gift.  A quilt sewn with love by her Mother and her Daughter.

 So here was the big reveal, as my mom pulled the blanket out of the bag.  ( I know she will hate these pictures, as she tries to avoid being photographed like the plague.  But she's my mom and I think she's beautiful no matter what.  And since I've had more than my fair share of pictures taken of me with a mouthful of food or a 9-month pregnancy picture taken at the beach from behind, I'm pretty sure we can consider us even. :))

Cory and I wondered if she'd recognize the quilt top when she saw it and we both felt like she would.  I think its safe to say we were right. :)

 It was a blessing for me to be a part of putting this gift together.  I love you, Mama.  Happy Mother's Day.

And my awesome brother, Ethan, used his amazing art skills and made an beautiful picture of my Grandma using words and quotes that describe her.

Yes, simply amazing. 

 I don't think in just one day or with just one gift you can adequately say "Thank You" for the love of a wonderful Mother.  So I hope that she knows, not just on this day, but everyday, how much we love her.

Its Been a Decade

Why do babies grow up so fast?  Why does it feel like you give birth, blink, and find you're looking straight in the eyes of a 10-year old?  I can't seem to find the words to express how it feels to watch your child grow up.

Raising a child is the most difficult, exhausting, back-breaking work I know of.  You put your very heart and soul into everything you do.  And then you have these moments where you stand back and look and you get a glimpse of the fruits of your labor.  And you're in awe of this amazing, beautiful creature that you had some small part of helping shape into the person they are.  And you want to cry at the miracle of it.  And then your heart breaks because you realize they are just going to grow up and leave you to find their own way in the world.  And that is what you want for them.  And yet still, there is a part of you that longs for the innocent, carefree days of their infant- and toddler-hood.  Where a kiss made everything better and realizing that you can jump over a crack in the sidewalk is the most exciting discovery of the day.

So now I am the mother to a 10-year-old.  A whole decade old.  She's now been living in our house, with our family, for more years than she has left before leaving home.  And I am amazed at the person Elise is turning out to be.  But I can't help but shake my head and wonder where the time has gone.

But even with all that said, I wouldn't want it any other way.  So in true Barnett Birthday fashion, we celebrated.  Because 10 years is really something wonderful to celebrate.

 She started off the day by looking super cute.  Although that's a pretty regular occurrence. :)

 She also got to open some fun presents that we had fun picking out.

 She had all her family nearby, for fun celebrating.  And who were almost as excited as the birthday girl herself about the presents. :)

 She chose a yummy birthday meal of corn on the cob, garlic green beans, seven layer salad, and I included chicken suisas sammies so we'd have a main dish. :)

And Grandma's apple pie for dessert!!  And of course, the Happy Birthday song, with a little help from the ringtone on the cell phone thanks to Merry Grace. :)  We like to keep things interesting around here.

Elise also requested that she and I go to some yard sales on Saturday morning.  So we got up early, grabbed a biscuit and hit some yard sales.  We ended up with a few treasures from the morning run and mostly just had fun being together.

On Saturday, we got the extended family together for another party, this time at the park.  It was a nice evening to let the kids play and honor Elise with a birthday celebration.  Unfortunately, by that time I was completely exhausted, and didn't manage to take a single picture.  My mom did slightly better by taking this one of my Dad and my sweet little niece, Ella.

We did take a video of the Birthday song and blowing out the candles.  Although, as you can see, Elise either used her mind powers to blow them out or we got a little help from the wind. :)

So Happy Birthday to a wonderful daughter who blesses our lives in more ways than I can name.  I love you. :)

A New Apartment

We have a closet that only had two shelves in it and we recently had three more shelves put in.

While we thought we were adding convenient storage space, it turns out we were adding an "apartment" for these little girls.

I can't tell you the endless fun these shelves brought to the small fry at our house, which translates into endless effectiveness for the grown-ups. :)

I loved that they started calling it their apartment and even moved some of their belongings in.  I'm not sure its the best storage space, but there's definitely nothing cuter I could put on those shelves. :)

What You're Gonna Get

Mother's Day is coming up this weekend and I have a birthday soon after, and this morning, Cory was wanting some gift ideas.  Merry Grace was listening to our conversation and decided to join in.

Merry Grace: "Do you want a jacket for your birthday?"
Me: "Yes, I would!"
Merry Grace:  "A nice, comfy jacket?"
Me:  "Oh yes."
Merry Grace:  "A nice, soft, comfortable jacket that you could wear?"
Me:  "I would love that."
Merry Grace:  "Well, you might get something else."

I love that girl and can't wait to see what the "something else" that she's thinking of getting me actually is. :)

Had a Bad Day?

Well, this might make you smile...

I know I did. :)

The kids have loved this song since it first came out.  One night all the cousins were together and we were having a "dance party" and they made up this dance to go along with "Had a Bad Day."

Since then, its become a family favorite. :)  I think you can see why.  Love it, love it, love it. :)  So here's to a Good day.

Easter Weekend

This is the very first Easter we have ever spent away from home.  We travel on a lot of holidays, maybe even most holidays.  But not usually Easter.  But we packed up this time and went to my parents for the weekend.

 The Easter Bunny always makes his appearance on Saturday morning, for many reasons, not the least of which Sunday morning is hectic enough as it is.  And its nice to get the fluffy Easter stuff done on Saturday and then we can spend Easter Sunday with a greater focus on the Savior.  At least that's the theory. :)  So this year, the Easter Bunny brought a pillow pet for each of the children, along with an early morning easter egg hunt.  (Paige isn't in any of these pictures because she is the only child with enough sense to sleep in.  But she liked her stuff when she finally got up.)

Later in the day, we went for a picnic on the mountain, something highly anticipated by all the kids, particularly Merry Grace.  What was supposed to be an 80 degree sunny day, turned into a cloudy 60 degree day, by some terrible miscalculations by the weathermen.  It was so cloudy, that when a breeze would blow through, the clouds would float right by us.  We affectionately referred to this as our "Picnic in the Clouds."

 After our rather unorthodox picnic, we headed off for a look at the view.  Instead of the spectacular view you sometimes get, we mostly just saw more clouds.  But even that was fun.  Here's my cute Daddy, who Paigie refers to as "Poppy."

 We hiked around a little and posed for some pictures and enjoyed the non-view.  It was a nice family outing.

Later in the afternoon, my Mom, Aunt Verona, Elise, Merry Grace and I, went to the cemetery to put Spring flowers on Grandma and Grandpa's grave.  The sun had finally broken through and even though it was around 6pm, it was the warmest part of the day.  The sunshine and the chance to do something for Grandma lifted our spirits a little.  We all agreed the flowers were beautiful and fitting.

 Which brings us to Easter Sunday.  Due to a logistical error, a timing error, one colossal fit, a couple of wardrobe malfunctions (and not the Janet Jackson kind) and a general state of exhaustion, there are no family Easter pictures this year.  Just kindly imagine Elise and Merry Grace in dresses matching Paige's, and Ian in a black suit, light blue shirt and tie to match the girls' dresses, and you will see what our Easter pictures *would* have looked like in a perfect world.

But since we don't live in a perfect world, these are the Easter pictures we took after all.  And while the hair isn't fixed just so, and outfits don't match and might even be a little dirty, and I didn't spend a lot of time having the kids get in different poses and its not quite "picture perfect", it looks pretty perfect to me.  And really, isn't that what Easter is all about?  Its about realizing that we aren't quite picture perfect most days.  Its through the Savior's Atonement, Death and Resurrection that we have the chance to try again, make a fresh start and have a new beginning.  And He can help us make up the difference where we don't quite measure up to that "perfection" we're aiming for.  And for that I am so grateful.