Happy Birthday Mitchell!

How could my little boy be 15???!!! Mitchell has always been an easy going boy. I remember when he was born he was so mellow. The nurse was poking him and he didn't cry, he got shots and didn't cry! It was amazing. He's been easy going every since. He was a bit curious when he was little. We had a lock on the fridge, all cupboards and all doors. When Tanner was born, my neighbor called one day and asked if I knew where Mitchell was... I had fallen asleep and he went next door! silly boy. He is a great big brother to Tanner and a best friend to his sister. It's fun to see them get along so well.
Here are a few fun pictures of Mitchell...





We love you and happy birthday!!

Sad...

Well, I am sad to say that soccer season is over. I really enjoyed going to Mitchell's games. He had a great season. They ended up 15 wins, 0 losses and 2 ties!! They were pretty nervous for the last game... it would have been sad to loose the last game, but they pulled it out and beat Sierra Vista. Good job Mitch!!

So, I was a really bad mom last night and didn't take any pictures of Halloween... my flash is still broken on my camera! Tanner was the Phantom of the Opera. He looke dcute. We went to the ward trunk or treat and that was fun. There were a lot of kids there and he got tons of candy! He went trick or treating with his friends after that and got even more candy. Then the fun stuff happend! He was throwing up all night! Seriously it wasn't fun... The boy hasn't learned what his candy limit is!

We are road on a road trip, headed to Brian Head for the weekend... should be lots of fun. My sister Cindy, brother Todd and parents are meeting us there! Tiemn for some FFF. (Forced Family Fun)

Welcome Cienna!

I have been meaning to post about the newest addition to the Barnes family. John's Sister Edie and her husband Luke just adopted a beautiful little girl! Cienna Nicole was born on Sunday, October 19th at 3:58a.m. She weighed 8 lbs and was 19 inches long. We are SO HAPPY for Edie and Luke. They weren't sure if they would ever get a girl since they had already adopted 2 adorable little boys... but a birth mom picked them and they are so happy to finally get a little girl! Edie will have her hands full since little Caden isn't even 1 yet and Carter will be 3 at the end of the year. But we know they can do it! We can't wait to go down and visit them and meet Cienna.
Here is the proud big brother!

hard life lesson..

Tanner has had a rough week. He didn't win Vice President at the elementary school. I picked him up from cub scouts yesterday and I knew immediately that something was wrong! I quickly remembered that elections results were to be told that day. He had tears by the time he got his seat belt on. It's so hard to loose things. He had worked so hard on his posters and his speech. Nothing we said seemed to help... so John took him to Taco Bell for dinner and that helped a lot. He woke up happy this morning and just came home happy. so that is good news. Hopefully this won't keep him from trying again later on in school...

I told you I would let you know how the Gorman game went... we won! 1-0 and we beat Pahrump yesterday 3-0. Tomorrow is the last game and I am a little sad... i will miss it. I think their record is 14 wins-0 losses-2 ties! Go Bonanza!

best and worst of the week...

Well, it's been a while since I've done my best and worst... and since i have been posting my worst things this week, I will only post my best. Sorry for being such a poop lately....

So, my best for the week....

1. Tanner had his rocket derby for cub scouts last night. I wasn't able to be there, but John said his rocket was one of the fastest. Tanner was so happy! This was our first rocket derby... kind of fun.

2. Our family has had some great missionary moments with an investigator. (John is the new ward mission leader) this could actually be a whole post... but way too long... I will write about it later.

3. Ashley got a 63 out of 65 on her government test.

4. My Stake leadership training is over... it's been heavy on my mind for about a month. (Thanks Linda, you gave an amazing talk!) I could write a whole post on this too, it was great. I love how the spirit works...

5. I finally got my halloween decorations out.

6. Mitchell has a big game today... they play Bishop Gorman again... i will let you know how it goes. they are still undefeated!

7. Booked a flight to Spokane for just me! So excited. My friend has a Christmas card making party every year... its the 12 th annual... I had a free ticket, so I am going!

depressing...

So, I REALLY hate going to the doctor... any kind of doctor... not sure why. I just don't like to be weighed, poked and all those fun things women have to go through. When I am sick, I have to be really dyeing to go. And those yearly exams are usually between 1 1/2-2 years. But since my mom is recovering from breast cancer, I know my chances of getting it are higher and I need to be better about going. I have been procrastinating going this time because I knew they would weigh me and I am 20lbs heavier than last time I was there. And last time I was there they were so proud of me because I was 50lbs lighter than the year before... So in my mind I have been telling myself I would go as soon as I lost the 20 because who wants them to notice the gain. Even though the weight hasn't been falling off like I would like, I finally went on Tuesday. Keri has been my little coach telling me I need to go. Thanks Keri! I needed a push.

Well, here is how it gets depressing. It happened just how I imagined, the Doctor walks in staring at the chart and the first thing she says is, "I see that last time you were here you said you were on Weight Watchers maintenance" and then she looked at me like WHAT HAPPENED? Seriously, she didn't have to say the words. I just wanted to cry. If she only knew how hard it is to keep it off. Way harder than loosing it. Not that loosing wasn't hard, it was. But for some reason your brain has a hard time on maintenance, it thinks you can go back to your old habits. crazy how the brain works. I am trying to get it off. I've been going to my WW meetings and trying to get motivated. I work out like 5-6 times a week.

Maybe I need to set some goals on my blog. I know all my blog friends would cheer me on, right? How about every Saturday after my meeting I have to let you all know how i did. Maybe being accountable to all of you will help. I am headed up to Spokane in a few weeks and I would love to be down 5-10 pounds. I think 5 is a pretty realistic goal. Ok, its set. If you don't hear from me each week, be sure to nag me! Thanks!

kids bedroom...

This is for Susan... we aren't perfect either!

Am I the only one who can't get their kids to keep their kids bedrooms clean?? I have about had it! I asked the boys to clean their room on Saturday and Tanner's reply was, "Why? No one is coming over!" Why would he think we only clean our rooms when we have company?? We argued for 10 minutes on why we should clean our rooms everyday. Yes, we clean a little deeper when we have company... but that doesn't mean it can be a mess the rest of the time. Ashley has WAY too much stuff... she can't fit all her clothes in her closet... time to throw stuff out! All 3 kids have been walking tornadoes lately... drop towels on the bathroom floor, leave clothes in the corner of the bathroom, backpacks all over the house, soccer shoes in the family room, dishes can't seem to make it to the sink, let alone the dishwasher! Does anyone have any good ideas on how to motivate them. I'm thinking of taking cell phones away or texting... that would hurt the 2 older ones bad! i don't think I should have to pay them to keep their rooms clean... isn't that a given for living in my house and getting fed?? I feel like I keep a pretty clean house, not as spotless as some of my friends, but not disastrous like some that I have seen... so wouldn't they learn from me a little? Have I failed or have they just become very lazy??

Please tell me I'm not alone and give me any advise you have....

Yummy Recipe

I found a recipe my whole family likes so I thought I would share it with my blog friends. It's a bit healthy since the chicken isn't breaded. Just don't put too much cheese on it (if your watching your weight like me.)
Here it is: (click on the picture to see it bigger)

I wanted it to taste like Fazzoli's chicken parmesan (because it's one of our favorites) so I added spaghetti noodles to the sauce before I baked it. But the trick is that you have to boil the noodles for about 5 minutes before you add it to the sauce. I learned that the hard way... so, stick them in before you add the chicken and make sure the sauce covers them.

Enjoy!

ashleys corner III

lemme just start by saying this will probably be the last entry of ashleys corner. mostly because this is as high as i can go in roman numeral counting. haha just kidding. but really it is. well.. i had like the best weekend of my life, sunday was great too, and then this week at school has just been blah.
could it be because this week is when i have A days 3 times? (B day is my favorite.. my weeks with 3 B days bring pure joy)
could it be that someone totally just prank called me?
or that my government teacher made me look like a fool today?
or that my mom forced me to go to a "spin class" with her at the gym last night, and i now have two rather large bruises in places that i'd prefer not to post online?
maybe its the whole graduating thing. some guy came and talked to us today about buying caps and gowns.. as much as i want to get the heck out of here i really don't!! its come so fast. college means i have to leave my mom. BYU applications come out tomorrow. TOMORROW. seriously? nervous doesn't even begin to describe how i feel. i have worked so hard these past 4 years and now i guess its time to see if i was good enough. rejection is probably one of my biggest fears.. and if i don't go to byu, then what? thats my only plan. second choice is sit at home and wait for some rich handsome guy to take me away... but my parents didnt really like that one. we'll see how it goes.
GAH.
and who the heck should i take to sadies!? drama. disneyland is going to be so expensive.. and there's no one that im DYING to take. would it be worth it? i dont know. but if i dont go i probably wont get asked to prom.
ANYWAY, this whole blog has been such a downer. im sorry.
on a happier note, homecoming was absolutely AMAZING. let me just tell you that i probably look at that first picture on the homecoming blog like 50 times a day. yes. its true. brandon is such an incredible guy.. i am trying to be somewhat like him haha even half as good as he is would be great. also i got to see alex leah and kami this weekend! i have missed them so much. really, life is so weird without them. and did i mention i quit farm basket? yes its true :) haha its about time. maybe in a couple months i can start eating there again without wanting to gag myself.
well now duties calling.. gotta love the work field right? come get stuff dry cleaned at lakes cleaners. and thanks for the vent session.

Homecoming highlights

The day started off with a trip to the lake. Ashley said they had a great time. I was worried because it was cold and windy... but she said it was still lots of fun. She got home with just enough time to shower and then go get her hair & makeup done. Michelle Garrett did it for her and did a great job. It took a little longer than expected and I was all nervous because she didn't get home until 5:00 and Brandon was coming to get her at 5:20! Luckily he was running a little late too. Leah and Alex were home for the weekend so they came over to watch Ashley get all ready. It was cute!

She looked gorgeous when Brandon arrived.

She got the boutonnière on all by herself!

They went over to Brandon's for a few group pictures. They all looked so fabulous!

After pictures they went down to Build a Bear at Fashion Show Mall. They made this cute little bear named "Stuffy". Then they did a scavenger hunt in the mall. Ashley and Brandon won!

Then they had dinner at Christian Bolick's house. Ashley said it was a five star meal!

They were running late, so they got to the dance 10 minutes before it was over... which was a bummer! Oh well... then they went to Brandon's for pie. It was a great night!!

Never mind...

Ok... we had a weather change the last 2 days... it dropped like 20 degrees and I am freezing. We went to the Bonanza football game last night and it was windy and cold and I was wishing i was in shorts! So ignore the last post... i will be happy with my summer clothes.

Ashley is off at the homecoming dance tonight... I will do an update with pictures tomorrow... I had a little accident with my camera the other day. I was over helping with the freshman float and I set my camera on someone's car and sort of forgot about it. I was home when I remembered that I had left it there and then I remembered where I left it and I got this sick feeling when I realized that the owner of the car left before I did. So I called Mitchell and someone had found it down the street. I thought it still worked, but I went to take pictures tonight and the flash wouldn't work. Big bummer. So, I had to take pictures with Ashley's camera and she took it with her. I hope she is having a great time. She looked beautiful!

wardrobe change...

I realized that I am missing fall right now. Not because I want colder weather, I love the 80's. But because I am tired of my summer clothes! Everyday when I get dressed, I struggle with what to wear because I am so sick of everything in my closet. All of my fall clothes are long sleeve and long pants and its still a little warm for that. So, I have nothing to wear. Any suggestions from all of my Vegas natives?? Do they make many short sleeve fall clothes?? I guess I need to hit the mall!

tagged

8 TV Shows I Like to watch:
Oprah
Ellen
Survivor
Kitchen Nightmares
Biggest Looser
The Price is Right
American Idol
Privileged (some stupid teenage show ashley sucked me into)

8 Restaurants I like to eat at:

This is hard to narrow down... I will do 4 nice and 4 lunch places
Bajio
Jason's Deli
Nordsrom Cafe
Great Harvest Bread
China Grill in Mandaly Bay
Kona Grill
Geisha Steakhouse
PF Changs

8 Things that happened today:
Took Tanner to the library
Drove Mitchell to Bonanza to decorate halls for homecoming
Drove back to Bonanza to get Mitchell to take to Soccer game
Went to soccer game and they won again! 10-0
Drove Mitchell back to Bonanza to finish halls
One more time to Bonanza to bring the boy home.. (will post hall pics tomorrow... way cute)
Went to 2 different Sam's Clubs looking for tents for girls camp next year
Ate dinner at Bajio with John and Tanner

8 Things I am looking forward too
Watching Conference this weekend
Relaxing while I watch conference
Seeing Ashley get ready for homecoming dance next week
Getting my leadership training meeting over with
Thanksgiving at our house
Scott and Jenn coming over to watch conference on Sunday
Mitchell's soccer games
A date night with my hubby


8 Things on my wish list:
A clean house
Get back to my goal weight
Happy kids
A husband not so stressed out about work
A nice vacation with John
A new computer
Weather in the mid 80's (i am done with the 90's)
$


8 People to tag:
Julie S.
Julie W.
Keri
Edie
Linda
Kathy P
Pat
Lisa
and whoever else reads my blog...
It's fun-just do it!

Give yourself a present....

My wonderful friend Stacy Julian gave me a challenge a few weeks ago and I must admit that I forgot about it until last night... so, I sort of missed out on most of the fun. But, I still did it and enjoyed it very much. Here's what she sent me:

 

Be Here Now.
As Scrapbookers we spend so much time creating in the past and anticipating the future that we sometimes forget to live in the present. Your life is unfolding everyday, hour-by-hour and you have the opportunity to live and be happy. Let’s bring the scrapbooking world together in a fun and potentially perspective-shifting challenge to be more aware, more grateful and more engaged with this thing we call life.

You have everything you need right now to be vibrant and fully engaged in the creative process. Join me and dozens of other scrapbookers in a challenge to “Give Yourself a Present”
• Snap ten photos of your life right now.
• Compile these photos in a really small mini-album
• Keep or carry this album with you (in your desk drawer or purse) for one year.
• Promise to glance through the album every time you stumble upon it or pull it from your purse.
• On October 1st, 2009, create a scrapbook page about your experience. Don’t worry, I’ll blog and help you remember!

Since I forgot about it, most of my pictures are ones that I found in my iPhoto library or online that represent my life right now. I think I might cary my camera with me this week and take some action shots of these same things and just replace the older ones. Anyway.... thanks Stacy for making me take a few hours to think about my life right now and appreciate it! I know I get caught up in all the things to do, that I rarely sit back and see how lucky I am to have a great life. That's why I titled my book, "Lucky in 2008". I feel very lucky to have so many wonderful things in my life....









I challenge you to take Stacy's challenge and capture your life right now... it will be a great present to you and your family in years to come! Check out Stacy's blog to read more about it and see more finished books! For my friends who have no idea who Stacy Julian is, you are missing out. She is the founding editor of Simple Scrapbooks Magazine and I had the privilege of working for her when I lived in Spokane. I was her editorial assistant and worked in her house a few days a week and I got to travel the country with her. She is an amazing speaker and she teaches scrapbooking classes all over the world. I helped her with her classes for a few years and loved traveling with her. I never got tired of hearing the same classes over and over.... she inspired me every-time! Love you Stacy!! Miss ya tons!

8 wins 0 losses!

A quick shout out to Mitchell... his JV soccer team at Bonanza is 8-0. Thursdays game was tough... several of the boys on the team couldn't play this week because their grades are too low (that's a whole other discussion for another post... one month into school and you are failing classes????)... anyway, they played against Bishop Gorman (for you out of towners, they are the private rich Catholic school) and they definitely didn't have any grade problems... it looked they could have fielded two teams. So, our 11 boys played in near 100 degree heat with no subs and won!! To make it harder for  Mitchell, he had a terrible cold, and still played great. We were ahead 1-0 at the half and I was so worried that they would run out of gas in the 2nd half, but they didn't. They caught a second wind when they scored again! It was a fun game... it was "pack the field" day at Bonanza and there was a big crowd there...lots of people stuck around for the jv game. It was great to have lots of Freshman girls cheering on Mitch... I am usually one of just a few parents there and probably one of 2 parents that cheer in English! 

They played out in Pahrump this morning and won 5-0 with only 11 guys! Hopefully our boys will get their grades up by next weeks games!

Good job Mitchell! 

3 Turtles! and time out for mom!

Ashley came home very excited yesterday because she bought a little turtle. I wasn't very happy because it's one more turtle for me to feed and take care off. She promised me over the phone on her way home that she would be the one to take care of it and I would LOVE it because it was so cute.... well, I have to admit that it is VERY cute. We will see about who ends up taking care of it. At least the turtles outside don't have to have their cage cleaned out... this new one lives in a little water aquarium.... that will need cleaning!

Tanner came running in for me the other day saying "grab your camera and take a picture of the turtles for your blog. It turned out that the big one tipped over his little night light and climbed up onto his little house. It was pretty funny. I don't think he knew how to get down. So we gave him a hand. They have been eating a lot lately... they must be feeling the cooler air and be getting ready to hibernate. I will keep you updated : )  

My friend Suzanne sent out an email the other day saying she had an extra ticket to "Time Out for Women" and I decided to splurge and buy it. I had a great day today with she and her sister. The speakers were wonderful! My favorite was Hillary Weeks. I need to get on itunes and buy some of her songs she sang. They were very inspiring. I was able to meet the author of one of my favorite books "Running with Angels". It's a book that Pamela Hansen wrote about her struggle with weight loss and the loss of 2 of her children and her amazing triumph of running a marathon. It's the book I read 3 years ago that inspired me to join weight watchers and lose 50 pounds. I was very sad to see that she has gained a lot of weight back, but it made me feel happy that I wasn't the only one struggling with that!

10 more days Brendon!

My sweet nephew Brendon has had a rough year. Last November he was diagnosed with Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (LCPD). Here is a definition of the disease:

Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (LCPD) is a disorder of the upper part of the thighbone (head of the femur) that causes breakdown of the head of the femur. This is followed by new bone formation.

LCPD develops because of loss of blood flow to the head of the femur. This causes breakdown (avascular necrosis) and deformity of the femur where it connects with the hip socket. The bone reforms in the hip area when the blood supply returns to normal. During this time, the femur is soft and may easily fracture and collapse. The head of the femur heals in an abnormal shape and does not fit properly into the hip socket, causing stiffness and pain.

The cause of LCPD is unknown. It is seen most frequently in children between the ages of 3 and 12. Boys are affected about 4 to 5 times as often as girls. Usually only one hip is affected, although it is possible to have LCPD in both hips.
Symptoms include pain, limping or an uneven gait, decreased movement, loss of height, and loss of muscle mass in the thigh. Treatment depends on the severity of symptoms but may include physical therapy, a brace or cast, or surgery. Occasionally the disease heals on its own without treatment.

Brendon has been on crutches since November and the doctors have been watching him closley to decide what treatment would be best for him. They had to wait for the bone to stop deteriating before they could start to help fix it. Well, they finally decided it was done going bad, so here is my sister in laws words on what they ended up doing a few weeks ago...

Brendon was scheduled for a major surgery where they were going to cut his femur bone below the hip socket, turn it towards the socket and put a metal plate & screws to hold it together. This was the "sure" way of getting Brendon's femur "securely in the socket". He was in good spirits and ready to go at time of surgery- (I was amazed how brave and calm he seemed-- definitely more than mom!) The surgeon first injected a dye into Brendon's leg to get a better idea what the cartilage around the bone looked like. To his amazement and our surprise- he called the waiting room and reported "the cartilage looks excellent and I think cutting the bone is unnecessary at this time!" He then told us they would cut some tendons in his leg to be able to rotate the leg farther out and then cast his legs. We felt an indescribable relief at that moment- so many prayers were answered.

The reason for casting is two fold: 1. to get the the top of the bone securely in the socket during (or before) re-ossification (new bone growth) which hopefully will encourage the new ball to grow back in a better shape. and 2. to stimulate a better range of motion in the leg after the cast comes off. He could barely move his leg 10-15 degrees to the side because of tightened tendons and muscles around the diseased bone.

We are hoping a praying that when the casts come off that his bone will grow in the right place and he will be a normal 10 year old boy again! I just got these fun pictures of him today... I can't believe he has figured out how to move around with these huge casts on his legs! I've been worried about how bored he must be, but it looks like he is staying busy and happy!




Way to go Brendon! We can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving!

Homecoming 2008...

Ashley got asked to homecoming on Wednesday night. She was so happy. One of the nicest boys in our ward named Brandon asked her. Take a look at the pictures to see how he asked her. I was able to catch her reaction on video.... she was pretty excited.

Of course she said yes. She created a maze through his house with string and at the end of it was a plate of cookies with the little rock on it.  Along the maze she left little notes with all of her thoughts that went through her head when he asked her. It was cute.

Best and worst of the week...

Best:
1. Mitchell's soccer team is 2-0! Way to start the season!
2. Ashley bought some cowboy boots... she wore her cousins while we were in Idaho and decided she needed some. So we went to the "Boot Barn" last night. Who knew that the average price of cowboy boots is like $200! Luckily she found some on sale.
3. Kids had a good week at school.
4. Ashley got her texting back.
5. Mitchell's classes got changed so now he has the broadcasting class he wanted.
6. Tanner won a 5th grade dance off on Friday.

Worst:
1. John's bike accident
2. I didn't eat very good... 
3. Ashley has a sore throat.
4. My house is still dirty...
5. it's still too hot to enjoy my morning run. I guess I could get up earlier... but my body doesn't like that.

Best and Worst combined:
Worst: John went to Spokane without me :( He went for work. Best: He was able to go to a party that all of our friends were at. The party was called "Because Rik is still on the green side of the grass!!!!!" Rik was diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer 10 years ago this month and the doctors told him that he would live maybe 6 or 7 years. So his sweet wife Heidi had a celebration party for him. We love Rik and Heidi so much. They have taught us so much over the years as we have watched them struggle with this trial. They are rocks! Keep fighting Rik!

This is John and Rik when we were in Spokane last March.

Bad Dream?

I woke up to a phone call this morning and thought I was having a bad dream. Remember a few months ago I got woken up by a lady calling and telling me that she hit my husband while he was on a bike ride... well it happened again today. yes I am serious! This time it was John calling and he said he was fine, but could I come pick him up because his bike was broken...again. He was riding up Sahara, just past Hualuapi and a lady stopped at the end of her street and proceeded to turn left onto Sahara without looking to the left.... she hit the back tire of John's bike and sent him into the next lane. Luckily there were no cars coming. He has a little scrape on his arm is all, but his back tire is messed up. Of course I forgot my camera again! I pulled up to see 3 motorcycle police there and a helicopter flying above. I guess there wasn't much going on in Vegas this morning. John said I missed the 2 ambulances and one fire truck! Someone driving by must have called 911. The poor lady felt so bad. It was clearly her fault and she was so sorry.

I think I am going to get him a flashing neon light to put on his bike! he was wearing a bright red shirt, not sure how she didn't see him. Poor John... when i picked him up he said "aerobic exercise is overrated!" He has always been a weight lifter and has never been much into aerobic stuff... I guess he might need to join the gym and go to a spin class instead of outdoor riding!