Kyler is 3 months!!

Kyler is 3 months old today, I can't believe it! He has grown so fast. He has finally slept through the night the past week.(Thank you Babywise and Stefanie for recommending it!) His little personality is so cute. For the most part he is a pretty happy and content baby. We couldn't imagine our lives without him. He is also starting to fill out a little bit, which is good.
We love you Kyler!!

Christmas at our house

We had a rough start to Christmas at our house. Kelsie is at the age where it is harder for her to go to sleep on Christmas Eve. She actually understands that there will be presents under the tree when she wakes up. Kamrin, on the other hand, is small enough still that she goes to sleep because she is tired and doesn't really understand what is going on. Well, Kelsie tried and tried to go to sleep and couldn't. She got to the point that she was so tired but couldn't sleep that she got very emotional. She was very worried that no one would leave her any presents because she wouldn't make it to sleep at all that night. She finally crashed a little after midnight. I also learned that next year I should probably begin wrapping presents earlier. I hate to wrap and am definately not good at it. Josh and I had to wrap everything last night and we were exhausted!! The girls did sleep in until about 7:15, so that was nice. The girls each got a toy, and outfit, and some PJ's. Kelsie also got new boots and Kamrin a new 4 wheeler helmet.




They were also very spoiled and got a 4 wheeler that is just their size. Now we can all go as a family and spend lots of time in the mountains.
Our family has had a nice Holiday Season. We have enjoyed teaching our kids about the real meaning of Christmas now that they are getting older and can understand more. We have had a busy few days with the Ward Party on Saturday and the sacrament program on Sunday. We have also enjoyed spending time with our extended family on Christmas Eve and Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with my family having a nice lunch at the Garden Cafe and Christmas with the Barnes'. We hope that everyone else is also having a nice holiday!!

2007 in Review

Holiday Pictures

We took the kids to Kiddie Kandids on Thursday to get our annual Holiday/Kyler's first pictures taken. They turned out pretty good. The photographer had Kyler smiling for the first few photos, but by the end he was sick of the camera and we were lucky to have his eyes open. I have a bunch of referral discount cards if anyone would like one. They are good for a free 8x10 and 10% off of your next purchase. If anyone wants one let me know and I will mail it to you.

Amazing 6 year old sings

This girl is pretty good. Check it out!

The Crazy Holidays!!

Well, it has been a long time since I have posted. It seems as if I have nothing to talk about. We have been crazy busy around here, so I am not sure if I really have nothing to say or that I am so busy that I have no time to actually sit down!! The past two weeks have been filled with a Christmas party for the dance team, five December performances, Kelsie's school party, Young Women New Beginnings, Christmas Shopping, and making some homemade gifts. Me and Kyler did take a much needed trip to Utah by ourselves last weekend. We dip homemade chocolates every year with Josh's mom and sisters. It is a lot of fun, yet a lot of hard work. We came home with a couple hundred chocolate covered cherries, almond balls, and mints. We stayed an extra day so that we could stay out late shopping in Layton on Saturday. Kyler and I were able to get all of our shopping done so that we could relax this weekend. We also found an awesome place to eat, Costa Azul. It is similar to cafe rio. We don't really have a place like that here and I love them. I ended up eating at Bajio's, Costa Azul, and Cafe rio.
Josh and I just returned from Logan where we went to Josh's good friend Cameron's wedding. We were almost late because of a wreck. We were on the interstate at a stand still for more than an hour between Snowville and Tremonten. It was frustrating. Anyway I hope all is well with everyone and I hope you are all ready for the Holidays!!

Mini Cheer Camp

Kelsie had mini cheer camp yesterday. She spent the day learning a dance and a little cheer. Then last night they got to perform at half time of the boys basketball game. She loved it! Here are a few pictures from her performance.

First Real Snow!

We awoke yesterday to a blanket of beautiful snow!The girls were so excited. We spent the morning shoveling sidewalks at a couple of the houses Josh has for sale and our own house. It was a lot of fun to be out in th snow together. We did eventually get cold and had to come inside.

Kyler At 2 months

I have been meaning to make this post since Kyler's 2 month check-up last week, but have been side-tracked. Anyway, we had Kyler's two month check up last Thursday. He has grown 3 inches in the last 6 weeks, for a total growth of 3 1/2 inches since birth. He is definatly going to be tall like his daddy. He has only gained about 2 1/2 pounds. All of his nutrition is going to his growth in length. He is starting to fill out a little. His cheeks are getting a bit plumper finally. It is so weird that he is totally opposite of the girls at this age. They were much chunkier, slept better, and just has a totally different temperment. He still doesn't sleep throught the night, however we are making progress the last two night he slept from about 9 pm-3 am. He eats at three and goes back to sleep until about 6. He is starting to recognize his sisters voices and smiles when he hears it. Kelsie can really get him cooing and smiling. She gets a little teary eyed when she looks at him and she says that it is because she loves him so much. It is so cute to see how they interact with him. They both love him very much.
(The pictures are not that great. I am having problems with my camera and could use a new one. Hint, Hint Josh)

Middle Child Syndrome??

There are lots of really smart people who have done studies on birth order. I learned a little about that in college in my psych classes. Lately, at our house, I have been learning a lot about birth order. Kamrin is the middle child in our family and is really having a hard time right now. She doesn't get to go to school like Kelsie or preschool like some of her friends. Kyler has been getting so much attention from people coming to visit or from me as I feed and care for him.

I didn't realize so much that this was a problem until she was at my mom's work Christmas party and she asked Santa for a family for Christmas. At first I thought that she was just joking. I thought that maybe she had watched a Christmas movie where the orphan asks for a family for Christmas and she was just mimicking what she had heard previously. Well, apparently she is serious because that's what she tells everyone when they ask her what she wants for Christmas.



She even told our friends that she wants a new family and it comes with a new house.
So me and Josh have decided that we need to try harder to make Kamrin feel like she has a place in our family and that she is important.

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!!

Yesterday, me and Josh had to run some dinner to a lady I visit and teach. We returned to Kelsie running in and yelling that she had pulled another tooth all on her own. My brother Craig who was staying with us confirmed that she had pulled the tooth without any help. So, the tooth fairy made another round to our house last night. She was quite excited to learn that there really is a song called, " All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth."

Kyler's Blessing Day

We decided that since a lot of family was here over Thanksgiving that today would be a good day to have Kyler's blessing. Josh gave Kyler a very special blessing. We are so glad to have him in our family and love him very much!! Thanks to all who were there.

Kelsie & Kamrin with their brother.

Grandma & Grandpa Helms with Kyler.

Grandma & Grandpa Barnes with Kyler.

The whole Family

Three Generations of Barnes Boys.

The Tooth Fairy

Last night the tooth fairy made it's first visit to our house. Kelsie had been playing with this tooth for quite some time. She insisted that it was loose. It didn't look loose to me and I have a pretty weak stomach when it comes to teeth, so I didn't dare see for myself. Well yesterday afternoon at lunch Kelsie's Grandma Barnes grabbed a napkin and yanked it out for her. At first she looked a bit scared. I don't think that she expected it to bleed.

Now she is constantly sticking her tongue in the space, she's not quite sure what to think of the whole thing. A lot of her friends have lost teeth lately and she knew all about the tooth fairy and the whole money thing. Right when she got home last night she put her tooth under her pillow and the tooth fairy brought her $2. Now she can't wait to loose all of the rest of her teeth!

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Pictures

Plenty to be Thankful For

As I have been getting things ready for the Thanksgiving holiday I realized that I have been so busy that I haven't spent much time reflecting on what I am truly thankful for. I decided that this was a good place to list some of those things that I am thankful for in order to make me stop what I am doing and take some time to truly think about it. So, this is what I came up with....

1. My eternal family. I learn something new from them each day. It's very comforting to know that we will be together forever. I can't imagine my life without them.


2. The gospel. Without that it would would be very difficult to do what we do every day not knowing what the future held and that all this hard work will pay off in the end. I am especially grateful for the atonement. It's good to know that Heavenly Father knew that we wouldn't be perfect and helped us out a little.

3. My husband. He is such a hard worker. No matter what were to happen I know that he would do anything to provide for his family. He also knows how to play when the time is right. He is such a good daddy to his kids. We all love him very much!!


4. My home. Not only my home, but that it is where it is. I am so blessed to be able to live in a free country. We have so much here that so many people around the world do not have.


5. Good friends. It is so nice to know that there are other women facing the same challenges every day. How nice it is to be able to surround yourself with them to uplift and inspire you.





What are you thankful for???

I think we need a new bed.....what do you think??

This is the bed that we have had since we were married. Josh made it for my birthday while we were engaged. We really like it. It's in really good shape considering how many times it's been moved up and down stairs, stored, etc.


Well, what's the problem you ask?

Our kids!! Lately they start straggling in one at a time starting at about 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning. Eventually I am the one getting kicked out. This is what my bed looked like this morning at 6:30 this morning (yes, 6:30 on Saturday morning):



So, even though I love this bed I think that it is time to upgrade to a King bed and save this one for Kyler or the guest bedroom. What do you think?

Finally......

I have been trying to get a picture of Kyler while he was smiling. He has not been very cooperative. Finally, this morning after his morning feeding I was able to get a few. He was smiling and cooing for almost an hour.

Pirate

Kelsie was a pirate for Halloween. Josh's mom thought that a parrot would be the perfect addition to her outfit. While walking through Wal-mart with my mom, I was telling her about the parrot. We went to the Halloween aisle to get some candy and my mom saw a parrot with elastic to hold it on your shoulder. The parrott ended up being the best part of her costume. She was so funny. These pictures were taken at her school party.

Unfortunately, Time Flies.......

when you have a new baby. Kyler is 6 weeks old on Wednesday! I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. I just wish that I had the time to sit and hold him for hours. I just know that one day I am going to wake up and he is going to be three, then six, etc. It has been such a neat experience to have a spirit so fresh from our Father in Heaven in our home with us. He has helped our family grow much closer and has definately helped us realize how blessed our little family is. I was thinking today about how lucky I am to be able to stay at home with our kids. When both of the girls were born I had to return to work after about six weeeks. I dreaded it, but life had to go on. Sometimes I wonder what little things I missed while I was working. I made sure that I didn't miss the big things, but I know I missed the little everyday things. As Kyler is turning six weeks I've definately spent more time thinking about how fortunate I am to stay at home and help Josh instead of working a separate job.

Little Hunter

Kyler's aunt Jamie supplied him with his first camo. Isn't he soo cute? I can't believe that he is already 5 weeks old. I need to take some more good pictures of him. I have learned that with each child I have gotten progressively worse at taking pictures and I have to get better, or else I will have no pictures of him!