In September Chad and I decided it would be fun to take the family on a little fall vacation. We planned to go to Moab, somewhere we've never been before (go figure!)--it sounded so nice to just get away for a few days. Well, not to long after our vacation discussion, Noah had an appointment with the ENT who determined that Noah needed his tonsils out...soon. THEN, Aaron had his initial speech therapy evaluation and they noticed that he was saying almost exclusively only vowel sounds. They said they didn't think his ear tubes (placed less than a year ago at the time) were working right. Hence another trip to the ENT who said Aaron needed new tubes and his adenoids out. Of course, all of our medical flex spending money for the year was gone by then and that meant we had two surgeries that needed to be done ASAP and paid for out of pocket. So we changed our plans. We decided to go on a vacation to the McKay Dee Surgical Center in nearby Ogden, Utah. I'm not certain since I've never been to Moab before, but I can almost bet that Moab would've been a whole lot more fun than the surgical center!











What wasn't meant to be. At least not this year.

Thankfully the surgeries went well. Noah was in on Monday and thankfully there haven't been any major complications. It's still taking him awhile to recover--he still seems a little out of it a lot of the time and is super moody. Aaron went in on Thursday and although his surgery was a lot less intensive he had some kind of reaction to one of the medicines they gave him after the surgery and it made for an interesting ride home. But he's doing excellent now, and other than his bad breath you'd never know he even had surgery!

If you have kids, say age 10 and under, ask them what this is. Go ahead, ask. I'll wait.

We were at Maverik today picking out a Redbox movie. The Redbox machine stands next to an object that looks very similar to the item in the picture above. Thus sets the stage for the following conversation with Noah:

Noah: Ew! Ethan's playing with a garbage can!
Me: (alarmed at first, and then relieved) That's not a garbage can, Noah. Stop it Ethan.
Noah: Yes, it is too a garbage can!
Me: Are you serious Noah, you really think that's a garbage can?
Noah: Yesss...
Me: (smiling) What if I told you it wasn't a garbage can? What else do you think it might be?
Noah: A bathroom?
Me: Seriously? You think it's a bathroom?
Noah: I guess...
Me: Would you be surprised if I told you it was a telephone?
Noah: It doesn't look like a telephone.
Me: I promise, it really is a telephone.
Noah: Oh.

I guess I've never stopped to think how much phones have changed over the years! As I stopped to think about it I guess pay phones really don't look much like these, do they?I think his next guess about it being a bathroom might have been based on the shape of a urinal but I'm not sure. I sure got a good laugh out of this little conversation though! It reminds me of the time I was teaching a Young Women's lesson and the girls had no idea what a typewriter was! I must be getting old! :)

Noah had his first day of Kindergarten today and true to form, he molded right into this new phase of his life without any hesitation. I took him to school this afternoon and as we waited out in front of the school for his teacher to open the door and let all the students in he kept asking me, "When can we go in?" and "When are we going to start?" The second the doors opened he rushed right in, found his desk, and sat down. He is so excited to start school and so far, really seems to love his teacher and his new class. I don't know if his teacher realizes this or not, but she is one lucky lady to have this little boy in her classroom every day. I'm pretty sure I'm biased, but he is such a sweet little boy and is always so willing to help. I will certainly miss him during those few hours that he's gone from home.

When school got out in June I remember feeling overwhelmed at the though of having three kids at home--all day, every day. The thought of running errands with all three kids was scary, and the task of lining up activities to stave off boredom each and every day seemed daunting. But I had big plans. I printed out a calendar for June, July and August and planned to schedule our summer with fun and to squeeze out every drop and enjoy every moment of our summer.

I threw out those calendars the other day--nothing had ever been written on them. The summer flew by! Here it is the end of August and as the weather is starting to turn cool I'm ready to cry foul. I want my summer back--where did it go!?! Ethan started 1st grade today and Noah will begin Kindergarten next week. I feel so torn about all of this! Am I excited about having quiet afternoons while the boys are at school and Aaron naps? Do I look forward to the end of "those days" when my boys would argue and fight all day? Yes, of course! And I love knowing that my boys are having new opportunities to make new friends, adjusting to different environments, and learning and experiencing all kinds of cool stuff. I love seeing my kids grow.

But I'm also sad to think of how quiet it will be while they're gone. They are my little friends--they keep me company throughout the day and frequently help me clean up and keep Aaron entertained (some days that's a pretty tough job!) There are so many things we didn't get to do this summer. We never went on our adventure to check out the aquatic center near our house, we didn't have our picnic in the park, we never went to Lagoon (our boys have never even been there, how sad is that!) and we only visited the library once. Most of all, as much as I love to see my children grow it makes me so sad to watch them growing up. I wish they could just stay little--sweet, loving, naive, and cute--forever.

So, once again, I'm feeling torn. I know we'll adjust to this new schedule and the boys will love the time they spend in school. And I know I'll love having some time to myself and a window of time to run errands with just one boy. But best of all, in less than 10 months it'll be summer again and we'll have three whole months of time to laugh and play!

I just read a really great article on one of my favorite blogs, Light Refreshments Served. We all go to great lengths to ensure our children are physically safe, but what about keeping them morally and spiritually safe? If you have a minute, read this post by Emily Watts (a co-worker of mine, and one of my favorite authors) -- it's a good one.

http://lightrefreshmentsserved.com/2009/05/12/fail-safe-parenting/

Noah, Aaron, Ethan, and Sunny

Noah, Ethan, Ryker (nephew)

Yesterday was Grandparent's Day at Noah's preschool! Noah was so excited to have his grandparents come with him to school. We made cherry chip cupcakes the night before that he wanted to take as his treat and his teacher put the recipe in a special book she made to give to all the grandparents. He got to ride to school in Grandma Brann's car and met Grandma and Grandpa Premo there (unfortunately Grandma and Grandpa Barker couldn't make it.) They all had a special lunch together, eating all of the "favorite lunch treats" that the kids brought (Noah brought his cupcakes), they read books together, played the computer, and Noah got to make a bookmark for each one of his grandparents. What a fun day!

Can I just say that I have been so tired this week. The whole daylight savings time has really thrown me for a loop this year and I'm struggling to readjust my schedule! Not only am I physically tired but I've been dieting and exercising for three months now to lose the extra 10 pounds I've put on since Aaron was born and I've lost only three pounds. THREE. So not only am I tired from lack of sleep, but I'm tired of not eating my favorite foods and I'm tired of working out every day and not seeing any results. Am I whining? Yes, sorry. ;)

So this morning when it was time for my usual workout with the Wii "My Fitness Coach" I decided that I just wasn't up for it today. I was going to take a break. As I started fixing my breakfast (instead of working out) Noah picked up on the break from routine asked, "Are you going to exercise with the Wii Mom?" I told him no, that I was too tired today.

I watched him go over, turn on the Wii, and put in a disc. I assumed he decided to play his own game if I wasn't going to use it! The next thing I knew he was setting up his own profile in "My Fitness Coach" then logged in to a Group Workout. He said "Come on Mom. We're doing a group workout together!"

And how could I turn that down?! If my five year old is willing to work out, I figured I better too. I've always heard that if you have a workout partner you're more likely to workout on a regular basis. I guess that's true no matter how young your companion is!

So we had an excellent workout together today, minus the time I spent taking pictures! Thanks Noah, for being my best little buddy and giving me the inspiration to keep going!

In honor of Valentine's Day we thought we'd share a list of a few things we love. I asked the boys the question, "What five things do you love the most?", and to be honest I expected more off-the-wall answers. But their answers were simple and sweet...just like they are. So, without further ado:

Ethan loves...
1- Pokemon Cards and Toys
2- Froot Loops (he was eating some at the time)
3- Mommy (awwww!)
4- Daddy
5- Aaron and Noah

Noah loves...
1- Going to the park
2- Pokemon
3- Mommy
4- Going to school
5- Playing the Wii

Aaron loves... (Of course he doesn't talk, so his list is based on priorities)
1- Milky-milk (Vitamin D milk in his beloved Nuk sippy cup)
2- Mommy
3- Daddy
4- Little People train
5- Oreos

And what are my favorite five things? I'll explain in pictures:















Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Love,
The Barker's

Last weekend we went up to Chad's parents cabin in the Uintah's for a much needed winter break. All of the boys (including Chad) were so excited to spend some time outside playing in the snow. We went for a snowmobile ride then the boys, Chad, and his dad made a sledding hill out behind the back of the cabin--they really caught some air on some of the turns! And I of course stayed where any good summer-lovin' momma should, inside the warm cabin reading a book! ;)

We tried to be responsible this year for Christmas (you have to know that we are ultra-responsible, logical people) so here's what we needed and should have got:





New pots and pans (ours are almost 10 years old), a new computer, or money in the bank towards our yard that we'll have to put in before June 1. But we decided to be irresponsible (gasp!) and with a little talking into on Chad's part we decided to do something fun and get...






A WII! And "wii" have been having so much fun. (Thanks Mom and Ray!)

We've had a great couple of months and a wonderful Christmas. We spent a lot of time with family, shoveled a lot of snow, and ate plenty of yummy, calorie-laden treats. We had a visit to Temple Square, read stories and scriptures about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and had special conversations with the boys and also reminded ourselves about the real reason why this was such a special season--I love that they are old enough to finally understand and appreciate that miraculous event.