My Twilight

So I was one of the crazy people that stood in line from 5 pm to Midnight. I felt compelled. I rounded up my friend Andrea, who is another crazy person and we brought our folding chairs and snacks and camped out among the teenagers. We weren't the only ones who thought we looked out of place. The news crews seemed to flock to us to figure out why two obviously normal (beautiful) women would feel the need to sit in line for 7 hours to wait for a new movie.

We were on two news stations and enjoyed our 15 minutes of fame. We were eventually joined by 8 other friends and family that were grateful to us for the great spot in line. They even brought Golden Spoon. Well Midnight finally came and as we watched the movie, I found myself feeling disappointed - BIGTIME- about the film adaptation of the book. Wow. I really didn't like it.

The next morning I still felt the same way and vowed I could never see it again. Until Saturday came around and we decided to give it another chance. Mike wanted to see it and we went with Andrea and her husband too. It would be nice to get some opinions from "Non-TwiHards." After the movie, I looked at my friend and could not believe how much I enjoyed it. I was so happy that I actually liked it..All was right with the Twilight world again.

So please, if you didn't like it the first time...Go see it again. I think you will be surprised, I know I was.

Here are a couple of pics

Andrea and Me



Here are some people we met while standing in line.
(The girl in the pink gloves, Sesa, was first in line at 8:30am)

Tagged

Ok, now I have been tagged twice so here it goes...

8 TV Shows I Watch
1. Greys Anatomy
2. Project Runway
3. Food Network - I like Giada and Barefoot Contessa
4. Fox News
5. Today Show
6. Gossip Girl
7. Days of our Lives
8. My Name is Earl

8 Restaurants
1. House of Tricks
2. Matta's
3. Le Grande Orange
4. Joe's BBQ
5. Kona Grill
6. The Farm
7. Nordstrom Cafe
8. Ruths Chris

8 Books I have Read
1. Twilight
2. New Moon
3. Eclipse
4. Breaking Dawn
5. The Host
6. Book of Mormon
7. The Mysterious Benedict Society
8. The Ice Queen

8 Things That Happened Yesterday
1. Watched my Niece, Kelly
2. Did Laundry
3. Talked on the phone with my sister Cynthia
3. Went to Work
4. Walked the Dog and played at the park
5. Made Spanish Rice for Dinner
6. Graded Homework
7. Bought some Christmas Presents at Walmart
8. Watched Casino Royale - Love that movie!

8 Things I am looking forward too...
1. Twilight Midnight Movie
2. Children's Sacrament Meeting Program
3. Cynthia visitng for a week for Thanksgiving
4. Lunch with my friend Becky
5. Cruise in December to Cabo
6. Christmas
7. Christmas School Programs
8. A New Year

8 Thing I wish For
1. My kids to be happy, productive good citizens
2. My house to be paid off
3. My kids survive being teenagers
4. The perfect job
5. I don't have to wear contacts anymore
6. The perfect pair of jeans
7. I could give more than I do
8. A full time Maid

Fire Station

Josh's preschool went on a Field trip to the Fire Station. The little kids had such a great time and they seemed so big, I took a couple of pictures.









As I was downloading the pictures, I found a picture of some "Art" by Josh. I think he was so proud, he had to take a picture. When I saw it, I was able to locate the mural on Brett's furniture and erase it with the help of Mr. Clean. Well, at least we have a picture for posterity!!

Hi Ho Halloween

The boys this year decided early what they were going to be for Halloween. Josh was Batman and Brett was a Clown. I was glad to get the costumes out of the way and cross that off my list! Of course, by Halloween they wanted to change their minds and their costumes. So, after a few more costume changes we finally settled on Cowboys the day before.









This year I went all out and decided to dress up as Snow White. Just in case you decide to dress up as a Disney Character for Halloween, think twice. I had children come up to me to "Say Hello to Snow White," Some parents apologized as they brought their child to talk to me, some yelled across the street, "Look, It's Snow White, go say Hello!" I was heckled by grown men wanting to know where my Dwarfs were and other children kissed my gloves. I also had strange people take pictures of me with their kids and I posed with random adults. Now, Halloween was not all bad. I did get a lot of attention and I was able to talk and meet many new people, although they would not recognize me the next day.



Maybe by next year I'll be ready for Snow White again - Maybe the Wicked Witch of the West.

Kitchen Sink

Life pretty much stops when you don't have a functioning kitchen sink. Yesterday, I turned on the faucet and I received a face full of water. The faucet fell off. I of course asked Josh if he had pulled on the faucet. His answer, "Brett did it."

I am not one to point fingers..haha...but last time I saw Josh he was putting his dish in the sink like a nice little boy and using the spray attachment to clean it off. I have a feeling, he gave the faucet head a nice little tug, one of many I am sure. So, I am off to Home Depot because life must go on.

San Diego Getaway

This is an overdue posting. We went to San Diego in September and went to Sea World. This was the kids' first time there. We had a Grand Ole Time. Josh was determined to sit down in front at the Shamu show. I stayed with him until the show started. I said, "You know you are going to get wet...Mama is not going to get wet...I am leaving you here."

He said, "It's okay Mom, I have my hat!"

So like a nice Mom, I let my kid get totally splashed while I watched from a safe 10 rows up. Sorry, but I was not going all day soaked !! I did get revenge on another ride I took with Brett. It was the rapid ride and I did end up getting soaked, but at least we only had a few hours left.

Here are some pics.

Kono's for Breakfast..This is the best place if you haven't checked it out!!














All it takes for this kid to be happy is a patch of Grass...We have to wait for Winter in AZ to get nice grass.

Wings

Josh came in the house on Saturday after riding his bike and asked to take the training wheels off. "I am a big boy Mom, I don't want training wheels!" So we took them off and when he got on his bike, I told him it would be okay if he falls. I assured him I would be right there to catch him. He started off, then chickened out. "I want my training wheels back on! I will wait until I am Five to take them off." Well, I had to go on an errand, so we packed the bike up to try at Grandma's house. When we arrived, I took the bike out and went inside to tell Grandma that Josh is going to try to ride his bike without training wheels. As we walked outside, there was Josh riding his bike like a pro. I think I did a great job in teaching him :) Here is a video of Josh a couple hours later, doing some new tricks on his Big Boy Bike. I think he is pretty great. Good Job Joshy!!

Random Day

Thought I would just list events that happened yesterday.

Woke up at 7 am
Get Brett off to school
Walk Dog
Get Ready
Receive disturbing phone call from friend regarding "Gray Hair"
Play Batman Wii
Various Household Duties
Avert Said Tragedy regarding Garden Hose
Play with Facebook, my new obsession
Get Josh off to Preschool
Go to Work - Macy's at Chandler Mall, play with jewelry and get paid
Pick up Carpool from Preschool 10 minutes late due to restricted lanes
Check Brett's backpack and grade homework
Talk to Dog Trainer who tells me I need to be an Alpha Dog - Had bad knee jerk reaction to the term "Alpha Dog" :)
Bandage and Clean Brett's injury from landing on his Bike handles after jumping off a ramp.
Get Brett dressed for Halloween party
Take kids to Grandma's for Pizza
Change Brett's costume for Halloween party after protest and tears that he hates his costume.
Go To Bunco party
Get pulled over and given a ticket for Illegal License Cover.
Loose terribly at Bunco - I must practice more :)
Come home to all children asleep.
Check email, blogs and Facebook.
Get call for Invite to High School Musical 3 movie
Go to the Midnight movie.
Giggle, laugh and have some inappropriate thoughts about Zac Eferon.
Go to bed at 2:30 am
Wake up at 7:00

Let's see what happens today. Enjoy every moment, you never know what is coming next.

Doggie Door

So we are officially Doggie friendly here at the Barney house. Of course Josh wanted to see if he could move around just like Jack so he had to try out the new escape route.






I thought it was cute, so I took some pictures. As I went about my household duties, I came back through the kitchen just in time to avert a certain tragedy. If Josh would have gone through with his plans, I would not be happily blogging now.



Be Grateful for the small things, like Garden Hoses that are outside of the house.

How Did I Gain 5 lbs??

I knew what I was doing was not wise. In the summer months when it was 110 degrees outside your mind plays tricks on you. I would have dreams of this yummy treat. It literally would torture me. Sometimes I could resist, sometimes not. Here is the culprit.




I never had the courage to look up the Calories until now. Now that it is cooler and I can think clearer.


Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino® Blended Crème
Rich mocha syrup, Frappuccino® chips and milk, blended with ice, topped with whipped cream (optional), mocha drizzle.



Serving Size 16 fl. oz.
Amt Per Serving
Calories 510
Fat Calories 170
Total Fat (g) 19
Saturated Fat (g) 11
Trans Fat (g) 0
Cholesterol (mg) 50
Sodium (mg) 300
Total Carbohydrates (g) 78
Fiber (g) 2
Sugars (g) 59



Here is my new Favorite Drink. The Hazelnut Signature Hot Chocolate. I wish Starbucks wasn't so dang close. Mike gets major points for bringing this home for me. I'll have to encourage Golden Spoon instead!!





Calories 430
Fat Calories 180
Total Fat (g) 21
Saturated Fat (g) 12
Trans Fat (g) 0
Cholesterol (mg) 35
Sodium (mg) 115
Total Carbohydrates (g) 56
Fiber (g) 5
Sugars (g) 47

One-Eyed Jack

Well, we added to our family. It is another boy who follows me around all day, wanting some attention and always ready for a snack.

When we decided to get a dog, I had dreams of a cuddly little thing who I could give some love too and send it outside to play. As we started our search I looked on Craigs List for puppies for sale, but Mike insisted on the pound. One Saturday, we went to the pound and found a cute puppy that we liked. After the kids had time to play with the dog, we decided that it was a good fit. I took the Adoption application to the front desk and they informed us the dog we picked out, bit a child and couldn't be adopted to a family with kids under 12. The kids were sad, but of course it was for the best.

The following weekend, we went to PetCo. They have dogs for adoption that are from various Animal Rescues. As we arrived, one dog in particular caught our attention. We played with it and also thought it was a good fit but...someone else had staked their claim, if we only got there 15 minutes earlier.

The lady from the Animal Rescue suggested we wait for about 15 minutes, because another dog was coming that she thought we would like. His name was Jack. Well, we filled out the adoption papers in the meantime and when I handed it over to them for the "Pre-Qualification." I got a funny look.

"You want an outside dog?" said the nice lady.

"Ummm, well aren't most dogs "Outside" dogs?" I said.

"Oh, no!" Not in the Arizona heat!! We need someone who is going to take care of their pets!" She continued to read my application while giving me the evil eye.

Mike chimed in, "Well, of course, the dog will come inside most of the time."

Then, Jack walked in. He was cute (relatively) and he had big ole' ears. As we knelt down to pet him, we noticed that he had One Eye! The boys played with him and loved him. Mike looked at me and said, "He has one-eye, we have to take him don't we??

Mike mentioned to the lady that we enjoy going to Pinetop for vacation. She looked at me dead serious and said, "Oh, You will have to get him a coat!" As I kind of chuckled, they told us to take a day and think about Jack before we commit.

As we left, I thought maybe next weekend we can look again for a dog. The next day they gave us a call and wanted to know if we were still interested in Jack. We told them Yes, and they arranged a "Home visit" to see if our environment was right for Jack. Lucky for us, we passed the test and Jack was ours.

The first night he was pretty skittish and it took about 4 hours for him to calm down. He put his little head in my lap and looked up at me with one-eye and I knew I was in trouble :)

Here are some pics of our One-Eyed Jack. Well, the best ones we can get so far. He is a Chihuahua/Rat Terrier Mix.

Happy 18th!

We have been married for 18 years. I can't believe it has been so long, until I look at the old pictures, then it looks about right :) Thanks Mike for making 18 years never boring. Thanks for standing behind me and pushing me forward. Thanks for supporting me while I stood on your shoulders. Thanks for holding my hand while we find our way through this crazy life. I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else. I love you!









(I love the picture of the Mac..Why did we not invest money into this company?? I guess we missed that one!)

Preschool Begins!

Preschool started for Josh last week, Yay! He goes 3x a week for 2 1/2 hours. He loves it and so do I :). His Preschool Teacher gave him a cute backback with his name and a picture of a bear on it. We carpool with twin girls that live down the street, Lily and Daisy. After the first day of carpool Josh said to me, "Mom, Lily and Daisy are my friends. I love them and I want to Kiss them!"

Slow down tiger, I am afraid that dimple of his is going to get him in trouble some day. Let's wait a few more years please...

20 Questions

Brett is in a fun stage and he is always asking questions about everything. From Home prices, differnt jobs, how the library makes money if they give everything away for free and of course when is he going to get a dog. Anyway, Brett and I were in the car and he was playing his favorite game...Yes or No. He asks the questions, I answer.

"Will I eat pizza?" ....Yes
"Will we get bunkbeds in my room?"....No
"Will I see Shamu this Month?"....Yes (going to San Diego in a couple weeks.)
"Will I eat a Snake's penis?"....Pause, WHAT?
"Will I eat a Sn...".....Umm...No.
"Good, I was worried about that one"
"Will I go to Mexico?"... Yes.

This is when I stop the game. I should have just let it go, but I couldn't. First I didn't want to get into a discussion whether or not a snake has a penis and where it was, I kept that interesting question to myself. But, I just had to ask.

"Brett, why do you think you will eat Snake?"
Brett's answer, "The guy on the Food Channel was eating all kinds of penis's. I don't think I want to eat that."

Okay, now I have to monitor the Food Channel, lovely. If you think it is safe to go into the kitchen, you have been warned!

Cleaning out my Closets

So what have you been doing since school started? I have cleaned out almost all of my closets and sent 17 garbage bags full of clothes, etc. to Deseret Industries. As I was loading them into my car, I could hear Lynda (My Sis-in-Law) in my head screaming, "Why aren't you putting this stuff on Ebay!" First of all, too much work. Second of all, too much work. I rather take the tax credit and call it a day.

My next project is to scan some pictures that are stacked on my desk. I need to do it soon, because if not, it won't get done till after Christmas! This year I am the President of the PTA at Brett's school and Fall activities are going to come fast and furious. I can't wait for Christmas vacation all ready :).

My Sis and Kids

My Sister Karen came to visit a couple of weeks ago. She lives up in Washington so we see her about once a year. Her kids keep on getting bigger every time we see them, imagine that!! While Karen was here, we mostly swam everyday and she hit the mall everyday. So pretty much a fun trip!! We did get to make it to the Breaking Dawn Midnight Party at Barnes and Noble. It was really fun and pretty crowded. I went early that morning to get our tickets so we wouldn't have to stay too late after midnight.

It was a super fun time, and I loved being a goof ball and a crazy fan...fun times.

Anywho, here are some pics of Karen and her crew. For those of you who haven't seen her in a while...she's been hiding out in the cloudy weather in Washington. Oh yeah, did I mention she actually vacations in Forks, Wa.? Seriously, I need to visit her next time.

Karen with her oldest daughter Monica (12 yrs.) They both are Twilight Fans. This is the "Wedding Cake" at Barnes and Noble.




Me and my Sis-in-law Shay. I am a big dork with my Team Edward shirt..oh yeah :)



Lloyd (5 yrs.) , Brett and Josh




Baby Emma (10 1/2 mos) That hair is crazy! She looks like a doll.



Ileah (7yrs) and Brett




Monica (12 yrs) After her cousin Kayla did a makeover on her. This is the first time she put on makeup and straightened her hair. Watch out! BTW, that is a swim top she is wearing. Aunt Nicole won't let her out in public like that!



Ileah (7) and Emma (10 1/2)

Vacation Pics

Cabin Fever

We are back from Pinetop. We spent a week in the mountains and I was feeling very "Rural." We attended a Rodeo with Calf Roping, Barrel Racing and Bull Riding. I was enjoying it until I got dirt behind my contact and had to be lead to the truck by Mike. We also went fishing, which was like the second time in my life that I went fishing. When we got on the boat, I had my purse with me and Mike looks at me and says, "Who takes a purse fishing?" Well, where am I supposed to leave it, in the car where a bear can get it??

I also went on a walk/jog every morning (outside). That is nearly impossible to do in Phoenix this time of year. I loved smelling the pine trees and watching the rain clouds gather on my walks, it was so relaxing even though I arrived home with a couple new mosquito bites.

The kids loved gathering bugs, rocks and flowers and playing with their cousins. Brett spent the night at his cousins house one night and slept outside on the trampoline. Since they live in a small town, the house doesn't have a fence or gate, but nobody else seemed to be worried that they would be abducted, so I went with it.

It was hard to leave the 70 degree weather and come back home. Next year we are going to try to stay for a couple weeks. We will try fishing again, and I will know to leave my purse behind like a real fisher woman!

Brandon Pics

I have to post pics of my nephew. Cynthia lives in Utah, so we don't get to see him often. For everyone that knows her, I will post for you. He definately has Cynthia's lips!! He is too cute! He is almost 4 months old.

Baptism

Brett was baptized last weekend. He was super excited, (I was more nervous for him), he looked at it more like a party. Leading up to the day of the baptism, he was wanting an update on the guest list. He was wanting to know who had confirmed and what excuse other people had for not being there. Let's just say, the kid likes an audience... This is so different from me, it is hard to understand. When I was a kid, I didn't want anyone paying attention to me, I wanted to blend in. I am sure this quality will take him far in his life.






I was proud of Brett, he did awesome and Mike did great too. I was a little crazy. I had to run back home as soon as we got to the church, because Mike forgot a towel and a change of clothes. I got back just in time and tried to keep Josh occupied. But, we made it!

After the baptism, we all met at our house for dinner. I didn't get any pictures, because I was too busy. Next time we have a party, I need to put someone else in charge of taking pictures!

Nicole Needs...

I saw this and thought it was funny. You type in your name in to Google plus the word "Needs" after it. These are the top 5 phrases that came up for "Nicole needs.."

1. Nicole needs a stylist.
2. Nicole needs her sleep.
3. Nicole needs a reality show.
4. Nicole needs No Food when she can Shop Till She Drops.
5. Nicole needs pants.

Hey, these are all true! Except the No Food part, I definately need A Diet Coke and a Pretzel when I shop. :)

Too funny..I want to see your needs too!!

Musturd, My Favorite

We went to the D-back game with the boys and decided to go early to watch batting practice. When we got there, they asked Josh and Brett to be the Hot Dogs for the 3rd inning, Hot Dog race. Brett wanted to be Mustard and Brett picked Relish for Josh. So at the beginning of the 2nd inning, we met at Guest Services and they told us that only one parent could go with the boys. We were going to be right next to the dug out to put on the costumes and it was a small space. As we left Dad behind, Josh started crying for Dad of course.

I tried to talk up how lucky he was and fun it was going to be standing on the baseball field, but he insisted on his Dad. By the time we got down by the dug out, I had calmed him down. The people in charge of the event, gave Brett and Josh t-shirts that read, "I was Mustard at the D-back Game" and one that read "I was Relish...." Josh thought the shirt was pretty cool. When it was time to put on the Hot Dog uniform, Josh was amused, then quickly turned to scared. He did not want any part of that uniform. Josh did not get any time to decide and they quickly found a replacement for him.

Brett was super excited and we practiced his running in place before the big event. As the time came for Brett to go on the field, Josh was clinging to my leg saying, "Come back, Brett!" I tried to snap a few pictures and managed to get a video clip of the Hot Dog race. Unfortunately, Mustard didn't win, but Brett didn't care, he loved it!

When Brett came back off the field, Josh of course started crying to be a Hot Dog and he wanted to go out on the field, now that he had seen Brett do it without any harm done.

I had to carry Josh back up the stairs kicking and screaming. Every time, I put him down, he laid down on the ground. I was so happy to finally make it back up the stairs with my kids and luckily Daddy was waiting for us. I handed Josh to him and said, "Make him Happy, I'm out of here!"

Later on in the game, Josh was down by the dug out, holding out his glove. He looked so cute with his glove in the air waiting for someone to throw him a ball. Some fan came out of the stands, and walked down next to Josh and yelled at Bob Melvin, (the coach) and said, "Hey, Melvin, Give the kid a ball!!" Bob Melvin turned around and tossed a game ball to Josh. The crowd cheered. He was pretty pleased with himself and thankfully "Happy" again.

Here is Brett as a "Mustard" Hot Dog (In the middle)











Josh and his Game Ball

Stubborn

All kids are stubborn at some point, some more than others. Sometimes when you are tired and want to give in, they can sense it and they dig their heels in and become just a little more stubborn until they get what they want. This is a story of course about Josh..my easy one.

I think Josh has been pretty pleasant as little boys go. I admit I could be blinded by the "baby of the family" phenomenon that magically excuses all his mischievous actions as cute and innocent. But this is not so cute although it might be innocent. Josh still has a tendency to wet the bed at night. Great, a lot of kids do at his age, I realize this is a common problem. The issue is that Josh wants to be grown up so bad that he refuses to wear training pants at night. This has been a battle for what seems like a year now.

We used to wait until he went to sleep to put the Pull-ups on. He would wake up in the middle of the night and cry that they were on. I would wait until he fell asleep and put them on again, and that would take us till morning. He then moved into a phase were he would wake up in the middle of the night, quietly remove the pull-up and change into underwear and not let us know he had changed. We would wake up and find him with wet sheets.

Next phase, we (meaning me, Mike mostly sleeps during the night of course, why wouldn't he, it is night time - duh -) decided to wake him up during the night to use the bathroom. This seemed to solve the problem, but my problem was that I wanted to sleep through the night too, just like my hubby :). So here we are again, Josh still can't make it through the night every night, so we went back to the training pants. Here lies the problem, Josh refuses to wear pull-ups. I did find these cool boxers that look like big boy pants, but are to be worn at night. I brought them home and told Josh if he wore them the whole night he would get a toy.

He seemed excited about the toy and tried on the boxers. As he was stepping in to them, he said, "Hey, there is a diaper in there!!" My reaction of course was to deny, deny, deny and convince him that his brother will wear them too so they could be twins..Brett relented and wore them until Josh fell asleep.

The next morning, he asked for his toy and had no complaints. The next night as I got the boxers out to put them on again, he refused. "I don't want those anymore!" he said. I told him if he didn't wear them, he could not swim the next day. He loves to swim...The next morning, after I cleaned his sheets, he changed into his swim suit and asked to go swimming. I held my ground and told him No! No training pants, No swimming! He asked, "Can I go swimming tomorrow for Brett's birthday?" I told him he could, because we were having a party for Brett. He then said, "Good, lets start the party today!" Good try Josh, but again, No! That night, he did wear his training pants.

So far, we have had two nights that he has successfully worn his pants and I have not had to clean his sheets. Also, I have received a fairly good nights sleep...So we are all happy. This has been a year in the making and I'm crossing my fingers that it lasts for at least a week!!

Happy Birthday Josh!

Josh turns 4 years old today! He had his first "Friend" birthday on Saturday which he loved. His friends from the neighborhood came over to play games and decorate cupcakes. When he woke up today, he couldn't figure out why everyone was wishing him a Happy Birthday. He had already had his party! But, as soon as he got to open presents, he didn't complain anymore.

We enjoy Josh so much, he is such a fun kid. As a baby he was sooo good and sweet, he just hung out and watched his big brother play. We couldn't believe that babies could be so good! He got alot of attention as a baby, because of his rolls (30 lbs at 1 year old)-- we quickly realized that not many people can resist a chubby baby. He still thinks the world revolves around him, and we are trying to ween him from that, but dang...it is hard when you are the baby of the family!

Josh is good natured and doesn't like anyone to feel bad. He quickly kisses you or gives you a hug when you feel sad. When his brother is in trouble, he comes to his rescue and tells me that it is "Not Brett's fault." He wants everyone to be happy and get along. We are lucky and blessed to have him as a part of our family, even though he keeps me occupied 24/7.

Sorry in advance for the gratuitous nudity :)