barnes yard

9 month comparison

2012-01-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

I think they've got a lot of the same genes!

advertised products my children are convinced I need and their reasons why

2012-01-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I know I've been kind of throwing in these fluffy posts all over the place, but seriously, I've got some super cute crafty posts in the works.
As we speak, Brooklyn and I are in the process of crafting her preschool Valentines. Can't wait to show you!

But for now...

Salon Express (to have beautiful nails)

Press Dough (to make rainbow cookies)

Forever Lazy (so I'll be warm)

Proactive (so I can have clear skin)

Pajama Jeans (because I can ride a bike in them)

Gyro Bowl (so I don't spill my salsa)

5 hour energy drink (so I can make dinner faster)

brooklyn barnes {fashion police officer}

2012-01-20T18:31:00.000-08:00

Here's her official Golden Globe red carpet opinion of 2012: 

{quotes straight out of the mouth of my five year old} 

"Her dress matches the ground and it's too long."

"It kind of looks cute with the belt and purse."

 "Beautiful.  The earrings, purse, bracelet, ring, it's gorgeous."

 "It looks like a flamingo head sticking out on the top.  That's all I can say."

 "Um, no."

 "Padded colors and sparkles, I like the cross and it's amazing."

"Ugly."

"Jewels, silver and gold and the straps are amazing."

 "Gorgeous.  Like a peacock."

 "I don't like her smile."

"So white and beautiful. Those look like my shoes and I love her headband."

"The dress is white with freckles and it's kind of freaking me out."

"She looks old."

 "The shoes are too fat!"

 "The yellow is so beautiful.  The hairstyle is fashionable."

 "Two yellows?!"

 "My favorite!  The blue and white colors look amazing and pretty and there are no straps and it is so adorable and cute!"

"The belt is adorable and I like her skin color."

"Um, why is a boy wearing a dress and high heels?"

10 months old {and this is what you get for pictures}

2012-01-18T19:52:00.000-08:00

This is what he's doing (besides not sitting still for pictures):

* walking around all the furniture and standing alone

* saying Mama, Dada, Papa, Hi, Bye-Bye, Baba (bottle), Gog (dog), and growling

* eating lots of table food and baby food.  loving broccoli, rice, oatmeal, mangoes, bananas, mashed potatoes.  not loving the meat baby foods.

* taking two naps a day (mommy does too!)

* weighing in at 20 pounds (40th percentile), towering at 27" (7th percentile), and wearing 12-18 month clothing and size 4 diapers.

* going through over 1,997 diapers (yep, still keeping track)

* biting on everything with three bottom teeth 

* laughing loudly at everything his big brother and sister do.

* holding everything up to his ear like a phone.

numbers

2012-01-17T20:34:00.000-08:00

65: times it takes to wash the smell of baby poop off my hands after touching it when I come into contact with a rogue turd in a sleeper.

{feels like a million}: days until tax season is over and I get my husband back.

2: months until we celebrate the Gus Man's first birthday in sock monkey style!

3: hours that I got off from the office Monday due to icy roads.

14: attempted times to watch the new Teen Mom before I got interrupted. 

3: marriages that ended in divorce after I was a bridesmaid in the wedding.

5: pounds I've lost so far with Advocare.

4: Valentines projects I've got lined out in my head and the supplies purchased but no actual energy to get started. 

5: vacation t-shirt projects I've got lined out in my head and the supplies purchased, but no actual energy to get started.

5,429: times I've told my kids to get in bed this evening! 

my unsolicited advice to celebrities {1st edition}

2012-01-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

Ashton Kutcher: Everyone pretty much knows you are a DB, but the greasy, scruffy look really is just exaggerating the point. Clean up your chin (and your act).

Jennifer Lopez: I'm pretty sure you are in the middle of a midlife crisis. You are a mom. Lose the teen boyfriend.

Brad Pitt: Beards are not cute. Neither are mullets.

Edit: So much better! (But you're still a jerk.)

I suck at blogging

2012-01-14T23:10:00.000-08:00

{all pictures courtesy of google images} 

 search {barnes family}

That's a bad word in the Barnes Yard.  (sucks)

The kids around here are supposed to say "stinks".  

Today I heard my girl call my big boy a "butt face". 

I didn't say anything. 

I just pretended that I didn't hear her and laughed to myself. 

My kids make me laugh a lot. 

Sometime very soon they are going to grow up and say worse things than "sucks". 

search {brooklyn barnes}

Gus has found his voice.

He just realized that if he wants to be heard, he has to be louder than the big kids.

And they are loud when they get going. 

search {gus barnes}

I woke up with the worst headache this morning.

It lasted all day even through two doses of Advil, some brownies, and a bite or two of cookie dough.

 search {jill barnes}

I missed going to watch donkey basketball with Nate and the kids.

They came home and told me about the donkeys pooping on the court and nobody cleaning it up. 

search {porter barnes}

My desktop has a virus which causes it to randomly start playing ads when nothing is even open.  All of the sudden it just starts talking and scares the crap out of me. 

I can't access my pictures from my laptop so this is the picture-less post.  

Well, unless I steal some from Google images.  

Let's see what I come up with.

search {nathan barnes}

I hope you're as amused by this post as I am!

overheard in the Barnes Yard

2012-01-12T20:21:00.000-08:00

Mommy: "Are you ever going to get a tattoo?" {hoping she will say no way}

Brooklyn: "Yes, soon."

Mommy: "What are you going to get?"

Brooklyn: "A unicorn and a rose." {classic}

Mommy: "Where?"

Brooklyn: "From the tattoo man."

Mommy: "No, where on your body?"  {please, please not anywhere that will show in a wedding dress}

Brooklyn: "My arm."

Mommy: "Noooo."

Brooklyn: "My neck?"

I can so envision my future with this child!

2 AM at my house and a couple of recent discoveries

2012-01-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

Like I said, 

{2:00 AM} Monday morning:

Kid #1: barfing

Kid #2: "Is it time to get up for school yet?"

Kid #3: "Waaaahhhh!"

Lovely Hubby: "Zzz..."

RD {just 2, it's been a slow week} 

1.  There is a direct correlation between having my coupon binder in order and feeling like my life is in order.

2. The children in this house insist on watching the most obnoxious shows on TV. Their newest favorite is Ant Farm, which seriously has the most annoying girl.of all time.

Happy Monday!

overheard in the Barnes Yard...

2012-01-04T06:59:00.000-08:00

(old picture)

"Why do you always act so surprised when you lose something?"

"Why do you always have to rub it in?"

I've got plans for this year {2012}

2012-01-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

I do.

Mainly I resolve to do one crafty thing per day, which means keeping my house in an orderly fashion to where I am motivated to be crafty. 

That's it.

My resolution.

Organized and crafty.

After discussing resolutions with my kids and explaining to them what they were, I asked if they could think of any for the new year.  This is what they said:

Porter: When my mom and dad tell me to do something I won't say no and I'll go poop when I have to go and not hold it in.

Brooklyn: I'll take care of my mother, don't sneak candy, and try not to break stuff.

Gus: Mama. Mama. Gaaaaaaa.

*****

Lets take a look back at good old 2011...

January:
I made a hospital playlist. 

Guess what?

I never listened to it at the hospital.

I regularly enjoy it now, though.

February:
We made some pretty cute valentines. 

March:
The Gus Man arrived! 

April: 

Porter had crazy sock day in Kindergarten. 

May:
I became the mother of a SIX year old!

June: 
Summer fun

July: 
Gus was dedicated.

August:
I got my sewing machine out again.

September:
Porter started 1st grade, Brooklyn started Preschool, and Gus and I got to stay home alone together.

October: 
I threw one heck of a magical birthday party.

November: 
Daddy had a "procedure".

December: 
We had our first Christmas as a family of 5!


It was quite a year!  
Can't wait to see what 2012 brings! (no more babies!) 

Welcome 2012!

2011-12-31T17:27:00.000-08:00

From the Barnes Yard

baby feets part II

2011-12-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

I definitely get the most traffic on my blog from this post that made its way to Pinterest, where of course, is where I got my inspiration.  Here is Amy's original idea.

Last month Gus and I made his 8 month footprints. (The last area will be his 12 month.)

My OCD gets a little agitated that his left tootsie is too low.

I LOVE his feetsies so much that I made this Christmas ornament that will forever be my favorite!

This was so easy too-much easier than painting a foot and stamping it!

I bought some oven bake clay from WalMart, rolled it out, pressed the baby foot down, made a straw hole, and then baked it for 15 minutes.  When it was cooled down, I rubbed some Distress Ink all over it with a paper towel.  This is how you get all the little wrinkles to show up.

Then just tie a ribbon through and hang. 

(I made the thumbprints the same way.  I used a cookie cutter to get the shape and then used scrapbook stamps for the initials.)

I may just leave the baby foot up all year!

Christmas is finally winding down around here. How's it going at your house?

Christmas break somethings

2011-12-28T09:09:00.000-08:00

something sweet:

On Christmas morning Brooklyn ran to the window because she thought it always snowed on Christmas.

something salty:

I ate half my weight in pistachios last night while watching Starving Secrets on Lifetime.

something unexpected:

a Cricut

something forgotten:

Porter's Benny the Beaver Pillow Pet and Brooklyn's Barbie car

(That's what happens when you do your shopping way in advance and hide the presents at a different house.)

something splendid:

My husband letting me sleep until 10:00 yesterday!

something I had planned on doing and then changed my mind:

Hitting Target's Christmas clearance.

something spoken on Christmas eve:

"If you can call my kid a drunken hobo, then I can call yours a fat boy."

some things on the Christmas menu:

Prime rib, bacon wrapped green beans (I will forever love Kelly for sharing her recipe.), cheddar stuffed mushrooms, fondu...I gained three pounds.

some things that were hits:

SpongeBob and Dora sticker books, Jesse James mousepad.

something brand new:

My nephew, Caleb Alan Dromeshauser, born 12/27/11

some facts:

It is impossible to put my house back together while Nate and the kids are home!  I'm ready for school to start back up!

a whole bunch of Christmas pics

2011-12-26T19:57:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had the most wonderful day celebrating Jesus' birth!

very last Christmas craft

2011-12-24T12:30:00.001-08:00

Mickey and Minnie ornaments!

personalized gifts are my favorite!

2011-12-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

I snagged this super fun idea from Whitney at Shanty 2 Chic!

Start off with a pile of Dollar Tree frames

and a 2x10 painted the color of your choice.

This flickr site has every style of letter available for you to download and print.  I printed mine out as photos at WalMart and switched them to black and white.

Then I just put the pictures in the frames and glued them to the wood with Liquid Nails.  

We gifted these last night.

It's Christmas Eve!!

teacher gifts {they didn't just get some empty bags}

2011-12-22T20:27:00.000-08:00

Our favorite teachers got some goodies in their personalized bags:

(I had the kids write their teachers' names in pen and then I stitched over them with embroidery thread.)

I saved a few baby formula containers and covered them with brown paper and ribbon.

Inside I put some Santa hat party mix.
I used this recipe.

They got some wintery snowman gum.

I also stuck in some reindeer noses, but forgot to take a picture.  

 They were similar to these. 

(Instead of a gumball I put in a red pretzel M&M-they are SO good!)

Can you believe Christmas is almost here?!

The Gus Man and I before Daddy's Christmas party.

wordless wednesday {chillin'}

2011-12-21T20:20:00.000-08:00

I really...

2011-12-20T16:51:00.000-08:00

want to watch American Horror Story from the beginning

need a Pampered Chef citrus peeler

am getting back on the WW wagon (WWW?) in January

should have washed my hair this morning

love it when my husband calls me at work

can't wait for Christmas

forgot how old I was today

kind of have a crush on this guy

whaddya think?

2011-12-19T00:10:00.000-08:00

Do I have a baby that kind of looks like me???

words and pictures that don't really go together

2011-12-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

(Somehow we lost the 5.)

It's already the 17th and all week I had posts in my head that I kept meaning to write but I kept being busied by other pressing issues like:

Sewing teacher gifts at 11:00 PM because for some reason I continue to torture myself by waiting until the last minute to do everything,

and baking cookies at 12:30 AM the morning of the preschool cookie exchange due to above mentioned self-torture.  (PS sometimes I wonder why I can't just be the mom that buys the cookies for the parties instead of choosing some intricate recipe from a baking magazine that involves rolling ten little dough balls for each cookie.)  (PPS I was in such a frenzy I failed to even take pictures of the pain in the butt cookies!)

***

So here are some bits and pieces of posts that ended up on the cutting room floor: 

Porter was chosen as Student of the Month. Love him.

We're delivering reindeer beer to our neighbors this weekend. 

Gus had diarrhea three times on Thursday and one time on Friday. All episodes involved poop coming out the top of the diaper and one involved poop on the carpet.

Awesome.

Loose tooth #3 is no longer. 

Brooklyn may have been the loudest singer in her Christmas program.  I don't know why, but I just have this dream of her being a Lady Gaga someday. 

Porter's basketball team went undefeated.

(They don't really keep score-but I do.)

And boom goes the dynamite!

I've been consuming an insane amount of this.

My kids' precious thumbprints are forever on Christmas ornaments.

There's no school for 2 WEEKS!  Woo Hoo!!

nine months

2011-12-17T13:46:00.000-08:00

The best Christmas gift we could ask for this year!

What Gus is doing at 9 months old:

*cruising along furniture  (He's going to be our first baby to walk before their first birthday!)

*saying "Mama" all the time!  (It doesn't get any better than that!)

*eating 2 jars of baby food each day (He pretty much likes anything.)

*has a little bit of a Barnes temper when he doesn't get what he wants (ha!)

*has gone through approximately 1759 diapers  (I'm still keeping track.)

*is quickly growing out of size 6-12 clothing and size 3 diapers

*still only has two teeth

*is so, so ticklish! 

9 years

2011-12-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

...and I'd probably do it all again

Slideshow created with Smilebox

Happy Anniversary to my one and only!

cutest moments of the weekend

2011-12-12T23:10:00.000-08:00

"Santa (Papa), I feel like we've met before."

decorating Grandma & Papa's tree

Santa Baby

SHABBY APPLE WINNER!

2011-12-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

Dun-dun-dunnnnn...

It's MISSY!

Missy said...: I like Shabby Apple on Facebook! So many lovely dresses there! Love this pink one too!!:); (Missy, I'll be emailing you for info!)

a Christmas craft for the kids

2011-12-08T10:34:00.000-08:00

My kids LOVE snow globes!  When we get out our decorations, they are most excited about their dollar store snow globes.  While perusing the blogs I found this cute idea on Sweet Something Designs.

And guess what??? It's another way for me to use the baby food jars I've been hoarding! Score!

Supplies:

baby food jars (spray paint the lids)

fake snow

glitter

mini trees from the Dollar Tree

glue gun

Glue your little tree to the underside of the lid.

Let the kids fill the jar with fake snow and glitter.

Screw the lid on really tight.

Shake it up!

(Yes, Blanche wears a swimsuit every day.)

After Christmas I'm going to be collecting mini reindeer and other cute little figures to use for next year.

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER TO WIN THE FABULOUS RED DRESS FROM SHABBY APPLE!

a tiny little seed of doubt planted...

2011-12-07T10:24:00.000-08:00

...and a tiny little piece of magic taken away.

Is it just because Porter is my first-born that any time he feels something other than pure happiness, I am just crushed? Or maybe it's because he is the most tender-hearted of my kiddos.

So, in the car after school yesterday:

P: "Mom, so-and-so's dad said that Santa isn't real."

Mommy: "Wait, what?...Why would anyone say such a thing?!"

P: "But I know he is...how else would the presents get in our house?"

Mommy: "Exactly!"

Really, first grade? I was thinking this would happen more around 3rd or 4th. I don't really want to get into a discussion about Santa vs. Jesus. In our house we know that first and foremost Christmas is for celebrating Jesus' birth, however Santa is a fun part of the festivities.

One of my best childhood Christmas memories was when Santa knocked on our door on Christmas eve and gave my sister and I each Care Bear jammies. He told us to listen up through the fireplace and we could hear his reindeer on the roof..and we really could! I still don't know how it happened, but we heard stomping and jingle bells.
That's the magic I want for my kids!

SHABBY APPLE GIVEAWAY {because you deserve it!}

2011-12-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

SHABBY APPLE (you know, the online boutique of the most fabulous dresses, skirts, & accessories, yeah, obviously you do!) is showing the Christmas love! They are once again letting me give away a dress just in time for the holidays!

I mean, really, you are the one running around buying the whole family gifts, doing all of the holiday baking, and making sure all the kids have their perfect Christmas outfits. I think you deserve something pretty just for you!!
Shabby Apple has the PERFECT red dress for the season!

How cute is this?!

It's the "nothin' like a dame" dress and I LOVE the color!

TO ENTER to win this for your lovely self this what you need to do:
1. "like" Shabby Apple on Facebook
2. leave me a comment telling me you did so

GOOD LUCK!!

Oops! I forgot to say the contest closes at 5 PM on this Friday!

weekend wrap-up

2011-12-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

I'm loving the hustle and bustle of this season!  

We've been busy!

These are snippets of our weekend:

My very own tree that only I am allowed to decorate is up!

The kids' tree is up and kinda bare...but not for long.  

(You can see Brooklyn started her own little area.)

The stockings have been hung.

I was so excited to find this in the attic-it's Porter's first stocking. We put it up for Gus until he gets his official Barnes stocking from Aunt Sue.

The gingerbread man mug made its debut.

There was a whole-lotta rocking going on.  

This boy decided it's the only way he will go to sleep at night!

We tried some Pinterest posing,

and attended a spectacular Christmas dance performance!

This is where we attempted my parents' Christmas card photo...

it really just gets more fun every year!

Pretty much I did my BEST distressing ever for a store piece.

I put some numbers on shelves too.

AND I started this marathon!

HOW WAS YOUR WEEKEND?

overheard in the Barnes Yard...

2011-12-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

...and the wise men brought baby Jesus gold...fridaycense...and smurf."

The Gus Man says

2011-12-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

"Mama" 

He really does!!!

So, if you don't count "Gaga", "Goo", "Gee", "Baba", and "Hi", that's his first word!!

old dog

2011-12-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

84 years ago (in dog years) the world was blessed with this fine specimen:

Happy Birthday, MacGregor Randolph Barnes!

Love, the one that cleans up your vomit and diarrhea

partial decorations & letters to the man in red

2011-11-30T10:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas is slowly seeping into our house!
I've had Patty Loveless holiday Pandora on nonstop, and the smell of Silver Bells Scentsy fills my living room (my new favorite scent!)
Brooklyn and I started getting out the decorations yesterday while the big boy was at school and the baby boy was asleep.

(My neighbor was doing some pruning and left these on my front step.)

*
*
*
Am I the only one that has to endure hearing,
"Can I have that for Christmas?" five bazillion times a day???
The annual letters to Santa:

I told Brooklyn she could just draw pictures of what she wanted to ask Santa for.
In case it isn't totally obvious, these are drawings of a Strawberry Shortcake movie, A light-up Rapunzel doll, and a stuffed animal dolphin.

Isn't first grade writing the best?

I'm hitting up the Dollar Tree for more bulbs and bells today, and the tree goes up on Saturday!

Happy decorating!

Brooklyn sings...

2011-11-26T20:02:00.000-08:00

"I'm getting mutton for Christmas..."

rd and the makings of a turkey shirt

2011-11-25T17:38:00.000-08:00

1.  Men discuss their vasectomy stories the same way women discuss their birth stories.  (Wusses.)  

2.  Somehow a male armpit hair ended up in my Dove pomegranate deodorant.  (I guess I'm not the only one that thinks it smells lovely.)

3.  I love it when I'm searching in the way back of my refrigerator for something and I find a Frappuccino, however I do not love it when I find a very furry, bluish-greenish thing that used to be an onion-I think.  

4.  After listening to the song lyrics, "I never met a Toby that I didn't like", I started thinking about how I've only ever known one human Toby and one dog Toby.  I liked them both alright.  

5.  The Gus Man loves mashed potatoes.  (Just like his Mama.)
6.  The best black Friday shopping is sitting in my jammies while the UPS man brings presents to my door! 

 *******************************

Thursday morning, while I was up early making:

cider-glazed brussels sprouts with bacon and almonds, 

a baked cheese & vegetable twist, 

swiss & bacon dip, 

corn dog muffins, 

and bacon wrapped green beans, 

I decided to go ahead and make Gus a festive shirt for the day!

If you would like to know exactly how I made it, here are the directions:

*Don't forget to make a beak and gobbler thingy too.

*Yes, really. Glue them on with Aleene's glue.

I have done this twice now and it holds up in the washing machine. I'm not messing with those rolls of iron-on stuff anymore.

Then find a REALLY cute little butterball to wear it:

"gobble gobble!"

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

...just so it's stuck in your head too! 

Turkey lurkey doo and
Turkey lurkey dap
I eat that turkey
Then I take a nap
 Happy Thanksgiving from the Barnes Yard Turkeys!

 Yes, you are reading that correctly,

my son is thankful for broccoli and work!

"I'm thankful for Jesus, centerpieces and manners."

-Brooklyn

Brooklyn's centerpiece she made for the kid table 

My Butterball!

I'm so thankful for them!

(and my dear husband who is recovering quite nicely but didn't want his picture taken today.)

My belly is FULL and I'm going to bed!

and we're done...

2011-11-23T12:07:00.000-08:00

permanently.

Love ya, Honey!

a turkey treat to say thanks

2011-11-22T21:47:00.000-08:00

For some reason, the hoarder in me cannot get rid of baby food jars.  

All you have to do is search "baby food jars" on Pinterest and you can find so many fun ways to use them.  

I copied this cute little Thanksgiving idea.

I had Porter cut some feather-ish shapes out of construction paper.

On one of them he wrote
"I am thankful for you".

Then he moved on to something else more interesting so I glued on the feathers and googly eyes.

I made the beak and red hangy-thing out of pipe cleaners and glued them on as well.

Brooklyn helped me ~~eat~~ sort out the blue M&M's because they didn't look as Thanksgiving-y.

Then we filled them up!

Porter is going to give these to his teacher and the best neighborhood carpool driver ever.

GOBBLE GOBBLE!

he gets me every time

2011-11-21T07:04:00.000-08:00

Porter called me into his room after he went to bed.

"Mom, how do you make bad thoughts not be in your head?"

(Hmm...okay, let me think about this.)

"Welllll, you could think about something really fun-like going to Disneyland."

"But how do you make the bad thoughts not come in your head?"

"What kind of bad thoughts are we talking about here?"

"...like what if Mac gets out of the backyard and gets lost?"

"Oh, Honey, that would never happen because Dad would go out front and whistle for him and he would come back."

"But how do I not think things like that?"

"You just have to tell Jesus to take the scary thoughts out of your brain.  And think about fun things like Disneyland.  And know that if Mac ever gets really, really lost, Dad will drive all around the neighborhood until he finds him."

"Okay. Goodnight Mom."

(How did I get a little boy that looks so much like his Daddy but has a heart just like mine?)

eight months

2011-11-18T07:52:00.000-08:00

Say it isn't so!

Eight months, Gus Man!  I can't believe it!

He's a pat-a-caking maniac!

What are you doing, Gus?

*Crawling, crawling, crawling

*Wanting so badly to stand up

*Saying "Hi" and waving

*Sleeping from about 9 PM-6AM with a morning and afternoon nap

*Contributing 1626 diapers to the landfill! (Yep, we're keeping track.)

*Gnawing your two little bottom teeth on everything

*Looking like the perfect little combination of your brother and sister

*Enjoying most all babyfoods

  7 month comparison

wordless wednesday

2011-11-16T16:21:00.001-08:00

ordered!

2011-11-16T11:19:00.001-08:00

Merry Words Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly for beautiful photo Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

This is just one of the Christmas card designs I chose for this year!
There were too many to choose from!
Another check mark on my Christmas to-do list!

The Gus Man says

2011-11-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

"Hi!"

He really does! While waving!

surviving 32 and other weekend stuff

2011-11-14T12:08:00.000-08:00

So 32 came, and it wasn't nearly as painful as I had imagined.  

I really, really wasn't in a celebratory mood: my second visit since Gus' birth from my favorite "aunt" was in full flow-ha! and I'm really trying not to eat cake or anything else besides Lean Cuisines (until Thanksgiving).  Well anyway, my mom made us dinner and it was wonderful.

This is the picture she put on her FB page documenting my arrival 32 years ago.

I did get a little spoiled too!  My kiddos each picked out some cute, cozy socks for me.  (I think Gus had some help from Brooklyn picking the ones from him.)  My sweet husband, that has been listening to me complain about my neckache for the last few months, bought me a massage (and vacuum bags), and I got enough cash from other family members to guiltlessly take care of these long overdue roots!

I told Brooklyn she had to make me breakfast for my birthday, but she said the only thing I like to have for breakfast is coffee, and she didn't know how to make that.  Hmm, alright.   
On Friday I enjoyed a sparkly  pedicure and drank a free pumpkin pie latte (because I told the nice little college boy that it was my birthday).
 

THEN to top it all off, the BEST part of my day was when my mom came over and spent hours organizing and cleaning my laundry room/craft supply storage area/dump!  Seriously, it's a functioning laundry room now!  I can open the dryer door all of the way without it crashing into something!  I've got big plans for Nate to build a floor to ceiling shelving unit and all of my crafting crap will be neatly put away in cute little baskets.  I'm totally excited!

In other news:

I'm getting so impatient waiting for C.Jane's baby to get here.  Is it going to be a boy?  Is it going to be a girl?  What's its name? 

Mariah Carey has inspired me to legitimately do something about this post-preggo body.  I mean, seriously, the woman had twins only 6 months ago and she was large and in charge.  And really, how long can I say, "I just had a baby" ???

A police officer came to my door this morning to let me know that thieves are on the prowl in our town stealing the tires from PT Cruisers.  Um, weird.

The Gus man is for real crawling up on all fours! This is amazing news in our household because the other Barnes Yard children did not reach this milestone until 10 and 12 months. So obviously Gus is a genius.

I really, really love my new laptop because I can blog in bed and it doubles as the best foot warmer ever.

My next book club get together is in one week and I haven't started the book yet.  

I have gone to WalMart three times now to pick up some picture CDs and for various reasons, each time I haven't been able to get them.  And I just can't bring myself to clear my camera card until I have those CDs in hand!  (I figure it there ever is a fire in my home, I'll just grab my little album of picture CDs and then I won't have to worry about trying to lug out all of the photo albums.  I like to have a plan for situations that hopefully will never, but could, occur.)

That's all! 

32 on 11-11-11

2011-11-11T09:40:00.000-08:00

Spending my day with my loves!  

Yay, no school!

one last thing

2011-11-09T16:08:00.000-08:00

LAST THING I BOUGHT...
Well I didn't pay actual dollars for them, but I got six packages of Schick razors for free (with coupons).

LAST JUNK FOOD I ATE...
A snack size Milky Way that I found in the kitchen yesterday evening, and...well...then since I already ate that, I went ahead and ate two cupcakes right before I went to bed last night. So actually, the second cupcake was the last junk food that I ate.

LAST TIME I SAID
I LOVE YOU...
Nate just called me from the shoe store while he was picking up Porter's basketball shoes and I told him.

LAST GUILTY PLEASURE...
I sat down and read a whole People magazine. (That's where I got the idea for this post!)

LAST CELEB CRUSH...
Duh, have you seen DWTS? ROB!
I will forever still crush on Nick Lachey, though.

halloween wrap-up {treats and costumes}

2011-11-06T20:57:00.000-08:00

FIRST:  I just need to point out that I totally did not include a link to the website for the sexy mommy costumes.  I apologize.  HERE IT IS.

Anyway...

Yes, Halloween was over a week ago and I'm just now collecting my thoughts.  My kids are still begging for candy as soon as they wake up in the morning, and I hold out all day and then sneak Skittles and Starburst when everyone goes to bed.   
(No I don't.  Just kidding, yes I do.)

Here's a quicky little how-to of the Gus man's homemade bunting. I pretend I know how to sew, but I really don't. I mean, I can operate a sewing machine, but I have no clue about patterns or really anything else other than sewing a straight line. I'm really good at winging it, and that's what I did here. You might notice that I didn't take into consideration that the baby could crap himself and there's no opening in the bottom. I might think about that next time...but that would include difficult stuff like snaps or zippers, and yeah...never mind.

I cannot get enough of this cutie pie in his costume! I mean, seriously!

The night before Halloween I realized Porter didn't have a Halloween shirt to wear to school, so I got up at 5 AM and sewed "Boo" onto a plain black t-shirt.

(He thought it was pretty cool.)

We had some super cute trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood this year!

Libby the Bumble Bee

Hank the Crocodile Hunter

and Jacie the 50's Girl

Brooklyn and I made the ghosts for her school treats.  

The pumpkin sodas were for the teachers.

(Both ideas snagged from Pinterest.)

Is anyone out there besides me already planning for next Halloween???

recent discoveries

2011-11-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

cute kiddos at Disney on Ice

(I made my teeth extra white with editing software.)

1.  I just do one pumpkin face.  That's it.  If I try getting all fancy with the carving, it's a disaster.  So all you're gonna get is triangle eyes and nose with a happy smile and three teeth.  Go ask your dad if you want something else. 

2.  Lingerie now passes for a Halloween costume.  I knew it was coming to this.  You don't even need little ears or a tail or anything, just wear a black, lacy bustier/panty thing, and you've got your costume.  

3.  I'm always right when it comes to my advice to celebrities (i.e. Kim Kardashian), therefore I have decided to start a weekly (monthly?) section on my blog where I give my personal advice to all the celebrities that are obviously reading this. 

4.  My coffee/Diet Pepsi drinking has definitely caught up with my teeth.  They are yellow.  My husband has been calling me "butter teeth".  I have a bunch of coupons for all of the Crest whitening products and I plan to purchase those products today.  Of course, I will post pics of the results!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

From Indiana Jones,

a Magical Unicorn,

The Very Hungry Caterpillar,

and Cruella!

halloween sneak peek...

2011-10-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

...but he was still hungry!

flashback friday

2011-10-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

porter says

2011-10-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

"Nope, I already ate 'em all."

(when asked if he needed his fingernails trimmed)

you know how I love moms in "sexy" halloween costumes!

2011-10-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

(This is a non-paid advertisement.)

So, yeah, it's that time again,
you know, when you want to look all sexy on Halloween.

Luckily I found a website that meets all of your super sexy Halloween shopping needs.

If you are like me, you have probably waited until the last minute to find that perfect costume to wear for your kid's Halloween party at school or even just to hand out candy to the neighborhood kids.

I found my dream costume today!

For years I've been wanting to dress up as a watermelon slice with a bite taken out of it!
(It is going to look so cute displaying that little area of stretch marks!)

Here are some other cute costumes you might want to snach up before they sell out...

Someone found Nemo!

Bet she knows a lot about that!

The banana costume was a close second for me...

maybe next year!

Oh, I don't think you're fooling anyone, sweetie.

(In all honesty, I actually like this one.)

I even found a costume for Nate!

And I am not even joking, with any order you get a FREE panty!

AWESOME!

Happy Halloween!

the winnerS are...

2011-10-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

(PS I want you to know that the Gus man chose these winners by the very scientific method of hitting the computer screen.)

Is this always going to be funny to me?

Anyway, the WINNERS are..............

DENISSA
KELLI
MEREDITH

Yayyyyy!!
I will be emailing you with your code for 25 free Shutterly cards today!

Thanks for your continued Barnes Yard love!

question for moms:

2011-10-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

Even though you knew in your heart of hearts that you were really done done having babies...

were you still a teeny tiny bit sad?

I'm miserable being pregnant.

I'm horrible during delivery.

I could possibly be the world's worst pusher.

And I have the BEST babies.

UPDATE I'm giving away 75 Shutterfly cards!

2011-10-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, there's a giveaway to go along with my last post!

Shutterfly is letting me give 3 readers 25 FREE Christmas cards!
Woo-Hoo!

To enter:
Do these two things:
1. Follow my blog
2. Leave me a comment telling me how adorable my kids are and how awesome Shutterfly is.

I will choose three winners on Tuesday so that you can get an early start on your Christmas cards!
GOOD LUCK!

hey, it's that time again!

2011-10-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

...well if you want to be completely on top of things (like me!) and have yours done by Thanksgiving.

It's time to start planning, preparing, and posing for Christmas cards!
Shutterfly is coming through for me again.
Can I get a Woop-Woop!
My Christmas cards from last year made me so happy that I'm definitely using Shutterfly again.
I've already been playing around with ideas for this year's card. (Did you notice my practice session in my new blog header???)
I only had to bribe "the one with the attitude" with chocolate ice cream.

So far I'm really liking these options:

pretty cute

also cute

a definite front runner

There's lots more I like, though. I'm sure I'll agonize over it as long as possible!
Take a look at all of their options! <--- click there and HERE for more.

They also have tons of fun Christmas gifts (like these). Did I ever show you the book I made for Gus?

(That's not Gus, but I made one in that style)

I need to show you. It is so adorable. Maybe I'll make a couple for the grandmas too!

Now get moving, there's only 65 days until Christmas!

wordless wednesday

2011-10-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

(Thanks for the laugh, Sharon!)

seven months old

2011-10-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

August Harrison, you are SEVEN months old!

* You are army crawling all over the place!  

* You have two teeth.

* You drink 6 oz bottles and eat one jar of baby food a day.

* You have gone through 1464 diapers and you wear a size 3.

* You weigh about 17 pounds and wear 6-12 month clothing.

* You are very attached to your binky and blankie.

* You adore your big brother and sister!

* You love to blow raspberries.

* On a great night you sleep from 8 PM-6 AM and you take two long naps during the day (if nobody wakes you up)

* You are the perfect completion of our family!

bits

2011-10-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tina Fey for wearing maternity pants in People magazine.  I appreciate that you even let the band show a little bit.  Yes, your baby is only 2 months old and mine is 7, but I do feel a tiny bit better.  

PS-I loved Bossypants!  Fun-ny!

I don't really watch any of the Kardashian shows but I did watch some of Kim's two part wedding extravaganza and can I just say Kris Humphries is weird (and kind of creepy).   

I kind of feel like a bad mom when Porter repeats lines from Problem Child...but it does make me laugh when he says, "I hope you like clowns!"

32 is approaching next month and all I want for my birthday are new bath towels.

Nate already bought my present.

It's a laptop.

He told me, because he always gets excited and wants to tell me ahead of time.

Brooklyn says she's either getting me Pajama Jeans or a Gyro Bowl.

Moon Dough is my new favorite toy!  Brooklyn got some for her birthday and I just can't put it down!  It is so, so, so much fun, I can just make those little burgers over and over again.  The clean up is a million times easier than Play Doh too!  Go buy some for yourself your kids!

When I was looking for my Moon Dough pic, I saw this one.  Wasn't that just, like, yesterday?  Unbelievable. 

(PS I'm still wearing those jeans... and shirt, actually.) 

six month comparison

2011-10-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

August 6 months

Porter 5 months 

(for some reason I didn't have his picture taken at 6 months)

Brooklyn 6 months

a magical party {rainbows, unicorns & and 5 year old}

2011-10-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Seriously,

she's really five.

My baby girl,

five years old.

{sigh.}

We celebrated in a quite magical way.

She helped me plan each and every detail months in advance.  

She's really into unicorns these days.

Oh, but does she have big plans for her next birthday party, 

when "I will be six!"

{Why do they want to grow up so fast?}

Her Uncle Jason made the fabulous tablecloth.

Little Starlets made the fabulous tutu.

{I birthed the fabulous girl!} 

Invite by Birdie Says Caw
Shoes by Hello Kitty

Each little girl got rainbow socks, a rainbow bouncy ball, a glow stick, and lots of candy!

{Big girl wish!}

And because everyone kept asking:

The cake was made from two Betty Crocker cake mixes and 1/2 tsp of each color of Wilton's food coloring in the little pots.

{friends}

{favors}

I hope your special day was filled with magic, baby girl! 

Pin It

new fall lineup opinions

2011-10-12T06:49:00.000-07:00

UP ALL NIGHT:  (The show I was most excited to see.)

*A kooky kind of funny

*The two late 30-ish women are named Ava and Reagan and the baby is named Amy.  It seems like it should be the other way around.  

*Best line: "You have spit-up on your shirt and I'm wearing maternity leggings."

DWTS:

*I heart Rob Kardashian.

*It makes me want to chant, "Go Ricki, go Ricki!".

*Best line: "You look like a little Ewok trying to dance with Princess Leia."

PLAYBOY CLUB:

*Mad that I wasted my time watching the first episode.

*Just heard that it got canceled.  

SISTER WIVES: 

*I have an unhealthy fascination with them.

*Kody likes the new baby mama the best.

*Kody needs a haircut.

birthday tradition

2011-10-10T06:45:00.000-07:00

And now the unveiling of the 2011 photo of Brooklyn in my wedding dress...

Here are the past years...

2007

2008

Happy Birthday Brooklyn Blanche!

2011-10-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

Five years ago today God gave us the most eccentric, dramatic, sweet and saucy girl.

She's been fabulous since the day we met her!

overheard at the Pointers' house

2011-10-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

NB: "...(blah, blah, blah...something about) A.C. Green"
JB: "Isn't that the guy that was driving O.J. in the white Bronco?"
NB: "No, that was someone else."
JB: "It was A.C. Green."
JP: "No it wasn't."
NB: "A.C. Green is a Christian."
JB: "Oh yeah, I mean Al Green."
NB: "Definitely not Al Green."
JP: "I'll google it."
NB: "A.C. Slater?"
JP: "Al Cowlings."
NB & JB: "Oh riiiiight."

before I had kids...

2011-10-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

1.  I was more of a low rise jean wear-er, whereas now classic rise is a must.

2.  I NEVER, not even after a wild drunken college night, woke up with these ginormous bags under my eyes.

3.  I couldn't understand why people would say that they didn't even have time to snap all three of their baby's onesie snaps.  I now understand and feel bad for judging their "laziness".  

4. I apparently loved nerds.
(PS my sister would want me to point out that she had just given birth to Henry, like, 2 days before.)

interview with my girl

2011-09-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

Five.

Five, people, she's going to be five years old on October 9th. 

I love my girl.

Mom: "Can I ask you some questions?"

BBB: "Yeah, first let me get my blank."

Mom: "How old are you going to be on October 9th?"

BBB: "Five."

Mom: "What will it feel like to be five?"

BBB: "I'll be big."

Mom: "What can you do when you are five?"

BBB: "Whistle and snap.  And do cartwheels."

Mom: "What are we going to do at your birthday party?"

BBB: "Have cake, play pin the horn on the unicorn, fun games...Please, Mom, I want a pinata.  You hit it with a bat.  A big, yellow bat is perfect."

Mom: "What are you going to be for Halloween?"

BBB: "A unicorn."

Mom: "When you are five, are you going to have your blank?"

BBB: "Yeah, I wanna keep my blank.  I don't wanna give up my blank.  I want to keep it forever.  I love it so much."

Mom: "What is your favorite song?"

BBB: "Hey, hey, hey, hey, you don't like your girlfriend.  Oh and Taylor Swiss you're gonna be mean,  oh and Taylor Swiss wish you can't grow up."

Mom: "Are you going to get married when you are five?"

BBB: "No."

Mom: "Are you going to go to college when you are five?"

BBB: "No."

Mom: "Where would you like to go on a trip?"

BBB: "On an airplane to Katie's wedding if she gets married again."

Mom: "What do you want me to buy you for your birthday?"

BBB: "Can you buy me a new ring, a necklace, a bracelet, a dress, shoes-high heels, and even one more thing...a cape?"

Mom: "Where did you come from?"

BBB: "Heaven."

Mom: "How did you get here?"

BBB: "Jesus put me in your tummy...He changed my shape...you know, into a people shape.  Then I came out at the doctor and grew up to be four."

Mom: "Do you know how special you are?"

BBB: "I am?  You think I'm the most special-est?"

Mom: "Yes.  Do you know how much your Mom and Dad love you?"

BBB: "One hundred."

overheard in the Barnes Yard

2011-09-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn (the infomercial queen): "Mom, if you want to have great skin, you need to buy that stuff in the white bottle."

Mom: "Don't I already have great skin?"

Brooklyn: "No, you have spots all over."

Peeeeeeee Essssssss....

The little infomercial queen is turning FIVE in 16 days!!!! The party planning is in full swing!

Oh yes, it's going to be MAGICAL!

RD

2011-09-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

1.  That little sharp thing I thought I felt yesterday is indeed a real TOOTH!

2.  I figure I've still got about five more years of wiping butts.  The two big ones are independent wipers, but if they know that I'm within a one mile radius, they will scream for me until I wipe.  

3.  I thought Fall had arrived, but I was wrong.  It's 85 degrees here today. 

4. Dryer sheets in pockets act as a bee repellent on the playground...at least so far.

5. In this house, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit...unless, of course, you throw a fit long enough, then Mommy will give you whatever you want so that you will be quiet. (Don't judge.)

wordless wednesday: hey, that's not where I left you

2011-09-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

half a year & 31 years

2011-09-17T21:01:00.000-07:00

My sweet wittle precious angel woobie man is 6 MONTHS OLD!

(He's perfecting his serious faces.)

Here's where we are at six months:

* weighs 15 lbs, 12 oz!

* is a formula fed baby now...He decided he was done with boobies and I decided I was done with pumping.  (It's kind of sad to know that I'll never nurse a baby again.)

* started the green baby foods this week (so far likes green beans and peas).  

*  has gone through 1266 diapers (yes, I'm keeping track!) and 5 million wipes just in the last two weeks thanks to a lovely thing called Salmonella  

* is getting more sturdy while sitting up

*goes to bed around 8 PM and wakes up around 6 AM to eat and then goes back to sleep for awhile

*rolls around to get whatever he wants to get his hands on

*still loves Mommy's singing, unlike these other kids who scream at me to stop

Aaaaaand, today is someone's 31st birthday!  

We made him a cake.  

Blanche will give you the instructions: 

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

RD

2011-09-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

1.  Soy formula causes the grossest smelling baby burps!

2.  There is someone on TV more annoying than iCarly...the teen sister on Good Luck Charlie.

3.  Scentsy is now making perfume (unfortunately not in my very favorite scent White Sands).

4.  I may actually save more money on groceries just by putting the food back in the refrigerator that my husband leaves out than with all of my couponing.

 5.  Little Pumpkin likes green beans!

wordless wednesday: determination

2011-09-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

pop quiz:

2011-09-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

Make a mental list of everything your teething baby has put in his mouth for the last two weeks...

Oh yes, I've been driving myself absolutely crazy trying to figure out how my little Gus got Salmonella, especially since most people get it from uncooked poultry and the baby's diet consists of breast milk, formula and rice cereal. The term "fecal-oral transmission" keeps getting tossed around and it's enough to make a mama cry...

Even so, the Gus man is a little trooper. He is so smiley and happy, you would never guess he was sick. If you think about it today, say a quick prayer that my sweet boy has a speedy recovery.

first day of preschool and first day of 1st grade: done and done

2011-09-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

 new clothes

check

and check

 new school bag

check

goodies for the teachers

check

and check

 not just on time,

but early

check!

 found classroom

check

 made it to second school on time

check

 a successful day for my first grader and preschooler

DOUBLE CHECK!

Gus was excited for them to come home!

overheard in the Barnes Yard

2011-09-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Mommy:"Sometimes I look at Gus and think to myself, well, I know for sure he's not going to be a professional basketball player when he grows up.  And I know for sure he's not going to be the president when he grows up." 

Daddy:"How do you know he doesn't want to be the president?  He might be!"

Mommy:"Okaaaaay."

labor day numbers

2011-09-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

419-approximate number of diarrhea diapers I have changed over the weekend

35-number of times today I've been asked if we can go get a Happy Meal so someone can get another Sketcher shoe toy

5,376-number of times I've gone over my first day of school to-do list

52-number of Diet Pepsis I've consumed in the last three days

1-number of zoo trips that have been canceled due to diarrhea

322-number of photos I printed at Walgreens so my camera card could be empty for first day of school pics 

2-the number on both kids' soccer jerseys this year...Go Mermaids and Mad Dogs!

295-the number of times I've walked through the kitchen today and thought that the floor needed mopping

114-the number of times I will think that again before I actually do something about it

t minus 5 days...(and 4 month comparison)

2011-09-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

until the big kids go back to school!

I'm still rushing around like a crazy mom trying to get everything ready!

I've yet to finish making Porter's teacher's treat, Brooklyn's teachers' treats, and sewing her new school bags...even though my sewing machine and glue gun have been sitting out for the past week.  

I'm always getting sidetracked by the dang laundry...urgg!

Brooklyn is getting her back to school haircut today so that will be taken care of...I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting...

I don't even have their first day outfits picked out yet!

We went to the water park last week and the kiddos got to cool off.  The summer weather just finally started here!

And Mr. Man here is throwing me for a loop! I'm just sticking with that he's got to be getting a tooth because he is so off his routine, refusing the boob, not sleeping, etc...

the babies at 4 months each

The boys at 5 months

Happy September!

the Gus Man's very first haircut

2011-08-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

PS: The following was not my idea.

Uncle Ham (the Barnes Yard Barber) was at our house giving Porter a back to school trim. When Porter was finished I looked out the window and saw this:

My exact words were,
"Waaaaaaait, I'm supposed to be documenting this!!"

Daddy decided that the Gus Man needed a fade up the back to blend in that pesky bald spot.

I'm thinking he looks pretty cute!

overheard in the Barnes Yard

2011-08-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

"Mom, you really should get 'pa-jaw-ma' jeans because you can live in them, and ride bikes in them, and other jeans can leave ugly marks, and they are soooo comfortable, so you should get them."

is it just me orrrrr...

2011-08-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Does Benicio del Toro look like Brad Pitt on a bad day???
Does MTV just not have anything good to offer anymore?
Well, I guess there is still "Teen Mom", speaking of which, if you knew you were going to be filmed lying in your bed for a tv show, wouldn't you at least put a sheet on your mattress?
And if your cry looked like this,
wouldn't you make sure to not cry on camera?
Do you feel like nothing you create is original because you copied it off Pintrest?
Are you afraid to quit breastfeeding because you don't want your yucky girl stuff to come back?  
Okay, yeah...that's probably just me...
Does Taylor Swift (or "Taylor Swiss" as Brooklyn says) have the catchiest tunes?  Love her.
AND, is this not the best entertainment ever???

wordless wednesday

2011-08-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn says

2011-08-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

"Wellll,

I stepped in a dog crap but Dad hosed it off and my hand only smells like it a little bit."

week in review

2011-08-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

It was in the 90's this weekend!

Whoaaaaaa....too hot for big mama!!

I kept it a crisp 70 degrees in the house, because it's my house and I can do whatever I want...(while Nate's at work).

I did my witch's cackle when Brooklyn said, "Mommy, I'm too cold!"

Here are some of last week's high points:

Posing baby in Pinterest copying ways

(Don't you just want to do a raspberry on that white belly???)

Kickin' it at soccer camp

Strolling through the Enchanted Forest

Being swallowed by a witch!

Balancing in the Crooked House

Trying food!

And marking off another box on the summer to-do list by sleeping in the backyard

Two weeks until school starts!!!

OFFICIAL 5 month+1 day photos posted on 5 month+2 day birthday

2011-08-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

5 month stats:

*Rolls from back to front every time I put him on the floor

*Puts everything in his mouth!

*Has a constant stream of drool going on

*Has gone through 1008 diapers (yes I'm keeping track!)

*Wears size 2 diapers and 3-6 clothing

*Weighs a little over 13 pounds

*Is getting a shot today :(

five months old

2011-08-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

GOSH DANGIT!!

Mothering FAIL!

How did I forget to take his five month old picture?

He only turns five months old once!!

Tomorrow when he wakes up and is five months old plus one day I will take the official picture with him in a white onesie, the sticker, and an adorable smile and we will try to pretend this never happened!

hair today, gone tomorrow

2011-08-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

barnes yard

9 month comparison

advertised products my children are convinced I need and their reasons why

brooklyn barnes {fashion police officer}

10 months old {and this is what you get for pictures}

numbers

my unsolicited advice to celebrities {1st edition}

I suck at blogging

overheard in the Barnes Yard

2 AM at my house and a couple of recent discoveries

overheard in the Barnes Yard...

I've got plans for this year {2012}

Welcome 2012!

baby feets part II

Christmas break somethings

a whole bunch of Christmas pics

very last Christmas craft

personalized gifts are my favorite!

teacher gifts {they didn't just get some empty bags}

wordless wednesday {chillin'}

I really...

whaddya think?

words and pictures that don't really go together

nine months

9 years

cutest moments of the weekend

SHABBY APPLE WINNER!

a Christmas craft for the kids

a tiny little seed of doubt planted...

SHABBY APPLE GIVEAWAY {because you deserve it!}

weekend wrap-up

overheard in the Barnes Yard...

The Gus Man says

old dog

partial decorations & letters to the man in red

Brooklyn sings...

rd and the makings of a turkey shirt

Thanksgiving 2011

and we're done...

a turkey treat to say thanks

he gets me every time

eight months

wordless wednesday

ordered!

The Gus Man says

surviving 32 and other weekend stuff

32 on 11-11-11

one last thing

halloween wrap-up {treats and costumes}

recent discoveries

Happy Halloween!

halloween sneak peek...

flashback friday

porter says

you know how I love moms in "sexy" halloween costumes!

the winnerS are...

question for moms:

*UPDATE* I'm giving away 75 Shutterfly cards!

hey, it's that time again!

wordless wednesday

seven months old

bits

six month comparison

a magical party {rainbows, unicorns & and 5 year old}

new fall lineup opinions

birthday tradition

Happy Birthday Brooklyn Blanche!

overheard at the Pointers' house

before I had kids...

interview with my girl

overheard in the Barnes Yard

RD

wordless wednesday: hey, that's not where I left you

half a year & 31 years

RD

wordless wednesday: determination

pop quiz:

first day of preschool and first day of 1st grade: done and done

overheard in the Barnes Yard

labor day numbers

UPDATE I'm giving away 75 Shutterfly cards!