And there's more...

Things just keep a happenin...and I keep bringing my camera. So, here's more May events.

The kids and I went to IHOP one morning while Jared was fourwheeling with the guys. We had free kids meals cards so we got lots of food and only paid $6.43. That was a good time, poor Jared missed out.




Memorial day, here are some Barretts and Schauers at Lillian's grave.



Silly kids keep getting a hold of the camera and taking random pictures. I usually delete but once in a while they are pretty cute.

Weston made Steve and Blue out of playdough.



Savanna had 3 cavities and thus had to be numb to have them filled, this is her crooked smile afterwards, no exaggeration. It was funny to see her like that for a couple of hours, I had to wonder if I'd love her if she really looked like that. Just kidding Savanna, you know I would.


Fiora's Kindergarten Graduation. She is now officially a 1st grader! Only one more year of taking a kid to school every day for only 2.75 hours.



And I have to thank Jared for the magnanimous post he wrote for me on my birthday. And thank all of you for your birthday wishes and agreeing with him! He can be so articulate, I'm so glad he left out the bad stuff. :) It was totally a surprise and I loved it. I had a great birthday, Jared made breakfast, I went out to lunch at Zuppas with my dear friend Stacy, and we took the family out to dinner ... so all meals covered! My mom made sure I had many presents from the Barretts, shade shirts from everyone! Thanks mom. We are so blessed.

To my Gorgeous wife on her birthday

Today is Heather’s 21st birthday. Though I never contribute to this blog, I want to share with you some of the reasons I love this woman.

Heather is b-e-a-utiful. When I first met her she had long, curly hair. She was tiny and in great shape. She still looks great. She doesn’t need make up to look good and rarely uses it. When she does put on make up and does her hair, she looks HOT!!!!

Heather is talented. I dreamed of a wife who could play the piano. When I found out how good Heather is at the piano, I was beat. Not only does she play the piano, but she also plays the flute and guitar. I am not done yet on the musical talents. Have you heard this girl sing? She has near perfect pitch and her voice is very sweet. She is irresistible when she plays me a love song on her guitar. Heather is artistic. Before we were married, I wanted her to draw me a picture of herself and she did. I cherish that drawing and the one she eventually drew of me. Her art is hanging on the walls of several homes. She has many other talents but I don’t want to brag.

Heather is a spiritual giant. She always wakes up early to study her scriptures, read conference talks, write in her journal, and pray. She has an excellent knowledge of the scriptures and is very close to the Spirit. I love the example she sets for me and for our children of a righteous child of God. Her testimony of the Gospel is strong and I know she truly believes everything she says when she bears it.

Heather is caring. Her capacity to serve and care for her family and friends is astounding. Many of you have benefited from her service. People can count on her for help with their children, a meal, an empathetic ear, and so much more. When she sees a need, Heather fills it. This characteristic will make her a great social worker someday. We have been married for 9 1/2 years and not a day goes by that she is not serving me selflessly.

Heather is an excellent cook. One glance at my gut and you will see how much I love her meals. She just keeps getting better as she tries new recipes and ideas. I am so grateful to come home to a nice meal after work every day.

Heather is an excellent mother. Some days, she gets down on herself because she didn’t spend enough time focusing on the kids. I just put them in front of a movie when I watch them but she gets down on their level and connects with them. When Heather was pregnant, she glowed and was absolutely radiant. She was beautiful through our trial with Lillian and continues to handle the work of motherhood with grace.

There are many other reasons I love my wife but I don’t want to bore you any further. I hope she doesn’t delete this post because she is so modest. If you know Heather, you know I am not exaggerating on this post about her many wonderful qualities and attributes, but am really telling it how it is. I am fortunate to have her. Happy Birthday Heather!!!!!!! I Love You!!!!

Busy May

Lots of happenings this week. Time sure flies when you are having fun!

Weston's preschool graduation was 45 minutes of songs! Weston was by far the loudest and most animated, he won the award for best singer and his teacher stopped the whole show so he could use the bathroom in the middle of the performance! He is sure to be a star someday, or a superhero since he spends all his spare time practicing for that. Look at these pictures! They are cool and awesome. (Weston won't let us call him cute anymore, only cool and awesome.)




My cousin Cassi was in town looking for homes and they were gracious enough to use Jared as their realtor. I was able to babysit their cute kids ages 5, 3, and 1, a couple of times while they were house hunting. They were sure fun and cute! I also got a visit with my cool and awesome Aunt Jeanie and Uncle Rick.





We went to Gunnison to be with many Schauers Saturday and on the way I stopped by my long time friend Maria Olson's home in Payson as she and Clarence recently bought a home. She was doing very well and it was great to visit with her for a while. She has some cool and awesome kids who played with Fiora.



At Gunnison we had a nice visit and dinner. AFter dinner the twins fell asleep in their respective chairs. Chad and Robin Schauers were here from Montana with their cool and awesome kids, my kids love to play with them.




So lots of happenings! The kids also had a dance festival this week but I only got video of it. Fiora did an Israeli dance and Savanna did an American dance. Savanna had her baptism interview with the Bishop and passed, so June 6th at 1:00 PM please join us at our Stake Center on 1000 North and 450 West for her special day.

Savanna's 8

Savanna is 8 and for her birthday this year she was showered with love. Saturday the 16th we had a little friend party going miniature golfing and hitting the awesome pinata Gma Sandy gave her shaped like a giant flip flop. Here's my rushed and sad attempt at a cake. (I had to make it in a hurry the day before because of our "getaway.") It tasted pretty good. Then Jared and I took her out to dinner at Jason's Deli for a special one-on-two outing. She loved it. Wendy offered to watch the other two kids and invited us to stay and watch "Hotel for Dogs" in her theater after. The next morning Savanna requested omelets and Jared and I made her bacon onion cheese omelets, her favorite. We gave her a few gifts and then went to church. She got to be the reverence child and stand at the pulpit before the meeting began. After church the home teachers brought her some candy. Then (are you exhausted yet?) we took some dinner over to the Snow's home and had a dinner/party with all the Schauers. Unfortunately Grandma Sandy was battling some painful side effects of having a cancer removal procedure and couldn't come. But she sent up a gorgeous cake shaped like a lamb. So at least Savanna had one decent cake! Thanks Grandma. Wendy Snow presented Savanna with a baptism book and packet of symbols to remember at baptism, I may use it for a talk. She was given gifts and money from her aunts and uncles! By now I was exhausted. But you may have noticed the Barretts haven't factored in yet. My parents and siblings came over Monday evening and gave her even MORE gifts and love and we had a great dinner with them too. Savanna was extremely blessed this year. Age 8 is a big deal around these parts, and we are excited for this milestone and her baptism coming up June 6th. Savanna was crying in her bed last night and I impatiently asked her why, after all she had been so loved, and she said: "I'm embarrassed to tell you, I'm sad because it's over and I won't get any presents tomorrow." I translated that to mean she really loved her birthday--thanks everyone.

Getaway

My Birthday (not til the 26th) present this year from Jared was an overnight getaway to a Bed and Breakfast in Logan, I've never been to the Logan temple and have always wanted to because of its rich history and unique architecture. We stayed at the Providence Inn, also a historic building over 120 years old. (Lacey Weight stayed the night with our kids, they had a ton of fun with her. Crafts, movies, and giggling til midnight!) It was a perfect birthday gift. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Cement Pad

Well this year may as well be called the Home Improvement year. Here we have the side of the yard which is usually covered in knee-high weeds being transformed into a cement pad. Jared and I have wanted to do this since we moved in but always had many other things to spend our money on and saving for it took a few years. These "before" pictures don't show how atrocious this looked because Jared had mowed it and taken away all the garbage that had collected. It looks much much better. My uncle Mike Terry and his sons did the cement work, we recommend them if you are in need of concrete!

Here's some Home Improvement clips to celebrate:

Superboy

When we asked what his name was he said simply "Superboy"

(note: scissors, bucket opener, and B B gun are his weapons, an easle with a necklace woven through is the mask. Hope his cape doesn't snag...)

Mother's Day

Jared and the kids made me such a nice breakfast. Jared bought me a new dress and some shorts. The kids were excited to give me presents and tried not to fight all day. It was fun to have kids at an age that understand about mother's day. :) My parents kindly traveled to my home to have dinner, it was fun to be together. We had dessert with the Schauers later. I felt honored and was happy to be able to honor my mother and mother in law.

Savanna lost her 10th tooth, when does it stop being news that kids teeth fall out? Not as exciting anymore, however she pulled this one out all by herself in the school bathroom which I thought was very brave.

Early Mother's Day Tribute

With Mother's Day coming up I thought I'd write a little tribute to my mom, Kathy Sue Barrett. Most people know she is a mother of 10 children, and that alone is amazing enough. But she manages to be a mother of 10 with such an amazing attitude, always loving her children no matter what their faults, and trying to serve her children whenever she can. Mom is always being faithful and positive, and a great example of turning to the Lord in every trial. She has 9 grandchildren and 2 more on the way! She also overcame depression with very limited outside help which is amazing to me. She is also quite a card player! She loves hiking, the outdoors are her favorite place to be. I also admire her determination to go to the temple once a week now that her children are older. I could go on and on about her musical talents! She fostered my love for music and writes songs and sings wonderfully. (She taught a lesson in Relief Society this past week and sang 4 songs she composed, it was very brave and a great way to share the gospel and invite the spirit.) I feel very blessed to have such a valiant and wonderful mother!