Burning Bad Habits

 

For Young Women's this week, we burned our bad habits. Our Laurel advisor, Robyn Whiting, has a great fire pit in her backyard it was the perfect setting. After a short lesson discussing the new year and plans to improve ourselves, we wrote our bad habits on 3x5 cards and threw them into the flames. I don't know how the young women felt, but I thought it was invigorating to burn a bad habit. Something about watching my card burn made me feel like I had a clean slate.  After the burning ceremony we made smores. I think the girls really enjoyed themselves. As you can see, I certainly did. It was such a fun activity I thought I'd share in case anyone else wanted to try it. Say goodbye to a bad habit in 2010! 

50 Things to Do Before I Die

I stole this idea from my cousin Michelle's blog. She had a similar post over a year ago and it's taken me this long to make my own list. I started out shooting for 100 things, but it was harder than I thought to come up with "must do before I die" items! We'll start with 50, maybe in the future I'll add more.

Attend all the temples in Utah (Including the new one in Payson, yay!)
Eat lunch in front of the Eiffel Tower
Play catch with Troy in Central Park
Graduate from nursing school at BYU*
Print my blog into a book
Visit the White House
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge*
Own a home :)
Bake loaves of bread all by myself (that aren't hard as rocks :)
See the Golden Gate Bridge
Ride in a hot air balloon
Visit the Polynesian Cultural Center
See a play in Globe Theater in London
Take my picture by Big Ben
Go on an African Safari
Landscape my own backyard
See my husband's mission (Quito, Ecuador)
Take my family to Disneyland
Swim with Dolphins*
Go to my husbands graduation from medical school
Be completely debt free
Go on a medical humanitarian trip with Troy
Go white water rafting
Learn how to crochet a baby blanket
Start my personal history
Take an ancestor's name through the temple
Visit the Grand Canyon
Run a race, any length (I don't really feel I'm full marathon material...)
Plant my own tomato plants
Finish my highschool scrapbook
Scan my husband's photo slides into digital copies
Scrapbook our wedding*
Be a two car family again someday ;)
Take Troy to Rainbow Bridge at Lake Powell
Learn Claire de Lune by Debussy on the piano
Learn Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven on the piano*
Pay cash for a car
Sew a Halloween costume for one of my children
Own a video camera
Keep a journal once a week for a year
Take a violin lesson
Plant a vegetable garden
Pay for the groceries of the person behind me at the store
Go on a mission with Troy
Bake an apple pie from scratch
Read the Book of Mormon in 30 days
Go Four-wheeling on the beach* (Didn't know I needed to do this before I died until I did it... so amazing.) Go on a cruise
Visit San Fransisco
Hang curtains in my bedroom
Spend the night in a Bed and Breakfast

There you have it, my life's ambitions in a nutshell. The starred  items are ones I have already done. (I got a few of my ideas from Michelle's list, thanks Michelle! :) Now you can check up on my progress. I like goals, they keep things exciting.

Oh Bountiful!

I feel about Bountiful the way most Canadians feel about Canada. I am a loyal Bountiful-ite. If Bountiful had a flag I just might hang it up in my window or wear it as a T-shirt. The town of my childhood couldn't be better. This last trip was just perfect. It turned out to be 11 days instead of 10 because lovely Southwest canceled my flight. :) Actually there was a good reason, apparently there were "treacherous" winds in Phoenix and all flights were canceled from that airport. Who'd have thought it would be Phoenix with the weather issues and not Salt Lake? Anyway, back to my Bountiful expedition...Here are a few photos highlighting my stay.

Jackson and Grandpa. Jackson LOVED his Grandpa. He would grin every time he saw him. I think he appreciated the male influence since he was missing his dad.

 

 

Jackson also adored his Uncle Jeremy. Jer was so cute to pick him up and play with him often. Jer and Jackson went on walks around the house, played with toys and had some good male bonding time.

  

 

 

Here we are about to go to church. Church was fantastic. I spent 90% of it in the hall with this crazy little boy. He was completely wired from missing his nap. At least he looked adorable in his new Sunday outfit.

 

And we can't forget that Jackson equally loved his Aunt Ashley. She is so motherly! And she was a huge help to me during a few stressful moments when Jackson needed emergency changing and bathing. Thanks Ash!

I'm wishing I had taken a picture with Jackson and Aunt Lindsay. I forgot. Lindsay got to come back to B-town from Utah State for Martin Luther King day. It was so fun to see her. Speaking of which. When I arrived in Bountiful, there was a note on my bed from Lindsay. Isn't she awesome?

 

We visited Jackson's Great Grandma and Grandpa Mabey. Jackson wasn't sure what he thought about Grandpa's beard. He kept staring at it nervously. We let him touch it so he wouldn't be afraid. At first that didn't help, he was still a little nervous. Then he became more comfortable and grabbed on for a nice hard pull. Good thing Great Grandpa is tough!

There is a tradition in the Barneck family of recording heights on the inside of the coat closet. We did it in the house we grew up in and my mom seriously considered taking the door with her when we moved. In the new house, the tradition continues. Every few months someone pulls out the tape measure and we update everyone's height and mark the date next to the new measurement. I was long full grown by the time we moved into my parents' current house, so I only appear once. I'm happy to say that Jackson made it onto the door during our Bountiful visit. He is by far the shortest at 27 3/4 inches. Go Jackson! It will be fun to see how much he's grown the next time we visit.

 

Here are the measurements. Neighbors and friends are included. If you pay a visit to 1013 South 1300 East in Bountiful, you might get your height recorded as well. :)

 

 

Jackson very nearly destroyed my mom's house. This was one of his favorite places to play: the chest that holds the DVDs. He would pull them out and throw them on the floor and then crawl throught them and spread them across the room. Luckily they were easy to clean up. (Much easier than the kitchen drawer that held all the wisks, wooden spoons, and rubber spatulas :)

 

Sometimes you play so hard, you lose your pants. Sorry bud, I guess those are a little too long!

 

We got to visit my Great Grandma Mabey a few times. She is so cute with Jackson. I just love her so much! She isn't doing very well, poor lady. I never know when I'm going to see her for the last time, so I'm glad we got to stop into the care center a few different days while we were visiting.

Jackson and his Grandma. By the end of our stay Jackson would let my mom tend him without any problems whatsoever. (That's saying something since he's become the biggest mama's boy ever.) The three of us had so much fun bouncing around on errands and whatever other adventures came our way while everyone else was at school or work. Thanks for letting me tag along with you mom! (And for making sure I didn't miss out on my favorite Bountiful lunch spots like Cutler's and Cafe Rio. I wish those sandwiches and salads could be shipped to me in Arizona. ;)

 

Of course my camera didn't do it justice, but I'm in love with this view. I got to go to the temple twice while I was in town. It was so amazing. I love the temple and being in this particular Celestial room now has particular significance. The Bountiful temple has always had a special place in my heart and now that it has become our wedding place it is even more dear. Seeing this view brings back so many fond memories. I see that Bountiful moutainscape and I just feel like I'm home. Oh Bountiful!

***

Even though Jackson and I had a blast, it's good to be home. I missed Troy a lot. That's an understatement. He was joking with me the day before I came home. "Have you forgotten what I look like?" he asked. What a ridiculous question, but it really had been a long time. Definitely the longest we've ever been apart. I"m quite partial to my husband and am glad to be seeing him everyday again even though he's as busy as ever with school.

Lunch with the Cosbys

Back when I was living on Condo Row in Provo and attending the BYU 39th ward I lived across the hall from an apartment full of the coolest girls in town. Kerri Cosby, Amy Cosby, and Kara Peterson (now Cosby, since she married Kerri & Amy's brother :) were sooo much fun. We became instant friends in our FHE group. Since there wasn't enough time to do lunch during the holidays, we did it while I was in town this week. Unfortunately Kara couldn't come (we missed you!) It was hard matching up schedules during the holiday weekend. We went to the Cheesecake Factory and it was great. I love these girls. We had a great time catching up! A highlight was when Jackson dumped a glass of water into Amy's lap, (sorry Amy). Or when Jackson's piercing screams made Amy's little boy Jack extremely nervous while he was trying to enjoy his meal (sorry Jack). Ha! Oh Jackson... you sure keep things exciting.

Amy (Cosby) Grossen with her little boy Jack.

 Kerri and Jackson.

Thanks Kerri, Amy, and Jack. Jackson and I loved our lunch together.

Allison Day

Yesterday my friend Allison (McMillan) Taylor and I went to lunch. We went to Firehouse Pizza in Centerville and it was delicious. After that she came back to my parents' house and we literally chatted for hours. She was even SO nice and stayed at the house during Jackson's nap time so I could drive carpool. Since it was Friday night and my little sister and brother had exciting weekend plans, I figured Jack and I would be kicking it alone with a movie. But Allison was so nice again and came back to hang out with me so I wouldn't be alone.  Her husband wasn't feeling well, so it was just the two of us. I totally felt like we were back in high school again hanging out on the weekend. I loved it. Thanks Alli, it was so much fun! (P.S. isn't this picture of Allison and Jackson SO perfect?)

Esther Fox Vasefi

Once upon a time when I was in nursing school I had a friend named Esther Fox Vasefi who basically saved my life. I don't think I could have made it through any of the nursing program chaos without her. We were catching up on the phone lately and to my utter delight I learned she and her husband had bought a home in Payson. How perfect! Now I can see her every time we visit Troy's family. Even though time was short and I was likely to be late picking up my sister Ashley from work... I decided to stop by and see dear Es, her pregnant belly, and her new house during my last few minutes in Payson. I couldn't stay long, but I'm SO glad I went. It was great to visit and catch up. Thanks for letting me stop by Es. I loved seeing you! The house is so cute and your belly is even cuter. :) I am very excited to meet the little girl hidden inside it.

Party in Payson

Yesterday Jackson and I paid Payson a visit to see the Bushmans. We had so much fun seeing everyone again (... even though we just saw them a week ago, but when you live out of state, you take family visits whenever you can get them.)

Thursday is Grandma Bushman's day to watch Madi, so we were able to play with her all day. She was SO excited to see Jackson. It seemed like she was shaking with excitement. She went right up to Jackson and tackled him to the floor to say hello. It was hilarious. Later Jackson pulled Madi's hair. It was a hard pull, I wasn't paying attention and he grabbed one of her curls in his death grasp. But Madi can hold her own, she swated him across the chest to make him stop. These two were intense yesterday. It definitely kept Christa and I both busy and entertained.

Jackson in his fleecy snow outfit. He'll only be able to wear it this week, but I found it for $3 at TJ Maxx this week, and I thought what the heck. Steal of a deal! I love TJ Maxx :)

We went to see Aunt Lexie at work. She dyed her hair dark! So cute.

Grandma read Jackson and Madi a book, it lasted about as long as their attention span, 30 seconds, but it was cute. Jackson liked the pop ups.

Jackson LOVED getting rides from Grandma. He was giggling so hard. It was pretty funny.

By far the most entertaining part of the day was when Jackson and Madi teamed up for a walker ride. Christa, Ashley and I were chatting when Ashley noticed that Madi had stepped up onto the walker in which Jackson was sitting. Once she was on, Jackson gave her a ride around the kitchen. It was hilarious. Luckily we got it on video.
 

Thank you so much for letting us hang out all day! We wish we could have stayed longer, and we miss you already!

Bountiful Brave Flashbacks

Jackson and I are in Bountiful again. We arrived yesterday and will be here for 10 whole days! Pretty fun stuff. Technically I'm here to watch my little sister and brother while my parents are out of town. They leave tomorrow.
 
Last night I went to the musical at Bountiful High with my family. It was the first time I had been inside my high school in a long time. I felt very nostalgic walking down the stairs and into the auditorium. It brought back so memories of my plays and choir concerts. Funny, sitting there watching the play I could smell the dressing room, a mixture of sweat, hairspray and various beauty products. Strange, I know. I guess I spent so much time back there that the memory of the scent stuck. Jackson lasted through half of the play and was then ready to go home to bed. On the way out I took this picture.

Troy and I have a running debate on which is stronger and faster, a Payson Lion or a Bountiful Brave? We discuss who would win if the two were in a battle. I stand by the fact that a Brave would use his excellent archery expertise to defeat the lion. Even though Jackson is sort of wearing Payson colors in this picture... I think he's really a Brave at heart. :)

9 Months Old

I can't believe Jackson is 9 months old today! He is getting so big. He's getting more and more confident walking on his own. His personality is still the same, just even more apparent. He is as curious and as busy as ever. Basically, he is just a lot of fun. He keeps Troy and I very entertained. I just can't even imagine what we did to occupy our time before Jackson came along. My mom gave Jackson these cute magnets for Christmas and he has loved them. Troy wrote this little note for me. Cute huh? We love you Jackson!

Tomorrow we go back to Utah for a visit! Grandma and Grandpa will be out of town for a wedding and Jackson and I will be tending Aunt Ashley and Uncle Jeremy. It will be so much fun! I'll bet the plane ride is 100 times better than the car :)

Oh and for an update on his stats:

We went to his 9 month checkup earlier this week. He weighed in at 20 lbs. (40%) I have a feeling he lost weight this week because he's been sick and hasn't been eating that great. His length is 27 1/4 inches (20%)... when the doctor saw that he said, "Hmm, it looks like Jackson shrunk since his last appointment." Apparently there was a measuring error. Oh well.

Seeing the Sheppards

I just love having friends that are from Arizona! Braden, Sarah & little Gavin Sheppard were in town earlier this week to visit Sarah's family. They invited us over to celebrate Gavin's 1st Birthday. It was so great to see them again! Despite the fact that both Jackson and Gavin were a little sick, I think they enjoyed getting reacquainted. We got to visit and watch Gavin open presents. Thanks for having us. We loved it.

And because I forgot the Christmas present we transported to AZ for Sarah's mom, I got two visits to Mesa in two days! (I still can't believe I forgot that, oh well.) On the second day Jackson and Gavin seemed even more friendly with each other. They're such cute little friends.

Utah Road Trip

I've been a mom for almost 9 months now. Even after that amount of time, I still find myself thinking, "Wow, it's different doing this with a baby." Our recent road trip experience was no exception. I wish I could say the scene of Jackson smiling above was a common occurrence in the back seat. Unfortunately, the majority of the time, we saw this:

 

It comes down to this, Jackson DETESTS being strapped down. Sadly, there's no way around that in the car. He would start to cry the minute his little frame touched the car seat and would look up at us and cry as we forced his arms through the straps and buckled him in. He would get hungry, so we'd pull over and I would try to feed him. At that point he would be so excited to be out of his car seat prison that there was no way he would hold still to eat. Instead he climbed up to a standing position on my lap and looked out the window with delight at the passing cars. So after about 10 minutes of that, we'd put him back in his seat and he'd cry again. It was a vicious cycle.

Without question, the low point was yesterday when he screamed for over an hour straight. We kept thinking he would cry himself to sleep. Eventually he did, but by that point he had been crying for nearly 2 hours. The frustrating part is that he would immediately stop every time we pulled him out. A lot of the time he would smile and even laugh.

Our original decision to drive to Utah for the holidays came because we assumed it would save us what seemed to be a large sum of money. After several hours of screaming, we decided that it simply wasn't worth it. I overheard Troy talking on the phone to his brother today, it went something like this: "I would pay a million dollars a ticket to fly next time." Obviously, he was exaggerating, but you get the idea. We are most definitely flying next time ;)

Despite our frustrations, we did get some cute pictures of Jackson in his car seat.

 

 

We were less than an hour from Payson and we were desperate. So we gave Jackson his first taste of candy. Red vines. Mmm. Of course he loved them, but he sure did make a mess.