Two and a half

Since I am so amazing at blogging I totally missed a list of Madie qualities for her 2nd Birthday. In an effort to make up for that I am going to make a list of her likes/dislikes at 2 1/2.

~ She loves Sponge Bob
~ She loves to use her doll stuff as her own. She also likes to sit in her doll highchair.
~ She loves to play with her dolls.
~ She also loves to color... a lot. Nothing is safe at our house from Madie's crayons. Thank goodness for magic erasers!
~ She hates sleeping in her own bed. Every night she ends up in our bed at some point. She will even tell us when we put her to bed "no my bed, Mommy's bed". This is Ben's number one request when I am not working anymore... get Madie sleeping in her own bed.
~ She likes to pretend that her toy vacuum is a baby. She will turn it on and then tuck it in her bed.
~ She HATES wearing socks. She will take them off in the van and put her shoes back on in hopes that I won't notice when I get her put.
~ Whenever we leave the Church building she waves goodbye and says "bye Jesus".
~ Whenever we leave our house she waves goodbye and says "bye house".
~ She still loves to dance.
~ She is not afraid to stick up for herself. There is a little boy at daycare that pulls her hair so she pushes him down and sits on him.
~ She thinks it is very funny to wear her underwear on her head.
~ She likes to find things. She is always saying "I find" and running off to find whatever it is. She also says "I go find Dad" all the way home from daycare everyday.
~ She adores her brother. When Slade is at his mom's for the weekend she mopes around the house saying "where Lade" and will even go into his room to check his bed.
~She is convinced that she has a baby in her belly too.
~ She is the sweetest little thing ever and we are so grateful she is ours! We love you Lous!

Big changes are coming to the Barrett home - Part 4: And then there were 5

Our little family is growing. We are having a baby! I am 12 weeks along and due October 4. If you are thinking "Isn't that right around Madie's birthday?" You are right and you have a great memory. Madie's birthday is October 3. I am praying that this baby avoids her birthday, I would feel just aweful if Madie had to share her birthday.

We are all really excited for our new addition. I asked Madie if she thinks that we are goign to have a sister or a brother and she says "a siser". Slade says
"If the baby is a girl we are going to send her to live with Aunt Rachel"
Me: Why is that bud?
Slade: Because we have enough girls in this place. (Picture him with his hand on his hip, bobbing his head back and forth and waving his finger at me like he has some sort of ghetto attitude). This kid seriously kills me!

Big changes are coming to the Barrett home - Part 3: Education

Today we took Slade to register for kindergarten or in Slade's words we went to "cash register for kindergarten". He was so excited. He kept telling me about how he is a big kid and that he can't wait to go learn stuff.

He didn't do all that great on the testing so we have some work to do this summer. There will be lots of letter learning at our house this summer. I can't believe that he is going to kindergarten already. This is all happening so fast.

Big changes are coming to the Barrett home - Part 2: I'm a big kid now

That is right - Madie is potty trained now. She is doing great! She still has an accident every now and then and she still wears a diaper at night but during the day she is totally in underwear.

I guess this is one of the perks of your baby growing up, at least she still will cuddle with me.

Big changes are coming to the Barrett home - Part 1: Leaping

It is official, I am turning in my monetary paycheck for one of hugs and kisses. After almost 5 and a half years, I put my notice in at Beehive. I am staying there until the end of April so that I can get my replacement trained. They have already hired someone to take my place and I think that she will do great.

I have to admit though that putting in my notice was well... terrifying! I have always worked and for the majority of our married life have had to be the one financially supporting our family because work was so hard to find. Consequently it is hard for me to to put all of my trust in Ben and know that he will be able to take care of it. That being said we know that this is what will be best for our family and this is what we need to do. So we are taking this leap of faith, scary as it may be.

I know that I may be a bit... well a lot delusional but I am excited for all of the things that being home will allow me to do. We have plans for a big garden this summer that I am very anxious to get started on.

So if you would like to hang out with us during the day this summer my answer will no more be sorry I have to work and the kids will be at daycare... it will be "HECK YES - WE WOULD LOVE TO!!!"

But I don't have any money

I don't know about you but my kids have been on one lately. I think that they are at their breaking point with being trapped inside. They have just been crazy and any time they are in any room that is any bigger than our living room they absolutely turn into wild apes.

Today at church was no different. We spent most of Sacrament meeting in the hallway, which for our kids means that they are sitting on time out (I don't want them to think that getting taken out in hallway is a chance to play). On the way home Ben told them both that they were in big trouble for how they acted at church and that they were going to pay for their naughtiness when we got home and that they were going right to bed.

Slade bawling from the back seat says "But I don't have any money".
Ben: "What?"
Slade: (Still sobbing) "You said we have to pay for being naughty and I don't have any money"

Seriously how are you supposed to keep a straight face with that?

Too Short

This morning my friend Kari returned to our Heavenly Father. Kari and I met in college and then worked together for a couple years after at Community First.
Kari was always smiling, it was contagious, you had to smile when you were with Kari. She was always happy and is loved by every one who knew her. This earth is certainly a lesser place with out her.
In October Kari was diagnosed with cancer. It is hard to believe that she was taken so quickly. My heart is sad about not getting the chance to tell her what a great friend she was and how much I loved her. So today I held my babies trying not to take any minute for granted. I pray that those who have been a part of my life know of my love for you. As for Kari I know that our Father in Heaven has a plan for her. I know that her work here on this earth is done. It hurts to know that the next time I go home I will not get to hug her or see her smile or hear her laugh. It hurts to know of the joys in this life that she did not get the chance to experience yet. However I am so happy that she is no longer in pain and I look forward to the day that I will get to see Kari again. Kari you will be greatly missed.