Alta Cheer, times two.....

A couple of weeks ago the Alta Cheerleaders put on a mini cheer camp for little girls. Ella of course was over the moon about the possibility of being able to fill the same shoes as her big sister. They went and learned a dance and a couple of cheers and were able to perform at half time during one of the football games with the big girls. "A-L-T-A, Alta Hawks are here to stay" are just a few of the words that Ella repeats several times a day. Cousin Leah also joined in on the fun and I am positive that this is something that Ella will not soon forget.

Brenna had her last football game of the season on J.D's birthday. We went to watch her cute squad cheer on the football team one more time!! I can't believe how Brenna just fits right into the cheerleader mold. She has a confidence up there that is unmatched and I am so proud that she went after that dream. To be honest, I was unsure how it would turn out, but so far so good.

Now, onto Basketball season..... :)

Daughter of Divinity.....

The other night for dinner we got Chinese take out. At the end of the meal we all got our fortune cookies and proceeded to break them open and anxiously read our fortune.

Ella was eager to have me read hers to her, "I hope it says that when I grow up I will be a princess!"

What does a mom do at that point.....of course I read her the fortune.

"When you grow up you will become a princess."

Ella beamed. Jensen argued with me that it really did not say that on Ella's tiny piece of paper. Drew stole it and ran off, and I then followed it up with "I guess Drew wants to be the princess when he grows up".

They all laughed and our night from then on was fairly uneventful.

Sunday our lesson in Relief Society struck a chord with me in our life and in wanting to grow up and be a princess. I was reminded that we are all daughters of our Heavenly Father and we will, in fact grow up to be the princess that we want to be when we are a little girl. Right now, it is the dream of my sweet 5 year old, but on Sunday, I realized that I want it to be the dream of my 15 and 17 year old daughters as well. I want them to remember that they are 'Daughters of Divinity'. This world we live in is hard. There is evil and temptation in every direction. For now, my children are on the right path....they love knowing that they are a part of an eternal family. They choose the right. They go to church and say their prayers. I can only do my best as a mother to help guide and direct them.

I am blessed to have 3 of our Heavenly Fathers princesses in my life, to be their mother is joy that cannot be measured.

Big Daddys, big birthday.....

Well, it is official. I am married to a 40 year old man! On October 21st we celebrated J.D.'s biggest birthday to date.....Together with my cute kids we managed to pull of a surprise open house in honor of our best dad, husband, and friend. Actually, I don't know how much of a surprise it ended up being because as soon as Ella got home from school that day she quickly exclaimed "Dad, when are all yours friends coming over for yours party?" (in Ella's exact words) Oh well, Drew, Morgan and myself just shot her a look and she knew she had uncovered our very well kept secret to that point. She kept apologizing to me, but all in all, what does it matter and who better to spill it than Ella.....
I wanted to make sure that I got a cake with 40 candles on it - although, I didn't realize it at the time, but the candles that I bought we some sort of trick candles and so they kept on spontaneously lighting even after J.D. would blow them out. Can't you just see the frustration on his face? Once the birthday cake and singing were over with he relaxed just a bit and ended up having a really nice time. He does not like the spotlight to be on him, but for this one night I invited family, friends and neighbors over to come and give the birthday boy a big squeeze!! He is an amazing father and husband and I wanted him to realize just how much we all love and appreciate him.

All his favorite goodies were the gift of choice....

Except for his Dad who bought him the funky hat with hair and Adam and Becky Osthed who gave him red neck teeth and glasses with dark black side burns attached....who wouldn't love that face?? Lucky, lucky me!

I have celebrated 22 birthdays with this man. We met when we were just both turning 17 and 18 years old. There have been so many highs with just a few lows and I thank my lucky stars each day for him in my life. He makes me laugh more than anyone can and he has made my dreams become a reality. I pray each day for a long and happy life with J.D., and celebrating at least 22 more birthdays with him!!

Nursery.....

Well, we have made it. I am not sure if I am happy about it or not, but Jiles went to the nursery yesterday...and, unlike my other kids at his age, he didn't even need me. No crying, no tears, no pulling on my leg. He went. And then I went. I felt naked, not sure how to handle myself. I didn't have a diaper bag or a baby and my hands and lap were empty. I guess it is now time to start bringing my scriptures and participating in the lessons. Hmmmmm, not quite sure how to feel about this.

Now, maybe I will actually make it through all 3 hours of church, because, to be quite honest I think it has been nearly 6 months since that has happened....I am sure people thought that we had become inactive. All good, the Barnes have not become devil worshipers.

On a side note, as I am sitting here blogging Ella just came up to me with a Family Home Evening DVD and Ella says to me....."When are we going to do Family- No- Evening?" What a RIOT!! That sums our life up these days.

Mmmmmm.......

Not much I can say about Jiles.....but this is the face that I feel blessed to look into each day!
Mmmmmmm. He. Is. Delicious.

He is still hands down my best baby. Not that my other kids weren't good (I would not have continued to have them if they weren't) - but Jiles is particularly good natured. Still an amazing sleeper....sleeps for 11 hours or so, then wakes and stays in his bed playing for another hour or so. Sometimes I just start to miss him so I go and get him up!! Eats well, plays well, and loves everyone. He is a 'trouble maker' though, too....just like the shirt says. Don't let the smile fool you!!

The Pink Cupcakes.....

The Pink Cupcakes.....this is Ella's 3rd season playing soccer. As luck would have it we have had some sort of pink as our team color each time. They have always used 'pink' in their name...this time around what could be better than cupcakes?? Yum. We are lucky to have had the same group of 8 girls play together each time, so they have all become friends and really enjoy their time together.

Ella is in no way a very aggressive player......but for the last 2 games she has scored a goal!! She gets so proud of herself and runs all the way back to Coach Suzy and gives her a high 5. I am so thankful for the amazing weather that we have had this month for all of the sporting events that we go to. Having the opportunity to sit and enjoy our children during these nice nights, I feel like there is nothing better. Happy, healthy kids, the opportunities that they have to grow and learn, a mom and dad that love each other and want to spend time together, too many blessings to count!!

Miss Morgan.....

Homecoming 2010 - Alta High School

The stress for Morgan began when she realized that her date was not much taller than she is....so the shoe frenzy started. We had neighbors, friends, her shoe closet emptied and even went and purchased a pair to try and find the perfect pair for Homecoming this year. She was so funny, there was no way that she wanted to be taller than Clint. As it turned out he was wearing a black pair of vans so Morgan wore her white pair....silly girl. I don't know if that is something I would have ever tried - but Morgan can certainly pull it off.

They looked cute together and had a full day. Dances were not this extravagant when we were growing up, she was exhausted by the end of the day. It all started around noon with rock climbing with a group of 18 other kids, going to Goodwood for dinner and after the dance they watched a movie outside at one of the boys homes. She is happy as can be back at Alta and enjoying her senior year in High School.....so proud to have her as my daughter!