I Hate WES

If you know what I am talking about, I would love a comment. If not, sorry. It's a guilty pleasure I don't want to explain.

Melt my Heart

Blake woke up with Braden so I could sleep in. About 15 minutes later I hear my door being pushed open. I see a little head bob across the floor and come over to my bed. Blake lifts Braden up and he crawls straight over to me. He jumps on my tummy and cuddles with me for a good 5 minutes. What a way to melt my heart on a Saturday morning.

Summer Days

In our baby book it asks how the baby spent their days. Well, since it's summer, I thought I would document an average week.

Monday- Drop dad off at work and head to the gym. Make it back to home by 10:45 to teach swimming lessons and play with Zach. Lunch, naps, and then playing in the backyard. Dad comes homes. Dinner, play, FHE, bed.

Tuesday- Drop dad off at work and head to the gym. Play on play set next to gym and then go grocery shopping for the week. Lunch, naps, and then off to Primary Presidency meeting. Pick up dad, eat dinner, play outside with Kai, Noah, and Isaiah then off to bed.

Wednesday- Sleep in (like 8am) and get ready for the day. Walk down to library time. Library time and play at the library. Walk home. Play with Zach while mom teaches swim. Eat lunch and naps. Play in backyard. Dad comes home. Dinner, bike ride, yard work, to bed.

Thursday- Drop dad off at work and head to gym. Play on play set next to gym. Run any errands. Come home, eat lunch and naps. Head to the park with friends. Dad comes homes, dinner, play outside with Noah, Isaiah and Kai, then off to bed.

Friday- Drop dad off at work and come home. Get ready for library time. Head to library time and play. Head to gym for work. Braden falls asleep on the way home. Pick up dad. Eat dinner, play and bed.

Saturday- Sleep in (usually past 8am). Garage sales, if any good ones. Play all morning. eat big lunch and take long naps. Any chores around the house. Off to the Packer's for game night. Fusses for 15 minutes to get to bed, but finally goes down. Blissful evening of games. Wake Braden up to head home.

Sunday- Sleep in as long as possible. Eat big brunch. Get ready for church. Early morning nap. Wake him up early from his nap. Head to meetings and then attend church. Come home with a crabby/tired toddler. Eat dinner and count down the minutes to bed.

Braden, this is how you spent your summer of 2009. We spent a lot of time playing with the hose in the backyard. Some vacations and visitors were thrown in the mix. You were a happy boy, as long as you were outside.

Crappy Father's Day Part 2

I don't know if any of you remember last year's Father's Day, but it was crappy for other reasons. As for this year, it all started Saturday night. We got back from our weekly game night with the Packer's. I jumped into bed just to have my stomach start tossing and turning. Needless to say, I was in the bathroom ALL NIGHT LONG.

The plan was to wake up when Braden got up so that Blake could sleep in. I would make him an excellent breakfast in bed and let him relax all morning. Well, Blake was up at the crack of dawn getting me crackers, water and zantac. He got Braden so that I could sleep. By the time I forced myself out of bed, Braden was screaming downstairs. I tried to help, but to no avail, as I needed to rush off to the bathroom again. (I HATE throwing up.)

Blake was a champ and took Braden to church so I could get some sleep and be sick some more. By 3:00 I was feeling pretty good, so I came downstairs and attempted to make Blake his pot roast and potatoes for dinner. It didn't work out. Blake came home to a half dead woman on the couch. He made himself a burger and fed Braden dinner. By 7pm, I literally thought I was going to die. After a wonderful blessing I headed off to bed and suffered through the night.

I am glad to report I woke up and I am 100% fine. No stomach problems. I can actually eat food (unlike yesterday, I was only able to keep down a piece of toast). I think it was just a 24 hour flu, but I never again want to face this. Honey, I am sorry for another crappy Father's Day. You truly got your father part of it. Thanks for taking care of me and Braden. That's why you are the best father. (I plan to make this up to him with tonight's dinner.)

Our Father's

Since we did this for our mother's, we figured we needed to do this for our father's. Here are some lessons (or random facts) about our father's.

Eric Forsberg:

• True Service isn't a sacrifice- being Bishop, he volunteered us to do EVERYTHING under the sun. He is great at spotting needs, versus waiting for people to ask for help.
• the BYU Cougars are the Lord's team
• Thrifty/Money Management- although this drove us crazy at times, my dad is really careful with money. Anytime Blake and I have questions about money, he is the first person we call.
• Greatest Grandpa- he would spend every day with Braden if he could. we really appreciate how he is always the first one up to watch Brade's so we can sleep in.
• Love for travel- I really appreciate this. It has brought me all around the country and to Mexico. I am sure there will be more Forsberg Family vacations to come
• Supportive- although he didn't remember that I played softball my freshman and sophomore year, he wants us to be happy in whatever we do. He hates his career path and wants us to choose something we love.
• Continual Education- my dad graduated from BYU forever ago, but has recently started taking (and almost finishing) classes to get his master's degree.
• Love of the Arts- my dad was always first in line to buy tickets to Broadway plays, musicals and so forth. I want my kids to be cultured like this because it brought out some of the greatest family memories (aka: Spirit of the Dance)
• Kindness- he is one of the most kind men I know.
• His TESTIMONY- I have never questioned where my dad's testimony lies. He has been my foundation throughout my life. Blake and I always call him first when it comes to Gospel questions or formalities.
• Sacrifice- Heavenly Father was always first in his life. I appreciate my mom teaching us this is the best quality a dad could have. There were times when he missed sporting events or things like that, but he was always serving the Lord. His sacrifice strengthened our family.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Alan Barnett:

• Hard work- my dad is one of the hardest workers I know
• Willingness to help others
• Carpentry- I helped him build 3 houses and have benefited so much because of this knowledge. He's the first person Maren and I call for just about any projects around the house.
• Great Grandpa- the kids are always interested in what he's doing and he's patient enough teach them
• He taught me how to draw 'accurate' maps (not drawn to scale, for reference use only)
• Supportive- I always remember him coming to my soccer games or other sporting events
• Provider- my dad worked a lot of extra jobs to provide for our family
• Passion for reading- although I didn't exactly inherit this trait, I do recognize the importance of it
• More than anything, my dad is a great listener (hahaha)

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(Like Father Like Son) Blake Barnett:

• I married my dad. There is no greater compliment.
• Supportive- I have never heard Blake tell me I couldn't do something. He's always first in line to push me and encourage me.
• Provider- I know this responsibility weighs on him. I know he would get 2-3 more jobs to help bring in money (if we needed it) versus making me work and not raise Braden.
• Being a Father- he is the best father ever. He gets home from work and proceeds to play with Braden for the next 2 hours until bedtime. Braden just adores him and rightly so.
• Willingness to change- I think this is gospel based, but he recognizes changes he needs to make and tries hard to better himself.
• Patience- anyone who can put up with me has to be patient
• He tries to convince me that the Utah Jazz are the Lord's team, but we all know this isn't true (hence what my dad taught me about the Cougars)
• his Testimony- I know I mentioned this the other day, but once again, I have never questioned where Blake's testimony lies. Heavenly Father's gospel is first his life.
• Money Management- takes after my dad
• Point out my flaws- Blake's not afraid to rebuke me, which he does a lot (and I probably need to be humbled)
• He Loves me. I never question that either. Regardless of how much I might be annoying him, I know he truly loves me.
• He lives in a musical and puts up with it.

Well, I could keep going on and on about Blake, but I will stop there. Overall, I think we have 3 great father's who have taught us a variety of different things. We love you and wish you a Happy Father's Day.

Little People, Big Toddler

Our friend Laurel is trying to downsize on the toys, so she gave Braden this Little People car garage. Blake has been wanting to get Braden something like this for some time, as he LOVES cars. (notice all his car parked on top.)

I love this photo because you can see he's genuinely interested in how the elevator works.
After playing with it for awhile, he decided to become Godzilla and throw his cars off and climb on top.

EVERY car had to go down the ramp, which created a road block.

On another note, I gave Braden his first popsicle today. It was an all natural fruit popsicle (no sugar), but it still counts. Look at that face. Mmmm, black cherry.

Braden figuring out the cold goodness.

Now & Then: Our Yard

A year ago our yard look like this...

And now it looks like this...Yes, it took a lot of time and money to get to this point, but we are enjoying every minute of it.
I am so grateful to have a husband (and father-in-law) who is so good with his hands. I can't tell you how much money we saved by doing these projects ourselves. There's only one more thing to do before our yard is complete. Next summer's project: landscaping.

Nausea & Exhaustion Lead to 1 Thing

Yep, Mr. Sinus Infection has come to visit again. I have been tired and nauseous all week long and yesterday it hit, my head was congested, nose clogged and a terrible headache.

After getting some great deals at garage sales this morning, we headed off to the doctor's. No surprise. I can spot a sinus infection from a mile away. I almost wish I could just call it in and say "I have another one, write me a prescription." instead of paying $30 to have them tell me that.

I am on anti-biotics and hope it will clear it up soon. I am sick of feeling like crap. As for the garage sale, we found a REI Piggyback Child carrier (for hiking, retail price $169) for $10 and a cute little trike for $2. Braden already loves it. We were really looking for a toddler bed, we hope future garage sales will provide one.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How old was your child when you put them in a toddler bed versus a crib? That's our latest concern.

My Priesthood Holder

Can I just tell you that I LOVE my priesthood holder? I am just so grateful that I am married to a man who honors his priesthood and strives to better himself everyday. You may be asking yourself, what brought this on. Let me tell you.

I have had kind of a hard week. I still haven't been sleeping well and Braden had been getting into his toddler tantrums stage. Blake is a great father, but this week has been hard on both of us. Well, Blake had a Priesthood Leadership Training tonight, which he could have skipped on all accounts, but didn't. Sure it would have been nice to have him help put Braden down, but I am so grateful the church is first for him, which makes our family so much stronger.

Here's our phone conversations tonight:

B: My meetings done, so I am heading home.

M: Great. I thought it was an hour and a half. How was it?

B: Really good. I took some great notes.

M: I can't wait to hear about it.

B: Well, I should be home in 2o minutes or so.

M: Great. Can't wait.

B: I just want to tell you that I am going to work harder on being more sensitive to your needs. I'm sorry for not being more sensitive this week.

M: (laughing) I really can't wait to hear what you guys spoke about tonight.

B: It's not what we learned, I was just thinking about it a lot tonight. I love you!

M: I love you too. See you soon!

Could I ask for a better husband? No! Blake, thank you for being one of the best priesthood holders I know. Because of this I know that our kids will be blessed and our marriage will remain strong. I love you.

15 Month Stats

Braden had his 15 month doctor's appointment yesterday. It included a basic checkup and 2 shots, which he didn't enjoy. Here are his stats:

Weight: 24.4 46-47% Height: 30.5 in. 27% Head Circ: 18.7 58%

Highlight of the appointment: Dr. Hall was asking about certain milestones. "Pulls to a standing position, can say more than 4 words, kisses mom and dad?" me- "No, he only kisses Chelsie G." He has a little girlfriend (who's 5 yrs old) that he adores. He only headbutts Blake and I but will pucker up for her.

He is such a big boy now and prefers to use his booster to sit at the table with no tray. Mom and Dad aren't too comfortable with this, so it only happens every once in awhile.

Just stretching in his chair.

Braden is growing so fast and has taken a fascination with kids smaller than him. Is he trying to convince us to give him a brother or sister? Geez! He will just have to be patient and enjoy all the cute babies in our ward. As much as he like this little ones, he just adores the older ones. He thinks he is such a hot shot hanging out with them.

Master of Climbing

I feared this moment for a long time. Braden has mastered climbing. I turned my back for one minute to discover him on top of his table fort. I pulled him down and then got the camera to see how he did it.

He pushed the cooler over to the table & started with that minor climb. Little bit of a push and pull
Looking at me for reassurance
Proud boy on the tableHe is discovering all sorts of new things. He put himself into his hippo and proceeded to rolls down the driveway. His little friend Kai was over and decided this was a fun game too. Needless to say, the hippo has been put out of reach due to fear of Braden rolling down the driveway and into the street.

Last Trip to the Park with Avery

In order to help Jess and Dane out, I took Avery with us to library time and the park. I packed them up in the double stroller and headed down into town for library time. After the amazing Mother Goose time that Pullman offers, we headed over to the park.

I met up with my good friend Enuit. I actually met her through Jess. She has a little boy about Braden's age named Ofer. She is actually back at home in Israel right now and won't be back for another month. Braden's on his first tire swing, he loved it!

Braden and Avery on Barney the dinosaur (Kara do you remember this from Minnesota? It brings back good memories.)
Right when we got to the park, Braden headed for the jungle gym. He climbed up to the tallest slide and proceeded to go down. He had NO fears. I got a quick video of him on one of his windy rides down.

After being in the hot sun, I strapped the kids back in the stroller and headed the 2 miles home. If you've been to the Palouse, you know it is very hilly. Hills and double strollers make for sore legs the next day. I must have not been that sore because I walked back downtown to attend the Farmer's Market with my neighbor. It was a fun day to pretend that I had 2 kids and a cute little girl. Maybe someday it will be real.