Remembering 2011

It's that time again when we look back over the past year and try to remember the good and the bad, the growth and the challenges, and then decide how to make the next year even better. 
2011 was a good year for the Barnum family.  Some of the highlights included:

• Nate working his first full year for Verizon.  We're so grateful for a job that's keeping him indoors.  It has translated into fewer episodes of illness.  I think in 2011 we only had one bout with bronchitis and no pneumonia!  
• Jonah starting 2nd grade and Lilly starting Kindergarten.  They both love to learn and do so well in school.  They sure know how to make their Mama proud.  
• Ashley (me) taking up running and running in the Las Vegas Ragnar Relay.  Something I never in a million years thought I would do, but I really loved it.  I'm not doing so well keeping up with it so far this winter, but we're working on remedying that. 
• Jayne turned 3 and became fully potty trained.  Bye-bye diapers!
• Our Oregon vacation in August.  It was such a fun-filled, memory making adventure.  We can't wait to plan another one!
• Nate turned the big 3-0!  He says he feels like an old man.  
• We visited Zion's National Park.  It was the first time ever for me and the kids and it was breathtaking.  We didn't get to see as much as we would have liked, so we'll just have to go back.  
• We also did a family camping trip with my mom, sister, and brother at Payson Lakes.  It was beautiful and we had a great time.
• Lilly and Jonah took swimming lessons
• We visited Hogle Zoo and Tracy Aviary

I think that's about it for now.  I'm sure many more magical and eventful things happened in 2011, but my poor brain just isn't what it used to be.
So now we look forward to 2012.  It's going to be a fabulous year!  I can feel it in my bones.  I'll be graduating with my bachelor's degree in August.  It will feel so good to finally get that done!  Jonah will be turning 8 and getting baptized.  We're working on another family vacation or two.  And who knows what else?!  We'll take whatever life chooses to dish out!  Happy New Year!

Christmas

We had a wonderful, peaceful Christmas this year.  Nate has been working a ridiculous amount of hours for the past couple of months and the few days leading up to Christmas were no exception.  He worked all day on Christmas Eve and then we all drove up to Grandma Laurie's for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner and hoopla.  All my brothers and sisters were there as well as our cousin Landon who recently moved to Salt Lake from California and wasn't able to go home for the holiday.
We had a delicious dinner complete with corn chowder, veggies, fruit, a cheese ball, summer sausage, li'l smokies, and several other yummy tidbits.  Then we all gathered near the Christmas tree.
My mom read the account of Christ's birth from the scriptures while the kids held up posters they had made of the shepherds, wise men, and the manger scene.  Then Jonah, Lilly, and Jayne each sang a Christmas song.  After that, it was present time!

Lilly, Aunt Sarah, and Jonah waiting for present time to start.

A very blurry shot of Jonah with his poster of the Nativity

Jonah, Lilly, & Jayne in their new PJ's from Grandma Laurie

After the exchange of gifts, we all hung around just chatting or playing until it was most definitely time to be headed home.  I was so grateful I'd done all my wrapping ahead of time, because we didn't get home until almost 10pm.  The kids were in their pajamas, we set out cookies and milk for Santa along with some oats for the reindeer and then herded the kiddos off to bed.
Our Christmas morning was a bit different this year.  Since Christmas fell on a Sunday, we had church services that morning at 9:00am.  Rather than getting everyone up at the crack of dawn to do presents before church, we opted to save the presents until after we got home.  We hung a curtain to block the view of the living room so the kids wouldn't be too tempted to just dive in.  They had no problem waiting.  They didn't even wake up until almost eight o'clock, so it was pretty easy to just get everyone dressed and ready and out the door without much fuss.  The kids understood that we were celebrating the birth of Christ, and what better way to do that than to go to church and worship for an hour before delving into the gifts?  
When we got home, we all changed into some comfortable clothes and then opened presents.  The kids were very good this year and it showed.  They love all their gifts and spent the better part of the day playing with new toys and reading new books. 

Waiting to head into the living room where the presents are

Lilly is very happy about her Tinker Bell movie.  I think we've watched three or four times this week already.

Jonah's T-Rex pillow pet put him right to sleep!=)

Jayne loves playing with the new Play-Doh cake making station.  That's another one we've had out every day this week. 

After gifts, we made a big breakfast, which actually turned out to be lunch by the time we got to it.  We used Nate's new waffle-baker that he got from Santa.  Nate has this thing about waffles.  He only likes the big square kind with the tiny little squares.  We had been using his mother's old waffle iron for years before it finally bit the dust and then we just never seemed to be able to find anything other than the Belgian waffle irons with the big squares in them.  But this year we discovered the perfect waffle baker from Black and Decker.  So we enjoyed delicious waffles, eggs, sausage and fruit for our Christmas breakfast. 
We spent the rest of the day relaxing together.  We all enjoyed a much needed afternoon nap and then took a drive to look at the Christmas lights around the neighborhood before bed. 
All in all, it was a wonderful holiday!  Now on to the New Year!

December Fun! (and the dentist)

Since I haven't been very good at posting things as soon as they happen, we'll play a bit of catch-up and just lump most of December into one post. The first weekend in December, I decided to take the kids down to the Festival of Trees in Sandy.  We'd never been before, but were looking for something fun to do that day.  The gingerbread houses and trees and other decor were amazing!  People can be so creative and must have a whole lot more patience than I do to accomplish some of these really detailed displays that we saw.  

Jonah's cheesiest "cheese!" face

Around the middle of the month, we decided to take the kids to Temple Square in Salt Lake City to see the Christmas lights.  We went on a Monday right when it got dark and were able to avoid the big crowds.  As we were leaving, masses of people seemed to be descending on the square simultaneously.  So glad we went early.  
The kids always love looking at the lights and seeing the Nativity, but their favorite part is always the fountains.  Even though it's freezing outside, the fountains on Temple Square are still running and the kids love to look at them and throw in pennies.   

We ask her to smile for the camera and this is what we get.  =)

Lilly's new favorite pose

Jonah showing us how tough he can be. 

  Another highlight of our month was the semi-annual trip to the dentist for the kids.  Luckily, my kids love going to the dentist.  Even Jonah, who had to endure a painful episode of having two teeth removed with one being literally dug out a few years ago still likes the to go to the dentist.  They love the toys, the sunglasses, and getting new toothbrushes.  Our dentist and his staff are wonderful!  They know how to make kids comfortable and are so very patient with them.  We came out with a clean bill of dental health with no cavities all the way around!  

Lilly got her first set of x-rays done and was so brave!

Jonah and Jayne playing with Dad's tablet while they wait for their turn.

Jayne loves sitting in the chair. 

The week before Christmas, we got to go watch Jonah and Lilly sing some Christmas songs with their classes at the elementary school.  Nate's parents and sister were in town too so they came with us.  Jonah and Lilly both did such a good job and knew the words to all of their songs.  Jonah takes his performances very seriously and had to be reminded to smile and relax while Lilly was all smiles and waves and even a little bit of dancing.  Nate got it on video on his tablet, but we haven't put it on the computer yet.  So you'll all just have to picture a stage full of kindergarteners or second graders belting out tunes such as "I'm getting Nuttin' for Christmas", "Donde esta Santa Claus?",  "It's a Marshmallow World in the Winter", and
"Holly Jolly Christmas" while smiling and waving at parents and teachers and yelling out the words that they know really really well.  


And that was our December, aside from the Christmas festivities which I'll cover in my next post. 

Giving Thanks

Before you even ask, yes I am aware that it is now December and a post about Thanksgiving is about a week or so late.  But when it comes to gratitude, late is always better than never, right?  We enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving day and delicious dinner with my mom, siblings, grandmother, and cousins.  Even though I didn't do a daily gratitude post on Facebook for the entire month of November or anything like that, I have had my blessings on my mind lately.  Especially those that I tend to take for granted.  For example, I am thankful for.....

• Not getting that night job I applied for in October.  At the time, I had no idea that my school schedule would be ramping up next year and I can't imagine trying to juggle a job along with everything else I'm going to have up in the air come January.
• The roof over my head.  If you know me, you know that I can be quick to complain about our little old house and the many problems it possesses.  But at the end of the day, I'm so very grateful to have a place to call home. 
• A wonderful husband who works so hard at jobs he doesn't even like without complaint in order to put that roof over our heads and who is supportive of my ambitions and crazy notions. 
• My three amazing children.  I really don't know how I got this lucky.  All of my kids are healthy, bright, helpful, and so loving and concerned about everyone and everything around them.  
• The Internet.  Without it, I wouldn't be able to finish school for a very long time.  
• My body.  As a woman, I tend to focus on the negative when it comes to this wonderful creation we call a physical body.  But I am grateful for all the wonderful things it does everyday and that I am blessed with good health.  
• Faith.  I'm grateful for my testimony of my Savior and for the hope and joy that is found through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   
• All the wonderful people in my life who care about me and my family and who are always looking out for us in one way or another.  
• My Webelos Scouts.  I've been a Webelos leader for 1 1/2 years now and I really enjoy it.  The excitement that 10 year old boys naturally have for life is contagious and I love seeing them set and accomplish goals and gain confidence.  
• Music.  I don't get to play piano and sing as often as I'd like, but it is still my favorite form of therapy.  

This list could go on and on and on and on and on.  If you haven't done it yet or lately, I encourage you to just sit and think for a few minutes about the beautiful things in your life that you're grateful for right now.  It's a great way to gain perspective and lift your mood.  =)  

Snow fun

This morning we woke up to a good 3 or 4 inches of snow!  Nate and I immediately began moaning and groaning about it, but the kids were ecstatic.  So it's no surprise that the first order of business for our Saturday was digging out the snow gear and playing around in the white stuff.  

Lilly and Jayne made snow angels.

Jonah helped with the shoveling.

And played a little snow-shovel-guitar. 

Then he made a snow angel too. 

Then we came in, took off all of our wet gloves, hats, and boots, and enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate.  It was nice to be reminded that snow can be fun.  When I look at it, all I see is cold, wet, and miserable.  Everything looks better through the eyes of children! =) 

Our Excellent Elk

Yesterday, Jonah received the Excellent Elk Award at a school assembly.  Each teacher chose one student from their class to receive this award for academic excellence. He received a medal, certificate, and a card for a free kid's meal from Applebee's.  We're so proud of Jonah and his desire to always do his best and learn as much as he can.  Way to go Jo!  

Halloween Fun!

Our Halloween fun started with a Friday night visit to Gardner Village to see the witches.  

Jonah thought this mummy was the coolest.

Lilly wanted her picture taken by every witch that we found.

See what I mean?  =)

Then on Sunday evening we carved our pumpkins.  

Jonah loved cleaning out the pumpkin "guts" with his hands, but the girls wouldn't touch it. 

Jayne with her jack-o-lantern.  The kids chose the design of their pumpkins and mom and dad did all the cutting. 

Lilly's pumpkin.

Jonah's pumpkin.  He wanted a "great big smile" on his.  All the black lines are from Jonah trying to draw his own design.  He made it a bit too small.  

Then on Halloween, we got all dressed up and went trick-or-treating.  Nate had to work, so I took the kids out.  We should have taken a shorter route.  There was quite a bit of "I'm so tired" and "my feet hurt" by the time we got home.  But they loved how much candy they got and after we got home there was a lot of "that was the best Halloween ever!"  So I think our night was a success. 

Spider Man Jonah and his muscle pose.  He didn't like to wear the mask that came with the costume.

Lilly, the little devil.  She looks way too sweet to be a devil. 

Jayne the witch.  She didn't want to wear the hat, but loves the dress.  She wore it around the house almost every day for a week before Halloween. 

The whole gang ready to go get some treats!

I should mention that we were lucky enough to get all of our costumes from some kind neighbors who have kids just a bit older than ours.  The one Jayne is wearing is one that we bought for Lilly when she was 2.  Jayne had another Halloween fairy costume that we got from the neighbors, but she changed her mind at the last minute.  I sure do love it when people think of us.  
After we got home and into pajamas, Nate got home and we did hallway trick-or-treating.  This is a tradition that Nate's family has.  Each child takes a turn going down the dark hallway and knocking on the doors looking for Nate.  When they find him, he gives them some special surprises.  He also tries to spook them a bit on the way.  The kids love it.  
So that was our Halloween.  Now on to Thanksgiving and Christmas!  They sure are approaching fast!