Jonah's Baptism

On Saturday, February 4th, Jonah was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Grandma and Grandpa Barnum, Aunt Emily, Aunt Amanda, Grandma Laurie, Aunt Sarah, Grandpa Culbertson, Kathy, Allie and Taylor all came to support Jonah.  A couple of friends from our ward came as well.  

Grandma Barnum made Jonah a special ocean quilt with all of his favorite sea creatures on it.  His favorite is the gulper eel.  He has zipper teeth and you can put your finger in his mouth. 

Jonah with Grandpa Culbertson

Jonah was baptized and confirmed by Nate. 

The Barnum's

We're so proud of Jonah's decision to follow the example of our Savior Jesus Christ and be baptized.  He is such a wonderful young man, always striving to do his best and to do what is right.  We're so grateful and blessed to have him in our family. 

Jonah Turned 8

Last Saturday was Jonah's eighth birthday.  The lucky boy got to have two parties that day!  He had a party with his friends in the morning and then we had a family party that evening.  Jonah had requested an ocean themed party.  We decorated the living room with lots of blue and green streamers, fish pictures, and balloons.  We played hide the shell, pin the tentacle on the squid, and a fishing game.  The kids also got to decorate their own cupcakes with Swedish fish and gummy sharks.  I never realized that the top of a cupcake could hold so much candy!  

Jonah and his cupcake

Then, that evening, Jonah requested shrimp for dinner.  The poor kid is our lone seafood eater in the family, so it was a really exciting thing for him to have shrimp at home.  We had other food too, for the rest of us.  

It was a very busy, very fun day.  I think Jonah summed it up well that night when he said to me, "Mom, this day rocks!"  

Jonah and his cake.  He helped me decorate it.  The sharks are circling the school of fish because they're getting ready to attack and eat them. 

The girls were very helpful when it came to the presents.  They're getting much better, though at waiting their turn and letting Jonah open his own gifts. 

I love seeing my Jonah grow and become more independent.  He loves school, reading non-fiction books, collecting rocks and pine cones, riding his bike, painting, drawing, building or making anything, and is a wonderful helper and big brother.  Happy Birthday Jonah!  We're so grateful that you are part of our family. 

Henry

Today was a momentous day in the history of the Barnum household, one that requires a little bit of back story to be fully appreciated.  I have never considered myself a pet type of person.  We had cats, dogs, cows, chickens, sheep, horses, and birds growing up and I never really felt any sort of real attachment to any of them.  None of them were actually "mine" in the sense that I had sole responsibility for them or even that I wanted them in the first place.  I'm just not an animal lover.  I don't hate animals.  I just never liked being licked by them or the smell of them or the idea of having one in my house.  I prefer to enjoy animals from a distance.

So when I married someone who is very very very allergic to all types of animals, I thought I was pretty much off the hook.  I'd dodged the bullet!  I'd won the lottery!  When my kids would someday ask for a puppy or a kitten I could put on my empathetic face and say, "I'm so sorry sweetie, but we can't have any pets because Daddy is allergic."  Little did I know......it wouldn't just be the kids begging for a pet, but my husband too.  
It was only a year or so after we were married when Nate started talking dogs.  He likes dogs and apparently has always wanted to have one.  When I bring up his allergies, my supposed golden ticket out of pet ownership, he simply says he'll have an outside dog and that will solve the problem.  Well, like a good little wife, I totally resist and we manage to put off the discussion for a while.  

Fast forward to about 5 years into our marriage.  Jonah is 3, Lilly is just a baby, and Nate tells me he's bought two beagles that were posted in online classifieds from someone in Kanosh and do I want to go with him to pick them up?  WHAT?!!!  I was not a fan, but the beagles came home anyway.  We had them for less than a year.  They were always digging under fences and getting out of the yard.  Nate was hardly ever home because of work and school and I was still very much anti-pets and didn't have the time or resources to take them on walks every day.  I would have had to wrangle the two dogs and manage the double stroller and that just was not something I wanted to attempt.  So we found the beagles a new home and the dog talk quieted for a while. 

Then, in the last year or so, it slowly starts to sneak back into conversations.  I catch Nate checking all of the dog adoption listings and classifieds and researching different breeds.  Every time he brings it up, I reiterate my position, "I do not want a dog.  Period.  End of story."  Then, a few months I go I finally faced the facts.  Getting a dog was inevitable.  It was going to happen and if I didn't do something soon, we would have a repeat of the beagle story with some bull mastiff coming home from work with Nate one day and me having absolutely no say in the matter.  So I started to do some research on different breeds so we could find one that would be a good fit for our family, and since I knew that I would be the one taking care of the majority of the dog care responsibilities, one that would be a good fit for me. 

The rest is history, as they say.  This morning we picked up the newest member of our family.   He is a 3 month old miniature schnauzer.  Nate gave me the honor of choosing his name.  So, meet Henry.

Henry a little timid and very mellow for a puppy.  We've had him for about 5 hours now and I have yet to hear him bark at all.  He likes to follow the kids around the house and is exploring his new surroundings. 
We're working on house training and crate training and all that good stuff, so if any of you more experienced dog owners have tips or suggestions, feel free to pass on your wisdom.  This is an entirely new adventure for all of us! 

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.  =)