The Baby Name Game

As of today we are 22 weeks pregnant.  Baby Boy gets stronger and more active every day.  Sometimes I think he's working on some ninja training with the kinds of jabs he dishes out.  Nate's even been able to feel a few kicks and thumps by putting his hand on my belly.  

So now that we know we're having a boy, it's time to name the little bundle, right?  With all of our children, we've pretty much had their names picked out from the time we conceived or even before.  I thought it was the same with this one.  We had a boy name picked out way back when we were pregnant with Jayne, so I figured we'd just use that.  Then, the other day, Nate pointed out that it has been 4 years since we picked that name.  Maybe we should "look at our options."  So I started checking out baby name websites and doing some brainstorming.  We ended up with a list of about 10 names that we liked and then narrowed it down to 3. 

We noticed that we tend to like more old fashioned names.  And for some reason all of our names seem to have originated in the Bible or are of Hebrew descent.  I promise we didn't do that on purpose. We really have no formula for naming our kids.  We don't do something catchy like have all their names start with the same letter or name them all after places or songs or anything like that.  We just find names we like and it seems that there's always one name that just seems to fit.  

So, here are our 3 finalists in alphabetical order:

Abram

Ezra

Jude

The middle name will depend on the first name.  We use family names for middle names and have two that we're deciding between. 
So, what do you think?  Feel free to weigh in on which you like best and why.  Just don't be offended or anything if we don't choose the name you like.  It is our baby after all.  =) 

Barnum Family Summer Fun (so far)

 The kids have only been out of school for three weeks.  To help combat summer boredom, we've resolved to get out of the house as much as possible and do something fun as a family every week.  So far we've gone to the zoo twice, Wheeler Farm, out shooting with Daddy, played in the sprinklers a few times, done our weekly trip to the library, we enjoyed the Salt Lake County Library's summer reading kick-off party, and we've gone on a couple of picnics at the park.  While it has been fun, I'm not sure if I can keep up the pace all summer long.  Come the middle of August, I will be one worn out mama.  So here are some pictures of our summer adventures thus far.

Cooling off with some sprinkler hopscotch

The girls with the DARE car at the summer reading kick-off

You can't visit Wheeler Farm without climbing up on the tractor

Jonah driving like a pro

We decided to take dinner to the great outdoors

Jonah & Lilly have taken up chess.  They're not really big on strategy.  It's basically just a matter of getting as many of the other player's pieces as they can.  But they're practicing and getting better.

We headed out to Grantsville so Nate could do some target shooting.  They kids watched from the Jeep, looked for rocks, and helped set up and clean up targets. 

One day, the kids were playing downstairs while I was doing some homework.  I guess they found the costumes in the closet and decided it was a good day for dress-up. 

Our first trip to the zoo this year.  Grandma and Grandpa Barnum gave us a family pass for Christmas.  Nate forgot his hat and decided he needed this over sized cowboy hat to keep himself all shaded.  So now it has been dubbed "the zoo hat" and it will be worn every time we go to the zoo. 

We love the new Rocky Shores section of the zoo.  I didn't get any great pictures, but the kids loved watching the seals and sea lion, sea otters and polar bear. 

Riding the Rhino

On our second trip to the zoo, the kids decided that they need zoo hats too.  So they each got one of these Junior Zookeeper hats.  I guess I'm the only one now without an official "zoo hat".  Maybe on the next visit we'll remedy that. 

The kids loved seeing this owl up close.  Notice how the hats make it easy to pick them out in a crowd?  They proved quite helpful throughout the day.  =)

And last, but not least, a pregnancy self-portrait in our lovely yellow bathroom.  Yep, there's no denying it now.  I'm definitely pregnant!  This was at about 21 weeks.  

So there you have it.  Our adventures so far.  There will be plenty more to come!  Summer is just beginning. 

Lilly's 6th

We're going to play a little bit of catch-up here on the Barnum family blog, okay?   I'm so fabulously on the ball when it comes to this lovely patch of cyber-space that we're going to go all the way back to May 11th. 
May 11th was Lilly's 6th birthday.  As you may have guessed, this post will probably be a bit lengthy.  So, here we go....
In Lilly's kindergarten class, instead of celebrating their birthday, her teacher does what is called their "Everyday Hero".  She usually tries to have it on their birthday to help make the day special.  Lilly was highlighted at the beginning of class.  She filled out a paper about all of her favorite things.  One that made me smile was that her favorite thing to do is "Cuddle with Daddy and watch a movie".  She's a daddy's girl through and through! 
The Everyday Hero also gets to bring their favorite book for Miss Farmer to read and can bring a small treat for the class. 
Miss Farmer also has the kids talk about why they think the Everyday Hero child is a hero to their class.  The kids said that Lilly is a good example, follows the rules, and is a friend to everyone.  

Lilly with Ms. Farmer during her Everyday Hero presentation

We've started a tradition where the kids get to choose something fun for our family to do together to celebrate their birthday.  With Nate's work schedule, he's usually working during the family dinners that we do on the weekend after their birthday.  So this way, he gets to help us celebrate too.  Lilly chose to go to Chuck E. Cheese.  We had never braved Chuck E. Cheese before and I'm not going to lie....I was NOT looking forward to it.  We've kind of avoided it like the plague.  We went on a Wednesday afternoon around 4:00 PM to avoid the crowds.  The place was virtually empty and the kids had a great time.  It's still not my favorite place to go, but it wasn't as bad as I had imagined it in my head.  Think screaming children, germs everywhere, and lots of loud music.  Yeah, it was pretty mellow compared to that, thank goodness.  I didn't get any good pictures though.  Sorry, you'll just have to imagine how cute they all were playing the arcade games and the insane amount of time it took them to decide what prizes to get with their tickets.

Lilly's Aunt Rachel moved to California this year.  She sent Lilly a birthday package in the mail.  It was so exciting for the kids to see the box on the porch and open it up.  Here's a picture of them with all the fun stuff Aunt Rachel sent.

New flip-flops for everyone, an outfit for Lilly, and a fun sprinkler/hopscotch/water thing to play in

 Then, on Saturday, we had her family dinner with Grandma Laurie, Grandma Great, and aunts and uncles.  As usual, Lilly got a lot of fun gifts and enjoyed all the attention.

Lilly chose chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and pink writing.  As you can probably tell, she's all about pink these days.  On her birthday she wore all pink to school and here she's wearing her pink cupcake dress from Grandma and Grandpa Barnum and a pink princess hat. 

So there you have it.  Our sweet Lilly is another year older and wiser too! We're truly grateful to have her in our family.  She has such a positive personality, loves to be helpful, and truly is a friend to everyone. 

We really are still here

I haven't been very good at keeping our family blog updated lately, have I?  My last post was so long ago that you may be wondering whether or not we've fallen off the face of the Earth.  Let me reassure you that we are still alive and well.  We've just been busy.  Who isn't nowadays?
 I believe my last post was about Nate's birthday in March. We have since made the official announcement that we are expecting another baby this fall.  Our due date is November 1st.  The kids and Nate are all very excited about this upcoming new addition.  I must admit, however, that I go back and forth from excitement and joy to anxiety and wondering what we could have possibly been thinking when we made this decision.  I blame it on the raging pregnancy hormones.  So far the pregnancy's been pretty much normal.  We've entered our second trimester, so the nausea has pretty much subsided.  I'm still tired pretty much all the time, emotional as all get out, and hungrier than a hippo.  Other than that.....
In other news, the kids are almost finished with their school year.  June 1st will be their last day.  They're all looking forward to the summer break and we're making a list of things we want to do.  So far, it looks like we'll be making trips to the zoo, the aquarium, the museum of natural history, Red Butte gardens, bowling, picnicking, swimming, and probably a little camping in there too.  It promises to be a busy few months. 
I finished up my spring semester classes last week and started summer semester yesterday.  This will be my last semester.  As long as I can keep up with everything, I'll have my B.S. in Family Life Studies in August.  Hallelujah!  I've been going to school non-stop for the last two years and I'm very ready to be finished.  My summer classes are already keeping me busy.  One is a condensed course, which means we are cramming 15 weeks worth of material and assignments into only 7 weeks.  While I'm grateful that I'll have one class out of the way a little early, the next 7 weeks are going to be a challenge.  All three of them have interesting content, so at least I'll be learning something that I care about. 
Nate is working like crazy.  He's always working like crazy.  He's also developed a lovely hernia.  If you know his background, you know all about the wonderful double-hernia triple-cyst surgery he had in Mexico a little over 10 years ago.  Well, this one is in the exact same place.  We meet with a surgeon next week for a consultation and to set up a date to get this bad boy taken care of.  I wouldn't be surprised if they find some interesting stuff once they get him open.  If you haven't heard the Mexico story, you should ask him sometime.  It will make you shudder in disbelief. 
So, that's life at the Barnum's right now.  What's up with you? 

Nate had a birthday!

And I am ridiculously slow in documenting it here on the family blog!  On March 14th my wonderful husband turned the ripe old age of 31.  I don't think it's old, but if you ask him, he's geriatric. 

 Nate doesn't like parties, or crowds, or any sort of big celebration on his birthday.  So as our gift to him, we don't really do any of that.  But we couldn't just let the day go by unnoticed!  If you know anything about Nate, you probably know exactly what he was doing all day on his birthday: working.  

The kids and I decided to meet him at work when he got off (which was around 9:00pm) with balloons and presents.  Then we went to Cold Stone Creamery for some celebratory ice cream goodness!  Nate's sister, Amanda also joined us and it was really fun to have some time to visit with her. 

I'm so grateful that Nate found his way into my life and that we've created our wonderful family together.  He doesn't think his birthday is a big deal, but to me it is an event that forever changed the course of my life for the better.  I love you Nate! 

Disneyland!

We decided that we needed a break from our everyday routines and what better place to escape reality than Disneyland?  Nate and I hadn't been to The Magic Kingdom in 8 years which means that the kids had never been before.  Due to work, school, and finances, we were only able to take 4 days for the trip.  Two of those days were spent driving and two were spent in Disney bliss.
We left bright and early Monday morning.  Well, it wasn't exactly bright, but it was definitely early.

After a very long day of driving and a few unexpected stops, we made it to our hotel in Anaheim.  After we got checked in and unloaded, we were starving so we walked to a pizza shop on the corner and had some spaghetti with meatballs and cheesy pizza.  Then it was time to try to get some sleep.  I never sleep well in hotels and this one was no different.  We stayed at the Castle Inn and Suites.  It was comfortable enough, but all the small unfamiliar noises keep me awake.  I don't think Nate slept well either, but the kids were snoring away. 

The next day, before we headed to the park, I checked in with my classes and discovered that I needed to re-write a 5 page paper that was due that day.  So I quickly pumped one out in about 30 minutes.  I haven't gotten my grade back on it and I can't say that it was my best work, but hopefully it will do. I had more important things to get to. =) 

On our first day in Disneyland, we hit fantasy land, frontier land, and adventure land.  We rode the train around the park, which I had never done before.  I didn't know that they had all the neat things to see such as the Grand Canyon, the dinosaurs, and the inside of Splash Mountain.  The first ride we did though was It's a Small World.  It was so fun to watch the kids taking it all in.  This became Lilly's favorite ride and we rode it a total of 4 times during our visit.
We took all the kids on The Haunted Mansion, which they actually really enjoyed.  Some of the other things we did were Dumbo, the teacups, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, King Arthur's Carousel, Pinocchio, Winnie the Pooh, Story Land Boats, Tarzan's Tree House, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Jungle Cruise. Nate and I each took a turn taking Jonah on Splash Mountain.  Lilly went on it once and really didn't like the big drop, but Jonah absolutely loved it.  When I was riding it with him and we were coming up to the drop, he said, "Hold on Mom! Here comes the big skadoosh!"  Nate also took Jonah on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and he loved that too.  We also met up with a few characters throughout the day.  We decided to opt out of the Princess Faire where you get to meet all of the princesses because the line was never less than 2 hours long.  The girls didn't seem to care.  They got to see the princesses in the parade that night.

The beginning of our adventure!

Silliness with the Cheshire Cat

Not sure why they're making these faces.  They're definitely ready to take on It's a Small World. =)

In Tarzan's Tree House

Visiting Winnie the Pooh

Lilly and Eeyore.  She loved getting her picture taken with the characters.

The one and only Tigger!

Trying to pull the sword from the stone

Jayne really liked King Arthur's Carousel

Lilly did too!

Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl

Lilly giving it a go with that sword in the stone.  Actually, I don't think she was pulling at all, just posing for the camera.

Jayne gave it a mild effort

And I tried really really hard! That thing is not budging. I guess I just wasn't meant to be the next king of Camelot. 

Teacup photo op!

The kids loved the stained glass window at our hotel.

We were having so much fun that we didn't even stop for lunch until 3:30 in the afternoon.  We walked across the street to Denny's and enjoyed a feast full of greasy food, chocolate chip pancakes, and even a strawberry milkshake.  After our lunch/dinner, we went right back to all the Disney fun.  We ended our night watching Mickey's Soundsational Parade.  It was full of music and elaborate costumes and plenty of Disney characters.  Lilly and Jayne waved at every performer and character that passed and several of them waved directly back at them and/or blew them a kiss.  The girls felt so special. 

I think we all slept a little bit better that night mostly due to exhaustion.

The second day was February 29th, Leap Day, and Disneyland was doing a promotion where they opened at 6:00AM and didn't close until 6:00AM on March 1st.  We got to the park around 8:30 and ended up staying until about 10:00PM.  We spent the morning in Toon Town, Fantasy Land and Tomorrow Land, had lunch at McDonald's across the street, spent the afternoon at Disney's California Adventure, and then spent the rest of the evening back at Disneyland.  We did all kinds of fun things including Roger Rabbit, Mickey's house, Minnie's house, Goofy's Go-Coaster, Finding Nemo Submarine, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, Alice in Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, Flik's Flyers, The Muppets 3D, Monsters Inc., It's tough to be a bug, King Triton's Carousel, Mickey's Ferris wheel, The Chew-Chew Train, and The Jellyfish.  We also rode some of our favorites again like Pirates, Small World, Dumbo, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and the teacups. 

Jayne spotted this blue whale on King Triton's Carousel and couldn't wait to ride.

Lilly chose this pink dolphin

The kids loved the statues of the bugs from A Bug's Life. 

When we got to California Adventure, the first thing the kids had to do was sit down, look at the map, and figure out a game plan.  So cute!

Ready for some 3D Muppet fun!

Jayne's favorite way to see the sights

Ready to ride Flik's Flyers

We met Tinkerbell and Terrance in Pixie Hollow

Lilly was excited to meet Tinkerbell.  In this picture she's listening intently as Tinkerbell explains where the other fairies are.  They were back in Neverland getting things ready for spring.  I sure wish they'd hurry up. =)

We had to ride Dumbo one more time

Climbing up on Goofy's Go Coaster

We explored Mickey's house and got to meet the Mouse himself

In Minnie's house, Lilly thought it was so cool that everything in her fridge is some sort of cheese.

Jayne was thrilled that we got to meet Minnie Mouse!  She could hardly stand to wait in line. 

We also found Pluto in Toon Town

We were lucky enough to catch Goofy as soon as he came out to greet visitors. 

For their souvenirs, we let the kids each pick out a mouse ear hat.  Jonah chose a pirate hat complete with a gold earring and scarf.  Lilly chose a pirate princess hat with pink skulls and crossbones on the ears and a tiara in the middle.  Jayne chose a classic Minnie Mouse hat. 

Jonah was being shy with Mickey.  Mickey and I tried our hardest to get him to pose for a picture, but this was the closest we got. 

Jayne, on the other hand, ran right up to him and gave him a big hug and squeezed his nose. 

Lilly loved Mickey too.  

 Towards the end of the night, we told the kids they each pick their favorite ride to do one more time.  Lilly chose It's a Small World, Jayne chose the teacups, and Jonah chose Pirates of the Caribbean.  We also enjoyed some Mickey shaped beignets and mint julep and one more ride on the train.  We got to bed very late on Wednesday night.  We left the park around 10:00PM.  Because of the Leap Day promotion, the park was getting crazy!  When we left, the plaza was full of people still trying to get in.  There were signs saying that Disneyland was officially full to capacity, so they were letting people in as other people left.  I was glad we were done.  We were all so tired that we could barely walk.  The girls hitched rides on Nate and I.  We finally got to bed around 11:00, then we got up again at 4:00 to head back to Utah. 
We all had a wonderful time and are still talking about it every day.  We can't wait to go back to The Magic Kingdom!