First Valentines

Not only was this Grace's first Valentines Day, but it pretty much is the first time Deryk and I actually celebrated it together. Lat Year I was doing the morning sickness thing and I was in class until 8:30, so we didn't do anything, and the year before that we were still in the, "we're friends, but are we more than that?" stage, so needless to say we didn't do anything for eachother then either.

So, as our first real Valentines toghether, I decided we should celebrate it. So here's the rundown of our Valentines day

We went to see "He's just not that into you" (FOR FREE! can't get much better than that)

Then Deryk took Gracie out while I fixed a surprise dinner complete with candles!

The menu:

Appetizers: Stuffed Mushrooms (It was my first time making them, they turned out pretty good)

Pre-entre: Salad

Entre: Chicken enchiladas and garlic bread

Desert (my favorite part of the meal): Chocolate dipped strawberries and red grape sparkling cider--so Yummy!

And yes, Grace ate with us too--Her cuisine: Pureed Pease! Her Favorite!

It was a nice V-day. Probably the best I've ever had! Nothing beats having the people you love most with you all day!

Here's some pics of our little Gracie playing with her Valentine's gift from her grandma and Grandpa Barrett

Yo Trevor!

So a few months ago my nephew Trevor asked me if I would run in the Ogden Marathon with him--and no, not the actual marathon, I would rather be hung upside down by toes and have wild raccoons tear at my eyes than run 26 miles (that's a "I would rather" statement just for my bro-in-law Chris--hope it was up to your amazing standard!). He asked me to run the 5k with him, which I used to be able to do before I got married and stopped working out. Well, now that times have changed (as well as my body), I slowed down a bit, had a baby, and sat around a lot more than I used to, so I'm soooo out of shape. So I took the challange, tho not seriously at the time.
Well anyway, this post is to tell Trev, that it is totally on!! I'm on my way to becoming the best running partner you've ever had! I'm telling ya, I'm going to run it in 30min., okay maybe 45min...well, maybe somewhere between a half-hour and an hour (though closer to an hour). Actually my goal is 25min...we'll see. Right now it's not looking good. So get your game on Trevy, cause mine is totally on and I'll see you at the starting line....and the finish line!
(love ya Trev, thanks for the push I needed to get my big 'ol booty moving again!)

Yummy, Yummy!

Grace had her six month appointment and the doctor said we could start her on solids. We think Gracie has been very excited to eat like us, since she watches us eat like it's the most interesting thing in the entire world. She watches our every move without blinking (it's enough to make ya feel bad for eating without her). So here is a picture of Gracie enjoying her first solid--Rice cereal, YUMMY! And yes. she enjoys eating, very much. The only problem is that she is so impatient with me, I just can't feed her fast enough!
And she finally fits it, Sue. Thanks for the cute outfit! Try to ignore the fact that she's managed to drool so much that almost the entire front of her shirt is wet!
And for those who might want to know:
Height: 26 3/4 in.
weight: 15lbs 12oz.
She's growing so big, so fast

A Time Honored Tradition

Hot Dog Night!!!
Yep, that's right, Hot Dog Night! For as long as I can remember our family always had hot dogs on mom and dad's date night. So naturally, Friday or Saturday night comes around and I find myself craving the salty taste of a hot dog. So tonight i sucumbed to the crave and made pigs in a blanket with sauteed onions wrapped up in with the hot dog--m, mm, mmm! So this is a shout out to my siblings, i miss enjoying hot dogs with you (boiled, grilled, burnt crisp over an open fire, spread thick on sandwich, layered with mashed potatoes and chees, diced in Macaroni and Cheese/pork 'n beans, or shaped as octupus smothered in ketchup!), somehow Deryk (and I know most of the in-laws) just doesn't understand the addiction or the crazy infatuated relationship this family has with the hot dog!
Hope you all Enjoy your Saturday Night and long weekend, thank goodness for federal holidays!!

Best Christmas Present Ever!

So, did I already tell you that Deryk decided he would make me a bed for Christmas? He did! And he finished it yesterday, he needed a little of my help in deciding how to paint it and what colors to use. So he designed the bed, did the carpentry, and such, and I painted, sanded, and put some finish on it. I have to say we make a great team!! It turned out beautiful and he even built it so that it is taller so we can put storage under the bed So take a look, I think it is probably one of the best gifts I've been given...(though I was the only child at home for a while so I had some pretty darn good presents then, so it's tight!!:) ) Thanks Deryk for the beautiful present, I absolutely love it!

(Hey Becca, check out the small pillow-I still have it, after all those years!)

Grace Discovered Her Toes!!

She found them! And like every other baby who's gone before, durring, and after Grace, she too sucks on those tiny little toes, though she has fervently tried to shove her intire foot in her mouth, she is finding out that some things are just physically impossible. But I just love that she just keeps trying!

Oh Ya, It's The New Year!

Happy New Year to all our friends and family! We hope you all have a happy and adventurous 2009!

We had so much fun ringing in this New Year. We spent our New Years Eve and Twelve o'clock hour with Deryk's family. Boy was it a good time! We had a very delicious fondue party - yum, yum! and we visited and played games. Just a nice way to begin 2009!

So here we are, 6 days into the new year, and I finally decided on what my New Year's resolution(s) would be. This year I want to learn about all the ways we can be more frugal and save some money. You know, actually put some money in the savings account rather than take from it. I would also like to have a more organized home. It's so small and can easily get messy and cluttered, if I can just manage to be more organized I wouldn't have to be picking up the huge messes we make trying to find what we know we have, but can't find! O ya, and I'm going to get to the laundry more often than I do to avoid the mounds of laundry overflowing from our laundry baskets!

So here's to 2009 and the hope that I actually work on and obtain the hopes and wishes of this year--and I wish the same to all of you!

And here is a shout out to Grace's Grandpa Barrett. I told you I would post it--this is the earliest I could get to it....

and this one of Grandma Barrett because I really like it, the dress is adorable, given to Grace by this very Grandma. Thanks Sue for all you do!

First Christmas

We had a great Christmas this year! We stayed home, took a very long nap, and just enjoyed the day without having any obligations or places to be. It was truly Deryk's and my Christmas wishes come true. Grace got some cute things for Christmas, and although she is not old enough to really get the whole present thing, I had a great time enjoying them for her. So this is what Gracie got for Christmas this year...Santa left this cute little horse for Gracie (Santa came early this year, we had it set up about a week before Christmas, so that we could see if Grace would like her Christmas present, She does, and because I was to impatient to wait for Christmas to give it her).
Grandma and Grandpa Simper gave Grace this sweet little doll, Grace loves to chew on it!
Deryk and I gave her this beatiful dress! Red is a great color for Grace!

And in Grace's stalking, was this cute bunny chew-toy, as you can see, it fullfills it's purpose nicely!

This is deffinately a smart child, after all the christmas morning fun was over and done with, Grace reached for the chocolate! Yep, that's going to be an addiction she'll fight with all her life, just like mommy!

He Did It! One More Semester Down!

Congrats to Deryk for completing his last final today!!

What a relief we're feeling here in the Barrett House as we can finaly put this semester behind us, and look forward to the semester ahead of us. I have to say, Deryk did a great job! This was a hard semester with a new baby in the home, he had to pull a lot of the heavy weight by working as many hours as possible and going to school full time, while I hung out at home with our Gracie. All I have to say is one big huge, very appreciative, respectful thanks to my sweet husband for giving me the gift of this semester to stay home and enjoy being a mommy for a short while, before I have to clutter my life with school, homework, work, and all that busy-ness. I have absolutely LOVED this time alone with my sweet baby and I'll treasure it always. I really am lucky--thanks Deryk and congrats on all you've been able to accomplish this semester! You're getting closer to the goal--I know we can do it together!

A Fun Christmas Tag

I got tagged by my sis, Rach, which is kind of good since I don't really have anything else to blog about, so thanks Rachy.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Depends, wrapped for under our tree and gift bag for others, i'm the worst at wrapping presents, you'd think I'd be a whole lot better with all the practice I've had helping Mom and Dad wrap the mounds of presents they buy for eachother, the grandkids, and my siblings and thier spouses, but nope, I am the worlds worst!! In fact I don't think anyone can tell the difference between my wrapping and Dad's wrapping!
2. Real or artificial tree? Artificial, but I do miss having a real tree.
3. When do you put up the tree? Sometime in the week before Thanksgiving.
4. When do you take the tree down? Between Christmas and New years Day--when ever I decide I've had enough of it.
5. Do you like eggnog? Oh, Heck ya! Cut it with a little sprite and I'm the happiest woman on the Earth! And it's a must on Christmas Eve right before I head off to bed. Thanks to mom and dad--old habits die hard.
6. Your favorite Christmas gift as a child? I can't remeber if it was a Christmas gift or birthday, since they are so both together, the presents, in my mind, run together. But I wanted a rainbow brite so, so, so bad one year and I got it! I remember how stinking happy I was!
7. The hardest person to buy for? Mom and Dad, what do you get for the person who has everything???
9. Do you have a Nativity Scene? Yes, Deryk and I bought it together, it was the first Christmas ornament we both invested in together---ah...
10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? I always have the best intentions of sending cards, but they never get out or finished. this year we took a pictures for it, but I have yet to get it all together to send them.
11. What is the worst Christmas gift you ever received? I have two. Both are from office Christmas parties where we played the greed game, you know, were you choose to take someones gift or take one that hasn't been opened yet? Well I ended up with a set of coasters one year, and a spool of thread the next!
12. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story-of course. And I love A Miracle on 34th street, both the old and new versions.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?Hum, this year it was the day after Thanksgiving-I pretty much finished that day too.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No Way, but ask me about wedding gifts, we're still recycling them more than a year later.
15. Favorite thing to drink at Christmas? Egg Nog and Sprite mixed!
16. Lights on the Tree? Yep, Right now they are white, but I want to get some red lights when all the Christmas junk goes on sale after Christmas.
17. Favorite Christmas song? I have a ton of favorites, but to name a few, It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas, Amy Grant's Breath of Heaven, it reminds me of my friend Sarah Burnham and the fun Christmases we had in Twin Falls, Little Drummer Boy, which, by the way, Josh Groban has an absolutely Kickin' version of it. Oh Holy Night, and Anything the Oakridge boys sing, I owe that to my Pops and all the fun Christmas memories I have of my childhood.
18. Travel Christmas or stay home? Doesn't matter, I'm up for anything, as long as I'm with family.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Oh, no way, I repeat the first three to fill in for the rest of the poor forgotten reindeer
20. Angel or star on the tree? A sweet little Angel my mom bought for me when we stopped at Smith and Edwards on our way to see the Christmas concert on Temple square--another favorite tradition!
21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas? Okay, I would totally love to open them on Christmas Eve, but Deryk and I don't have a lot of presents to open, so if we opened one on Christmas Eve, Christmas Morning would be a little boring and somewhat disapointing.
22. The most annoying thing about this time of year? Stress!! Now I know why Dad was such a scrooge, I can't imagine purchasing Christmas for 7 children, parents, siblings, neighbors, and such. My hats off to you Dad, I'm starting to get the picture and a little understanding. Thanks for being so generous when I know it was tough financialy, I never had a Christmas that I didn't get what I wanted.

23. What do you want for Christmas this year? Peace! :) Okay, just to be with my family, and for Deryk to finally have one day in which he can relax and not have to worry about school, work, and finances.

Our Baby Girl Wears Blue

I absolutely love Gracie in the colors blue and green. this is one of my favorite outfits of hers. I know it is the social norm for baby boys to wear blue, but Gracie's eyes are so pretty and the blue and green emphasize just how beautiful they are. The only problem is that it causes some confusion. We get questions like, how old is HE, and what is HIS name. so to solve this problem I made our little Gracie a headband to wear with her blue shirts. I think it adds the perfect feminine touch, doesn't she look like a flower?

Let the Holidays Begin!!! Our Thanksgiving Weekend!

Ah! I love the Holidays! It really is the most wonderful time of the year! I love the excitement, the thrill, the spirit of giving, the great music, the "get togethers" with family and friends, the parties...pretty much I love it ALL!!! Our Thanksgiving weekend began our holdiay season in a great way. Deryk and I went to my parents house for Thanksgiving. Both of our parents are great cooks, so no matter were we went, we would have had an amazing meal!! The feast was great! We then played night games with my siblings and thier spouses and all the neices and nephews. We had a lot of fun and didn't want it to end. Unfortunately it did. The next morning, My sisters and I joined in the chaos of Black Friday. We had a ton of fun out among the crowds and just hanging out together without any children--who were obviously still sleeping!

And tonight Deryk and I joined my older sister Debbi and her family at the parade of lights in downtown Pocatello. We had so much fun--it was a bit cold, but we had the hook-up, and we were able to stay warm or get warm when we got to cold in Justin's Dad's shop--Pocatello Electric(thanks to the Meyer family!) We've had such a great weekend. And tomorrow we get to see Deryk's family. It has been a great way to get the Holiday season started!

Here are a few pictures from our weekend.

Grace and Grandpa, looking for any good deals in the MOUNDS of adds in the Thursday Paper

The parade of Lights with Debbi and Justin's family

Happy Holidays to all of you! May this season be full of joy and happiness! Our goal this year is to spend a little less and show a little more love! I'll let you know how it goes :)

Adventures in Babysitting!

It has been an awesome opportunity for me to be able to stay home this semester with Gracie, and I owe that opportunity to my sisters! I watch thier children for a few short hours durring the weekdays and they pay me for the time (although, I would be happy to do it for free, I am grateful for the financial bennefit.

Anyway, the experience has not only been a blessing financially, it has also been a great experience to have my neices and nephews in our home. Grace will never know what it's like to be an only child because she will always have had someone in the home to share her life and possesions with. I think that is pretty dang cool!

The children are so sweet with thier newest cousin and they are so loving, they are always telling Gracie that they love her and are giving her kisses. It's amazing how accepting and instantly loving they all are with eachother (the joy of cousins!). Anyway, Deryk and I have really enjoyed the experience and we have a lot of pictures to show just how much we enjoy it all. By-the-way, a little shout out to my neice Sarah!! Thanks for helping me fold the laundry! Another bennifit of having my neices and nephews here! Gosh I sure do love 'em!

Our Football Hero!

This Weekend we went to Deryk's hometown, Malta, to watch his little Brother, Bridger, play his final football game. The kid is a great athlete, and we had so much fun watching him. He got a little beat-up but that's normal for our football hero! We think you're great Bridger, it's been fun watching you play these last two years!

Happy Birthday to One Fine Lookin' Man

Yesterday was Deryk's birthday, and the poor man was sick!! But we celebrated his day the best we could. I made him home-made pizza, the boy is a sucker for a good pizza, I'm still trying to make it, but I think in the many, many years we have ahead of us I just might master the perfect pizza.And of course we did the cake and candles and i made a wish as he did too--I wished that he woudn't spread whatever he had when he blew out the candles :)

So, I just wanted to wish my lover a happy birthday. I really do think I'm the luckiest woman in the world to have found someone as amazing as he is. I waited a long time to find Mr. Right, and boy was it worth it!!! He gives me a reason to lighten-up and laugh every day and he is more than willing to help me whenever i may need it. He is literally my life-saving-intertube on wild and tumultuous waters. this life is hard enough, I can't imagine trying to make it through with out him.

So, happy Birthday Deryk! I can't wait to grow old together, I know the best is yet to come

1 Little Ghost Goes BOO!

Since this was Grace's first Halloween, we deccided we would do the costume thing. We kept it simple. So here's our sweet little apporition.

One Wickedly Awesome Prank

Through the years I have found great joy in being a part of the perfect prank, I think it all began in highschool with Becca, one of my very closests friends, whose birthday just happens to be on April Fools Day. I thought the best way to celebrate her birthday was by playing pranks on her. (Sorry Bec!) On the mission I would leave little surprises for the sister coming in after me, or the elders moving into the apartment after us. And when I was "single" living with roomates the opportunities were endless, the best was when I lived with a mastermind who needed someone who was brave enough to carry out the pranks she came up with in behalf of our home teachers. I'll never forget the night I came home only to find my door baracaded with bags and bags of old rotten leaves! If only they had taken the time to make sure all of our cars were there, we immediately carted the old mushy bags to thier apartment to baracade them in and turn thier nasty prank back on them with a note saying something like "Smoothe Move Ex-lax."
But out of all the pranks I've been a part of this one beats them all--it was perfect!
So, I was wandering through the isles of the 50-percent-off-halloween-junk at Walmart yesterday, just looking to waste time until Deryk would be coming home soon. When I saw a tube of blood for 25 cents! My mind immediatly began to create the prank. I had it all planned out to this...
later that night I was making smoothies for Deryk and I. just as I was finishing them up, I got that tube of blood out, poured some of it all over an old dish towel, then dropped a piece of ice in the blender, covered my hand in the blood and turned the blender on, just as the ice crunched with a loud, horrible sound I screamed and went running into Deryk with my hand covered in blood. Deryk jumped up and came running, his face was WHITE, and so concerned looking. Well, as soon as I saw that I had caused him more alarm than I probably should have i gave up the prank and showed him I was Okay.
In my mind it was the best prank ever, it achieved exactly what I was going for. In Deryk's mind it was the worst prank ever. If anyone knows Deryk, they know just how protective he is, so he was very very worried and did not see the humor in it immediately. He did laugh about it after he had some time to calm his mind and racing heart. He swears I'm in for it, but all I have to say to that is, "Bring it on Baby, try and do your worst!!"

Lunch With Daddy

So on Mondays and Wednesdays, I pack a sack lunch for Deryk; and Gracie and I go to the school and eat lunch with him. Today was such a beautiful fall day, so we drove up above campus a few blocks to a church and had a little picknick.

I have to admit, our lunches are probably my most favorite part of the day. I really do look forward to packing up a lunch and spending the short time with my little family out of the house. in truth, the lunches are more for my bennifit, rather than Deryk's.

All Dressed Up

The joys of having a baby girl, is dressing her. Sundays are the best, that's when I get to dress Gracie up in her darling little dresses, which she has more than she'll ever be able to wear, thanks to family and friends. I couldn't resist taking a few pics this morning and sharing them with you.

Another Tag Game!?

So I got tagged by Debbi--thanks a lot sis--and this time I'm supposed to answer the following questions as if I were my sister Miriam. So here goes, and Miriam, when you read this, try not to take everything so literal!

Who is your favorite past U.S. president?
Raegan

What is your dream job?
Executive director of Real Simple magazine

Do you floss and how often? Be honest.
Uh ya--Daily

What is the grossest thing you have ever eaten?
It's a toss-up between the cow tung and cow heart dad made us eat when we were little--was it his attempt to introduce us to what the people of Uruguay and Argentina ate or was it because it was real cheap to buy?

What is your least embarrassing moment?
Well, I don't really have any embarrassing moments, and I'll refuse to confess to any you might try to remind me of!

Have you ever knowingly ingested feces? (Any type.)
Of course not--can you imagine the germs involved!!! (yet for some one so germ-aphobia, she still jumped and played around in the cow pies with her older bro.)

What is the grossest thing you have ever smelled?
Grandview Idaho!! And a close second-- Daniel's, Debbi's, Josh's, Jo's, Rachel's, and Stephen's Diapers.

What gives you gas? Once again, be honest.
Sugar--yet it hasn't cured my addiction to it

Who is someone that you used to admire, but now do not.
NKOTB--A.K.A. New Kids on The Block I had a poster as big as my bedroom door of them, but more speciffically, Jordan Knight--his looks were worth admiration. By-the-way, they're making a come back, I DVR'd thier appearance on the Today show

What cartoon character do you hate the most?
The Big Bad Wolf, That's why my house is made of bricks!

What is your second worst pet peeve?
When others think they're right, when obviously I am

Finish the following sentence: “Once, when I was out of underwear…”
I did the Laundry

Okay, I tag Rachel and she has to answer the questions like she was Debbi. Have lots of fun Rach!

When She Smiles She Smiles!!!

S0 I need to update you all on little Gracie! The last I wrote about her on the blog, other than for her blessing, I said that she cries all the time. Her temprament has totally changed!! She's happy and so content. Our favorite time with Gracie is in the morning right after she wakes up. She is so happy and bright-eyed. She is such a joy to be with! So we no longer have the woes of a crying colicky baby--thank goodness!!!

This Might Be Pretty Good

So I've been seeing these previews for a new series on ABC and I think it might be pretty good. I'm interested in watching it and thought I would share my interest with you all and invite you to watch it tonight and tell me what you think.

SO it is tonight at 7:00. I thought it might be kind of a fun series.

Thanks a lot Steve!!!

Deryk got tagged by Stevo and he's not that excited about it either, but he'll play too with just a little push from me.

So here are his 6 quirks according to him and with a little help from me.

1. Being poor--can that be a quirk, he's good at it, he's forced to be good at it.

2. Super cheap (or super frugal)!! If Deryk can think of a way to do something we need or want for almost nothing it's the best day of his life!

3. Deryk says that school is a quirk for him--what that means...?

4. Deryk has dry humor; actually I wouldn't say it was dry (that was his description), but rather a shocking humor, sometimes the jokes he says or the funny comments he makes surprises me and we laugh like mad!

5. Family is everything--family comes first, no matter what.

6. Deryk is ultra creative when it comes to solving a problem, whether it is how to fix a wooden floor with a scratch in the middle of it, not having the right tool or resources, or how to heat water in large quantities when the water heater is broken.

Well, that's that!! He chooses to tag Preston and only Preston because everyone he knows has already been tagged. We've had tons of fun learning about our relatives and friends!!

Grace's Blessing

We blessed Grace yesterday and I just absolutely love the precious dress and bonnet my parents bought for Gracie so I just have to show her off. Grace Clare was named after two of her great Grandma's. Grace after my Grandma Powell and Clare after Deryk's Grandma Beyler--who is actually Clara, tho we love her name, it just ran to well into Barrett, so we shortened it. Anyway, this is a picture of Gracie with her Great Grandma Beyler. We love her so much and hope Grace will become like her Grandma Beyler, and her Grandma Powell!

Fall in Pocatello

Through the years I've heard a few negative comments about Pocatello, and I admit to adding my own, such as not wanting to get stuck here--sorry Deb for the offensive comment. But one thing I really love about Pocatello is being so close to the mountains--the great and beautiful outdoors. Deryk and I love to take advantage of how close we are to all the mountains have to offer: camping, hiking, rides on Sunday afternoons, and so on. This past Sunday we drove out to one of our favorite spots, cherry springs, and listened to general conference, picnicked, and enjoyed the beauty of the changing leaves. The fall colors were beautiful and I don't know about anyone else, but I just love the smell of the leaves as they change and fall to the ground. So despite what others may say about Pocatello, we do love Pocatello, especially in the fall

Date Night!

Friday night is traditionaly date night for Deryk and I, a tradition we gave up when sweet Gracie joined our family, it was just not appealing to leave her. But soon, I became desperate for a meal where one of us didn't have to hold Grace while the other one ate, then took thier turn while the other ate thier meal. So we happily accepted a gift card for chile's from Rachel and Chris (thanks Rach--we owe you big time) and had a great time. I even took a shower, did my hair AND make-up. It was an official date! We had a great time and we're so grateful to Rachel for the gift of the dinner and Miriam and Clay for watching Grace. It felt so good to get dressed up and have some quiet time together I just had to take a picture as we were leaving to commemorate our first date in 7 weeks. (I'm sure many of you reading are just in need of a date night as we were if not more!!!).

The Dean Martin Variety Show and a Promise.

So one thing some people may not know about me is that I have an "old Soul" when it comes to entertainment. Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra have got to be some of the greatest ever! Gene Kelley still astounds me with his talented and flashy tap dancing--I love the bright socks he always wears with the dark pants. So when I saw a promo on T.V. today, that happened to be on durring Deryk's lunch hour, for the Dean Martin Variety Show on DVD, I was SO tempted to order. I won't. After all, I Promised Deryk as he was leaving that I wouldn't.It could be a great Christmas or Birthday present though, if anyone might be interested ;)

And One for Deryk!

This post is for Deryk, who likes Bill Cosby a lot, and I admit, I'm a fan as well. You've got to appreciate the way he tells a story and delivers a clean joke. The Cosby show comes on the CW Channel late at night and Deryk and I have found ourselves drawn into watching, though we enjoy the show, we don't always enjoy the lack-of-sleep hangover. Anyway, this is a clip of Bill Cosby on the Dean Martin Variety Show (I combined both of our interest) He's very young and it's such a cute clip, thanks to Youtube, which can be a treasure box or a trash can.