Diapers are a Drag

Just something random:
For the past two nights in a row, Jenna has soaked through her diaper, leaving me a wet, smelly sheet in the morning. One night she had on a Huggies diaper, last night was Luvs. This is slightly annoying, especially because we splurged with the Huggies and I only have a couple of crib sheets!! Perhaps the diaper makers don't consider kids who sleep 12-13 hours a night? (I know, she spoils us). Do I have to change her in the middle of the night? I'd like to know what everyone uses (or has used)! See the poll to the right........

Easter

This is a little belated but Happy Easter! We had a nice weekend in Fremont with Jake's family. The best part: shrimp and ribs! Jake's dad made the best shrimp I think I've ever had. We had a mini egg hunt for Jenna. She seemed a little confused at first..... You want me to let go of my stroller for that?

But she caught on in no time and quickly figured out how to get the fishy crackers out of the eggs.

Some more Easter pictures....

A visit with Gramsie

Wearing the pretty shawl from Grandma Brooks.

Happy Birthday, Missy!!

She's going to hate this, but I am going to brag about my sister.

One of the best days of my life involves Melissa. In the sixth grade (right around when this picture was taken) I won two tickets to a George Strait concert from Kat Kountry 103. At school that day, I was out in the field during recess and I saw Melissa driving home from high school (our house was down the street from the elementary school). I stood at the fence and waved her down before she turned onto our street. When I told her I had won, she started screaming and in that moment, I felt so cool! I could hardly wait for the day of the concert, knowing I would get to spend the whole day with my sister (she was pretty much the only other person I knew who liked country music and I attribute my love of Garth Brooks to her). Our parents drove us to Arco Arena in Sacramento and it was the best concert I have ever been to (nevermind that I've only been to three) and boy, we really raised the roof! I bought a shirt that was two sizes too big with a huge picture of George's face that I think I just got rid of last year.

When I turned 10, Missy made a card and put it in the cupboard so I would find it when I went to get a bowl for breakfast. It said, "Happy Birthday! Welcome to the double digit club!" She taught me how to apply eyeshadow and how to paint my nails so I don't get paint all over my skin. When my parents put a pool in our backyard, we swam in the freezing hose water as the pool was filling up. When a neighbor boy (the "other" Stephen) made fun of a mole I have on my face, Melissa told him that it was a beauty mark. I can even remember a "picnic" to the backyard and eating yogurt from the orange tupperware cups my mom still has. When Melissa left for BYU, I was pretty devastated, partly because it meant I was being left with my brother, but mostly because she was one of the few people who didn't make me feel like a huge dork. One time I sent her a tape I had made of myself playing "The Phantom of the Opera" on the piano and she told me her roommates thought it was professional. And when I left for college, she sent me a box of Easy Mac. Now that is love.

These are just a few examples from my childhood that show how fun and kind my sister is. And Melissa is still a huge part of my adult life and is always someone I can turn to for advice, perspective or a good laugh. She is never judgemental of my rantings but helps me get through whatever it is I'm stressing about, big or little. She is a great friend, and wonderful wife and mother. I love her more than I can say and hope she has a great birthday!!

Jenna, Jenna and more Jenna

I took Jenna to my friend's house on Friday for an hour so I could run a few quick errands (thanks Cammy!) and she didn't shed a tear when I left. But it was a different story when I came to pick her up because she had discovered a baby doll stroller and did not want to give it up. So, after listening to her cry the whole way home, I ran to Target and picked one up for her. And now, all she wants to do is laps around the house. Sometimes she'll put things in it like my shoes or books but most of the time, she just pushes it around and says, "Hi!" when she runs into me. Her second favorite thing (this week, anyway) is a Strawberry Shortcake backpack I found at The Dollar Store and she is quickly learning she can find juice and crackers in it. She looks so cute with it on but I'm happy we've got a few more years before she needs a real backpack! Also, she officially can sign "please," and sometimes without being prompted. And the picture of Jake just cracks me up. I found him like that, using my pink phone to call his sister.

Fun with friends

My friend, Cammy, unexpectedly had the day off yesterday (party!) so she called me up and we had a fun morning going to Target and the park. We loaded up all the kids in her car and we thought the three of them together were so cute. I don't think Tyson agreed, though.

He looks a little nervous between those two girls. These were the only picture I got before my camera battery died. Darn it!

How long do I have to do this?

Today is going to be a long day. Jake had a home show in Anderson, which is up by the Oregon border!! So, obviously, he will not be coming home tonight. But I have some things planned today to keep us busy.... like going to the grocery store to buy green onions for Enrichment night tonight.... okay, today's going to be really boring.

My sister, Amy, did a post about all her favorite things around her house. I loved reading it and felt like I knew her a little bit better. So, I'm copying her. Here are my favorite things...

I love these pictures of me and Jake. The small one was taken the day I first saw him after his mission. The other one is my favorite of our wedding photos.

This "Family" sign was given to me by my brother-in-law, Glenn, for Christmas one year. It is a good reminder of what really matters. Because they don't make signs that say, "Dirty Dishes."

We got this shower curtain at Target a few days after we were married. I think it's one of the few items of decoration that hasn't been switched out in the last three years! Even though we have shower doors, I still put it up because it is just so simple and pretty.

My sister, Melissa, gave this to me for Christmas 2006. I had many conversations with her and Amy and they told me to enjoy being pregnant. And I did! Until I was about 8 months and Jake was literally rolling me out of bed! But it was a special time and this reminds me of how fun it was to watch my stomach grow and how fun it is to watch Jenna now.

I love the closets in our place. The are huge. There are 4 cabinets above and 4 drawers below which means we have so much storage space!

This arrangement of pictures is above our couch. I got the mirrors at IKEA for $1 a piece and the other frames were on super clearance at Michaels. The picture of Jenna is one of my favorites because it's such a gentle picture of her. I think I'll probably be switching them out soon, though. It's time to update!

This was given to us for our wedding by Mona Anderson. I know her from the ward I grew up in and she is one of the nicest people I know. This hangs above our kitchen sink (where I spend a lot of time) and is so pretty to look at. There is so much detail that I notice something different every time. A lot of love went into making this!

And here are some pictures of Jenna... my FAVORITE girl!

Jenna "Picasso" Barnes

Everyday, right around 4:00pm, I run out of things to do with Jenna. There's only so many times we can walk around the block, read "Chicka Chicka ABC," or play Hide-and-Seek (my pants are all worn in the knees from crawling around!) So yesterday, I decided to see what Jenna would do if I let her color a picture. I put her in her booster seat, pushed her right up to the table and handed her two crayons. She took it very seriously and was very into her masterpiece. Starting bid: $1,000

Here are some other pictures from our lastest outdoor adventure:

The Jenna Show

Update....

Last week, Jake finally went out and bought himself a a flat screen! He was supposed to get one for graduation last June, but we thought we'd be moving out of state and he wanted to wait until we were settled. Then, we were going to get a new (to us) car but we like not having a car payment and thought we could hold out a little while longer with the ones we've got. So.... we're not moving and we're not getting a car so he needed something!! He's been working so hard lately and this is really the first time he's splurged on HIMSELF! And the tv needed to sit on something so we got a stand at Target (love that place) and a new rug instead of a new coffee table. I found some pillows at Ross (live there, too) and Khols and switched up the whole living room. We love it! It is very.... us. Especially the rug. As soon as we moved out the old coffee table, Jenna started walking across the entire room because she didn't have anything to hold onto anymore! So, she is officially walking. Also, we went to another Warriors game on Friday night with my brother and Jake's cousin. It was a fun game! They played the 76ers and won by about 20 points or so. Saturday I had a baby shower at our place for my friend Lyndsey who is having a baby girl in a few weeks. (My vote is for Bridget!) There were 35 people packed in this place but somehow, everyone had a chair to sit in and it wasn't too cramped. My friend Hidie and I had our babies 11 days apart and at my shower last year, we took a picture together to show off our huge tummies. So on Saturday we took a "One Year Later" shot. She's still smaller!! We had a lot of fun celebrating with Lyndsey and she got some great stuff!