The Days of Your Lives

Like the title? I'm so funny. Anyway, Just thought I'd give an update on our lives. Justin is loving school and work this semester. He's in a lot of his major classes and loving every minute of them. His job pretty much is doing what he's majoring in so he likes it a lot. Right now he's training to be able to certify others in CPR.

I'm doing the same kind of things I've been doing all summer. I work on my little sewing projects, cook, clean, and do some bed resting. A few new things I've done this week include harvesting apples and plums from the trees in the yard of our apartment complex, making apple pies, going to Yellowstone, and attending the RS broadcast. I've also been planning a big Halloween party. If anyone has any great ideas for me to use at my prty as far as decorations, food, or games, you should let me know. I'm thinking of freezing some of the plums we picked and peeling them to look like eyeballs since they're about that size.

My stomach is getting bigger and bigger, and just when I think I can't get any bigger, my wasteline expands a little more. I'm getting more excited and more impatient for baby to come.

Happy Belateds!

Just a happy belated birthday to Denise yesterday, and happy belated anniversary to Don and Mary on the 20th. I hope you all celebrated in grand style and know I was thinking of you on your special days--just sat around feeling guilty I didn't get your cards in the mail. Anyway, happy belatedness from your California sister!

Some Thoughts on Potatoes

a small round flat potato we got out of our potato box

I discovered today how much growing up a certain way affects us the rest of our lives. I don't know how many of you remeber the potato box in the washroom, but I was thinking about it today when I was peeling potatoes for Justin's lunch, and I had to laugh to myself because I have my own potato box. I keep it under the bottom shelf in my kitchen where the sunlight can't get to it, but I can and there's planty of ventilation so they don't rot.
When Justin is helping me with dinner sometimes I tell him to go get three or four big potatoes out of the box. It's so funny to me because I remember helping mom with dinner or lunch when I was little, and mom telling me to go get six or seven potatoes out of the box.
I also remember peeling lots of potatoes growing up. I wasn't very quick at it when I was younger, but boy am I quick now. I think it helps that I have a very, heavy duty peeler, but all the same after years of practice when I was little I must be pretty good at it.
The first few months after we got married, Justin was pretty amazed at how many potatoes we ate. Pretty much most of meals I knew how to cook included potatoes of some variety and so we had them nearly every day. That and they are so stinking cheap especially here in Potato Country. It's like reverting back to childhood when we had meat and potatoes for every meal. Whether it was venison stakes with mashed potatoes or pasties or stew...potatoes pretty much made up half of every meal.
Luckily for Justin, even though I don't think he ever really minded because he never said anything about it, I have branched out my meal plans, and quite often we have Mexican and Italian dishes. Some of my favorite things I have learned to make since being married include baked burritos, chicken enchiladas, fettucini with alfredo sauce (from scratch), and lasagna.
All in all though, I don't think I'll ever depart from being a meat and potatoes kind of girl. My favorite Applebees order will probably always be steak and french fries or mashed potatoes.

Surviving Butte High

Hey, peeps! I'm currently a sophomore at Butte High, and I'm going nuts. :D I just turned 16 on the 6th of September, and, happily, completed my Young Womanhood Recognition stuff a week or so before my birthday. :) (which happened to be my goal.) I'm writing a new novel on top of school, seminary, and teaching myself Italian. I'm pretty busy, but I at least enjoy Italian and writing. I have no job or opportunities for one because our family has no connections, so I'll hang out, bumming off mom and doing whatever odd babysitting jobs I can get. I've got to go to bed. (Seminary comes very early.)
Ciao,
Amber

The Three Stevens

Hi All

I've finally joined the blogging era and am figuring it all out! We now have our own family one too - Wohoo! As for an update, although slightly belated, we are doing pretty well. Alexus is enjoying school more and more, but the early mornings aren't always that fun for her. She is learning to swim in school and loves checking out books from the library. She loves playing school now, too. Lex is also learning taking horse riding lessons and is enjoying it! Tyse is doing great, although pretty sick right now. He has that killer smile that tends to keep him out of too much trouble, but he is finally talking in sentences and so the next hurdle is potty training. I'm not looking forward to that too much, but he has the idea down its just getting him to go in the potty instead of outside all the time. As for me its pretty much work, kids and riding. My aunt and I are trying to put some miles on our horses and its been great. I've been taking some senior portraits, doing some graphics work and still working at the stock yards so its been fun. All in all we're doing great!

Adamsons

The Adamson family is still putting along. We are still trying to get over our loss of Oreo. And now since Oreo got killed Silver seems to have run away. We haven't seen her for a few days. And we were doing so good. We had those bunnies for 1and 1/2 years. It is hard to see their empty hutch. Abbi is about to turn 7 and I am trying to talk myself into potty training Emily, since she is 3 and not getting any younger. Other than that nothing much is going on. We would like to know what all of you are doing for the holidays. We are not sure what we are doing,but we would like to see some family. Let us know.

Ostler's

Life is busy right now and stressful, but all is well. Emma is having a pretty stressful transition with school and we are trying to figure things out. Ethan's shoulder is better and he no longer has to wear his brace. He still has to be careful for another 6 weeks. I was changed from 1st to 2nd counselor in YW which has actually complicated life. Ainsley and I haven't felt good so today we had a movie marathon while Don did a football game in Leadore (2 hours away). We watched Mulan II and Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium. Next Saturday Don and I will celebrate our 11th anniversary. Man are we getting old.

Belated Update

Sorry I have been so late in posting something. Our lives have been pretty uneventful until the last week so you really haven't missed out on much.
Well, two weeks ago, Justin finished up summer school, and we headed to the mountains for some rest and relaxation. I posted on my own blog all about that so if you want to read about our dead moose find and Warm river adventure, you'll have to go there to find out about it. It was a wonderful weekend for camping and did the trick for us. Then we spent a few days getting ready for our trip to California.
We drove down to Jane's late Tuesday night (I ended up having to get a new drivers' lisence so we got behind schedule), and then we flew out to Sacramento early Wednesday morning. We got to see all of Justin's immediate family (his mom, dad, brother, and his sister's family), and a good chunk of his extended family. We also got to spend time with April and her family which was so great.
Everyday we were in a new location in California so it was an interesting trip. Wednesday we spent in Sacramento and Vacaville, Thursday we spent in Concord and San Fransisco, Friday we spent in Manteca with April, and Saturday we spent in Berkley.
It was so good to spend time with April and the kids even if it was only for a few short hours. Joshua is so adorable, and I can't believe how big the rest of her kids have gotten. They are such good kids, and so different from each other in personality. We wished we could have spent the night at least, but with so much family in one area but different locations, we were pretty stretched for time in any one location.
For those of you who have never visited Berkley California, you're in for an interesting adventure if you ever do. I saw a man walking down a street in nothing but his underwear, and let's just say they weren't boxers. I also have never seen so many Obama signs, peace signs, and women's lib signs in my life. And talk about the pedestrians and bikers. They were all over the place. The streets are all super narrow and windy. It's like uptown Butte times three. I couldn't believe some of those streets.
we flew back in very very late Sunday night and stayed at Jane's one more time. A tragedy struck while I was eating my breakfast. I watched Jane's pet rabbit, oreo, get malled by a cat. It happened so fast while I was looking out the window that I didn't have time to do anything, that and I didn't even know that it was Jane's rabbit. Jane has declared war on the stray cats in her neighborhood, and I don't blame her.
We ended our trip with a stop at the Army surplus store outside of Idaho Falls. Justin thought he had died and gone to heaven. I really liked the store too. I do believe that whoever I get for Christmas this year will be receiving a present from the Army Surplus store.
All in all it was a whirlwind of a trip, and though it was good to go somewhere different for a change, I was never so glad to get back to my little home. My feet had swelled up to gigantic proportions, and I was starting to think that they would never go down, but with my return to rural, quiet, cold rexburg, my feet are back to normal.
Sorry i have no pictures of our trip. We don't have a camera, but hope to be purchasing one soon. Let us know of any recommendations you have.

Your mother does exist

Hi everyone!

I am alive and still on planet Earth. I was looking at this remarkable website and realized how proud I am of all of you. I am the luckiest Mom ever. I love all of you so much. It is wonderful to see all the pictures.

I wanted you all to know that I have been hired full time at Montana Tech as Distance Learning Coordinator. It will be a welcome change and adjustment. I have really enjoyed my work at Rocky Mountain Clinic, and I will still be working an hour here and there for them. They said I could work from home.

My job at Tech is partly grant money, so if we do not produce - no job next year. Needless to say I will be working very hard.

I couldn't even begin to tell of all the events going on. I have a pie crisp in the oven and a line up of bread things I'm baking. So I will say bye for now and hopefully, I can fill you in on life later.

I love all of you.

TROUT CREEK

Okay, okay, after numerous requests posted on the blog for details on the Trout Creek trip, I have finally decided to humor you. Okay, the truth is that I've been crazy busy and haven't even had time to look at the Chick Chat website for weeks. I do have a few minutes right now, so I thought I would write a bit.
Well, as you all know (or at least most of you), some of us went to Trout Creek for a few days during August. That "some of us" consisted of John, Jordan, Brandon (Jordan's friend), Alexus, Tyse, Mom, Amber, Shane, & I. We camped at Bull River, which is a few miles north of Noxon. I believe it was my third time camping at Bull River, and personally, I like it quite a bit better than North Shore--the campsites are larger and more spread out. It isn't nearly as crowded as North Shore. I like the swimming area better, and there is even a little trail back along the river where it is incredibly quiet & peaceful. Hooray for Bull River!


Anyway, we just did the usual Trout Creek events - swimming, looking for deer, etc. It was beasty hot (upper 90s and low 100s), so we (Amber, Shane, & I) were in the water quite a bit. John, Jordan, & Brandon fished the entire time, so we didn't see much of them.
Amber and I visited the Ross Creek Cedars one of the days. Ann, you will be happy to learn that they fixed the road after the avalanche wiped it out the last time we were there. I simply love the Ross Creek Cedars. That place is somewhat magical, I think. It is peaceful, quiet, and the lighting inside the forest is simply remarkable. And talk about the water! The creek is the most crystal-clear water you will ever find in the world. And it is fresh-off-the-glacier cold to boot--just one step above frozen. They just don't make water like that very often!

Amber & I also did some deer watching. We saw 109 deer the first night, and even some wild turkeys. A turkey hopped out of the tall brush in front of us. We stopped the car to watch it, and a few seconds later, one by one, little turkey babies started popping out of the brush to follow their mama. They crossed the road in front of the car and walked off into a farmer's yard. They were so cute!

We also popped over the Idaho border (only about 10 miles away) and went to the Cabinet Gorge Dam. It was pretty impressive. And the water was an incredible greenish color. Talk about photo-op.

On our way home from camping, Amber & I took the time to stop at the National Bison Range. Our best views of the bison were actually from OUTSIDE the bison range since the animals were by the fence along the highway. Bison are pretty interesting critters, you know? They make a low grunting sound - sort of like a pig. I like bison.

Well, that's about the extent of our trip. We did have a few unpleasant moments, but that is to be expected with any family outing I suppose. Let's just say that I have DEFINITELY ruled out camping as part of the upcoming family reunion (hey, remember we're having a family reunion?). It's hard enough for all of us to get along under the best circumstances, let alone put us out in the woods without hot showers, indoor plumbing, and comfy beds to sleep in, and we're asking for disaster. Anyway, I had a fabulous time at Trout Creek. I'm even thinking about taking a job at the Naughty Pine Saloon so I can live out there. : )

The Monsooned Barretts

Things are going well in Arizona. We are all alive and out of jail as Mom would say. Andrew is getting bigger. He is now seven weeks old. He had his one month checkup on Wednesday (Sept. 3). He weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds, 14 ounces and 23 inches long. He is growing like a weed. Much to my dismay, we learned at his doctor visit that he has a milk allergy. So I get to cut out of my diet anything made with milk or soy. That pretty much wipes out my entire diet. I'm trying to look at it as a great weight loss program (if I don't die first). Also, just as an FYI since I know know one will be able to make it to this far away desert land, we are going to bless Andrew this Sunday, Sept. 7. It should be interesting with the circle just including Dan and the bishop, maybe his counselors will join in. Anyway, I need to go in search of a blessing outfit for him.

Cole is getting bigger every day. My little pickle is growing up too fast. It's kind of sad in a way. I don't want my little ones to grown up and ever leave. But I guess it is inevitable. Cole also received his first shaving of his hair. That's right all of his beautiful locks are gone. It is just way too hot for him with all that hair. I shed some tears and now we are trying to move on with our lives. Cole is still all about ball. We've added new sports to the mix since our good old Olympic days. Volleyball is a new favorite these days. Dan started back to school on August 25 and I'm not excited about that. But hey, this is our second to last semester so we'll make it. I'm just cruising along, feeding Andrew all day long, getting ready for some cooler weather.

Speaking of weather, we enjoyed a monsoon on Thursday evening. It was rather unnerving to tell the truth. Our neighborhood was hit hard. There were 75-80 mile per hour winds with gusts up to 100 miles per hour. We lost at least 12 huge trees along our street with many more losing large branches. Our street was closed down because there were several giant trees fallen across the road. We lost our power for about four hours. So I was changing diapers by candlelight. Fortunately, we didn't experience any damage except for losing our beloved trees outside our apartment. Anyway, it was rather crazy, but we survived. Other than that, things are really pretty uneventful. Hope everyone has a great week.