Santa is coming....oh wait, it's my brother!

My little bro Nate is coming to visit this weekend. It's been too long since I have seen him. He lives in Texas (Hook 'em Horns!) and has an amazing wife and two kids. I look forward to visiting with him because we always have great talks. He's a smart and funny guy and I wished he lived closer so we could see each other more. This picture is way old, it was at his wedding with my dad. (not that he married my dad, the pic is him and my dad :] ) ( I could have re-worded that but I thought it came out funny) I know he reads my blog so this post is mostly for him. YEAH!!!! MY BROTHER IS COMING!!!! Love ya Nate!

It's your birthday, it's your birthday...oh yeah, it's your birthday!

For the record.....I am 5' 6".
Today, my baby turned 15. The only reason it's okay for me to be 35 is that I need to be old enough to have a 15 year old. I decided to write 15 reasons why I am proud of my little Jerry-Berry.

1. He is honest and trustworthy. (that could have been 2 but I won't have a hard time with 15)
2. He is kind to his brothers and sister.
3. He is a hard worker.
4. He is a talented athlete.
5. He always opens the door for me.
6. He has a strong testimony of the Gospel.
7. He is a good student.
8. He has respect for women and girls.
9. He does the dishes every night.
10. He is a loyal friend.
11. He wants to choose the right all the time, and tries his hardest to do so.
12. He doesn't complain....much
13. I am proud of his example to his siblings.
14. He is physically and morally strong.
15. He has a positive attitude.

Okay, now some things I like about Jared...
He is so much fun to be around, he always makes me laugh. He can imitate funny lines from movies that always crack me up! He's a nice kid, he tries to include kids who may not have many friends. He has a lot of self-confidence. He knows who he is and has goals that he wants to achieve. He isn't easily distracted or deterred off course.
Jared is excited to get his learner's permit. I am excited for him to drive, too. But, I get a little sad because we have good talks in the car.
One thing I used to always tell Jared is that you are never too big to sit on your mom's lap......I am starting to re-think that position.
I know it's obvious to everyone who knows me how much I love Jared and how proud of him I am. Happy Birthday Jared....I love you!

..who's the bravest one of all?

Tyler had his first loose tooth. He was so excited to have the tooth fairy come that he wanted to pull out his own tooth. I decided to go along with it and tied dental floss around it. He yanked one time and the floss slipped off. I tied it back on again and with one giant tug, it came out! A look of sheer panic/excitement came over his face when he realized what had happened. He is my first kid to have the guts to yank his own tooth out! I always knew he was tough. (I hope the tooth fairy remembers to come tonight, I'll admit that in the past she has forgotten)

Extra....Extra...read all about it!!!

Tonight for my homework, I got to write an editorial about Katelyn. (I hope I get an "A")
She is so amazing, I thought I'd share it with my blogtastic friends.

Katelyn is Amazing by Linda Barton

When walking through the halls at South Hills Middle School, there is one girl who stands out above the rest. Katelyn Barton is a 7th grader who loves middle school. She can always be seen with a smile on her face. Her bubbly personality coupled with her contagious laughter makes her so much fun to be around.
I asked her brother Jared, who is in 9th grade at SHMS, "Why do you think everyone likes your sister?" He replied, "there are tons of reasons! I think, mostly because she is so funny and she is nice to everyone...even me!" He went on to say, "Also, you won't hear her saying mean things about people, she can always find something nice to say about everyone."
The people I spoke with all agree that Katelyn is a good friend to have. She is there for you if you are sad and need a good listener. She can always make you laugh, and, if you need help with homework, she is very smart.
All-in-all, you would have a difficult time finding a more loyal, kind and honest friend.
I know I may be bias, but I think she is the most beautiful girl at South Hills Middle School. I mean it, have you seen her eyes?!? But, more importantly, she is beautiful on the inside. If you get to know Katelyn Barton at South Hills, you will never be without a great friend.
A few important things about Katelyn are that she loves BYU football, she plays softball and basketball, she is a very talented piano player and she likes to cut hair, she even once cut seven inches off of her mom's hair. She is good at keeping a secret and she is the best daughter in the entire world.

I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful daughter. She is turning into and an incredible young lady right before my eyes. (sniff, sniff)

10 truths about me

I copied this from a friends blog, (no that isn't my first truth)

1. I love make-up... Lancome's gift with purchase is the best. I will call all the major stores to see "who has the gift" so I can get it. (Purchase with purchase is great too! All my cute church bags are from Lancome)

2. I always wanted six kids. (until I had one....now I'm not too sure)

3. Every day I am scared that my daughter will make the same mistakes I did in Jr. High.

4. My favorite food is ice cream. Sometimes I have it for lunch because hey, I'm an adult...I can choose my own lunch now.

5. I love to run on my treadmill. (which helps with my ice cream problem...a little)

6. One of my biggest fears is finding out that I could have helped someone if I hadn't ignored a prompting from the Holy Ghost.

7. I adore my husband. He has never let me down and I feel lucky every day to be married to him.

8. I wish I knew more about computers.

9. At this moment you could eat off of my kitchen floor. Not because it is spotless, but because I think you could find pieces of a whole meal on it. :-/

10. If I were playing "truth or dare", I'd rather pick "dare".