You're going DOWN!!!!

I'll admit it. My name is Linda Barton and I am (sniff, sniff) a very competitive person. Thankfully, they have found a way to turn General Conference into a competition. I rock the house at Conference bingo. The little kids always want to be on my team. All I can say is ...bring...it...on. Man, I love General Conference! We should have it every week.

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".

All Aborad???

*warning: If you have an aversion to potty stories, please skip this post.

Tonight, Jason went to the bathroom door and said "Jason see bathroom."
I asked if he wanted to go potty to which he excitedly replied yes.
I put him on the potty and began saying the encouraging things a mom says when her boy is on the potty. He started in a quiet voice saying, "Come on.....come out...." which led to a louder "COME OUT.....COME OUT!!!!" It was so cute to see him screaming to his little self so naturally, I called Brent to come watch. After a few minutes of "trying" he looked up at me with his big blue eyes and said, "I done ....it broken."
So, maybe soon we will be on the *potty train*, but not today.

Hopefully, he will want to try 7 times a day (I am typing with the sarcasm keys)

insomnia and soccer

At what point do you fall asleep sitting up from lack of sleep?

Today Ty had his first soccer game. We new he would be good, but no one could have predicted exactly how great he would be. He scored 8 goals. He would have scored more but Brent had to keep rotating him out to give the other team a chance. In the first 2 min of the 2nd half, he scored three goals in a row. Ahhhhh, like mother, like son....j/k
After the game, some people in the crowd started chanting "MVP......MVP......MVP!" Sure, it was Jared and Katelyn but still..... that counts, right?

Pictures will come later, my camera battery died.

So big...., sigh

The first day of Kindergarten was exciting....
Um... Assume the position? Ty is proud of his back pack.
Waving "goodbye" to childhood...(sniff, sniff)

The bus was 20 min. late and we were on our way home to drive to school. We heard the bus turn the corner and ran up the street to flag her down. Maybe she was late because every mom wanted the "step on the bus and turn around" picture?

My 100th post

I saw a blog the other day that was talking about the decorative tiles and vinyl lettering that is so popular these days. She had a list of sayings that just may be the next "big thing".
Here are a few of my favorites:

It is always darkest before God opens a window.

I love you no matter how I treat you.

Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Everything happens for a reason you couldn’t understand.

Return with honor; I’m holding the iron rod.

Save the cheerleader, choose the right.

Sacrifice. Just do it.

Men are that they might be giants.

Be still and know that I know what you did last summer.

Remember who you are; if you don’t already know, I’m not going to tell you.

The field is white, the sky is blue.

Find joy in the journey, right in the last place you left it.

Faith: knowing is half the battle.

My mother-in-law has a funny sign that says "Jesus is coming...look busy!!"

May the force be with you after midnight.

What if the entire point of your life is to serve as a warning to others?

To hang above the computer.."Remember who you are, but don't tell anyone on the internet"

To hang above the XBox, " Idle hands are the devils playground"

Feel free to vote for your favorite, come up with your own or share one not included.

back 2 school shopping

When I was a little girl, my favorite time of year was "back to school shopping" time. I loved searching for the wardrobe that would be the perfect accessory to my 90's style hair...I had good big hair...but I digress. Hours of searching the mall...no Kmart wouldn't do.... trying on everything in sight (sigh) those were the days. Well, today I decided to do a little B2S shopping with the kids. Let's just say, now I know why my mom took us one at a time.
Why is it that no 2 pair of pants fit the same? Some are too low, some are too long, some are too tight, some are too loose. And they ALL looked the same to me. It that a sign that I am getting old? At times like this I am grateful that K is the only one of my kids who cares about her clothes! Luckily, Jason discovered that the store had a wicked awesome echo.....that was entertaining. Ty went to the bathroom 3 times, and Jared went to Sports Authority. After 2 long hours, we ended up with 2 pairs of pants for K and a shirt for Jared. I guess we will start again tonight......(long sigh...)

I'm ba-a-a-ck!!

Do you every feel like you've dropped off the face of the earth? That's how I've been for the last two weeks. If you didn't notice, that's okay... ;)
I am trying to get back into the swing of things again. Jared is still having issues with his thumb, we've been to the Dr. more in the past 10 days than in the last 2 months. It is healing slowly. I have to do a wet to dry bandage 2 times a day to try to help it heal. It's super fun. K and I had a blast at camp!!! We have never had that much uninterrupted "girl time". It was amazing! Tyler and Jason are clinging to my leg because they are afraid I'll leave again. Honestly, if they don't let go, I might just have to go again (for my sanity). Jason has this "cute" little thing he does when I leave. He screams "WAIT!!! WAIT!!!" So he can follow me everywhere. Isn't it great to be loved?

Brent and I "celebrated" 16th anniversary our almost 2 weeks ago. It's hard to believe that he's put up with me this long. I am a lucky girl. I love him more every day (too sappy?) He is amazing and I don't know how I got so lucky to snag him for a husband. All I do know is that he is my rock. He is my safe place to fall and I don't want to spend one day of my life without him.....Love you Brent!!!

School starts in two weeks. It will be bitter/sweet. I love having the kids home but they are so bored that it will be nice for them to have something to do. Maybe I'll finally finish painting my family room!

BTW, K is babysitting a lot lately. She is an awesome babysitter. If you need her please call. She loves to do it and she really does a good job. (shameless plug?) I can't believe that she is in Middle School this year, I blinked and she grew up :(

Camp Day

I just had to say, even though I am suffering from CAD (camp anxiety disorder) I am very excited to go to girls camp with Katelyn. I also found out more about the cabin we are staying in....it doesn't sound too cabin -like....more house- like. Who I still feel sorry for are the Trek campers who slept on the dirt with their duffel bag for a pillow. THAT is miserable.

camp anxiety has begun

I've never been a "camper". The first time I went to girls camp as an adult, I realized I got extremely claustrophobic in tents. When I was laying in my sleeping bag, I felt trapped like bear food in a sack. Every little noise through out the night brought new images of what was lurking between me and my nylon tent. So, when the bishop asked if I would help with camp this year, naturally I said, "SURE!" (I broke my rule of think twice, speak once)
So, last night I awoke from a nightmare where rat-like bird things were crawling all over me trying to bite me. Sure, this time I'll be in a big cabin with hot showers, but I still am getting the feeling I am in over my head. I mean, what's so great about camping? The best thing for me is Katelyn will be there, so I guess I'll have to be brave. (sigh)

Please.....no pictures

Once upon a time there was a boy named Jared. He was a good boy. He tried all the time to choose the right and to be good in every way. Last week he pitched his very first no hitter in baseball. He pitched 6 fabulous innings! Last night we were in a tournament with his High School league where he gets up to bat and smashes a double to left field. It was awesome. He was on 2nd base timing the pitcher and decided to steal to third when he slid into third base and slid into the cleat of the third baseman and opened up his right thumb. Luckily his cut was shaped into a Y (nice scar, eh?) He ended up with 11 stitches in his thumb...nice. It was his first hit of the game. The cut was so deep that I saw his tendon (gross). He'll miss championship game tonight.....needless to say, he's mad. The good news is it wasn't his throwing hand! We have to watch it for a few days to make sure he still has movement in his thumb, But I think it will be fine.
The very best part of this story is, I was talking to him about how serious it could have been and I, in my motherly was, said "you need to remember to thank Heavenly Father that it wasn't worse, to which he replied"(with a chest fist bump) I already did....I'm like that now, you know". ...So proud.....in fact, instead of sulking, he was in a good mood the rest of the night. He never ceases to amaze me. He woke up at three in the morning in agony and now is finally back to sleep/ I guess it is time for me to get back to bed too.

We love Ma and Pa Emch

I had to give a big shout out to all the wonderful people who made Trek happen for the kids this year. Jared came home a changed young man. He has talked non stop about the many lessons and experiences he had on the trail. Ma and Pa Emch were apparently "the best". I have so much gratitude for them and their willingness to sacrifice warm beds, showers, and general hygiene to be there. Jared is saying how excited he is that he can go again (we'll see if that is still true in 4 years) His nickname was "Ox", because he pulled the handcart the whole time. (not only for his family but for others who were struggling with hills and stuff) Of course, he forgot to use the disposable camera I got for him, so I can only imagine what it looked like. He said that the 24th of July will never be the same for him again. Thank you, thank you!!!!

quick update

I am just updating the ole blog to share what we've been up to lately. Jared is at Trek and comes home tomorrow. I am soooooo excited to see him, I love having the kids all home. K had a b-day and she is officially a *young woman*. (scary) Tyler is only happy if he is playing with friends 24/7. The little guy has officially hit *terrible 2's*, it's awesome....he throws the best tantrums!! My favorite phrase of his is when he yells at the kids and says, "stop it!" But it sounds like "top it". Also, he will lay on my shoulder and say, "lub you mommy". To which I reply, "If you give me a kiss, you can have whatever you want!" Ahhhhhh, summer....

And, BTW, my name is Linda and I am addicted to Scrabble on Facebook. Wanna play me?

39 days till school starts

I am updating my blog to say, I have nothing new or exciting to update! (how lame is that?) I am swallowed up in all things summer, kids bored at home with nothing to do. I need ideas on how you all keep the kids from fighting, driving each other crazy, and just generally following you around the house staring at you.....It's seriously cutting into my phone time. 39 days till school starts.

Rumor control

Hmmm.... I am feeling a little left out. All my friends are getting rumors started about them. I'm not "engaged", or have "swine flu". I am thinking about starting some rumors about me and my fam so we don't feel left out. So I came up with a few acceptable, plausible rumors:
1. Pregnancy- that's always good for a few awkward moments
2. Moving-That won't work, we've tried to move twice and it didn't work.
3. No, I didn't get a boob job.
4. I could start a rumor that I actually died from exhaustion.....
Okay, I can't think of any more. However, if if you can think of one and leave it on my comments, the winner will get bragging rights for the best rumor idea!

Random stuff

My flowers in my front beds aren't looking so hot this year. I came across this pic from last year, and since it had Ty in it, I had to throw it in.

I bought Jared some bandanna's for Trek, I think Jason looks pretty cute in it!

my son is proud of his muscles...

So, I posted random pics tonight because I have been a little busy with summer life and haven't taken new ones. Katelyn is out of school this week (yeah!) So, it will be great to have everyone home. Even though it's chaotic, I love having everyone home!

I went to a girls camp meeting today. I went once as an adult, in the YW pres. This is my first time as an assistant camp leader. I am looking forward to going, especially because my Kater will be there. (not to mention the 4 days away from home) I'm not a fan of camping with dirt so I lucked out because we are going to a cabin.....booo-yaaa! I would appreciate any suggestions for fun activities from all ya' all who have been. It's a little overwhelming to tackle everything that needs to get done.