Happy Thanksgiving!

I like Thanksgiving. Since both of our families live here, we take turns every other year with our family. This year is our Barton year. We don't get together with them often, but when we do it is always fun. Mostly I am glad that Brent gets a day off work. It seems like life is so busy anymore and all we do is go separate ways. So, I am thankful that on Thursday Brent and I will sleep in late and someone else will cook us dinner and our family will all have fun together. Hopefully with no injuries. That's all I want for Thanksgiving....and pie.

Monday morning at the DMV

For 8 months now I have been driving with an expired license. Why? You may ask....because I never legally changed my name 16 years ago when I got married. I told Brent that I wanted to see if things worked out first (ha ha) So I took Jared to get his learner's permit today and decided it was time to take the plunge. I called ahead to verify all the legal docs I needed so I was prepared. I step to the window to speak to a lovely DMV employee ( I mean stereo-typical DMV employee) to do my 'thang'. She informs me that I must have brought in the necessary info because my name was already changed, I explained the letter I received informing me I could not renew by mail because of the discrepancy. She seemed confused and told me I could renew without the docs I brought. (good thing I hunted down my marriage license) I didn't argue because all I wanted was a new license. I filled out the paper work and paid my money and was on my way in no time. The lady was not nice. I don't know why, I was nice. Sometimes, when someone is rude to me it is a like a game for me to try to win them over by being even nicer....It didn't work. Jared was at the next window....his lady was nice.... Either way, we are both legal to drive now. Jared took the written test and I will admit that if I had to take it I may not have passed. Now I get to go back to the Social Security Dept. and change my SS card....maybe next Monday.

The moral of the story, Be nice. My dad always said, " You can catch more flies with honey". Who wants flies? Oh wait...

A happy post

I'll admit it...I vented a little yesterday, so today, a happy post.

I was listening to my (Jared's) ipod a few nights ago. I had a couple of songs on repeat. In bloom by Brother Nirvana and Land of Confusion by the Brothers Disturbia when all of the sudden the sacrament Christmas program started coming to me. It has actually morphed into two meeting. So I had a lot of time to cover. But I am excited because I have a good rough draft now and can work on finishing it. Don't you think music is so inspirational? I do....


...this is the world we live in ( wa-oooo) and these are the hands we're given ( wa-ohhhh) use them and lets start trying (wa-ooooh) to make this a place worth living in. :)

Christmas program blues

I am having a difficult time trying to figure out what to do for the Sacrament Christmas program this year. Last year, I was smart and had Brent write it. I don't think I can ask him two times in a row, right? So I am shouting out to the blog world for any links to fun ideas or anything you may have seen/done and enjoyed. Thanks for any help, if it comes down to it, I could just stand up there and sing something which wouldn't be pretty......trust me.

Pumpkin carving...Barton style

We finally got pumpkins tonight. Katelyn and Tyler were the only ones who wanted to carve a pumpkin. I remember the days (before I was married) when pumpkin carving meant breaking kitchen knives ...no more. Get out the tools!
Who needs a kitchen knife?

Careful planning, comparing drawing to pumpkin.
The final result was great! I am soooo thankful for my husband who is the pumpkin carver in the family. He always does a great job.

Happy birthday Tyler!

Today Tyler turns 6 years old. It's hard to believe because it feels like he's been here a really really long time. :)

Ty loves soccer and is really good at it. The boy in the middle of this pic always wanted to hold hands to which Tyler replied, "dude...not cool!"
Sometimes Tyler would score over 15 goals in a game, but he always made sure to pass the ball as much. His team was undefeated with 2 games that ended in tears ( the other team). In spite of total field domination, the always had great sportsmanship.
Tyler loves the snow. He had a blast playing in it yesterday.

Some of my favorite things about Tyler are, he is a mom's boy. He REALLY loves me. :) Also, he is smart. He already reads on a first grade level and gets a little smarter every day. He is kind to Jason, they will be good buddies when Jason gets a little older. He has the best laugh, he cracks me up every day. He is a big boy in a big body. Growing up so far with the older siblings, he has matured far beyond his years in his taste of music. Anything Jared likes is great with Tyler. He loves all things sports. He has a fiery temper. We have learned to let him blow off a little steam from time to time (usually once or twice an hour). I have grown to love that part of his personality because he is tenacious and willful. If I can keep him on my side everything will be fine. (sigh)

He has truly been a blessing in our lives. He was a bit of a surprise, but we have loved the space between the kids, it keeps things interesting. lol
Happy birthday Tyler, thanks for coming to our family and being such a fun kid!

Monday Monday Monday

Today I have decided that I will have a good attitude about mondays. In the past( by past I mean last monday) I have been less than enthusiastic about beginning the week. You all probably know why, getting on top of laundry, weekend clean up, etc. But today I have decided I LOVE MONDAY!!! Every week we get a new start. A new chance to make up for the mistakes of last week. A brand new opportunity to try again. In fact, I need a monday on thursday too. That's all, thanks for reading.

What's the matter with boys these days?!?!?

A few days ago, Katelyn informed me that a boy at school had his friend ask Katelyn if she would "go out " with him, to which she replied "no, I don't go out with boys." (whew!) So, today the same boys' friend came up and said, "are you sure you won't go out with him?" She said no. So then the friend says, "would you kiss him?" (in my head I said WTH..eck?!?!?) She said no! THEN he said "what about a hug?" She said no AGAIN and he walked away.

I have given Jared an assignment to watch out for these boys and do the appropriate big brotherly thing. (whatever that may be)

vomit happens

......at 3 A.M.......why is it always at 3 A.M.?

How to read the BOM in 30 days....or so

16 days ago, I decided to read the Book of Mormon all the way through during the month of October. I did it 6 times while I was pregnant with Jason so I figured it would be fine. I remembered that you need to read 17 chapters a day to get finished in one month. So I started and did really well for 10 days when I realized I was getting through it pretty fast. Silly me, you only need to 17 PAGES to finish in one month. Hee-hee I have tried to keep up a quick pace, but not 17 chapters! The reason I am posting this on my blog is that I wanted to share a few blessing I have received because of this goal I set for myself.
Every day, I learn something that profoundly impacts my life. I am grateful for the Book of Mormon and the lessons in it. It has strengthened my testimony of our Father's love for each of us. It has given me examples to share with my kids to help them through problems in their lives. It has made me realize that I can do more for my friends and strangers. The biggest thing that has stuck out to me this time is the advice the dad's give to their boys and families before they die. It has made me think of my own dad and the advice and warnings he gave me before his death. In fact, it has been so touching that in Alma when he was counseling his boys for the last time, I could hardly get through it. I wished I wrote down things from the last blessing my dad gave me. I remember only a little. I am grateful for the time and effort they took to keep the history.
I love to read the Book of Mormon quickly, it helps me keep every one's families straight. Next time I look forward to taking a little more time to ponder stuff. :)
Thanks for letting me share. I only have 135pages left and I am looking forward to starting over.

Ya' gotta' love 'em....right?

Ever had one of those days? (he knows he's in trouble) ( I think he's saying, "save me, my mom is crazy!")


Jason's new favorite "naughty" is to play "monkey bars" on Katelyn's bed. It really is kind of funny, however, the bars aren't that strong. It's the kind of thing you catch you kid doing and take a picture, then forbid them to ever do it again.....ya right.

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?