so, what now?

Now that Christmas is over I guess it's time to focus on a new project. So, I am asking .....what do we do now? New Years Resolutions... have another baby (j/k lol) ....what do you suggest?

I love the beginning of a new year. It's like a fresh start and a way to put the past behind you. So, I am curious, what are your new year's resolutions, or do you even have any....and what should mine be?

Happy New Year! (maybe I should try setting a goal to get to bed at a decent hour?)

the Christmas program is over...

Today was the second part of the Christmas program that I have been obsessing about for months. Last week, Brent spoke about the Prophet Joseph Smith and another speaker spoke about the atonement. I wonder sometimes if my husband knew the prophet because his testimony is like none I have heard before. I love to hear him speak, he always does a great job. Also, we were lucky enough to have some of our family come to hear him too. I love that our families live close to us, especially around the holidays. It means a lot to me to have their support on the little things....thanks fam! I look forward to our Christmas traditions around Christmas Eve.
This week was my turn to speak a little. Also, the choir sang beautifully. When I was a kid, I dreaded the ward choir singing. Our choir is the best!!!
All-in-all, I was happy with the turn out and grateful for the many people who helped make it a great program.

Merry Christmas, my friends. I love you all and hope your holidays are happy and safe. :)

Things that make me happy...

One of my oldest friends had a post like this on her blog and it inspired me to make a happy list. Just so if I am feeling down I can remember a few things I am happy about.

1. It makes me happy to listen to really good music. When you are in the car and you hear all your favorite songs on the radio....isn't that the best?

2. It makes me happy to see my kids succeed. I love to see them proud of themselves. I even feel a little happy when they struggle to succeed. I see the amazing people they are becoming and I feel so proud.

3. It makes me happy to sit by my husband. I fall asleep next to him on the couch almost every night. He watches t.v. late sometimes and I don't like to go to bed without him.

4. It makes me happy (and a little proud of myself) when I let things go. I have struggled with anxiety all of my life and am learning the joy in being at peace with my short comings.

5. It makes me happy to talk on the phone. As a stay at home mom, I feel isolated sometimes and my phone is like a connection to the outside grown-up world. When I was a teenager, the only way my parents could punish me was to take away the phone...brutal.

6. Santa Clause makes me happy. I love the idea of him sneaking in to leave presents so no one can see him. The guy is the ultimate in unselfishness. I love all my Santa's in my Christmas box. When I buy one, I look at his eyes and face. Each one means something different to me. My dad was the best Santa. He was a great example of giving without being noticed, never keeping anyone on the naughty list and he even had a kin of ho-ho-ho laugh.

7. It makes me happy to think about my dad. He has been gone nearly 10 years now and I miss him. Right after he died, I got sad when I thought of him because I missed him so much it hurt. I am glad that now I am happy when I think of a funny thing about him or even some irritating quirk that I now notice in myself.

8. Diet coke makes me happy....(don't judge me) I know it is shallow but diet coke with lime is the best. (sigh)

9. It makes me happy when my family is all at home with nothing to do. I love to relax with them. Each of the kids are so different but they are all funny and fun to be around.

10. It makes me happy to watch Jared pitch. I am proud of his abilities and also the way he keeps his composure when he is down in the count.

11. It makes me happy to listen to Katelyn play the piano, she is talented and has come far in a short period of time.

12. It makes me happy to listen to Tyler talk about how he entertains his kindergarten class. Every day he has to think of something funny to make his friends laugh. Yesterday, after he finished his work he stood up and said, "sha-boom, I'm done!" That was all, but he makes his friends laugh. I apologize in advance to any primary teachers who will witness his act. :)

13. It makes me happy to listen to Jason. He learns new stuff each day....most of it naughty. I love the terrible two's. I had give him a little consequence the other day to which he replied, "that makes me so sad!" I had to leave because I was laughing.

14. It makes me happy to be Mrs. Brent Barton. He is so handsome and amazing! He is so smart, I am glad every day he is with me. I feel lucky to be with him.

15. It makes me happy to do hair. I love my job! My clients are my friends, I love to make them look and feel good about themselves.

16. It makes me happy to read the Book of Mormon. I have read it many, many times and love the message and peace I feel when I am close to the Spirit.

17. Lastly, bed time always makes me happy. I love the craziness of having four kids, and I love when they are worn out and go to sleep.

Finally, the Christmas tree is up

I love Christmas, I don't love putting up and taking down the tree. The kids did the ornaments, so I still have some "unclumping" to do. My favorite part of the evening was when I was so sick of ball ornaments that I decided to get artistic and throw them at the tree like little baseballs. It looked cute so I left them where they landed. BTW, I only broke one. Now onto the wrapping and to try to finish shopping. Fun, fun, fun!

I know it's over, but....

This was one of my favorite demotivator posters. I had to share. :)

It's official... Christmas time is here!!!

I LOVE Christmas! I especially love Santa Clause. How cool is he. He brings toys to good little girls and boys. I have NEVER known anyone on the naughty list which means he is very forgiving. He only comes when you are asleep so he won't be caught leaving gifts. He's a jolly old fellow.(Happy people rock!) Nobody cares if he's skinny and he eats loads of cookies.

I also love the opportunity to reflect on the birth of Christ and the significance of His life. The reminder each year to be a little kinder, to give a little more and be a little better. So, Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have a wonderful, safe holiday season.

Peace out....

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!