Winter Weather This Week- Inside and Outside

This has been kind of a tough week at our house. Mark was sick ALL week - like really sick - like missing work all week sick. We had ward conference today and yesterday was the first day he wasn't in bed all day. Luckily he had prepared a lot before this week, but he would've liked more time to spend on his talk than just yesterday. He did a great job on his talk, though.

Also this week, Derek found out that he did not get into BYU Provo. It would have been fun for him to be up there with Billy and Caitlin, and his other cousins. But he has cousins at BYU-I, too. We just don't know anything about that school or the town...I've never even been there. Guess we'll have to make a trip! We are excited to learn about it...we've heard great things about BYU-I.

Jayce celebrated President's Day at school. Here's the cute hat he made.




And we had TONS of rainy, wintry weather this week, which means I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. On Friday I really wanted to order pizza. In order to save money, I decided to make my own. This recipe for homemade pizza crust from my sister in law Rachel has become a staple at our house. It's unbelievably easy to make.






I got this ebelskever (sp?) pan for Christmas and this is the first chance I've had to use it. They are like little pancakes. You can put filling in them, but I thought I should go basic for the boys. They really liked them with powdered sugar and syrup. It was fun to try something new.




And today I finished up a two day project of making a double batch of homemade lasagna. Man, it is labor intensive, but, oh, so worth it! We had lasagna for dinner (and enough for another dinner of leftovers) and I have a pan in the freezer for a later day or to take a meal to someone.



Jayce begs to eat some of the lasagna noodles. He hovers until I figure out if I have leftover pieces. Funny kid!



I am just not ready for another week to start. I feel like I have so many tasks in progress that I'm not doing any of them well. And I don't like that feeling! Well, tomorrow is a new day so I better chin up!!

Disneyland

Billy and Caitlin came down for the long weekend to get a break from the college scene. We had been thinking of taking the boys to Disneyland sometime last week because they had the whole week off of school. So, why not all go together on Saturday?

We rode Pirates of the Carribean and then Indiana Jones (which I don't have pictures of), and then we went on the Jungle Cruise. I remember being so fascinated by this ride the first time I went to Disneyland. And Jayce is, too :).





The crew!





That elephant looked like it was going to charge!



A quick photo break in front of Cinderella's castle...



And then on the Thunder Mountain (which I don't ride because it gives me a headache). But Jayce loves this ride!



After a lunch break, we headed over to California Adventure to ride California Screamin (another one I don't ride). Jayce was sure he wanted to ride it, but I was scared for him. He did it, and lived to tell about it, and loved it! These are pictures of pictures...when you get off the ride, they have pictures posted on T.V. monitors in case anyone wants to spend a gazillion dollars to buy one. We just took pictures of them with their silly faces.






Caitlin and Cody on the big huge ferris wheel. Jayce has always wanted to ride one. It gave a great view of the park.



This was on the Tower of Terror. Derek was feeling sick, can you tell?



At the end of the night, we were all wet and freezing. We topped it off with some really yummy hot chocolate!



And luckily we all got two day passes, so we can do it all over again when it's sunny!

Train Ride!

Jayce has been begging me to take him on a train. I told him maybe we would ride it up to Grandma and Grandpa's house. But we just never made the time. They had this whole week off of school, so we made it happen! We took the train from Solana Beach to downtown San Diego.






The train station was right down by Harbor Drive, so we walked along the Bay and got some pictures. It was an absolutely beautiful day! This is the Star of India. We saw a group of fifth graders boarding to spend the night. It brought back memories when our kids did it!





Jayce is really afraid of the water. He said "I never want to go on a boat out in the water." It's so funny because neither Mark or I like the idea of being out in the ocean, but we've never told Jayce that. Must be in the genes.



It would have been a perfect day, except we didn't know the rules for getting off the train...like that those getting off have the right of way. We waited patiently for all the passengers to get on and when we tried to get off, the doors closed. We freaked out (okay, I freaked out). We had to ride the train up to Oceanside, get on another train and come back. Geez. We're choosing to smile anyway!

Valentine's Day and Expectations

Mark always tells me I should teach a class called Husband Training 101. He says I trained him well. But that only works if a man is teachable. I am grateful he is. I remember many Valentine's Days and birthdays and anniversaries early in our marriage where I expected him to read my mind. I thought he would just know what I expected, I mean we had been married for ___ years...he should know! Well, I then discovered that wasn't fair; I can't expect him to read my mind. I had dreamy expectations for a lot of things...and I still do. Years ago I would say, "If you have to go out ON my birthday or ON our anniversary to get a little something for me, don't bother. It's about the time you spend thinking about me and what might make the day special. By then, I know I was thought of just briefly enough to hopefully keep you out of the doghouse. Nope." Even though I was communicating my expectations, we still spent many years where I would end up disappointed and he would feel bad. One year, nearly 20 years ago, we were very tight on money and he surprised me with a little necklace with a pearl on it. That blew me over because he is far too practical for jewelry. But I LOVED that he thought about me and that it WASN'T practical. There have been other years, like the year he bought me something very practical that I loved...my running GPS watch. But, I feel bad because a lot of times husbands just can't win. The expectations are so high, and even though he is well meaning, the day still ends up a perceived failure. Well, no more because I communicate what I want now and I expect far less. He does what I want and usually a little something more. I love little surprises, but I mostly love surprising him with little surprises. It's just fun and life should be fun in a marriage!



So, I asked for flowers, a bracelet, and some cupcakes from the lady who made them for Caitlin's reception. I arrived home from Houston on Valentine's Day and I imagined something romantic like him bringing me flowers at the airport. But he didn't. But, that's okay, he had them at home waiting for me. And he did great at picking me out a little bracelet I love. I have never worn much jewelry...too many years of raising babies that want to gnaw on it. But I do love it, even if it is impractical. And the cupcakes will have to wait. And I'm fine with that.



And this Valentine blog would not be complete without this: Jayson's sweet little friend, Loraya brought this over for him. Isn't it SO cute! And wrapped inside was a box of sweet tart hearts.

I Come From Good Stock

This past weekend was such a treat! I flew to Houston to be with family and attend my brother's son Alex' farewell. I couldn't fly all the way to Houston without taking it ALL in! On Friday afternoon I drove from the airport to my brother, Mike and his wife, Rachel's house. I was so lucky that my niece, Jessica was there with her two sweet little girls. We all went out to dinner and had a great time.

This is little Rachel, aka ham in front of the camera. So cute!! (This picture really doesn't do her cuteness justice!)


After we got back from dinner, Mike wanted to be a little more comfortable, so he came out sporting his LSU pajamas. Love it! This is the big-fig-newton pose I think...


This is my favorite picture of Jessica. She may not like it, but I love it. She looks so naturally beautiful and her happiness in being a mother shows through as she holds little Maggie.


Proud Nana and Pop. I can't imagine what it will be like to be a grandparent. Seriously!! I know it will be absolutely wonderful, but I'm not in any hurry.


I was born in and lived in Louisiana for a good portion of my childhood. Cajun food was normal fare at our house. We gathered up what family we could and headed to the Ragin Cajun for dinner on Saturday night. Mom and Dad on the right, Susan and John with Elizabeth in the back, and Wylie and Carla.



Wylie and Carla. Cute couple, don't ya think?


Yep, that is a huge neon-ish crawfish. Go figure.


This was not our meal, but I've eaten this many times. I ordered fried catfish with hushpuppies, which I love. But crawfish would've been a treat, too. I just didn't feel like getting my hands all dirty. I know it looks kind of gross, but it is sure good!


I made us stop at the grocery store on the way home because no visit to Texas would be complete without Blue Bell ice cream. Seriously, you haven't lived until you've had Blue Bell. And they're not paying me to say that!


On Sunday afternoon, little Rachel was chillin out in the backyard with Grandpa and Mike. She actually tried to ride Buttons. And Bonnie (the lab) was being so patient as Rachel chased her around. (I went for a run with Bonnie on Saturday morning, and she is the best dog! I just fell in love with her!)


We kept wondering if she was going to get in there. We had to strip her down to her diaper because she is a mess waiting to happen all the time and she only had one outfit for the day. So, Jess took off the one and only outfit to preserve it. It was the smart thing to do!


One of the highlights of being in Texas was meeting my new (what do I call her?) Jessica's sweet baby Maggie. Oh, she is wonderful! See for yourself!


Love this little one. How big will she be the next time I see her? I don't want to think about it!


On Sunday afternoon after the farewell sacrament meeting, we participated in a tradition they have in their area. The young men and women who are preparing to serve missions participate in a mission prep class for many months preceding their missions. The teacher of the class hosts a huge steak dinner for the departing missionary and his family. Other friends and church members are invited as well. After the meal, Alex shared his testimony and his excitement to be a missionary. There were other testimonies and it was a spiritual feast. This is all of the crew we could round up. Five of the Barrow kids all in one place. That's a big deal. Sure missed David, though.



After a very long and wonderful Sunday, I hung out at Ken and Diane's for a couple of hours to just visit. I love them so much. Alex is ready to go. He enters the MTC tomorrow at noon. He will be a wonderful missionary and he will represent the Lord and his family well.


It was sure a treat to be there. I just wish Mark and the boys could have come. It's just too expensive to fly all of us, and I know we'll be going again for a wedding or another missionary event. I love going home, especially when the weather is nice. I love my family so much and am grateful for the influence they are in my life.

100th Day of School!!

Wednesday, February 9th, was the 100th day of school. Who knew?! Well, the kindergarteners did! In celebration each child was asked to bring 100 of something. Jayce chose to bring matchbox cars. It was a little heavy to carry...but it was what he wanted to bring. (I think Derek brought the same thing when he was in kindergarten :)). Some kids brought macaroni, pennies, pom poms, legos, etc. One over-achieving mother sewed 100 buttons on a small pillow and then appliqued "100th Day of School" on the other side. I was wowed! Today at school, they got to do a math activity where they licked a lollipop 100 times (marking off each number on a piece of paper). Afterward they measured how much smaller it had gotten. Way fun stuff!



This, of course, is Jayson's 100th Day crown. (And behind him is my classroom! He is standing by my table where I teach.)



Wrestling news: This is the last week of the wrestling season. Cody wrestled a GIRL from Torrey Pines. Awkward! At least Mark thought it was awkward. Cody won on points, whew.



I have to hand it to her, though. She fought hard...it was not an easy win.



Okay...I love Valentine's Day! I wish I were baking cookies that look like this! I love thinking about my sweetheart and what fun things I can do for him. And I also love making it fun for my family. It's just a fun holiday!


This has been an incredibly hard week. My normal schedule is teaching in the mornings at our elementary school small groups of children who need a little extra support.This week, additionally, I subbed every afternoon as a one on one aide for a little down syndrome kindergartener. She is the sweetest thing, but it was like watching an 18 month old and trying to get her to do 6 year old work. It was hard! It made me appreciate teachers, I tell ya!

Tomorrow I fly to Houston to attend Alex' missionary farewell. He is such a great young man and I am so proud he is going to serve a mission. This is Alex with his family (he's second from right). Love that family!