Logan Canyon

The other day, it was really nice outside. Josh has been going into work early, and getting off in the early afternoon, so we decided to go to a picnic in Logan Canyon. Once we found a picnic area that didn't charge 7 or 8 dollars, we had a lot of fun. Lindsay loved walking around. She loves being outside. I came home with a huge goose egg on my forehead. No, I didn't fall or get hit in the head by anything- it was a mosquito bite. I HATE mosquitoes! I always get really bad reactions from their bites. Of course, I forgot the bug spray this time. We're going to be camping and outside a lot in July, and I'm stocking up! I wish I would have got a picture of the swelling. It was seriously huge!

Josh cooking dinner...yum yum!

Lindsay having fun!

Daniel being cute!

Best friends forever! They love their camping chairs.

Lindsay's talk

Lindsay gave her first talk in Sunbeams today. She was so cute. She said all the words so good, and when she was done, she jumped down to her chair and said, "I did it!" This was her talk:

Since today is Father's Day, my talk is about two important Fathers in my life. The first is my earthly father. I am grateful for him and all he does for our family. I am glad he holds the priesthood. The other father I want to talk about is our Heavenly Father. I am grateful for all the blessings he gives us. I am glad our Heavenly Father sent us a father here on earth to love us, provide for us and protect us. I love my Dad. I am glad he chooses to follow the commandments and the teachings of our Prophets. Through my Dad, I can feel my Heavenly Father's love.

Here is our cute little girl the day of her first talk. She is growing up too fast!

Las Vegas!

The first week of June, we took a vacation to Las Vegas with my parents. Josh was bowling in Nationals! My mom and Dad came Sunday night and slept at our house and we left early Monday morning. The kids did great on the drive. It seemed to go really fast, and we were in Las Vegas by about 1 pm (pacific time). We went and picked up my brother Brian (who Lindsay ADORES), and went to eat at PF Changs. I had never been there. Their chinese food was awesome! I had my usual, Sweet and Sour Chicken, and it was the best I've ever had. The kids weren't really fans, but I didn't like chinese either until I was in my late teens. That night, we went to Mandalay Bay and saw their exhibit "Shark Reef". It was awesome. I think the hardest thing about Vegas is that there is so much to do, it is hard to get everywhere. Finding things in this town was sure an adventure. Even once we got to the casinos, we had to walk a long ways to get wherever we were going. But it was a ton of fun and the kids were GREAT travelers. They hardly complained.

Tuesday morning, we ate Breakfast at the IHOP that is right by the Stratosphere, and then went to M&M World. It is awesome. 4 floors of M&M souvenirs! They also had a little 3D movie to watch. It was a lot of fun. We took Josh to the Cashman Center to go bowling, and then my parents, myself and the kids went swimming. The pool was FOREVER away from our room, and once we got to the pool, I forgot we didn't have sunscreen. 3 pm, in June, in Las Vegas is not a good time to go without sunscreen. So, I walked all the way back to the van, got the sunscreen, and walked back. The kids loved the pool. There was a huge step that was about a foot deep that we stayed on the whole time. Lindsay would have stayed there all day. Myself, I ended up getting the worst headache ever from the sun. That evening, we went to Rainforest Cafe in the MGM for dinner. It was really good, but kind of expensive (9.99 for a kids meal hot dog?) Brian joined us there and we went to the Solarium and Water Show at the Bellagio. It was way cool!

Wednesday morning, Josh had to bowl early, and Brian had to work. So, the rest of us went to Circus Circus to their amusement park, The Adventuredome. Once we found the rides, Lindsay had a wonderful time. She loves rides, and we could have stayed there much longer. If/When we go to Vegas again, I definitely want to take Josh to the Adventuredome and spend a day. They had some really cool rides. Then, we went to find the Circus. (After all, we were at Circus Circus). They claim it is the "Best Circus in the World". Well, I don't know if we just hit it at the wrong time, or what, but we thought it was kind of lame. They had one act, and it was one acrobat swinging on a bar. It was cool to watch, but not worth the time we had to take to find it!

That night, we went to Hoover Dam. We really enjoyed the dam, but the tours were $30 per adult! So, we decided against that and just took some pictures and walked across the dam. We also had a picnic that was fun. That night, Josh and I went to the top of the Stratosphere while my parents watched the kids. The view was AWESOME! I've been on top during the day, and at night it is so much better! The lights in every direction were so cool. We wanted to go on some of the roller coasters they have on the top, but they were all closed due to the wind.

So, there's the synopsis of our trip. We had a lot of fun and we're grateful to my parents for coming with us and driving. Lindsay had a great time and loved seeing Uncle Brian.

Lindsay on the "Frog Hopper" ride at the Adventuredome. She loved it!

Water show at the Bellagio. It was set to the "Pink Panther" music, and was really cool.

Lindsay swimming. She is a fish in the water!

Lindsay "sunbathing"

Daniel actually loved swimming more than his face shows here.

Our Family at M&M World

Grandma and Lindsay in front of M&M World





The whole gang in front of the Stratosphere (where we stayed)

We loved the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. They had a komodo dragon, jellyfish, octopus, sharks, giant tortoises, and almost every fish imaginable. It was awesome!

May

This weekend is our 5th Anniversary! I can't believe it's been that long. We've survived 2 kids, 3 different houses, several vacations, bought 2 cars, sold 2 cars, and hope for many more fun and exciting things to come ;-). Josh and I are staying at the Black Swan Inn on Friday night. We stayed there on our honeymoon and love it. I can't wait. It's going to be our first night ever away from Daniel. I know he'll be fine, but like Josh said, it's a mother's right to worry.
Then the next weekend, we are going camping with Josh's family. His parents reserved a cabin last fall for Christmas. Due to different stuff, it was on, then off, then on, then off, and they rescheduled it for Memorial Day. Well, they went up there to check out the cabin, and the road to get to it is washed out. So now, the cabin is off again. I guess its just not meant to be! So, we will just be camping. It'll be Daniel's first time camping. We are all excited. Lindsay loves camping so much and she has been looking forward to it for weeks!
Then, the next week after that, we are going to Las Vegas with my parents! Josh has a bowling tournament down there. We have been planning this for months (Josh got invited to the tournament the day Daniel was born, so 15 months!). We are excited. It is about 7 1/2 hours from our house. I hope the kids travel well.
Here are some pics of me and kids from Mother's Day. I think the kids look cute.

Capri Suns?

I was getting Lindsay dressed today, and told her she could wear capris. She put them on, and then a few minutes later said, "Mommy, why do I have to wear Capri Suns?"
I love how their minds work! She makes me smile every day!

Cleaning

I got this cleaning list from a friend online, and I think its great. I'm going to start doing it so I can (try to) keep my house clean! Feel free to use and adapt as you need!

Cleaning Chart

Monday

KITCHEN DAY:

Clean out and sanitize refrigerator.

Organize pantry and cupboards.

Take out trash.

Re-fill canisters.

Sanitize trash can.

Sanitize kitchen.

Wipe down cabinets.

Clean stove, oven, and microwave.

Clear clutter off counters.

Sweep and mop floor.

Plan and give FHE.

Tuesday

LIVING ROOM DAY:

Dust all furniture.

Clean glass door, window, television, mirror, and pictures.

Vacuum under couch cushions and couch.

Wash, Dry and replace place mats and chair cushions.
Vacuum living room.

Disinfect all toys.

Organize toy baskets.

Put booster in dishwasher.

Organize bookshelf.

Wednesday

OFFICE/ENTRY DAY:

Vacuum office.

De-clutter desk.

Dust desk.

Windex pictures, window and monitor.

Sanitize keyboard and mouse.
Organize office closet.

De-clutter craft table.

Take out trash.

Organize coat closet.
Organize toy closet and movies.
Sanitize toys.

Sweep and mop entry.

Thursday

BATHROOM DAY:

Sanitize bathroom and trash can.

Clean tub, toilet, sink and mirror.

Sanitize toothbrushes and potty seat.

Organize cupboard under sink.

Organize medicine cabinet.
Re-fill toilet paper.

Wash towels and rugs.

Replace towels and rugs.

Sweep and mop floor.

Organize linen closet.

Friday

KIDS’ BEDROOM DAY:

Clean under beds.

Clear off dressers.

Dust dressers.

Organize bookshelf, closet, and drawers.

Wash and replace sheets.

Vacuum.

MASTER BEDROOM DAY:

Clean under bed.

Clear off dressers.

Dust dressers.

Organize closets and drawers.

Wash and replace sheets.

Vacuum.

Every morning:

Exercise.

Shower/get ready.

Scriptures.

Tidy our bedroom.

Make our bed.

Tidy kids’ room.

Make kids’ beds.

Tidy bathroom.

Breakfast.

Get kids dressed.

Unload dishwasher.

Load breakfast dishes.

Wipe down table and booster.

Wipe down counters.

Empty trash cans around house.

Play time with kids.

Every afternoon:

Lunch.

Wipe down table and booster.

Load lunch dishes.

Run dishwasher.

Check the mail.

Put kids down for naps.

Wipe down counters.

Play time with kids.

Every evening:

Tidy living room.

Make dinner.

Load dinner dishes.

Run dishwasher.
Wipe down table and booster.

Wipe down counters.

Play time with kids.

Weekly Things:

Prepare week’s menu.

Grocery shop for the week.

Check bank account online.

Record all receipts in budget.

Write in journal.

Ironing.

What we're up to

Yes, we are all alive and well at the Barrow household. It's been a crazy month. In the middle of March, the kids and I went to Idaho to help Grandma Twitchell. She tore up her knee by sitting down wrong in a chair on Daniel's birthday, and had to have knee surgery. Lindsay was "Grandma's big helper". She would get Grandma anything she needed and was actually a big help. She is such a good girl and is a really good helper.

March 27-29, we went to Idaho for Hannah's birthday party and McKayla's baby blessing. Hannah is growing up to be such a big girl. Her and Lindsay have always been best friends. They are really cute together. McKayla's baby blessing was good. She is a really cute baby and Lindsay loved seeing all of her cousins. There is getting to be a lot of them! Kamryn, Kelli, Karter, Jerome, Remington, McKayla, and then Lindsay and Daniel. There is always chaos when they are all together, but it is fun. They all love playing together.

Lindsay and Hannah- Best Friends Forever!

Lindsay playing dress-up at Hannah's party

Another 'fun' thing we have been up to is moving! We found out on March 9 that we had to be out of our condo on April 7. So, we found another condo, about 3/10ths of a mile away, that is (almost) exactly the same (and rent is only $9 more...why they have it as a random number, we still haven't figured out). The only difference between this and the old one is the floorplan is mirrored. There are also some minor differences. This one has a few more kitchen cupboards (yay), carpet in the living room except for tile (yay), but no ice maker (boo), and the water pump sounds like a trumpet when you turn the water on (boo). But, we like it and are trying to get everything unpacked. Josh's parents came and helped us move, and we were so grateful. We couldn't have done it without them. My parents were planning on coming, but my mom was having complications from her surgery and couldn't. We missed them. We also had about 6 guys from our old ward help us unload the truck, and it went way fast.

Yesterday we went to 'Baby Animal Days' at the America West Heritage Center. It was really fun, although a little expensive. Lindsay got to hold a baby duck, baby rabbit, baby turkey, and pet a whole bunch of baby farm animals. She also got to ride a horse and have her picture taken with the Easter Bunny. Both her and Daniel had fun. They were both asleep before we got to the highway!Lindsay and the baby duck. This was her favorite one until it scratched her..
.then she just let go! Luckily, I caught it.

Lindsay holding the rabbit

Lindsay and the baby lamb.

Daniel loved the horsies!

The kids and the Easter Bunny. Lindsay didn't want to sit on his lap,
so I finally convinced her to stand by him if Daniel sat on his lap.

Lindsay riding the horse...we'll have to take her to Jeremy and
Jess's so she can really ride a horse...this one was kind of lame.

Here are the kids in their new Easter outfits. They are so cute!