Burrito Grande!!

After Thanksgiving the Barlow clan took a trip to the Blue Iguana in Salt Lake City, I guess because we just didn't get enough gluttony on Turkey Day. Anyone who knows me well knows two things about me; I love to eat and I'm always up for a challenge. So, when I saw the Burrito Grande on the menu I just had to try it. It is over 3 pounds and includes chicken and beef (I think a pound of each), rice, beans, and a tortilla the size of Manhattan. If you happen to finish it, they give you a free dessert-- like you'd actually want it? I went in fairly confidant having never really been full at anytime in my life for more than a few minutes. So, I chowed down on the chips and salsa like I normally would at a Mexican restaurant and downed several glasses of Diet Coke before the entree was presented to me. Honestly, I was quite full before they even brought the burrito out, but I thought it wouldn't be a big deal. Boy was I wrong! I have never seen anything like it. Laura compared it's size to a small infant (not sure why?). I had a feeling I would be in trouble, but I tried to tackle the challenge anyway. As you can see by the pictures, I couldn't quite finish it off. I think I may have been able to force the issue, but I have a feeling it would have ended badly. More than anything, I just didn't want anymore of the burrito. I actually drank another glass of Diet Coke before we left and was ready for popcorn at the movie (although we didn't get any-- not sure why?). Next time I will be ready and won't get swindled by the chips and salsa.

3rd annual eggnog day

Yes, it is that time of year again for the fabulously made up holliday - eggnog day. The first Monday in December (that will be next Monday the 7th) is proclamed to be a day of eggnogginess. So everyone get to the store and stock up on this delectibly delicious treat because Monday is the day to enjoy it to your heart's content! Happy eggnog day everyone!

Halloween 2009

I love Halloween! Michael, on the other hand, does not. As a result of our varying appreciation of the holiday, we always have a picture of me and the kids dressed up taken by Michel who is stubbornly...not. We had a fun time this year. Joshua was Optimus Prime from transformers, Andrew had his heart set on being Elmo, and I scrounged up whatever I could find in the dress-up box and ended up as a vampire thingy. Mike took the kids around this year while I stayed home to hand out candy. That is my favorite part! I love to see all the neighbor kids dressed up and having a good time.

This year I had a piano recital on Halloween. It's the first time I've tried it and it went very well. I think the kids were less nervous to perform because we were all in costume and acting a little silly. Joshua played "It's a Spooky Halloween" very well in his transformer outfit!

Butter Glut

Last night as we all sat down to the table for a beautiful home-cooked pot roast dinner, Andrew provided us with perfect blogging fodder. Mike and I were bussily cutting meat, pouring milk, dishing potatoes, etc. Everyone was talking and I was vaguely aware of Andrew asking for a roll over and over agian. I didn't answer him because I planned on getting him a roll when I finished cutting Joshuas meat. Once things were dished and everyone settled in, Mike and I looked over at Andrew and started laughing. He had gotten the lid off of the butter tub and was eating butter straight with his spoon. I guess he wanted the butter more than the roll, and if he couldn't have bread to put it on he would have to settle for the butter straight! That's our Andrew.

Random, disjointed, eclectic photos

Family home evening trip to the temple. We walked around and talked about the temple, then went out to dinner. Very nice family night!

Remember Joshua winning tickets to the circus? Well it was a blast. The boys both were chosen to help in the pre-show acts. Joshua held the ring for the jumping dog, and Andrew made a human bridge for the dog to jump over and weave through. We were able to see the animals in their pens beforehand which was my favorite part. It was a great show!

These are from a spontaneous Saturday trip to the dinosaur park in Ogden. We were very lucky that we chose that day - it was kids day and families got in for free!

Muffy the cat

I supose it is time to own up to my wacky actions. We have adopte a kitten. Her name is Muffy ( I'm not to fond of the name but the kinds love it) and she is a sweet thing. She's about 4 months old now. She spent the first two days here hissing and spitting at Jeri, and then changed her mind. Now they are good friends! Joshua says he loves having all these pets because it makes our house look wild. That is for sure!

The truth is out

Joshua and I had a talk this morning about Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy. I let him know that they are all pretend, and that Mommy and Daddy are really responsible for all the middle-of-the-night surprises. I was really worried about his reaction because he has always had such amazing faith in these characters; but to my surprise he was really excited to be in on the secret. He was smiling ear to ear. We finished up the conversation by reiterating that Jesus and the gospel absolutely are real. He took it like a champ - my awesome little man!

American Festival Chorus - Rutter Concert

Allow me to take a moment to shamefully self-promote the choir that Michael and I are in. We are having our first concert on Saturday, November 7th. Each choir member was given four pass-along cards to distribute to friends and family that will enable them to get a $2.00 discount on tickets. I thought I would skip the hassle, and just post the card here. So if you are interested in a wonderful culteral experience, come to the concert! We will be singing music by the composer John Rutter from Cambridge England. Our conductor, Craig Jessop, was formerly the conductor of the mormon tabernacle choir. We will be joined at the concert by the Utah State Orchestra as well as the ache Children's choir. All in all, it should be a great show. Oh, and how often do you get to see Michael in a tux?! It's worth the price of the ticket just for that.

October...already

Do you ever feel like your arms are so full that everytime you see something else you want to pick up you find yourself dropping something you already had, and pretty soon your life looks like a clown juggling to make the kids laugh as he drops, picks up, drops, picks up etc? I'm officially there. Sure I can start exercising, but then scripture reading slips. I can adopt a kitten, but then the yard work slips. I can read a novel, but then my writing projects slip. I can have a Halloween recital, but the dieting slips and I find the needle on the scale creeping up. I can monitor my fertility, but don't read to the kids enough. I can start couponing, but I just don't haved ambition to cook...you get the point. There seems to be a repetative cycle here. I'm constantly trying to do more and better, and constantly falling short and neglecting, so I pick the neglectful aspects of my personality back up just to find I've lost something else... Just like that clown at the circus.
What can you do about that? I guess just laugh - and apppreciate it for the circus act that it is.

happy 63rd Dad!

My dad's birthday was on labor day so we had a party for him at the hyrum park. We were fortunate to have great granma and grandpa Jaussi come, and aunt marian as well. In honor of Dad's many years we baked him 63 mini cupcakes and I made him a balloon hat for the record books. It was a wonderful birthday celebration.

Mt Sterling Stampede

Every year Mt. Sterling has a children's rodea to commemerate the founders of their cute little hamlet. This was our second year in attendance, and it was just as fun as the first time! andrea and her family invited us. Joshua and Emma both participated in the mutton bustin', and andrew and Allie raced in the stick horse races. Andrea and I both made fools of ourselves running after ribons tied to cow's tales, and of course all the kids participated in the critter chase (you catch it you keep it). Joshua caught a rooster - again - which we promptly gave away to Andrea's dad. Thank heavens! Here is a little snippet of joshua's sheep riding. It may not be that impressive, but keep in mind - he did voluntarily get onto a sheep with the intention of letting it buck and roll him. It's the thought that counts, right?

Jaussis and Heros

It was a beautiful late summer day, and Jon, Laura, and Zion were headed straight up Hero's mountain. That's right, they didn't need any stinking trails, just a couple of dogs and camelbacks. If you can see the goal, then you don't need much else, right? The three Jaussi's crossed a river, jumped a fence, and before they knew it they were headed straight up a slope of grass and loose rock. By 10:00 they were half way up. It wasn't so bad without a trail, they said to themselves, it's easy ti pick your way up a mountain. By 11:30 they were almost to the summit. The goal was in sight when Laura heard a low growl from a nearby stand of trees. Laura and Zion stopped and wondered if there were mountain lions in the area. Just as they decided they had imagined the sound, they came upon a chewed deer leg. Eww. Zion went into panic mode, asking in scared tones if they could turn back. But Jon was resolute. Hero's mountain must be ascended, or he would be haunted for ever. So on the trio went, with their trusty dogs leading the way. At the top Zion carved her name on a piece of slate to prove to the world that she had done it. She had climbed the mountain!

After a quick lunch, and a brief photo shoot, the explorers began their descent. This was to be the easy part. After all, wasn't the downhill always easy when hiking? Apparently the rule doesn't apply to off-trail excursions. The descent was brutal for Zion and Laura. They clung to each other's hands and inched down the mountain with clumsy footing. Zion's slender legs were scratched and bloody from falling. Laura's muscles were shaking from the precise exertion of the descent. After a full hour and many butslides the explorers finally made it back to the fence and the river. Victory! Hero's mountain had been tamed by the wildest of Jaussi kind! Now, when Jon Zion and Laura look at that majestic slope, they know that they had it in them to conquer that particular mountain. Watch our Everest, the Jaussi's are looking your way!

Picky Man

Picky Man!

(to be sung to the tune of "Batman")

Doesn't like his food to touch

if it does he won't eat much

Picky Man!

Never eats a single bite

until the temperature's just right

Picky Man!

He's a drinker - milk's the best

two cups or three, he'll take no less

Picky Man!

If he snacks a single bite

dinner's sure to be a fight

Picky Man!

When it's time to sit and eat

he always asks for something sweet

Picky Man!

Fruits and veggies taste just fine

untli you cook them - whine, whine, whine

Picky Man!

Eating is a trying chore

that he simply must endure

Picky Man!

Triumphal tidbit

Saturday:

I caught a trout.

I killed a trout.

I gutted a trout.

I cooked a trout.

I ate a trout.

I am woman....watch me fish.

Circus here we come!

Two weeks ago Joshua entered a coloring contest in the Herald Journal newspaper. The prize was 4 tickets to the Barnum and Bailey Circus coming to Salt Lake in September. We've never been to a circus, so Joshua was excited to enter the contest. I've never been very impresesed with his coloring abilities, so I shrugged it off as a lost cause. But we colored and dropped off his entry anyway. Well, I'm glad that sometimes I am wrong, because Joshua won those tickets. We get to go to the circus, and Joshua gets to feel proud of his accomplishment. What a wonderful world!

Fish Lake Barlow Trip

Once a year the Barlow clan gets together for a weekend of frivolity and general reunioning. This year it was Mom and Dad Barlow's turn to pick the vacation site, and they chose cabins at Fish Lake. I had never been there before, and neither had the kids. We had a great weekend throwing rocks in the lake, having a talent show, making and racing space derby rockets, playing in the cabin loft, playing water balloon volleyball and dodgeball, and of course, eating! Sunday we attended the fish lake branch for church. Mom Barlow was insistant that we go becasue "you'll never have another chance to go to church in your jeans and have it be normal."

privacy

I'm jumping on the privacy bandwagon. I am by nature the kind of person that thinks the best of everyone around me, so it has taken me a while to come to terms with the fact that there really are people out there that might take the information on our blog and use it to do harm. So, to add an extra layer of protection this is now a private blog and can only be read by those who have been "invited" by me. I need email addresses to invite people though, so if you know of anyone who would like to be a reader please send me their email address and I would be glad to add them to the reader list.

Well .... what is it? Its a Major Award!

I received this award (the plaque I'm holding, not the leg lamp) from the Wapiti Bluff HOA for the work I did on the park. If you have been to our house during the last year I'm sure we have taken you over to 'our park' to show off all the progress we've made. We had the offical grand opening last weekend to recognize everyone who helped. Not everyone could come, but it was still a good event and a good way to let everyone know how much has been accomplished in under one year. We took out the old playsets, poured concrete walkways, installed a new top qaulity play equipment with some nice benches and playground bark, greened up the lawn, and planted about 30 trees. The park is completely unrecognizable from what it looked like last summer. Although we had the 'grand opening' we still have a lot to do. One of the nieghbors is working on getting soccer goals set up (Hyrum City donated some really nice ones), I am working with a scout on his Eagle project to get a new basketball hoop with painted lines, and we'd still like to get a covered pavillion with garbage cans. It has been a great experience working on something that benefits the whole community and I know both Laura and I feel a great sense of accomplishment.

July 4th / Durango trip

July 4th is always a big hoopla at Dad Jaussi's place. The Provo parade goes right in front of his house and he always has a big crowd and a BBQ. It was great to have so much of the family together, and we just couldn't help having a picture session. Thus all the red, white, and blue clothing! Not all of the adult kids were there, but all of the grandchildren were.

Two weeks later Dad, Jan, Heather, Dennis, Mike and I (plus the 4 boys) took a trip to Durango Colorado. We rode the train on Lone ranger day, shopped in the touristy down town, ate at fun restraunts, drove the million dollar highway, swam at trimble hot springs, watched the Bar-D wranglers, and visited the train museum. The weather was very hot, which was a trial for the Canadians. Andrew got car sick and lost his cookies twice. Zach and Nate got sunburns for the first time in their lives. But even with those few setbacks we had a pretty good time.

Boy cousins

July was a blast! Heather and her clan came for the entire month, and the time just flew by! Heather and I were both surprised at how fast Josh and Nate took to each other. They were like best friends within minutes and stayed that way all month. Andrew and Zachary formed a special bond as well. Here are some fun pictures I snapped through the month of the four boys together. Joshua said just today how much he misses Nate.