Messy is fun!

Last night for FHE we let the kids do the volcano that they started a week or so ago. Kies got it for Christmas, and it takes some doing to get it ready. We had to make plaster and pour it in a mould. Then we let it set, and they didn't have a great day of following directions, so we didn't let them finish. Then yesterday, they were KIND of good, and it was Monday, so we decided to let them do it. They painted it, with a little help from Mom and Dad. Here are some pics:


And then came time for the explosions!


They had a blast- ha ha ha! It was fun the joy they got out of it, and it was pretty cool to see the reactions of the baking soda and vinegar, even though I am... well older than they are;)!

Kies wanted me to come down so he could show me his unicorn the other day, and this is what I found! He had taken a piece of driftwood and put it on with a GRIZZ ear warmer! Creative little kid! He was pretty proud of himself, and I was pretty impressed!
And one more thing, thank you for your thoughtfulness. Who am I talking to? I don't know, but you know, and I love you for it! You will recieve blessings for being so thoughtful and selfless! Jaran and I appreciated that little envelope more than you know!
Take Care!

My Babies

K don't make fun of my huge fake-looking belly- this was a week before I had Ansleigh- yes, she still grew after this pic

Baby Tag

Thanks for sharing Ranee


1- Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant?

McKie: In our first apartment. I was never completely regular, but usually within a couple days. It had been five too late, and I was looking at the calendar when I realized... so we ran to walmart and took the test.

Brensyn: At home

Ansleigh: In a Target bathroom- I know it's weird


2- Who was with you?

McKie: Jaran

Brensyn: Calli maybe? I think someone...

Ansleigh: Nichole


3- How did you find out that you were pregnant?

McKie: Took a test cause I was late

Brensyn: I was craving tacos EVERY NIGHT

Ansleigh: My feet got super hot every night during bedtime, and that always happens when I'm pregnant

4- What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregnant?

McKie: WOO HOO This is great!

Brensyn: Nice. For some reason we had been wanting to get pregnant right away after Kies. Thank goodness it didn't happen closer!

Ansleigh: Hmm... well... I will be happier in a minute when I stop freaking out that the kids will be 21 months then 18 months apart!


5- Your Husbands reaction?

McKie: He was so pumped!

Brensyn: I made a little box with booties and the pregnancy test for him to open, and he opened it, got a big grin(after first being confused) and said- REALLY?

Ansleigh: He was excited to hopefully have a little girl so he could spoil her

6- Who was the first person you told?

McKie: Jaran

Brensyn: Calli or whoever was with me

Ansleigh: Nichole

7-Did you plan to get pregnant?

McKie: Yes, we were only married 2 months and off birth control for 5 days! so it was crazy, but awesome

Brensyn: we had been planning on it for a while

Ansleigh: No, no we weren't, but we love her to death!

8-Was everybody happy for you?

McKie:Yes, I think so

Brensyn: Pretty sure they were

Ansleigh: I think everyone thought we were crazy, as if we'd planned it!

9- Did you go out and celebrate?

McKie: I think we ate ice cream

Brensyn: maybe?

Ansleigh: Nopers

10- Did you want to find out the sex?

McKie:Yes- I think it's nice to be prepared

Brensyn: see above

Ansleigh: see above

11- What was the sex?

McKie:boy

Brensyn:boy

Ansleigh:girl

12-Did anyone throw you a baby shower?

McKie:yes

Brensyn:yes

Ansleigh:no

13- If yes, who?

McKie: mi familia of sisters

Brensyn: same, mostly cam and mom I think though?

14- Did you get any outfits at the baby shower that you just knew you weren't going to put on your baby?

McKie: I don't think so

Brensyn:yes


15- How much weight did you gain?

McKie: 30

Brensyn: 25

Ansleigh: 40-45

16- Did you loose all of the weight that you gained?

Yes to all


17- Did you get a lot of stretch marks?

Before I answer I just need to say UGH!
McKie: I got a few around my belly button, and then a couple on the underneath the week after he was due grr...

Brensyn:I got some more under and just grew the ones I had

Ansleigh: yes, and everything grew again


18- What did you crave the most?

McKie: I always had a pb sandwich and a glass of milk- with all of them though

Brensyn: Tacos!

Ansleigh: Pork chops!


20- Who or what got on your nerves the most?


With all of them I got super irritated when I was only 6 months along and people would say- wow you must be ready anyday now- or ask if I was having twins- yes I got huge- just in the belly mostly, but it was rediculous

McKie: not being able to fit into clothes that I wanted to

Brensyn: Having to wear different clothes than with McKie

Ansleigh: my feet being so hot with all of them, but a lot with Ans cause she was born in the end of August


21- Were you married at the time?

Yes to all

22- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?

Not really with any- other than being super huge and not sleeping well- but I have worse insomnia now than I did before

23- Where were you when you went into labor?

I was induced with them all- never had a natural contraction in my life

24- Did your water break?

Nope to all

26- Did you go early or late?

McKie: 8 days late grr

Brensyn: 1 day early cause Dr. Holland felt bad about going so late with Kies

Ansleigh: 2 days early- or I would have been 7 days late

27- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth?

McKie: Jaran, Calli, Cam, Steph, and mom... with the nurses, scrub techs and dr.

Brensyn: Jaran, Cam and Mom... others were there, but not in the room

Ansleigh: Just Jaran this time- it was nice

28- Was it video taped?
McKie's labor was at some points, but not a full on view- Cal took some video above my head, no gross stuff, and it was fun seeing him when he was finally out!
no to the others

29- Did you have any drugs for the pain?


If you know me then you know this is a crazy question to ask. Of course I had drugs.

McKie: Epidural/intrathecal mix after being on the pit for l0 hours

Brensyn: same as above, but only after I went from a 3.5 to a 6 in an hour, and I freaked I'd go too fast to get anything

Ansleigh: Nothing, until I decided to try some stadal(?) which worked the first time, second dose did nothing... then an epidural when they said I'd been at a 9 for two hours and it was going to be at least another hour if not more... then before they were even done giving it to me, I was ready to push. I'm glad I got it, though, cause her shoulder got stuck and I had 2 nurses pushing really hard on my stomach and the doc was... trying really hard to get it unstuck

30-Did you go vaginal or have a c-section?

Vaginally with all 3

31- What was your first reaction after giving birth?

McKie: Finally! That took forever! (17 hours and 90 min. push time)

Brensyn: Wow, so much easier than Kies (7 hours and 30 min. push time

Ansleigh: Flip- man, she's so much bigger than I remember babies looking

32- How big was the baby(s)?

McKie: 8 lbs 2 oz and 22 inches

Brensyn: 6 lbs 12 oz and 20 1/2 inches

Ansleigh: 9 lbs 3 oz and 21 inches- yeah I know she was HUGE

33- Did your Husband cry?

Yes with all! It was special and sweet

34- What did you name the baby(s)?

McKie Jaran
Brensyn Carl
Ansleigh Mae

35-Did the name have any significance to you?

McKie is a Scotish family name- My special Great-grandma Jean's middle name, and her mother's maiden name- and then Jaran, my hubbie's name

Brensyn isn't, but Carl was the first name of my Grandpa and also my brother that died

Ansleigh kind of after Jaran's Mom(RuthAnn) and Mae is grandma's on 3 or 4 sides

36-Does the baby's name fit?

Yes I think so

37- Did the baby(s) have any complications?

No with the boys- but Ansleigh shoulder getting stuck sucked, and it made her whole face so bruised it was purple and the nurses had to put a note on her so people wouldn't try to recusitate her cause she looked like she wasn't breathing

38- How old is your baby today?

McKie- will be 5 in May
Brensyn- will be 3 on Feb. 9th!!!
Ansleigh- 17 months on Saturday

39- When is the next one(s) coming?

Flipping no comment at the moment

40- If you could would you do it all over again?

Well, I love my kids, so yeah, I would!

For Camary

These are some pics that Calli has taken!

The first... well second.... but first

This was Ansleigh's first "official" haircut. Kies did cut her pigtails off when she was little, but that was more of and ambush/attack, not a haircut! Kasi Baxendale did it, and she did great! And Ansleigh just sat still and ate her sucker while Kasi rid her of the mullet... although we will probably need to give her some more layers soon... her hair grows quite fast for a little lady. It was a good experience, and the first haircut that wasn't done by Mommy or Grandma Barb.
GREAT NEWS! We had this crappy microwave from the 70's... maybe even the 60's. We loaned our microwave we got when we were married to Calli cause she had NONE and we hadn't moved in here yet. So it's been taking 5 minutes to cook a hot dog, so you can imagine how long it took for everything else! Well, tonight we got it back, cooked 2 burritos, 4 hot dogs, and some popcorn chicken... in the time it should have! Not 3 to 4 times as long! I LOVE OUR MICROWAVE!!!! Love it... love it... love it! Thanks Cal for relinquishing the microwave, love you Bean!
That's about it. Thanks for the comments on the house. It's nice to know people like it... cause it doesn't seem like anyone there in Bozeman does:( Take Care!

The house

We have put an add in the Bozeman Chronicle for the house, and I have created a blog for people to go and look at. Please let me know what you think, and tell me things I can do to make it better, or entice more people!
http://204rglhome.blogspot.com/
Take Care

My freak accident

Bob, my step-dad, loves meat. This means that we all eat meat a lot too, and that we don't usually buy meat. He usually buys a beef and has some made into hamburger. So we all enjoy the blessing of eating a lot, and having our freezers full of it. Today, since Jaran hasn't been working(please pray for us on that note, he can't stay busy), we all went to Powell to do some grocery shopping. We stopped and ate at Chinese, for the last time for a while since we won't have any income for a while, and we were running late getting Kies to school. So when we got home, we brought all the stuff in that needed to be in the fridge, and we were hurrying to take Kies over to school, so Jaran was putting things into the freezer while I put stuff in the fridge. While I was kneeling down to put the beans in the veggie drawer, I felt a sudden pain on my upper back/shoulder blade and head. I thought Jaran had dropped a can of juice on me. Then I realized that it was REALLY hurting. I couldn't believe the pain that was throbbing through me... and then I looked at the floor next to me and saw that it was a 2 pound tube package of ground beef! It hit me first in the back and knocked me on the head a split second later. I thought that my head got the worst of it, as the instant headache spread, but then as I tried to steady myself and get up, I realized any movement of my left arm sent shock waves through me. It is ridiculous how bad it hurts! Even now, 12 hours after it happened, it still throbs! I hope that the pain isn't as bad tomorrow, but I have a feeling it might be worse... cross your fingers for me! Moral of the story- do not have the freezer open while bending into the fridge, just in case a large tube of beef decides to roll out and attack you! Take Care!

A crazy week!

I had a very emotional week the past week. Monday was the viewing for Amee, and then Tuesday was the actual funeral. I can honestly say that it was the saddest funeral, for me anyway, that I have ever been to. Looking at my Aunt Brenda while she mourned the loss of her daughter, something you never think you will have to do, was hard enough, but looking at her daughters while they greeted people and tried to hold it together, was almost more than my heart could take. I know that she is not in pain anymore, as she was almost every moment of her life lately, and that she is more happy there than she could ever be here, but I don't know that everyone else there felt that way... and that was what made me sad most of all. I don't want to go into detail, as there are some things that would take too long to share, and things that are too personal to share, but it was an experience that I do not want to repeat any time soon... and I'm afraid that will not happen, as her husband, John, has a disease that could take him at any time. I am just so thankful for my beliefs and for all of the comfort that I was able to feel as I thought about what a great life Amee led, and what a great example of service and love that she showed. She was such a talent, and anything she put her mind to was great! I am so thankful to have known her and had a small part in her life.

If you click on the picture, on the right side of the casket, you will notice a carving that my Dad did for John. It says Amee, and then has the Barrus brand below it.
Wednesday, I had dance, and was a little disappointed in the girls. After going over and over the dance, I asked them how many times they practiced over the 2 week break they had. There were two girls who didn't practice AT ALL, and most didn't practice much more than that. I was drained emotionally and may have come off a bit mean, but I was so upset that I put forth so much effort to get such a small effort back, if any at all.
When I got home, and we packed up and got ready and left for Colorado. We drove to Casper, and stayed with Kim and Danen Lynn so we could break the trip up a bit- so thanks Kim and Danen! Kim had set up space for all of us(Jaran, Kies, Brens, Ans, Dad and myself) in her living room, and was still up when we got there around 1 AM. We woke up around 7... then 7:30 and about every few minutes after that, and decided to finally get on the road around 8:45. When we got to Aunt Deana's, I started helping her with flowers for Jenna's wedding on Saturday. It was actually pretty nice, and I won't say fun, because we both had to work through some back issues while doing it, but we enjoyed ourselves as much as we could have!

Here is Jenna's Bouquet

Here are the bridesmaids bouquets
So we got to bed late, after eating a delicious meal of homemade chicken noodle soup, and finishing all but the 3 grandpa's boutineers and the corsages. Jenna had 7 bridesmaids and Nate(her new hubby!) had 7 groomsmen... so we had quite a bit of stuff to do. We got up the next day, ate some scrumptious bacon and eggs, and went back to making boutineers and corsages. When we were finished, Jaran(who had been watching the kids all the last night and that morning, bless him!) went with my Dad and Jason and they hauled some logs around to later be cut for firewood. When he got home, we left for Loveland to lend a hand at decorating the church for the reception, and to visit. We didn't have a lot of time to do so, but we did visit a bit before they had their rehearsal dinner. We went over to Traci's and ended up staying the night and visiting with her, Jim and their girls. When we woke up, we had to go straight to Aunt Deana's, after getting some delicious cinnamon crunch bagels from Panera bread(I used to get one every morning before going to work when I lived there!), so I could take Dad over to the temple(my recommend expired and with the funeral and things, I didn't have time to renew it:(). I had a nice chat with Sheridan as we waited for the ceremony to get over, and the lovely couple to show us how happy and in love they are! Turns out that they had forgotten all the flowers in Loveland(an hour away) and Aunt Janna had also forgotten Jenna's slip for her dress... so things weren't going well. I decided that it was time to save the day, and tried to do so by going to walmart, getting some flowers and throwing together a sloppy bouquet for her pics... I don't know how much she cared about having flowers, but I hope that it made her feel a little better.
Dad and I headed back for Jaran and the kids and then made our way(after stopping at a walmart to get my mangled glasses repaired that Ansleigh thought I must not need to fit on my face, but on my face and the person next to me) to the place where my Grandma Pearl is living. She has Alzheimers, and I didn't know what kind of a visit it would be, but when she saw us coming, she new we were coming to visit her. Whether it was Dad or I, she recognized us, and it was a great visit!



There was a lady sitting by her that kept saying "peek-a-boo, I see you" to the kids, in a very scary voice. I can't believe they didn't freak out, but she was a very nice lady. We sang a couple songs with Grandma, and stayed for about 45 minutes, before having to take off. She kept asking why she couldn't come with us, and it was very hard and sad to not be able to take her along, but in the end, we talked her into staying cause we didn't have room with the Kids and their seats.
When we got to the church, we had to change into our dress clothes, and then went in to greet the couple. They looked great, and I am so mad for not taking a couple pics, but I only had my phone to take them anyway, so it wouldn't have been a very good pic.
Jaran took the kids to Traci's for the night while Traci, Jamie(her youngest daughter) and I stayed to help clean up. My feet were killing me cause I was wearing the new boots I got(for $7) and they had a higher heel than I thought they did... but I got to gossip and get caught up with my cousins, so it was worth it. We had a nice visit with everyone, and I wish we could have stayed longer. I didn't get to meet up with any of my buddies, but I am determined to in March when we go for Shasta's wedding. I can't wait! Sorry for such a long one, I hope it doesn't annoy anyone! Take Care!

What's that smell.......?

I'll tell you what it is! Today I realized that I have some bananas that needed to be made into banana bread... so I took the proper steps, added the right ingredients and preheated the oven, all while trying to fix lunch for the kids. I put the bread into the oven, and started smelling the aroma of it long before I thought I should, so I went to check on it. It seemed to be getting larger than it normally does, but I figured it may have been cause I beat it longer or something. Then I took Kies to school and waited for the buzzer to beep. I thought it was smelling sort of burned, so I went in to check on it, and it was! GRRRR! It's not a small task to make the bread, so I was mad at myself for doing something wrong. When I came back in from throwing it in the garbage outside, after it burned through the garbage bag I put it in, I checked to see that the oven was still on and start another batch of bread. It's supposed to be set at 325 and it was past 450! One of the kids had messed with it while I was making them lunch and mixing the batter! I was thankful that the kids were asleep and at school so I couldn't yell at them, cause I was pretty T.O.'d! So now I keep checking the bread I have in now to assure that it is not burning. I hope this turns out better, cause I'm craving some banana bread! Take Care!

Phone numbers

K... so a couple months back, Brensyn put my phone into a glass of milk, and it never recovered, and I can't get any of my contacts from it, so anyone who could give me their numbers again, please do! If you want to just email them instead of leaving them on here, my address is jsmbbaker@yahoo.com or you can text them to me at 307-250-5034! Thanks! Take Care!

The House

So we put the house up on Craigslist, and have gotten 3 replys, all of which haven't come to anything, of course! But we are praying that it will pan out for us. It's so stressful having a huge house just sitting there, empty, while we are living in this crap hole of a house! I'm sorry, but I'm just so frustrated by it! The bathroom is so gross- I spent TWO hours scrubbing it and it looks like it hasn't been cleaned in about 10 years, which must have been the case at some point in time! The breakers in this house are rediculous, as they all seem to be attached to about 3. Which, for a 4 bedroom house, is not enough! And don't get me started on the carpet! It's this super dark green that shows EVERYTHING, and when you have three little ones running around, being dirty little kids, it is a really bad idea! You would think, in a rental, they would have some type of nuetral carpeting! It's green in the living room and hall, and pink, yes PINK, in the rooms! I'm sorry- I truly am grateful for a warm place to live and have my children be comfortable. It's just so hard to know I could be living in a house like we have, but we can't cause everyone has suddenly stopped building houses in Montana!
Well enough with that, I apoligize for being so melodramatic, it's just really irritating to me as I have been trying to clean up the whole house for company for the funeral, and I realized just how annoying it was! Not that I didn't before, it's just that it was only me who had to deal with it before, now I have to be embarrassed that other people have to deal with it! The funeral is tomorrow at 11 in Cody, and I have to sing(just call me the funeral singer!)
We will be heading to Colorado after the funeral sometime to go and see my cousin, Jenna, get married. It has been over 4 years since I last visited Colorado, and it makes me super sad! This is, by far, the longest time I've spent away from my dear Colorado! It will be nice to see some old faces and places, and visit with family!
I guess I had better go, Ansleigh keeps getting egg shells out of the garbage! Take Care!

In Loving Memory

I woke up yesterday morning, thinking about what we might do to celebrate the new year. With kids, it's not the most exciting of holiday's, so I knew it would be a pretty normal night... maybe a smooch or two in there. Right around 8 o'clock, I got a call from my sister, Steph, and she was the one who had to give me the bad news that my cousin, Amee, had passed away sometime in her sleep. Amee was more of an aunt to me, as she was only a few years younger than my Dad. She was one of the most amazing people that I know! She has had many severe illnesses in her life, and has been quite sick off and on since I can remember. She always had a good attitude about the things that she had to suffer through, and I couldn't believe how she could smile when she was in such pain. She was always the one to coordinate things, plan parties and get-togethers, and keep us all updated on the goings on of her family. We aren't exactly sure of what it was that took her from us, we will know in a few days, but this is a bitter-sweet thing. On one hand, she is no longer in pain, she is happier where she is, and there are so many loved ones with her to keep her company... but those of us here will miss her greatly, and she leaves behind her such a young family. She has two daughters, Desiree- a bit younger than Kade, and Shasta- a year or so older, who is getting married in March. Her husband, John, has ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease. They have been through a lot together, and I hope and pray that they can all feel our love for them and know that for everything there is a reason and purpose. Although we may be too blinded by our grief right now to see it, we will know in time. I loved my Amee, and I will miss her so much! The afternoon before she passed away, I was in Cody, and I had the feeling that I should go and visit her. She had been planning a party for John on Saturday, so I thought that it would be silly to stop by when I would see her in just a few days. Now I wish I would have. Whether it was an arrant thought, or a prompting, I will never know... but I do wish that I would have listened, either way. Please keep her family in your prayers- this is quite a shock to them, and us, all! Thank you everyone! Take Care!