Taylor gets Mia...

After days of Torture...I mean pure Torture...for Taylor...she finally gets her Mia doll. We had our little family Birthday party on Tuesday but she didn't get to open her American Girl Mia until Thursday and boy was she MOPEY...She was slightly expecting the doll and when she didn't get it on Tuesday she was dissappointed to say the least. You can tell from her expressions that she is VERY HAPPY now...And on Saturday she had another little party and got some darling matching PJ's for her and Mia and also a book and doll brush from cousin Haley. I hope she is all set...those doll's are dang expensive and their clothes cost more than clothes for Taylor...Holy Moly! However, I do think it was worth it...just look at her face...she is glowing! Happy Happy little girl!

You know it's Thanksgiving when...

Heidi starts making a list of to-do's on Wednesday night, and starts making assignments. (Lucky for me we went to my mom's...)

Taylor's Birthday is either coming or happening...

You get excited about next-day turkey sandwiches...

The grocery stores are PACKED with worried women and lists galore...

You can buy fresh cranberries...

It's time for Pumpkin Pie...(let's face it, any other time of the year it just seems inappropriate...)

The food drives for Christmas start...

You can get really good Pomegranites...

When every church lawn has a flag football game going on...at any given time...

You start going over what you are thankful for with your kids...

Oh, and let's not forget Black Friday...or as we like to call it..."You're crazy to even think about going out on that day Friday..."

All in all, I AM thankful for many things...My family, My health, My family's health, My home, My husband's job...and let's not forget...TiVo!

Taylor's Birthday...

Today my baby girl turned 10 years old and I can't even begin to comprehend that. She is growing up so fast and it's killin me...seems like yesterday she was just a little one and being her silly self. She used to make us all laugh soooo hard by just being herself...what a fun little girl. She is also very Spunky and has quite the temper...but we love her none-the-less. She definately has "oldest child syndrome" and forgets that are 5 other people in the family sometimes. She is an amazing babysitter for her brothers and sister and is even starting to cook and bake on her own. She made a list about 4 football fields long about all of the things she wanted for her birthday and christmas...so far, I think we have failed her...(she doesn't know about the gifts at my mom's and at Chris' mom's...HeHeHe)...but I am hoping it will be one she will never forget when it is all said and done...

New boots...REALLY? Is that all?

I took her and her friends to Costa Vida for dinner and then to the mall for some browsing. A girl was trying to sell straightening irons to us and offered to do all of their hair...they were in HEAVEN. Below are some pics of that. The girls had fun trying on scarves, glasses, hats, gloves and all sorts of other accessories...needless to say I am exhausted and ready for a good nights rest...Taylor we love you!!!


Rian

Taylor

Taylor D.

Haley

The transformation is Amazing...I almost bought 5 of them~hehehe

FYI...

For those of you who know me know that I love Diet Coke...especially fountain Diet Coke and especially from McDonalds. I also love a good bargain...well guess what? The McDonalds in Syracuse has both Diet Coke and a good bargain....During the summer months their XL Diet Coke's are .99 cents and right now if you have those XL cups just hanging around, the refills for Diet Coke are only .25 cents....that's right.... .25 cents. My budget per day for my habit has always been $2.00 and now I have $1.46 left over for spending...YAY! (that's right, I get 2 of them every day....I know, I know...it's bad for me...BLAH BLAH BLAH)

And she says she doesn't cook...

Today I have been feeling under the weather...totally weak and frail and tired. No, I am not preggers. I have been feeling this way for a couple of days but today really hit me hard...I couldn't even hold up my head this morning...so, at church my friend/neighbor/confidant Brenda asked Chris where I was...he told her I wasn't feeling good and was at home. She of course called me to see if I "really" wasn't feeling well or not...just kidding. She knew I was sick. So what does she do...she makes dinner for my family...mind you, she says she doesn't cook and can't cook but I have evidence that she does and can. Yummy enchiladas in my tummy are the evidence. In fact, one of Chris and my favorites dinners came from Brenda...remember when you made us that Teriyaki Honey Chicken and Veggies....so good and we love to have it at our house, well at least Chris, Me and Grady do...the other's are weird and picky. So, if you know Brenda and she tells you that she doesn't cook and can't...she's lying through her teeth.

Should we or shouldn't we...

That is the question as of lately...As we were getting ready for bed and talking about our day...BTW...Yay Utes!!!...anyways, the million dollar question came into play...Should we or shouldn't we have another baby? I say yes and Chris says no. His reasons being valid...money, timing, sanity, and money...Oh and money. Mine being, why not?...we have amazing kids and we have had sooo much fun with Jenner, why not one more? Chris isn't totally apposed to the idea but he is nervous about adding to our brood. Babies cost a lot of money and it means at least six more years of me not contributing substantially to the family finances...and I do have dreams and goals of my own...but, adding another baby means more happiness and blessings for our family. I don't know...Should we or Shouldn't we?

Goose...

Oh I am having way too much fun with my little Goose...just look at those leg warmers! I wish there were a way for a frumpy stout mom to pull these things off....

Oh. My. Crap.

Oh. My. Crap. SERIOUSLY!!!!!! This day has been an interesting one...Below are 3 things that DO NOT belong in the dryer....WTH???!!!

sorry for the letter swear!

Did you think to Pray?

Oops, I must have forgotten to pray this morning...I had a day. First off at 8:30 this morning, the cops (AKA piggies) were setting up their sting operation for the morning and I just happened to be a victim of the sting. One cop was in the road directing traffic...bangs on my window and tells me to pull over in the school parking lot behind the other cop...OKAY, I do what I am told. The first cop told me they were checking kids seatbelts...mine always wear theirs so I wasn't worried and besides, it was just me, Jenner and Grady. I'm Waiting, Waiting, Waiting...Finally I decide to send Grady into school because it's now 8:40 and school has started. Here comes second cop...I unroll my window and he proceeds to tell me..."I am issuing you a citation for seatbelt violations." What the Crap? I explain to him that something must be wrong because we all wear our seatbelts...he doesn't care to hear my whining and continues to say, "My associate (other cop) sent you over to me because you violated the seatbelt law and now you are getting a ticket." By this time I am so shocked I don't know what to do, and I am a little embarassed (I'm not wearing a bra, HEHEHE)...I get my TICKET and go home and I am fuming mad...CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???...those little piggies are so sly with their little operation. My only guess was that Grady stood up when the cop knocked on my window, and he just wanted to see what was going on. The cop egged it on and I was angry. Well, Grady admitted to me after school that he wasn't wearing his seatbelt and so yes, I am at fault but the whole way it went down ticks me off ...really?...really? I don't even know how the cop SAW his seatbelt was off, we have tinted windows and I seriously think he was guessing about it too. BTW, I saw SEVERAL, I mean SEVERAL cars where there were umteen kids packed in on top of eachother that DID NOT get pulled over.....um, maybe the piggie thought I was cute...yeah, that's it!



Another event of the day, Grady brought home his spelling pre-test and this is what I found...he was supposed to spell us but ended up spelling..._ss! I think he just wanted to spell a naughty word and tried to get away with it...funny!

My next endeavor involved me, Taylor recent x-ray, and Dr. S....when the Dr. checked Taylor's x-ray today on her wrist he said everything looked great, he then proceeded to point to a different bone than the one she broke. I called him on it and he said, "Oh no, she definitely broke this one up here..." Me, "ARE YOU SURE?"....him, "Yes"...me "can we check the last x-ray to see how much she has progressed?" Guess what? I was right, he was showing me a totally different bone and I think he felt a little STUPID when I called him on it. That's right...I'm cute and I am as smart as a Dr.

On the upside...we potty trained Jenner today!

Just Kidding! She only likes to sit on the potty before bath but after she already peed on the floor....

Disclaimer: I forgot to pray and my day ended up like this...but I forget to pray everyday and my days aren't all like this...HMMMMM?

Christmas lists...

Rhett and Grady have completed their Christmas wish lists for this year and I thought I would share...

Rhett:

bacon

1. a real i-dog

2. dalmation webkinz

3. Journey to the center of the earth, the movie

4. Captain underpants books

Grady: (his spelling)

5 tortoises

12 snakes

100 toys

10 markers

34 magnets (magnits)

I-pod 1.

Hulk, the movie (holc the movie)

cage for 12 snakes

100. a 100 dollars (a 100 dolrs)

These two boys crack me up and I think their lists are soooo funny. They spent about 5 minutes on them and I bet they would be excited if they only got one thing....they are such sweet little boys. As for Taylor, her list will be coming out AFTER her birthday, Nov. 25. She says she wants to wait and see what she gets for her birthday before making her Christmas list. A little different than the boys. Some people call it greedy...she calls it smart!

I'm a Klutz...

It's no secret that I am klutz...a really big klutz. Usually it involves me falling "up" the stairs, falling out of the car, tripping over nothing and falling down...and usually I don't mind my klutziness because I have just become accustomed to it. I do mind however, when I am a klutz and it directly affects one of my kids...take for instance me holding a newborn Rhett and falling "up" the concrete stairs at our old house, only to hit Rhett's little head on the cement...OUCH! That one hurt...me...not him...emotionally not physically. Then theres Taylor, the cute little blondie that dislocated her elbow twice, I say twice and what was on the other end of the elbow...none other than mine own hand...either helping her up the bed or taking her up the stairs. That one hurt too...both of us! Grady escaped his toddler years without me scarring him emotionally with my klutziness and so has Jenner...I thought I had gotten my problem under control...until this morning. What do you get when you cross a small child's face with a too long toe nail...see below. Ouch!!! In my defense...Oh let's face, there is no defense...I am a KLUTZ!!!

So I just made these breadsticks I found on http://www.ourbestbites.com/ and we loved them and they were super easy...I copied the recipe exactly like she did...

One major advantage is that this dough is very, very forgiving, so a it's great yeast dough to start with if you're a yeast dough virgin.

Breadsticks

1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. yeast

1/2 tsp. salt

3-4 1/2 c. flour

In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly. Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger. Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl.Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter. Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it's okay if they're close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life's greatest pleasures! Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. Look how fat and happy they are...When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning or the powdery Parmesan cheese in a can and garlic salt. Or you could sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.

Clock Party...

I told myself I wouldn't solicit for my party on my blog but I have changed my mind ...I am having a Clock/Magnet board party this week and I would love for you to come...

Thursday Nov. 13
6:00 pm
My House (e-mail me if you want to come, I'll send you my address)
bartonfamilyco@msn.com

Get prices and see pictures of clocks and magnet boards here...

Oh, and I will have some yummy food...

SHE SLEPT THE ENTIRE NIGHT!!!!! WOOOHOOOO!!!!!

Nothing Much...

So we are up to nothing much...Chris is hunting with my bro-in-law (he has the camera) and the kids and I are just chillin. Our weekend consisted of me working a clock party and the kids hangin with Nammy and then nothing today...in fact, we are all still in our jammies and it's almost time for bed again. I didn't go to church because let's face it, going alone with four kids makes me crazy just thinking about it and I tend to think I have pretty good kids. What else...Oh, I decided that while Chris was gone I would get Jenner out of our bed for good and in to her crib for good...My sis-in-law Heidi told me of an awesome technique that I wished I would have done months ago. For those of you who don't know, I am still (I KNOW STILL) nursing Jenner and so our nights have been like she was still a newborn and getting up 4-5 times a night to nurse. Rather than put her back in her bed everytime, I just kept her with us and I am now paying for it. Back to Heidi...she told me that for their little guy they just put him to bed and when he woke up in the night, they just let him cry himself to sleep. I put Jenner to bed on Friday and she woke up around 2:00am and cried...I reluctantly just laid in my bed while she cried and cried and cried and screamed and cried...this went on for I don't know how long because I didn't want to look at the time and know how long. After she cried herself back to sleep, she didn't wake up until about 7:30am...YAY! Saturday night I put her to bed and she woke up again around 2:00am and only cried for about 10 minutes and went back to sleep. Woke up again about an hour later and cried for about 10 minutes and went back to sleep. Then, she didn't wake up until after 8:00am...Double YAY!!!!!! We'll see how tonight goes...wish me luck!!!

Another broken Wrist...

So, you read it right...Taylor has broken her wrist. It's called a distol radius buckle fracture. Basically she fell and caught herself with her hand and buckled the bone in he spot highlighted below...can you believe it!!!!!!????? This all happened on Saturday when I was at a clock party and she just kept complaining every now and then that it hurt so we thought we had better have it x-rayed...now, if you know Taylor at all you know that she is a bit DRAMATIC and she is on a life long journey of receiving an Academy Award without starring in a movie...needless to say, she has cried wolf a time or two and to be honest with you, I didn't believe her for a second...now I am shamefully apologizing with my tail between my legs...I feel so bad. She, however, seems to be doing okay...looks like another 6 weeks of me bathing someone other than the baby...fun for me!!

I found this funny Binky at Smith's with the clearance halloween stuff and we thought it looked hilarious...we are having fun with it...even Jenner has put it in her mouth and laughed but not long enough for me to get a picture.

Rhett and his 2 buck teeth....Oh wait, that's the binky in his mouth...HEHE

Daddy and Jenner....

Guilty Pleasure...

Hi, my name is Amy, and I am addicted to "The Pick Up Artist" on VH1...it is by far my most guilty of all pleasures. I love how these guys are so "raw" with their emotions and I love the tasks that they are to do in order to impress Mystery and his wing men. It is absolutely hilarious the things that Mystery has created in order to become a Pick Up Artist...I'm not gonna lie, I think he's genious! He could've fooled me way back when...when I was hot and worth foolin'!