Happy (belated) 4th Birthday Sawyer!!

So, I just realized I didn't post Sawyer's 4th birthday...doooohhh! It's not like he didn't have one, I just forgot to post it! :) Now I don't even know if I can remember back that long ago! JK. Sawyer James, just saying that name brings a smile to my face! He is such a funny, sweet, little kid, with the biggest temper. He looks and acts just like the black sheep of the family. He's much more outgoing and carefree than my other kids. I can't forget about his volume, either. Even his "quiet voice" is loud...so you can imagine how much I enjoy his temper tantrums. And he's extremely fearless when it comes to the outdoors. Those who live around here have probably seen him cruising down the street on his bike, singing "because I'm bad, I'm bad, you know it!" (Michael Jackson) And he says and does the funniest things that crack us up. Just ask him to do the "moonwalk" or the "running man". He also has a big heart and never forgets to blow me kisses each night. I love that little man (I say 'man' because that's exactly what he thinks he is) from his blond hair, blue eyes and dimples, to his dirty blanky he drags around while sucking his thumb!

For his birthday, he wanted to go bowling. And I forgot my camera. Yeah, I'm really shooting for the mother of the year award with him! But he had lots of fun, anyway! Afterwards, we went to the Training Table for dinner. Good times. I love you Sawyer!!

4th of July

What would holidays be without family?! I want to make a shout out to my sista's and tell them how much I love them and their families! Times get tough and they've always got my back for me and are always there to lift me back up...thank you Jenni, Heather, and Tamie! I love holidays because of you guys and the fun we always have. Thanks for being my bestest friends ever!!! And thanks dad and mom for raising us with so much love and fun...thanks for showing us how to love and enjoy life! Love you all!

This 4th of July we decided to get up early and go fishing...hahahaaa. Early for me, in the summer, is 8:00am. :) We did not get any fish, I guess we weren't early enough, but we did have fun. Afterwards we went in the hills and shot off some of Grandpa Barr's guns. (I know, right? How redneck does that sound?!) This was a HUGE step for me, since I am terrified of guns. It's not really the guns I'm scared of, it's the damage it does. Anyhoo, I decided now is the time to get over that fear and Bob jumped all over it. He even got me to get my concealed weapons permit, and I have to admit, I got pretty excited after this class. The next step is to get myself a gun, take classes with it, and buy myself a pretty little holster to pack it around with me. I know friends, you are wondering if this is such a bright idea for me...with my hot temper and all, but this cowgirl is growing up. Haahahaaa, shoot. No, really, I'm terrified of how crazy people are getting in this world, it doesn't help my anxiety. So, I am ready to get responsible and prepare myself to defend my family, if need be. So, if you need any help, just call...hahahaa! Anyway, Bob also let Logen take a couple shots (gulp), and he didn't stop smiling the rest of the day. Sawyer took one shot and cried the rest of the day...it terrified him. :) Jessi and Gavin sat in the truck with absolutely no interest at all in even holding a gun. Hmm, can you tell who I'm gonna have a hard time with in teenage years?! :)

Happy 1st Birthday Gavin!

Wow! Where did this past year go? Where did my baby go, for that matter?! Gavin is now one year old, but will always be my baby. It makes me so sad when I think back on how little he used to be and how fast he is already growing up. So, I try not to. :) Despite the fact that he is STILL not crawling, he is doing new things everyday. At his one year well child check, he was 2 ounces shy of 20lbs. That puts him in the 5% range for weight...I know, I was shocked too! With those chunky legs, I was certain he was a lot higher! But he is also in the 5% in height, so yes, he is my short and stalky one...just like his dad. :) And his doctor wasn't at all concerned about him not crawling yet, apparently some babies skip the crawling crap and go straight to walking. I really do not mind...I haven't had to put gates on the stairs yet, and it keeps him in the baby stage longer. He does love to be held, and obviously gets his way with that! He also is walking while holding fingers. And he now proudly shows us where his eyes, nose, mouth and bum is when asked, and just got his first tooth! I am so grateful for this sweet little guy. He already has brought so much love and laughter into our home. His sister and brother absolutely adore and love him, as well as his parents! Gavin is so sweet and has completed our family. We love you Gavin!

I have a confession to make, hold on to your hats, it's a big one. I've been threatening Sawyer with "the cops"...doooohhh! I know, what kind of mother am I?! It all started when our neighbor's son got taken away by the police (awhile ago), and my kids asked me what he did. I jokingly said, "maybe he was being mean to his mom", and it stuck in little Sawyer's head. So over the past year or two, I've been using this to my advantage, more so recently, since school has been out. It just seems that I always have to be extreme with him, in particular, for some reason. Like when he was two, we were driving down Sweet Water Road (a main road that leads to our home, but not a "busy" road) and Sawyer decided to un-buckle himself in the car. We told him he better buckle himself up or he will walk the rest of the way home. His response was, "ok, I'll walk". Bob and I looked at each other smiling as Bob pulled the truck over on to the side of the road, thinking that this action would scare him into buckling himself back up. Nope, out jumped Sawyer onto the side of the road, with a wave of his little hand, saying, "you can go now, I'll walk home!" We drove forward a few several yards, thinking he would start to scream in terror, but nope, he started screaming for us to leave so he could walk home...alone. Yeah, that brilliant plan worked for our other 2 kids, but not Sawyer. Anyway, I have tried everything to get him to obey me, and stop throwing fits if he doesn't get his way. So one day during a temper tantrum, being as bright as I am and at ends wit, this is how it went down:

Sawyer: Screaming because I wouldn't give him any of "mommies special treat" (chocolate) after finding it in it's hidden place. "Fine, I'm taking my pants off!" (As if that would really get to me)

Me: "Fine, take your pants off, but you'll have to put them back on all by yourself because we are leaving in a few minutes."

Sawyer: "Hmmph"...yanking his pants off. "Ah-ha, I took my pants off!"

Me: "Now put them back on, we're leaving."

Sawyer: "No! You have to help me now."

Me: "Sawyer, I just warned you not to take them off or you'll have to put them back on...all by yourself, so put them on!"

Sawyer: "I need help!!"

Me: "Um, Sawyer, you just took them off by yourself, so you can surely put them back on by yourself, now hurry up, we're leaving!"

Sawyer: Screaming, again, "No I can't!!!"

Me: "Put your pants on or I will call the cops and tell them you're being mean to your mom."

Sawyer: Paused to look at me, making sure I wasn't kidding, then dropped to his bum and yanked those pants on faster than I ever could! "ok mommy! I put them on, don't call the cops!"

I know, he will probably need therapy in the next several years, but so far, this method is STILL working. Sure, he has tested me to see if I actually would, and I have had to call the police (it was officer Bob aka Dad), but he stops and begs me to tell them he'll be good and not to come. Don't underestimate me, I tell him EVERY time that the police are nice people who just don't like it when people and kids are mean to other people, especially their moms. So far, he hasn't run away screaming whenever he sees a police officer. He actually waves to them...maybe he's trying to butter them up for the next phone call. :)

Tubby

I can't believe my baby is almost one year old! I can't deny how much fun I've had already with this cute little person, & to think that Bob was "done" with 3 kids! Gavin is so cute & so fun to have around...I know, every mom says that about her children, but in Gavin's case, it's true. He is the only one of my kids who managed to produce "baby fat", and I've been getting a kick out of it. I mean, come on! Look at those adorable rolls! This is the only time in life when rolls are CUTE, especially with some butt crack showing.

I'd like to tell you how terribly advanced my little tubby is, as most parents do, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. In fact, I might say that I have a, oh how shall I say this, procrastinator (yeah, that sounds good) on my hands. I know he CAN roll, I've seen it when he wants something real bad & no one is around to give it to him, but he just doesn't LIKE/WANT to. I guess I don't blame him when his siblings jump at his beckon call (I wish they would do that for ME). Jessi tells me, "but I don't like his face when he cries, it makes me sad!" Maybe I'll start crying more, 'cuz she obviously enjoys my angry face. Anyhow, I've come to the conclusion that his extra weight & Ballif sized head is hindering his ability to crawl, as well. That most likely is not true, but it makes me feel better. I mean, really, those rolls CAN'T be the easiest to carry around on those small little bones! Trust me, I have the biceps to prove my point, from carrying him. But I'm not too worried, a little embarrassed, yes, when I see babies younger than him zoom past him on the church floor. That just means he'll stay "my little (or big, I should say) baby" longer! He has, however, started talking, and I honestly can't remember off hand when my other kids started talking, so I can't say or not if that is normal or advanced for this age. But every achievement he is making (with his procrastinator attributions) truly delights me. Even if it is only an "uh-oh", or (MY most used around the house) "neh-uh", or "da-da", or "ma-ma". I'll just quit worrying and start enjoying!

I forgot to mention why I put this pic on here. This is Bob's brother's grave, Mark, the one we named Gavin after...Gavin Mark Ballif. I know, how touching. :)

Yellowstone National Park

For Memorial Day weekend we decided to go to Yellowstone, since we hadn't been since I was pregnant with Logen. Despite the LONG drive up there, and Logen's scheduled question "are we almost there?" every 10 minutes, & Sawyer's geographical curiosity question "are we still in Eagle Mountain?" on every pit stop, we had a lot of fun. Pops and Grammy came, too, as well as Mike, Kindra, Kylie & William Jones/Stock. We saw lots of elk and buffalo, 2 bald eagles, a couple of coyotes, a fox, a wolf, & a far away mama bear and her cub climbing the hill...I think that's all. Anyhoo, we all had a great time. I love it up there! Since there was a lot of photos, I put them all in a slide show below this post. (You might want to scroll down to the music thing & pause it since there's music in the slide show.)

Yellowstone slide show

Logen's school program

Logen's kindergarten class put on a "Bug Program" last month, and I have to say I'm quite proud of him. This was right around the time he started getting anxiety about leaving me at school, but I guess as long as I was there, being in front of a ton of people didn't bother him. I really don't get him, sometimes! He desperately wanted to be a black widow, so there you have my sad attempt of a black widow costume. By the end of the program, it was falling apart! Ah well...good times, good job buddy!

Spring Break

I remember Spring Break being warm...don't you?! I guess I shouldn't complain, it could have been worse...like snowing. We kept having to postpone going to Hogle Zoo because

of rain, but we did make it on Friday. It was a little chilly at first, but by the time we left, it started warming up. But it was still fun! This was Gavin's first zoo visit, and quite frankly, he could have cared less. He was just happy to be outside! I love the zoo!

I could sit all day watching the monkeys and gorilla. I just can't get over how human-like they are. Sawyer had a blast and kept saying "let's go check sumfin' else out!" He started a temper tantrum when we were leaving, until we mentioned McDonald's...then life was good again.

Welcome Irish!

I know, I'm really behind on my postings...better late than never, that's my life motto! My little sister had her first baby girl...Irish James Talkington, and what a cutie she is!! Jessi was so excited to be the 1st kid to hold her (thanks Tam). It seems to be that Irish is following in Jessi's footsteps, already, because at 2 weeks old, she was also rushed to the hospital to be poked and prodded over a health scare. Being up at Primary Children's Hospital and looking at Tamie standing over Irish, all hooked up to wires, in her little crib, brought back all those unpleasant memories I buried when I was up there with Jessi at 2 weeks old. My heart broke for Tamie, and Irish. I realized you just can't bury painful memories, because sooner or later they will re-surface and hit you full force with even more pain! It's amazing to actually see a little of the Lord's plan unravel, because had Irish come when Tamie and Jared wanted her to, a couple of years ago, Irish would have not survived. NEC is what she had...I honestly can't tell you much about it, other than babies died from it up until a few years ago, and it's uncommon. But, thankfully, she is home and doing well...and cuter than ever! Nothing says "welcome to motherhood" like being rushed to Primary Children's Hospital in an ambulance, right Tam?!

Easter 2009

Didn't we just get through with Christmas?! And now it's already past Easter?! I guess that's what happens with time, it's inevitable! Anyway, Easter has come and gone, and what fun it was! The kids had fun sleeping in the same room that night, in fact they had a "sleepover" the whole week of spring break...whatever gets them to bed without a fight! As the Easter Bunny was making his stop at our house, he had to chuckle to himself when he saw the kids' new Easter shoes outside their bedroom door for him to put candy in them. This was a tradition my sisters and I did when we were growing up, and my kids remembered it, without my reminder this year...what fun!

I found this cute website called http://www.myfavoritepal.com/ that carries matching ties from infants to adults. So, I found blue and white polka dot ones to match Jessica's blue and white polka dot dress...so proud of myself! Dinner at Grammy and Pop's was fun, too, along with the egg hunt. But wasn't quite the same with Tamie, Jared & Irish not there.

This year I only bought 2 bags of candy and filled the rest with bubbles, toys, puzzles and snacks they don't get very often...I mean the EASTER BUNNY only put 2 bags of candy in this year. AND I didn't hear any complaining...guess Bob was right (dang), they really don't need tons of candy! Being a kid is so much fun! Next year will be even funner, with Gavin being a little older and being able to join in. But this year, he was happy just being there!