She has a name!!!

Finally after 7 days, this one is it...

Katie Lenna Barber

Name Meaning: PURE
Katie is definitely our pure girl, and our pure girl is definitely Katie!
Sorry it took us so long. We just wanted it to be right. We love you Katie!

Newborn Hospital Pictures by Bella Baby

check it out at
www.bellababyphotography.com
Login: 1028babygirlbarber

The prices are ridiculous but she got some cute ones. I like a couple in the sepia, but especially the color one of her and her dad.

Our little TREAT is here!

Born at 1:52 am on October 28 at Riverton Hospital...I couldn't have done it without my wonderful, wonderful LUKE!or without my sweeet, awesome nurse AMBER. She believed in helping me reach my goal to do it NON-MEDICATED!
We came home from the hospital to celebrate our 6 year anniversary with our 2 girls, some trunk-or-treating, and Cafe Rio.
Not showered yet, but feeling great anyway. Lots of gratitude, love, and pure happiness. Heavenly Father has really been watching over us.
Too beautiful! Aren't these roses from Luke gorgeous?
Gracie is being a trooper with little sleep. She loves her new little sister!
I definitely got "Treated" this Halloween, instead of having to wait for Nov 9! These are by far my TWO FAVORITE TREATS! Who needs chocolate?
7 pounds, 6 oz of pure sweetness, but still no name...
I have hair... but NO NAME!
MOM and DAD, hurry up and name me... I am 4 days old already. I LOVE YOU! Love, ??? (me)

Waiting at a 4 and 75% effaced since last Wed. appt.

I have been having lots of contractions and I get so falsely excited because nothing happened like this with Gracie. I am so excited to have her here.

This is what I have been doing in the mean time and working a little on my e-books for Home-Speech-Home.com. We might get featured in the ASHA Leader. I have K, G, S, and almost Z totally done. Here are my projects:

Gracie's Curtains:
7 rows of gathering on top, idea from Make-It-And-Love-It Blog
Doll Clothes for the Dirty Baby:
Wouldn't come clean so Gracie helped me make new clothes and headband for her baby that she takes everywhere. Gracie really sewed them with the presser foot and back stitch button under her command. It took forever. Gracie didn't go take a nap till around 4:00 because we were finishing her baby.
Curls in Gracie's Hair:
This is the first trial with the curling iron. So cute but she was really scared as was I. Today though, I was doing a pony tail and she said, "No mom. Girls (i.e. curls)." She was so good today and loves talking about her curls. I love them too.
Front Room Curtains:
I found this fabric for $6.00/yd at Home Fabrics. You seriously have to go there cause we all know how home decor fabric is usually $20-$30 yard on sale at Jo-Anns. And not much variety.
Covered Couch Pillows:
Also found this fabric at Home Fabrics for $6.00 and $3.00/yd. I can't believe it!
Blessing Dress for Baby #2:
I want to make each of my children their own to have and use on their children if they want. This is fabric I already had and worked up so fast. The skirt is sheer and shimmery. Now I am going to make a fleece shrug to match. Add some pearly trim to waist and hem and flowers with pearls on the skirt. Show you when it is finished.

Our Gracie Girl...

EARRINGS:
Gracie took her earrings out during the last 3 nap times.
Yesterday I could not find one of them. I gave up looking, very frustrated with Gracie Girl.
About 5 minutes later I was washing her face from her "Trick or Treat" and noticed a big nasty "booger" in her nostril.
I went to pull it out and...
TADA!
It was her long last earring.
GROSS!
(And the funny part is when I had asked her earlier where it was, she did say her nose. But I thought she was trying to be funny. ooooh, gracie! Needless to say, I put her studs back in for now.)
Where did she get this from?
OLIVES:
Gracie's Olive Eating Rules:
1. Olives have to go on your fingers before you eat them.
2. You have to make noise when you snatch them off.
3. And you have to have the WHOLE CAN in one sitting!
4. You have to count all the way to 10. (This also applies for underdogs on the swings!)
MARKERS:
Gracie loves markers. You only color on paper... and now rocks. This is a fun and easy art project if you are looking for something fun to do. Get out your markers, (permanent if you want them to stay on in the rain) and find some cool rocks. We went on a long walk and filled up the bottom of our stroller with these perfect rocks. They were so perfect, in fact, that our neighbor kids broke a few before we colored them and we have found them moved around in many places since. We love seeing our rocks every time we go outside and now they look great with our pumpkins.
TRACTORS, TRUCKS, TRAINS, MOTORCYCLES, AIRPLANES:
You would think she was a boy because she loves "things that go" so much. We can imitate the sounds of each one pretty well.
I think Gracie is mostly over her PTSD from the car accident which is a huge relief. That is not to say that mom and dad are. Both of us have had several vividly real dreams about dying... car accidents, drowning, etc. Some tears and screams have been heard in the middle of the night and not just from Gracie's bedroom. PTSD is real and we only had a small taste. I can't imagine being in a war or something else. For now we will just keep walking, avoiding the freeway as much as possible, and talking about everything that goes.

BOOK OF MORMON:
We walked into church today "late" and the Bishopric was talking about our new challenge to read the Book of Mormon by March Stake Conference. We sit down and Gracie says, "Mom, BOOK OF MORMON!!" I couldn't believe my ears. She said it a couple more times after he said it, through the rest of the meeting. Even though she was playing, she was listening.

We couldn't believe it, but it makes sense. We have been singing "Book of Mormon Stories" and reading scriptures with Gracie for a week now. We have her repeat the words we say. Children are never too young!! I never knew! And it is awesome compared to my experience with children learning speech and language skills. THE SPIRIT is definitely a language and learning ENHANCER!
Too bad...many people would want to pay big bucks for this learning enhancement. The General Primary President who spoke in conference is definitely right... Teach your children now, what you want them to know and do in FIVE YEARS>>>>AWESOME!
We love our Gracie Girl.

I am a 3 this week with 3 weeks to go!

I have been having lots of random contractions so I thought labor was going to happen, but we are still here. (Apparently you can walk around for weeks even dilated to a 4.) I guess I am falsely excited because nothing ever happened to my body with Gracie. This is different! Here are my "beautiful" final weeks photo shoot pics so we can remember how big and uncomfortable I was.
(Apparently Luke says I "don't complain", I just talk alot about how "uncomfortable I am and how we've got to get this baby out soon." But it is justified and he doesn't blame me. He would do the same thing. But he wants the baby out soon so we can stop talking about it all the time. I am going to try hard this week not to complain! And I wrote it down now, so it is going to happen.)

Any words of advice to get labor started and any GIRL baby names you've liked lately? Please send 'em our way. We haven't decided yet but here are a few we are thinking about:

Sadie
Stella
Maryka
Cici

with Lenna as the middle name

I am dialated to a TWO almost a THREE!

That is what the doctor said even though my due date is still 5 weeks out. He said I would probably not be making it to my due date. Which is good with me!

I promise to take a picture of my belly soon because people asked and... I guess I should have at least one photo of me pregnant with our second little girl. I don't want her to feel left out.

He said I was pretty thinned out too. Isn't that exciting?

I invented... Peanut Butter Crunch Balls!

Ooh they were so good that they didn't last long.
Bought Cap'n Crunch cereal because it was on a good sale and I wanted to taste it. I didn't like it for cereal. Way too sweet and weird texture left in the milk. So I threw them in the peanut butter rice krispie treats recipe.

Melt a bag of marshmallows with a 1/2 cube of butter.
Stir in 1/2 cup peanut butter after the above is melted.
Add 6 cups cap'n crunch.
Spread in buttered pan.
Then mold it into small balls (Gracie size) and set on wax paper.
Drizzle melted chocolate on top to make it pretty.
And poof they will be gone before you know it.

I got rave reviews. And the extra marshmallows had to go for a dive too. They were soo good. The balls that got it all on were a little too rich so stick with a good drizzle. Let me know if you try them!

I have never struggled this much with preparing a talk!

I ended up going to bed at 5:30 AM after finally getting some inspiration that felt good enough to plan an outline around. Thanks to Heavenly Father and me really struggling. I guess my delivery wasn't too bad despite being tired because people still said they really liked my talk.

I really struggled with how to take doing Family Home Evening, Family Prayer, and Family Scripture Study to the next level, and not just doing it because you are supposed to.

Everything I planned to start with and every direction I went, felt like I was forcing it, and not really what I was supposed to say. And apparently, I can't live without feeling good about it. Not that I am surprised.

Luke can whip out a talk in a couple of hours after just sitting down. Me-- I was pondering it all week and did hours of research one day. And then Saturday night sat down at the same time as Luke to write at 9:30 PM. Luke went to bed, after trying to wait for me, at 12:30 am.

All in all, things went well considering getting back up at 7:30 am (2 hours of sleep and 8 months pregnant) to get ready for church and put a roast and potatoes in for my in-laws coming for the talk and lunch. Gave the talk at 9 AM Sacrament meeting. And didn't fall asleep through the rest of church.

This is the summation of my talk :

• I should be studied to prove that pregnancy does suck your brain out because I couldn't prepare my talk like normal. All pregnant women would agree with me.
  
• What are your greatest assets???... Your children- Pres. Hinckley. (Huh--Never thought of them that way!)
• "You have nothing in this world more precious than your children. When you grow old, when your hair turns white and your body grows weary, when you are prone to sit in a rocker and meditate on the things of your life, nothing will be so important as the question fohow yoru children have turned out. It will not be the money you have made. It will not be the cars you have owned. It will not be the large house in which you live. The searing question that will cross your mind again and again will be, How well have my children done?" -President Hinckley
  
• Sister Beck said in Stake Conference last week: "You are doing better than you think you are. But you can do better than you are!" How do we do better at FHE, FSS, FP? Do it to:
  

1. To show our love for our Heavenly Father
2. To show our love for our children.
3. To internalize the gospel in our children.

• A study by BYU found that the biggest predictor of LDS youth not going astray was internalization of the gospel. Church attendance and social integration in the ward and youth made a difference too, but the biggest was Private Religious Behavior which includes:
  

1. A solid belief in God
2. Personal prayer and scripture study
3. Personal spiritual experiences

Interesting to note that they found it made no difference where you lived from Highest Religiosity Environment (Utah County) to middle Religiosity (East Coast) to lowest Religiosity (Northwest Pacific States). There is no "Spiritual Shangri La." Zion is the pure in heart not a place.

• FHE, FSS, FP are taken to the next level when we:
  

1. Show our children by example how the gospel is the core of our lives.
2. Help our children see how gospel principles are used in their daily lives. Use them to "LIKEN ALL SCRIPTURES" to our children and ask questions that will help them find their own answers and applications. Elder Bednar- last conference, talk about scriptures, bear spontaneous testimony more often, encourage them to act.
3. Encourage them to know truth for themselves.
4. Provide opportunities for spiritual experiences (trips to the temple, family service projects, family testimony mtgs, fathers blessings, baptisms, etc)

Add a few things: counsel with spouses to be united, use Family Proclamation as our guide, personal earnest and sincere prayer, Holy Ghost to inspire us and keep our focus on things that matter. And the most crucial time is before a child is 8. Elder Eyring said that Satan's use of the mists of darkness to hide the path to return home is blocked until they turn 8 and then he is free to tempt them. 0-8 are called the protected years. That is why the earlier the better. No age is too young.

It's going to take hard work and sacrifice because there are alot of times it is hard to do or it feels pointless. But we have to have faith and wait for those perfect moments when our children show us that it is working and we gain our reward.

Gracie's Overheard Prayer

It is up to us. We have this most Sacred Responsibility to forge the shield of faith at home--Pres. Packer's quote.
Elisha's story and remember we have the same assurance and courage as him, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them."

First Overheard Prayer

Gracie came and got in bed with me. Of course I had to go to the bathroom. While I was on my way there, Gracie grabbed Luke's journal from his nightstand, I guess to do some light reading.
While I was in the other room, this is what I hear.

"Heavenly Father,
Thank you forrrr...
little guy,
Thank you forrrr...
little books, (meaning dad's journal which she was reading)
Thank you forrrr...
water,
Thank you forrr...
Alice, (Alice the camel has 3 humps is one of her fav songs right now)
Thank you forrr...
Mom and Dad, (she put us together for the first time,sweet and a higher language skill
Jesus (closing the prayer)
Allelu-u-jah Ba-a-by!" (went into singing allelujah from "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" to her baby)

I LOVE IT!! (I have exactly what she said because I wrote it on the toilet paper next to me. What? It's all I had!)

So this is our perfect moment and lasting reward for fighting her at mealtimes to say a prayer when all she wants to do is eat and it would be easier just to let her and not make her say a prayer with us. And for all the times my pregnant body doesn't want to go upstairs and/or stop what I am doing to say good night prayers with her and dad. She is even pulling the teenager thing and not wanting to say prayers or always chooses one of us to do it.
We have to give talks on Sunday about "Raising a Righteous Family." This is definitely going in there because it is these perfect moments that make doing the right things like FHE, Family Scriptures, and Family Prayer, the sacrifice and work it takes all worth it.
Now I have just got to figure out how to take doing those 3 things (the seminary, rattled off answers for raising a righteous family) to the next level. Not just doing it because you are supposed to. How do you do it at the next level? Got a couple of hours to figure it out, before I sleep and give the talk! I will post some of the things I have learned on here after tomorrow. Wish me luck!

How old are you Gracie? "I'm TWO!"

This is me saying, "I'm...
...TWO!" I am still trying to get the fingers right.These are my two pigtails... and I love my rocking chair!This is my big "cupcake"/birthday cake that mom made for me. She frosted and decorated it in a big hurry so it is not her best work. But I loved my "cupcake."

Aunt Nancy and Uncle BJ and Baby Star came for the weekend too. Nancy helped mom decorate these mini cupcakes. They were just "little" for me. Nancy invented the Bumblebees and Mom made up the Ladybugs. They tried hard on the Butterflies. :) The 39 Heart cupcake was for Grammy and Papa cause they share their Anniversary with me. Can you believe 39 years?I loved loved loved opening presents...I kept saying, "More Presents!" (Look at my dad's face! I love birthdays almost as much as him.)I had to stand up to open this present.It was hard to say "Please and Thank you" because I was so excited. Like the sticker on my head and the puzzle Grandma gave me?I like my "Kitty Jammies..."
Here's me blowing out my "cupcake..."
After the BBQ that papa cooked, presents, and cake, I was really tired. So I went to my usual, best spot in Grammy's house... laying on top of Grammy on the couch with the pillow place just right on her chest. See. Sometimes I even put my arms up behind my head and really relax. More cartoons Grammy, please. No one else gets this spot but me.
Here's me back at home a few days after being two.
I like my back pack... thanks Nancy and BJ.And I like being TWO!Then the next weekend we got to party again with Aunt Hailey, Uncle Todd, Cousin Sofia, and Cousin Roman. We tried to go fishing but didn't catch anything.That is okay. It wasn't all a bust. I touched worms and I got to hang out with Sofia.
I love being TWO!!