Hogle Zoo, Little Butte Cemetery, and the E.R.

Yep, May almost went by unscathed.We went to Hogle Zoo with all of my bros and sis families except Karl's :(
Mom & Dad came too but couldn't find parking so they went home :(
- but it was a fun day. My 2 favorite parts were the camels (who knew their humps were so crazy big, pointy, uncomfortable, and not full of water?) and riding the train, the only thing we managed to do ALL together. I think everyone in Utah decided to get out on a finally pretty warm day to go to the zoo.
Nice choke-hold Gracie... and No, I did not match my shirt to the zoo on purpose! (And Nancy these are tiger stripes not zebra. hee hee. The zebras were not on the loose.)
From the zoo we traveled to Idaho Falls to stay the night and go to the Little Butte Cemetery in Rigby the next day. We got to see Luke's mom's headstone, clean it, and leave flowers. It is possible the cutest cemetery I have ever seen! It is up on this little cute hill that overlooks the town. That is where I would want to be buried if it were tomorrow. Who knows where life will lead us right?
We were supposed to eat dinner at Uncle Charlie and Karen's but we ended up going to the emergency room at ERMC Hospital for Kate (- the same place that Luke got a blood transfusion as a kid after he ran through a glass door).

Why did we go to the ER you ask?

Luke's cousin Trent is almost 7 ft tall, 37 yrs old, but mentally about 8-10 yrs old. Aunt Karen was holding Kate and handed her off to Trent. He then swung her across the room to another chair by just her hands and then down to the floor again and back to his lap. Considering his height and the force of the swings, it is no wonder that her elbow popped out of its socket.

Kate cried like she never has before for about 1 hour with a few little breaks. (My babies don't usually cry once they are with me unless they are tired). She fell asleep and when she woke up she played a little with one arm, but wouldn't move her left arm. I moved it twice and both times she started crying in pain. So we decided, on a Sunday and out of town, to go to the ER. The doc put her elbow back in place in two seconds and she was all better like that.

This is a photo of her on the stretcher after it was fixed! The doc then taught us that this is really common (they thought Gracie had pulled on her arm) called "Nursemaid's Elbow." He showed us how to do it so that we can fix it ourselves *next time* and then he even let us practice on his own arm. It was awesome. Hopefully the bill is not too awesome.

In case you ever need it, I guess there is a you-tube video that teaches you what to do too. I just didn't dare do it when I didn't know for sure what was wrong. I will next time though.

Confession: I have accidentally given "Nursemaid's Elbow" to my niece Sofia while pulling her out of a sleeping bag. AND my mom and I accidentally did it to my sister Nancy when we were swinging her as we walked. Easy to do and thankfully easy to fix! However, your arm is more susceptable to popping out again once it has happened until you're about 5. We will try to keep you safe Kate!

Check out our new "look and feel"!

I forgot to tell everybody when we finally got our new look and feel for our website up. It took Luke and I about a month to design our new logo and website. But we are pretty excited about how it looks now. Check it out at www.homespeechhome.com!

No Cavities!!

Yes it has been 8 years since I have heard those words said to me.

Gracie and I went to the dentist yesterday. She did awesome and let them brush her teeth and everything. And of course I did even more awesome because I didn't have anything wrong. I never had a cavity until I was 18. Then boom. Every visit I have had a couple or 6 or 8. Ugh. I am so proud of myself because the last 6 months I hardly ever went to bed without brushing my teeth and I even flossed a couple times a week. It paid off and just makes it that much more rewarding to do even better.

No pain. No hassle. No follow-up appt. No more money to pay. No CAVITIES!

Oh my gosh Mom!

The other day we were on a quick trip to the store and Gracie says:
"Oh my gosh mom. Stop the car!... I forgot my baby."
So serious. So funny.

Here, there, and everywhere!

Katie just walks this thing all around the house! And outside for that matter. I love it!

The other day, we were having a picnic outside and K bumped into G's chair and tipped her over. G was so upset! I was a little glad that K could get G back for all the times she accidentally hurts K while playing. It will be interesting when K can walk/crawl. It won't be long. K already moves her feet to walk if I am helping her stand and she is the wrestle queen! Gracie would just roll immediately from her belly to her back and cry till I helped her sit up. So fun to see differences.

Our piece of Vegas turf works perfect to cover our dirt patch in our backyard. And as a golfing green! Gracie is getting her first golf lesson with plastic eggs. And I decided I love tulips - and they love you back because they come back every year with no work!

3-Way Sucking

We went to church on Sunday with no time for breakfast. Somehow between Luke grabbing them and me switching from diaper bag to scripture bag, the granola bars were left on the counter. The only thing I found to eat was a cinnamon mint candy like the kind you get on your way out of a restaurant. That's how 3-way sucking was invented for the Barber family. I would suck on it for about 30 seconds, then Gracie, and then Luke. When Gracie offered it to Luke the first time and then I asked for it back, he just looked at me and laughed out loud incredulously. But he didn't pass up his chance to suck. Gross I know! It's our secret - we were hungry. We only made it around twice before Gracie ended up biting it.

Project Runway!

A few projects from the last couple of months:

I have come to realize that even if I don't have time or money, or my to-do list is way long, or Home Speech Home is nagging, I still have to do something creative to cope and de-stress and I guess have a little "me-time." Doing crafty things lets me dump my head of all the ideas I store inside it by default (can't turn this part off). And then I have room to focus on all the things I need, should, and want to do other than create something. Luke is starting to accept that I just have to get it out of my system before I can focus/work again. Somehow I got bit by a moss bug... it is super messy, hot glue burns galore, and it is actually real moss so it smells fishy. Good result though!

Moss Monogram
Somehow I got bit by a moss bug... it is super messy, hot glue burns galore, and it is actually real moss so it smells fishy. Good result on foam board though!


Moss Topiary
From styrofoam ball and candle holder I already had. (It needs a haircut!)
Braided Towel Rug
Made from old towels, cut into strips and braided, super soft and absorbent. (not finished yet!)
Vinyl Tile
SUPER easy! Made one for my mom for mother's day and 2 more to auction off at the Barber Family Reunion (that's how they earn money to pay for the food/expenses each year).

Rosette Onesie
Oh man, I am addicted to making rosettes! This onesie is a hand me down from 3 girls, so on the 4th time around, it could use some updating. Get rid of the old butterfly on it. Add some rosettes which are so fun to make (if you don't mind a few hot glue burns). And add some ribbon ties to make it less balloony.
And then put a cute little girl inside.

YES, Katie is 6 MONTHS!!! AND SITTING!!! She won't stop grabbing things, scooting backward, and smiling. She is my favorite CREATION here, hands down!

Love being a mom...

I love my mom.
I love Luke's mom.
I love being a mom.
And I love being appreciated for being a mom by Luke.
I love Luke.

And maybe a little love for Grace n' Kate. How could I not?
Enjoy the video for a few seconds. We did.

Look What I Got...

"Our Best Bites"...

And not from my husband like the **hint** was intended for - for Mother's Day.

And no I don't have a blog fairy that gives me whatever I wish for in writing.

But I do have a friend in Vegas and online who surprised me!! April you are so sweet. Thanks.

(Luke already made me crepes from the book for Mother's Day and his eyes got big when he saw a few others. Not to mention I've got a recipe in the crockpot right now!)

Layton Surf n' Swim w/ Rob

I never posted this fun day with Robert's family. It came at a perfect time for us to go do something fun and happy as a family in March.









We celebrated Travis' birthday too with pizza, cake, ice cream at Robert and Heidi's. So fun. Their boys made Katie laugh.






I realized it is time to get a 1 piece suit for Gracie. I thought it was cute when she had a little baby pot belly, but not any more. I am scared of boys already thinking she is cute. Besides, we teach them now what we want them to do/know in 5 yrs.



I made Katie's Swim Top! I couldn't find the baby swimsuit so about 30 min. before we needed to go, I hurried and sewed this out of some black swimsuit material. Next time we go swimming I will have to make the bottom to cover her swim diaper and add a little bow or ruffle. (What? I couldn't have her looking like a boy!!)

I love this picture of Katie. She is so sweet!