Christmas 2008

I think Sam + Lily really liked their teddy bears from Grandma and Papa...





There wasn't room for us at the inn at first... we had to go on a journey at John's parents' house to find where we could enter in.



The whole crew on Christmas morning.


The best surprise gift under the tree? Sam's mission call!! He'd waited for two days to open it with us and we didn't even expect it! He leaves March 10th for the Baton Rouge, Louisiana mission!



An action shot of Johnny using his new gift- the Wovel. Part shovel, part wheel= total back saver.



We had a great Christmas this year and definitely spoiled each other a lot! It will be fun next year to have the focus shift to the next generation, though! (This year we sneaked a few gifts in for the Cub- we just couldn't help it!) My favorite gift was an external flash for my Nikon. I'm already loving the difference I can see in my indoor shots!!

Merry Christmas to my folks!

Merry Christmas! Before my dad left for the UAE, I arranged for Bethany to take our family portrait. It was our early Christmas gift for them! So I hope they (and you) enjoy it!

Perhaps the cutest thing I have ever seen...

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.


Long, but worth every second! Seen on c'est jolie.

The Catch-Up post

I have been a horrible blogger recently (and by recently, I mean the last several months!) and to make it up to you, here is a HUGE catch-up post!

-Practiced my photog skillz on Sam for his mission pictures (this was one of the "fun" ones)



-Saw Twilight on opening weekend with Casey (and again this week with Cat)



-Cheered on the Utes as they beat BYU (again!) for a perfect season (again!)



-Made pies from scratch for Thanksgiving (my first time!) and watched John's cousin Joe play with fire (a Bailey family tradition)





-Hung out with Sam and Lily (Sam was home sick from school with me for a few days) playing of lots of Lego Star Wars on the Wii




-Was a narrator for the Primary's nativity play (I played the mom and Paul Clayton was the dad)





-Took our Christmas card photos at night, in front of the Christmas tree, by ourselves- seriously challenging my photography skills to get the lighting and settings right plus the added inconvenience of using a timer! (I hope Santa brings me that remote I've been wanting!)




Other activities without photo proof that kept me insanely busy:

-Making almost a hundred Christmas cards by hand. Silly, silly me.

-Participating in the Relief Society's Christmas Program which was a serious production of "The Ten Virgins." It was insane, road-show type involvement for both me and Cat. We had solos, speaking parts, costumes, and ACTING to do involving hours of rehearsals. The best part? Guess who was cast as a vain, insecure and unprepared virgin? Oh, yes, me, the large pregnant one. Hilarious.

-Participating in the ward choir's Christmas Program (are you sensing a theme here??) in which we learned a 40 minute Cantata written by a lady in our ward. Again, very involved with rehearsals and solos plus challenging music to learn. Amazingly, we it turned out great and it was very nice but whew, I was worried about our ability to pull it off!

And of course, just regular things that everyone deals with this time of year- Christmas shopping, Christmas decorating, wrapping presents, attending parties, etc.
And then there's the fun stuff about inheriting a large house for a while- shoveling, figuring out which light switches do what, plugging in the eaveswarmers, etc. etc.

I feel overwhelmed by the simultaneous feelings of having a mountain of stuff to do yet never "doing" anything (blog worthy, let's just say it.)

That all being said, I am looking forward to having a wonderful, peaceful Christmas. Because half of my family won't be here this year, I am finding myself with a lot of free time on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It will be nice to spend it leisurely with just John, and then with his family for a while, instead of juggling both families all day.

Stuff that I want (but you could get it, too!)

I'm entering to win a bunch of fun scrapbooking stuff over at Jessica Turner's blog. Click on the button to check it out for yourself!



And good ole TAMN at Seriously, So Blessed is having a huge giveaway. I like free stuff.

Check out Design Mom for the 12 (actually 13!) days of Christmas giveaways!

And for the fellas that read this blog, check out the cool (CHEAP) t shirts over at Threadless. They have a bunch that are only five bucks! (found via Want Not)

Link love

Did you see Nicole's wasted shoot over at A Little Sussy? Kate (my wonderfully talented SIL) did all the hair and makeup for it! It's so funny to see the skills of photography and styling used to make people look, um, not their best, instead of as gorgeous as possible!


I am loving Seriously, So Blessed recently. It's a satirical blog written from a Mormon point of view. Hilarious. This author has totally nailed every silly part of Mormon culture. TAMN (which stands for Tiffany Amber Megan Nicole) has a perfect husband, perfect body and is expecting perfect twins. She loves Twilight, Bunco, and Diet Coke and thinks that being 21 equals old maid status. Check it out for a good laugh!!


Did you hear the news about Richard and Cat? Head over to their blog to check it out!

This is what we do at work ...

This is the group of top notch developers I work with :)

Click on the pic to see the awesome video.





- JohnnyT

Tribute to Elder Wirthlin

A great leader of my church passed away last night. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin was a gentle example of kindness, service and devotion to Heavenly Father. He will be missed by many, including me.

Elder Wirthlin left a legacy of hard work as an example to all of us. He woke early every day to study the scriptures, prepare his schedule and plan the most efficient use of his time. He said, "There is old proverb, which says, 'An inch of gold will not buy an inch of time.' We must put a sufficiently high value on time. It is valuable and should not be wasted."

His last conference address, Come What May, and Love It was full of great spiritual wisdom and advice about enduring life's challenges and seeking for joy. It advice that I need to remember. Here is a quote from that talk:

Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others.

Because Jesus Christ suffered greatly, He understands our suffering. He understands our grief. We experience hard things so that we too may have increased compassion and understanding for others.

Elder Wirthlin also encouraged us to "learn to laugh" which is one of life's best cures for sorrow and disappointment. He truly enjoyed life- after playing football for the University of Utah, Elder Wirthlin remained a die-hard Ute fan for life!

Elder Wirthlin was not only a great leader to millions, he was a devoted family patriarch. Many of my good friends are related to this wonderful man, to some of them he was first and foremost their beloved "Granddad." (My friend, Dave, wrote poignantly today about Elder Wirthlin's love of family.)

I know that Elder Wirthlin is enjoying a happy reunion with his beloved wife and his family even as I write this. So I don't mourn his loss, I celebrate his life and that he has earned his great reward!

I hope you can gain some spiritual hope today from learning a bit about this great man.


photo: Deseret News

Twofer

Can you spot the Pregos in this picture? (I'll give you a hint: There are two and unmarried Anne isn't one of them!)





Chelsea and Mark are expecting, too! Isn't that fun! We're so excited that our kiddos will be the same age and Rick and Sue are over the moon to have TWO grandbabies on the way! Chelsea is due May 17th. Unfortunately, she has been very ill, so send all your good thoughts her way!

Birthday Girl, once again

Well, my 26th birthday was full of fun and lasted for many days (in the true Barbarakah tradition) this year. However, the excitement of finding out that we're having a BOY the day before my bday overshadowed the birthday celebrations and I'm just fine with that. Birthdays become less of a big deal the more I age and I'm excited to have a little one in our family to lavish attention on instead!

My in-laws threw a lovely birthday dinner for me and Sam (the other November baby) on November 2nd. (They also took me and Johnny out for a double date last night.) I received lots of love and good wishes and birthday gifts and cards from my loving second family and John took that opportunity to really spoil me with his gifts. He bought me some new pillows to help with the crazy sleep configurations I attempt at night now that belly sleeping is no longer an option. And then, he completely floored me with a new iPod touch! Wha??? I love it (of course) but mostly I just loved that he worked hard to surprise me!


On my actual birthday (Friday) I received delicious treats and fun gifts on my doorstep, as well as numerous calls, texts and emails wishing me a great day! I love technology! John and I went out on a date that night just the two of us and I was still on cloud 9 after seeing our little guy on our ultrasound. I hardly talked about anything else!



The next night (Saturday), my pals took me and John out for dinner at MacCool's, an Irish pub nearby. Andrea, Susie, Brent and Evelyn made sure that I was remembered, which I loved. More than anything, I just like hanging out and talking and catching up!


Then on Sunday, my family had a big meal where I was again showered with gifts and love. I feel so spoiled this year! I think part of that feeling comes from actually being relaxed on my birthday, instead of spending every day up to it campaigning!

Proposition 8

My pal and fab blogger, Casey, has a great post up over at Moosh in Indy about California's Proposition 8. I encourage you all to check it out! I left a comment about how I feel about the brouhaha surrounding the passage of Prop 8:

I think there are a lot of strong feelings on both sides of this issue, but respect and love for family are at the heart of both sides as well. I would posit the question, do protests and threats and sweeping generalizations about any group of people accurately represent the values of respect and love?? I think not!

Kate's New Job

My wonderful and talented sister-in-law, Kate, just got a new job as the Esthetician for Splendor Beauty Emporium in Park City. She is a wonderful resource for skin care, makeup and waxing, a few things that any girl could treat herself to! Here's a message from Kate:

I believe that beauty begins with clear, healthy skin and is complemented by flattering makeup. When you feel good about yourself your energy and confidence will enhance every aspect of your life. I love helping women to look and feel their best!

Splendor Beauty Emporium @ Redstone
1635 W. Redstone Center Drive
Park City, UT 84098
435-575-1800

Thankful...

Swistle got me thinking of the things I am thankful for today, right now. With Thanksgiving coming soon, I want to cherish this time of thankfulness.

-Lovely blogs to read and bloggers to know

-Friends, both far and near

-Feeling this little boy tumble around in my belly

-Being able to stay in touch with my dad despite the continents and oceans that separate us

-Today, veterans, and the sacrifices they make to preserve freedom around the world

What are you thankful for today?

Baby's First Photo

Our cute little guy- even in Skeletor black and white he's adorable!

Little Cub, What Are You?

John and I were able to schedule our ultrasound for yesterday morning. We were determined to keep the gender a secret until later that evening, when we had a "Gender Announcement Party" with our family and a few friends. It was hard to not slip throughout the day!

It our pleasure to announce that the ultrasound went well, the baby looks healthy (and very active!), and that we are expecting a BOY!





Knowing the gender makes my baby seem so much more real to me, instead of just some baby that happens to be growing in my womb. It was so fun to see his little arms and legs, check out his cute profile and chubby cheeks, and see him kick and stretch his legs and move his arms. He's a mover and a shaker!




photo source

A little housekeeping

I'm editing some of my archived posts to take out personal information, sorry if the old posts show up in your reader.

A new day

I woke up this morning to freshly falling snow washing the world clean, a perfect accompaniment to my feelings today. I feel renewed, refreshed and hopeful after watching last night's election results. I feel that this will be a new beginning for our nation that we so sorely need.

As I watched Senator John McCain's concession speech, I was teary-eyed. I know how it feels to have worked so hard for something you believe in and to fall short of your goal. I felt that Senator McCain was full of grace and humility last night, something that is rare in politics.

I was also struck by how for the first time in a long time, both candidates were such quality choices. Instead of recent elections when the choice has been between the lesser of two evils, I truly felt that this year the choice was between two good candidates! That is how it should be!

I wanted Senator Obama to win and I am thrilled that he did. I am especially excited that he won 47.87% of the vote here in Salt Lake County, which is unusual in an extremely red state! McCain only beat him by 0.56%!

I was touched by the historic nature of last night. To see people from all walks of life joined together in celebrating Obama's win was very poignant. Like similar landmark moments in our nation's history, I know that I will always remember where I was when I heard that our nation had elected its first African American president.

It is my hope that we can put aside our partisanship for a time and join together in supporting all of our elected officials in bettering our communities and our nation.

VOTE!

Don't forget to vote tomorrow!! John and I are snuggled up at home watching the SNL Presidential Bash 2008! It's a great way to end this campaign season! If you are unsure of where to vote, you can visit this Google Maps link to find your polling location (note, you may want to double check with your state's election's registrar). I voted early and I'm glad to have gotten it done!

photo credit

Austin (long overdue post!)

For Fall Break, Johnny and I decided to head south and visit Madelyn and Cody. We'd never been to Texas before, so we were excited to explore Austin and get a taste for life there!

This is Part I of our trip:

We visited a funky toy shop, the Capitol (which, like our capitol building, is modeled after the one in Washington, D.C.), the Alamo Draft House (an incredible movie theatre), a music shop (where we tried out guitars), and a cowboy boot store. We also had a fun RockBand party where we got to know Codelyn's Austin friends and went to see the millions of bats migrating out from under the bridge in downtown Austin. I didn't take a picture of everywhere we ate, but trust me, it was the main activity on the agenda every day. We love to eat and Madelyn and Cody loved to introduce us to their favorite BBQ and Mexican restuarants (that's pretty much the majority of all places in Austin.)

This is one doodle that can't be undid, home skillet

We test drove our costumes at Liz and Steve's Halloween party on Friday. It was so fun to catch up and see friends we hadn't for a while. It was especially funny to get sidelong glances at my ENORMOUS and FAKE belly. The guys, especially, were reluctant to assume anything, so I got a lot of sincere (albeit confused) congratulations. I spent a lot of the night explaining that I was, indeed, pregnant, but the big, squishy belly I was sporting wasn't real.

Here we are as Juno MacGuff and Paulie Bleeker (I will have to get a full length photo of John- those shorts are REALLY short and he was the one pinning 'em up!)





And here's the movie poster: