The Barnhart 6

Family photos fall 2011

2011-10-29T22:28:00.003-05:00

OK it's been WAY too long!!

2011-10-29T22:12:00.004-05:00

OK, I've neglected this blog for FAR too long! I've stuck to facebook 'cause it's sometimes easier and I don't feel the need to editorialize with nice fancy or clever thoughts. Just short & easy. And I think it reaches more people anyway. So here are some photos of Halloween 2011 and festivities leading up to it. I'll add more after Monday.

Gretchen (aka Gigi)

2010-09-15T10:48:00.007-05:00

Well we have another girl who I love beyond measure. Her name is Gretchen or we like to also call her Gigi. She is the most independent of all my kidlets and we love her so much. She makes me laugh and has the brightest eyes! She also goes from kisses and hugs mixed with giggles and smiles to the evil eye in an instant. But she can come out of it just as quickly.

She is not afraid to be her own person and to do things her way. Being the third child isn't always easy, but she seams to take it as a challenge. She wants to do it all, and do it now. Her body and abilities seams to be chasing the desires she thinks she should be able to do on her own. She keeps asking me when she will be a mom or when she will be a grown up. I try to tell her to just be who she is (and how old she is) right now. That girl is growing up too fast as it is.

One of my favorite things about her are her hugs! She is the BEST hugger I know. When she gives you a hug she gives it full force and often with her entire body. I have had to outlaw "choking hugs" when it come to Calvin, but I can take 'em. She is eager to go to school and to do things the bigger two do. She is good at expressing her love, and loves so many people. That's just a few of things I thought about today as I spend some one on one time with her while Calvin naps. Love that girl!

I almost forgot to mention that she has an imaginary friend that she talks about ALL the time! Another of my favorite things about her. I think Leena showed up over a year ago and it's multiple times daily that Leena is with her or she tells me about something Leena did. Certain things change about her, but some consistent things are that she has brown skin, is a girl, and that she went to africa to find Jesus. This came about because Gigi started to blame things she was doing on Leena, so Braden told Leena that she couldn't come back in our house. It was a shocker for Gigi and it wasn't long after that she found a solution and a way for Leena to be forgiven.

Dear sweet Lorelei,

2010-06-10T14:25:00.004-05:00

My Lorelei IS such a sweet girl who truly cares about other people. She like her brother, who is handsome, is SO beautiful! She is one of the friendliest girls I know and always wants others to be happy. She is more than just a help to me, she is my helper. She's happy to help others and is so good at it.

She is creative and imaginative, and talented in so many ways. One of her talents is making friends. She is not so shy like I was at her age. She is confident in who she is and in what's right and wrong. She is a good example to all around her and makes me want to be worthy to be her mother. She loves to sing and dance and spend time with you. She is an accomplished reader (especially for a girl just finishing up kindergarden). Even before she could even tell you her letters she had a great love for books. She would sit down for lengthy times and page through books as if she was reading. She'd even lick her finger as she turned the page.

Her smiles always comes from her eyes, and sometimes seems plastered there. She is just such a joyful and happy character. I love to be around her and am blessed to be her mother. I hope and pray that she and I will always be close like we are now. She sure loves her family and has no trouble telling us so.

Thanks Lorelei for being who you are and for all that you do. I love you sweet girl!

Thoughts on Joseph

2010-06-09T23:17:00.005-05:00

I just want to post today about how much I love that boy of mine named Joseph. He made me a mother, and we started a journey together. I remember when he was born, I wanted to do nothing but look at him for months. It made me smile. I just couldn't believe he was mine! He is the sweetest and most thoughtful kid. He has such a tender heart! He started out so chunky and squishable. and has grown to be a bean pole. He has a laugh that's infectious and such a wonderful sense of humor. He really is a deep thinker and often catches me off guard with thought provoking questions and insights.
He truly has a love for family. not just HIS family, but those who came before us specifically. He is always asking about grandparents and great grandparents. He really wants to know them, and for a time when he was about 5 he used to cry at night because he "never got to know them, and couldn't visit them". I'm sure they know he loves them and is helping me watch over my wonderful boy.

While pregnant with Calvin, he was CONSTANTLY praying that he (Calvin) would be "healthy and strong and live to be born". It used to worry me like he knew something I didn't. I think he just LOVED that baby, and knew they would be close. Now he prays (everyday) for him still. It goes likes this, " Please help my brother to be strong and worthy and live his whole life". The words change slightly from time to time, but worthy is usually in there. Sometimes he goes on and on and other times he just gets to the point.

Now he is 8. He's finishing up 2nd grade, is a fantastic reader, and a lego master. He loves cub scouts and doing things with friends. He loves origami and riding his bike. He has a good ear to memorize things and brings such joy to my heart!
I am SO grateful that he is in m family! I have learned a lot of life lessons from being his mother, and know I have many more to learn. If you haven't gotten to really know him yet, I hope you get the chance.
Joe, I love you and always will. Sometimes I still look at you and think I can't believe you're mine.

The many faces of Calvin

2010-05-08T20:15:00.003-05:00

I put several of these into a collage I got free at Walgreens for mothers day. I thought I'd share them with you too. My Dad took them last week. Calvin is 3 months old.

cool give away

2010-05-06T23:01:00.001-05:00

Here's what I found at Make it & Love it today. Cool stuff!
http://www.makeit-loveit.com/

Easter picts

2010-04-12T20:56:00.006-05:00

Easter 2010 we watched General Conference at G & G Larsen's house after baskets at our house. The rest of the Local clan came over for a wonderful dinner full of good company and 2 new babies and lots of fun. I had my Dad take a few picts of us (since we didn't have any since Calvin joined us).

Joseph was quite thrilled with the glider plane he got in his Easter basket that morning and wanted to pose with it in each photo. He also needed a haircut but we didn't get around to that. So, he decided to do a mohawk for the day.

Calvin actually does a lot of smiling these days, but apparently not when the camera comes out. I actually LOVE his "you gotta be kiddin' me" look.

Gretchen was not very cooperative with photos, but this one is OK. At least she's still cute right?

Lorelei wanted to do a mini photo shoot. I was trying to take a really cute picture of Gretchen being all pouty, but she just kept running away. Lorelei kept saying take one of me over here, and I'm gonna run there and then turn around and you can take my picture. SHe didn't even have that many where her eyes were closed.

Am I in trouble or what!!!???

2010-01-10T23:07:00.004-06:00

Gretchen, my 3 year old loves to talk and make up different scenarios that she talks about enough that I think she thinks they are real. She often talks about her imaginary and best friend Leena. This last week she started talking about her boyfriend which threw me off right from the start, but it was only the beginning.

It turns out he's a "bad boyfriend who started calling Leena a "peanut butter sandwich - which was very rude!" It all escalated from there. It turns out that he "hits people in the face" - "even Gigi" At this point started asking questions about if she had ever seen anyone get hit in the face and having discussions about "boyfriends" and why we don't want boys who are mean to be boyfriends ect.

Well, yesterday I found out that it was worse than I thought!! She talked more about her "bad boyfriend" as she has always called him. She broke down and volunteered his name. It was someone I had heard about. Her "bad boyfriend" was none other that SATAN!!!!! I just about died laughing! I told her in my best mom voice that she'd better stay away from Satan or she's in big trouble. She just looked at me defiantly and said nothing.

I can't wait to hear what she comes up with next. I love that girl, but I am concerned about how things will be when she is a teenager. I'll take her as she is for now. I do wish I had a way to tap into her brain and imagination and somehow market all that's there. I know there is a fortune to be made.

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-25T21:13:00.004-06:00

I hope everyone had a fantastic and Merry Christmas this year. Ours was white and full of enthusiasm from the kids (except Gretchen didn't want to wake up even for presents from Santa). Here is our wonderful ward primary as the Nativity. You can't see the Christ child much in this shot, but he (she) is there. Love those kids!

Should I try it?

2009-11-27T11:39:00.002-06:00

I found this on line last year and just remembered it. I'm thinking of testing it out this year. What do you think. I just need to find/make an elf.

Christmas is approaching, and this is the day
Santa has sent Mr. Peeps to your house to stay.
He sent this small elf to your house and mine.
Soon after Thanksgiving, He must be on time.
Mr. Peeps has a purpose. His purpose will be,
To whisper to Santa all the good that he sees.
Soon after he gets here, he moves only at night
To high places, low places, he stays in plain sight.
In the kitchen, for instance, he sits high on a shelf.
Mr. Peeps can sit anywhere, for he is an elf.
He holds very still when he thinks you are watching.
His magic is precious, it fades with on touching.
He sits on the tree on Christmas Eve day.
He knows that Santa is soon on his way.
He waits and he waits without making a noise.
He waits until Santa arrives with the toys.
So you better be nice and mind what you say
Because Mr. Peeps will tell Santa when he comes with his sleigh.
Once Christmas is here and Santa has come,
Mr. Peeps must leave, for his job is well done.
But, he will return next year on the very same day,
To watch your behavior as you work and play.
- Sharon Reynolds

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-10-17T21:46:00.001-05:00

She's done it again!!! Check these costumes out. OH I WOULD DIE IF I WON THESE!!!

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-06-04T17:01:00.006-05:00

Here are some more things I've worked on recently. I made the mustache and smile for a school performance Joe had. He actually didn't wear these, but 2 other classmates did. I didn't get a photo of his costume yet, but imagine an afro wig, oversized glasses, and fur on his arms and legs, and you've got it. Another baby means another baby blanket and burp cloth set. The spool family is OUR family and they were another birthday present for Gigi. They were intended to go with the fabric house I made for her at Christmas time. She likes to set up the Princess & the Pea set with this one and then they play together. They have sleep overs and play hie and seek. One time the princess shared her mattresses with all the girls and I asked where the boys were sleeping. They were in the drawer. I laughed out loud. I'm really glad my kids like the things I make. I made the twirl skirts out of extra fabric I had from Easter dresses a few years ago. And the ribbons are dancing rings that I made for Gigi's Easter basket. The photos of the van just cracked me up. Gretchen is so funny when she plays. I mean how many people can she fit in there? I love the men jutting out of the windows. Are they trying to escape?

The Princess and the Pea

2009-06-04T12:10:00.006-05:00

This is Gigi's story box. I made it for her birthday. It started out as an old barbie box. I really like how it turned out. I was inspired by this, but I made it my own. I painted the wood and added the velvety swatches to the exterior, and then Cami helped me learn how to recover the interior with better paper. I sewed the mattresses and pillow and blanket from scraps I had, and bought the bed & chair in a kit on ebay and put it together and painted it. I cut and painted the Ladder and printed the Princess portrait off the internet and put it in a round "frame". I painted the princess on a wooden doll thing and added a ring of braided yarn for her hair. I think I spent $17 on the whole thing and the most expensive part was the bird cage for $5 (I should have found a coupon). I really wanted a Chandelier, but couldn't find one at a price I liked and was unsuccessful in making one look how I wanted. So, the day before her birthday I found the birdcage in the jewelry section at Micheals.

Gretchen is 3!

2009-06-03T23:19:00.006-05:00

Well, Gretchen is a bit Princess obsessed right now, and so I thought it only appropriate to make a princess cake for her birthday. She also got mostly princess oriented presents. Here are a few quick picts. We just had a family gathering, but Braden did some small fireworks and had a nice time outside. And Joseph did some magic tricks for us.

the top down

2009-05-09T08:58:00.002-05:00

One more reason to the spring is hangin' out in Uncle Matt's car with the top down. They LOVE this car - but who wouldn't? They also love Erin's smart car - also in bright yellow. Oh and a random potty training shot.

What do you call it when everyone around you is having a baby?

2009-05-09T08:46:00.003-05:00

Time to make some presents!
I have been sewing lots of baby blankets this last month. I have only given 3 away so far, but I'm sewing all the flannel material I have up to be ready for more. I also need to get my etsy shop up and running and maybe make a little side money with all these things too. Anyway, I've had fun with these ones and my new machine has an alphabet in it, so I've been able to put the baby's names and birthdays on them. Some of the fabric I've used and love make it hard to see, but The Mom still knows it's there. I forgot to take pictures of the first one I handed out, but that's OK. I'll put a picture up of the mass (20 or so) more blankets that I'm almost done with. I just have to put the decorative stich on them. I gave them one oversized receiving blanket and a matching burp cloth or two depending on how much of the fabric was left.

Spring concerts

2009-05-09T08:39:00.004-05:00

Both the kids have had Spring Concerts this last month. Joseph's was first, and was a lot of fun to watch. I really like his music teacher. Sadly my camera was out of batteries and I have no photos to show you. Picture a mass of first graders on stands singing and doing actions. They even mixed some magic into the performance.

Lorelei goes to head start half the week and they also had a Spring Concert. Each class sang a couple of songs and then they all joined together to sing one or two more. They all wore crazy hats and glasses. I love to see my kids participate in these fun events.

Royalty

2009-05-09T08:26:00.004-05:00

I made 3 felt crowns this week. I stared Joseph's (pirate king)and Gretchen's (purple flower) a while ago, but as many things do, it got pushed to the side to make way for other things. Lorelei is going to a birthday party next week and so I made this ( A with garden)for the birthday girl. I don't think her mom looks at our blog, but if you do, don't show it to Annie.

Como, sweet Como...

2009-05-09T08:19:00.003-05:00

We had a fun "girls day" at the Como last week with the Kriz's. It was such a perfect day. I do love the spring. The girls of course had a blast and loved the animals. Thanks Charissa!

I Heart Moss

2009-05-09T07:52:00.005-05:00

I have a new love in my life. It's green and cool and damp. No it's not frogs. that is an old love. My new friend is Moss, and I am obsessed now with making Moss Terrariums. Like many of my brilliant ideas, I saw someone else make one first. So I went to the thrift store and bought some glass containers as well as saved pickle jars and candel jars and anything glass thing I could find with a lid. Here is what I have made. I did not make the cute polymer clay mushroom houses, or the hedgehogs, but I will try my hand at the sweet mushrooms in the near future. The 3 with tags were given as gifts for mother's day to my Mom, Mother-in-law, and Grandma G.
The hardest part was finding the moss. I tryed to get it at garden stores ect, but it's no where to be found. Thankfully Matt found some at his place and I now know several places where I can find it.

I had quite a bit of trouble with focusing on these with close ups. I'll need to take some better shots soon.

Art Nest Pincushion RingGIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-04-28T19:49:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I attempted to win anything from Grosgrain. She is now doing some guest give aways. This one is cool! I think I could really use one. Check it out.

Art Nest Pincushion RingGIVEAWAY!!!!

The finished product

2009-03-31T15:25:00.004-05:00

This quilt is well over due, but it is done and I can concentrate on other projects now. It's an oversized twin blanket (probably more like a full). I like the colors, and made up the design myself. It's simple, but fun. I did opposing large and small inner squared squares. If you look closly you can also see a pattern of darker squares goin down from left to right, and lighter squares going down from right to left. I already had many of the colors on my stash, snd so only specifically bought a few of the colors. It looks really cute on Gretchen's bed. Come over and see for yourself. I also planned in a pillowcase as usual.

I like to make extra squares so I can play with placement and mess up a few of them with out any trouble. I made a lot of extras. So I decided to make some baby doll quilts. I had enough to do 3. These are the 2 I made for our girls. I'm still deciding how I want to quilt the 3rd. It's square, and a little different from the others. I didn't have extras of all the colors, but this is what I came up with.

Here are the backs of the little quilts. You can see better on these how inexperienced I am with my machine quilting. But it was fun, and I hope that by the time I want to do it on a real quilt, I'll be better at it. The one with green was done in diagonals and also in a tic tac toe pattern following the from squares. The one with purple was done with stippling. I need a lot more practice with that technique. I outlines the inside squares and stippled the rest.

Spring Break '09

2009-03-27T18:18:00.005-05:00

We have had a GREAT spring break even though the weather hasn't felt like spring (with the exception of last weekend). On Tuesday Lorelei got to play with a favorite friend Elin Youngquist. They have been anxiously waiting for Lorelei to recover from surgery and for schedules to meet up. Needless to say, it was a joyous reunion. They always have fun. I didn't take any photos, but when Courtney puts a couple on her blog I'll steal them. We have been playing outside even though it's still chilly. We even got the bubbles out.

On Wed we went to the Library to look and get some museum adventure passes. We had also planned on Gym day at the church, but was unaware of Zone conference the same day. So we invited Alaynna and Drew (and their Mom) to come over and play. They had never been over, so it was especially fun. We also had our first official Barnhart Movie Night. We got in our jammies and piled the floor with pillows and blankets. e popped corn and had fudge bars. We watched BOLT and laughed our heads off. Braden says he wants to have a pet hamster now.
We puts the youngsters to bed and then made it a double feature. We watched the new 007 film.

On Thursday we headed for the Minnesota Zoo. It's a Barnhart family favorite! We started in the Discovery bay. It was cooler that day as well (35 degrees), but I think we all enjoyed our time outside best of all. We love the Russian Grizzly Coast exhibits. And then we walked the northern trail. There was no crabbiness until we warmed up and some had differing ideas on how things should go and when they should happen. We made it through the tropics trail and then in was indeed time to head home.

Joseph had his friend Benjamin over to play today. They have become quite good friends!
Sat Braden & I have a class to go to all day, so they kids will have yet another play day. This time with both sets of grandparents. It's really been fun family time this week with lots of fun visitors and places to go.

Gigi's Quilt

2009-03-27T16:35:00.004-05:00

I started this project over over a year ago. It's not that it's a particularly difficult quilt, it's just that I keep getting busy with other things. Well, I must say I'm glad to be completing more projects these days. This one IS done, but I don't have a completed picture of it yet. I have made a tied, fluffy comforter for each of my kids now, and I kind of wish that I did this one in more of a traditional quilt way (with thin batting and "quilting"). But I do plan on making each of them a thin quilt too. probably when they get too cool for their blankets that I made previously. I need to start practicing my machine quilting, so I can be confident when I do get around to it. Anyway, here it is on the quilting frame that I borrowed from a friend (thanks Renae).

Spring? and Toddler power struggles

2009-03-27T15:47:00.004-05:00

We had a beautiful and fun day last Saturday in the warmth and sun. Logan & Liam were at G&G Larsen's, and we wanted to play. So we all went to the park. We had so much fun. I also have a new respect for mothers of multiples. It's tough to keep up with 2 active toddlers. They are lucky to have 2 great parents. Between Grandma L & I we did fine, but Lor & Joe did well taking care of themselves.

I had to laugh at several power struggles between my Gigi and her very boyish cousins. Most of the time I took pictures instead of intervening. While Gretchen does try to fit in with and stuggle for equality with her sibling, most of the time she is left to her own self, and things are handled with the intellect of a 7 & 5 year old. She didn't know what to do when she was faced with 2 competing toddlers.

The village Frocks

2009-03-27T15:07:00.004-05:00

I ran across a fun blog of 2 very creative people I have never met. She made the CUTEST dress, and after a million people telling her they want to make it she drew up a pattern. She called it the village frock and it was sold out in a matter of hours. So she ran another set through the printers and I bought one. I planned to make it for the girls in the fall, but life goes on and I got around to it in the new year. (I keep thinking that the year has just begun). They have been finished a while now, but as you know I'm not quick to get photos on my computer.
Anyway, here you go. I like the way they turned out. I tried forever to find a plumb colored linen without paying a fortune, and I settle on a pretty plumb twill with embroidery, and a complimentary deep red twill with embroidery. I frugally bought the exact length of fabric the pattern recommended (resisting temptation to buy a little extra just in case). I was so proud of myself for fitting all the pieces on the fabric and cutting them out, but forgot to cut 2 of the arm piece. So I had some fudging to do. I went back to the store and they had discontinued the fabric I had initially purchased. That's what I get for putting off my projects. After much looking I found an exact color match for the red in a regular cotton fabric, and a close match in the plumb. I was disappointed, but they still look super cute.

Late night discoveries

2009-03-27T15:01:00.004-05:00

This is what I found one night as I went to check on some excess noise heard from the kids room an hour or so after bedtime. They wanted to sleep together and were having a bit too much fun. You can't tell from the picture, but Gigi is wearing her Cinderella costume. You can see the shiny white sleeves. We decided that our own beds were best since Gigi does not yet understand how to keep her limbs to herself.

Puppet Theater

2009-03-11T08:33:00.003-05:00

This is another made in '09 item from early in Jan. For Lorelei's birthday I made her a doorway puppet theater. I had envisioned rich deep fabrics, but due to budget restrictions, this item lost all funding. I used what I found, and while I see it as inferior to what I imagined, Lorlei was very pleased. Keep in mind, it was good timing for such a present. Santa had brought the kids 3 puppets each; Joe got glove marionettes, Lorelei got hand puppets, and Gigi finger puppets. On top of that, we went to the Library and checked out even more puppets just before the big day to ensure a positive reaction. Plus she also got a beautiful ballet puppet for her birthday. Needless to say, she LOVED the theater! I love watching my children when they are creative and using their imaginations. It's one of my greatest blessings as a mother.

My Valentine

2009-03-10T21:19:00.005-05:00

Joseph was good to make each of us a specific valentine and actually thought about each kid in his class to match a valentine and tattoo with their personality. Lorelei did some of the same on a smaller scale and I wanted to make sure my family knew I loved them too. I've been wanting to try my hand at some felt food, and thought maybe I could combine the two while making a valentine for my family. Here is what I made. It was super simple.

Stuff

2009-03-10T20:59:00.004-05:00

Sometimes I get down on myself when I look at all the things I want and intend to make. There just isn't enough time. I don't think my list of things to make will ever be complete with how quickly I add stuff to it. Well, I'm going to instead make a list of things I complete in '09. I may not get them on the blog right away, but I hope that this will help me feel better about actually getting stuff done. It really does happen.
Here is one of the first things I worked on this year. It's been (with many others) in the back of my mind for a while, but it finished it in January. First I cropped it, turned it B & W then played with the contrast and brightness. I printed it on colored card stock. I bought a frame from IKEA for $10 and there ya go.

Lorelei's Tonsils

2009-03-10T20:15:00.001-05:00

It all started 2+ years ago. When Lorelei started get fevers quite frequently. We took her to the Doctor and they always said it's a virus and just wait for it to clear on it's own. The frequency and temperature both rose as time went on. We started to become more concerned when the fevers were coming at least each month and they started getting REALLY high and was accompanied by aches in her legs. Just before we started seeing the Specialist (Dr Steven Marker) They were coming every 2 or 3 weeks and were reaching upwards of 104 degrees. We had ruled out several of the big things like Leukemia and juvenile arthritis. But it wasn't until Aunt Kris (Thompson) was filled in, did the thought of tonsils cross our minds. She was sure that was it, and thank goodness she was right!

We continued to see Dr. Marker with and without fevers, and after a few months he determined that in fact it was infection in the tonsils that just didn't seem to heal. He told us about all the risks that go with tonsil removal and wanted to wait to see "if she would grow into her tonsils" and the problem would solve itself. He scared me at first with what he was saying. He gave us an antibiotic and that slightly lessoned the frequency and severity of the fevers, but not by much. We (everyone) were getting fed up with waiting and waiting, so we suggested getting the ball rolling by having the initial appointment with the ENT doc so that when it's time to do it, we can just schedule the surgery.
We did, and Dr Soumek said, "Let's do it." We were pleased to see a light at the end of the tunnel. We scheduled the surgery to have Lorelei's tonsils and adenoids removed almost 2 months later. While she got sick a time or 2 before then, we knew and hoped that it would be for the last time.
She went into Minneapolis Children's Hospital on the early morning of March 5th 2009. The night before she received a priesthood blessing from Braden, Uncle Matt and both of her Grandfathers. We were confident and "felt good" about the whole process and the doctors involved. We got there and she got her hospital 'jammies and settled in. We met with the "sleep doctor" and many nurses and finally the doctor. They were wonderful and made Lorelei especially feel good about what was going to happen.

It was difficult to watch her "fall asleep", but she was a trooper. SHe was able to choose a Lip Smacker flavor (bubble gum) so she could smell something pleasant as she dozed off. The actual surgery went by very quickly, and before we knew it we were just waiting for her to wake up to see her. She was in quite a bit of pain and had a swollen face, but it was SO good to see her again. She ate her popsicle right away and wanted to watch the movie she had picked out earlier that day (Barbie Swan Lake). We stayed at the hospital a few hours while they monitored her progress and she became more aware. We only had one hiccup in the whole process when she threw up just before going home. We were told to not be surprised by any of that.
Coming home has been both difficult and miraculous. She has done better than anyone expected, and really loves having chocolate ice cream for breakfast. She also has been very sore, emotional, and tired. We need to remind her to rest her body and voice. As you probably know, she loves to talk and sing.

We are pleased with her progress and know that while there are no guarantees that this will solve the problem we are hopefully optimistic that it will. On of the most fun things about the experience was that they sent her home with a goody bag of hospital things; child sized face mask, latex gloves, hair cover, actual mask used in her surgery washed with new bubble gum flavored stuff, band aids, cotton balls, gauze, there may be more, but that's all I can remember. Anyway, she and Joe and Gigi have been playing hospital and surgery since she's been home. It's the cutest thing, and she and Joseph are both so precise and detailed about what they are doing. They really learned a lot from the whole process. I remember her doing similar things when she got home from the hospital when she was 2 and had athsma. Gosh I love those guys!
We are glad that Lorelei is home and so far all is well.

The shots are of Lorelei prior to and just after the surgery and then playing doctor the evening we were home.

A test?

2009-03-08T21:13:00.001-05:00

I saw this somewhere recently

This life has been a test. If this had been an actual life, you would have received instructions on where to go and what to do.

So this morning, Lorelei was getting ready for a "Royal Birthday Ball" (a friends birthday party). She was wearing a beautiful and fancy black & white dress, white tights, black patten leather shoes, black choker and headband. Her hair was done in a "boofage" and needless to say she loved every minute of getting ready and looking fancy. She really did look great! Anyway, I left her looking in the mirror to find the lipstick and blush she had picked out. As I turned the corner I heard and glanced at her dancing in front of the mirror singing "popular, I gonna be popU-oo-lar" (think Wicked). I started cracking up! First of all because she knew the song, and secondly because she was so in the moment.
Here are some pictures from the party. I still don't have the one's I took off my camera, but with these you can see Elin and all the girls. They had such a fun party! Lorelei gave Elin the pink crown she is wearing in the first picture.

New poem

2009-02-24T20:29:00.004-06:00

This is the newest poem we are working on memorizing.

Young Night-thought

All night long and every night,
When my mama puts out the light,
I see the people marching by,
Plain as day, before my eye.

Armies and emperors and kings,
All carrying different kinds of things,
And marching in so grand a way,
You never saw they like by day.

So fine a show was never seen,
At the great circus on the green;
For every kind of beast or man
Is marching in that caravan.

At first they move a little slow,
But still the faster on they go,
And still beside them close I keep
Until we reach the town of Sleep.

How far and wide the fairies fly

2009-02-10T08:56:00.006-06:00

Lorelei was given a peom book about fairies for her birthday called If you see a Fairy Ring. She loved it from the start. A couple weeks ago, to combat the rowdiness that insued at bedtime, we added a feature to our betime routine. The last poem in her book is called Sleep Song. it seemed to work (somewhat) and they ALL seemed to enjoy it, so we have read this poem after prayers each night for nearly 2 weeks. What I didn't expect to happen is the sudden and perfect memorization of the poem by Lorelei and Joseph. Two nights ago I told them that if they remembered any parts of it (like the rhyming words) to say it with me. THEY SAID THE WHOLE DARN THING! I was blown away. They just needed one or two prompts to complete it that night by themselves, and now they do it all on their own. Here is the poem we say. We decided this morning to do a new poem each month or more if it's too easy.

Sleep Song

How far and wide the fairies fly
On bright and golden wing,
But when they settle down to sleep
A gentle song they sing.
Sweet Queen of Night
Soft silver stars
We're glad you are so near
We seek our beds
We rest our heads
Without a moments fear.
On Thistledown
In hidden nooks
We watch the wanning light
The joys of sleep
Upon us creep
We wish you all goodnight.

Steven Kroll

The fairy book has authors like Shakespeare and Laura Ingalls Wilder
I just found my Poem book that I loved as a child. It has no cover, but I love the verses and the illustrations. It's called A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson and Illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa. I know he has been around forever and there are dozens of this book with different illustrators. I just looked at amazon and they have a reprint of it out now with the same illustrations. I may need to take a trip to the store today. I recommend it to anyone with little ones and also any of the Shel Silversteen books. Love 'em!

Tonsil day

2009-02-04T09:25:00.003-06:00

Well as most of you know we have struggled with high and frequent fevers with our sweet Lorelei. It's been a long time and after many tests proving it was not something horrible and too scary, and many trips to the specialist, we know it's due to tonsilitis (thanks Jerry & Kris for putting the idea in our heads). They wanted to wait and wait to take them out hoping that she would outgrow her tonsils and the infection. Well we've finally seen an ENT and he has agreed to take them out the first week of March. YEA!!! Just thought I'd post an update in this aspect of our lives. I'm sure it will be a couple hard weeks durring recovery but we hope that it will solve Lorelei's mystery fevers.

Wordle.net

2009-02-02T16:32:00.003-06:00

This is kinda cool. I think if I were to actually print something out to frame or whatever, I would use less words, but I thought the idea was clever. I made this in less than a minute from our Christmas letter (choosing colors and layouts ect). Check it out. Just paste any sort of text in or whatever and it chooses the more frequent word to make bigger and put in. It would be cool with a favorite poem or even a list of attributes about a person or family.

title="Wordle: letter"> src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/498771/letter"
alt="Wordle: letter"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">

I LOVE giveaways!

2009-01-28T21:43:00.002-06:00

I love them but never win them. This is one that hope changes things. You all know how I love cool fabrics, well, check these out. They are so cute and retro. My mind spins with all the fun things I could do with them.

http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/2009/01/giveaway-monday-japanese-fabric.html

Also it's one of the craft sites I frequent. Lots of fun ideas.

Apple Orchard Photos

2009-01-21T10:11:00.014-06:00

This fall we went to an orchard to take some family photos. this entry will be overloaded with photos so if you don't like them, stop right here. So my awesome sis in law Cami took "some" shots for us and this is how things turned out. I must say how much I love my family. I can't stop looking at these pictures. THere are So many that I want to show off, but I need to go do some work around the house and therefore need to get off this computer. Oh & help me decide which photo to enlarge for our VERY outdated family photo.

Here are some other fun shots. There were so many, and I can't put them all on, so if you want to see many many more you'll have to come to our house and see them.

We sure love those kids! We can't get enough of them, and we think everyone else should feel that way too.

Joe cracks us up and is growing so fast.

Lorelei makes us smile so much.

Our girl Gigi is as cute as always!

Fun in the sun - brother & sister.
These ones loaded backwards. Start at the bottom and scroll up for the full effect.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2008-12-30T08:45:00.009-06:00

I hate to do our holiday greetings this way, but it's been a busy time (when isn't it). So I resolve to post our well wishes and updates on our blog, instead of not at all. I hope this makes it to most of you! This has been an interesting and full year. We have packed up and moved twice. First to an apartment in Plymouth and then to our first house in New Hope that we rent from some good friends. It sure is nice to live in a house with a yard and some extra space. Joseph loves his new school and teacher. And I have enjoyed helping in his classroom most weeks.

Our littlest girl Gretchen is 2 and far from a baby now. She talks all day long and says the funniest things. She is all about pretending now. It's fun to see her develop those skills and concepts. She love princesses, babies, fairies and anything her sister does. She is our dare devil who is afraid of nothing and will try most anything. She is such a joy to be with! We are working on potty training and hope it comes quickly.

Lorelei is so imaginative and kind! She also has a new school and is excited about kindergarten next year. Her teachers tell us how they love her and how they have to think of new things for her to do because she knows the things the other kids are learning. She loves to learn and is very inquisitive. She loves to tell stories and have stories told to her. Just ask Grandma G. At 4, she thinks she's 16. She has also suffered from chronic HIGH fevers and leg aches for the last 2+ years. She has seen a specialist this fall and winter. He has determined that it is all caused by her tonsils. He is still hoping she grows out of it, but we are doubtful. He has told us that we will remove her tonsils after the next fever or two. Something else to look forward to for 2009.

Joseph is a comedian as always. One of his prize presents this season was a joke book. When you see him ask him if he knows a good joke. He is very active and loves to make friends. He loves his Legos, and has MANY. He turned 7 this year and I can hardly believe I am the mother of a 7 year old. He loves his bike and scooter and looks forward to mastering roller skates. Thank goodness for helmets and knee pads. Oh, and the concept of spelling words out at home so the kids don't know what we talk about is over. Never-fail, he will blurt out whatever was spelled. I love that kid!

This year I got a new sewing machine (which I LOVE). I have had fun experimenting and making new things. I have become obsessed with following crafty blogs of people I don't know. I get lots of great ideas and it's fun to see what others make and the creativity of my other spirit sisters. I am busy with my work at church in the Relief Society, raising a family and trying to get my creative juices out. I hope 2009 brings a website and more exposure to the things I make so I can supplement our income and share the things I make with others out there. I have fun thinking of new things to make and am glad my family usually likes what I make too 'cause they get the prototypes. Then I figure out how to make them better.

Braden has been done with school now for a year and has been working for TCF Bank. While he still seeks a more fulfilling career, we are hopeful that it will come soon. Here's to 2009! I am grateful for all the hard work Braden gives our family, and remember those cold mornings when I used to wait in below 0 temps at the bus stop. He sacrifices a lot for our family. Two of my favorite things about my husband is when he teaches something to the kids. He is SUCH a good teacher. I also Love when he makes up a story or song. He usually lets the kids pick an object, or name of the character, to create the story and then the magic happens. And his stories always have a crazy twist or something. I keep telling him to write them down so I can illustrate them for the kids and we can tell them over & over.

2008 is nearly over, and I look forward to 2009. I enjoyed growing and learning with my wonderful family. I hope you had a good year and will have an even better year coming soon. I will add a photo when I get our family shots back.

Love the Barnharts
Braden, Tana, Joseph, Lorelei, & Gretchen (Gigi)

My 2 girlie girls

2008-12-24T07:16:00.004-06:00

I have t he cutest girls (and boy but this post is about the girls)! They play so well together (most of the time). They both love to dress up and pretend. Grestchen's new thing is singing princess songs. Her favorite is "I'm wishing" from Snow White. She sings it over & over in that high voice like in the movie. We had to take her out at church last week because she wouldn't stop. It's adorable! Lorelei is into the princess or character of the moment. We went to the Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe last week at the Children's Theater, and she wants to act out her favorite scene's all day long. Here are the girls on day after their baths singing and dancing. And also sitting together just hanging out and being cute.

Joseph is 7 and sings publicly

2008-12-24T07:10:00.003-06:00

Joseph turned 7 (a month ago) Happy Birthday Joe!! Just before winter break this year Joseph's school had a fundraiser at Barnes & Noble. They had the entire 1st grade sing some Christmas songs. It was pretty fun. Go Go Joe!

Ode to the "auntie under the blanket"

2008-12-24T07:03:00.004-06:00

We said goodbye this week to one of the kids' Aunties (not by blood, but by spirit). Auntie Emily got a great job teaching nursing at BYU and just left us. We love her very much and will miss her. This was the day she said goodbye. Gigi had just woken from a nap and was NOT in a photo shoot mood. This is what she was doing while she refused to sit with Emily.

The coolest thing I've ever made!

2008-12-23T23:10:00.007-06:00

This is what Gigi will open up on Christmas morning. I'm really excited about it and think it's most likely the coolest thing I've ever made. I follow several blogs of people I've never met, and have gotten LOTS of amazing ideas from them. But one of my problems is I can't do anything simple. I do things that are beyond my ability. Sometimes I do great and other times I just work my way through it. Knowing the way my kids play I didn't want to just iron on some window frames and use paints to fill in details so I appliqued the whole thing. Even adding some shading on the woodwork with different thread colors. I hand drew and planned out the whole thing (except for the basic shape and instructions for the frame - but I even changed that a little and made it bigger ect.). I was going for a family cottage in the woods. I wanted to try a german or European feel with the dark woodwork ect, but couldn't get it out except for the sides of the roof. I wanted animals and jewel toned fabrics. I used everything I already had. I had great plans to make awesome spool dolls representing our family and got 20% through and had to work on a ton of other stuff, so that will have to be a project for a different day. Anyway, enjoy. I hope my girls like it as much as I do. Here is a link to the site I got the directions from.

Here are shots of the sides and back. My shots look a little blurry 'cause there were kids trying to get in the door as I taking pictures. I had trouble with the gnome, but he's OK. I had grand ideas of tall flowers and or a laundry line, but I had trouble with execution and timelines. I just couldn't get the ideas from my head to the fabric. Don't get me wrong, I am pleased with the outcome, but when I vision something and can't get it out, I get disappointed. There's always next time.

Here is the interior. The walls look VERY blue, but it's really not overwhelming. The house comes with an indoor cat, a pet bird, a portrait or famous painting. I showed Braden and he said it looked a little barren inside. I immediately scrunched up my face and defended my work. Then I added an oval rug and a picnic blanket. I guess I could have added a fireplace or grandfather clock, but I ran out of time. Anyway I'm really pleased with my work and had a ton of fun with it! I don't know when I'll make another, but I have a ton of more ideas and things to try. Maybe a gingerbread house, or shop of some sort.

New Stuff

2008-11-14T14:26:00.006-06:00

A good friend commissioned an Owl hat & coat from me a while back,and not too many have seen it, so I thought I'd share. The hat is based loosely on the fabric inside the coat. I always intended on doing an owl hat, but never got around to it with all the others. So thanks to fun friends I sometimes get to create new things. That's the fun part of it for me anyway. That & seeing the kids enjoy them. Sometimes we are late leaving the house in winter because the kids can't pick which hat to wear that day.

Here is the owl coat I made. It has the same design as the others I've done. I love the printed fabric inside. It's fully lined with turned cuffs and toggle closures. I'm going to make one foe Lorelei in the spring with the same owl fabric. But it will have a purpley colored fleece instead of teal.

This is my new Snake/Cobra hat. It was a commission and I had lots of fun with it. I need to make one for Joe still. This is the little reptile I made it for. He's so cute. Kara, I hope it's OK that I stole photos from your blog.

Potty training

2008-11-14T14:15:00.004-06:00

Whenever Gretchen sees a pair of Lorelei's panties she steals them and runs away to put them on. It cracks me up. We are starting the whole potty training thing, but I look forward to it much in the same way as I look forward to teaching teenagers how to drive. I DON'T! She has gone potty once in the toilet, and has sat on it a thousand times. I need to give her consistency. Anyway, this is one of the times she was found wearing her sisters unders. (Or as Braden calls them, Tuesdays). She does seam pretty excited about the whole thing. Maybe i should find some undies for her baby dolls.

Halloween

2008-11-14T13:48:00.008-06:00

Joseph changed his mind more often than his underwear this year about who he wanted to be for Halloween. Oh I miss the days of being in charge of that decision. As you can see he is Batman. He already had a Batman symbol &, But to my chagrin it had a BLUE cape. He wanted the grey Batman with Black cape and scalloped edges and including yellow belt and black briefs, but not forgetting the hood and boots. I had to start from scratch here. In the nick of time I completed this ensemble just before halloween. I was even able to make and then modify a muscle suit to wear under it. (When I first made it, it looked a little busty-oops). We face painted the top half of his face black for the church party, but He opted out on the Big night.

Lorelei goes through phases of which movies she wants to always watch and who she is pretending to be. Sometimes it can be hard to keep up with her. But, she seams to always come back to Belle. She was also Belle last year. Grandma bought her a cute crown to wear this year and I just had to take down the Hem I put in last Fall.

Gigi was Snow White. It wasn't until we started talking about Halloween costumes that I found out she knew all the disney princesses names. Luckily we had this costume in the dress up box and I just had to shorten it to fit my littlest princess. Apples have been a favorite fruit since going to the orchard, so we thought it a nice touch. Let's hope she knows the person who gave it to her. Learn from Snow white. Don't take apples from creepy & pushy older ladies.

Here are my three rascals all together. They were pretty cute. Gigi carried her apple with her everywhere until she realized how hard it was to gather candy from strangers while munching on the poisonous fruit.

She's done it again!

2008-11-13T18:12:00.001-06:00

I know I should be using my time to blog about our family and goings on, but this lady seriously blows my mind!!! Where does she come up with it all? I sure hope I win. I LOVE the Nordic feel with my Norwegian background.

Nordic Bo Peep and Long Lost Sheep Costume GIVEAWAY!!!!

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!!!!

2008-10-19T22:00:00.001-05:00

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Many of you know that I love to sew, and aspire to greatness. Well this is what I aspire to. This lady is absolutely amazing (or crazy 'cause she gives this stuff away)!
You HAVE to look at her blog! Her latest creation just blew me away. I don't even know what to say. Check it out!
I mean it... do it now!
Tell me what you think too.

Thompson Campout '08

2008-09-10T13:47:00.007-05:00

Camping is a family tradition for the Thompsons (moms family). Aunties are a favorite as well as cousins and Grams & Gramps (and this year Andrew & Brandons dogs). This time Kirstin's lap was again chosen as a favorite. But I don't know if it's built for 3 toddlers. This is what Gigi looks like as she paws me wanting to be picked up.

It's always fun when the sun goes down. The bon fire starts and the marionettes come out and the sparklers. You get the idea. I mean the daytime is filled with washu tournaments, and walks to the petting zoo, swimming,and giant bubbles. (you'll have to look on my parents bolg for those. I didn't always have my camera out to capture those moments.

Gretchen got lots of rides in the stroller. Sometimes she even sat in her cousins strollers or they would take turns pushing each other around.

The kids liked the park that was right across from out site. Their bigger cousins would come over and take them to play. They had a blast. THey probably spent half of their time awake over there.

Visit from Jaime & Lily

2008-09-10T13:40:00.005-05:00

We've had some of our favorite people visit this summer. The first were Braden's sister Jaime Moyle & the newest Barnhart Lily. They live in Colorado, so we are so excited whenever we get to see them. And look at that cute baby!

Summer Fun

2008-09-06T12:19:00.010-05:00

When the dudes turned 2 there was much celebrating. They had a pool and a slip-n-slide, and invited all the important people over to play. Here is some of the action, playing in the water and opening presents.

Here are cousins playing and the newest members of the 2's club sporting their new winter dino hats I made.

Another thing we like to do each year is go to the music in Plymouth celebration. It's a blast! We went with the Barnharts and were right next to our new ward, so we went back & forth.

We spent many days in the Barnhart's backyard. It's nice to sit on the deck or a on a blanket on the grass. We lit off many a firework, and the kids even went on 4 wheeler, wagon and mover rides.

Bath time is a blast at our house. This is how cute Gretchen looks after her bath. She LOVES her bunny towel and hops all over the place. I have some cute bum shots of her too, but didn't think those belonged on the internet.

The girls (Gigi especially) are going through a stage of wearing Mama's shoes. They LOVE the high heals.

We only made it to the MN zoo once this summer. Usually we are frequent visitors. We always love the farm, and particularly liked the Russian Grizzly coast exhibit. We pretty much spent the day outside. In the winter we do all the indoors stuff, so we wanted to make sure we got to all the outdoor exhibits. It was a beautiful day that started out cool, but by the time we made it to the splash area, it was rather warm.

First days

2008-09-06T10:04:00.004-05:00

So another school year begins. This year Joe is in 1st grade, and Lorelei is in preschool. So I have 2 full days where i only have one child at home. Yea for me! I hope to get lots done on those days, and spend some quality time with #3. I am the third child and sometimes felt lost in the crowd, so I try to spend one on one with each. I DO know how hard that is to do and still live life and keep up the house and do all the things I feel are important. So, we do what we can. Anyway here are the kids on the first day of their classes. They are SOOOO cute. I hope you think so too.
Don't tell me if you disagree. :)

2008-08-24T10:43:00.002-05:00

Here is the face we used for the dancing dragons in the previous post. A few people said they wanted to make one, so here you go. We just colored it and then pasted it on some construction paper and cut the mane. We cut a tail out of the same sheet and then made the rings. We first tried to use straws to make it dance, but then I found some wood dowels and they worked a lot better. Have fun.

Apple Orchard Overalls GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-08-22T10:16:00.000-05:00

I thought of Jaime & Lily for this one.
Apple Orchard Overalls GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Olympic Dragons

2008-08-21T14:35:00.003-05:00

We had an FHE lesson this week about sportsmanship and talked about the olympics and things. We wanted a way to celebrate during the olympics, so we made these cool chinese dragon puppets to wave around while we watch and cheer on team USA. It's been fun and they like to play with them a lot. Gretchen did help with hers, but she was napping when I took the picture. ya snooze ya lose.

Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-08-18T21:13:00.000-05:00

Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!
Check this amazing stuff out. She gives it away!

The 4th

2008-08-17T22:06:00.010-05:00

I know that this is really late to post, but I'm doin' it anyway. These a shots from the 4th of July. We always go to the Anderson's cabin at Big Lake with a bunch of other regulars. It's always a good time. Good food, good friends, good fun! It was a perfect day and we love it there.

The kids wanted to ride the tube but the boat broke on the first run out. Don't worry about the absence of life jackets. The shot was in shallow water and I was right there.

We even spent the day with Batman & Spiderman. Look at those muscles! And such heartbreakers.

Braden even caught some fish.

I see life through rose colored glasses.

Star Wars

2008-08-08T09:13:00.006-05:00

We went to the Science Museum's Star Wars exhibit in late June, and the kids were so excite to see how it all works. They liked the magnet displays and all the ships. They were excited to see the costumes and even make and program little R2 D2 like robots. I think their favorite part was the Robot Show where they learned about different kinds of robots and how they are useful in different situations in our world and the Star Wars world.

We had fun on the hover craft thing. We did it a few times since the museum wasn't very busy.

Splash Pad

2008-08-05T22:32:00.005-05:00

This is Oak Hills Park in St Louis Park. We refer to it as the SPLASH PAD!

The kids loved it. Lorelei wasn't sure at first. She let her Bro & Sis test the waters before she jumped in. Joe didn't even question. He knew it was a good time. It was a really fun and safely enclosed place on a hot summer daay.

Gretchen got wet faster than Lorelei did, but she still had to warm up to the idea. She liked the waterfalls the best.

Joseph LOVED the water cannons! I made him give other kids turns, but if it was left open, he ran right over. He had such a blast! I love his King Tut dance too. That kid makes me laugh!

National Night Out

2008-08-05T22:19:00.004-05:00

We went to the National Night Out celebration at our apartment building and met some neighbors and had some ice cream. Pretty non exciting, but nice.
Then Uncle Jared called and asked if we wanted to come to their party. Much more exciting.
Uncle Spencer played music and sang. He really is good, and I started to forget that many of his songs are original and he REALLy is good. They had yummy food, and of course Jared and Cami for the kids to pay with. But most exciting was Cami's sister Colette with her face painting. The kids were so excited. Joseph doesn't look excited, but he was being silly. He actually stalked her until she was ready to start the painting, so he could be first. Lorelei was in her element. She sat there perfectly still with her eyes closed and lovin' every second of the whole makeup artist thing. Gigi loved it to, but we did a very easy and quick star on her cheek and then 2 on her hand so she could see it. Thanks to the aunts & uncles for another fun night! You'r party was WAY better than ours.

Summer Fun

2008-08-01T14:41:00.006-05:00

We've had a lot of fun this summer, but I haven't blogged much to show off my cute kids.
Way back in June we went to the annual Earle Brown Days Parade. It goes right past my Mom's home, so we make it a big party. The kids were very excited until Lorelei sat down on the side of the street & realized that the Sun would be in our eyes for a short time. She was set against wearing her hat that I brought for just such a reason, and finally accepted mine. She sometimes needs some warming up to an idea before she accepts it. But she finally decided to stop pouting and have fun when she made friends with Elin Youngquist. The two of them would hug the costumed characters, dance to the music or even wave at the royalty.

Here is my other sleeping beauty. I went to wake her up one day, and this is how I found her sleeping. Her head gently resting on her "Owie Bear's" lap while lovingly holding baby beans (which she outright stole from Grandma Larsen's home one day). Plus, she's oriented herself sideways so she's only on her pillow. I love that girl!

Here's the kids with their ice cream. Do you see why I make them eat it outside? I live Gigi's beard & 'stashe.

2008-07-21T22:51:00.004-05:00

OK I know that I have a million other posts to catch up on, but I want to get this one in 'cause I need your help.

I want to enter this contest (that's due in a week or so) through Hancock Fabrics for sewing this dress. I need to know which photo to enter. Help me pick. It's through the pattern maker, so I'm assuming they want a good shot of the dress and not as concerned about the beautiful girl wearing it. But I'm not sure. Awesome Aunt Cami went with us a couple months ago to the Landscape Arboretum and took the photos. Let me know which one you think I should enter into the contest. You can vote on the side column.
BTW, I made the dress for her nearly two years ago, so it's a little short on her, I don't want them to notice that in the shots.

These are some of the other super cute shots that I love. I love my Lorelei's smile! There are absolutely too many to choose from, but these are the photos that stuck out at me tonight.

Breakfast Theater

2008-06-23T15:16:00.007-05:00

So this year for Fathers day we had our 2nd annual breakfast theater. We made a big yummy breakfast, and performed a play while Braden ate breakfast. This year our play was called
"Who's your Daddy?" or "I Am Your Father's Day"
Of course a play on Star Wars. It was silly and cheesy, but also loaded with special effects and amazing fight scenes.

We opened with Jedi training with Yoda. The classic piggy ride and head stand.

Here are some action shots of the play. First is Yoda raising the X-wing fighter out of the swamp after Luke was unsuccessful. That's where the special efects came in. Then Leia with Vader in pursuit close behind. Then just a shot of the wise and powerful Jedi Yoda.

Cast of characters
Joseph playing Luke Skywalker
Lorelei playing Princess Leia
Gigi playing Yoda
The dress up case playing Darth Vader

Bows & curtain call.
See you next year... You've been a great audience!

Larsen's Day

2008-06-18T18:45:00.010-05:00

We went to Grandma and Grandpa Larsen's home on Saturday to have and early Fathers Day celebration. Kirstin and Jeff were there too. It was such a beautiful day to be outside. We ate outside and played outside. I was happy that Lorelei finally got the bike bug. for the last two summers, I have been trying to get her to pedal a bike. She absolutely had no desire to do so. Well, Gigi got a free bike this year and it has a basket. I had no idea of the power a pretty basket had. First Grandpa Larsen helped Joseph and Lorelei get their bikes summer ready after sitting outside all winter. Lorelei even got to pump up her tires. Then she just took off on Gigi's bike. She did great!

I wanted to get some shots of Gigi with pony tails ('cause they usually last less than 5 min) but she ran from the camera all night. I have a lot of blurry action shots, but these are what I got of her face. As you can see her cute face is clear, but the rest of her is blurry.

Joseph shared his T ball set with Liam and Gretchen shared her bike with Logan. Those boys sure are cute!

The kids (and big kids) took turns on Grandpa's cool scooters, but it was a good thing that he had two, because someone was a little possessive. I don't blame her, they really are fun!

Happy to be outside!

Not a baby anymore

2008-06-03T16:32:00.006-05:00

Our girl Gretchen is now two! She is such a joy to our family. We love her personality and cheesy grin. She has grown and changed so much in the last year, so I thought a chronological photo thing would be fun. We start at her birthday last year and end with some recent photos. We had a family party to celebrate this year but I don't have photos yet. Anyway enjoy my trip down memory lane. Gigi we love you!

Goodbye to head start

2008-06-03T16:08:00.005-05:00

Just before we moved Lorelei's head start had a spring concert that was really fun. It was the last week of her attending due to the big move, so it was fun to go out with a bang. Her class sang several songs including the chicken dance, head shoulders knees and toes and Itsy Bitsy Spider (thus the spiders on their heads. It was really fun to watch. Gigi thought she should perform too, so for a while, she stood just in front of the risers the students were on. Then we went back to her classroom and played with the kids a bit. She has loved her school and keeps asking when she can go back. She'll attend a different head start building in the fall.

We also went to the end of year carnival and all of her teachers and friends came up to her and gave her big hugs and told her how much they missed her. It was fun to see everyone after a month. No photos, but the kids rode ponies and jumed in the bounce house got stuffed dinos and a super cool pop up book.

Easter

2008-06-03T15:37:00.005-05:00

So I know that Easter was a while ago, but I've been busy. We had a great day. We went to church with Braden's family and the easter bunny came to their home while we were there. The kids had a blast. Then we went to Dave and Sonya Paynes house with the traditional crew to have more good food and good company. The kids (and adults too) especially love the basement where there are toys and fun scooter things to be wild and go go go. Here are some shots.

The Amazing Joseph

2008-05-06T14:33:00.004-05:00

By the way, I don't know why they are sideways. They are the right direction in my iphoto. Anyway, Joseph is a performer. He loves to tell jokes and put on shows and things. He got a magic set for Christmas from Grandma Larsen. He loves it and can do some of the tricks pretty well.

INTRODUCING... THE AMAZING... JOSEPH

Joseph and Gigi have a special relationship. they (usually) play very well together, and love each other very much. They love to snuggle.

A blast from the past

2008-05-06T14:24:00.003-05:00

Our old neighbors and good friends the Petersons (who live near Fargo), came to visit for a weekend. It was fun to see them. It was the weekend before we moved and just a few weeks before they had another baby. It was great to see them and reconnect. So here they are Charles, Katrin, Ema and Sophie with my crowd.

lipstick

2008-05-06T13:55:00.003-05:00

This is what happens when you are busy packing boxes, getting ready to move, and your 20 month old finds your big red sharpie permanent marker used to write on boxes. She LOVES chap stick, and her sister loves lip stick, so I think she thought it was one of those things. She actually got it on her lips pretty well. I had to run her down and tackle her for a photo and none of them turned out well, but here you go. It was the best when she would smirk. In case your wondering, regular tooth paste washes permanent Marker of of skin.

Catching up

2008-05-06T13:50:00.004-05:00

Here is Mother Nature's April Fools day trick on all of Minnesota, and just a few days before we moved. It was all melted a couple days later. It sure did make our front yard pretty!

Be Belle's Guest

2008-05-04T23:29:00.007-05:00

This is the LAST birthday celebration, and what a run! Lorelei's friend Tori gave her a great gift. She was to accompany her to a party hosted by Lorelei's favorite Princess Belle. They were Belles guest and the local fire station in Roseville. They were to Meet the famous Princess in all her real life glory. She let them look through her magic kaleidoscope and spin and dance.

Belle read her own story to the girls and played a couple flannel board games with them.

Belle put a jewel of choice on each girls cheek. Then they got to look into her magic mirror.

Belle lead the group in a lively ribbon dance with lots of shaking and twirling and the princesses loved it.

Lorelei as Belle meeting her very favorite princess Belle. She was SO excited!

The cake

2008-05-04T11:28:00.002-05:00

I had fun making this cake. The kids loved it! Happy Birthday Lorelei!

Birthday celebration # 5 "The Party"

2008-05-04T10:54:00.007-05:00

Our kids get to have birthday parties when they are 4, 8, 12, and 16. Lorelei turned four this year, and chose a bugs and flowers party. It was a hit. We started with food as people showed up. We had PB & J sandwiches cut in flower shapes, finger jello in flower shapes, a fruit flower basket, ants on a log celery, and caterpillar grapes, and bug shaped grahams.

I asked a good friend to do some face painting.

Then we did a bunch of theme related games.

Here's the whloe crew

Here are some games. The first is "Be the Bug" where they had to act like whatever bug I said. This one was worms.

This one was follow the leader or the flower parade.

celebration #4

2008-01-23T14:31:00.000-06:00

Here is cake and presents at the Barnharts. A smaller and trial cake for the flowers and bugs party the following weekend. The kids love the disney princess I spy book!

Celebration #3

2008-01-23T14:18:00.001-06:00

Auntie Erin has a fun tradition for when the kids turn 4. She takes them to Build a Bear! Oh do the kids love it. Lorelei chose an orange cat. They stuffed it and put in a heart (only after kissing it to make sure it's full of love). Then she bathed it (in air). And, she got to choose an outfit to go with it. Any guesses on what it looked like? A princess gown of course with pink shoes. Oh she also put a sound in it so it meows. It's pretty cute. Thanks Erin!

Birthday morning

2008-01-23T14:00:00.000-06:00

Here is the Birthday girl eating breakfast in bed (my bed). She also opened presents right away. She got a cd/dvd combo of Here come the ABC's (They Might Be Giants). Her favorite thing was the Honeybee hop.

Here is the Honeybee Hop in action. The photos do it no justice. This is an awesome toy! Everytime they take it out, all I hear is laughing and giggling and the sounds of the flight of the bumblebee. They get good exercise from it and they LOVE it.

Birthday celebration #1

2008-01-23T13:52:00.000-06:00

The day before Lorelei's birthday we, as a little family, went to Chuck E. Cheese. It was Braden's day off and we had a million tokens left from when we went a year ago. I didn't take many photos, but we had a lot of fun. the kids do love that place. Joseph knows the slogans to almost anything from TV commercials, but "where a kid can be a kid" is one of his favorites.

Dancing Queen

2007-12-08T13:58:00.001-06:00

Lorelei LOVES her dance class. She dances around the home all day, and sings some of the songs with her dances. She always talks about her jabbers, and how at dance class you always have to put away your jabbers and listen. Thanks for a fun class Miss Christa. These photos are from their performance night.

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas

2007-12-08T13:48:00.000-06:00

It's time to decorate for Christmas!! It's the best time of year! Here we are setting up our tree. It was a fun family event, and we all got involved. Gretchen kept trying to get in the little toy sled. Lorelei loves listening and dancing to the Christmas music. Joe was a big help in fluffing up the tree and we all put our own decorations on.

Fun shots

2007-12-08T13:41:00.000-06:00

Gigi is so cute!

Lorelei & Chloe had fun playing ponies on Thanksgiving.

Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters.

Joe turns 6

2007-12-08T13:32:00.000-06:00

Joseph had another birthday and is feeling older this year. He is now in Kindergarden and is 6 years old. He had a rocketship cake and had some fun birthday celebrations.

One of Joseph's fun presents was the game Break the Ice. Even Gretchen likes to play it. She may need some guidance.

Joseph's school Photo

2007-11-10T12:58:00.001-06:00

Here is Joe's Kindergarden picture. I like his smirk.

Ward Halloween Party

2007-11-03T09:19:00.000-05:00

Our little family at the Ward Halloween party. They had a chili cook off, trick or treating in the hallway, and a costume parade.

Sir Joseph the Toothless is here to save the day. he was so excited to be a knight ever since we bought the sword and shield at the Renaissance Festival. I made the tunic, boots, chain mail, and painted the shield (the dragon was wood burned into it, so I just did the color).

Lorelei is obsessed these days with Belle from Disney's Beauty and The Beast. So that's who she is. She also has the blue dress for Belle that we got at a garage sale. I didn't make the dress, but I did make her a red cloak to winterize the costume. I'll put a picture of it up later. She really looked the part and loved it!

The kids loved the costume parade. Oh, and Gigi was our China girl. She was unimpressed with the festivities, but liked to people watch while snacking on some of the treats.

goofing off at home

2007-11-03T09:04:00.000-05:00

Jacque was making some eyeball cupcakes for the kids and gave some eyeballs to the kids. they have had lots of fun with them.

All I want for Chistmas...

2007-10-12T22:28:00.000-05:00

I don't have a great picture of it yet, but Joe lost his two top teeth this September. I made him a tooth pillow, and they were super loose. I was ready to pull them out when his Auntie Erin offered to do it. He is so cute with them missing. He lost his bottom two in the last year also. It's fun to hear the words he says sound differently. He hopes to have his two front teeth for Christmas.

We love Autumn!

2007-10-10T20:42:00.000-05:00

Late summer and early fall have been so unpredictable this year. In August when we went to both Fairs it was in the 50's both days, and on this trip to the Arboretum it was 87 in October. Who knows what's going on? Anyway, it was a beautiful gorgeous wonderfully warm and sunny day and I HAD to be outside. Luckily it was Bradens free day, and we took a family trip to the Arboretum (one of our favorite places). I took a shot of my family, minus me, and then asked someone to do a shot of the whole lot. It's just not the same. I need to bring someone with me to do a photo shoot for us. Maybe next time. It sure was a beautiful day!

Running and playing together.

Joseph Lorelei and Gigi enjoying the sun.

Random Shots

2007-10-10T20:01:00.000-05:00

Two tired girls one afternoon. Really Gigi was just copying her big sister. She loves her hippo animal.

Joseph is the Big brother, and he will take care of his little sisters, curlers and all.

Two Fairs and Lots of Rain

2007-10-10T18:17:00.001-05:00

I know these are not new events, but life is starting to slow down now that school is in session and I have a minute to post.
Here we are at the State Fair. We went on opening day. It was very rainy and cool. We had to wait for Braden to come back from something, so to pass the time we bought cotton candy and got a little creative with it. We love the State Fair

Here are the big kids in the Kidway. They really did have a lot of fun. On the way home we asked them what their favorite part was and they quickly said the robot wars. Braden took the two big kids to that while I looked at the Art Building with Gretchen.

Here we are at the Rennaisance Festival with many of bradens siblings. It rained most of the day and was very cool, but we had a lot of fun. I didn't have my camera out much due to the rain, so I have no photos of adults or so many of Joe and Gigi.

Here is Lorelei on stage with a performer. She had a lot of fun. Joe was not in the mood to be on stage. Lorelei tried lots of instraments.

Here is Lorelei with her face painted. She was so excited. we tried really hard to kep her face dry in the rain.

School Days

2007-09-10T17:27:00.001-05:00

It is the time of year when all the mothers in America send their little ones off for another year of "learnin'". Joe is in Kindergarden and Lorelei is in preschool. Both of them were so excited and ready for this step. I didn't know for sure if I was, but I made it through, and all is well. Joseph loves the bus stop with other kids and was very friendly the moment he arrived.

We made a Back @ School cake for the kids and it was well appriciated.
I'm So Excited for School! Waiting for the bus outside.

On the bus the first day. This is Annika, Paula and Lorelei. They already knew eachother and are excited to be in school together.

The Bakken Museum

2007-08-10T15:24:00.000-05:00

This is the Bakken Museum. It's a museum of electricity in life. It's right off Lake Calhoun and is in a really neat German style building. It was another fun Barnhart outing.

This was a machine where you give yourself a shock of however strong you can manage. Joe went all the way to the highest setting. I didn't. Lorelei went about as far as I did.

The museum had an exhibit on Frankenstein so we took a family shot with him.

There were a lot of interesting things to try and learn about it was a lot of fun for the kids.

In the back of the museum there is a great horticultural school & garden with a pond and beautiful plants and flowers. They even had some magnifying glasses we could take out to look closely at things.

Braden's Birthday

2007-08-10T00:52:00.000-05:00

Braden had a birthday in July and we are all about having parties. Here is the birthday boy in all his glory.

Joseph and Lorelei thought that Braden needed some hats and blowers for his party. There were lots of blower wars with the extended Barnharts

It was a busy time and we planned the party with short notice, so I didn't get to make Braden a cake. But, Joseph & Lorelei got the chance to pick one out for him at the store. Of course they picked a transformer cake. Lorelei wanted to get the Strawberry Shortcake one, but Joe convinced her to go with what he wanted. Plus, this way they would get a transformer to play with after the party.

The Barnhart family in full birthday mode.

Lorelei's pillowcase

2007-08-09T23:16:00.001-05:00

If you really know Loreli you know that she LOVES her "pillowcases". As a baby, my baby blanket stopped her crying instantly. We made her a new one of the same material, and then 2 pillowcases from the leftovers. The pillowcases are smaller and easier to tote around, so she takes them whenever allowed. She rubs it on her face and eyes, stokes it with her fingers, and pretends all day with it. This day she asked me to tie one around her head and hair to be a "girl pirate" and then a few minutes later asked to have the other also on her head to "be married" (a veil). I thought we'd clip it behind her neck, but she wanted it in the front. She wore it this way for more than an hour. I have to say that she would be a very cute Muslim.

Bridge Collapse

2007-08-02T22:24:00.000-05:00

Just a note to say that we live right by the bridge that collapsed, but were not in the area at the time. The University exit where it happened is the next exit up from ours. About a mile or so away. We are all fine, and as far as I know, we do not know anyone directly injured in the event. We live in the middle of the detour though, and luckily are familiar with alternate routes. Thank you to those that have called or shared your concerns.

Happy Sad Silly Mad

2007-07-20T17:06:00.000-05:00

We thought that since Joseph is so dramatic at home, and he talks all the time about making movies and plays, that it might be fun for him to take a summer class at the Children's Theater. We signed him up for a creative storytelling class called happy sad silly mad. He loved it. the phots are from his "shareformance". Each child wrote their own play. They learned about elememts of stories and plays. Learned they have a begining middle and end. There are also 3 elements in a play; Voice, body/movement, and your imagination. They all acted in their own play and if there were more characters needed, they picked who should fill the roles. Joseph was in nearly all of them. He played anywhere from a tickling or sleeping dad to a tree or a mosquito. The teachers read the story and the kids acted them out. That is all but Joseph's. He told his own story and acted it out. Anyway, he did very well, and had a lot of fun.

At the end they all sang a song with the emotions in it. this is silly and mad.

Here is Joseph in his self made mask with his teachers.

Landscape Arboretum

2007-07-20T16:48:00.000-05:00

Here we are at the U of M's Landscape Arboretum. It's one of our favorite places. It's the first time we've been through the maze. They were building it the last time we were there. They also have a fun sculptural exhibit throughout the park. It's always fun. This is the maze. Joe and Lorelei navigated it for us and did pretty well making correct decisions and not getting lost.

The "Children's Nest Egg" It had a nice poem up broad stairs and an Earth in the nest.

Here we are in the Sensory Garden having a rest. Or at least trying.

My last day

2007-07-20T16:18:00.000-05:00

Sara and I started the day at the International Spy Museum. It was pretty cool, and we had lots of fun. No pictures were allowed in the museum, so this is all I've got. We start the museum as a spy. we have to memorize our cover and then are tested on it later to see if we would make a good spy. It was really neat and talked about spys and deception throughout history and stuff. It even had James Bond's car. Melissa and Pat picked us up after.

Mellisa picked us up directly from the Spy Museum and we drove out to the DC Temple. It was beautiful. I was leaving shortly after, so we didn't have time to do a full session, but we did initiatories and really enjoyed it. I hadn't done them since it has been modified. It is a truly beautiful temple. You can even see it from the top of the Washington Monument. We didn't because it was overcast when we went, but it was on the photo over the window telling what was what. One time when Melissa and Pat were there, they overheard. a kid say, "Wow, look at that castle!". Pretty cool. We also went strait from the temple to a little cafe and then strait to the airport. I came home by myself, and Sara stayed an extra day.

Melissa dropping off at the airport. So sad. But I missed my family and was very excited to come home. The end of our Girls Gone Wild vacation. For more and different photos check out Sara's Blog (the Smiths)

The Barnhart 6

Family photos fall 2011

OK it's been WAY too long!!

Gretchen (aka Gigi)

Dear sweet Lorelei,

Thoughts on Joseph

The many faces of Calvin

cool give away

Easter picts

Am I in trouble or what!!!???

Merry Christmas!!!

Should I try it?

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Princess and the Pea

Gretchen is 3!

the top down

What do you call it when everyone around you is having a baby?

Spring concerts

Royalty

Como, sweet Como...

I Heart Moss

Art Nest Pincushion RingGIVEAWAY!!!!

The finished product

Spring Break '09

Gigi's Quilt

Spring? and Toddler power struggles

The village Frocks

Late night discoveries

Puppet Theater

My Valentine

Stuff

Lorelei's Tonsils

A test?

Popular

New poem

How far and wide the fairies fly

Tonsil day

Wordle.net

I LOVE giveaways!

Apple Orchard Photos

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

My 2 girlie girls

Joseph is 7 and sings publicly

Ode to the "auntie under the blanket"

The coolest thing I've ever made!

New Stuff

Potty training

Halloween

She's done it again!

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!!!!

Thompson Campout '08

Visit from Jaime & Lily

Summer Fun

First days

Apple Orchard Overalls GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Olympic Dragons

Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

The 4th

Star Wars

Splash Pad

National Night Out

Summer Fun

Breakfast Theater

Larsen's Day

Not a baby anymore

Goodbye to head start

Easter

The Amazing Joseph

A blast from the past

lipstick

Catching up

Be Belle's Guest

The cake

Birthday celebration # 5 "The Party"

celebration #4

Celebration #3

Birthday morning

Birthday celebration #1

Dancing Queen

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas