Team Barttels

we have a screamer!

2011-12-11T08:02:00.001-08:00

she cried a lot worse than these seem. it was great!

thanksgiving

2011-12-10T22:48:00.001-08:00

there isn't much to blog about thanksgiving 2011. faye had a temp of 103 the whole time and was sick for days. like a sleepy, sad, toasty little pookie. in fact, so was all the extended fam staying at my MIL's house. actually, everyone involved in our family thanksgiving this year was sick. good times. we still managed to do puzzles, play games, eat lots of food and have a great time. this is the only picture i took. it was in the morning when faye was feeling well rested and feeling better and she actually was playing with great grandma karren.

dedication

2011-12-10T22:46:00.001-08:00

brad took down the blinds to be able to hang up the lights in our window this year. i call that dedication. guess all those years of working with window coverings comes in handy!

9 Months!

2011-11-17T12:31:00.001-08:00

Lil Missy,
Okay, who is letting you grow up? It certainly is NOT your mother! :)

This month we moved, so you got REALLY good at pulling up, standing and walking between boxes and furniture. You are so strong, it amazes me! You crawl faster than ever and have finally stopped crying when we leave the room- you just follow us now- that is nice. :)

This month your Smith cousins came to visit- this was the big turning point. 4 people to follow and mimic for 5 days? I swear you got faster & smarter instantly!

You wave now (always with your whole left arm)
& you TALK.
This month you said your first REAL word: "Hi!"
You wave and say "Hi!" when people walk in the door... and when we are leaving. LOL at the store the lady waved and said "Bye Bye!" and you smiled all big and SO proud and said "HI!" and waved right back! hahaha We go to get your from bed and say "Good morning baby!" and you say "Hi!" I love it.

Daddy likes to walk you around by your arms and your little feet are getting better at moving the right way. You always walk or stand on your tip-toes- it's funny. You are very brave- you stand up against things and let go. SCARY! Also, I keep telling Daddy to stop, but he will practice standing you up in the middle of the room by your self. The other morning you seriously stood there smilling and clapping for like 20 seconds. It felt like an eternity! You must have gotten your balance from your Dad.

This month it was our 2 year anniversary & we took you to dinner with us. You were so happy to be out & smiling at all the people. You are a HAM in public. Flirting with every old man you see! We gave you a roll to knaw on with your 1 tooth and you were SO happy! Going to town! Shortly after you got tooth #2 and then tooth #3 right before thanksgiving! Your little smile and odd teeth are awesome :)

You still eat pretty much anything. Your favorites are plain greek yogurt, cottage cheese, spinach, carrots, squash.. You even ate cabbage but it was a little bitter. You love to eat apples (if we are eating one, you just take a bite like we do!) and pieces of pear. You are basically a HERO at picking up food and feeding yourself. Even slippery peaches and pears you can pick carefully off your tray with one try and get them to your mouth without dropping them. That AMAZES me. I had no idea you had such strong, smart little fingers! You like outmeal & multigrain cereal, but not barley. Even if i put applesauce in it you don't really like it.

The other day Dad got pizza and gave you the crust- you stood there holding it with two hand knawing on it happily. STANDING THERE. We both kept looking at you, then each other, than you, that each other- CRAZY!!

You drink out of your sippy cup really good now. That's nice bc it's easier to clean than a bottle. We also stopped breastfeeding you at this benchmark. Mommy wanted to keep going, but you've basically lost interest and my milk was drying up anyway, so it seemed a good time.

You are in 12 month clothes now officially. You had a really bad cold this month and a fever AND ear infections, so you haven't gotten any fatter, but you still insist on getting longer. It's so silly, some of the clothes you wear are so baggy!! Oh well. but in BIG NEWS: your feet FINALLY GREW! ha! you finally are almost out of size 1, edging on size 2 shoes! Good job baby! lol

You still don't sleep, but that's okay, you are getting better at our new house. We love you so much andthink you are the happiest person we know!

LOVE YOU,
Mom

8 months

2011-11-17T11:00:00.001-08:00

Pookie,

Welp, we completely missed this benchmark, baby! On October 27th you turned 8 months! Sorry to be so late about blogging, but Mommy has been SUPER sick with a cold and then we moved and we just missed it!
This was BY FAR the funnest month of all: We are officially MOBILE!!!

You crawl. FAST. Everywhere. Into EVERYTHING. I didn't know people that small could be so sneeky and fast. You were clapping before, but now you are a pro! You pull yourself up on anything you can. You have taken a few tumbles but nothing too dramatic. Crawling crawling all day long! You are learning to wiggle out of diaper changes and get to things you want. Mostly remotes, cell phones, keyboards, keys.. things you aren't supposed to have. You love to play with your books (This makes your mom so happy! I want you to love reading like me!) and you have gotten really tricky at throwing things. Everything ends up across the room or on the floor.

You have 1 tooth. Bottom left. It is awesome. and funny that you only have 1 tooth!

You hate your bed. HATE. You cry and scream going to sleep. Your parents hate it. I blame Daddy for snuggling you to sleep and not making you take naps during the day. We need to change your bad habits! Your crib is not a jail, although you act like it is! We had to take off the bumpers bc you were ruining them by standing on them and pulling on them so much.

The best thing of ALL TIME tho is that now you give KISSES!!!!
I love love love love love LOVE IT. you lean forward with your little mouth open and lips sticking out and kiss us!! I die, i love it so much!

Still in 9 month-12 month clothes and 3 month shoes. How do you stand up with those tiny feet?
You hair is longer & fuller- you have enough on top to put into 2 tiny ponies. SO cute. You haven't discovered how to pull out your bows yet, we are always surprised you keep your bows on.

You are happy and healthy and love to eat anything in sight. you pick up things like a pro with your fingers and hands- cottage cheese, avacado, pieces of bread, etc. You love plain greek yogurt and carrots, spinach, and squash. Basically you eat everything. It's awesome!

Faye, we love you so much! do you think you could sit still for your pictures next month?? :)

Love, Mom

two years!!!

2011-11-15T11:50:00.001-08:00

2 years ago on November 14th, 2009 we officially became a family!

here's to the man that still makes me heart jump, my laughs continuous and my heart ever filling to capacity:

love you, brad!

Goodbye, Costa Mesa!

2011-11-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Sad to leave our first home as a family, but at the same time, not too sad bc we are excited for the new changes ahead!

p.s. i hate the new blogger. someone please teach me why these pictures wont just stay where i put them???

hilarity

2011-10-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

ok SO FUNNY:
we try to make life fun, right? if we are going to make bread and homemade meatballs and other dinner items, brad likes to dress the part! today brad looked like this:

and faye started to SCREAM. and CRY. and she wanted to hold onto me and didn't like ANYTHING to do with brad. HAHAHHA i guess she doesn't like his baker's hat!

helping daddy

2011-10-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

i love them. look at her little bum! ha.

blue-eyed baby

2011-10-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

faye has these beautiful blue/grey eyes. they aren't bluey blue, but have the look of an overcast ocean sky. very fitting for a socal winter baby! i was trying to get a picture of her one tiny tooth, but instead i got her pretty peepers. she is going to be a heartbreaker someday...

fun with daddy

2011-10-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

they are still bff. makes me so happy. :)

who's under the fort??

there she is!

my mom put together this tunnel...

i ignored it but my daddy thought it looked fun!

playtime!

2011-10-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

playtime means basically faye crawls ALL OVER the place, gets into everything and then is either tired or hungry & leaves chaos behind her. so funny. we are always just watching her go from here to there to here to there and say "she is so busy!!"

i love watching her discover everything. she hits blocks together and makes noise, and bangs books like drums. she also opens drawers, books, sticks her fingers into outlets, pulls on cords, eats remotes, stands up on EVERYTHING and crawls all over.

"mom, i'm playing with your tupperware, want some?"

great grandma karren

2011-10-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

some family stopped for a visit- these are not great pictures, but the oldest and youngest of brad's family like each other a lot!

happy halloween!!

2011-10-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

nothing makes me happier than this little chica. she is so cute & funny!

help moms!

2011-10-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

moms/dads out there-
THEN
faye used to go to bed. every night. every nap. she knew her bed was where she slept. she hated to snuggle & just wanted to be left alone to sleep. her evening routine got her snuggled, full, warm, tired & she would sleep through the night.
NOW
she's teething. so would want us to snuggle her a bit more. so we do. we still do evening routine.. but she WILL NOT GO TO BED. she cries like we are torturing her at every nap, every night. TORTURE. i can't just let her "cry it out" bc the longer the minutes, the more hideous the cry. she will cry for an hour, getting more & more upset. then by the time she has fussed & fussed her diaper is full& needs to be changed, we have to de-snot her nose & then it's just a mess.

is it just teething, or just that at 7 months she decided she hates to go to bed?
advice?

Mickey!

2011-10-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

Last time we met Minnie, this time it was "Hip Hop" Mickey.

Not sure about the hip hop thing, but she liked Mickey, kinda.

Also, I love our family.... :) Remember?

I am 7 months old!

2011-10-08T23:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Little Pookie,

I can't believe you are 7 months old!!
How did you grow so fast?? 9 month clothes, 3-6 month shoes. Your feet still can't catch up!
This month you really got on the move. You started to ARMY crawl all over. Nothing is safe!!
You have started to be clingy this month & notice when we are gone- it's kinda hilarious. if we walk into the kitchen & you can't see us for half a second you start to wail like "YOU'VE LEFT ME FOREVER YOU ARE NEVER COMING BACK WAAAAA!" and then we come back into view & you breath all heavy & half cry acting like we left you there ALONE for an eternity. So funny. Sometimes your daddy goes behind the wall like 6 times in a row just to hear you start to cry off & on. HAHA he's mean, but funny. :)

Let's see what else??
You LOVE the bath. LOVE love love love.
You eat everything but straight green beans-ICK- you eat them if they are mixed with cereal. Your parents think they are tricky.
You can pick up little puff things with your fingers & can mostly get them in your mouth the first try. Anything we put on your tray you get into your mouth.
You have a weird affinity for my hounds-tooth bag. You LOVE it. You EAT it. You grab it every chance you get. Aunt Melissa will be glad to know you think she has very good taste in purses.
You sit up by yourself. Like from laying down you get up. This is scary. The first day it happened the crib went ALL the way DOWN.
You have found the shelf where all your books are kept and insist on pulling them out every day onto the floor and don't even clean up, how rude! :)

You have quite the vocabulary these days- BABABA was the original, then DADADADA, every once & a while I get a MOMOM, and I swear sometimes it's like "WAWA or LALA." You talk talk talk. You talk to yourself in the mirror. You talk to us. You talk to our neighbors. And other babies. And when we are in a parking garage or someplace where it echos you shout one short "BA!!" just hear it. So funny. We will go for a walk & you talk in the stroller looking at the world going by. The funniest of all is when we get into the car. We could have gone a whole trip to church or the grocery store & you were tired & silent... but as soon as we get into the car & me & daddy start to talk you IMMEDIATELY chime in. THE WHOLE DRIVE. Apparently you want us to know you are there. And feel the need to tell us everything. Needless to say... you talk a lot. Do you think it will ever stop???????

Anyway, "my little love" you are SO WONDERFUL to have around. We love you. You are so BEAUTIFUL and HAPPY and OURS(the best part of all)!!

Happy 7 months, Faye Barttels.

Love, Mommy

p.s. Im sorry your 7 month pictures did not turn out super cute. I will take some better ones soon!

on the move....sorta!

2011-10-05T12:33:00.001-07:00

this is all day everyday around our house. it isn't quite crawling... but she sure gets around!!

excitement galore!

2011-10-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

let me preface by saying im sorry you are probably going to be disappointed by the "big news." but in my defense, it is HUGE news to us & probably... only to us. ha!

we are moving.
YES, MOVING!!

our entire married 2 years we have lived in Costa Mesa. it was our first home together. my mom helped me make curtains & we(i) have spent many trips to tj maxx to make this place our home sweet home. we had our first baby here and learned to love the young men & women of our ward & stake. we have awesome wonderful neighbors with little children we have watch grow from babies to talking walking little people. they have seen us as newlyweds, huge & pregnant & now confident parents. losing the youth & our neighbors are really our biggest devastation. rather, our only devastation.

but... it's time to leave.

we will miss the youth we have served & worked with & loved & the few friends we have made. we will miss the ease with which we could get to three freeways. we will miss the santa ana super cheap grocery stores being so close.

the only thing we will NOT miss is the place we missed these whole 2 years...
HUNTINGTON BEACH!!!

back we go- to where we fell in love, where the beach is close & where we feel is REALLY our home.

WE ARE SO EXCITED!!! :)

big change ahead

2011-10-03T11:42:00.001-07:00

im so excited!
more info officially TOMORROW! :)

Faye loves FOOTBALL

2011-10-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

faye's first football season is upon us & what a momentous occasion it is!! im glad i really enjoy football, that way i don't feel like i lose my husband 4 months of the year. ha. she snuggles with daddy while he watches games & has even attended TWO live football games already!

the first was to see uncle trevor play with his high school team. which was a MAD HOUSE, by the way, it was like going to a junior college it was so expensive & PACKED! neither of my high schools ever had 1/4 of that many people. ever. he didn't play a ton but it was fun to go & see him!

the second was a trip to las vegas to see uncle chad start at middle linebacker for SUU s. UNLV. it was great! family & friends came & they KILLED UNLV which was super fun to watch & faye totally had a blast! she LOVES to watch everything & was so happy the whole time while we cheered :)

making the tackle! proof!

not so sure about this guy....

what do you do when you have a diaper rash?

2011-09-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

sit around naked of course!!
haha you cute little bummed baby, you :)

i wanna pickle!

2011-08-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

i wanna pickle!i wanna pickle! hey, hey, hey!!

she loved it- girl after her daddy's heart!

let go, baby

2011-08-30T15:33:00.001-07:00

or i'm gonna have to cut 'em!! :)

6 Month Stats

2011-08-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

well... doctors & nurses aren't perfect. and measuring babies is not a perfect science, i can tell ya that.

length 26.5 inches- 77%ile
16 lbs 6 oz- 59%ile
head 17.5 inches- 93%ile

notice that her head grew, her weight grew, and despite the fact she's DEFINITELY grown out of all her clothes she wore 2 months ago.... she is the same height. i don't think so! let's say they overshot by .5 last time & undershot by .5 this time & say she grew an inch, yes? :)

6 Months!!

2011-08-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

to my darling little faye,

you are 6 months old!!! where did the time go? i look at pictures of you when you were first born- full head of dark, dark hair & so tiny! where did that sweet, sleepy baby go who would scowl all the time & only open one eye at a time? you refused to smile for a few weeks & would fall asleep snuggling with me. i could put you on the couch & vacuum & you wouldn't even twitch. you were calm & a good sleeper & we hardly knew you were here!

now you are a wiggly, jumpy, moving, grabbing, scooting, eating & talking crazy baby girl! you do NOT like to snuggle, nosiree. you'd rather sit than lay down, and stand instead of sit! you are getting good at sitting for a long time & are learning to reeeeeach for anything you see! you have started kicking off with one foot to get you closer to the object. uh oh! crawling is right around the corner!

you are still very observant. you cry when you've been in the house with just us for too long- as soon as we take you outside to watch people or cars & see the world you are much happier. you could watch other kids play all.day.long. but not everyone is your best friend, you are still cautious about giving smiles to every joe on the street, but after a few minutes you are very friendly. it's like you have to decide who makes the cut!

you are still very sweet & calm, but you definitely like to party. we had a few friends over to celebrate a 1/2 bday party & it was like you KNEW it was a party. you love to people watch & hang out & don't want to miss anything!

you are eating pretty good nowadays. you love to eat or suck on carrots, watermelon, applesauce, cherries, cantaloupe, & orange juice(we put some in your cereal- i've never seen you eat so fast & happily!!) and anything else we put in your mouth. or you put in your mouth- you particularly enjoyed eating mommy's copy of macbeth. double double toil & trouble!

you talk a TON & have started this whining thing that is NOT fun. you even threw your first fit this week- when mommy took macbeth away from you. you were NOT happy! you talk to your crib & toys & "bah bah bah" to me & daddy & old men at church. you are constantly making noise. when you take a nap & it's silent it's weird.

basically we think you are the greatest thing that's ever happened to us. thanks for being awesome! the good news is we still are in love with you- the bad news is your are growing up! stop that. right. now.

love, mommy

Sweatin' to the Oldies: A beginner yoga class with Faye

2011-08-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

First, you must have the proper attire & gear. Leggings, sweat band, mirror, yoga mat. Two, give your self a pep talk. Say "I am beautiful, I will have a good work-out today."

Three, don't forget to stretch. Let's start with some sun-salutations.

Warrior three.

Happy baby pose.
Half lotus pose.
And let's end with a nice easy relaxing Corpse pose.
Thanks, Everyone! Come back next time!

5 months!!!

2011-08-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

holy cow you are 5 months old!
you are wearing 6-9 month size clothes- your poor 3-6 month size only fit for, i think, 3 weeks. maybe 2? you are growing so fast! the only thing that ISN'T, tho', are your feet! you FINALLY grew out of your tiny newborn shoes last week. sad. day. they were so tiny & teeny. you got daddy's short fat feet.

you can now arch your back so strongly you get out of the bumbo. also sad day. sitting happily (with help) may be a thing of the past! you don't seem to like to sit- you'd rather stand. all. the. time. you think you are so big. i secretly LOVE putting you in your high chair bc it makes you look so small. :)

you stand on your own if we lean you up against the ottoman. your johhny jumper & exosaucer are your BFF. if you think you are standing on your own & jumping around you are happy as can be. i left you in the saucer the other day for... like and hour & 15 min... oops! but you were playing so nicely & so happy & looking at the cute baby in mirror! i got so much done! :)

you are eating food like a champ- rice cereal is apparently very delicious & filling. you definitely know what food & bowls & spoons & drinks are. anytime we are eating or drinking (especially out of a bottle, bowl or spoon) you reeeeach your hands out looking for a taste!!

you roll-roll-roll all night long- every time i go to check on you, you are in another crazy position. you turn 180 degrees in the crib & turn half your body & roll halfway. sometimes you even put one leg up on the side of the crib. looks like you got daddy's inability to sleep still. uh oh!

basically you are still a happy little person. calm, observant. you don't put on a show for anyone. with a special familiar few you will talk-talk-talk & smile & play, but for everyone else you just like to sit & watch. you will giggle and laugh but only for mom & dad.
we love you so!what a joy is it to have your calm happy little spirit in our home!

feet are delicious!

2011-07-24T23:12:00.000-07:00

one thing that sustains us through is how much we absolutely LOVE our baby. what's not to love about 15 pounds of pure wiggly, smiley, perfect little girl!? her sweet attitude & calm nature is such a blessing- she just likes to chill and take in everything around her. i hope she stays such a sweet little person!! our Father in Heaven is so good to us. :)

my best friend Dad

2011-07-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

does your dad lay on your play mat and play with you? welp, mine does!

conclusion: she loved it

2011-07-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!!

2011-07-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

this 4th was one of the best by FAR. we met friends at the parade, played at the beach, rested, relaxed, ate more than was good for us, rode bikes, walked the stroller, and watched amazing fireworks. THANK YOU to the araves and dinsbachs- it was SO WONDERFUL!! one of the best holidays we've had!

cousins!!

2011-07-17T17:08:00.000-07:00

aksel (aka the aks-man!) and faye are 10 days apart. faye was supposed to come first but apparently lost the arm wrestle on the other side- he beat her by 10 days!
i love them. they are so cute. he was born less than 5 pounds, but is quickly catching up! she is using her height to her advantage- she was eating his shirt, knocking him over- i'm sure he'll pay her back when they are 15. and as if eating her own hands wasn't entertainment enough- she tried his! delicious!

leggo of my hand!

few things i learned today

2011-07-17T16:08:00.001-07:00

1. there were at least 3 emergencies requiring the fire station near our house to be put into action this afternoon.
2. faye is terrified of the sound of sirens waking her up. ter. ri. fied.
3. but mama can make it all better with an afternoon snack- she loves cherries!

4 month stats

2011-06-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

once there was a baby, baby, baby
once there was a baby small, small, small.
she grew like a weed, weed, weed
she grew like a weed, tall, tall, tall!26.5 inches long- 98% i wasn't kidding when i keep telling people she's really tall!
14 lbs exactly- 54%
16.75 inch head circumference- 87%

welp. big head, long legs, skinny belly! I'm pretty sure the fat rolls that were starting at 1 month old got stretched out- ne'er to be seen again! it's nice to know i wasn't imagining all her dresses looking MIGHTY short! tall & skinny- watch out when she's 15! eek!

with brad's new job he works basically in the afternoons & evenings. sometimes he comes home in time to see her before she goes to bed... but i put her to bed at 8:30 and most days he will miss her... poor daddy. he's always so sad when he comes home and she's already out! so every morning he gets her out of bed. always. he jumps up and runs to get her as soon as its 6:30 and she starts to squeek! it's so cute. he spends his mornings with her & i spend nights. she is lucky to have such a great dad who can't wait to hold her.

we went to see midnight in paris on friday with friends (btw totally PG and wonderful!!) & we got her all ready for bed & ready to sleep (usually she'll fall asleep in her seat if she's tired) but NOPE! she sat quietly on my lap the WHOLE MOVIE. sitting up & attentive. watching the movie. she had to know what was going on! she was so entertained she didn't even cry or fuss or anything. how does it get better than that??

anyway, i love her. we really count our blessings because i know she is a dream- our next kid will probably be a holy terror! :)

4 months!

2011-06-28T15:28:00.001-07:00

my little Faye is 4 months old!! you are such a sweet, little thing. most of the time you are MELLOW YELLOW. you will sit in your bumbo for half an hour just hanging out watching- you just want to be in the know! you smile easily for old men, your parents and people you know, but if you don't know them, you have to warm up. that's okay, because you are pretty friendly and like to observe. you wake up happy and smile SO BIG at us- it's my favorite time of day!

you like to lay on your play mat- you've gotten pretty good at hitting the toys with your arms and legs. legs especially- it's weird, you seem to reach for everything with your feet first. in fact, if anything is anywhere even remotely near your feet you KICK it. hard. including your parents!

you haven't quite rolled over yet, but you sure spin around, wiggle wiggle and turn your whole body like a snake. you manage to move around the floor already, not sure how you get from here to there!
you are already too tall for some of your 3-6 month size clothes- how did THAT happen? i swear one week a dress is at your ankles and the next it's above your knees! growing growing all day long!
you make us so happy and it's such a pleasure to be your mama! your babysitter can't get enough of you and your family and many "aunties and uncles" can't either! its because you are so good and calm & happy. we love you! I can't believe you are so big!

Happy Father's Day, Brad!!!

2011-06-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

Exactly one year ago today we found out Faye was coming to our home. June 19th, 2010. What a CRAZY, happy, scary, joyous, momentous day that was!! We laughed and cried. And couldn't stop smiling and saying "WE'RE GOING TO BE PARENTS!!" Insanity. How we love this little girl- we are so glad she came to be with our family!

Brad is such a sweet daddy. He loves her SOO much. They are best buddies. I hope they always will be. He is tender and caring and happy and so concerned for her welfare- I couldn't wish for anything better!! For Father's Day last year I gave him a stick I peed on- SURPRISE! This year it was a dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cup. Which is better? haha

Happy Father's Day Brad, you wonderful man, you! We love you!! :)She's so happy with her daddy. Love it.

nakedness

2011-06-19T22:12:00.001-07:00

Gotta teach 'em young!

2011-06-19T22:10:00.001-07:00

reading with daddy, helping him prepare his lesson for church. so cute. hilarious.

Ruby's!

2011-06-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

A couple Saturdays ago we went to Ruby's on the Balboa pier for breakfast! It was a beautiful overcast morning, not too cold. We sat inside and watched the fishermen off the pier. Ate cinnamon roll french toast & omelets. DELICIOUS! Love that place. There is one within walking distance of our house, but we wanted to wanted the pier & enjoy the ocean. :)

3 Months

2011-06-02T23:25:00.000-07:00

Hello! I am Faye & three months old! I am a happy, hilarious little person! I like to jabjabjab all day long. Seriously my parents think they are in big trouble- I may not stop talking for the rest of FOREVER. I like to hold my hands and sit in my bumbo.
I talk and smile at that cute baby in the mirror(she has the cutest smile & fat cheeks!) and I like to hit the hanging toys with my hands (most of the time its a lovely accident!) and like to stare and smile at my mommy & daddy. I definitely know who they are because I sometimes cry at strangers and try to avoid looking at them.My face lights up SO BIG when mommy & daddy come get me in the mornings or after my naps. Sometimes I just lay in my bed when I wake up & start to talk at my bedding. I weigh in at almost 14 pounds but I don't think I'm getting fatter- just loooong. (Why do they call babies long? We're tall!)
I LOVE to stand up and sit and look around. I hate being cuddled or faced to someone's shoulder when there is stuff going on. I wanna be in the know. :)Mamma's note: Please excuse my terrible picture taking... sigh. Seriously tho this baby is sooo sweet. She is the best ever. We love her so much!

happy easter!

2011-05-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

family pictures from easter.

the awesomeness of faye's expressions in each picture makes me giggle.

if this is how they turn out NOW... imagine when she is 13!

i think she is thinking "HMPF. MORE pictures?"

now she is thinking " Wait, i forgot what i'm doing.. i'm bored. or suprised.. i can't decide."

fun with photobooth: mommy & faye

2011-05-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

something delicious

2011-05-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

i don't cook very well.. thus i don't cook very often. i tend to stick with the ten things i know and just go with that.
BUT i deep inside like to try new things and every once and a while i get up the courage (and the desire to go to the grocery store) and the outcome usually looks like THIS:
Grilled Eggplant with Ricotta & Tomato Basil Relish

i have no idea if i've ever eaten eggplant before- but i'm definitely a fan now!i loved the grilled tomatoes- but i used regular tomatoes off the vine & they were a bit too liquidy. i added a simple green salad with balsamic vinegar. it felt super healthy and was SO GOOD. and easy.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/grilled-eggplant-with-fresh-ricotta-and-grilled-tomato-basil-relish-recipe/index.html

2 Months!

2011-04-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

ooooo are my parents in for it! i am too months old now and moving like crazy! my arms and legs wiggle wiggle WIGGLE all the time. i like to grab onto things on accident and my mom & daddy have to PRY my little clenched hand apart to get me to let it go! i can hold a rattle in my hand, but i don't care for it much. my favorite thing to do is sit on someone's lap & talk. mostly i talk to daddy, but anyone can get me to jabber jabber if i'm in the right mood! i still scowl a lot of the time, but the other times i'm quietly observing or smiling. i HATE being faced to someone's shoulder because i want to LOOK OUT and SEE everything.

my favorite person in the whole world is daddy; i smile HUGE and start to wiggelwiggle & talk immediately when he gets home! it's so stinkin' cute!

i'm getting so cute now!!
my 2 month stats are:
16 cm head - 87%
23.5 inches long - 88%
11 lbs 10 ounces - 76%

i am fat & happy!

Easter!

2011-04-26T00:03:00.001-07:00

this year we traveled to Vegas to spend a big weekend with ALL my family. it was a blast. We had a BBQ for nate & lauren & celebrated kayleigh's 6th birthday with a bouncy house & RAPUNZEL! we got to meet our little viking cousin, aksel, and spent time with "aunt" kelli and took family pictures. we visited friends, played with all the cousins, sang in the choir at church, & ate a delicious easter dinner. we even got delicious cupcakes for anna's 2nd birthday & drove home in record time- 4 hours & 15 min! it was an awesome weekend. i confess i teared up a bit as we were driving home because it was so nice to be with EVERYONE. everyone played and ate and sang & laughed. it made me sad to leave all the babies. i love my family. they are my friends & i miss them in CA. poor faye does not live close enough to her cousins!
HOORAY for a wonderful weekend! what a wonderful happy weekend to remember our Savior and the message of his life. happy easter!

sadly my camera died after the first day so we'll have to wait til kevin gets me copies of the rest of the weekend! :)

The Easter Bunny

2011-04-26T00:02:00.001-07:00

Look what the Easter Bunny left in our basket!! A little fat baby girl!

Don't you just love her jammies?? They look just like an egg- so fitting :)

Get me outta this stinkin' basket! haha

I Gotta Have You- The Weepies

2011-04-20T12:23:00.001-07:00

This song came on my Pandora Radio today. Immediately I was overcome with sweet memories of back when I was dating Brad. I was so head over heels and so twitterpated. Dating Brad was the life experience equivalent of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies, huge brightly colored pinatas, and warm sand between your toes. His presence in my life made all things that were awesome before even MORE awesome. Listening to this song made me smile and get all warm & fuzzy inside.

We are a kinda far away from hating to say goodnight, dreaming about building our life together, and thinking making dinner together is fun- haha; but I'm happy to take a moment and realize that, indeed, the actual building of a life is entertaining, challenging, and at moments full of absolute bliss. We've created a home, a baby, and a nest egg together. We live in the lap of luxury: our baby sleeps 6-8 hours a night, we drive a civic with a brand new clutch, and we watch The Biggest Loser and Parks and Recreation without commercials. I might not be dating the most eligible bachelor in HB anymore, but I traded him in for a faithful, happy, devoted father and willing dish-dryer. And that, my friends, keeps me smiling and warm & fuzzy inside. :)

I love you, Brad.

"No, no, no, no, no- nothing else will do- I gotta have you."

fat, clean baby!

2011-04-07T17:01:00.000-07:00

watching general conference at the barttels home...

2011-04-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

they are going to be such buddies as she grows up, i love it :)

first trip to the beach!

2011-03-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

mommy, baby, and auntie coco went to lunch in downtown HB and walked around watching the sunbathers, volleyball players, and fishers of fish off the pier. :) twas lovely. faye loved her first trip to the beach enjoying the sunshine & ocean breeze!

haha.

my mad scientist

2011-03-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

i like to comb her hair against the cowlick. it makes it that much more awesome. :)

4 Weeks slash 1 Month!

2011-03-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I am 1 month old! I like to smile and talk to Mommy and Daddy for an hour in the morning (I am so cute & they love waking up with me in the mornings) and cry for an hour at night cause I don't like to go to bed, even when I am very tired. Once I am there, though, I sleep for 5 or 6 hours- great for Mommy and Daddy! I've started to smile a lot more, and have ALMOST grown out of my newborn size clothes! My pj's are all VERY tight in my feet cause I'm getting taller, but the onesies still fit. Mommy and Daddy think I am 10 pounds now bc they measured me on the digital scale! Wow!

Let's FRY something!

2011-03-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

What do you do on a very long, blustery, rainy, dark Sunday afternoon? Why FRY things of course!

Brad & I did some experimenting with our deep fryer last night. It was super fun, super greasy & super delicious!! We had regular scones dipped in cinnamon sugar. Chocolate Frosting filled scones(tasted like a warm eclair). Apples and cheese in dough. Apples dipped in sugar in batter(ended up tasting like apple pie- delicious!). Onion rings. Chicken, onion & peppers & cheese (my favorite bc it was kind of real food). We used pre-made canned dough and also pancake batter. Super fun, different & probably the least healthy we've eaten in a long time :)

Faye 3 Weeks

2011-03-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have started recognizing faces- especially Mommy & Daddy. Daddy even got me to talk to him this week! I am so cute. I am getting fatter everyday- all the skin on my knees is all filled in now- Mommy is so happy I am getting so rolly poly!

Faye 2 weeks

2011-03-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Oskie!
At her 2 week appointment she weighs in a 8 lbs 10 oz. She's gained a WHOLE POUND. I love her little folds of skin are slowly filling up and getting pudgier everyday. Yay for a fat baby!

This picture IS from the day she was 2 weeks (I realize now it is almost 3 weeks...).

Snuggling with Daddy

2011-03-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

He can't get enough of this little girl. He snuggles her ALL THE TIME. It's very cute.

Lots of visitors!

2011-03-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

here's a few people (i always forget to take pictures when people come) who have come to visit me!

"Aunt" Huli

Uncle Chad came home from college to see me! (and spring break)

Uncle Trevor, Chad, Grandpa Judd, Grandma Judd, and Great-Grandma Karren

and Grandpa Anderson!

Faye: 1 Week

2011-03-07T16:44:00.001-08:00

Here I am with my best buddy, Oskie that Grandma Wendy gave to me.
My cousin Aksel has one, too!
I am one week old!

two way tie for my favorite person: brad & faye

2011-03-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

#1 reason to have baby at Hoag Hospital: how's this view for labor/delivery/recovery?? sweetness!

Poor sad baby!Look at this little bum!At this point I was still in shock, I think, that I was a MOM. It's crazy how one minute you are pregnant and the next you... aren't.
I look like I've been hit by a car. Awesome. Mostly it's lighting, I promise everyone kept saying how great and NOT tired I looked, but this suggests otherwise. Maybe they were lying to me. I choose to believe it. :) But it's our first family picture so... oh well. She cracks me up. this is her OUT. She sleeps like a champ so far. We'll see if that changes tomorrow. Daddy's GirlSwollen me, naked Faye, Grandma Wendy, Aunt MelissaSleeping with Grandma. Bless my mother for being here for a week and taking such good care of us! She cooked and deep cleaned and sewed. Hooray!Hello!Look at that fat chin! She flexes her feet when she eats. I think its hilarious.Faye makes Team Barttels #3. We love her, oh, so much!

Faye Barttels

2011-03-02T02:32:00.000-08:00

is HERE!

Sunday February 27th, 2:06 AM
7 Lbs. 9 Oz. 19.5 Inches
Perfection

my camera is somewhere. i will upload good non-cell phone pictures as soon as i can.

favorite moments so far:
- when i was pushing and brad said "i can see her head!! she has hair! she has dark hair!" he was SO outrageously excited i loved it. :)
- that she sucks her hands and fingers anytime she can get to them, which is a lot. she is WIGGLY just like in the womb and can get her hands out of any swaddle.
- she scowls and looks at you with only 1 eye open. hilarious.
- i love that she is looking more like her daddy everyday. she got dark and red really fast. hooray for olive skin! you can't tel in these pictures, but she is definitely my little papoose and got daddy's indian blood :)
- i love watching her daddy hold/change/feed/talk to her. she is going to get anything and everything she wants out of him. he's so in love :)
- i loved that my sister couldn't stand it so she left her 4 kids with her husband and drove down sunday afternoon for one day. i have the best sisterface.

there is so much to document!! i hope i can remember it all when i sit down to do it someday :)

i love my fat-cheeked baby girl.

day of mushy gooshy lovers

2011-02-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

homemade pizza, delicious homemade cheesecake and some bubbly!

I LOVE YOU, BRAD!
Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone!

38 almost, 39 weeks looks like this.

2011-02-11T22:08:00.000-08:00

i love our baby.
in fact she's kicking around in my belly RIGHT NOW. I have a feeling she's not coming too soon... sigh.. but she's inevitably coming in the next 2 weeks so...
wootwoot!! :)

husband poll:

2011-01-25T22:51:00.000-08:00

does YOUR husband sing whitney houston "i wanna dance with somebody" at the top of his lungs at 10:45 at night while you get ready for bed?
mine does.

i can never say i didn't marry someone entertaining :)

My Husband, The Baker

2011-01-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

Brad loves sourdough bread. Loves.
So this week he tried his hand at his FIRST loaf of homemade bread (not in a bread machine.) We followed the directions from Follow the Sourdough. I failed to take a picture of his starter sitting in a pickle jar on our counter for 5 days, but here is "the sponge":Kneeding.
In his NEW Oakland A's apron his wife got him for Christmas :)THE LOAF!!! It does look pretty doesn't it??
The moment of truth:
Yay for bread!!
It is hard to make perfect sourdough your first try- this one came out okay- not TOO terribly sour tasting and had more of a consistency and density of regular bread, not fluffy like we would prefer, but despite its imperfections, it is DELICIOUS.

Zucchini

2011-01-12T21:32:00.000-08:00

What goes perfect with Italian chicken & pasta?

Zucchini of course!
So I pulled one out of the fridge, cut it, and cooked it up.
THEN I realized (when it wasn't really cooking normally) that it was...
a cucumber.
Dang it!
I tried to eat it.. but um... it wasn't good.
We had a good laugh over it and a vegetable-free dinner. :)

poor cucumber... you look delicious, but alas! you are not.

33 weeks

2011-01-03T18:09:00.001-08:00

i am feeling cuter and more comfortable since the crazy traveling has ceased. seriously- the more hours i spend in a car, the more inches i SWELL up. :)
work is crazy and busy, but good! keeps me occupied and the time flying! everytime i turn around- another MONTH has flown by.
i can mostly sleep good at night. mostly. when brad isn't snoring with a cold or some little girl isn't awake doing kickboxing at 12 AM :) she moves like CRAZYface all the time. we love sitting and watching my belly bouce around in every direction.
it's crazy to think we are having a baby. this. year. SO SOON.
we are excited!!my hair & head look strange. but my belly really IS that cute in real life :) i hope!

big three princess party!

2011-01-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

after christmas we went to Vegas for a couple days. it worked out perfectly bc we got to see all lindsey's family at the twin's 3-year old birthday party.
i love my nieces and nephews. they are all so cute and hilarious.
the only thing i think i really missed was rachel walking on wood floor with her little plastic princess shoes. i think i would've broken my ankle, but she's got skillz.
one little princess decided princesses wear pretty shoes, pretty necklaces, and a tiara... but no other clothes are necessary- haha ;)
HOW COME THEY ARE ALL SO CUTE??? sheesh.
nice happy family ending to our christmas break!

christmas came to the barttels home!

2011-01-03T17:47:00.000-08:00

#1. having the underbelly of your tree filled with presents for people you love makes me so happy!#2. brad hasn't stopped wearing his new hiking boots yet.#3. i got books for christmas. i love books!
we spent christmas eve and christmas with brad's family. all the barttels, hansens, judds and extra girlfriends in one place. good times.

oh, and...

2010-12-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

Merry (almost) Christmas!!

Love, Team Barttels

do you need a laugh? just look at me!

2010-12-21T16:20:00.001-08:00

in my defense it was a long long day. and this angle does nothing for me.
also, i look like santa claus.
and brad laughed really kind of TOO hard. as are you, i'm sure. :)

Family Karaoke

2010-12-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

Whilst enjoying the wintry wonderland of Brian Head for Thanksgiving... the Andersons did family Karaoke one night. It was hilarious and fun.
Highlights for me being my nephew Matthew "singing" (reading?) the Phantom of the Opera. It was PRICELESS. Also I loved watching Brad try to sing Wicked. And Jes and Kevin doing "Tradition!!!" from Fiddler on the Roof. Good times had by all :)

Can you tell who LIKE to sing and dance around in our family???Kevin and Lindsey like to rock the Beatles.

Such intensity and teenage love angst, sisterface. She even has the rocker stance.

TRADITION!!! Tradition!
Little Russian dancing, P.A. Smith?

Cute & Smiley Kellie.
No wonder she's so popular...

And Brad really did great. It was, after all, his first time...You can't see it, but his other arm is crossed in front of his chest. Textbook body language for discomfort, right? :) We'll work on loosening ya up for next year, B.

"The.Phantom. of the Opera. is there. inside. My mind!"

Saturday is a Special Day...

2010-12-18T22:45:00.000-08:00

it's the day we sleep in.
our husband makes us breakfast. high in protein, low in carbs and sugar.
enjoy a pajama morning movie with breakfast. gerard butler makes a stupid bounty hunter. note to self:when sister says movie is stupid, she is correct.
we wrap all our christmas presents and are excited again about them all.
we deep clean the whole house. we remember again why cleanliness is next to Godliness.
we shower and clean ourselves. now everything in house is clean, hooray!
discover we can't live without cheese. we go to the grocery store.
prepare, eat, and clean up a healthy delicious dinner. satisfaction.
we go to a great movie. i appreciate good clean movies based on wonderful literature.
we play 2 games of yahtzee. zero yahtzees all around this time.
and then our husband goes and visits a friend in town while i blog and relax.

and THAT is why Saturdays are awesome, especially today! :)

oh, to be the favorite uncle!

2010-12-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

lets not pretend for a second, that brad doesn't LOVE that all my neices are in love with him.

at thanksgiving, upon his entrance into the house, one of the twins came screaming across the room falling into his arms all dramatic-like. when i am on the phone my sister says "want to talk to aunt lindsey?" and all three little girls answer with, "brad??"
he also has won the love of the oldest, kayleigh. when they come to visit she and brad are the early risers and they make breakfast, play games and have one on one play time while everyone else sleeps in. she drew this today at school.

b is for brad.

thanksgibing... gobble gobble

2010-12-05T09:49:00.001-08:00

This year all the Anderson's headed to Brian Head, UT to a cabin we rented in the snow. T'was lovely. We were all very cold, very cheery, and very fat by the end!!
Hooray for Thanksgiving!

my best friend

2010-11-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

and i got married 1 year ago today. best year of my life.

i love you, brad.

ingenius!

2010-11-11T16:58:00.000-08:00

i walked downstairs this morning, only to realize my little plumeria (which was sitting on the railing of our porch) had fallen off and the pot broken in the violent winds we've been having. poor plant. it looked so sad lying on the ground.

so i called up to brad & asked him to come pick it up- as i was running to work.
he did. he's so great.

and i came home to find my plant happily installed in a new pot:BAhahahhaha! if you can't tell... its in my old soup pot. awesome. :)

Baby Bump Barttels

2010-11-04T18:04:00.001-07:00

14 weeks.
you can see SOMETHING!!

still in my regular jeans. very sick still & blacking out, but sleeping through the night.:)18 weeks.

not sick and nauseous anymore(although i look it in this picture)! not able to wear any normal pants. acne breakout, what?? kissed sleeping through the night good bye. hello 3 AM.

BUT the acne was worth it bc we found out it's a GIRLIE!! woot. :)20 weeks.
bless baby GAP maternity pants. how do we love thee?
feeling GOOD. moving furniture, grocery shopping & nice skin has returned!
24 weeks.
FAT. seriously.
undeniably pregnant looking.
(part of it could be this blouse (thanks julie!) bc it's nice & comfy & cute, but really halloween candy did a number on me. LOL)

this is a better picture

2010-10-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

Father

2010-09-28T11:46:00.001-07:00

Elder Boyd K Packer, an apostle in our church, once said,

"It should have great meaning that of all the titles of respect and honor and admiration that could be given Him, God Himself, He who is the highest of all, chose to be addressed simply as Father."

You should know by now I am in completely in love with my husband.

He is kind, unselfish and genuine. He also loves me a lot, which is convenient in marraige.

When I was in my first trimester and had HORRIBLE heartburn- no really, it was horrible- and woke up crying in the middle of the night, he would jump up and get a drink, crackers, or just talk to me and hold me til I could fall asleep again.

He cleaned our house, made his own dinner and watched tv by himself while I slept like 12 hours a day. When I almost blacked out (like everyday. that was fun times.) he would hold me up and walk me to wherever I was trying to get. Usually from couch to bed.

I can't wait for this little girl to come to our home. She has a daddy that is already COMPLETELY in love with her. He just LOVES her.

He smiled triumphantly when the ultrasound showed "GIRL."

He is already wrapped around her little teeny finger, I can tell.

When we were going through all his kid stuff, we found something from like 3rd grade that said what he wanted to be when he grows up.

I guessed baseball player, doctor?

Nope. Even at 8 his dream job was "dad".

He has been waiting for a little person to call his own for a long time. He is going to be a FANTASTIC father.

Little Girl Barttels is a lucky girl. Actually, we are two lucky girls.

hilarious brad, hilarious.

2010-09-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

i found this gem the other day in brad's box of kid stuff.
he knew at age 10 what kind of wife he would end up with!! when i found this i almost died with laughter. it's awesome. especially the picture of the person sleeping. bahahahahahah

"Lazy Lindsey"

Lazy Lindsey sleeps all day she doesn't {move} an inch.

the only thing that can move her is a great a big PINCH!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

2010-09-21T09:50:00.001-07:00

Baby Barttels

due February 17th!!!
She's already got her daddy wrapped around her little finger :)
Look at that foot!! Cutest thing we've ever seen!

i had no idea

2010-09-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

that my husband was so awesome. but he is.

i came home from a trip to UT for a wedding where i kinda ran ragged for a whole day, only slept like 3 hours and came home exhausted but SUPER glad i went.
our house is shiney. vaccuumed. bathroom is clean. ALL THE LAUNDRY IS DONE. (that deserves caps) kitchen spotless. things are put away. our room is neat & the bed is all perfectly made.
i could've cried.
such a beautiful sight.

this week has been busy & it's super nice to know my husband is so thoughtful & helpful.

YAHTZEE!!

2010-09-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

seriously. who gets scores like this? one in a million game.

Feels Like Lightning Running Through My Veins

2010-09-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Sept 8th, my wonderful husband helped me check something off my bucket list:

See David Gray in concert. Check.

It was FABULOUS. No, really. You don't understand. It was AMAZING. Incredible. He played a lot of old good ones. The crowd cheered and sang. I sang "Please forgive Me" at the top of my lungs & danced (with all the other drunken crazies) through the whole song.

I love him. (Brad and David Gray.)

Oh David Gray, you do it to me everytime.

Side note: Ray Lamontagne was also lovely, though not equally fabulous.

And if you are every near The Greek theatre, I HIGHLY recommend Simply Thai for dinner before.

Best. Dumplings. I've. Ever. Had.

Railroad Fried Rice.

Go There. Eat it. You won't be sorry :)

21 hours in a car= FUN

2010-08-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Brad is the best! He drove me 20 hours all the way to SLC and Heber City so I could hug this beautiful lady and see her for like... 4 hours. Read Here.

Colorado! Colorado!

2010-08-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to attend a work conference in Denver the 23rd-25th, so we made it a little Team Barttels vacation! Off to Denver on Sunday- stayed at Brad's friend Eric's house... lots of sightseeing Monday all day, work on Tuesday for Linds & some fun for Brad & then a Rockies game Wednesday! Awesome.

A "Scenic Vista" as Brad would say.

Red Rocks Amphitheater. There was a museum of all the people who played.

I love Sting.Buffalo Bills' Grave and Look Out Mountain.
You can't tell, but it was POURING RAIN. We are dedicated to Buffalo Bills' memory. Ha.
Brad visiting the Coors Brewing Factory with his friend Spencer
(they got soda at the end, don't worry)

COORS FIELD!!!! Hooray! Go Rockies :)
I was amazed at how BEAUTIFUL Denver is! It was our first time there & you can see FOR MILES. Highly recommend. So cool. I was singing songs from this the whole week. Oh Debbie Reynolds... Denver wouldn't have been the same without you :)

AFC Half Marathon- August 15th 2010

2010-08-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

Brad ran the America's Finest City Half Marathon in San Diego, CA. I was so proud & happy! He came grimacing across the finish line with a bum cramp.. but HE DID IT! 2 hours & 2 minutes. Not too shabby for a 6 AM run. Congrats Brad!! You did great! Someday we will get to run across the finish line together! :)

fyi

2010-08-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

we are in denver for 4 days. i love it already. today we ran through a rain storm to say hello to Buffalo Bill. What a guy. He was cool enough to have a museum all about him set on a BEAUTIFUL mountain. *sigh* love it. :)

see you soon.

shall we catch up a bit??

2010-07-31T22:47:00.000-07:00

My sister and her family came & we met them at sea world. seriously, these kids CRACK me up.

Loved it.

woka woka!

2010-06-15T21:17:00.001-07:00

if i can cook it in a wok, i will. i decided it's my favorite pan.

NOTHING SPILLS :)

I LOVE IT.

oh, and for my first home made stir-fry, it was per-ety darn FABULOUS!

middleton mayhem!

2010-06-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

brad has known kyle middleton since they were like... 4. he was the best man at their wedding.

(which, by the way, we watched brad's "toast" on their wedding video. if you ever are in el dorado hills, you need to stop by and watch it. it's worth 5 minutes of your time. yes, his toast was a rambling, hilarious 5 MINUTES long. we all love him for it, too. hilarious!)

kyle and amy have been married 9 years and have 5 crazy, beautiful, hilarious kids. seriously. they are SO funny. they had been waiting for "Uncle Brad" to come visit and show off his wrestling, comedy, juggling and yo-yo skills. he's a walking clown. :) and THEY LOVED IT. they followed him around for 2 days thoroughly entertained and LOVING it.

and seriously, amy and kyle, stop having such cute kids. we'll never be able to compete with this:

Kyle's parents have a house on the American River so they took us on a short rafting trip. We had a great time in the GORGEOUS weather, and I was so impressed with how brave the kiddos were!

THANK YOU for letting us stay & have such a wonderful time with your family! We hope to see you all again soon!

Beka is a GRAD!!

2010-06-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

We were SO happy to visit brad's dad's house to attend his lil sister Beka's high school graduation. Greg, his girlfriend Kelly, Grandma Barttels, Aunt Roxanne, and Cousin Terra & Carla all came to enjoy the beautiful weather, good food & family fun. We barbecued, played family wiffle ball, basketball, watched Hannah Montana (grandma picked it, and when she picks it, NO ONE changes the channel ha!) and really had just a WONDERFUL time. It was HOT. and SUNNY. and FUN.look how BEAUTIFUL that girl is! :)

Congrats, Beka! We love you!

Camp Barttels. In the front yard. Awesome.

why i have to go to the grocery store 2x a week.

2010-06-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

2 PB & honey sandwiches
1 nectarine
baggie of cherries
1 banana
1/3 gallon size bag of potato chips
baggie of pretzels
baggie of cinnamon almonds
2 quart bottle of crystal light
3 brownies
(i forgot to throw in the box of sour patch kids, oops)

what you thought that lunch was for ME??

oh the andersons...

2010-05-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

my bro & SIL nate and lauren & family came to visit last weekend!! sorry it's taken me a week to catch up. we did Disneyland, the beach and a lot of visiting. :) i wasn't really good with my camera... sorry. i especially liked that we crammed them into the extra bedroom, the windy WINDY beach, stayed up WAY too late & everyone was still happy!! :)

my favorite moments were:
1. walking around disney with little ella and singing "it's a small world" to her as she smiled and smiled...
2. being woken up, snuggling & making breakfast with a cute 5 year old, kayleigh. (when she got home she kept asking her mom to go back and stay with aunt lindsey & uncle brad in california. we're awesome, apparantly.)
3. talking to everyone in line while Jacob & i waited for Indiana Jones-he's 7 and i'm pretty sure i embarrassed him. awesome :)
4. sitting and laughing out loud with nate & lauren to our favorite NBC thursday night comedy shows.

it's hard to be so cute. seriously, ella was so chill and happy. i loved kissing her fat rolls. impressive, too, was that she smiled and laughed and LOVED watching the fireworks show. :)i love also how much fun brad has with all the kids. he really loves getting to play and have the kids around so much!

reason i love brad #6073

2010-05-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

we are training for a half marathon. i found THESE beauties for 40 bucks. booya.i told brad he should try to find yellow shoes to match me. kinda joking. BUT....

he did!!

gosh, he's so cute. he's: #1 awesome at finding brand new expensive pairs of shoes for like $30 and #2 also isn't afraid of matchy-matching his wifey. :)

my husband, who rocks even at 5:45 AM

2010-05-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

this morning brad had to teach seminary... an early morning religion class for high-school aged kids. like a zero period.
he was kinda nervous yesterday. and then he locked himself out, had to call and wake me up to let him back in to get his car keys, but then he got there and said it went well. he came back all dapper in his shirt & tie & slacks & happy. :) i believed him- he's a good teacher.

but now i REALLY believe him bc one of my young women(the teenage girls at church i work with) texted me that he did a really great job for his first time.
#1. my husband is awesome
#2. she is awesome for thinking of texting me to let me know they all liked him

i'm so proud :)

oh and a little RSM

2010-05-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

rancho santa margarita, that is. the NEW HOME of the lovely ashtons.
this is their home. and from sun-up to sun-down we helped move them move in! i know where all their clothes, socks, pots, pans, and christmas decorations are held. i also know how lisa likes her towels folded. pretty awesome.
hooray for our friends! we love you & congrats!!

seis meses

2010-05-17T22:09:00.000-07:00

yes, it's true. happy day!!

we celebrated by going to the A's game!!

honestly, tho, it was a pretty boring game... zero..zero...zero.. then suddenly the Angel's won. bummer. BUT my cute husband got a huge bratwurst and we can say we watch a "perfect game" pitcher! congrats no-name a's pitcher for being so awesome... except in the game we watched. ;)

i LOVE BRAD. in case you were wondering. really. he's my best friend.
he holds me while i cry at 6 AM when the shower door breaks and i'm stuck in the shower, and he has to wake up and get me out, cold and tired.
he takes out the trash EVERYTIME without asking.
he makes fun of me. constantly. but he makes me laugh. everyday.
he watches House and British PBS shows with me just so he can hold my hand.
he's hilarious, and sweet, and kind, and HAPPY and doesn't even make a face when i come home with a new pair of $10 sandals. he just says they look nice. he's perfect! ha.
and basically he's the bread and butter to my life. i'm glad we can hang out for eternity.
love you, B.

the thing is... i make a good sandwich

2010-05-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

i love May because it's been warmer and sunnier and it makes me hungry for a sandwich. we made sandwiches almost every day for a week. i make a pretty mean tuna salad- the key is the yellow & orange peppers- DELISH! :)