Paul and Mieka Barlow Family Blog!

Rio - day 19 Barlow time

2011-10-25T04:43:00.005-06:00

Monday Oct 24.

Today was our last full day in Brazil. All other house guests left so all that remained were 3 1/2 Barlows. It was the first time in 19 days where it was just us. And i loved it!

Dane took a picture of us kissing.
Then he wanted a turn.
And our first and last dinner together as just the 3 of us.

Rio - 18 weeks

2011-10-25T04:39:00.002-06:00

Sun Oct 23

I'm unable to suck it in anymore so might as well start taking the weekly pics of the growing belly. Here i am at 18 weeks. I swear I've put on WAY too much weight on this trip, and being pregos, I have a feeling it's not going to come off until after March. Baby, I hope you felt well fed. I know your mom did. Can't wait to meet you, little one.

Day 18 - the Party

2011-10-25T04:19:00.007-06:00

Sunday Oct 23 -

Today we hosted some of the top leaders here in Brazil. We had about 60 people at the party, which luckily for me was catered. I've decided catering is the way to go. If I was in charge, it would have ended up being paper plates, plastic cups, hamburgers and hot dogs. As you'll see below, that's not how they do things here in Brazil...

Some pre party pics at the beach.
This is our beach house in the background.
The food.

Servers bringing you drinks. Oh the guarnana, how i'll miss you.

Paul in the background.

Rubia and I enjoying our meal. The meat was soooooooooo delicious.

Rio day 17 -

2011-10-25T04:02:00.003-06:00

Saturday Oct 22

Today we made a quick trip to Rio to do some shopping. I was pretty unimpressed at the market we went to. Half of it was electronic stuff - cell phones, etc. And the rest was just crap. I bought two small things but wasn't really in love with them. Next trip I'll have to find a better place to shop.

Dane and Paul outside of the Revv office. There is a really cool plaza with the theatre and other cool buildings.
Just chillin in the hammock.

Dane learned a new word today. 'Padaria'. Means bakery. But he doesn't care about the baked goods. It's where he gets a popsicle. I guess the key will be teaching him words around things he is interested in.

Rio - day 16 - Family Song

2011-10-21T05:39:00.001-06:00

Dane has found a new favorite song.

rio day 15 - huge surf

2011-10-21T04:24:00.008-06:00

Oct 20 - Thursday. We woke up to the sound of waves, much like we do every morning, but today was different. The waves were HUGE. And it wasn't just in the morning. It last all day. I swear i spent half the day just watching the ocean. Some of them were easily 10 ft. Could have been more.

In the pic above you can see how high the water came up on the right side of the picture (which is about 100 feet from where the waves were breaking. There is a huge drop off that you can't really get from this picture but that's what made the whole things that much more impressive.
The guy running on the beach gives a little perspective as to how big the waves were getting.
Mom holding onto Dane, getting ready to run if needed.
Look how high the spray was from the wave crashing behind Rubia. Impressive. Powerful.
And as the day wore on, the waves just kept getting bigger. What a sight.
And the day ended with a manicure/pedicure. It took almost two hours and didn't include any massages or parafin wax. I guess i needed a lot of work. But it only cost $10. So who got ripped off, me or them? I'm thinking them.

Rio - day 14

2011-10-21T04:17:00.002-06:00

Oct 19 - Wednesday.

Paul and Patrick went to the office all day. Dane, Rubia and I stayed home and just rested. I did laundry, had school with Dane, worked. Pretty boring today.

Rio - day 13 Cabo Frio

2011-10-21T03:34:00.011-06:00

Oct 18 - Tuesday. We decided to take a day trip to Cabo Frio and Buzios which are both tourist areas about 1.5-2 hours from here. They were absolutely beautiful as was the drive to get there.

But first we had a flat tire that needed to repaired.
Here were are eating lunch on the beach.
Then off to play in the water. Loved this beach because Dane could actually get in the water and play without me having panic attacks or having a death grip on his hand. You can see how far out the waves were breaking and it was very shallow for a long time.
Love this man. Thanks, honey for providing such an amazing opportunity for our family. We've had a great time.

This was in Buzios at an outlook.
And here is Dane patiently waiting for the car to cool down after it over heated. Wasn't a good car day... But the rest of it was so fun and relaxing.

Rio day 12 - the storm

2011-10-19T15:50:00.004-06:00

Monday Oct 17.
This is what our view looked like the first day we arrived in Rio.

And this was day 2 with a sunset. You can see an island in the distance and the mountain going into the ocean. Notice the blue tarp on the building how it's nice and calm...

And this was our day today. All day. Wind, rain, so cloudy you can barely see the ocean. This was at about 3pm. It looks much brighter than it actually was. Rain, rain, go away.

Rio - Day 11 Back to the Beach house

2011-10-19T11:00:00.003-06:00

Sunday - Oct 16. We didn't get in til about 3am so we were all pretty tired - except Dane who was able to sleep the whole ride. Patrick's family made a stop in Rio for two days on their way home to Utah so they stayed with us. And Rubia (Patrick and Paul's friend) also came in today too.
We spent the day inside since it was raining here too. Boo on the rain.

And that's Willians in the chair. He is on the corporate team for Revv and is also staying at the house for a few days. It's a full house. Right now we have 11 here. I've never fed 11 people. Boy are we going through a lot of food!

Day 10 - sao paulo to rio

2011-10-19T10:52:00.005-06:00

Oct. 15 - Saturday.
This image pretty much summed up the day. We were waiting for our ride to go back to Sao Paulo (which didn't happen til about 8pm). So we slept, watched movies and did nothing while the rain continued outside.

And Dane got to practice his big brother skills.

Rio day 9 - sao paulo 2

2011-10-17T11:35:00.006-06:00

Friday Oct 14. Today was a blah day. It rained. All. Day. Long. Boo. We opted for an indoor activity that Dane would enjoy.
A ride on the subway. We were with Fabricio (someone from Paul's mission and the house we were staying at).

Then off to a play area in a local mall. It was a mini arcade. Here is on one of the trampolines.

Shooting things with Dad.

Riding in a truck.

Infamous ball pit. What kid doesn't love being swallowed up in a rainbow of plastic balls?

Sharing ice cream with fabricio. Paul and I tried to get him to share ours but he wasn't having it.

And the last thing to make him happy... his Happy Meal from McDonalds. Hope you had fun today, Dane. We sure did seeing your cute smile.

And for home entertainment, he played Kinetic (i think that's what it is) from xbox - like the Wii but your hands are the remotes. Hence the funny pose.

Rio - day 8 Revv meeting

2011-10-14T19:53:00.003-06:00

Oct 13 - Thursday was the first really big meeting Paul has had for Revv since we arrived. And it's ironic to me that we had it at the old Tahitian Noni cafe so i couldn't resist taking a picture.

These are a few of the female leaders that showed.
And these are the male leaders. So surprised that Dane was all smiles in the middle of them and not acting all shy.
The meeting started at about 20 people and ended around 30. We were really please with the turnout. (And then the next night there was another meeting with about the same number.)
And just a little family photo before we headed to the meeting.

Rio - every day

2011-10-14T19:42:00.004-06:00

Dear Brazilians,

I know you can't resist this cute face and just want to squeeze, touch, poke, prod, kiss, hug, and any other form of touching all the time but enough is enough. He has the right to his personal space. When he runs away from you, pushes you away or squawks at you (since you wouldn't understand his English anyway), for the love, just stop. Stop touching. Do you not understand he doesn't like it? Yet, you keep going and going and going... I promise, he isn't going to warm up to you like that. I wouldn't either.

This cuteness can only handle so much, and mama bear is about ready to lose it. So, I'm warning you now, back down a little. Instead of 20 pokes/touches in an hour, maybe try 2. If so, he just might want to be your friend. And so will I.

Regards,

Dane's mommy

Rio day 8 - Sao Paulo

2011-10-14T19:28:00.002-06:00

Oct 13 we traveled to Sao Paulo. Dane got to experience boarding the plane on the tarmac which he loved. He was also thrilled to see we were going on 'the green plane' since his favorite color is green. This, however, is not a favorite airline of mine. Can't complain about the price though - about $140 USD for all three of us to fly. But you get what you pay for. My knees hit the seat in front of me. No drinks, not even peanuts. Don't worry though, this pregnant lady comes complete with my own American snacks.

I love the pic above.
And my two handsome men in my life. I love you both so much. Thanks for making this a memorable trip.

Rio day 7 - Belo Horizonte

2011-10-14T18:20:00.003-06:00

Not too much to blog about today. Since we were out so late last night (and Dane woke up at 530!) i was back in bed by 10. After some much needed rest we left to go to a park and also go to a lookout to watch the sunset.

I've never had a coconut.
And this was Dane's first taste too. He was a fan.
The sun setting over Belo Horizonte. Such an amazing sight. Wish our camera could have captured it better.

This is us in the plaza with the city in the background.
And one of Dane's new friends - Deborah. It was fun watching them play even though they don't speak each other's language. I've decided though that laughter is an international language.

Rio day 6 - Ouro Preto

2011-10-13T19:46:00.004-06:00

Today (Oct 11) we went to Belo Horizonte for two days. We were greeted at the airport by another person on Paul's team - Marlon. We were staying with his family - which was fabulous. His wife was an amazing cook. In fact, i was completely over fed at their place. She didn't think i was eating enough for the baby. I just hope i have enough Tums to last me the rest of the trip. Oh, the heart burn. And she makes her own cheese bread. One word. Yum.

Marlon, Paul and Patrick advertising their Revv.
And then that evening there was a planned meeting with others on the team but due to weather, only two showed. Since many rely on public transportation, weather can play a huge role on turnouts.
This whole area is know for it's mining of jewels and precious metals. There are lots of historic towns and today we decided to plan a day trip to Ouro Preto. Mental note, check the weather reports first.

We met up with Patrick's sister and family, who is also on vacation in Brazil, to join us. Coordinating with multiple people is a challenge and i've realized i'm not a huge fan. If Paul and i went on our own, we would have left about 11am. Instead, we didn't get out until about 2pm which put is right in the middle of a rainstorm.

Once we arrived, we went straight a restaurant. 1. because we were hungry. 2. To wait out the rain. Just after we sat down the power in the town went out. Great. Paul and Patrick ventured out to find something we could eat. Success at a bakery.
After eating we went to the museum and just as we were walking up the steps the doors closed. Yet another set back. So about all we were able to do was take some pictures. This is from the museum from above looking out over the plaza.

Dane with Erik (Patrick's nephew). They were having so much fun telling stories in the back of the car.
And this is the whole group. Then on the way home we got stuck in the worse traffic of our lives. Took about 2 1/2 hours to go 5 miles. Awesome. At one point we ended up in a "buses only' lane. Thank you patrick. By the end the whole day was so messed up that I was in tears I was laughing so hard. At least it was memorable.

Rio day 6 - traveling

2011-10-13T19:32:00.004-06:00

This is our week of traveling around. And this is how we waste time waiting for flights.

'come on patrick'

2011-10-10T18:01:00.002-06:00

This morning we wanted to leave by 9:30 to get the rental car back on time. At 945 Patrick was still downstairs getting ready. When Paul told him the time he had no idea. We got everything loaded up and waited, and waited. Dane was sitting is his car seat already when he yells out "Come on Patrick. Hurry up. I'm serious." Funny, funny kid.

Rio day 5 - catch up day

2011-10-10T15:01:00.004-06:00

I welcome down days after a few busy days. Today we returned our rental car - $100+ for 2 days, but over $60 in gas! Yikes. Transportation here is EXPENSIVE. Except our plane tickets between cities (like $140 for all 3 of us!). After returning our car, we went to Roberto's apartment where Dane and I have spent the day here while the others went to the office to work. Very different from the beach house. Constant noise, horns, delivery trucks, etc and the view of the next apartment building across the street. Not the tranquil crash of waves and blue sea to look at. I prefer the beach house.

After doing some work, i decided to get caught up on here. And since nothing else happened today other than a lot of sitting around and Dane keep saying "I want to go home", i'll post just a few random pics that haven't been included yet.

Here is the bouquet that paul's coworkers brought to me at the airport. So thoughtful.
Family time at the beach.
We finally got Dane some beach toys so he was thrilled.
More playing.
This is taken from the living room into the kitchen. Dane's playing "Angry birds, i'm making something and who knows what Patrick is doing...
Sunset. I'll get better pics of these. The sun goes down so early - like 530. And is up by about 5am.
Dane got the camera and kept himself busy while i did a little work. As you can tell by my face, not my favorite time of the day but something that needs to be done.
And this is one of my favorite pics. Love this little boy!

Rio day 4 - Sunday feast

2011-10-10T14:49:00.002-06:00

Today (Oct 9) was Sunday. Paul, Dane and I went to a local Brazilian ward. Dane wasn't too hot on not being able to understand anything. I was glad it was testimony meeting because I was able to understand a lot more than I thought. I decided to share my testimony. I cried. Brought back a lot of feelings from the mission. And there were two missionaries with their investigator there. So tender. As soon as I started talking, the room was silent. I think there is something about the spirit when someone is talking about the gospel in a language they don't understand. The spirit can speak stronger than anything that's actually said. Next week is stake conference. If we have a car (since it's a 25 min car ride away) Paul will go, but I dont think Dane will make it through 2 hours of Portuguese church.

Patrick, Paul's business partner is staying at the house with us. He invited a friend of his over and we also invited the corporate employee (Roberto) and his wife (Flor) to stay. It was nice having company.

Here we are just getting ready to eat. (Dane was napping.)
And this is what we ate. So yummy! Flor made a traditional brazilian dish with chicken, rice, beans.

And then we had to do a little laundry because we are leaving for the week to go to see some historical sites and for Paul to do a couple of meetings in other cities. It's been a LONG time since I've had to hang my laundry out to dry. Off for more adventures...

Rio day 3 - Sightseeing

2011-10-10T13:58:00.005-06:00

Today (Sat Oct 8) was a long, long day.It started at 630 am. This was how it ended at 1130pm.

We all survived and Dane was a trooper. We had plans to do more but with traffic, tourists, lines, etc we didn't get everywhere. (Pictures ended up out of order.)

The day ended with a trip to Walmart (notice shopping cart). We went to pick up a business partner's wife from work so they could come back to the beach house for the night. She works on the opposite side of town in the rich part where all the good grocery stores are so we took advantage to get groceries. It took about 2 1/2 hours from the time we picked her up til we got home (about 1130 pm). Partly because it was far, partly because of a wrong turn - not Paul's fault I'll add. In fact, he's the one who got us unlost.
Most of the time was spent at the Christ the Redeemer statue. Since is was made one of the wonder's of the world, it's become even more popular so it took awhile. lots of different lines. Once we got up there, while looking up at the statue Dane said "I don't like that guy. That's not Jesus." I guess he realizes at 4 yrs old that Jesus lives. He isn't a statue. Or that it was a good depiction of Him? Not sure but it was pretty funny.
Rio has amazing topography. We are standing on a mountain. The photo above you can see a lake, then some buildings, then the ocean. A smaller hill, etc. Below you see more city. There is just so much variety. Great views from up here.

This was the start of the day. Our bus ride to get our car rental. Dane loved the bus. I did not. Bad roads, car sick, boo. My hair is already hammered. Stupid humidity. But i love this photo. Dane looks so happy and he's holding my hand. Awww...
This is us picking up our car. Behind us is Sugar Loaf. Another tourist area where you can ride a gandola between two peaks but we didn't make it there. Maybe another day. It took about 2 hours to finally get the car. So we left at 730, rode the bus and didn't leave the car rental place til 11.
Just dane and mom chilling, while we wait...
Above this is looking out at Christ the Redeemer statue towards our place. The beach we are staying on is just to the right of Dane's head. you'll see a sand strip. We are at the far end of it.

We also drove past Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches. Super famous beaches. I didn't see what all the fuss was about. I've seen prettier.

day 3

2011-10-08T21:13:00.002-06:00

Day 3 was yesterday and pretty much the same as day 2, other than Paul worked from the beach house.

And we got home super late so day 4 will wait til tomorrow - sorry, Dad. :)

Rio day 2

2011-10-06T19:41:00.002-06:00

Paul left early today to go into the office, leaving Dane and I to ourselves all day. It was nice having no time schedule or agenda to follow. Totally unlike me. Completely welcomed. I'm tired so this will be a much shorter entry than i intended. Here is how the day played out:

7 - paul left

745 - dane woke up

830ish breakfast

9ish - i did some work emails while dane played

10ish - preschool time

11ish - 1st attempt to go to the bakery/store. Dane wanted to be carried and being 4 months prego, i didn't want to haul a 40lb kid up the hill. turned back home.

1130ish - went to the beach

1230ish -lunch

1ish - 2nd attempt to the bakery. Success. Bought bread, bananas and a ice cream bar for dane

2ish - nap

4ish - more work emails, then dane woke up. played, etc.

6ish - fix dinner (started to get dark and lighting is poor here so I used the lamp to see what i was cooking.

7ish dinner - spaghetti

930ish - Paul and Patrick finally made it home

Tomorrow I hope to go for a small run, read a little more and write about a few of the sights, smells, sounds that take me back...

Rio day 1

2011-10-05T19:59:00.004-06:00

So a lot has happened in the Barlow house in the last year, but now is not the time to play catch up. Maybe another day. Then again, if i didn't write in a year, maybe not. The quick highlight, Paul's business with Revvnrg has really taken off down in Brazil. Rather than splitting up the family for a month, we (Paul, Dane and I) all hopped on a plane and headed to Rio de Janiero to be near Paul while he works.

This was Dane's longest flight and going international too. He was an absolute trooper. I'm so glad we started travelling with him at such an early age. I think his first official flight (not counting all those while in the womb) was at 4 months. And we haven't slowed down since. He slept almost the whole flight from Atlanta to Rio. I did not.

We were greeted at the airport by about 10 distributors that Paul works with. They brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The whole thing was a pleasant surprise.

We just spent the day getting settled and loving our view.

Our greeting committee
Finally arrived in Rio.

no license needed

2010-07-31T21:38:00.002-06:00

Today Dane decided he can do anything on his own. I was in the kitchen and Dane came in, reached up on the counter, grabbed the car keys. As he turned to walk away the conversation went as follows:

me - What are you doin?
Dane - I'm leaving. I'm going to Cotsco (how he pronounces it).

I guess it's time to keep the keys put up/hidden. The scary thing, is he'd probably try to drive there. He's 2. I'm in trouble.

And earlier this week he got out of bed and my niece found him outside about 8am. I was at work, and dad was still asleep. Doorknob covers were purchased that night.

holding hands

2010-05-23T20:54:00.002-06:00

I always insists Dane needs to hold my hand in the parking lot. This was today's conversation.

"Dane, you need to hold my hand."

"I'll hold my own hand." And then proceeded to clasp both hands together and walk to the car. Funny kid.

cut the grass

2010-04-20T20:26:00.004-06:00

Mom: "Dane did you see mom finally cut the grass?"
Dane: "I want to cut grass."
Mom: "Ok, maybe next time."
Dane then goes into the house to get something.

Out he comes with this...
In case you can't tell, it's a butter knife. Let the grass cutting begin. I love my little helper.

drooping diaper

2010-03-29T22:59:00.003-06:00

When I walked into the room and saw this, there were no words. Only laughter.

high 5

2010-03-20T14:53:00.002-06:00

"dane, give me high-5."
"mom, give me high-6."

At least he's learning to count.

mac n cheese

2010-02-23T22:46:00.002-07:00

Dane was eating mac n cheese for dinner. It wouldn't stay on the fork.

Tossing in the towel he announced "Mom, my mac n cheese is bugging me."

texting

2010-02-17T20:30:00.003-07:00

Scary what dane's generation will encounter. He grabbed my phone and announced -

"I'm texting Cody."

Mind you, he's 2.

prayer

2010-02-08T16:45:00.002-07:00

In the last couple of days Dane has been saying his own prayers. This was the prayer last night.

"Heavenly father, thank you day. Bless Bryan. Bless mommy. Bless daddy. Bless me. (Starts looking around the room) Bless Sammy. Bless my coat. Bless blanket."

By the time he got to coat I'd lost it. Paul then stepped in and helped him close the prayer or we might have been there all night.

His prayers usually consist of Thank you, Nemo. Thank you, Dori. Thank you, Marlin.

Sure do love that kid.

father son conversation

2010-01-11T20:50:00.002-07:00

This is what over heard while cleaning up dishes.

"i'm watching daddy go pee pee... Good job, daddy!"

'Thanks Dane. I appreciate the encouragement."

frugal friend usa has started

2010-01-11T20:24:00.003-07:00

This is my first installment of frugalfriendusa.com. I'm going to start a couponing blog. I went shopping today with the intent to build up some food storage and a couple every items. Here are the coupons.

total bill above $2.18 for 4 boxes of cereal.

And then $16.00 for the other stuff.

Stuff I bought:

4 lean cuisine
7 boxes of cereal

2 boxes crackers

2 boxes cereal bars

2 boxes fruit bars

2 travel laundry soap

2 kids soap

Total spent: $18.50. Total saved about $35= 50% savings.

learning to share

2009-10-07T20:42:00.002-06:00

It's started. My two year old is throwing my lessons back in my face.

Dane loves to get into my purse. And he loves to get into my make up. Tonight Dane succeeded with both. First he grabbed my make-up. I took it away. Then he grabbed my purse. I tried to take it away. I had one strap and he had the other. In the middle of our tug of war, Dane looks up at me with his big brown eyes and says "Mommy, share?" And who says a two year old doesn't know what sharing means. Thanks for making me laugh, Dane. Love my boy!

Happy Birthday Great Dane!

2009-09-26T21:45:00.005-06:00

Two years ago at 10:40 am, was the happiest moment of my life. From the moment I saw Dane to today, my love grows deeper and stronger every day. Yes, I'm prejudice because he's mine but I don't care. He is the cutest boy I know. And I love everything about him.
Dane's top 10's-
Favorites:
1. movie: Cars, Finding Nemo
2. snack: fruit snacks, gold fish
3. breakfast: faffles and pancakes (eggo waffles)
4. ride at Disney: Buzz Lightyear or Dumbo
5. lunch: pita butter JELLY!
6. dinner: nuggedetts, quesadillas and pizza (not all at once of course!)
7. toy: race cars, tractors, riding fire truck
8. drink: milk
9. songs: Sunbeam, popcorn, wheels on the bus, bunny foo foo, alligator
10. parent: Mom, of course!

Activities:
1. playing in his box or ball pit
2. reading
3. Playing outside or going to the park - swinging and slides
4. farm country at Thanksgiving Point
5. visiting grandmas and grandpas
6. splash park/swimming
7. watching baby Einstein and Cars
8. cooking with mom
9. jumping on the bed and playing under the covers
10. listening to music

Sayings:
1. Go away Sammy
2. Kiss it (whenever he gets hurt)
3. play, mommy, play - especially when i'm trying to cook dinner
4. Faffles!
5. Jesus, kiss. Kids, kiss. (our nightly ritual)
6. Mommy funny. Self funny.
7. Race cars loud.
8. New car. Ride.
9. Rock you. Hold you.
10. One more time. (To anything when he's stalling.) or One minute.

Things we love about Dane:

1. Charismatic smile
2. contagious laugh
3. my little helper - laundry, cooking, cleaning
4. great personal hygiene: loves to put on deoderant, brush teeth, shower
5. big brown eyes
6. his hugs and kisses
7. His sing-song way of speaking.
8. His temper tantrums, especially when they end by him putting himself in time out by running into his room.
9. He is passionate about life, and very sensitive. It's easy to hurt his feelings.
10. Running everywhere he goes.

Birthday breakfast: bacon, eggs, pancakes, milk.And the funny look - Dane saying smile for the picture. Below: we spent his birthday in St. George and took him to Zion's Park.
Happy birthday, buddy. You have brought more joy to your dad and me than we ever thought possible. Can't wait to see what changes the next year will hold.

big boy goes potty

2009-09-19T23:08:00.002-06:00

Dane asked to use the potty this morning. After a few minutes I thought he was just messing around so I left the room and let him just hang out. He was on a training one so he could get up whenever he was done playing. After a minute I noticed he kept looking into the toilet. As I walked in, I hit a wall of stench. Just then, I saw the big log Dane had been admiring. He got off the pot, gave a funny face, pointed to the poo and said 'icky". Yep it was but I was so thrilled! He pooped and peed! We called both grandparents to announce the news.

I think it kinda freaked him out though because then about an hour later he told me he had to go poopie. But he didn't want to go use the bathroom. Oh well. But then before bed he asked "Potty, try, one more time." Ok. And he peed this time. My kid rocks. I don't know how much to ask, encourage, etc. I don't want to force it but he seems to be very willing to go experiment.

He turns two in one week. I'd love it if he's potty trained shortly after. Here's to hoping. :)

chubby

2009-09-18T23:21:00.002-06:00

When Dane was a baby Paul would always say to him "chubby, chubby" as he pinched a fat part of his body. Every once in a while Dane will bust out that comment. Yesterday he decided to do it in front of company (glad it was JV and not someone else). Dane came up to me and said "Mommy, chubby, chubby" as he pinched my fat ball, a.k.a. my boob. Gee. Thanks, kid.

first movie

2009-09-16T22:14:00.002-06:00

I decided to take Dane to his first movie tonight to test it out. The local dollar theatre was playing Disney's UP. Much to my surprise, it was pretty packed for a Wednesday night. Overall it was a success. I just hope the people around us didn't mind Dane's play-by-play of the movie.

"Balloon, up, sky, birdie big, thunder loud, balloon go?, BALLOONS, doggies run."

I think you get the picture. I forgot about the thunder storm in the movie. It freaked Dane out and he started crying so we had to leave until the 'scary' part was over. He watched the movie pretty well for only being 2 and would go from my lap to his own seat about every 5 minutes. After about an hour, it was time to pack up and get him home to bed. Until the next time...

coupon clippin

2009-08-13T22:25:00.002-06:00

I've heard a lot of people getting into coupons and carrying around those annoying binders, overflowing with coupons and they save a ton on their grocery bill. So, a few weeks ago I decided to join the "coupon clippin crew" a.k.a the "CCC" - so I just made that up and it's pretty lame but i'm tired so give me a break.

Anyway - I've gotten some amazing deals and have been able to start putting food into food storage and cut down on my grocery bill at the same time. I won't document every successful shopping trip but i will mention a few noteworthy ones.

8/13/09 Smiths Marketplace -

6- kellogs rice krispie treat (pk of 8)
1-box of Town House Crackers
4- Fruit snack (6pk)
12- cereal (mini wheats, raisin bran, corn flakes, apple jacks)
6 - pillsbury biscuit pks
3- pillsbury pizza crusts
2- pillsbury breadstick pks
1 - pillsbury french bread loaf
6 - eggo waffles (10pk)
4- colgate toothpaste
8 - keebler cookies (shortbread stripes, choc chip, grasshopper)

Total spent: $27.39
Total saved: $106.74

san diego

2009-08-09T22:01:00.009-06:00

This summer we vacationed with the Barlows in San Diego. We stayed at the Hotel del Coronado and had a blast. Thanks for the fun times, mom and dad!
(More commentary to come later. I'm too tired tonight.)

summer updates part 1

2009-08-09T21:33:00.003-06:00

Paul's 30th bday was a fun-filled day in Reno, NV. We were there for a chocolate convention so we had classes in the morning and then dinner that night with a group of friends. After a challenging game of bowling. We all let paul win for his birthday. :) check out his form - I think he's going on the PBA tour next year.
And a new sport being added to the Summer Olympics - sycronized bowling.

Dinner with fellow chocolate friends: Natalie, Munroe, Wade, Brett, Jared, Mieka, Paul

Dane's new best friend, and every parent's nightmare: talking Elmo.

My niece graduated from high school. If that makses me feel old, I wonder how my sis feels? ha.

Pre graduation dinner with the whole family.

Like father like son. Loves to read...

This year we went to Disney for my birthday. it was the best birthday ever because Dane had so much fun on all of the rides. Seeing him so happy made me happy. I know - cheesy but it's true.

And Dane couldn't wait to meet Mickey! He even kissed his nose.

people you want to meet

2009-08-01T22:51:00.002-06:00

Tonight Paul was doing another one of his facebook quizzes/survey. This one was about the people you want to meet. Conversation as follows:

P: You know, I'm not really sure who I'd want to meet. There aren't a lot of people I can think of.
M: Hmmm. I'm not sure either.
P: Well, I can think of one that I REALLY want to meet. Carl Jung. That guy is amazing.
M: Carl? Who's that? One of your nerdy scientists? Hahaha.
P: (slightly offended) Yeah.
And then he proceeds to give me all of Carl's credentials to justify how 'cool' it would be to meet him.

LOL. LOL.

I love my nerdy husband.

But sericusly, I'm not sure who I want to meet either. I need to contemplate and come back to it.

house of comedians

2009-06-29T10:13:00.001-06:00

"Daddy, funny.
Mommy, funny.
Self, funny"

boating, race cars and parties

2009-06-28T20:07:00.005-06:00

This was a busy, busy week. On Wednesday we went boating with Paul's friend. After seven years of not wakeboarding, I got up on the second try. Wahoo! And then about 5 minutes later, caught an edge, was ripped from the boots and face-planted. End of wakeboarding - for the day at least. Dane loved the boat and i'm sure he can't wait to get back out on the water. (Forgot the camera...)

Friday we took Dane to Lehi city parade. He wasn't quite sure of the noise, but by next year, he'll be running in the street for candy.
Saturday I ran 6 miles. For some that may not be big but I was so proud of myself. I'm training for a half marathon in August so every big run I have to give myself props. Then a few hours later Dane and I went to Jake (cousin) bday party. Lots of kids, cupcakes, slip-n-slide, bubbles. Lots o fun.
Saturday night was the highlight. We immersed ourself in a very American outing - drag racing! Can you say - redneck central! Beer, boobs, tatoos, and daisy dukes (on big women). Dane wasn't sure of the loud noise but he loved the cars! He'd say "Race car watch. Race car loud." And the best was when one popped a wheely and Dane said "race car broken".

Watching with daddy.

Vroom, vroom.

Sunday - 40th birthday party for our friend - Christian Overton. This was our gift to him.

Here is a video of the morning after the race.

laundry day

2009-06-26T14:34:00.001-06:00

Mommy's little helper.

punching

2009-06-24T21:58:00.002-06:00

The other day Dane and I were playing in his ball pit when he pointed to my cheek and the following ensued.

Dane: Owie, owie.
me: No, mommy doesn't have an owie.
Dane cocks back his little hand, makes a fist and socks me one, right in the face. Then points to my face again. "Owie, owie."
me: yes, now mommy has an owie. But no punching, that's not nice.
Dane hits me again.
Dane: "punching" then laughs.

My kid learned a new word! And action...Great.

all boy

2009-05-24T21:16:00.002-06:00

After Dane's bath i was starting to put his diaper on when he farted on me. Dane giggles. Says, "Poopie", then does it again. Nice, dane, nice.

bathroom stories

2009-05-11T22:03:00.002-06:00

My cousin is so good at documenting the stories of her kids. While her delivery will be much better than mine here is the beginning of what will be many Dane stories.

1. We have had an open door policy when it comes to the bathroom so we can hear if Dane is getting in to something (like we'd be able to do much while sitting on the pot, but that's beside the point.) A couple weeks ago, Dane came in while i was going to the bathroom. Dane announces what's going on "Poopie, poopie". (For the record, just #1.) Then he pulls off some toilet paper and proceeds to try and put it between my legs and then behind me. Thanks Dane, but mommy can wipe herself. Open door, is now closed door policy.

2. Today i was giving Dane a bath. He was standing up and started to pee. I think it startled him because he immediately bent over to see where it was coming from. When he did that, it stopped. So he stood up again. And then a squirt. What? Bent over again to inspect - nothing. Stood up again, and more squirts. Confused, looks at me, then down. Then gives up and sits down to keep on playing.

this face

2009-04-26T21:08:00.004-06:00

What's not to love about this face?
Big brown eyes. Check.
Mile long eyelashes. Check.
Chubby cheeks. Check.
Full, kissable lips. Check.
Double chin. Check.
Chocolate on nose. Check.
Yep, 100% lovable.

play time

2009-04-26T20:58:00.002-06:00

Just a couple of things to keep Dane occupied during the day. 1.Playing on mom and dad's bed.
2. Playing in the clothes hamper and wearing his favorite 'jacket'. Whenever he sees his chinese outfit he always wants to put it on.

3. Making daddy do the work, while Dane hangs on for the ride.

happy easter

2009-04-19T12:45:00.002-06:00

We had a great Easter this year. The weather was nice, egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's with the cousins and of course - a picture with the Easter bunny. Dane didn't really enjoy the experience - and I don't blame him. That was the scariest looking bunny I've ever seen!

Grandma - can I please have some candy now?

The goodies...

expanding vocab

2009-04-19T11:19:00.003-06:00

In the last month it feels like Dane is learning at least one new word a day. I know I won't be able to remember them all right now but as I do, i'll keep adding to the list. I'm doing this mainly for me - so when we have our next kid and he/she is starting to talk, I can remember some of the words Dane said earlier in his language development.

pancakes
faffle- waffle
walk
outside
peach
apple
nack - fruit snacks
nummies - sugary treats
fish - either gold fish or real fish (and shows the sign for it)
cereal (and signs it)
Barlow
elmo
koda - Dakota
Weny - wendy
Cheyanne
TJ
Jake
JD
Kellie
sammy
doggy
cow
duck
lion
mickey
pocket
closed
mashamellow-marshmellow
milk
juice
applesauce
cheese
nuggets - chicken nuggets
pizza
pretty - mom's jewelry
wuvu - i love you
elp-u - help me (he says help you because I would ask him "do you want mommy to help you?" - and he signs help
slide
swing
baa - sheep

weather report

2009-04-16T08:24:00.002-06:00

I love snow... except for today! It seems like every year people always say that "this is the worst year ever." So i'm documenting how crappy the weather really has been so next year when I say "this is the worst i've seen in years", I can look back and remember how truly bad 2009 was, and if i'm lucky, i may relive some of these angry feelings all over again!

From about March 16-24 the weather was beautiful mid-60s to 70 degrees. I was in shorts and t-shirts. Then we left for California the 26th and it was snowing that morning and the cold has stayed since. When we got back from Cali it was about 35-40 for a few days. Frigid. It warmed up to high 40s for about a week. Then it was raining and icky. On Easter - April 12, the weather was nice (about 60) but then the cold and rain started and again. And yesterday - the 15th it snowed heavy for most of the morning and early afternoon. It warmed up enough in the afternoon to melt it.

Then at 4am my blasted smoke alarm started beeping. The power had gone out and everytime it surged for the next 3 hours, it would beep. I couldn't get ready because I had no power, then I went to leave and saw that we had over 9 INCHES of snow in the driveway! Where did that come from??? Lame. So out comes the snow shovel, and here comes sleep deprived, ticked off Mieka to work... Watch out!

teach the little children

2009-04-12T22:36:00.002-06:00

It is never too young to teach your kids. The other day I was walking out of our room and Dane says something and made kissing noises. He kisses lots of things so I wasn't really paying attention. As we walked into the family room he does it again but louder. I look over and he's looking at the picture of Jesus, smiling and saying "Esus, Esus." Followed by his sweet little kisses. Yep, my kid loves Jesus. I may not do a lot of things right, but i know teaching him about God and Jesus are some of the best foundations I can give him to survive in the world.

And Dane, Jesus loves you back!

Great Dane

2009-03-22T20:05:00.004-06:00

Eight reasons I love Dane.
1. Has the best pouty face.
2. Looks handsome in a vest.

3. He loves to brush his teeth and go on walks. He multi-tasks and does them at the same time.4. Looks cute with long hair.

5. Or short.

6. He's a good eater. Loves his appie.

7. An artist at heart, with his body being the canvas.

8. Rocks the one sock, diaper, and backpack better than anyone I know.

march madness

2009-03-22T17:51:00.002-06:00

Basketball-loving runs thick in the Barlow blood. I had the tv on and Dane grabbed the remote and said 'ba'. I didn't know what he was asking for because whenever he wants to watch tv he asks for 'nine' (baby einstein) so here's the thought process when I'm trying to figure out what he's saying.

Hmmm. Ba? Sounds like when he says ball. Hmmm. He's been watching basketball with Paul lately. Hmmm. Maybe. It's worth a try. Change the channel to the basketball game.

Dane: BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Yep. That was it. And here's a video but it doesn't capture the true joy he had like the first time I changed it to the game. Man, i love this kid!

caribbean cruise

2009-03-15T20:50:00.005-06:00

Recently Paul and I went on a incentive cruise we qualifed for through our healthy chocolate business. It was to the Eastern Caribbean and we had a blast. We were gone just over a week, and while it was terribly hard to be away from Dane (we tried to call every day!), it gave Paul and I a chance to spend some good time together - without phone or internet. It was heaven!

We stopped in Puerto Rico, St. Martin, and Haiti (there is a small island/cove that Royal Caribbean owns so it was very safe).

By the end we were ready to get home though. This first picture is our little place we staked out in the airport. We were there for about 8 hours before our flight left. It was more of pain to go to the beach so we just slept and read. Surprisingly, the time went by rather quickly.
Almost every night was karaoke and Paul always brought down the house. Everyone was really good so i decided not to do it - no need to get boo-ed off the stage!

This is Nicolas and Annika. They are a couple from Sweden that we met on our 'Pirate Ship' (more about that later). They were lots of fun and I hope we stay in touch. They have 2 boys that were adorable.

Labadee, Haiti. We actually spent most of the day on the boat because it was terrible weather. It was cold, windy and raining. In the next picture you'll see what I mean. Long sleeves and hot chocolate!

I felt like we were on a date ever night. We'd get dressed up (not always formal), eat a three course dinner (or in Paul's case 5-6 depending on how many appetizers and steaks he'd eat), then go to a show. The shows ranged from comedy, to plays, to acrobats, etc. They even had ice skating but we never made it to that one.

This is a picture on the Pirate Ship. While we were in St. Martin Paul wanted to do something piratey since we were in the Caribbean. This was one of the excursions. We were able to go snokeling. I haven't developed the pics from the water camera yet.

On the boat ride to our snorkeling location. The weather didn't completely cooperate but it was still beautiful and the water was a vibrant tourquoise.

And the whole reason we went on this excursion was because of the "cannon" on board the ship. I think this was the hobbit pirate ship.

And another from the ship.

We were on the biggest cruise ship there is right now. Over 4000 people, ice skating rink, pools, surfing, rock climbing, mini golf, etc.

At the fort in Puerto Rico. We just walked around old San Juan rather than doing an official excursion.

Paul preparing for the safety drill. Hey hottie!

Leaving Miami Port. Sun, here we come!

increasing vocabulary

2009-02-08T20:41:00.002-07:00

I can't believe how well Dane communicates. His vocabulary seems to grow daily. Here is a list of what he says (or attempts to say).

mamma - mom
dada - dad
bampa - grandpa
bamma - grandma
eye - eye
noooose -nose
ebo - elbow
nono - no (and he shakes his finger while he says it)
sha-uuuuuu - socks/shoes (with the funnest inflection)
dirty - dirty diaper or garbage
poopie - poopie diaper or going to the bathroom
ba - bath
cookie - cracker or cookie
nana - banana
appie - apple
wawa - milk, water, drink
amen - amen, pray
nigh, nigh - nap, bedtime, goodnight
owie - paul's scar
caclat - chocolate
nine - baby einstein dvd
snow - snow
puppie - puppie, dog
dane - dane
ou - outside
yide - ride
yite -light
schwalat - sweet
ball - ball

Sign language that he knows:
eat
blankie
more
please
thank you
bye
pray

That's all I can think of for now. If I come up with more I'll add them later.

catching up

2009-02-08T20:19:00.002-07:00

Dane is mommy's little helper. He loves to sweep and vacuum.
The last week and a half Dane and I have been really sick with a cold. Dane was so snuggly and would just walk around the house with his blankie wrapped around his waist like in the photo below. He was so adorable but it was so sad to see him so sick. He loves his blankie and he even made up his own sign for blankie. He puts his wrist up to his cheek like he's snuggling with his blankie.

While my parents were in China they picked up an outfit for Dane. The pic doesn't even do it justice.

My beautiful friends. We missed you Nicole!

the rest of christmas break

2009-02-08T19:55:00.003-07:00

Here are a few more pics from Christmas holiday. Dane loved spending time with his grandparents and cousin. And we also made daily trips to the park which was a nice break from the cold Utah weather.

random pics

2008-12-27T22:04:00.002-07:00

I taught dane to smell the poinsetta's. too bad they were fake! ha.

Dane had no clue this sticker was on him. it's all about branding...

"mom, when can we go out to play?"

More pics over Christmas vacation

2008-12-27T21:48:00.003-07:00

My new niece, Noelle, was born the day after Christmas. She's a beauty already!

Paul and I have a tradition that started 6 years ago when we were just dating. When I went to California over Christmas break to meet Paul's family, he took me to Ruby's on the pier in Newport Beach. We've gone every year since then. This is the pic from this year. I'll have to find the others and post them all too.

This was on the way to the pier.

Dane was loving the wind the day we went to the beach. Most kids would turn their faces away from it but dane was looking right at it.

Dane loves breaking all the rules with his uncles. He just smiles and they let him do whatever he wants. We don't let him play on the computer, but uncle cody does!

Dane videos

2008-12-27T20:57:00.002-07:00

Here are a couple of videos from Dane over Christmas.

Dane loves his tunes.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T20:29:00.003-07:00

We spent Christmas in California with Paul's family. It was very relaxing and great weather but I missed the white christmas we would of had in Utah.

Dane loved opening his presents and playing with his new toys.

Here he's playing with cousin Elizabeth and Aunt Veronica. (And if it looks like she's about to have a baby - she was. Veronica had Baby Noelle the next day, 12.26.08.)

One of Dane's favorite toys was the ball pit. This might be replacing the box. We'll see...

"Mom, I want to open this one."

modern medicine

2008-12-10T13:31:00.002-07:00

I'm grateful for modern medicine. Without, i would have been a widow at 27. Instead I have loving husband and a beautiful little boy that I adore. Paul is in surgery again right now trying to fix a hernia caused by his new kidney. It's nothing serious but something that needed to be fixed before it became serious. It was 3 years ago on the 13th that paul received his transplant. It looks like December is now his month for surgeries.

I'm grateful for life, grateful for doctors and especially grateful to family and friends that help and support us during these events in our lives. Thanks, everyone!

plaid

2008-12-04T21:20:00.002-07:00

A Short Story about Plaid

Mieka: "So, how do you like your new shirt?"
Paul: It's ok. But I don't like stripes.
Mieka: yes you do.
Paul: No. I just like plain shirts.
Mieka: You have plaid shirts. Plaid is strips in both directions.
Paul: I don't have any plaid shirts.
Mieka: yes you do! red/white, blue/white, multi-color. They're some of your favorites. (Mieka goes to closet to retreive plaid shirts.)
Mieka: See. Plaid shirts.
Paul: Those are't plaid.
Mieka: Then what would you call them?
Paul: Boxy.

Mieka laughs uncontrollably. The end.

body

2008-12-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

After almost two years my body is back to normal. Period.

dane's toys

2008-11-23T21:38:00.002-07:00

The box 0' fun continues. I was going to throw the box away but Dane still plays in it on a regular basis. In fact, we had some friends visit and their 3 kids climbed in also. I'm really contemplating whether I should get him any toys for christmas or just some bigger boxes...

Thanks grandma Barlow for the great toy. And if you watch closely, you can see dane wink twice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEgprZ1_Ze0

holy crap

2008-11-13T21:30:00.002-07:00

The title was my exact words as I was driving to work today and saw gas was $1.99. I couldn't believe it. I remember when gas was $0.89 when i was in college (1999). And then a couple months ago it was $4.30. I didn't think I'd ever see it below $2.00 again. Glad it is.

daddy playing

2008-11-06T21:00:00.002-07:00

Every day when I get home from work I'll find Paul and Dane playing. This is what I came home to today.

Thanks for being an amazing daddy! I love you, Paul.

first steps - on Halloween

2008-10-31T20:40:00.005-06:00

Meet "The Lion, Witch, and The Wardrobe

This morning Dane was just taking one or two steps at a time and then would fall. By the end of the night this is what he was doing.

1st time at Disneyland

2008-10-31T20:27:00.002-06:00

Paul's parents were kind enough to give us annual passes to Disney. It only took me having a kid to get Paul to take me to Disneyland. :) Dane had a great time and was a trooper since he woke up at 7 am and didn't get his nap until 2pm. I think that Pirates was the favorite ride - Dane just snuggled up to Paul and took a little nap in the long, dark ride.

empty lot = empty conversation

2008-10-27T15:54:00.002-06:00

This is a portion of the conversation today while on a walk with Dane. You be the judge, do we have communication issues?

Mieka: I wonder when they are going to build on this lot. It's huge! Do you think that it's one lot or two?
A pause - and inspection of lot size.
Mieka: I bet just one. Too small to be two.

Three houses later...

Paul: Hey, someone told me there was an empty lot on this street. I wonder where it is.
Mieka: Are you serious?
Paul: yeah. (Starts looking around).
Mieka: We just passed it. We had a conversation about it.
Paul: We did??? No. Really?
Mieka: Yeah. (And then repeats the above conversation).
Paul: Really? I didn't see it.
Mieka: We're going back.

Upon arrival of the empty lot Paul looks around, nods and says "hmmm, interesting." And keeps walking.

So what's worse, Paul doesn't remember the conversation or Paul didn't even notice the large, empty lot? :) I love my husband.

funk is over

2008-10-26T20:28:00.002-06:00

I'm happy to say that i'm out of my funk and feeling better about life. And a big reason is this cute little boy.

The first pic Dane was waving to someone on the TV.

And the second - notice all of the toys in the background, and then look at Dane's favorite toys that he's holding. The remote and my phone.

post it note entertainment

2008-10-19T20:40:00.001-06:00

New found entertainment - the post-its.

Notice all of the new pink tabs around him. And then the fun ran out...

funk

2008-10-14T18:44:00.002-06:00

I've been in a complete funk the last couple of weeks. Upside down economy, company layoffs (including my best friend), eating into oblivion has lead to stress, sadness, loneliness, rage, guilt, worry (just to name a few). I sound like drama and maybe I am. I don't care.

I know the economy will rebound, friendships can repair, and I can be happy again. When? I think one day, soon...I hope.

first word

2008-10-05T20:26:00.002-06:00

I just love this photo so i thought i'd post it even though it has nothing to do with this post.

On Friday Dane officially said his first word. Paul was out of town so my friend Jennifer was over. I had given Dane his bath and we were standing outside his room. I told him to tell Jennifer "night, night". He usually waves to tell anyone goodbye or goodnight so that's what I was expecting. All the sudden he says "nigh, nigh". Jennifer and I looked at each other, mouths gaping open. Was that really his first word? Yep! He has since said it both Saturday and Sunday nights before going to bed.

Paul has been working with him every day to say 'dada' but 'nigh, nigh' won out. I know it's just the first word but it was really exciting. Soon we won't get the kid to be quiet.

Ode to the breast pump

2008-09-28T20:26:00.002-06:00

Sorry if the title makes any of the male readers uncomfortable. Feel free to skip this entry - you've been warned.

Since I started back to work after having Dane I have had to pump 2-3 times a day. I wanted to breast feed as long as possible so with that meant pumping for that whole time. While i've loved breastfeeding, I HATE pumping. Maybe it's because I feel like cow or because it's not natural to hook your breasts up to a machine. And then to haul your pump down the halls at work and have people make comments cause they know exactly where I'm going and what I'll be doing while locked in a closet. Oh how I'm glad those days will be over.

Not many of my friends have been working moms so I don't know if they fully appreciate the pumping process and fitting it in where possible. While it might not seem sanitary, here is just a sample of some places I've had to do the deed to make sure either my baby was fed or i wasn't in complete pain. Don't judge! You don't know...

1. Orlando FL - catalog conference (oversized handicap stall bathroom)
2. Reno NV - conference bathroom
3. Lake Tahoe - lake cruise
4. Denver, Co - on a press check for work (bathroom)
5. airport bathrooms
6. driving (i know not safe but I had one hand free)
7. closet at work a.k.a napatui
8. mall parking lot

I started Dane on cow's milk this week so tomorrow is the first day in almost 12 months that I won't hook myself up to that loathed machine and hear the hmmm that I so passionately detest. Yippee!!!

help mom

2008-09-28T20:12:00.002-06:00

Luckily I had my camera close by while playing with Dane. His car went under one of his toys and he dove in after it... He retreived the car - mission accomplished. And then he got stuck. I just kept taking pics instead of helping. I'm so mean! I should have taken a video... next time.

Paul has been after me to cut dane's mullet. I finally gave in. Here is my little man.

more bday party pics

2008-09-27T21:02:00.002-06:00

birthday party

2008-09-27T16:22:00.007-06:00

Dane's birthday party was a big hit. Thanks to family and friends for coming and making it so memorable!

I had to take separate picture of the cake. I decorated them all by myself! Not too shabby for a first attempt (and possibly last!). :)

Thanks auntie jennifer for taking such adorable pics!

"I'm done, mom! Take me home, i'm ready for my nap."

Happy Birthday Dane!

2008-09-26T22:44:00.005-06:00

A year ago our lives were forever changed. I walked into the hospital terrified. And I walked out feeling a love so intense i could physically feel it growing inside. With a beautiful baby boy in my arms, Paul and I began a journey we weren't sure we were prepared for but one we looked forward to.

We are so grateful that this little spirit found his way into our home. Dane, we love you!

And a year later, you're still just as cute as the day you were born!

many faces of dane

2008-09-08T21:27:00.003-06:00

Dane has started to make this face a lot whenever he gets excited about something or wants to point something out to us. And then he makes a "whoo, whoo" sound at the same time.

OCD

2008-09-08T21:09:00.003-06:00

Paul has OCD. It only manifests itself in certain situations though. He can't stand to have things just haphazard on the counter or table. For example, if I've sorted through the mail and left a few things slightly turned, he'd come along and straighten them. Now, if there is something on the floor that needs to be picked up, he can't even see it. But a pen not in alignment with another pen... well, that's just not acceptable.
So sometimes I like to play little tricks on Paul. If i notice him straighten papers or pens I'll mess them back up again when he's not looking. And without even stopping to think, he straightens them again.
On Sunday we were running a little late to church but Paul found time to do a little straightening before leaving (and notice that he didn't put them away - i guess too much effort!)
Before (I'm guessing this is what i looked like before - I had to recreate since it wasn't planned)

After...

hip, hip, hooray!

2008-08-28T21:26:00.003-06:00

I love to learn how to do new things: sew, paint, blog, cook, golf, garden. I don't think we give ourselves enough credit when we have accomplished a new task - big or small. Once you've learned something new do you clap for yourself or wait for others to do it for you? If you are the person who waits, you might be waiting a long time. Starting today, challenge yourself to learn something new, and then give yourself a hand when you've done it. Be your own little cheerleader.

and don't forget practice makes you better...

August activities

2008-08-22T21:30:00.003-06:00

I'm not sure why the images keep uploading weird. To the left Dane, the farmer, is watching over his crops. This is the aerogarden that Paul bought me for my birthday. Right now we're growing herbs - the legal kind. Dane keeps getting into trouble though because he's always grabbing them.

Look mom, no diaper!

And my favorite pic. Good morning sunshine! This cute face greets us every time we get him up in the morning. How could you not start off the day in a good mood after seeing this face? He takes after his mama - early to bed, early to rise...

Dane is now learning to walk.

food preferences

2008-07-27T21:27:00.002-06:00

This week was pretty slow and for the most part same as always. Now that Dane is eating more solid foods, he is also starting to develop more of an opinion about what he likes. He eats most everything you put in front of him. Except this week he decided that he didn't like my homemade green beans and rice. He kept pushing my hands away. Yet somewhere he decided that dog food was tasty to his pallet! I know that won't be the first time he'll eat dog but right now he's too little to chew it and choking is not acceptable. Well - eating dog food in the first place isn't really acceptable!

Poor little Dane has been sick with a cough and runny nose. I'm still not sure whether to take him in to the doctor or let him ride it out. He has also been teething for a few weeks. He broke one of his top front teeth at the begininng of July (on the Montana trip) and then the other one broke through today.

Paul's been busy with chocolate and I've been busy weeding. I'd rather be busy with chocolate.

new addition to the family

2008-07-20T20:03:00.003-06:00

The newest addition to the Barlow family is Darth Winston. He is a mini Schnauzer. My best friend and her family are moving to NYC and couldn't find a home for Winston. We hated to see him at the pound so we said we'd give it a try. So far it's been great. Sammy has loved a friend to play with. Dane isn't as big of a fan though (although not apparent from the pic). One day Winston came in and went straight for Dane. He only licked him and kept sniffing his face but Dane wasn't cool with it.

5 year anniversary

2008-07-20T19:48:00.002-06:00

Last Friday, the 18th, was our 5th wedding anniversary. We decided to just go to Park City for the night since we've been traveling so much this summer. I'll spare everyone the details, but basically the day started off terrible and continued through dinner. Just to list a few: problems with the car, Paul not liking the date planned, walking 1/2 mile in heels (don't ask!).

It wasn't until dinner at Ruth's Chris was almost over that we both we're able to put the day behind us and start to have fun. Then we got to our hotel room. AMAZING! One of Paul's business associates owns Hotel Park City and hooked us up. This is picture is outside the master patio. You can't see us very good, but the circular thing on the left is our private hot tub that overlooked the little pond on the golfcourse in the background.

The next morning we hand complimentary room service, thanks to Glen!
And this was the view we got to enjoy that morning. It was breathtaking!
Here is the inside of the condo. The master suite is on the right, through the double doors.
Then after we left the condo, we got a couples massage, ate lunch at our favorite Mexican place, then home to Dane. We've had some great memories the past 5 years, and we both look forward to many more.

4th of July and Montana

2008-07-13T20:14:00.005-06:00

For the 4th this year we went to visit some friends in Priest River Idaho on our way to the Thueson Family vacation in Montana. We had a great time, lots of yummy BBQ food and a super firework display.
Dane and his twin...
Here we are in Montana at Whitefish Lake Beach (but we chose the grass since it was nicer than the rocky beach).

This is the inside of one of the condos. They were really nice, and very roomy. With 14 people it still didn't feel crowded.

And the view of the 13th hole (i think) from our balcony.

Dane has two cute ends. (Don't hate me when you get older, boy!)
Dane loved being pushed around in his "car' by his cousins.

glacier park trip

2008-07-13T19:28:00.006-06:00

We went to Two Medicine Lake and as you can tell, it was really windy. Dane loves wind so he didn't mind.

Can you say Cheerio Belly?
Our family pic with Two Medicine Lake in the background.
While on our hike to Swiftcurrent Lake, we saw a moose on the side of the trail. This bull moose was just chillin' while the mom and baby were playing in the lake.

This is us at Trick Falls. Short but beautiful.
And here is Dane at the end of a very long day!
And then 30 seconds later...
We had a blast! What a beautiful place. I feel so blessed to grow up in Montana, and have Glacier Park as my backyard. We can't wait to go back.

more helicopter pics

2008-07-13T18:52:00.002-06:00

A few more pics of the helicopter tour. Read following entry for details on trip.

The waterfall below was actually on our drive in Glacier.
Just a cool flower. Thanks Jennifer for showing me how to use the foliage setting on my camera. :)

helicopter tour

2008-07-13T18:39:00.003-06:00

While in Montana, my siblings (Wendy, Dave, and Emily) and I went on a helicopter tour over Glacier National Park. It was one of the most amazing, beautiful sights I have ever seen. I've been into the park numerous times, but it was such a different experience from the air. There were a few times that we hit some turbulence and the helicopter was really shaking. I kept grabbing the side and emily would just laugh at me. It just kept thinking I hope we don't go down; I have a son and husband to get home to. And the thought crossed my mind that if we did crash, it would happen in one of the most beautiful places on earth. God sure knew what he was doing! I have a ton more photos (over 200 from the whole trip) so let me know if you want to see more.

9 months old!!!

2008-06-29T20:18:00.002-06:00

Dane is already 9 months old! Can you believe it? I can't. At his 9mth check up they asked about his development and crawling. "Is he creeping, crawling, or cruising?" Cruising! He's so cute and so much fun. Here are his stats:
height - 27.5 inches
weight 18lbs 12 oz
head - 44.6cm
All still within the 25% range.
Dad workin and Dane eatin. My sweet little family! I love you both!

ketchup

2008-06-24T22:38:00.002-06:00

Let me set the scene. Paul and Mieka in the kitchen, talking. Paul starts to make hotdogs. He opens the bun, grabs the ketchup bottle and starts to turn in upside down. He notices the annoying liquid that gathers at the top of ketchup when it hasn't been used recently. You all know what i'm talking about. Paul analyzes it. (Thought bubble: to pour or not to pour.) Slowly, he turns the bottle upside down and lets all the juice run onto the bun and then finally, normal ketchup.

Mieka: "Uh, you do know you can shake the bottle beforehand to get rid of the liquid, right?"
Paul: "Really? That's how you do that? I've always wondered.
Mieka: "Are you serious?" Chuckles.
Paul: "Yeah. Hmmm."
Mieka: "And how old are you?"
Paul: Laughs, "Uh, 12!"
Mieka: Yep, that's what I thought."

Reno

2008-06-22T21:40:00.003-06:00

Paul and I just got back from the Xocai conference in Reno. We left Dane with my parents for the weekend and it was probably one of the hardest weekends of my life. I only cried three times but thought about him ALL the time. Paul and I had a good time and learned a lot of valuable information. We went on a dinner cruise on Lake Tahoe that was absolutely beautiful. That was one of the highlights for me and the other was hearing Robin Sharma speak. He's the author of "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" (I think that is the title). He was amazing and very inspirational. The next night we had a formal dinner. Paul looked handsome, even though he hates dressing up.

While it was nice to spend some good time with each other, I was so excited to get home and hold Dane. When my parents picked me up at the airport, Dane was very excited to see me but was mad when i didn't get him out of his carseat right away. I was hoping he would be so happy to see me that he'd just cling to me, but the minute my dad put his arms out to hold him he went right to him. I was crushed! At least he had a good time with my parents though. Thanks mom and dad!

Happy Birthday Paul

2008-06-22T21:24:00.004-06:00

Last week was Paul's birthday and unfortunately for him it didn't turn out how I'd planned. We were going to have a small party at my parents and then go out to a movie. That all changed when my dad and nephew came down with the flu and then we took Dane to the doctor and found out that he had an ear infection. It was his first ear infection and i was really concerned with that because Dane was staying with my parents while we went to Reno and I felt bad leaving him while he was sick.
Sorry the day wasn't as good as i should have been, Paul. I love you and next year will be much better, I promise! :)

Crawling

2008-06-17T08:11:00.002-06:00

I forgot to mention that Dane started crawling while we were in California (the first week of June). He still needs some coaxing to really get going but he's doing it. He will do the army crawl and also regular crawl. I'll try to post a video of him crawling after my hair; that's what gets him going the easiest. You'll see why I chopped my hair; he's obsessed!

K- this isn't the video of him crawling after my hair but it is one of the first attempts at crawling. Needless to say, we have since had to move the dog food and water.