Texas Howdy!

Hello from Texas! That’s right we finally made it back “home.” Ben and I are pretty excited to be here and can hardly wait until the rest of the family arrives. Ben will be spending the week here with us in Sulphur Springs, then he will be back in Salt Lake for an exciting month of working. Then he will be on his way back again to San Antonio for Christmas.

The kids and I will be spending the whole time in Texas between the two holidays. We figured that would be easier on the kids than flying back and forth multiple times. So here we are. If you are close and what to stop by or get together just give me a quick ring and we will hook up.

So far our visit is going very well. Isabelle is enjoying her time with Grandma and Poppa. She has played golf, swung, and played in the sand. She is really enjoying her stay in Texas. We even taught her how to say Texas and answer that when asked where Poppa lives. She is too cute!

Barrett is just along for the ride but definitely loves all the attention he gets. I think he will really like it once his other baby cousin arrives and they get a chance to play. They should be pretty cute together.

I hope that everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving and enjoys all the good food. Happy Turkey Day!

Tundra Swans

It is such a joy to see our children’s faces light up when they do something by themselves or see something that they like. So on Saturday we went up to Bingham City to take a look at the Tundra Swan. Isabelle just loves birds, or all animals for that matter. I figured that she would enjoy seeing the swans and other birds at the refuge.

We took a two hour car tour of the refuge to check out our winged friends. At one point it was a bit of a struggle as Isabelle was ready to see something different but since it was a tour, we had to wait in line. Now we did not go prepared to see the birds, and what I mean is that I did not have any binoculars to see the birds with. For some reason I thought that they would be much closer and we could see them just fine. I think this is the first time since I have had my telephoto lens that I have been disappointed in it.

Either way we did get a chance to see a few birds but nothing up close to where we could identify what they were. Barrett just went along for the ride, and had a good time moving about the car. But I think he would have liked it to have been a little more fast paced. Oh well! At least Isabelle had some fun, and got a chance to check out some new birds. After all we are not “birders.”

Random thoughts

Well that test worked out well now I guess I can move on to more important things in life. Which really is not much, except that we think so. Nothing really new to report. Last weekend we went to Idaho and taught Isabelle how to say Pocatello. It is the cutest thing, she picks up on words so fast. Last week we did not do very much stuff at all. I did a test run of trick or treating with Isabelle at a nursing home and she soon figured out that people were giving her candy and loved it. Then we had a Halloween party for Mom's club which was wild. Thirty kids running around carzy hipped up on sugar. Sounds like a ton of fun. And this weekend nothing very exciting. The fall soccer season is over, so now I have to wait until spring for the fun to begin. I wonder if it will be cold then?

Test

Ok so I am just checking to see if this will post. I have been getting an error message that I have not found out what it means. Very frustrating when that happens. Oh well, I had interesting things to say but I guess it really does not matter.

Idaho Falls

Just for kicks last weekend we drove up to Idaho, let me tell you it is pretty easy to leave a state when you are so close to others. Texas it can take hours to leave the state depending on where you are located. Anyway, we sort of did a test drive to see how the kids, manly Barrett would do on a long drive. I think we will do great. Barrett did wonderful; he just got a little tired of being in the car later in the day. But overall he did great.

The drive to Texas was a concern for me early on in Barrett’s life, because he did not like being in the car. He would scream for the entire ride but now it looks like he will do great. I can hardly wait to leave for Texas. But I am not necessarily very excited about the drive. Oh well, it will be easier at least while we are in Texas to have a car.

Isabelle as always does great in the car, but we will have to get some stuff to keep her occupied. I think some crayons, paper and books will do her very well.

Now back to our trip to Idaho. Ben came up from taking a shower and said lets go to Idaho. I did not really have anything better to do so I said yes, that sounds great. We did not really have a plan, we just drove. We went up to Idaho Falls. Now there are two falls at least in Idaho, Twin falls and Idaho falls. One is supposed to be taller than Niagara Falls, but unfortunately that is not where we went. I told Ben I had better see some water coming over rocks before we leave Idaho. And we did. Idaho Falls is small but still pretty. The city uses their falls to supply the city with energy. There were a ton of birds, which Isabelle just loved. Overall it was pretty interesting, fun drive.

Happy Fall

I think that fall is my favorite season! The colors are just beautiful, the weather is cooling down, and it you can take the chance to slow down and to get ready for the holiday season. One of my new favorite fall activities is to visit the pumpkin patch with the kids. Now that Isabelle is older, she is really starting to enjoy the pumpkin patch and get into it a little bit more. This year we first visited a local nursery that has a huge pumpkin display where the kids can explore and go on a treasure hunt. She might not understand the treasure hunt premise but she has a lot of fun running around and doing kid stuff.

Barrett of course just goes along for the ride. He enjoys it most when Mom does not have his face in the sun. I have to be careful of that; his little eyes are sensitive just like his Dad’s. He did very well when I put him down to take pumpkin pictures. There was one pumpkin there that was huge. It was so much bigger than he was. I just had to put him down to see how he measured up.

Let’s see there was a hay bale maze that the kids could go through. Isabelle always got stuck in the same spot. I went through it with her one time to show her how but she still managed to get stuck in the same spot when she went through it again. It was too cute! She was a pretty big sport about it. She picked out a couple of little pumpkins to help decorate our steps to the front door and then one big pumpkin to carve out. We’ll be doing that later on this weekend; it should prove to be very interesting. I think that Isabelle will really enjoy pulling out the seeds.

I hope that you are all enjoying your fall season as much as we are

Petting Zoo

Last Friday we went to the petting zoo where Isabelle had a chance to ride a pony, pet the animals and play with her friends. It was so much fun. The little area where we visited is all decorated up for Halloween and they have witches all over the place that move or are themed in some way. But the petting zoo was probably the best for Isabelle. She just loves animals, we had to wait for our friends to all get there and she just kept asking to ride the pony and go inside. It was too cute!

The Onesie

Before I got married my friend Paige gave me a wedding shower for all of my college friends. Well one of my guy friends thought it would be clever to give me for a wedding present a cute onesie and rattle for all my future children to wear. So in honor of Rob Sinclair, I have dressed each of my two children thus far in said onesie. Here are a few pictures of Barrett in the onesie and of Isabelle because she hardly ever shies away from a camera.

What a day

What a busy weekend. Ben had family day at work, I called a couple of soccer and we had a picnic with my moms club. But overall it was a lot of fun and the kids had a great time. Isabelle got a chance to ride around in a fork lift and a truck. Barrett “drove” the truck, he was too cute. Don’t worry I don’t think this is their career path just for fun, and it is always nice to see where Dad works.

I think that everyone who made it to Family Day had a really good time. One gentleman brought his whole family, minus a couple of his kids. He was the coolest grandpa that day. The younger kids had a great time watching their parents on the forklift obstacle course, and seeing the boss get dunked in the dunk tank. That’s right it was the talk of the day. Ben was put into the water three times in a row by the same person. Someone was really taking out their frustration! The turnout was good and the concept was a good one. I think that next year Ben’s Family Day will be even better.

Our Mom’s club family picnic was great. We had a chance to show off our better halves and meet those of our friends. Plus it was a great way to get to know the other members, especially the newer ones. Usually we just hang out with each other so it is nice to see that a husband is around as well. Plus all of the kids had a great time together playing and eating. Overall we had a great weekend and a very busy Saturday.

Zebras, Elephants and More

“Get your popcorn here, fresh popcorn.” Or at least that is what I would imagine the vendors saying that the circus. That is right the circus is in town and we had the opportunity to see the Elephant Parade. We rushed home after exercising to change our clothes, feed the baby and wake up Ben to head downtown to see the elephants. Isabelle was so excited about the whole event. You would have thought the parade was just for her.

She waved at people we passed by along with those in the parade for good measure. She bounced with the music and cheered for the animals. I think she really enjoyed it. Barrett on the other hand felt that the time would be best spent closing his eyes but not really sleeping. After all it is not everyday that you get to see an elephant parade.


We enjoyed seeing the local school band, the clowns in their funny costumes, and of course the animals. We saw the horses, zebras and best of all the elephants, all walking in line holding trunk to tail. Ben and I had never seen an Elephant Parade so we were pretty excited as well.

Too Fast . . .

Ok time just flies by now a days! I can hardly believe that it is almost October. With the holiday’s coming up soon that just means we will be able to see more of the family in just a short while. Well during the month of September Mom and Dad Libby came for a short visit while they were here for the Usana convention. It was great getting a chance to see them for a while. If only our visit could have been longer. Dad and Ben had to leave early for business so Mom had some quality grandbaby time. Which of course is what it is all about anyway, right?

The kids are doing great. Barrett is getting so big, he gained 5 pounds over the last two months, which I can hardly believe and he grew four inches. So far he is going to be a pretty big boy. It just means he is getting the good stuff! Isabelle is picking up so many new words everyday. She amazes me with how well she does that is slowly staring to string them together into sentences. I think my favorite sentence so far is “love you brother.” It just sounds so sweet coming from her little mouth.

Ben and I are doing well. We stay pretty busy with work for Ben and the kids for me. But shortly I will be officiating soccer through our local rec center in an instructional league, which will be so much fun. I can hardly wait! Plus I figure it will help me get back into shape. We are still gearing up for winter here in Utah, and hoping to see some beautiful fall foliage; once it arrives I will be sure to send pictures. I understand that it is great.

October should be a busy one, with lots of fun holiday actives and this year the kids are going for the baseball theme for Halloween. I will be sure to send pictures of them all dressed up once I finish their costumes and we go to our first holiday activity. Other wise we are just getting very excited about our upcoming travels and can hardly wait to see everyone.

Don't Drive Away

I could not pass up the opportunity to show Isabelle “driving” the tractor. We visited this old historic farm here in Utah the other day and she just had to do what all the older kids were doing of course. So she had some help to climb up onto the tractor and was driving a way. She even tried to shift. It was too much fun!

Nothing New

I realize that I have not written an update in quite a while, so here it goes. Things are going well for all of us. Barrett is getting to be so big and he is smiling and making cute baby sounds all the time. He still really does not like the car but we manage some how. He as only rolled over twice and I keep hoping to catch it on video but not yet. Hopefully he will do it again soon so that everyone can see it.

Isabelle is as feisty as every! She is just so much fun. Everyday she does something too cute or silly that just completely expresses her Isabelleness; if you know what I mean. Her little mind is a sponge. She is learning so many new words and is slowly starting to speak in sentences. Her verbal vocabulary has surpassed her hand vocabulary but I still try to teach her new signs as I learn them. It’s pretty fun to watch her sign new words especially if it uses two hands. A lot of her signs you just have to know what she is trying to say to understand and process.

I can hardly wait until I can teach Barrett some new signs as well. I really do think it helps with overall communication. Ben is doing well, keeping the troops in line at work and trying to keep his “barn” running smoothly. He worked on Monday over the long weekend which I hope helped out, he didn’t really say. And of course I am doing well. I am ready to have a more consistent schedule so I can figure out when to get a work out in. I’m sure it will all come together soon. It is kind of hard when we don’t have a gym membership because I don’t have anyone to watch the kids so I have to wait on Ben. Either way, everything seems to going pretty smoothly here in Utah, we are just waiting for the weather to cool down.

The people we know here made it sound like right after Labor Day the weather makes this drastic change that upsets the balance of like; instead of gradual change. So far so good it is pretty much the same. I hope we adjust well to a real winter.

One Month Old

A month has already passed since Barrett entered the world. I can hardly believe it. Time just flies by when you are not looking. So far it has been a joy to have him around and getting to know him. I can sometimes hardly wait until he is moving around more and playing with his sister. He is going to be one tough kid! Plus I think that Isabelle will enjoy having a little playmate that is always around to play with. But what a cutie, I can already see a little personality developing in him.

Lake Jordanelle

Barrett had his first boat ride this past weekend. We went out on the lake with Ben’s coworker Casey and enjoyed the water for a short period of time. Barrett had his own life vest that fit great. I was so worried that it would be too big and would not work properly for on so young. But alas my worries were needless, as usually, the vest fit great. Barrett did wonderful on the boat, I think he liked it best when it was moving, but who knows. We even found a special spot for him to lie down right be the extra chair.

Isabelle thought the boat was a great adventure. She just wanted to explore the entire thing and figure out where she could go and do. While we were stopped getting ready to fish, she sat down to take her hand at driving the boat. It was pretty cute. Ben tired to get her feet wet but she was not too keen on that idea. She screamed so loud I think she scared all the fish away. I believe that she would have done just fine if Ben was in the water first and then she went in. Maybe next time she might like it better, after all the water was pretty cold.

Well our boating adventure did not last very long, because soon after we stopped we began to leak oil, because the cap came “unglued” and was not holding it in. So we decided that it would be safer to head back and pull the boat out instead of staying to fish out on the lake.

Instead we went down to the “beach” and fished from there. I did not think we would catch anything but Casey was actually able to catch a bass. We were all very surprised that such a large fish was so close to shore and that it ate up the hook. Every fish that is caught has a bad day after all. That was the only bite any of us got that day. I even tried but no luck. Isabelle thought the fish was pretty cool. We did not get her to kiss it but she did touch it, which is a good first step. Maybe over the holiday she will get a chance to kiss her fish.

While we were on the beach, I put Barrett’s feet into the water, and boy he did not like that at all. He might have been louder than his sister in his protest of being put close to the waters edge. After he calmed back down, he just rested for the remainder of the day. Over all it was a pretty good day and everyone got a chance to enjoy the fresh air, and beautiful scenery of Utah.

Support

I realized today that it has been a while since I have sent an update or any thoughts on life. So here we go! The kids are both doing great. Barrett is wonderful to have around and is really starting to get into a grove and settle on a good schedule that meshes well with everyone else. He is a great nursing baby and is always eager to eat when he is hungry. I think he will grow fast and continue to eat well. He also sleeps very well which as you know is every mother’s concern. He wakes up once sometimes twice a night, around 1 or 2 am and then again at either 4:30 or 6 am. I guess it just depends on how he feels. I personally like it best when he waits to eat until 2am and then not again until 6am. Other than that he is pretty much a go with the flow kind of guy. This is good since his sister has stuff she likes to do as well.

Isabelle is doing great and is adjusting very well to having Barrett around. She adds new words and understanding to her little world everyday. Ben and I really think she is something pretty special. But we are a little bit biased. But who would not be with two wonderful children. She helps out with putting Barrett’s diapers in the trash for, since the diapers I made him were all to small from the get go. Who would have thought that one, the pattern would run small and two that he would have been so big. Oh well, that just means I get to be a little more creative the next go around and figure out what will work the best for him.

As a side note I hope that everyone would openly support breastfeeding. After all that is what God intended the breast to be made for, not just as a sex object. The August issue of Baby Talk, magazine has a picture of a baby nursing, in profile, on the front cover. Over 700 people, including women who breastfeed, have written in to complain about the cover. Rather than show support or nature at its best. I hope that if you see a breastfeeding mother that you would tell her she is doing great and to keep up with nursing, instead of adverting your eyes or just walking by. For some women it takes courage to nurse in public while for others it is just a matter of daily life. That is how it is for me and many of you know that I would be the first person to make someone feel poorly for not showing support of a breastfeeding mother, no matter how old her child is. As with Isabelle I plan to nurse Barrett until he is done with “mommy milk,” no matter how old he is, nursing will always be an open option for him.

My irritation runs deep when you hear stories about women who are asked to leave stores, restaurants or parks because they have chosen to nurse their child. In most states, it is against the law to turn a woman away because she chooses to nurse. And for those people who have a problem with it they need to write their State Representative, instead of making rude comments towards the mothers. Fortunately for those negative people out there no one has made a comment to me or turned me away from any place I choose to nurse my child. After all it is his birth right.

Well enough for today and my soap box, but please do show your support for nursing mothers everywhere by congratulating those mothers who you see nursing. It is not so easy for everyone, as it has been for me.

New Arrival

Ok so I am a little slow with the update but here we are now. A family of four! We are three no more. We are very excited to announce the birth of Baby “O” at last. And so we welcome our new addition of Barrett Jack to the family tree. Big sister Isabelle is starting to figure out that Barrett is here to stay and I’m sure it will be no time at all before she figures out how much fun he will be to have around.

We did pick the day the Barrett would arrive which it seems to have turned out to be a great decision, because we could not be happier to have him home. Plus he was so big I think that if we let him stew any longer he would have been that much bigger. But you can never tell with these things.

Barrett is doing great, he nurses like a champ and is sleeping really well too. Only time will tell how that will go in later days. He has enjoyed much attention from Grandpa and Oma in the first few days of his life and will love all the attention he gets from everyone else when he gets the chance to meet them.

Isabelle can say brother and Barrett so we are well on our way to having a great big sister who loves to help out. She will bring over his diapers and try to get him clothes, if only she knew where to find his clothes. I’m sure one day I will find her trying to put on some of her clothes on Barrett who will most likely just sit there and not say anything about it. Needless to say she is adjusting very well to having baby brother at home. Plus I think with Grandpa and Oma here she has been seen to pretty well.


Mom and Dad are pretty happy as well and are doing great. Ben was a supper star during labor and delivery. He really helped me get through it all. The real challenge was waiting for the doctor to arrive when I really wanted to push, the nurses were saying, no you need to wait. But once the doctor arrived we got down to business and Barrett was out in six (6) minutes. I thought it was much longer but apparently not. I think they were all very surprised. I even remember apologizing for taking so long, now that seems a little funny to me. So for future reference, in my opinion, squatting while pushing out baby is the best way to go.

I even heard Ben say that we can wait to find out the sex again at birth. He decided that was pretty cool. I would have to agree, to here those words or see for the first time was just amazing. I think I even cried. I am very happy to have Barrett here in the world with us, not just because I am no long prego but also because we now have this new wonderful life to care for and love. Who could ask for a better gift?

The Predictions

The predictions are in; if you have not made a guess I suppose it is not to late. We are still all anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby “O.” Only a few days left until my due date I think we are very close to single digits. How much fun is that? It seems kind of wild to me I am still prego, I thought for sure that I would go early but this only goes to show that each kido is different.

Isabelle was ready to come early to be sure not to miss a thing. And she pretty much seems to be that way still. But what a joy it has been so far. I can only imagine what the rest of the years will hold. And then we have baby “O” who seems to be taking all the time he/she wants. Who knows what the future will hold for him/her.

Well just so you know what everybody guessed I will post the guesses online as well. I was very surprised at all the different dates and weights. I still personally hope for a July 4th baby to continue our holiday tradition but one can never tell. I was looking at the calendar of events for my Moms club and I was oh we should go to that and what about, that event, that sounds like fun. Then I had to stop and remind myself that I would have a new baby and might want to see how the baby fits into our schedule as well. So I guess I can hold off for right now on RSVPing to anything.

Name Sex Date Weight
Jordan Rowan Boy 25-Jun 8 lbs 6 oz
Avra Wallace Boy 25-Jun 8 lbs 8 oz
Rich & Roxy Boy 26-Jun 8 lbs 10 oz
Erica Chapa Boy 27-Jun 7 lbs 7oz
Grandma John Boy 27-Jun 8 lbs 2 oz
Monica Carmon Boy 27-Jun 9lbs
Anjie Behunin Boy 28-Jun 8 lbs 14oz
Don Libby Boy 29-Jun 8 lbs. 6oz
Scott T-R Boy 30-Jun 7 lbs 8 oz
Miranda T-R Boy 1-Jul 8 lbs 11 oz
Kathy Boy 1-Jul 8 lbs 6 oz
Jessica Libby Boy 1-Jul 8 lbs 3 oz
Mandy Davidson boy 2-Jul 9lbs 2 oz
Grandpa Libby Boy 3-Jul 8 lbs
Jodi Carcamo Boy 3-Jul 8 lbs 6 oz
Bernie & Susie Boy 3-Jul 9 lbs 8oz
Ben Thesing Boy 4-Jul 9lbs 2 oz
Grandma Libby Boy 4-Jul 7 lbs 14oz
Colin Behunin Girl 24-Jun 7 lbs 4oz
Amy McKinney Girl 25-Jun 7 lbs .5 oz
Josie Carcamo Girl 25-Jun 9lbs
Morvarid Rezaie Girl 27-Jun 8 lbs 4oz
Morgan T-R Girl 27-Jun 8 lbs 2 oz
Jory Dunn Girl 1-Jul 9 lbs
Ray & Kathy Girl 2-Jul 9 lbs 1oz
Missy Dunn Girl 3-Jul 8 lbs
Jodi T-R Girl 4-Jul 9 lbs 1oz
Colleen Libby Girl 7-Jul 7 lbs 4.5 oz
Nicole JeffersonGirl 8-Jul 8 lbs 4oz
Stacy Gress Girl 8-Jul 7 lbs 6oz

Happy Father's Day

Our Father’s Day weekend has been pretty good. Ben had a company meeting at the house and a little cook out afterwards. And he feels pretty confident that his management team is now more on the same page with him than before.

While he was having his meeting Isabelle and I spent the morning with Missy and Ariana. We went to the farmer’s market downtown and to the rec center to swim. A little something for Mom and something for Isabelle. While we were at the farmer’s market one of the radio stations had a sign posted, about making English the official Utah state language. I could hardly believe it. I wonder how many takers they had on that one. I just do not personally feel that a State should have to declare a specific language for its residents. And people wonder why American’s are thought of so poorly in the rest of the world. They do not take into consideration that America is a melting pot for the rest of the world and to declare an official state language would be similar as denying that there are other people in our country.

Ok enough of that for the moment, other than the blatant disregard for other cultures by one booth, the farmer’s market was very cool. I found out I could buy Isabelle’s goats milk direct from the farm, along with other products. The farm is really close to the house. Plus I could even have organic food delivered directly to the house from another vendor. Talk about a great use of time. After all with almost two kids soon, I might just want to save time shopping for other fun stuff.

I can hardly wait until everyone gets a chance to come visit, there are some great places that are close by for us to see and do. Isabelle and I recently visited some lovely gardens in the area, and hope to take everyone there so they can explore the beauty created in a mountain desert. Until then I hope everyone had a great Father’s Day and we are thinking about all of you.

And yes no baby yet. I think this time it might be closer to the actual due date! Keep reading and we will keep you posted on the impending arrival and the arrival of baby “O.”

Too Bad

Well tonight I thought I would send out short video of Isabelle at the zoo but unfortunately I was unable to get it loaded. I think they only take pictures. I guess I’ll have to do a little bit more research and see if I can later make that a change. Oh well for now, pictures will have to do.