Happy New Year! 2012!!!

At the New Year's Eve Party at Robinson's, we wrote new year's resolutions on paper lanterns and sent them off!  Great idea, Nate!  Jeff and I resolved to eat healthy... dang it!

Soo much fun!  We felt a little like Rapunzel from "Tangled."

Yay 2012!  It's going to be a great year!

Our Kids--We are Blessed!

Lauren is "16, going on 17" and doing everything she can to get it all done!  She is driving, works 20 hours a week, takes several AP and honors classes, is in the Chamber Orchestra, and still goes to YW just about every Wednesday Night.  She is a great daughter and is learning some great life lessons!

Allison is 13 and almost old enough for make-up and school dances!!!  She is a passionate, motivated girl and a great helper :)  I thought it was funny that during the Christmas Season she would always surprise me as she would tell me how many days until braces come off, rather than 'til Christmas!  I believe that day is January 19th! 

We are soo glad to have a boy among these girls--and what a fun guy he is!  Cal is 10 and loves to play with his buddies, thank goodness we have several of those close-by. ( It keeps his testosterone levels where they should be.) He is really turning into a sports head.  He can tell you just about any stat you need to know, and I don't know how he does it--because we don't have cable.  He's also been known to play b-ball, even now while it's winter, until his fingers are numb!!!

Lindsay is 5 and has started Kindergarten this year and I don't know where my baby has gone!  She is getting tall and learning how to read and anything else you put in front of her.  Her favorite thing to do, besides playing with her babies and her friends, is playing on someone's iPhone.  Kids these days!  

Christmas Card

Merry Christmas 2011!

More Dances!!!

Lauren and Jonah going to Maple Mountain Homecoming 2011.

Lauren and Ethan went to Sadies--"Super Hero" Theme.  Lauren and Ethan were wearing Green Lantern Shirts.

Lauren and Jacob going to Morp--"Rock Star" was their theme.  They had these awesome neon hats for the dance.  They were quickly the envy of all the kids.  Cool. 

There was a large group effort at home to put them all together--I think there were 12 in all -- whew!

Happy Halloween!

Lindsay was a bride for Halloween this year. Here she is at her school Halloween Parade!  Her friend Hayley is beside her.

Calvin was a Miami Dolphin--he would dress like this everyday if we let him.  He's next to his teacher, Mr. Fluckiger--best teacher ever!!!

Goooo Cougars!!!!

Cal got to go with all the Barrett Boys to the BYU vs. TCU game at the Cowboys Stadium!  He was soo excited!   You have to understand what a BYU fan this kid is...he is true blue!

He even find's signs in his Honey Comb cereal!

Jeff likes to tell the story about how they all got to the stadium early to check it out.  It is an amazing structure!  Jeff said to Cal, "Should we go up to the top and down to the field?"  Cal replied, "I just want to go to my seat."  He didn't want to miss a minute of the action!  It was the highlight of his year, maybe his life thus far :)  What a great tradition!  Thanks, Grandpa B!

Alli's a fun girl!

Alli ran X-Country again this year.  She did great!  Her best time was 9:57.  Go Mustangs!

I think it might be hard to determine if Alli and her friend Courtney had more fun hanging out together or running... By the looks on their faces, I'm thinking hanging out wins :)

This girl loves Justin Bieber!!!  No one in the family understands it, but she remains firm in her convictions.  

Homecoming SHS 2011

 Lauren got asked to her first "date dance"--Homecoming!  Jeff and I looked at each other and said, "Weren't we doing this not too long ago?"  Crazy!  Fun!

Once she unscrambled the eggs, she saw that Scott Smith was asking her.  She answered with a McDonalds Breakfast--get it--scrambled eggs?  

Lauren's first idea for a dress was Grandma!   Grandma Barrett had offered her own dance dresses for Lauren to try.  Lauren was really excited to get to wear them--until she tried them on!  Grandma had a 23" waist!  Alli was the only one that could get them zipped up, with the exception of the one above!  Soo cute, though!  Notice Lindsay in her "dance dress"?

Love the gloves!  So Audrey Hepburn.

This was Alli's favorite dress.

A sassy pout!

Very Grace Kelly, don't you think?

Lauren found a gorgeous dress the traditional way--at a store!  Actually, this may be the new traditional, she rented her dress for the weekend!  Nice on the pocket book and closet space!

One of the cutest things Homecoming night for me, was that Alli did Lindsay's hair and made her a wrist corsage and helped her get a fancy dress on, so she could be a part of it all!  So sweet, Alli!

Here's Lauren and her friends ready to be picked up!
Lauren, Emily, and Nikki

A back of the dress shot--sassy, Lauren!

The ever tricky wrist corsage...

Pinning a corsage on a shirt isn't soo easy!

Don't they look nice?  Already for some dancing!  These firsts are soo fun!

Nerd Day?

So Alli comes up from the basement asking me if she can wear my student council sweater for NERD DAY!  Serious?  I must admit, I told her, "No way!  That's not nerdy!"  Then I got over myself and let her wear it but it helped to tell myself that she's going for the cutest nerd ever!

Ready to roll--as nerdy as it gets?  But seriously, kids are wearing those glasses all the time now!

Maybe I'm crazy, I get more of a--------Gooooo Bruins! :)

My Kindergarten Baby

Lindsay was ready for school at the crack of dawn today!  Yipee!  She is soo excited for Kindergarten.  She chose her outfit and laid it out last night.  She picked her leggings, tutu, doggy with I-pod shirt, and her glitter "Toms."  She's picking up on the lessons her sisters her giving! 

Luckily the bus stop is just across the street from our house and her buddies Drew and Devry get on with her.

Once she got on the bus she never looked back.  I couldn't even get her to look out the bus window to wave!  She is all business and she looks soo old!  Love my little Lindsay.  Crazy that she's started this phase of life! 

School Haircut

Okay, this girl needs a haircut! 

But seriously, Lauren and Alli took Lindsay with them to get their back-to-school haircuts.  Lindsay was soo sad when she didn't get to get her hair cut, too.  It made her day when she realized she could get her hair cut while the big kids went back to school.  Here she is pre-haircut. 

Love the look on her face while she gets her hair washed! I have a feeling my face looks like that when I get my hair washed, too. 

What should we do?  How about an A-line with "bangs straight across," per Lindsay's instructions.

Now that's a Kindergarten haircut!

Soo cute!

She wanted me to take a picture of both sides!

It's so fun being Lindsay!

School Days

First day of School 2011. Sorry about the sun in the eyes, but we have to get the picture in front of the flag.  For some reason that looks like the first day of school to me.

Alli is in 8th Grade at Mapleton Jr High.  She was the first to go.

Lauren is a Junior--I can't believe it--at Springville High School.  Go Red Devils! 

Calvin is in 5th grade at Hobble Creek Elementary.

Here's the bus stop gang:  Abby and Lydia Rowe, Cooper, Lindsay, Calvin, Ethan, Owen, Jackson and Drew.  Lindsay had to wear her school clothes and backpack, even though she and Drew don't start Kindergarten until next week!  So fun!  Have a great day at school kids!