Welcome to the Neighborhood

I know what all of you are thinking, the Barlows have clearly dropped off the face of the planet...I can't say I blame anyone for wondering as we have changed cell phone numbers, e-mails, and are finally out of our apartment for good. The transition of moving across town rather than across a couple of states went more smoothly than expected. We received overwhelming support from ward members and family who showed up to help move furniture in and out of a stifling hot truck in the middle of August. We really can't thank you all enough for the several hours you gave us Saturday...Once the truck was unloaded, we looked around at all our stuff and realized-hey-it's not taking up the whole house! How wonderful to have added some much-needed square footage to our cramped and growing family.
This week has been a series of working out the kinks-waiting for the new washer and dryer we ordered to arrive (they have delayed four days now and the pile of potty-accident clothing is growing by the hour), installing the fifteen sets of blinds the last family disappeared with, and lastly, disposing of a wood pile in the back yard that consists of a few hundred pieces of firewood so old the neighbors can't even remember who or when collected it.
The wood pile has been a nuisance for several reasons, apparently because for years now it has been the home to several: brown recluses, rodents and then yesterday when my next door neighbor came over to 1-welcome us to the neighborhood and 2-inform us she saw a large SNAKE roaming through our yard the night before, I realized the thing was more than an eyesore! What's a mom to do upon receiving this information? Clearly look up all the poisonous snakes in the state of Texas and learn what to look for, including how much time a person would spend in the hospital upon an encounter...In the process I did come across a friendly rodent/pest removal business who timely returned my phone call, and spent a half hour on the phone with me discussing the snake situation. Luckily, snakes do not "settle down" anywhere; this one was likely attracted to the rodent population in the no longer existent woodpile, so chances are we will not see him again. As Ray the pest control guy also explained to me (I think I'm going to add him to my contacts in my phone after this), having our house abandoned for a couple of months with a wood pile next to it made for some interesting creatures to set up camp, and so our first few weeks here will be spent driving them away. Only after that can it be determined if we have a real pest problem. Thank goodness! I can send the kids out in the back yard again; the noise level of L & M alone is enough to deafen any creature from returning.
The other thing is that Ryan started his Masters' program at the University of Texas today! He is only taking 3 credits right now for obvious reasons, but will pick up a few more once we get residency and are not in the middle of a move and a pregnancy. I am proud of Ryan for his decision to stick with the program despite all the chaos that is going on right now. Lately we have been going to bed at night wondering how on earth our lives could have possibly gotten this busy, but we are blessed to have them full of so many good things. Despite the chaos, we are incredibly happy here in our new home. So there is an update for you. I will post pictures once we get the internet (the non-borrowed kind) but will leave you with this pic Syl took on her porch when we were in Utah as the first day of school picture! Thanks Syl!

Morbid Mommy Moment 2

What is it with the roadkill here in TX? Granted, it's probably not any more common than anywhere else in the country, but the problem is, we always seem to find it on foot. Does anyone remember the limbless lizard story? Well it seems there is a sequel. This time, however, the twins' language skills are a little more advanced, making the moment that much more classic. So we were walking across our complex to get a sandwich and there was a dead mouse in the road. Nothing gruesome about him this time, except that his eyes were still open so he looked quite alive, frozen in panic. I jumped when I saw him, and so did the twins, only with happiness. Images of the limbless lizard immediately flashed through my mind, and I was determined we were not going to make friends with this mouse. 'Yuck!' I quickly exclaimed, 'This mouse has been crawling through the garbage! Look how dirty he is!'
L & M have been doing this thing lately where they both talk to me at the exact same time and I try to multi-task responding the best I can. So here are the overlapping conversations that took place the whole way to get the sandwich, the whole way home, and twenty minutes afterward.

London: A dirty mouse? Yuck! We no touch dirty mouse.
Me: We don't touch dirty mice or we will get germs.
London: We could touch a clean mouse!
Me: Where would we get a clean mouse?
London: From the store! We could get a girl mouse and name her Pink! She could sleep in my bed!
Me: Wouldn't a mouse poop on our carpet in our new house?
London: I teach her to poop in the potty! We'll get her a princess potty, like London!
Me: London, you don't even poop in the potty, how are you going to teach a mouse to?


Vicariously with this conversation.

Maddie: This mouse is dirty. He's been in the garbage, he make us sick.
Me: We stay away from dirty mouse.
Maddie: Dirty mouse give us germs. We don't eat him, he hurt our tummy!
Me: No, we won't eat the mouse
Maddie: Baby mouse can't find their mommy, where's her babies?
Me: Babies at home asleep.
Overlap from London's conversation: Wouldn't a mouse poop on our carpet in our new house?
Maddie: We find a clean mouse and make him a mouse house. I'll take care of him.

And so that settles it. I have Cinderella to thank for the newfound mouse obsession; after watching that movie who doesn't and want a little colony of singing, sewing, happy little cheery mice friends to brighten their day? Not to mention sit in the palm of your hand and have a conversation with you. Maybe our new house will come equipped with rodents....If that is the case, I only hope they can help me with housework.

Baby Girl

Upon hearing the heartbeat for the first time...

"Then (the doctor) slid the monitor to a different part of my belly, and there it was, in the room with me, my baby's blessed assurance: 'I am, I am, I am, I am, I am.'
I shut my eyes in gratitude and sank into the sound, letting the heartbeats rock me like a mother's arms."
Marisa de los Santos, Belong to Me


At 29 weeks you are:

*Finally named something other than Singletonette.

*Big for your age at 3 lbs. 2 oz. (are you our child?)

*The reason we go through a gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream every three days

*A night owl through and through

*In breech position, with your favorite thing to kick being my bladder

*The talk of 90% of your sisters' conversations

*Making me this big!

The Sixth

I have been keeping a thankful journal about Ryan for years. It's funny to see how the qualities I'm thankful for evolve over time. For instance right now I'm going through a poop phobia and Ryan's cleaning up of potty accidents puts him right up there under 'superhero' status, one step above jewelry or a day at the spa. So a lot of my entries seem silly, but I will look back and remember he was always exactly what I needed. Here are six of my favorites today, in no particular order.

1. I love that for the past 25 weeks, you have made it your personal mission to get rid of the 207+ sights and smells in the house that have made me vomit.

2. I love that you give me a few hours to myself, and when I come back I find pictures on the camera like this.


3. I love that our first dramatic fight was over decorating our closet-sized apartment in Logan, and now that my taste has evolved I can't do a single thing without you.

4. I love that you encourage my music and have kept that part of me alive that would have otherwise gotten lost in a hectic life.

5. I love that our idea of quality time at the end of the day is Mario Kart and a box of fruit roll-ups.

6. I love that even though -this-

has sometimes brought out the worst in me, it has brought to life your patience, perseverance, and incurable optimism as a father and human being. Happy six years Ryan, and the many more August 6ths to come. (I know I am a day late.)

The Living's Easy

Here's just a little glimpse into a day in the life of L & M. Who knew the swimming pool could be such a multifaceted activity? L & M demonstrate just a few of its uses:


We like to 'bake' birthday cakes by pouring water into these buckets. The girls sometimes switch off whose birthday it is, but it's usually Minnie's.


As you can see, we have a monopoly over the shallow end.


Then we jump out from behind something and yell, "Surprise!"


I love how they line up the birthday party guests. Every day they count all the guests; including themselves, both Minnies and me there are eleven.


We like to give Minnie swimming lessons...


As you can see, she has successfully mastered the back float.


London has learned how to maneuver her way around the entire deep end without help, just her little fish and her legs as a propeller. (She has interrupted many a volleyball game this way.)


Check out our killer tan lines!

The Drama Queen and the Bee

Poor Maddie. Just minding her own business Saturday after we grabbed some hamburgers downtown. Of course we couldn't leave without hitting the Sno Cone stand. So there Maddie was, thoroughly engrossed in her strawberry Sno Cone, fatefully wearing a flower shirt and standing on a puddle of syrup swarmed by bees. When she let out one of her ear-piercing screams, we thought she might be just being dramatic, but the removal of not one but two stingers from her body proved otherwise. Poor Maddie. The whole way home she kept saying, "Take me to the hospital!" At least we know for Maddie, the redeeming part of injuries is attention, so the timing couldn't have been more perfect with church coming up. Here she is practicing modeling bee sting #1.



And re-enacting it. Quite convincing! (Sting #2 is on her back, but we think she forgot about it.)



Two days later she tells us it "still hurts!" so if you see her, prepare yourself for the cutest and saddest little story you've ever heard . :)