A Visit to Utah

When a new grand baby enters the world, it's pretty hard to stay away, so two days after Owen's birth, I was in Utah doing what I could to help and enjoy three precious little ones and their parents, Laura and Kart. Here are the highlights of the week:

Meeting Owen, of course:



Seeing how proud big brother Aiden was:



Seeing how much big sister Emma loved him:



Helping with the shopping and the cooking:



Getting to see Kara, who had moved to Utah a few weeks ago:



Finding an old fence and some rocks outside on a warm February day:





Playing a new game:



Reading books to Aiden, reading books to Emma, reading books to both of them, watching them read to each other, watching Kara read to them, watching them "read" on their own:




Note: I had found some children's books that Great Grandma Baird had in her room in Virginia, and decided the Barnett children should have them. Their favorites were "Put me in the Zoo", "Horton Hatches an Egg", and "The Spooky Old Tree".

Watching Owen enjoy his new swing:






Watching movies together:



Seeing Owen ready for his first outing:



Watching Emma rock her baby, and in the process get VERY dizzy:

(Note: the sound isn't working on this. I've got to learn to keep my finger off the microphone.)



There were a lot more highlights that didn't get pictured, including:

Going to the "Jumping Place" - a gym full of trampolines and blow up bouncing places.
Going on a walk to a playground on a beautiful sunny morning with Aiden and Emma.
Going to church with Kart, Aiden, and Emma.
Sushi the night Kara came over.
Movies with Laura - "This Is It", "Julie and Julia"
Walmart with Aiden and Emma.
Seeing Owen smile in his sleep.
Rocking Owen.
Breakfasts with Aiden and Emma.

Needless to say, it was VERY hard to leave, and we're sure looking forward to getting together again SOON!

Owen Karsten Barnett - February 25, 2010

The newest member of our growing family was born on his mother's birthday. Laura and Kart decided to try a home birth. When labor started, Kart's Mom picked up the Aiden and Emma, and after what I'm sure seemed like a very long night, at 1:45 in the morning Owen made his entrance. I had my phone out at school all morning waiting for a text or phone call. Finally, at about 11:00, I was able to announce in the middle of a concert choir rehearsal, "It's a boy!" Laura and Kart were able to send out a birth announcement right away:




What a sweet miracle!

You can read his birth story on Laura's blog.

Three months later

Yes, it's hard to believe I've let this blog be neglected for so long. It's time to review life since December 2009. This may be a multi-day task. Sooooo....let me get started:

Compared to past Christmases, Christmas 2009 was a little bit quieter.



We spent some time on Christmas Eve with Grandma and Grandpa Condie, participating in a program of scriptures and songs. Julie, Nick and their adorable three year old twins Colson and Ella were spending Christmas there too. On Christmas day morning, it was Grandma Baird, Kara, Natalie, the 2 Elders in our ward, Skip, and I opening presents. Ryan and Dara came over later and we had Christmas dinner together.



We were thankful that Grandma Baird was with us for one more Christmas. With Hospice help, we continued to care for her at our home, but she got weaker and weaker after Christmas. Two of her daughters - Sandy from Florida, and Peg from California - made plans to come see her one more time, and surrounded by family, she passed away on January 13, 2010.



It was a sad, but special time as all of Skip's siblings were there for the funeral held in the Mount Vernon LDS church building.



Here is Skip, his brother Scott, and sisters (b-f, l-r) Sandy, Judy, Peg, and Ginny after a family dinner at Applebee's.



We had so much snow in December, we never dreamed we'd have that much (and even more) snow again, but it happened, and we survived the blizzard of 2010.

Here is the deck, where you can judge the depth by the snow piled on the table and chairs.


Looking down the street after the second storm that a few days later dumped another 10 inches on top of the 20 or so that first fell.


Looking out the living room window, the icicles looked rather deadly.


We shoveled, and shoveled, and shoveled. It was a great opportunity to greet neighbors that helped us out with some of our shoveling.