2010- Goodbye

Well 2010 has treated me well.

This year I:

Had Lexi in May
Knocked out 30 more credits
Purchased a truck
Taught a class of 40 junior high girls for 12 weeks
Welcomed home my RM sister
Started potty training Leila
Had my first fitness photo shoot
Fit into my cheerleading uniform
Went to a Hansen Family sleep over
Passed the CAAP test
Passed the Praxis test
Taught Leila how to put the silverware away
Went to Bear Lake
Went on a camping trip with friends
Bought new toilets for the house

In 2011 I hope to:

Lose 10 more pounds
Completely potty train Leila
Get some good renters and be happy with them
Go to the temple at least once a month
Have at least 1 interview for a real teaching job
Get pregnant
Finish the hallway remodeling
Be more than half way done with the master bathroom
Get another 10% of the house paid off
Teach some fitness classes out of my home
Put more effort into magnifying my callings
Learn to play the left hand on the piano
Do my visiting teaching every month
Get my bachelors degree
Keep the house clean while going to school

Surprise!

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=475&ad=13811566&cat=276

We are renting out our basement apartment! Why is this a surprise well we had to let our current renters know first so I couldn't tell the world just yet.

So if you know anyone that is looking and may want it, pass the word along.

Here is the ad on KSL.com

$550.00/month

Property Details:

Sq. Feet: 1000 ft.

Acres: 0.00

Year Built: 1950

Bedrooms: 1

Bathrooms: 1

Cooling: Central Air

Heating: Forced Air

Garage: None

Description:

APARTMENT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO MOVE IN STARTING MARCH 1, 2010- NO SOONER.

We are looking for clean, quiet, and respectful neighbor(s) to occupy our basement apartment. We prefer a young married couple. Must have LDS standards.

We live only 2 blocks from WSU and our ward is great with over 20 young married couples.

Security deposit of $400

This space is very nice and includes the following:

1 bedroom
1 bathroom
Large living room w/ fireplace
Kitchen with newly purchased oven/ stove, refrigerator, and lots of counter space
Storage room that can be used as pantry
Additional shared storage room
Own washer and dryer

Utilities are included with rent are:
Water/ sewer bill
Gas/ heating bill
Power/ electric bill

Cable, internet, and phone are not included at this time.

As our tenant you will also have access to:
More than 3 different fruit trees
A beautiful patio with fireplace
A spacious backyard
2 parking spaces in the driveway

Please, only inquire if you are serious about this apartment. Contact Marci at marcibarker@gmail.com or 801-686-0272 to fill out an application.

Credit/background checks may be done on potential tenants and there will be a 12 dollar fee to cover that charge.

APARTMENT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO MOVE IN STARTING MARCH 1, 2010- NO SOONER.

Before and After

It doesn't look way different but it is definitely an improvement. I like it a lot. I haven't had the guts to get bangs cut but I think I want more now.

Missed Days!

My week has been great! Christmas was so good and I got to spend even more time with both of my families which is what I always want for any occasion.

First off, we are having people over for New Years Eve so if you want to come, feel free. Bring some food to share and we'll have a fun time playing games and hangin out. We'll start around 8 p.m. Since I only have like 5 readers and maybe some strange blog stalkers, you already know where I live or you shouldn't know where I live so if you would like to come and need to know where I live, message me or leave a comment or whatever and I will be sure to give it to you. We will have the projector up for movies and games and another surprise. (Not the surprise I mentioned before in a previous post that you won't get to know about in this post but a more recent surprise that you will find out about in this post. Read on.)

So I've missed a couple days so I've got to update.

1. Thursday the 23rd- Joseph Smith's Birthday. Had I blogged, that would have been my topic and how I received my patriarchal blessing on his birthday. We'll save that for another day and maybe some other place than a public blog, who knows.

2. Friday- Christmas Eve was great. We ate at my parents house and did our not-so-secret Santa exchange. Roxy had my family so she got us an educational movie for Leila and also the movie, "Over the Hedge". We got a projector for Christmas so movies are a perfect gift for us.

3. Christmas- Forget about the presents, I want candy. Yes that is probably what Leila was thinking. We let her have a lot of candy and most of the time did not stop her from getting it. I figured one day out of the year wouldn't hurt. It's Christmas! But I'm pretty sure towards the end of the day I was pulling candy out of her mouth and I did brush her teeth two extra times. Note- She was off the wall. We didn't even let her eat near that amount on Halloween so...... if you come over on Friday expect to eat some candy so it will be out of sight for the little one.

4. Sunday the 25th- Lexi was sick and Aubrey stayed home with her. It was the last Sunday we enjoy the luxury of church at 11 a.m. I am fine with church at any time but it will be hard to get up and going two hours sooner with two babes and a sleepy hubby. The Sacrament service was nice and we got to hear testimonies from members of the ward who have been following a Book of Mormon reading schedule. I was up on the schedule till about Mosiah. Unfortunately school got the best of my and most of my studying/reading time.

5. That brings us to today. I got my hur did! Finally. It needed it big time. The last time I had it done was at Marinello 3 days before Lexi was born. I will post some good before and after pictures later when I can get them from my sister Jenny. Also surprise time!!!! Are you so excited? Aubrey and I bought a Play Station 3 Move so he is stoked about that and is currently exercising so that is a big plus for me. So he said today, "If we're having people over on Friday then we have to have the PS3 to play." Right.......... having people over was my idea so anyway if we like it we'll keep it if we don't it's going back to Wally world and too bad so sad love dad.

Did I mention you not only have to buy the game system but the MOVE extention with it. And extra controls. And games. Anyway let's just say thanks to all those special people in our lives who contributed to the purchase of the PS3 for Christmas.

So I guess that's it for now.

School starts in T- 7 days!!! All together now....

UUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH

I have a surprise!

But unfortunately I can't tell you what it is until I get all my ducks in a row. But I've been waiting for this for a long while now.

Sorry if you really hate surprises and the suspense is killing you. If you really want to know then send me an email!










CHRISTMAS IS IN 3 DAYS!!!!

Proof

Here are pictures.

Bedroom
Bathroom
Hallway- not really a room but it's clean
Living
Kitchen

Christmas!

Okay technically it's Tuesday already but it's one in the morning so it's still my Monday.

Anyway, today was a very productive day. I have not one, two, three, but FOUR rooms in my house clean all at the same time! I know this sounds crazy but it's a huge accomplishment for someone with 3 kids. Okay just two and a husband.

So I will post pictures to prove it tomorrow on the real Tuesday.

ANTM

So what have I been doing with my free time off from school?

Watching America's Next Top Model.

And the winner of Cycle 15 is....

I was so glad she won. She is 6' 2'' and was always teased for being too tall and gigantic. She showed them.

ONE WEEK TILL CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!

Just so everyone knows, the holidays are so much better when you have kids!

PS3

Aubrey wants a PS3 for Christmas.

Any reviews for it?

What makes it better than a Wii or any other game system?

Tell me everything you know on the matter will you?

Workout

So Thursday nights are when I teach Buns and Abs and Step at Blue; Adult Dance and Fitness. Tonight was focused more on buns but it went really well and we were able to get through all three step combos before time was up.

Here is what we did for Buns and Abs:
Buns-
20 Right leg lunges at 90 degrees
20 right leg lunges with extended step (So taking a bigger step forward with your right foot and then bringing your left to your right).
10 Curtsy side lunges to the right (face one direction the whole time. Start with feet together, step to the right, position the left foot behind the right as if you are going to curtsy, now dip down or squat, and then bring your feet together again and repeat).
10 Curtsy side lunges to the left
10 side lunges to the right
10 side lunges to the left
Squats- While standing in a squat position we assign four different difficulty levels. 1 being legs slightly bent and 4 being legs bent to the point your thighs are parallel with the ground (always keep in mind to NOT let your knees pass over the point of your toes).
10 Squats to level 1
10 Squats to level 2
10 Squats to level 3
10 Squats to level 4

Abs-
30 Second plank
30 second reverse plank
Crunches for 1 minute
Reverse crunches for 1 minute
Full sit ups with legs straight for 1 minute
Always finish with 10 V sit ups.

Our Step workout consisted of the following combinations:

Knee Repeater 8
Knees around the world 16
2 Reverse V-Steps 8

2 Side Steps 8
Chug Kick 8
Over the Top 8
Knee Walk 8

Turn Step 4
Over the Top 4
Corner Knee 4
Over the Top 4
Repeat

Well there you have it. A sample of what I teach every week! Try it out you won't be disappointed and for your viewing pleasure:

P.S. I think the girl who took this picture photo shopped my butt. I can't decide if that would be a good thing or a bad thing. haha

Final Grades!

I have finally gotten my final grades for this semester and I was glad to see the grades I earned. My friend Kendra posted her grades on her blog cause she was proud so of course I have to strut my stuff as well. : )

That's right- a GPA of 3.71! Sorry to toot my own horn but I'm not making you read my blog.

And I'm not going to lie I am proud of myself. This semester I took 16 credit hours on top of just having a baby, having a two year old, and teaching fitness classes. Not to mention my calling and being the best wife in the world.

Next semester I'll start the teaching program and I think I'll walk in May because I need only one more class to complete my major but I won't finish the teaching program until December of 2011.

Have a good day!

My baby is all grown up!

Leila wore this outfit the day she came home from the hospital.




She was small then.... she is small now.

No Post?

Think I forgot to post on Sunday? Think again.

I don't want to sound preachy or holier than thou but I will explain reasons why I don't use the computer on Sundays.

1. My hubby is a computer programmer. He spends more than half his week on the computer.
The sabbath is a "holy day ordained by God for us to rest from our daily labors". I NEED my hubby off the computer at least one day a week. If I want him to stay off than I better stay off too.

2. Family time is more likely to happen when we don't have the world at our fingertips (internet). There needs to moderation.

3. The computer is generally a one user at a time machine. Excessive computer time can often isolate one from others.

4. Personally, I am on the computer doing what? Checking facebook, my email, homework, and reading blogs. All that stuff can be given a break for at least 24 hours out of the week.

5. Knowing my computer is not an option forces me to do things I maybe wouldn't normally do on a regular basis. It gives me another reason to make Sunday "a day of worship".

Notice at the top of this post I wrote, "reasons why I don't use the computer on Sundays" and I write that to let you know I won't hate you or think you are being sac religious if you use the computer on Sundays but at this time it is necessary for me and my family that we just take a break from the computer and lots of other things too.

In the future the computer may be included in our family time on Sundays to become closer to our Heavenly Father and Savior but right now it feels right for us.

Black Eye?

Do I beat my child? No she gets into my makeup almost daily. Can't wait for our master bathroom to be done so I can keep her out of it. But it's cute enough I have to snap a picture.

Boutique!

Well the boutique was tonight and I am beat. Mainly because I worked my legs and buns way too hard yesterday at Blue. I made some neighbor gifts to sell and none did. Why?

I didn't stay by my table.
I didn't really make them to sell.
Who else knows why.

They are really cute. They turned out well and I filled them with teddy grahams, pretzels, coconut, butterscotch chips, muddy buddies, popcorn, gingerbread flavored marsh mellows, and Hersey kisses.

Anyway it was fun and I made money from hosting the thing. And I still have my neighbor gifts to hand out. I don't have a ton because I didn't start collecting them soon enough but it will work for this year.

Side note- If you have any formula cans at all, I would be more than happy to get them from you instead of you just throwing them out.

So we ended up with about 11 vendors and there were supposed to be more than 20 but some didn't show for various reasons. It turned out pretty well though and some made more than 200 dollars!

I bought a hat, tutu, a book, and two hair bows for each of the girls and Jenny let me keep the headband I wore tonight.

What to do next year?

Collect fees in advance to ensure commitment.
Plan a layout based on who has paid.
Find vendors that are more of salesmen and advertisers.

and.......
for myself, find a dang craft that people may want to buy.

I think I will take some pictures now so I can show you my amazing product that did not sell. hahaha Lame

I think my sign looked pretty good too.

My gifts complete with tags!

Mmmmmmm, the butterscotch and powdered sugar made everything smell really good.

Our little entrance.

Next task....... move all the furniture back into my living room.

After that? I'm painting the hallway ceiling and trim so I (Aubrey) can finally wallpaper!

See you tomorrow! I'm on a roll.

Lexi A. Barker

Well my little Lexi baby is growing so incredibly fast I can't believe it. I was writing my post yesterday and came across this.....

This picture inspired this post.

She was so tiny. I love having a newborn and just laying them on my chest. Oh it's the best thing. On a side note..... Congrats to Camille who just had her second bundle of joy and gets to have that feeling once again.

So Lexi....
May.

June.

July.

August.

September.

October.


November.


December.

And of course I had to post one of Leila (Taken in June).

Day 2

Whoa blogging two days in a row? Watch out I have a lot more time now. I have one more final left and I'll be done. It feels good and wait for it wait for it................ I passed the PRAXIS. Oh it's only the biggest test of my life besides life itself. I took it in advance just in case I failed it but I didn't and I'm glad. I put a LOT of studying in and I kept it a secret that I had possessed the only study guide Weber State owned so no one would check it out during my 24 hour waiting periods.
I've never been good at taking tests and most of the time I leave a test either not caring or just hoping I passed. Well one more class to finish off my bachelors and two full semesters to complete the Teacher Education Program. I'm HAPPY!

Also, The BOUTIQUE OF THE SEASON is coming up and I am hosting it at my house. Please come. It will be so much fun and you will find something for everyone I promise. I hope it goes well because my family has put a lot of time into it.

Well since I have time now let me grab my cameras and give your minds some eye candy.

Lexi my little baby who is now over 6 months old. She is in the 63rd percentile for height and weight. She weighs almost 17 pounds! Be amazed. Lover her little rolls and I think I will enjoy her and leila wearing the same size clothing. Leila steels her onsies all the time. Let it be known Leila stole Lexi's clothes first.
So cute.

Next we've got the classic kissy face goin on!




This last one was taken at my Grandpa's funeral.
It is My Uncle Paul, my cousin Stacy, me, and my dad.
I was glad I was able to take this picture.
Stacy is three days older than me and we were baptized together.
The quality isn't super but I like to look at it and notice the physical similarities between us and our dads.
I think the next post will be a short recap of Lexi's life thus far. : )

Lame Post

Okay just so you know in advance- LAME POST!
Yes this post will most likely be lame. Why? Because it's been put off for so long because I haven't gotten anything cool to write about or any recent pictures to put up. It's always such a pain getting my pictures on the camera. I have two cameras and that is the first problem. One is good for pictures and the other fro videos so I dread uploading them all the time.
So attached are a couple pictures for your viewing pleasure.

The first--- A picture of Aubrey and I walking out of the temple when we were married.
What do I think about this picture?
I love it.
I love that my hair was platinum.
I love that Aubrey and I are holding hands. (I know you can't see it but we are)
I love the smile Aubrey has on his face.
I love that we will be together.
I love that he loves me for exactly who I am.
I love that we have been sealed and WILL be together for ever.


Nest- The bountiful Temple. It was a perfect day on August 10, 2007.

Third-- You absolutely LYING if you say this picture did not make you laugh when you first saw it.
I still laugh every time I even glance at it.
My child is special alright.
Leila is so silly.
This picture was probably number 2 in the set of 30 we took in less than 30 seconds.
Look at that double chin.
And the food on her face.
Seriously, you are laughing right now.


Fourth- A small little photo shoot Jenny did for me for my portfolio.
My portfolio is what future employers will look at to see what I have done over the past couple schooling years.
It can be viewed here ----> www.marcibarker.com
Aubrey created the website.
I love him.
This picture is decent but I've changed.
Yes I've had two beautiful children but why do I not look like I did in the first picture?
I want to dye my hair blond again and soon.
On the same note (of hair) mine is falling out like crazy.
I read it's supposed to stop 6 months postpartum.
Hear that postpartum fairy?
Help me out.

And the last-- Our sewer.
Cool huh?
Another reason I LOVE my husband.
Our sewer had been backing up like every 6 weeks.
The original pipes had roots growing through them.
We didn't call anyone to fix it.
Aubrey did it.
With the help of our wonderful dads.
What would I do without our dads?
Our sewer is completely fixed and we did it all for less than an arm and a leg.
I congratulated our home with a new toilet!


The END. Pretty lame I know.