April and May Update

FINALLY get the stupid master bathroom remodeled- Done!!!!!!!!!! And it was done by April 15th!

Memorize the Doctrine and Covenants scripture mastery scriptures- ummm..... My cards are right on my desk..... where they were last month. I really should just take this one off. I am not making it happen right now.

Attend the temple monthly- Done! Aubrey and I headed down to St. Geezy and did a temple session with our ward. It was a lot of fun and we were def due for a trip on our own.

Acquire new certifications in the fitness field and pick up more classes- Zumba. Done. I have already started teaching and I have had tons of fun. I am actually scheduled to do Aqua Zumba here in a couple weeks!!!

Celebrate our monthiversary every month- Aubrey and I were able to go camp a night at Zion's National park before we went to the St. George temple. It was really nice to get away and we enjoyed our time sight seeing. Aubrey really wanted the kids to go but I really didn't want to take all of them camping yet. Something about packing and unpacking and planning meals and everything else for 5 people just doesn't really sound fun. Anyway we had fun and we came home to Liz walking. Aubrey's parents of course had to rub that in my face. hahah They also got her first laugh out of her. 

Have Family Home Evening every Monday night- We are on a better schedule now that the bathroom is finished but we are headed into the spring cleaning stage. We are making time for FHE though.

Stay accident free- Done! Yay!

Make a significant difference- I have been doing a lot with the full time missionaries lately and I can feel the blessings from doing that. I am making a difference and one of the great things about missionary work is that it is so easy to forget about your own problems.  

Stay a ward missionary- Done!

Have better family relationships- Things are good and I have nothing to complain about.

Until next month! Or the month after......

March Update

FINALLY get the stupid master bathroom remodeled- This is going to be completed for sure by next month's post.

Memorize the Doctrine and Covenants scripture mastery scriptures- ummm..... My cards are right on my desk..... where they were last month.

Attend the temple monthly- I went to the Brigham Temple in February by myself and it was awesome. Everyone should take themselves to the temple once in a while. It was nice. Aubrey and I have already gone for March as well.

Acquire new certifications in the fitness field and pick up more classes- I am scheduled for a Zumba certification for April 5th! Yay. Nervous and excited. The only training that is available in Utah is in Orem and in SPANISH! The trainer said he'd translate only the most important parts of the cert so we'll see how it goes!

Celebrate our monthiversary every month- Valentines was in Feb. We didn't do anything too crazy so consider this one semi completed. Blah. We have an iFly pass that we've had for a year and a half and still haven't called to schedule it. 

Have Family Home Evening every Monday night- This did not happen. We have been crazy busy with getting the bathroom remodeled so we didn't actually sit down and have FHE. Once the bathroom is done we'll have more time and less mess.Leila even said, "We haven't had Family Home Evening in a while." We did, however, hit up the junction and I would like to say DO NOT GO THERE!!!! WHAT A WASTE OF TIME! It was such a dissapointment. 90 percent of the games had an "Out of Order" sign taped to them. Also the machines that turn your money into tokens said, "We are experiencing a ticket shortage. Games may not give tickets. Play at your own risk." Seriously! Experiences like this make me think Ogden sucks. It doesn't but the junction was really a let down this last time.

Stay accident free- Done! Hallelujah!

Make a significant difference- I spoke in church this last Sunday and I would say I made a significant difference. Mostly in myself but many people told me that it was good. I know they are not lying because if they were, there'd be too many of them. I felt really good after I was done. 

Stay a ward missionary- Done!

Have better family relationships- So So. It could be better.

Until next month!

February Update

Alright too bad blogging isn't one of my goals for the year or else I'd be on a roll. Let's take look at how I'm doing....

FINALLY get the stupid master bathroom remodeled- This is coming along really well! I hope to have the entire bathroom done within a couple weeks! I was really crazy to think that I could do it by myself and have Aubrey help with the things I couldn't do. My brother in law Ian has been doing the most work and has been a big help. My dad has also been there to answer questions, connect plumbing, go on Home Depot runs, and guide me through the parts I am completing. I will say I AM SICK OF SPENDING MONEY AT HOME DEPOT!!!!! 

 
Memorize the Doctrine and Covenants scripture mastery scriptures- There are 25 scriptures to memorize and I have done maybe one or two. Okay quiz time. Let me write down what I know. "Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life it will rise with us in the resurrection. for whatever... something... we will have the advantage over another in the world to come" Okay I'm not doing too well with that one but here's an easy one. "I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say but when ye do not what I say ye have no promise." Even though I may be able to memorize the scriptures, the references are hard for me because it's all numbers. I need to work on this one

Attend the temple monthly- We made it in January and our ward is scheduled to go on the 14th but I teach my classes on Thursday nights so it's always hard but someone else in our ward plans to go in the morning of the 15th and it is my goal to go with or without Aubrey.

Acquire new certifications in the fitness field and pick up more classes- This will happen since I am up for re certification this year with AFAA. I am proud to announce I got hired on at Anytime Fitness! I applied back in October when I knew they were opening but they weren't interested in group instructors, only personal trainers so I was bummed. Then right before they opened in January. I went to check the place out and introduced myself. They still weren't interested in me but I mentioned I would clean or just do whatever they needed so I could get my foot in the door. Well they called me and said, "Our cleaning lady isn't answering her phone and isn't showing up. Can you come and look and give us bid on what you would charge?" I have never cleaned for a job but my goal was to get a free membership out of it. I found out what they paid the other lady and just offered to do it for a little less and said I wanted to be added to their brand new fitness schedule and they boss said it was fine. Any who I am excited to teach, expand my horizons, and my clientele for the future. 

Celebrate our monthiversary every month- We didn't do anything official but we had a couple fun out of the ordinary dates so I counted it. We went to the concealed weapons carry permit class. LAME! It was not the right information for someone (me) who has never touched a gun. Why would I want to hide one? Anyway I though maybe they'd teach me how to shoot or at least teach my about a gun. It wasn't completely useless but def not worth the $80 we paid to go. A couple days later Ian (Roxy's husband) took Aubrey and I and Roxy shooting and he came over the night before to really show us everything we need to know. I was a little scared about shooting the guns because I play out crazy things in my mind that could happen and I freak myself out. It was fun though and now I am not completely afraid of guns or seeing them. I def am not going to carry one around though. We also took many trips to Home Depot and spent time making plans for the bathroom.

Have Family Home Evening every Monday night- We have had FHE at least once a week but not necessarily on Mondays which is okay. It is important to be flexible. In January we went for a long drive around South Weber, West Point, Clearfeild and Layton and got shakes. Another week we learned about sharing. Then we had a lesson about our bodies are our temples and the last lesson was about what we do at church. Here's to another month of FHE!

Stay accident free- This one is going okay so far. Liz had her first fall. Leila was coloring in her room and Liz was bothering her so Leila decided to pick her up and put her on the bed. Liz crawled off and had a bad fall. Bad enough that I didn't copy it off the cameras to add to my collection of mishaps in the girls room. Leila had her first fall at 9 months and so did Lexi so I guess she's just following suit.

Make a significant difference- I actually feel I am making a small difference already. I read the Love and Logic for early childhood years and I feel like my parent-children relationship is improving everyday. Hopefully in the long run that will make a significant difference in my the lives of my girls.

 

Stay a ward missionary- Done!!! : )

Have better family relationships- Still ongoing..... forever. I have been consumed with the progression of the bathroom so I haven't done a tone for this one. On the upside, nothing bad has happened!


Here's for hoping I post every month! Thanks for reading!

2012 in Review

I mentally blogged about 5 times since my last post. Unfortunately they don't just magically appear on my blog. And the down side to not making New Year resolutions public on the internet is that you can't remember where you tucked them away. We definitely have goals here at the Barker Residence and they will be documented (mine at least).

This year we:

Brought baby Liz into the picture on the 9th of April- My little bundle of joy was 5 pounds 13 ounces and helped me realize that 3 kids really is the back breaker just like everyone says. It is hard for me to spread myself out the right way but I'm learning. FYI- the baby isn't the hard part. I think it is the ages of my other two that make it difficult.

Put Lexi in Preschool with Leila- Lexi would live at Preschool if I let her. She always goes so easily and enjoys everything about it. Leila is the one that needs me to stay with her. They are different classes but do a ton of activities together so it's good.

Gave Chello away- This dog would have been the death of me (minus laundry). Our family is just not in the right stage for a dog and it's hard to take care of another living life on top of 3 kids 4 and under. He went to a good family that we will keep in touch with. I sure miss the luxury of not having to sweep my kitchen every day though.I know my life is hard. I think we'll get a dog later on when they ENTIRE family is ready to love the dog and give it the attention it needs.

 

Went off-trail hiking and camping in the Uintas- Aubrey prepared for this last summer by picking up running so he could be in shape to hike and he did a lot of it. He loves his new GPS and takes advantage of wandering off the trails.

Celebrating our 5 year anniversary- This is tied to the last one. We went off the trails and found a private place to camp and set up our tent. It was wonderful to be with just Aubrey out in nature. I did not like worrying about the kids and the fear in the back of my mind that some animal was going to get us. It was an anniversary well spent and we had a great time and plan to make many more trips up in that area.



Purchased a kayak- A kayak was the perfect addition to our summer equipment. We rented a kayak from Weber State (pictured below) a couple times and just decided to buy our own. We have used it so much and the kids love it too. It's not exactly the 5 year anniversary gift I was hoping for but it has been a great item to aid us in spending family time together.

Got a membership to the Ogden Athletic Club- This was completely Aubrey's idea! It has been nice to go to classes and take the kids swimming, however, the kids are not in the membership which means we can't use the day care so 90% of the time at the gym is spent alone while the other is at home with the kids. Bummer because we have so much fun together and Aubrey uses me as his "trainer" and I like it most of the time. Us working out together in a gym setting is something I never expected because Aubrey never exercised up until about a year ago and I've gotten so giddy the couple of times we have run side by side. : ) mmm I love him.

Found new renters for our basement apartment- Our last renters decided to switch schools and head up to Logan. We were lucky enough to score a great couple in our ward and didn't even have to list the apartment anywhere. We just keep getting better renters every time it becomes available!

Had Family Home Evening for 21 consecutive weeks- A while ago I made a family home evening chart and it's kept us on track with who is in charge of what. I am happy we got into the swing of things. Unfortunately the first week we didn't have it was Christmas Eve! We ate dinner with family and failed to plan a special night. The night was spent doing the better option but not the best.

Got my braces off- Yay! I was glad to get my braces off but my jaw issues are not cleared up as much as I hoped they would be. I can't complain about feeling good about my smile though!

This year we or I hope to:

FINALLY get the stupid master bathroom remodeled- I promise this project will get done! My daddy and I are going to Home Depot TOMORROW to buy everything we need and start putting it all together. I can't talk about it too much or I get overwhelmed. Baby steps is how it's going to happen.

Memorize the Doctrine and Covenants scripture mastery scriptures- I recently finished the Book of Mormon and it did it in 3 months. That was by far the fastest I have ever read it but it was so nice to retain what I was reading because I couldn't get enough of it. It was like a testimony meeting when I opened to read its pages and it doesn't include all the crying you get at a RS testimony meeting. Which I don't mind but you always know you are going to cry all night and who wants to cry all night? Anyway this year we are studying the Doctrine and Covenants and I would like to increase my knowledge and memory so that is my goal. I never took the time to memorize them in high school but I will do it this year! : )

Attend the temple monthly- Unfortunately this didn't happen last year but Aubrey and I are doing well so far because we went to the temple last night. It is hard because kids of course and our ward does the temple night on the night I teach my classes. This will happen even if we have to go separately. But seriously for as often as Aubrey's parents watch the kids one of those times needs to be for temple attendance. And just because the Ogden Temple is closed doesn't mean we can't get someone else.

Acquire new certifications in the fitness field and pick up more classes- This is always on my radar but lately I have wanted to really start getting out of my physical comfort zone and really challenge myself to teach something I have not yet. Plus I want to be needed, marketable, and knowledgeable.

Celebrate our monthiversary every month- Yes you caught it. Monthiversary is not really a word but it means Aubrey and I will celebrate our marriage on the 10th of every month since we were married on the 10th of August. We don't always make time to go out even though I would love it if we did. Our monthiversary is there to make sure we go out on at least one fun unique date a month if nothing else.

Have Family Home Evening every Monday night- I think we will be successful in this area since we are already in the habit and the girls really do like it. They grab their pillow pets and everyone is assigned a part of the night. AND I just found my huge binder of FHE lessons, activities, and ideas so I am fully armed! : )

Stay accident free- This may sound like a weird one but many times this year I have been so overwhelmed with gratitude because of the safety my family has had both physically and spiritually. I look around me with all of trials and burdens with family members, ward members, the community, and everyone in the news. I always had a thought that it will be my turn next since my family has not had to deal with any big issue. I do my best to help others in need and sometimes I feel like I am filling my lamp for when my times are hard. I have to work hard to push those thoughts from my mind and just hope for the best. And I keep reading/hearing about tragic things that can happen to anyone like the shootings and kids dying in freak accidents! I pray to my Father in Heaven that my family will always be safe! We have been ridiculously blessed and I can't count my blessings enough.

Make a significant difference- This year I felt like I made a huge difference for someone and it felt really good. I became closer to that person and that alone was enough of a reward. I try to help where I can. I am so blessed in many ways and I have covenanted to bare one anothers burdens so I want to help in the way the Lord wants me to help. This year I hope to do that for someone else if not more people.

Stay a ward missionary- I know I have little control over this goal/ambition/resolution but I absolutely love my calling. I feel like this is where I need to be... still. I was called in Feb of 09 and have loved every minute of it. I lie. I dislike setting up meals for the missionaries. Don't judge. It gets hard after the 3rd year! I can't imagine myself anywhere else but we'll see.

Have better family relationships- This one is going to be on my list forever and it's something I often pray for. My P. blessing tells me to never be a weak link in my family chain. I will continue to get to know my siblings and in laws to increase our relationship and always be there for them.

There you go. My goals are public and therefore very real. I welcome your encouragement on my hopes for the year 2013 and I would really love for you to just leave me a comment so I know someone read this! Usually I don't care who reads my blog but tonight I feel like I need some validation on my blog post. Thanks! I love you all!