Labor Day Weekend Delivery

Kelly Cheryl Barrow decided to join our little family on Sep 2, 2012 at 1:44 am weighing in at 7lbs 6oz. Perfect in every way. She decided to join us a little earlier then we planned (4 weeks early) but she couldn’t have had better timing. Because it was Labor Day weekend, my ENTIRE family was able to come and visit us! It was also a long weekend so Steven was able to spend more time with me trying to figure out our little girl. Friday: I knew she was coming soon because I kept having random contractions throughout the day. Nothing serious but not something I could ignore. Before Steven went to school I reminded him to take his cell phone. To be exact, I said “Don’t forget your cell phone. I don’t want to jinx anything but just don’t forget to have your phone on today…” Well, he forgot his cell phone. Haha. Luckily, I was fine. But I knew she was coming. Saturday Night: Water broke around 6am. Yahoo! But still no real contractions. Steven and I decided to go for a little walk to try and get my contractions to come. We even went out to breakfast. But still nothing. Just to be safe, we went to the hospital to make sure it was my water that broke. Sure enough it was. They wouldn’t let us go home for a number of reasons. Right away they started me on Pitocin and 12 hrs later I got the much loved epidural. So my birth plan 100% went out the window. I’m still upset about some of the things that Steven and I felt “pushed” into. But either way, our baby Kelly is healthy and strong. About 2 hrs after the epidural I was fully dilated and ready to push. I pushed for 2 hrs. Yea, I was pretty tired by the end of it. I couldn’t believe she was finally here when they put her up on my chest. Steven and I just started balling our eyes out. She cried just a little bit but then she would just stare at us. Because she was a little early they had to take her away from me for a few minutes. Steven stayed with her the whole time keeping a hand on her, reassuring her with his voice that her dad was right there. Those first few moments with just the 3 of us will never be forgotten. Steven and I have dated each other for most of our lives. We’ve been through everything together. I’ve never loved anyone else the way I love Steven. I couldn’t believe that he and I created this little baby. I remember when we got married; I kept thinking “I can’t believe we’re finally married.” Now I look at him and Kelly and I stand in awe that we made her. That she is ours. The growth in our marriage that Steven and I have had since bringing Kelly into this world is greater then what can be measured. I am so thankful for him. Kelly is now 9 days old. To say that the past 9 days have been the hardest 9 days of my entire life would be an understatement. Apparently, it’s a big transition to be a parent. Luckily, I have SO SO SO much support; especially from my mom and mother in law. They’ve both come to stay with me for a few days. Those two women are truly Heaven sent. This is a time in my life where I can see the Lords had so clearly, directing me to become more like my Savior. Sometimes you need to be pushed and pulled to fit your heart over what the Lord has planned for you. That pushing and pulling is not always fun. But with faith, we grow closer to our Heavenly Father.

Goals

This summer has been interesting so far. I have to admit that I feel a little bit limited for pretty obvious reasons. I want so badly to be super active, have tones of energy, no fear, super awesome prego lady. You know, when you see that lady that is super pregnant but out running 10 miles?

Yea, not going to happen... BUT I do know what I can do. So here's my summer goals. 1. June 7th, Walk up and down every stair in the BYU football stadium.

2. Get my CSCS certification.(Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) 3. Be able to swim at least a mile... Freestyle. (I haven't set a date for this one yet). There will probably be other little goals added but there's the big three.

update

A lot has happened since my last post when we announced that we’ll be having a baby. Let’s see what’s changed… Oh just my ENTIRE body!!! We found out that we’ll be having a baby girl! I’m seriously excited. Since my 20 week mark my body has transitioned from looking “pudgy” to actually looking pregnant. Thank goodness, I hated that stage. I always wanted to tell people “no it’s NOT chub, it’s a BABY!” Also since my 20 week mark, Steven could finally feel baby girl’s movements. She sure loves to move… and kick… and punch… and have a gymnastics competition while I’m trying to sleep. Hahaha. Even though she moves ALL the time, I can’t help but love every punch. It’s the best when Steven can feel it. He’s already such a great dad. So with all these physical changes and with reading other peoples advice during pregnancy, I ‘am DETERMINED to stay healthy and in shape. Most every day I exercise (i.e. run, walk stadiums, bike, or lift). Working as a sports performance coach also keeps me super active. So I’ve decided that September 24th ish is D-Day aka Delivery Day. Me and baby girl; Mind over matter; A test of true strength and endurance. It might sound a little funny but I like training with a purpose. I’m not competing with baby girl; I’m competing with my body. And in the end, having a sweet tiny baby wrapped in my arms will be a pretty great reward. And who knows when the baby will come? Two weeks early, two weeks late? I guess that makes D-Day that much more exciting. PS: I've tried a dozen times to change my dang background but my blog wont let me! It's driving me CRAZY!!!

Sweet Video We Made!

Obsession

Steven and I have an obsession. It could be considered a problem... Or a blessing...(most likely a problem)... The aroma is entrancing but the after affects could be lethal. Our obsession is garlic, garlic, garlic! After doing some research I found some interesting facts. Did you know that ancient Egyptians considered garlic sacred and used it in oath-taking and as part of burial rituals. Garlic bulbs were found in Tutankhamen’s tomb, and the Egyptian Book of the Dead includes twenty-two remedies involving garlic! The Bible even mentions this wonderful herb; Numbers 11:5: “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick.” In Sanskrit, garlic means "slayer of monsters." Garlic’s most famous protective use is as a vampire repellent, but it has also been used to ward off scorpions and snakes and has been said to repel evil and invite luck and prosperity if hung over a door. I am super afraid of vampires, so maybe subconsciously that's why I eat it. Or maybe it's just because it's REALLY GOOD! I blame this obsession on my mom. I grew up in a home where balsamic vinegar salad was the families favorite meal. It was not unusual to see someone sipping vinegar doused in pepper and garlic salt. Well, these eating habits have followed me into my marriage. Steven hardly ate salad before we got married but now, he eats it probably every other day. The reason I've been thinking about this is because I realized that we use garlic in EVERYTHING! I mean EVERYTHING! Balsamic Vinegar salad, garlic chicken, mashed potatoes, on top of pizza and spaghetti, deer meat tenderizer, Sunday pot roast, pickles, salsa, fajitas... I feel like Bubba from Forrest Gump. haha. But I'm dead serious!!!

Don't believe me? The second people smell your sauteing garlic people will think you're cooking a master piece. Still don't believe me? Try Stevens yummy yummy garlic chicken. 2 teaspoons crushed garlic 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup breadcrumbs 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves Directions: 1)Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 2)Warm garlic and olive oil to blend the flavors. 3)In a separate dish, combine the bread crumbs and cheese. 4)Sprinkle salt and pepper lightly onto chicken breasts. 5)Dip chicken in olive oil/garlic mixture, then into bread crumb mix. 6)Place chicken in a greased baking dish. 7)Bake for 30 minutes or until done. Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/garlic-chicken-breasts-56453#ixzz1l0ZIfTGd

We Bought A Zoo

Ok, LOVED LOVED LOVED this movie! I've changed our life plan so that we can live on a zoo. This movie was a super unexpected surprise! I cried 2 times! Steven cried 3 times! (he has a bigger heart than me). The music, awesome! Jonsi is my new passion.

Douglas

Douglas is our little tiny baby Red Foot Tortoise. We've had him for maybe 5 months and we just LOVE him. It takes a certain type of person to love tortoises. I guess we're those "certain" type of people. Well, Doug never seemed healthy. Even from the day we got him. Things went down hill pretty fast. First he stopped eating, then his shell started to get soft. BAD!!! That's when we took him in to see the Vet. She gave him a 20% chance of surviving. So she prescribed the meds and put him on critical care food that we have to feed to him by syringe. Steven and I were SOOO sad. We'd really come to love this little guy. So after being sad we pushed the thought behind us and have been doing EVERYTHING to get Douglas healthy again. It's been 1 week since we took him to see the vet and guess what?! He's kicking that 20% and still livin! It's seriously like having a baby in the house. Well minus the crying and smelly diapers... I guess it's "similar" to having a baby in the house. We feed him his critical care food and pumpkin puree with the syringe every few hrs. Keep his tank at precisely the right temperatures and soak him in warm water that is on top of a hot pad for about 30 mins every few hrs. Baby right?!?! We're seeing the slightest improvements and we're keeping him in our prayers. I know that all this might seem kinds silly to some of you. That some might say he's just a tortoise and why put so much effort and care in to him. My answer: because I believe that God created all things; and I believe that God loves those things that he created. I mean, He created me, and I know that He loves me. I know that Heavenly Father loves Douglas too. That's why I love this little guy; because he matters.

Christmas

This semester, I had an amazing opportunity to intern for United Way. My main project was the Sub-For-Santa/ Angel Tree program. I was in charge of the warehouse, where all the gifts were brought back to. Ready for some awesome numbers?! This year, Sub for Santa provided nearly 1,800 families and more than 5,080 children with much-needed assistance while helping to maintain their self-sufficiency. And that's Utah County ALONE! People have a tendency to say that we live in a bubble here but guess what, WE DON'T! Utah County Poverty by race/ethnicity in 2010 was 12.9% White/ Not Hispanic, 19.5% Hispanic or Latino, 32.1% native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.If you're interested in some other crazy number check out the community assessment: http://uwucdev.org/sites/uwucdev.org/files/attachments/Executive%20Summary%20Piece%204%200.pdf.

The warehouse was AWESOME! Going to work felt like going to Santa's Workshop. Who wouldn't love that?! I loved being a part of something that did so much good. Life changed, CHECK!

The first couple of days of Christmas break we flew to California for a Barrow family reunion/ wedding.




The Christmas present I was most excited to give Steven was his old shot gun and hunting jacket. Yes, he already owned them but left them in Sugar Land when he came up to Utah. Steven goes hunting almost every weekend. He LOVES them ducks. So he's been borrowing his friends clothes and gun. I surprised him by laying out the gun and jacket on the kitchen table early, early in the morning, so that he could use it for a Pheasant hunt. Steven said it was the best present anyone had ever given him and that he was more excited about getting the gun the second time around. haha! So if you want to give a great present to someone, just "miss place" something they love and then re-gift it.
Speaking of funny Christmas gifts:

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was great! We stayed in Midway with my parents along with my sister and her husband, watched movies, played games, ate A LOT, swam in the Homestead Crater, and swam in the old Hot Pots that have been remodeled (They're AWESOME!). But probably my most favorite part of Thanksgiving was cutting down our Christmas tree. I did this once when I was a sophomore with my roommates Kdp, Emily, Lauren, and Amy. Cutting that tree down with my old roommates is still to this day one of my favorite memories. Hahaha. I'll save that for another day. Steven and I decided to make our tree cutting a tradition. This year was a blast! If you've never gone to cute your own Christmas tree down the best way for me to describe it is it's exactly like off the movie Christmas Vacation when they see the PERFECT Christmas tree. It might not be the best tree but it was OUR tree.



Thanksgiving day, we had Eddington Kickball

Best Wedding Proposal Ever !!

Fella's, if you're looking for a good proposal idea, this one is probably out of your league... haha. But it's still awesome! Confession: I LOVE High School Musical!(don't judge). If HSM came out with another movie where Troy and Gabriella got married, I feel like this is exactly what it would look like:



Okay, AWESOME right?! Proposal= outa this world! I've watched this way to many times. I just LOVE it! But a wedding too? I wish they had at least done her dress up. Set that aside, this proposal/wedding is so crazy awesome!

***Thanksgiving pictures still to come***

Not much has happened since my last entry on July 18th. YEAH RIGHT! I’ll try to sum up what’s gone down since then. Alright, after living with Grandma and Grandpa Barrow for the summer, Steven and I made the long drive back up to Provo, Ut. I loved spending the summer down in Sugar Land with the Barrow’s. One of my biggest goals was to really become a Barrow. Does that make sense? Like to really belong to the Barrow family. You know, I’ve been an Eddington my whole life. You don’t just transition over night. Every family does things different. I wanted to learn how the Barrow’s do things. Steven’s biggest goal for the summer was to master his soccer POWER KICK. Haha. I think we both accomplished our goals. =)
All summer we’d (more like I’ve) been wanting to get a pet when we got back to Provo SO after a lot of thinking about it and convincing we got a baby red foot tortoise.! His name is Douglas (Doug, Dougie, Dougel smuggle). WE LOVE HIM! Surprisingly, he’s pretty entertaining. We thought he might have some mental issues but then we realized that he’s still just a baby so his motor skills aren’t developed yet. Like he can barely eat on his own. He’ll open his mouth really wide like a yawn and we’ll have to try to get the food into his mouth as quick as possible before he closes. He’ll get pretty big but right now he’s smaller than my palm.



Schools great! I’ll be graduating in December!!! Looking forward to that. Steven still has a while left in school. He’s busy working a little more than part time and has a full class schedule. He’s so awesome. He never complains and works so hard. Right now I’m working at United Way. Oh, I LOVE it! I work 2-1-1. 2-1-1 “connects people with important community services and volunteer opportunities. By making services easier to access, 2-1-1 encourages citizen involvement and fosters self-sufficiency” (unitedwayuc.org). Steven says I’m saving the world, one phone call at a time. Haha. I also work with the Sub for Santa program. I’ve helped with S4S before but nothing like this one. We help over 5,500 individuals! I’m excited to play a part in such a large wonderful organization. Here’s a little inspiring video.

WORDS TO LIVE BY - How to LIVE UNITED

Lola / Elmo

For the past month and a half Steven and I have been house sitting for a family. The main reason for us to house sit was because of this dog:


She's CRAZY! Her name is Lola. ("whatever lola wants, Lola get...") Lola started off as the most annoying dog I've ever been around. She follows you right under your feet wherever you walk to; so you're constantly stepping on her. When she gets excited she pees. If we put her in her room, she would bark as if someone was trying to murder her while she was in there. Oddly enough, we came to love this dog. Once we accepted the fact that she was annoying, she all of a sudden became not so annoying. haha. By the time we had to part from Lola, Steven and I were both sad to say good bye to her.
This video is when we liked Lola and started realizing how much fun she could be.


This is kinda random, but Steven seriously has the FUNNIEST tickle laugh. I just had to record it. If you've seen any Sesame Street you'll make the odd connection that Steven and Elmos laugh are pretty similar. haha. =)

So You Think You Can Dance?

I am a BIG So you think you can dance (sytycd)fan. This season, the girls are the BOMB.COM! Last night Ricky and Ryan performed my favorite dance of the season. As Steven and I were watching last nights episode I just couldn't get over how awesome this dance was. Steven made the connection that I have something for Zombie dances. It's SO true! My two favorite dances on sytycd are zombie dances.(Disclaimer: These are weird dances. I admit that. But I like weird things. It's good to appreciate weird things.)

The first one is last nights episode that Ricky and Ryan danced.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB5qTN9QcrM


This is the Ramalama Bang Bang dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj5qoo9kQRM&feature=related

I can't... I'm allergic

Two summers ago while we were in Greece, I learned the hard way that I was allergic to Eucalyptus. But apparently, I'm allergic to something else. We figured this out after my complaining bamboo experience. I had a rash on my arms and legs. It really wasn't to bad, it just itched like CRAZY! Is this an excuse I can use for the rest of my life to NOT do yard work? "I can't... I'm allergic."

bamBOOOOO

Grandpa Barrow hired Steven and I to cut all the bamboo down at the cabin. The picture below doesn't even show 1/2 of the darn bamboo!



I like to think of myself as a pretty optimistic person; but cutting down the bamboo showed a whole new side of me that I didn't even know existed. My Dad is a property manager. Our yard work was usually done by the people that worked for my dad. Therefore, I haven't really done yard work. Sure, I would rake or weed sometimes but nothing to big. I was dead after 30 mins of cutting down this bamboo! I kept thinking "ok kt, you are one of those hard core wives; like a pioneer wife!" Then I would think "But I don't want to be a pioneer wife!" Seriously, biggest mental game I've played in a long time. Poor Steven. haha. He didn't think it was that bad. He made sure to listen to my complaining but he wouldn't join in with my bamboo trash talk. He always sets a good example to me. Every girl should want to marry a guy like Steven.

One of Stevens life goals is to beat me in basketball. Cute... One of the houses we are house sitting for has a small arcade basketball game. Steven's goal will have to wait a little longer. I creamed him...

Happenings

I recently was given back the charger to my camera. (Hence the reason I haven't been putting up any new pictures.) This person shall stay anonymous, let’s call her Cheeser, has a tendency to hold on to my stuff FOREVER. So never mind that my senior year of college basically doesn't exist because I have no pictures; but let’s look at the bright side, I'll be taking A LOT of pictures this summer. Here's what's new:
Steven's younger sister Niki had prom. She was stunning! Her date, Jason, seriously was the luckiest guy at the prom.



For Kenzies birthday we went to the Strawberry festival. We eat some of the world’s largest strawberry shortcake! 1905 square feet of goodness!!! The whole building was filled with the smell of strawberries. The strawberry festival might as well as been called the "Straw and Hick Festival." I'm from TX but not the hick part. While at the festival I got to witness what true hicks would do. We saw Hog racing, Alligator Wrestling, rode a mechanical bull, and best of all, Mud volleyball. The mud volleyball looked like so much fun but we needed to pre-register. There were probably 20 pits of mud just for you to get dirty in. haha.






A while ago on facebook there was something called a Doppler. A Doppler was your famous look-a-like. I’ve never thought I look like anyone famous but Steven thinks he looks like Eminem. When he said that, I started laughing SO hard. Eminem is this hard core rapper and Steven is the most loving person you’ll ever meet. Ironically, they kind of do look alike.





This past week was my niece Kyla Rays 7th birthday! We were so lucky to spend her birthday with her. She needed to help the sick fairy Iridessa. So all day Iridessa had little tasks for Kyla to do; like the fairy Silvermist had Kyla plant a seed and water it. Another fairy had her paint a picture. Kyla eventually truly became a fairy helper when she got her first pair of fairy wings.



After shopping at Kyla’s favorite store we had a big birthday dinner with the Barrows. We spent the rest of the evening riding bikes and skateboarding outside.

Pocket Full Of Sunshine

Alright, I admit that I saw this movie, Easy A. Dumbest movie. In my opinion don't see it. BUT this was by far the funniest part. I can't stop laughing when I watch it. Check it:

Great Quote

Here's a great quote to lift you up:

"However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault-finder will find faults even in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poorhouse. The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the almshouse as brightly as from the rich man's abode; the snow melts before its door as early in the spring. I do not see but a quiet mind may live as contentedly there, and have as cheering thoughts, as in a palace. The town's poor seem to me often to live the most independent lives of any. Maybe they are simply great enough to receive without misgiving. Most think that they are above being supported by the town; but it oftener happens that they are not above supporting themselves by dishonest means, which should be more disreputable. Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends. Turn the old; return to them. Things do not change; we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts. God will see that you do not want society. If I were confined to a corner of a garret all my days, like a spider, the world would be just as large to me while I had my thoughts about me. The philosopher said: "From an army of three divisions one can take away its general, and put it in disorder; from the man the most abject and vulgar one cannot take away his thought." Do not seek so anxiously to be developed, to subject yourself to many influences to be played on; it is all dissipation. Humility like darkness reveals the heavenly lights. The shadows of poverty and meanness gather around us, "and lo! creation widens to our view." We are often reminded that if there were bestowed on us the wealth of Croesus, our aims must still be the same, and our means essentially the same. Moreover, if you are restricted in your range by poverty, if you cannot buy books and newspapers, for instance, you are but confined to the most significant and vital experiences; you are compelled to deal with the material which yields the most sugar and the most starch. It is life near the bone where it is sweetest. You are defended from being a trifler. No man loses ever on a lower level by magnanimity on a higher. Superfluous wealth can buy superfluities only. Money is not required to buy one necessary of the soul." -Walden By Henry Thoreau

The past 2 weeks have been packed with events:
-My wishes came true: Olivia won for Biggest Loser! YAHOOOOOOOOO!
-My little sister, BrieAnne got married! The day was perfect. We couldn't have dreamed of better weather, the reception decorations stayed up (we were worried they would fall down), Brie looked GORGEOUS!
-Kenzie's birthday was May 21. We celebrated by going to the Strawberry Festival. We imagined a big strawberry field but surprisingly enough, there was on field. In fact, there was probably 20 pits for mud volleyball. hahaha. Besides the 'Mud Run' we did a few months ago, this is by far the most Hick thing I've ever seen! I wanted so badly to go play volleyball in the mud but we needed to preregister. I did however, get my fill of Hick when we road a mechanical bull, ate a part of the worlds largest strawberry shortcake, watched pig races, and witness a man wrestle an alligator. God bless Texas!
-Mindy's birthday was May 22. I called that girl up and destiny stuck. Kindy came over to Mindy's while we were still on the phone. (For anyone that doesn't know, these girls are my Crew! It's a long, silly story.) So we got to have a CREW phone chat.
-I finally decided on an internship with the PARC. It's a recreation center run by United Methodist.
-Steven and I celebrated our 6 months anniversary! That's half a year! I feel like we just got married but at the same time, I feel like we've been married forever. I'm so thankful for him.

Motivation

I LOVE Biggest Loser! There's a lot of trash out in the media but I seriously think that if you're going to watch ANYTHING on TV that Biggest Loser is the show to watch. It's about morbidly obese people who want to make a change in their lives; to loose weight.
These are the last four contestants. The two on the right in purple are the final two (which is GREAT because they're my favorite!). The green guy and orange girl are having America vote for them to see which one will weigh in with the two purple girls for the FINALS!!! Olivia, the purple shirt with short hair is my ABSOLUTE favorite. She is basically my life motto, which is: "Easy things make men weak. I can do hard things. And with Lords help, I can do all things." She is seriously awesome!

Every time I watch this show, I am always inspired to be better. I need to be reminded of this often. I'll forget what my purpose is but then something comes along to re motivate myself.
My class actually took the DISC personality test and turns out I all about motivation and optimism. Test like the DISC are always intimidating because sitting in front of you is a sheet of paper that has all of your character strengths and weaknesses. These type of tests are also comical because they really are true. Katie Palmer (best friend since 5th grade) and I took the color code test once and when we looked at how we should act around each others specific color, we felt like we took a gigantic step up the friend ladder. haha. Here's my DISC description:

Persuader Pattern

Emotion: trusts others; enthusiastic
Goal: authority and prestige; a variety of status symbols
Judges others by: ability to verbalize; flexibility
Influences others by: friendly manner; openness; verbal adeptness
Value to the organization: seller, closer, delegates responsibility, poised, confident
Over uses: enthusiasm, oversells, optimism
Under pressure: becomes soft and persuadable; organized when desiring to look good
Fears: a fixed environment

Persuaders work with and through people. That is they strive to do business in a friendly way while pushing forward to achieve their own objectives. Possessing an outgoing nature and interest in people, Persuaders have the ability to gain the respect and confidence of various types of people. Persuaders have the ability to bring people to their point of view, not only drawing people to them but retaining them as clients or friends.

Work with people, challenging assignments, variety of work and activities that require mobility provide the most favorable environment for Persuaders. As a result of their natural positive outlook, Persuaders may be too optimistic about the results of projects and the potential of people. Persuaders also tend to overestimate their ability to change the behavior of others.

When they are alerted to the importance of the "little things," adequate information helps them balance their enthusiasm with a realistic assessment of the situation.