Of one of the most amazing women I have ever known. I love you Grandma and I miss you terribly.

January 12, 1929 - September 26, 2010

My wonderful family

Four Generations

Grandma with the Unruh Grandkids

There are no words to say how very special, kind, loving, strong, sassy, and loved Grandma Bea was. She was loved by so many and will be greatly missed. I have so many wonderful memories of my Grandma that I will cherish forever.

*Photos taken by my sister Kristy and myself.

To see more “oldies, but goodies” click below.

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A day at Casa de Barr Edition:

At any given time this is what you’ll see in my house….Shenzie on the edge of the couch with [dirty] Baby Bear watching TV (usually buck naked or with only a shirt on).

And my little computer gamer, Heaten playing games on my iPhone.

::Sigh:: I love life.

Last weekend we took the kids to the annual Duck Race at the river. Silly me got my days mixed up so we went down there a day early only to find the park empty. Oops. We had fun anyway, looking at the ducks and people watching.

(I love love love this photo of Shenzie and Jeff, their happiness jumps out and grabs my heart)

Well, some of us had fun, others were kinda grumpy.

The next day we went back for the festivities and while our ducks didn’t win, we still had fun.

Well, some of us had fun, others were once again, kinda grump buckets!

I really love that year round there are festivities, festivals, and general fun happenings around town. Hopefully the next fun will bring a little happiness to my grumpybutt boy. =)

It is seriously so funny how much Shenzie is like me and Heaten is just like Jeff. Our little Shenzie is a hoarder. Oh my, it just keeps getting worse and worse. She hoards all of her toys in her bed at night. Little hard figurines, dolls, stuffed animals, crowns, even beanbags with babies sleeping in them. With bows on top of the babies. And then the babies had blankets on them.

See what I mean. It just grows and grows. It started out innocent enough. When we leave the house the twinzies each get to bring their baby (Baby Bear and Baby Doggy). Then she started bringing a little toy. Then two toys. These days she loads up her plastic bucket with anything and everything she can possibly grab before we rush her out the door.

The downstairs looks like a tornado ran through it, toys strewn all about. Her room is a nightmare. I remember my mom having to tip toe thru the clothes and crap in my room growing up. Yep Mom, that ‘Mother’s Curse’ you planted on me and then took off out of pity when the twinzies were newborns….yeah, its back. Please cast your voodoo hex and remove it again. Posthaste.

Ok, so back to the crazy. Last night she was a bundle of energy (despite waking up earlier than usual at 7:20). While Jeff and I were watching the Big Brother Season Finale (which I totally agree with who won even though Reagan was probably my favorite and DAMN the Man, why does Brenden have to be so SO dumb and yet still so hot)? Ok, enough BB…..we were watching it and we hear Shenzie yell down to us to come see her room because she cleaned it. Her room normally has every toy imaginable out on the floor, her bed covered with every stuffed animal she owns, and her jewelry and bows strewn everywhere. It is so bad even Heaten comments that her room is so messy and his is so clean. She sounded so excited when she yelled down to us we couldn’t help but go up to see her supposed clean room. Imagine my HUGE surprise when I see this.

She really did clean her room. Everything was put away. Her bed made, her toys, barbies, babies and stuffed animals all put away. She was jumping up and down so excited and proud of her work. I told her how very proud I was of her and she immediately asked if she got a sticker (our reward system). I told her yes, because I was so happy and proud of her she gets not one but three stickers. Ha, she totally got me because usually 3 stickers equals a treat (most times a cookie, candy, or small toy of some sort). She asked if she gets a treat and what would it be. She was happy to hear that her treat tomorrow for being such a big girl and cleaning her room for the very first time ever without being asked was a Rice Crispy Treat. She told me that they make her hands sticky and then laughed like a hyena about it. Weirdo.

Heaten is not a hoarder of toys in general, only of trains. His very favorite thing in the entire world are trains. Mainly of the Thomas, Percy, James, Stanley, Rosie variety. He has three tracks set up in his room, one Thomas track with battery powered trains. One Geo track with Stanely, steamer, Eric, and Aero (and it is pretty sad I know all of these trains and their names). The last track is the little Thomas set with the smaller trains that connect with magnets.

Downstairs he has his little shrine of trains. And OMG! Don’t you dare touch them or move them or you will get the wrath of Heaten rained down on you. Meaning, he loses his shit if you mess with his trains. Oh, and his weird lego towers that he built…one upstairs and one downstairs. These are a new addition and when they get knocked over he gets pretty bummed out.

He loves to play in Shenzie’s room and share her toys and she loves it when he does. But he does not reciprocate at all. Shenzie is rarely allowed in his room (usually only if I’m there), and never lets her play with his trains or tracks or pile of other car related toys. I’m glad they have their own rooms to dictate the rules and feel in control of, but it sucks when they refuse the other to enter and hurt their feelings. I’m also glad they have their own rooms, so one day when they are a little older we can move all of their toys upstairs to their rooms!

Family Fun Day Edition:

As we all know Heaten LOVES trains. He has wanted a train table for almost a year now and let me just say I am SO SO SO excited to give him his birthday present. I don’t keep secrets well and I hate waiting for things so I just want to give him his gift early, but Jeff refuses to give into my pouting. =) No really, I do want to wait until his birthday, but I really, really want him to have his train table. He talks about it every single day. Thank you Janae for the tip on Toys R Us trains tables on sale. We found a really cool one that he’ll love because it has a bridge, turntable, tunnel, helipad, and tons of trains. I bought Thomas Decals to stick on the sides of the wood so he’ll think it is a real Thomas table, plus will then match his room (which is Thomas the Train). I swore I’d never get them crappy character bedding when they started to love Dora or Barbie or whoever. But man, he just really loves trains I can’t help but indulge his passion.

The only problem is I don’t want the table in his room which means this giant thing gets to stay downstairs. Yay {sarcastically said}. He doesn’t want to play upstairs in his room for long without one of us up there and I really don’t want him secluded off from the rest of us playing in his room by himself so we are putting his train table and Shenzie’s very ugly doll house downstairs so they can enjoy their toys more when we’re trapped inside this very cold winter.

Here is the atrocity of Shenzie’s doll house….

That thing is fugly and even better it lights up and has sounds!!!! Yippee. =( I had such a hard time deciding on what to get Shenzie. I was sold on the tar*get baby station, but when she saw this at Cost*co her eyes lit up, and she ranted and raved over how much she loved it. I think it is hideous, and I’m going to hate looking at it everyday, but she will be so happy to have it that I will suck up the ugly and get excited with her. =)

Two weeks until we get the fun task of putting the toys together. Wish me luck that I don’t hurt Jeff in the process.

So I need your help. I am trying to design a DVD label to have DVD’s where they print the label right on the DVD. Soon I will be offering DVD slideshows of my sessions (I’ll post one next week). Which one do you like?? Brown dots, red dots, or green dots?? Or if you’re like Jeff you don’t like any, in which case, what in the world should I create?????

Thank You in advance for saving my sanity and helping me!!

*Just ignore that I went outside the template with the stripes. =)

Happiest of Birthdays to My Mom Edition:

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So my Mom is pretty much the bomb. Six kids and she’s still sane if that tells you anything. =) I have so many great memories from my childhood (and a few bad ones as well….devil board anyone??). My mom is beautiful, kind, a great listener, supportive, smart, fun, helpful, patient, loving, giving, and has always been there when I needed her. Through the ups and downs of life my Mom has never let it get her down. She dusts herself off and tries again. She is such an inspiration and great role model, both as a mother and as a person. I only hope I can be as good of a Mom to my kids as she is to us. I love you Mom, for everything you are and everything you do. Thank you for being so awesome!!

A trip down Memory Lane….

And because I can’t resist putting this up since it is one of my all time favorites………don’t kill me Mom. =)

*Just ignore that we are all looking different directions. That is what happens when you get 4 camera’s pointed at you all at once. =)

So summer is quickly coming to an end here (craziness since it is still 108 in Vegas), and I’m pretty bummed about it, but excited for the twinzies first snow. Well, to be fair it did snow once in Las Vegas since they were born.

December 2008

Their first real snow I’ll say. I found Shenzie the cutest little pair of Hello Kitty snow boots that she LOVES and while shopping at my favorite store (tar*get) I found a snow suit. Awwwww, her very first snowsuit……so stinking cute!!

Wahhhhhh. Get it off!!

She also has her very first real winter coat and the cutest new beanie and glove set. Only problem is she is a nudist and refuses to wear clothes at home.

Our first ever umbrella

Apparently she is more crazy than I previously gave her credit for. A few months ago she decided that undies hurt her bumbum and refused to wear any. This poses a problem on cold days when I want her to wear jeans and the jeans hurt her bumbum, but so do her undies and OMG, the tears and screams this dilemma causes. So yeah, then she decided to forgo all pants. Every morning we fight (well, she screams and cries and I get frustrated and usually end up tagging her over to Jeff, hahaah). After forcing her into clothes we leave the house, she is happy, and then the minute we step foot back home off goes the pants/shorts. And if she’s feeling particularly crazy she’ll take her shirt off as well and sprawl all over the couch with her “nakkie booty”. So cute yet so annoying all at the same time. =)

I’ve recently found that she takes her pj’s off at night as well. =)

I can see already the crazygirlhormoneinsaneemotionalwreck peeking its head out and OMG just kill me now!

And then there is Heaten who will wear whatever I bring him. Doesn’t ever cry about clothes or shoes or undies. I’m noticing a trend here….Shenzie is going to give me even more gray hairs and Heaten…well, Heaten is as snuggly and sweet as ever. =)

And because I convert this blog into yearly books I’m going to add his entire fun series here as well as my photo blog.

Tonight while trying to convince Heaten (for the zillionth time) to let us convert his crib into his big boy bed we started talking about seasons. It is definitely turning fall here with the nights in the low 40’s or below and highs in the 60’s and low 70’s. Heaten assures me that when winter comes he’ll be ready for his big boy bed. I seriously have my doubts. I’ve have never heard of a child who wants to stay in his crib. He just tells me “I don’t know how” or “I’m not ready”. Crazy little man.

So anyway, during our talk about seasons we started talking about snow. I do this a lot lately. I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince them or myself that the snow is going to be fun. We can do all sorts of things. Go sledding, make snow angels, one day we can teach them how to snowboard (what I’m looking forward to most of all) and most fun of all (for them), make snowmen! Shenzie told me she doesn’t want to make a snowman, but a snowgirl (the mom). And of course her shirt will be pink with sparkles, and it will be a princess shirt. She’ll have a wand and a crown. And snowbabygirl will wear pink princess clothes with ballerina shoes. She’ll also have a bow. With polkadots. And it will be black, pink, purple, brown, and yellow. This snowperson should be interesting if nothing else. =)

Heaten’s only request is that we make a snow choo choo. =)