12 Days of Christmas

Someone is doing "The 12 Days of Christmas" for our family. It is day 5 and we are anxiously awaiting the knock on the door.

Yesterday, our secret Santas dropped off a Christmas tree gingerbread kit. Tonight we made it for family night. The kids were the most quiet they have been in months as they were sampling the frosting while Devin and I decorated the tree. Devin was quite bossy when it came to the application of the frosting. I never knew he wanted to be an interior designer. When I told him he was being too controlling, Devin responded with, "What would Greg King think?" For those of you that know my dad you will find that joke funny.

Thank you to our secret Santas for making our Christmas extra jolly!

Hooray for Pee!

When Taylor was less than a month old I decided to start potty training Mollie. If it sounds terrible, it was. Trying to deal with newborn Taylor (whom I was still nursing) and following around Mollie to make sure she didn't pee her pants was more than I could handle. Most days I ended up crying, and I started to doubt my beloved "Potty Training in 3 Days" method. Mollie would use going potty for attention. One night she pee'd her bed three times in 30 minutes just so I would go in and check on her (my theory at least). She would wake up in the night just as often as Taylor would because she had wet the bed. No one was getting sleep around here. After a week of misery I gave up and put her back in diapers.

2 weeks ago Mollie decided she wanted to give it another go. She started asking for her "big girl potty" and said she was all done with diapers. I was hesitant at first and even tried to talk her into wearing diapers again. I know that is terrible but I really was not interested in dealing with the pee drama again just yet. Anyhoo, here we are 2 weeks later and diapers are just a thing of the past! Mollie did it all on her own. I am so proud of my girl!

Taylor is 4 months old.

Love this girl. Love her chubby cheeks and her easy-going personality. Sam and Mollie already had a plethora of videos by the time they were 4 months old, and this is Taylor's first. Yeah, life is a little busier these days.

I'm Going to Describe Sam's Poo

I love my Sam. He just turned 4 this past Saturday. I can't believe how fast his little years are flying by.

Tonight we decided to walk to the park. Walking to any park from our (relatively) new house is quite a trek, at least 1 mile each way. I packed up the double stroller and had Sam beside me on his scooter. About 1/4 mile into the walk, Sam told me he had to go poo. I asked him if he could make it to the park and he told me yes. About a block down the road Sam alerted me again that he was feeling the urge. I told him he could try to hold it until the park or we could find a bush somewhere to go in. He assured me he could make it to the park. A few seconds later he changed his mind and told me it was time!

We walked to a big stucco sign that says the name of our neighborhood, surrounded by cactuses (It feels too weird saying cacti even though I know it's the right thing to do) and bushes. I positioned the stroller so that it would block Sam's bum from the oncoming traffic and dog-walkers. It was a very funny thing to me to hold onto his little arms while he squatted and pushed with all his might. The poor thing must have been constipated (this is the part where I describe Sam's poo) because not much was happening. After a while I asked him if he was done and he told me, "I just have a little one left." What came out of him was definitely not little. Way to go, buddy.


After a great time at the park, including running into the Boden triplets (those kids are always at the park), having a little missionary experience (I had to shout out loudly and proudly that I'm a Mormie when some cute ladies offered me coffee. It was all of 65 degrees outside. I could have frozen to death due to my convictions), and having a reunion with my beloved Jessica McDowell, we headed home.

Of course Sam wanted to stop and admire his poo on the walk back. By this time it was dark, so finding the treasure was hard at first. When we spotted it, Sam got so excited that he ran up and down the sidewalk, kicked a cactus, and immediately started screaming. The cactus had poked him through his shoe.


Only a boy would kick a cactus.

Mollie's 2 Year Video

3 Months Old

I am so excited that Taylor is 3 months old. I feel like we are on the downward slope as far as hard newborn things go.

Taylor is laid-back. She is a vomit machine. She is smiley. She prefers me to hold her. She still sleeps in the swing. She is not as portable as she used to be and likes her conditions perfect if she is expected to take a nap (wonder where she gets that from?).

She is so so sweet.

I Hate Snakes.

Devin is training for a marathon. He has been running at night along the main road behind our street. He has been seeing snakes. RATTLESNAKES.

I've looked out the car window at the desert sometimes over the many years I've lived in Arizona and had the thought, "I'm sure there are a lot of terrible things out there." I'm fine with there being scorpions and snakes out in the wild, but when they come onto my turf I am NOT ok with it. Don't tell me about the scorpion you found in your bedroom. You are talking to a girl who sleeps on the floor.

Tonight Becky, Marci and I went for a walk. Marci's neighborhood doesn't have street lights in a lot of sections, so she was shining her light along the street as we were walking. We were convinced at least 3 times that we had either seen a snake, heard something in the bushes, or seen a bat fly overhead. When I came home from walking and walked in through the garage, I almost stepped on this:

Thank goodness it was just Sam's beloved Sally the Snake.


Since seeing all the rattlesnakes Devin has changed his running route. If he continues to post pictures of snakes on Facebook, he will no longer be my friend.

Bless Her Heart!

Yesterday Taylor was blessed at church. I just love this little baby so much. She is 10 weeks old and so so sweet. Devin blessed her with health and that she will realize how much she is loved by our Heavenly Father and by her family.

Sometimes my blog posts have told about the rough patches our little family is going through. I was just thinking today as I was doing the dishes, that currently, life is good. We are healthy and happy. We know where to turn to for help. Our kids are so stinking precious. Yes, Sam still has violent outbursts, Mollie refuses to nap, and thanks to Taylor I am sleep deprived, but we are blessed. Devin is Mr. Motivation lately and is training for a marathon in addition to taking a wood-working class. I am loving this side of him. He is such a help to me as I am trying to get the hang of this 3 kid thing. I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It truly is the happiest way to live.

And now for pictures of my precious girl.

My 27th year

Tomorrow I turn 28.

I spent the majority of my 27th year grumpy and pregnant. Looking back, I remember vomiting through Christmas, sleeping through the spring, and eating through the summer. I do not love being pregnant but I sure am grateful that my body is able to carry babies. I love Taylor and I am so happy I got to have her in the 27th year of my life!

In my 27th year we became a family of 5. This is weird to me because this is how big my family was growing up. This is how big my big sister's family is. Now, I am the grown-up one with the 3 kids. It is very stressful at times and I am still in the zombie phase of motherhood, what with Taylor waking up every few hours, but I am slowly getting used to it.

In my 28th year I want to try and live in the present. I want to cherish my husband more and focus on all he does for me and the kids. I want to have meaningful moments with each of my children each day. I want to have meaningful scripture study and feel the Holy Spirit influencing my life.

I am a blessed girl (I guess I should say woman, I will be 28 tomorrow). I have a knowledge of the restored gospel and the priesthood in my home. My children are stinking cute and more importantly the sweetest things ever (even if one of them is only sweet to me when he's sleeping. I'm not mentioning any names but it rhymes with Ham).

Here's to 28!

Taylor Sue, the highlight of the year

Sleepy T.

Taylor is 2 weeks old. I still don't know her very well because she is always asleep! I am not complaining. I am grateful that she is easing me into life with 3 kids and isn't a needy newborn. I'm just taken aback by how low-maintenance she is! What a blessing.

Last night I went on my first grocery trip since having the baby. Have you been to the new store, Winco? Um, I love this store. It is like Costco in a smaller version. Produce prices are amazing and they have big bulk sizes that other stores don't carry. Plus their bulk food section is enourmous. What I wasn't impressed with was that you have to bag your own groceries. Had I known this I may have rethought the amount of groceries I bought. I am only 2 weeks out from my c-section, and I was struggling to bag my groceries in a timely manner. The line was long and I could tell the cashier was getting impatient with me, waiting for me to be on my way and clear up her line. Finally I looked at her and the other people standing in line and I said, "Sorry, I'm slow. I just had a baby and this is my first outing!" Boy did the attitude in that line change. People went from impatient to sweet and interested. They wanted to know all about the baby. "Boy or girl?" "Is this your first?" "Oh you poor thing." "Get some rest!" I might have to pull the just-had-a-baby card more often.

While I was shopping I saw a sign in the store that reminded me of Taylor. I don't remember what it said but it gave me an ache I missed her so bad. Isn't it funny how you can get so attached so fast?

Kids are the best.

It Starts.

Today Mollie went to time-out for the first time.

Back when Mollie was born, Sam turned from sweet toddler to Terrible Twos almost immediately. I don't' know if it's the arrival of a new sibling or simply the age that causes my sweetlings to turn from nice to naughty. Whatever the cause, it has begun with our Mollie.

Week One.

Taylor Sue Barry was born last Friday, July 20 at 12:57 p.m. She is my smallest baby weighing in at 7 lbs. 15 oz and 20 1/2" long.

So far she is a sleepy, sleepy baby, which I am loving! She does of course have some wakeful time around 2 in the morning, but other than that she is content to eat and sleep. Which again, I am loving.


Sam and Mollie are loving their new sister and are very interested in her. Like scary interested. They have both almost killed her at least once (Sam by jumping off the couch and almost landing on her, Mollie by bringing her a 3 lb. dumbbell and laying it on her stomach).

I am recovering well from C-section #3. The pain from the incision does not bother me at all. I am dealing with mastitis again, and I can't seem to kick it. I am not a fan of the boob part of having babies. It's basically awful.


Taylor looks so much like Devin it is funny. When I first saw her I thought, "Wow, she looks like me!" Then, when she was brought to me in the recovery room and I saw her dark hair, nose, and skin tone, I changed my mind. She is definitely a Barry baby!

We are blessed to have another beautiful and healthy baby and for all the help we've gotten from family and friends.

Here's to 3 kids!

4 Days.

My C-section is scheduled for Friday. I don't think it has hit me yet that in 4 days I'm going to have another child. I am just so stinking overjoyed at the thought of not being pregnant anymore that I kind of forget about the baby part. This pregnancy has been the toughest, but I know it will all be worth it.

Doesn't it look like my belly is about to fall off? I caught a glimpse of my shadow the other day and had to do a double-take.

Happy Birthday, Dev!

Yesterday Devin turned 28. A few years ago a psychic friend of Brenda's (my MIL) said that Devin will be successful at age 28. When she said this I was pregnant with Sam. She also predicted that Sam would be a girl. You win some you lose some I guess. I'd put money on the successful prediction though, because in my view he already is. Happy birthday, Deb!


Today I made the kids all-natural cookies. They love to eat the dough. Nothing makes me happier than to see them enjoying something that is actually good for them. My kids love treats, and so does their dad. Lets just say it is a constant battle in our house. I'm the mean mommy who says no and Devin is the fun dad who says yes. Sam and Mollie don't seem to notice that these eggless, sugarless, butter-less cookies aren't real cookies. It kind of makes my day.All the cookies have in them is dates, whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda, honey, peanut butter, vanilla, and oats.


I love these kids and I am so ready for #3 to make her appearance! We scheduled my C-section for July 20. T minus 43 days :)

Memorial Day and Baby Mama Drama

For Memorial Day this year we went out to breakfast. We went to The Place, which is a different location of another place, (also called The Place) that Devin and I fell in love with when we were courting in Flagstaff. As we were waiting for our table, I of course had to use the bathroom. I took Sam with me. We were making our way through the restaurant when I saw a man out of the corner of my eye reaching for me. I just thought, "Oh great," assuming it was unwanted affection for my pregnant belly. I stopped and made eye contact with the man. It took me a few seconds to realize it was non other than John Barry, my father-in-law. There at the table with him were Brenda and Brooklynn. We made it a party and got seated sooner and had company on our holiday breakfast. (For the record, John was just trying to get my attention. He's not the belly touching type- for that I am very grateful. I've had random men touch my pregnant belly before and it made me hate life).

After breakfast we headed home for nap time and then out to Mesa to our friends Ryan and Kara's house. Sam and Mollie loved the pool and I loved hanging out with Kara and two of her friends I had never met before. The two friends were also converts to the LDS church. It was fun to talk about the things that were hard for us to get used to in the Mormon way of life (i.e. not shopping on Sundays, wearing modest clothing, etc.). And I just love Kara more every time I see her. How can you not love someone who openly talks about SWASS?

Mollie looked so dang cute in her swimsuit and pigtails

Ryan had made everyone hamburgers at their get together. They looked so good but my stomach was feeling a little bit funny so I passed. When we got home that night my stomach was still feeling weird. Weird turned into sharp pains going from my stomach to my lower back. I went to bed hoping I would wake up feeling better.

At about 2 in the morning the sharp pains woke me up. Normally I would think of these pains as me maybe just needing to go poo or something (sorry but true). Then I remembered, "Oh yeah, I'm pregnant." When they started coming faster and nothing seemed to help I got a little bit nervous. At around 4 in the morning I woke Devin up to give me a priesthood blessing. The pain didn't seem to subside but I was able to go back to sleep.

When I woke up Tuesday morning, the pains were still coming and going. Devin stayed home from work so that I could take it easy. I left a message at my dr.'s office to let them know what was going on and to see what I should do. They said what I thought they would, telling me to drink as much water as possible and to go straight to the er if the pains are coming every 10 minutes. Devin and I started timing them. Some came after 15 minutes, some after 45 minutes, and some after 8 minutes. By 11:00 p.m. I hadn't had any pain for almost 3 hours, so I just went to bed.

When I woke up this morning and started making the kids breakfast, starting the laundry and so on, they started up again. Dangit. So I called Devin, he came home from work, and off to the ER I went.


After some tests and ultrasounds, I was told that all is well! Baby girl is healthy and strong, and I am not dilated whatsoever. This is very good news since I'm only 32 weeks as of tomorrow.

They told me my pain was most likely due to the heat and that I should be drinking a gallon of water per day. Holy cow.


I am so grateful that everything is ok and that God protected my sweet baby. I am grateful that I decided to go to the ER so that I can have peace of mind. I am grateful that my whole hospital visit only cost us $150. We are uninsured so I didn't know what to expect.


Speaking of being uninsured...

We got a letter in the mail today saying our application for AHCCCS was denied. This means that we will be paying for baby #3 out of pocket. I am really wishing right now that I didn't have to have C-sections.

I don't know how we're going to pay to have this baby, but I do know 2 things: 1) She's coming whether or not we have insurance, and 2) Heavenly Father will provide a way. He always has for us and he always will.

The Free Zoo and Whole Wheat Pizza

Devin worked on a tile job until the wee hours of the morning today. Knowing that he needed to sleep and that he couldn't do so if the kids were home (there is no keeping them quiet), I packed up the kids and left the house. I didn't know where to go or what to do, but I somehow ended up at Cabela's. My friend Tatum once coined this store as "The Free Zoo." If you have been there, you know that there are life-sized animals on display throughout the store. They are all dead, but my kids are little and didn't seem to care. Not only is it free to walk around and look at all the animals, but it is air conditioned! How heavenly on a day like today to do something inside.

Sam and Mollie seemed genuinely entertained. We were even able to leave with only 2 minor tragedies occurring; Mollie having a nasty diarrhea diaper and Sam losing his toy car.





For dinner tonight I made the best whole wheat pizza I have ever had. I got the recipe here. I was pretty impressed with myself. Even Sam ate it, and he's not even that big of a pizza fan.

30 Weeks

I have 2 months left in this pregnancy. 2 very hot months left. The countdown is on!

Not only am I thrilled to meet our newest Barry baby, I am thrilled to feel like the old Allison again. I'm excited to have the desire to play with my kids rather than sit them in front of a movie. I'm excited to want to go for walks and move my body! I am excited to stop crying. This pregnancy is an emotional one. It's a bit ridiculous. I know Devin is excited for the crying to end too.

I am still eating healthy, and I don't feel like I'm getting rapidly and uncontrollably huge as I felt with my first 2. I'm definitely in the chubby zone, but not in the obese zone yet. Speaking of obese, I recently watched the show, "Obese and Pregnant." It made me feel a lot better about my weight gain :)

Thanks to our tax return and credit card points I am now the proud owner of a new camera, so I'm more inspired to blog again.


I just love my sweet little kids.

I Can Do This Despite My Hormones!

I am feeling so much better since I have tried to regain control of my life. I have been eating healthy now for 13 days, and I haven't gained any more weight!!! I had been gaining 2 lbs. per week already. That is just ridiculous. My calories are now coming from things like avocados and nuts instead of taquitos and cereal. I am feeling good!


Since moving into a bigger house earlier this month, I have been so overwhelmed with how in the world to keep it clean. I have tried many, many times in my married life to execute a cleaning schedule, but it never happened until this week. I made a plan and I actually stuck to it. Here we are on Friday and my house is tidy! This is so unlike me!(Especially pregnant, might I add. Pregnant me does nothing).


Next week Mollie and I are going on a trip to Florida and Georgia to visit my parents and Whitney and to celebrate Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw's 80th birthdays. I am so excited for the break from the norm and to see my family. I wish I could take Sam with me, too. He asked me yesterday, "Can I come with you to see Maw-Maw on the airpwane?" Poor little buddy. If only 3 year-olds flew for free. But, I think the break will be good for us. I haven't been Sam's favorite person lately, so maybe longing will make his little heart grow fonder. Plus, a little one-on-one time for me and Mollie will be a good thing since she will no longer be the baby in 3 short months.

I love my sweet little kids. I can't believe there will be 3 of them soon. Scary.

Taking Control

Chubby Al, here. I am now 25 weeks pregnant and have gained just shy of 40 lbs.

Each time I am pregnant I feel control slipping away from me. It starts initially because I feel nauseated constantly and the only thing that sounds good or stays down are of course starchy, sugary carbohydrates. By the time I feel better, I am hooked and am getting plumper by the day.

I told myself it was going to be different this time, that I would exercise and keep up my healthy eating habits, yet, here I am again finding myself in the same situation; tired and hungry and feeding. Always. I started praying about it, asking for motivation to be restored to me, asking for some remnant of my normal-brained self to surface.

This past Saturday it happened. For some reason I woke up feeling like I wanted to eat healthy foods instead of the cereal I had been enjoying each morning. Easter came and I didn't even eat one piece of the kids' candy. Here we are at Thursday and I am still going strong. (In past pregnancies I have been motivated for one or two meals and that's it. This 5-day streak is a big deal).

I am not trying to lose weight. I know I am pregnant and I know that weight gain is inevitable. What I am trying to do is to keep it under control. I don't need to gain 70+ lbs. again this pregnancy.



I love that our Heavenly Father cares about the stuff we care about and is waiting to help. He's the best.

My Girl

Mollie turned 18 months old this week. Half birthdays are a big deal to me when kids are this small. 6 months makes a big difference.

Since I'm pregnant and do nothing now I didn't make her a video like I wanted to, but let me just say, Mollie is the sweetest thing. She is independent but at the same time loves to be held. A lot. She loves food and thankfully eats healthy things (unlike my picky boy Sam and his daddy). She's starting to stand up to Sam. Just this morning she stole a toy he was playing with and ran away as fast as her little legs could go until he finally caught her and stole it back.

I love my Mollie girl.

20 Weeks and Life Update

I am 20 weeks today! We are halfway there! I have already gained 27 lbs. Yes I said TWENTY-SEVEN. I am trying to take action and walk everyday and make sure I'm watching what I'm eating. We'll see if that helps.

Yesterday Selena and I took our kids to the park. It was chilly and windy, and even though I was wearing long-sleeves, I found myself shivering at the park. When we walked in we had noticed an abandoned coat just lying on one of the picnic benches. Selena said, "Why don't you just wear that?" So I did.

Time passed and we were pushing the kids on the swings, changing poopie diapers and feeding bottles when we noticed 2 boys also at the park. Selena whispered to me, "What if that's their jacket you're wearing?" I thought this was very funny and kept trying to see whether or not they were giving me weird looks.

As we were about to load up the kids to leave I decided I had better check with the boys to see if it was in fact one of their jackets. I asked them, and the answer (thankfully) was no. I could tell they thought I was weird, and it wasn't until I walked away that I remembered that not only did I have tape holding together my sunglasses (they broke last week), but I also had about 4 holes in the back of my pants, right in the rear-area. I'm sure they went home and told their mom they saw a homeless lady at the park who had holes in her pants and was picking up random clothing and wearing it.

photo courtesy of Selena




In other news, we are moving.

We found out a couple of weeks ago that the home we are renting is in foreclosure. Rather than sit and wait to be kicked out (not to mention keep giving money to a landlord who has been pocketing our money), we have found another home to rent. We are blessed to know the new landlords well enough to know they are trustworthy and won't stop paying their payments on the home. The best part is the house is just about a mile north of where we are living now, which means we get to stay in the same neighborhood and the same ward. I am sad to leave my amazing neighbor and friend, Shauna, but at least we will still be close!


That's about all the new stuff about us for now. I'm not into blogging lately because my camera is broken. Posts without pictures are lame.

I'm Cheapskate and I Know it

When my sisters and I were little, we were sometimes embarrassed by our mom's frugality. I can still hear my mom's southern voice asking the drive-thru person at McDonald's if they had "any of those little courtesy cups for children" so that we would could split one big drink rather than pay for separate ones. My sisters and I would cringe in our seats whenever we would go out to dinner as a family, because a coupon was always involved. If for some reason the waiter tried to say that the coupon was not applicable, you better believe my mom argued her case (and usually won).

Now that I am a mom myself I am noticing that I am the same way (maybe minus the coupon arguing). When I take the kids with me grocery shopping we always stop by the bakery for the free cookies they have set aside for kids. We know the 2 Phoenix McDonald's locations that give mini ice cream cones to kids for free (91st ave & Union Hills, loop 303 & Bell rd.) I was looking forward to getting my free dozen donuts from Krispy Kreme this year on my birthday, too, but when I drove up I found out they had closed down. That was depressing.

Thanks for teaching me the tricks of the trade, Don. Even though they are embarrassing, I'm getting over it :)

Princess Fiona

I am not a cute pregnant person. I basically hate the way I feel in my body from weeks 5-40 of pregnancy (and of course while trying to shed the pounds afterward). Even though my Selena is a professional photographer and has offered to take maternity pictures, my answer is always the same. No no NO!

Why?

Because I go from this:


To this:




I'm thinking of starting a pool to see how much I gain this pregnancy. Anyone interested?

Is it possible?

I'm only 13 weeks. Could I really be feeling this baby move already?

12 Weeks

I am 12 weeks along with baby #3, and life is still at a standstill here at the Barry house (for me at least). Poor Devin is picking up my slack. He does the laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, and every other thing that I am neglecting. I still feel sick most days, with a few good hours scattered here and there.

I wish I had something interesting to blog about, but all I do right now is watch tv. If you need to know the current primetime schedule I'm your gal. You can come visit me. Be warned, I'll be looking like this: