A Week of Andrew

Andrew had a very busy week. Friday night was preschool graduation. I am proud of how well he has done in preschool this year - he is so ready for Kindergarten! And then we had the spring dance concert. His group did a wonderful job on their routine. They have been working hard on it for a couple months now. What a sweet, talented, and smart little guy I have!

Best. Cookies. EVER!

For my birthday my friend Andrea sent me the Cake Boss cookbook. I was so excited! I thought those recipes were top secret! Anyway, yesterday I made the chocolate chip cookies, and oh my goodness are they good. I just had to share with everyone what a delight a super tasty cookie can be. I can't wait to try the canolis and the cakes.

Mike brought this home for me yesterday. Somehow he knew I needed to laugh at my own stress levels. This little guy is my new best friend. I think I'll give him a squeeze first thing every morning for a little perspective on life!

lets play catch-up

Eclectic mishmash of photos coming your way! It's been a great couple of weeks for the Barlow's, and now you get to experience the condensed revised edited version via a very eclectic and random blog post that goes on and on and on...

I caught the cat in the crib the other day which is quite a feat since she isn't even allowed inside the house. It was either get mad, or get the camera. I chose the latter.

Easter Sunday we went to my Dad's house for dinner. Jon and his fam and Joe came as well and we had a pippin good time! Janet is the best cook and takes good care of us crazy Jaussis.

Carlie and Josh have always been really close. The girls each had a giant Easter Teddy bear, and they all cuddled together while watching "The Wizard of Oz" at Gr. Jaussi's

Clair and Clair - I swear they look allot alike.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let the pipping begin!

Mike had the winning egg. "The Torpedo" *sniff* *sniff* I'm so proud of my man! Ironic isn't it that the Italian won the Swiss contest that is probably actually Greek.

We went to the new Gunnison fire station this week with our neighbors to pass off a scout requirement. The boys got to talk to firemen, tour the house, look at equipment and even play in a fire truck. What fun!

And of course, another year for me. 31 this year!

The house is moving right along. I was totally surprised when Mike sent me a picture yesterday and the roof was on. We weren't expecting trusses til Friday. So the shingling party is officially set for the 14th. Wear good shoes, the roof is steeeeeeeep!

All together now

I realized that I have very few pictures of all three of my kidlets together. So I made sure to snap a few pictures during last night's bath party. What a silly slippery set of scrawnies! I'm so proud.

Happy 5th birthday Andrew!

What fun we had for this birthday! Mike said "I think our family was looking for a reason to celebrate." after days of counting down to April 13th. for some reason we were all really excited. At preschool Andrew's class had a little ceremony where he had to walk around the room with a globe symbolizing his trip through a year. Repeated 5 times. Each time around I showed pictures and told about Andrew when he was in that year. It was really special.

The party later that evening was allot of fun. Andrew wanted a "How to Train your Dragon" theme, so I ordered a party kit that had everything you could need, including blowy things and balloons. I experimented with a bakery frosting recipe for the first time, and I think it needs a bit of improvement.

Grandpas and Grandma, Uncle Dan, neighbor buddies, and our family consumed pizza and pop, watched the present melee, and took it up a notch with cake and ice cream. Everyone had a blast, and our middle child got a fabulous few hours in the spotlight.

I can't believe Andrew is 5. Kindergarten in just a few months. Its so sad, and so exciting all at once.

So far so good

So I figure everyone is probably dying to hear the update on the new house...well, maybe not dying, but I am excited so I will share! The hole was dug two weeks ago and then we were delayed for rain. But with a little bit of sun and a concrete crew with a whole lot of gusto, the entire foundation was formed, poured, and tarred in three days. Today they backfilled (just before the thunderstorm hit, whew!) and lumber is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. Framers will be here Wed, and will be done by next Friday. So if you are handy with a nail gun and don't have any plans for April 30th, come on down and join the roofing party! We are doing quite a bit of sweat equity, and the shingles are step number one for us.

Everything is going really well, and we are very excited for our new home.

This is the .495 acre lot in Gunnison. It is just one block from both the elementary and middle schools, so everyone will be really close to home.

After excavation

Insta-foundation!