jnjhasleton

hasleton Quote

2012-01-24T18:14:00.000-08:00

Grant: "Mom, how do dogs have puppies?"

Mom: "Same as people. They puppies grow in the mommy's belly."

Grant: "Do they have to get married?"

Mom: "No."

Nate: "You just have to get two pups together!"

Thanks my Nate. May it be this easy in a couple more years........

Great Nate!!

2012-01-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

My passionate child has turned 5. I can't believe how big these kids grow.

For his bday, we did heavy heavy hangs with cousins, had lots of yummy desserts

& are planning a fun birthday party involving Nerf guns,

camouflage & face protection.

We'll see how that goes!

My Nathan LOVES Star Wars & playing PBS games on the computer.

He builds very interesting things with Trios & LEGOS.

And can roll cars along my furniture surfaces all day long.

He loves going to school where the ladies like him.

He can't wait for kinder next year. He has the energy of 4 kids put together,

but looks like an absolute angel when he sleeps.

A fun conversation we had with him the other night while reading scriptures goes like this:

Mommy: The bad guys wanted to fight because they wanted power & rich things. The good guys were defending their freedom & their families.

Daddy: If anyone ever made me choose between Mommy & anything else, I would choose Mommy. Even if they would give me all the money in the world.

Nate: If the bad guys said I had to choose between bacon or Mommy. I would choose Mommy.

Pause while he thinks.

Nate: Yeah, I'm right. I would choose Mommy.

Thanks Nate. I choose you too!!!

Shout out Friday

2011-12-23T23:40:00.001-08:00

Don't wear red to Target or blue to Walmart.

Although I usually can answer people's questions when they ask me.

Elle's First Birthday

2011-12-15T00:57:00.001-08:00

My sweet Ellie turned the big ONE in November!!

She is the happiest baby I know. Always good for a smile.

Easy to calm down. Good natured.

Enjoying her present from Grandma.

So serious with her cake.

Happy Birthday my Ellie Bell. Many more to come!!

Soccer Shout Out Friday

2011-11-18T20:49:00.000-08:00

Driving home from an end of the season soccer party....

Jared: "These are the best team mom's we've had."

Jennifer: "Jared, I was team mom last year."

Jared: "Um, that was different."

Hasleton Quote

2011-11-17T16:57:00.001-08:00

Charly is out in the garage making a mess with the coloring books.

Grant turns the lock, thus locking her out there.

Me: "Grant, don't lock your sister outside. It's not nice & you're supposed to protect her."

Nate: "Mom, if we lock her outside, the bad guys can't get her. So we are protecting her."

Grant: "And it will force her to clean up her mess."

Poor Charly.....

My cute kids

2011-11-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

I've been dying to get some good shots of my kids.

They are so naughty about looking at the camera.

As you can see, Elles didn't do a great job, it was her nap time.

But I love these!!

Shout out Friday

2011-11-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

When Charly throws her tantrums because she's angry with me,

I find it hilarious that she screams,

" I WANT MY MOMMY!!."

Shout out Friday, Hasleton quote & Halloween......

2011-11-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

Shout out Friday (Should have been last weeks)

You know you had a good night

when there is chocolate on the door handle of the fridge.

Here are my Halloween hooligans.

And for my quotes:

Grant: "Mom, I have a secret about Daddy. But I'm not gonna tell you."

Me: "Why? Cause it will get him in trouble?"

Grant: "Yup!"

Nathan: "Mom, can Jesus do anything He wants? Like destroy the planet Pluto?"

Me: "Yes. He can do anything He wants. Everything listens to Him. Even the dirt."

Nathan: "How? Does He use a force? Like the Jedi force?"

Me: "No. Not the Jedi force. Jesus uses a REAL force."

Nathan: "Oh, Jesus should use the Jedi force. It's so cool."

Shout out Friday

2011-10-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

I went to Target 3 times today. Jared said I should be ashamed.

But I'm sure there are some other gals that understand.

Hasleton Quote

2011-10-19T15:34:00.001-07:00

Grant: Mom, can I have some marshmallows?

Mom: Sure, after you brush your teeth.

$3.69 skirt

2011-10-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

Old Navy had some great clearance this week!

I saw this super cute skirt for $3.69. That's right, only 3 bucks.

Who can pass up a cute skirt for that?

The only down side was the front slit up the wahzoo.

But I had some t shirts lying around to help me out on that.

Cut some strips, made some ruffles & voila!

A cute modest jean skirt.

Just had to share.

2011 Soccer

2011-10-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

Every year I get excited about soccer.

The boys will have so much fun.

One week into it, I'm ready to be done.

But they're are having fun, making new friends, & working hard.

This year I have really lucked out to have great parents on both teams willing to step up.

My babies are growing up way too fast.....

Shout out Friday

2011-10-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

I've been praying for more patience.

But I want it right now......

Shout out Friday

2011-09-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

As I was growing up,

whenever my mom made a batch of chocolate chip cookies,

it was always a double batch.

Now I understand why.

One batch just isn't enough.

Sunday pic

2011-09-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

Shout out Friday

2011-09-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

Feel like a broken record........

You know how newer homes have a spot where you can plug in your iPod & play music throug the house speakers for all to hear? Well, they should create some buttons along with that to record things. So when you press button #1 it can say, "Nathan, put away your socks." It will go throughout the whole house. You can even put it on repeat so it will say it again & again till the chore is done. Or set it on automatic to go off every morning till you decide.

Some other things the buttons would say,

Charlotte, stop cleaning up your cereal milk with your Barbie's hair.

Grant, go blow your nose. Girls don't like it when boogers are always hanging out.

PUT THE TOILET SEAT DOWN!!

Shhhhhhh, the baby is asleep.

Put your shoes away.

Do your homework.

Go outside & play.

You guys need to share.

Jennifer, stop nagging the kids. You sound like a broken record. Sheesh.

What would your buttons say?

CrossFit Envy BBQ

2011-08-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

Back in May, Jared's CrossFit had a BBQ to celebrate 100 LIKES on FB.

I'm finally posting some pics of it.

We had some really yummy food.

A great partner workout!

It was a lot of fun. Look for the next one to come!

CrossFit Envy

Jared said he'd give me a dollar...........

2011-08-28T11:58:00.001-07:00

if I wore my hair like this to church.

Shout out Friday

2011-08-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

You know you're tired when:

Your baby spits up on you in the middle of the night.

It goes all down your top & down to your bottoms.

You just shrug your shoulders & go back to sleep.

Been Busy This Summer.........

2011-08-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

A brief synopsis of our summer.........

Charlotte really does like chocolate. I was starting to worry.

A quilt top from scraps (don't have a pic of the top finished)

I haven't finished quilting it, didn't like how it turned out.

Our 4th of July BBQ. Delicious.

Playing with Uncle David while he visited.

I finally finished Pili's patriotic quilt I promised her last year.

And my first, very large Dresdon quilt I plan on trying to sell.

Whew, that one was a doozy.

A fun shot of Elles, who is an angel. If I leave her in the high chair long enough,

she usually goes to sleep.

And my sweet Charles, loves to do the same work out as everyone else.

My Grantman turned a whopping 6 years old!!!!

He's such a smartie & has learned how to swim this summer.

We got to go to the State Fair. It was fun as usual.

Not too hot & dollar rides made it possible.

A place I've been dreaming about the last couple of weeks. FABRIC DEPOT!!

I wish we had one here in Sac,

but it's probably a good thing it's in Oregon for Jared's sanity.

Speaking of which, my Jared is such a hottie.

We had a baby shower for Drea & her upcoming baby boy!!!

I love this monkey fabric. Perfect for her kids.

Meeting up with Baby Enzo.

A post wouldn't be complete w/o some pics of Jared sleeping.....

My sweet Elles being patient in the stroller for 2 hours of soccer.

Grant N Nate has their first soccer games of the season. Nate's first ever.

That's bit of our summer.

2 more weeks till school starts. I'm a super ready!!!!!

Shout out Friday

2011-08-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Elliott has a built in moping option.

She drools, then proceeds to army crawl across the floor,

therefore moping up her drool & any dirt or loose items onto her clothes.

My solution? Go with it, change her outfits a couple times day.

Our summer trip

2011-08-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

We decided to go to the Trout family reunion this year.

All the way up in Randle WA. In the sticks y'all. It was pretty fun!

Charly charmed everyone around her.

Got whatever she wanted.

There was a lot of sleeping.

Needed desperately by a little lady running around

trying to find someone to give her what she wanted.

Elles also found some girls to carry her around & to hold her all day.

We visited some great family members. We love Sam & Linda.

They gave Grant a great birthday bash!!!

Visiting Grant's great friend Lily. Glad to see you guys!

At the Trout's wonderful home.

So many great memories as a kid there.

A fun part was going to the Winston Safari Zoo.

There was a normal zoo, one that was so different than in Sac.

It was open & you were allowed to do things with the animals.

Our State stinks with it's crazy rules & overbearedness (is that a word?)

But then we drove through the actual safari & saw some awesome animals.

Camels in the background.

We were so close to the bears.

I made Jared roll up the window

b/c I didn't think the massive electrical fences would stop them.

The giraffes that were necking & held up the line of cars for a bit.

It was hilarious to watch them play around.

This lion did not like us.

He came down all angry like & stalked back & forth growling at us.

Feeding the fishes & ducks.

My family zoo.

We had a great adventure driving for days seeing things and new places.

Jared visited a place he saw on a foody show.

Downtown Portland was cuh-razy packed!

It took us 45 minutes to go 5 miles on I-5, w/o any accidents.

And I saw the largest fabric store EVER!!

Trees were the greatest. So beautiful, smelled so fresh.

I think we'll make this trip more often.

It was so great to see so much family.

Hasleton Quote

2011-08-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

I was nursing Elles as we were walking through a store. Nathan asks why I put a blanket over me when I feed Ellie.

I reply: "To be modest. No one wants to see me without any clothes on."

Nate: "Why do you have to be modest?"

Me: "Heavenly Father wants us to take care of our bodies."

Nate: "Well, I don't ever have to be modest because I don't have any boobs."

I guess....

Shout out Friday

2011-07-22T21:45:00.001-07:00

Shout out to the times the baby decides to have an extremely loud blow out in their diaper.

Usually in church during a prayer.

Although sometimes I think it's funnier to have a bunch of adults giggling during a prayer than the actual noise of the bum.

Hasleton Quote

2011-07-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

Charlotte: "Mom!"

Jennifer: "What?"

Charlotte: "Mom!"

Jennifer: "What?"

Charlotte: "Mom!"

Jennifer: "What?"

Charlotte: "Mom!"

Jennifer: "What?"

Charlotte: "Mom!"

Jennifer: "CHARLOTTE!!"

Charlotte: "What Mom?"

The way He works....

2011-07-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

We currently have a fun missionary serving in our area.

His name is Elder Taratai from the island of Kiribati.

He has a lot of great stories, but this one is my favorite.

When Elder Taratai was 2 years old, his 5 month old baby brother was adopted to a family in the US.

All Elder Taratai knew, was his brother's birth name. That's it.

About a year ago, at a Zone conference

(a meeting where all the missionaries in the area get together),

Elder Taratai felt impressed to talk to an Elder from Arizona.

Elder Taratai asked this other missionary if he knew of anyone

that had been adopted from the Island of Kiribati.

The Arizona missionary said yes.

His best friend growing up had been adopted from that same island along with his brother.

The missionary gave Elder Taratai his best friend's info.

But it turned out that it wasn't his brother.

BUT, that family had adopted their 2 boys along with another LDS family

that had adopted a little boy that had moved to Washington.

So they passed on their information.

Elder Taratai writes to this family asking about the adoption

giving his little brother's birth name.

(please forgive me. I can't for the life of me remember what their island names are)

The family, last name of Allen, says YES!! that is their son's birth name.

His name is now Brock Allen. Getting ready to serve a mission back to Arizona.

Some plans are made, & Brock gets to come to Sac to meet one of his biological brothers.

It's a little confusing, but isn't that amazing??

Two brothers found each other in such a providential way.

We were blessed to share part of their day together

as we had them over for dinner.

Shout out Friday

2011-07-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, before kids, Jared & I were watching our niece Samantha.

She came over to our place bringing with her a little girl's Barbie movie.

Aack! I can't stand those movies.

So we put the movie in (upside down), & it didn't work.

Oh no! we tell Samantha, it doesn't work. How bout Finding Nemo instead?

That was all good with the 4 year old.

Now, 5 years later, our sweet Charlotte likes those girly movies.

To my sad dismay, I've added some to our Netflix list. Sigh......

Shout out to what we do for our kids.

Graduations

2011-07-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

Although Nate has another year of pre school, he got to participate in his class' graduation.

The awesome Ms. Roxann.

Ms. Kim. Nate wouldn't drop his mask they used for their performance.

At the water park to celebrate Nate's pre school.

Us waiting VERY patiently for Grant's kinder graduation to start.

Mrs. Bridgham. One of the greatest kinder teachers out there!!

Grant's good friend Joseph who called 3 times a day every day

till I gave him a limit of once a day.

Who knew 5 yr olds talked on the phone so much?

Grant had memorized several friend's phone numbers, but not mine.

Not sure how that works.

Can't believe my boys are getting so big.

Here's to the summer & all the wonderfully disturbing strawberries

my plants produce.

Daddy's little girls

2011-06-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

Daddy hard at work taking care of his girls.

Also, thanks to President Fisher for asking us to update our 72 hour kits for FHE.

Our packs were so out of date, the food was not edible,

the jackets that were for Grant & Nathan now fit Charlotte & Elles.

Now we have enough food ready to keep us 6 peeps going for 72 hours in emergency!

Sunday pic

2011-06-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

Father's Day 2011

Shout out Friday

2011-06-09T23:50:00.001-07:00

When I have a really bad craving for sugar,

but don't want to stray from my diet, I eat a bunch of Gummi-Vites.

Is that so wrong?

Can't believe they just said that...

2011-06-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

I go to pick up Nate from school. A very kind, loving mommy asks me if I'm pregnant.

"What!? Me? No. Why? Do I look like I'm pregnant?"

"Yes" she says,"you're looking a little poochy today"

"Hey, I have 4 kids, I'm allowed a little pooch."

In no way was I offended by this conversation, but really?

Asking people if they're expecting is a tricky business.

Be careful, you never know what kind of mood a woman can be in.

Elles' 6 months

2011-06-07T21:31:00.001-07:00

14 lbs 2.8 oz

2'3"

Down to 12% in weight.

Looks like I have another lightweight girl on my hands.

She drools sooooo much. Refuses to eat food.

No matter how tasty it is.

I need to catch a picture with her pursing her lips

to not let the spoon in her mouth.

Hilarious.

Does not sleep through the night. Does not enjoy tummy time.

She laughs & screams happy screams (like a girl), & is such a happy baby.

She will smile for anyone & can always be consoled.

Shout out Friday

2011-06-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

Has anyone invented a kids washing machine yet?

And not the shower. That requires some work from myself.

A real machine I can put dirty kids in, get washed, rinsed, & come out dry & fluffy. That's what I want.

Blurry, but oh so cute

2011-05-31T16:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Sabbath!!

2011-05-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

Bacon & fresh strawberries from the garden. Delicious!

Featuring my new countertops!!

2011-05-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

I have been suffering with the grossest kitchen these last 5 years.

Nasty grout I've tried re-coloring, chipped tile, missing tile.

No matter how hard I scrubbed, it never looked clean.

The sink, well it was so bad I can't really describe it.

And the growth on the faucet had become permanent.

But now I have a gorgeous sink & faucet!

And pretty countertops that look clean even when I don't wipe them down!!

I love cleaning the kitchen now. We'll see how long that lasts......

My attempt at Easter pictures

2011-05-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

Basic fun on Easter.

Dress up, find eggs filled with candy.

Delicious dinner.

Good family times.

Do you like my compost bin in the background??

My first week on Paleo

2011-05-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

So Jared started a Paleo Challenge at his gym.

The freaking day after Easter.

The challenge is to eat Paleo for 7 weeks, who ever loses the most

weight & inches receives gift cards to Oz Korean BBQ & free months to the gym.

I told him I would try it.

Although I've been ragging on the (diet) lifestyle the last couple years.

Paleo is the eating style that CrossFitters like to follow.

It allows you to lose the fat, but gives you the protein

you need to be fit & build some muscle.

Not bulking up ladies, just some pretty muscles.

Which I have if you ever want to check me out;)

So last Monday, I started. And I immediately felt good.

I now understood what Jared means by "eating clean." I felt clean.

The water weight fell right off. Water weight isn't that great for you.

I've always had hereditary bad blood circulation.

Water weight puts pressure on my vessels & organs.

Get rid of it for better circulation.

Retaining water has never been fun right ladies?

I've had more energy, slept better, skin looked better,

I've been happier, less cranky, etc. But even more importantly,

I've lost 7 pounds in 8 days. And can fit into all my skinny jeans.

Cuh-razy & totally worth it.

Has it been hard? Heck yes.

All I've wanted this week was to eat a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerio's.

But no grains for me.

It's been easy to say no to treats, for the first time ever.

I've tried to cut out all sugar before, with no luck.

I just get withdrawals & feel like crud.

The no sugar/candy goal would only last 1 or 2 days.

But when I'm eating "clean" I don't feel this way.

Jared also told me a secret. I could stuff my self with eggs, sausage,

& veggies for breakfast, but I wouldn't feel satisfied.

I would still be hungry, or so I thought.

My insulin level is used to being at a certain level,

& now I'm not "feeding" that level.

So when I'm feeling hungry although I've just eaten, eat some fruit.

The sugar from the fruit helps your insulin boost

to tell your body you're done.

Voila, you're satisfied.

Have I cheated at all? Yup, then felt like crap right away.

I had a Henry Weinhard's root beer one night,

a piece of licorice another day.

I immediately felt like poop b/c my insulin would spike

when I'm not used to it doing that.

Your energy level goes "down down down, in history of course."

So that's another way it's easier to follow this diet

b/c you know if you cheat, you won't feel good.

After 2 weeks of eating this way,

I can start eating more grains & such w/o the poopy feeling after wards.

I'm hooked. I haven't eaten any Easter candy, breads, pasta,

or my absolute favorite-potatoes. Don't get me wrong.

I know grains are essential, that too much red meat isn't healthy, etc.

But this is really good for you. If you can starve yourself on the HCG diet,

you can do this. The hardest part is trying to find things to eat.

But my favorite has been getting yummy lunch meat, slicing pickle,

red onion, bell peppers, with some mustard, then rolling it up.

Like a sandwich but no bread. It's delicious.

Another great find are Blue Diamond flavored almonds.

Pricey at WalMart, but so good. Helps my snacking phases during the day.

Keep lots of veggies around. Eat small meals all day.

If you decide to do this, don't get all nit picky.

Just do your best. Email Jared if you have questions.

I highly recommend trying it.

Even if it takes you 2 years of insulting the idea first.

Shout out Friday

2011-04-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

Jared: "Jennifer, where.........oh wait. Here she is.

I was gonna ask you where Elliott was". (She was in his arms)

Jennifer: "That's OK. A couple weeks ago I was in the car

& I couldn't find my keys.

Then I realized the car was already started."

Here's to what our brains are starting to become!!

Hasleton Quote

2011-04-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

Grant: Kissing rhymes with missing, hissing & pissing.

Jared: Pissing?

Grant: Yeah, like "you're pissing me off."

Jared:That's not a good thing to say. I don't want to hear say that anymore ok?

Grant: OK.

Jennifer: Jared, you know where he hears that right?

Jared: Yup (we both say it)

Jennifer: Grant, you can say it when you're 18 years old.

Grant: OK, I'll add it to my list.

Shout out Friday

2011-04-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness the battery finally went dead on that annoying toy.

"Apparently" it can't be opened to replace it with a new battery.

Sweet Girls

2011-04-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

This is where I found Charly's snack the other day.

I have no clue if she was eating them out of here, or figured they were now gross.

Watching her princess movies.

I think Jared put Elles here.

Nothing like having your 2 year old watch your newborn.

Charly talking to Elles to cheer her up.

Shout out Friday

2011-04-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

You pock up some new talrnts when yiu have a nww born babt.

Such as typung onw handrd.

I'm prdtyy good at it, if I do sqy so myswlf.

Seriously. They always want to be held.

And if I could have it my way, I'd hold 'em all the doo long day.

But alas, I have a litter of kids, so no sitting all day with the cute

& cuddly baby. Moms have tried so many different things to fix this.

I myself own a Snugli, Baby Bjorn,

some kind of new born sling & The Mother Wrap.

Wow, quite a collection.

But each of these requires some commitment to wear,

or space in the diaper bag, or only fit for a few months.

I love each one I own. They each have a different use.

But I've always wanted one of these guys.

(See below)

They are $50 on the website I've seen them on.

$34.99 on Etsy. But a friend of mine had one,

& she let me copy the measurements.

I fooled around with it, and figured out a super easy pattern.

Only $8 in fabric & 20 minutes of my time.

Yup, they are so easy it was only 20 minutes to make.

They are wide enough to use as a blanket,

have a curve to fit the kid's bum,

can be used as a sling (Elliott is too long already for that),

& I can also carry Charly around on my hip or back.

They are so easy to put on, and take up no space.

Sigh. I'm in love.

So yes, I folded laundry, cleaned the kitchen,

& other stuff, all with my cute wittle bebe on my hip.

She loves it. She gets to be held, & I get things done.

Woo Hoo for the Mommy!!

Elliott Joy 4 months

2011-04-06T21:53:00.000-07:00

Elliott 4 months check up

Weight 12 lb 10.3 oz 20%

Height 2' 1.5" 85% (down from 93% @ 2 mos)

She is happy & healthy. I call her my bald, long one.

She rolls over, talks non stop & drools like a boy over a pretty girl.

Shout out Friday

2011-04-02T12:11:00.001-07:00

Dear jump rope,

I love to work out with you, but after 4 kids, my bladder refuses to co operate.

Nate's first field trip

2011-03-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

Nate got to go on his first field trip to the Folsom Zoo.

I don't remember ever being there before, so it was new to me also.

Here he is on his first bus ride.

His teachers said as they were going along Folsom Blvd,

he started yelling, "Look! There's Dos Coyotes!

I've been there before! Can we stop & make the head rock?"

Apparently it was pretty funny since he was so excited about the restaurant.

Some cool tigers. The meanest tour guide ever is off to the right.
A massive bear.
My own family of bears.
You can get ruh-eeely close to the deer.

I'm surprised none of my kids got their fingers bitten off.

It was fun to see the kids get excited about the animals.

Tip for anyone else. Do not take a stroller here. Carry your kids.

There are crazy uneven hills throughout the whole park.

My arms are more sore from pushing a double stroller

than one of Jared's workouts.

What I've been up to.......

2011-03-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks I've been collecting compost waste from

our kitchen & burying it in the garden to prep the dirt.

But I've seen somewhere in blog land about a rolling compost pile.

One you don't have to turn with a shovel.

Wanting to be better for the environment,

& have compost for this winter, I started a legit compost pile.

WalMart had these huge garbage cans for $9.97. Awesome price.

I had Jared drill some holes along the sides & top. For air flow & leakage.

Then I was going to mow the lawn for grass clippings.

But the lawn mower was out of gas.

So my loving hubbs dug some months old grass clippings

from the green waste container. Gross.

Leaves would have been ideal also. But no leaves around this time of year.

Here is my bag of scraps & stuff from just a couple days.

Did you know you can put paper towels & napkins in there!

No more guilt for using paper products.

Anything can be put in there except meats & waxy materials.

I gave Jared a hair cut & put the hair in there.

Then I had Jared take a tinkle in it. Good moisture & nitrogen.

And no, I did not take a picture of that.

Then all I have to do is roll it around every few days.

Or have the boys do it. Be sure to use bungee cords to keep the lid on tight.

Compost in just a couple weeks.

So when Charly was born, Jared's cousin made us some super cute, big hair bows.

But Little Elles has such a small bald head, the big bows look a little silly.

So I made some small ones for her.

(I know these pics are horrible. But I'm too lazy to wait for good lighting)

You can't quite see how detailed they are. But they are really adorable.

I made them entirely from things on hand. Except the box of clips from Sally's.

$5 for 100. Can't beat it.

My house may be a mess. But I'm getting some fun stuff done instead.

Shout out Friday

2011-03-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

You know growing up when your Mom always said, "when you have kids of your own, they'll act just like you are. You'll get your payback then." I wished I had believed it back then. I would have behaved A LOT better. Cause now I know it's true.

My sweet Grant

2011-03-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

On FHE the other night, I was reading a story

from "The Friend." It was about Joseph Taylor,

son of John Taylor. They were packing to head West

& could not take Joseph's play riding horse

with them because it was big.

Joseph was so sad to leave it behind.

As I was reading about how sad he was,

I looked up at Grant & saw tears streaming

down the poor boy's face. I asked what was the matter?

He said he didn't know & started crying even harder.

How sweet is that? Grant was upset because

the horse had to be left behind. Of course the story ended

with Joseph's Dad going back to get the horse.

There was even a picture of it somewhere in SLC I'm sure.

I have a tender hearted boy.

Shout out Friday

2011-03-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

You know you're lazy when......

You spend more than 26 seconds trying to crush a Cheerio

with the wheel of the vacuum so it will get sucked up.

Instead of, ya know, just 2 seconds bending over to pick it up.

Shout out Friday

2011-02-17T20:13:00.001-08:00

I don't know why I have a toilet in my hall bathroom.

I'm thinking I should get rid of it & leave that corner designated

for the boys to pee in. I have to scrub the floor everyday anyways.

At least it would be one less toilet to clean.

It's waiting for you Drea

2011-02-14T11:49:00.000-08:00

I had a hard time with this one. I bought the fabric well over a year ago.

But every time I got it out, I couldn't figure out what to do with it.

I wanted it to be special cause it's for my besty.

So I really hope she likes it.

So long POS

2011-02-06T15:38:00.000-08:00

Jared was in a head on collision this week.

Some lady decided to run over an Element, then Jared.

That some lady won.

Thankfully Jared was the second car hit, otherwise,

ugh, don't want to think about it.

So the Sunfire is a total.

Bunch of stuff underneath is broken.

It was always a POS with no A/C.

But it was a great car for 6 1/2 years for only $500.

Anyone know where to buy a reliable car for $1600??

Shout out Friday

2011-02-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

So I was rocking to a work out video this morning.

Getting ready to shed that baby weight.

Noticed my front room was super dusty.

I'll just keep my feet moving & dust.

I might as well clean off the entertainment center.

A quick vacuum. Put away the dishes.

My feet are still moving, keeping up the heart rate right?

Some toys in the hallway. Oh wait, do a couple minutes of the video still playing.

Put in a load of laundry. Go through some papers sitting around.

A quick wipe down in the bathrooms.

Then wipe down the windows in front rooms.

Stretch time in the video. Ahhh, feel so nice. Video is done.

With the house now being clean,

what will I do for my workout video tomorrow morning?

Happy Birthday to Charlotte in my 300th post!

2011-02-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Wow! 300 posts, cuh-razy. So Charlotte turned 2 on the 30th.

She's gotten so big.

Here she is with her cake.

Her ponies from Grandma. She loves these things.

Thanks to DI, I got her a princess dress, Barbie book,

& dress up necklaces all for under $5. Score!

Charly, you're so gorgeous.

Which you know since everyone is always telling you so.

We love you! Here's to the terrible two's.

NewBorn Olympics

2011-01-18T20:35:00.000-08:00

New Born Olympic categories are as follows:

I. The distance you can sneeze your spit up across the room.

II. How long you can fight off the nail clippers.

III. The amount of times your poo goes up to your neck (back & front) in a 1 week period.

IV. How fast you can fill the dirty laundry basket. And empty the stain remover.

V. The amount of time you spend rubbing the back of your scalp bald.

VI. How long you can keep your parents awake at night.

VII. The largest spit up puddle on your Mom's back.

VIII. How many pacifiers you can make your parents look for, but are never to be found.

IX. The amount of time you can get a grown adult to stare at you while making annoying baby noises.

X. How you can get Mommy & Daddy to do anything in spite because you are so darn adorable & precious.

*Elliott, we love you & are sure you would win in every category! Although I'm sure it would be a world way tie for number X. cause all babies are adorable.

Shout out Friday

2011-01-14T13:47:00.001-08:00

So the baby needs to nurse.

I go to unsnap my nursing bra then realize it's already undone.

Hmmm, how long had it been since I'd nursed on that side?

A few hours?

But mainly, how many places did I go during that time

& how many people noticed?

Hasleton quote

2011-01-10T19:18:00.000-08:00

Boys are bickering, so frustrated mommy yells:

"Will you 2 stop fighting over every stupid little thing?"

Nate: Mom, stupid is ...

Mommy: I know stupid is a bad word. Mommies can say whatever they want.

Nate: I didn't know that.

Mommy: Well now you do.

A few moments pass.

Nate: Does Heavenly Father like it when you say bad words?

I really had no answer for that that would allow me to ever say again whatever I wanted.

2010 Holiday catch up

2011-01-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

So we started November with our traditional Thankful Tree. Although we constantly forgot to put a leaf on the tree some nights, there were plenty that were illegible, drawn by Charly as she was always coloring the leaves that just "happened" to fall off the window into her hands.

What we were thankful for this year........

Jared: Nate, 19 days till baby Elliott is born, Charly, Grantman, gospel of Jesus Christ, $17,000 in new equipment, pies, mommy letting me open a gym, my sweet wife Jennifer, chicken, for health, insurance coming today!, good food, blue eyed girls.

Jennifer:my safe home, CrossFit Envy, 2 running vehicles, our house to keep us warm, ears to listen, sewing machine, good kids, healthy baby, my talents, good food, free elliptical, electricity, washer & dryer, no swelling, internet.

Grant: playing games, food, the number 1, super bouncy balls, toys, giving away candy, daddy, my brother, my room, scooters, school, car, 2 more days till Thanksgiving, Nana & Bumpba, I love my toys, trophies, house.

Nathan: everything, Jesus died for us, computer & school, good guys, sippy cups, for everything we have in our house, nice stuff (cool toys), our world, ninja guys & flowers, the world (apparently very different from our world), Metro Man, bouncy balls, flowers, warm jackets & clothes.

Charlotte: juice, cereal, juice, BB’s, blankets.

But most of all, the safe arrival of a healthy baby on Thanksgiving day!

Don't think for a moment that Charlotte will let Elliott

get allll the attention.

Then the Christmas season started with

Jared & I figuring out Daneece's infamous toffee recipe.

We made 4 batches in a week.

And no, we didn't give away most of it.

My teeth hurt for a bit.

The Christmas Eve pagaent.......

Not entirely sure what's going on here....

The meanest looking wise man ever.

All the fuss on Christmas morning with the Barlow fam.

A shoo fly quilt I made for my Mom.

It's made completely from left over fabric.

If I've ever made something for you,

you can probably see some of your fabric in there.

Then as if I didn't have enough to do........

I experimented with quilting & found I have a new love

of spirals. Aren't they purty!

Then came New Years. We spent it down in Santa Clara

with the other Hasleton's.

Then to top it all off, Jan 3rd was Nate's 4th birthday!

All in all, it's been a crazy couple of months.

But we've enjoyed it!!

Shout out Friday

2010-12-17T18:04:00.001-08:00

The longer & longer my hair grows out,

the more & more dangerous it becomes for my vacuum cleaner.

Jared has done it!!!! (this is where I brag about my hubby)

2010-12-14T09:55:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, Jared has become a personal trainer over the last 2 years. He has certified with the premiere organization in fitness research. Is also certified as a personal trainer in 2 other divisions, and as he's continuing his education in Kinesiology to be a physical therapist, he has become obsessed with something called CrossFit. What is CrossFit you ask? It is a method of kick a** exercise. That's all I can really say without you seeing it for yourself.

So with a partner named Matt, Jared has opened a CrossFit gym. It's located 7917 Fruitridge road suite E. Right across from the old Squeeze Inn, down the street from the new one. It's been A LOT of work & time. And it's finally done. No more personal training in our garage, I can now have my garage back, yipee!!

Below are some guys Jared is torturing during a workout.

Charlotte helping Bumpa put up the pull ups bar station.
Grant & Nate helping with the ropes.
Some equipment used for work outs.
More pics of the pull up station.
Matt & Heather.

Some details about this business are:

It is called CrossFit Envy, check out this link to view the website. It is not like a normal gym where you go & do a work out by yourself. There are set times for certain classes for set workouts. It's personal training every time you go.

Prices are as follows: 2 classes a week $140 a month

3 classes a week $160 a month

unlimited $180 a month

One hour with Jared to yourself $55. Your body after one month,

you get the idea.

Seems a bit steep, but after you go once, you'll get it.

Work outs can include pull ups, burpees, squats, wall balls,

power cleans, push jerks, dead lifts, push press, runs,

rows, crying, hurting, etc.

To all our friends, come by & take a free class to check it out.

Congrats to Jared & Matt. They totally deserve this!!

Check them out on FB.

Need Your Opinion

2010-12-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

So I made this quilt for a Christmas gift.

I was going for funky, but not so sure about how it turned out.

Since I've been feeling a little sensitive lately, could you give me your opinion?

If you don't like it, could you be nice? Just need some reassurance.

Hasleton quote

2010-12-07T13:19:00.001-08:00

While in the doctor's office, we were asked if anyone in the home smoked.

To this Jared replied:

"Only me cause I'm so hot."

Shout out Friday

2010-12-03T17:04:00.000-08:00

Have you ever watched the machine that cleans & replaces bark at playgrounds?

Pretty cool. Little do the people in charge of these parks know the reason they need to replace bark.

It's because my kids bring home a little bit in their clothes every frickin time.

Elliott Joy

2010-11-29T10:37:00.000-08:00

Two weeks before Thanksgiving , I come down with a nasty cold/sore throat/strep thingy.

I'm stressing about the baby & how she's doing.

Then as that is going away, I get some asthma issues.

And early Thanksgiving morning, I start the vomiting. Every hour.

Great, I finally caught the flu that's been going around. No Thanksgiving dinner for me.

So I'm left home alone, calling Jared every once in awhile cause I'm lonely.

Finally get up around 6 pm & whine on FB about how lousy I'm doing

when I start feeling some something somethings.

Thinking it's my tummy & the wonderful things that come with the flu,

I call Jared & ask him to bring me some rolls.

6 minutes later I call him back & say it's not gas, I'm in labor.

By the time he comes, my contractions are 3-4 minutes apart.

We drive the 30 minute drive & get to the hospital about 7:45 ish.

The nurses kept asking me to do things like sign this, or pee in this cup, or get undressed.

I couldn't do any of these things since the contractions were so close.

One wonderful nurse named Elaina said, alright honey, let's just get you upstairs &

I'll call for an epidural. Once in bed waiting for drugs, I felt as if I needed to push.

The nurse wanted to check but I said no cause I knew they wouldn't

give me drugs too close to delivery. Epi came, life was semi great.

Elliott came with a few pushes about 45 minutes later.

Elliott Joy Hasleton 8 lb 1 oz 10:39 pm 11/25/2010 4 1/2 hrs of labor.

Proud Daddy.

Big sister who freaks every time Elles loses her BB.

So now I'm a Mom of 4. Crazy.

Jared already has 20 nick names for her. We've been calling her Elles.

She has already gotten a few people calling her a boy when they read the name.

So goes life, watch some Scrubs, it grows on you.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-24T16:38:00.000-08:00

Shame on me. These are the only pics I took for Halloween.

Charly was a fairy, Grant & Nate were dollar store nights,

I wore a sign, & Jared wore his usual mullet wig.

Jared held her down & fed her skittles so I could do this. Pretty proud of my first attempt at hair fanciness.

We did a lot again this year. Normal Tick-O-Treating was slow & frustrating.

The kids just wouldn't move their little booties.

I kept telling them that the faster they walked, the more candy they would get.

Didn't work. We got to less houses this year than last year.

Like Father Like Son.......

2010-11-24T16:20:00.000-08:00

This is a group photo taken when Jared took his CrossFit certification.

Do you see him in the back? Nice look on his face right?

Now take a look at the great face Grant is making in his class picture.

Oh my boys.

Shout out Friday

2010-10-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Sweat Pants. Oh how I love you so much. You're always there for me.

I'm sure you're aware of the argument my maternity pants & I had.

They just wouldn't agree with me. I didn't care if they didn't want to fit me,

but they wouldn't listen. But you, you are a great listener.

You don't care if I wear you all day. Run my errands with you.

Or the funny looks we get when picking up the kids in the after noon.

I know that you really belong to Jared, but I feel we have a bond you & I.

So thank you for all you do. I love you.

Shout out Friday

2010-10-15T18:38:00.001-07:00

Why won't these baskets of clean laundry go away?

I mean, it's been like 2 weeks since they've been sitting there,

just staring at me when I'm trying to take a nap.

Go away already.

Been a bit

2010-10-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

Jared celebrated his 30th this month!

I made him a cake, & let the kids frost it.

Below is how it turned out.

Then this is how it looked after Charly got into it.

Charly's favorite spot to hang out.

Where I found her today watching TV.

She got all her blankets from the crib & set up a cozy place for herself.

Me at 34 weeks. Getting a bit big.

Missing my feet every day.

Kirsti, my outfit made me think of you today....

Some recent pics

2010-09-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Gotta love those Picture People coupons.

They can't stand me coming in with my coupons saying yes I already used it once,

but this is a differnt child.

They have to take it.

MUHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

Nate's first day of Pre-school. He loves going & is bummed

when he doesn't get to go on Fridays.

Drea, ya know when you get here you're doing a photo shoot

of my family right?? Right, that's what I thought!

Hasleton quote

2010-09-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

We were watching a video "Finding Faith in Christ" on TV.

The part where Mary is dragged to be judged for adultery,

Nate asked why she was crying.

Me: She did a bad thing, & now people want to throw rocks at her to kill her.

Grant: I got hit by a rock once.

Shout out Friday

2010-09-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

You remember when you get so excited as your child learns to say mommy?

Then they're able to say it again & again?

How bout when you find yourself telling them to just "STOP"

If there was a baby olympics, screaming mommy mommy

mommy mommy mommy should be an event.

I bet my Charly would win a medal with how many times

she can say it within 30 seconds.

Can't believe they just said that...

2010-09-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

So a lady starts a conversation with me,

Lady: Are these all YOUR kids?

Me: Yup. Sure enough.

Lady: You know one of the reasons the environment is endangered is because of children right?

Me: Yup. Sure enough. (I know where this is going & start looking for a way out before I commit murder.)

Lady: The diapers fill up the land fills & all the gas from them is torturing our ozone layer. We're already overpopulated.

What can I do?

Everything that is not Christlike runs through my mind:

Don't you fart too?

Who will take care of you when you're old?

I'd like to put you in the land fill. That would help the population right?

Don't worry, I use clothe diapers (which I don't, too lazy)

Should I leave it up to the drug dealers & idiots to have all the kids?

Ok, you're right, I promise I won't have anymore. Thank you for fixing all that is wrong in my life.

Image in my mind of me punching her hard a couple times. hehehe

I walk away before anything comes out of my mouth.

I think I won't be going to the store anymore. All that ends up happening is me getting angry & barely escaping a fight.

I mentioned before the lady I almost beat with a rack of ribs right? She got off lucky. I only pushed her groceries.

Don't mess with me!

P.S. Even Jared has had people make this comment to him when they find out his wife is on their fourth child.

Shout out Friday

2010-09-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

No bad day that a batch of cookie dough can't fix.

Grantman!

2010-09-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

Turned 5 in July.

Started soccer!

Picture people has a great online coupon, 6 sheets for $20.

First day to kindergarten! He's loving his class,

& does well in homework.

Isn't she lovely?

2010-09-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you all to Gertrude.

She's a beauty.

My last machine has not yet made it home from the doctors.

They say the outlook isn't so good. I had bought that machine for $140.

It will cost me at least $125 to have it fixed. I can't stand that kind of math.

It has been several times we have taken machines into the shop

only to pay them more than what we paid for the machine.

They say the machines I get aren't quite meant for all the work I put them through.

For the last year or so, Jared has said we will buy me a nice machine

so we don't have these issues anymore.

What's a nice machine you ask?

Bernina (drool) Pfaff Janome Baby Lock

These names make me dream. Dreams that cost well over $1000.

Or the quilting machines I play with every year at the State Fair.

$8000. That dream ain't ever coming true.

Unless of course we own a house, have 2 decent cars, my children's education,

missions, & weddings are paid for. Oh, & a nice retirement account.

Like I said nuh-ever.

So I was in Meissner's the other day (which I never do cause they're pricey)

looking for something specific.

I glanced super quick at the machines as I had 3 kids

that know how horribly boring fabric shopping is.

Dennis walks up to me & asks what I'm looking for.

"Oh just some fabric & to drool over your machines."

"What kind of sewing do you do?" he asks me.

"I like to quilt" I say

"Well here is the best machine for that" he says pointing to a GORGEOUS

machine that had a price tag of $2300.

I laugh at him & say, "that would be waaaaay out of my price range."

He gets a thoughtful look & says come follow me.

I protest saying I have 3 kids that will soon destroy his nice store

when he shows me HER.

"She was just brought in after 3 months of use. The owner was trying to make heavy bags with it & didn't work out for her.

She returned it for something different. Half price."

Wowser. I sat in front of her & started to play.

So did my kids but with different thousand dollar machines.

I tell Dennis I should go, but asked how long did he think it would take to sell her?

He looks at me, then at my kids & says, "I'll put it on hold for you."

I mention this story to Jared & he said go get it. What?

We can't afford that. It's $795.

Nope, go get it he says again. I'm not buying you another cheap piece of crap.

So I spend all evening thinking about it. Of course I want it.

But I'm usually pretty good at suppressing my wants.

All in all, I went back the next day with no kids, sat in front of Gertrude,

& played, discovered things that I never knew sewing machines could do.

Do you know what a knee lift is?

I now do. Super cool. Anyways, this is getting too long.

I have a year warranty of parts & labor & some free classes.

And an extra $800 on our credit card. I only feel a little bit guilty about that part.

Oh, & a husband I need to give some extra lovin to.

Here are her qualifications.

This is her first project I got to finish.

It was like spreading room temperature butter on tasty toast.

Now on to a few baby quilts & to start some Christmas presents.

Below is record of our garden at the end of it's season. It's been great.

Shout out Friday

2010-09-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

Shout out for the times you put your favorite toddler on your lap

only to realize that they've soaked through their diaper

& now your newly cleaned pants are wet.

He doesn't work out here.

2010-09-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Our family is pretty religious. Well, we try hard to be good.

One of the commandments that we take very seriously

is to not use the Lord's name in vain.

It's usually hard to avoid hearing it all around you.

On the internet, TV shows, people around you etc.

I give my Dad a hard time when he does it by

saying things such as, "He's not here,"

"Please don't call on Him, I'm not ready for that yet," "That's not my name."

But this one had me crackin up for a few minutes.

It happened at Jared's work (he works at a gym & overheard this conversation)

Client: This is too hard.

Trainer: You can do it.

Client: Bleepity bleep bleep "uses His name in vain"

Trainer: He's not gonna help you, He doesn't work out here.

Hehehe

With or without you!!

2010-08-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

Recently, 2 of my SIL drove out from Minnesota & South Dakota husbandless

with their several children.

Inspiring to me. Jared has been crazy busy

with a chemistry summer class & work.

We had not been able to do much for vacation this summer.

So I pulled together my courage to do things my pregnant self & 3 kids.

As a side note, I do not do well driving long distances.

I fall asleep in car rides, you can see how me driving would not work.

I try my first go as a camping trip.

It was with my parents, not completely by myself,

but I did drive 4 hours. We went up to Sly Park.

It was gorgeous.

A good friend has a small cabin in South Lake Tahoe.

5 minute walk to the beach.

Jared was able to come up for one night,

but I did the drive myself! So proud.

There is a section of road where I swear cars fly right off the

edge to burst into flame 500 feet down.

Never to be discovered. I've always had a hard time

even when others drive it. But I did it.

The kids & I went to the beach for hours by ourselves.

This is a great feat for me for many reasons:

1. I hate taking my kids to the beach.

The sand gets everywhere, too much mess.

2. The sun & the smell of sunscreen.

3. The pictures of my children drowning the moment

I turn my eyes away from them.

4. The ducks that tried to eat us the second I ran out of grahm crackers to give them.

I had to swat them with a towel to get them to go away.

But I did it. It would have been better with Jared of course.

But now I feel a renewed sense of adventure.

Maybe next summer I'll take a drive out to South Dakota.

Just me & the kids.

When Mom ain't lookin

2010-08-15T18:11:00.001-07:00

Enough said........

Shout out Friday

2010-08-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hurry Hurry Rush Rush

Speed to that red light fast

Whew..... don't let that mini van beat you

Hasleton quote

2010-08-05T16:41:00.000-07:00

Jared is such a loving father.

He thoroughly enjoys trying to stick his large fingers

up the kid's small nostrils to show them how much he loves each child.

So last night, he is showing this endearing affection:

Jared: Gross Grant. I got a bugar on my finger.

Grant: Well Dad, that's where I keep them.

That's what you get my love.

(I'm still laughing while I write this)

From bleh to refreshing

2010-08-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

I have a wonderful SIL who gives us her hand me downs.

They are not just any old scrubs for kids,

but nice, name brand, well taken care of clothes.

Boys & girls. Not a stain in sight.

We were talking about what I could do for her in return

of the bags & boxes of nice kids clothes

when I pulled out my 4th of July quilt for the fireworks display.

She says, "I'd love a patriotic quilt."

Woo Hoo. How I love to make blankets.

I've been on a hiatus from sewing due to morning sickness.

But I was ready to get back to work.

I start searching for a red white & blue quilt pattern when I found this:

pattern

It's gorgeous. I went out & got fabric super fast. Too fast.

This is the top I ended up with. (below)

I don't like it. So disappointed.

The red white & blue that I chose for some of the star backgrounds

are just yucky. I should have spent my usual hour deciding on what to use.

Unloading everything from the shelves & making a mess.

Since I'm not known for my perfectionism,

when Jared asked if I was gonna take it apart & change it, I laughed.

Nope, I said. I'll fold it up unfinished & put it in the closet.

Something else is already in mind for my SIL. Much better fabrics.

Feeling frustrated about that star quilt.

I started on another for a friend (above) who said she liked "oceany" colors.

These are my pieces so far.

The dark border & outside are not so visible in the pic.

But I am LOVING THESE COLORS!!

A refreshing change. Now just to put it together & quilt it!

Ellie, this one's for you

2010-07-27T17:08:00.001-07:00

This is you & yo Momma at 22.5 weeks.