10-25-09 and 10-30-09

The little toy is like one I used to play with when I was little. I haven't seen them around for a long time so I when I saw it in a toy store in Germany, I grabbed it!

My rock star daughter!

Grandma T and Boo

Lys hiding under our table

My girls are both very ticklish-I love it!

Cheesers!

Grandma T with her girls

I love this little huddle

Me and my girls

Now it's time for crafts...

The girls went on a nature hunt with Grandma T and brought back stuff to decorate papers.

Nice work girls!

I love the different techniques they use.

Here is part of Alyssa's birthday-

The birthday girl! I can't believe she's three!

Karah was glad to go to Chuck-E-Cheese with her sister and her cousin!

Chuck E Cheese-where a kid can be a kid!

The girls were a little apprehensive at first.

Then they joined in and start playing games.

Mom, this is fun!

the girls riding the horse

Lys was so funny to watch playing this game. There were bubbles on the screen that she had to touch to pop but she was too busy dancing to the music on the game that she didn't pop very many!

Hiding spot for her tickets-sshhh, don't tell anyone!

I loved playing air hockey with her! She was so funny! She didn't know how to play and it was quite a different game when you let a 3 year old show you how to play! This was my favorite-she put the puck in the mallet and sent it over to me! Nice!

Tayden, Karah, and Alyssa were dancing and playing in front of the blue screen. They would show on the tv screens with different backgrounds.

Karah, Tayden, Alyssa Thanks for coming Shelly and Tay!

The Sticky Girl & October Snow

10-27-09 It started to snow today

This was the coolest snowflake-I wish it was clearer! (and bigger...)

The second Alyssa saw the snow she ran inside and grabbed her snow stuff!Time to build a snowman! No?! Why not?!

Merry Christmas 2009

Just in case I don't have your email, here is my Christmas greeting that I just emailed my contacts. If I don't have yours and you want me to, let me know! (I'm sure you are just dying to be added! lol)

I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I missed sending out cards last year for Christmas and this year isn't working either! So I am doing them via email-Sorry! I would love to write a nice Christmas letter but I don't know what to write. Like many of you, this year has been pretty full of trials for my family. One thing I can take from this year is that Heavenly Father knows what our futures hold and wants what is best for us-even if we don't see it at the time! Know that it will all work out! I am so grateful for my testimony and for the hope of a better future! I have gotten to know and love myself again and I know that I can be strong and get through whatever life throws at me! I can do it and I am constantly trying make the decision to be optimistic. Family and friends are very important and I'm so glad I have the very best out there! My girls are such amazing daughters and every day I remember what a blessing they are in my life! I am so grateful for them! Pure sunshine! Thanks for all the support, love and prayers!

Best Wishes! April, Karah and Alyssa Barrett Here is a link to our blog (FYI-I recently had to delete a lot of posts from this year and last on my blog because I keep going over my allowed storage space on blogger. Before May is pretty patchy-only posts I couldn't bear to delete yet are there...lol)

Update...

So just an update on everything I can think of right now... We are still in Syracuse. When we sell our house (in Syracuse), the girls and I will kick out our renters (in SLC) and move back into our old townhouse (in SLC.) Our divorce should be final next month (January.) I really, really, really need a job with benefits so if anyone knows of any openings...please let me know! I really like doing secretary work, office work like filing, faxing, organizing, etc. Maybe a receptionist, secretary or in office support. Love it! I am a quick learner. The only thing I can't say yes to without high doses of medication are call centers and sales-I'm terrible at both! I really worry about my girls. They are having such a hard time (only with me though apparently!) I'm still out of commission since my bilateral foot surgery and they have Grandma T and Papa Howie here helping. They aren't seeing their dad because he's deployed-he'll be back on the 24th. There is so much change in the air. Shawn will not be living with the girls, he's probably not going to be around much. When we sell the house, we'll be moving, Grandma T & Papa Howie will go back home, new school, new schedule, I will be working and they will be in daycare (they are used to having me 24/7!) Karah is still really upset about Evan and Kaitlyn and she gives me a thumbs down to me getting a job. It's sad to see how much everything is affecting her. Her personality is changing-both girls really insecure-what can I do? I think I need to find some counseling for her/them. It would be nice to get everything settled at the new place and then get a job when the girls are more stable but I don't know that I'll have that luxury. I need to take what I can get. They are getting tons of love but I know they can feel something is just not right! All I can do is be positive and give plenty of cuddles and quality time! Any other ideas? I will need to find child care so if you have any recommendations... I will be living in SL (by downtown) so hopefully I can find a job and day care close by. Am I being too picky? I know people that have been trying for jobs for over a year and I am expecting to be employed soon-I don't know what to say... please?

Big Changes-This is going to take some getting used to!

I know this is out of order but I needed to share my day on Thursday, December 9^th. See these beautiful blonde curls? They are gone.

I mean, completely gone!

Thanks to Karah, the new hairdresser in the family!

Alyssa laid in my arms for a long time with her hands on the side of her head worried, saying I don’t want to be a boy! I don’t want to look like a boy!

Once we got a hat on her she started to feel better and more confident.

Here she is holding a small pile of my hair.

And the first pile of her own hair.

Karah went to hide under her bed.

Apparently, a friend at school got her hair cut in a bob and Karah decided she wanted her hair cut that way too! My feet were killing me so I thought I’d nap with the girls to try to help my feet heal and feel a little better. We laid down together for a nap and Karah got some scissors and started cutting Kate’s hair around her eyes so she could see. Then her pony. Then she started on Alyssa’s hair to see if it would look cute before she had her hair cut (smart girl!) Then, while I was asleep I thought I heard and felt a few snips of the scissors and thought it couldn’t possibly be reality. I opened my eyes and saw a few chunks of my hair on the ground! What the heck!!! She had the guts to cut her mother’s hair?! If I hadn’t have woken up I probably would have had the same cut as Alyssa! The funny thing is I have SO much hair and it’s pretty wavy so I don’t actually know where she cut my hair…I think it was towards the front on the left but I’m not sure! I started to freak out and then I saw Alyssa!

My mom rushed us off to Cookie Cutters in Bountiful to see if they could fix any of Alyssa’s hair! On the drive Karah was asking if she could do this and that when we got home and I told her she probably shouldn’t be asking me anything right now because the answer would be no!

At the kid’s hair cutting place, they said all they could do was even it out a little since it was so short.

We threatened Karah that we were going to have them do the same haircut on her. We were joking…kind of!

Alyssa wasn’t bothered in the least getting her hair fixed. She watched Go Diego Go and ate a sucker and was oblivious of what was going on around her.

We told her to look in the mirror after and that she was a beautiful princess and she was happy!

Karah ended up getting a bob and it’s pretty cute! Her hair looks a lot thicker and healthier!

They let Lys sit in her car, eating her sucker to watch more of her movie while Karah was getting her hair finished. Cookie Cutters is such a great place for kids!

Karah kept trying to tell Alyssa that she looked like a boy but I reminded her that it’s bad enough that she cut all of her sister’s hair off-she didn’t need to make her feel bad about it too! She will always be a girl and a princess, regardless if she has hair or not!

I feel bad I fell asleep and this happened but the pain of my feet has taken a lot out of me and I have been resting more often that usual. Anyways, they should have been sleeping!! I was not expecting this!

When we got home, we found the rest of Alyssa’s hair ( a ton!) that Karah hid in her closet. She had even cut out the elastics!

There was a huge mound of hair. I still can't believe this happened!

In real life Alyssa actually looks pretty cute with her short pixie cut. She’s got the personality to pull it off. She’s getting a few double takes because she’s wearing pink and people probably think she’s a boy at first (that goodness for girl clothes and that we got her ears pierced when she was a baby-for the same reason-no hair…lol)

Karah loves her hair-me too! (Her kindergarten teacher didn’t even acknowledge it this morning-she said she thinks her teacher didn’t even look at her today! Stinkin’ teacher! urrr!)

I am not good with change-or with doing hair so this is going to take a while to get used to but it’s just hair and they are still my beautiful girls-I love them! I am now in need of some hats and headbands though because elastics and even tiny clips will not stay in for more that a split second! Some hats make her look like a chemo patient though and I don't really feel good about that! I think we should dye it pink! Get her some tatoos, black leather clothes... Just kidding! I will definitely be buying very girly clothes for a while though!

I think Karah will hear about this for years to come-I still hear about it from my sister (I did the same thing when I was little…oops-sorry Ash. If it makes you feel better, Ash, I also took care of my own hair the next day and I was so embarrassed at how bad I looked! I still remember how embarrassed I felt-right after my mom took me to Homemaking and I remember spending the whole time in the nursery under a chair hiding!)