The magical moments

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the last few weeks. Miss Claus
All dolled up in our Christmas clothes for church

Claire giving the heart of her doggy a nose kiss at Build a Bear Workshop

Bailey choosing out her bear Kelli at Build a Bear Workshop

Riding the carousel at McCormick railroad park

Clarie "helping" mom shred paper

Clarie playing peekaboo with mommy

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

I am ADDICTED!!!

I have a new addiction, digital scrapbooking!!! I love it! I have just started doing it the last few weeks and I can't get enough. Scrapbooking without the mess, what could be better. No more kids ripping the paper part. No more digging buttons out of mouths only to find out they swallowed it. No more washing glue out of a three year olds hair and unwrapping ribbon from her neck. I can sit down in a soft chair, work on it for a few minutes and push save and the mess is cleaned up for me.
My name is Natalie and I am a digital scrapbooking addict!

Sub Zero Souffles

Here is a recipes that I found out a magazine. It is super easy even a kid could do it. Bailey and I have so much fun making these. Enjoy!

3 cups milk
1 pkg. (8 serving size) of chocolate instant pudding
2 cups thawed cool whip
16 oreos crushed
8 maraschino cherries

Pour milk into medium bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. Gently stir in cool whip
Spoon 2 Tbsp. chopped oreos into each of eight 8 to 9 oz. paper drinking cup. Cover evenly with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers. Cover with foil.
Freeze 5 hours or until firm. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving. Peel away paper to unmold and place upside down onto dessert plates. Top each with cherry.

Ward Christmas party!

We had our ward party the other night in the Barneys driveway.

Here are a few of our favorite pictures!Claire pre meeting Santa

Claire after meeting Santa

She never stops amazing me

A few weeks ago for Family Home Evening we had a lesson on the Chirstmas story and taught what all the different people in the nativity mean. Since then Bailey has fallen in love with the Christmas story. She wants me to tell her it several times a day. She spend hours everyday arranging our nativities.

The day before yesterday I found her playing "baby Jesus." She had a blanket over her head and was sitting by her doll craddle (which she put a yellow blanket in to look like hay) and was singing "Away in a Manger" to her doll. She told me that she was Mary, her doll was Jesus and that I was Joseph, after which she told me to go away and go to work since I was the daddy. She played "baby Jesus" for several hours, singing to her doll and telling her doll the story of Jesus.

As I think back over the last few weeks she really hasn't said anything about Santa or presents. Even when I ask her what she wants all she says is something pink. I am humbled by my three year old, she is the one teaching me to remember the true meaning of Christmas. I love you Bailey.

Our little Claire-asaurus

Who needs to play in your toys when you can play under them? Claire loves playing underneath tables, chairs, beds, whatever she can fit, or barely fit under. Clarie is getting so big. She has three teeth, walks along furniture and is trying to take steps. We have also found her sitting inside her toy box a few times. She is a little monkey but we love her so much!

IT'S CHRISTMAS!

Our nativity mosh pit designed by Bailey

Clarie heading for the nativity mosh pit Bailey spent a very long time setting up

Bailey Christmas "boot"


Since it is raining today (thank goodness) and we are probably the last people in Gilbert to decorate, we decided to get to work decking the halls. It was fun watching Bailey get so excited to decorate. She unloaded EVERYTHING way before I had time to put it up so we had piles if decorations all over the floor. While unloading she asked a million questions, adding to the million she already asks each day. Deep questions like "Is baby Jesus named Claire like our baby?" "Why was baby Jesus daddy named Joseph Smith?" "Can I wear our Christmas boots (stockings) to church?" And my favorite "Why isn't Joseph Smith Jesus daddy?" Me-"Becuase Joseph Smith was a prophet that lived a long time after Jesus died." Bailey-"Arey ou sure? Why did Jesus die?" Me-"So if we are good girls we can live with him someday." Bailey- "Like the "kindly song"(that is what she calls "I am a Child of God" song) Then she sings the I am a Child of God song and tells me about how I am a good mommy and I am helping her be like Jesus. Of course I started to bawl! I love my little girls!!!

Anyway, I am jealous though that Bailey is so young and gets to expericence Christmas through the eyes of a child for many more years. I miss the wonderment and excitment of Christmas. I remember riding my bike around for hours on Christmas Eve trying to tire myself out so I can sleep that night. And decorating our 3 ft. kid Christmas tree with so many deocrations that it tipped over ten times a day. And spending hours looking through the toy catalogs looking for the perfect gifts. Since I can't get away with doing those things anymore, my wish is to create good memories for my girls that someday they will look back on Christmas time and smile.

Open to anybody

I decided to open our blog to anyone since some people are a little confused by the whole creating an acount and logging in thing.

Gilbert Days Parade

I was looking through the pictures on our camera today and found these cute ones of Claire from Gilbert Days Parade. Yes, I think I am the only person in the world that likes a parade, it is a sickness I know. But I think I might have Claire hooked too. She loved her first parade until Highland High marching band came by and her world came to an end. I think she didn't like it because Mr. Bitter wasn't there marching along the side. It just isn't a good Gilbert Days Parade with out him. But she recovered when the hundreth cheer and dance squad came by. Yeah Gilbert!!!

The Turkey Song

Here's a little something to get you through this holiday season.

I NEED A VACATION!

We just got back from a week in Utah and I need another vacation. Traveling with kids is so hard, especially when they are sick. My parents flew us up to Utah to spend Thanksgiving at their condo in Park city. We crammed about 20 people in a three bedroom condo so there was a lot of excitement and noise.
Claire flew on an airplane for the first time and loved flirting with the people around us. Bailey loved flying on the "blue" airplane until Claire pulled out a HUGE chunk of hair out of her head right above her ears and then head butted her. I thought little girls were suppose to be kind to one another.
There wasn't any snow in Utah but Bailey was able to find a little patch of man made snow and made snow balls out of them. She brought them home and put them on a plate next to her bed and was devistated when she came back and they had melted. Poor kid from AZ doesn't know that snowballs melt. I also got Bailey on video singing the Turkey song that she sang for the ward talent show so I will post that ASAP.

I am such a proud mom

Tonight was our wards primary talent show. I wanted Bailey to do something for it but decided that she would never get up and perform infront of other people. Instead Bailey and I decided to go and just watch everyone else. About 2/3 of the way into the show Bailey tells me that she wants to show her talent. She wanted to draw an "H" (on the way over we talked about talents and how she can draw the letters H,I,A,B really good. ) I wasn't sure how she could do that for an audience so I asked her if she wanted to sing. She said yes and when it was her turn she walked up front grabbed the mic away from me and belted out a song. What? My child singing infront of people. She isn't old enough to do that. What was the saddest part (besides that fact that I didn't have a camera or video camera) was I kneeled next to her and fought back the tears the whole time and couldn't even look at anyone. I am such a baby, but I couldn't believe that my baby had the guts to do something I would NEVER do. I am a proud mommy tonight!

What a do!

It is kind of sad when you have had to deal with bed head since you were born. Poor Bailey!

For those who doubt

This is for those who doubt that Bailey is related to Marcia Barlow. We are getting new bed room furniture and already gave our old stuff away so I had to put everything in boxes. Bailey saw a toy in one of the boxes that she just had to have and knew she wasn't allowed to have. So she took it upon herself to get it. She took everything off the top of the box and out of the box and pulled her "thinking chair" up to it to get her toy. Most kids would dump everything out until they got what they wanted but not Bailey, she had to organize everything first (and she did all the organizing before she even got the toy). She is just like her grandmother, everything has its place.

Another one of those things

I got these questions from my friend Becky and thought I would fill it out since I have nothing else to write about. Here we go

1. What time is it? 8:51 pm
2. What's your full name? Natalie Dawn Barlow Sherwood
3. What are you most afraid of? Well I pass out at the sight of blood but I am afriad of something bad happening to my family
4. What is the most recent movie that you have seen in a theater? It is pretty pathetic but I think it was Pirates part two, before that it was Napolean Dynamite. I don't get out much!
5. Place of birth? Provo, Ut
6. Favorite food? Homemade soup in a bread bowl
7. What's your natural hair color? Light brown
8. Ever been to Alaska ? No
9. Ever been toilet paper rolling? Who hasn't?
10. Love someone so much it made you cry? Yes
11. Been in a car accident? I was in one my senior year of high school. I was a passenger and the other car hit right where I was sitting. I broke my pelvis in several places and was in bed for two months.
12. Croutons or bacon bits? Croutons
13. Favorite day of the week? Saturday. Scott is home and we can have fun as a family
14. Favorite restaurant? GEcko Grill in GIlbert, AZ
15. Favorite flower? After working as a florist for a few years I like so many but I would have to say lisianthis.
16. Favorite sport to watch? Anything that DOES NOT involve a ball
17. Favorite drink? Peach smoothie
18. Favorite ice cream? Cold Stone Creamery sweetcream with raspberries and pistachios
19. Disney or Warner Brothers? Disney
20. Ever been on a ship? Nothing too big. I have been whale watching and a few little things like that
21. What color is your bedroom carpet? Beige
22. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail? Betty Crocker
23. What do you do when you are bored? I have to agree with Becky, who has time to get bored. But I would love to read if I was ever bored
24. What is your bedtime? Around 10:00, I like to sleep!!!!
25. Favorite TV show? This summer I loved watching So you think you can dance
26. Last person you went to dinner with? Scott and the girls, to Costa Vida, sorry I didn't take you Becky
27. What is your favorite vacation spot? Idaho and Boston, I know they are way different but I love them both
28. What are your favorite colors? Red and Purple
29. How many pets do you have? none thank goodness
30. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? chicken
31. What do you want to do before you die? Raise a happy and healthy family
32. Have you ever been to Hawaii ? No, I was suppose to go about a week after I got in the car accident I mentioned before but those plans were a little interupted
33. Have you been to countries outside the U.S. ? Mexico and England, Scottland, Wales
34. How many people are you sending this e-mail to? Just putting it on my blog.
35. Type the first word that comes to mind to describe yourself. tired.

Happy Halloween

I know that I am a little late, but I just had to share pictures of my little ladybugs. Bailey thinks that ladybugs live in her armpits and under her bed (thanks to Gramps for that one) and just had to be a one for Halloween.