Take a Hike

This summer, Matt and I made a goal to go on a hike every weekend we weren't playing at the water park or out of town. My favorite hikes are the ones that end in a waterfall, and it just so happens we are blessed to live in an area with a ton of beautiful waterfalls!

Carly was a champ and was content to be toted around in her carrier.  As you can see below, Matt made a tradition of dunking her feet in every creek we stopped, no matter how cold. What a trooper!

Battle Creek Falls

Spanish Fork Hot Springs (pit stop on trail)

Hot Springs (on top of waterfall)

Stewart Falls

 Here are some of my favorite pics from our hikes:

Battle Creek Falls...whatta smile.

Like father, like daughter.

Into the waterfall...

...can you see him??

...dripping wet.

Hot Springs...super cool place.

Always goofy. Get it from my Mom.

Matt is the pink speck!

Cutie Patootie.

Gorgeous Stewart Falls

Happy Trails!!
Love, The Bares

There's No Buddy Like a Brother

It's my brother's birthday. He's somewhere in the Baltic, so he might as well be on Mars. And I miss him. Let me show you why. Here's just a few of the many Braeden-isms :

 

 "Sometimes during a test, I will tap out the answers in Morse code. I figure I'm doing my part."

"So I was sleeping in Math today. Somebody wet-willied me. For extra credit."

  
"If I was allergic to classy, my whole life would be a sneeze."

"Lady Gaga was not born this way. If she was, the doctor would have said, PUT HER BACK IN!"

"Ke$ha looks like, if you touched her, she'd be sticky."

After working concessions during my high school's basketball games all day, I came home smelling like popcorn and hot dogs. On the way to the shower, Braeden encouraged me to skip it because he promised it would make me more attractive for the school dance that night.

I found this to do list in his room one day:
Write letter
Driver's license
Topple South American government
Build giant slingshot 
Fling enemies into sun

"This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the privilege of spending my childhood with you, Chelsea. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness," but most importantly, it was by far the best sixteen years of my life. Thanks for everything. Keep in touch. Love you, Chels."

Braeden is away from his family for 2 years so the people of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Belarus can spend an eternity with theirs. I'm so proud of him. But let's be honest; I'm counting down the days until I can see his face again!
 

Saying goodbye for 2 years, but not forever!

Happy Birthday "little" brother! Love, Chels

What I've Learned: Part 2

A few weeks after Carly was born, I blogged about what being a mom had taught me (here). She's 6 months old now, so I hope I can add a few more things to my list.

.

1. Anybody who knows me knows I am not a patient person. But somehow, with this little girl I have found patience! I can hold her while she cries, change her diapers in the middle of the night, wipe the peas off her eyebrows (and mine), and do anything within my power to keep her happy without any complaint (usually).  Maybe it's because she is so cute.

2. I never expected to have a friendship-type relationship with my kids until they were older, but I am happy she has become my best buddy at such a young age.  She laughs at my jokes, and I laugh at hers. We are inseparable not only because we should be, but because we want to be!

Which leads me to...

3. Separation anxiety.  She's got it, but you better believe I've got it too.

4. Every move she makes is SO FASCINATING.  Learning to sit up, trying new foods, reaching for toys, eating her toes, singing a song... Sometimes I forget this stuff might not be so interesting to others (her bowel movements for instance) but other parents usually understand.

5. Her laugh. Literally the most beautifully happy sound my ears have ever heard.

6. She's so cute, guys. I want to eat her. I want to nibble on her chubby knees. That's normal right?

7. I'm starting to get a better idea of how much my own mom loves me.  Even better, I'm getting a better idea of just how much our Heavenly Father loves all of us.

Mothering children rocks. More please!

Bridal Veil Falls

The sun is out and the Bares are coming out of hibernation! (I've only been a Bare for a less than two years so these "bare" puns are still funny to me, I apologize.)  We are so excited to get out of the apartment and show Carly this beautiful world she lives in! 

One of our favorite places to frequent when the sun is out is Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon.  Grass, trees, walking paths, picnic tables, and a creek running right through.  It's pretty much perfection.  Bridal Veil Falls is also a special place to me because it's where my grandpa proposed to my grandma! Awww... The falls usually look like this:

Pretty, huh?

 But because we decided to head over there a little earlier in the season, we ended up with this:

The falls were still pretty but there was a HUGE pile of dirty snow left over from an avalanche at the bottom.  It knocked over the fence and destroyed a portion of the path, so that made for some creative maneuvering of the stroller.

 

There is a pond at the bottom of the falls filled with ducks and huge fish and for the visitors to feed...

Carly was more interested in the dog. 

Matt decided to take Carly down by the creek...

Excuse me...IN the creek.

At this point I was I was yelling,
"DON'T DROP MY BABY! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"





He didn't drop her.

He's excited for Carly to start walking across logs and such.

Judging from this face, tummy-time on a log isn't all that great.

Mommy's turn! This little girl sure loves her daddy, but I love that she always saves some smiles for me.

Absolutely precious.

We really miss our families, but Provo isn't so bad for now.

Coming Soon to Own on Videocassette

Some of you heard about our recent purchase of a VCR and several VHS tapes. Here are my thoughts on the subject:

1. I love movies.  Love them.  And so does my husband! When we have the time, we love ending our day with unwinding and watching a movie together.  So of course we aspire to someday owning a massive beautiful collection of great movies.  The classics, ya know?

2. Which leads me to my next point.  First of all, I am all for new technology and moving forward and all that.  But am I the only one who thinks maybe we're racing to develop all this new tech a little too fast?  So fast, that it's almost impossible to gather said movie collection before the format changes? 

Seriously.

3.  DVDs and Blu-ray....expensive.  Ridiculously so.  You can go to the store and buy a newly released movie for around $20 right?  We bought 22 movies on VHS for less than that. 22. You know why? Nobody wants their tapes anymore! "Blu-ray has crystal clear sound! Look at that picture! It's so real!"  You know what guys? Two minutes into our VHS version of the Lion King, I didn't notice.  Honestly.  And don't get me started on how nostalgic I felt pressing "stop" and "rewind" at the end of the film.

So what am I getting at? Am I insisting you all visit your local thrift store and empty their shelves of great movies on tape like we did? Not exactly. I mean, then there wouldn't be any left... :)  But we did double our movie collection for very little cost.  And we do feel very smart about it.  So smart, I just needed to share.

RIP Sunglasses

Awhile back, Matt's sunglasses broke.  They were cheap and had a long run. It wouldn't have been a big deal, but summer was just beginning.  Lucky for him, his birthday was right around the corner.  I bought him a sturdier pair, a little more on the spendy side.  Happy birthday!

A mere couple months later they disappeared. Gone. Nowhere to be found.

I hate losing things. Absolutely hate it. And I was so upset that he had lost this new pair of sunglasses that I had picked out for him.  I nagged and nagged about how he needed to find those sunglasses pronto.  The poor guy couldn't even mention the sun being in his eyes without me jumping down his throat for losing those glasses.  I wouldn't let him get a new pair because "You'll just lose those too!"

Yesterday.  We were giving our apartment an overdo cleaning, de-junking, and reorganizing.  I picked up a purse that I hadn't used in several months and emptied out the contents.  Unfortunately Matt was in the room and I couldn't hide my loud gasp.  He fell into a fit of laughter as he saw me pull HIS sunglasses from MY purse.  I don't know how or when they got there.  I just stood there with a look of bewilderment on my face as I remembered how awful I had been to him.  I had them the whole time!

I walked over to him and hugged him and apologized over and over again.  Lucky for me, he was still laughing.

The very next day.  Today.  I was chopping an onion for dinner.  I must be hypersensitive to onions or something because I am always instantly blinded.  Matt walked past the kitchen and saw my squinting mascara-covered sniffling face.  He came back with a tissue and what else?  His sunglasses (I love this man). They helped a little and I finished chopping the onion. 

As I went to take them off, they got tangled and stuck in my hair.  I must have been a bit too aggressive with them.  Another gasp.

Matt was still in the room with me.  I am so glad this guy has a sense of humor.  This time he hugged me and threw the broken sunglasses in the garbage.  Still laughing.

Sorry Matt.  Guess what you're getting for Valentine's Day?

A Disappointment

I've had something on my mind lately.  I've been thinking back to high school. (Yikes, right?) Actually, I loved high school.  Both socially and academically I thrived.  Due to my competitive spirit, I worked very hard to excel in all my classes.  I studied hard for the ACT and retook it until I was proud of my score.  I surrounded myself with friends who had similar ambitious natures and we pushed each other to the top of our class.  When I graduated, I could tell many of the teachers I had befriended expected great things from me.  Similarly, I expected my friends to go to college and excel just as they had done in high school.  I knew they would achieve their various degrees and go on to have impressive careers. And I was proud of them! I know they felt the same way towards me.

But I had a secret. I didn't want some big important job.  Ever since I was little, I dreamed of starting a family.

Fast forward three years, one marriage, and one beautiful daughter later.  I can't shake the feeling that I have disappointed those teachers and friends. 

After my now husband proposed to me during my first semester of college, I changed my career path to something I knew would be flexible enough to allow me time to be a mother.  It's not impressive. But it's something. And more importantly, I enjoy it.

Six months into our marriage, I found out I was pregnant.  Nine months later, I am holding the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. 

Now that's impressive.

I have difficulty relating to those friends now.  Some I haven't heard from since I got married.  I don't blame them.  Life happens. And it happens at a different rate for all of us. I know someday those friends will start families of their own and it will be their turn to post endless pictures of their adorable children on Facebook. And they will understand. 

So to all those who are confused by the simple life I have chosen, please don't be disappointed in me. Please know that I am living my dream.  And thanks to my husband and daughter, I am the best, happiest, most selfless person I have ever been.

And the best part is - this is just the beginning!