#barrasbuild

Oh heeeyyyyy homies.

I'm still alive and still as busy as ever! My life never slows down I swear! I have been up since 4 AM because of the loud thunder and I drifted off back asleep only to wake  up to Krew telling me "You chute". I guess he thinks I am cute when I am PTFO. I know I still need to finish part 2 of Krews burn story but it is much to traumatic for me but I promise at some point I will do it.

I am here to talk about something that is a huge accomplishment for us. Something as a little girl I have always wanted to do! We are BUILDING A HOUSE!! I have had some friends text me and ask me about it and some peeps write me on instagram (@sarahbarras_) about it so I figured I could just do a post about it to fill my peeps in on our exciting project!!

We sold our old home back in March and have been living with my parents since the first part of April! It's been a little nutso. We initially didn't really know what we wanted to do so we just started to sock money towards some credit card debt and paid off R's truck! (hallelujah) We quickly realized we couldn't live as a family of 3 in my parents basement forever so we started looking at communities to build new in. It was SO flippin' expensive. We signed a contract with Ivory Homes on March 31st (my 25th birthday!!). We picked a neighborhood and a lot and a floor plan and the whole 9 yards! We had about a week window to make sure it was something we really wanted because after the week we would lose out on the earnest money we had already put down.

During that week I was freaking out. The house was perfect, the lot not so much. It was small, we wouldn't have a big backyard, or room to grow like an RV pad, and our backyard would be but up against a row of apartments plus the price was quite a stretch for us. We could still live comfortably but a big house isn't something we foresee ourselves wanting to use all of our hard earned money on. We are vacationers, people!!

Long story short after some tears a couple blow outs, and a reality check we decided to back out. We were spending a TON of money and sacrificing a lot so we wanted to make sure our next investment was everything we wanted on our list!! Since backing out our realtor took us to some houses in our price range in the desired neighborhoods we had in our minds. We hated all of them. Luckily, our Ivory guy called us and told to look at some of the other lots in the same neighborhood and look at a different house plan. We happily obliged and found something even better for even cheaper than originally planned! We would be getting everything on our list minus a 3 car garage. Hubby was able to do a 2 foot deep expansion on it so we were plenty happy with that!

I have heard a few negative comments about this exciting time in our lives and it is REALLY sad that some people can't just be happy for you. This is something no one can take away from R, myself, and K. We are so so excited to move in and look forward to first week of December and then jetting off to Disneyland for a Christmas break!! I will continue to update and show pictures of the progress and more of the inside design as things get moving along.

Thanks to all of my close friends and mainly my family for encouraging me everyday and helping us keep our eye on the prize! We will be going into our new house with a mortgage and a car payment. No unsecured debt NO nothing. It has been a true blessing in our financial future the way things have played out for us the past 6 months!

xoxo

Resolutions Check-In

Since we are half way through the year I thought I could touch base on our resolutions. This year is flying by and I am hoping I have enough time to fit all of these things in! Between being a mom, wife, sister, daughter, dog mom, training for my races, spending time with friends and family, my full-time job, and all of the other side things I enjoy my life gets hectic pretty fast! You can find the original post about my resolutions HERE. I am feeling pretty good about what I set for myself and am trying to keep in mind that the year is not over yet! So here we go:


Save $ for Krews private school tuition. - Family- This is going well. We have an account set up that family can put money into for birthdays, holidays, etc.

Train & complete my 1st FULL marathon. Hoping to get into St. George. - Personal - This isn't going to happen this year. On another list I put up on my instagram (@sarahbarras_) I put that I wanted to do 2 half marathons under 2:15 so I am trying to focus more on those. Next year I am hoping to check this off my goals list!

Pay-off Ryan's truck. $3,000 left. - Family- CHECK! We did this back in February! We love only have my car payment! (Hence, more money for private school tuition!)

List & sell our 1st home. - Family - CHECK! This is still so bittersweet to me! We sold back in March and moved into my parents basement in April!

Train & complete my 1st triathlons. Idaho Spudman. - Personal -CHECK CHECK CHECK! I can't believe this is done & over with! It's something I have wanted to do for YEARS! I will try to re-cap soon!

Live in the moment more, social media free. - Personal - I have been doing this more! I take days off of Facebook and Instagram. I am just starting not to care so much about what other people are doing, but it's still nice to keep in touch with my friends from high school and the family we have that lives out of town! Plus with a kid as cute as mine I can't help but show him off! ;)

Find or build our dream home, the one we will be in for the next 15+ yrs. - Family - CHECK CHECK CHECK! I think this is the most exciting goal of all! It's always been a dream of mine to design and build my own home and we did just that! We broke ground last week and expect to move in right after Thanksgiving! We can't wait! We picked the most perfect location close to the freeways, my parents, Krews nannies, my work, and the city!

MAYBE try for another baby. MAYBE. - Family - Oh man! This summer has flown past us! I don't think we really realize how old Krew is getting and of course do not want the age gap between our children to big! We will see how things go as our lives slow down a bit!!

Potty train Krew. - Family - This is going WAY better than expected! Krew is starting to relate his bowel movements with the potty and is starting to tell us when he has to go more. He knows he needs to go on the potty but still gets nervous and likes the security of his diaper! It's totally ok with me, he has gone pee on the toilet once or twice so I will take it! I still have a couple months before I will get serious about this but do want him trained by age 2 1/2!

xoxo

untitled

this may or may not be the third time i have deleted the first line to this post.

i don't know where to begin or even how to begin.

i have been wanting to write this post for MONTHS now. literally.

i am shameful, i feel like the worst mom ever. i have grown stronger from it. and i now know the epitome of guilt, stress, and pure mercy.

it was a typical cold freezing friday night in january. i had straightened up the house when i got home from work, we had cooked dinner, and i had lit some candles in hopes to get the boys smell that will forever grace my house OUT.

my long time friend was over going through krews old baby clothes. she was due in april and we were chatting and laughing, ryan was watching tv and would tune in when something was extra funny. krew was running around like always. here, there, and everywhere. 

i heard him whine a little bit and my friend had looked up at him and i heard her gasp. i turned my back which was slightly turned away from the side table krew was near. krew was holding his hand over the candle i had just lit, the candle i had so stupidly placed on the side table in his reach. the candle that almost took his middle finger. as a mother i don't ever wish the feelings i had in that moment on anybody. i had failed. i was here to protect him from any harm. i was his mom and that was my #1 job; to save him and in that moment all of my pride crushed to the floor. i swung my arm around and grabbed him as fast as i could. that's then when he reacted and started to SCREAM. that blood curdling scream you hear when a child gets really hurt. there goes my heart again. crushed into pieces.

i looked at my husband and he looked back at me. neither one of us had any idea what to do other then the typical luke warm water on his hand. we tried our hardest to calm him down. i remember his poor baby hand, it was black and blue and blistered. we so randomly had burn ointment in our medicinal cabinet. (it's almost like God had put it there for me) that calmed him down enough for us to know he needed better medical attention and FAST. we rushed him to instacare. being new parents you never really think straight in these sort of situations. i think it was just our gut instinct to get him somewhere. he was crying, i was crying and it all became a blur. i wasn't worried about telling my mom, or sister, or anybody i just needed to know that my baby was going to be OK.

i also want to note that instacare got us in within seconds of arriving. which seemed like hours. my sister showed up (i have no idea who talked to her or who told her what was happening) i think it was God, but she said it was me. it's like the Lord knew what needed to happen to keep me going and keep me strong and he had me with my 2 most important supporters my husband and my older sister. i knew i needed to remain calm for krew's sake. they got him a popsicle and were able to clean and dress his burn the best they knew how for his tiny hand.

we were told that we would have to be seen at the burn unit at the university of utah first thing saturday morning. we were asked to go home and rest and keep krew as comfortable as possible.

i didn't sleep that night. i was still so ashamed. i know accidents happen but i am usually that mom who doesn't take her eyes off of her baby. i am honestly tearing up and all of those feelings are coming back to me.

i will continue this again tomorrow and through the week i have had a lot of questions about everything that happened so i will try my best to get everyone up to speed. for now krew is doing SO great! he does have a compression glove that he wears 23/7 until the end of year. 

i need to thank my family and friends for supporting me and bringing krew gifts and candy and food and for always reminding me how good of a mom i really am. because i really do try. 

xox

15 months

Finally I am getting around to blogging about Krew! Saturday we had his 15 month appointment and boy has he grown!!

(okay ya'll he seriously hates the doctors office)

I am sure by now you are wondering what the green and black glove is on his hand. It's a compression glove and he has to wear it because he burnt his hand (3rd degree) on a candle. I am going to try to compose a blog post just appointments and surgery. 

Anyways, 

16 months has FLOWN by. Krew is so healthy and happy and smart! He weighs 21 pounds and is in the 8th percentile for his weight. The doctor told us we needed to try to up his daily caloric intake with whole milk. He is 30 inches tall which places him in the 25th percentile for his height. He is just our tiny dude!

He is talking so so much. He says so many things: mama, dad, maaa (for Grandma) hi, bye, Aunt Dan (for my sister), Ahoy, Jake, Gus, Please, Thank you, George (his BFF at his nannies), car, truck, socks, shoes, outside. & I am sure I am missing some.

He is walking around like a CRAZY man! He doesn't walk he RUNS!! He will hold his middle finger up when you ask him how old he is, and he can bring you both of his matching shoes, throw his diapers away, and LOVES to play outside in the dirt with his tonka trucks!

I feel like this is a total brag about my kid post but I don't even care. I am blown away by how big and smart he is. He gets more fun everyday and I am really looking forward to this Summer with him!

Here are some recent pictures that may or may not have hit my instagram feed. I will try to post more life updates, like our trip to Cali, we sold our house, Krews burn, our Summer plans, etc.

Krew helping his papa blow out candles on his birthday!

xoxo 

New Years Resolutions & A Giveaway!

I can't believe we are 3 days away from a New Year! 2013 has been so good my little family we celebrated more of Krews firsts like Valentines, Easter, Swim lessons, Summer time, & lots of family time! We have some high expectations for 2014 and have set the bar pretty high for ourselves as far as resolutions go. I am such a go-getter and love personal accomplishments! I have set some goals for myself, and we have set a few as a family as well. I would love to hear your resolutions/goals! Here is a list of ours.

Save $ for Krews private school tuition. - Family
Train & complete my 1st FULL marathon. Hoping to get into St. George. - Personal
Pay-off Ryan's truck. $3,000 left. - Family
List & sell our 1st home. - Family
Train & complete my 1st triathlons. Idaho Spudman. - Personal
Live in the moment more, social media free. - Personal
Find or build our dream home, the one we will be in for the next 15+ yrs. - Family
MAYBE try for another baby. MAYBE. - Family
Potty train Krew. - Family

This is a list of the important ones to us. I have a feeling with the love & support we have from our family and friends this list shouldn't be too hard to complete. I hope you all find joy and happiness in 2014 and always lead with a smile on your face!

Now it's giveaway time!

I love Freshly Picked so much that I have teamed up with them for a giveaway. Unfortunately ALL 3 of us have been sick with the flu & so I haven't been able to get any pictures of Krew in his moccs but we have them in Fools Gold. They go perfect with any of his outfits, grip to our hardwood floors easily, and even leave the cutest footprint in them. They seem super warm and comfy on him too.

The sizing can be a little confusing as the first pair we purchased is WAY big on him. He wears a size 4-5 depending on the show but with the moccs he needs a size 3. There isn't much room for him to grow into them but they fit perfect and we have size 4 in Chocolate for when he grows out!

Freshly Picked is being so kind and giving away 1 pair of your color choice and size to 1 of my lucky readers! All you need to do is...

1. Follow this blog by joining site to the right. (1 extra entry)
2. Post to personal blog. (2 extra entries)
3. Repost giveaway picture (above) to Instagram using hashtag #krewsfreshpicks and tag 5 friends.
4. Comment below telling me what color you would choose and for who!

It's that easy friends! This giveaway will end January 1st at midnight. I will post the winner on this blog and Instagram on the 2nd.  If you have any questions email me at skbarras@gmail.com

xoxo

Tis' the Season

Last week we took Krew to FotoFly to have pictures with dad Santa done. I wanted them to be fun and creative, we are so not a serious family so it's hard for me to take formal serious pics! I think these turned out just how I wanted them and really brought out Krews fun loving spirit. If you are in Utah I HIGHLY recommend this place. Ryan dressed up in the Santa suit and was such a good sport. You could totally tell the men were more so enthused to be there. Happy wife happy life right?

behind the scene 

I am looking forward to Christmas this year. Years past it has been hard since my Grandma Collins passed away. Krew brings a whole new meaning to it, it's like Grandma brought him to us to enjoy the Christmas spirit again.

xoxo

A letter...

(written Oct. 26th 10:52 pm)

I wrote typed Krew a note while laying in bed the night of his birthday party that we celebrated with family and close friends. I don't ever want to lose it, hopefully 1 day he will realize my passion of motherhood.


Dear Krew,
Today we celebrated your 1st birthday with all of our family & closest friends, even your nanny came!! You are so curious and ask "what's this" all the time. I try to answer you each time, I want you to be confident in knowing I am always here. I love celebrating each milestone, holiday, and any fun activity with you. You make my life so fulfilling, you will never ever know the extend of my love for you. I never really thought of myself as a "boy mom" one who would play cars with you, or play in the dirt with you, or make funny spitty sounds with you but I love it!! I cannot picture my life any other way. You are sound asleep in your crib right now as I reflect back on the busy day we had. Mama planned this day out to the very last detail, I hope it was perfect for you. Just as you are perfect to me. I know you only have pictures to look back on and I know this will never show you my true love but a mama can try right? Please know that I would go above and beyond for you, to the end of the earth. You ask me to jump and I am going to ask you how high. You have changed my life in so many ways. You have also changed your daddy too. We love you and cannot wait to celebrate more birthdays and holidays with you! I cannot believe you are a 1 year old little dude. A perfect one. You are not walking yet but you LOVE to talk. Thank you for choosing me to be your mama, I am so proud. Please always be confident in your dreams, and pursue your own happiness, never back down from something you truly believe in and ALWAYS stay true to yourself. No matter what life throws our way we are a family and we are always in this together! Dream big my precious baby boy! Mommy loves you.

xoxo
Mama