Happy Holidays!

Well, its that time of year again, huh? My how the time just flies. The Bartlett family would like to take a small moment to wish you and your's the happiest of holidays, and we're not afraid to say it, either, but Merry Christmas! And what ever your faith or lack there of please note the meaning and not the words themselves. Warmest wishes from our family to yours!
We had a pretty nice uneventful Thanksgiving, no new babies or 5ks being ran. We just camped out at the in-laws. We made 3 turkeys, but only carved into 1! Other than that, just food, football, family, and booze completed our day. Caryl managed to wake up @3am the next morning to try and take advantage of some Black Friday deals. I woke up, loaded the kids into the car to go to the sitters, and spent the next 1/2 hour on the side of the road chaning a flat tire. That was about the extent of our excitement. We're looking forward to Christmas time. I hung the lights at my mother's house yesterday, and Soph was very excited to see them. Dex is letting go and standing now. We're guessing he'll probably be taking his first steps around christmas time.
Congrats to Sam and Susan, and welcome Mr. Spencer Wallace to the Family of Friends! What a handsome boy. Lynn and Mike are next I guess, huh? What an exciting time for you guy. I can't wait to meet the new ones!
I'm finishing up my first semester at Webster, and so far so good. The courses aren't overly tough and its another step closer to that piece of paper.
Well thats it for now, Happy Christmas everybody!

me again

Well hows it goin'! In case you were wondering I decided to change a few things. Hope you like the new look. I've posted a few of the pics from recent happenings. We've got Dex' baptism, Soph baking Caryl's birthday cake, huntin for punkins at the punkin patch, and some of our Halloween pictures. Hope you enjoy! Go Rams!!!!

Hello

whats up? Just a little bored today. I'm working late tonite and probably will be working late tomorrow as well. Hope everybody is doing well. I hadn't heard from my peeps in a while so I thought I'd drop a line. I hear there is a new baby here! and I hear 1 is not too far away. Babies are so great. Caryl and I can't wait to have another one. Dex is just 9 months old, and everytime we see another baby we're like, "Awe, remember when Dex was that little..." or "man, I can't remember him being that little". Alas, we must wait til we build up with the house, b/c there's just no room for another little one in our tiny home.
Well stats are next I guess.... Dex is crawling everywhere and pulling himself up on anything. He's got 5 teeth. We took him to get his 1st haircut, so no more mohawk, he looks like a normal little boy now.
Soph started Preschool and loves it. She's still taking dance class, and finally outgrowing shoes we bought for her halloween costume last year. She talks 90 miles a minute, but I read somewhere that kids her age develop their listening skills by doing that. They say they literally love to hear themselves talk, and by doing so they increase their ability to listen. I can't wait til that day comes!
Caryl and I are hard at work trying to pay down some bills so we can finally build up with the house, so other than the kids there's not much going on with us. I guess that's what happens when you get older, huh?
Well ttyl, I guess.

Dex' Baptism Date Change

Due to schedule conflictions, Dex' baptism has been rescheduled. There is a tentative date of Sunday 09/27/09, instead. I'll keep everybody posted if there are any further changes.
Other than that, I don't really think much else is going on. Caryl is on a girls camping trip with friends from work. The kids are in bed sleeping, and I'm procrastinating on homework, but what's knew. Well TTYL, I guess.

I can see clearly now, the haze is gone!

I can see all obstacles in my way!!! Okay, enough of the song and dance, but you read it right! I offically have 20/20 vision! I'm pretty excited, incase you couldn't tell by all the exclamation points! My eyes are very, very dry, but other than that, everything went well. It took a grand total of 15 minutes, and then done. Caryl watched the whole procedure from a viewing window. She said it was wierd to see the smoke coming from my eyes. But now that things have gone so well for me, she wants to get her eyes done, too.
FYI~ Dexter is being baptized at St. Stephen's Episcopal church on Sunday 09/13/09
I'm anxiously awaiting the start of my new semester. Wish me luck, folks. That's about it, I guess. Well gotta run.

hello again!

Well, its me again! Just checkin in. In just under 2 weeks I'll be starting my career towards my bachelor's degree. My first class is Management Theory and Practice. I got my book last week, and I've already started reading it. It's pretty interesting already. I'm really excited about getting to class and finally getting some useful knowledge to put to work!
This Thursday, I will be undergoing Lasik surgery. I'm very happy to finally ditch the glasses for good! Caryl and I had been talking about it, and she finally told me to shut up and do it. So, I made the call and got the financing, set the appointment, and now its gonna happen! Right now, I can't function without my glasses. It will be truely amazing to do the little things with out them, such as getting out of bed to pee in the middle of the night.
I'm trying to get some pics uploaded, but picasa isn't recognizing the files for some reason, so it may take a while for me to get them up.
Well, its late, gotta run.

not much going on....

Well, I haven't blogged in a bit, so I thought I'd better drop a line. So let's see. What's new. Well, Dex is rolling all over the house, he's got his head up pretty good now, and will probably start the commando crawl soon. Soph finished her dance and swim lessons, and she is eagerly awaiting the next round for dance. Caryl is getting settled into her new job at the nursing home, and though it seems to be very stressful and some of the aids love drama, she seems to be fitting in pretty well, and even making some new friends! She also just got a $2/hr raise, so that's pretty nice! I just took my nephew camping/fishing/zip-lining. We had a pretty good time. Caught lots of fish, and made it home without incident. I'm getting ready to go back to school later on this month, so I'm pretty excited about that. Well, I think that's it. Just regular everyday stuff now, so I'll try to keep ya'll informed of anything exciting. I haven't had any pictures to upload in a while, maybe my next post will be filled with some. We'll see. Oh, yeah, facebook sucks! Not worth my time or effort. I'll stick with the blogspot (=->
ttfn!!!!

Trying out FaceBook

Does it feel colder to anyone else out there? I think hell must have finally frozen over. That's right, even though it goes way beyond everything I believe, I have signed up for facebook. Let me tell you, I am not impressed. Even with highspeed internet, it takes forever to load pages, and there is so much going on, I hardly know where to begin. The only positive thing I can say is it has pulled up some names that are truely blasts from the past!
I hadn't had a chance to log onto my computer since the 4th, because we contracted a virus and my laptop was out of commission and I could only access my computer at work, where I have little time to do more than check my email. So, I just wanted to say it was sooo great to see everybody on the 4th! I can't believe its been an entire year. We really need to try and get together more often than that. I wish the rain could of held off. With the kids, we had to get out while we could, so I'm sorry we missed the fireworks. We managed to beat the storm home by 5 minutes, and were able to watch the downtown fireworks on TV. Sophie really enjoyed turning out the lights and snuggling up on the couch. It was fun until the empending storm knocked out the satellite! Susan, if you read this, tell Edith and Paul that Caryl and I had a really good time, and we always enjoy our trips to their house. They are truely exceptional hosts! Please tell them, "Thank You!" for us :v]
Well, thats it for now. I'll blog again soon!

The unofficial is now official. Caryl got her license in the mail, and is now officially an RN! I'm so proud of her. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears really went into the making of this milestone.
Caryl, Soph, Dex, and myself will actually be able to make it out to the 4th party at Paul and Edith's! We'll probably get out there around 3 or 4 pm. It should be a great time. It's supposed to rain in the morning, but they said there will be plenty of dry time throughout the day. Let's keep our fingers crossed!
I have finally done something I swore I would never do, and thats signed up with facebook! I am very much against those social networking sites, but due to increased pressure from friends and family, I made the plunge. I must say, I was right. It is not a pleasent experience. I tried uploading my interests and things, spending about a 1/2 hr adding funny, interesting things, and then it erased it all! I don't know. Maybe after fiddling with it, I'll start liking it better. So far, its just a hassle.
Well, I'm at work so I'll see ya'll 2moro!

Congratulations are in order!

Well, its unofficially official, Caryl has passed her RN boards! I'm so proud of her. She tackled a monumental task, and in the longest 2 years of our lives, we are moving on up! Caryl said the exam she took bared no similarities between her 2 yrs in school, or the prep course she paid $400 + for, or the practice exams she had been taking since finishing school. The exam was automated and ranged anywhere from 75 to 200+ questions depending on how you did on the test. She said that recieving the minimum 75 questions was not indicitive of how you did on the test because you could have done really well or really poorly. Well Caryl got the minimum, and since she had no idea about the questions on the exam, she was extremely nervous. In the two days it took to get the results, Caryl almost made herself sick. However, by the grace of God, she passed the exam, and as soon as her results are mailed to her, she will officially be an RN. Caryl started her new job at Warrenton Manor, a nursing home in town shortly after graduation, and is settling into her new career. I'm so excited for her. It's finally over. Perhaps she can start to relax a little now, and enjoy life a little more, and the anxiety of school will finally subside.
Well, thats the news here. I can't wait to see everybody on the 4th! TTFN

.............

Just thought I'd log in to say hi! So, "Hi". Well, I guess that's it for now, I'll talk at you all later. No, I can't do that. I'd better share something. Let's see, what's going on in my life now. Hmmm. Well, Sophie started dance lessons 2 weeks ago. She goes to Miss Angie's in Wentzville. She's super cute in her little leotard and tutu. She does tap first, then ballet, then tumbling. Its an hour long course on wednesday nights for 8 weeks. We go to Mickey D's for dinner before class because they have the family night. We're starting swimming lessons on monday which is 4 days a week for an hour for 4 weeks. She's gonna be busy that's for sure, but she's very excited and does very well listening to her instructor. Hopefully this will spawn a real interest for her, and as she gets older, she can get more involved.

I'm really looking forward to the 4th party. I'm gonna try my hardest to be there. Caryl started her new job at the nursing home, so I don't know if she'll be able to make it or not. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

I got my acceptance letters from Webster University this past week, and my diploma from SCCC came in the mail as well. It's official. I am done with that place, and starting my new career at Webster. I'm very excited, and a little nervous. Alot of those courses at SCCC felt like a joke, so I hope I'm prepared for the real deal. I guess only time will tell. Well that's it for real this time. chat at you later~

busy week!

Well, we certainly did have a busy week! As I mentioned before, Caryl and I graduated on saturday. Caryl was pinned on Friday, we went camping this past weekend, and then had a memorial day/birthday party for Caryl's grandpa on sunday. I'm posting a new slideshow with some pics from the past week.
I have a friend who is getting married this weekend, and a bachelor party on wednesday, plus I went back to work yesterday, so my schedule doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Although, I can't complain about going back to work. Since Monday was a holiday, I made double time and a half. Nothing like a cool $280 for a days work! So I was pretty happy all day.
well thats all on my end, I'm gonna go check in on everybody else now. I'll post again soon!

look out Webster, here I come!

At last! I have finally completed my Associate of Arts degree at St. Charles Community College. Caryl and I both graduated on Saturday, and we are finally done! Caryl has completed her Nursing degree and after completing boards next month she will offically be a RN! I'm so proud of her. The program was stressful, tedious, and an emotional roller coaster. Filled with frustration, tears, many late nights and early mornings, Caryl tackled the tremendous task with a vengence. She is such a strong willed woman. When she sets her mind on a task there is no stoping her.
I completed my Associates in Business Admin after only 10 years at a 2 yr school. I think this last semester was the hardest, tho. I had lost all motivation midway through and hoped I would pass by the skin of my teeth. I was able to get 2 B's and 1 C, so I was pretty happy about that. I'll start at Webster in the Fall where I'll major in Management with an Emphasis in Human Resource Management. I should secure my bachelor's degree within 2 years. At that point I'll reassess my situation and decide if I want Verizon to pay for my Master's degree, too.
For our graduation presents, Caryl and I took the money we were given and bought each other some gifts. Caryl got a green amathyst (sp?) ring, and I got 2 tickets to a cardinals game and a new cardinal jersey. Both things we really wanted, but could never justify the expense until we had some disposable income available.
I ran into Ian and Katie at the ball game. They were both suprised to see me. It was a breif encounter, but it sure was nice seeing them again. It's been a while.
Now I think this is my longest blog in a dogs age, so I'll finish up now I guess. Hope every one is having a wonderful week! TTFN!

What twice in 1 month?

Thats right, I'm blogging again! School is winding down, I've got finals next week, then I graduate next saturday. Woohoo! Caryl is graduating next week, too. She'll have her RN degree, and I'll have an Associates in Business Admin. Finally done! Well until I start at Webster in the fall any ways :)
So, I was wondering, does anybody actually read these blogs? I know Jen is following my blog, but I didn't know if anybody else reads anything I write. I know I'm not the best blogger, but it is nice to know someone checks in on me from time to time.
Sophie, Dex, and I went for a long walk today. Soph is getting so big, we walk from our house to the mail box, which is about a 3/4 of a mile down the road. She walked the whole thing! I had Dex in a baby back pack. It was fun just spending time outside with my kids. We've been couped up all winter and really enjoyed going outside. Soph found a morelle (SP?) mushroom. Caryl has been hunting them ever since she discovered a patch near the house. Soph liked picking flowers and leaves along the way, but I think her favorite part was splashing in every single puddle.
Well thats it on my end. Let me know whats up with you all. Even though I don't post regularly, I do check in on everybody else. Later gators!

I want music

Sorry its been so long since my last post, been a little busy. The semester is winding down, and with any luck, I may acutally graduate! Things have been pretty busy for everyone else too, I see. What with Matt and Jen bringing the baby home, and Sam and Susan expecting another bundle of joy! I've missed a lot over the past month and a half! Well, once the semester is over, hopefully I'll have more time to stay in touch. I noticed some music on your sites, how did you add it? Are they songs you downloaded, or are they a list of songs? I have specific songs I'd like to play, so let me know how to set it up. Well, gotta run! I'll blog more real soon, I promise! Glad to see so many smiling babies!

PS: Congrats on the Marathon Talley's! 13 and a half miles! I wanna run next year, keep me posted when training starts

hiddy ho

How's it hangin? with spring time around the corner, I thought I'd change some things up. I hope this blog finds everyone well. I'm sitting at a laundramat washing some sleeping bags, and saw they had free wifi so I thought I'd blog while I had a chance. So whats new....uh....not a whole lot. Caryl and I are busy finishing up school, and both egar to be done. Dexter is growing twice as fast as Sophie is. He weighed in at 12 lbs after 6 weeks, and Sophie didn't weigh 12 lbs until her 4 month check up! I updated the slide show with a few new pics. The family went camping on our property last weekend. It was beautiful during the day, but the nights were freezing. We packed up and went home and set up the tent to air out, but while we were gone the winds picked up our $250 tent and blew it around our pole barn, and into the woods, and tore the rain fly and the screen door. Not to happy about that. I don't know what else so iguess i'll TTYL. bye!

almost forgot!

I know its thrusday, but friday will be here soon, so here's my 1st flashback friday pic, enjoy!

Whats up everybody?

Hows it going? I know long time no hear, right? well, I'm trying to be better about it. I've tried several times to get some new pics on my slideshow, but picasa seems to be giving me some trouble! I've got them uploaded, and I can see them on my picasa web ablum, but I can't see them yet, when trying to add a slideshow from my blogspot! I usually have to wait awhile, so as soon as I can see them I'll post them. Is everybody ready for spring yet? I know it's getting close, theres a regular sports segment on the news again, and their talking baseball! GO CARDS! I can't wait til I can introduce my little buddy to the wide world of sports :vD He's do damned cute! Caryl had him dressed up like a cowboy today. He has these little blue jeans with a horsey on them and a beige onsee with a western pattern on it, and the cutest little cowboy boots! they look like moccosins that go up the leg more with little fringe on the back. A very dapper young man, if I do say so myself. Well, I'm at school procrastinating again, so I'll get back to it I guess. Talk to you all later!

correction to prior post

Uh, it has been brought to my attention, that I am a bone head! According to my wife, my son Dexter's date of birth is actually 01/30/09, not Jan 31st, my Bad!!! Thanks honey for catching my error :v] Also, Mrs. Talley, to Kim's credit, she replied to my post prior to me updating the slideshow, so cut her some slack! Well, that's it for now. I'll try to be quicker, and more accurate in the future! Later peeps! (has anyone counted the number of ! I used in this post? A little excessive I think!)

Its Me...

Wow, Happy Turkey Day, huh? I guess it has been quite sometime since I last checked in. I hope everybody made it through the Holiday Hubub successfully! Sorry I missed the last get together but Caryl wasn't feeling very well and we were close to her due date, so we just hung out at home. I heard that it was quite the shindig tho.
Speaking of Caryl's due date, the big day has come and gone, and I'm sure most of you are aware, but I'll say it here offically. Announcing: On January 31st 2009, at 1:58am Caryl and Andrew Bartlett became the proud parents of their 2nd child, Dexter Gregory Bartlett. He was 8lbs 1oz, and 21 inches long. He was jondiced(sp?) and needed to be on a bilibed for a few days, but his levels are now managable and we can finally hold our son! For those of you who are unfamiliar with jondice(sp?), its the condition where you're born with a yellow hue to your skin. This is due to an unmature liver that is unable to break down dead red blood cells. A very common condition and easily treatable with UV light. Dexter was confined to a bilibed (kinda like a tanning bed for babies) for 3 days until his biliruben levels were under 10 (he was at 17.5 originally).
Caryl is quite the trooper. She had 2 epiderals, both of which failed during the delivery, so essentially it was natural childbirth. She missed her lecture class on thursday night, no school on friday, but was back up and at work and school on Monday morning! She is simply amazing. I think the courage, strength, and devotion she has shown to accomplishing her goals are some of the main things that drive me crazy about her! Our family is growing, and we have certainly grown closer as a family through all of this.
I was able to get 2 weeks vacation for babytime so I'm staying home with Dex and Soph to aleiviate some of the stress on Caryl. I'm back at school for my last semester @ SCCC. 3 classes for a total of 10 credit hours, oyvay!!! I just keep thinking about where we were, and where we will be in just a few short years. It will all be worth it in the end!
Now that I'm at school again, I should have some more time to blog, so keep checkin back you might find another interesting post, some cute pictures, or who knows what other kinds of havvoc on my page. Blog @ u L8r!!!!