Minnesota State University

On Monday Kenzie received an email with a National Letter of Intent to Minnesota State University, in the letter they offered her a full scholarship to attend their school and swim for the swim team. She has been working so hard the last few year to reach this goal! It is hard to get school paid for in swim as it is not a big income generating sport let alone to get an offer to pay for all of your school! We are very proud of her for accomplishing her dream and working so hard! The school is a bit far away from mom, but I will adjust.

I can not tell her congratulations enough or express the excitement I have for her! We have been told she is one of only 3 swimmers in the senior class of 2013 in Utah to sign an early Letter of Intent, not sure if that is accurate, but we are proud of her!

Fall Fun 2012

Now that the kids have finished the first quarter of school we are finally getting in to a routine! The 2 oldest are now full swing into the high school swim season, hard to believe it is Kenzie's senior year and her last high school season of swim.

Her and I drove to Minnesota in October for her first swim recruiting trip for college, we tried to break up the drive and made a few stops along the way. Finally saw Mt Rushmore, it was a bit cold but hey we can say we went there! It was fun to check out Minnesota State and will be interesting to see what school she chooses over the next few months.

Megan just finished softball for the fall by going on a trip with her team to Mesquite, they did great and placed 4th in 16 under she has loved this new team and the coaching and has learned a lot. She is ready to play high school softball in the spring and is starting high school basketball try outs today! I can not believe she is trying out for the high school!

Keaton is about my only one that dresses up for Halloween and her and her friend dressed up as zombies... no more cute Halloween costumes... Keats did both of their makeup and made their outfits I think she did a pretty great job! 

Ethan got to go to his first high school dance this fall and has actually been to 2 now! He is looking pretty good in a tux and his scars from the car accident are healing pretty well it has been a tough 1st quarter for him but he is getting through this and really making the best of all he has been through with the accident!

I just had to put this one up it makes me laugh they went is a big group together with a bunch of friends from the swim team but didn't want to stand by each other so no one would think they went together to the dance. I love that they have gotten so close and do get to be in groups with each other when they do go to dances.

Kids Car Accident

Last Thursday 9/6 I was getting ready to get my hair done and got a phone call from my oldest daughter saying that she had been in a car accident! All she kept saying is it's not her fault and Ethan is bleeding bad, and what should she do? I told her to call 911 and she said oh this is where we are at and hung up! I have never felt so hopeless and scared in my life! Here is what I pulled up to.

The car Kenz was driving is in the middle the accident had 4 total cars the lady behind Kenz started the accident. My kids took the biggest hit! The car was about 2 feet smaller on the back and 2 feet shorter in the front. Not shocking but they are totaling the car.

 I will not post the yuck pictures of Ethan as they are pretty graphic but here is what he looked like when he got the hospital! So lucky to be alive and did  have to get over 100 stitches and have a pretty nasty concussion and bruises from the seat belt!

 Kenz has a pretty nasty concussion also and some great bruises from the seat belt. The picture doesn't show the bruises to good but you can imagine.

I have only had a few times in my kids life that I felt someone was looking out for them or watching over them but this was a surreal moment when I looked in the car and saw a pair of sneakers and a lunch box smashed in the back of the hatch back and the crash literally stopped at the back seat that Ethan was in and did not crush him! Yes he did get some nasty cuts from hitting the front seat, nasty bruises from seat belt and is having memory trouble from his concussion but he really did walk away from this and will heal with time!

For the 2 girls in the front seat Kenz and her friend Hailey they both smacked their heads to get some good concussions and are really struggling with school and just writing a basic sentence. The air bags did not deploy if the front of the car would have gone into the other car about another 1/2 inch they would have and that would have made the injuries for these two much worse, according to the officers on the scene it could've burned their faces and done damage to their knees and Kenz just having knee surgery who knows what could have happened!

I really can not put into words my emotions that I have been feeling, I have feelings of gratitude that my kids walked away from this, frustration over the injuries they do have seeing your kids in pain is never a good thing, but most of all blessed that they had been watched out for that afternoon and they will get better, they will have a few rough weeks of pain and stress of the brain healing, but they WALKED away from something that could have been worse as I have seen from people I have known that have lost loved ones to car crashes.

Summer is over school is starting and lifes changing :(

I can not believe school starts this week! This summer has seemed to go pretty fast in my eye.

This week will be bringing some huge changes in the Barrow Home
*Kenzie is starting her Senior year of High School the same time she is starting her Sophmore year at SLCC, I really can not believe she is old enough to be doing this, and the amazing person she is turning into!
*Ethan starts his Sophmore year of High School and taking drivers ed, oh boy he will be driving soon! He does truely amaze me how grown up he is becoming and how helpful he is to his sisters,
* Megan starts 9th grade/Freshman year.... and will be able to try out for high school sports teams! I am very impressed at what this cute 14 year old is turning into an amazing and caring person who loves to help those in need and how caring she is with others.
*Keaton, my baby is going to middle school in 7th! I am very proud of her and how much she has grown and cares about her friends, I can not believe it is our year of change!

At the end of the last school year we found out that the Salt Lake location of Danny's work was closing to redo some stuff and make a few changes, and he was offered a job in Boise,ID that we thought long and hard about and figured we would send him to Boise to work while the kids and i stay in Salt Lake until he know for sure what is going on and we he can come back to Utah to work. We are very greatful for the chance that he is being give to go to Idaho with a good job and comany he has really like working for them and looks forward to what they have in plan for him.

So for me I am hoping this will bring some stracture back into out house now that the kids know they are ataying here for this school year and dad will be backto see him every week! For as much change we have been given this summer we worked together as a family to make the right choices for our litle family!

I am still in school while the kids are at school, I have 5 more semester until my bachelors is complete! I am so excited!

So for all the crazy we got dealt this summer I really do feel that everything will be ok and everything will work out ok! I also cannot thank those that they me vent cry scream todeal with some of the stress & hurt that I felt over what our best option was and the judging that we got.

Really in the end it is working out and allthat matter is taking care of my little family.

Dirty Dash 2012

I have been told this is a fun race and was a bit tough but well worth it! Was a very dirty race there was mud all over!!!

Almost to the end!

 Group after we finished! Really was a ton of fun and having Ethan with me and once again Aimee was great about doing it with me, she was not planning on doing it but another in our group had to back out and she was able to do it with me!

Triathlon

It happened I finally did a Triathlon! It was amazing and hard and I was so proud that I finished it and 30 minutes fast then we thought we would!

Biking 12 miles

Crossing finish line with my good friend Chris

Did this with 2 great people my sister Aimee and my good friend Chris! What such a great experience and look forward to doing more!

High School Region Swimming 2012

This last weekend was region swimming, up next State for the high schools! I get to brag my kids did AMAZING!!! Ethan is a freshman and did so well, he was sure he was going to swim but when he made the commitment he did awesome dropped all season and did better than I ever thought he would! Kenz has become such an amazing swimmer and did amazing in all of her events this weekend!!!! These kids continue to amaze me!!!
Video of Kenz 100 Backstroke (great race!!! best time ever!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlOC07J6LI8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUFidQYJbyg&feature=share
Video of Ethan 100 (great race also!!! and best time!!!)

 Now that you watched the video, KENZ TOOK 1ST!!!!!!!!!!!!

 My bald Ethan!!!! I will get a better picture of him!!!!!!

Girls and Boys teams both won region! I am truly blessed to have my oldest 2 kids involved with such an amazing group of kids! These kids really care about each other and I will never be able to thank them all enough for the great influences they all are to each other!!!!!