Happy New Year from The Barnett Family

This year has been an exciting year for us. Santa has come and gone for another year and he treated Alexandra to the things she asked for once again! What is with that guy? Always being the jolly 'ol elf he is. He left a nice letter for Alexandra this year asking that she really concentrate on being a super good girl in the upcoming year! Cha-Ching! He also managed to get a new keyboard and guitar down our chimney...Alexandra is going to be a natural at piano...she already positions her fingers appropriately.

Let's see...what have we done this year...well, we were able to go to San Diego, CA this past summer (July) and we stayed near Pacific Beach and we were able to enjoy the ocean. We also went over to Sea World, which was a lot of fun. We'd been there before but this year was different because Alexandra is older and appreciated more things - plus she could walk on her own, which makes it that much more pleasurable for mom and dad too! We got soaked in the Atlantis ride, and also the Shamu show. Alexandra was begging to sit in the 4th row of the Splash Zone so Shamu could get her wet. Yeah, that he did! Before the Atlantis ride we had just got done having Alexandra's face painted like a pretty pink kitten and then the tidal wave exploded all over her face! Sort of made for some fun pictures though...We were able to pet and feed a dolphin and it was dark and slimy. Her name was Dakota and I think they said she was new to the park. That was pretty fun for us...being that close to them.

For Alexandra's 6th birthday in March, we surprised her! We started by telling her we were going to Fry's grocery store (Gee...what a surprise you're thinking)...there's one around the corner from home. We convinced her that as we passed University of Phoenix Stadium on the Loop 101 heading to CA that we were still looking for a very specific Fry's. We kept this up for a bit. Then we pretended to try and find flowers to show her and a friend has directed us west. We kept going and going. So, Alexandra fell asleep right around 8:30pm or so and as we arrived in Anaheim, the fireworks were popping all around and making the boom sounds...but she stayed asleep! We got to the hotel (across from Disneyland) and the next morning when she awoke, we took her on the balcony and Jim asked her "Does that mountain look familiar?" She replied with a gasp, "It's the Matterhorn...we're at Disneyland, aren't we!" And soon we would be off to the park for some great fun with princesses, rides, Mickey & Minnie and all the rest of the characters...

Alexandra started 1st grade this year and is doing exceptionally well. A top in her class. Her teacher's name is Mrs. Wagner and she likes her a lot. Currently she is learning how to work on math problems such as near doubles and also some science stuff. She excels in spelling and phonograms tests and her memorization skills are off the hook! Alexandra continues to do well in gymnastics and dance. She can almost do her entire splits, all middles and the left and right and she loves to show off her back bends. For dance, she just got done performing in her recital for Christmas and it was very cute. She dances a lot at home, different than she dances in class and we like seeing her try new and different ways of entertaining people.

For our good pal Stan's 40th Birthday, Jennifer and I headed to Vegas and attended UFC 100 at Mandalay Bay - what a great time. Jim can't get enough of the UFC and being there in great up close seats makes it that much more enjoyable. Jennifer can do without all the blood and at this fight she was able to see one guy bleed like a pig! WE GOT A BLEEDER! It was just from a nasty cut on his head...it's not like his leg or arm fell off. We also partied like it was 2009...wait, it was...on top of the Palms Hotel in the outdoor clubs. Fun times!

Jennifer is active as always with her scrapbook and likes getting together with her girl pals once a month at least to "scrap and gab" (That's Jim's wording). It's nice to have such a wonderful finished product when she completes her pages - she's very creative. She found a new love/admiration this year in Essential Oils. Do not underestimate the power of the oil! From Lavender to Thieves, we've got just about every oil you can imagine in our home, other than 40-weight motor oil! She enjoys sharing her results for healing with others. Jim got her an Aromatherapy locket for Christmas that she now can show anyone at anytime how the oils are essential. (Jim should trademark that and sell it to Essential Oils) Oh, and Jennifer also just finished 2nd overall in our annual Barnett Poker Palace Championship Hold'em game a week ago...she's pretty good...Jim was having an "off" night.

Jim has been increasingly busy with his mortgage practice as the industry around him contracts. He is testing for his required mortgage license coming up in about a week, so it's been back to college for him these past few days. He is truly blessed to be thriving in what others perceive as a down time. He continues to be very active with his announcing duties, having recently completed the Championships for both Football and Volleyball for the Arizona Interscholastic Association. Basketball is just around the corner. Jim has seen a lot of reward for sacrifices he needed to make for better health this past year and he is happy to report he dropped 70 pounds en route to the new him! (really the old him) Now for the maintaining part! Oh yes, and he was recently chosen as a candidate to represent the professional and business community of Peoria, Arizona in the Biltmore 2009 Honors Edition of Who's Who Among Executives and Professionals...does he care? No, moving on...

As for Carley and Sparkle (cats), well...they are cats and are quite the little happy ones! Why wouldn't they be, they rule our home. Carley has this one toy, a small, clear half-bubble that she sulks over when it's not around to play fetch with and it makes an all-too-annoying plastic hitting wood sound as she bats it to a oblivion on our wood floors throughout the house. It's awesome. Sparkle is still the baby and is also a little teaser. She does the pet me drive by on your leg all the time. She also will dive into women's purses or climb up in Alexandra's drawer to find and play with hair ties. It's too cute.

We're considering plastering the outside, or at miminum, painting our house coming up soon. Still have to remodel the bathroom in Jennifer's salon so she can put up all the frog stuff she owns and continues to collect. We saw several acts in concert this year...let's see...Nickelback with Hinder and Papa Roach, Kiss with Buckcherry, Collective Soul, Trixter, Night Ranger, Skid Row, Firehouse, LA Guns, Cheap Trick, Poison, Def Leppard. This year has been a blessing and as we conclude our brief thoughts on us this year...we remind ourselves once again the importance of family and this wonderful time of year - and the spirit of good that surrounds us! We miss the family and friends we don't get to see as much and hope that everyone is healthy and living life as it is meant to be lived - loved!

Happy New Year to each and every one of you! Bring on 2010...

Jim, Jennifer and Alexandra