Shelli and Grandma Barker look-alikes?

Darin: 
I went to the Barker website that Julie posted, saw the old picture of Gma Barker, and thought oh my gosh, that's Shelli!  Anyone else see it?

Torrey:

I can totally see what Darin is saying.  I think especially the her mouth.  I don’t think they’re identical, but definitely related.  : )

My cousins on Mom’s side are all talking about gathering family history stories/photos/etc. to make sure it all gets passed on to our posterity.  We really do have a pretty phenomenal tree.  That’s how this came about.

xoxoxoxo

Dad

Shelli:

I TOTALLY see it. How fun. She has a cuter nose though. :)

Shauna:

I can totally see it too! I always wondered where Shelli got her looks! I never thought she looked like either Mom or Dad but I would always lean towards Dad. Now I see it :) That's awesome.

Update -- Bryce

Shell, I've been laughing all night at every sentence of your last email. I miss you in my life.

Update -- Connie

I love my funny, funny children...and spouse.  :)  You all bring JOY to my heart!!  As will the name Auden if it is picked.  :)

The Laman Lemuel/ Moroni comment made me laugh and laugh...

Well, all the comments made me laugh and laugh.

Oh, you are all so wonderful!!!

Mom

Update -- Torrey

Atta’girl Shelli.  You were ahead of our time with Auden.  Bring it / her on!!!  

Yep.  You might have jinxed yourself.  Your next baby will now be a boy.  But hey, that might even work for a boy.  Just ask Torrey.  : )

xoxoxoxo

Update -- Shelli

Malcom is a darling name. In like, a masculine kind of way. If you named him Malcom X he'd get every scholarship he ever applied for. 

I'm still in love with the name Auden, so practice watching each other's faces for when I tell you it's been picked. 

Update -- Torrey

Exactly.

Update -- Bryce

Naming him Laman Lemuel would be great expectations-control, too. That way, if he's not a holy terror, everyone would be sort of pleasantly surprised. Unlike if you name your kid Moroni, in which case everyone's always disappointed that he's not raising titles of liberty and/or shaking the powers of hell.

Update -- Torrey

We could cut and paste from the dictionary, starting with “Mal . . .”

Maybe just naming him Laman Lemuel Lowder would simplify things. 

xoxoxo

Dad

Update -- Connie

Being mean to siblings:  Malicious 

Not feeling well:  Malady or Malaise or Malaria

When lying:  Malarkey

You don't like his girlfriend:  Maleficent 

Favorite breed of cat, dog, and falcon:  Maltese

***This may be fun, but it's too easy--I'm starting to get nervous.... :) :)

Update -- Kevin

If he breaks the computer it'll be Mal-ware, if he has a rough transition you can say he's Mal-adapted. This could be very entertaining.

Update -- Haley

And when he needs a new diaper we can say it "Mal-functioned." Sold. 

Update -- Bryce

Oh man, with "Mal-content," you may have permanently sold the name, Mom.

"Oh Schmidt, it's Christmas!" . . . Round 2. :)

*********************************

Round 1: From Bryce's Blog, November 2008

(For your entertainment.)

BRYCE

"A Jon Schmidt Christmas"

That's a real album, and Haley and I probably listened to it thirty thousand times today, give or take a few thousand. We like the CD (clearly), but we thought the name was lacking. Here are some of our recommendations:

"Jon's Greatest Christmas Schmidts"
"Christmas... and Schmidt"
"A Pretty Schmidt-y Christmas"
"We Wish You a Schmidt-y Christmas"
"We're Not Schmidt-ing You: It's Christmas!"
"Schmidt Versions of Your Favorite Carols"
"A Schmidt-load of Christmas"
"Oh Schmidt! It's Christmas!"

The moral of the story is that we're both very grown up and mature. 

False. But you know you laughed. If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment. Maybe we'll email Jon the list. :)

CONNIE

Oh, my gosh! Dad and I were just roaring over that one!!!!! Excellent entertainment for sure. Dad suggested "It's beginning to look a lot like Schmidt" and "Frosty, the Schmidt-man" so, as you can clearly see, you should not ask for his suggestions ever again. I was trying to come up with a clever way to incorporate "Weiner Schmidtzel"...but that's just me.

SHELLI

Deck the Halls with Schmidt
Christmas Schmidt for the Holidays
Stockings Full of Schmidt
Schmidt! Schmidt! Schmidt!
Dashing Through the Schmidt
Baby, There's Schmidt Outside

I'm not okay.

CONNIE

Oh, my Shelli....Honestly! I just keep laughing out loud about your answers. Why is it that we can't just let it go by and not HAVE to add our own little jingles??? Not one of us is okay.

"I love mother, she loves me,
We love daddy, yessiree,
He loves us, but you can see, 
We are a sick, sick family."

SHAUNA

"Have a holly jolly Schmidtmas" 
"Rudolph The Schmidt-nosed Reindeer" hahaha!! =]
"I Heard the Schmidt on Christmas Day"

Update -- Connie

I went straight to 'Malcom in the Middle'....without ever having watched that show.  :)  So I was thinking YAY!! They're going to have at least 5 children!!  hahaha  And then I went to shortening it...Mal?  As a nickname?  So then I thought what fun we could have when he was fussy, by starting in with Mal-content....and going on from there.  :)  I think there is no end to the mischief one could get into with almost ANY name, so our purpose here it to weed out only the most audacious, spirit-harming ones, right?  :)  

I too feel bad about the beating we gave the name Auden, but I was truly worried about my beautiful granddarling being referred to as the "Odd 'n"....but seeing that name in print, I do admit that it is quite lovely.  

I forgot all about the Evan issue.  Good for me.  :)

I 100% agree with Dad, though--if BOTH parents truly love a name, then have at it and we will love it forever!!  

On another subject:  our church is now at 11, so let's work around that and SKYPE!!  :)

Even if we need to do it on Saturday, or whenever....we don't have to have a long session, but we really want to stay close to our far-away beloveds--large and small!  :)  We ALWAYS want to skype/visit/talk on the phone, so you kids call us when you can and the answer will be YES.  :)  YES YES YES YES YES!!!!  

Sure love you and hope you are all doing GREAT!  Good luck with all your 'stuff', stay close to the Lord in every way, and take wonderful care of each other!  "Those are the words!"  :)

Love forevermore,

Mom

Update -- Shauna

With a last name like "Lowder", that definitely makes sense. :) Reed is also right out along with Evan. Haha

Update -- Bryce

Well, now I'm tempted to go back to the middle initial/name thing. We should totally name one of our little Aryan poster children Malcom X Lowder.

My submitting the name to the group was definitely more along the lines of "did you think of..." by the way. Mom saved Everett by pointing out that Evan Lowder would sound like "even louder," which neither of us had noticed before, so now I want to double check names before we get attached. :)

Update -- Shauna

I like the name Malcolm a lot! And I didn't think of firefly either :) I'm with dad. I will love all my nieces and nephews no matter what! Liking their name is optional ;) haha 

Update -- Torrey

I’m still feeling bad from the hard time we gave Shelli about Auden.  I think a friendly, “ . . . did you think of such-and-such . . . “ is just fine, but in the end, I’ll support any united parents’ decision on a name.  If the parents aren’t in agreement, I reserve the right to jump completely onto one band wagon or the other to try to avoid a disaster.  : )

As for Malcom, I didn’t think of Firefly at all.  I thought of Malcolm X.    Uh . . . that is all I have to say.  : )

xoxoxoxo

Dad

Update -- Bryce

I think we have him adequately prepared. And if not.... there's always therapy. :)

I'm going to submit the name Malcom to the group. Thoughts? (Yes, we know that's the captain on Firefly, but I think we can get past that... I think.)

Update -- Shauna

Don't be such a kill joy, Bruce!! ;) that would be pretty hilarious though, I'm not gonna lie. Everett might not like baby boy's real name and get his feelings hurt you didn't pick the name he chose....

Update -- Bryce

Haha, Frederick is definitely not happening, not as long as I get to give the baby blessing.

Update -- Connie

I want to have a vote on the name Frederick.  :)

Update -- Shelli

I'm so excited for you guys!!! Frederick is a charming, regal kind of name. Fred is not, so we will never be able to truncate. I'm so happy to have another boy in our family. Yay!! Good job, Bruce.

Update -- Shauna

Hoooorayyyy!!! :) we're so happy for you guys!!! I always joke with Mike that we're only going to have girls since that seems to be what our family makes most but now he said I can't say that anymore. Haha I'm sure Everett is sooo excited to be getting a little brother and will show him the ropes! Good thing Ginny can hold her own ;) love you guys!!! Congrats!!!

Update -- Haley

Everett is so excited. He has already named the baby Frederick after the character on Pirates of Penzance and picked out a blanket color for him.

Update -- Elaine (Grandma)

So a boy....great news and now I can read and write on the computer.

   thats it mom

Update -- Connie

YIPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And just like Dad, I would be happy with either one, but to picture Ginny wedged between two brothers.....oh that is just the choicest of the choice!!!!  SO happy about this blessed event!!!  I'll alert the media!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  :) :)

WOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love you all.....oh gosh....another little boy....that gave me a joyful lump in my throat......

Mom

Update -- Torrey

AWESOME!!  Congratulations . . . though I would have said that for a girl also.  I guess I’m congratulating you and Haley on taking advantage of modern medicine to find out the gender.  However, we only did that once out of 4 times, so I guess I’m just saying “Congratulations” out of habit.  How about . . .

We’re excited for you.  It’ll be fun for Everett to have a little brother, and you’re definitely doing your part to balancing out the grandchildren gender.  Not that it needs to be balanced out . . . . .

I’m just happy.  Very happy.  I think it really just comes down to better/enhanced day dreaming once we know the gender, girl or boy.  Now we can refer to “him” instead of “it”.  : )     How’s that?  Also, my productivity for the day might have just taken a hit.  Oh well . . . .

xoxoxoxo

Dad

It's a boy! -- Bryce

Hey folks,

Just wanted to let everyone know we had the ultrasound this morning and it's another boy! We have zero boy names in mind, so we are open to suggestions. :)

Love you guys!