More Questions

²⁴ 
Job 31:24-28

“If I have put my trust in gold
    or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’
²⁵ if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,
    the fortune my hands had gained,
²⁶ if I have regarded the sun in its radiance
    or the moon moving in splendor,
²⁷ so that my heart was secretly enticed
    and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,
²⁸ then these also would be sins to be judged,
    for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.

Have I put my trust in money?
Do I think I am "self made"?
Do I secretly put anything above God?

Tres Leches Update

I went to the doctor for the first time today.  I thought I was 9 weeks and some days and I had convinced myself there must be twins in there.  I am 7 weeks and a few days and there is one baby in there.  I found out my due date is September 9th.  My Grandmother's birthday was September 8th and Ben's birthday is September 2nd, so maybe this one will share a birthday.  The best part of all was seeing its little heart beating.  Even though I've experienced it before, I never want to take that miracle for granted.  I am looking forward to seeing if we have a boy or girl this time...but don't get overly excited, we'll have to wait and see.  Ben likes the surprise on the day of the birth for the gender to be revealed.  Until then I will refer to this baby as Tres Leches which in Spanish means "three milks" and is a dessert.  :)

Gwen Singing

She didn't know she was being observed until the last little bit.  If you can hear any of the words.... it's very, stream of conscience. :)

Questions

26 Then Job replied:

² “How you have helped the powerless!
    How you have saved the arm that is feeble!
³ What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
    And what great insight you have displayed!
⁴ Who has helped you utter these words?
    And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?

How have I helped the powerless?

How have I saved the arm that is feeble?

What advice had I offered to one without wisdom?

What insight have I displayed?

Whose spirit spoke from my mouth?

Mustache Party

I recently had a mustache/fondue party.  I signed up for it before I knew I was pregnant and let's just say with the queasiness I've been experiencing that quite a few times I asked myself what I had signed up for.  But, it was lots of fun in the end.

My friend Holly and me

Ben and Gwen and Katie Beth

In the Helicopter

Ben got a ride on a helicopter for my birthday.  One year he wanted to buy a ride on a glider (airplane with no engine) and I forbid it, so he was tentative about whether I'd actually get on it.  I did and it was a lot less nerve wracking than I imagined.

Zeke's Third Birthday

For Zeke's third birthday we took him to a place called Little Monkey Business... or as he likes to call it "Bunkey Miznuss".  

He loves Spiderman and has quite a funny sense of humor.  He likes to do things himself lately and doesn't like to wear socks.

This is little Claire... my neighbor/friend's baby. I sometimes think of her as my own.  The first picture is of us last year at Little Monkey Business and then this year there.

There was a girl dressed like a monkey... gotta love those teenage jobs!

Katie Beth and Gwen with the monkey.

My sister in crime, Janna.

We finished off the day with a bubble bath.

2013

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy."

I read this quote lately and I've decided I'd like that to be something I work toward in 2013.  Seeing service as joy.  I know that having small children is sometimes not easy and adding one more to the mix is both a blessing and a responsibility. 

I feel like I'm just now getting a glimpse of what being a follower of Christ really means.  Losing your life to gain it.  I've been a Christian for a long while now and I'm just beginning to grasp this concept.  How can we understand it in this culture when we have so much stuff... so many blessings... so much?

  

Giving your life away for others.... living a simple life on purpose... giving radically so others can see Christ... adopting orphans... helping the poor.... these are the things that the world should be seeing Christians do... but so many times it is easy to get caught up in the stuff and the business and to be self reliant.  I want to live my life differently.  

Mustaches

I'm having a mustache party next week.  I bought some mustache cookie cutters and look how cute they are.  You may be wondering why mustache party.  Just because I think it will be funny to have a bunch of women with stick on mustaches eating fondue.  :)  I'll post pictures.

Great Expectations Part 3

We found out a week or so ago that I am expecting Baby Barreth #3.  We are happy and I am grateful to the Lord for this gift.  I am feeling pretty good, but a little queasy.  I am the kind that can't keep good news to myself, so I thought I'd tell you, my blog readers.  Of course, that is only about my mother and sister. :)  Maybe late August or early September we should have a new face to love.

Depth of Mercy

How I love the idea of our prayers asking for mercy instead of blessings and more blessings.  We are already so blessed we don't see it most days.

Lately

My mom got this marble course for the kids.  They enjoy it.

Big full moon.

Gwen asked me to take this photo today.

Playing chutes and ladders with friends.

I told Zeke to hold the baby like he's taking care of it.... hands around the neck. Hummm...