Easter 2014

Today has been a really nice day.  Here's a post it note I found the other day that Gwen drew on.  It says "I love Jesus" in her own way.  I hope one day she will love Jesus.  Tonight she told me she wants to get baptized or "babitized" tomorrow.  I told her you only get baptized when you ask Jesus to come into your life and take control and commit yourself to follow after Him no matter what.  I explained how you do that and she just looked thoughtful.  You never know how those talks will grow in a child's heart.  She told me she got to pet a real lamb today at church.  

Romy has had some breakthroughs with eating.  I'm not rushing it, but I've noticed that she enjoys table food much more than baby food.  She enjoyed some roasted sweet potato today on Grandma's finger.  Notice the knitted bib my mom made!

Romy got some attention from her Uncle Preston.  Gwen got a few dollars in the mail from her Grandma Morris and with it she bought a wand that lights up at Savers.  It's her new prized possession.

I had an Easter egg hunt in our backyard just for fun. This year we went to church on Saturday night and served this morning early.

Romy getting attentions from her Aunt Beki.

As the "grand prize" of the egg hunt they were presented a treasure map their dad drew to find buried treasure. (they each got a box of off brand legos that I got from Aldi)  I don't like fictitious characters that are supposed to visit children... Santa, Easter bunny, tooth fairy ect... but I do want to give fun things to my kids.

Jake and Melody are expecting their first born in October.  She's showing just a little bit here at 3 months.  We are very excited about a new little cousin coming.

It's impossible for anyone with three or more children to get a family photo without someone sticking their tongues out or looking strange.  I've decided the strawberry blond is not working for me.  Maybe it's having a baby, but I just didn't have it in me to do the dressing up Easter thing.  We just wore regular clothes.  

She is a real beauty.  I remember buying this outfit for Gwen.  I love it because it is super soft.

Grandma (Ben's mom) and her three grandchildren.

Beki and Jeff.

Barely Keeping Up

If you've wondered why I haven't blogged lately, you are about to get your answer.  A lot is going on here at the Barreth home and it is a lot to manage.  I'm doing my best to keep everyone bathed, fed and learning and respectful.  That, my friends, is a full time job.  Can't even imagine working an outside job on top of mothering!  YIKES!  

We got a new dishwasher.  This is a huge deal as we use it frequently.  Lots of cooking going on here all the time cause we rarely eat out.

Zeke and I have gone gluten free again about 3 weeks ago.  Me cause I want to keep arthritis from coming back and I felt some twinges.  I feel much better now and my knees are fine.  Zeke cause he has bad eczema and a cyst on his ankle and constant fever blisters.  I don't know what to contribute all of this to, but he's got a lot going on with his poor body.  We are trying to figure it out.  So far, his eczema is slightly better, fewer sores on his mouth and his cyst burst and is going down.  I'll give it a few months and we'll see.  If you are a peanut butter lover like me this stuff is a must.  They took peanut butter, took out 85% of the fat, powderized it and viola!  PB2 is great in smoothies or you can add water and it's peanut butter.  Whoever did this deserves a presidential award.

Class picture day.  She insisted on this shawl.  I had one like it as a kid that I wore every Sunday to church.

When we were doing flooring all the furniture was in the living room.  I lived this way for 2 + weeks.  I was starting to lose my mind.

and Ben thought he was losing his mind... but he did it.

We are still trying to get Romy to eat.  She just looks at me and clamps her mouth shut.  She doesn't seem to be "thinning out" or anything. :)  She is fussy a lot in the day now.  I think teething is the culprit.  I DO NOT LIKE TEETHING! There, I feel much better.

My gorgeous.  His skin and lips looking much better.  He's doing pretty well with the no gluten.  Poor kid.

Like a Weaned Child

Someone showed me this verse in the last few days.  I like the idea of calming myself like a satisfied child at a mom's breast.  Tonight Ben and I went out and left all three with a babysitter.  The babysitters called us back early because Romy just cried the entire time. (fussy teething baby) When I came back home I took her into her room and nursed her and she quieted right down.  I thought of this verse... that when I am so tired and cranky and beyond myself if I can just get alone with the Lord even for a minute to quiet myself with His presence, the milk of His Word.  Is this getting weird?  ok, I'll stop :)

Psalm 131

A song of ascents. Of David.

1 My heart is not proud, Lord,
    my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
    or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
    I am like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child I am content.

3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord
    both now and forevermore.

A Little Late, but you understand

Ben and I had our 10th anniversary in early November.  I never got around to blogging about it, but I was looking through one of my writing tablets (I have many filled with grocery lists, to do lists and Scriptures, prayers, ect) and found this poem I wrote to Ben.  I am no poet, but I do love Ben.  We went to a concert the other night and it was so nice just to have a night with no kids and sit by each other and laugh.  These years since having kids have been tiring years, but we are committed and enjoying each other.

A Decade Devoted

A decade devoted

to that man of mine

that makes me laugh

until I'm cryin'

Years of laughter, a few tears

fits from me and the kids

three miracles joining along

Gwen, Zeke and Romy joined our song

you melt my heart

with your tenderness and wit

I'm not really sure how to rhyme with wit.

Keep dreaming big and take me along,

because with you my heart forever belongs.