Snow!

We had quite a snowstorm last Thursday and we are awaiting another big one tomorrow evening.  I have never seen so much snow in Kansas City before.  When you are inside looking at it you think... I don't want to get out in that (inner old person), but once you are out there and picking up snow and looking at it and walking through it your inner child comes out.  When I lived in Miami I missed seeing seasons and that even includes snow for me.  I really do love it and how it glitters in the sunshine and how it is so beautiful.  Here are some pictures of our recent snowstorm.

Ben worked from home on these days, but he saw the neighbors out shoveling their drives and he couldn't handle watching... so he helped and then they helped each other.  Here they are chatting.

Zeke playing with playdough.

We measured and it was 11 inches at our house.

Zeke looking out at the snow...:)

Zeke helping daddy shovel our drive.

Ben's concoction.  He gave away all of his shoes to a homeless shelter, so he has two pair of socks, a plastic bag and his sandals on.  :)  He said it worked just fine.

We filled spray bottles with water tinted with food coloring.  They enjoyed "decorating" the snow.

Ben lifting a large snow chunk.

Things the Kids Say

Gwen has been very inquisitive about the baby in my belly.  She asked the other day...
When you go pee pee in the potty does the baby come out?  I told her that God made my body to hold the baby in there until the right time.

She told me out of the blue the other day... "I know what God looks like"  I asked her what He looked like thinking she might describe the pictures of Jesus that she sees in her children's Bible.  She said, "purple, with a ring of white around Him".  It basically rendered me speechless.

Both of the kids have been praying a lot lately and frequently put in "and thank you for the soldier that died on the cross."  I think they may be confusing a local soldier that died in the war and a thief on the cross.

Zeke likes to sing "I like to move it move it, I like to MOVE IT" a lot.  In fact, if I hear that or "who let the dogs out?" one more time I think I'll scream.

I bought new toothbrushes today for the kids... the spin brush kind.  Yes, I know, they are expensive and overrated.  I could hear the kids cackling with laughter while I checked on their sick daddy and I asked them what they were doing.  They had turned on the spin brush and put them in each others ear.  Zeke especially liked it. He is getting into that mischievous three year old stage.  He is getting disciplined much more and saying "no" more to my requests which leads to more discipline.

They are both growing fast... and I'm trying to keep my head about me so that I can enjoy them in each stage they go through.  Now, if I could get over this nauseated feeling!

Be Still, My Soul

Yesterday we sang this song at church and I was struck by the words. I hope it blesses you today:

Be Still, My Soul
Words:  Katharina von Schlegel, 1752
Music:  Jean Sibelius, 1899

Be still, my soul:  the Lord is on your side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In every change, he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul:  your best, your heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul:  your God will undertake
To guide the future, as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul:  the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul:  when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shall you better know his love, his heart,
Who comes to soothe your sorrow and your fears.
Be still, my soul:  your Jesus can repay
From his own fullness all he takes away.

Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul:  when change and tears are past
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Gwen at Aldi

What do you do on Saturdays?  Well... we went grocery shopping as a family today and I found my camera in my purse (no, I don't have a smart phone!) and decided to take a couple of pictures.  Here is Gwen, my little grocery helper.  She loves putting all the items on the conveyor belt for me.  Zeke was also in the store earlier... um... before he walked off and folded his arms and refused to come back.  Ah... three year olds!  Ben took him back to the car.  I told Gwen to smile for the picture and these are the faces I get.  I look at these pictures and marvel at her skin and how perfect it is.  

Chair Redo

We painted our kitchen chairs and recovered the seats with new vinyl.  

Regalia

Get a load of all the stuff this girl goes to sleep with every night.  We've got two unicorns, a care bear, and her "decorations".  She loves decorating her bed in elaborate arrays of all her toys and dress up stuff.  I just think it's hilarious.  There's barely any room for her!

I have been slow in blogging lately because I am feeling very queasy and tired.  Green apples and other fruit and soups have helped and are easy.  I take naps when the kids do... but that means I don't keep the house up like I normally would.  I am thankful for a husband that is understanding and kind.  Here's a look at the first ultrasound of baby #3 at 7 weeks and 5 days... the earliest I've ever seen any of my babies.  I am 9 1/2 weeks now.

Questions

Psalm 13:1-2

How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

Have you felt like this lately?  Do you know someone that has?  Something this passage taught me lately is to be authentic with God.  He can handle our questions and our raw emotions.  He knows our thoughts anyway.  Also, what "thing" has been winning over me... what enemy?  It can come in the form of many things... worry, anxiety, not exercising, ungratefulness.  Did you like how I sandwiched not exercising in there?  HAHA

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.  Psalm 139:1-2

The Lord knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile. Psalm 91:11

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...

Rest

There are days when we seek things for ourselves
and measure failure by what we do not gain
On the Sabbath we seek not to acquire but to share.

There are days when we exploit nature
as if it were a horn of plenty that can never be exhausted.
On the Sabbath we stand in wonder before the mystery of creation.

There are days when we act as if we cared nothing
for the rights of others.
On the Sabbath we are reminded that justice is our duty
and a better world our goal.

Therefore we welcome Shabbat.
Day of rest, day of wonder, day of peace.

Christmas Day

Christmas morning.  They came into our bed and I asked them if they were ready to go downstairs.  They said they were and I asked them why they wanted to go downstairs.  They told me to eat breakfast.  They had forgotten they would have gifts.

We first opened a present to Jesus we had kept on the mantel.  It had slips of paper inside with things we had done this year for Him.

Dream Lites... they love them and I can see why.  They put wonderful stars in different colors on your ceiling.  I think they are overpriced, but the kids LOVE them.

My sister gave him this light up gun and sword set.  I don't think he has put it down since he opened it.

My little ponies.

a mermaid

The sword

  Then on Christmas night we had a dinner over at Jeff and Beki's house.  We had Christmas crackers with crowns.  I'm turning myself back into weight watchers tomorrow.  This picture just confirmed what I already knew... ugh.

kiddy table

Lovely Beki and Jeff... let me just say, they outdid themselves this year with homemade gifts you wouldn't believe if I listed them.  In fact... I may do a whole other blog post about this cause it's INSANE. (in a good way)