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)

Christmas Eve

I'm so blessed to have these two.  I've arranged all the gifts for them to open in the morning.  They have just a few presents, but they were bought with love and we have remembered the Savior this Christmas.  

Snow Day

The other day we had our first snow of the season.  

Rosy cheeks and good friends.

a new way to wear a watch

Jesus on the cross that she drew on her arm