The Barber Shop

Before and After- Kai's First Haircut

2011-11-06T17:57:00.000-08:00

Above: Happy snappy Kai (after haircut and dinner)

Below: Grumpy frumpy Kai

Just a Trifle

2011-11-04T22:41:00.001-07:00

Tonight was the final of 3 women's retreats at church. We wanted to have a special dessert for the evening so I was given the challenge of making 3 trifles. My goal was to include the retreat's theme (A Seaside Escape), things most women love (chocolate, things pleasing to the eye), and fall (this was for my own sake. It's too sad for me to bake something in November without pumpkin and nutmeg.) SO these are the results.

I named each of them, but forgot to put the name cards out for the display! So sad! The details are as follows:

Berry Sunsets: Raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries made into a syrupy type thing. Pound cake (the pickiest recipe I've ever followed!) All layered with a lemon whipped cream.

Autumn Beaches: Spice cake crumbles (to look like sand.) Pumpkin layer (cheesecake pudding with pumpkin and spices.) Whipped cream layer (I think I just whipped cream with sugar and vanilla... I can't remember now.) THEN I made toffee and layered that in with pecans after the whipped cream. I added some "beach towels" and an umbrella on my sandy top for the beach look.

Moonlit Walks: Chocolate brownies with chocolate pudding (mixed with whipped cream) on top. Then I stuck the halved Oreos to the sides and filled in the middle with Cool Whip and crushed Oreos. Then I layered it all again and ended with crushed Oreos on top.

They were all insanely rich and sweet. Ergo, the name trifle... for all you need is a trifle.

Day-Trippin' in Tahoe

2011-10-24T20:24:00.001-07:00

We spent the entire day in Tahoe yesterday. Here are a TON of pictures from our day. We had a wonderful time, enjoying each other and enjoying the amazing beauty of Spooner Lake. We also learned about the salmon lifecycle at Taylor Creek.

All of these pictures are from Spooner Lake, a small lake just east of Tahoe. There are aspen groves there that are amazing! I think we made it just in time to see the fall colors. The winds were picking up and blowing all of the yellow leaves through the air. It was beautiful!

Doesn't she look like a country music singer?

Catching some air.

This was the face he made when the winds picked up. Those aspen trees are so loud!

Salmon spawning at Taylor Creek

My Beautiful Girl

2011-10-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

Bridgeport

2011-09-02T20:51:00.001-07:00

I started this post a long time ago and never got to actually posting it so here are some fairly outdate pictures. We went to Bridgeport about 2 months ago for a field trip. We are learning about the seasons this year in the kids' school and this is us experiencing summer first hand. (Incidentally, we were just there again today!)

Definitely should have brought swimsuits.

Cool covered bridge that is being blocked off tomorrow. I'm glad we got these pics while we had the chance.

Crazy squirrels that should have been much more afraid of us than they were.

View from our picnic table.

My blue-eyed girl.

Six Flags and Kai

2011-09-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Kai is almost one year old. He is so cute!!! He took his first step yesterday and I don't think it will be long before he really starts walking. He finally started eating finger foods and feels like a big boy for it. He's very talkative in his own little language. He ADORES his Poppa. Andrew and Keira will walk him around the house, holding his hand and he just loves it. He is a fun and happy little guy... although he currently has roseola and is spotted all over.

My Mom and Len came for a visit last week. We had some fun Gram-Gram and Papa ELM time, just hanging out together.

On the second day of school, we took a field trip to an amusement park in Vallejo. (Hey, that's part of the fun of home schooling, right?) We went with our friends Landon and Katie and their kiddos who are about the same ages as ours.

Kaylene, Micah, Andrew, Keira, and Gabe (we just couldn't keep him off of it!)

First Day of School and The Fair

2011-09-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Andrew had his first day of Kindergarten on August 17th. I am homeschooling him at a charter school here in Grass Valley. He's doing great and really enjoys it. After his first week, I asked him what his favorite part of school was. His response: "That you're my teacher." Ahhhhh...

Andrew with his favorite teacher. :)

I've been doing some pre-school work with Keira too. I overestimated her interest level in schoolwork the first day so the second day I had her prepare a tea party for us and we practiced sharing and manners. That went much better.

Crazy kids! (This picture was for Miss Samantha for a puzzle card. I think they remember her well. :) )

Keira mad-dogging the camera.

The fair was just before school started. It's a pretty big deal around here. It only lasts five days, but people go multiple times. (I would have liked to go again just to see the exhibits, but I'm a fair-nerd.) We got to go with our pastor's family and we had a great time. We spent the morning with the animals and then saw some exhibits and the kids chose one ride to go on at the end. The fairgrounds are beautiful here. (You can see the trees in the background.)

Friends! Here is Andrew with Isaac and Micah. Although the other boys are 3 and 4 years older than Andrew, they are awesome with him and include him in everything. Andrew LOVES them and thinks the world of them both.

This is Pastor Sam and Kathie. They are awesome! They have already invested in us so much and have really been committed to mentoring us both. We are SO blessed to have a senior pastor and pastor's wife who we can look up to and learn from.

The Four Seasons

2011-08-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

For this first couple of weeks of school, I'm teaching the kids about the seasons. Today, they dressed themselves up for each season. This is fall.
Here is spring.

Summer!

Winter. This one is tough to do in 90+ degree weather. Not only are Keira's legs bare, but Andrew has nothing on underneath his snow jacket.
I'm planning to write more about home schooling, the fair, our first Northern CA amusement park and more soon. Until then, recess is over! Gotta' go!

The Barbers in Grass Valley

2011-08-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

After leaving at 4:30am on Monday, we made it up to our new home! Andrew's first comment when we pulled in to the driveway was, "We got trees! We got trees!"

The view from in front of our house. Gabe laughs that this is the most suburban neighborhood we've ever lived in... and it's not in SoCal!

We are loving our covered patio in the back. The kids are having fun exploring around the backyard and Kai is enjoying chewing on rocks... it makes a horrible sound.

Here's the (messy) inside. The house has a huge kitchen with a great nook looking out to the street. We've already gotten to meet many neighbors and it seems like a great neighborhood. There's even a little 6-year-old girl next door! (btw, that's more info about neighbors than we ever knew at our old place!)

Here's the family room. Awesome window seat area for reading, fireplace for stockings, and play area behind the couch. We'll post more pictures of the whole place once we're moved in and it's clean. We just wanted to give a quick update so you could all see where we're at.

We look the same too.

A Pink Fairy Princess Party for Keira

2011-03-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

For Keira's 3rd birthday party, she wanted "a pink fairy princess party with Annalise." So that's exactly what we gave her! We drove up to Fresno and the two cousins dressed up as fairy princesses for their special party.

With my sister's help, I found an awesome location at Woodward Park. There was a cluster of trees (on the right above) that had so many secret spots hidden within the trees. I found an area that had a view of the lake and was almost completely covered by branches. It was perfect!

My pictures are out of order from the party, but here is Keira about to blow out her candles.

Annalise made Keira a very special gift. She made a beautiful box for her and gave her one of her own silver bracelets.

The girls did a May-pole dance with pink and purple ribbons and ended up just having a fun time running around with the ribbons.

Fairies just having fun...

They went on a fairy walk, searching for fairies. Although they didn't find any, they did find fairy "tracks," consisting of glitter, which showed that they had just missed them. They also got to decorate fairy wands with glitter (fairy dust), but that was a little too messy for me to take pictures of while I was helping them.

Here are some pictures of the set up before the beautiful fairies arrived...

It was so fun getting to throw such a fun, girly party. The girls and I all just loved it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T14:29:00.000-08:00

Here's a kiss!

My sweet little valentine!

Super-smile!

Jenny and I have the same birthday!

Samantha and Yilin brought me beautiful pink tulips and a cake for Jenny and I at TOFU. How sweet!

We got to go to Arizona to visit Gabe's grandparents a couple of weeks ago. We had a great time!

Kai loved Gram Barb... as every great grandchild does!

The 2 big kids played on this swing for around an hour. I had to take a break from twisting them because I was getting so dizzy!

This is how we found Keira one night at Gram Barb's when we checked on her. Yikes!

Kai is growing up so fast! He is a big baby now.

He plays in his walker now...

and is even starting to sit up! He sat up like this the day after my birthday for the first time. He's getting so strong!

My little ballerina!

Keira with a swaddled Kisses.

Andrew lost his first tooth! One morning, he woke up to tell me that he had a loose tooth. It wasn't just loose. It was almost out! It fell out the next morning on our walk into his classroom! (January 12th, I believe)

Andrew and Keira traced each other and then filled in their bodies. Andrew has a Lakers' jersey on (#19) and is shooting a basket. Keira's hair is straight up because she is riding a horse that is going really fast. :)

Andrew can hold Kai now, with someone spotting him of course. He's so proud of himself when he does it.

Thanksgiving

2011-02-04T22:20:00.001-08:00

We got to celebrate Thanksgiving at the Heards' this year. Jo made an excellent dinner and we had a great time with the family.

Nothing like a little red-light green-light to get some wiggles out.

As I mentioned in the last post, we made napkin rings and place mats. Brayden made place cards for each person. I love how the table turned out!

By far, my favorite "first" is when a baby laughs. Kai's first laughs were the morning after Thanksgiving with his Aunt Joey-bear. It doesn't get much more special than that! I love it! I love it! I love it!

We didn't waste any time, but got right down to business. We made Christmas cut out cookies and frosted/ate them on Friday.

After we got home from the exciting weekend, Andrew continued his basketball craze.

He wrote a letter to Kobe Bryant and even included a picture of them together.

November

2011-02-04T21:01:00.001-08:00

On our way to our church Thanksgiving feast.

I've never seen Keira look so much like a 2-year-old before. I love this picture of her!

Showing off the pigtails.

Kai "sitting up"

Dressed up as a princess and a something else. They were getting married. That happens a lot around our house these days.

For Gabe's birthday this year, I got him tickets to a Lakers' game. He took Andrew and I don't think Andrew has looked back. He is TOTALLY into basketball, the Lakers, Kobe Bryant, etc. I don't think there's too much else Gabe could ever ask for.

Andrew is no longer allergic to nuts. Yay! Here he is eating his peanuts at the game.

I have to pry this jersey off of him these days to wash it.

This was a practice reaction for if the Lakers won (which they did.)

This was the practice reaction for if they lost.

Major tickle attack.

Joleen hosted Thanksgiving this year, but we got to be in charge of napkins and place mats. These rings were really fun to make with the kiddos.

Halloween candy.

Boo!

A couple of my TOFU girls, Samantha and Yilin. Yay TOFU!

Photo shoot with my baby!

My mom calls the mittens "boxing gloves." It totally looks like Kai is boxing in this picture.

At least once a day, Keira walks around the house with a blanket wrapped around her as her princess dress.

Goofball

Scary goofball

She picks out her own outfits. Sometimes she gets a little carried away.

Andrew is such a natural with babies. I am constantly amazed.

Keira doesn't play with Kai very often these days. I think she's still getting used to the idea of him. It's so cute when she does, though.

October- Second Half

2011-02-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

I taught the kids how to search for 4-leaf clovers. That kept them busy for a while! Kicking back in the shade while watching my 3 kids enjoy the day was so nice.

Although it had 3 leaves, Keira was still proud. I think she looks a lot like her Poppa in this picture.

Andrew checking out a clover.

Kai went through a few weeks of having to wear mittens, on account of him scratching his face too much. He loved his time outside, though. I don't know if all babies are outdoor babies, but at least all 3 of mine have been.

Halloween!

For this picture, I told them all to act in character.

My little princess was adorable, but burning up! She came down with a fever, but still made it through the festivities.

My 3 kiddos! (and hubby!)

Jackpot!

He fell asleep without any swaddle! (Once anyway.)

Andrew had his first pre-school performance for Halloween. He did a great job learning the songs and hand motions. He really enjoyed himself up on stage.

Andrew's class with Mrs. Howie.

Jack-o-lanterns carved with Nonnie and Poppa.

So cute!

My mom and Len came for a visit. They gave Keira a HUGE dollhouse, which she loves and thanks God for every night. In the dollhouse is a piano. Keira likes to practice playing the piano while sitting on the bench. Even more ridiculous is that Gabe found her laying on the third story of the dollhouse the morning after she got it. She had climbed up the elevator to perch herself up there!

Mike and Leila also came for a visit for some special pumpkin time.

Kai's 4th Trimester is Over!

2010-12-10T21:58:00.000-08:00

I've heard about babies having a fourth trimester after they are born and with each of my 3 kids, it's totally true. They may be out of the womb, but part of them wishes they were still there. Then, after 3 months, something happens and they go from being little infants to babies. Kai is exactly 3 months old today and he has graduated to being a BABY! Here are some recent changes for him:

* Kai smiles a ton!

* He laughs because something is funny. (i.e. tickling him, making funny sounds, hearing us laugh, etc)

* He sucks his fingers now. He wants to suck his thumb, but hasn't managed that yet.

* He's not into the pacifier anymore.

* He still likes to be swaddled, but not near as much as before.

* He isn't in love with the swing any longer.

* He finally started eating less during the day. (ever 2.5-3 hours instead of 1.5-2 hours)

* He goes 8 hours at night without waking! (7pm-3am, 3am-6:30am)

* He sometimes grips onto things.

For the most part, all of these changes took place within about a week of each other. He grew up so fast! :) It really is amazing to watch a baby grow. He is a sweet and wonderful baby. All 4 of us love him so much!

A New Thing for Everyone

2010-10-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

Kai- He only woke up once last night!!! He slept from 8:30 until 3:30 and then woke up at 7:30!!! Let's hope that happens again. Also, at his doctor's appointment on Monday, he weighed 12lbs 5oz and was 23.5 inches long. Top percentiles for both. In other words, here's another big Barber boy!

Keira- She's been getting into dancing and gymnastics recently so I started teaching her some ballet. It's so fun! We both love it. She's adorable too! I'll try to post a video soon.

Andrew- Here's our conversation from yesterday:

Me: Andrew, it sounds like you're getting a bit of a cold.

Andrew: No, it's just a pumpkin cold.

Me: A pumpkin cold? What is a pumpkin cold?

Andrew: You know how sometimes you pick a pumpkin and then a couple days later you get a cold? That's a pumpkin cold.

Cheri's Thoughts: Dr. Seuss Style

2010-10-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

Oh to have one child again and not a total of three.

I could live my own life. Oh! How free I would be!

I could write a quaint poem or read a good book.

I could pick some flowers for our clean kitchen nook.

I could go for a walk, nay, go for a run.

I could go to the mall and eat a sticky cinnabun.

I could dine at dim sum,

Go for a stroll with just one.

I could eat at Corner Bakery

With just my one, a friend, and me.

I could do so much more

New adventures, galore!

I could take a shuttle to space!

Sing, in opera, Amazing Grace!

I could learn to speak Russian and a bit of Chinese!

I could take a trip to the Arctic and watch Santa sneeze!

I could swim in the ocean where no one has been!

Catch a ride on a whale! Ride a shark’s fin!

I could climb K-2 and Mt. Everest the same week!

I could tame a lion and nick-name him Zeek!

I could do all those things. Don’t tempt me. I can.

But I won’t do those things. I’m just not a fan.

One child is nice, but a bit of a bore.

Two is good also, but the same as before.

Add one more and you’re sure to get three.

Now things are good, just the way they should be!

October- First Half

2010-10-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some more smiles from little Kai. It's amazing to me (and a little creepy) just how much he looks like Andrew when he was a baby. When I get a similar picture, I'll post them for you all to see.

Kai clearly knows his big brother and loves spending time with him. Andrew will read to him, tell him stories, play dinosaurs with him, the list goes on and on.

Andrew's class is learning about the 5 senses so last week they got to paint with their tongues using pudding for paint. He loved it!

Coincidentally, Keira and I were at home making A-ok Wunderbars. They were fun to make together although Keira's version of helping is mainly licking.

Keira gave Kai an animal to snuggle with while he slept. I just thought it was cool that he actually snuggled.

My Dad came to visit last week and got to meet Kai. It's not easy getting a picture of 3 kids. At least my dad was smiling.

The drool shows that my dad got Kai's approval.

My sister also came down to visit and help out. She was a TON of help. She even got down on her hands and knees and scrubbed our kitchen floor! All the kids loved having special time with Aunt Sara.

So many dolls and so much pink!

Each of the kids made a special sign for Kai when he was born and brought them to the hospital.

They brought them back home and hung them up in his room.

Here are some pictures of Kai's nursery.

Mr. Smiles

2010-09-25T15:10:00.001-07:00

Kai has been smiling almost since his birth, but he's gotten more and more smiley as the days go by. I finally got a decent picture today so I thought I'd share my happy boy with all of you.

Kai Comes Home

2010-09-23T09:29:00.001-07:00

I nearly forgot to post my last prego shot. This is Kai and I at 39 weeks, hours before delivery.

The morning of Kai's birth was exciting and the whole family was giddy.

Four days later, Kai came home! It was great to have all 3 kiddos together finally. The big kids had gotten gifts for Kai and "Kai" had gotten gifts for each of them.

Andrew chose to give Kai a little Squirt sea turtle that he's had for most of his life. He picked it out from him animals months ago and has had it set aside for Kai since then. Keira chose a carseat toy so she can play with it with him in the car.

Kai gave Keira a Baby Minnie doll, which she loves. It incorporates Minnie Mouse, pink, polka dots, hearts, and babies. How could this gift fail?

Andrew got 2 swords, which he has been wanting for a long time now. He can be a "real" knight now.

After the gift opening was done, the big brother and sister just stared at Kai, waiting for him to wake up.

Final Hospital Pics

2010-09-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

These are just some random pictures from the hospital that I liked.

Gabe and Kai watching football together. Gabe (almost) never gets to watch Sunday morning football so you can imagine how excited he was not only to be able to watch it, but to watch it with his new son, opening weekend, AND the Seahawks WON!!! It was a great day for football.

Kai Gets Visitors

2010-09-22T13:22:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, our third day in the hospital, we got tons of visitors after church. It was great! Only a few were brave enough to hold Kai, including Derek. He's a natural!

Stephanie with the little one.

Lydia looking shocked... I don't remember why.

Happy Renita with the brave crew.

Sam, James, Bryant, and Daniel- all off at college now. (So are Stephanie and Lydia.) This was our last time seeing them before they left.

Joel, Elaine, Sabrina, and Josh. They're all away at college now too!

Aunt Amy with a new friend for Tyler.

Auntie Lin after she worked her magic with Kai.

Auntie Lin, Uncle Marco, and Norman (Hannah was over by me) before Auntie Lin worked her magic.

Kai Meets His Family

2010-09-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

The two big kids came with Leila a few hours after Kai was born to meet their new brother and grandson.

Keira awaiting her baby brother.

Keira was pretty unsure of her new brother. I don't think he's what she expected him to be.

Andrew, on the other hand, knew just what to expect and caught right on. He was delighted to have a new baby in the family.

It was a very special day!

Kai's funny baby toes were the highlight of the visit for Andrew.

Leila got some good snuggles too.

My mom and Len came and got to see Kai when he was just a couple of hours old.

Keira at 2 1/2

2010-09-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

Keira's speech is so cute these days. I thought I'd write some of it down so that I don't forget her 2 1/2 year old cuteness. The following are some of Keira's pronunciations of common words.
Mammies: jammies
Mink: pink
Hello meow: hello kitty
beep: sleep
beeps: trees
bop: soap
duck: look
nanas: banana
rear-ra: Keira
mump: jump
mincess: princess

My Mom got Keira a Hello Kitty activity book which she absolutely loves, but a good portion of it is designed for pre-teens. We had Keira fill out one of the pages. Here are some of her answers to the "quiz."

My full name is: "Andrew and me"

My lucky number is: "E"

My best quality is: "O"

A movie I could watch over and over again is: "Monkey"

The best book I've ever read is: "Hello Kitty"

A word I like to say a lot is: "What? What? What?"

My favorite meal is: "Cheese and eggs"

The class I enjoy the most is: "Pink one"

The coolest place I've ever been to is: "Pink house"

My favorite piece of clothing is: "Pink jammies"

A sport I love to play is: "Running"

The song that is #1 on my playlist is: "Row row row your boat"

The first thing I do in the morning is: "Wake up"

A motto I always live by is: "E"

The animal I am most like is: "Meow meow"

Kai Alexander is Born!!!

2010-09-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

KAI!!!

Friday, September 10th, Gabe and I sat in the waiting room, waiting to have our baby. I felt like I had already waited 9 months and then 6 hours that morning at home. I wanted to meet my baby!!! We were both giddy, though, so we still had fun.

Gabe always takes a picture of the weather outside on our kids' birthdays. Just like the other two, it was beautiful!... a great day to have a baby!

It's funny to think how much will change. Nothing will ever be the same. I will always be a different person with Kai in my life.

Gabe, of course, will remain the same cool guy that he is.

It was just a matter of minutes after that picture that...

Kai entering the world! I loved hearing his cry when he was born. What a precious sound!

8 lbs 13 oz and 20.5 inches

Minutes after his birth.

I remember thinking how very warm and soft he felt during those first few minutes of his life. Nothing can compare to that.

Proud daddy.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

2010-09-04T14:49:00.000-07:00

Last night, when Gabe checked on the kids, this is what he found. I don't know about you, but if I had the choice of a nice, comfy bed or the hard-wood floor, I don't think I'd make the same choice my daughter did... that being said, she does look pretty comfortable- and cute!

FiremAndrew and Little bunny Mei-Mei

Some pictures from small group the other night. The kids got to stay up and play together being it was just the Shultz' and us. They had a blast!

Attempting to calm them down a bit.

I walked into the bathroom the other day and found Keira curled up in Didi's bathtub with Minnie. The kids are SO excited about their little brother coming!

August

2010-08-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

We finally got to pick some corn from Keira's garden. Both of the kids were RIDICULOUSLY excited. They were being SO goofy...

They each got one ear to shuck and got to work. It turned out pretty good. It wasn't as sweet as most people tell me home-grown corn is, but it was still tasty!

My friends took me out for a celebration for didi's birth. We went to The Melting Pot and enjoyed some cheese and chocolate fondue. It was soooooooooooooo good! Above is a belly shot of Allie and I. She's due 2 weeks before me, but since I'm delivering a week early, it makes our due dates so close! I think our bellies look almost identical.

Last Monday, we went to Newport and enjoyed the beach. Here's Andrew and Keira about to attack the flock of seagulls.

Our little beach girl.

I love how much our kids love the beach.

This is what Andrew looks like with a 5-o'clock shadow... or just sand on his chin.

So sweet!

The water was FREEZING, but we went out and jumped over the waves anyway.

Keira was having an insanely good time. She was laughing and squealing with joy the entire time we were down by the water.

Time to rest.

Chris and Tami's Wedding

2010-08-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

Gabe's cousin, Tami, got married last night. It was a beautiful wedding and it was so nice to spend time with both their sides of the family.

The wedding was at someone's house- an amazing house! It was gorgeous.

Andrew got to sit with the g-rents behind us. He and Keira did a great job through the ceremony.

Look at that handsome hubby! I love that I get to see him all dressed up every week, but I don't usually get to take pictures of him. (Sorry for embarrassing you, Gabey! You're just so cute!)

Speaking of embarrassment... Women would be so embarrassed to be wearing the same thing as 2 others at a wedding, but these men seemed pretty proud of themselves.

There were chickens and roosters right out the gate.

My girl.

My boys.

The kids went out on the dance floor with Michael and Leila. They had a blast!

They were so cute to watch!

Butterflies and Dinosaurs

2010-08-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

After months of planning, designing, and creating, we have finished the big kids' room.

Not to anyone's surprise, we went with dinosaurs for Andrew. I designed curtains for Andrew's window and bed curtains for his bed. My mother-in-law helped me with all of the sewing, which I was very thankful for.

The bed curtains were a surprise for Andrew.

He is very happy with "Dinosaur City," as he calls it.

They both love their new room, but not as much as they love each other! :)

They play tons of games in Andrew's bed. The first game they played was barrista and they made apple coffee, lemon coffee, and peach coffee.

One thing about Keira's room was easy... PINK!!!

We continued with the butterfly theme being she loves them and they are just perfect for a girl who loves girly, sparkly things.

She loves it!

The butterflies on the wall were Keira's surprise. These curtains we bought from Pottery Barn, but...

I made the tie backs and I LOVE them! They're my favorite part of their whole room.

It's so girly!

While I was doing the finishing touches in their room this morning, this is how I found the kiddos. They were well worth all the time it took.

36 Weeks

2010-08-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

We're at 36 weeks and 3 weeks to go until the c-section. I had an ultrasound yesterday and our boy is healthy and even happy! The ultrasound tech got excited and told us that he smiled, although all 4 of us missed it. That would have been pretty cool to see in the womb. It won't be long now, though. He weighed about 6 lbs 11 oz and was measuring about 37.5 weeks. He's going to be another big boy! I'm so excited to meet him and hold him. (The above picture was taken by Andrew. This is his first picture he's ever taken.)

Some love from one brother to another.

You may not believe me on this, but this was Keira's reaction to Gabe simply bringing up Hello Kitty. She's an excited little girl.

Day of Rest

2010-07-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

After a busy week and a half, we took today off to rest and relax. We discovered something new today too... corn! Keira planted this corn a couple months ago and now it's taller than either one of the kids. (It's taller than me too!)

Isn't this the cutest little corn cob ever?!

This has to be one of the strangest positions I've ever seen Andrew sleep in, but he got the good nap he was needing.

Noah and Abigail's Visit

2010-07-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

This look seems ridiculous to me, but still very sweet.
We got to have a visit from some special friends yesterday. Noah and Abigail and Amy came by for a visit.

Edwards' Visit

2010-07-24T20:29:00.001-07:00

My sister and her kids came to visit earlier this week. Here are some pics from the arboretum.

The 5 minutes of silence during the visit... reading time.

Cupcake eating after dinner.

Mom and ELM's Visit

2010-07-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

Princess Keira getting her manicure. I think she ended up getting about 5 layers of polish.

Andrew and Papa ELM working on...

their pirate ship!

I just thought this was pretty silly. Keira was wearing her Minnie Mouse dress and then dressed up as Minnie Mouse in her costume over it.

We also got to go swimming at the hotel with my mom and ELM. The kids both loved it!

Being in the pool with my kids always takes me back to swim lesson days. I loved teaching swim lessons! It's so cool to be able to teach my own kids.

Keira Sings

2010-07-18T21:27:00.001-07:00

My two cuties.
Below is a video of Keira singing (partially anyway) "Jesus loves me." I love her sweet little voice!

30 Weeks

2010-07-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

30 weeks! The baby is still very active and loves milkshakes. :) I hadn't realized how much bigger my belly was getting until I saw how big the flower is on this shirt now. Good thing it's a stretchy shirt!
Only 9 weeks to go and we'll be a complete family of 5!

Shortcake

2010-07-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

Andrew and Keira picked some mint for mint lemonade the other day. It's so cute how much they're into gardening. Andrew's pre-school even has a garden that they help take care of.

On a different note, Andrew calls Keira the sweetest names. His usuals are "Sweetie" and "Hunny", but he will also call her "Shortcake" every so often. I love it!

Andrew's First Day of Pre-School

2010-06-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

Today was Andrew's first day of school and he did great!!! He cried for about 30 seconds after I left and then had an awesome time there. He couldn't stop telling me about all of the fun he had. I am so proud of him. He's entering a whole new stage of life now. He seems to be very ready for it

Keira was very confused (and let down) that she didn't get to join Andrew, but Andrew reassured her that she could start in 3 months, when she's a big girl. Hmmmmm... BUT Keira did love the one-on-one time she got with me and with Gabe. It was really special time and we're looking forward to more of it. I figure I have 33 more hours of just Keira/Mommy time before di-di is born. We're going to make the most of it!

This is Andrew's teacher, Mrs. Morris. She seems very nice and caring. On the way home, Andrew asked if he could go to pre-school every day... a question I didn't expect him to say for at least the first few weeks. It was so nice to hear. He's turning into such a big kid!

Time for Di-Di's First Video

2010-06-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

I thought it was about time for little di-di's first video. He didn't use to move that much, but now I'm fairly convinced that he has turned into an elephant. He moves a ton and is so strong! So fun! Anyway, enjoy his little dance! By the way, if you listen carefully, you can hear Horton Hears a Who in the background. (The really exciting part starts around 30 seconds.)

22 Weeks

2010-05-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

Here's the 22-week belly. Our little boy is moving and growing. Today, our family spent some fun time watching di-di squirm and kick. I love it!

Joe's O's

2010-05-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

Andrew got a little crazy with the Joe's O's box. His response?... "Now we can clean it all up!"

Breakfast witht the Barbers

2010-05-02T22:53:00.000-07:00

The things you'll see in this video:
1. Andrew raising one eyebrow.
2. Gabe and Keira trying to.
3. Keira praying.
4. The Barbers eating breakfast.

19 Weeks

2010-04-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

19 weeks today and here's a look at "the baby!" This is the least active baby-in-the-womb of the three. We'll see what he's like when he meets us face to face. He might just be saving up all of his energy!

A Prego Talks About Food

2010-04-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

I have now been pregnant for a total of 26 months of my life. I have learned many things about pregnancy, including but not limited to, food consumption. Because of the importance of food in my life over the past 4 months, I'd like to dedicate this post to KFC, Iced Tea, and grapefruit.

There are two different types of cravings during my pregnancies: first trimester cravings and 2nd/3rd trimester cravings. Let's start with the former.

First trimester cravings are the type that you simply CANNOT ignore. Non-pregnant people don't understand them and husbands can only hope to have the compassion and understanding to work through these cravings. It's a matter of fulfilling the immediate and urgent need ASAP. The longer it goes unresolved, the worse it becomes. Nothing besides the EXACT desire of the pregnant woman will satisfy the need. It's the kind of craving that the husband may kindly say, "I know how badly you'd like Cheez-its, but we don't have any. How about some Goldfish crackers?" The wife responds with a look, expressing the thankfulness of her loving husband but also the disbelief that Goldfish could be anywhere near the same thing as Cheez-its. Let me give you a couple of examples from my first 3 months of this pregnancy.

Gabe, the kids, and I drove to Rowland Heights to see the beautiful view after a long rainstorm. After seeing the sights, we began driving home. We happened to pass a KFC, and I mumbled something about, "Wow. Fried chicken from KFC sure does sound good." Gabe asked me if I wanted to stop for some and I told him thanks, but I would be fine with something from home. As we neared home (10 minutes later), my stomach started to twist and turn at the thought of any of the food in our house. I found myself daydreaming of KFC chicken, mashed potatoes, buttery corn, and a biscuit. (Keep in mind, I've eaten there a total of maybe 4-5 times in my life.) My mouth watered. Then, I tried to refocus. A sandwich? No. Some fruit? No. Crackers? NO! Salad? Are you serious?! My stomach began to to get upset with me. I was past the point of nausea. I was lightheaded and most likely green in the face. Gabe, aware of what was going through my head, was suggesting other healthier places to get something from (being I was trying to stay away from unhealthy foods, like say... KFC.) Finally, he said that we were going to KFC. I told him that I could handle this. I didn't need gross food. He said he knew the drill and anything else would make me sick. Gabe parked the car. I jumped out, ran inside, and said to the woman behind the counter, "I don't know how this place works, but I need a piece of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and a biscuit!" She calmly told me they had a meal with those exact items, and I was happy to give her my money. I got back in the car with food in hand, buckled my seat belt, and began to eat. My nausea went away. I was no longer lightheaded. Nothing else in the world mattered. I had my food. Ahhhhhh... Even reminiscing it now, I can remember the relief that KFC brought to me that fine day.

A story of desperation: I needed Ritz crackers. That fateful Friday evening, as I sat at home with the kids in bed and Gabe at work, I pondered the beauty of a Ritz cracker... the saltiness, the butteriness, mmmmmmm... And that's when it happened. I remembered we were out of them. We buy them at Costco in a large pack and the day before I had finished off the last of them. I couldn't run to the store to get them. What was I to do? As best as I can remember it, these are the thoughts that went through my desperate mind. "We don't have anymore. What can I replace it with? Who am I kidding? I need Ritz crackers. I remember throwing the wrapper away yesterday, but maybe there are more sleeves of crackers somewhere. Maybe the box is still in the cabinet. No, I remember throwing that out when I got out the last package. I know! Perhaps one sleeve slipped out as I took the box out. No that's ridiculous... but maybe it's true this time. It's never happened before, but perhaps a sleeve is lost in the cabinet right now! or maybe tucked away in the overflow food cabinet! Yes! Yes! That's where it is!" Needless to say, there were no more Ritz crackers and the day ended on a very sour note involving nausea and general ickiness.

Now that you understand my first trimester cravings, allow me to move on to the final 6 months. Oftentimes, people will say that when your body craves something during pregnancy, it's because it's something that your body is lacking in. I have a hard time believing that my body was lacking in KFC two months ago, but during the last six months of pregnancy, I find that more plausible. These are the kind of cravings that I may not feel sick about, but it just sounds SO good. I may not even recognize it as a craving until I say something a little absurd such as, "Iced Tea is the new water" or I start to realize that I eat the same thing at the same time every day and if I don't have it, I don't really know what to do, as in the case of grapefruit at 10am every morning or 2 eggs for lunch each day. (Note to self: We're out of grapefruit. Please purchase more before tomorrow at 10am.) I actually really enjoy 2nd/3rd trimester cravings because they're typically healthy and simple and I eat so much anyway, I can eat those things, plus whatever's on the menu for the family.

In conclusion, pregnancy food cravings control the pregnant woman (and, at times, the husband) more than any of us like to admit. Eating during the first 3 months of pregnancy can be difficult and impossible at times, but the last 6 months makes up for it with the joy that food can bring and the amount of food required, and therefore, the amount of joy, that one has.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's snack time.

Keira's First Haircut

2010-04-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

Monday was Keira's first haircut. She got to go after Gabe and Andrew so she was really pumped up for it, as you can see here.

I really had no idea what I was doing. I've never cut girls' hair before, besides Keira's bangs.

We ended up moving inside due to the bad combination of the wind and her fly-away hair. It was tough to keep her still at first, but she eventually caught on and I got braver and faster too.

I love this picture because I know exactly what I was saying here. "Keira! You look so beautiful!" (Notice the hairy backside of her.)

She was excited to get a clip for her first hairstyle with the new cut. She loved that it was one of mine, even though it was just one of those silver old-fashioned clips I wore all the time as a kid.

She is very proud of her new do and so am I. The bangs turned out shorter than I wanted them, but the back and sides are great. I think I ended up giving her a bob. (?) We got rid of all of the uneven stuff. I think she'll start to look much older now as her hair grows back in.

The Marks' Visit

2010-04-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

My sister, Debbie, and her fam came for a visit from Wisconsin this past week. We loved having them around, enjoying every minute of it. People have been telling Debbie and I how much we look alike lately. (Our sunglasses are even similar!)

All the cousins: Jocelyn, Abby, Keira, and Andrew (pictured with their enormous hole.)

Keira's cute little swimsuit from the Marks.

Andrew as happy as can be.

All of the cousins had a great time together.

Another pic of my little one in her ruffles.

Abby completely buried. At one point, she started yelling, "Ouch! Ouch!" but she couldn't move. Finally she said, "What is happening to my feet?!" We looked and found Keira shoveling away in a hill that happened to be her cousin's feet... poor Abby.

For a large part of the visit, Abby was reading to Andrew and Keira. If I had to guess, she probably read about 40 books to them!

We miss the Marks already. We had so much fun going to get ice cream, having special Aunt-niece time, bbq-ing. My nieces even acted out a skit for my pre-schoolers in Sunday school! They are wonderful actresses!

Random note: Andrew hatched a dinosaur egg over the weekend. He was SO excited to see his dinosaur be born. Until the Marks came the following day, Andrew pretty much sat in front of his egg, waiting for it to hatch.

Keira Turns 2!

2010-03-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

Our little Keira turned 2 and she's cuter than ever! She's into all of the girly things you can imagine and loves her big brother. She is a confident, independent little bundle of energy. We love our little girl!

Awaiting her guests' arrival.

Opening up her presents that morning. I have never seen so much pink or so much Minnie Mouse!

Keira's party guests: Andrew, Zach, Tyler, and Josh- all boys!

One of her favorite gifts this year. 4 pairs of princess shoes! (from Josh and Zach.)

Pink and hearts for our girly girl.

The kids' table.

Pink heart cake, of course!

She's a pretty smart girl. She pretty much knew what she was doing with the cake, presents, etc.

We didn't play any games. I figured the thing 2-year-olds like best is playing so that's what they did!

Keira waving good-bye to her final guests.

Here Comes Another Baby Barber!

2010-03-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

We're expecting our third little one in mid-September. I'm 14 weeks along right now and feeling pretty good (despite being sick right now.) I was fairly nauseous for the first 8 weeks and things have been slowly getting better. We've already had 2 ultrasounds and the baby looks great! It's got a strong heartbeat and is already measuring large for it's "age." Because of that, I think we've got another big boy growing in my belly. Andrew is fairly convinced it's a girl and based on his history of knowing things like that, Gabe is also convinced it's a girl. We'll find out soon enough. Keira understands there's a baby in my belly and has finally accepted the fact that she does not. (Nor does Minnie Mouse.)

For the most part, I love being pregnant and I'm really excited about these next 6 months. I love having a prego-belly and I love feeling the baby move. I've already got the belly (!) and I think I already felt the baby "flutter" too. It's getting exciting!

2010-03-04T22:17:00.000-08:00

Andrew and Keira after building a train in our kitchen. They just crack me up!

Laguna Beach Photo Shoot

2010-02-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

Today, we had an awesome opportunity to have a formal photo done. The place we went to takes photos of you and then turns one of them into a photo/painting. They end up looking amazing. We had to get really dressed up for the event, so after the professional photo shoot, we had our own photo shoot in Laguna Beach. Here are the results. Enjoy!

Andrew was so excited he got to look like his Daddy today. He even asked me if he was as handsome as Gabe.

A little boy in a tux is about as cute as they come.

The photographer had taught Keira how to make "princess hands" for the pictures. Andrew was reminding her here how to do it.

You can see Keira's roseola rash starting to show here. She's spotted now and seems to be annoyed by the rash, even though technically it shouldn't hurt or itch. Hopefully it will all be over soon! We're thankful that the rash didn't start until after the professional photos were done. It's been a rough week for her, but she's hanging in there.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-17T00:11:00.000-08:00

Keira and I both love getting her dressed up for special occasions and church on Valentine's Day was no exception.

Andrew wasn't quite as festive in his clothing, but he's got a big heart for loving.

The rest of the pics are from Keira's and my little photo shoot. Enjoy!

Happy Chinese New Year!

2010-02-13T21:25:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Andrew and Keira were dressed and ready for the big celebration at church. They were so cute in their Chinese clothes (given to them by aunties at church.)

I love how beautiful their eyes are in this picture. (Enlarge the pic for the full effect.)

This is Andrew's FIFTH Chinese new year. I can't believe it!

CORE group meeting

2010-01-17T14:29:00.000-08:00

Andrew went to the CORE group meeting with Gabe today at church. On the drive home, Andrew told me about it. "So Mommy, let me tell you all about Daddy's and my meeting. Well, it was great. We had lots of fun. First, let me tell you who was there. There were two girls. I don't know their names. Then there were other people and I don't know any of them. We talked about James. We also talked about a book about a doggie and it had a monkey in it! That's all. We talked about a book and a doggie and a monkey."

"O"

2010-01-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

It turns out Keira can recognize the letter, "O." What a smarty pants! For a while now, she would point to any letter and say, "E, O, E, O", but yesterday she started picking out all of the O's, saying, "O" each time. Go Keira!

Winter Retreat

2010-01-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

Our English Ministry Winter Retreat was Dec. 31-Jan. 3 this year. We had over 400 people attend from all of the Southern CA EFC churches. This is the chapel at Pine Summit during our worship time. James Lee took this picture and I thought it was awesome. Many people received Christ while at the retreat. It is always so exciting to me to watch God work!

Personally, I've been learning SO much about my life right now. I've been learning how to be a pastor's wife with young children. It's a very unique position to be in so it's taken me 4 years (so far) to aquire the limited knowledge I have on the topic. This is the first retreat I've been to that I really feel like I've been able to minister to people and still be with my kids. Retreats look much different than they used to. For example, I never get to hear the speaker, I don't get to hang out with the youth, and I have to sit by the same 2 people at every meal. BUT I've learned that retreats (along with many other things such as a good night's sleep, a successful afternoon of house-cleaning, or a lot of time with Gabe) look much different than they did before I had kids. I had a great time at Pine Summit. One of the high schoolers was awesome and came to visit me during naptime in our cabin so we could talk. There was another young mom in our cabin and we stayed up late chatting away while waiting for our husbands to get home after the kids went to bed. I got to walk around with the kids after naptime, during freetime and visit with other people. Sitting at the end of the table for every meal (for high chair purposes) gave me the ability to smile at and talk to many of the people who walked passed us. After 4 years and 3 Winter Retreats, I finally get it.

Big Bear was cold and snow-covered while we were there. It was so fun to walk outside in big jackets and gloves and see the beautiful snow everywhere.

Andrew with his bear friends... ahem... imaginary bear friends.

This was Keira's favorite part of the snow. She loved this bridge and walked across it at least 90 times.

On the other hand, she didn't really enjoy the snow. She fell a lot and I think that annoyed her. It was icy snow, not fresh, powdery stuff.

Andrew loved it. He's showing off his bear belly here.

Here are a couple more pics from back at home yesterday. I didn't know Keira knew how to do this, but I guess she does!

Well, she kind of does. If you can't tell, she has little seeds on her tongue and chin.

Today

2010-01-04T21:16:00.000-08:00

My sweet little Keira. We had a family day today so we spent the morning playing in the backyard, enjoying the beautiful weather. This picture of Keria has to be one of my all-time fav's.

King Andrew.

18 boxes of cereal at $1.88 a box. Not bad. :)

Christmas in Fresno

2009-12-29T21:49:00.001-08:00

My two sisters and all of our families. Wow. This was a tough picture to take.

A little more formal.

My Dad and Cheri came up on Saturday from Bakersfield so we got to visit with them then. My Mom and Len were out Friday and Saturday so we got to visit them also. It was a crazy and busy visit.

Eli.

Nathan.

Colby.

My two sisters. Don't ask me what they're doing here.

Brayden, Andrew, and Keira posing for a reindeer picture.

Look how big Andrew looks in this car.

Besides the very last picture, all the rest of these are from when we were trying to take pictures of the 7 kids. Yikes!

At least they all love each other. :)

Once we got back home and Gabe and I started cleaning up, this is where we found the kids. They were each hanging out with their big gifts from us. We were so happy to see them like their gifts so much.

Christmas Morning at Home

2009-12-29T21:35:00.001-08:00

What a fun Christmas! The kids were both so excited. They're at a great age for Christmas fun. Keira loves her new bed and stayed in it almost all Christmas morning. Here she is opening up her stocking.

Andrew opening his.

Sunglasses from Santa.

Andrew literally asked for a Starbucks card so Santa got him a $5 card. He was really excited to get it.

Andrew got a new toothbrush and used it to clean his new T-Rex's teeth. The T-Rex was his big gift from us. He loves it!

Keira with her new chapstick, which has since been confiscated. I walked into the bathroom and saw her taking a big bite out of it.

When you roar at the T-Rex, it roars back at you!

Andrew picked this out especially for Keira. I think it makes her look like such a big girl... and a princess.

She likes it too! (Looking into a mirror.)

Here's what boys do with girls' toys. Also, Andrew is wearing the crown that Keira gave him. He asked for one specifically from her and I couldn't find one so I had to make one out of an In-n-Out hat, construction paper, sequins, and glitter glue. It was kinda fun doing an art project on my own.

Keira is using as many of her new gifts at once as possible. She's "wearing" her new jammies, playing with the fairy wand, and brushing her teeth all at once!

We had a fun morning opening up prestents and then got our things ready to go up to Fresno. Stay tuned...

Christmas Eve

2009-12-29T21:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve night was really nice at our house. It was just the four of us and we enjoyed some fun Barber time. We had beef stew for dinner and then lit a fire in the fireplace. We then lit candles and sang some Christmas songs. It was wonderful!

I know Keira is hard to see here, but I love her little round belly glowing in the fire's light.

There's something about holding a candle that calms a child down. It's amazing.

Keira was actually still a little hyper, but much calmer than usual.

Andrew was so proud of being able to hold the candle by himself. He knew it was a privilege.

Andrew getting things ready for Santa's visit. He had his letter to Santa, cookies, and milk all set for him.

Each of the kids decorated a special cookie for Santa earlier that day. Andrew's is the green gingerbread girl and Keira's is the heart.

All set for bedtime!

Extra Christmas Eve energy.

These were their big gifts from us. I made Keira a sheet and quilt for the toddler bed that we got down for her. You'll have to wait for the next post to find out what Andrew got.

All wrapped up and ready for Christmas.

Happy Birthday Andrew!

2009-12-28T21:49:00.000-08:00

Gabe asked Andrew to give him a smile that showed all of his excitement on his birthday and this is what he got.

Andrew talking to Gram-Gram after opening all of his presents. It was really sweet because the whole time he talked to her, he held on to the dinosaur she gave him. He now sleeps with that dino every night.

His presents included dinosaurs, maps, read-along books, trains, a Davey Crockett hat and more! At 4 years old, he is a silly boy with an awesome imagination. He desperately wants to know how to read and is working towards that right now. He still would rather be with me than anyone else and doesn't like it when Gabe and I are gone. He has an excitement for life and is almost always happy. He loves to read his Bible and mine and he is starting to ask more theological questions. He believes that dinosaurs will be in heaven and that his dad knows everything. He's a pretty awesome kid.

Two nights prior to Andrew's birthday, we went to our church's Christmas program. It was a great program and my kids made it through the whole drama. As soon as Gabe got up to speak, Keira yelled out, "Daddy!" and started jumping up and down. That's when I decided it was time for us to go. :) We came home, lit our candle that we got at church and sang, "Silent Night" together. It was a sweet ending to a good evening.

In this past month, I have gained such a greater appreciation for our kids. They are such wonderful and special little people. Gabe and I love them so much and we are so blessed to be their parents!

Merry Christmas Eve!

2009-12-24T20:18:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! Here's Andrew reciting "Twas the Night Before Christmas." (We didn't even realize he had it almost memorized until we started reading it to them tonight.)

More December News

2009-12-18T13:42:00.000-08:00

The kids and I made oat-gingerbread cookies a couple weeks ago. Here they are frosting them.

Keira did more licking than frosting.

Andrew did some pretty good decorating. This is something my family used to do every year growing up and I love being able to pass this on. I was so happy to find a good wheat-free cookie recipe for Andrew.

These are the "ginger bread houses" I wrote about in my last post. The kids had so much fun with it. I guess it's always fun to eat a craft you made. This is Andrew's finished project.

Here's Keira's. Again, she did more licking than building.

And mine! (If I look sick and tired here, it's because I was.)

Gabe and I were trying to discuss something without the kids interrupting. It was getting difficult so we finally just put some Mickey Mouse on the laptop for them to be entertained. They look pretty into it, don't they? When it was almost over, we realized we had accidentally chosen one in Spanish! They never even noticed. That's how amazing Mickey is, I guess.

This was our first fire in our house. The kids loved it. Contrary to how it looks, Keira is not about to fly out of the rocking chair.

I guess this pic belongs in the last post, but oh well. They're cute!

Gabe took the kids out to the mall and then to dinner the other night. I was so sick, I was completely out of it. Gabe and I both caught the flu from Andrew (who had it last week.) It was a bad one! We're both still trying to recover. I haven't been able to talk much for the past several days because of it. We're hoping Gabe's voice will be ready for preaching tomorrow night and Sunday morning. Please pray for him!

All dressed up for church. I just thought they looked nice that day.

Keira on the potty.

Andrew's Dino Birthday Party

2009-12-15T15:55:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was Andrew's 4th birthday party. He told me, "I always want dinosaurs all the time" so he got a dino-mite birthday party! 10 minutes before the party started (pictured above), he said, "I'm so excited about everything!"

The excitement was contagious.

As soon as the kids got there, they got to finger paint dinosaurs.

Keira was the only one who got REALLY messy. As you can see here, she is SITTING on her painting. Yikes!

Even Uncle Gabe got in on the painting.

Next, the kids got to go fishing for dinosaurs. It wasn't raining when we first went out there, but during our 10 minute game, it really started to come down. The kids loved it, though, and were so excited to see dinosaurs on the end of the fishing line!

The finished artwork.

Zach's beautiful smile!
My little 4-yr-old! (well, almost) He loved his T-rex cake. He asked for a mean, green T-Rex and that's what he got!

Time for presents.

ALL dinosaurs! Everything Andrew got was dino-related. It was awesome! He loves all of his gifts and they all got to play with them after he opened them.

I love this pic of Gabe and Allie! Don't they look cute?

Happy birthday, Andrew!

Here are the dino pics I drew for the kids to paint.

It took several hours, but the cake turned out pretty good. I thought frosting it would be the most difficult part, but designing the pattern turned out to be. It worked out great too because I saved the leftover cake scraps and the leftover frosting (3 colors) and we had enough for the kids and I to make "gingerbread houses" out of the other day.

We saw one ant Friday night before we went to bed so this is the mote we made so the ants couldn't get to the cake. (There's water in the bowls.)

Decorating for Christmas

2009-12-15T15:39:00.001-08:00

Excitement is in the air in the Barber home. Christmas time is here and both of the kids know it. They are just loving December. Here are some pics to prove it.

Gabe setting up the tree. We got a real tree from Lowe's this year. The kids were running around the tree lot like wild monkeys! It was nice to get them home and in an enclosed environment.

Keira's legs were moving too fast for the picture. THAT'S how excited she was.

The next morning, Andrew and I set up some Christmas decorations. Here he is putting the tree's skirt on.

Again, this time after me telling him how it works.

Break time for hot chocolate with marshmallows!

At one point, during decorating, I lost Andrew and found him in his room with all the snowmen. He wanted to decorate his room with them.

It was time to decorate the tree!

I have to admit I was expecting this part to be more magical than it was. I expected us to be decorating the tree while singing Christmas carols. It ended up looking more like me trying to keep metal hooks away from Keira and the breakable ornaments away from both of the kids while they ran circles around me. Maybe next year... hahaha...

Still cute, though.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving weekend, we went up to Gabe's parents' house. We had a great time! Here are some pics...

The following three pictures I took without Keira knowing I was there. I love these pictures!

Jesse had a fire pit set up in the back yard on Thanksgiving day. It was so nice to sit around and talk. (Side note: We have 100 pictures of Simone and almost none of her 3 sisters! You can see Alice here, but that's it! Alice, Inez, and Nora- next time we see you, we want pictures!)

Gabe with his Uncle Phil. They wouldn't let me take a normal picture of them together.

Leila with Simone, Keira, and Andrew.

Simone playing with Keira and Andrew. She and her sister, Nora, had so much fun with our kids. It was great to see them enjoy each other so much! Plus, Gabe and I actually got to enjoy adult conversations AT THE SAME TIME!!!

Brothers. This was our last visit with Jesse for 2.5 years. He'll be in Guatemala for that time with Peace Corps. Go Jess!

Uncle and nephew.

Despite their faces, we had a good time.

Jesse taught Andrew how to play the drum.

Gabe, Jesse, and Andrew enjoying Tinker Toys.

The day after Thanksgiving, we went to a candy store. Candy canes for our official Christmas kick-off!

Sing-a-long time!

The kids with Leila and Auntie Francesca.

In other news, my daughter is potty-training herself. Yes, you read that correctly. About a month ago, she seemed interested in the potty so we got this one down for her to check out. Just before Thanksgiving, she actually went to the bathroom on the potty. I figured it was a fluke until she did it again about a week ago! She seems to have a pretty good understanding of things potty-related. I'm thinking we'll try official potty training in January!

Keira is also learning how to dress and undress herself. This is her putting on her mermaid pant.

This is a new look for shirts.

Back to Thanksgiving again... The Encarnacions came over for a special Thanksgiving feast on the Monday before Thanksgiving. We all barely fit around our table anymore! We don't get to see each other (whole families) very often anymore so this was a very special time for us."Indian" hats.

Jumping pilgrims!

Keira and Cindy-Lou Who

2009-12-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

Take away Cindy-Lou Who's antenna and she looks awfully familiar.

Oregon Vacation Part 3: Everywhere Else

2009-11-20T14:13:00.000-08:00

During our final days in Oregon, we stayed in Tigard (a Portland suburb) and drove to all the other places we wanted to see. This is a picure from our drive to Cannon Beach. The drive had some of the most beautiful scenery we've ever seen. Our pictures do not do this area justice. It really was gorgeous!

Maybe this will be the Christmas card pic...

or maybe this!

Cannon Beach reminded us a lot of Morro Bay. They even have a "rock" too. Cannon Beach beats Morro Bay, though, because it is surrounded by a forest.

Next to Haystack Rock, although you can barely see it.

You can see the two kids and I in this pic. Gabe is getting pretty good at photography. I really like this shot.

I love this pic of Andrew and I. I took it, not thinking it would be anything special, but it totally captures our relationship.

Daddy is definitely the fun one.

FREEZING!!! It was SO cold!

I don't remember what the kids were doing, but they were totally cracking me up as we walked back up the beach.

Poor little Keira was a little ice cube.

The town also reminded us of Morro Bay.

We got each of the kids a big sucker. It was very yummy, very messy, and very cute.

We also visited Multnomah Falls and the surrounding areas. It is so beautiful! I know I've said this 100 times, but it's true!

Nice background for a Christmas card photo, huh?

Can you tell the difference between our two kids? I'll give you a clue. One of them is cautious and the other one is a little daredevil.

Keira's view of the falls.

Miss Independant.

My favorite picture from the entire trip.

The pic above makes me miss how beautiful OR is.

Does it get any sweeter than this?Our time in Washington. We went to Starbucks there, just so the kids could say they've been there. Andrew and Keira had apples and sunbutter while Gabe and I got the good stuff... WA weather makes a mocha taste even better.

Sick Day

2009-11-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

Andrew went to bed with a fever last night and still has it today so we're sticking around the house. So far, we've watched Merry Madagascar, made a turkey craft, and now it's snack on the couch time. Andrew wanted me to take this picture of them.

Speaking of Andrew, yesterday he said the following out of the blue. I remembered it and wrote it down because I thought it was rather poetic for a 3-yr-old.

When do you see the moon?
Not during the daytime. That's when you see the sun.
Not when it's windy. That's when you see the leaves fall down.
When it's dark outside. That's when you see moon.

Oregon Vacation Part 2: Lake Oswego

2009-11-13T13:44:00.001-08:00

During our second leg of the trip, we stayed with Gabe's Aunt, Uncle, and 2 cousins in Lake Oswego. It's a cute town not too far from Portland and right next to the Willamette River. We had an awesome time visiting with them and, of course, didn't take a SINGLE pic of them!!! So here are some pictures of our time in their area, just not with them. Above is Andrew with Auntie Francesca. She is another one of Gabe's aunts who is a beautiful woman. We had a wonderful visit with her.

The kids had so much fun with her.

We walked around Lake Oswego one day, enjoying a wonderful Farmers' Market and feeding some ducks.

The Willamette.

It was so pretty and beautiful weather.

Again, Keira loved being on her own.

Will this will be the Christmas card shot?

Oregon Vacation Part 1: Corvallis

2009-11-12T14:17:00.000-08:00

In September, we got to go up to Oregon for some fun and adventure. We had 3 stops, the first of which was Corvallis. Our good friends from college, Matty and Jana, live there with their 2 little ones. We didn't take a ton of pics while we were there, but here are some at a cool park near their house. Can you find Keira in the pic above?

Here's Kulea. She's about the same age as Keira. Very sweet!

One of the reasons I love Oregon is because I can let the kids explore a little more on their own. Keira could just run around on her own in this huge grassy area. Our little independent girl loved it!

Keira and Kulea

"Dinosaur Bones"... and a piece of caution tape that Andrew found.

Matty and Kulea

Cutie!

Will this be our Christmas card photo???

Flying Mei-Mei!!!

We were absolutely SPOILED in every way at Matt and Jana's, but especially with food. They are both excellent cooks who cook Andrew safe food all the time. (They have food allergies in their fam too.) It was such a blessing not to have to worry about food for that leg of our journey. On top of the yummy food, Matty has an espresso maker that he used to make us drinks any time we wanted them! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better than Starbucks! As you can see, this was a latte made espeically for me! (The 'C' looked even better before, but I took a drink before I thought to take a picture.)

Happy Birthday Gabey!

2009-10-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to my Gabey!

Since it was Gabe's birthday, he got in to Disneyland for free so he took the one other free member of our family out for a fun-filled Disney day! (Yesterday Andrew asked me if he and Keira could go to Disneyland for his birthday. It sounds funny, but I think they'd actually do fine alone there. :) )Keira is so lady-like at times, especially when she's posing for the camera. It's so sweet!Her face tells it all here.

Gabe said that this was as close as Keira would get to Minnie. She's leaning in for her "hug" here.

Happy Halloween too! Here's Keira! (Minnie Mouse, of course!)Andrew's biggest ROAR!I didn't tell him to pose like this. What a nut!In other exciting news, Keira can officially wear pigtails now! She was so proud of her new do!

Everyone got haircuts yesterday and Keira's pigtails looked much better this morning.

She looks like such a big girl now that she has a hairstyle.

We actually had some rain not long ago. It's so fun to enjoy the rain. Both the kids woke up, set up their chairs, and sat to watch the rain. How cute!