Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Merry Christmas

We had the pleasure of hosting Christmas dinner at our home this year! Originally, only Uncle Steven and Uncle Daniel and Auntie Erica were to be expected for dinner, then John thought it would be fun to invite the Nash family to join us too! All in all there were 15 of us... and for those of you who have been in my home know how cozy it is with just our little family! It was fun though and a great time to visit and enjoy good food and good company. The big bonus to me was having a house full of Aunties and Uncles to corral, chase and entertain my 4 children!

Daddy and Uncle Steven took Isaiah, Lydia and Rayna to the park to run off excess energy before the big dinner. That enabled me to bake some gingerbread to make...

...a gingerbread log cabin (great-gramma's tradition) and they kept very busy decorating all the people, trees, snowmen, and even a Christmas train!

Intense gel icing

can I have some sprinkles, too?


Hmmm... how can I decorate this one?


There! Perfect!!
(there really is a gingerbread man under all the sprinkles!)


Isaiah shows off the finished project

Rayna had a story from just about all of her aunties and uncles



Princess Lydia and King Daniel pose for a royal portrait in between adventures and rescues

Master builder Isaiah wastes no time in assembling his town

Come and play in the coloring castle

Lydia engrossed in a new game

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

May God bring you much joy in the new year to come!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

A New Christmas Tradition

I just read about a neat way to celebrate the coming celebration of our Savior's birth. It is called a Jesse Tree. It is similar to doing an advent calendar but uses a tree instead. Each ornament represents a different story (starting at Creation and ending with Jesus' birth) and each Bible passage shows how all the Old Testament points toward the coming of Christ the Messiah. I think it is an exciting way to teach about God's wonderful plan and purpose spelled out in the Old Testament. I plan on making one each day with the children and reading the Bible story that goes along with it. I first read about the Jesse Tree here, and I found all the verses and pictures for ornaments here from the RCA (Reformed Church in America). I'll put up pictures of the kids and their ornaments when we get them made.

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." Isaiah 11:1-2

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Field Trip

The first Friday of every month is "Free First Friday" at our local museum . I have been intending to take the children since the Spring when I first found out about Free First Fridays and some how always managed to miss it! But this week we made it! The museum centers mostly around local history but also has rotating exhibits. The exhibit on display was "Women's Votes, Women's voices" which although an important part of our country's history, was not very exciting to my 2, 4, and almost 6 year old. They did love the Victorian house display of a home from the early 1900's, the old general store, the bank vault and most of all... the model railroad! It is a "not exactly to scale" model of the Great Northern Railway including several historic railroad routes in the Cascade Mountains. It cost two quarters to make it run... and praise the Lord there were two quarters in my jacket pocket that I didn't know were there!



After watching the train for about 15 minutes (it did 5 loops instead of the normal 3! another miracle!) We wandered through the Pangborn exhibit (first non-stop flight over the Pacific), Coyote's Corner (a little room just for kids to explore and enjoy) and headed down stairs to the Apple Capitol of the World exhibit. The exhibit had an early cleaning, sorting and packing line complete with catapault that Isaiah really wanted to see in motion. Lydia was rather sad that they only had pictures of the Apple Blossom royalty and no Princess dresses on display :( but has decided we should go back during Apple Blossom when they will put some on display.



And of course we had to get a picture with the coyote. (Click on the picture and you can check out Lydia's favorite prize sunglasses from the Harvest Festival!)

I spy...


Monday, November 2, 2009

Autumn colors



Leaves collected on our last outing and crayon shavings made for a fun fall craft to decorate our windows. You can find the link here for directions. The children LOVE to sharpen crayons, or anything for that matter. Isaiah tried to trim his fingernails with the pencil sharpener the other day... that will not happen again, I guarantee! They had a lot of fun and I'm sure we'll be doing more melted crayon crafts soon,

wrestling season




Rayna helped Daddy get his gear ready for wrestling season.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

another climber in the family





Bath time?



Somebody couldn't wait for a bubble bath.


Somebody couldn't wait for a bubble bath.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Fair Time

In September John and I took the kids to our local fair. (I wrote this up once before and something crazy happened when I went to publish and the whole thing got deleted! So we'll try this once more. I know, a month later! My life as a Barry... late as usual : )

Isaiah's favorite: tractors, eating ice cream and the rides.


Lydia was really hoping to see a fair princess but we were never able to spot one : ( She did however find a car she really liked. Can you believe my first car was painted this exact same color? I loved that car!



Rayna adores any type of animal, whether stuffed or living, and would have gladly stayed in the barns all day. She had fun petting the sheep, bunnies and goats and would giggle every time the geese honked at her.



Lydia and Rayna had soooo much fun on this ride. They made me smile every time they came around in their hot air balloon giggling and waving so exuberantly!



It was so nice to have a whole day out all together as a family!


My sweet husband, exhausted baby and me!

A Box of Sweetness

To Gramma's house we go!

In September the kids and I took the bus up to my parents house to visit while Uncle Andy was home.

Tobiah had fun running around every where with hardly any limits to where he could go!


Lydia spent half an hour playing Cinderella and left Gramma's steps sparkly clean!


Rayna couldn't get enough hours on the excavator. It's built for bigger kids and a little tricky for such little hands and arms so sometimes she would hop off and...

...help load it up!


Isaiah waiting for Uncle Andy to walk by. We had a massive squirt gun fight... not sure who won, but even Gramma got some good shots in.

First Birthday


Tobiah turned 1 at the end of September... and we celebrated with chocolate cupcakes!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Birthday scare and surprise

Monday was my Birthday. I took the kids to the park with my close friend MeeSook and her children to enjoy a fun filled morning. About an hour into playing I turned around and my little 2 yr old Rayna Pie was nowhere to be found. I ran all over the park (which isn't too large) asking every one if they had seen her and no one had. After a frantic call to my husband at work, I called 911 and am amazed that I was able to give them all the info they needed. I so desperately wanted to run up and down every street nearby to find my baby but had to stay with my three other children. MeeSook said she would run off towards our apartment to see if she had gone that way. All the while I tried desperately to qwell the overwhelming thought that some evil monster had stolen my precious little girl and I would never see her again constantly crying to God for help. The police pulled up, John called again, my children standing there with wide questioning eyes, a question from the police officer, everything hazy and noisy and terrifying and then the glorious words... "they found her!" And I glance up as my dear friend MeeSook comes running back with my baby girl! Oh the joy to see her! I looked at my phone later and realized the nightmare had only lasted 12 minutes... but it was the longest most heart-stopping 12 minutes ever. Thank the Lord for kind neighbors who recognized Rayna and picked her up and sat outside on their porch to wait for us to come get her. Thank the Lord for my dear friend MeeSook who valiantly ran off in search of her and found her with the kind neighbors. Thank the Lord for the quick response of police officers. Rayna is fine after her walk (almost made it home!) but is still sad about what happened and will often say "I'm sorry for running away, momma!" Lesson learned? I hope so. reason for leaving... in her own words... "I wanted to go get my ball"

On the lighter side:
Lydia (on the phone with mom after shopping with Daddy): Mommy, can you please go in your bedroom and close the door?
Me: um... ok
Lydia: and leave out some wrapping paper and tape.
Me: sure. How much do you need?
Lydia: The size of a toaster.

so, it wasn't much of a surprise when I opened my present... but it was pretty funny! And I am really happy with my brand new toaster... now I can safely make toast ( I LOVE toast!!!) without having to worry about my 11 month old coming into the kitchen while I am broiling the toast!

"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield." Ps 5:12

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Slip 'n Slide

We spent Monday morning at MeeSook's house enjoying the sun, water and friends.


Little Mommies


The girls with new slings for their baby dolls

Lego creations for Uncle Steven and Uncle David

Isaiah and his creations (and his new Transformer from Grandma and Grandpa)



(Left, built for Uncle Steven) X-115 amphibious rescue truck that can go super speedy when you put a motor on it. (Right, built for Uncle David) Blue Racer Truck that goes 140 mph. Comes equipped with special lights. WARNING: do not put too much diesel in truck or the lights can explode. Also glows in the dark.

Beautiful feet




10 months and walking!

Tobiah is now toddling all over the house trying to keep up with his big brother and sisters



sweet little girl toes


(new dress from Grandma)

little girls love walking in their mommy's shoes... I remember slipping on my Momma's shoes and shuffling around pretending to be just like her. It's a good reminder that little toes will follow where I lead. God, please give me the wisdom to lead these little feet and hearts to you. Help me to daily be an example of your love.


"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"" Isaiah 52:7

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

crafty creations



We spent the morning of the 4th making patriotic crafts from one of my favorite sites. Lots of coloring, snipping, gluing and glitter!



Rayna spent about 30 minutes carefully using the glitter paste. She is very meticulous when it comes to art.

By the way... the glitter we found is soooo cool. (actually found ours at Walmart) it is already in glue and comes with these cute little brushes that are attached to the lid, so the kids don't get all goopy... well, ok their hand doesn't get goopy just every other body part! : )



...and what would a craft be without googly eyes?


"I lift up my eyes to the
hills-- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." -Psalm 121:1,2