Hiking With My Men

We went for a little hike up the backside of Badger Mountain yesterday evening. It's not really a mountain, just a big hill. We're hoping to make a habit of going a couple times a week.

I love the view, don't you? It was a beautiful time to go with the sun just setting. I can't wait to go again!

1st Birthday Party!!

Saturday, August 20th, we celebrated Eli's 1st birthday with most of the Barnett and Rhodes relatives that live close by. The party ended up being so nice! We rented a gazebo and everyone pitched in with setting up. I had put Auntie Amy in charge and she got everything rolling on the decor. Grandma Marty and Grandpa Bob helped out with the food. Everyone else just lended a hand where needed and everything went so well.

All in all, we had about 20 people there. We started out with cupcakes for the grownups and whipped cream and peaches for Eli. He was so cute. It took quite some time for him to dig in but as the pictures can attest, he did.

Then we had snack and visiting time. Once Eli was done making his mess, we moved on to opening presents. Boy, Eli sure got some fun ones! A couch, a bouncy puppy, a farm, an airplane, a piggy bank, a bouncy bike thing, clothes, books, a truck, the works!

After that, Eli and Cousin Logan played in the splash park. Logan wasn't too keen on getting wet from the fountains, but Eli had a blast! We'll definitely need to take him back before the cold weather hits.

Here are a lot of pictures! And these are just a fraction of what we took. I think there were around 200. Yay, digital cameras! Anyway, these will give you a taste of our party. :)

Relative Introductions

We finally ventured over to Canby, Oregon this last weekend to visit with my grandparents and introduce Eli to them. We set out Saturday morning, spent the night, and came back Sunday afternoon. Eli did amazingly well on the trip! We were so proud of him! He wore himself out and slept like a rock at their house. Now to figure out how to get him to do that here. ;)

While we were there, my aunt Elaine and cousin Drew stopped in to see us, too. They also had not met Eli. We all went out to eat at Panda Express which was a little bit of a stretch for my grandparents who have decided over their 90ish years of life what kinds of foods they like and what kinds they don't. But they did alright and we bought a watermelon afterward to eat back at their home. So that made Grandpa happy.

Grandpa and Grandma couldn't get enough of Eli. I haven't seen Grandpa that happy and silly in years. What fun!


Eli being his usual goofball self shortly before we took off from home on Saturday.

Cousin Drew with Eli.

Eli and Grandpa played many duets throughout the visit.

Special Grandma and Great Grandson moment!

Two of my favorite people!

Remember Me?

Hello! I know I have been absent from the blog world for quite some time. I have been wanting to start back up for a while and am finally taking the initiative! I am saving up for a laptop which will let my computer time be a little more flexible and hopefully should result in more blogging. Right now our PC is stuck in the guest room where it is hard to keep Eli entertained if he is awake and hard for me to get to if he is asleep. Anyway, for now I plan on blogging once or twice a week.

Here is a tiny update on where the Barnett family is currently:

*Rob and I have been married for 2 1/2 years! I love that wonderful man and am so very thankful for him.

*Rob is still at his same workplace as a network engineer. He's been taking/studying for some tests which will increase his knowledge in areas he's moving in to. I'm so proud of him!

*We had our son, Eli, last August. He is such a joy to us both. There's no challenge quite like becoming parents. We have learned so much this past year. Eli will be turning one on August 18th!

*I have shifted gears significantly in the last 12-18 months. I had to let go of my online tutoring and my piano teaching. Both of those were jobs I really cherished. But now I have moved on to being a stay-at-home mommy. It has been an incredible venture and one I feel so blessed to be doing.

I touch on these and other topics more as I get back into blogging, but I just wanted to let you know the highlights for now. God is teaching me some amazing things right now and I am excited to share some of it with you all.

God's favor be on you and the places you go this week!

Cheeze

A Week of Landmarks

This week happens to contain a few milestones:

1. Yesterday, I turned 22! I felt it would be much more dignified to be 22 when my first child was born. So, I sneaked a birthday in! And I must say that it was a wonderful one! On Sunday, Rob and I went down to my parents' house and celebrated with my whole family. It was a lovely, relaxing afternoon. Then last night, we got together with Rob's mom and sister. Two really nice birthday parties in a row!

2. Tomorrow marks 37 weeks! The baby should be fully developed and may choose any day now to debut. Which brings us to...

3. Baby B made it to the birthing pool deadline! I just know this Little One wouldn't want to miss out on that adventure. Way to go, Baby!

4. My "little" brother, Joseph, turns 17 on Sunday! Wowie Zowie! Make way for a new man on the block!

I love a week of celebrations! I am so thankful for family, friends, and the generations to come!

Got Uncles?

There once were three brothers. These boys were kind enough to allow a sister to dwell among them. Yep, that's the type of boys they were.

Now these three brothers were leading very special lives, each unique but all intertwined. Yet, what they didn't know was that their lives were missing a key element. Unclehood.

Before they could realize the holes in their souls, their sister up and got married and decided to have a child. She didn't want to see her brothers continuing to partake of such shallow living.

Now each of these uncles will have his own signature way with the child. Each is gifted in different uncle departments.

The Eldest Uncle (EU) has a soft way about him. He's equipped perfectly for snuggling and book reading and lots of laughing. His words of wisdom shall uplift this child and be a testimony of our God's glory.

The Middle Uncle (MU) will provide all sorts of romping sessions. Explorations, piggyback rides, and bug collections are in store when hanging with MU. He will balance the activity with his insight into the tenderness of God.

The Youngest Uncle (YU) will be the entertainer. His stories, expressions, and ideas will awe and bring joy. YU will introduce the child to the wonder of God's mind in the world of science.

This child will not only bring out these gifts in the Uncles, but make many more appear that are yet to be unearthed. How blessed this Little One shall be.

Niece Logan's Birthday!

Our niece, Logan, turned 1 this past week! She is quite the little cutie-pie. Laramie and Curt had all the relatives and a few friends over to their workplace for a party on Saturday. Here are some pictures from the party.

I couldn't figure out how to rotate this picture, but isn't the cake cute? As you will see, the theme of the party was ladybugs.

Uncle Rob and Logan chatting before the festivities begin.

Logan in her "Logan" chair.

It's Grandma Colleen!

Mmmmm, ladybug tastes good!

Evening Time

My evening started rather early. Rob called me at 3:30 and asked if I could pick him up from work. He was coming down with a migraine and unable to drive home. He is now resting/napping. So, I cooked an early supper. Now I am trying to decide what to do with the rest of my evening.

The baby is 10 weeks along today. I have been keeping a journal for the baby to read when he/she gets older. This has been a great way to express some of the feelings I have for this child. I am sure I will just continue to grow in love with the baby as time goes on. But I already am in love!

I pray that I can grow in my knowledge and relationship with the Lord during my pregnancy. I have so much down time right now as I am resting. I could be (and have been) wasting a lot of it on unimportant things. But I'm realizing what better time to seek the Lord with all my heart?

Hello Again!

It's been ages since I've written a post! The last few months have been filled with some normal life and some unexpected life!

Since October, Rob's been hunting off and on. He went out Friday for a last hunt before all seasons come to an end. Ron Ingram shot a pheasant, but Rob also had a bead on it so Ron generously let Rob take it home. So, we'll be having pheasant one of these nights!

Phoenix has continued to grow in size and....well, I was going to say maturity. But that might be a little too strong of a word! He's an adorable four-and-a-half-month-old puppy. We are loving having him around. Rob has been taking him out in the middle of nowhere and letting him run free. He loves using that nose of his (Phoenix, that is!).

The biggest news, which you all surely know by now, is that Rob and I are expecting!! Yes, a little one will be joining our family this August. My life has changed so much between the constant baby thoughts and the morning sickness symptoms. But the sickness is getting better and I am just so excited about the wee one inside of me! All ready, 9 1/2 weeks have come and gone. Just about a fourth of the way there!

Well, that should catch you up a bit. Oh, wait. I'm still working on school. I wasn't able to pass my second to last test. So, I am getting ready to take that one again. The test should be coming in in two weeks and I hope to be ready to challenge and defeat it by then! Oh, to be done with school!

Okay, now I think you are alllll caught up. Maybe this will help me get back into blogging again!

Oh Yeah!

By the way, Happy Birthday, Joseph! Enjoy the first day of sweet sixteenness! See you when you get back from Seattle! :)

My 21st birthday

Q: What's better than playing volleyball in the extreme heat with family and friends?

A: Nothing, of course! :)

Last Saturday, I got to celebrate my birthday in the best way possible. You guessed it! Volleyball with people I love! The weather was pretty hot, but the nice thing about playing in the park is that the river is close by. In between games, we went for a dip!

Here are some of the highlights of the day:

Lots of fun! We are hoping to get another group together to do it again in a few weeks. I can't wait!

Father's Day!

We celebrated a wonderful Father's Day with my dad and family yesterday. Weather- and schedule-wise, we decided Saturday would be a better day than today. Looking outside, I think we made the right choice!

We went past Heppner, Oregon to the Rhea Creek area but didn't actually visit the creek. Instead, we climbed up a hill and enjoyed the beautiful scenery!

Here was at the park on the way:

Dad and Mom climbing up the hill:

View from part way up the hillside:

Brothers running:

Still running, leaving some of us behind:

The grass was beautiful blowing in the wind...and with some of my favoritest people in the background...perfect picture:

Wonderful day with wonderful family! I love you, Dad!

Ethan's graduation

Here are the pictures I promised from Ethan's graduation!

Rob and I watched the ceremony from another building where they were showing it live. We actually got the better deal because we had air conditioning (it was really muggy) and comfortable seats, unlike the rest of the family in the main auditorium. Here are Ethan, Rob, me, and Seth just after the ceremony.

I missed this part of the weekend. Ethan and the other engineers presented their Senior design project. Maybe Ethan will comment so you all can know exactly what it is. But I know that at least in this picture, their special printer is printing under water!

This was also taken right after the graduation ceremony. In his left hand is his diploma. In his right...the Bruin Bear!! It's a George Fox thing. From what I hear, every year there are several "Bruin Brawls" where every class unites and fights the other classes to secure this bear. It's an out and out war, so I'm told. Anyway, the goal is to get the bear off campus and which ever class succeeds gets to keep the bear until the next brawl. When the Senior class gets it, the bear is retired. So, in the last brawl, Ethan was the one to run it off campus so he gets to keep it!

This is Ethan and his sweet princess, Rachel! It was her birthday that day so we got to go hang out with her and her family for the evening!

And this is Ethan with his faithful buddy, Jason! They have roomed together all but one year--and then, they were only one room apart. Jason remained a Mechanical Engineer. Ethan switched to Electrical I believe just last year. Anyway, they have been good friends through their college journey!