BDB

Here is a much overdue introduction of the newest little member of our family.

Brody Donald Barnard

June 24, 2010

7lbs. 13oz.

21 inches

Perfect

Brody was born via a planned c-section. It was so strange to know when my little guy was coming. I have to say it was so nice to feel ready and have time to prepare. My mom was my sidekick in the OR. What an awesome mother, daughter experience it was for us. Everything went smoothly, recovery was easy and best of all I had a brand new perfect baby boy. A moment that will forever be engraved in my mind was that of Hunter's face as he looked at his new brother for the first time. I can't describe the brilliance of his expression packed with so much bliss and tenderness. Brothers for life, brothers forever. Brody came with such a powerful spirit. As I held him in the hospital and gazed into his precious little face, I was in awe of the abundance of peace he radiated from such I tiny soul. There is nothing like holding a newborn, knowing that only moments ago they were in the presence of God. If only they could speak. Brody's ability to fill the room with peace was so profound. One night the nurse from the nursery came to check on us and asked if she could just stay awhile. She sat down in the chair and said she didn't want to leave because it was so peaceful and soothing in our room. Brody, one day you will be old enough to read this, so I am going to take a moment to speak to you. I know with everything I am that you are a dear and precious child of our Heavenly Father. I know that you were meant to come to our family and that you will do great things in your life. I can feel already the power and ability that lies in you and I am excited to watch you grow and realize your talents and witness what you accomplish with them. Know that you were wanted and brought here in love. You are adored by many. My sweet baby boy.

I have to thank my friend Jen Bertoch for taking these magnificent pictures. They are such a treasure to me. She did such an excellent job capturing the dear and precious features of my newborn baby that are all too soon fleating as he grows more and more every day. Thank you Jen. Thank you too to all of you who visited us in the hospital bringing gifts and flowers, hugs and support. Thank you to my family for taking care of me so that I could heal quickly and accelerate into being a busy mom of two. Thank you for all of the prayers offered in our behalf and all of the many kind acts of service. Love you all.

Chugga Chugga

THOMAS!!! This weekend we got to meet Thomas the Train who was awesome enough to give us a ride in one of his freight cars. Hunter was sooo excited. He couldn't hold his little feet still when Thomas pulled up on the tracks. Best day ever in the life of a 2 year old.

Our friend Hannah came along with us. Here are the kids checking out their official Junior Engineer certificates from Sir Topomhat himself! So cool.



Here's the official junior engineers taking in the sights of backyards in Heber as Thomas pulled us along.

After our train ride we went and enjoyed all the fun that was to be had at the activity booths. We watched videos, played with trains, colored, and got totally cool Thomas tattoos on our faces. This is Hunter with his "swimming buddy" Chase. (Chase is our swimming buddy because that is what we did last summer every time Chase came in town).


After we had experienced Thomas to the max, it was time to bid our train buddies farewell and head off for Thomas part 2 in Springville. To put it in Hunter's words, " I got to see Thomas the Train and Thomas the cousin, huh. That's funny." Thomas part 2 meant lotsa cousins and aunties and uncles and grandma and grandpa and whoa...a ride on the 4-wheeler with the bravest uncle ever. Super, fabulous, radical weekend.

Roses Among the Thorns

The last two months have been.... a challenge to say the least. But you should know that we are the Barnard's, and we don't let challenges get in the way of us enjoying life. So let's for a moment forget all the tears that have been shed these last couple of months and focus on the smiles. (Warning, some of these smiles may result in tears, but the good kind).

Let's first trot the clock back to St. Patty's day. Hunter awoke to find a rainbow of crepe paper leading from his room, down the stairs and into the kitchen. And what do you find at the end of rainbows? Well, duh. A pot of gold! And if you are 2 you also find green toys (dinos, whistles, beads) and Lucky Charms cereal! What better way to start a holiday than downing a bowl of sugar. Not only are Lucky Charms magically delicious, but they also magically turn your milk green. Hunter was quite taken with this spell the leprachauns put on his cereal. By the way parents, did you know what a great motivator for good behaivor leprachauns can be? Just tell your naked 2-year-old that it is time to stop splashing in the tub and get dressed, otherwise the leprachauns will come and pinch his bare bum because he isn't wearing any green. You have never seen a little guy tub so fast!


Next was a very exclusive easter egg hunt in the park. Most of the local children would be there the following weekend to battle over colored eggs filled with goodies. Not Hunter and Makenna. No, no. They were important enough to be there an entire week early. No fighting with any runny nose commoners for their easter treats. These two had the park all to themselves. How do you attain such vip status? You will have to talk to Hunter's people (aka, Janae) and Makenna's people (aka, Ryan and Malissa). You see some how their "people" got the dates mixed up. So Makenna's people (Ryan) made a mad dash to the grocery store for eggs and jelly beans so these kiddos were never the wiser. Always a fun day for Hunter when Makenna is involved. They loved finding their eggs and would get sooo excited when they'd locate one.

Next was Easter morning. This was spent at Grandma and Grandpa Quigley's house. Don't fret young kiddies. The Easter Bunny has made some exceptional technological advances, so if you happen to relocate for a holiday, he will still find you. Hunter loved finding the eggs as much as he did dying them the day before. He was very festive sporting bunny ears for the duration of his egg hunt and scored big with a new basketball hoop. He spent the remainder of the day challenging his uncles to one on one games of basketball and spinning out of control due to his ultimate sugar high.

Now here we go off to one of our favorite vacation destinations, Oakley, Idaho where the livin' is easy. It was a special weekend because little Ally got baptized and her older brother DJ got his Eagle. Ultimate proud mama weekend for Stacie. It was so good to see some of the lovely Barnard gals. I just love these women and look up to them so much. They are all so fun, strong and beautiful. Just being around them strengthens my soul. Hunter and his two cousins terrorized every living creature on the farm. One of my favorite moments is when I witnessed about 5 or 6 chickens come bursting around the corner, running for their lives as if Colonel Sanders himself was after them. Oh, no, their fate was much worse than the KFC legend. Right on their heels (do chickens have heels?) was 5 year old Thomas waving a stick and shouting. Right behind Thomas was 3 year old Henry waving his own stick and behind him was my little caboose pumping those little legs as fast he could to keep up with the older two and the traumatized chickens. These three also collected eggs they found in random bushes, fed the cows, made mud pies and jumped on the trampoline.

Hunter and Hannah have spent the last few months in a Kindermusik class. It has been a lot of fun to go each week and watch them enjoy themselves. They had a special parents night where anyone could come and participate and watch the kiddos do what they have been learning the last several weeks.

I work with the cutest girls. Seriously, I do. They are my second family and I have thought many times that I don't know how I would get by in life without them. These ladies were so sweet to come up with the idea to paint my bedroom. They understood that I was in need of a place of my own that was new and fresh and welcoming. So they told me to pick a day and they would be there with their brushes. It was a wonderful morning hanging out with these gals and painting away the past. The color I picked was called Zen. Appropriate huh? After they left the Fed Ex man brought me my new bedspread. Now my room is as beautiful as my friends (this is where those good tears come in).

I have been promising Hunter since Christmas that I would take him to the Dinosaur park in Ogden, once the weather turned warm. I am convinced that he is part elephant becuase he never forgets. So with spring in the air, he held me to my promise. We took Makenna and Malissa along with us. Hunter held Makenna's hand and walked her through the park pointing out the different dinosaurs and sharing with her their name or some fact. This kid really knows way to much about dinosaurs for a 2-year-old. Inside the museum they met a paleontologist who was working on an allosaurous named Cosmo. He was a cute man who appreciated a little guys young enthusiasm and let the kids touch one of the bones he was working on. This was super cool to Hunter.

I don't have pictures for all of the fun we had, but there have also been lots of fun playdates, birthday parties, sleepovers, a visit Grandma and Grandpa B's, and lots of hugs and loves. My belly is getting bigger by the second, literally. I think I grew an inch while putting this post together. Hunter tries to listen to the baby with a stethascope we have, only to be let down. He asks me each day if today is the day the baby comes out. Each time I tell him I wish it was. I asked him if he thought the baby would have blue eyes like him or brown eyes like me. He looked at me matter of factly (and with a tinge of annoyance) and said, "Mom, we are just going to have to wait and see." I love lazy mornings on the couch watching Dinosaur Train and Super Why while my little Hunter wraps in to me as close as he can, which sets the baby off in to a wiggle fest which just doubles my joy in the moment. It is those moments I hold on to. Where for a minute, all is peaceful and right in the world. I have had so many of these moments that there are days where I actually believe that the world is right.

Beginings and Ends

And now......

A new chapter.....

One thing I am learning is life NEVER turns out the way you thought it would. It isn't easy when someone else's choices and decisions are so completely out of your control and can still have such an impact on your life and the lives of those you love most. The free agency of others is what keeps things interesting I suppose. I do know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and has a plan for each of us, even though we may not be able to see it or even imagine it. There are no accidents in life. Things happen for a reason and if we stay close to God and make Christ the center of our lives, eventually the blessings and purposes of this life will be unveiled to us. We are the Barnard's, and this is our trial of faith as we venture in to the unknown.

Baby Brother

Here's a sneak peak at the newest member of our family. He's coming the end of June and we are sooooo excited. We had our ultrasound February 1st and were super surprised to hear the words, "It's a boy!" See, we kinda thought it was a girl, just because I have felt completely different with this pregnancy than I did with Hunter. When we found out that it was a boy, Craig and I couldn't stop smiling. The nurse left right after the announcement to get the doctor, so Craig and I had a minute alone to let the news sink in. We just kept looking at each other and giggling. A boy. Another boy! Brothers! Baseball games, bunkbeds, buddies! We just couldn't get over it. We are so happy. My dad was watching Hunter during our appointment, so we went straight from the doctor's to my parents. On the way we called Craig's folks to give the m the good news. When we got to my parents', we gave Hunter a little white box decorated in baby stickers and told him it was a very special surprise for him. He opened the box to reveal blue M&M's. Immediately my parents caught on and yelled, "A boy!" Hunter is excited for his new brother and already has an agenda for him. He plans on taking the baby to SeaWorld, the dinosaur museum, and lagoon where they will ride the train and the merry-go-round. Hunter also can't wait for the baby to get big so they can rough house. He talks to the baby frequently and will often stroke my tummy and tell me he's being soft to baby. This summer just can't get here fast enough. Hurry up little guy! We are all so excited to meet you!

So our current challenge is coming up with a name for this little guy. For the heck of it we thought we'd ask Hunter for some input. It's always fun to get a glimpse of the wacky thoughts he's got swimming around in that little brain. So, here's Hunter's top 10 baby names:

1. Poop (this is his go to answer for all questions)
2. Pee (frequently follows poop)
3. Glub
4. Jane
5. John
6. Thomas
7. Walt (currently the most popular response)
8. Hunter
9. Goo
10. Jackass

Before you all judge us on #10, Craig and I would like you all to know that he did not learn this word from us, not exactly. Jay Leno is who we have to thank for name suggestion #10. However, Craig is the one who allowed Hunter to watch the Jay Leno Show. So, I guess just like everything else in our world, it's all Craig's fault. Don't worry baby, mom and dad will come up with a good name for you.

A Short Story

Once there was a little boy who wouldn't go to bed. His tired mommy was at the end of her wits and chose to resort to bribery to get him to finally call it a night. "Now little boy," said the mommy, "If you will put on your pj's and jump in to bed, tomorrow when you wake up I will take you to the aquarium!" Before you could say jellyfish, this little boy was tucked in with lights out. It just so happened that the aquarium was his most favorite place to go. The mommy felt super sly as she kissed his little forehead because she had fully planned on taking him to the aquarium anyhow. Feeling quite pleased with herself, she plopped down on the couch with the book that had been waiting for her all day.

The next morning the mommy was feeling much less smug when she looked out the window and saw the horrible snow storm swirling around outside. These roads were no good for driving tiny tots around on.

She told the little boy she was very sorry, but they could not go to the aquarium today. This did not go over well with the little boy.

Then the mommy got an idea. She pulled out the playdough Santa had brought by a few days earlier and told the little boy that if they couldn't go to the aquarium, then they would bring the aqaurium to them. So they did.The little boy was happy and the mommy learned never to make promises without checking the weather report first.

THE END.

What Have We Been Up To?

Well, get ready, because it has been a busy fall. We started out with the flu, not swine flu, just the good old fashioned yucky flu. So we did a lot of this...

...and a lot of this....
Then we finally got to move on with life. We helped gramps pick some apples. Yum!

Picked some good lookin' pumpkins to make jack-o-lanterns. Look at that cute little pumpkin in the back!

We went to Cornbelly's with some of Hunter's favorite pals, Hannah and Makenna. Oh, Hunter and his harem. Ha, ha. These kiddies had a blast finding easter eggs? Yes, black and orange easter eggs were hidden in the kiddie corn maze. Sounded odd to me, but they loved it! There was also a cutsey playground complete with a corn box. This is a sandbox, but filled with corn. Makenna was a huge fan of this. She spent quite a bit of time filling her shoes with corn and then dumping it back out. There was also a princess land with a bounce house and pumpkin coach. Hunter got to play prince charming to his two leading ladies. Super fun evening!

Craig played in a flag football tournement. No concusions this year, just a ruptured ear drum. Hunter had fun watching his daddy, and kept making a break for the field. "Put me in coach!"

Happy Halloween. We kicked off the day at Grandma Greats. Look at all these cute great-grandkids, and this is only half of them! What a legacy. Hunter is a dino, excuse me, a T-Rex. He was really good at staying in character all day.

And check out the Wicked Witch (oh I mean don't worry Hunter, mommy's a nice witch), a festive trick-or-treater, and the one and only Lady Gaga.

Here we are gettin' ready to go collect our Halloween loot.

With the thermomenter dropping every day, we decided to make a break for St. George. Hunter was loving Grandma Barnard's (he calls her Ha Ha Grandma) tub toys. The kid was a prune and the water had turned freezing by the time we coaxed him out of the tub.

We made a trip to the dino museum at Johnson Farms. This was really cool. My favorite was the mud imprint of a dinosaurs skin. That was amazing. Hunter is a big fan of anything dinosaur related. He impressed the volunteers with his dino knowledge. If you are going to work at a dinosaur museum you better know who ornithomymus and parasaurolophus are because some 2-year-old might come in and ask you about them.

And then we came home to this. Aw crap! Hunter is a bigger fan than I am.

We trecked down to Springville for Thanksgiving. The Bonds opened their home and were fabulous hosts. We loved seeing Grandma and Grandpa Barnard, the Zevenbergens, and even little Kai who is all grown up and camed down from Rexberg. The food was delish and the company even better. We gobbled till we waddled. Except for Hunter, he couldn't slow down long enough to swallow a single bite of turkey. Not will all those cousins to run around with. He especially loved wrestling with his bigger cousins. I just LOVE this family.

Fwew! Anyone make it down this far? Well that was fall.

BRING ON CHRISTMAS!!!!

Puppy Love

Hunter and Makenna went on a date to Gardner Village to see the witches. These two are just precious. They held hands and wandered around checking out all the fun Halloween spookies. There was even a little lip lockin'. Makenna has recently added "boys" as something to say thank you for in her prayers. Malissa and I are in serious trouble.

Happily Ever After.

Random Hello's from Hunter

Hi, from the park!

Howdy, from the State Fair!

P.S. Can someone tell my cheap parents to buy a booster seat! How's a guy supposed to work under these conditions!

Dinos and 2 babies

We had fun this weekend at the dinosaur park in Ogden. Hunter was in heaven! The had a life size replica of every dino imaginable complete with eerie dino noises. Hunter showed no fear when face to face with these monsters. Craig and I had fun watching him get so excited each time we found a new dinosaur. What a cute little guy (who apparently is taking style tips from A.C. Slater, what is up with that hat Hunter, that's right he put it on that way).

After we had seen on done it all at the dinosaur park, we headed off to visit on old Dixie pal who was in town from Aspen. I love this gal and cannot believe she is the mother of twins now! She looks like she has the two babies thing down. Mercy! These two are just sweet though, and pretty like their mommy. Hunter really wanted to hold one. He was quite taken with these little ladies.