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.