ABP

Just "another birthday post."

Opening cards from Grandmommy, Granddaddy, and Granny Barnes.

Our little saver was excited to put money in his piggy bank.

The Toy Story 3 helicopter that he bought with money Granny Barnes sent him.

We had his party at the local McDonald's. It was the easiest party I've ever thrown. I called to schedule the party and didn't do anything else. It actually turned out very well, although I felt a little guilty for not doing any of the work myself.

Peyton had to leave his party early so she gave him a kiss. Aren't they cute!

Cake Time!

Gray loves him some cake.

Presents!

Granny Debbie got him a real T-Ball bat...

...and a batting helmet...

...and a tee. Guess who can play T-Ball next spring?

Big hug for Granny!

A mini pillow pet from Nate.

Mommy and Daddy's gift last.

Rubber Boots! (and other Mickey Mouse items)

Rebirth

John 3:5 (NIV) Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit

We never fail to celebrate a birthday, but we often forget other important dates in our children's lives.

Three years ago today Gray was reborn as a child of God. At the tender age of 1 day our pastor visited us in the hospital and baptized Gray in the name of the triune God. Through this sacrament the Holy Spirit planted a seed of faith in his heart.

There is nothing more comforting when your child is sick than God's promise that we are saved through faith and knowing that the Holy Spirit has worked through baptism to plant faith in your child's heart.

It's wonderful a job to feed his faith and watch it grow. Does he fully understand it? No. Does that mean it's not there? Certainly not.

Today I especially thank God for my children, His great plan of salvation, and the people who help nurture the faith of our family.

THREE

Three years ago today God sent him to us looking like this:

Then he gave us some scary times that looked like this:

and this:

But we all made it through and today he's a healthy, happy THREE YEAR OLD!!!!

Happy Birthday Gray!!!

Break

So I've taken a little break from blogging. It wasn't purposeful, i just didn't have time or lost motivation or something. Anyway, I'll try to do better. But we're busy, so all I can do is try.

But the break I'm talking about in the title isn't my break from blogging. It's Spring Break! And we had a great week split between Galveston and Houston.

We started off with a little beach time.

It was chilly, but of course Nate wanted to put his feet in the water.

Gray isn't much of a beach fan. He didn't want to move off of the beach mats. But he did want to build a sand castle.

Nate tried to build a moat in the sand. I recall doing that at my grandparents bay house. I was running back and forth between the moat and the water faucet, running by the back of the boat each time. I got a little close and ended up in the emergency room for stitches on my cheek. I still have the scar.

We ran into one of Nate's teammates at the beach.

They had a ton of fun.

Granny Debbie came to visit us. We went on a dolphin tour.

We only saw a few dolphins, but we had a great time.

We also went to SeaWolf Park. I always saw it from the ferry when I was a kid and wanted to go. This is Nate by some of the engines in the USS Cavalla, a WWII submarine.

Group pic in front of the sub.

We also toured the USS Stewart, a destroyer escort. Gray found some "drums." I was concerned about the lack of barriers around the top and the steep staircases. Gray and I didn't finish looking at the USS Stewart.

We found the playground instead.

We went back to the beach to test out the metal detector that Nate got for Christmas.

Nate found some "treasure." Oddly, I don't know what happened to all the $1 gold coins that we got in change from a parking meter.

Gray played with some bubbles.

Daddy showed his Eagle spirit.

Nate noticed these bicycle surreys last year. We told him we could rent one on a nice day. My family did it once when Jake and I were kids. Now I know why we never did it again.

We drove it to McDonald's, had a quick snack, then took it back to the rental shop.

We also visited the Houston Zoo, but I forgot my camera. There were lots of animals, but even more people. Somehow I did manage to find a good friend from high school (actually she spotted Kenny). It was nice to see an old friend.

Just like last year the boys had eye appointments. Everyone got a good check up. Nate's first cataract surgery is scheduled for June 9. They'll remove the lens from the left eye first. A few weeks later they'll follow up with the right. I know there is some stuff that he's going to miss this summer, but I also can't wait for him to be able to see clearly.

Blog, What Blog?

The Barnes household has been busier than normal. On top of our already stupidly crazy normal schedule, it's been busy season at work. That's meant work, come home, eat, put the kids to bed, log on and work some more. The blog was one of several things I put on hiatus. Here is what's been going on in the Barnes' world.

Nate and Kenny were Superbowl Runners Up.

(That may have been in my last post, but I'm too lazy to check.)

Nate had a fabulous 7th birthday party with tons of friends.

Nate was the All Star Student for his class.

Nate celebrated his birthday at school.

We bought Nate an awesome birthday present that turned out to be a total flop. Nate loves the surfing ride at Schlitterbahn. It turns out that there is a similar surfing simulator in a local mall. I say "similar" because the one in the mall is way more violent. After getting slammed into the back wall a couple of times Nate was done. Luckily we bought it as a Groupon and it didn't cost much. And, they never scanned the Groupon, so Kenny is planning to use it.

We discovered Gray's passion for cooking.

Can you have a passion for Manwhich?

Nate started playing basketball. And I started taking crappy gym pictures. Anyone want to give me a couple thousand dollars for a good lens to take gym pictures?

Nate is also playing indoor soccer. Between the lighting and the plexiglass wall, I haven't even tried to take a picture of that.

Nate participated in our church's Christmas Program.

We went to ICE! at the Gaylord Texan with the Barnes side of the family.

Shana took most of the pictures.

The boys made reindeer cookies for Santa.

Ready for bed on Christmas Eve.

Our sad, dry tree surrounded by the gifts from Santa. Watering a live tree is important.

Nate is looking for the pickle ornament to get a special gift. It's no easy task for Nate to find a green ornament on a green Christmas tree. At least Gray doesn't give him any competition.

Gray has a new obsession with trains. He always wanted to watch the train go around the tree when we were at home.

Dental hygiene is important. Santa brought a Thomas the Train electric toothbrush.

Hunting for treasure with Nate's Metal Detector from Grandmommy and Granddaddy.

A crazy New Years Eve teaching Nate to play poker. (Yeah, we're good parents.)

Gray got his first pair of boots.

Nate's class program called Rise and Shine. It's like a live version of the morning announcements at school

IT SNOWED!!!!!

A LOT!!!!

Gray helped put together the new storage system for the playroom.

Overall, it's been a great few months around here. Hopefully the end of busy season will let me keep the blog more up-to-date.