Big Bear 2012

We spent this past weekend up in Big Bear with my family.  It was so wonderful.  We arrived late Friday night to this adorable little cabin..

We played games, ate yummy food, went sledding, and built snow men.  Brandon also went with my mom, Adam, and my sisters snowboarding on Saturday.

"Don't step on Sterling."  Do you love Sterling's face?  Sledding was too fun!

 But then it was cold and time to go inside.  Sterling's get up is a combination of hand me downs, Scarlett's gear, and deeply discounted items... hence the pink boots and purple pants.

 Our snow man was a little sad, but the snow was very fluffy, and who cares anyways..

Chandler could not get enough of the white stuff, and we loved the company.  It was such a fabulously good time, I am already day dreaming about next time.

Love Day

I don't love Valentine's Day.  I don't hate Valentines day.  I don't have feelings towards it much at all.  I think the colors are pretty, but I do not want to wait 3 hours to eat at Olive Garden.

BUT this year, Chandler was into it, and it was exponentially more fun.

We made valentines for his preschool class, which turned out so cute.  I forgot to take pictures, so sad :(

We mades crayon hearts a while back.  These were so much more fun than I had anticipated.  I recommend this one. 





The boys had grilled cheese sandwiches in heart shapes for lunch, and then we had heart pancakes for dinner.  It was perfect.





ps: Sterling wore his (chandler's) Canada shirt because it was the only thing red in his drawer that day.  I was trying to be festive here!

Duckies, Slides and Sunshine

Conversations with strangers...
"We moved here from Portland not too long ago."
"Oh, did you like it there?"
"There were a lot of things we really loved about Portland, and it will always be special to us, but it rained way too much."

We are loving the sunshine!









Sterling thought he was a duck.. he ate all of his bread and kept trying to get in the water..




We also played at the park, and had a picnic.








It was a perfect afternoon.. except chasing Sterling away from the lake..

I Have a Problem...

...I don't like January, or February much.

It's cold. I don't mind the cold when I can crank Christmas music and bake pies in my oven. But then the decorations come down, I go back on my diet, and turn the music off, and it's just cold and dark. I think the months before January are so busy. I spend my time, making costumes, planning, cooking, shopping and partying. Then January comes with nothing. Nothing to plan for, nothing to bake for, no music that makes me dance around. We have some tentative plans for March... MARCH.

This is my problem. I don't want to just waste away the months of January and February waiting for spring and summer. I've heard someone say January is their favorite month. How do I do that?

What do you do to combat the post holiday blues?

2011 in Retrospect

It's January 17th, and after a quick trip to my parent's for my mom's birthday. I feel like the holidays are finally over. I'm aware that this is a little late, but heck, here it is..

2011 was eventful for us!

• In January Brandon officially started looking for a job.
• In February Sterling had baby food! I can't believe how little he is in that picture!
• In March we traveled to California and Colorado in search of work..
• We were very busy in April. Brandon turned 29, we celebrated Easter, saw some sunshine, had a naked lady party, and I finished my a** contest.
• May came with wedding bells, and we prayed for warmer weather.
• In June we went swimming, even though it was still raining. Brandon became a doctor, Chandler finished preschool, and Dr. Farkas asked us to move to Kentucky.
• July was a party filled month. We partied with old roommates in Idaho. Brandon and I flew across the country, to visit with Dr. Farkas. And we partied, a little late, because Chandler turned 4. We also started to pack boxes.
• August was clear and warm, but filled with ups and downs. We were sad to say goodbye to Benson and our dear friends the Batemans. We celebrated when Sterling turned 1, then we hurried up to play with our family in Washington. I cried when we committed to a job in Kentucky, and when that fell through, rejoiced to take a job in Vegas instead.
• September took us from our home. It was a bitter sweet moment in our lives.
• October was a settling month. I turned 25, and the month culminated in Halloween, and we felt at home.
• November brought in the holidays, and we were happy to be busy. We hosted my family for our first Thanksgiving in our new home, and it was was fabulous!
• In December we turned on the heater, and put up the Christmas lights. We partied with Grandpa & Sandy in Las Vegas, and then partied with some Tates after Christmas.

It was a whirlwind a year for us: a new home, a new job, new weather patterns, new neighborhoods, parks, and grocery stores. Mostly it was a wonderful year (except the whole Kentucky scare) and we are all a little better than we were last January. I am praying 2012 is just as wonderful, but maybe involves a little less packing.

Happy New Year!

After Grandpa and Sandy left, the kids and I packed up the car to spend New Years in California with the Tates. This was no quiet, but a constant raging good time.

We played games, lots of games, too many games. We ate good food and opened presents..


The boys scored, getting almost all of the Toy Story characters..


I love this one!




We also visited the beach, and roasted hot dogs; always a good time.









And, I had intended to use the sparklers on New Year's Eve, but I'm glad we waited so Chandler could participate. So fun!





We had such a wonderful Christmas and 2011 was really a fantastic year for us. So often I am overwhelmed by all of my wonderful blessings. I don't know why the Lord has decided us to be deserving, but I trying my best to be worthy of His generosity.

Happy Holidays

Love,

The Barnettes

PS: You can see the rest of our holiday pictures on my facebook.

Christmas @ Our House

I'm so behind, so behind. But I don't think anyone cares except me.. Sooo, first we had Christmas at our house with Grandpa and Sandy. It was quiet and I just love having kids on Christmas, it's the best.








Love his slippers? Me too!