Blessing Day

We blessed Tanner Kevin Barnes at church today. It was beautiful, and not only that, but we were able to have family from both sides of the family be there with us. It was fabulous.

Here are four generations of Barnes Men.... aren't they all so handsome!

Ben and now Tanner both share their middle name with Ben's dad, Kevin. 

Family shot. It was funny that Roy ended up looking like he was posing for the picture too. He knows he's part of the family. 

Cameras are just too much fun. Too bad little boys can't hold still while taking a picture... these would have been cuter if they weren't blurry. 

It was so fun and nice to have family up from Utah. Daron, Brooke, and Little Miss Evelyn were able to be here.

Kiana left on her mission right before Landon was born, so it was nice to have her around this time too.

And Melissa is housing two more siblings for the summer in Southern Utah, so she was kind enough to load up her suburban and haul them and her family up to Idaho. Though I was wishing we could have had the rest of the crew with us too.

Silly sisters. Wish you were here making silly faces with us Karina!

It was a fabulous day. Wish we could do it more often. SO grateful for families and the knowledge I get to be stuck with these crazies for eternity!

Did I mention...

About 2 years ago we started trying to sell our house... we're still here. About a month before Tanner came our contract with our realtor came up, and we decided to be done trying to move for now. So since we are staying for a little while longer, we decided to make the house more liveable for us. The week before Tanner came we started the remodeling of our living room/kitchen area, and have just recently finished.

That's right... we've been remodeling with a newborn. Go ahead... say it... you know you are thinking it, and you wouldn't be the first... we're crazy... we know it. But hey, we're not as crazy as my sister and her husband... check out their remodel here. And it's already so much happier, so it's been worth it.
We've done most of the work ourselves with help from my mom when she was here and Ben's dad. The flooring was the one thing we had someone else install.
We painted the cabinets. (We actually rehung the doors the night I got home from the hospital.) We replaced the countertops, the sink, and the garbage disposal (it was broken). We repainted the walls and the trim (which we also pulled off so the flooring could be installed). My mom and Ben even hauled out the old yucky white carpet, so we didn't have to have to pay the installers to do it. So on to the  pictures...

BEFORE


AFTER
Living Room


Kitchen


Doesn't it look A-MAZ-ING! We're learning to become pretty "good do-it-yourself"ers. And because I did just have a baby a month ago, I have to give most of the credit to my husband. He really did most of it on top of taking care of me and the boys. Now for a little break before we start a new project. ;)

Newest Little Squeaker

Tanner Kevin Barnes arrived on Tuesday July 2nd at 8:26 PM weighing 7 lbs 13 oz and measuring 20 inches long. He made a speedy entrance into this world with a healthy set of lungs. His delivery was different from my other ones for several reasons, but I'll share his birth story later. This post is for picture purposes.

Hello, World!


With Daddy


With Mommy


Brothers come to visit


The newest family member


And because people ask me who he looks like... I never know what to say. This time I just say "his brothers." Here are the four monkeys pictures taken in the first 24 hours of when they were born. They're all definitely brothers... enjoy!

Update on Gavin

So yesterday we had the follow-up meeting for Gavin and his placement next year. It was a good conversation and at the end the district lady made the recommendation that he be placed in the Stepping Stones program! She even made the comment she had come with the intention to leave him at his "home" school, but by the end, she didn't feel it was what was best for him. What a mighty miracle! And it was such a huge relief to walk away from the meeting with that decision made.

Ben and I were so excited and wanted to celebrate, so we took the boys to McDonald's for dinner and to play, and then we topped it all off with Reed's Dairy ice cream.

Miracles: Part 2

Story 2 Note: I was 32 weeks at this point.
So on the craziness we called Monday, our Realtor called and there was another Realtor wanting to show our house that day... yea, not happening. We rescheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Don't worry we didn't sell our house... come to find out, they never even came.

Tuesday I spent doing some chores around the house, but mostly yard work. By bedtime, I was feeling like I had overdone it, but I figured with some sleep I'd be good to go the next day. And I was... or so I thought. Wednesday morning, I got up, cleaned the bathroom, made beds, and vacuumed... nothing to serious. Ben had been kind enough to clean the kitchen the night before. But by the time it got to be 11:30ish, I was hurting, but I wanted to finish the last few things before we took off to be with friends for lunch and then off to Grandma's for the afternoon.

Now I'm going to be very honest, but please know that I would do anything for my family... including little baby. And as hard as being pregnant is for me, I am grateful to be able to even be pregnant.

By the time we were leaving, I hurt so bad I could hardly move, I was feeling nauseous, and I was trying hard not to cry. It was bad. We got the friend's house, and I fessed up that I wasn't feeling really great. So I got some Tylenol and sat around while the kids played. I thought it would get better... with rest it usually does. It didn't.

On the way down to my MIL's house, I called the doctor, and they made room for me. They hooked me up to the monitors... baby was good, but I was having contractions. They did an ultrasound, and thankfully my body wasn't progressing with the contractions. According to statistics I would be good to carry this baby for another two weeks... as long as nothing changed. When I got home Wednesday evening, I stayed on the couch all evening and continued to take Tylenol ever four hours, but it was not getting better. I was afraid if something didn't change soon, I would be the exception to the statistic.

So I did two things: asked for a blessing (like before, but this time it was for healing, so it involved the help of another and consecrated oil) and called the doctor on call. Of course the doctor on call wasn't as on call as I would have liked. But luckily, the blessing came quickly. The Lord promised this baby wouldn't make his debut quite yet, and within a very short period of time, I started feeling better. Then later I heard back from the doctor, and he suggested I try ibuprofen. That night I was able to sleep and by the next morning, I was feeling so much better. I had to remain off my feet for most of the day, but with an amazing husband who took the day off, I was able to do so. And by Friday, I was feeling almost back to normal.

So for the second time this week, I've witnessed a miracle in my life. I have a feeling that the end of this pregnancy may drag out a bit, and I may have to take it easier than I would prefer, but I'm also grateful the Lord has blessed me to carry this baby a little longer. But even if this baby had come or still comes earlier than I would like, I know that He would and will still take care of me and this little boy. This little one is meant to be a part of our family.

May you find the tender mercies and miracles in your own life, as I have in mine.

Miracles: Part 1

I have two stories to tell... it's been quite the week. And I tell them for two reasons: so I never forget and as way to thank a loving God who is so mindful of my little family. Elder Bednar referred to the Lord's "tender mercies," but the two stories I'm going to share I feel are tender mercies that are nothing short of miracles.

I can get a little long-winded, so I'll break it up into two parts.

Story 1
I've shared a little now and again about the struggles we go through as we learn to cope with and help Gavin with his struggles. It's difficult at times, but no matter how hard it gets both  Ben and I want what is best for Gavin.

Thanks to some intervention from his preschool teacher, Gavin had a fabulous Kindergarten teacher. She has loved that little boy all year long, and he has continued to make progress. BUT there has been some concern about first grade. There are no aides in first grade, and Gavin really struggles to remain focused and on task. At the moment he lacks the ability to work independently. (We've added ADHD on the list since the last time I talked about his diagnosis.)

So over the last month or two we've started to do some research. Trying to figure out what would be best for him next year. Our school district has a program that we have felt would be really good for him. In talks with the special education teacher, the district didn't want to put him in that classroom because he doesn't have an autism label (and it's an autistic classroom). At this point, I would like to note that though he isn't officially autistic, he does exhibit autistic symptoms. (Most people just assume he is autistic.) We exercised our right to call a meeting to discuss the matter.

So after feeling infuriated. Thanks to some talks with my MIL, I decided I had to be prepared. I had to show the district in educated, level-headed way the needs of my child and why we believed that this particular program met those needs even without the label. I'm not going to lie... I put a lot of time and research into it... a 2 1/2 page paper was a the result. I then had several people (mostly family... and big thanks to all!) read it and re-read it as I modified it using their feedback. I also had his private therapists write up letters for me. I literally did everything that was in my power to do. This time last week, I was sooooooooo stressed. (I don't think the pregnancy hormones helped.) Poor Ben was so supportive.

Sunday night, I couldn't hardly take it anymore. I knew I had done what I could, so I had to now turn it over to the Lord. I needed the comfort only the Lord can bring, so I asked Ben to give me a Priesthood blessing. (For my friends of other Christian faiths, we believe that God has restored the power and authority to act in His name... think the Apostles in the New Testament acting in the name of the Lord.) This is something very real and very important to me. After that blessing, I felt peace and comfort, and I knew without a doubt that the Lord knew me and my special little Gavin and whatever happened Monday it would be what was best for Gavin.

Monday morning came, and I was counting down the hours until 11. About an hour before the meeting the special education teacher called, and we spoke. She had talked with district again and was feeling like they were coming wanting what was best for Gavin. That phone call was another witness of everything that I had been told the night before. I anxious as I still was feeling, I also had hope and a feeling of it will all work out.

Through out the meeting, Ben and I felt listened to (which is a big deal to me... there have been plenty of times I have not felt that way when it comes to being heard on what I feel is right for my son). I felt like everyone was there to figure out what was best for meeting Gavin's needs. I could understand their hesitation in putting Gavin in this particular program, but instead of just playing boss, saying yeah right, but not giving us anything to work with, they came up with another plan that we feel is just as good and perhaps even a little better situation for Gavin. They have offered aide support through out the day for him, which later the special teacher commented to us was a miracle because that almost never happens, and the fact that they suggested it.... a-maz-ing.

So technically nothing was actually resolved. BUT some good things are happening and need to happen before we have another meeting in a week to decide the final course of action for Gavin next year. Ben and I both came away feeling like it had been a successful meeting. And once again, the Lord showed me that He knows me and my family. He has a perfect plan that even though I can't see all the pieces to... He can, and so often when I can turn things over to Him after doing all that I can that He will take my small offering and create something beyond what I even thought was possible. I know that the Priesthood blessing was honored and this mother's prayers were heard and answered. And that was just my first miracle of the week...