A Normal Day in January

Before I give you the lowdown on what has been going on in the Barros household so far this month, let me just share with you my only-slightly-less-than-normal-Friday of last week. So, Jeff was gone all last week staying on Vance AFB doing some Chaplain stuff. Full-time duty work; not sure of all that entails. Friday, I had a doctor's appointment and I had to take Bennett with me because Jeff didn't get home until Friday afternoon. Bennett actually did really well. I took his stroller and, although he got bored with it quickly, he finally fell asleep as I pushed it around in circles waiting for the doctor. I think they may have forgotten about me because we sat in the exam room for a good hour. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep, too. So, that was my morning. Lunch and afternoon were the normal routine, but as soon as I walked into Bennett's room to get him up from his afternoon nap, I was hit with the smell of poopy pants McGee. Just to be safe, when I got him out of his crib, I checked to be sure the smelly contents were still contained in the diaper. Well, it was when I picked him up. Somewhere between then and laying him on the floor to change him, poo got everywhere. I clean him up as good as I can and take a naked baby and his soiled clothes to the bathroom to clean them off. While I am filling up the bathtub to give Bennett a quick scrub down, he is standing next to me stark naked excited about this impromptu bathtime. That's when my leg started to feel wet and I realize Bennett is standing there peeing on my leg! I can't help but laugh as I put him in the tub, clean up the floor, and take my pants off and lay them in the sink with his dirty clothes. I can't just leave him in the tub alone to go change, so I just gave him a quick bath pantless. As soon as I get a fresh diaper on him and strap him in the high chair for a snack, Jeff comes walking through the door and there I am, standing in my undies, giving Bennett his snack. Jeff just looks at me, says hi, then heads towards Bennett to tell him how much he missed him. I guess we know who Jeff's new favorite is! I got everything cleaned, got some fresh pants on myself and my kid, and listened to how Jeff's week went. That was my Friday afternoon. Friday night, Jeff and I went to our first dinner and a movie date since... I don't know when... sometime before Bennett. We put Bennett to bed, the babysitter came over (easy job!), and went out for a not-so-great burger. I was excited to see Saving Mr. Banks, and while I enjoyed learning the back story behind one of my favorite childhood movies, it wasn't as great as I was expecting. Also, the sound went out toward the end of the movie... It took them a while to fix it, then rewind it, then lock the doors on us before the movie was over... Yup, that was our Friday night. Just in case you were needing a little entertainment! ;)

2014 has been fun so far! Bennett turned one on the 5th! We had an airplane party the day before and had so much fun with family and friends watching him open presents and eat cake! This kid is just flat out spoiled. It's out of control! He got so many presents from Christmas and his birthday... we don't have room for it all! The kid runs over half of the house! The only place he doesn't have stuff in is our room, although that is questionable because he likes to sneak in there to throw toys for us to step on. Jeff said he found one of Bennett's socks in his suitcase last week. The kid loves taking his socks and shoes off. His new thing is furrowing his brow at people for all sorts of reasons. If you tell him NO or some stranger says hi or the dogs run away from him. I'm really starting to that think when I tell him "No! Don't touch that!" what he is hearing is, "Yay! Isn't it fun to play with dog food? Keep doing that until I have to come over and smack your little hands!" Laughs and giggles, then furrowed face... What's funny is that when Jeff tells him NO, he actually stops and pays attention. Sometimes he even starts to cry! I think it is the deep, stern voice Jeff uses. I tried raising my voice to try and scare him like Jeff somehow does. I absolutely hate yelling, but it didn't work anyway. He just smiles real big at me and continues to eat a lava rock from the fireplace or unplug the nightlight in the hallway or pull Nanook's tail. Oh, this kid... He's such a rascal, but at the same time he is such a loving little boy who likes to give kisses and read books in your lap. His new thing is lifting up my shirt to try and blow raspberries on my belly like we do to him. It cracks me up.

Next month, Jeff will be gone to Denver a few days to be in a friend's wedding. Then he is heading to Africa in March for a mission trip! Bennett and I will be going to visit my little sis in College Station and go to the rodeo in Houston! Always busy. Always loving it.

Just a little update on our adoption wait: Please be praying for the adoption process in Ethiopia. Their current government leaders are working to end all foreign adoptions. We aren't sure if this will actually take place and, if it does, when. We still have a lengthy wait on the waiting list. There has been a slow down on adoptions because of corruption in the country's orphanages and processes. At the rate the waiting list is moving, we may still have another two years before we can bring a child home. Please pray that, whatever happens, the right decision is made for those children needing homes.

2013 in Review

2013 has been a exciting year of changes and firsts. Our first child was born and watching him experience his first smile, first pat-a-cake game, first beach trip, first steps, and more, has been nothing less than amazing and we are so blessed to be Bennett's parents. Thinking back at the journey we took to meet him, the pregnancy itself, the infertility issues before, and the losses of precious family members just months before we became pregnant, I can only smile at God's perfect plan. It still doesn't all make sense to me, the way things have played out, but my heart is truly full of this unexplainable joy when I think upon the fact that we serve a God who is good, a God who is in control, and a God who loves us deeper than the seas and higher than the heavens.

Bennett's First Car!

Two years ago today, my grandfather ended the year passing from this world into the next. Just two months before that, heaven gained Jeff's mother as well. We miss them both dearly, but know that they now get to watch over us from the best seats in the house. After spending a year watching those two godly lights in our world slowly go out and dealing with over three years of infertility, I began last year, 2012, very frustrated and with low hopes. The news of our pregnancy truly could not have come at a more perfect time. And now that he is here, and 2013 feels as if it has just flown by, I love that I can not only look back upon the year with happiness, but also forward, to 2014 and beyond, with a peace knowing that our lives, and our precious Bennett's life, are in God's hands. That He already has a perfect plan for us, whatever that may be. 2013 was far from perfect, but overall, it was a year of blessings and adventures.

Bennett's First Visit From Santa

I've heard people say that you will be ready for each season as it comes. I am loving the season we are in right now. We are in the wonderful season of life! Yes, there have been some tragedies and losses along the way and that is a normal part of living in this world, but I LOVE watching my friends and family members our age getting married and having babies! What an exciting season we are in! We gained a new niece yesterday and just getting to meet a new life for the first time and watch as her new parents took that giant step into a new stage in their own lives was priceless.

Poppo, Bennett, & Elliana

So, here's to 2014! Whatever it may bring!






For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to bread down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Before the Turkey and Silver Bells

Before the turkey is carved and the silver bells begin to ring. Before families gather and Santa's list is looked over twice, we are the peak of that Holiday Hill. You know, that elated feeling of anticipation just before the roller coaster drops and the fun begins. Perhaps it will be the ride of your life or perhaps just a disappoint; either way, holidays are the busiest (and most commercialized) time of the year. But what better way to end a year than with family and celebration? I hope that we each coast back into our daily lives after New Year's with satisfaction. I don't know what this year has been like for you; good, bad, boring, life-changing. Whatever it has been, I pray that we don't let the busyness of the holidays, the pitter patter of excited little feet, the chattering of exhausted adults, or the shadow of St. Nick, get in the way of your reflection upon this year, upon the trues "reason for the season" and of truly enjoy every moment of its fleeting end.

For my family and I, it has truly been a crazy, wonderful, stressful, life-changing year. I know we will always look back on 2013 as a year of good change. For us, it has been the exact opposite of the year 2011; a year that sometimes saddens me to look back on. So as we go into this holiday season, I plan to cherish my time with my family and friends. I'm looking down from the top of that coaster and I am just thrilled about the F's of the holidays! Family, Food, and Faith. And this year: Firsts! I'm excited for Bennett's first Thanksgiving with my crazy family and getting to share my favorite thanksgiving foods with him! And though he will probably cry when he sits in Santa's lap this year and try to pull all the ornaments off the tree, I can't wait to give him his first sugar cookie and to place his stocking on the mantle (our new mantle!). Christmas was always a magical time for me as a kid so I hope to make it just as fun for my children in the years to come.

For Halloween, Bennett played the role of cutest little monkey! He was so stinkin' adorable. I was his zookeeper - and Jeff's. Jeff dressed up in a big dog suit he found in the church storage. We sold our home in Woodland Park the last week in October and our home here was FINALLY (well sort of) finished and we closed on it last week! This has been the single most stressful move (at least for me) that I have gone through so far. It has just been crazy and the unpacking process is moving slowly. I also started work on my Masters degree the week before the move, but it's not like that is time consuming or anything... Ha! I am so glad to finally start settling in OK and especially excited about having our own home to set up for the holidays.

Coming Home

Ready to go!

As you may be aware, Jeff and I recently moved back to Oklahoma. I say "back" because we were both born in this central state. While I hail from the opposite side compared to where we are located now, and only lived there the first few years of my life, I have always called it one of my homes. Jeff, on the other hand, was born and raised in the very town we have moved to. He knows much more about the community, people, and where things are located than I do. Needless to say, he has faired the transition best when compared with myself.

Loaded up!

So far, the move has been, well, stressful. It was beyond helpful to have movers load and move our stuff for us; something we have never had before (even in all our moves)! The most stressful part seemed to come the night before, when we had to pack up our necessities into a little trailer we had hitched up to the back of our Jeep. The rest of our stuff went with the movers into storage here in town. Long story, short: Jeff and I differ in the way we let our stress escalade. Jeff was very worried (completely overwrought, to be truthful) about fitting everything into this little trailer... while I was suggesting we add more stuff. Guess what. It didn't all fit. No big deal. We just had to leave a few things in storage I had hoped to take with us. I am wishing I had some of those items right now, but we aren't exactly roughing it. We survived the eight hour drive with a trailer, two large pups, and an eight-month-old... and now we are living out of suitcases and boxes. Our life is in disarray and I can't wait to actually get settled here.

We left Colorado with our home on the market and unsure of when it might be purchased. We also had a contract on a home here in Oklahoma with the contingency that we sell our current home first. Thirty days came and went and we were still praying for an offer on our home. We were about to lose the house here that we love! Last week we looked into the possibility of Jeff being eligible for a VA loan. The very same day he received his Certificate of Eligibility (last Thursday), we got a call about an offer on our home! Our house is now under contract, the closing date on November 1st, and we are in the process of setting up the closing date for our new home. God's timing can sure be stressful and ALWAYS reveals my impatience, but isn't it perfect?!

really going to miss this lovely view...

Bennett is as crazy as ever and will be nine months old on Friday! Time has really flown, but I am enjoying every moment of it. He cut two teeth just this last week and is walking around, holding onto the furniture! I can't believe it's already time to start thinking about Christmas and his first birthday party.

I celebrated my 28th birthday a week ago. Yay. I'm older. Birthday celebrations definitely dwindle down significantly as you age. I suppose your focus just moves to your children's birthdays from here. I'm okay with that. Tony treated us to dinner and then we went to the high school's football game on my birthday.

Jeff has shifted very well into his new position as the Youth Pastor at First Baptist Church. He loves it and we are so excited about our future with this church and this community. I know that not everyone can say that they are in a job or career that they love or that they were made for, but it is so rewarding to watch Jeff fulfill the calling on his life and to really love what he does. I have to admit that I have been jealous of him these last five years. After graduating college and getting married, I have always just been working to pay the bills, you know? It was great to be living on two incomes and able to eat out a lot more (of course that was before we had to worry about a babysitter, too), but it really burns you out waking up each morning and dreading your day, counting down the minutes until you get to go home or go on vacation. It took us a while to get here, but I am so blessed to say today that I am fulfilling my current calling to be a full-time mommy. I never thought I would be one of those stay-at-home moms who felt so fulfilled, but here I am! And I'm loving it. There is definitely a tighter budget with less eating out and movie going, but it is exactly where I want us to be. This season of life is so precious to me.

I don't plan to stay home forever. Unfortunately, babies do grow up. :( So, in preparation, I am FINALLY going for my Master's degree. I just applied for the new online program through Wayland Baptist University and I am a little nervous, but ecstatic at the chance to get started. I believe I get to begin this winter.

Please pray that everything goes smoothly with the sell of our CO home and the purchase of our new home here. We are so, so ready to set up our new home and life here (and get our of Tony's hair)!

From the Mountains to the Prairies...

Remember when I mentioned our life being far from boring? Well, we are on the brink of yet another new adventure! Next up? Moving to Woodward, Oklahoma! Yup... tornado alley. On Jeff's birthday, he accepted a job there as FBC's new Youth Pastor and on August 18 was voted on by the congregation as the new Youth Pastor. Shortly after that, the Air Force called to let Jeff know of his assigned base for reserve duty: Vance AFB; in OK, just an hour from Woodward! The movers will be here in less than two weeks and our first Sunday there will be September 15! It looks like I will be spending my birthday in a new state! Crazy.

Where did this come from? Really? From God. It seems like it came out of nowhere for us. First Baptist Woodward lost their youth pastor over a year ago and Tony actually mentioned it to Jeff suggesting he apply to it. Jeff kept saying, Nope, I'm still needed here in Woodland Park. I actually encouraged him to apply... just to see what would happen. Well, barely a month ago, they requested his resume and for some reason, he sent it. Just after that, we headed to northwest OK on a mission trip with our youth. That was when I was the one to question whether or not it was the right place for us... It was so hot! And bugs everywhere! I have definitely been spoiled for the last five years living in the beautiful, mosquito-free, amazing summers mountains. I asked Jeff if he was sure about this possible change... of course, he teased me because I was now the one second-guessing...

So here we are... our house is on the market, we are packing packing packing, and showing our home. We got our first offer barely 48 hours after our home went on the market, but the guy is proving to be super flaky, so I don't think that one will work out. Please pray that our home sells soon because we already put a contract on a cute, little home in Woodward. It should be completed in about 45 days so we need to get rid of this home first! Pray that our move and traveling goes smoothly. I'm so glad my mom came up to help us pack (and keep up with my baby)!

Jeff and I are so excited for this new adventure! We are a little nervous about the house thing, but trusting that God will have a hand in that. Being the introvert I am, I am of course a little nervous about making new friends, but that's just typical me. Just spending the weekend with some of those awesome First Baptist folk was so much fun. We are looking forward to getting to know the families and youth better!

On a Bennett note... He is everywhere! Crawling and pulling up on everything. The kid can't even walk and he is trying to climb on top of boxes! He has three little bruises/bumps on his head from standing up in his crib and trying to bounce. Oh little boys...











I am about to do a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.
                     - Isaiah 43:19

I'll Love You Long After You're Gone

Remember when I mentioned that we had a busy summer? Yup, it has certainly lived up to those expectations. So here is our life right now...







Jeff and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary! I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man. My post-college plans I had before I met him would have been exciting, but very lonely. Since the day we said, "I do," our lives have been anything but boring and lonely, and we have still had the chance to travel! I can't wait to see what the next five, ten, and fifty years bring!

For our anniversary, we had some professional photos taken. A huge thank you to Rita and Pine Ridge Photography for capturing our adorable, little family at this chapter in our lives.

I also made Jeff a video of the last five years of our lives together! Check it out!

The week of our anniversary was also VBS at our church. Tony's church came up with a mission group to help us out. It was so fun to see Poppo and Bennett together again!

One week later... my sister flew in and we left for Oklahoma. First stop was Vici, OK where our youth group helped out at a camp. They cleaned, painted, and did yard work in the scorching summer heat of Northwest Oklahoma. It was a lot of fun to help out and watch the students work together. Check out the video I made for the trip! :)

Next up, Jeff took the group back home while Bennett, Autumn, and I drove to OKC! I got to hang out with my lovely college friends who came in from all over the US. They got to meet Bennett and we had a little baby shower for the gals who will be expecting soon! I am so glad I got to see these girls and that they got to meet the newest love of my life. I was truly blessed with some great friends while in college.

After that rockin' reunion, my mom met us in OKC and we drove up to Miami and Wyandotte to visit the family! Bennett got to meet his crazy cousins, aunts and uncles, and his great-grandparents! I just loved seeing him interact with his family and seeing my grandparents hold my little boy. Family is a beautiful thing. :)

We ate LOTS of Ku-Ku food. I let Bennett try his first french fry (no salt, of course), but he just wasn't ready for the chewing involved. No worries. We don't need french fries in our diet just yet.

I don't know if it was all the attention he got, but Bennett learned some new tricks while in Oklahoma! Yes, my baby boy is now crawling! He is getting into everything, but he is still such a good baby. He does so well just sitting and playing with his bucket of toys in the living room. It only lasts for so long, but he does well at entertaining himself. He also learned how to wave bye-bye! It is adorable. Period.

Last stop: Woodward, OK to see Poppo and the family! Jeff flew into OKC with Tony and we drove to Woodward for Jeff's 10-year high school reunion. Bennett got to play with his cousin Amelie and meet his Aunt Ashlie and Uncle Phillip for the first time! They are expecting their first little one in January, so Bennett will have another cousin close to his birthday. We can't wait to meet him or her!

Bennett's tour of Oklahoma was fun, but exhausting! It is nice to be back home and in our own beds (and the cooler climate). Jeff has had an accomplished summer so far. After he completed his Master's degree, he had to reappoint with the Air Force. While Bennett and I were still in Oklahoma, Jeff was promoted to 1st Lt and got his new rank and cross pinned on! So proud of him! We are just waiting to hear which base he will be assigned to for his reserve duty.

Jeff also celebrated his 29th birthday! We just went out to eat. Nothing too eventful. Bennett's present was the best: a blow-out diaper at the restaurant! Yay... mommy had to clean it up, of course.

Oh! Bennett turned seven months old AND he has started pulling up on things this last week... Oh boy. I'm excited for him to start walking because it is a big milestone, but I don't think I'm ready for an early walker. He'll do what he is going to do, but he is just growing up too fast for this mommy!

I think that's all for now (I told you we were busy!). We'll see what the next month has in store for our family!

A Busy Summer

Bennett's First Swim

Our summer has been exciting so far and it's not over yet! As I mentioned in our last post, we went to Orlando with my parents about mid-June. We stayed at a nice resort in a three bedroom suite. It was fun spending all that time with my family. There are all these crazy reality shows out there today about random people just living their life... My family is way more entertaining. We hung out by the pool, went to Universal Studios for a couple of days, and even caught some rays and paddle boarded on Cocoa Beach. My dad even brought some home movies to watch. He HAS to put up this video of my little sister meeting Mickey Mouse for the first time because it is the best thing EVER!

Here's a video I put together of our adventures in Orlando!

Pirate Dinner!

Enjoy some pictures!

Lil' Pirate

Since then, we've had Jeff's first Father's Day. He got a travel mug with pictures of him and Bennett on it. We also got some family pictures taken! It was our first time to have professional photos taken since our wedding... It was a hot day outside so it was hard to get Benny to smile, but I think they turned out quite well! :)

Universal Studios

Then there was the Fourth of July. We set up a little baby pool in the back yard and Bennett loved sitting it in and splashing.

Bennett turned six months old on the fifth! I can't believe how time flies. He is such a little goofball. He's sitting up all by himself and tries to scoot when he's on his tummy. He'll be crawling before we know it! Ah!

Here's an interesting tidbit of information: I wrote a novel. Yup. I finished it about two years ago, pulled it out of my drawer last month, did some editing, and I think it is actually completed now. I even (finally) picked out a title! It is a YA novel and I sent out some letters to a few literary agents so we will see how it goes... I feel like I just applied for some big colleges and I am dreading the rejection letters...

So what is next on the agenda? Well, right now Jeff's dad is in town with a group from his church and they are going to help with VBS at our church this week. Tony hasn't seen Bennett since he was just a week old so it is so great to see them two together again!

Jeff will actually fly to Georgia for a couple of days for some interviews with the Air Force. They will basically determine if he is fit to have his cross pinned on as a Reserve Chaplain and he will be promoted to 1st Lt. Hopefully everything goes smoothly and he will be attached to a reserve unit soon and get underway with all of that!

Bennett's First Beach Day

Jeff and I will have been married five years as of 7/11/13! Crazy! He will be in Georgia most of that day... :( ... but we are busy this week anyway. We really wanted some family photos so that was pretty much our anniversary gift.

In a couple of weeks we will be heading to Oklahoma on a youth mission trip. We will be helping out at a camp near the panhandle with some upkeep projects. After that, I'm going to visit some college friends in OKC and then my family in Miami/Wyandotte. I can't wait to show off my little Benny Bear!! They are just going to fall in love with my little munchkin! Then... Jeff has his 10 year high school reunion in Woodward! I told you it was a busy summer...

Happy Fourth!!

Happy summer adventures, y'all!