Now that's A GOOD time!!!!

I just had to post this picture of Jake! He takes the BEST pictures....I can always count on him for some fun! This picture was taken as all the kids were being towed at about 20 mph behind the boat! The fact that Louise (who took the picture) was able to catch this as they were flying by is amazing! Just another day at the houseboat.......good times!

I'V BEEN TAG'D !!!! TWICE......

OK...OK I'll do it...!!!!

I have been tagged by both Heather and Tiffany to write 8 random things about myself. It seems to be kind of a game and I am to tag 8 new people. I'm pretty sure I don't know 8 people who read this blog but here goes anyway!

1. Anyone who knows me very well knows that I have a passion for real estate! I LOVE to go on line and look at houses for sale. I even find myself driving around picking up flyer's all the time. My kids hate that part :}. I've made the comment several times that in my "other life" I was a real estate agent. I don't know...maybe someday!

2. I love camping, hiking, and ANY water sports. I love the water....it is sooo peaceful to me. And walking through a forest with tall trees and lots of ferns ect. brings pure peace to my soul.

3. My dream vacation at this point in my life would be a two week cruise through all of the Caribbean Islands...or any tropical islands! It would include lot's of snorkeling and scuba diving side trips and many, many spa treatments! Ahhh..... dreams! :)

3. I am NOT good at returning people's phone calls. I find that I simply don't have the time to sit and talk with people. When my family is home they completely demand my attention at all times. I have learned that if I do call people back when they are home I am interrupted all of the time...so talking on the phone is not fun for me!

4. I LOVE to buy things for my home...but HATE to shop for clothes for me...mostly it's the size I hate to buy...but let's be honest I've had to buy this size for the last 10 years.....it's not going anywhere too soon :(

5. I am a Labor and Delivery nurse at Emanuel Hospital on night shift ..... and I have decided that I like working night shift over any other shift! Who knew?!!!

6. I saw my husband for the first time in the cafeteria at University of Portland (while I was dating another person) and thought to myself "Now that's the guy I should marry". We met for the first time about 1 month later, and we got married two years after that! Crazy!!!

7. I Hate to cook. There. I said it. I hate buying the ingredients...I hate the mess... and I hate having to do all the dishes. I feel like it takes so much effort to come up with something that my family will devour in 10-15 minutes.

8. I know for a fact that my husband and I will NOT retire in the Northwest. It will either be Southern California, Phoenix, or Florida. You can bet on that! :)


There it is 8 random things about me and my life! I am supposed to tag people now. Most of who I will tag don't have blogs...but don't worry... they are easy to start and this might be the thing that gets you going! So Blog Away.... Louise, Amy, Kara, Mom, Heather Clarke, and Amy Meiers!!! Hope to see some blogs soon!

Mackenzie's First Day on the Bus!!!

September 4th 2007....After 10 years of taking care of kids at home during the day...I am now home alone on my days off from work! It seems CRAZY! What do I do? I am excited and sad all at the same time.

This marks a ' new era' in the Barnard household. I am hopeful that with my free time I will actually take some time to get back into shape......what an idea!

Mackenzie is LOVING her new school and teacher. Thankfully her teacher is someone we already knew from church.... what an answer to prayer! :) So far the move to Helen Baller Elementary has been a good experience. The kids both like their teachers and they are both making new friends.

Jake is VERY excited because there is a Science Club he wants to join. He is also excited because Helen Baller has HBTV. A TV program run by the kids of Helen Baller. Jake is SOOOO excited to be apart of that club. He says he can't decide if he wants to be the News Anchor or run the camera!!! I said " Do it all...what do you have to loose?"

Anyway...just wanted to tell all who USED to read my blog the ....I'm back!!!

Two Years Ago.....

I was watching my screen savor and saw these pictures of our family trip to Disney World and the Disney Cruise.... TWO YEARS AGO!!!!! I can't believe two years have gone by! It was SOOOO much fun...I would recommend it to anyone! We went as a BIG group...16 people in all! We pretty much did our own thing during the day and met up for dinner each night! I CAN NOT wait until we go again!!!! Now that our kids are older I can ride all the rides!!! (''cause it's all about ME don't ya know!) :)





Yes...that is me being dowsed by water guns by Jake and Jared at Typhoon Lagoon!
The "lagoon" at Typhoon Lagoon! GREAT FUN!!!!

YUMMMM....Mom 's going to love that I posted this picture! Everywhere we went in the "Disney Kingdom" they sold these Massive chicken legs! We HAD to try them! An Atkins dieters dream!!! Cheers to mom for having her picture taken with a big hunk of meat! Heee Heeee Heeeeeeeeee...She loves me!!!!!!

The Kahl Trait Lives!!!!

It is a known Fact that you CAN NOT have a Kahl (my mother's maiden name) family function without OLIVES!!! Yes ....the Kahl's and their descendants LOVE olives and it seems the "olive gene" has descended to yet another generation! Mackenzie loves them! She often asks me to open a can of olives "just for a little snack"! She even places them on all of her fingers the way my sisters, cousins and I used to! Family traits are funny!

Here's to the next generation of olive lovers!!!!

Baseball Season Is Here!!!

Jake is enjoying a VERY fun baseball year because he is one of the tallest and oldest in his baseball division! We keep telling him to enjoy it because next year he'll be in a new division and knocked down to the youngest and most likely, smallest on the team! In the picture above Jake hit this AWESOME, long drive to outfield...we were sure it would be a home run ....but this little boy (seriously, I think it was a kindergartner) held his glove up with his eyes closed and sure enough the ball land right in his mitt! It was amazing!!!

This is one of Jake's best friends. His name is Jake Lane and he is in Jake's class and on his baseball team and lives right down the street from us! He and Jake have so much in common. They both like science, the history channel, baseball and making up grand adventures!

GO ASTROS!!!!! The team huddle before the game! Aren't they cute?

Tulips, Friends and Cold Weather

I was reading a bunch of different blogs today and everyone in the Portland area seemed to have pictures posted of their kids at the Tulip Festival in Woodburn. So I decided I needed to post my pictures too!!! We actually went a couple of weeks ago with my friend Stephanie and her two boys Lucas and Killian. The flowers ARE amazing but so is the mud (on a rainy day) and the BIG BLACK CLOUDS we saw!!! What's funny is that the Tulip festival has been around for a long time...but this is the first year we have ever gone. I'm pretty sure we will make this a new tradition for us...even if it is cold and muddy...the flowers are too cool!