The Barton Bunch...

Our Summer……

2011-09-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

The Barton Bunch had a great summer. The summer was full of a lot of traveling and summer activities. There are some special moments that we had this summer. We were able to go to Myrtle Beach for nine nights with some of our family and we were able to soak up the sun and relax. Mia loved the beach and the pool and loved to say One, Two, And Three and then jump in the pool.

I also was able to be part of a Breast Cancer run with some of my friends. This was a first for me and really loved running for such a great cause. Mia had some fun firsts this summer. Mia checked out her first library book, built her first tent in Hurricane Irene, planted her first plant and had her first Yoga class. It has been so great to share these moments with her.

Reed and I have been able to have more time for ourselves now that Mia is older. We both have been taking time to get back into shape, do the things that we love, and focus on our relationship again. We both were able to have weekends away hanging out with friends, just being Reed and Holly. I was able to have a great weekend in Richmond with some of my favorite ladies. We did some intense wedding planning for my cousin. We laughed and had such a great weekend. Now that the summer is coming to an end we are really looking forward to the fall. Some of the highlights that I can’t wait to share more about are our six year anniversary trip, and our 60 day insanity workout program. Until then, happy fall, love The Barton Bunch!

Our Independence Day...

2011-07-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

It is not hard to feel like we are struggling as a country right now. Many of us watch the news and are wondering how long the freedoms that we hold so dear will last. We wonder if our children will have the same innocent memories of summer, eating watermelon and decorating wagons for July 4th. Yet this July 4th we were able to create these memories. Their was a feeling in the air of sweet freedom and pride in America Yesterday. We were able to have such a wonderful day of parades, watermelon, and even a Seafood Throw down! Please enjoy our pictures and our blog. Lets celebrate this year that we were able to have such a amazing July 4th, lets not forget all the people who sacrificed for us to have such a special day!!!

2011-05-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

True Love….

I think that as little girls we are taught to wait for a knight in shining armor to come rescue us and take us to a Big Castle, and then we will live happily ever after. However, are these ideas really true, pure or real. Do they really help us to dream big, to want more. Or are we holding out for something that is so superficial, empty, unsatisfying???? I think so. I know this is a ramble of thoughts…However as I ponder being a Mother for the second year in a row I am afraid that I was waiting for the wrong thing, the wrong idea. I have such a better understanding of what true love is. Don’t worry I will explain even further…

I have come to understand what true love really us, at least for me. True love for me is found in many different pieces of my life. It is not one moment, it is not all day every day, it is in surprising moments. Six years ago this summer I was married to Reed, my husband. I was young and had no idea of what a marriage really meant or what it looked like day to day. Over these six years I have grown so much. I have learned to really love, to give, to be humble, to stand up for myself, to change, to be vulnerable. I am so thankful for that, I am so happy for conflict, for a love that pushes me, to grow, to change to be better than I was six years ago. Along this journey of ours I become a mother, and WOW, this is the definition of True Love. Love that is never ending, a love that fills your heart. A love that is so scary sometimes, because you could not handle ever loosing it. A love that makes you become more, to want more, to care about better things. I am so excited about this Mothers Day because I feel like I am more myself now, then I have ever been. There is something so pure about being a MOM, that makes all the sleepless nights, and sacrifices worth it. I feel like this kind of true love is a love that makes you love without the fancy dress, hair or castle. It is the love that makes you go for a walk, feeling the sun on your face, the wind blowing through your side ponytail, no makeup on, and just breathing it in, being so thankful for that exact moment. Now don’t get me wrong I want that Happily Ever After, I just understand now that it comes through hard work, perseverance vulnerability and sacrifice! So far I like this movie much better!

Happy Mothers Day to all, Mothers who are and Mothers who will be!

Aunt Ma Ma's visit!

2011-04-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

My sister Amanda came to visit me in NC. Not only did she come to visit me she decided to ride the train! She had a blast and it was worth the crazy adventure. Amanda and I had such a great time with Mia and Clay. We were able to catch up, laugh a lot and enjoy our kids playing with each other. We had no idea how much we missed just hanging out with each other. We were able to eat at our favorite places, take the kids to parks and even go to a really cool kids museum.

Mia is Walking!

2011-04-12T20:40:00.001-07:00

On Mia's actual Birthday she started walking! Now she is a walking machine.She thinks she is a big girl now. She loves adventures and is learning everyday!

Mia's Frist Birthday!

2011-04-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

My little girl is one years old!

Months one and two I laughed and smiled, month three I learned to reach
Month four I rolled from back to front, by five discovered speech.
And in month six I learned to sit, then clapped and signed in seven
Month eight I was obsessed with light and Momma told me about Heaven.
Month nine I learned to say bye bye and wave my little hands
Month ten I crawled and stood and cruised and added words again!
Then at eleven months of age I’ve learned to stand alone
My dad and mom are very proud of how much I have grown.

Little Mia is such a sweet little girl, she loves to laugh and smile. Mia is our little party girl and we were able to celebrate her first birthday. Mia had a Pink Lemonade Birthday Party. We celebrated with her special friends and family!

2011 so far...

2011-03-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

Mia's First Fort

Hanging out in the Sun!

This year so far has been refreshing and a new start for everyone in my family. My mom is officially cancer free. We are so thankful and are excited. This year has been busy with a lot of special moments. One of them was our daughter’s Mia dedication. We did not take this day lightly and realize the responsibility of being good parents. Reed and I are trying to be very purposeful in teaching Mia about Christ and his leading in our lives every day. Many of our family members took the time to come and visit us to be a part of Mia’s big day. We also have been enjoying our NC spring weather, and are in love with Spring!

What 2010 had for the Barton Bunch..

2011-01-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

What a year....

The year 2010 was a very special year for us. Last January we hit the road and moved to North Carolina. We had no idea what this state had for us, except that our baby girl was on the way. We moved here eight months pregnant and knew no one! YIKES… I found a doctor quickly and had our baby girl in March of last year. After a very tough delivery and recovery our little Mia was her and has changed our lives completely. She has added so much to our lives. She has taught me so much about sacrifice and love. Being a parent has forced me to really rely on God daily. I need him so much. I desire to teach her compassion and kindness and am determined to be a good MOM. Through my love for her I can understand Gods love in a new way.

This year also has brought many other challenges. One of them was my health and state of mind after having Mia. I hit a very low point and wondered and really asked God, Will I ever have my health back. No need to get into the details of it all, I am just happy to say that on January 1 2011, I got the report from the doctor that I am totally healed, and my lab tests were great. I am so happy to have my health back. My family has learned that sickness can really challenge us as people and make us rely on God even more. We also found out this year that my Mom had Breast Cancer. Thankfully she caught it early. She has had a very tough time. She finished all of her Chemo treatments and we are so close to having this Cancer behind us. She is going to have a full recovery and be able to move past all of this. She is so excited to get better so that she being an Awesome Gammy to her two grand babies. 2010 gave our families two babies. I am happy to say that I became an Aunt in 2011, and our little Clay is here. He looks just like his Daddy, and has the personality of my sister. We have had so much fun getting to know this little boy these last three months.

2010 also was the year that I celebrated my five year Anniversary with Reed. We are so thankful for each other. Now do not get me wrong, there have many hard days, but we know that we are meant for each other and cannot wait to see what 2011 holds for our families. One thing that we do now is that NC has been good to us and Reed has a great job here. Due, to this blessing we are building a house here and are really excited. It will be done this summer.

After a year that like this, I just sit back and say, WOW, I have much to be thankful for….. I have been able to spend some time reflecting and the verse that comes to me for this next year is Luke 12:48. It says, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

I know that God has given me much, and much is demanded for me. My prayer is that God would show me what I am to do this year to reach out to others in their time of need. This year I want to be aware of what it means to be a true encourager! This last year I needed Joy and encouragement like never before. God brought so many awesome people in my life exactly when I needed them and it meant so much to me. I want to do the same this year… I do not know exactly what 2011 has for this Barton Bunch, but I am confident that God will always be there, and his love is everlasting. I leave you all with his verse for this next year….

Jeremiah 29:11-19

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² In those days when you pray, I will listen. ¹³ If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

Have Hope and Joy as you enter this new year!

Happy New year, love the Barton Bunch…

Mia's Cookie PJ Party dedicated to my MOM!

2010-12-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

A dedication to my Momma…..

I have so many great memories with my parents at Christmas time. However, one of my favorite memories is making homemade sugar cookies. This is just not a quick event; it is all day process that involves a lot of family. The best part about it is decorating the cookies. By the end there is flour everywhere and sprinkles all over the place. However, it does not really matter to my Mom. She is amazing about letting us have fun and embracing the idea of a big cookie mess. We have a table called the Old Wood Table that we use ever year. I am sure there is permanent flour stuck in the wood details. We will continue this tradition next week when I am home for Christmas. However, I decided to do a trial run with Mia this year with her Play Group. Man did we have a ball, there was a lot of mess to clean but it was worth every moment. I actually tried my Moms recipe this year and it turned out good, Imagine that!!! Please enjoy the cookie fun!

I also wanted to tell my Mom that I want to be like her in so many ways. I hope that Mia has a mom that allows her to be a kid, to get her hands dirty and to value what means the most, and that is the precious time that you have with your kids. The house can be cleaned later, but the years will go by quickly, and I plan on making a ton of cookies with Mia. Gammy we can’t wait to do the real deal next week, love MIA!

These first pictures are of previous years... And then the cookie fun from this year!

Here comes Winter

2010-11-22T20:12:00.000-08:00

Getting Ready for Mia’s First Christmas….

Reed and I decided to decorate really early! The reason for this is because we have not decorated since our first year of marriage. The reason for this is because of our college style life style, which was very mobile and on the fly. Not to say that we are not spontaneous now but we are determined to decorate our house and to actually get a tree. There is something great about mixing old traditions with new ones!! Reed and I both have old traditions which are listening to Alabama and Amy Grant Christmas CD’s which we played for Mia many times this weekend as we decorated the tree. Another great tradition is the Chocolate Advent Calendar! Yum, Yum, Yum! However, we realized that we needed to make some new family traditions. One of the things that Reed and I enjoy is breakfast for dinner, so we decided that when we decorate we will have breakfast for dinner. Another thing that Reed and I plan to do is to focus on the Christmas Meaning and the great blessings that have come upon us. Last year, my mom purchased an advent calendars that explains the Christmas story each day. After you read the story you hang it on the tree! We can’t wait to start on December 1! However, there is something special that happens first and that is Thanksgiving. I have a big idea for thankfulness, but that will have to wait until next time!

My little nephew!

2010-09-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days has been a rush of emotions and feelings. Late last week I rushed out of town because my sister was in labor and I was convinced that I was not going to make it for the birth. However, Little Clay had other plans and I made it there for every thing. It was amazing, and I was able to witness my sisters strength and courage. My love has grown for her and I am so proud. We are so excited to have little Clay here and Mia is especially excited to finally meet her cousin Clay. God has blessed our family and we are loving every moment!!

Hello Daddy....

2010-09-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Daddy,
I miss you so much, here are a few pics of my adventure to VA!!

Afternoon Tea, on a Thursday??

2010-09-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning very early and started right to work, Make Bed, Feed Mia, Play with Mia, Make Reeds Lunch, Watch a little bit of news, eat breakfast very quickly, Put Mia down for a nap, Start the Laundry, and Then Clean the house…. Now it is 2:31 and it has been a very productive day. Mia is back down for her afternoon nap and only a few loads of laundry left. House is clean, car is clean, even the dog is happy. After all of this I thought to myself, I would love to sit down and have a hot glass of hot tea, light a candle and put on some low music, read a magazine and have a time out….. Then I thought oh wait I can’t, it is Thursday, I can’t relax, it is not allowed. Then it dawned on me, why not, when did I start thinking like this. I am one worn out Mommy who gives herself all day to her baby and home, why can’t I take a breather. This is my very long intro into my new life study. As many of you know I am a Christian and love God very much. I have had very sweet moments with God, allowing him to lead my life, even up to this very day. However, I am in a very new season in my life and I am asking God to teach me how to live in this season... Many women know the famous verse found in Proverbs about how to be a great Mom and wife, and how to lead your home as a woman. What I have decided to do is to study these verses very closely partnered with other topics like, being a great friend, wife and mother. I will be blogging my journey on what I discover. I am excited to jump and see what I find. However, to start this off, I just spend a few minutes thanking God for my day followed by a great peace and love to light my new wood wick, Anjou Pear Spice Candle, and make myself my hot tea, followed by a good magazine. I encourage anyone to join me on this journey, comment and give feedback….

Five years today!

2010-08-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

Reed, It has been such a amazing five years. You truly are my best friend. You have been with me through the worst times and the best times of my life. Your compassion and courage the last five months since having Mia, has shown me your true character, WOW you are such a good man. Thank you for loving me through everything. I love our relationship and being able to kiss you everyday. You are my soul mate!! Happy Anniversary...

Mia and her Daddy..

2010-08-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

This is really funny parenting!!! I am sure we are going to love this video for years...

More Summer Pictures....

2010-08-12T14:58:00.001-07:00

Our First Summer with Little Mia....

2010-08-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

Whoever says that your life changes when you have kids, they are right! However, whoever says you cannot travel with an infant they are wrong. I think Reed and I have set a world record for traveling with an infant. We have traveled almost every other weekend the whole summer. Where are we going you might ask, well everywhere. We have gone home to visit family in Virginia. We have gone to beaches in North Carolina, and traveled to Virginia and Richmond for Weddings. We have thrown a baby shower for my Baby Sister, who is having her baby in September. We also have spent a week at Nags Head, and have been so refreshed. It has been so much fun spending time together and watching Mia blossom this summer. She is starting to roll over, laugh out loud, which melts my heart every time, and even roll over and push right up off the ground. She loves tummy time, and loves to be little Miss Independent! She has found her feet and loves to eat her toes like they are teething rings! We have found out that Mia is very social like me, loves people, loves to talk, however, like Reed Mia likes to think through things before she does things, she want to figure out how it works. We love this very neat combination in her. We are very excited for the rest of the summer as we continue to watch Mia grow and enjoy not traveling!!! The next time we will be going out of town will be when my first nephew is born! We cant wait until Baby Clay is here!! We love you little one!

A few more Beach Pics...

2010-08-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

Our First Day at the Beach....

2010-08-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today was Mia's first day at the Beach!!! One day down and six more to go, and we are so excited to be here! This summer has been so awesome. I have a lot of pictures and events to post, however these pictures were to cute to not to post TODAY!!!!

Mia' Life So Far, 1 month, 2 month 3 month

2010-06-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

Just about a year ago I found out that I was pregnant with our first baby! Well she has arrived and has been an awesome three months. Mia has a very loving personality and enjoys smiling often. She started out not really showing any facial expressions and is so close to laughing out loud. She is blond hair and blue eyes, and well she looks like her DADDY. However, I do see a little bit of her in me, and maybe it will be more in the future! Mia is on a pretty predictable routine and is actually sleeping through the night. This means that Reed and I are spending much more time together and even had date nights. I actually had a girl’s weekend and am loving being able to get out and about again. Mia loves the summer; we have play dates, go to the pool, and of course go to Target a lot!!! We love our area and are meeting some really great people. This summer we are excited to get Mia in the pool and take her the beach. Reed and I also are having our five year Anniversary this summer, it is a big one. We are really excited and love being together. More to come as our summer progresses’…

LIfe Now...

2010-05-19T04:30:00.000-07:00

Life Now, what does this mean, what does it look like??? Well, Life now leaves me with this peace and love in the back of my mind. I will be going through my day and think, I have never been happier than now. It is so hard to explain, but it is really neat. However, this love did not come easy and well I am truly humbled from the whole experience. My labor was really hard and the recovery was even worse. My body seems to be forever changed, and man things are not what the way they used to be. The crazy part about it is that having a baby makes you get up, push through a tough recovery, it makes you stop looking at the mirror and thinking will I ever get my body back. What you realize is that time makes things seem normal again. For example, I am feeling 100% better and the good news is that I am close to fitting in my old jeans. Yes..., that is a good feeling.
About Mia, Mia is so much fun. She is a very happy easy baby. She loves her crib and she loves to smile. I enjoy her everyday with her ever-changing personality. She smiles at me in the morning, and is starting to Baby Talk. I think that she looks like her Dad, and most people do to. However, my family says that they see Me in her. Right now she has bright blue eyes and her hair is coming in blond. I guess time will tell....
I had my first Mothers Day! It was so neat to be back home with my family and to share this day with them. I felt honored to be a mom and to celebrate with Mia's Great Great Grandparents...
This week I went back to work very part time, and am transitioning to be a hair stylist at a local salon. It is a great Salon and I am excited to build clients in the area.
I guess that is enough updates for now!!!

So far...

2010-04-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Mia was five weeks old I cant image her not being in our lives. She is happy and a good sleeper. I would be kidding myself if I did not admit that there have been many hard moments. Having a baby changes everything, and every part of your life. However, the good out weighs the bad and I would not change anything!

One More Video

2010-04-22T05:23:00.000-07:00

Sweet Mia | Raleigh Newborn Photographer

2010-04-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

Sweet Mia | Raleigh Newborn Photographer

Our birth story

2010-04-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

First of all we are so Thankful for our healthy baby girl. These last three weeks have been life changing!!! After having a pretty tough delivery and then having a C-Section, I then had a C-section wound infection. It was really tough and am about a week away from full recovery. I want to thank all of my family for helping me and taking your time to come into town. Reed and I could not have done it without you. With this awesome Spring weather I am moving forward. I am actually becoming 100% independent and enjoying Mia so much.

First Week

2010-03-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, has it really already been a week. All the days are running together. This week have been very tough, yet awesome at the same time. Reed and I, along with a ton of help from my MOM got through it with many laughs and a few cry's. Reed and I are tired, however we love Mia along with being parents. We are in awe of her and her personalty. She is such a sweet baby and really only cry's to let us know something is wrong. She has her second doctors appointment on Monday. We are trying to get her birth weight up. I love having a baby in the spring and am enjoying every minute of being a Mom. More to come this week...

Our Baby Mia... The story

2010-03-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and Family,
First of all I want to say Thank you, Thank you to all my family. I have never loved you more or felt more support from you all. WOW. The last week of my pregnancy my blood pressure was high,and they wanted to induce me. Saturday morning came and Mia still did not come so we went to the hospital for induction. There are many many details to this story, however the short version is that I was in hard intense labor for many many hours and got right to the end of the labor and Mia turned position. They tried to vacuum her out twice and she was stuck, not coming! I then had to do a C-Section right away. I had a very successful C-section that finally brought our baby girl into the world safely and healthy. We are just taking it day by day. We are so in love with our little girl and each other. This was all unexpected and different then what we planned. However, we have grown so close through it and are excited about our family. Our family is so awesome they were there with us through the whole entire thing. I feel so loved and am so thankful that every one came here and supported us through this!!! I will update more later....

Pregnancy News

2010-03-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
This is my final pregnancy pic, which is after a long walk.....
I am so excited about our baby girl. As of right now Mia is still not here. However, I have had a great week and have been enjoying myself. I went to the doctor on Wednesday and I am still 3cm and a little over 80%effaced. Due to that and some other things I am scheduled at the hospital on Saturday!! Yeah Mia, we are so happy to meet you. It is so cool, because if she waits to come until Saturday, her birthday will be on the first day of Spring. It is going to be 70 here and sunny. I think it would be really neat to have here then. Spring is such a wonderful season, which signifies new life and new beginnings. Reed and I cant wait to start a family and be in this next season of our lives. Once again I am so thankful for everyone's support and love. To my family, You are so awesome and I cant wait to see all of you this weekend to welcome our Mia to the world!!! LOVE YOU...

Update

2010-03-11T16:57:00.000-08:00

Well,
I went to the doctor on Wednesday and I am 3cm dilated and 80% effaced!! However, as many of you know that could mean so many things. I could go at any time or it could be a week from now! However, lets hope it is only days from now and not another week! I am staying busy and trying to enjoy my time with Reed. I am also napping when I want, reading when I want and just enjoying these days that I have all to myself....I cant wait until she comes... Mia Come Soon...

I am 2 CM

2010-03-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!!!
I went to the doctors last Wednesday and they told me that I was 2cm. They said you should expect this to happen quickly, because of her angle and head placement. However, our due date is not until the 16th of March which is next Tuesday! I was really convinced that is was going to happen this weekend! However, it did not. My mom even came into town just in case. We had a great weekend spending some quality time together and laughing a lot. People, everywhere always ask, when are you due, and I say today, in hopes it will happen. However, I understand she will come when God and her are ready. When I went to the doctor they told me that I was carrying a lot of fluid which will make me feel bigger and swell. It is good for the baby, and the good news is that she said afterwords I would loose weight quickly. So right now I am reading, enjoying the weather and putting my Pillsbury feet up in the air as much as possible. Reed is really excited to, however he is working a lot to get hours off when the baby comes. It is so neat to be here in our lives and we can not wait to meet our daughter!!!

Waiting for Baby Mia

2010-02-26T08:55:00.000-08:00

I have so many thoughts and emotions about being a Mom. You get pregnant and then you think you have all of this time, and you do but can you really get ready to have a baby? I am not sure, but I am trying to embrace it all. I am not really sure how many more days or weeks I have, but right now I am spending time reading and preparing spiritually to be a MOM. I have been praying and asking God to give me wisdom and to continue to strengthen my Marriage in this next season of life. It has been a really awesome time for me. I can't wait to bring life into this world, and to show her all the good that there is still left in it. Now the question is when, will that be???

Holly and Reed | Raleigh Maternity Photographer

2010-02-18T18:39:00.000-08:00

Holly and Reed | Raleigh Maternity Photographer

The Real Deal...

2010-02-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,
I am so thankful for all of your support and love. I have been so blessed to have all of you in my life. I am counting down the days until Mia arrives. Reed and I are really excited and ready. I cant wait to see all of you. Here are some pictures of what I really look like!!!

Mia's Room

2010-02-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

Here is Mia's room so far. I wanted to make it bright, colorful, and inviting. We are getting ready and cant wait for Mia to come!!!

Our Baby Shower

2010-02-09T13:27:00.000-08:00

Over the last weekend I have had two baby showers in VA. They were so awesome. I was showered with lovely gifts for Baby Mia. It was so much fun to see everyone even though it was a blizzard outside. Thank you everyone for coming. Over the weekend and on our drive home, I pulled a muscle and have had to be in bed rest for couple of days. It has been really hard. I went to the doctor today and they said that I am measuring a week or two ahead of schedule. Her head is down and she is in a great position. She will be here very soon. It is so neat and I am really happy to be getting close!!! All family, pack your bags early, be ready at least by the first week in March!

Snow, Snow, Snow

2010-02-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

I just arrived back in NC, from the 2010 snow of VA. It actually came and I was stuck there for two day's longer than anticipated. However, I had a great time going to a business conference and visiting with my family. One special visit that I had was with my GREAT GRANDPARENTS. It was so good to see them and they are really excited about the baby. This weekend are my baby showers which are going to be a Blast. The biggest frustratin that I have it trying to sleep. Yikes, it is really hard. I toss and turn all night. However, I can deal with it. I am just taking it one day at a time. I cant wait to see many of you at my shower.

Our Baby's Name

2010-01-18T17:55:00.000-08:00

I wanted to announce our Baby's Name. We are so excited to be having a little girl. After a lot of thinking and planning we are naming our little girl.....
MIA GENEVIEVE BARTON, which broken down means: MIA(MEE-ah): Wished for Child, Beloved. GENEVIEVE(JEN-a-veev): Women of the people. I wanted a name that was strong yet delicate, and this seemed like a perfect fit. I hope that all of you enjoy sharing in our baby's name. The picture is a little preview of her nursery wall.. More to come soon!

We moved to North Carolina....

2010-01-15T08:06:00.000-08:00

January Greetings to all of our family and friends. There have been a lot of changes for the Barton Family since I last blogged after Christmas. I guess the biggest change has been that we moved to Raleigh, NC. We have spent the last six months working for a ministry called, Least of These International. We had such an awesome time doing this, grew as a couple and learned so much. However, we have moved in a different direction at this time and Reed is working for as a Water Design Engineer. In this economy we felt really blessed to find a great job. Right now we do not know how long we will be here but it is a really nice area. We are excited to bring our baby girl into the world. Right now I am taking the next eight to ten weeks to prepare to be a Mom. I am already nesting really bad. I guess that is to be expected since I have box’s everywhere and have to organize a whole town house. I am just taking it day by day. Another cool thing that has happened is that Reed and I have begun our Labor Class. It is really informative and we keep asking ourselves, are we really already here in our lives. We are embracing parenthood as best we can and know that we have a lot to learn in the future. I want to thank all of you that have helped us in this transitions. We could not have done it without you all. We have been surrounded by love and are so thankful for everything that we have. There is a lot more to come, pictures of our new place, baby's room, baby shower... Cant Wait.

Christmas Cheer...Now Time To Move....

2009-12-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

We had such a great time this Christmas Holiday. We really missed our family and were excited to go home and visit. We continued with our many traditions of making Christmas Cookies, Christmas Eve Pajamas, Orange Rolls and Christmas Captain Crunch. This Christmas was extra special because of Baby Barton. She was moving so much and everyone was able to feel her. There was so much excitement about her and her arrival in March. This week is the first week of my Third and final Trimester, and I am really pregnant. I still feel awesome but I am moving a little slower than normal. I am really excited about the New Year and all it has to offer. I end this blog with this thought…“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”- Mark Twain.
More to come about our future plans….???

2009-12-09T07:54:00.000-08:00

Make a HOPE BASKET THIS YEAR.....

Dear Friend s and Family,
The Count Down starts now. You might think I mean until the baby is born but actually I mean until Christmas. This season is making my pregnancy fly by so quickly. Many of you have been asking me how I am doing and how I am feeling. I wanted to tell all of you that I am doing awesome. I do feel pregnant though, I have to sit on the couch in a different way, I can’t really run any more, and well I get out of breath a lot faster than normal. I feel our baby moving all the time. However, every time Reed try’s to feel here she stops kicking. I think she thinks it is funny! I do not know if it is the baby or the Mother coming out of me, I just really feel thankful this holiday season and just want to give back. Reed and I worked at homeless shelter last night and it was so awesome to serve the community and give back. I am also making my dad a really cool gift for Christmas. It is called the HOPE basket. For Christmas, My dad asked me to give him clothes to give away to a homeless shelter that he works at. I decided to take it a little further and make a HOPE basket for him. The idea is to create a basket that is out all year that reminds me to give back all year. I am going to put it somewhere in my house to fill all year long to give back. For example, when school starts buy school supplies for kids who need help. There are so many things that we can do all year to give back to our local community. I think this is a great idea to give to people this year. It is also a really good way to get your kids involved in being aware of injustice. I would love to challenge all of you to make a Hope Basket for yourself and make one to give away. If you really do go forward with it I would love to see your HOPE BASKETS. Post them to FACE BOOK and I will share it with everyone!

Holiday Cheer....

2009-11-30T17:53:00.000-08:00

Six Months along and the baby girl is growing like crazy. It is really neat to feel this little girl move inside of me. She is kicking and tossing and turning.I am so excited about the holiday season. We are very close to having a name picked out.. More to come later..

2009-11-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

I think this was one of the greatest days of my life! We are so happy to be having a healthy baby girl. She was moving the whole time! She touched her face and brought her legs to her chest. I was speechless!!! Having a baby is so neat...

2009-11-18T17:47:00.000-08:00

ITS A GIRL....

We are five months...

2009-10-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

I am really showing now...
I am at the five month mark and it is going by so fast. I am starting to feel the baby move, well I am feeling movement, that is really unfamiliar and I think it is our baby saying hello.... In November we will find out what we are having. We cant wait. We love all of you and cant wait to share with you more soon...

Autumn Love

2009-10-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

This week is the first week of October and I am so in love with this Mountain Weather. It is so beautiful. Good News, I am out of my first trimester and feel 100% like myself again. The last three months were actually not even that bad. I had some nausea but nothing unbearable. I did feel really tired in the beginning. I could have slept all day, however, that is all over. I wake up and I am ready to go. The only major sign of pregnancy I have is that my clothes are getting tighter.

Me and Reed have heard the heart beat and it was so neat. I can’t believe that I am creating a little human inside of me. It really is a miracle. The funniest thing that happened to me was in the first trimester, at Target, my favorite place. I was all the way in the back of Target, in the home section, and I felt a crazy sensation that I was going to be sick, and then it came. I went RUNNING to the Target Bathroom, which was full. I got sick three times in all of these women were tending to me. I said I am pregnant and they said, OHHHH.. It was so funny. That was the only time that I was sick, and I think that was actually new vitamins that I was taking.

So to sum it all up, Pregnancy is fun and crazy all at the same time… Right before Thanksgiving we will find out what we are having, and yes we are going to find out.. More to come….

Update

2009-09-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

Just to get everyone caught up. I am two and half months along. Yesterday we went to the doctors and heard the heart beat. It was loud and clear and so neat to hear. Reed and I left the appointment realizing that we are really going to be parents. Hearing the heart beat made me connect even more with the baby. It made me really excited. At this point everyone knows about the pregnancy and we are trying to prepare ourselves for the changes that will occur in the future. We want to thank everyone for the encouragement and support. We are surrounded by love and prayers. Thank you….

Telling the family about the baby...

2009-08-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

We told the family that we were having a "GRADUATION PARTY FOR REED"....however that was just fake. We told everyone that we wanted to thank them for all of the support that they gave us the last two years... and that we had made them all something. We passed out boxes, and made everyone open them at the same time.... SURPRISE, they were blue and pink baby cupcakes. Everyone is thrilled and it was a awesome moment in our lives!!!!

Our Next Season

2009-06-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and Family,

I am starting a blog to journal about our next year, our hopes plans and goals. Right now I am a happily married woman, who is having her fourth year anniversary this summer. I can’t believe how fast time is going by... In just a couple of weeks I will be moving to Charlottesville, VA. I am really excited about these changes and what we will be doing there... However, it is late and I have a lot more to say. Stay tuned and I will tell you more!!!!! However, here are a few pictures to keep you on the edge of your seat!....