The Barton Family Blog

Announcing Barton Baby #5... A word of explanation... Today at our ultrasound we asked the u/s tech not to tell us the gender. She wrote it in an envelope and sent us off. We dropped the envelope at a local party store and left while they filled the box with the surprise balloons.  We picked up the sealed box, wrapped it and waited for family and friends to arrive. The girls gathered around and helped us open the box to release the balloons. Hollie's reaction: if it's pink it's a girl. if it's blue, it's a girl. (SORRY HOLLIE!) Shy's reaction: I'm sure Kenzie captured it best in a picture, but she was the MOST excited.... wide mouth and eyes... thrilled. Natalee's reaction: cautious, hesitant as always. I'm pretty sure I saw a little smile somewhere in there tho! Johnny & my reaction: thrilled!! Thrilled for Brock and thrilled for us! (: Now we desperately need to find a name.  It's going to be TOUGH. It was so fun having frien...

Instagram has replaced blogging in some ways... and I don't like that. Instagram is fun in the moment! Sharing your day with all your friends... capturing cute moments just for the purpose of posting them on Instagram... BUT... they kinda go away... I mean i have them in my photo album on my phone, but often I don't post them to my blog because I already posted them on Instagram... and sometimes, that means I miss documenting the fun parts of our lives, that I really really should have blogged about! (Date day at Papa's Pizza - with 6 kids! - Hey, I'll take it!) Other times, the pictures are kinda random... they don't capture a day, or an event, or an outing... but they're still part of our days... and I kinda want to have them to look back on - in a way I won't ever look back on Instagram.   (waiting for the bus)   (cutest shoes in Kindergarten!) (he fed Lily ice cream - newest best friend!) So bear with me.  Sometimes the pic...

We are FINALLY getting some Beaver action in this house! How we've lived in Corvallis this long and gone to so FEW games is a mystery to me! I bought Johnny tickets to three games this season for his birthday back in July. One for him, and one for each girl.  He had told me that he has the most fun taking the kiddos to the games... so I knew it would be a great gift! Hollie was supposed to go to the first game in September (OSU v. Nichols State) but the game was cancelled due to the hurricane.  She was SUPER excited when October rolled around and it was finally her turn to go to her FIRST Beaver game!! We waited and waited and waited for the bus... thinking to avoid the nightmare of traffic...   but it never came. They had some serious public transportation problems that day. Finally, at about 10 minutes till game time, I walked home from the bus stop & grabbed the van.  Good thing I did.  On the whole drive there, we never once saw a ...