Barnum Family Update

Trey
Trey is growing so much and so fast. I am trying to remember that living in the moment means that I should be happy about this, but, there is a part of me that struggles to see him grow so fast. I just love these stages and it is painful to see them only last such a short time. He is sitting up, and babbling like crazy. He has had his fair share of colds this winter but handles them like a champ for the most part. He is such a happy guy almost all of the time. In fact he had a huge breakthrough last night. He had his first bath without screaming the whole time. He has never enjoyed one second of the bath until last night. We aren't sure what made the difference but we hope it will continue. We took pictures and video and I think they were his first bath pictures because who wants to see pictures of a screaming baby in the tub. Anyway, it was exciting and it was our first night with my "Three Men in a Tub."
Ryder
Ryder has had quite a few colds this winter, poor thing. We continue to do his breathing treatments with the nebulizer anytime we feel a cold coming on. It seems to help with the length and severity of the cold. Sleeping has been a bit of a struggle too. He has slept in a big boy bed for about 6 months now and has just recently learned that you can come out after your parents put you to bed. Plus being sick he has made many visits to our bed side during the night. We have tried lots of things to try to help with this including no nap during the day. The picture below is what happened that day. Needless to say he isn't ready to give up the nap. He is so fun, always using new words and phrases. My favorite was, the other day Jenna and Cooper were laughing about something and he said "This is not a joke, this is serious." We love and adore the big boy that he is learning to be.
Cooper
Cooper is such a great kid. He enjoys preschool so much and is so smart. He is learning to read because of his sister's example and loves to learn new things all the time. He is a big fan of hugs, kisses and snuggles. Wrestle time with Dad has to be at the top of his priorities. He has such a tender heart and loves to choose the right.
He enjoys riding his new scooter and behind his Dad in the new picolo that Dad brought home from work. (Our last one was stolen shortly after we moved he, but Garrett's boss gave us another one.) Cooper's laugh is contagious and loves to tease his siblings.
Jenna
Jenna is curious, talking, inquisitive, and sweet. She is loving first grade and especially enjoys her teacher. She is a little shy but tells me she has friends that she plays with at recess. She doesn't really ever have friend over and that might be because her favorite friend is already here when she gets home. She continues to love, and enjoy Cooper to death. Wednesday night is our kid date night. One of the kids gets to go with Garrett and I on a date that night. The other night Jenna and I went on the same scavenger hunt that Cooper and Garrett did the week before. We had a great time. I will write more about Jenna during the week because she has a big day coming up on January 27th! This picture is of "a sound." We decided to take a picture of something that makes a sound.
Garrett
Garrett is still thoroughly enjoying his job at Burley. He has been busy this week because of the Oregon State Representative that is trying to pass a crazy law in Oregon. This law would mean that it would be against the law to pull any child younger than six behind a bike. He has been doing radio, newspaper and TV interviews this week to get the word out to the public. The law is so absurd that there is no way it will pass, so really this should just be positive publicity for Burley and their wonderful and safe products. There was a parade yesterday (yes a parade in January, isn't Oregon awesome!) to celebrate our DUCKS and we were in it for Burley. We are jumping right into this biking world and loving it. Garrett is such a good Dad and we are almost always running to meet him at the door so that we can hug, kiss, snuggle, talk and wrestle with him. We love time with our Dad and we are so glad we get a lot more of it now.
Kricket
I am really enjoying everything I get to do as a wife and mother. This have finally taken to a schedule and there is a part of me that enjoys that. I also really enjoy the flexibility of being a stay a home mom. It is nice to just change things up and try something new, or go somewhere because we can, or not go or do because we want to stay home. Garrett gave me a Nike Plus Sportband for Christmas and I am loving it! I have a sensor on my shoe and then I wear this cool watch. It tracks my distance, speed, time and my calories during my runs. Then I plug it into the computer and it keep track of all of this information. It has graphs, charts, and there are ways for me to set new goals. It is SO motivating and fun! So there you have it. We are doing well. Papa Lynn and Granny, we miss you so much. We pray for you everyday and hope that you feel our love from far across the world!

Kricket