Caleb Walks! And Mommy figures out what it means to "embed code" into a website...

In case you don't know, that means I figured out how to copy the computer code from the video website into my blog post so that the video shows. (Ok, so its not that hard once you know what to do. But it took a while to figure out.)

Caleb Walks from Jennifer Bartley on Vimeo.

This baby boy turns 1 year old in less than 2 weeks! WOW! Isn't he adorable?

Why I Believe- The Stars…

Yesterday when my favorite cooking shows and reality tv programs from TLC weren't on I started watching a tv show from National Geographic with pictures from the Hubble Telescope of what they said was stars being born. Entire universes were pictured in what to my eyes looked like some sort of drawing my 2 years old could have made on a black canvas. Oranges and yellows in a big swirling cloud….

Anyway, it all reminded me of a foundational question that I've asked throughout my life whenever spiritual questions swirled in my own mind. "How in the world did we all get here?" Have you ever considered that? Sometimes the God I have grown up believing in from the Bible and the situations I see in the world don't seem possible. Why do terrible things happen if God could prevent them? How could it be possible that Jesus was really God here on Earth? Could the writings in the Bible that have been passed down through centuries really be the true words of God Himself? And there is one thought that I always have found at the end of whatever doubt ridden journey those difficult questions lead me on. Its me and the stars. How on Earth can anyone truly explain their own existence on a planet in the middle of a giant universe without realizing that there is Something, Someone much bigger responsible. And no matter what problems I see in the world it just doesn't erase the fact that I am here and I surely didn't get here alone. SomeONE put me here. Even today's scientific explanations like evolution fail to answer the ultimate questions for how it all started in the first place. What was in creation to begin with at the beginning of time? And when I look up at the stars I remember that I am merely a part of the grand creation of Someone else's hands and everything else dims into the background.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

Life from the last few weeks...

So...its been a long time since blogs. Here's what we've been up to...



This weekend Cousin Adalyn came to visit with Aunt Wyndi and Uncle Connor and Gee Gee too!

Cousin Adalyn likes my pancakes a lot!

Caden has decided watercolors are really fun!

Caleb loves to pose for the camera!
He is showing off his 3 teeth here!

He turned 11 months old today! Next month he'll be 1 year old!!!

Speaking of posing...

Woo hoo! Driving is fun!

We went for a trip to visit our family in Houston!
Grandpa is reading vintage comic books to Caden!

Caleb isn't one yet but he is learning to drive!
Notice the foot up on the side!
I don't know whom he could have learned THAT from!

Caden has become a VERY picky eater!
Notice the untouched plate of CHOCOLATE CHIP pancakes that Grandma made him!

And me? Well, I have become obsessed with this dress from Target.
It gets all the checks off my list: comfortable, nursing capable, lightweight, washable, bright colors, and form flattering...if you see me anytime in the next however long it is before I recover from the obsession you just might see me in this dress or one in silver or purple or blue or brown with polka dots. I'm considering it my new mommy uniform...
by the way it is $24 from Target just search "merona strappy v-neck dress"

And since I'm ultra high tech here is a video from Extreme Fun today! Don't miss the jumping celebration from Caden at the end!

Bible Study and Baseball Hats

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, do not be discouraged and do not be terrified for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go!" Joshua 9:1 That was our theme for the vacation Bible school at our church last week. I taught 4 groups of four and five year olds the story each day. Caden and Caleb were too little to participate but they still went to their own "classes" which they LOVED every day. It was a fun week! That is a picture of us in our tee shirts (well, they didn't have any for nine month olds, but Caden got one!)

Caleb is old enought to play with the Dino Roar now, he can even
pick up the balls and put them into the holes by himself. Smart baby boy!



Caleb fell asleep eating dinner last night, so I put him in his crib and he had a late nap...which meant he didn't go back to sleep until 10:30 after that. If the Tonight Show is on, you know its too late for your 9 month old to be up!

Caden and Daddy playing "tower" and sporting what appears to be a peace sign or some form of gang sign (I can't tell) while sporting Caden's new favorite style, a ball ball hat!





Whoop!