Star Wars in Concert

Tim emailed me one morning with the awesome news that he had been choosen by his work to get a pair of tickets to Star Wars in Concert. So off we went into a galaxy far away! (ahhh watch out Ewaks)
Where we ran into many different characters from both the good and dark side!

We had awesome seats. The office has box seats so we even had our own private bathroom. It was awesome!

Even Owen enjoyed the show. I think he particularly liked all the lazer lights that were flashing everywhere.

We had a great time, and the music was fabulous. I mostly just enjoyed spending time with two of my boys.

Some fun at Grandma and Grandpa's

Here is another old post (11/5/2009) that for some reason didn't get posted. I took the boys up to spokane to visit my family and we had a great time playing and shopping. Isaac even got a ride on grandpas motorcycle.
The helmet was slightly big, but we all know that the roundness of Ike's head filled it pretty good.

Taryn and Owen sharing some down time.

For some reason I got really lucky and both boys slept on the plane. Not sure how it happened but I am extremely grateful for it.

Ahh he fell asleep watching a movie, but seriously he couldn't keep the headphones on when he was awake, but asleep they seem stuck to his head. :)

Let's go home

At the end of a long and exciting trip we found ourselves back at the airport waiting for our flight. We had such a great time, but we were happy to be heading back home. I love spending time with my family and I cherish every moment that I get with them. I hope we can do another vacation together soon. What better way to explore the world than with your family!

Day 4-the trip back to the City

After seeing Niagra Falls we jumped back into the car and headed for Fayette. After getting a little lost we finally found the Peter Whitmer farm and had a wonderful tour of their visitor center where we say these beauitful stain glass windows.

We then took a tour of the Peter Whitmere home which was very small. It is amazing to think that in that tiny space the Church was organized. The farm was very well taken care of and very green.

After the farm we got back on the road and headed back south toward NYC but made a quick detour to Harmony, Penn. Where we found a monument dedicated to the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood. It was oddly just a pull off on the side of the road with not much around, but it was very nice, and yes it was still raining so Tim just jumped out and took some pictures. Then we were off again, headed for my Uncle Pauls home in West Milford, NJ for the night.

Niagra Falls, Day 4

It was so nice to finally get to the Hotel on Saturday night. We were beat from such a long drive and good site seeing. But we still found a little time for play and in Owen's case some sleep. I never knew I had such strong boys.

Sunday morning we headed down to Niagra Falls state park. The Falls were very beautiful and powerful. We had a great view of the water going over the edge of the falls. Why anyone would go over it in a barrel is crazy to me. What were they expecting? At the bottom the mositure made everything so green. It was just so beautiful.

More Day Three

From the Joseph Smith Sr. Home you could see the Temple poking out of the trees. We wanted to go to the temple grounds but it was already closed for the night. The Lane from one house to the next wasn't very long, but let me tell you, when you are trying to carry two children it seems eternally long. Tim had gone ahead to see the first house and I was taking care of Owen, so Isaac also stayed with me. When I was done with Owen I got ready to go catch up with Tim I realized that Isaac did not have any shoes on. Not only that but Tim had the keys and everything else. So I put one kid on each hip and started down the lane. I really need to build some more upper arm strength becasue I had to stop several times and readjust and rest. By the time I got down to the Hyrum Smith home I could hardly hold on to isaac anymore, and on top of that it was starting to rain, so I hollered to Tim who was inside the home to come and help me. I am sure I looked crazy. He came out took and took Isaac while I asked him why Isaac had no shoes on. Seriously sometimes Dads just don't think about these things. I still love you though Tim Barker!

The Hyrum Smith home was were both Joseph and Hyrums families lived for a while during the translation of the Book of Mormon. It has been completly restored to its original state by the church. And the small fireplace pictured in the bottom left corner is the actual hearth where the plates were hidden during the families stay there. And the rug is a replica of something Emma may have painted to sell for income, it was beautiful.

After touring the homes we were sent off by ourselves with an umbrella into the Sacred Grove. It was raining cats and dogs and getting dark so we didn't have much time. But off we went and it was a humbling experience. It is amazing to think that God the Father and Christ actually came to that place. We were definantly on Holy Ground.

By the time we got back to town it was completly dark and still raining. But we found the print shop that published the Book of Mormon and Tim had to get a picture. Then we were off again in the car headed for Niagara Falls.

Day three in NY - The trip up north

On Saturday we rented a car and drove up through New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York toward Palmyra. We drove across the George Washington Bridge and under a bridge that had high rise apartments sitting on it. (pic upper right corner) The country was beautiful. The leaves were changing colors, and there were these perfect farms all over the place. With a perfect farm house, red barn and white silos, next just green pasture. It was breath taking. I am now in love with barns. Isaac had a great time playing with his dinosaurs and watching shows in the back seat.

We arrived in Palmyra and went strait to the Hill Cummorah. We thought they would be closed because it was around 5pm but we climbed the steep hill, and saw the monument that they have erected in honor of Joseph Smith recieving the Gold Plates. We then hiked down the back side of the hill where I got some good pictures of what it might have looked like in Joseph Smiths day and we headed for the visitors center. They were still open so we chated with them and saw the Christus Statue they have, and headed over to the Sacred Grove. The Missionaries were kind enough to wait for us to give us a tour before they closed.

First Stop on the tour was the Joseph Smith Sr. Home. Tim took these pictures becasue I sayed behind in the visitors center to feed Owen. This is such a small home.

Final Picutres of Day 2 in NY

The Natural History Museum was a lot of fun. We put it on the list because if its Dinosaur collection. So this one was for Isaac. He loved seeing the dinosaurs and had a great time touching the teeth. One nice thing was that there were some movies that you could sit and watch so we got a chance to rest our feet. We were exhausted!

Down the Street a few blocks from the museum was the Manhattan Temple. It was so beautiful, standing there as a beacon of light amid all the hussle and bussle of the city. We went in hoping to find a visitors center but were disappointed to learn that there wasn't one. So we went upstairs to the distribution center and spoke with a really nice lady who told us about the history of the building, and of the other wards that are in the city. It was amazing how quiet and peaceful it was inside. The city just seemed to melt away. I wanted to stay there for the rest of the day but we had to get on our way.

On the way out of the city the next morning we stopped to get some frozen hot chocolate from serendipity 3 but it was still closed. I was pretty sad. But all is not lost you can order the mix online!!

We stumbbled upon the Late Show location while on our way to the MET. Tim was trying to think of the times he saw the show go outside onto the street and was trying to figure out where things were filmed.

Our first stop of the day was the Metropoitan Museum of Art (MET). It was huge. We really only skimmed the surface of this place. So many statues, and fun things to see. We particularly liked the African room, and I was super excited to see the Van Gogh paintings. My new favorite painting is in the bottom left cornor of the collage.

Of course we had to see the egyptian exhibit. It is the largest egyptian collection in the world besides Cairo. So it was pretty amazing. They even had real temples that were put together inside the museum. It really felt like you were seeing something special. This only fuels my desire to go the Egypt someday.

Next stop on the list was the Natural History Museum, and that was on the other side of Central Park. So we got to take a nice stroll through the park and see some cool stuff. Belvadere Castle and the Great Lawn were along our route. Like everything else we saw only a fraction of the park...I guess we will have to come back.

Things we did or saw on day 2 in New York:
The Late Show with David Letterman
The MET
Central Park: The great Lawn, and Belvadere Castle
The Natural History Museum
Serendipity 3
Dillons Candy Bar
Manhattan Temple

more pics to come in the next post

Times Square was as busy as it looks on TV. And reminded us a lot of Vegas lights. The one thing I didn't like was I kept smelling sewer. It was awful! But it was fun to be there. We also had some new york style pizza for dinner right in Times Square.
St. Patricks Cathedral was very beautiful. I am always amazed at the carvings and detail that go into old churches.

Rockafeller Center was fun. We got to see where they put the ice skating rink in during the winter, but when we were there it was all tables for outside eating. Next to where we were standing a bride and groom were taking pictures. What a fun place to get married. And later that night we saw an old woman steal a cab from the couple. She literaly stepped in front of them and got in the cab and shut the door. I guess that is New York for ya.

The Empire State building was amazing. From the ground it doesn't look that tall but when you get to the top it is unbelievable how high up you are. You are looking down at all the other building. It was breath taking to see the view. I was afraid I was going to get vertigo but all went smoothly and we arrived safely back on the ground.

I had heard that the New York Public Library was something not to miss, so we made our way over there and it was worth the trip. I have never seen so much detail go into a public building. It was stunning. Even the ceilings were painted. There was stone and marble everywhere. I am super glad we did not pass it by.

The Adventures of the Barkers: New York City

This is the Financial district of Manhattan, where we saw ground Zero.

The statue of Liberty was awesome. Isaac had an awesome time chasing the birds on the lawn, while Owen chilled out in the stroller.

This is another area of the Financial District.

This was Grand Central Station

List of things we saw on day one in New York:

• Ground Zero
• Battery Park
• Statue of Liberty
• Ellis Island (but we didn't get off the ferry)
• New York Stock Exchange
• Tiffany and Co
• Federal Reserve Bank of New York
• Trump building
• Trinity church
• Grand Central Station
• New York City public Library
• Empire State Building
• Rockafeller Center
• Radio City Music Hall
• St. Patricks Cathedaral
• Times Square

More Pics to follow in the next post

3 Months

My cute boys are so cute. I can't believe Owen is three months already. What a big boy!

knights and Hugs

We were at our friends home up in Santa Maria and Isaac found this helmet in their playroom. He loved it and posed for several pictures. I think I will call him the dinosaur slayer! He has such an active imagination.

I am super happy that we caught this moment on camera. I just love the hugs that babies give. Owen has been a more cuddly baby than Isaac was so I have received some really good hugs from him, but now he is wanting to stand up more and look around. Soon he will be a dinosaur slayer too.
It was just a perfect mommy moment. I love my boys!

Owen

Who doesn't like to watch cartoons with their brother?

Owen is constatly sticking his tongue out. He is like our little snake.

It is not often when your belly is bigger than your head.

Owen likes to spend the day lounging on the couch

And lounging with his dad

Sleeping is also a favorite pastime, and he loves blankets, if only we could keep them out of his mouth.

But most of all he is just cute!!