Fish out of water

The kids have been enjoying swimming this summer. Hayden has become such a good swimmer. Logan feels like he needs to put on every piece of equipment they make and Bryn has no fear. She jumps in!

Logan forgot to put on his flippers

Hayden down the slide

and Logan

Still floating!

Bryn was having a "ball"

The Barbers are Zooing it

In June we took a little trip up to Toledo to visit family and friends. Here are some pictures from our visit to the Toledo Zoo. This was Bryn's first time there.

Bryn loves animals

The meerkats were a favorite to watch

Hayden and Bryn

Mommy and Bryn

Hayden, Bryn and Mommy

Hayden loves posing for pictures

Logan...not so much

At the polar bear exhibit...the best part

They were so fun to watch

Chad got a little angry...oh wait no, that's a bear

We love zoo's. Can't wait to visit the zoo in Virginia and the National Zoo too.

It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday

On May 25, 2009, the Barbers said goodbye to their house...

It wasn't grand but it was ours. We miss it!

My crepe myrtle I planted after Katrina. It's silly to say you love a tree, but I did. It was tiny when I bought it and it grew to over 6 ft. It had beautiful pink flowers when in bloom.

...and began a new adventure. Stay tuned.

Our last weekend in NOLA

Our last weekend in NOLA we decided to take the kids to the Audubon Insectarium. The boys had been 'bugging' us to go ever since it opened. (I really wanted to go too!)

The boys, ready to terrorize the Insectarium

They have all these cool giant bugs all over the walls. I, ahem, the kids loved em!

Logan and an earthworm. Reminds me of Honey I Shrunk The Kids!

Logan and Bryn in tunnel

There was a display of a kitchen cupboard with, dare I say it, cockroaches crawling around. You could stick your head in these bubbles and get up close and personal with them. Ewwww!

Bryn, Hayden and Logan sitting on an alligator in the LA exhibit.

Bryn, all smiles

The boys trying on some insect armor

My favorite part...BUTTERFLIES!

Here are some of my favorite pics.

Logan is so fascinated with bugs and spiders. I love seeing things through my kid's eyes. It's like seeing something for the first time.

It was so awesome to walk around and see all the butterflies flitting around. The landscape was beautiful too.

Notice, I am not pictured in any photo and neither was grandma Judy :(

Isn't that always the way

Looks like this guy is looking right back at me

This was my favorite pic I took because it reminded me of my favorite painting by Van Gogh -Death's Head Moth, even though this is a owl eye butterfly


A stone on the way out of the butterfly exhibit reads:

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you. ~Monet

It was so peaceful and lovely in there. I could have stayed in there all day.

Boys driving a LOVE BUG

LOVED the Insectarium! It is definitely a must see, especially if you have a budding entomologist! It was truly an amazing and fun adventure. The Insectarium is certainly a great addition to the Audubon family!

Had to take a picture of a street car on our way out.

(Not a trolley, not a cable car, a streetcar!)

Of course we had to stop for ice cream on this hot day. We went to the Creole Creamery in the Historic Garden District. Just outside are the now famous water meters.

(Inspired my jewelry, it's a NOLA thing)

Oh look, my feet. I am in a photo afterall!

They are known for some crazy ice cream flavors and were featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on The Food Network

Yummy, yummy in my tummy

The pièce de résistance...lavender-honey ice cream...mmmmmm!

It was a fun day and a sad day. NOLA hasn't seen the last of the Barbers though. The boys grew up in LA and Brynnie was born there. LA will always seem like a home away from home!

Barber UPdate

It's been three months now and we still haven't found suitable housing. Either we are a day late and a dollar short or the school district is undesirable. In the meantime we are hangin' with Biker Bill and Chad is living on his boat. Not an ideal situation but we have hopes that the perfect home is just around the corner! The boys are starting school Tuesday. What's important right now is that they get into a routine again and well, I need a break. Good news to come shortly!

Our first, but certainly not last, trip to the ER

On Saturday, August 22, 2009, Logan fell out of a tree onto a sign. He came running onto the porch, leg covered in blood, opened the front door and screamed "I'm BLEEDING AGHHHHHHHHHHH!!". Chad and I applied first aid and promptly whisked him away to the nearest hospital. Upon arrival to the hospital, Chad carried Logan in where we were greeted by a nurse. She looked at his "boo boo" and rebandaged it as I signed him in. This was at approximately 7:05 pm. He was triaged about 30 minutes after that and finally brought back to the room at around 9:00 pm. TWO HOURS we sat in the waiting room! (Hey, here's a concept: Emergency rooms should be for EMERGENCIES!) At about 9:30 pm, Gregg the PA came in to stitch Logan up. In triage his leg was cleaned up and numbed with this cooling, blue gel. Gregg applied some more of the topical numbing agent to make sure Logan couldn't feel anything. He returned at 10 pm. He made sure that he couldn't feel anything and began stitching up Logan's leg. Of course Logan wanted to watch and when he saw the needle he began screaming. Chad and I tried to take his mind off of it but he insisted on watching. After all was said and done, Logan got 4 stitches and a Popsicle. He did great! Even though the wait was ridiculous, the nurses and Gregg the PA, were awesome! Gregg even thanked US for Chad's service.

The tree

The offending sign

Chillin', waiting for the doctor.

The wound

Logan's thoughts on the experience: "This...was NOT fun."

I would like to add that Hayden is an awesome big brother. He stayed behind with grandpa and Bryn. He kept Bryn occupied, shared a treat with her and got her ready for bed. Thank you Hayden!