December 22nd
I approached today, December 22nd, with some apprehension this year. Â It’s my sweet Evie’s 5th birthday, so it should be a day to happily celebrate another year on earth with a funny, smart, adventurous boy. Â But it’s also the one year anniversary of the day Ryder was admitted to the hospital after mysteriously losing the […]
{Deuteronomy 31:6}
I heard from God today.  He appeared in the form of a young woman wearing a braided ballerina bun, a warm smile, and an IKEA uniform. It’s been a busy season for us, and now we’re plowing full-steam into Christmas (and Evan’s birthday, and our anniversary, and…), so today’s quick trip to Sacramento wasn’t just a […]
Oh Christmas Tree
Last year, my favorite photo of our Christmas tree wasn’t really about the tree at all.  The tree simply added some warm-fuzzies to this already adorable picture.  It was less about the tree, and more about capturing the memory of my smiling, underoo-clad babies huddled together in a blanket fort at Christmas time.  We were in a […]
Moving… and Moving… and Then NOT Moving.
Well, whatdoyaknow? Â A couple more months have (yet again) passed me by, and I haven’t written anything. Â I’ve had SO much to say… a thousand little things I wanted to get off my chest or write down for posterity’s sake, but possessed neither the time nor the energy to do it. Â So here’s a short […]
Book of James Monday
Our friend Bobby, the Superintendent of Big Valley Christian Schools and a pastor at Big Valley Grace, approached Ryan a few weeks ago asking about anointing Ryder with oil.  He was on vacation when some church elders anointed Ryder in April (read about that here), and he wondered if we’d like to do it again… only […]
Checking In
Back-to-School and the beginning of cold/flu season marks the one year anniversary season for most of the kids dealing with varying degrees of whatever terrible virus attacked Ryder’s spinal cord.  A few have fully recovered.  Most have not. Today, we had the opportunity to check in with Ryder’s neurologist, for the first time in six months.  He […]
Loch Sloy, a Boy, and the Marines
This weekend attended the 150th annual Highland Games in Pleasanton. Â We’ve been attending Games throughout the valley for several years, but this particular site is one of the largest in the country. Â For the last handful of years, my parents have hosted our Clan MacFarlane tent. Â They do an amazing job setting up a welcoming […]
Soccer
It’s that time again! For the first time in Barr Family history, we have TWO boys playing soccer. Â Evan has been clomping around in his cleats every chance he gets, and tonight he got to wear them for real at his first practice. Â Unfortunately, having two kids in the same sport can lead to some […]
Another New Therapy
Ryder’s favorite (and dare I say, most successful)Â form of therapy is working out with Ric, our personal trainer and co-owner of Full Force Personal Training. Â A typical training session includes about 20 minutes of “work” and 10 minutes of “play.” Â Work time often looks like this:…or this:And play time usually looks like this:We have seen […]
Ryder Took the Plunge {Photo Overload}
Ryder has always been a “details” kid. Â He lives for non-fiction books and TV shows, and knows more about the human body than anyone his age should. Â He has to know exactly what you’re talking about, why you’re talking about it, and what it means for him. Â So when he decided he wanted to acknowledge […]
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