The Bairs

The Great Commission

2012-02-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

This is a 1-page document I made for my church. I am going around to all the life groups to assist the life group leaders in understanding of the Great Commission and brainstorm ideas on how to plan an event or initiative they can do as a group.

The Essential Question: What does God want our church to do?

The Answer: The Great Commission is the mission of the church.

Matthew 28:16-20 Luke 24:44-49 Acts 1:8

Who is the Great Commission for? Jesus’ disciples, he expects His followers to carry out this mission to the end of the age.

Why follow the Great Commission? We are sent because Christ was sent, and we go in His name, under his authority. The Great Commission must be the mission of the church for two very basic reasons: there is something worse than death (eternity in hell), and there is something better than human flourishing (eternity in heaven).

What is the mission? The mission is preaching/teaching, announcing/testifying, making disciples, and baptizing. The mission focuses on the initial and continuing verbal declaration of the gospel, the announcement of Christ’s death and resurrection and the life found in him when we repent and believe. All to the end of making lifelong, die-hard disciples of Jesus Christ who obey everything he commanded. We gather these disciples into churches, that they might worship the Lord and obey his commands now and in eternity to the glory of God the Father.

Where? Into the world: our strategy is not to “come and see” but to go and tell of Jesus.

How? We go out in the power of the Holy Spirit and in submission to the Son just as he was obedient to and dependent upon the Father. Our activities should be constrained by what helps others come to believe that the Messiah, the Son of God is Jesus. We do good works to show the world God’s character and God’s work. Good deeds can be a display of love that may break down misconceptions of the church, circumvent people's defense mechanisms against Christians, and open the way for the gospel. The word of God is more than able to do the work of God.

When? The mission began at Pentecost when the disciples were clothed with power from on high with the presence of the Holy Spirit. The mission will last as long as the promise of Christ’s presence lasts; that is, to the end of the age.

To whom? We must go to every people group, proclaiming the good news to the ends of the earth. Remember, it’s not just to the poor in money Jesus went to, but the poor in spirit.

Bible Verses to encourage good works:

Titus 2:14 Galatians 6:9 1 John 5:3 1 John 4:19

Matthew 22:36-40 Matthew 5:13, 43-45 Genesis 1:27 Matthew 7:16-20
Galatians 5:22-23 Ephesians 2:10 1 Peter 3:17 1 Tim 6:18

The Book of Acts: If you are looking for creation care, plans for societal renewal, and strategies to serve the community, you won't find them. But if you are looking for preaching, teaching, centrality of the Word, fellowshipping, the breaking of bread, prayer, miracles, conversions, church planting and edification, this is your book.

All information taken from: “What is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom and the Great Commission” Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert. Crossway Wheaton, IL 2011.

Application

2012-01-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

I wrote this for a reality show application (and sent the pic in)...I think it was an interesting way to incapsulate what I got going on.

I can take on the unbreakable challenge because I am a team player who is also very competitive, and I am mentally and emotionally resilient and unafraid.

“Each man’s heart knows its own bitterness and no one else can share its joy.” I knew this proverb to be true before I had it tattooed on my back. Most people perceive events in life as good or bad, but I know that everything is a valuable. I don’t shy away from difficult challenges or tough conversations. I’ve been married for almost 7 years to my high school sweetheart; we have 3 boys (Isaiah-4, Noah-3, Jude-3 months). I appreciate the responsibility and weight of it all. Not many people my age have a family like I do, my perspective on life enables my ability to do this. My wife and I have been through a lot with each other and our kids (miscarriage, health issues), but the strength and resiliency I give and receive from them make it all worth it.

I am a productive team player who knows how to bring people together to accomplish goals. I am willing to sacrifice for the good of the team with my time and resources. I grew up in an Air Force family, we moved 10 times to 6 different states and 2 countries (Germany and South Korea). It was hard walking into a new school every year with zero friends. But today, I make friends easily in whatever group I’m in. I teach a class on Leadership and Management at a University as an Air Force ROTC instructor (2010-2012, East Carolina University), and I’ve been a “drill sergeant” (Flight Training Officer) at the Air Force ROTC brand of BASIC Training, in the summer of 2011. I am the service and outreach coordinator at Integrity Church in Greenville, NC. Last year I planned and led 40 people, over 160 man-hours to renovate a 100 year-old house currently used as a women’s half-way house (removed 1.5 tons of garbage). I planned and distributed care packages and meals to over 40 homeless/needy people.

I am very competitive. I’ve looked down the starting line to size up my competition and looked within my own heart at the burning fire, yearning to be tested. I have two brothers who are 1.5 years older and 1.5 years younger than me…I’m the middle child. We grew up in Boy Scouts in Utah and Germany. I’ve hiked the Rockies and the Swiss Alps. I have to be honest; I have everything I need for any backpacking excursion tucked away in my attic. Because of my life choices I haven’t had the opportunity to conquer the Appalachian Trail or Mount Rainier. But I find outlets for my sense of adventure when I can. In 2010, I ran the Air Force Marathon and finished at 4 hours 15 minutes. The first 20 miles were the best running I’ve ever done, I really enjoyed it. But those last few miles were hard because I let myself get dehydrated.

I am unafraid. I’m a Captain in the Air Force, I’ve been in for 4.5 years; I will be in for 1.5 more years. I spent the first 3 years as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer working with some of the most hard working rough necks in America today, at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. Soon I will separate from the Air Force in order to do what I believe I am meant to do. I am always looking for purpose and significance. I enjoy helping people overcome emotional, mental or physical stumbling blocks in life. Therefore, I’ve decided to pursue Christian ministry. I got my B.A. in Religious Studies at Penn State and received my M.A. in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty Theological Seminary. My next step is to raise support for myself in order to gain experience as an Associate Pastor at Rose City Church of Pasadena, CA. After that I plan on being a missionary to a community in the US, or maybe internationally. Most people tell me not to do this, citing any reason (i.e. the economy, the difficulty of support raising). I believe I can do this through determination and reliance on my God.

Homeless Cookout

2012-01-24T11:17:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, January 22 my friend Brock and I organized a cookout. We had everything! A heater, coffee, hotdogs, chips, fruit, care packages (complete with socks, gloves, chapstick, Kleenexes, snacks). We even did it on the front lawn of a friend of ours who lives near and constantly sees and helps the homeless in our area. One thing we didn’t plan on though, we didn’t plan on it being 36 degrees out! It was so cold! Thankfully two couples from our life group at church joined us and we had enough people to make all the food, individually package everything into about 60 bags (complete with meal and care items). Then I drove our friend Mary around and we gave out about 40 of the bags to about 25 people.

Then we had a great idea! It was approaching 6pm. The local homeless shelter opens its doors from 6-8pm every night to house about 50 people. So at about 530pm we pulled up and gave out about 25 more bags to the people waiting in line.

Overall, it was nice to help people, they were so appreciative. 40 of the 60 bags we gave out had an encouraging note with a Bible verse, information on our church, and a few resources in the area. It was very interesting to see a lot shady activity happening on the wrong side of town. And it also got me thinking…

I am reading a book right now about the mission of the church. The mission of the church is to fulfill the Great Commission: Matthew 28:18-20 “Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” So our mission is not to feed the poor, cloth the naked, or free the prisoners (don’t get me wrong, that’s all great stuff).

The overriding principle here is: There is something better than human flourishing and worse than death. The answer to the former is salvation in Jesus and the answer to the later is eternity in hell. So what then is the most important message I can give to EVERYONE (not just the materially deficient)…Jesus lived and died as a testimony to God’s great love, give your life to Him.

The great thing about this message is that everyone needs to hear it, all the time. Therefore, I do not NEED to do event based evangelism like my event above; however, I do choose to. And when I do these things my motivation and my goal should be the same ALL THE TIME: the glory of God.

So, the best thing we can do is point everyone to the glory of God and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ because you will never know who is truly starving, naked and imprisoned…only God knows that.

Thoughts on Christmas!

2011-12-25T23:52:00.000-07:00

This Christmas season has got me thinking…God calls me to give up my idols and worship the one true God. So how has Christ modeled this for me, to show me the way or done this for me? It is always encouraging knowing and being able to read that Jesus did something that God equips us to do and expects us to do.

I really think that all "idol worship" boils down to a form of pride. I think I read a book one time that labeled pride as the universal enabler. In other words, if you think you know best, then you'll talk yourself into anything. What is idol worship? Putting created things in the place of our creator, or making good things into god things that we focus our life around. Each of us needs significance/purpose and security/acceptance. If we turn to anything but Jesus for these things, it's idol worship. Don't confuse this with an addiction, like over-eating, smoking, drugs, gambling, etc…An addiction is something you turn to, to protect your sense of self-worth when it is damaged because your "idol" worship failed you. Everyone has idols, I have idols, you have idols…my little boys Isaiah, Noah and Jude will one day have idols. Could be success at my job, could be bring considered rich in my own eyes, or the eyes of others, could be rank in the military, it's funny that we turn to temporal status indicators to fill the hole in our hearts where eternal status fits. So what does Christmas have to do with all this?

Philippians 2:6-8 [Jesus] "who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death."

At the root of my idolatry is the belief that I know best and I don't believe God, I don't believe that God can give me eternal significance and acceptance. Jesus has modeled the ultimate example of humility, which is what I need in order to give up my idolatry. Jesus was in the form of God, and then He made Himself nothing. The distance between those two things is immeasurable, but that is the biggest "demotion" anyone could ever have. Jesus uber-humbled Himself…so can we!

Also, Christmas marks our celebration of God coming down to bring us up to Him. Just like God did when He came down to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Egyptians. (Exodus 3:7-8)

John 6:40 "This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day."

Our Family Photo Shoot!

2011-12-13T06:57:00.000-07:00

We love our church...Integrity Church in Greenville, NC. One of the reasons is because it has so many different people that go there. For instance, Daniel works out with his buddy Brian who was on the ECU football team about 15 years ago, so we do some High Intensity Training (HIT) with tractor tires and large rocks...I like to think of them as boulders. For the people who host our life group: she is a gynecologist and he is in an entertainment band that plays from Myrtle Band to Nags Head and as far west as Raleigh. One of Tory's good friend's Erin is a nurse and her husband is an ER doctor. Our friend Katy is starting her own photography business! So we asked her to shoot us in Washington, NC! Here's some pictures:

My wife Tory and our new son Jude!

Yes, it was cold, yes Isaiah is just trying to be cute.

Isaiah really just knew exactly what was going on and wanted to look cute...don't be deceived...just kidding.

So I probably shouldn't have sat in front of everyone...I'm kinda of a lot bigger than everyone.

Focus on Tory.

Focus on Daniel.

Little baby boy...he's so easy to take care of...it's because he has to deal with loud noises and bumps from Isaiah and Noah at such an early age...he'll be the hardiest Bair boy yet!

The "New" Blog

2011-12-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

Friends and Followers,

Looks like this hasn't been updated in a while! I am taking over Tory's blog! I am going to try to post stories and pictures of what we've been up to and maybe just some interesting stories about other people that I find. I can tell you this month you can look forward to pictures from our recent family photo shoot, our Christmas letter, and some pictures from our early Christmas on December 18th, then our trip to California for our late Christmas on December 26th and the Rose Bowl Parade.

Daniel

He's Home!!!

2010-01-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

Daniel's home!!

Here's some pictures from his homecoming (thanks so much Jen for taking the pictures!!)

Waiting for Dad

Noah loved the balloons

still waiting for Dad

Dad's airplane

Braving the cold to see if we could see him

He's finally here!!!

Daniel trying to charm Isaiah so he could get a hug. Noah on the other hand wouldn't let him put him down.

Noah was all smiles

Finally all together again

Family Photos

2009-12-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a few Davidson family pictures (minus Daniel, Paul, Megan, Timothy, and Toby; we missed you all!)

Notice Danny's glasses; I thought his glasses were just leaving a large reflection. I am such a blonde. Those were his cool 3D glasses from the movie Avatar

Mom and Dad

Finally a good shot without Danny being silly

I have a few more pics to post but the internet is being way to slow, more to come!

Cairo, Egypt

2009-12-21T02:59:00.000-07:00

We spent two days in Egypt, the first in Cairo and then in Alexandria. Egypt has lots of character! Here's a few pictures from Cairo. We toured the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, Egyptian Museum with all of King Tut's treasures, and experienced a true Egyptian marker. Egypt was pretty overwhelming, the people loved Noah because of his blonde hair and blue eyes. Egyptians would randomly come up to Noah and kiss him while speaking something in Arabic. It was crazy!

at the Pyramids

taking a camel ride

this picture makes me laugh, it was all Philip's idea

Egyptian bizarre

Ephesus

2009-12-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

Out of all the stops Ephesus was my favorite! We ported in Istanbul and drove about an hour and half to Ancient Ephesus. We booked a private tour which made it so much easier to travel with the kids and we learned so much from our tour guide. You would have loved Ephesus Daniel! We miss you!

The main street in Ephesus

There were a ton of stray cats around Turkey, Noah loved watching them!

Library

Noah checking out the cats again while we enjoyed turkish pizza

Isaiah with the amphitheater in the background

Isaiah at the Church of St. John

walking around ancient Ephesus

Remains of the Church of St. John. Apostle John was originally buried here.

Athens

2009-12-14T03:43:00.000-07:00

Athens was one of my favorite stops on the cruise! It was a trek to get from Piraeus (where we ported) to Athens. We spent the day walking around Athens, shopping, exploring the Acropolis, and climbing up the Areopagus. Here's a few pictures from the day...

The whole gang

Noah catching his nap on the go

Looking down from the Acropolis

I'm standing on the Areopagus, a hill where the apostle Paul preached from!

Acropolis

Rome

2009-12-11T00:34:00.000-07:00

Our first stop on the cruise was Rome! We had all been to Rome before so we decide to focus on just seeing the Sistine Chapel (*notice the spelling Daniel). We spent the whole day walking through the Vatican to get to the Sistine Chapel. It was absolutely gorgeous but crowded. Here are a few pictures from the day. I've noticed that I hardly take pictures of the beautiful architecture but of my family. Oh well.

Isaiah loved Uncle Philip's PSP, he had it stocked with lots of good kid movies

Noah would take a 15 minuted nap and wake up all energized while the rest of us were dragging our feet from walking so long.

Isaiah being destructive in The Vatican!

Notice Isaiah, its a horrible habit he's formed

Washing hands in the courtyard of The Vatican, no big deal

Noah is such a charmer, he loves any attention he can get from strangers

Day One-Barcelona

2009-12-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

We flew into Barcelona on Ryan Air, which is the craziest airline ever! They don't have assigned seating; if you've ever been to Europe you'd realize how crazy that is, you literally have to push your way to your seat. We managed to survive getting up at 4am, driving to the aiport, catching a two hour flight, taking an hour and half bus ride, hoping on the metro, and walking to our hotel. It was definitely a sight, all eight of us each with a suitcase and carry one. Isaiah and Noah are used to traveling and were really excited about all the different transportation they got to experience.
Once we were luggage free we spent the day enjoying Barcelona! Here's some pictures from the day; tomorrow we catch the Cruise in the port of Barcelona!! Enjoy Daniel, we miss you so much!!!

Cruising the streets of Barcelona

Catching a well deserved nap

Phil and Sherell being themselves

One of the many street entertainers, this guy really had his pants pulled down

The Port of Barcelona; it was rather deceiving, we still had to walk another 2 miles to get to our boat

The Port of Barcelona

Noah at the Aquarium in Barcelona

Daniel-the market in Barcelona reminded me of our trip to Seattle

Notice how there are no pictures of Isaiah, he's camera shy

A 12-day Mediterranean Cruise

2009-12-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a 12-day Mediterranean Cruise, its a rough life ;-) My mom has always wanted to take a cruise and I was happy to join in when they planned on doing it while we were visiting! We spent two days in Barcelona, Spain before catching the cruise. We stopped in Rome, Athens, Ephesus, Cairo, Alexandria, Malta and then back to Barcelona. I have lots of pictures to sort through, hopefully over the next couple of days I'll get them posted! We missed Daniel the whole time and wished he was with us but the time went by fast! Photos to come......

Yabadooooo

2009-11-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

We took the boys to an indoor German playground this past week! Here's a few pictures we managed to get in the middle of playing. We leave for the cruise on Wednesday! I'll be absent from blogging yet again, the internet on the cruise is ridiculously expensive! More pictures to come in two weeks ;-)

Life in Germany....

2009-11-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

I've been horrible at blogging as usual! We have been staying busy especially with keeping up with Oma's schedule, she is involved in everything! Here's a few pictures from when we went shopping downtown Kaiserlautern. Enjoy!

Pictures from Moesha's Camera

2009-10-25T15:29:00.000-06:00

Here's some pictures from Moe's camera, I thought you might enjoy these Daniel. We miss you!!

No Picture Mama

2009-10-25T15:17:00.000-06:00

The other day I took Isaiah on a walk in hopes that I could get some cute photos of him. He wanted nothing to do with the camera! He kept saying "no picture mama" and turned around and walked away.

Noah's Triumph

2009-10-19T07:25:00.002-06:00

Noah built the masterpiece below all by himself!!!!

Fabric Bowl

2009-10-19T07:10:00.002-06:00

I took a sewing class this past weekend and made a fabric bowl. It was a tedious project and not to mention difficult to sew. It turned out okay, just don't look to closely!!

Noahs Frist Haircut

2009-10-15T10:52:00.003-06:00

Well, I've haven't been very good at keeping up with the blog. We have been busy though! We made it to Germany and are having a wonderful time with my family. We are loving Germany, except for the cold weather!

Here are a few pictures of Noah's first haircut! Now that we've adjusted to the time change and are settled more blogging to come!

Pre-haircut picture, I love his expression!

Notice the hair in his eyes; if I had my way it would still be there but family tradition took over and we had to get his first haircut at Owens (Daniel's first haircut was there).

Noah did really well, he just scowled the whole time

Grammie gave him a cookie afterwards, he enjoyed it!

Noah on the go!

2009-09-28T14:48:00.002-06:00

Stryper

2009-09-25T11:17:00.002-06:00

Chris and I rocked out at a Stryper concert! They're probably the coolest 80's rock band ever! Honesty, I don't like 80's rock but had an awesome time anyways! Good times! When you get home Daniel we have to go to more concerts!

Future Musicians

2009-09-22T19:16:00.003-06:00

Isaiah and Noah love playing on Grammie's piano. Hopefully they inherited Grandpa Davidson's music skills not Daniel and I's! Its so fun watching them play together. Noah will bang as hard as he can while Isaiah gently touches the keys, they are complete opposites!

Penn State Tailgating

2009-09-22T18:53:00.003-06:00

Noah loved playing ladderball!

Aunt Bonnie and Noah

Noah got passed all around since he's so wiggly

I love his smile!

Uncle Chris and Noah

yummy, junk food

Sleepy Isaiah

2009-09-22T18:51:00.002-06:00

Mr. Attitude

2009-09-18T20:55:00.002-06:00

Daniel- I'm posting this video just for you, here's a glimpse of Noah and his growing attitude. Its a good thing he's cute!!

Noah Walking

2009-09-18T20:07:00.003-06:00

Noah took some of his first steps today!! Before we know it he'll be walking everywhere. Notice Isaiah with a toy gun at the very beginning, that's Uncle Chris' doing (thanks Uncle Chris!). We miss you Daniel!

A visit to Great Grammy

2009-09-17T19:02:00.004-06:00

We spent this past Sunday at Great Grammy's house in Sigil. The boys enjoyed the new toy Grammy brought. Noah's getting better at standing without holding onto something, steps will be soon to follow!

Happy Birthday

2009-09-17T18:38:00.003-06:00

I enjoyed a wonderful birthday at the Bairs. I was definitely spoiled! We had a nice lunch at Panera and then dinner at Outback Steakhouse with some ice cream cake to follow. Isaiah enjoyed helping me open gifts and even got a few gifts from Uncle Chris (gifts from Africa).

Elephant and zebra from Africa (thanks Uncle Chris!!!)

Noah helping me blow out my candles

not so interested in pictures

helping me open my gifts

Life at Papa and Grammy's

2009-09-15T21:22:00.004-06:00

We've been staying busy at Papa and Grammy's house. I can't believe two weeks have already gone by. We've been filling our days with trips to Barnes and Noble to play with the trains, the park, spending time with family, Penn State football, naps, lots of food, gym, reading, and cable tv!

Noah loves riding the zebra, he's mastered

getting on and off it!!

Isaiah size chair that papa made for Daddy and his brothers

Isaiah not so sure about Grammy's song

Noah loves to throw, he's going to be a handful the older he gets!

anytime you build a tower he's right there waiting to knock it over

Isaiah's crazy hair do after a trip down the slide

Noah bear crawling in the wood chips

Football Eve

2009-09-06T12:00:00.005-06:00

We've been able to enjoy some football this weekend, PSU has kicked off their season and beat Akron on Saturday! On Friday night we attended football eve at PSU. Isaiah was so excited to go see the Nittany Lion, he kept saying "any wion". You're probably thinking its odd that he knows who the Nittany Lion is; well almost all of Daniel's family has attended Penn State. They're starting early with Isaiah!

Noah fell asleep in Papa's arms. There

were so many people cheering but Noah

never moved!

Before he crashed...

Aunt Liza and Uncle Chris ("Qui" as Isaiah says)

goofing off

Go Penn State!

Isaiah really did have fun...

Uncle Chris and Isaiah chillin

Grange Fair

2009-09-02T17:43:00.005-06:00

We made it to Pennsylvania! The boys are enjoying all the attention. We went to the Grange Fair today, Isaiah loved all the animals.

Riding on Papa's tractor, Isaiah didn't really like the idea

Noah a little bored...

Set us Free

2009-09-02T17:39:00.002-06:00

Good Times

2009-08-22T20:36:00.003-06:00

We spent this Saturday at a birthday party hanging out with friends. Isaiah and Noah enjoyed playing outside. When we got home Isaiah talked about how much fun he had playing in the pool, the funny part is he never got wet! On the other hand Noah did enjoy the water and mastered the slip and slide.

taking a break half way through

and he's off

another quick rest

and again..

the only picture of me (sorry Daniel)

mmmm.. hot dogs, Isaiah's favorite

he could only get it to squirt up;

he got himself a couple of times

Noah loves water

experiencing more of the slip

and slide

"T T"

2009-08-22T20:30:00.002-06:00

TV or "T T" as Isaiah says is the best time of the day! Isaiah is glued to the tv when ever it's on, Noah on the other hand is all over the place like usual.

Noah prefers the bigscreen view

zoning out

Bye Daddy

2009-08-17T22:34:00.006-06:00

We were able to watch Daniel's plane take off from the backyard. Isaiah loves watching airplanes! He was so cute, he kept saying "bye daddy, daddy away". We miss you lots already and are counting the days!!

Daniel's airplane (can you see it?)

Wheres daddy going?

ah, there it is..

"Daddy away"

While Isaiah and I were watching

the plane Noah was having fun...

Noah's First Birthday

2009-08-17T07:07:00.009-06:00

Noah turned 1 on Friday! We were so thankful that Daniel was able to join us for Noah's Birthday. Daniel left this morning for a five month deployment. We miss him already! I'm so thankful we'll be able to spend time with family while he is away, hopefully the time will go by fast! Well, my goal is to update the blog often for Daniel!

Noah crumbling his cupcake, yumm.

All smiles

Daniel took this picture!

not to messy!

Noah's yummy cupcakes..

Daniel was trying to nap, that

didn't go over so well..

wake up dad, I want to play!

eating pizza...their favorite

Noah reading his birthday card

from Great Grandma and Great

Grandpa Huston, he loves to read!

He doesn't seem excited about

shoes..I wonder why?

Isaiah was so excited for the presents, you would

never have known it was Noah's birthday

2009-08-17T07:07:00.001-06:00

Pennsylvania trip

2009-05-30T20:53:00.004-06:00

We traveled to Pennsylvania to visit Daniel's family for Chris' Graduation and Commissioning. Unfortunately Daniel wasn't able to join us because of a TDY. We managed to survive the plane ride out there, the boys did great with rotating naps! We spent the weekend celebrating Chris' graduation and commissioning with lots of family. Isaiah warmed up quickly to everyone! Below are a few pictures from the trip, I'll upload more later!

Reading stories with Uncle Chris

Hanging out, Isaiah sporting his Rita's tattoo

Flying Kites

Isaiah and Papa right after Chris' graduation

Gramma and Noah

Great Grandpa Huston and the boys

Hanging out at Chris' Commissioning

One of the few pictures of me and Noah

Right after Chris' Commissioning

Isaiah's nap time

2009-05-03T16:07:00.007-06:00

Isaiah's been asleep for a little over three hours so I went to check on him and this is what I found.....

Hungry Noah

2009-05-02T22:57:00.003-06:00

So the other day I went upstairs for something and left Noah in his high chair and found him having the time of his life. The cheerios he was eating must have magically transformed into a chocolate chip cookie. Either Noah is super strong and ripped it out of Isaiah's hands or Isaiah decided he wanted to share his favorite food (not likely). Poor Isaiah, his younger brother is going to be into whatever he has.

Hagerman

2009-04-27T13:52:00.012-06:00

We Spent the weekend in Hagerman

a few weekends ago. It was just the

break we needed from the chaos of

life. Daniel has been working a lot so

it was nice to not have to worry about

him getting called in. I never would

have thought there is much to in Idaho

but Hagerman proved otherwise. We

enjoyed the hot springs, the waterfalls,

Malad Gorge, Alligators (yes alligators

in Idaho), and fellowship with friends!

Hiking around Malad Gorge

Taking a rest

Malad Gorge

We actually got a family photo

Isaiah loves taking his shoes on

and off

Noah is always smiling.

Isaiah relaxing next to the

campfire.

Typical poses for all of them

One of the many waterfalls in

Hagerman.

Can you find Daniel?

Noah

2009-04-14T12:11:00.005-06:00

I've been wanting to get more into photography

but have just let the business of life get in the

way. So today I actually pulled my camera out

and tried getting some snapshots of Noah.

Isaiah's Toddler Bed

2009-04-08T21:04:00.004-06:00

I can't believe my last post was a month ago, I need to get better at blogging. Well, a lot has happened since my last post. Isaiah and Noah are growing so fast, Noah is getting closer to crawling! Isaiah is learning new words everyday and will repeat almost anything you say. The cutest is when he says his name "sayah baaairr". Isaiah upgraded to a toddler bed this past month. Thankfully it was an easy transition, I think it helps that he loves to sleep! I'm sure we'll get our share of trouble when Noah eventually switches, he barely even sleeps in his crib!

Even though he doesn't go to bed with toys

he somehow manages to get some out of his

closet.

Happy Birthday Isaiah

2009-03-10T19:58:00.006-06:00

Isaiah turned two on Sunday! He had a low key

birthday. Noah has RSV and bronchiolitis and

Isaiah ended up catching it! So we've been stuck

at home the past week recovering. Needless to

say we still had a wonderful day! The highlight

of the day must have been the lego's from

Grandma and Grandpa Davidson. He has not put

them down since Sunday!

Isaiah and Noah in their new bike trailer. We're

counting the days until the weather warms up

and we can get lots of use out of it!

Isaiah helping Dad fly his "choo choo" Kite

Opening his play-doh from the Davidson's!

I have been trying to get him into play-doh but he

never would get over its stickiness. I guess

he just needed all the fun toys to go along.

He had a Thomas the Tank Engine cake; he wanted

nothing to do with the cake just the "choo choo"

Oh no the "choo choo" is covered in icing

Taking a break from birthday festivities to wear

Dad's ugly slippers.

A glimpse of the legos

Carefully opening presents

Careful, don't rip it dad!

Bath Time

2009-03-10T19:23:00.005-06:00

Now that Noah is able to sit up he no longer

has to take a bath in the baby tub! Isaiah had

so much fun with Noah. Isaiah would kick his

legs and splash Noah right in the face, of course

Noah is just happy to have the company and

didn't care. He started to copy Isaiah and kick

his legs as well!

Huh?

He's teething non-stop

Pro-Life Rally

2009-01-27T23:29:00.008-07:00

We spent this past Saturday in Boise attending

a pro-life rally. It so happened to be the day

after President Obama reversed the abortion-

funding policy. Our tax dollars now go to funding

international organizations that perform and

support abortion. I can already feel myself get-

ting really heated so I'll move on. Isaiah had a ton

of fun walking around during the demonstration.

It was really cold and rainy so we took a little coffee

break at Starbucks. We had the best time in Boise that

day. We went to our favorite coffee shop (it's an old

church turned into the coolest coffee shop ever), did a

little protesting, enjoyed some more coffee at Starbucks,

and did a little shopping.

A little taste of the rally

Isn't he getting so big? He'll be

two in a month and a half!

The coolest sweater ever

Thanks Gramma!

This would have been the best picture of the

boys if Noah didn't have his hand in his face

Noah's always smiling

hanging out at the rally

Marching to city hall

all bundled

New Years in Sun Valley

2009-01-08T11:28:00.006-07:00

Daniel's family came out for New Years! We spent a couple of

days in Mountain Home and then headed northeast to Sun Valley.

We spent most of our time skiing and then trying to regain energy

from skiing. It was so wonderful being together, it had been over a

year since we last saw Andrew and the first time for all of them to

meet Noah!

Papa, Gramma and the boys

All of us decked out in Penn State gear. We

watched Penn State play USC on New Years

Day

Christmas in Sedona

2009-01-08T11:02:00.005-07:00

We enjoyed Christmas in Sedona, Arizona with Tory's side

of the family. This was the first time most of the family

had seen Noah. We played some intense ultimate frisbee

and realized how competitive everyone is. It was so nice

to be all together!

Christmas Morning

The three cousins

Timothy and Isaiah enjoying a movie when

they should have been sleeping

all together!

The whole group

Isaiah's first blackeye

2008-11-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

Isaiah's gotten his first blackeye!

It's pretty small though

He tripped and fell on a toy!

Party at the Bowling Alley

2008-11-15T14:39:00.003-07:00

Isaiah's friend Caleb had his birthday party

at the bowling alley. Even though Isaiah was

to little to bowl he still had the time of his life.

Daniel shows up at the bowling alley and asks me

where Isaiah was, I thought he was right next to me.

Of course I turn around and he's gone, we found him

on top of the bowling ball trap, yikes!

He kept pointing at the bowling balls

saying "ball, ball".

Isn't he so cute?!!

In action

Taking a rest from the craziness

This is Lauren, Caleb's younger sister. Isaiah loves

her, he's always wanting to give her kisses.

Daniel's Birthday

2008-11-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Daniel leaves to go TDY to Las Vegas on his

Birthday so we celebrated a couple days earlier.

We went to the Boise Art Museum and had a

nice dinner at home.

Isaiah was so into the lit candles

Celebrating Daniel's birthday with Gramma

and Papa over webcam

Daniel wanted this jello German desert

for his birthday cake.

This is pretty much all Noah does

Daniel wanted sweet potatoe french fries for

dinner, they turned out pretty good

Noah enjoying the Boise Art Museum

Tummy Time with Noah

2008-11-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

We've been determined to give Noah

tummy time so he'll crawl and not scoot!

Look at those chubby cheeks!

Tummy time with dad

Halloween

2008-11-02T16:54:00.001-07:00

Isaiah getting his superman costume on

(thanks Uncle Christopher)

The cutest Superman ever!

Isaiah's first bite of candy! This is the first time

he's ever been willing to try it.

Flying around the front yard

Daniel and Noah

Noah Bair was a teddy bear that lives on

Bear Loop

Isaiah and me enjoying the fire

Isaiah watching veggie tales while

Daniel makes the fire.

Isaiah loves tv!

He kept putting the candy in his bucket

Our awesome fire

What a life

the beautiful sunset

blue eyed Noah

2008-10-28T21:12:00.000-06:00

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-28T20:44:00.000-06:00

Isaiah enjoyed some snacks while Daniel and I slaved away on our pumpkins. After awhile Isaiah was bored with the pumpkins and decided he would rather read a book. He was really interested in the pumpkins once they were lit though.

the beginning

2008-10-28T20:42:00.000-06:00

Daniel and I are attempting to blog. We hope it keeps you more up to date with our lives.