What is that smell???

We ended the week with the most awful smell in the car....what could it be, I wondered? Let's just say that I don't keep the cleanest car and 'things' have gotten lost in the piles many times before. But never something that smelled this bad. After much digging and cleaning out, I found two dishes left over from Life Group on Wednesday night hidden under a pile of coats. Yuck! I keep telling myself that as the kids get older, the car will get cleaner. But, in all reality, I don't think they are the problem, I think that it is me. :)

When I picked the kids up from school on Friday they were both eager to know what our BIG plans were for the evening; and they were equally disappointed to find out we had NONE. We needed a night at home. It felt as though we had been running in circles all week..... So, Chris picked up some pizza on the way home, Anna decorated for our "Family Fun" night and we settled in for some relaxation. Nan came over dressed in her jammies to chill out with us. It was great! We ate, snuggled and watched all of The Game Plan. For those of you who know me well, this is a rare thing. I am not a big movie person, but it was very nice to all enjoy an entire movie together. I will have to remember to do that more often.

We were up early Saturday for Anna's volleyball game. They won once again, staying undefeated, and Anna even managed to get a volley back over scoring a crucial point for her team and breaking the serve of one of their top players...it made her day!! We had a quick break and then it was off to Alex's soccer game. Once again, he did great....getting into the mix of things and going after the ball. We were up against a pretty 'rough' team but managed to pull out a victory :)! We had a quick Chick-fil-A lunch with friends, a stop off at the grocery story and then home for a nice nap. That evening the Carrolls came over...we had a nice dinner, a fire and fun outside and then introduced them to the Wii :) It was great fun and a reminder of how we are blessed as we open our homes and ourselves to serve others with hospitality. It truly is a God-given commandment and I am amazed at how blessed I am when I follow His will. A good reminder to 'invest' in the relationships He has blessed us with.

We were actually on time to Church this morning....and were blessed by the message. Now, we are tackling mounds (no exaggeration whatsoever) of laundry. I am so thankful to have a husband that helps me in the areas where I fall short, laundry being a big one of those :) We will end the weekend at my mom's for dinner with my brother, sister-in-law, nephews and niece.

Needless to say, we are blessed beyond measure!

Lissa

He is RISEN!

We had a blessed Easter weekend and BIG fun in the Big A! We headed out to Nana's on Friday morning. I must say that this is one of the few places where my hubby will actually chill out and relax and we all enjoy it when he takes a deep breath :)!

It was so much fun to be with Nana. I hope and pray that I will be like her...healthy, fun, seeking God and serving others...at age 81. She is amazing. Alex really wanted to snuggle and sit in her lap or have her hold him most of the weekend. Needless to say, she is a bit fragile to have a 5 year old crawling on her, but they improvised and he got plenty of "snuggle buggle" time in. Anna was not real happy to share "her Nana" Since she has taken many trips out to Andrews with just her and Nan, she has become a bit accustomed to having Nana all to her self. But she was able to gain the time she needed...check out the pictures of them dressing each other up!

We were also able to spend time with some great family friends during the trip. Chris and Alex had the pleasure of going to a Christian Wrestling Federation "showdown" with several daddys and their little boys. As Chris said, "It was the most redneck thing you have ever seen." But Alex declared, "It was AWESOME!" At the end of event the wrestlers shared their testimonies and gave an altar call. Alex went down front all by his self and asked Jesus into his heart! I know that he will remember that event and his decision forever, it was a memory-making night. I fully believe that he understands the decision he made as much as any 5 year old can. When he got home he told me all about it and is very happy that he will be going to heaven, however, he has realized he is the youngest in our family of four and is a bit worried about being the last to make it there. In his mind, the oldest will go first. I can't help but hope and pray that we will all go together at the sounding of the trumpet!

We are fully back into the swing of our normal routine. Anna was up late working on a school project and Chris just walked in the door from City Council meeting. I will be headed to Plano in the morning, so I am off to bed.

Blessings,

Lissa

Time flies when you're having fun....

So, today was my first day of vacation....and, boy, did it go fast. I sit here unable to believe that it is really way past my bedtime :) The day started off with a blessing and ended with one too!

We slept in just a bit this morning and then Anna and I headed off to meet my mom for a relaxing pedicure. As I sat there in between my mom and Anna chatting away, I realized how blessed I really am....my mom, Anna and I get to spend lots of time together. We have fun....we laugh....we have recreational arguments...we hold each other accountable...we pray for one another. I pray that as Anna grows and matures, she will continue to enjoy these times, to take in all the wonderful ;) advice we share and to know how blessed she is to be "best friends" with her Mommy and Nan. And I pray that I will appreciate what a gift it is to have an amazing little girl who just happens to think her mommy and nan are pretty cool!

As we were enjoying some pampering, Alex and Chris headed off for some "man" errands...which actually consisted of breakfast at the local whole in the wall (JR's) and a trip to Blockbuster to rent some new games and movies. Alex 'adores' his daddy right now, he cannot get enough of him. He cried as I put him to bed tonight...."I didn't get a WHOLE day just with Daddy." He wants Chris when he gets hurt, he would rather Chris quit his job and me keep working, he thinks Chris can do ANYTHING :) (I try real hard not to get my feelings hurt ;)) This is a good thing....a GOD thing. I pray that this strong relationship will grow and mature as Alex grows and matures, I pray that he is already taking in what it means to be a Godly husband and daddy. And along the way it doesn't hurt if he learns to play a mean game of Super Mario Brothers, too :)

We ended the day by going out to dinner with Grandma and Papa. We had a very fun time....let's just say that our dinner out involved a Whoopee Cushion. Yes, somehow this fun little toy made it's way into the restaurant and onto Papa's chair....we are never inconspicuous when out with Barker clan. It was great to see them before we head off to Nana's for a relaxing Easter weekend in the Big A.

Blessings,

Lissa

Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia

It is almost a guarantee with Spring Break...RAIN. It has literally rained non-stop since about 5 a.m. this morning, a driving cold rain. So, we have spent the day inside, in our jammies, watching movies, playing games and chasing each other around the house with light sabers :)!

These days, we are BIG time into StarWars. Alex has just discovered it and he loves it! Anna has been playing StarWars during recess with the boys for the last couple of years, but I think she is just now starting to understand what it is all about. It just took having a little brother to help explain it all :)!

So, tonight we went with Nan to the library. Alex made a beeline for the DVDs where he promptly selected The Empire Strikes Back....he had just finished New Hope. On the way home the kids made a firm decision for Halloween ( or "Fall", as we like to call it) they will be Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker. The discussion quickly evolved into talk about costumes and hairdos.... "Mommy, how will you make my hair more yellow like Luke Skywalker?" and "Mom, my hair is not long enough to make the buns for Princess Leia." And then a lightbulb went off over Anna's head... "Alex, we don't need to worry. Mommy dressed up like Princess Leia when she was a little girl, she will know exactly what to do!" Oh, the memories. How fun that they want to dress-up just like my brother and I did when we were kids. So cool! And, yes, I will figure out how to make it all look perfect...I have only 7 months and 13 days to do it :)!

Chris is still at the office wrapping things up and then he will be home through next Tuesday, I have one more day and then I will be off as well. I feel a big 'sigh' coming on, we are READY for a break! And ready to spend some quality time as a family, it is going to be great!

Stay warm and dry!

Lissa

Spring Break

Spring Break is FINALLY here! Not that I was necessarily aniticipating it, as I will be working most of the week. But, the kids are very excited...they needed a break. And it is just a little preview of summer, we love summer :)

We had a fun, and busy, weekend! Chris went to a men's conference with his dad on Friday night and Saturday morning. The kids were most unhappy not to have their daddy home when he is "supposed" to be. It is good to be loved! It was a blessing for him to get to spend that time with his dad. He had to cut out early on Saturday to meet me at the soccer fields. The kids had games at the exact same time this weekend, I hate not being able to watch both of their games. But the games were a success! Anna's team won once again :) And, although Alex's team did not win, he did great! He is really engaging in the game, a big improvement over last fall. We are still working on Anna's serve, but I am seeing signs of greatness :)!

My nephew, Will, is spending the night with Alex tonight. I used to dream of the day when they would be big enough for sleep overs and it is finally here! They are too cute and having so much fun! We went on a walk after supper tonight, with Will and I trailing a bit behind Chris, Anna and Alex, as he is not fond of Abby, the dog. We were about halfway into our walk when I heard, "Aunt Lissa, at my house we have dessert a little while after supper." He wanted to make sure we would be following the same protocol at our house ;)!

On a fun and final note, Anna asked me this week, "Mom, do you think the wedding colors that I have picked will look good?" Wedding colors, huh? You are only 8 years old. But this is the mind of my fun, creative, fashionista daughter. Always thinking ahead to the perfect outfit or decor for her next big event(s). Drum roll, please....Anna's color selections are....Turquoise and Lime:)! Yes, Anna, I think that will be absolutely beautiful :) With her creative mind, anything will look perfect. I wish I had just a fraction of her creativity, a true gift from the Lord. Thank you, Jesus, for letting me be her mommy!

Good night,
Lissa

P.S. Will just came in to tell me, "Aunt Lissa, I am ready for dessert now." :)

Alex's Plan and Anna's Concern

Where did this day go? It absolutely flew by. Alex needed a lot of attention today and wanted me to spend some play time with him. I sit here feeling pretty regretful as I never made that happen, not to the extent that he wanted. Mommy guilt.... I have got to do a better job of setting "things" aside and playing with my son while he is little and still wants me to.

Which brings me to Alex's plan...we have been toying around with the idea of me becoming a full-time family manager, if you catch my drift :) While we were discussing this the other day, I mentioned to my very excited children that it would mean a big change in our financial dynamic. Today...we go to Target we buy. Future....we don't go to Target ;) Alex did not even miss a beat in the discussion. He has a PLAN. He is going to start looking for money on the ground everywhere we go. He is going to put that money in his piggy bank. And, now, instead of saving it to spend on himself, he is going to SHARE it with us. All in an effort to ease the financial pain if we put our dreams into reality. Gotta love him!

Anna, on the other hand, seemed initially concerned with a potential lack of "things." She had lines of worry on her face and I gave her a bit of a hard time about the attitude. The discussion ended, bed time came and went, and then I heard the familiar "Mommy, oh Mommy!" coming from her bed. I walked in the room and said in a halfway tired tone, "Yes, Anna." And she responded, "Mommy, if you quit your job, will I be able to keep my Omnipod?" You see, she wasn't so much concerned about "things" as I originally thought. She was concerned about keeping her pods, which she understands cost a significant amount of money on a regular basis. Now, let me say, that we are not some ogre's who have told our child how much keeping her alive is costing us. Quite the contrary, we would do whatever it takes to provide her with the best possible care without giving her any hint of additional burden. Kids just somehow know these things. Anyway, I explained very clearly that I would never do anything that would keep her from having her pump. That she was very important to me and the fact that the pump made her life easier was also very important and it would not be going away, no matter what. There are those things that just hurt your heart and this was one of them. I hate that she has to have diabetes, I work to make it the best it can possibly be and I feel awful that she even remotely thinks it puts any kind of burden on us. So, just like taking time to play with Alex, I must also take time to make sure that Anna feels totally secure.

Now, on a some what lighter note. Tonight Chris had to work late, Alex had soccer practice and I had a friend in need. I took my friend Julie's kids to soccer tonight. Afterward, we stopped in at Subway for a quick bite. Let me just say that it has been quite some time since I took 4 kiddos, 3 of them under 6, out to dinner by myself. It was an adventure, a fun adventure, but an adventure none the less. After dinner we headed home for some play time and when it was time to go home they did not want to. What a blessing, I love being able to bless others and know that their children feel comfortable in our home playing with our kids. God is good!

Chocolate Milk

Whew! It has been a long day and I am ready for some much needed sleep. Plano-days are always long. I usually leave the house no later than 6:30a.m. and return sometime around 7:00 p.m. While it is nice to be in the office from time to time and meet with my team and others face to face, it is a long way to go.

That being said....I am blessed with the MOST amazing husband. He is an awesome daddy and takes on the daily routine without missing a beat. In fact, I think they actually have more fun with him :)! For example, after school today, he took them to Wal-mart where everyone got to pick out exactly what they wanted for dinner. To top that off, they came home and went on a nice, long nature walk to enjoy the beautiful weather we had today. They finished up with a little-move watching and before they even knew it, it was bedtime. He is able to give him his undivided attention on these days and they truly love it. Being at work-at-home mommy definitely has it's privileges, but focused attention on my kids is definitely not one of them.

Now, to the chocolate milk part.... I had been home about 10 minutes tonight, when Chris asked Alex if he wanted to tell me his big news. The conversation went a little something like this:

Alex: "Mommy, can I have some chocolate milk?" said with a big ol' grin on his face
Lissa: "Well, Alex, any chance you went poo poo today?"
Alex: "YES!!"
Lissa: "WOOHOO, yes you can have chocolate milk!"

You see Alex goes several days between big time potty breaks. Usually somewhere between days 2-3 we cut off dairy products. This is hard for my buddy because he LOVES chocolate milk. There is always a celebration when he gets to start having it again, such was the case tonight.

Off to get some shut-eye,

Lissa

Bedtime Songs

We have a pretty specific bedtime ritual at our house. There are three main parts: pray, sing and snuggle. Sometimes we throw a book in at the beginning if it is not too late :)

The interesting part to me and the thing I want to remember forever is the songs they request. We sing several of these songs each night....

The Stay Awake Song (from Mary Poppins)
Amazing Grace (all three verses, please ;))
Mommy Loves ______ (Anna or Alex, depending on kid) I made this one up when Anna was a baby.
You are My Sunshine
Yes, Sir That's My Baby
My Buddy (I think this was the song on the Teddy Ruxpin commercials when I was a kid)
Over the Mountains and the Seas (I could sing of Your love forever)

I'm sure there are more but that is a pretty comprehensive list.

I would sing to them every night until they are 18 and go off to college, if they would just let me.

Lissa

Drum roll, please....

....Anna's A1C was 7.0, exactly what it was 3 months ago. Now, let me say, that is considered a GREAT A1C for a child. However, I was hoping for just a bit better. We worked with the doctor today and have made changes to her basal rates and I:C ratios in an effort to tighten things up a bit. The last thing I want is any unexplainable lows, so I am anxious to see how the changes work out.

You may ask what makes a low unexplainable vs. explainable. Or you may not really care ;) I'll explain anyway. If we have all of the rates, targets, correction factors and ratios set correctly then I can usually explain or understand why she has a low when she has one. For example, she might not have eaten all of the food we bolused for or she might have done a lot of exercise without eating additional carbs. What I don't want to see are any lows that I cannot explain. That would mean that some of our settings are off. If that happens, then we will just readjust.

We go to the endocrinologist every 3 months, we alternate between seeing the NP and the Doc each time. So, we only see the actual M.D. every 6 months. We had a great discussion today and really validated that all of the hard work we are putting into Anna's care is 100% worth it and the right thing to do. What we are doing now will positively impact her quality of life as an adult. The tight control we work to achieve now is really what prevents complications later on. Once the complications start it is really hard to make a big enough change to turn things around.

There was a time when I felt that a lot of what I posted would revolve around Anna's care. But, although we put lots of time and brain power into getting it all right, we strive for it to remain in the background of our lives. So, I will post about it from time to time, as there are days when it just refuses to remain in the background.

Enough diabetes talk....

I dislike Springing Forward. I am really still quite irritated that I have lost an hour. I don't like it one bit, neither do the kids. It was like pulling teeth to get them out of bed this morning. And now when it is really "time" to put them to bed, they are nowhere near ready. Alex is begging for some Daddy play time before he takes a bath. How can I possibly say no to that?

I wish that the days when they beg to have our attention would never end. I also wish that I had time to give them the attention they want and need.

We continue to pray for margin in our lives and trust that God has the perfect plan.

Lissa

Blogging Again

Ok, so it has been awhile since I have blogged....Here was my thinking, why am I doing this? who really cares? who is going to read?

BUT, now I realize that I can give my children a snapshot of what their childhood was really like. So, it is not so much for now but for the future. With that in mind, I start up again.

Crazy but FUN weekend.... Starting with the major snowfall on Thursday night. Who would have dreamed, 5 inches of snow in March in TEXAS. You just never know....it sure was beautiful and the kids absolutely LOVED it.

For me, the beauty was somewhat lost, as I woke up on Friday morning with the worst stomach flu, I haven't been that sick since I was a kid. Much thanks to a GREAT friend who picked the kids up for me on Friday and kept them until about 8:00 p.m., giving Chris time to get home and Lysol the whole house before they got home :) So far, so good!!

We were up bright and early on Saturday morning for Anna's first volleyball game of the Spring. I am happy to report that she did awesome! She got a serve over and several volleys as well, IMPRESSIVE! I will post some pics after the next game. She is really having fun, getting to play with several girls from the team last fall and some friends who have joined for the spring.

Saturday night we were able to meet up with our good friends, the Lowells. Anna and Courtney have been friends since they were just babies. And now, even though we don't see each other very often, they are able to pick right up where they left off and have SO MUCH fun....what a blessing! It was also great to see their almost-finished new home, really beautiful.

I must admit that we missed church this morning. I completely forgot Daylight Savings Time. I woke up at 7:45 thinking we were in good shape. It took me about 15 minutes to realize that it was really 9:00 not 8:00 and everyone, but me, was sound asleep. So, we enjoyed a relaxing morning with homemade chocolate chip waffles...yummy :)

Tonight we have been treated with a special guest. My cousin Rachel is in town for a company meeting and is spending the night. We are thoroughly enjoying our time with her, especially the kids. They have played many bored games, made paper hats and have done lots of coloring :) A very special end to our weekend.

Blessings to you all for a great week. We head to the endocrinologist tomorrow. I am a bit nervous, as I was charting this weekend I realized that some of the numbers have not been as wonderful as I had thought. So we will see...

Lissa