A little behind...

So, it seems that blogging has fallen to the bottom of the priority list. Probably because we have been busy having way too much fun!! To get caught up, I am going to start with Thanksgiving...

It was our year for Thanksgiving with the Barkers. Because Mindy and Shannon live far away, they typically only come for Christmas. So, we had a quiet but fun couple of days with Grandma and Papa. We decided to pretend that they were coming from afar and have them spend the night the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The kids thought it was great!! They are spoiled and have no idea what it is like to have grandparents that don't live close :).

A Pilgrim Family

Games with Grandparents

Almost ready for Thanksgiving dinner...

We hope Grandma and Papa had as much fun as we did!

Mom came home from a week in Andrews the Friday after Thanksgiving....we took some time to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere downtown and to play a few intense games of Boggle ;)

Next up....a pre-Christmas surprise!

Hallelujah Harvest 2009

This year we held our 4th annual Barker Family Hallelujah Harvest. For a little background....after many years of being a Halloween hater and dreading the night, I decided to do something about it. Starting in 2006, each year we have invited all of our close friends and family (and whoever they wanted to bring) over to our house for a yummy dinner, hayride, backyard big screen movie and more! This year about 40 of our closest friends came over to enjoy the fun. We had a blast! I did not get any pictures of the whole group this year :( BUT I did get plenty of my sweet peas. Let's see if you can figure out who they are dressed as...

Alex and his buddy, Case



Trick or Treating- for some reason this year the kids acted as if it was a race. They were literally running down the street...trying to be the first back to the hayride.

Please remember...next year...same day, same place, same time. You're invited!

The Promise

We made a big commitment decision in July of this year. Anna auditioned for and got a part in The Promise in Glen Rose. So, starting at the beginning of August, we spent every Saturday...all day.... at the Texas Amphitheatre in Glen Rose for rehearsal. Opening night for the show was Friday, September 4th. We have been making the trek back to Glen Rose every Friday and Saturday night for the last month and will continue to do so until the show ends its season on October 31st. And although, I must say, it has caused all of us to sacrifice a little, we have received big reward. Anna is thoroughly enjoying herself and the rest of us are blessed to be reminded of our Savior's amazing love for us!

If you want more information on the Promise, go here. We would love for you to join us anytime! I have $5 off coupons, so if you are planning on coming to the show, let me know.

Below are some snapshots from Anna's baptism scene.

Anna turns 10

Anna turned 10 on August 26th....the big double digit birthday :)! In addition to planning her Cake Challenge Sleepover party, I decided that it would be a good idea to redo her room as a birthday surprise. See results of one crazy week below...

Party Girls

Aunt Cathy was our judge....she did an AWESOME job!!

Anna's winning creation

Now for the room make-over...

And the best part for last....Anna's reaction.

13 years ago today...

...I married my best friend. Chris has been by my side for over 16 years, the last 13 of those as husband and wife. He has cheered me on, comforted me during tragedy, listened to every anxious thought and helped to calm my fears. He has prayed over me and loved me as no one else could. He is the man that God had for me. The husband that I dreamed of and needed. Thank you Lord for this precious gift. I am humbled by Your love and grace for me.

Over the last couple of weeks I could tell that Anna had been planning "something" for our anniversary. Even since she was very little she has loved to plan "romantic" things for us to do. I can remember a halter dress she once begged me to buy at Old Navy so I could wear it to the dinner that she and Nan were cooking for me and Daddy. Lucky for her it was on clearance, so I bought it and wore it...just that once!

Last night, after swimming and dinner with Uncle Wade, Aunt Cathy and all the kids, Nan arrived to help Anna execute her plan. We walked in the Purtell's kitchen to this scene.

Mini recreations of our wedding cakes. Complete with the aTm symbol on top of Chris' and fake flowers on top of mine! The centerpiece is my actual bouquet from our wedding (hey...silk flowers were in back then...don't judge!) All of this was Anna's idea!

Thank you sweet baby girl for being so thoughtful!! We were amazed!

Per Anna's plan, we cut the cake and fed each other the first bite ;)

I love you honey! Thank you for loving me so unconditionally...I am excited to spend another 13+ years by your side!

So, it's been awhile since my last post. Probably not such a good idea considering that my last post wasn't real cheery. Let me start by saying that in my heart of hearts I do really know the answer to "what then?" God is in control...He is sovereign. He loves Anna more than I do. He has a plan for her life.. "...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11 I may not be able, in my limited earthly mind, to know exactly how it will all work out. But He does and I must choose to have peace in that.

Now, to catch up on where we have been for the past 25 days or so....Honestly, I can't even remember exactly ;) I do know this....we have been enjoying our last bit of summer! Lots of play time and weekend adventures, lego building and fashion designing, swimming and late night walks. I truly am NOT ready for them to go back to school. I am not one who relishes the return of somewhat strict routines: early bed times, homework, ugh! But, I am determined to make it more fun this year. After all, I will have plenty of time on my hands to come up with new and creative ideas! Which leads me to another reason for missing blog posts, I am still trying to come to terms with exactly what I am doing, who I am supposed to be right now, what will fill my idle time, what is God's purpose for this season, how I can be a better mother, how I can be a better wife, what can I do to be a blessing to others, what does God have planned for me right now...and most importantly, am I in tune with Him enough to be able to hear what He is saying?

So, for today, I will do my best. I will be the best wife, the best mother, the best daughter, the best sister, the best aunt, the best friend that I can possibly be and then PRAY that somehow he uses my feeble attempts to for His glory.

What then?

As I got into the bathtub a couple of nights ago, Anna hopped up onto my bed to talk while she waited for me to tuck her in. We chatted about a few things and then she got real quiet, I picked up a book and started reading and figured that she was lost in thought about something else. After I had gotten out and ready for bed, I walked into the bedroom to see her sound asleep on my bed. What a peaceful picture....right?

As much as I desperately wanted to leave her be, to carry her gently to her bed and kiss her good night, I couldn't. It had been a couple of hours since her last blood sugar check....we always check just before going to sleep....but because she had fallen asleep outside of our "routine" that step had been missed. So, instead, I ran into the kitchen to grab her meter....saying a little prayer as I went that she had passed out from exhaustion, not low blood sugar....and came back in to test her blood sugar level. She woke up and looked at me with those eyes that only a parent of a diabetic child knows...the initial "what are you doing to me?" followed by a look of resignation. And her number was....perfect.

But, what if it hadn't been? What if she had been crashing? What if this happens when she is 19 and away at college....not 9 and at home? What if she misses a step of the "routine"? What then?

These are the questions that keep we awake at night....

Alex's Sport

Even though Alex is only the ripe old age of 7, it feels like we have been searching for what will be "his sport" for years ;) Soccer was probably the one sport that was most obviously NOT his sport. He loved swimming but never actually competed in a race, so I guess you can't really call it a sport.
You would think that we should have years to really nail this down, but in this crazy world we live in, society has created this feeling that you must discover what your kid likes and is good at AND you must do it FAST. They need special lessons and club leagues, summer specialty camps and the best coaches...all at a VERY early age. Now, if you know me, you know I don't really buy into this mentality. That being said, you still think to yourself... "Am I doing a disservice to my child?" Silly, I know.

So, back to the search for "Alex's Sport". We decided to try out baseball this summer. So, we signed
Alex up at the local Y with his best bud, Case. And while I am still not sure if this is "the sport" I can say that it is the closest we have come in our search. He actually liked the game!

A few snapshots from the season:

Making contact with the ball :)

Running the bases

Ok..take a look at his face in this picture. Almost tearful....:( He has just walked over to third base to take his normal position and realized that there is another kid on his team already stationed there.

It's just so hard to share the infield... ;)

Alex and Case at today's Team Party with their "cool" trophies!

And finally...this is his first-ever at bat. Pretty good start of what could become "the sport" for Alex ;)