Barker Bits

House inspiration

2012-01-26T10:53:00.012-06:00

As of today, we have lived in our house four months and two days, and I still have not hung anything on the walls in the entry, living room, kitchen, hallway, bathrooms or Alex's room. I take that back, in the living room there is a wooden piece with Jeremiah 29:11 on it hanging over the back door. Other than that there is nothing...zero, zilch, nada. I am not sure why I am having such a hard time decorating this house. I want it to look simple AND cozy, but not overdone and cluttered. I want it to feel casual, not dressy. Everytime I go out to look for things, I don't find anything that I really like. I also know that this is not the most important thing in the world...it is a minor detail. It will get done, when it gets done!

That being said, in an effort to get myself going, I have been searching the great world wide web for inspiration. Here are some things I have come across that I liked. Nothing translates perfectly to our space, but at least I have some inspiration. (All images from Google, unless otherwise noted.)

I have a huge wall behind one of our sofas. It is definitely going to take a grouping of things to make it look right. I haven't found any ideas I really love, but here a few that I liked.

I like this one the best...it has similar blue walls and white trim work. Biggest difference, my couches are white.

(here)

Right now, our color pallet is pretty neutral except for the light blueish gray walls. I could keep everything neutral, but I would like to add in some color. Maybe start with a vintage quilt hung over the back of the couch and then pull colors out of that to add accessories elsewhere???

Here are some examples of pops of color...

(here)

I love this hook/picture shelf for the entry way. We have a bench already and I'm thinking maybe Chris could make this to go with it?!

And, I would love to find a spot to hang a couple of these vintage game boards.

(here)

So, if you have any ideas or opinions I'd love to hear them! Hopefully it won't be too long and I can be posting about all that we've done. Until then, we'll enjoy or uncluttered space! ;)

Lissa

What does it mean to be settled?

2012-01-19T13:13:00.004-06:00

What does it mean to be settled? That question has been swimming around in my mind for the last few days. For years we lived in a state of unsettledness. Let me be clear, unsettled does not mean unhappy. We were very happy! However, we knew that life as we knew it would not be able to continue indefinitely. We knew that we did not both want to be working high-stress jobs with long hours forever. We also knew that at some point, if Chris continued at his current employer, we would need to move...away from family, friends, school...away from our corner of the world, the place our kids had known since the day they were born.

Step 1- I quit my job to stay at home. We took a HUGE leap of faith. God honored our decision and provided for our family in ways we could not have even imagined. Praise Him! So very thankful for his guiding hand and confirmation.

Step 2- We began the process of making the move to Euless. House was put on the market. We began homeschooling to see if it would be a long-term option for our family, since we knew that the schooling options in the new part of town were not favorable.

Step-3 The house sold. We lived with Mom for a short time. We bought a house. We renovated. We moved in.

Step 4- Get settled.

What does that mean? Countless people have asked me over the last few months, "Are you getting settled in?" After living for years knowing that things would most likely be changing, I am not sure I know what it means to be settled. Over the last couple of weeks I have been wondering, "Should we keep homeschooling next year?" I get anxious thinking, "Are we doing the right thing?" Am I teaching my kids what they need to learn, how they need to learn it? And, so as I have asked the Lord to show me what His plan is, I felt Him saying to me, "Get settled." Where He has us right now is exactly where we are supposed to be. In Euless, homeschooling and spending some really great time together as a family. I need to trust Him. I need to relax...and get settled.

Does that mean that all of my doubts and worries will disappear? Probably not. But I do know that I can lay them at His feet every day and trust that if something needs to change He will show us the way. I just need to live this out.

As we move forward, I'll let you know exactly what "getting settled" means for our family.

In the meantime, what's a blog post with no pictures?! Here are a few snapshots from our lives over the last couple of months.

Mom, Anna and I. Honestly, the very hardest part of moving...not seeing Mom every day.

Alex misses his cousins just about as much as Anna and I miss Mom. :)

Piano Recital

My sweet peas!

Blessings on you and your family as you navigate this current "season" of life,

The House- a before and after

2012-01-11T17:09:00.016-06:00

So, as I mentioned in the last post, our house hunt was a bit of a doozy! The reality was this...the inventory of available homes in Euless (we had to be inside the city limits) in our target price range was extremely low. And those that we did find needed lots of updating. We finally came to terms with the fact that we did not want to buy a house near the top of our range that we would have to sink a lot of cash in to. So, we decided to go with Plan B...find a house below our target price range, allowing us to comfortably spend a little money on renovations, if needed.

Once deciding that this was our goal, it still took some time to find a house with a good layout, in a decent neighborhood. FINALLY, near the end of July, we found a house. It had good bones, but would need a little cosmetic work. No walls needed to be torn down, no plumbing moved, just basic updating and renovation. So, we went for it...even though the outside was painted bright yellow. ;)

We closed at the end of August and immediately began the renovation process. After scouring many design blogs and Pinterest, we felt that we had a good plan for what we wanted the house to look like. And, I must say, that it turned out even better than I thought it would!!

Below are some before and after pics of our new home. That being said, I still have some decorating to do...lots of bare walls!!

The Kitchen

-covered the beams in wood, panted walls and cabinets, new counter tops, new back splash, island and light fixtures

Before

After

The Living Room, entry way and school area (not pictured)

-new fireplace, new floors, paint walls and cabinetry, add crown moulding

Before

After

We also renovated the kids/guest bath with new floors, paint and fixtures. And painted all of the bedrooms.

And, now, I seem to be stuck. Because the house was so different from our previous home, and much smaller, we ended up going with a totally different look. While, I am enjoying the lighter colors and clean lines of our new space, I seem to be having trouble making decisions on what to put on the walls and what accessories to add. Hopefully, I'll get inspired some time soon and this place will start looking more like a cozy home...that's the goal!

Where have we been?

2012-01-04T10:58:00.003-06:00

Where have we been...for the last eight months?

2011 turned out to be a year of change and transition for our family. Our house had been on the market since July of 2010, and we had become quite comfortable with the thought that it might sell someday and we might move someday. That someday came near the end of May 2011. With an offer on our house and a request for a closing date a mere three weeks away, we kicked all of our plans into high gear. With it being obvious that we would not have time to find (and move into) a new house in three weeks, we made plans to put everything in storage and camp out at Mom's for a short time.

So, on May 27th we said goodbye to our happy home of 5 years and drove away for the last time. Now, our focus (obsession, some might say) became the hunt for a new house in Euless, Texas. To say that this task was much harder than we ever imagined, would be a drastic understatement! Who could imagine that a short 25 mile distance would mean home prices more than 1.5 times higher than our old neighborhood...and this for homes that were 25 years older and needed renovation.

After much frustration and tears (after all, the kids and I weren't real excited about the move to begin with), we finally decided to buy a smaller, cozier home well within our budget. If we weren't going to get what we really wanted, we sure didn't want to be spending to the max of our housing budget.

So, what was originally supposed to be a month, maybe two, at Mom's house turned into four months. It was a good thing that we were all having so much fun there!! After closing on our new house, we spent a month completing renovations.

We had planned many months ago to go on a trip to the beach and Disney World around this time, so we took a break from house craziness at the beginning of September. We returned mid-September, finished up renovations and officially moved into our new house on September 23rd.

The last three months have flown by. We have been trying to get settled, move forward with homeschooling and enjoy the holiday season. And...we have had fun! I know that God's blessing comes with obedience and we continue to pray for His patience and guidance as we walk this path He has for us.

So with all of the Christmas decorations put away, Daddy back at work and the kids and I getting back in the school routine, we look forward to the year 2012. To finally hanging some things on the walls, making new friends and keeping the old. We can't wait to see what God has in store...

P.S. Yes, it's yellow! More on that later...

Hill Country Trip

2011-04-28T08:42:00.007-05:00

A few weeks back, we took a long weekend and went down to San Antonio. We took our time and stopped several places in the Hill Country on the way there and on the way back. We did lots of hiking, ate lots of cool places and did a little shopping. And we got to spend lots of quality time with Aunt Mindy!

Now the funny thing is, that I seemed to take pictures of our hiking expeditions only! I guess I only wanted to remember how adventurous and outdoorsy we were. ;) However, my sister-in-law was also taking some pictures and posting them on Facebook during our time in San Antonio. If you were to view her pictures, you would think that all we did was eat! Maybe I'll have her send me some pictures and do a separate food post....

In the meantime, here are some snapshots of our outdoorsy, adventurous selves!

First up...Colorado Bend State Park. This place was truly in the middle of nowhere! You hike to a spring fed water fall...Gorman Falls. It was a long hike and a little hot, but we had fun!

We spent our first night in San Antonio at Aunt Mindy's apartment (something Alex had been begging to do). But we moved over to the Hyatt Hill Country for the second night. We had fun swimming in the lazy river and exploring...

Alex was not happy to leave the resort, but we had fun planned for the drive home! Our first stop was in Fredericksburg, where we ate lots of yummy food and did a little window shopping. Of course, I didn't take any picture here! Our next stop was Enchanted Rock State Park. I was quite certain we would not be climbing all the way to the top...boy, was I wrong?!

This is the marker showing that we made it to the spot of highest altitude!

Exploring the caves on the backside of the rock!

One thing is certain, we love going on vacations! Whether it be a short weekend trip, a camping trip, a trip to Nana's or a big cross-country trip...we love to spend time together as a family exploring a new area. And with the long hours our Daddy works, it is the best way for us to have quality, uninterrupted family time.

Any suggestions for our future adventures??

Anna and Nana

2011-03-01T16:53:00.004-06:00

This past weekend Anna, Mom and I traveled out to Andrews to spend some time with Nana. She had taken a little fall and was in need of some extra TLC. As we spent time together, I was reminded of the special bond that Anna and Nana have, and have had since Anna was very little.

As a little baby, Anna would go several months without seeing Nana but always seemed to (happily) recognize her the moment we were together again. Before diabetes, Anna would go to Andrews with Nan and spend time together, just the three of them. I have pictures (that I am trying to find) of Nana dressed up in all kinds of interesting outfits that Anna created. They would have tea parties and play pretend and go to the DQ...Anna thought there couldn't be anything better in life!!

Fast forward to this past weekend, and it was bittersweet to watch as roles reversed just a bit. I explained to Anna on the way that this weekend was not about us, it was about helping Nana. She grasped what I was saying whole-heartedly....thankfully! For Nana really did not want Mom or I helping her, however she was more than willing to let Anna. She called Anna, "Nurse Anna" all weekend and while some of it was for fun, lots of it was for real. What an amazing blessing to watch as my baby girl helped her 84 year old grandmother shower, brought her things she needed and worked hard to meet her needs. For two individuals 73 years apart in age, they are amazingly close. In fact, we all are...all four generations. God heaped an extra special blessing on us...

Here are some fun photos of them together...I'm still trying to find some of the older ones.

Alex thinks that she is pretty cool, too!!

Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with Nana. I am thankful to be part of her legacy.

Lissa

Random.

2010-12-10T16:27:00.002-06:00

Today, while working on a project I found this picture.

Be still my heart. This did NOT help my already strong desire for one more. Look at that face...and that hat. I need one more baby to wear that hat. Right??? Never mind, don't answer that.

See these pictures below of some of my favorite people. I took them (with a Canon SX120) and edited them (Photoshop Elements). I think they turned out pretty good. Would love to take some more. But the fear of messing up keeps me from it.

We are officially done with school until the new year! Yes, it's a week early. But, in all fairness, all they do at school the last week is have fun. So, we will have fun next week too! I'm just not gonna call it school. :)

We are enjoying the Christmas season. We hope and pray that you are too.

40 years

2010-11-15T09:46:00.012-06:00

(sign made lovingly by Anna)

Late this summer we honored Chris' parents with a celebration for their 40th Anniversary. (This occured at the same time I was preparing to homeschool the kids for the first time...thus, why I am just now getting around to this post!)

Chris and his sisters had invited friends from my in-laws entire married life to join with us in honoring them on this significant day. When planning something of this nature you are never exactly sure how it will turn out...will people show up OR not? Will they be happy that we surprised them with this OR not? ;) If you know my in-laws, you know they were very happy and blessed. Getting together with the people they love is truly their love-language...and this was a perfect way to let them know that we loved them and honor their devotion to one another and the Lord. It was a smashing success!

Before I get to some pics of the party (photographed by Anna)...here are a couple of fun snapshots from the past 40 years.

The Wedding Day

A family of five

Who is that good-looking guy with the flat-top?

Here is a fun before and after...

My kid's favorite pic of all the oldies.

That was then, this is now! They were kind enough to reenact the scene above ;)!

Surprise!

Keith with his brother, cousin, son and grandson checking out the slideshow.

Cousins.

Sisters.

It was an excellent day...and a great reminder of the great heritage, example and legacy we have been blessed with. Congratulations Keith and Charlene on 40 years of wedded bliss...hoping for lots more!

The World Series

2010-11-01T16:39:00.004-05:00

On the morning that World Series tickets went on sale, Chris and I stationed ourselves each on a computer and began our attempt to get tickets. In less than an hour, the tickets were all gone and we had none. Once the Rangers actually won the ALCS and were certain to be going to the WS, I was really wishing that we had camped out with all the crazy people and waited in line for tickets.

However, we did not. So, we had no tickets and no prospect for getting any. The only ones available were those through third-party vendors and we were unwilling to spend our entire yearly family vacation budget on two tickets to the WS. I had resigned myself to the fact that we would not be going...something that was so hard to take since it was happening less than 20 miles from my house!

My eldest brother had bought two tickets from a vendor prior to the Rangers actually winning the ALCS...still expensive, but not total craziness. I was excited for him and reminded him that should he be contacted about any additional tickets from any friends to let his dear sister know. The sister that kept baseball stats in high school, previously worked for a former Ranger and loved baseball. After all, I had gotten him into a suite at the Ballpark on more than one occasion!

Fast forward to the Thursday before the first World Series game at The Ballpark (Saturday). I find out from my mother that my middle brother has magically obtained two tickets to the game. I call him...he doesn't answer. I call my eldest brother and ask if he knows how this happened, his response, "I gave them to him." Me..."You MUST be kidding me. Do you not remember our previous conversation." Needless to say, I was more than a little unhappy. My brothers and their wives going to the game, while I sit at home...I think not!

However, I was still not going to pay more than face value for any tickets. I got on the computer Saturday morning just to see if magically any tickets had popped up as available on the Rangers website. No luck. So, I decided to call the box office. And call I did, off and on for the next 2 hours...I knew the names of all the phone tickets sales people...they were kind as they continued to tell me they didn't have any tickets. BUT...2 hours into my saga....I pressed redial and GOT A TICKET!!! Just one, mind you, but it was a ticket nonetheless...and I WAS GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!! And...I HAD PAID FACE VALUE!! :) But wait....what about my husband??

At this point we decided to drop the kids at Mom's and head to the Ballpark. Maybe we could get a ticket from someone for face value, right??? We picked up my ticket at Will Call and I asked the nice lady if she had any more...even though they had big signs posted on the windows saying they had none. She didn't say "no"! She said that they might release some more later, if I wanted to move down to a seller window and wait. At this point, there were about 15 people hanging around the seller windows but no one was actually in line. So, I did what any persevering person would do...I stationed us right in front of one of the windows...and we stood there and ate our lunch while the nice lady looked at us out the window. About one hour and fifteen minutes later (with her refreshing her computer constantly), she looks at us and says, "I got one!"

And this is the story of how we obtained two tickets to the World Series for face value on game day.

We had a great time! Truly a once in a lifetime experience to see the Rangers play in the World Series at The Ballpark and WIN!

Hanging out in the Home Run Porch Grill before the game

With Ryan and Ash

(Wade and Cathy were too busy enjoying the finest meats and cheeses in a suite to join us!) ;)

Nolan Ryan throwing the first pitch to Pudge

Look closely, directly above the medallion in the Budweiser sign, at the guy in khaki shorts in a blue shirt...that's Chris on the front row!! His ticket was amazing! I had an empty seat by me in Home Run Porch...but he stayed in his...and I couldn't blame him...it was an awesome seat!

Rangers Win!!

Who knows if or when the Rangers will make it back to the World Series, although I hope it is next year :)! It was such a fun experience to be a part of their first trip.

Just remember...perseverance pays off!

Taking a Walk

2010-10-25T17:22:00.004-05:00

This past Saturday was the annual JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes. This year was our fourth year to participate in the walk. Many thanks to everyone who came out to join Anna's Army!! Such a huge blessing for Anna to know that she is not alone in her fight against diabetes.

Here are a few snapshots from our fun Saturday at the park...

I love...

2010-10-18T16:01:00.002-05:00

...Anna.

My princess took these photos of herself. She is in a creative photography class and is loving every minute of it.

Let me say...that she is also a bit of a fashionista....see her cuteness above. I have started letting her help me dress and accessorize...there is hope for my fashion future!

An Update

2010-10-11T10:00:00.003-05:00

Well...a little less than two months ago we embarked on this new journey. I really believed that at this point I would know whether it was an epic failure or a great success. I guess what I failed to remember is that it is a JOURNEY, not a one time event. How could I possibly be able to determine sure success (or failure) so quickly?

This I know for sure...I love my kids. I am loving getting to spend such focused time with them. I love having the opportunity to truly pour into their lives in a way I haven't been able to before (even though I fail miserably some days). However, due to some other unrelated events, we have felt more isolated than I thought we would. Our world, on most days, has shrunk to the three of us. I am working on ways to change this...asking God to open doors where he would have us build relationships and serve others...which can be a challenge when you are in the process of trying to move to a different community.

This I know...He is faithful and this season of life is just what He intended. He didn't promise a perfect life, He promised that He would be right here with us every step of the way.

On a separate note...this morning's breakfast....below.

Have a blessed week,

10 Days....64 pictures...

2010-09-29T08:56:00.022-05:00

no words....yet. (except to say that if you look through the pictures below and still don't understand why we take the same trip again and again...then....)

Anna...11

2010-09-17T08:21:00.008-05:00

We just returned from a 10 day vacation....so very thankful for the time that we were able to have together as a family and for all the people we were able to spend time with along the way! More on that later...but for now...I need to get caught up on some other important things. The weekend before we left for vacation, we celebrated Anna's 11th birthday! Yes, she's really 11...time truly flies.

Anna loves all things "vintage"...and after a visit here decided that she wanted a 50's themed party...specifically she wanted to re-create a drive in movie. Chris and I, being suckers for creating fun birthday parties, had so much fun making her idea a reality. Here are a few snapshots from her special day.

She really is in that car...just way in the back!

Vintage Coca-Cola machine handed down from Great Grandad Spicer

I am so incredibly blessed to have Anna as my daughter! She is just what I need :) ....so thankful that He knew that and brought us together. Pray with me for God's guiding hand and blessing in her life...I know that he has good things in store.

First Day of School 2010

2010-08-22T13:04:00.006-05:00

We embarked on our new homeschool journey last Wednesday, August 18th. It felt so different....no matching uniforms, no lunches to pack (PTL!!), no walking into school, no hugs goodbye. But different, thankfully, is not always bad!

We had a great day! I ended thinking, "I know that every day will not be so sunny, but this was truly an awesome day." As with anything new, I had been suffering from self-doubt...what If I can't do this...what if they hate it...what if I hate it. So, it was with sweet relief that we finished the school day looked at each other and said, "That wasn't bad!" ;)

A few snapshots from our first day of school at home.

Our whiteboard (it is now hanging on the wall with cute border around the edges) AND some cute kiddos!

Anna's clothes laid out the night before with a note that says, "Craftroom is sometimes cold." This was her way of explaining why she had chosen a jogging suit when it is 105 outside!

Waking up with a smile!

Waiting on breakfast

Hugs for Daddy. He actually stayed and had breakfast with us. I just couldn't resist this pic...does anything like this happen at your house??

At our desk, waiting for the "teacher"

Yes, we have a calendar. Anna and I are all about the cute stuff!

"Mom, we actually have to do work?!?"

Computer time

Loving the ability to sit on the couch and read "during" school!

We had our third day of school today, and all is still well! Anna and I were up until after midnight last night dealing with low blood sugar...it was so nice to be able to let her sleep in this morning. Even thought it threw our schedule (and my Type A personality!) a little out of whack, it was a blessing and a good reminder to be thankful for the flexibility that homeschooling allows our family.

Diabetic Darlings (....and some dudes)

2010-08-17T19:45:00.006-05:00

Imagine spending 3 days with 3 girls just your age who also have diabetes...with your families....at an awesome ranch...in a cool log home...with lots of fun activities.

Introducing the 1st annual Diabetic Darlings camp! See these sweet girls below...4 of them have Type 1 Diabetes.

How this all got started....My friend, Amy (see below), is mom to two sweet girls. Her 10 year old is a Type 1 Diabetic. Amy happens to have a lovely log home at a very cool ranch just west of Fort Worth. She and her husband (also a Type 1 Diabetic) came up with this great idea to bring 3 families together for a long weekend at their ranch and create a "camp" for the girls. Between the 3 families we have 8 kids (4 with Type 1 diabetes)...ranging in age from 6 to 13.

None of us were brave enough to send our girls off for an overnight diabetic camp (neither did the girls want to go)....so, we decided to make our own. We made t-shirts and custom water bottles, came up with crafts, put together journal topics for the girls, special treats and a daily schedule of activities. The girls shared a bunk room...just like camp (so cool!)...and spent lots of time talking, laughing and making up silly skits for us to watch. They tested blood sugar, counted carbs, treated lows and got mad at highs....all together. They (and we) learned from one another how we can handles things differently to better manage diabetes and all the emotions that come from being (and raising) pre-teen girls with type 1 diabetes.

It was an awesome weekend! And we are already excited about and planning for next year.

A few snapshots of our time together...

The Mamas

All of the kiddos

The Baby Brothers (ok...they're not really babies)

Journal time (check out that view!)

Can you tell what they are spelling?

Please join us in praying for a C-U-R-E for these precious girls and all of the other children just like them.

A HUGE thank you to our precious friends for their willingness to open up their lives and homes to bless our family!!

Change

2010-08-16T11:52:00.003-05:00

Change...defined.

To make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of something different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone.

About 3 months ago Chris and I stayed up into the wee hours discussing our lives and the life of our family. What did we want our lives to be about? What were the things that were most important to us? What could we/should we change to align our lives with our priorities for our home and family? What did God want for us? What was His will for us individually, for our children and for our family as a whole? When we look back in 20/30/40 years what will we think? Will we have wished that we did things differently?

And, thus began our journey of change. And when I say journey I mean it...we are nowhere near the end result of what God has for us...but I believe that we are on the path that He intends for this time in our lives.

While little changes are easier to swallow and execute...big changes can be a bit challenging. And we are currently in the midst of some big changes...

Our house is on the market....and has been for almost a month. It has been cleaned more in the last 4 weeks, than it has in the last 4 months! Please pray with us that it well sell at the right time.

And big change number 2....we are homeschooling! Now....let me serve up a word of caution to you. I ALWAYS said that I would NEVER homeschool. So be careful what you say!! This choice is offering our family the opportunity to change our focus just a bit. I am NOT saying that this is what everyone should do. It is just right for us...right now. That might change in a few years (days, weeks???) but for now we are at total peace that we have made the right decision in this area.

Today the decision to homeschool felt more real than ever. For the past 6 years, this is the day that we donned new uniforms, woke up early for the first time in weeks, had a yummy breakfast, trekked to school with Daddy (and camera) in tow and started a new year of school. We hugged Nan on our way in and greeted all of our friends (and cousins), unloaded our supplies and began "learning." It is hard to not be doing those things today, but I know that when God says no to something it is because He wants to say yes to something better.

So, instead of getting in bed early last night so that we could be ready for school...at 9:30 p.m. Alex and Daddy were having a Lego Hero battle, Anna was watching Design Star with Nan (a weekly ritual) and I was taking a hot bath. Instead of getting up early to get everyone ready for school, I woke up early and spent time visiting with Chris and took a long walk. We had a nice leisurely breakfast and now my kids are playing (we'll officially start school at home on Wednesday). Alex is building things and Anna is dressed up like a pioneer while she watches a movie from that same era.

I don't expect this CHANGE to be easy and without bumps on the road, but I know that He is there to help us on the way. A couple of verses that He gave me this morning...

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom..." Colossians 3:16

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:6

Praying for God's grace and wisdom as I embark on this new adventure.

Nana's New House

2010-08-12T16:34:00.002-05:00

Just four days after returning from our impromptu trip to Palo Duro Canyon, Nan, the kids and I left on a "planned" trip to visit Nana and see her new home.

Now, I must admit...I had struggled with this just a tad. Leaving the home that she had lived in for most of my childhood to move to a smaller duplex in the same town...still very far away from all of her family. I just didn't get it...why not just stay in the house if you are not going to move closer to us?? Really...honestly....if everyone would just let me handle all of their life plans, logistics, etc...it would all work out perfectly! ;) I'm really good at figuring out what other people need to do...not so good with figuring out what I need to do!!

I was very pleasantly surprised at how wonderful her new home was! It is laid out very well and is just plain cozy....one thing that I was sure was going to be missing from her old house. It's in a great location...across the street from the hospital, you can even watch CareFlite land right outside her front door (a big bonus for the kids). It has a really cool clubhouse, with an indoor shuffleboard court thingy. And lots of sweet ladies just her age were moving in to the adjacent homes while we were there. She can walk to the dentist, the doctor and to the nursing home to visit her friends. And she can still drive anywhere around town...as long as she only makes right turns :)!!

We had a great long weekend...spent eating lots of Dairy Queen, playing games, reading books and enjoying some unseasonably cool weather. It was also a reunion weekend for my mom and it was fun to meet some of her friends from high school. Anna and Nana spent time playing make-believe...like they were neighbors coming to visit one another :). The only thing that would be better is if Andrews was about 15 minutes from Fort worth!!!

I didn't take many pictures...but here are some moments that I did capture.

I am continually blessed and amazed at the relationship that my children have with Nana, their great Grandmother. I did not get to experience anything like it, and they are so incredibly blessed by their time with her and the love that she has for them. I can only hope and pray that I will be in a position to do the same when I am 84.

Spontaneity

2010-08-09T11:30:00.006-05:00

We have had a jam-packed few weeks of fun! I am going to do my best to start at the beginning and do everything justice...as we have had some very blog-worthy moments.

As much as I love to plan and anticipate things, I also LOVE a nice dose of spontaneity thrown in. The following events definitely fall into that category.

Rewind three and a half weeks...to July 16th, my father-in-law's birthday. We were sitting at home minding our own business on a quiet Wednesday night. I had just mentioned to the kids that we needed to call Papa to tell him "Happy Birthday", when the phone rang....it was Papa. (Don't you just hate it when a family member calls you on their birthday before you get a chance to call them!) Chris answered the phone and within minutes was calling me into the office...saying "you better listen in, it sounds like dad has cooked up one of his plans."

His plan went a little something like this....He had decided what he wanted for his birthday. He wanted for the 6 of us to take a little road trip together...up to Palo Duro Canyon. Sounded fun enough, I was thinking...especially about October when the weather would be perfect for hiking! As any of you who know Keith know...there is almost always a catch to his schemes and we were about to find out what the catch was with this great plan. "But," he said. "We've looked at the calendar and the only weekend that will work is this weekend." As in two days from now...as in less than 48 hours from his initial phone call. I could tell that Chris was immediately "out" on this idea. He had been having a busy, stressful week at work. We were in the middle of putting our house on the market and trying to plan a garage sale for that weekend. I coaxed him into at least telling his Dad that we would think about it and then we hung up.

As serious and intense as Chris can be, he is almost always game for a little fun. It just takes a little coaxing from me. So, with not much arm twisting, we called his Dad back and told him we were "in"!

What followed was a very, fun weekend of driving, eating, hiking, show-watching, reminiscing and all-together family fun! Here are some snapshots from our impromptu, spontaneous trek to the panhandle...

Things I caught on camera....Hiking into the caves at Palo Duro Canyon, The Rock'n'Roll Soda Fountain in downtown Canyon (wish I was going there for lunch today!), the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum, riding in the car.

Things I didn't catch on camera....going to see the Texas musical at the outdoor amphitheater in Palo Duro Canyon, our cool 1980's-era hotel complete with a Holidome :) and a questionable indoor swimming pool (swimming in particles of nastiness, anyone?), drive-bys of the home that Chris and his family lived in for a couple of years when he as a kid and also of the church they helped plant in Amarillo, lots of yummy eating and endless laughter and good times!

This summer has been a blast...more trip recaps to come. But, first, let me say that I am abundantly blessed. Without Jesus, we have nothing. Because of Him, we have everything we need.

Have a great day!!

One of Anna's very favorite things

2010-07-16T07:42:00.002-05:00

I am not sure if it's due to the fact that she had the undivided attention of 5 adults for the first 3 years of life, or if it's just her personality...but Anna would much rather be hanging out and participating in an adult conversation than hanging out with a group of kids...anytime. This can be a frustrating attribute, at times, because she needs to play with the kids and some adult conversations are not for 10 year old ears. But I try my best to compromise and let her hang with me when appropriate.

So...needless to say, one of her very favorite things is to go to work with Daddy. This usually happens about twice a year. She gets to sit at her own desk, they give her real work, but most importantly she is surrounded by a group of adults who talk to her and treat her as if she is one of them for the day.

And today, eventhough it is a rare casual day at Daddy's office, she is dressed to the hilt and on her way. (if you know Anna...then you know that the outfit is just as important as the activity)

As much as she is a Mama's girl...this girl really loves her Daddy. Getting to spend a day with him without sharing time with Alex is a big treat!

Hope and pray that you have a blessed day!

Time flies....

2010-07-10T09:27:00.002-05:00

...when you're having fun! I can't believe that it has been almost 3 months since I last published a blog post.

We have been busy...end of school, vacation to the beach, volleyball, birthday, trip to OK, and lots of swimming and playing with friends and family! My camera was MIA for about a month and a half, so my pictures of the last couple of months are limited. However, I do have some shots of one of the most important events of the summer so far....Alex's 8th Birthday! I am still trying to reconcile in my mind that fact that my "baby" is 8. How could this be possible? :) He had a super fun Super Mario party with his buddies from school.

Blowing out the candles on his cookie "cake" (he doesn't like cake!)

A game to see who could find the most coins in about 3 minutes. There were 144 coins scattered across the back yard.

A fun morning celebration with Mommy and Anna (poor Daddy had been gone to work for a couple of hours before the kids woke up!)

In other summer fun news...the kids have been building forts, sleeping on pallets, playing lots of make believe and much more! Here are some quick pics of some of their creations...

I hope that you are having a fun summer!!

I love my family...

2010-04-20T15:53:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, while Ryan and family were home for Spring Break, we decided to have pictures made of the whole crew....all 15 of us. When did we become a family of 15? Wow...that is a lot of people. Precious people, though, and we managed to have fun while taking pictures. Well, some of us did. If you look closely in the last picture, you will see one sweet little girl who was not thinking that this was a good idea. :)

I love this picture...look below to see what they were laughing (and recovering) from.

This was probably not such a good idea!

Sweet boys...who are way outnumbered by the girls.

The princesses.

My favorite people in the whole, wide world...

I hope your family is as fun as mine,

She might even be...

2010-02-25T09:23:00.004-06:00

....a ROCK STAR!! :) I am not biased at all...not one bit!

Anna was invited to speak at the National Sales Conference for HealthPoint, on behalf of JDRF. So, yesterday afternoon we left school early and headed over to her "speaking engagement". She had written her own speech just the day before and did a phenomenal job in front of ~200 HealthPoint associates. Can you imagine speaking in front of that many adults when you were 10? Not me! I'm just a tad proud of her ;)!

Video below...

Last night, after Anna spoke, the HealthPoint team was participating in a big fundraising/teambuilding bowling event. Over 150 people bowled for 1 hour with 50 cents for every pin knocked down going to JDRF!

I am excited to hear how much they raised.

Thanks for letting me brag a little today...

Real-time Blogging...SNOW!

2010-02-11T09:52:00.003-06:00

I very rarely blog in real-time. Meaning that the events and associated pictures in my posts normally take place days or weeks before I get around to talking about them. Well, not today!!

I have seen more snow this winter than I can remember in my entire childhood. It is just so beautiful. I would guess that we are now up to 5 inches. Truly jaw-dropping in this part of the world.

I'll let the pictures do the talking for what has been happening at our house this morning...

Blessings for a warm and cozy day,

10 words

2010-01-25T11:50:00.003-06:00

During the Christmas season, I found 3 identical notes hidden around the house. She never gave one directly to me, but instead put them in places she knew I would find them...under my pillow, in my makeup drawer, etc. They were all addressed to me...not Santa, not God, not Dad, not Mom and Dad....just Mom.

There are no words to explain the feelings upon reading her notes. Oh how I wish and PRAY that I could do something. I love her so much. Please join me in praying for a cure.

Yes, we went again!

2010-01-03T18:41:00.005-06:00

So, the pre-Christmas surprise I mentioned at the end of the last post was....a trip to Disney.

We took the kids out of school the week before Christmas break, essentially giving them 3 weeks off (they loved that!!), and headed to Orlando.

We truly cherish this time together as a family, it is such a total blessing! We are mindful and thankful that we have had this opportunity. A few reasons why we go....

There's this-

And this-

And, one of my personal favorites, this- hee hee!!

A few highlights from this trip....

Meeting Tinkerbell at 12:40 a.m.!!

I introduce to you Captain Frances Goldstealer...

The classic Anna and Indian picture, taken on every trip.

Candlelight Processional- an amazing WORSHIP service at Epcot, no joke!!

Cinderella's Castle- all dressed up for Christmas

We had a great trip and it was a wonderful start to our Christmas break! We got back just in time for our school Christmas parties and a week off before Christmas day. More on Christmas festivities coming soon!

Blessings on a great week ahead!

A little behind...

2009-12-28T21:53:00.006-06:00

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

2009-11-02T21:13:00.005-06:00

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

2009-10-01T15:05:00.002-05:00

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

2009-09-11T12:46:00.003-05:00

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...

2009-08-10T09:13:00.004-05:00

...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!

2009-08-09T08:50:00.003-05:00

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?

2009-07-15T15:06:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-11T16:12:00.005-05:00

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 ;)

Father's Day, Family Reunion and More Fun

2009-06-26T16:33:00.007-05:00

We have enjoyed lots of quality time with the Barker clan over the last few weeks! Between the Barker Family Reunion, Father's Day and Alex's birthday....we have had lots of excuses to get together.

First off...the family reunion. We returned to Lakeview Camp for this year's reunion, but I must say that the place really is a minor detail...being with all of the family, catching up and praying for one another...that's what it is all about :) It is really a huge blessing for my children to have such a Godly heritage and to be around many generations of family members that care not only about their physical well-being but their spiritual well-being, as well. Here are a few pictures of the reunion and a short video of Uncle Rich sharing about that Godly heritage...

Chanin and Mandy...and Mackenzie

Keith aka Papa leading the singing

Alex and his cousin Noah from Ohio

Aunt Roberta and Uncle Rich, brother and sister, and the oldest members of the family at this year's reunion. They are Chris' great aunt and uncle.

Anna and Sarah...her Barker Family BFF :)

Fast forward a couple of weeks to Father's Day. I must admit that I miss my Daddy terribly at just random times...not so much on specific days or dates. It will be an event, a memory or something that someone says that will trigger that tug on my heart. I am thankful that I have an awesome husband who is an amazing daddy to our children to celebrate Fathers Day with....and I am blessed with a wonderful Father-in-law who I know loves me unconditionally and just like I was one of his own. We had a great time...a yummy dinner, ice cream sundaes and an outdoor movie on the big screen.

Grandma and Papa

Anna took lots of pictures, including several self-portraits :)

Chris and his Dad...watching the movie

Alex playing with Legos...a minor obsession!

Finally, we headed over to Grandma and Papa's house for a belated Alex birthday celebration. We were happy to wait until Aunt Shannon could be here to celebrate with us.

Alex and Aunt Shannon

Alex blowing out the candles on his rice krispie treat cake :)

Alex...slightly excited...about a new Lego agents set.

Alex loved this gift from Aunt Shannon....it's a monkey sucking it's thumb...just like someone else we know and love ;)!

Our first-ever...BIG TIME CONCERT

2009-06-22T13:12:00.006-05:00

This past Saturday Anna, Alex and I embarked on a big adventure to the....JONAS BROTHERS CONCERT! Not only would we get to see the JoBros, but we would also get to see the brand new Cowboys Stadium. Needless to say, we were just a tad excited!

Alex preparing not for the loud music, but for all the girls screaming...notice the earplugs :)

Me and Anna....in case you don't know....Nick Jonas is a Type 1 Diabetic...just.like.Anna.

Take a look at this pic I tried to take of the kids together. While waiting for the concert to start, Verizon had set up a special number for you to text messages that would then show up on the big screen. We had texted a message to Anna's friends from Diabetes Camp who wear also attending the concert. He was afraid that if he looked at me for the picture we would miss seeing Anna's text. Unfortunately, our text was never displayed. I guess with 50,000 fans attending ours just didn't make it in time!

Here is a picture of the stadium before the JoBros took the stage. It really is a cool place....there were no "bad" seats.

And, finally the moment we had been waiting for.....here is Nick singing "A Little Bit Longer"...the song he wrote about being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

Nick...again

The whole group

And then the concert ended....but not really. As in all concerts we were certain there would be an encore. So, we cheered loudly with the other fans and waited...and waited...and then a HUGE SURPRISE....

Can you tell who it is?

It was....Miley. Singing the duet "Before the Storm" with Nick. Anna was just a tad excited....this song had just been released this week, but she had already memorized it and claimed it as her favorite. It was really cool! And Miley won't be appearing at any of their other concerts...so it was a big deal :)

Here is the link to view the duet from the concert...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH1I1F8xkPE

We had a great time and are extra thankful to Daddy who picked us up and dropped us off, so we didn't have to walk miles. It had been years since I had been to any kind of concert...and I was reminded that if the performers are really good, then even the songs you don't really like on the radio sound good in person. That was definitely the case here...who knows, maybe Chris would have even liked it?? Next time, we'll have to take him along :)

Happy Birthday to my Baby Boy aka my Big Boy

2009-06-18T18:03:00.006-05:00

Well...I can hardly believe it. Alex turned 7 yesterday. Can this really be happening? Is it possible that my baby is SEVEN. YEARS. OLD. I think I might be in denial. But the reality is right before me...he is an amazing kid. He is growing like a weed. Reading like a 10 year old. Analyzing everything. BUT, he still likes to snuggle up with his Mama. And he told me yesterday, "I have decided not to go to First Grade." Period. End of Story. He is just going to stay home. Is there some way he could test out of First Grade....is that exam available? If so, I'll sign him up tomorrow and then he and I will just stay home and play for the next year :)!

We had a big Lego Mania Birthday Blowout Bash last night to celebrate. It was super fun! Although, I must be honest and tell you that after he opened all of those shiny new Lego sets....he was ready for everyone to pack it up and go home. He wanted to build! He managed to remain graciously patient until everyone was gone and then he stayed up to 11 p.m. building Anakin's Starfighter. AND he has been building all day today. Sure beats watching TV and playing video games :).

Here are some pictures of the party....

Each kid built their own lego creation and received awards!

The party table

All the boys :)

Alex and Will

Molly Rose...with pigtails to die for :)

Anna and Alex...Anna is exhausted, going to Diabetes Camp this week, look at her in this picture...poor baby ;)!

Alex with his favorite present...Lego Agents Mission 5

I think he had fun...what do you think?

Back to reality....

2009-06-11T08:24:00.003-05:00

....and loving it!

We had a great trip to Disney. It was so fun to be able to share it with extended family this time. On the last day my nephew Will told me, "Aunt Lissa, this is NOT the last day, because we will be coming back again next year!" I will say that May was definitely more crowded than our usual September visits, so after taking a break for a while our next trip will definitely be in the fall again.

I cannot even begin to express how nice it was to come home and not face work the next day. Although, I continue to miss the people and some of the intensity and mental challenges of the job, I am loving being home with my kids. Devoting my time to building legos, painting fingernails and, of course, laundry, cleaning and cooking! The kids have been a little disappointed that I am not playing with them 24x7. I had to explain to Anna the other day that if she would like a towel to dry off with, then I had to do laundry!! But, we are all enjoying this new phase of life and I am so thankful to have this opportunity.

Interestingly enough, summers at our house over the last few years had been a bit of a free for all. With me working, the kids really had as much TV/Wii/Computer time as they wanted and little to no responsibility. I did not feel that I had the time to "teach" them certain chores, so I just did them myself. Part of that was probably guilt-motivated on my part. No need to tell me, I know this is not a good thing. So, part of my goal for this summer was more structure, more responsibility but also definitely more fun for the kids. Although we have been on a 4 days home, 3 days away routine since we returned (taking short weekend trips), I have managed to begin to teach them a few things :). Let's just say that after the initial shock wore off, things are going well. Anna truly does love a "job", so once she gets used to the idea she has really enjoyed her responsibilities (except for the putting away clothes one ;) ) Alex...well, we're still working on maintaining a cheerful attitude while doing chores!

We are off to the Barker Family Reunion this weekend and then we will be home for a while...yeah!! Anna has diabetes day camp next week, Alex has his big Lego 7th Birthday Sleepover party planned for next Wednesday and we are anticipating a visit from Ryan, Ash and the girls soon! So we will be home but busy and having fun!

Blessings on your summer,

We have been...

2009-05-21T21:09:00.008-05:00

....busy! This past month has been crazy, but so much fun! I thought the best way to recap would be in pictures....

Alex's Kindergarten Musical

Mother's Day

Anna's 4th Grade Awards Chapel

Alex's Soaring Eagles Field Trip

FIELD DAY

Alex's Circus Day- he was "The Strong Man"

Anna's Tap/Jazz Recital

The 2009 JDRF Promise Ball

And I saved the best for last...

Anna's Baptism

God has been so good! We have had an amazing few weeks. We are so totally blessed....Anna's decision to publicly profess her faith through baptism was indescribably precious. Her heart has grown more and more tender to God's call and there is no greater blessing than to watch as your child grows closer to the Father.

Missing from the above pictures....Anna's overnight field trip to Sky Ranch and an impromptu Canton shopping excursion. Let me just say that I didn't enjoy sleeping in camp bunks when I was a kid and I still don't today :) Other than that, it was a great trip!

Also, today was my last day as a working woman ;). After much prayer, we have decided that I will stay home full-time with the kids. I am excited about what is to come, but let me tell you...today was a hard day. I never dreamed how truly heartbreaking it would feel to leave such great people an such a great company. After 4 years at Perot Systems, it is hard just to walk away.

I am looking forward to the summer ahead...playing with my kids and being the best wife possible ;) BUT, first...we leave in just about 80 hours for an 8 day trip to Disney World...

Miley and a little magic...

2009-04-27T14:04:00.004-05:00

So...I haven't posted anything in a while. We really have been having lots of fun around here, I just keep forgetting to take pictures, and I really like to put pictures with every post. I didn't start out that way...I guess I have just become warped over time ;).

Anna's volleyball team is 5-0. I have taken my camera to every game, but have yet to take a single picture. I am too busy watching her play! We had the Spring Picnic at school this past Friday and had an absolute blast. I think that Anna did the Cake Walk about 15 times before she finally won a cake. Let's see...that means that yucky Wal-mart Peaches and Cream cake cost me about $15...it wasn't about the cake, though, right? She also climbed the rock wall all the way to the top about 5 times. Alex liked the booths where you won little trinkets or candy...he spent his night at the bean bag toss and the lollipop pull.

We rounded out the weekend by spending time with friends and family...and a performance last night by my sweet peas right before bed time. A couple of "scenes" from the show are below...enjoy!

Watch out Miley...here comes Anna

Two Years

2009-04-14T09:00:00.003-05:00

Two years ago yesterday Anna was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Crazy as it may seem, I can remember little tiny details about that day.....the exact words the doctor used when he gave us the news, what she was wearing at the hospital, the faces of our nurses, the gifts friends brought when they visited, the weather outside, exactly how I felt inside and much more. It has been a roller coaster since that time....some good things and some bad.

This time last year, I wrote this post. It was optimistic and thoughtful. I must admit that this year I don't necessarily feel like being eloquent. Sure, those things I wrote are still true but for both Anna and I, we are currently in a season of desparately wanting a break....can we take a diabetes vacation? Is there any way we could escape it all just for one day? I say "we" but, in reality, it is really just "she." She is the one who feels the highs and lows, the one who can never put anything in her mouth without thinking about the effect it will have and what insulin she needs to take, the one who feels "different." Me, I'm just the one trying to think like a pancreas...trying to make the right adjustments, give the right doses so that she feels her best all the time and has to think about it less.

We are entering the crucial 'tween' years. It is no longer interesting or exciting to have something that is outside of the norm. It feels weird...kids are cruel....it is not fun. She does not want to have extra attention drawn to herself in a school setting. She would rather not eat the treat someone brings to class if it means that she must test her blood sugar and call her mom to get a carb count. It is hard.

All that being said, both she and I KNOW that Romans 8:28 is true. That our God is a God of love and he loves her more than we could ever imagine. He has amazing plans for her life....and diabetes is all a part of it. It will not define her but it can help make her into who He has created her to be.

Renaissance Girl

2009-03-26T09:48:00.003-05:00

For many years now (even though she is only 9), we have been saying that Anna is a renaissance girl...using the definition to mean, "a person who has wide interests and is expert in several areas." She is a tomboy and a girly girl all rolled into one. She LOVES to be outside, climb trees, go on adventures, etc...BUT, at the same time, she chooses the perfect outfit for every occasion way in advance, loves to have tea parties and dress-up. She began watching musicals at 20 months and could sing several of the songs from Sound of Music and Fiddler on the Roof before she was 2. She can spend an entire day drawing pictures, writing stories and creating "events". However, she also loves StarWars and can build a mean Lego battleship. She is extremely creative and talented but also lacks some self-confidence in letting her gifts shine.

I love her so very much and am BLESSED to be her Mommy. I pray everyday that I am being the Mommy that she needs.

As an example of her varied interests, I bring you pictures from a lovely picnic that we took during Spring Break. Once we had decided to go on the picnic, her first thought must have been, "I have the perfect outfit in mind." The outfit she chose, a lovely dress with pinafore ala Belle and Alice in Wonderland, conjures up images of a lovely picnicking (is there such a word) girl sitting demurely on the picnic blanket holding an umbrella and enjoying a glass of lemonade. But behold the reality...

Foot races, tag, swinging...those things were the order of the day. She, of course, had no interest in lounging outside and enjoying the beautiful weather. She had things to do! We had so much fun! And, while, in my earlier years of parenting her, I would have strongly discouraged this outfit knowing what activities she would want to do, I have learned to give her creativity and imagination room to grow and blossom. When there is not a compelling reason to say no to one of her amazing ideas or plans, I try to let her go. She is not me. And I would never want her to be.

She is the best big sister, daughter, grand-daughter, niece and cousin a family could ever hope for!!

I love you, Anna!!!

True Story

2009-03-22T16:41:00.003-05:00

So, on Friday evening after returning from a quick excursion to the Gaylord Texan, we were all happily hanging out at home. At about 9:00 p.m. that night, Anna started asking if she and Alex could sleep outside in the backyard. My immediate reaction, although I did not voice it, was "I don't think so!" I felt this way mainly because I was ready to be back in my own bed and there was no way that I was going to be spending the night outside. And, there was no way I would let them stay out there by themselves.

However, just before I could get my response out of my mouth, Chris silently motioned me over. He said, "Let's just let them...they are not going to last, so we can just toss some sleeping bags on the trampoline and then they will be satisfied that we at least let them try." I quickly agreed...there was no way they would last more than 5...10 minutes tops, without one of us out there.

So, I happily turned around and granted Anna's request. Needless to say, they were thrilled and somewhat astounded that we had agreed. They ran upstairs and put on jammies, which were in no way warm enough to last for long. But, I didn't utter a word, after all they weren't going to be out there long. We threw two big sleeping bags on the trampoline and they hopped in.

They were so excited and way too pumped to go to sleep...

Right?....WRONG. Chris and I had started on cleaning out our closet and I realized that about 10 minutes had passed....I needed to go check on them. I peeked out the window, but no one was moving our bouncing around. Strange, I was sure that they would be restless. I waited about another 15 minutes and still they had not made a peep...no one had tried to come in...nothing. So, I ventured out the back door to have a look up close...

They were both sound asleep. I was SHOCKED, I couldn't believe that there had been no requests for another hug, no need for a drink of water, no one asking for me to sing another song. Maybe I should let them sleep outside every night!

In the interest of sleeping in the next morning, when Chris and I went to bed (at 1:00 a.m.) we brought them in the house. Neither one woke up during this transition, so when Saturday morning rolled around Anna's first words out of her mouth were, "Why am I in here?"

Maybe, just maybe, some day I will be brave enough to let them stay out all night.

No other place I'd rather be....

2009-03-10T15:52:00.006-05:00

....on this earth than with all of these people (and their associated parents, of course).

Nan and all of her grand kids

(Eli, Cate, Cara, Molly, Nan, Claire, Anna, Will and Alex)

When we found out late on March 4th that Ryan's team had made it to the Regional Tournament, we quickly made plans to head to San Antonio on that Friday to offer our support! And by "we", I mean my entire family. We made it just in time to watch Ryan's Southwest Dragons upset Converse Judson in the Regional Semi-Final game. It was so much FUN! And that was just the beginning.

For all of the cousins it meant lots of this...

Alex, Will, Cate and Eli

Even the little ones got in out the fun...it was so great to really see them playing together for the first time.

Molly and Claire

Molly sharing her "O's" with Claire

There was lots of time for us just to sit around and visit. It was a priceless time and made us all long for Ryan, Ash and the girls to be back close to home.

While Ryan's team was defeated in the Regional Final game, I am so proud of all that they accomplished! He truly is an amazing coach and I am not the only one who thinks so. He was selected as Coach of the Year and also will be coaching the San Antonio All-Star Game.

Way to go big brother! I'm thinking about going back to school so that I can become his assistant coach some day soon....what do you think? Would we be a great team? Or would I drive him crazy? :)

One more thing....today happens to be his birthday. How fitting for this post?

HAPPY BIRHTDAY UNCLE RYAN!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

and family

This past weekend...

2009-02-27T10:20:00.004-06:00

....I did this, with these sweet ladies. Now, I am all about honesty and transparency, so let me tell you that we walked (ran a little) the 10K...I came nowhere near that marathon-thing :). BUT, we had so much fun and we walked fast (took us about an hour and a half). I had a minor bout with SVT along the way...maybe it is time to consider ablation. It was extremely irritating to have to sit down for a minute and use a couple of my tricks to stop it before I could go on. But all in all....good exercise and good friends, what could be better?!?

Here are a couple of pics after the race...at La Madeleine, of course :)

All 4 of us (with bad lighting)

Tonya and I (I must have a lot of self-confidence to post the pictures of myself with no makeup ;))

Kris and Julie

We've got ourselves lined up for one race a month over the next three months. Should be fun....exercise is all about forming habits, right? We walk everyday for an hour...we figure that this commitment to more races will keep us going.

And, finally, totally unrelated to my pursuit to be healthy...A picture from Alex that I just loved. Notice the detail...the smoke coming out of the chimney is forming a heart. We had quite a few fires in the fireplace this weekend...I think he was inspired :)!

Blessings,

Food, Flowers and Fun....

2009-02-23T12:43:00.005-06:00

....Valentines Day!

We had a crazy, but fun Valentines Weekend this year. I personally love when it falls on the weekend because it gives you more time to celebrate :)!

After working hard to put together the Valentines Party for Anna's class on Friday afternoon, I headed over to meet Chris so that we could head to the Weekend to Remember Conference. We had a great time, but I must admit that we enjoyed our time alone and being able to spend a night away as much or more than we did the conference... Thanks to Mom and Wade & Cathy for helping out with the kiddos while we were gone. And thanks to Keith & Charlene for the tickets to the conference.

Our weekend of fun just kept going once we got home! We were able to also enjoy a Valentines celebration with these sweet peas...

Anna and her friend, Skylar, getting ready to open some V-day goodies.

Alex playing with the V-day prize he had just received....he didn't waste any time putting it to good use.

No Valentines celebration would be complete without some heart-shaped food. Thus, our lovely pizza courtesy of Papa Murphy's! And some yummy brownies...too.

These were actually for Anna after her performance in her musical the Thursday before Valentines, but they were perfect decoration for our celebration that weekend too!

And last, but certainly not least....my valentine! I love you, babe!!

That was then...

2009-02-13T08:54:00.005-06:00

As I am getting slightly sentimentally romantic with Valentine's Day approaching, I dug out this old picture of Chris and I. It is actually our engagement picture...that was taken BEFORE we were engaged (don't ask). Aren't we so cute?!?

I had intended to do a "That was then....this is now" post. But, you know what, I have no current pictures of just the two of us. It seems I am always the one taking the pictures :) All I can find is a picture of these cuties...

I think they are pretty special too!!

Happy Valentines Day from our home to yours.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1Corinthians 13:4-8

Southbound on 35

2009-02-02T09:32:00.010-06:00

We love to take trips. Chris and I are easily distracted by all the "stuff" that needs to be done at home and so we really enjoy taking some time to focus on family. For us, the best way to do that is to hit the road and get out of town. So, a couple of weekends ago we decided we were ready for a mini-vacation. To be honest, we really had no idea where we were going to go or what we were going to do. So, the night before we were scheduled to leave, we sat down at the computer and with a little Priceline magic, decided to head to Austin for a couple of days. Other than knowing where we would lay our heads that night, we had NO plan. I never knew that being spontaneous could be so fun!!

The first thing we did was check in at our awesome hotel. It was so nice and the kids really loved the glass elevators and the fact that our room was on the next to the top floor. I, on the other hand, did not like either of those....over the years I have become more and more afraid of heights. I am not sure why... Every time we came in and out of our room, my legs felt like Jello and I was constantly telling the kids to get away from the railing (it was an atrium hotel). Sorry kids, I just can't help myself!!

The kids in the lobby (oh how I loved the ground floor)

Our first destination after the hotel was actually the Texas State History Museum, which was so neat!! No cameras were allowed, which is a good thing since I forgot mine on that excursion anyway...For the first time, both kids truly enjoyed exploring a museum. Anna was particulartly intrigued as she is studying Texas History in 4th grade this year.

After a yummy dinner at Threadgills, we headed back to the hotel and made plans for Day 2. One of our favorite stops the next day was the Austin Childrens' Museum.

Alex playing some tunes

He was so cute in that hat, I could hardly stand it!

(maybe we should move to the country)

Anna creating a gourmet meal for me in the restaurant area of the museum.

A PICTURE STORY

Here we have Chris helping Alex make a drinking contraption in the creativity center at the museum.

Here we have Anna disgruntled as she watches Chris helping Alex. She feels strongly that her creation (made all by herself, with purple tape in the pic below) will not compare to what they are making...

And, finally we have Alex with his finished contraption. Which we tried out a WhichWich a little later and were so excited when it actually worked!

Anna's sorrow was short lived...here she is hanging like a bat in the Bat Cave at the museum.

THE END
(of the picture story)

Of course, we could not miss going to the Capitol. After breakfast at Starbucks on Congress (the barista made extra drinks for us to try...too fun!), we headed to the Capitol to do some exploring.

My hubby...so handsome!!

Anna reading about the first Texas flag.

(she loves museums)

We also happened upon this reenactment happening on the Capitol lawn.

My beautiful kiddos

All of us...together.

As referenced above, we ate lunch at WhichWich in downtown Austin. Anna needed to make a lasting mark in Longhorn land....

Here is her decorated sandwich bag, hung proudly on the wall.

Our day was winding down in Austin and we had planned to head back home. But, we were just so close to San Antonio that we could not help ourselves, we had to go see these sweet people...

Eating dinner on the Riverwalk with Ryan, Ash, Cate, Cara and Claire

We ended up spending night #2 in San Antonio (another great hotel on the cheap, thanks to Priceline). We thoroughly enjoyed knocking on Ryan and Ash's door and surprising the girls who had NO idea we were coming. We had such great fun! Big thanks to them for welcoming surprise visitors!

We are already looking forward to our next little trip and wondering where the road might take us.

Blessings on your week,

Anna....LOW

2009-01-28T13:52:00.003-06:00

I don't talk much about diabetes here....for the simple reason that I try very hard for it be an underlying current to our lives, not a dominating theme. And most of the time that is exactly what it is, always under the surface...that one thing that is ALWAYS in the back of my mind. I might forget for a moment or two, but in reality I am constantly running these things through my head....her latest numbers, last time of bolus, what kind of food she ate, what kind of activity she has been/or will be doing. I hope, however, that from the outside looking in you don't see any of this. I don't ever want any part of her to be defined by diabetes...that is not to say that I do not believe it has a purpose in her life and will somehow be used for God's glory. I know that to be true beyond a shadow of a doubt.

All that being said, there is one time that diabetes can NOT remain hidden. This is the one time when I will jump over a couch, fight my way through a crowd, interrupt a very important meeting or stop the world for one second (if only I could). That is when Anna is LOW.

Today as I was working in the office, I heard this whimpery, breathless voice from the other room saying, "Mommy, I think I'm low...I can't move, please help." And instantly I jump into action, I can't get to her fast enough. I grab a coke from the fridge, a straw from the pantry and run to her side. But when I get there, she wants to argue, she doesn't want a drink she wants FOOD. You see, being low makes her feel desperately hungry. Her sugar-deprived brain is telling her that she NEEDS to eat. And, on top of that, being low can make one somewhat uncooperative. So, I talk her into taking a sip, promise her some food and grab her meter to test her blood sugar...the result: 45. A half of a coke, a bag of Cheetos and a grilled cheese later...she is up to 120. What happened, you wonder, to cause this low? Sometimes, you never know. But in this case, it was quite explainable... to make a long story short...she did not eat any of the lunch I served her and had already bolused (given insulin) for.

So, if you are ever with Anna and she looks like this.... (pale, deer in the headlights, lethargic)

....get some sugar into her fast.

Thanks for listening to today's lesson on diabetes. Now, go enjoy the ice/snow.

What do you do when....

2009-01-27T14:51:00.003-06:00

....you are stuck at home because a big ice storm is supposedly coming (no actual ice falling from the sky as of yet)? You turn your daughter into a princess alien, obviously.

I promise, that in real life when her mother is not playing make-up with her, she really is pretty. See...

Blankie Emergency

2009-01-21T10:19:00.002-06:00

Both of my children's blankies were made by my bestest friend from childhood, Dawn. Dawn is a missionary who made Alex's blankie with her loving hands while she was in Turkey. We just have one slight problem....after 6.5 years of intense loving, blankie is falling apart. And, we are on the cusp of a blankie emergency. Now, some of you may not understand, you may wonder why I am even concerned that my almost 7 year old would have to go without a blankie. But, I am not personally of the mind set to take comfort items away. In fact, it is perfectly fine with me if he takes it to college...I wouldn't tell anyone. Plus, look at the picture below, really how could I tell him he can no longer have it.

In an effort to prolong Blankie's life, he is no longer allowed to take it to school for nap time. He is most unhappy about that as I cannot produce another "blankie with holes". So Dawn, if you are listening, do they have yarn in Iraq, could you get busy on another blankie?

With love,

and Alex

Kids at Play

2009-01-06T14:54:00.004-06:00

I love school vacations....for many reasons. But one of the very best reasons is that my kids, after a couple of days, get into a GREAT groove of playing together. At first, they usually will ask to have friends over, someone of the same age and gender. But after I repeatedly deny this request they give up and move on :). It is really quite amazing...they will play together for HOURS on end. And they play so nice together, really no arguing, taking turns playing what each other wants to play. Sometimes, Chris and I will just sit quietly in the living room and listen to their antics...basking in the glory ;)!

As I was working last week, they begged me to take a break, come outside and check out their trick on the swing. I did my best to capture some pictures, but it was hard. Have you ever tried to take pictures of swinging people from the side? Not an easy task... So, as you will see below, it took me a few tries to get them both in the picture looking at the camera.

And, finally, I did it! They are having so much fun!

This one is too dark, but I couldn't resist. I just love Anna's feet in this pic. What is it about feet that are cute? Am I the only one who finds them cute?

And lastly for your viewing pleasure. This was at the end of a LONG day of playing. Alex was getting a bit tired, they were wrapping up a rather lengthy "show" they had put together for us and things just weren't quite going his way...

Balloons are definitely required in ALL Grand Finales, don't you think?

Blessings on your week,

Over the river and through the woods...

2009-01-05T15:19:00.004-06:00

....well, not exactly through the woods. But, we did go over the Red River the week of Christmas to visit Chris' grandmother. We spent the day with her, Chris' parents and sisters and his aunt and her family, and then returned home that evening. It was definitely a worthwhile trip and a special blessing to see her enjoying her kids, grandkids and great grandkids. It was also a definite reminder that I need to do a better job at reaching out to those in our own community that do not have loved ones close to spend time with.

Some fun pics of our quick trip...

Chris' Aunt, Grandmother and Mom

The whole clan

My handsome hubby and beautiful princess

Aunt Mindy and Alex

Aunt Mindy and Anna

A hot card game with Papa and the kids

Chris, his Grandmother and Mom

Watching my kids sleep can be addictive....just so peaceful and precious.

Alex is fading fast here

Better Late Than Never

2008-12-30T07:58:00.004-06:00

I have been a bad blogger....Here is what happens: so many fun and wonderful things happen that I want to write about but I don't find the time. Then I get so far behind and become frustrated knowing that I will not be able to post it all, so I just don't post anything at all. Just being honest.

So, let me start by saying, "Merry Christmas". I hope that you enjoyed a blessed holiday with family celebrating the birth of our Savior. I resolve once again to put more focus on Jesus' birth next year and have learned some fun and new ways that I am going to try. I love being excited for Christmas again already :) (Now, if I could just get excited about taking all of these decorations down...)

We have had an amazing couple of weeks, celebrating Christmas at school, at church, with friends and with family. Chris and I both took off of work all week last week and thoroughly enjoyed every minute we had to be together as a family. We made a quick trip to OK to visit Chris' grandmother (more on that later), but other than that were able to stay here at home. I must say that my kids love just being at home with us....so much fun! We played games, decorated cookies and let them sleep in pallets on our floor :). I want to enjoy this time when they still think we hung the moon ;) Friends with older children keep telling me that is going to end....what a bummer :)

I want to share with you one fun, special, spontaneous thing that happened on Christmas day. I looked up from working in the kitchen to see this....

Daddies and Daughters dancing

Chris and Anna

Ryan and Cate

Wade, Nan and Molly

And, our crew...all 8 sweet peas. Aren't they precious? :)

We are headed down to the Hill Country tomorrow for my cousin, Hayley's wedding. So, Happy New Year a bit early. I pray that you will find joy in the "everday" in the coming year.

Life is Bliss

2008-12-15T19:31:00.005-06:00

I LOVE cold weather- it has not gotten out of the 20s today!
My house was cleaned today- not by me.
I had the opportunity to give to others in need- nothing brings greater purpose.
I have beautiful children who came home from school today with amazing work (GREAT grades from Anna and the absolutely wonderful Nativity, pictured above, from Alex)
My husband is cute and he slow danced with me tonight while our children watched (grinning ear to ear).
I made a yummy beef stew and fluffy yeast rolls and shared it all with my family, including my Mom.
My children took a warm bath, and now are covered in warm lotion and dressed in fleecy jammies playing Wii Sports with their Daddy.
I am about to make Chocolate Truffle cookies (with my husband as my helper) to share with our family and friends.
It is only 10 days until Christmas....I can't wait to see my whole, big family!
Part of Anna's homework this week is to learn this...

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

-Luke 2:13-14

I sit here this evening feeling amazed by God's goodness to me. Thank you Jesus for loving me so. This season, I am committed to paying attention to the little details, the little ways that my Savior tells me He loves me every day. He loves you too....

Merry Christmas,

Remember the Alamo...in LIGHTS!

2008-12-10T11:46:00.004-06:00

This year's theme for the City of Euless Parade of Lights was "A Lonestar Christmas" So, I put on my thinking hat determined to come up with something that truly represented Texas, was easily recognizable, but was not something that everyone else would do too. And this is what I came up with...

The Alamo and per Chris' exact words "some cheesy cacti" in lights

It looks a bit lonely here with no cute people on board...

So, now we have the Alamo and Cheesy Cacti with cute people

Many thanks to the Carrolls for the use of the trailer and the hay and for putting up with my slightly anal, perfectionist but cute and wonderful husband for several hours as we got it all put together.

We really did have a wonderful time...there is just something about riding in a parade, waving to the crowd and saying "Merry Christmas" that makes a person all warm and fuzzy inside. You should try it sometime...

Merry Christmas,

JOY

2008-12-08T08:43:00.007-06:00

JOY....it is a word that is used often during the Christmas season. But, what does it really mean? What does it mean to choose joy everyday? I don't always do a good job at being joyful. My family will tell you that I use the phrase "choose joy" on a very regular basis in our home, throughout the year. But I am talking to myself as much as to anyone else.

From an academic perspective, the definition of JOY is this:
The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires ; The expression or exhibition of such emotion; A state of happiness or felicity; A source or cause of delight

Joy is referenced in the Bible hundreds of time and all are excellent reminders of what Joy truly is. A few of my favorites:

..."the JOY of the Lord is your strength."- Nehemiah 8:10

"For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your JOY will be complete." - Deuteronomy 16:15

"Shout for JOY to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs."- Psalm 100:1-2

Over the last couple of days, as I have been fluctuating between joy and irritation, I have tried to focus on what in me causes joy. Why do I choose to have joy some days, but not others? It is easy to blame our inability to be joyful on those around us...right? But, in reality, it is always our choice to respond to individuals and circumstances with joy. A hard lesson that I am committed to learning, every day. But for today, I have found an easy (albeit somewhat cheesy sounding) way to understand what choosing JOY means for me. It is all about my priorities, if everything is in the right place, then it is easy to find JOY. So, here we go:

Jesus
Others
Yourself

Now, if I can just follow through and put my focus on things that matter, in the appropriate order, then peace and joy will follow.

And because no post would be complete without pictures....some sights and scenes from our home to yours....Merry Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

2008-12-05T10:36:00.005-06:00

FUN....And, CHRISTMAS, of course.

We were blessed to attend the Fort Worth Parade of Lights on the day after Thanksgiving this year. We have attended the parade several times, but this year, thanks to Wade, we had a special viewing spot...two floors up overlooking the parade route at the City Club. We had a super fun time and enjoyed our birds-eye view...

Anna and the downtown tree just after the "lighting" ceremony

Mom and Wade

Anna and Molly had matching outfits. It was so totally CUTE. I think that secretly Anna is pretending that Molly is the little sister she never got to have...and absolutely LOVED matching with her :)

They even had matching shoes...

Molly loved the cute snowman cookies :)

Will and Alex spent the entire evening glued to the window...even before the parade started.

Then the next morning...my children are forming a Boggle addiction. It doesn't help that their Nan and Daddy are equally addicted.

Now fast forward a couple of days, and I am happy to bring you a storyboard...a reenactment of what happens on Christmas Eve. Alex is playing the role of the sleeping child, Eli is Rudolph and Will is Santa. We LOVE after-school play time!!

I hope and pray that you and your family are finding JOY in every day of this Christmas season!

Merry Christmas,

Thank-Full

2008-12-01T10:07:00.004-06:00

In 2005, I started a Thanksgiving Day Scrapbook. I take an individual picture of every one in attendance and then each person creates their own scrapbook page with their picture, detailing what they are thankful for that year. (Sorry for the run-on sentence)

So, this year, in addition to our scrapbook, I thought I would do a simple blog post with this year's pics and what everyone is thankful for. According to Alex, it should be "thankfull" because we are full of thanks, get it? :)

Uncle Junior, my 87 year-old Great Uncle, is thankful for Family and Turkey Day

Nana (Jana) my beautiful grandmother: "I'm so happy to be with my family! The great-grandkids are special."

My Mom (Nancy) is thankful for love, laughter, purpose, family, Jesus, friends, her home, joy, 8 grandkids, health, fun, peace, LCCS and her mom.

My brother (Wade) is thankful for his family.

My sister-in-law (Cathy) is thankful for her sweet husband, fun and adorable boys and her precious baby girl!

My handsome hubby (Chris) is thankful for his family and traditions.

My most beautiful princess (Anna) is thankful for God, a house and food.

My buddy (Alex) is "thankfull" for Family.

My nephew (Will) is definitely a thankful kid, I am just not sure what for. We forgot to ask him that specific question. I will be doing that today after school and will update accordingly.

My nephew (Eli) is thankful too. But ditto the above. :)

Now, I didn't ask Molly either, and I am not sure she could articulate perfectly what she is thankful for. So, I am just going to go on the one word that I heard her say the most over the Thanksgiving break....."Anna". I am pretty sure that Molly is thankful for Anna, among many other things. :)

Now, you may have noticed that there is no picture of me. Or maybe you didn't notice....but, anyway, that is because I forgot to take a picture of myself. But I am so thankful this year for many things....but most of all for Love, Joy, and for all of my precious, big family. :)

I hope that you and your family are enjoying a "thankfull" holiday season!

Lissa

Let me introduce...

2008-11-26T09:56:00.005-06:00

I don't believe that my brother, Ryan, and his family have had very much face time on my blog. Most likely due to the fact that they live approximately 300 miles away :(. So today, I am happy to introduce Ryan, Ashley, Cate, Cara and Claire.

We had an amazing time this weekend visiting with them in San Antonio. I absolutely HATE that they are so far away. Yes, I know that hate is a strong word, but in this case it is totally appropriate. It took about 30 minutes or so for the little girls to determine that we were not total strangers and then all was well. Intense play time with cousins continued for the entire 60 hours or so we were there....they had so much fun! And, I loved getting to visit with my brother and sis-in-law and love on my nieces!

It was a very relaxing weekend, but we managed to throw in a few activities. We had a birthday party for Chris, we went to the Alamo, we attended a Southwest Dragons basketball game (Ryan is the coach) and we ate, lots :)!

Recapping the events in pictures and video....

The Birthday Cake

Uncle Chris snuggling with Claire (when we visited two years ago, she was a newborn, and he held her the WHOLE time)

Cate and Anna (aren't they beautiful?)

Me and my Cara (it was love at first sight)

And, finally, for your viewing pleasure....a performance by Cate and Anna. They are absolutely wonderfully cute :) If you make it to the end of the video you will be rewarded with a cute, totally unprompted ;) word from Cara.

Blessing on you and your family this Thanksgiving,

Happy Birthday, Honey!

2008-11-22T07:15:00.003-06:00

Today my precious, amazing husband turns 35 years old. Can it really be true that I have celebrated every birthday with him for the past 16 years? I remind him everyday that we are young, NOT old :). I am blessed to have been by his side for so long and pray that the Lord allows me to be by his side for every birthday he has yet to come.

I did something I have never done before. I surprised Chris on his birthday, not for a party, though. I showed up at his office yesterday at 3:00 and took him away for an evening with just the two of us. Time for just us, together. I was hoping that he would be excited about this "gift" and he was! We had a fun evening and are very thankful to Nan for keeping the kiddos so that we could enjoy some one on one time together. Due to many reasons, that is a rare thing for us.

We are headed to San Antonio today to visit Ryan, Ash and the girls. Nan is going along with us. We cover your prayers for safe travel.

Blessings,

Catching Up

2008-11-17T09:02:00.006-06:00

Wow, last week was a busy week and I have a feeling that it is just going to get busier. All fun, just busy fun. I love the holiday season!!

Recapping our weekend:

Friday after school the kids had their friends, The Matheus, over to play. This would be 3 boys, K, 2nd and 4th grade, plus my sweet peas. Sound crazy? A little, but they are really very low maintenance when they all play together. Kris, their mother, and I were discussing this phenomenon. It is a huge blessing for my kiddos to have them to spend time with.

We have been needing to have a Christmas Parade of Lights Float Planning Session :) with the Carrolls. So, at the last minute, we decided to do that on Friday evening. In reality, it turned in to more of an eat dinner together (yummy Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice soup and a Raspberry-Chipotle-Cream Cheese appetizer), play Wii and squeeze in some float planning type of evening. We had a blast and did manage to get most of the planning done in there somewhere, now we just have to execute that plan. The parade is always so much fun and this year we are excited to have a "real" float! Please plan to join us on December 6th in Euless if you are free. There is sure to be a reenactment of the Great Fall of 2005. If you're not sure what that is just ask Rachel. :)

Speaking of Rachel, we had muchas fun with she and her sweet hubby, Kris, on Saturday. The guys played golf (in the cold) at Texas Star. While they were busy doing that, we went and played with Aunt Cathy, Will, Eli and Molly and then spent the afternoon shopping at Southlake Town Center. It was so much fun! Even Alex was a trooper :). We met up with the guys and Nan for an early dinner at P.F. Changs. We were home by 6, and finished up the evening playing and cleaning out closets. A fun AND productive day, I just love it when that happens.

Anna and Rachel playing with Molly

(Molly has on Anna's old PJs, it makes me cry almost every time I see her in Anna's old clothes, the time sure does fly by)

Sunday morning we were up early and headed to Church. It was an absolutely wonderful message and we were blessed to be with our sweet friend Christian as he was baptized. Christian is in 6th grade and Alex absolutely idolizes him. So, it was really neat for Alex to get to see Christian living out his faith.

After a quick afternoon rest, we headed to Grandma and Papa's for an early birthday dinner for Chris. They will be leaving for Japan this Friday, the day before Chris' birthday, so we celebrated with them early. We had lots of fun and wished for more time to be with them. Thankfully with the holidays coming up, we should get to do just that.

Daddy's Birthday Celebration at Grandma and Papa's

I will end this post with by bragging on my husband. Last night as I was taking a hot bath, I heard him unloading and reloading the dishwasher.....while watching the Cowboy game. Wow, I am blessed and loved!! Thank you, honey, for all that you do!!

Blessings on your week,

Yummy...Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles

2008-11-10T10:35:00.003-06:00

I like food. That is just the plain and simple truth. I like to read cookbooks, try new recipes, etc. Every once-in-a-while, I crave something that I cannot find a recipe for. Such was the case the other night. One recipe that we love to make in the fall is Pumpkin Chocoloate-Chip Bread, but that just did not hit the spot. I was really wanting waffles with that same taste, though, so I decided to create some. And, I must say, that the results were scrumptious :)

See the waffle maker pictured here...it is from Williams-Sonoma and although not expensive, was definitely a step-up from the 4 $15.99 WalMart versions I had gone through over the last 10 years. It has made a huge difference in the quality of my waffles, and I would have saved money if I had just purchsed it sooner :)

My resident taste-testers loved the outcome of my experimentation:

Now, I promise that Chris loved them too. He was just slightly distracted by the newspaper and has difficutly showing enthusiasm about my food ;)!

Since he was not enthusiastic enough, I decided to take a picture of myself...super cheesy!

God is in control...

2008-11-05T12:16:00.004-06:00

Warning: If politics intermingled with a precious story about a little boy would bother you, stop reading now.

So, yesterday's Presidential election did not turn out exactly how I had hoped. However, I had prayed repeatedly in the days, weeks and months leading up to the election for God's will to be done. I know that God is sovereign and loves me and that no matter what happens He has good planned for my life. It may not be easy, but He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords and I have nothing to fear.

All that being said, I am 32 not 6. Alex is 6. And before I get into this let me say that I am not sure that he should have known as much about the election as he did. But he can read almost as good as I can and is very intuitive and aware, so he did know lots and there is no going back.

Alex had been adamant in his support of McCain for quite some time, but he became more serious about it in the days leading up to the election. I think part of this is due to misinterpretation of a story he heard about 3 days ago. In a nutshell, it was about Obama kicking off his plane the journalists from the newspapers that did not endorse him. True or not? I am not sure. But Alex took it very seriously....making a comment that Obama should be put in jail for doing that. It took me about 24 hours to realize that he had misinterpreted the story and thought that these people had been thrown off a moving aircraft way up in the sky, presumably falling to their deaths. As soon as I realized what he was thinking, I quickly clarified things for him but he was still adamant that was a terrible thing to do and he was still very displeased.

Then yesterday, he started reading the Sports section at breakfast. And quickly needed to call Daddy and let him know something, "We can not root for the Cowboys or Mavericks anymore." He is serious about this one. Our local paper polled players on all of the DFW pro sports teams and the Cowboys and Mavericks heavily favored Obama, so Alex is done with them.

All this leads me to this morning. Alex had gone to bed last night with a hopeful heart that his prayers would be answered. And unlike myself, who had prayed for God's will, Alex prayed specifically that McCain would win. And knowing that he would hear the results from classmates this morning, I had to address it before school. So, I sat the kids down and told them the outcome of the election. I read to them Romans 8:28 - "And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I explained that God was in control, no matter what. That He will be glorified in every situation and that it would all be ok. Alex cried, actually Alex sobbed. I felt so bad and at that moment I wished that he knew nothing about this election. After consoling him for a minute, I diverted his attention with some cinnamon-sugar crescent rolls for breakfast and then I left the room to get ready for the day.

About ten minutes later, I walked back in the room to this scene: Anna and Alex sitting on the couch with my Bible in their laps. Alex had asked Anna to please look up Isaiah 41:10. Not knowing that verse off the top of my head, I sat down with them to read what it said.... "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand." Or in Alex's words, "Fear not, for I am with you."

And in that moment, my regret of him knowing about the election changed. If this situation had caused him to recall scripture that he had memorized and apply it to his situation, then it was all worth it.

Like I said, our political choices as a Nation may not cause things to go just as we want them but if they draw us closer to the Lord, then it is all worth it.

Hallelujah Harvest....Number 3

2008-11-02T22:10:00.006-06:00

So, we had a blast at our 3rd Annual (self-titled) Hallelujah Harvest on Friday night. I really do think that it just keeps getting better, not that I am biased or anything. ;) I spent Friday cooking and getting ready and was blessed to have Julie come over and help me. We made 8lbs. of meat into chili, prepared a huge pot of queso and made approx. 5 dozen mini caramel apples. I really intended to take pictures of all this cooking and all of the yummy food in it's cute presentation, but my focus shifted from food to friends (and my kiddos). And, thus, there is no food in my pictures, you will just have to take my word that I did all that cooking and it tasted really good :)

Now for the good part, here is a photo montage of some of the precious people who we were blessed to enjoy our evening with (unfortunately I did not get pictures of everyone)...

MY PRECIOUS SWEET PEAS (known for this night as Padme and Captain Rex)

THE HAY RIDE

If you didn't make it this year, consider yourself invited for next time. We would love to have you!

Blessings on your week,

Intense Competition

2008-10-28T10:05:00.006-05:00

Our evenings at home are filled with after-dinner games in the backyard. It may be trampoline dodge-ball (not the safest event), volleyball or soccer. Whatever the game may be, the competition is intense! The kids want to win....of course, we the parents are totally laid-back and have no desire to beat our children ;)

Here is a photo-story of a recent evening...

Anna and Alex getting the game started.

If you look closely here, you can tell that Alex is about to hit the ground hard in this shot. He was all smiles, though!

Daddy is now in on the action....

Uhoh! Do you think Daddy is celebrating a little too much? Anna is hiding her face after letting the ball slip by.

They are back at it again, who will prevail this time?

She did it!! Anna always needs to have the last word, who do you think she takes after? ;)

Have a great day!

1...2...3...4... We Walked For A Cure

2008-10-27T10:33:00.004-05:00

Wow, what a week. I don't know that I have crammed that much activity into a one-week period in a LONG time. And, I think I am too old to do that again. Just kidding! I really am NOT old at all, and I have a new motto.... "I am determined to thrive, not survive!" More on my silly musings later...

For the important stuff. Among the long list of activities for last week, the highlight had to be the annual JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes. Our team, Anna's Army, had strong representation and looked AWESOME in the shirts that Anna designed herself. In case you can't see the wording well in the pics below...The front said Anna's Army, 2008 JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes....And the back said 1...2...3...4 WE ARE WALKING FOR A CURE! Thank you, Jesus, for my creative child.

We ended up with about 26 walkers (a couple are missing from the pic below).

The sweetest thing of the day had to be this...

Let me just tell you, that Molly knew exactly what she was doing, showing her support for her Anna. It was just too precious!!

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who sacrificed that precious Saturday morning time to join us. You have no idea how much it meant to Anna and to our family.

Blessings on your week,

Happy Birthday, Big Brother #1

2008-10-20T21:00:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to my biggest big brother, and I don't mean that in a reference to size :)!! When referencing "big brothers" we are really meaning "older brothers". So, to say "biggest big brother" really means oldest older brother. Got it?

As mentioned in the previous post we celebrated Wade's birthday a couple of days early. I captured some pics of him blowing out birthday candles below...

Unfortunately, I did not get his face in the picture. So, this is the best I could do....it kind of looks like him, don't you think?

Happy Birthday Wade, I love you!!

Your favorite (and only) little sister,

Happy Fall Ya'll- Part 2

2008-10-20T09:08:00.008-05:00

Happy Monday morning!!

We have collectively decided at our house that we want weekends to last forever...if only we could figure out a way to make that work. :)

We had a fun, wonderful weekend to include: a Friday-night football game, pumpkin chocolate chip waffles for Saturday breakfast, another win by Anna's volleyball team (they are now 3-0 and she is playing AWESOME!), a super-fun birthday party for Uncle Wade at our house with yummy food and a backyard, big-screen movie, a great church service, an afternoon hike at our local state park with friends, a delicious Sunday evening Pot Roast and a couple of naps thrown in the mix too :)! Too say that we are abundantly blessed would be a drastic understatement. Thank you, Lord, for your continued favor and blessing on our family! We need You and are thankful for your presence in our everyday moments...

Rewinding to last weekend and the reason for the title of this post....we finally put together our front yard fall decorations. The kids had been begging for a few weeks to go buy pumpkins and get out the scarecrows, etc. So, we finally obliged and here is the result...

The interesting thing that my sweet husband pointed out, was that for the first time, this year was really a group effort. We took our time, did not rush through the planting, and let the kids help. As Chris said, he has been planting flowers in our beds for over ten years but this is the first time he has had such WONDERFUL help and truly enjoyed it. Although I miss the baby/toddler years, it is sure fun to have helpers who really help! :) Needless to say, they had a blast.

This week is going to be crazy!! A lovely colonoscopy/EGD for me tomorrow, just so excited about that one. I have to be in Plano Wednesday, overnight Wednesday, and Thursday for our bi-annual recruiter symposium. Friday, Chris and I will be helping to set up for the JDRF Walk (by the way, don't hesitate to click on that link and donate :), we are in need of some serious help); Saturday morning is the actual walk, Anna has two birthday parties on Saturday afternoon which Chris will be chauffeur for since I will be heading down to Lake Whitney for Hayley's Bachelorette party. We covet your prayers this week, especially for my procedures tomorrow.

Blessings,

Alex COOL Barker

2008-10-16T20:25:00.003-05:00

So, tonight while Anna was finishing her homework Alex piped up and said that he had homework that he needed to do too. So, he ran to his backpack and brought back a worksheet. He intently completed the worksheet and then wrote his name on the line at the top. Just as he was putting the finishing touches on his work, I looked down to see this....

Now, before you start to think that I have some cocky kid, let me explain. Alex's name is Alex Cole Barker and, apparently, he had never paid attention to what his middle name in writing looked like. He actually thought that you spelled "Cole"...C-O-O-L, not C-O-L-E. So, I gently explained the correct spelling of his name to which he kindly responded, "Ok, but I like C-O-O-L better."

So, maybe I should just go ahead and contact the government to begin the name change process, what do you think?

I pray for blessings on your Friday,

Vacation in our own backyard

2008-10-15T12:22:00.005-05:00

We have been wanting for some time to add lighting to our back porch. We love to be outside, especially in the evening, but with one measly little light it gets hard to see anything past dusk.

Saturday evening we had planned to grill outside, light the fire pit, have fun, etc. But we overslept from our afternoon naps and did not wake up until after 6:00 p.m. I looked at Chris and said there is no way we can do all we want to do in the amount of daylight we have left. And that was it....He loaded Anna up in the car, they made a run to Target and tada....

BEAUTIFUL BACKYARD LIGHTING!! It is just perfect and the kids were so excited. They kept saying over and over again how they felt like we were on "vacation". A vacation in our own yard, it doesn't get much better than that. Nan even came over to join in the fun...

Let's be clear about one thing....Nan does not "jump" on the trampoline, but she will climb on and lay down to look at the stars :)

We all had a great night and are looking forward to many more nights like it in the future. So, if you are ever bored on a Saturday night, stop by and see if we are in the backyard...

I promise you will have fun!!

My miniature Picasso's

2008-10-13T08:57:00.004-05:00

Good Monday morning!

We had an amazing weekend, I will download pictures and post them soon. Part of that amazing weekend, was my little buddy coloring approximately 199 pictures :) He is into coloring right now, not in a coloring book, but his own ideas down on paper, a regular Picasso!

Anna joined in on some of the coloring fun, and I have included some of their work below for your viewing pleasure.

First we have Alex...let me say this was probably not his most artistic work of the weekend but definitely one of the funniest. This is a drawing of a race car, the cute part being that it is sponsored by several entities and has 9 rockets. Let's review the sponsors...we have Big Daddy's (which just happens to be a liquor store, although when I asked Alex he said that it was a store that he has seen while we were driving ;); let's hope he never has occasion to try out Big Daddy's), we have Anna's Army (the name of our team for the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes), and rounding out the sponsors we have Crayola Mini Twistables. Something tells me the inspiration for the last sponsor came to him as he was drawing the picture :)

Now, for Anna's lovely drawing. And I mean that in the most sincere form of the word! She has an affinity for somewhat abstract drawings and unusual techniques. I happen to love this one...
Now, totally unrelated to artwork. This morning, I came across a scripture that I just love and I wanted to share it with you:

"But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head."

-Psalm 3:3

I am encouraged today to be reminded that God is with me and in me and for me. He is my protector and His glory is upon me.

We had an intense, wonderful message at church yesterday, tying together spiritual warfare and our attitude/thoughts. I encourage you to listen to it. I pray that you will be encouraged of God's love for you today.

Anna: Pioneer Girl

2008-10-10T09:06:00.005-05:00

Anna is living the dream today!! They are having a Pioneer day at school and will be watching the movie, Sarah Plain and Tall.

For those of you who do not know her well, Anna loves history and anything having to do with early America. She loves Indians and Pioneers and all things "old". So much in fact that she has several pioneer "outfits" (thanks, Grandma) that she dresses up in on a regular basis. So, it was no problem for her today to find something to wear. She even loaned out some things to a friend in her class.

Being the "supermom" that I delude myself into thinking I am, I offered to make homemade cinnamon rolls for her class to enjoy while they watch the movie. So, I grabbed a great recipe from The Pioneer Woman and proceeded to make 5 dozen cinnamon rolls from scratch. And, let me just say, I enjoyed every minute of it :)!

Here are some pics of the yummy rolls and the beautiful pioneer girl. Enjoy your Friday!

In that last pic, she is saying, "Hurry, Mom. I can't wait to get to school today!" Gotta love it :)

Happy Fall Ya'll

2008-10-08T09:45:00.002-05:00

I am so excited!! It actually is starting to feel a little bit like fall outside, yeah! In honor of this nice change in the weather (and my lack of an internet connection that hindered my ability to sit at my desk all day and work) I did a couple of fun fall things yesterday. I added a couple of fun pumpkins to my pumpkin collection and I made tortilla soup for dinner. My new pumpkins, shown above, are just too cute and fit in nicely at their new home with the rest of the pumpkins, shown below :)!

I am also in the planning stages of our Third Annual Hallelujah Harvest party. We are so excited to open our home to all of our friends and family for another super fun party this year! If an invite has not crossed your inbox and you are interested in coming, just let me know. The more the merrier :)!

The kiddos are great, a bit tired but great! Although I don't like it when the time changes and it starts to get dark earlier, it does help to get the kids in bed on time. Right now, they would like to stay outside and play until way too late. And it is so hard not to give in, with the beautiful weather we have been enjoying some great evening play time outside!

Praying that you each have a wonderful day!

From: Anna; To: Mommy and Daddy

2008-10-02T14:30:00.002-05:00

We love you too, princess!

Pretty Faces

2008-09-29T11:37:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful weekend, just relaxing and playing. It was great! Our last weekend before Volleyball games start up, so we tried to make the most of not having any schedule to adhere to.

We did LOTS of playing at home: light-saber fights, beauty parlor, dodge ball on the trampoline, etc. It was really great! And the outside playing will get even better as the weather starts to cool off this week, hopefully.

We are back into the weekly grind today, so I was reminiscing about our wonderful trip to WDW and thought I would post a couple of pretty faces for you to enjoy.

I am proud to introduce: Pocahontas and Dino Boy :)

Have a blessed week!

Hiatus

2008-09-14T21:01:00.004-05:00

Let me just say that I cannot believe that almost two months have gone by since I last blogged. Time sure does fly....

Well, to get caught up- we spent the end of July and beginning of August enjoying the last bit of summer and preparing for the start of school. I was able to get most of my organization tasks completed that had been on my to-do list and we started school off on the right foot :)! The kids are absolutely LOVING school this year! Alex is happier than he has ever been and has a wonderful Kindergarten teacher. Anna is growing up on us, and is really enjoying being a Fourth-grader. She gets to change classes and is loving her four different teachers. Happy kids=happy parents!!

Here they are on their first (rainy) day:

Well, just two weeks into the school year and we were off to Disney World!! We had an AMAZING time and really enjoyed just getting to be together. Alex said, "I am just happy to be with my family" at least 50 times on the trip. We prayed for God's blessing on our trip and He honored our desires with some GREAT family time. Once again, we realized the importance of family vacations and getting away from all the must-do's so that we can focus on one another. I will post some pics soon, but for now you can enjoy the video :)!

After a quick work trip to Nebraska for me this past week, we are fully getting into the swing of Fall. Alex started swimming, once again, and is really enjoying it. Anna started Dance for the first time in 5 years and loved it. She will be starting Volleyball soon. We are planning for a fun fall with lots of time outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Blessings on your week!

Lissa

SURPRISE!

2008-07-21T12:46:00.003-05:00

We had a little surprise for the kids last week....check it out.

41 days and counting :)