10 words

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!

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 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...

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

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

A Pilgrim Family

Games with Grandparents

Almost ready for Thanksgiving dinner...

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

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

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

Hallelujah Harvest 2009

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

Alex and his buddy, Case



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

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

The Promise

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

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

Below are some snapshots from Anna's baptism scene.

Anna turns 10

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

Party Girls

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

Anna's winning creation

Now for the room make-over...

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

13 years ago today...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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