Family

As we all age we seem to have to deal with the loss of more loved ones and deal with heartache of illnesses. I cherish the moments we have with family who live long distance. Since Jonas was born we've had the opportunity to have several family members visit to meet our new little man. Last week my Aunt Barb, mom's sister, and cousin Jenni came to visit. I need to get some pictures from their camera's so I can post them. I didn't get to take many with mine. This week, Joe's family came to visit. Ma Barker had two sisters and a brother come in. We went downtown to Fall's Park for a walk and then to dinner at Overlook Grill. The weather was so beautiful and downtown was bustling with people. It was my kind of night! :-) Here are some pictures of the family along with shots of Jonas we took the last few days.

Daisy

Miss Daisy is our Miniature Shorty Jack Russell. She has been part of our family for 3 years now. She is queen of the household. Jack Russells are known to be hyper and she is a perfect example. However, as she is getting older she calms down so much faster. She loves to give kisses and cuddle and yet she loves to play soccer and chase around the house to get her energy out. She has been very good with Jonas. Thankfully we've had 3 years to work on her obedience training. :-) Daisy loves to go outside and bask in the sun. We've had a really hot summer this year and she didn't tolerate it much. Our weather is cooler now and she is spending more time outside. I snapped these pictures a couple days ago.

We Johnson's have been told...

we can talk alot! :-) Blogging is just for us! ha ha! I'm finding blogspot very user friendly so its quick and easy to post. Here are a couple pictures of Jonas's nursery. My best friend painted the mural for Jonas and did an excellent job. The dog is a portrait of our real dog, Daisy. There are some very minor things to finish. I painted Jonas's furniture. The dresser was my sister's then mine, when we were babies and the crib was Emma and Olivia's. I received all the bedding as hand-me-downs from a close friend. Ta da! We have Jonas's nursery.

Before Jonas....

There were my girls, Emma and Olivia. Of course they are really Andrea's girls but I probably bragged on them and showed their pictures just as much as Andrea did. I had the priveledge of seeing them both born and had as much time with them as I wanted until they were 4 and 1 1/2. The Lord moved them to Michigan two years ago. They are in Midland about two hourse north of where Andrea and I grew up. We have been able to visit them a couple times a year and they come down here about twice a year. This year we've been really blessed and I've seen Andrea 5 times so far and they are coming back here for Christmas. Being pregnant made our visits multiply this year. However, I dont' think this incentive will make me want to be pregnant again next year. :-) I thought I'd share a few pictures of the girls. Here they are meeting Jonas for the first time and then playing dress up!

Ok, I can't stop!

As long as Blogspot will let me....I'll keep making slide shows! I guess I feel like I need to get you caught up with Jonas pictures. He is almost 3 months old now. These are some of my favorites!

So many pictures!

Being new parents, we take LOTS of pictures of Jonas. I thought I'd post another slide show so you can see his changes.

Jonas arrives!

Jonas Charles Barker arrived July 3rd, 2006. He came almost 6 weeks early. Despite his early arrival he weighed 5lbs. 2 oz. I had a fever when I went into labor and that guaranteed Jonas a NICU stay for at least 3 days. Well 3 days turned into 7. We praise the Lord that his lungs were 100% developed. He didn't have any major problems and for the whole week he was there he was the healthiest baby admitted to the NICU. He stayed 7 days so he could build up his eating ability. Going home from the hospital without a baby was not easy. Its a very strange feeling and I cried every night. But, the Lord brought us through it and his grace sustained us. Now, its hard to believe it all happened the way it did. The outcome is we have a very healthy baby boy that we can't stop kissing!

A blogger I am...

Joe and I were looking for a site where we could post pictures and videos at the same time for free. Well, we haven't found one yet and I'm ready to show the world our Jonas. If we ever have video to post I'm sure we will just direct you to a different link. My sister just started blogging and is quite diligent about it. I work on the computer every day so I hope to be just as diligent so our friends and family can keep up with what is happening to the Barkers.