I've been tagged...by my mom!!

I was tagged by my mom at ahintofhome! She just joined the blogging world recently.

Share 8 things that your readers don't know about you. At the end tag 8 other bloggers to keep the fun going.


1. I'm the yongest of two daughters.

2. My sister is my best friend and I hate she lives so so far away.

3. My mom looks VERY young for her age and my sister and are pray we have her genes. :-)

4. My husband has two sisters. He is in the middle. His oldest sister has become one of my dearest friends.

5. My sister's husband and I share the same birthday.

6. My dad loves to write and sing songs while he drives his 18-wheeler.

7. I have had some of the most wonderful vocal training since I was 15. I have sung in many competitions over the years and I have sung professionally in a small choral group. I also went to Korea in 1996 to participate in a World Choral Festival.

8. My sister and I hope to someday record a CD together before we age too much!

Another Miracle

The Barker family is expanding!! Yes, you heard right. Actually many of you have already heard, its just taking me forever to blog about it. :-)

Joe and I found out many weeks ago that we are expecting baby Barker #2. We weren't sure how long we would wait to tell people. It was becoming difficult around week 7. I told one friend and figured I might as well tell others. So, the phone calls began to close friends and then I let the world know on Facebook.

This explains the lack of energy and exhaustion mentioned in the last post. First, this pregnancy is different from the start. We knew right away, whereas we didn't know till I was 10 weeks pregnant with Jonas. (if you are wondering how we didn't know, I can explain in a personal email) :-) I have been shocked at how tired I have been with this pregnancy, so early on. I'm sure a lot has to do with taking care of a 1.5 year old every day. And I'm hoping this pregnancy will just be different for me altogether.

As many of you know, our first miracle came 6 weeks early. It was scary and a shock and something I don't want to experience again. However, if it does happen again, we have been there, done that and will be more prepared and know how to better handle the situation with NICU doctors. We did not like the one we had the first time.

I have different desires and goals for this pregnancy. And the scary thing is I have NO idea if I will be able to accomplish them. God knows exactly when this child will be born and how it will all occur. My faith is being put to the test to make decisions now and totally trust in God whether the outcome is what I hope for or not. And this could potentially involve a lot of money or not so much. However the birth happens we have to be at complete peace we made the right decision. This has been hard and weighing on my heart and mind so much lately. I am 9 weeks preggers now and I need to make a decision soon.
This could be a very long post and I'm not sure how much to write...
I think I will go one with the prayer requests. Will you please pray for us?

1. Migraines. Ugh. I cringe just typing the word. I have a history of migraines. They are hormonal. I had a HUGE influx of them while pregnant with Jonas. I can't imagine having the same amount and taking care of a toddler. To date, I have had 3 with this pregnancy.

2. Peace. Please pray as we seek the right thing to do for our birth plan. I need to be at peace and I need to know Joe is at peace the same way. We'll share our birth plan when we make our decision.

3. Breastfeeding. Huh? :-) One of the hardest obstacles to get over after Jonas was 6 weeks old, was the fact he couldn't/I couldn't breastfeed. We tried and tried. I put a huge effort towards it and gave myself a goal to keep trying till his due date. It was not God's plan for us and it broke my heart. Praise the Lord, I have a deep trust in Him and know His way is best.

4. Heat. Go ahead laugh...:-) Last summer was one of the worst summers in the history of this city. The temps were hot ALL the time. The humidity was so so high. I want to do more with Jonas this summer, since he is older, and be able to enjoy it while I'm fat!

Ok, so I'm reminiscing today of the wonderful gift God gave us with Baby Jonas. It is very weird to go through the emotions that all parents go through with baby #2. I know I am going to have my hands full and life will change dramatically. I know God continues to instill in us, more and more love for the multiple children he gives us. I can't wait for Jonas to be a big brother. He has had a little bit of experience with his two baby cousins being born in the last 6 months. :-) Jonas has been a great first baby. He is a wonderful sleeper and that affects so much in all of our lives. I PRAY baby #2 will love his sleep just as much. Joe and I both desire another boy! :-)

So, here are some pictures of the end of my pregnancy with Jonas and his birth. He was so beautiful at just 5 lbs 2 oz. He had a mature face from the beginning. So handsome!

So much to post, so little time...

I wish I had the time and energy to keep up with weekly posts. But as Jonas is getting older and sleeping less during the day, the only computer time I have is for work. And when the sun goes down and Jonas goes to bed, I'm usually tired and catching up on house work and don't want to go sit down at the computer again. So, to all my friends who wonder...that's my story. :-)
I will start with most recent activities and post backwards I guess.
Joe had to work Easter Sunday. He works every other weekend so if a holiday happens to land on that weekend, it stinks. As you know, crime doesn't take a holiday. :-)
Jonas and I went to church Sunday morning and then had lunch with my parents at their house. It was a pretty day, a bit chilly but much warmer than are northern family and friends who had snow on Easter.
My mom put dinner in the oven and Papa started and Easter egg hunt for Jonas. The eggs were filled with gold fish and puffs for Jonas to snack on. He got a kick out of hunting for the eggs and finding out what was inside. I love the pictures with excitement on his face!
After dinner we all retired for naps. That was a wonferful feeling. :-) After nap time Jonas and I headed to the Barker family Easter dinner. My two sister-in-laws and their families were there, along with Ma Barker and Dad Barker. This was the first time all the new cousins got a picture together. They have only been together in one place probably one other time. So, it was a lot of fun and a glimpse of the craziness those cousins will get to experience as they grow older. The grandparent's house is getting fuller and fuller!
We hope you had a wonderful Easter and reflected on the beautiful gift Christ gave us. How wonderful that He died and arose for you and me. He went even further to prepare us a home in heaven. Do you have one waiting for you?

Cousins-Kim was watching Jonas was one day and the kids were watching Praise Baby or Baby Einstein. Alexia turned 6 mos. old yesterday. Hard to believe.
Here is Baby Macon. He is now about 7 weeks old! He is a healthy 12 + lb. baby. We haven't gotten a picture of all 3 cousins yet!

Jonas took a liking to Daisy's crate again. Except now he is a little too big and couldn't get out very well. Daddy popped the top off to get Jonas out! :-) Hopefully that was the last time for Jonas in the crate.

Couldn't resist taking a picture of Jonas and Daddy the other day. They were waiting on me to finish getting ready so we could leave to go somewhere. They were catching some Go D*ego Go! The picture is a little blury. We need a new camera bad! Its ancient now.

It only has 1.5 megapixels! haha!

Just thought I'd post some recent pictures. Have a good week!

My little cowboy

Hopefully Jonas will not grow up and want to be the "Naked Cowboy" who plays his guitar in Time Square. If you don't know what I'm talking about I saw it on the news recently and seeing this picture reminded me of the headline.

Jonas loves this hat and likes to wear it often.

YeeHaw!