Great Friends...

Last week I met some friends for dinner and they surprised me with the sweetest baby shower!! God has graciously blessed me with a group of sweet women that I call friends. We did a lot of talking, eating, and laughing. I got so many sweet gifts, some of which are pictured here. Look at those diapers - definitely a need!!

Kim made this sweet collage of all of my sweet 'babies!' (It's nice to have a friend that takes incredible pics with her fancy camera!)

Several of my kids will fit in this bag!!

Sophia, Dusty, Kim, Jamie, Kelly and me

Yummy cake!!


Thank you guys for making me feel special! Glad we got it in before baby Carter came!!

Sweet Baby Boy

As most of you know, our sweet baby boy - Carter Shane Barber - was born this past Friday! He was born early at 35 weeks (he just turned 35 weeks on the day he was born)! I will post more about the story later but we are so thankful for his health and that he is home with us. We are filled with awe!!

Thank you for all of your prayers for us!!

Welcome.... Carter Shane Barber

Welcome.....

Carter Shane Barber

6lbs 1 oz

19 1/4 inches

Born on March 13th 2009

March ...

Is it March already? Hard to believe! That means several things around here. I am due in April but usually go a few weeks early (which is a good thing, as long as it's not too early, so I can have a successful VBAC again), which means (like the long run-on sentence) that this baby could be here sometime THIS MONTH! I don't know if it's a boy or girl because Brian wanted to wait to find out what it is and since I had my way the first 4 times I decided to serve him in this way. So ... maybe later this month we will finally know if it's a boy or girl! (Although I think it's a boy - what's your guess?)

March is also the month where Spring begins. I love Spring. One of my favorite seasons... but guess what? It's just started snowing here! The kids are so excited - and we're praying Daddy stays home tomorrow to help everyone play in the snow because it won't be a pretty picture if this big ole' pregnant momma gets out there! Know what I mean?

So technically, March is still winter here in VA! Hopefully some fun snow pics will come tomorrow!

Marriage Based on Grace

"You cannot say too often that marriage is a model of Christ and the church ... this makes clear that marriage is based on grace. Christ pursues his bride by grace, obtains her for his own by grace, sustains her by grace, and will perfect her for himself by grace. We deserve none of this. We deserve judgment. It is all by grace." This Momentary Marriage by John Piper

This has so many implications in my own life and marriage. Even though I KNOW that marriage is a model of Christ and his church, I don't think about the truth of that often enough. I do not deserve the grace that God has given me. I am thankful for it but I often take if for granted. (I guess one could argue about the depth of that thankfulness if I do take it for granted - but that's probably another post). I usually find myself being slow to offer grace to my husband - and why - after all Christ has done for me? Well, because I don't usually choose to live in that same grace that has been extended to me. I pray that I continue to learn how to model God's grace in how I love and forgive others, especially my husband.

My Prayer for this Week...

I ordered Brian some John Piper books (yes there are a few we don't have) for his birthday back in January. One of them was his new book on marriage called "This Momentary Marriage." I was so excited this week when they finally came!

Yes, he wanted the marriage book but I was excited about reading it too. He began reading the biography on John Calvin while I stared on the marriage one. It is such a great read. I hope to write even more thoughts on it soon but for now I leave you with this:

"...in marriage you live hour by hour in glad dependence on God's forgiveness and justification and promised future grace, and you bend it out toward your spouse hour by hour - as an extension of God's forgiveness and justification and promised help."

I'm Back...

Yes, this poor blog has been neglected lately. It has been busy and I have had many topics swirling around in my head but haven’t yet written them down. I will try to do better.

One of the fun things of pregnancy that has been going on lately is … leg cramps. I have gotten these awful things in the third trimester of every pregnancy. So of course, this time is no different.

About 2 weeks ago, I woke up as Brian was getting ready to leave for work with a horrible leg cramp in my calf. The kind where it feels like someone is cutting it open with a knife. So I hear Brian still in the kitchen and I start beating (as quietly as possible so not to wake the children) on the wall and screaming (as quietly as possible) for him to come. Immediately he knows what is going on.

He comes in and starts stretching my leg like the football trainers do on the field. All the while, he’s telling me to get up to go get some water and that I need to walk. Ummmm – yeah – I know, I just can’t move because of the pain (not to mention I am pulling worn-out stomach muscles, well muscles might be too strong a word, as I try to get out of the bed)! So it takes a good 5-10 minutes for me to get to the point where I can finally get out of bed!

I make it to drink some water and eat a banana – but my leg is so worn out that it is sore for 3 days after that! Yikes. I had one more night where they were threatening to come but we were able to work them out pretty fast. I know, I know – drink water, eat bananas, stretch, etc. Trust me, I am doing all of that – and hopefully I won’t experience too many more of these the next 2 months!!

See aren’t you glad I filled you in with what’s going on?

Happy Birthday Brian!

34 Things… (since you’re 34 years old)

1. I love how you truly desire to please the LORD.

2. I love how your favorite number seems to be 17.

3. I love to go to bed with you each night.

4. I love to hug you.

5. I love how you smell (most of the time)! :)

6. I am thankful for the joy you take in caring for our kids.

7. I am thankful that you truly enjoy bathing the children!

8. I am fascinated by the patience you have with me.

9. I am grateful for the mercy you continually extend to me.

10. I hope to be more like you in how I love others.

11. I am thankful for your family.

12. I love to watch you play with the kids.

13. I love watching you hold our newborn babies.

14. I appreciate how you serve us in those days after we bring home a new baby.

15. I like to spend time with you, just hanging out.

16. You’re my most favorite person.

17. I am in awe of your humility.

18. I am thankful for your model of godliness, especially in hard church situations this past year.

19. I love to listen to you play guitar.

20. I love for you to lead in worship. (and I miss that now)

21. You’re one of my favorite preachers (right up there with John Piper)! :)

22. I love your passion for right doctrine.

23. I am a bit jealous of your easy-going spirit.

24. I am thankful that you always point me to the Truth.

25. I am grateful for the support you give me as I develop strong, godly friendships with some girlfriends.

26. I am glad to know you would fight to protect us if an intruder came into our home at night! J

27. I love to laugh with you at night when my ‘talking’ in my sleep wakes us both up.

28. I am thankful that you enjoy being with my side of the family.

29. I love to hear you pray for our children.

30. I love to hear you pray for me.

31. I enjoy looking back on memories with you.

32. I like to read your blog posts (although some make my head hurt so I can’t read them late at night)!

33. I love how you make me laugh.

34. I pray for at least 34 more birthdays to celebrate together!