Update

I'm so way behind on updating my blog with actual details about my life. Here is a quick update with pictures.

Way back in May, we had our first ever Young Women's Conference at the home of one of the YW leader's in-laws. The conference had a Star Wars theme and was a Friday/Saturday overnight conference. Friday we mostly just had fun -- ate dinner and s'mores, did karaoke, hung out and talked. Saturday we put the girls through the Jedi Academy. We visited different planets and locales around the galaxy and the girls unknowingly worked on their Personal Progress at each stop. The leaders were the Jedi Masters, complete with costume. It was a lot of work, but a total success and was so much fun.



The next big event was that Josh and I went to see Phantom of the Opera. Josh had seen the movie, but had never seen a live production (this was my 3rd time seeing it on stage). We bought tickets as our anniversary present last November, when tickets went on sale, and finally got to see the show in June. The guy who played the Phantom was AMAZING. Best Phantom ever. And we had a very fun date in the middle of the day (we saw a matinee on a Thursday).

Before the show

Me in my early birthday present

Alek also went to Cub Scout camp in June. The theme was "Cubs of the Round Table" and they did all these medieval-related activities. He had a BLAST.

Sir Alek the brave.

Jousting.

So, yeah, I had a birthday. My awesome in-laws helped me have a fantastic birthday by funding a date (Josh and I went to dinner and to see Wall-E) and my wonderful sister-in-law, Doreen, babysat our kids. Then Josh's parents went even further to help me have an awesome birthday by funding a birthday bash Josh had for me on my actual birthday. He invited a bunch of the young men and young women over and we ate pizza and played Karaoke Revolution and talked and had fun. And Josh finally gave me the birthday present I was supposed to get last year (a watercolor he painted for me). Totally worth the wait. Alek also gave me an awesome birthday gift -- the Brother Francis doll he made in school (they learned about saints and good-deed-doers from around the world this year). He sewed and knitted everything himself. Isn't that awesome?

My gift from Josh

My gift from Alek


My teenage friends at my party


Charlie loved my birthday cake


Katie looking adorable while waiting for cake

In July, we celebrated Alek's 9th birthday. His cousin Josselyn's birthday is just a few days after his, so we had a co-birthday party with the Barker clan. My sister-in-law, Olivia, made this totally adorable cake for my niece.

Josselyn's ladybug cake and flower garden cupcakes

Earlier that morning, I finally got around to figuring out what kind of cake I would make Alek. He looked through some options on a web site I found and decided he wanted a moon cake. He was happy with it, it was easy and fast, but it was pathetic looking, honestly -- especially compared to Liv's creation! Oh well. Not one of my talents, cake decorating.

Alek with his moon cake.

Alek had a great time at his party. He's so easy to please this one -- every present was wonderful (and there weren't that many, but you'd think he'd gotten the best haul in the world the way he acted), the cake was wonderful, the party was wonderful. He had no complaints, except he didn't want to go home at the end of the day. :) I'm one lucky mom.

Besides that, there is not much to report. Josh is getting ready to fall semester and is looking for a part-time job without success. I'm working on finding child care for Katie and Charlie while Josh is at school -- grandma is no longer an option. The summer has been fairly mild, the smoke from the fires finally cleared up and the Barker family is chugging along, happy with our lot.

A new piece by Josh

Read This

Recommended to me by my sister and now I am recommending it to all three people who read my blog. Sad, but so much of it rings true, especially after my Sunday School class' discussion of Alma Chapter 30 today.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Address at Harvard in 1978.

Katie is so cute

What's a Slither?

Apparently, it has a snake body and eight feet. It's as long as my dining room wall and as wide as my dining room table. The babies are small enough to get into your house through the toilet. They have, according to Alek, "adjustable thumbs." The bottoms of their feet are sticky and the only part of their bodies without scales. They have spurs on the backs of their feet, like a rooster (I had no idea those were called spurs. Alek learned this on the farm, apparently.) They are very intelligent -- almost as intelligent as apes. They live in the water and eat other sea creatures. They can come on land, too.

But don't worry, they don't eat humans.

July 10, 1999

I'm a little late posting this. I meant to write yesterday about a very significant event -- Alek turned 9.


I've been trying to figure out all day what to say about my little boy. I don't know where to start.

Alek made me a mom. Alek made me grow up. Without Alek, I don't think I would have survived the worst time in my life. Not only did I survive, I smiled and laughed every day. Alek tells me stories and draws me pictures and makes me cards. Alek cries when I cry. Alek wants to spend time with me. Alek reads stories with me and plays board games with me and dances with me.



Alek has an amazing imagination. Alek is a great big brother. Alek is affectionate and funny. Alek idolizes his dad (Josh). Alek loves to learn. Alek loves to be outside. Alek has more energy than any other three children combined. Seriously.



Alek is very sensitive and can sometimes get upset easily. But he rebounds pretty quickly and easily about 99% of the time. He is a big believer in justice and in questioning everything I say to him.



When Alek believes in something, he defends it. He recently stood up for the right in a situation that would have been scary for just about anyone.



I love Alek. Happy Birthday, little guy. Sorry I don't know how to wax eloquent about you, but nothing I can say would even begin to cover it.

The Roots of Christianity

Stories like these astound me. See, in my life, there has never been any question at all whatsoever that the story of Christ's death and resurrection was part of ancient Judaic tradition. Christianity was not some new religion that sprung up after Christ's death; Judaism was Christianity and Christianity was Judaism. Although Christ had not yet come to earth, the Hebrew people worshiped him and looked forward to His coming. I mean, that is what the Old Testament is about. The animal sacrifices that were done were symbolic of Christ. The passover was symbolic of Christ. I've understood these things since my youth. The split between Judaism and Christianity occurred during Jesus's ministry, as people either accepted Him or rejected Him as the Messiah.

So for someone to suggest that a tablet written in Hebrew prior to Christ's birth that foretells the story of his death and resurrection is somehow going to shock me and make me question my theology is ludicrous. It confirms what I already know to be true -- that for thousands of years before His birth, Jesus Christ was prophesied of and His life, death and resurrection fulfilled those prophesies.

What does shock me is that theological history is so widely misunderstood, even (or maybe it is especially?) by so-called theological experts. Do other Christians really not understand and/or believe that their religion started way before the birth of Christ? If not, then why read the Old Testament? I honestly don't have the answers to those questions, so if any non-LDS (non-Mormon) Christians can enlighten me as to what is taught in other churches, I would appreciate it. Perhaps it is only these intellectuals who are shocked and not people of faith. Let me know.

Random Pictures on my PC

Charlie, in the early days of eating solid foods.

Katie's 2nd birthday.

Alek sipping non-existent tea, using the set that Katie got for her birthday.

A walk down memory lane -- look at how cute my husband is!

Latest Artwork by Josh

I really love this.