End of the World?

Well, it seems like the end of the world outside. It's dark and ominous and smokey. Today is a bit better than yesterday, I can see the sky a little! Clark and I are okay - we are not really near any current fire and have not been evacuated. Of course we do keep a list of our precious, irreplaceables just in case we have to pack quickly. Our friends in Malibu at Pepperdine were evacuated to the gym/cafeteria areas but have been back in their homes for a couple of days. The church that my sister got married in has burned down. My family in San Diego is taking the brunt of this. Thank the Lord we have not lost any people or property but one sister has been evacuated and the other is on constant watch just in case. She is actually housing another family with eight dogs and four puppies! Isn't she a saint? My mom is doing fine along the coast. We are all trying to stay inside and not breathe in the yuck, especially me for the sake of Baby B.
The wind is the worst part for our area. When I drive to work I pass the Santa Clarita valley area and the wind just whips my car into the other lanes. I have to use all my strength and both hands! Guess that means no cell phone, no pretzels and no chapstick! The wind actually took down part of our friends' tree and lifted the entire tree up like six inches at the root! But so far it is still standing...
I hope that you are all doing well, my friends! If you need a place to stay please call me. We gotta stick together in SoCal!

Most Requested Blog Item

Okay friends - here's the fatty! I'm at 20 weeks and this picture was taken October 11th. All kinds of things are expanding. In fact, I'm not fitting into my maternity clothes anymore but that is not b/c of my belly - I'll let you figure that one out! Clark took a closer up picture below so you can see my "maternal glow" aka the flu that I have gotten this week from the flu shot - go figure! So if I look a bit peakish, that's why. I'm a little intimidated by my friends who are further along than me who are not nearly as large - I guess Baby B is gonna be a big boy or I'm gonna have A LOT of weight to lose next spring :)

We registered this week which was fun and a bit overwhelming. I cannot believe how much stuff you need to prepare for a baby. It's more than backpacking and I thought that was a lot of equipment! We've picked initials for the baby - CAB. Clark's initials, his dad's initials and his great grandfather's initials (I don't know what happened to his grandfather who's name is Don). Anyway, the middle name will probably be Hawaiian so this honky kid of mine will know his roots! And that is all the name info we've agreed to give out at this time. We are halfway there now and things are moving along more quickly. The first half felt like 5 years rather than 5 months because of all the sickness and pains. Things are a bit better now, praise the Lord! We are excited to meet this boy and see what in the world he looks like.

Expanding

Okay, people - I'm finally posting a belly picture! This is actually from a few weeks ago when I was at 18 weeks. I'm going to post another picture right away that is more current so you can compare. You might notice the chaos in the background - we have completely turned our house upside down to get ready for Baby B. Lots to do!

Most Embarrassing Moments

Okay, those of you who know me well know that I have had many embarrassing moments in my life. For someone who does not get embarrassed easily, these moments are undeniably mortifying. From the time in high school where I slipped on my butt getting off the bus right as I was saying hello to my crush to the time freshman year in college when the egg exploded on my face with a loud POP in the middle of the cafeteria, I have had some doozies. But yesterday I was humbled in a new way.

As I was driving home, I felt like keeping my window down. It was, after all, a beautiful breezy evening the likes of which we haven't seen for awhile. As I'm driving, the talented Carrie Underwood comes on my radio (Go Country 105.1 - great station fyi) and she is performing her new hit "So Small". Great song that you can really belt out. And that is what I did...loudly. At about this time, the stoplight turned red. I stopped my car but continued to sing along with Carrie. All of a sudden I hear this man saying, "Sounds good!" What?!?! He was in the car next to me and had apparently had the same window down idea. You know those moments when you feel like you are all alone and no one is watching but then you realize that someone IS indeed watching - and critiqueing?! That was me. He told me I was blushing, man leave me alone! And of course that was the longest red light I have ever stopped at.

Been Awhile

Things are moving along nicely in my uterus from what I'm told. I'm at 15 weeks and 2 days as of today. I think our baby is about 3.5 inches long now but will grow to be 7 inches over the next two weeks. I'm generally feeling much better but I still have my days where food is not my friend. On the contrary, food is my best friend most of the time. I have to eat food constantly to avoid being sick. Its actually to the point where eating is not that fun anymore - I know, did I actually say that? Thank you to everyone who sent me encouragement about having a boy. I know the Lord will show me how to parent a boy and He has blessed me with a boy for a reason. I'm getting quite used to the idea!

Clark started back at school last week. He's teaching 3rd grade this year as opposed to fourth grade. So he has 20 students (as opposed to a max of 36) and he has 3 recesses (as opposed to 2). He likes it, duh! The kids are very sweet and of course, as usual, he is great with them. He has this way of putting them at ease with his calm manner and easy going attitude. I think it is unique and special to have a male teacher - it allows kids to do well who might otherwise struggle. Of course, female teachers are important too (Amber!) They have special attributes that Clark doesn't have. It's good to have a balance.

I had one of those "I'm making a difference" days at work yesterday. I had a couple of boys who's caretaker wanted to kick them out for not behaving, doing drugs, etc. These boys were only 11 and 14 by the way! I have never laid it out so harshly for a client before. We had a nice heart to heart and rather than rolling their eyes and not paying attention (as my clients often do when we have these nice talks) they were listening. Whether it will stick or not, we'll see...I could tell they are good kids, they just need structure and guidance. I actually felt like they need a father (caretaker is a female).

Also, my favorite female client came to court yesterday. We have worked so hard on her case lately. I won't go into details but lets just say she has experienced more than any of us probably ever will in our entire lives. She is doing really well now and I'm so proud of her. I realized after the hearing that I might not see her again because I'll be on maternity leave at her next hearing. Then I probably won't be coming back to this job because of the commute. Anyway, I told her I'm pregnant and she was so excited. She's going to come to court in October just to see me and say goodbye. She and I were both very sad.

As I contemplate finding a new job, I have mixed emotions. I just feel like the Lord has put me in this place for "such a time as this". There is so much that I have done and so much left to do. I hope that I can continue to help kids in whatever I do next. But the most important thing to me right now is being there for my own child(ren). I never wanted to neglect my own kids for the kids I work with. That would defeat the purpose! So I'm looking for a job within 20-30 minutes of my home - any ideas? Please pray with me as I go on this new journey. So much is changing but it will be great, I know!

Baby Barnett #1

We are pregnant! After a year and a half or so of loss, fertility treatments and a desire to have a child, we are expecting! This is Baby Barnett #1 just hanging out sucking a thumb. So far, this pregnancy has been full of very bad morning sickness. I seem to be a little better now as we come out of the first trimester. Praise God for our little blessing!

Do you see, um, a male part? The doctor thinks he sees a male part. Clark is ecstatic. I am quite nervous and will be doing a lot of praying for the next 6 months! I will love this kid regardless but I grew up with two sisters and a mom. I will have to learn how to relate to a boy...Any suggestions? We'll keep you posted on any new developments. Thank you to everyone who has been praying and supporting us throughout this journey. We love you and we can't wait for you to meet Baby B.

Catching Up

I'm sorry I haven't written for awhile! It's a good thing Tracey is in Asia or she would be letting me have it! These pictures are from our visit to San Diego a few weeks ago. Technically it was a birthday trip for me but it was just fun to go and spend time with Sue and Todd. This is Todd and Clark at the Old Spaghetti Factory. I love that place! If you ever go (which is difficult to do because so many of them have closed) - I recommend the manager's special with half Mizithra cheese and half marinara. To die for!
Me and Sue - She was so sweet and took me to a fancy spa for spa pedicures! My feet never looked so pretty. This writing is the color of our toes at the end of the pedicure!
These sweet picture is of our dear friends, Jen and JD on the left and Nicki and Nathan on the right. We met Jen and JD through a Pepperdine friend that grew up with Jen. They were new to the area and we wanted to make them feel comfortable. That was two years ago and over time, they have grown to be our closest "couple" friends in the area. We spent time with them about once a week and Jen, Nicki and I met and prayed together every week. Amazing answers to prayer came from those nights. Now Jen and JD have moved and this picture is from their last night with us. They have gone on to be worship ministers for a church up north - they have truly been blessed with beautiful voices and leadership qualities. We are very sad that they are gone but we know God has incredible things planned for them. And we met Nicki and Nathan through Jen and JD and we love spending time with them too! And if you ever need a great haircut, Nicki's your gal! Anyway, we love you guys - all four of you! We wish you the best blessings, Jen and JD, in your new adventure!