end of summer

this is for you dad! he always gets at me that i do not update very often anymore.
so this might be a long one. full of pictures just for you dad!

the summer is sadly coming to an end. it is bittersweet.
oh how i love summer...but fall oh how i have missed you.
i love love love jeans and long sleeves.
WEFEST was great this year. had so much fun being with
friends and seeing the awesome concerts! jennifer nettles i love you!
my parents came and stayed with the kids! thank you thank you thank you.
dad even built new shelves in our garage! so wonderful!
can not wait for fall shows to start again.
loving all of the new fall fashions.
got all of my iphone pics ordered and got them today in the mail. oh i could not be more excited to get scrapbooking with them! i am in LOVE with them. fuzzy and not perfect. just my style.
two of our wonderful friends had babies last week! so fun to meet them both in the hospital.
so excited to see CLARA and CHASE again soon!
when we were visiting chase in GF we got to stop @ our old stomping grounds the RED PEPPER.
like father like son. dillon loved it! still talks about it. (what doesn't he talk about)
a fun CORMORANT DAZE craft show tomorrow.
have been sewing like a crazy women this week to get ready. i am so good under pressure. it is amazing how much i can get done in one week with every second i have!
went to the zoo with some friends last week.
the kids had a fun time running around and feeding the animals!
TURTLE races with the VanDam's this week. the boys did not win but they did get us to buy them each a stuffed turtle from the lady dressed as a turtle!
BECKER COUNTY FAIR!!! dillon still talks about it. he can not wait for next year!
went to see THE WIGGLES with betsy and hayden. after the boys warmed up a bit and took it all in they had such a fun time dancing and singing along! next up BARNEY and DISNEY on ICE!
sunday we are heading to mnpls with jenn and mike to go watch the TWINS!
so excited to spend some time with them!!

things i am leat

had preslee's 1 year birthday party with our whole family and come friends too!
thanks to you all for coming to help us celebrate!
it was a perfect night. cake, presents, tubing, swimming, eating and most importantly friends and family!!! xoxoxoxoox





your welcome dad! xoxoxoxo

"Don't make someone a priority when they only make you an option"

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY PJ

PRESLEE JAE
is one year old today!

we love you so much SUGAR.
happy happy happy birthday my little PJ!
I can hardly believe it was one year ago today that she entered our lives.
It really is amazing how fast time goes.
She has sure turned into a spitfire lately with such a temper,
she makes us laugh all day, loves to snuggle, has the best little smile and dimple,
she loves her big brother, loves snacking, is loving the lake, LOVES to dance-so fun to
watch her wiggle around when the music comes on.
now that she is crawling she is everywhere all day. we started out our day with our traditional pan"cake" candle breakfast. it was going well until i lit the candle and then and pres wanted to grab the fire. so the tantrum started when i blew it out and she proceeded to throw each pancake @ dillon.
so it did not go exactly as planned but next year.....there is always next year and the year after. then off to t-ball and the park. daddy even came too to watch. home to eat lunch and nap time now. this afternoon it is beach time then Zorbaz for dinner and then off to the BECKER county fair!

xoxoxoxooxoxox

life has changed....

PJ is crawling.
june 12th pres decided to finally crawl!!! (yes almost one year old)
for the week b.f she started to try and crawl a little but now you can not stop her!
so funny how life has changed now. i love watching her go and explore.
operation close the gate has started again @ the barkers!
she is so proud of herself now. she smiles ear to ear as she crawls around the house!

see something alike in these photos. yes dillon is how loving his sister and loving to tackler her as she crawls around. she is going to be so tough! she laughs (most of the time) and just gets up and gets going again!!!

we have been crazy here.
The DL jaycee's water carnival has been going on for the last 10 days! so much fun. i think we did something each day. kids concert, kids games, chilli cook off, booth @ womens night out, little texas concert, night golf, car show, water fights, BINGO (i even won a game) bed races and today the PARADE. we did not last through the parade today. dillon kept saying he wanted to go "night night" and pres was over heating so home we came for a nap for everyone!
nothing better than a family nap!
we saw so many friends over the past 10 days going to all of these events that i might go through withdrawals now that life is going back to normal tomorrow morning!!!

drew left tonight for Bismarck to meet w.some of this clients for the next couple of days! with the heat that has made its way to MN we might be spending time in the house or in the water.
so the kids and i had a night @ home relaxing.
bath time and a movie and popcorn for us!
planning pj's first birthday party! so excited to have her celebrate and have a summer birthday! it will be a family affair in the yard! need to get in gear! the party is in 3 weeks!
my garden is growing like crazy. my peas are taller than me. really....never have they been this tall. so many peas. and of course i have not gotten out there this weekend to pick. it will be crazy tomorrow!. my am job!
pLum has been crazy too! have a to do list. i hate to say this but i am getting a bit overwhelmed. i love love love it.....and love creating but sometimes i need a break. i never want to feel that way! maybe pLum needs a vacation!
and this is why... i am missing the things i love.................
need to get scrabooking. so sad as i sat down @ my desk to make some tags for my booth @ the sweet summer night last monday (if you know what my scrap room looks like this makes sense) i was searching for certain things and found some of my old work "worksheets"....... really i have not worked in over a 18months. that is also proving that i have not gotten much scrapping done either. i have gone to my girls weekends but that is it. so tonight i got an order together online of pictures so i can start ordering pictures. so i can once again get in gear!
i miss all of the fun i have in that room. i hate missing that. so back in i go!





and yes that is prelsee playing with seaweeds on the beach.
i am a believer kids should explore and get dirty! seaweeds or not. it is ok!
she was loving it! and yes she ate a little bit of sand too!

watching tv, getting orders done and now thinking it is bed time!
hugs

farm life

oh how i miss farm life.
running free.
the open fields. the mud. the gravel roads.
the birds singing all day. the huge garden.
the puddles to jump in. digging for worms.
the quietness.
and of course my mom and dad.

the kids and i packed up and went to the farm this past thursday.
we never head to the farm in the summer b.c we always see my parents @ their cabin but they were not there this weekend. drew was leaving for a long golf trip in western ND and we get o see my gramma gi gi too! i am so glad we did. except for the sleeping... it was perfect!
dillon was so HAPPY!!!! he got to hunt for works. play in the garden. in the mud. have a water fight with papa.
he would have played in the rocks with papa's trucks and in the mud all day long! i love letting him just be a little boy. we get dirty here of course but no real MUD puddles on our cement driveway!!! i sure miss having all of that room to run too!
i would not go back to where i drew first lived (on a farm) for many reasons but for the open spaces... in a heart beat!
we went to the 125th anniversary celebration in a small town by where i grew up. so fun. jumping castles. a great parade which papa was the legionnaire carrying the flag @ the front.
fish races. and many more games.
we also attended a family reunion on Sunday.
and sunday we got to spend some time with betsy and hayden while we waited for the boys to get home from their golfing trip.
the BOYS had so much fun on their trip.
they saw 3 beautiful golf courses and lost lots of golf balls!

so we are back home.
rain most of the day yesterday. summer has not even started yet.

preslee got another tooth. so now she has both bottom teeth! so last night was a long one around here. not even sure if that is what is bothering her. but not sleeping well poor thing!

EIEIO and on his farm he had a "four wheeler"
.."tractor" and
then finally he decided "PIG"
i was not expecting to hear 4 wheeler when we were singing but... it works i guess.
and it was what his papa and grandpa have so he is right!!!

my baby girl turned 11 months old today!
really.... where has time gone?
she still is my little non mobile girl. so funny to see how content she is really just to hang out.
what more can i ask for though?!?!?! nothing.
she can scoot a little but chooses not to most of the time!
smiling. talking. laughing. playing. snuggling. is what she loves.
i love you baby girl!
i really know have to plan a 1st birthday party. i am a little sad about that. but excited to watch her grow! xoxoxoxoox

just got the three little babes to bed. my sisters youngest chase is staying with us. we met in the middle from mnpls and here today and did a switch. dillon and chase have been playing like crazy tonight!!!! can not wait for them to start again in the am!
excited to have some time with him. and soon we will have another NEPHEW!!! we are so excited for them. a family of 6! xoxoxoxox

i better get cleaning up so we can make a mess again tomorrow!
hugs
mb

where is...

summer?
it is june 15th and it feels like april.

@ home relaxing. kids in bed after a bit of a fight to get them both in bed
it has been a couple of rough days. to say the least
up late. (everyone)
not napping well.
no sunshine. rain rain go away.
my back is out again. (so my patience is low...very low)
drew has been gone alot. (we (or i) need some time with all of us home)

but we got to spend some time @ the cabin.
the water is so high that the beach is missing.
and about 10 more feet of the front yard is gone too.
as you can see by the pictures we have been doing a lot of fishing. he could be on the dock all day and cast and reel in. we for sure have a little lake baby on our hands! can not wait to see if we can get him out on the tube this summer. maybe skiing next year!?!?!?
the water is still a bit cold but the little boys do not care much. miss j even did some skiing!

had a good friend b and her son hayden here overnight.
love having them here!
h and d play so well together. it is so fun to see them talk, play and laugh! and be so good together. drew took them to Z last night (the girls had a spa party here) and he was a bit nervous as he left. but they were there for over 2 hours and came home happy and drew said he had fun and they both were so good! so glad!!!!! i would never get that 3rd barker baby if it would have been a train wreck. pres got to stay here to be a part of the girls night!

had a fun pool play date last week.
been playing in the swing-set! d loves it out there!
made cupcakes the other day and then dillon could not stop signing happy birthday all day! he could not get over the fact that it was not his birthday! but it was our neighbors 60th so he got a little singing gram and cupcakes!!! (dillon sang on the walk over but then froze when L answered the door)
it was the thought that counted.
made my first bath of cake jars! so fun and cute. did not get to finish them the way i wanted but they were fun to make. will for sure make again.
have been a pinterest addict!
been working on orders. sometime i want to take a hiatus. but them i remember how if i am not making orders i am making stuff that i do not need. i am so my father!!!
doing a show in DL in july. i now need to get my buttin gear!

my little PJ is almost 1 year old!?!?!? how can that be?
the time had gone by oh so quickly!
she got her first tooth on friday (june 10th/bottom right)
thanks jayden for finding out.
she is such a content baby. loves to sleep. *yesterday she slept till 10am*
still is not crawling. can get around a little on her tummy. but will not use her knees or walk @ all. will not move her feet. so funny!
she makes me laugh. she loves puppies. goes a bit crazy when they are around.
loves asia. and asia loves her. she lays on pres now b.c she knows that she will rub her and pull out her fur!!! they seem to be making great friends!
i can not get enough of those blue eyes.
the dimples.
and the big big big smile.
the new head nod.

off to bed i go.
xoxoxo