The Barnes Family Update

GVB Concert & Tucker's 2nd Birthday

2009-05-29T22:50:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

It is that time again where I apologize for taking so long to update my blog. But you see, being a stay at home mom to a strong willed child does keep you busy! But we'll get to him in a minute!

I'll start this blog by announcing to the world that Darryl has officially started taking a course in Power Engineering. God Bless that man, he is willing to do almost anything to help our family find some stable financial ground. The course is not easy, but we all believe that he will do fine! It will be at least a year from now before he is finished so he continues to work at Canadian Linen. As you all know, Darryl was supposed to be having his gallbladder removed in April. Due to some minor complications, that did not happen. I will keep you posted as to when that will happen when we know more.

On May 15th, my dad and I got the chance to go and see the Gaither Lovin' Life tour when they made their stop here in Calgary. Thanks to my gaither.com membership we scored seats in the middle of the second row on the floor!! The concert was 4 hours long and it did not disappoint. I was in Gaither heaven! The artists were so kind to spend time meeting and greeting their loyal fans and they did not disappoint. I went to the concert with ONE goal in mind: to meet Wes Hampton and Gordon Mote. Needless to say, I far surpassed my goal. Gordon Mote has to be the most gifted and talented man ever! He can sing like nothing else and his piano abilities. . . well I don't have the words to say! Such a funny man too. When I asked him if I touched his hand would the talent rub off because I could only play chop sticks, he quickly replied so can Bill Gaither and look where it got him!! Wes Hampton. What so I say about him besides the fact that I will never forget shaking that man's hands. When David Phelps left the vocal band I VOWED I would never listen to another album again! That was until heard Wes! Don't get me wrong, I still like David. But there is just something about Wes. To see the man in person who sings the songs on the past 2 albums that have affected me the most. . . a true honor. He was such a sweetie too. They all were. Michael English started singing while we were talking about the Peace of the Rock Album. I could go on and on much more, but I will close this portion of the blog by saying that while the performances were great, the concert was really worship service. They ushered the people into the presence of God and you could not leave there without "The Message." In one word: POWERFUL!

Tucker is now 2. On May 23rd, we celebrated all day. Tucker woke to balloons EVERYWHERE!!! We spent the morning and early afternoon at Chuck E Cheese. After his nap, we went swimming and then came home to a BBQ and Birthday Cake. The day could not have been better. Well. . . that's not quite true. If Darryl's family could have joined us it would have been better. But all in all it was a great day!

Tucker is growing and developing like a weed these days. He now knows all his colors! He LOVES to watch Four Square and when he hears the poem come on, he is glued. By the time they are done, he can recite the whole thing. He now sings all the words to the wiggles song Hot Potato. He was going around Wal Mart a day ago singing "Hey good looking, whatcha got cooking?" Too Funny. He now says sentences up to 9 words long. I can't believe it. At his check-up, he is now weighing in at 31 lbs and measuring 38 inches tall. People keep telling me that he looks like me now. I still don't see it. I think he is like Dad's brother Herb. We may have to do that "Who does Tucker look like" poll again sometime soon.

Well, I must sign off again for now. I am hoping to update you all again soon on that secret project I keep talking about. We have made some progress in the past couple of months, but there is still a lot of work to do.

This will most likely be my last blog until we get back from NF. So,

Until Then,
Crystal (Darryl, Tucker & Misty)

The Latest News

2009-03-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

It is time for a new blog. I guess we are all doing ok! There has not been a lot of changes since the last blog. I am still in the process of seeing specialists and that will continue for the next few months. Darryl is now 2 weeks away from his gall bladder surgery. He is a little nervous, but thankful that the pain will be over then.

Tucker is our ever changing story. It is crazy how much he changes in such a short period of time. He has turned into a total chatterbox (just like his mommy). He is now 22 months old and such a wonder. He can now spell his name without help and knows all the words to Twinkle Twinkle. He is also doing well with his counting. He likes to count the stairs as we climb them. He is not so good with his colors yet, but we are working on that. He can say blue, yellow, red, green, orange, black, brown and purple. The problem is that he does not recognize which color is which. He calls them ALL blue! I guess we don't have to wonder which one is his favorite!!

Tucker's interests these days seem to be with planes and helicopters. It is almost an obsession. We are in the planning stages for Tucker's big boy room and have decided that it will be a fighter jet room. We are hoping to get the painting done over the summer so that between fall and Christmas we'll move him in. With his sleeping disorder, we are not in a hurry to move him out of the crib. Right now, we think he's safer in there! Oh and yes, he still has a pacifier and a bottle. You may criticize all you like, but I am in no hurry for him to give them up. These days people want kids to grow up so fast. It is no wonder they have terrible two's and troublesome three's. There is so much adjusting. So, for now Tucker is keeping is "security blankets." He'll give them up when he is ready. If not, they're gone at 3!

We are also 2 weeks away from the Doodlebop concert. I can hardly wait to take Tucker. He just LOVES them. I am so excited to see how he reacts to seeing them live. I will try to take pictures and post them quickly. Tucker also LOVES the Wiggles. I hope they come to Calgary soon. That would be a hoot. Tucker has this thing about watching cartoons and animated things in that. . . he HATES them. He prefers to watch shows that have real people in them. In addition to the Doodlebops and Wiggles, Tucker likes 4 Square. He will watch a little of Elmo and he LOVES the movie CARS. That is about his limit. Yet his fav toy is a winnie the pooh. Go figure!

Just this past week, my family lost a wonderful man when my Uncle Dale passed away. This was a shock as it was not expected. He was just 49. My dad got to attend the funeral back in NF and I am glad of that. I do however, wish I could have been there. Our families are very close and this loss was definitely a hard one. To explain it is to say it was like a kick in the gut! It was a hard blow and then numbness set in. It has been an unreal week that has passed in a blur. I am so thankful though that I have the assurance that this is not the end. It is times like these that make you realize that you don't know when your time is up. So, I sign off this update by saying:

Live life to the fullest, love God to the maximum and remember to tell the ones you love how you feel while you have the chance.

Until Then,

Crystal (Darryl, Tucker & Misty)

The verdict is in. . .

2009-01-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

It is another edition of “The Barnes Family Update.” Let’s begin with Christmas shall we?

It was another wonderful holiday for the family. Darryl’s parents and sister arrived on Boxing Day and to our pleasant surprise, Tucker remembered who they were and called them by name! We were totally amazed at this because he hasn't seen Auntie since May or Nana & Papa since September! He is our smart little boy! It is getting increasingly fun to watch Tucker as he grows, because he is starting to take notice in things more. Christmas was no exception. He couldn’t sleep on Christmas Eve. When he finally got up on Christmas morning he came running out into the living room shouting “Kissmas. Kissmas.” He ran to the gifts and started sitting on them! It was too funny. His faves this year had to be a Mega Blocks piano from Nana & Papa Barnes, the new Elmo doll from Mommy, Grammy Burton & Aunt Trula and his Hockey set (including 2 nets, 2 sticks and a ball) from Daddy. It didn’t take much teaching for him to start holding the stick the proper way and shout “SCORE” when someone shoots the ball in the net! Looks like Crystal's going to be a "Hockey Mom." Sometimes it is hard to believe that he is not quite 20 months yet!

Tucker is picking up new words every day. It is amazing to us as to what he can say. Things like: Precious, Unbelievable, Whoopsi Daisy, I love you, Please, Thank You and Welcome (as in you are welcome). The funniest though is when we got him to say “I Got You Babe.” My (Crystal's) dad says he is the sweetest baby ever born next to Jesus. We all laugh when he says it yet full knowing that we all think it’s true!

Maybe it is a good thing that we love Tucker so much. I know you are all probably thinking that’s a strange statement, but just bear with us. Tucker is the light of our lives. He is one of our deepest dreams come true. We are so thankful to God every day that He allowed us to have such a blessing. We have all said that it would be hard to imagine another little one coming into the picture. How could you love another the way we love Tucker? It seems that he has taken all the love we have and even more that we thought we could have. While I have heard many tell of the miracle it is to love more than one child deeply, totally, completely and uniquely, this is something that we now know with complete certainty that we will not get to experience ourselves.

In the past few weeks while waiting to get the results back from a series of tests done in November, it seems that all I have been hearing is the exciting news of babies being born, friends becoming pregnant (many with their second child) or hearing of heartbeats or belly pics of a progressing pregnancy. We are very happy and excited for our friends. This is wonderful news and we do not want to diminish our enthusiasm for them in any way. It is just hard to hear when we now know with 100 percent certainty that we will not be able to have anymore. Our dreams of having 3 children has now been taken away along with any hopes of adoption due to my medical issues.

I had to see the Rheumatologist on Monday. This is when the news became official. Another pregnancy would put my body through too much trauma and there is no way to know for sure what the effects of that would be until after the baby got here, pending that my body could even carry it to term. IF my body could carry a baby to full term even with no or minimal damage or strain to my organs, specifically the kidneys, I still have to have the stamina and strength to take care of the child once here. This is what the Rheumatologist says “they don’t tell you.” Many forget that the pregnancy in only one step. Being healthy enough to take care of the child is totally different.

As if the baby news weren't traumatic enough, it is just the beginning. Over Christmas my health has taken a decline. I have been quite ill, weak and sore. The test results from the Rheumatologist also showed some abnormalities different than before. With white blood cells a lot lower than they should be and large amounts of infection in my body along with other things, there is reason to be concerned. Over the next few months I will have to go through a battery of gastric, spinal and blood tests to find the source of the infection and ultimately rule out life threatening things such a bowel cancer. While the Rheumatologist feels strongly that it is the lupus causing all of the problems, it is routine to follow all avenues to be sure nothing gets missed or overlooked. " We don't mess around with low white blood cells," she says. It was also a triple bill of diagnoses as well. Because all avenues of testing show that along with and separate from the lupus is the conformation of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. So for me, Monday was a bad day!

Darryl also had to see the Doctor on Monday. His reports were what we all had been expecting and an official date of April 6 was made for him to have surgery on his gallbladder. The good news is that the surgery is just a day thing and he will be home later that night. The bad part of this is that he will be off work for about 3 weeks. While we are glad that Darryl will no longer be in pain, the loss of pay is going to be tough.

Our life right now seems to be full of challenges, but we are doing our best to keep the faith. "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

So, this has been our update. We are thankful for the email, facebook messages and prayers of all our family and friends. I am signing off for now, but this time with no promises for a speedy update. It just never seems to happen. So. . .

Until Then,
Crystal (Darryl, Tucker & Misty)

The Long awaited update!

2008-09-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Well, it seems that it has taken me a long time to get around to posting again. Who knew that life with a baby would be so busy? So lets see, where do I begin?

On May 23rd, Tucker turned a year old. It is hard to believe that 4 months have passed since then. Darryl's family were able to fly up for the celebration. At first, we thought it would just be his mom and sister, but when Darryl got to the airport, his dad was there too as a surprise. I am very thankful for this because it just would not have been the same having Tucker's 1st birthday without papa. We had a small family party while they were here to visit and then we took him to Montana's on the actual day of his birthday. We had planned a whole hoopla at the park, but it ended up getting canceled twice because of weather. It unfortunately never got to happen. All in all though, Tucker's birthday was a great event!

Now at 16 months, Tucker is turning into a little man more and more each day. He finally started to walk at 14 months and now at 16 months his vocabulary is increasing every day. Today, he has mastered the words apple and cookie. Yesterday was ice tea. With all the new words he's learning, he seems to have an obsession with the word ball and actual balls themselves. He has no preference tho. He loves his football just as much as the baseball(plastic of course). But he has this one ball that is HUGE! Auntie Natalie bought it for him last summer. He loves this ball so much that we have to keep in directly outside his window so at night he can look out at see it before he goes to sleep. He actually won't go to sleep if he can't see it. It is too funny!

Darryl is doing well these days. He has lost about 55 pounds and is really getting a nice shape. He looks so good and he is feeling better than ever. He just had to go through getting a wisdom tooth out though! I guess he lost all his wisdom with it too :) He is getting ready to start a supervisory position with his work on Monday. This is exciting because of the extra money, but the hours are much longer. I just hope he doesn't burn out! He still has other irons in the fire for now. We will let you all know how that pans out when the time comes.

I am doing relatively well these days. Due to the lupus playing havoc on my immune system, I have been prone to infections. The worst topping out last month with a kidney infection. Man, they are bad! I am seeing my GP again tomorrow because it seems as if the infection doesn't want to go away and on top of that, my gallbladder has been acting up as well. I guess we'll have to see what happens, but I am very anxious for all these troubles to go away. The change in the weather has been keeping my joints a little achy and stiff too, but nothing to the point that keeps me debilitated. I am so glad that it has been 5 months since my last BAD flare. I am praying that I NEVER have to go through that again.

I saw the Rheumatologist just 2 weeks ago for my latest check-up. She is very pleased with my progress. As most of you know, I have a problem with arthritis that is totally separate from the lupus. This visit along with my last lot of tests seem to show that my arthritis is going into remission. She is hopeful that the arthritis will eventually go away for good and then I will only have the lupus to deal with. I would much have it in reverse, but I am thankful for the good news.

It is now almost 10pm. The house is quiet with Darryl and Tucker both asleep. It is only the roar of the kettle boiling and the slow drip of the faucet that keep me company. With this update, I have checked off everything on my list of things to do today. So at this time, I will bid you all good night. I am off to my tea and my book before turning in. I apologize for the long awaited update and promise only to try better next time.

Until Then,
Crystal (Darryl, Tucker & Misty)

Thank God For Family

2008-04-15T19:28:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

Welcome to a more frustrating version of the Barnes Family Update. I am in the 7 week since my last lupus flare started. While I would like to share good news, the fact remains that the flare has not subsided. Things got so bad 3 weeks ago that my aunt had to fly here from NF to look after Tucker for me. I have spent most of the past 7 weeks in bed unable to move because of the severe joint pain and debilitating fatigue. Thank God for family is all I know how to say these days because I do not know what I would have done without my aunt. I feel like I have been starting to get some shred of my life back in the past week only do develop a sinus infection. Apparently, the lupus has lowered my immune system so badly that I am susceptible to just about everything.

My Rhumatologist sent me for a bone scan 2 weeks ago in hopes to find out more about what is going on. While I am very anxious to find out what the results are, my gut tells me she is not going to have a lot of answers. The only thing we know for sure is that some of the problems I has with my hands, neck and ankles in high school and all of my bowel problems are linked to the lupus. In fact, apparently I should have been diagnosed about 10 years ago. I know it is wrong to be vindictive, but it is very hard for me to let go of the feeling of wanting to go up to all those teachers, Doctors and so called friends and family and speak my mind to them for doubting my health issues and there severity for years!!!!! (Lord, please rid me of these angry and hurtful feelings.)

We have been trying to figure out if and where lupus runs in my family. So, mother family members have been going through testing. It seems that while no one else has come back positive, there have been those who have come back borderline; they could swing either way. We hope it never develops into anything, but you never know. Rheumatoid and Osteo arthritis is apparently all over my family so, maybe that explains something!

On some positive notes, Tucker seems to be finally over his cold and ear infection. He also has cut 5 teeth all on the top almost overnight. It is so strange to see him smile with this big mouthful of pearly whites. I just have to wonder when the bottom teeth are gonna come in?

Darryl is doing very well these days with his new fitness routine. He has lost about 40lbs and is really starting to show muscle definition. He was always the hottest guy to me but now. . . HUBBA HUBBA! I am so proud of him and his determination to get himself in shape. Darryl is in the process of considering a job change. The fitness is just one step in this process. Please pray for him during the next few months and some changes may take place. When the time is right we will share more.

On an even more positive note, I was talking to my mother-in-law tonight. Her and dad went away to a couples retreat this past weekend and she received he baptism for the first time! She, along with the rest of us, are so excited for her. Unfortunately, life has thrown her some hard knocks in the past few years with her diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. But she is a strong woman and she serves a big God!

It is time once again to sign off for now! I hope to have much more positive news in the next blog. Thanks once again for all of you who send emails and call. It is because of caring people like you who never forget us and keep us in your prayers that carries us through.

Until Then,
Crystal (Darryl,Tucker & Misty)

A Long Awaited Update!

2008-03-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

It really has been a long time since the last time I wrote a blog. But it is crazy the amount of things that has happened since Christmas came in. First, I want to thank everyone who participated in the "Who does Tucker Look Like" poll. I hope it was as much fun for you as it was for us. I must say, however, that we were very surprised by the outcome. Now, onto the update...

Well, lets start with a visit from NF. Right after Christmas, we were blessed to have Aunt Trula and Uncle David visit us for a month. NF was getting so much snow that coming to Calgary was a nice break. We got to take Uncle David to Banff for a weekend. He had never been and it was over 20 years since the last time Aunt Trula had been so it made for good memories! They were so excited to be able to spend some time with Tucker. He had changed a whole lot since they last saw him in July.

On a sadder note, Aunt Trula and Uncle David were only back in NF for 5 days when my pop passed away. So, like a whirlwind my mom, Tucker and I headed for NF for the funeral. Pop had suffered for many years with renal failure and on kidney dialysis. As hard as it was to see him go, I wouldn't wish him back. It is comforting to know that he is in the arms of Jesus and suffering no more. I am so glad to know that he did get to see Tucker before he died. It makes our vacation back in July that more special.

Since returning from NF, things with my health have taken some bad turns. It is very true that lupus is a disease of a thousand faces because I have seen many of them in the course of a month. I didn't know joint pain could be so debilitating. My mom has had to take too many days off work in order to take care of Tucker because I was not able to pick him up. My Doctor put me on bed rest for 2 weeks because my left foot was swollen so badly that I couldn't put it to the floor. Fortunately, I was referred to a wonderful Rhumatologist who has a plan of action. She is now sending me for a bone scan to see how severe the lupus has affected my joints and if there is any damage. Once we have the results, she ensures me that there are many natural things we can do to help make daily life better. The bad news it that it seems that the lupus has started affecting my pancreas and liver. So far, it is not severe and most likely reversible so I will try not to worry! I do want to thank all of you who have prayed and called and emailed. It is so encouraging to have such wonderful friends and family as a support group. And I do have to send out props to Darryl who has been a HUGE support and has helped me do things that a husband should never have to do for his wife! Oh how I love him!

Tucker is doing well. The next big thing for us is planning his 1st Birthday. It is hard to believe that it is only a couple of months away. He has 6 teeth now and he loves to crunch his Cheerios's. It is so funny. He is a crawling madman too. It can be hard to keep up with him. He is 21 lbs 5 oz now and 30 1/2 inches tall. He really is built like Darryl. He is the happiest baby on the planet. He wakes up with a smile and stays that way all day. He only cries when he is hungry or overtired. I can't believe how his little personality shines through. He is not a patient child, but has such a pleasant and quiet disposition. It is fun to see the traits he takes from Darryl and those he takes from me. I can't imagine my life without him.

Well, this has been a LONG update. I hope that you have not been bored reading it :) It is indeed a pleasure to be able to share a little of our lives with you our friends. Please continue to update us on what it happening with you. We LOVE details :) We will try to update a little sooner next time.

Until Then. . .
Crystal (Darryl, Tucker & Misty)

TUCKER'S 1ST WORD

2008-01-15T17:16:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! It has been a while since I have blogged but life has been busy. Thank you all for taking part in the "WHO DOES TUCKER LOOK LIKE" poll. As expected, the votes were almost evenly divided. We hope you had fun taking part!

Our Christmas was a good one overall! It was nice to be surrounded by so much family. It felt like an old fashoned Christmas like the ones I had growing up! Our tree was so full of presents, though, that it took a couple of hours to get through them all. PLEASE. . . keep in mind that there were presents for 8 adults and 1 VERY special baby all under one tree! But the highlight had to be when Darryl took Tucker in his arms and read the Christmas story out of the Bible and then had Nan Philpott pray! It definately put the day into perspective!

Since Christmas our great news is that Tucker said his 1st word. . . DAD! It came as such a wonderful suprise for Aunt Trula and Uncle Dave who are here visiting from NF. They hate being so far away from him and this made them feel apart of his growing up! I can hardly believe that he is almost 8 months old. He is almost 20lbs and is stretching 30 1/2 inches long! Boy am I glad that he didn't get my height! Oh and for all you music lovers, his little hand can span 5 keys on the piano! That's my boy!

Well, this is the end of my brief update for now! Continue keeping in touch and we will continue to update as things need updating :)

Until Then,
Crystal (Darryl, Tucker & Misty)

WHO DOES TUCKER LOOK LIKE?

2007-11-30T19:41:00.000-08:00

Just for giggles and kicks, here is the official start of the "WHO DOES TUCKER LOOK LIKE" poll. Since Tucker has been born, there have been many varying opinions on who he looks like. I believe at some point we ALL have been in the list. So, we are opening up this poll to tally the votes. Personally, we think he just looks cute :)

REMEMBER: Please vote based on what you really think and not on popularity! Be sure to scroll thru the site to see every picture possible to help in your decision! Thanks for taking part and HAVE FUN!!!

Welcome one and All!

2007-11-14T22:12:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

This is the first installment of "The Barnes Family Update" website style. For some of you, this is your first ever installment. While for others, this is familiar territory. For the newbies out there, periodically I will send updates about what is going on in our lives to keep everyone informed. I decided to take this website approach because it allows me to not repeat info, reminds me of the last time I updated and. . . well. . . makes me feel special and all important to have a website :)

For your personal enjoyment, you will find some interesting links including everything from Christian resources, baby resources and medical information. I also want to use this site as an opportunity to create lupus awareness. Periodically these links will be updated and changed, so visit often!

Just to let you all know, I will be posting some new pictures of Tucker soon. When they arrive, be sure to look for the "Who Does Tucker Look Like" poll. Since he was born, there have been MANY varying opinions on who Tucker looks like. The most common are my dad and Darryl (who by the way look NOTHING alike). Please be sure to participate in the poll. I am so curious to see what the masses think!

I am signing off for now. Thanks for visiting, and come back again!

Until Then,
Crystal (Darryl, Tucker & Misty)