Paige Barnes

So the other day Matthew and I were working on some summer school work. You know that whole statistic that kids lose 2/3 of what they learn during summer vacation prompted me to buy a first grade readiness book at the beginning of summer. Well, the first week of summer he was diagnosed with diabetes and we've been trying to catch up with ourselves ever since. The past few days have been much better and we are starting to find our new "normal". So we finally pulled out the workbook and we were working on some pages. My sweet little red-head who is most definitely 6 going on 26 said out of the blue, "Mom, nobody can tell me what to read or what to say". I reply, "Yes, buddy. That's right. Where did you hear that?" To this he replies, "Well, mom, that's democracy"! I must say I had that momma moment where I thought, oh yes, my son is the most brilliant little boy ever. So we sit a few more minutes working on the workbook. ...

I am in the process of totally revamping the blog. Please bear with me.... Paige

Ok , catching everyone up... I arrived at the monastery just in time for dinner. One of the sisters met me and showed me around. What a quiet, relaxed place. Dinner was simple - egg noodles, Swedish meatball, zucchini, and water - but it was delicious and filling. I took only a small portion of each and finished my plate feeling satiated, but not stuffed. After dinner I made my way to my room to get settled in. I came with only the bare necessities, not even bringing make-up, and only wearing my wedding band. After introducing myself to my room I decided to go for a walk on the grounds. They were beautiful. It's as if I could hear the flowers and the trees and the grass crying out to their maker "Holy, Holy, Holy"! I walked the Stations of the Cross which is always a very moving experience. Then I stumbled upon a stone labyrinth. There had been no mention of one in anything I read or was told and it was a delightful discovery. I had to walk it. ...

Well, it's been a month almost since I last posted. I was so excited to get back from my respite at the Monastery and tell you all about it, but Matthew got sick. We'd been noticing that he'd been hungry all the time and needing to go pee a lot. At first, we didn't think much of it. He was perfectly fine in every other way. However, right after I came back from the monastery he began to be thirsty all the time. Not just your regular, my throat is dry, thirsty. No, he was begging us to give him something to drink all the time. I knew he was getting plenty and wasn't losing it all when he played outside. As a nurse, my instincts told me diabetes, but I prayed I was wrong. We went to the doctor on Monday and they did a urine test to see if he was spilling any sugar (glucose) into his urine. People with undiagnosed diabetes do this. This came back normal and his pediatrician (who is absolutely fabulous by the way) and I thought this was possibly just a phas...

The wonders of creation never cease to amaze me. Last night we had a rough night in the weather department. It thundered and rained like the flood was coming and there was lightening. This is always an interesting experience for us since we have about 50 pine trees in our yard. No joke - we counted them one day. So the rain and wind were pounding and then Big Red had a nightmare and slept the rest of the night with us. Then the electricity went out right as we were getting ready. So we were a bit frazzled this morning to say the least. However in the midst of all of this craziness, the brown dove that just build a nest right outside our bathroom was still there this morning. There she was, sitting on her nest, so still and calm. So while everyone else in town was running around crazy without power (or Internet, but that's another story), there she sat knowing she was taken care of by her Creator. So later in the day, my 6-year old taught me how to program the VCR. I am sti...

So much has happened in the past few weeks that I haven't even had time to write about it all. First, there was a birthday weekend for Big Red's 6 th birthday. We went up to Nashville to The Rainforest Cafe because he loves to eat there. I thought he was going to crawl under the table when they came out with the cake singing "Happy Birthday" but he looked at me and said, "I'm good mama". 6 years old - he's so grown up. I told him the other day that I loved him even when he was bald and toothless. He didn't have much hair on his precious head for the longest, but his eyebrows were flaming orange. I mean they almost glowed in the dark. It was the most amazing thing to me and Cole for he was ours and we loved him so. We still go nuts over that kid. I can't imagine our life without him. Then there was Senior Recognition Sunday at our church. I am a youth minister and I love what I do. However, this time of year is quite sad. We mus...

Well, just a few minutes after I published my previous post, my dad called...to wish me a happy birthday. God is so ever-present and near. I love you Lord, oh so much. ~Paige