Up North!

Barret's first vacation was a success and so much fun! We loved getting to spend the entire week with family and just getting time to relax. The week started out with a quick drive to the Gaffney household in Algonquin where we visited with Uncle Mike and Grandma and Grandpa. Uncle Jason met us there and we left for Wisconsin about 11:30 pm. Our drive was a lot quicker than expected and even though Barret didn't sleep the whole way there, like we hoped, it wasn't half bad. We arrived at the cabin about 5:30am and from then on we had a wonderful time on the lake!

The week was full of fun and excitement, making new memories, and catching up with cousins and aunts and uncles we haven't seen for a long time. It was great to see cousins from California, that I have only met once before. The gap between our ages is so crazy but it is amazing how we all just fit together so well.

Barret enjoyed his days on the lake and could not stop splashing. He loved the lake and couldn't get enough. Even just sitting on the dock he would reach down for the water and try to get in. I love this! He is going to be just like his Mama, and be a water bug!!!! The lake was full of snails. You would find them up on the shore, floating on the water, and stuck to the bottom of the lake. Barret couldn't get enough of them and it was hilarious watching him try to grab for the ones on the lake floor. He couldn't quite grasp the idea that the snail shells were really farther away than they looked. At one point he even dropped his face into the water with an attempt to grab hold of one of those silly snails. This surprised him more than anything and was quickly back to his splashing mayhem.

Wednesday and Thursday we rented a speed boat to ski and tube. This was a lot of fun and Barret even enjoyed his first boat ride! He seemed a bit impartial and didn't really notice anything different other than being really windy and he couldn't keep his eyes open. We all had a great time with the boat, even though it didn't quite have the horse power we wanted, and dad tried and tried and tried to get up on skis but he just couldn't quite get there. Mama and Uncle Jason tore up the water with their skies though and Daddy enjoyed the tube rides as long as Mama wasn't driving ( I guess he just can't handle the craziness of my driving!)

Each night we all gathered around as a different family prepared dinner and just reminisced of the old days and got to hear about everyone lives. It was so fun hearing about cousin Nora's experience in Japan, and even more fun to hear Susan talk about living in Japan. Rachel brought her boyfriend, and it was great getting to meet him! The best part for Barret? His little cousin friends, even though he is the youngest by a big margin, they loved on him and were so helpful. Grey made sure to point out, "Baby" and make sure he had his pacifier, Zoe would pat his head, and Ty was super loving and gentle with him. Maggie made sure to go through his diaper bag and make sure there wasn't anything in there that she wanted and even offered to share a Cheetos :)Barret declined and offered and apple, which Maggie was clearly opposed to.

Friday was Great Grandma Boehm's service and we all set out on our pontoon boats at 9:30. We rode through the chain of lakes to get to Big Fork Lake and there we circled around and wished a farewell to Grandma as we threw flowers, birch bark, and sent Grandma and Grandpa's necklace pieces to float in the lake. The experience was unlike any I have ever had before, and I was a bit unsure of the whole thing until the moment came. I loved seeing all of my aunts and uncles, mom and dad, together and celebrating the life that Grandma had. I loved seeing all of my cousins enjoying the experience and sitting silently as we watched the kids spread the ashes. I loved remembering Grandma and all of her wonderfulness and her love for us all. I loved being on Big Fork and seeing my parents and aunts and uncles at a peace in knowing they were loved. I loved seeing the lake and the house that my dad grew up in and I loved seeing the way we all reached out for one another in this time of sadness. I loved knowing that Grandma was looking down on us all, being so filled with joy and love, that we were all together, all 47 of us, celebrating the wonderful mother, grandmother, and great grandmother she was. I loved it all! And even though, now it feels like she is really gone, I know that she is in a better place and I know that someday I will get to see her again. Even though Barret never got to meet her and see just what a wonderful and special woman she was, she loves him and he will get to hear all of the great stories of her.

After the service, we rode the boats around a little bit, Dad, Aunt Deb, and Aunt Kay jumped in for a quick swim and we headed back to the cabin for a great feast and a time to just sit and remember and celebrate grandma.

After we cleaned up the kitchen and packed up our bags, the cousins all headed out for our final evening swim. It was great! We watched as Uncle Jason and Dad did flips off the pontoon boat and Ty was amazing at swimming and loved to jump off the boat. We played a round a tag in the water and Susan made a 12 minute video. Susan and Jackie, being the oldest were our chaperone's and explained to us just what to do in case of an emergency, how to put on our life vests and how to work the oxygen masks! It was hilarious. And would you believe that we sunk the front half of the pontoon on our way back in to the dock? We did, it was funny, but not really....

On Saturday Morning we all loaded up our cars and headed back for home. It was a sad day and no one wanted to leave. The week was wonderful, the family was wonderful, and the memories made were wonderful! I loved getting to know my family more and I am so excited that Barret got to meet so many of them.

As we headed for home, my heart ached and I just wanted to turn around and do the whole week over again. My prayer is that it won't be long before we get to go up North and enjoy the wonderfulness of the lakes, the woods, and the memories again. I love it up there!

Here's to a wonderful week! We miss you and love you Grandma! Thank you for being you!

6 months!

Barret has now officially been 6 months for 3 days. You don't really expect anything different to just happen because they are now 1/2 a year old, just like you don't really expect anything to be different when you turn a year older. However, I believe it is okay to say that Barret is different! He is happier than ever and loves to move and grove. We like to shake it! Mama lost a lot of her milk when we went to the summer conference so now Barret is getting formula for the majority of the day. As much as we don't like this, we can't let the little guy starve! When it is time for a snack, Barret loves to shriek and scream as loud as possible, so we run to the kitchen, fill up the bottle, and SHAKE IT! This always makes him laugh and I love hearing his laugh.
Barret is also becoming quite the mover. If we prop him up on his hands and knees he will sit there and look at us like, "what now?" After a couple minutes he will start to rock back and forth, and eventually his knees slide out and he is back where he started...flat on his belly with his arms stretched out.
Barret is also taking a liking to climbing on anything he can, laundry baskets, feet, couches, chairs, people, you name it, he is climbing it. He has so much fun doing this and I love watching him move around with his big old smile.

His smile is different too. It lasts longer and it is bigger and even better! He has that great gummy smile that I don't ever want to go away, so if his teeth never come in I will be fine with that...
...His eyes get squinty and his cheek bones pop up and his little round face is just the cutest thing in the world! He babbles when he smiles. The babbling baby boy Barret just babbles up a storm. What on earth he is saying I would really like to know because sometimes he just goes on and on and on, like a good story with lots of details. I love his babbling.

Barret's features look a little different too. Because of the formula he is starting to chunk out a little, and you can tell he is a solid little fella. His face is more full and his limbs are not as lanky, don't get me wrong, he still has really long skinny limbs, but they are filled out a little better.
We don't go in for his 6 month appointment until the end of the month, but I did take him in a week ago because he was coughing and sneezing a lot and I thought we better have his ears checked (rather grandma suggested we do this) and he weighed 15lbs 8 oz.!!! At his 4 month appointment he was 14lbs 6oz. I'm not baby expert, but I would say he is gaining weight at a great rate!

Barret is also a bit different in the car. He no longer falls asleep as soon as you turn it on. He LOVES to babble on with us in the car and look out the window, maybe play with Bobba (the elephant strapped to the car seat), and then take a quick glimpse of himself in his mirror just to make sure he still looks his best :)
We are all packed up and heading for Wisconsin this afternoon, as soon as Dad gets home from work. It is going to be a great week and I can't wait for our first vacation as a little family! Our car ride will surely be an interesting one with our little babbling boy in the back seat. Hopefully our 8 hours will go by fast :)

Who do I look like at 6 months?

Barret at 6 months:

Mama at 6 months:

Daddy at 6 months:

Growing a Green Thumb

While our neighbors are trying to kill the land in our backyard by continuously driving on and parking on the grass no matter if it is raining, snowing, or just a normal day out...

Check out that mud!

I actually saw the maintenance men out there this morning actually filling in some of the huge tire trenches they have made... I am trying to teach Barret how to grow plants.

If you know me, you know that I have never ventured into the art of horticulture, but this year I decided I was going to try it out. We are currently growing tomatoes and green peppers. The beautiful geranium I had on our front stoop fried to a crisp after about 2 weeks of life her at the Gaffney household. I even took Barret out with me one morning to water it and we decided to pray for it to get better.... no such luck. However, it still smells just as beautiful as it did the day I brought it home. I love that smell, it reminds me of my Grandma and Grandpa's front door.

Back to the tomatoes and peppers, Every day Barret and I go out to water our plants, pick off any dead leaves, and just look at them, or in Barret's case grab at them and try to rip them to shreds (he killed one plant already). They have grown a great deal (they were planted from seed!), but I am still waiting for the flower. I can't wait for the flowers to come, then I will be ready with my bowl to pull of those beautifully home grown tomatoes and peppers. Even though I don't eat either of them, I will be so excited for what I have accomplished, with the help of my little garden buddy.

After working hard in our garden above we relax a little on the deck. I love our deck, it isn't big, but it is perfect size for my Barret and me to just sit and enjoy the sun. The past few weeks, we have been visiting the pool on occasion so our towels are hung to dry on the deck, Barret can't stop looking at them. He loves the colors and goes for them every chance he gets. Today he was having a particularly fun time grabbing on tight and waving it around, eventually leading it to his mouth, which is always wide open and ready to take a bite!

On days that mama is lazy and doesn't want to lug everything to the public pool, we set up our own little Gaffney Pool up on our deck and enjoy the sun and water in a more relaxing environment. Today Barret enjoyed Oranges poolside, while Mama slurped on her Strawberry fruit Popsicle. It was wonderful and delicious. And of course all fun and deliciousness must come to an end when one, who will remain nameless gets crabby and tired, and just needs a little cat nap.

And when he wakes up from those naps is when I smile the most... his smiles, his bed head, and everything about him makes me so happy :)

Beach Adventure

Barret had his first adventure to the beach this weekend for the fourth of July! It was so fun seeing him study the water and the sand. He was confused and trying to make sense of it all. The water was a little cold and he wasn't so sure about the sand on the bottom, because his feet kept sinking in....and I think he was nervous he was going to get sucked out to sea, even though we had quite the tight grip on our little bear.

On the other hand, Barret did have quite the adventure in the sand. As we sat on the blanket and watched dad run and plunge into the water, I guess I wasn't paying attention for longer than I thought, Barret fell face first in the sand. When I looked over and saw what had happened I could not help but laugh. He was just laying there, face in the sand, not making a peep. No crying, no whimpering, no nothing...

I picked him up and tried coming up with the best solution as to how to clean it off. I yelled to Dad, and he came running in. Should we use the wipes? Should I just brush it off? The drool chin didn't help much, because it was all sticking to his face and looked a little like a beard. Should we use the towel. (The reason for all of the questions was because Barret is in a stage of "NO DON'T TOUCH MY FACE," and whatever I do, whether it is clean his face with a bib after a meal, or just brushing an eyelash from his cheek, I get a scream and then the tears join in. Dad came up with the brilliant idea of taking him in the water and splashing it off. I was a little nervous about this but it seemed to be the best solution. As we waded in the water Barret just smiled and looked perfectly content to be covered in sand, and he looked awfully cute as well. Splashing it off was taking too long and was more difficult than dad imagined it to be. His next idea, (I was a lot opposed to, and if you want to stop reading and skip to the next paragraph you can) was to quickly immerse his face into the water. He did so, and Barret came out perfectly fine, with just a few gasps for air, no sand in his face, and then all of a sudden a great outburst of crying and screaming. "I Knew It!" and we walked back to our blanket, dried him off, and had a wonderful day at the beach.


Barret also experienced his first Fourth of July!

I just love his outfit for the 4th!

It was great! Daddy and Uncle Jason lit a few bottle rockets, firecrackers, and roman candles, while Mama enjoyed the finer things, like sparklers! Barret had his name written in the air for the first time and we all had a great time showing him all of the wonderful things you can do with fire on the fourth of July. When the fireworks came, he could not take his eyes off of those bright lights in the sky! I was so excited to share my favorite day with him, and being on the beach made it even better. He sat with Aunt B for the majority of the show and just looked all around at the great big fireworks. The noises didn't seem to bother him and he just watched in awe with his mouth wide open. So cute!

It was a nice weekend away, and even though we did not come home relaxed and refreshed, we were glad to get away even for just a few days.

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Excitement

About a month ago my dad and I shot a wedding for a couple he knows. It was so much fun, but was also my first time without Barret for a whole day, from 7am to 11pm. I loved the day though. Getting to use a NIKON and grabbing my creativity to shout out ideas for the photos. My dad was super excited too and I must say he did a stunning job! The pictures are finally up and on his website along with the thousands of other pictures he has taken.

In two weeks we will all be heading up north for a week and I am so excited to take Barret (and Steve) to one of my favorite places. As a kid my family went up to visit my grandma ever summer and I LOVED the lake. It is no doubt about it, the best place to swim and the best place for a vacation. I know Barret will love it too, and who knows, maybe our little family will start a tradition of going up to stay on the chain of lakes every summer. (I would love that). This trip has had my attention since the day it was mentioned, way back, last July when my grandma past away. I have been looking forward to visiting my childhood memories, smelling the lake air, hearing the rustling of the trees in the wind, swimming in the oh so cold lakes, canoeing, showing Steve where my grandma lived, taking hundreds of pictures of family, friends, and the nature that God has surrounded us in, and saying goodbye to Grandma. I can't wait! For all of this is going to be such an emotional week but I would not have it any other way, getting to see cousins that I haven't seen since, I don't even know, maybe I was 10, visiting with Aunts and Uncles, reminiscing of the years past, remembering Grandma and all of her love, laughter, and everything that is and was so wonderful about her. It will be so wonderful.

And, until that week, I will continue to look forward to it and pump myself up and make lists of what needs to be packed, and cross things off the list that are silly and unnecessary.

Enjoy this wonderfully beautiful day.

Oh and check out my dad's website and the pictures we took at the wedding. http://www.bobboehmphotography.com/

6 month pictures

Barret had his 6 month pictures taken last night. We went to a horticulture place and it was so pretty. There were all sorts of different opportunities to get great pictures. Of course, if you didn't guess already, Barret was a Crabapotamus. I think he really just doesn't like other people taking his pictures. However, in the pictures I have seen so far you can't tell he was unhappy. Laura Elliott has taken Barret's pictures three times so far and I have nothing but happy comments.

I've been talking with Steve a lot lately about what my future holds and what God really wants for me. Right now, I'm looking at photography. I love taking pictures, I love babies, I love weddings, and the nature around us is so beautiful it just needs to be captured. However, until I put this career to a start, I would highly recommend giving Laura to have your kiddos pictures taken. She is great and her prices are even better. Thanks Laura! http://www.lauraelliottphotography.com/