The season for giving

'tis the season for giving, as you all know, and Steve and I have been very grateful this season. We have truly been blessed by our family, friends, and even perfect strangers.

It all started last week, the day before Christmas Eve we went out to the grocery store to pick up a few odds and ends that we were missing from the kitchen. It was late and almost Barret's bedtime so he wasn't in the smiliest of moods, but cheery none the less. After we made our rounds through the store and ended at the check out we waited in line for what seemed like years. I was getting ready to complain and suggest that we switch check lanes and then an older woman came up behind us, where she immediately began talking with Steve and unloading her cart on the conveyor belt. She was extremely friendly and couldn't stop commenting on how cute Barret was. Asking us all about our Christmas, were we ready, was Santa coming, were we going to see family, etc.... Steve replied to the Santa question by saying that he was going to be bringing a lot of books this year and she stated that he might be bringing a lot more.
When it was finally our turn to check out, I handed the man my Kroger card and the woman said, just add their groceries to my bill, and they can leave with their things. It was one of those awkward moments that we weren't sure what to say other than "Thank you very much" and didn't know what to do.
Last month our small group topic was about giving and receiving graciously. So we just accepted it. It was truly a wonderful gift and so gracious of her. As Steve and I piled everything into the car we just kind of looked at each other in silence. I finally said, "well, she told us Santa might come and bring more...." with a smirk, because clearly God shows up in all places, all sizes, and all people. Thank you to that woman for purchasing our groceries, we were truly blessed.

After receiving free groceries, I just kept thinking, well nothing can top that... until Sunday. At church on Sunday we received an anonymous envelope with no explanation other than Merry Christmas and God Bless. So to whoever you are we are grateful for you and the love that you have poured out on us. Your gift, your love, and your amazing love for others and commitment to following what the Lord has asked of you is overabundant and we are very thankful for that.

There are so many things to be thankful for and Steve and I could not be more grateful for all of the people in our lives.

Merry Christmas 2010!!!

Well, it is officially Christmas and Barret has made out very well! Books, puzzles, toothbrushes, toys, and wrapping paper are strewn across the living room floor and are slowly making their way throughout the house. The kitchen table is covered with the remains of what was a delicious Christmas breakfast and we are thoroughly enjoying our wonderful Christmas as a family of three! I loved watching Barret engage with us as he opened his presents and carefully handed someone the wrapping paper. I loved watching him grab at the presents under the tree or from our hands and look at it with wonder and trying to figure out just what in the world we were doing. I loved his excitement for the day, even though he really had no clue what the day really was and that it was special not because of the presents, but because it was Christmas and we were all together, relaxing and enjoying each others presence. I LOVED IT!

Needless to say, with an early riser on our hands all of this was done by 8:30am so we skyped Grandma Boehm and Uncle Jason to wish them a Merry Christmas! Barret thinks skyping is the weirdest thing, I'm sure. People talking to him that he knows, and knows they love him, but he can't touch them. And then there is the computer mouse that he so intently plays with and pushes the buttons, making the screen pop in and out and hitting the mute button, making our video disappear, and making all sorts of weird screens pop up. We just go with it....

after a looonnngg chat with the Boehms and a phone call with the Gaffney's Daddy decided we should go up and hang out in Bradford for the day. So we quickly packed ourselves up, got Barret in the car and headed up to see the Boehm's. It was a surprise for all of us and was thoroughly enjoyed.

Barret napped on the way up while Mama and Daddy enjoyed the Christmas music and the beautiful landscapes covered in snow. When we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's we grabbed all of our things and knocked on the door. Uncle Jason opened it with a very confused face. Grandma was excited and everyone was happy :) On this visit Barret found Scooters water bowl and was very insistent that everything needed to be dipped in the water, making for very wet hands and feet. The day consisted of games, food, comfort, and an excursion in the snow. We made quite the original snowman in the front yard for Barret, that I might say looked just like Frosty! He had the summer sausage eyes, a celery nose, and M&M mouth, he was truly a sight to see.

As we fended off Scooter to make the face last more than just a few minutes, we watched as Barret sat and enjoyed his first icicle. The boy likes everything! When Uncle Jason took the icicle to make an arm for our snowman Barret was so upset he cried... What can I say, not only do we have a summer water baby, but we have a winter snow boy too :)

We came inside to warm up and take a nap, which for Barret, was a nice and short 45 minutes....NOT long enough for anyone!!! But he was happy as could be and more talkative than ever. We got ready for dinner and then Grandpa got home from work, where we surprised him as well :)

All in all, it was the greatest First Christmas ever. Relaxing and with nothing to worry about!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas eve too!

We had a relaxing day filled with playing in the snow, having Italian beef for dinner, and heading to church. We finished the day off with opening up our PJ's from Grandma and Grandpa Gaffney and heading to bed.

Only 3 days away!

In case you didn't know, Christmas is only three days away! I am so excited to spend our first Christmas as a three instead of a two. Barret is loving all of the presents that are piled under the tree, and has really done a great job leaving them alone.

On Sunday we went up to Grandma and Grandpa Boehm's house and celebrated Christmas with them. It was a lot of fun! Barret made out with some sweat gifts and he LOVES them. Uncle Jason even got him a pair of Air Jordan's, that he wears everywhere.

Mama and Daddy are both now officially on Christmas Vacation so we are soaking in all of the Christmas. Tomorrow we are planning to play in the snow and possibly build a snowman :) I can't wait. We also have to put together our Gingerbread house, that is actually a train this year, and finish wrapping up the presents.

Here are a few pictures to wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Winter is wonderful

Barret has officially slept through the night without waking up 4 times in the past week!!!! YAY!!! This sleeping is just confirming Mama and Daddy's ever wondering of getting a full nights sleep really is true, and there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Barret is also becoming quite the eater, he loves to feed himself, which makes it a bit more difficult since he doesn't have the whole spoon thing down, but he loves pasta, tuna mac, bananas, oranges, and any bread substance. He really does do a great job feeding himself meals, and the past few nights dinners have consisted of NO baby food! He is getting so BIG!

I think the whole eating thing has come together better since he now has more than two teeth, his fifth tooth is working its way in on the top, and he is getting such a funny smile with those cute little pearly whites. I love it.

For Mama's birthday we ventured out in the cold to buy our Christmas tree! We weren't sure just how Barret would react to it, but it turns out, he LOVES it. At the shop he was a little timid when it came to touching the tree, but once we got it home, he couldn't stay away. He would stand there and laugh at it, like it was telling some sort of joke or something, and then run away. The next morning, when it was completely decorated, Barret went straight for it, taking off the jingle bells from the bottom of the tree and running around the living room just shaking them and making silly noises. He loves the tree, and is doing better about whacking it with his toys, or trying to take off other ornaments. One day last week I came home with a couple presents, already wrapped, and place them on the floor. He immediately went for the bag and pulled out the tissue paper, displaying a pretty neat present for the little guy, and tried to pull out what was inside. We now know that he will have no problem opening his presents on Christmas morning (as long as they are in bags).

Barret has officially been exposed to all things Christmas, with the abundance of Christmas cookies we have in our house, the snow, the lights, the tree, the music playing in the back ground all day long, and the warm snuggles before bed.

This weekend we hope to go sledding or even build a snowman! I can't wait.

This past Tuesday Uncle Jason came home from Florida! It was the first time we got to see him, other than on skype, since August, so we were very excited for him to come home. We went to Peoria and met him at the airport, then got to go out to dinner with the family! It was so great to see him!

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

.....everywhere you go! Christmas trees, lights, sleigh bells, ornaments, cookies, and even SNOW! It is all coming together this time of year to make our little man's first Christmas so special. We have officially decorated the house and are waiting to put the Christmas tree up until after Mama's birthday, per tradition.

Thursday night Daddy hung the lights on our tree outside. We took Barret out to see them and he didn't seem too interested. You know how he was completely in LOVE with the pumpkins and just couldn't seem to get enough of them?! Not so much with the Christmas lights, I think he was more confused than anything.

Last night we had our first 'official' snow and now the streets, trees, and cars are covered. It is beautiful! Daddy took Barret out this morning to buy a shovel and look for snow pants and boots for the little guy, but only came home with a shovel. Seems the rest of Bloomington got out before us to snatch them all up! Good thing we have boxes and boxes of clothes that people have so generously given us. So as we scrounged through them to look for that snowsuit Mama knew we had, we stumbled upon a pair of snow boots Mama forgot she bought at a garage sale. The snowsuit and boots are both a bit big!

Barret is very curious about the snow and loves to look out the window. I just know he is wondering what happened to all the colors outside...why is everything white?

And speaking of white, look what Mama and Daddy made while Barret took his nap this morning!
These are possibly one of Mama's all time favorite things to make. More Christmas cookies to come next weekend though, these were just a taste, something to tide me over until the real baking can begin!

According to the checkout lady at the store, we are supposed to get up to 8 inches of snow this weekend! How exciting :) And you know what? It's still snowing!

This afternoon we went on a little snow adventure! You better believe it! The snow was so deep and the air so cold we couldn't stay out too long, but Barret did an excellent job. All dressed in an outfit that's too big and boots three sizes too big made it very difficult for him to walk around in it, but he managed to get around anyway. He really seemed interested in the snow and still wasn't quite sure what to do with it or even why it was here. He spent most of the time just sitting in the snow and observing with that face that wasn't a smile and at the same time wasn't an upset or angry one either. I think of the dozens of pictures I took there were only two with real smiles. After a little while Barret got a bit used to the snow and the weird feeling of being uncomfortable and started to crawl around. I kept waiting for that face plant into the snow but it never happened, thank goodness.

Daddy shoveled a little while we were out and Barret just loved following him around. He was so funny just teetering and tottering all puffy like in his snowsuit and too big boots. Mama held his hand the whole time to make sure he didn't slip and fall.

Barret even got to make his first snow angel, which turned out absolutely perfect, if I might say.

Daddy even gave Barret his first taste of snow! He loved it, and couldn't stop eating. Such a funny little guy.

After about forty-five minutes in the snow we came in to get snuggly and warm. Barret enjoyed his first hot cocoa experience thanks to Daddy. Needless to say there was no leaving that sippy cup behind, he gulped it down in minutes and was ready to dive into Mama's mug.

I loved his rosy cheeks and his cute little red button nose. He was the cutest little snowsuit monster I ever did see!

We spent the rest of the afternoon just playing around and enjoying the Christmas season. The room filled with Christmas music and we gazed out the windows at the huge snowflakes falling from the clouds.

The day ended with pipping hot grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken noodle soup. Then it was off to bed, where Barret snuggled up in his fuzzy jammies and elephant blanket and just looked so cuddly and cute in his crib.

Mama and Daddy ended the day enjoying the company of Paul and Yvonne, playing games and watching 'Elf'.

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!

Enjoy your snowy day tomorrow! Grandma and Grandpa Boehm are coming down tomorrow to celebrate Mama's birthday!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has come and gone and Barret thoroughly enjoyed his share of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

He was stuffed to the core and just had such a great time with family.

We spent Thanksgiving day at Aunt B's with the rest of the Votaw clan. Uncle Paul and Aunt Marcia were there, even Trent and Baylee came for the festivities. Aunt B, Uncle David, David, and Sam of course were excellent hosts and did a phenomenal job making Barret's first Thanksgiving so much fun! Of course Grandma and Grandpa Boehm were there and Great Grandma Votaw too. Barret received so much love on Thanksgiving, I'm sure he was truly thankful to be a part of our family :)
Friday we spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa Gaffneys where we enjoyed leftovers and the boys watched endless hours of football. Mama and Tete Chelsey got up crazy early and went shopping! Of course, Mama couldn't hold out of all of the presents she got for Barret, so he now has a 140 piece mega blocks box set that he loves to play with! Grandma had to work on Friday too, so we didn't get to see her until later. Don't worry though, Barret received lots and lots of Grandma love.

Thanksgiving also brought on Barret's first real booboo. While taking a bath at Aunt B's he slipped and scraped his underarm on the shower door stopper, leaving him with quite the cut. There were many tears, and Mama didn't even notice the cut until after he was all dried and diapered. Not too much blood was shed, and he managed to survive Aunt Marcia's booboo treatment.

Saturday and Sunday we spent at home relaxing and just enjoying our time together. Barret has surprised us with another bottom tooth too, making him not so much the happy camper we would prefer, but we love him all the same.

Pictures will be up soon!

Tomorrow brings the first day of December. Do you know what that means? SNOW! CHRISTMAS! COOKIES! MAMA'S BIRTHDAY! SNOWMEN! SLEDDING! TREES! DECORATIONS!

Happy last day of November :)

Baby Gaffney

Well, if you guessed a girl for Baby Gaffney number two (like I did) you would be dead wrong.

Yes, it is another little Baby Boy!!! Making yet another tough decision for Mama and Daddy. Mama, was so sure it was a girl, we had our name all picked out and ready to go....back to the drawing board we go.

We are very excited, don't get me wrong, this baby will complete 2/5 of our basketball team...that's what Grandpa Boehm said :)

It is crazy to think we will be a family of four already, we had only just been a family of two for a short while before becoming three, and now in almost three short years we will be becoming a family of four! So crazy.

But this baby is going to bring us so much more joy, excitement, and laughter, and as scared and nervous as we are, we couldn't be more excited. Barret is going to be the best BIG brother and he is going to have so much love for his little brother! I can't wait to see them together. However, he seems to not really like him all that much right now. At the doctor, when the woman was doing the ultra sound, I think he thought she was hurting Mama because he just cried and cried and was so unhappy.

Here is a picture of Baby Boy #2

On the left you can see he has big feet just like Barret, and on the right he is staring at us.

Want to know something really super cool about Barret???? He can now walk and clap at the same time! And he LOVES the trash can and the toilet! He sure is keeping us on our toes, and last night we went out and bought two more baby gates to try and keep him out of the bathroom and the office (where all of his mischievous behaviors happen).

Here is a video of his super cool walking skills!

Monkey Do

Our little monkey is a walker, it is official! He just loves to zoom around the house going from one place to the next, grabbing anything he can find to steady himself, and then quickly walking off to the next place.

Since Wednesday this week, we haven't seen much crawling from our little man, and it makes mama a little sad. But, we are so excited for this new milestone of his and love to see him growing and changing.

Tonight he actually climbed up into the dishwasher!!! Such a strong and courageous little guy he is. So so funny Mr. Barret is, and he keeps us on our toes.

I will be posting a video soon of the little guy and his moves, so be on the look out.

We find out if Baby Gaffney is a little brother or sister on Friday!

Halloween has come and gone

Our little Elephant was the cutest there ever was. Despite being a little agitated by having to wear the costume, he did a great job helping deliver the candy to Trick-or-Treaters all around.

If you can't tell from the pictures I post, Barret LOVES pumpkins and will seek them out everywhere we go...he generally goes for the biggest, roundest looking one and tries to roll it away or pick it up or something of the like. He is so funny, and I love his little personality.

It is crazy to think that it is already November, not even just November 1, but November 7.... only 18 days until Thanksgiving, and you know what that means, Christmas is right around the corner and so is Barret's first Birthday!!!! I can't believe he is going to be 1 in only a few short months.

However, just looking at him and interacting with him you can tell he is no longer a baby, he is truly a Big Boy and wants to be treated as such. While Barret is learning to walk and talk he is having the time of his life, as well as keeping his Mama and Daddy entertained. He can now flush the toilet and turn on the water faucet in the tub (there were no teaching instruments involved here, just the shear genius of our baby boy). Which creates quite the havoc in the bathroom each and everyday (Barret's favorite room is the bathroom, we think it is because of his love of water and taking baths).

Aside from that things seem to be same old same old around here. Oh, we are no longer giving away or money to Comcast :) and we are very thrilled with that!

We find out in two weeks if Baby Gaffney is a boy or a girl.... any guesses?

Officially Fall

Barret has successfully painted his first ever pumpkin and his Halloween costume is finally completed, thanks to our good friend Yvonne and all of her sewing talents :)

As much as I have never really liked or enjoyed Halloween, I'm looking forward to Barret's first. I can't wait to put him in his costume and hand out candy! I can't wait to carve our pumpkin....We've had this on the schedule for like a week and things just keep getting in the way...I can't wait to see our TWO pumpkins out on the front porch!

Fall has brought on many new changes to our family and most of which are hilarious. Barret enjoys drinking the water in the tub, and tonight he learned just how to turn the faucet on, and let me tell you, he LOVES to turn it on and off! I'm pretty sure the water was at least up to his elbows by the time he was finished.

Barret is also learning to eat more table food since he is completely appalled by his jarred foods. Tonight we had lasagna, about 1/3 or a banana, and some chips Barret found on the coffee table, where he decided to help himself to a few leaving his mouth a beautiful orange color (there was no hiding what he had eaten).

Daddy is in the chili mood, and is making his first batch this evening. The smell in the house is absolutely delicious. Being a pretty avid "No thanks, I'll pass" to chili fan, I must say this could possibly be something I end up taste testing. I'll let you know when I see the finished product :)

Tomorrow night brings the annual Wednesday night small group chili cook-off. Last year Steve took 3rd and was pretty proud...this year he plans to win it all!! All being, a great pat on the back and a lot of people eating his chili :)

And look who is making his way into the walking world.... He is just loving this dinosaur friend and dances and giggles his way through the house. That is until he runs into something and we have to help him change directions.

Barret has also learned that he is "SO BIG" and will show us just how big he is :) Waving bye-bye is still coming along. He does it but it isn't really consistent yet.

Oh, I almost forgot.... Look who has graduated into his big boy car seat! He is loving it now that he is used to it. He looks so big!

Yuck!

Yuck to veggies everywhere.....

Barret seems to be having a complete aversion to all things green, orange, and just plain veggie like. It doesn't seem to matter whether we mask it in oatmeal, hide it in applesauce, or give him the real deal... He knows what it is and he is not going to give in. I'd like to take the credit for my little man's behavior and attitude towards the little green and orange monsters, however, not eating veggies is truly NOT a good thing and is not something I broadcast willy-nilly.

Yuck to boogies....

Barret has been battling a cold the past week or two with a majorly runny nose that Mama is constantly wiping, creating a bit of a rough patch under there that may or may not have bled a couple of times. He is constantly sneezing and has stayed home from the sitters all but 4 days in the past two weeks. His sneezes remind me of an explosion in the microwave when the lid pops off the top of a Tupperware container and the contents just go bursting out, creating an all too sticky and icky mess. I'd like to say it is funny when the sneezes come so big out of such a little body and I think that there couldn't possibly be anything left in that cute button nose of his...but I am always wrong, and the next sneeze is possibly worse than the one before.

Yuck to messy diapers....

Barret seems to think it is funny to fill his diapers to the brim and then more. The past three days we have had to strip him of his clothes and quickly rush him into the shower in order to clean his messy body up. His clothes are stained with poop and it is altogether disgusting and has graced the bathroom floor a few too many times this week. We have gone through hundreds of wipes trying to clean it up, followed by gallons of water in the shower and sink (to soak his clothes BEFORE washing them), as well as far to many towels that have landed on the poopy diaper or bathroom floor. Needless to say, in all of the commotion Barret finds it absolutely hilarious and then begins to scream when we get the process of cleaning going.

Yuck to the flu....

Mama is convinced she has the flu bug and stayed home from work today. We sent Barret to the sitters though in hopes that Mama would be able to rest a bit more. Being pregnant and getting sick is certainly not ideal and hasn't made the diagnosis easy. But, you can feel the difference between pregnancy sickness and actual sickness sickness. Talking with the doctor today we came up with the conclusion that it is simply the 24 hour bug, meaning it should have already left me at this point, and I can not take any meds except for a de-nausea pill.. Yippee! Another pill I have to try and choke down, hopefully not making me sick.

Yuck to the weird weather.....

We Gaffney's are all for the fall weather, but are not enjoying the freezing mornings followed by the hot afternoons. Fall needs to just come and be here....none of this going over 75 degrees.

On a lighter side, this past weekend Barret graduated from his carrier car seat to a big boy car seat (still rear facing). We are all getting used to it, but He looks so much more comfortable in it than the old one. His legs are so long it was beginning to get a little squished back there.

Grandma and Grandpa Gaffney are coming down for the weekend and we can't wait to see them!

We also got to talk to Uncle Jason on Sunday and he seems to be doing great! We miss him and can't wait for him to come home!

Fall is Here!

Well, it's been 3 weeks since Daddy started his new job and we are all just loving it! Daddy comes home covered in dirt, dust, and cement; but we love him just the same and can't wait for him to walk up the stairs.

We have thoroughly been enjoying our Saturdays, spending them together as a family, running errands, relaxing at the Farmer's Market, going to breakfast, and really just getting to relax at home together.

In the past few weeks Barret has decided he wants to walk more than anything. He hasn't quit got it figured out yet, but he is trying his hardest. He has taken multiple steps, each one followed by a quick tumble and a speedy fast crawl. He is so cute and we are so proud of him.

Last weekend we celebrated the arrival of Fall by visiting Ropp Cheese Farm and Radar Pumpkin Farm with Tom and Jeanine. It was so much fun. Barret LOVED the animals, especially the calves, and couldn't stop laughing at the poor llama that desperately needed to see a dentist. We picked out our pumpkin, and I must say, it weighs almost as much, if not more than Barret does. It is the perfect pumpkin and we can't wait to carve it! Barret will get to join in the festivities as well by painting his own little pumpkin. I am so excited for that! Other than that, Barret has a hard time really enjoying things when we go out because he is so interested in what all the other people are doing. It's very funny to watch him just observe and take in all of the people around him when we are in a big crowd. We also celebrated Daddy's birthday last week by going to dinner and then watching the Bear/Packer game. It was a great day and Barret even made Daddy a card!

Yesterday Mama and Barret went up to see G and G Boehm. Grandpa and Mama shot a wedding and Barret got to spend the day with Grandma. He had a lot of fun with Scooter. They are both so very interested in each other, but when push comes to shove, they are both extremely scared of one another. Barret giggles and screams at Scooter, Scooter sniffs him and runs away, then he barks, and Barret cries. It is so funny to watch. But, I think Scooter enjoys Barret being their because of Barret likes to drop his snacks right there for the taking.

Today we went to the park after lunch and just enjoyed the wonderful weather. We spread our blanket and camped out for a while. Barret enjoyed his first swing experience and even showed off his slide climbing skills! He doesn't seem to enjoy going down the slide, even when he is with Mama or Daddy.

Finally, we are preparing to help Barret become a BIG BROTHER! Mama is going to have another little Baby Gaffney in April and as scared and nervous as we all are, we are very excited too!

That's all for now, enjoy this wonderful weather and get out your fall decorations if you haven't already!

Pictures

It has been awhile.....

Since my last post a lot of things have happened to our family! Barret now has TWO teeth that have shown through his gums, as well as constant crabbiness and diarrhea to go along with them. We have had many more sleepless nights due to these silly teeth and Barret has awoke many mornings snuggles in Mama and Daddy's bed.

Over labor day we took a very spontaneous trip to the St Louis Zoo and arch. Barret LOVED the elephants, which we thought was so suiting, considering elephants are the only animals that we really have in our home. He was very intrigued by the fish in the hippos tank and he thought it was the best time to start drinking from a straw. Barret just snatched the straw right from our pink lemonade and started chugging. It was the funniest thing, and he knew he was just so cute :)

Barret now says 'mamama' to go along with all the 'dadadada' he is constantly saying. Unfortunately those 'mama's' don't come out very often, but when they do, they are such sweet noises and I love them.

We are also finally getting back into the swing of being at the babysitters and although both Barret and Mama would rather be at home together, we know that right now this is just how it is supposed to be. When we are home and it is just the two of us we LOVE to nap together on the big bed, sing and dance to the radio, and have crawl races down the hallway. Our favorite part of the day is when daddy gets home from work and we rush to the top of the stairs with great big, giant smiles and love on him so much with kisses through the baby gate!

Tomorrow Daddy starts his new job at Darnell. We are so excited and can't wait. We celebrated his last day at the bank on Friday with dinner out to Cosi and a nice trip to Kroger for groceries :)
From now on Daddy will get home at 4:30 and possibly even 3:30 everyday and we will get to see him and spend so much more time with him! We can't wait!!!!!

The only thing Mama doesn't like is that now Barret has to go to the babysitters at 6:45am instead of 9:30. We are hoping that this early morning will get him back on his regular schedule with meals and naps again because we have been way off since mama went back to work.

I think that is all for now. Hopefully it's not thanksgiving before I post again.

Oh ya, I am currently concocting an idea to make Barret a Halloween costume....In my head it is super cute, but you will see pictures of the real live thing come Halloween time and I'm sure it will not be nearly as cute as I am hoping for.

A Tiskit, A Taskit, A Pearly White Tooth!!!!!

It's been a while since I last posted. Mama got rehired and has been absolutely exhausted, she is working in the high school in a CI classroom. These kiddos just plain drain her and by the time she gets to pick up Barret from Miss Michelle's house she is ready for a nap.

Daddy got a new job and he starts on September 23. We couldn't be more excited because now he gets to come home as early as 3:30 and never has to work on Saturdays! YAY!!

Barret is also finally cutting a tooth! He is the crabbiest ever and doesn't sleep and is just so unhappy. I feel for him and I can't wait to see that pearly white tooth all the way in!

Goodbye Sleep

Oh Sleep, how I miss you terribly.... Since Barret turned six months there have been few occurrences of him sleeping through the night. We cuddle him and love on him in all the ways we can, but when it comes to the middle of the night he just loves to scream. He will scream for hours on end if we let him, and there is no changing his mind. I love the silent moments, the moment when you think he finally did it, He finally conked out and is asleep, and just as you start to think this a sudden burst of tears and screaming abounds.

I often wonder what happened. What was so special about turning six months that he decided he was no longer going to sleep soundly through the night. What happened at six months that he suddenly felt like mama and daddy weren't going to keep hims safe. What happened at six months that we are no longer aloud to get a full nights rest?

To make matters worse, Barret loves to wake up with the sun. And when I say sun, I really do mean it. 5:00am comes all too soon, when you are up through the night with a crying baby and you just want to lay your head on the pillow and not hear screaming and not feel like you are doing the wrong thing and not feel like your son doesn't think you love him. 5:00 am comes bright and early, and with that so does a bouncy baby boy who doesn't seem to be affected by the little amount of sleep he acquired the night before and is excited and ready to start the day. That little bouncing baby boy will let you know what he thinks of you trying to catch a few extra winks with him laying in between mama and daddy in the 'big' bed, by simply trying to gouge your eye out, or scratch your arm to shreds, or pull on your hair, or climb up you face to try and reach what lies beyond....an alarm clock and/or a baby monitor that are bright and shiny and light up...or a combination of it all.

The day abounds with laughter and happiness on Barret's end, and once 7:00 am rolls around Mama and Daddy are ready for the day as well. As we finally, if we aren't already, mosey on out to the living room, shut the baby gate, turn on the radio, and lay on the floor with our oh so happy baby boy. We watch him crawl around and climb up and down our bodies as he tries to be super adventurous and is so excited to show us what he can do. By this time we are awake and there is nothing that can take away the happiness we have in watching our little boy seek adventure and try new things, there is no amount of lost sleep that could make us upset with him for making us be awake....

And as the clock just clicked over to 1:53am, the baby room falls silent....I sit and wait to hear one more cry for mama, or one more shriek of please come and pick me up daddy... I hear silence. Ahhhh silence.....for a mere one minute....and we are back listening to our midnight serenade and tears and shrieks and a waterfall of white noise in the background.

One of these days Barret James you will learn that night time is sleep time and that crying in the night is only going to give you a loss of sleep and that there is no use in crying, because in the morning we get to see each others smiling faces. You will learn that not only is your dark room and comfy crib a peaceful place to sleep, but it is also a place for you to rest your head from the long day you just had. You will learn and understand that Mama and daddy are right across the hallway and we are here to keep you safe. You will learn that your heavenly Father is watching over you to make sure you are safe and sound. You will learn that just because you can't see us at that very moment we still love you and are still here and you will see us in a few short hours... when the sun comes up and the clock strikes 5:00 am.

Summer is coming to a close

Here are some photos of what we have been up to lately.

As summer seems to be coming to a close we are trying to take every advantage we can to enjoy the sun!

We snuck down to a garage sale a couple weeks ago and found Barret the cutest little Adirondack chair. Mama also snagged a few things to keep on hand for Barret's first birthday.

We have also tried to enjoy as much of the pool as possible. We love when Daddy gets to go with us and last week we went four times!!!!! One night we went, we were one of four families at the whole pool! It was a lot of fun.

We have also had our fair share of picnics for the year, Three nights in a row! But hey, who doesn't love a grilled hot dog and all the chips and cookies you can eat?

I have also graduated from the whale tub to the big boy tub....Mama's only worry is that Barret loves to stand and tries repeatedly to stand up in the tub. Despite our lengthy talks on dangers in the tub, Barret continues to try and stand, usually with much success, and then goes on to just babble as he tries to climb out. Other than trying to get out of the tub, he seems to much enjoy the tub. I think he is trying to figure out the difference between the tub and the pool....

Uncle Mike and Tete Chelsey took a trip to Ohio and picked Barret up some really cute Ohio State clothes! He is going to be very stylish once football season rolls around.

Uncle Jason left for Tech School on August 9 and we went up to say goodbye to him the day before. We won't get to see him until January, maybe even later. BUT, we do get to talk to him while he is gone this time, which is super exciting. We have already gotten to talk with him twice and we are waiting anxiously for him to set up his skype account so we can see him!

We have been trying to introduce Barret to some real foods despite the lack of teeth, and so far Barret is very interested in watermelon, strawberries, and pears. As long as he can eventually pick the piece of food up he seems to enjoy it. We just have to keep close watch on him because he really just sucks the juices out and one of these days I am afraid he is going to suck so hard it's going to go right down his throat...no good! Other than fruit, Dad decided to give Barret a cheese ball the other day, needless to say there was cheese all over his face and hands, and the cheese ball disappeared in a matter of seconds. He is also very attracted to the sugar free wafer cookies that we all know and love... Barret loves them too! Graham crackers, rice cakes, and sun chips are a few other foods Barret has come to try. (You probably think we are terrible people giving our son cheese balls and cookies at such a young age. But I will have you know that this is not by choice, I have mentioned before that Barret is an aggressive eater, he lunges at things and now that he can move around at his own will, he will grab it right out of your hand or off your plate.... there is no stopping him!)

Nap times are another story.... you walk in the room because it is quiet and you want to check on him... this is what you will see !

And look how big I am compared to Norman now!