Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Who needs REAL toys?!?!


I don't need expensive toys!
Give me a stainless steel bowl, wire whisk, wooden spoon and plastic lid...
and I'm ECSTATIC!!


We had a blast playing around with these old fashioned toys yesterday! He's such a HAM!!

Isn't it the truth? Kids have all these fancy, high-tech, talking, spinning, musical, rocking toys...and all they really want to play with are things that are NOT toys! Barrett has always been a fan of remotes, cell phones, the cordless house phone and plastic lids. Most recently, he's discovered the camera! I was trying to take some super cute video of him sitting on his four-wheeler yesterday making "vrroom, vrroom" noises, but every time he saw me hold up the camera, he would get off and come over to try and snatch it!

Friday, February 20, 2009

13 months and some babbling

Babbling from me...not the baby! Read on...
I'm a few days late, but here is the 13-month picture with Monkey.

Barrett started getting a runny nose on Thursday morning, so as you can tell, he wasn't too thrilled about being photographed! Happy 13 months, Little Bear...get well soon!

I'm in a picture funk lately! After having my sister-in-law's camera a few weeks ago, I don't really have the passion to pick up my Cyber-shot. My husband will be mad at me for saying that :) He tells me that our camera is nice and kindly reminds me that when we bought it, I loved it and was happy with it! I know, honey! It's a great camera and I'm glad we've had it to document the first year of Barrett's life. It's awesome to have a little camera that I can carry around in my purse at all times...but I'm excited about getting a SLR! I'm saving up and hope to get it in the next month or two! My amazing friend, Bethany, is ready to upgrade her lenses, so she's giving me a great deal on her kit lens and a 50mm {1.8}. She's a budding photographer and knows a lot more than I do about it, so she's been great at helping me figure out what I need. She's a super creative girl and she's going to start doing blog design...go check out her blog if you're interested in a face lift!

I've also been scoping out camera straps! There is some cute stuff out there! I can't decide if I want a strap cover or the fabric stitched right on the strap. Anyone that has one want to share your opinion on that? Here are a few of my favorites from Etsy...

Shabby Straps::


Cotton Candy::


Priddy Creations::

After a trip to Hobby Lobby last night, my creative juices are flowing. I needed to pick-up some paper for a few wedding invitation clients and I wanted to look at fabric. I found this classic apple green fabric, and am hoping to use it as a backdrop for a future photo shoot!

I also fell in love with this damask paper.

I have no idea what I'll be using it for, but I just had to have it. A trip to Hobby Lobby or Michael's is never complete without some new ribbon...so I was glad to find some I can use on invites. Now off to see if I can be productive!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Monday, February 16, 2009

is it just me...

...or does anyone else with kids have a major complex for keeping toys picked up?!?!


I love my baby boy, but the day we started planning for his arrival, our house started shrinking. Babies come with a LOT of stuff, but after his first Christmas and first birthday, the toys took over :) I'm not a huge fan of having our family room lined with a rocking horse, 4-wheeler and baskets full of books, cars and little toys. NOT because I don't love my baby boy and want him to have anything and everything he can to make him happy. Because I'm a nut, and having them scattered and not in their place drives me bananas. It's a complex! Every time I put Barrett down for a nap I come back out to the family room and pick up every single toy and put them all back in the exact place they go. Justin's "job" while I'm putting Barrett down at night is to clean up the toys. I'm such a nut, that I come back out and feel the need to 'fix' his work! I start rearranging the book basket...because they're not in there largest books in the back to smallest in the front! He'll ask "What are you doing...I already cleaned things up"? Sorry honey, I can't help it! I won't be able to sleep if I know the books are out of order and the rocking horse isn't sitting in the corner at just the right angle! B.A.N.A.N.A.S.


My bathroom is not always spotless, there is dust on the dresser in our bedroom, and our office is currently in need of organization. Heck, the whole house is not always spotless, so WHY do I obsess daily about toys?!?


Sunday, February 15, 2009

L.O.V.E.

Nothing starts a Valentine's morning off better than hearing your baby boy jabbering (probably having an important conversation with his monkey, George) down the hall. I got him up and brought him into our bed for some cuddling. Then I made heart pancakes! My dad always made special pancakes for holidays, birthdays and even just because. I remember them all...the "L's", Micky Mouses, pink hearts, green shamrocks, snowmen and more! It was so fun to come out to the kitchen and find him making these special pancakes. It's a tradition I've already started to carry on with my family. (Remember the "1" pancakes?) My dad would have made pink hearts, but I was using a yummy mix my sister-in-law, got me for Christmas...Pumpkin! So our hearts were orange this year, and very delish!

Barrett loved his pancake! He ate every bite!

Barrett got lots of Valentines from his friends, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles! This was a cookie his got from his friend, Norah Kate.

Barrett got some new books, Daddy got some M&M's and mommy got some pink tulips! It was a simple Valentine's at our house, but everyone was happy! We ate lunch with all of Justin's family, then Justin and I went to the casino for a couple hours. while Barrett stayed with Gma and Gpa. I wasn't lucky, but Justin came home with a little more than he went with.

One of our favorite slots...Shakin' Bacon

Last night, Barrett went to Gigi and Papa's while Justin and I went out for a romantical dinner! There's not much to choose from in our little town. So the restaurant we ended up at was packed! We waited an hour for a table, then it was another hour to eat. Oh well, we didn't have anywhere to be. Others weren't so patient! We witnessed a few unhappy customers and overheard a lots of "I need to talk to you manager." Anyway...we had my favorite spin dip and chips, and shared a double order of fajitas! It was a wonderful V-Day!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Our Little Heartbreaker


Happy Valentine's Day from our Little Heartbreaker to YOU!
I hope you all have an amazing day filled with
moments & memories of the ones you love!

One of my sweet Valentines!
I am so lucky!
He won't be embarrassed by these in a few years, will he?!?!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

12 month shoot


After having my sister-in-law's camera for a whole weekend, I got a lot pictures! I took quite a few out at my parent's house. Then, that Sunday after church, we took Barrett to a nature center behind our community park. Here are some of my favorites...


And, if you want to see more...

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Letters to my Little Bear~ 16th Edition


Hello, sweet Little Bear! Where have the first few weeks of 2009 gone? It's already Tuesday, February 10th, and Mommy hasn't written you a letter yet this year. You're taking your morning nap right now. It's a beautiful day. Not very February-like for Kansas! We got up this morning and went to playgroup. You're really becoming independent while we're there. Mommy visits with all the other parents while you walk around and explore all the fun toys. Today was 'dental health' day, so we got to bring home two new green toothbrushes and a little mouth mirror.

You have already changed so much since your first birthday. You're doing all sorts of new stuff, and you make us laugh everyday. In the last few weeks, you've finally started to eat like a big boy. You still eat a few of the fruit and dessert baby foods, but you don't care for the veggies anymore. You'd rather have the real (non-mashed) thing. You eat best when you can pick up the food and feed yourself. Some of your favorite things are: scrambled eggs, hamburger, macaroni, chicken nuggets, black olives, applesauce, mashed potatoes, peaches, pears, rice, cottage cheese, corn, black beans and goldfish. You and Mommy always sit down at the table together for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Between meals and naps, you like to snack on cheerios, dried apples and goldfish. Goldfish are your favorite. Sometimes if I try to hand you a cherrio out of the same container, you'll just throw it on the floor and wait for a goldfish.


Since you've been eating so well over the last few weeks, Mommy has started weaning you. You've only been nursing before your morning nap and before bedtime for the last couple weeks. Starting this week, you only nurse before bedtime. You've been drinking whole milk and you love it! I'm glad you got your love of milk from Daddy...Mommy only uses it for cooking and in my cereal. You seem to be weaning like a pro! It has been harder for Mommy, because it means my baby boy is growing up! We've been taking it very slow, but by the end of February, you should be completely weaned.

Looking at yourself on Mommy's blog

You've been walking all around like a big boy for several months now. The only time I see you crawling is if you're pushing around your little cars. You walk fast these days and you love to explore outside. Usually once we put you down, you do not want to be picked back up! This little display of independence can make shopping a bit of a challenge! Sometimes at the grocery store, you get bored of riding in the cart and want to get down and walk.

Here are some of the new things you've done in the last couple months:
January 3: tried Mexican rice and loved it!
January 8: tried Chinese rice and loved it!
January 9: learned to hold up your finger for ONE when someone asked "how old is Barrett"?
January 11: started clapping...this was one of the few things you didn't do early
January 12: first taste of chicken nugget & first time having milk in your sippy cup
January 16: Mrs. Cheryl came for your monthly PAFT visit. She went through a long check-list of things you were/weren't doing, and had several little games and tests she tried on you...she was very impressed.
January 17: your 1st birthday party at Gigi & Papa's house
January 18: your BIRTHDAY! You were baptized at church
January 20: your 12 month visit to the doctor and shots (you were such a good boy)
January 29: we started your 'sing & sign' class back up
February 2: took you to the doctor because of a spot on your thigh. It ended up being an infection (mild, non-threatening case of the MRSA virus), so you've been on antibiotics to get it out of your system. It was there for about a week and got pretty red, but it never once seemed to bother you. After you started the medicine, it was cleared up in just a few days. I'm still not convinced that's what it was, since the doctor never did any tests...but I'm just glad it's gone.


Just this week I have noticed you using your "words" and sounds a lot more, and repeating things. Your favorite is doggy. Whenever you see a doggy or hear one bark, you say "d0o" If you hear a load car or truck drive by our house during the day you'll point to the window and say "car-car."

You really seem to know what things are now too. If I'm in the bathroom getting ready, I can ask you to go to your room and get a book. You'll go in there, get one off the shelf and bring it back to me. You know that your sippy cup always has water in it, and if I say "where's your water"? You'll stop what you're doing and start looking around for your cup until you find it.

You still absolutely LOVE books!! You got a lot of new ones for your birthday, and I can honestly say we've read each one of them close to 100 times since then!

Last week Gigi and Papa brought you over a new bookshelf for your room! Gigi polished up an old wooden bookshelf that Bapo had made many, many years ago. I am so happ that you have a place for books in your room now, and it's very special to have something Bapo made. You'll find one you like and take it to anyone you can find to read it to you. If someone is sitting on the floor, you'll hand them the book and then turn your back to them, and sit right in their lap. It's so precious! If they're sitting on the couch or in a chair, you'll hand them the book and then rasie your hand up for them to hold you. A couple books will entertain you anywhere we go. You read them anytime you're in your carseat. We still haven't had to take you to the nursery at church, because you just sit on our laps and read.

One of your favorite books, Goodnight Gorilla.
You got it from Aunt Christie for your birthday, and we read it all the time!

Naptime and bedtime are so easy with you these days. After Mommy feeds you or you have your bottle, we just lay you down in your crib. You just lay there on your back and smile up at us. We hand you your blankie and you love that! You hug it tight. Then we lay George next to you and tell you nite-nite. Usually for naps your lay in there and talk for a little bit, until you fall asleep. But at night, you usually don't make a peep after we leave the room.

Just last week, you started doing one of my favorite things yet!! If I'm sitting on the floor, you will come up and wrap your arms around my neck and give me the sweetest hugs! I love them because they usually last a good 5-10 seconds! You'll lay your little head on my shoulder and even pat my back with your hand! It melts my heart!! Last night you played at home with Daddy while I went to spinning, and when I got home you came right up to me and gave me a big hug! It's so sweet to know you're happy to see me!

Our 2009 has been amazing so far, and I can't wait to see what's next!
We love you Little Bear!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Random Picture Challenge:4.0

I'm a little behind playing in this weeks
"Random Picture Challenge"

November 2007...
44th picture

Justin putting the crib together! Ahh...seems like just yesterday this room was filled with scrapbooking supplies and painted pink! Well, it was actually a pale yellow and melon colored faux finish. Then my sister-in-law painted the brown, we painted the stripes and added the name, got new carpet, put together all the furniture, and voila! Made it a cozy little room for our baby boy!

This Challenge is so fun, because it gets me to look back at pictures I haven't seen in a long time. You know I love flashbacks and reminiscing!

So, here are a couple more pictures from the
November 2007 folder:


Head over to 4 Little Men & Girly Twins,
and you can play too!

 
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