fAVoriTe ThiNgS of 2010: Part One

I had so much fun doing this in the Fall, I thought it was time for a Winter version!

I would LOVE to have you all join me! Share YOUR current favorite things!! They can be totally random and silly, just like mine ;) If you have Photoshop or Elements, and are interested in using the storyboard template I created for mine, I would be happy to share it with you! It is a clipping mask, and is super easy and fun to use!! If you have the programs, but aren't sure how to use clipping masks, I'd be happy to help you...just ask!
Send me an email: elephantjuicedesigns@gmail.com and I'll forward you the template.

If you don't have those programs, you can still join in! There are tons of other programs out there for creating storyboards, OR just post your pictures like usual!

So, here are some of my favorite things of 2010: Part I...

{1} Oregon Chai: Honey, Black Tea & Spices Chai Tea Latte Mix

I am not a coffee drinker. I used to be a tea drinker, until pregnancy took away all desire for iced tea. I'm wondering if I will suddenly like it again next time I'm pregnant?!!? So, when I want something hot, Chai Tea is my drink of choice. Tiger Spice Chai Teas from CHC are my favorite, but this new mix that my sister-in-law got me for Christmas is very yummy!! You just add hot water , or ice for a cold Chai.

{2} Homemade Laundry Detergent & Essential Oils
Many THANKS to my sweet friend, Katelin for keeping my detergent jar full! One of these days I will learn how to make my own detergent (because I love it, and it saves a ton of money). But for now, Katelin and I have worked out a pretty good trade: I do family pictures for her, and she makes me detergent and other fun things, like a baby sling :) It doesn't take much of this detergent for each load, so it goes a long way. Most of the time, I don't care for scents in my laundry, but I do occasionally add a few drops of essential oil to the detergent. My favorites are cocoa butter and lavender.

{3} My Green Purse
This was one of my 30th Birthday presents to myself! I got it at Kohl's on our Girls Trip to Tulsa a few weeks ago. I was thrilled to find it in the clearance section, and I loved the fun color. I hate long straps, so this one is perfect to fit right over my shoulder. Plenty of pockets for my lipgloss and phone too!

{4} Hello, Lemon Saver!!
You probably already know that my favorite beverage is ice water with a fresh slice of lemon or lime! My sister-in-law, Kim (she's always getting me fun things) got this for me for my birthday in November! I guess she didn't like my ziplock bag of cut-up lemons that was always on the shelf of the fridge door?!? The Lemon Saver keeps my slices fresh longer. It's hard plastic, and has a twist seal, so it's easy to throw in my bag when I'm going to my mom's or my in-laws. I don't like to leave home without my lemons. HA!

{5} Earrings
Got these beautiful earrings from my little brother, and sister-in-law, Jennifer for Christmas! Not much to say, other than I love them, and they're beautiful. They go with LOTS of stuff too!

{6} Pioneer Woman Cooks
Another gift from my sister-in-law, Kim! She got me the cookbook for my birthday. Ree was supposed to be in Ponca City, OK for a book signing, so we'd planned to have ours autographed. Unfortunately it was the same day as our big Thanksgiving dinner with Justin's family. So the bookstore was going to set them aside, and have Ree sign them at the end of the night. Well, they FORGOT...a big pile of books that were set back to have her sign, not just ours! The guy felt so bad, I am sure. We were bummed, but lucky for us, he called to tell us that Ree would be coming back to town the week before Christmas to sign the forgotten books. I was surprised to see what she'd written to me..."Enjoy Laura, Happy 30th Birthday!" It made it so special! I really haven't made much from the book yet. I'm just enjoying reading it from cover to cover. It's so fun that every recipe has awesome pictures of the process. I need to get into the cooking spirit!

{7} Scarf
Another 30th Birthday present from myself, to myself. A Kohl's find! The colors go with everything, and it's soft and warm :)

{8} Aveeno Facial Cleanser & Moisturizer
I had been looking for a new cleanser and moisturizer for quite a while. I've been using the Aveeno Positively Radiant cleanser and & daily moisturizer for a few weeks now, and I really like it. BUT...for a few days now, I've been trying the +FC5 Swiss skin care from Arbonne. I have a friend that sells it, so she's given me some samples to try for awhile. I just might like this better! The cleanser/freshener has fresh strawberry cell extracts! The nurturing day lotion with spf 20 has fresh kiwi cell extracts, and the moisturizing night creme has fresh mango cell extracts. It's tempting to just lick it off my fingers!! It smells delicious. Anyone use either of these brands/products??

{9} Silpada Watch
I hosted a Silpada trunk show at the beginning of December. With my hostess credit, I was able to get this beautiful watch as one of my free items. It's brown leather with an extra long strap that wraps twice around your wrist! I haven't worn it much since I got it, because I've had this annoying rash on the top of my left hand for a couple months. It's driving me bananas!

{10} My Rubbermaid storage
My FIRST EVER (and only) Black Friday purchase! Wahoo!! I got a set of 25 Rubbermaid storage containers in a variety of sizes with red lids for $7.00. I was pretty darn excited! My sister-in-law Jenn was with me and got some too! She was just as excited! We're easy to please! No, I did not get out of bed at 4am, (or whatever time it was) just for these!! My little brother was planning to get a new flatscreen, so I was going along with him for the heck of it. I have never seen anything like it in all my life! It was hilarious and scary, all at the same time. Not sure if I'll do it again? At least I was able to get a Cricut for Kim though (while she was cozy in her bed), at a REALLY good price! So anyway...I've never had a "set" of food storage containers. We use them all the time, and they can go right into the dishwasher. Love that!

*****

I am looking forward to seeing some of your favorite things! Come on ladies (and gentleman, if you're out there?!?!) delurk and join me! If you read my blog, but have never introduced yourself/commented, now is the perfect chance. I love meeting new blog friends...don't be scared, I don't bite! Now get to work on your favorite things, and leave me a comment and link, so I can come check them out! P.S. You don't have to rattle on about your faves like I did...you can just post the pics if you want.

Two Year Stats

A look back at our growing boy's stats....

1-1/2 weeks::January 28, 2008
Weight: 8 lbs.
Height: 19.8"

6 months::July 23, 2008
Weight: 16 lbs. 4 oz.
Height: 25.6"

1 year::January 20, 2009
Weight: 19 lbs. 6 oz
Height: 30"

And these are his current stats...
2 years:: January 27, 2010
Weight: 26 lbs.
Height: 33.5"

According to "the charts" Doc said that 75% of kids his age are taller and weigh more. Welp, that was no surprise to us. His mommy and daddy are not considered tall, by any means, and his daddy eats me out of house and home, but has never had an ounce of fat on him.

Barrett had his two-year checkup on Wednesday. We are going to a new doctor now, and I really like him. Barrett loved that he was wearing cowboy boots :) Everything checked out okay on Little Bear, but he was diagnosed with his first set of ear infections. Bummer! He had been coughing and had a runny nose for a few days, but I never expected that. He hadn't been pulling on his ears or having trouble sleeping at night. The only thing I noticed was that his naps this week have been a little shorter than usual. He goes down just fine, just isn't sleeping more than an hour and a half or two. He's on an antibiotic for a few more days, so hopefully it will be all cleared up soon.

Shots went well...laying down on the table was much more traumatic for him than the actual shots. He had one nurse on each side, so they went fast. The reward of truck stickers stopped all tears immediately! After we got home, he wanted to show off his "boo-boos."

The first does of antibiotic that day made for a good, long nap. He slept in his bed from 1:30-3:30, then was crying out, so I went in to get him. We came back out to the family room, and he fell asleep on my shoulder. I ended up snuggling him on the couch, asleep on my chest, for another hour.I loved every minute of it.

This little stool is mine...

This little stool is mine
I use it all the time
To reach the things I couldn't
And lots of things I shouldn't

When I was little, we had a red stool in our bathroom, with those words painted on it. I'm sure my mom still has it...I'll have to ask about that! Barrett's recent obsession with standing up on stools, has made me think quite often about my little red stool from childhood. I never realized how true the words painted on there were. "To reach the things I couldn't, and lots of things I shouldn't."

These pictures were taken in mid-December. I had to push them to the back-burner because of all the posting I wanted to do for Christmas, the New Year, and the birthday celebrations...but I knew I wanted them to be included in our family scrapbook!

Barrett has several stools around the house, and loves to use them. The stool in these pictures is extra special to us. Justin's Grandpa (Papa Reed) made it. It's the prefect size and I love the distressed look of the wood. Papa's made lots of beautiful furniture. We also have a little side table in this same style.

Barrett's favorite uses for the stool include:

*Standing at the bathroom counter to "brush teeth"
He likes to wet his own tooth brush, and then says "paste, Mama"?

*Standing at the bathroom counter to wash his hands
He makes you push up his sleeves first, then asks for soap. He is never ready to be done!

*Standing up at Mommy & Daddy's bedroom window to watch the dogs

*Standing in front of the toilet to try and "do things" just like Daddy

*Standing at the kitchen counter to help Mommy with dinner

*Trying to reach the cabinet that the cookies are kept in

*Standing up to open the door on the microwave
I don't mind usually, but I caught him with his nose pressed against the window the other day while I had hamburger in there to defrost...
that can't be good!

24 Months

Happy 2nd Birthday, Little Bear!!

You are TWO! I'm a little sad that I can no longer say my son is 20 months or 23 months.
No need to say 24 months or 26 months...it will just be two. My son is two.

So, here they are...your last monthly monkey shots.

* You wake up somewhere between 7:30-8:30 each morning

* You'll call out "Mama, Mommy, Mom....Maaaaaama" when you're ready for me to come get you. Daddy thinks that's hilarious!

* Your favorite things for breakfast these days are: oatmeal (peach or strawberry) or apple cinnamon pop tarts with cinnamon-sugar on top

* Our mornings are filled with many activities throughout the week:
Monday-this is our day at home, playing with blocks or playdough
Tuesday-PAFT playgroup
Wednesday-Storytime at the library
Thursday-PAFT playgroup
Friday-Toddler Art and Indoor play at the gym

I decided not to enroll you in the KDI program at our church this semester. You had just sort-of adjusted to me leaving you last semester, and then all of the teachers you were used to (college students) weren't able to come back. I just decided to wait until the Fall, and hopefull you'll enjoy it more. We have plenty to do together for now.

*We eat lunch together every day. Most days Daddy is able to come home for lunch, and that always make you happy. This week we went to visit Gigi for lunch at her school. You had fun playing in her classroom

*After lunch it's nap time! You are still a great napper, and for the last several weeks you have been asking me to go night-night! We sit on the couch together and watch a cartoon. After a few minutes, you will usually look up at me and say "night-night, Mama." I love it! You typically sleep from 1-4. Sometimes a little longer, sometimes no quite that long. Your nap time is my work time, so I hope you'll continue to be a great napper for a long time.

*When you get up from your nap, you're always ready for a snack! We play together until Daddy gets home. I'm looking forward to Spring, so we can get outside in the afternoon and go for walks.

*The evenings with Daddy are filled with games, dinner and lots of laughter. Tonight we all sat on the floor together and played ball. You were making Daddy wear your baseball helmet, and roll a mini basketball to you. You would kick it right back. You are going to be a great little soccer player, just like your cousins!

*You love bath time again (there were a few weeks awhile back that you were not a fan). The only part you don't have down is to look up when we wash the shampoo out of your hair. I hardly pour any water on your head, and you cover your eyes and say "owww, owww."

*Bedtime is still a breeze with you. We put on jammies and cuddle on the couch with Daddy until you're ready for bed. Usually around 7:30 or 8, we give night-night kisses and go in to brush your teeth. You like to sit up on the bathroom counter to brush your teeth. I have to let you do it all by yourself for a few minutes. Then I usually take over, and we count to ten while Mommy brushes them for you. After the teeth, you stand up on your little green stool and wash your hands.

Mommy lays you in your bed, and covers you up with your biggie {the name you gave your green and brown minky blanket about a month or two ago}. I read you one book...and then you hold up one finger and say "one more book." So of course I read you one more book. Then I get you a fresh cup of ice water. You have to have the ice in there!

Our days are not too exciting, but that's just the way I like it! You say lots of funny things, and you do lots of funny things.

*I can't even begin to list your new words this month...you pretty much know what everything is, and are using two and three word sentences. *You love to count things. You'll line up your blocks in a row on the floor and count them. Sometimes you'll start with one-two-three, but usually it's six-seven-eight-nine. *You're getting better with your colors, but the one you usually always get right is green or "geen" as you say it. *You recognize the letter {B} anywhere. *You scribble on paper and say "name" like you've just signed your name. You also like to scribble on paper like you're drawing a woof-woof. *You love to dance while playing your new guitar, but you don't like for Mommy to dance! *Your favorite song to sing is "happy birthday" *Next week you go to the doctor for your two year check up and immunizations. We'll find out how much you've grown!

Happy Birthday, Little Bear!! You are the {JOY} of my days! I love you with all my heart!!

Cut the cake & lets eat some more

It makes me think of the good old days
Happy birthday to you
You sure grew out of your baby ways
Happy birthday to you

Second birthday, we wish you many more
Health and wealth and friends by the score
Cut the cake and lets eat some more
Happy birthday to you

I sure am a sucker for getting John McCutcheon songs stuck in my head, huh?!? I think my friend Megan might be responsible for this one...we both enjoy singing this song! And it's just what I sang to Barrett on the morning he turned TWO! We ate birthday pancakes together (seems like just yesterday we were eating {1} pancakes), I sang to him, and he told me "no, Mama." I was excited to make my shaped pancakes this time. I bought a little plastic squeeze bottle at Garden Ridge when were in Tulsa for the girls weekend. I think it was Megan's sister, Erin, that told me this bottle was her secret to easy shapes and letters. It worked great. I'm really looking forward to making my Valentines hearts now! They'll be so much easier and I can make lots of fun colors!

After birthday pancakes, we headed to Megan's for birthday muffins with Norah Kate, Audra and Lydia. Yes, you can have two breakfasts on your birthday! It was so sweet of them to have us over to celebrate Barrett's special day! The muffins were delicious, and Norah Kate's playroom was the perfect spot for the kids to sit together and eat.

After muffins, the kids played. Barrett always loves to play Brent's piano. The singing birthday mouse was also a big hit!

When we got back home that morning, Barrett had a special delivery...birthday balloons and a teddy bear from his Uncle Todd. He felt bad he couldn't make it to the party on Saturday, because he had to work. Barrett has had a ball with those balloons ever since!

These pictures below are actually from Sunday night (the day before his birthday). We knew there would be a lot going on Monday, so we let him open our gifts early. The barn has already gotten a lot of use. He loves to dump out the sack of animals he got from his friend Kennedy and fill the barn with them. The giant coloring book was also a hit. He likes to lay down on the floor, on his belly to color...and he always wants me to lay right beside him.

Barrett was born at 3:25pm on January 18, 2008...so he was sleeping soundly when I paused to remember that day, and the event that changed my life forever.

Monday afternoon, when Barrett got up from his nap, we picked up Mimi and the girls to go play at the park. The weather was beautiful that day!! It felt like Spring, and everyone was out enjoying the weather! Barrett had fun climbing around on the playground, and going down the slides with Kylie and Emily.

Monday evening we met Gigi, Papa, Mimi, Grandma, Kylie and Emily at Gambino's for pizza. Anytime we ask Barrett what he wants for dinner, his answer is always "pizza." We had a room upstairs all to ourselves, and got to visit and eat. Barrett was being a little stink-pot that evening...I think he was still out of it from all the activities from the past few days. As much as he loves pizza, he didn't eat too much of it. BUT he was ready for the cake!
*oops: with all the rush to get the pizza ordered, pick up the cake, and get Barrett around...I forgot my camera! My sister-in-law forgot hers too! Darn!

It was a fabulous day with friends and family! Thank you to everyone that made Barrett's birthday special!

Mister B's Cowboy Party::The Fun & Guests

It's the middle of the week, and I think things are starting to get back to normal after all the birthday festivities. Barrett has taken some long naps the past few days...he's been pretty worn out from all the partying! I'm worn out from sorting though all the pictures! Thanks again to Mimi for taking pictures at the party for me. I knew I would be too busy to catch any action during the party, so she was a big help.

After all of Barrett's guests arrived, we decided to open gifts first. The kids were all so good during the opening. I never know what to expect...it's hard to watch someone else open all those fun things. Barrett got some really fun things. I loved that all of the cards from his little friends had their "signatures" and drawings in them. So sweet! Every time he got clothing, he would hold it up to his chest and say "fit me"? He had one {mini-meltdown} in the middle of the gift opening. I have never seen him act like that...lovely that he did it in front of all his friends and family! Kids have great timing like that :-) I think he was just frustrated that he had all these neat toys, and he wanted to play with them. His sweet cousins were trying to help, and show him how to use things, but he just wanted to do it all himself! Thankfully it didn't last too long and we were able to finish up the gifts.

After gifts, it was time for CAKE!!
I wasn't sure if Barrett would blow out the candle, but he did!

I wondered if Justin would cringe when the kids destructed his masterpieces...
but he didn't mind. It was fun to see the kids enjoying them.

The horse cupcakes were a hit!! I think all the kids had fun licking the chocolate off the horses head.

Thanks to my mom for the wonderful idea to borrow a table from one of the preschool classrooms at her school! She and my dad hauled it home Friday night, bathed it in disinfectant. and set it up in the sunroom. It was perfect for all the kids to sit together and eat their cake! I had gotten a brown tablecloth for it, and was excited that the red chairs matched my color theme!!

::Barrett's Party Friends::
We were sad that some of Barrett's little friends were sick, or not able to make it to the party.
We missed you...Grant, Hayden, Addison, Hadley & Jillian

Barrett's cousins, Kylie and Emily, dressed the part! They were so cute in their braids, plaid shirts, and cowboy hats! They were such great helpers with the little ones too!

Kylie, Norah Kate, Kennedy, Barrett, Lydia, Emily (and Brody-not pictured here)

After we handed out the favors and took some group pictures, it was time for everyone to go.
The ever-important nap time was waiting!!

After everyone leaves, I like to set up all the gifts and get a picture of Barrett with his gifts. Opening everything is usually a blur, so it's fun to set it all up and see what he got. He loves everything, and we've spent hours and hours playing with it all already!

THANK YOU to everyone for coming to celebrate with us...
it just wouldn't have been the same without each of you there!

{More photos of the party "Cupcakes & Decorations" can be found IN THIS POST}

Mister B's Cowboy Party::The Cupcakes & Decorations

Welcome to Gigi & Papa's Ranch!

Our house is way too {cozy} for all the friends and family that join us for Barrett's birthday celebration, so it's so nice that my parents let us have everyone to their house. Thanks, Mom & Dad!! I made this same birthday banner at Barrett's monkey party last year. This year, I used red and brown paper to back the pictures and tied them together with twine.

I think it's fun to have a guest book at birthday parties, so the guests can all write special messages to him. I still love to look back at last year's and see what was written.

I {love} making party favors. I like to keep them simple and edible! This year we made "Mister B's Trail Mix" for everyone to take home. I put the mix into cellophane bags, and tied the tags on with brown gingham ribbon.

::Mister B's Trail Mix::
pretzels, M&M's, mini marshmallows, raisins & Cheez-It Gripz

The trail mix for the kiddos was put into adorable little bandana-print boxes I found at Hobby Lobby. They had a great cowboy party section that matched my red/brown theme. (If you're planning a party, check out their party isles. It's not very big...but they have several theme sections, and all of the stuff is really cute and inexpensive) The sheriff badges are from the party favor section at Walmart.

::The cupcakes::

We made nine of the horses, for the kids.
If you're planning a cowboy/cowgirl party and would like to try these, our "process" is detailed at the end of this post.

For the adults, we just had regular chocolate cupcakes with red sprinkles and {2} toppers. I bought the paper for the toppers at Hobby Lobby, and my awesome sister-n-law, Kim, cut them all out for me on her Cricut! I would love to have one of those! Thanks so much, Mimi!!

The Birthday Boy waiting for his guests to arrive

::The cupcake making process::

I think it's safe to say the horse cupcakes were waaaayyyyy more intense than last year's monkeys!! We didn't start on them until Friday night after Barrett had gone to bed. I don't know why I didn't think to bake the cupcakes earlier that afternoon...too many things on my mind! So, I had to bake them and let them cool before we could start the "building" process. I had been gathering all the supplies for the last couple weeks, but had NO luck finding the circus peanuts for the heads. While the cupcakes were baking and Justin was cutting all the pretzel tails, I ran to a local grocery store and Dollar General hoping they would have the peanuts...it was my last resort! Thank you Dollar General for saving the day!!

*The idea for these cupcakes came from my friend Christie! They come from Hello, Cupcake! I didn't have the book (and had never heard of it), but there were several people out there that had tried them, and had pictures on their blogs to help us out. We made lots of our own adjustments though ;) You can Google "horse cupcakes" to find more pictures and links.

-While the cupcakes cooled, Justin carved little holes in the bottom of the peanuts, added a little melted chocolate into the holes, and then attached the chocolate wafers.

-After that, he dipped all the heads/peanuts into melted chocolate. *tip: Dipping them made the chocolate pretty thick, and the heads were way too heavy once in the cupcakes. Justin applied the chocolate with a spoon for the rest, so it was a thinner layer. Then he added chocolate chips for the ears, and we put the heads into the fridge for a few minutes to harden up.

-I carved out small rectangles from each of the cupcakes for the wafer to set inside. *tip: We discovered on the last couple cupcakes that it was better to just cut a slit (rather than a larger hole), and not remove any of the cake. This made a tighter fit when the wafer was inserted, and kept it from leaning forward too much.

-I frosted the cupcakes after the holes were cut, and then we inserted the heads.

-Justin used a zip-lock to pipe the horse manes with chocolate frosting (this is the same frosting on the cupcake...store-bought whipped chocolate)

-The tails were cut from regular twisted pretzels. I don't really have any tips for this. We made nine horse cupcakes, and it took Justin close to 30 minutes to get "acceptable" pieces for them. They had to be long enough, and you have to be really gentle when trying to get a long, curved piece. We dipped the pretzels into the melted chocolate to match the heads.

-Finally, Justin added white frosting eyes.

I think that's about it! They were a lot of work, but we had fun!! I could have never done them without my creative husband's help. He even missed a trip to Lowe's with his friends to stay home and finish them. He did get to go play ping-pong when they were done though! I think it's funny that his friend Josh told him "I've always thought of you as a man's man, Justin...hunting, fishing, playing sports...and you're decorating cupcakes." (it was something along those lines, anyway)

I was very excited with the way all of the decorations came out, and especially the cupcakes! Thanks to everyone who had a hand in helping me. It's so fun when the ideas you have in your head come to life! I know Barrett had a great time, and I hope he'll enjoy the pictures when he's older.

More pictures from the party later...

{More photos and details about the "Party Fun & Guests" can be found in THIS POST}

Barrett's Second Year: Video

I'm still working on getting all the pictures sorted from the party on Saturday!!

Until then, here is the video I made of {Barrett's 2nd year}. I am really bummed that this one has only transferred the first song, just like the last one did. Really, really bummed! It's just not the same without the music. If anyone knows of a better place to upload and share a video, let me know. I tried it on YouTube, but my video was longer than 10 minutes, so they didn't accept it. Didn't realize they had a limit! Yes, the video is 12 minutes long...I have a really hard time narrowing down pictures :-)

Grab and snack and enjoy~

Barrett's Second Year from Laura McPherson on Vimeo.

Barrett's having a wonderful birthday so far! We had a great morning with friends enjoying "birthday muffins" and now he is snoozin'. If he wakes up and it's still sunny out, we might go play at the park. Tonight we're meeting family for pizza. It's his favorite!!

Me & Monkey: Another Year

Tomorrow...
January 18, 2010.
I will take Barrett's last monthly picture with Monkey.

It's hard to believe that will be the 24th time we do that.

He has changed so much since we took the very first one...two years ago.

Barrett & Monkey::One Month::February 18, 2008

"More, Mama"

It was a wonderfully busy day, Little Bear. We celebrated your second birthday with a party, and all of your friends and family were there. Maybe all that excitement is the reason you're not sleeping well tonight. I put you to bed at 8:30 (a little later than usual), and you have been crying out off and on ever since. You are usually our wonderful little sleeper, so when you do cry out, I check on you to make sure everything is okay. I've been back into your room several times tonight.

You stop crying as soon as I walk through the door. You lay your head back down on the pillow, and tell me "up, Mama" as you tug at your biggie. So I cover you back up, pat your back and stroke your hair. I tell you I love you...to close your eyes and go to sleep, Sweet Angel.

This, was the routine every 30 minutes for a couple hours. 10:45 pm rolled around and you were still not sleeping...a tiny piece of my heart was hoping you would cry out again, so I could go in and rock you. You, my precious Little Bear, will turn two on Monday. So I will cling tight to every chance I have to hold you, and rock you to sleep. There is no better place in all the world, than right there in that rocker, cuddled up with you. Your room so warm and cozy. The only light was a glow from the lamp in the bathroom across the hall.

I held you tight in my arms. Your head against my chest, kissing your forehead. I wrapped you in your biggie and rocked you back and forth...back and forth. Singing softly to you. Mommy can't carry a tune for anything, but you don't care. As soon as I'm done with the song, you tilt your little head back, look at me with those big sparkling eyes, and say..."More, Mama."

Melting my heart into a big 'ol pile of mush.

Without a moment's hesitation, I start to sing again.

Goodnight, Sweet boy! You are sleeping peacefully now...

I hope you know how much I love you. I will hold you, rock you and sing to you as long as you'll let me. You are growing up too fast, and I know one day you won't need me to do that anymore. I would give anything to be able to {bottle up} moments like these. I love you!

Barrett's First Year

As I was preparing to create Barrett's Second Year DVD, I took a look back at the one I had made last year at this time. These birthday DVD's are something I do for him every year. It is a collection of images from the year, and I like to include a several of him with the special friends and family in his life. He is one loved little boy, and it will be so fun to watch these with him in a few years. He's already enjoyed watching this one and the new one with me several times! He LOVES to see pictures of himself!

Enjoy Barrett's First Year
::January 2008-December 2008::

(this video does have music)
edited to say: it has music for the first half, but for some reason not the second half!
nothing ever works for me the first time ;) sorry...it's not as much fun to watch with no music.

Untitled from Laura McPherson on Vimeo.

By doing this, I have learned that I really need to be better about getting pictures of him with all those special people. I don't have many of my older brother or sister-in-law with Barrett. True we've only seen them three times in the last year, but when we are together, I need to make it a point to snap those priceless pictures. Sometimes when we're all together with family, I focus too much on just getting Barrett or just the kids. Most of the time adults would rather not have their picture taken anyway :) but oh well! Next time you're with my kid...say cheese!

I will share the 2nd Year video on Barrett's 2nd Birthday! Have a great FRIDAY! If you're in the area and bored this evening, come on over...we'll be attempting those horse cupcakes! We might very well have several mess-ups that need to be eaten!

Party Planning Mode

I am in full-out party planning mode...cowboy style!

Ask Barrett what kind of birthday party he's going to have, and he'll tell you "a cow party."
I laugh every time, because it sounds like "a cow potty" or "a cow patty."

The party is Saturday, so I have one more day to finish things up. I had planned to keep things simple this year...but that's pretty much impossible for me. Once I get a theme in my head, the ideas just keep flowing. Like my design/photo bio says...{the creative part of my brain never sleeps}

I can't just make the favor bags, and there they are. I have to make custom tags, use coordinating ribbon, etc. etc. It's like a disease! So anyway, all of my little projects are about wrapped up, and tomorrow night we make the cupcakes! I have already told Justin that he can't go play ping-pong with his friends until the cupcakes are done. He is the creative one in the kitchen! We are attempting horse cupcakes, so we'll see how it goes! He has to top his monkey cupcakes from last year. I told him that I get at least 10 hits on my blog a day...just related to those monkey cupcakes!

{Laughter}

I returned from my 30th Birthday trip on Sunday afternoon, and I have been in a bit of a funk ever since. On Monday afternoon, Barrett threw up all over in his crib during naptime. I felt like the worst mother ever. I had heard him coughing and crying. I just figured he'd woke himself up from the little cough he had and would go back to sleep. After a few minutes, I decided to go see why he wasn't falling back to sleep like usual. As soon as I walked into the room, I saw him sitting up at the end of his bed with puke all over him...and all over his sheets, pillow, biggie and George.

It was horrible. I immediately scooped him up and told him how sorry Mommy was that he'd been sitting in there like that! Oh my goodness, did I feel terrible. I took him right to the tub to get him cleaned up. He was in a daze and just sat there while I washed him up, then all he wanted was for me to hold him. Luckily it was just after 3pm, so I called my mom to come and cuddle him so I could get everything cleaned up and in the wash. Thank goodness for Gigi! She stayed here with us until Justin got home. Poor little man just kept getting sick. He would try to drink a little water and then it would just come right back up.

Once Daddy got home, he came to life and was running all over the house, playing with toys. He seemed to be fine. He never had a temp through any of it either. We ate taco salad for supper and he ate really well. Then we gave him another bath and put him to bed around 7:30. I was watching the Bachelor, and every time I heard him cough, I would run into his room to make sure he was okay. Then at 11:30pm, he cried out for us. He had gotten sick again. Daddy rocked him while I stripped the bed and washed everything for the 3rd or 4th time that day! After that, he slept all night and has been fine ever since. I have no idea what it was, but the poor little guy was miserable.

So, between coming back home to that and the battery on our MacBook being DEAD, it's been hard to find time to do much. I would love to just simply post the pictures from our trip and not tell all about it...but I know down the road, I would be sad to not have the memories journaled.

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Laughter is an audible expression or appearance of happiness, or an inward feeling of joy (laughing on the inside). It may ensue (as a physiological reaction) from jokes, tickling, and other stimuli. Strong laughter can sometimes bring an onset of tears or even moderate muscular pain; however, it is in most cases a very pleasant sensation.

If there is one word I can use to sum up my weekend with the girls, it would be laughter. We had lots of it throughout the weekend, and I wouldn't want it any other way!

Audra, Christie, Megan and I hit the road at noon on Friday, and headed South to meet Amber at our hotel in Tulsa. We had a few room issues, but thanks to Amber, it all worked out. She was on the phone with the lady at the front desk for awhile, and we ended up with an upgrade to a suite! It's our 30th birthday...now that's what I'm talking about! We had much more room, and prego Audra was able to have her own bed.

We settled in that afternoon and enjoyed some seven-layer dip before we headed out to shop! We went to three of my favorite places: Kohl's, Garden Ridge and Target. Not that I go shopping very often, but it was still nice to be able to shop without a toddler...and to have my girlfriends with me. I was happy to find some plates and napkins for Barrett's birthday party and a few things for me. We went to dinner at Carrabba's that evening. Amber, Megan and I shared a pitcher of white wine Sangria and it was delicious!! I learned that we are all three cheap dates :)

Later that night we celebrated our 30th with a cake...thanks to the talented baker of our group, Christie!

On Saturday we got up and around and headed to the mall for shopping and lunch. We had appointments at the Spa at 2pm. I still have mixed feelings about the spa experience, but all-in-all, it was relaxing. My favorite part was definitely the Scalp Treatment! If I could have that done once a week, I would be a NEW woman!!

I was the last one to finish up my treatments, so the rest of the girls headed back to the hotel to start showering. Amber came to pick me up, and when we got back to the room, this was the view from our outdoor balcony. A beautiful Oklahoma sunset!

We took a group picture in the same spot, same pose, several times throughout the weekend.

Saturday night, we had dinner at one of Amber's favorite places. It was fun to try something new. Most of us had steaks, and they were so good! Later that night, we made our second trip to Target for the weekend. We went to get some candy for the hotel, and so Megan could find the nail polish she used at the Spa. Two things...and we all left the store with bags full!

Sunday morning, we had breakfast at Mimi's Cafe (I took this picture for Barrett). After breakfast we stopped at a few more stores and then it was time to hit the road back to Kansas. Megan, Audra and I were all ready to see our little ones!

I was happy to hear Justin say that Barrett "was a little angel." I knew he would be a good boy for his daddy, but it was nice to know that everything went so smooth while I was gone. Now I know I can go on more trips in the future :) It was good for them both to have a weekend together anyway. On the note I left Justin, I told him "this weekend will make you realize that what I do everyday really is work." But Barrett was way too good for him...Justin told me "I don't know what's so hard about it."

It was a great weekend with my girls. I've already told them all several times since being home that I miss them so much! With growing families and careers, we don't get to spend time together like we used to. It was nice to have a whole weekend together...no agenda, just flying by the seat of our pants and being with each other. I love these girls, and I can't wait for the next bfe vacation!