Good Bye?

I think Barrett is getting confused.

He used to say bye-bye like a champ. He would do a cute, little wave and smile as he said, "bye-bye."

Now, he's just confused.

Sometimes, he yells, "Bye," while waving over his shoulder and walking away.

Sometimes, he says, "Peace Out," while holding up all five fingers. Apparently he can't make the peace sign yet. (Thanks to my neighbor Melissa for this one.)

Sometimes, he attempts to say Adios, but it comes out, "Deee-O's."

But my favorite is his response to "See you later, Alligator."

Whenever someone says that, I think he knows there is an animal response that goes with it. Unfortunately for him, he can't seem to remember that you're supposed to say, "In a while, crocodile."

On his own, he came up with what he would say.

His response is, "Bye, turtle."

He just cracks me up!

It's Monday

If you want to know how my day went, here's your answer...

Boogies

Barrett has been cracking me up today.

Today, he's obsessed with his boogers.

He woke up with a stuffed up nose, and ever since, we've been constantly nose blowing.

On the way to breakfast this morning (we go out every Sunday morning), he had me pass him a tissue at least five times. He would then blow his nose holding the tissue to his nose. After the blowing, he would inspect the outcome. Then, he would say, "Ewwww, boogies." Next, he would want me to take the dirty tissue. By the time we got to breakfast, I had a stack of dirty tissues in my lap.

Later when I picked him up from his Sunday school class, Miss Lily, his teacher, told me that he wanted to blow his nose every few minutes. She said all the helpers were giggling at him because he would blow his nose in the tissue, look at them, and then put the tissue in the trash can.

As we drove home, Barrett found something more fun to do. He told me he had boogies, so I went to hand him a tissue, but he said, "No nose Mommy, boogie finger."

He was so proud to show me the giant green booger on the tip of his finger.

I then gave him a tissue to put the boogie on. Then, he starting trying to find another boogie for the tissue. He was getting really frustrated because he couldn't find a boogie. He even tried fake sneezing to see if one came out. I don't know if I have ever laughed that much at him.

He never found another boogie, but he still held onto the tissue when we got home.

A few minutes later, I heard Fisher making odd noises as I put away the diaper bags.

When I ran into the living room, Barrett was hovering over Fisher.

When I called out his name, Barrett jumped up holding one finger in the air looking very proud.

"Fisher boogie on Barrett's finger!"

Yep, he picked his brother's nose. (Don't worry, Fisher is fine and a little less stuffy than he was earlier today.)

Barrett is down for his nap now, but when I was walking out of his room, he was saying something to his elephant stuffed animal, Peanut, about boogers. I can only assume that he was attempting to find something inside Peanut's trunk...

Teachers of the Year

Today was a sad day for us.

Today was Barrett's last day of Mother's Day Out.

Originally I thought this day would be awful because it meant the end of having some time for myself (assuming Fisher was cooperative), but it isn't the impending lack of me time that makes me sad.

I'm sad because Barrett loves school. I know he'll pass his classroom on Sunday at church and want to go in, but this time I can't say that he has to wait until Tuesday. Now, he'll have to wait until the end of August, but even then, it is still sad.

The best part of his school was his teachers, Carol and Diana.

I can honestly say they were perfect. I wouldn't change a thing they did, and trust me that's a huge statement for me to say because I am always looking for ways for things to improve especially in a school setting.

Last August, I was so scared sending this little baby boy to school. (Here he is on the first day of school.)

I had talked with Diana on the phone before school started and she assured me that even though he was the youngest and only non-walker, he was going to be fine.

It amazes me what they helped him to accomplish over one school year. He learned to walk, talk in sentences, count to ten, blow his nose, tell you when he has poopy pants, identify colors, identify a few letters, sing countless songs along with hand gestures, attempt going on the potty, and others I'm surely forgetting.

While I know they were not the only influence in helping him, they were a huge part of it.

Over the course of the year, Carol and Diana were not only close with Barrett, but they became my friends too.

I loved getting Barrett's bag packed every Tuesday and Thursday because labeling his diapers became a sort of hobby for me.

We were required to write our child's name or initials on two diapers. It didn't take long for me to decide that this could be very amusing for them when they were having to do the crappiest part of their jobs.

I ended up writing poems, notes, or just funny thoughts on his diapers instead of his name, and they loved it. Normally, they would take his diapers out to read them as soon as I dropped him off.

They were sure that when I had Fisher the notes would stop, but I managed to keep it up through the entire year, until today...

Today, Barrett's diapers simply said "B" because that is what they call him, but don't worry, they weren't disappointed.

Here is how we gave them their little note today.

I almost feel sorry for his teachers next year because I have VERY high expectations! :)

Ha Ha!

Fisher is laughing a lot now. There are a lot of things he thinks are funny.

Yesterday afternoon, I think we figured out what REALLY cracks him up.

He laughed and laughed while he sat in his bouncy seat in the yard watching this...

Mother's Day #2

Yesterday was a wonderful Mother's Day, but it did have a little less excitement than last year.

Doug made me a card on the computer with the boy's picture on it, and he also let Barrett sign it which basically means he scribbled all over it.

I didn't get a new car again, but it's ok. I still love mine. :)

Doug did give me something good though. He told me to make plans to go somewhere this summer for a weekend. I can take him and the boys or I can go alone. I'm still thinking about what I want to do. Doug and I are most likely going to Vegas for our anniversary, so who knows what I'll come up with for my trip!

Yesterday, Barrett and I played in our two pools for the backyard. We have the traditional little circle pool, but we also bought a big rectangular pool too. I can actually fit a float in it!

We ended up with a slide in each pool, and to say Barrett loved it would be a huge understatement. I think he's going to love swimming as much as I did.

Fisher had a great day too when Nana, Paw, and all the great-grandparents came over for dinner. He smiled and smiled at his great grandpa.

Overall, it was a great Mommy's Day. I had so much fun that Barrett and I might play in the pools again today as long as Fisher cooperates at his spot in the shade!

Life Has Changed

I went to the store today, and I am so excited because I actually bought the "good stuff" for a change.

"Good stuff" used to mean that I didn't buy Natural Light or Pearl. (For those of you not from Texas, Pearl beer is VERY cheap!)

That's not what the good stuff is anymore.

Today, I bought something I never splurge on because it is so expensive.

I can't figure out why it costs so much more than it's competitors, but it does.

I also can't figure out why it is better than the others, but it is.

Why other brands can't steal the secrets of this product will always be a mystery to me.

Today, I bought Tide.

I LOVE Tide. It smells better than the rest and the smell stays on the clothes, towels, sheets, and whatever else you wash!

I am actually getting laundry done today at a ridiculous pace.

Normally, I let it sit in the washer, but not today. Today, I can't wait for the beep telling me to change the loads.

Wow, how life has changed.

On that same topic, this morning when I went to Walmart, my neighbor asked me to buy her something she saw on the Tyra show. (Don't make fun of her, she has a newborn so she watches everything right now.)

As I looked for her item that apparently everyone in the free world saw on Tyra, I realized I had to ask for it.

I know I've grown up because I wasn't embarrassed to ask the male restocker, who was about 18, to help me find the Cellulite removing patches by Nivea.

I didn't even say they were for a friend mainly because he never would have believed me anyway.

I just heard the dryer's beep, I guess the towels are dry! Now, I can take my shower and dry off with a Tide towel.

(P.S. For those of you curious, I'll let you know if my neighbor's cellulite disappears because if those patches work, I'll be wearing them all over my thighs!)

Animals Everywhere

Barrett's weekend was very exciting. If you ask him anything about it, he'll say animals!

On Friday, Doug took the day off work, and we went to the zoo. It was so fun to watch Barrett and his daddy see all the animals. I don't get to sit back, relax, and watch Barrett have fun very often because I normally have to REALLY watch him.

Barrett loved pointing out all the birds around the zoo, but not the pretty ones. He liked the black, nasty zoo rat ones. Besides the birds, his two favorites are still the giraffes and the elephants.

At the elephants, one of them was playing in the water that was coming from a hose above. He would fill up his trunk and then spit the water back on himself. I think Barrett and Doug could have watched it all day. Doug would count down to the spraying, and Barrett would laugh and laugh.

Daddy also really liked seeing the alligators. I think that is partially because he liked telling me the one he killed was a lot bigger than the puny zoo ones. (Thank God the taxidermist who has the head has apparently disappeared because I am very proud of the lack of dead animals in my house.)

Here Daddy is showing both his boys the alligators.

Barrett wanted to get in the water to play. I don't think he understands that animals can be dangerous yet.

Speaking of not understanding animals, here he is petting a snake.

He thought the snake sticking out his tongue was really funny, and he likes to imitate what the snake did.

After we left the zoo, we went to ride the train that goes around Hermann Park.

The train has been there forever, and it was one of my favorite things to do as a kid. Doug said he even remembered liking to ride it too, and he never admits to remembering any of his childhood that didn't involve hunting, fishing, or farming.

Here is a self portrait of me and Barrett on the train. Daddy was busy feeding Fisher during the ride, so we had to take our own picture.

If the zoo trip wasn't exciting enough, Taylor, his babysitter, made the weekend of animals even more exciting.

TayTay came to babysit on Saturday night, and they had so much fun. She brought her pet hamster with her, and Barrett was too happy about the critter.

When we got home from dinner, Fisher was asleep in bed, and Barrett was bathed, in his pajamas, and snuggling with TayTay on the couch along with the giant teddy bear from his room that he convinced her to get down.

The best part of Barrett's night was after we got home, and TayTay had him help her feed Penny.

He was so careful with Penny, and Taylor was just as careful with Barrett.

We are so lucky to have a young girl that adores our kids and wants to spend time with them!

Barrett loved his weekend of animals, but I am paying the price today.

When we got in the car this morning to go to church for a meeting, Barrett said, "Animals, zoo, TayTay, Penny," over and over again.

As I put him down for his nap and was walking out of the room, I heard him talking to himself saying, "Animals, deer, elephant, giraffe, snake, cow, hamster," and a variety of other animals too.

I guess we'll head back to the zoo again soon.

How Embarrassing!

Thanks to my sister, every month I receive Parents magazine.

I always like going to the mailbox and finding it. There are a lot of things in the magazine that make it great for parents to read, but my favorite part is the "how embarrassing" stories.

Sometimes the stories completely crack me up, while others make me thankful that the story is not mine to tell.

The little blurb at the bottom of the page says, "Tell us about your less-than-perfect parenting moments. We pay $50 for published items."

Consider me $50 richer...

The other day I was standing talking to a friend while holding Barrett. There were people all around, and as usual, Barrett was happily people watching. As I was talking, Barrett interrupted to say, "Boobies,"as he pointed at a lady behind me.

As I turned to apologize, I realized that she was wearing a VERY revealing top.

As if this weren't bad enough, Barrett reached his hand out to her chest and said, "Barrett touch boobies."

Yes, you read that correctly.

There really is no way to respond to this, so I gave her the "kids say the craziest things" look and shrugged my shoulders.

She seemed to be a little offended, but I think that is the response she wanted from a man. I guess she was just hoping for an older one.

Like I said, the 50 bucks is mine if I bother to submit this. Maybe I'll help the community with it and buy her a bra.

Bath Time

Last night, Daddy decided to use the jets in our tub to make it a mega bubble bath.

At first, Barrett was a little intimidated by the sea of bubbles slowly growing around him.

It didn't take him long to realize how much fun they could be. There were bubbles all over the walls and floor.

While Barrett was busy laughing and screaming, Fisher was hanging out on our bed. Nothing makes him smile and giggle like hearing his big brother having fun!

Ice Cream, Rain, & Milk

On Sunday after I returned from the high school retreat with our church, I needed to wash the writing off of my car windows. I didn't want to drive around with, "I am hott," along with various other things written on my car. (Yes, I know I misspelled hot. Apparently, that is the cool way to spell it.)

Barrett, Fisher, and I went outside to wash my car, and I needed a way to keep Barrett occupied, so I gave him one of those ice cream push up things. He was in heaven!

He constantly yelled at me to look at the ice cream on his fingers, and he wanted to clean up the mess.

Eventually, he accepted the being dirty part when I told him Elmo would clean him up when he finished. He had no idea what this meant, but he liked saying, "Elmo clean Barrett mess."

I'm not sure how much ice cream he really consumed, but the container was completely empty when he brought it to me and said, "Barrett done."

When I got Elmo out, he didn't hesitate to run at him. At first, Barrett was upset by the "rain" hitting him, but he quickly got over that.

He played with Elmo for a long time while Fisher sat in his bouncy seat smiling at his big brother.

Fisher started to fuss, so I told Barrett I was just running inside to get Fisher a bottle. When I came back out, Barrett insisted on helping by shaking the bottle.

Normally the shaking is where his help stops, but he said he wanted to give the bottle to Fisher.

Here is how that went...

Fisher didn't even seem to mind that Barrett never got any milk into his mouth. I think Barrett's laughing entertained him. In the end, Barrett went back to Elmo, and Fisher and I watched as he had his bottle.