Speaking of recommended ages...
Now I know why a bug net is not recommended for 8 month old children!

It was lots of fun! We played, ate cake, destroyed a firetruck pinata, and watched Austin open presents, but the big moment was when a real firetruck pulled up to surprise Austin! At first he was so shocked he didn't even look excited, but he got over that pretty quick.
I honestly think that the adults were more excited to climb on it and play than the kids were.
Barrett had no idea that it was anything special, but he liked when Austin honked the horn!









If you look at Barrett's hand in this one, you can see that he was slapping the water.

After bathtime was over, I took Barrett and got him dressed while Doug went to dry off from all the splashing. I know Barrett loves bathtime, but I think Daddy liked it even more than Barrett last night.

Barrett did not want to sleep last night. He was screaming and crying, but he did not want to go to bed. I decided I would just let him scream in bed for a while because my patience was gone.
After about ten minutes, he was quiet. I was concerned because I knew it was too good to be true that he fell asleep that fast. I decided to sneak in and check on him.
When I walked into his room, I could hear him. Normally, he would be talking to himself, but he was laughing. When I got a little closer, I couldn't help but laugh.
So, he obviously wasn't tired. I turned on the light because I needed to get a better look. (Ok, I wanted to take pictures!)





Ever since Barrett learned how to roll over, life has become more difficult. Today, my world was more of a wrestling match than motherhood.
Round One:
At 4:00 this morning, Barrett was screaming. When I got him out of bed, he was soaking wet. (That is a whole other blog about his daddy, but I won't gripe about Doug today.) After pulling the sheets off his bed, I made his bottle while Doug took him into our room. I then came in to feed him his bottle and hopefully quickly get him back to sleep. He was starving, but he wanted to roll out of my hands. I tried all kinds of weird positions, and eventually he had the whole bottle. I am pretty sure that round one goes to the Bear.
Round Two:
6:40 a.m. I felt this strange feeling on my face. When I opened my eyes, I had a close up view of Barrett. He then bit down on my nose and laughed. I tried to convince him that he wanted to sleep more, but apparently, I was wrong. I got up, and took him to change his diaper. I felt like I was actually going to hurt him trying to keep him on his back long enough to change his diaper. He is amazingly strong for such a little man. After a lenghty battle, his diaper was on. Round two seems to be a draw.
Round Three:
I was at the mall when Barrett NEEDED a diaper change. The mall I was at has no place that is decent to change a baby's diaper, so I did what any creative mom would do. I changed him in his carrier. The best part ended up being that he was strapped in. It was impossible for him to roll over. That was the fastest I have changed a diaper in a long time. Round three goes to mommy. (Although the little old lady sitting near me looked at me like I was crazy!)
Round Four:
I tagged out to Sydney, the neighbor. She was with us all afternoon, and she did a great job entertaining Barrett until she wanted him to lay down on his boppy with her. She thought she had him penned...
Then Barrett made his trademark maneuver...
After he pulled her hair, she left him alone. Round Four to Barrett.
Round Five:
After Barrett's bath tonight, Doug and I took him into his room. Doug had him on the changing table and was attempting to keep him on his back to put on his diaper. I told Doug forget it and to leave him on his stomach. I then did something that amazed my husband... I put the diaper on while he was on his tummy, then I put him in his pajamas feet and all. I was even able to zip it while he was on his stomach.
Round Five: MOMMY!
Here is a cute pic of Barrett and Sydney when they weren't wrestling!




(I had to include this picture. It just cracks me up!)
We decided to try again Thursday. Wish me luck, I apparently need it.
I guess I'll get the Mother of the Year trophy next year!

We pretty much saw the entire zoo. Tyler led us because he had the map. When a 7 year old is on charge, you do a lot of back tracking, so we all got our exercise. Barrett liked the giraffes and elephants, but I think that was because they are the only ones he could really see. He also thought the turtle that was out was funny. He kept laughing when it moved.
Tyler was so busy figuring out where we were going next, I'm not sure he even looked at the animals. Although, he did stop along the way to be a typical kid needing to go to the bathroom, get a snack, and be silly.
And then there was Austin. He loves animals. He was so excited about every one.





( I won't comment on how I feel about the furry little non sleeper who woke me up at 3:30 this morning. I'll just say he cured me of wanting another puppy!)
I guess I need to watch him more carefully now because he is becoming more and more mobile. I'm pretty sure life is about to take a drastic turn...
This a place for me to spit up the adventures of my life as a stay at home mom. I hope my family, friends, and strangers enjoy the humor I find in this new career.