Testing

Ok, I have been having some blogger issues, but the "blogger man" said that they are resolved.

I would post, and then the post would disappear after a few hours. So, this is a test. If this post remains, then I will update.

P.S. Thank you Blogger Man for all your help getting the glitch fixed :)

Where are the Blue Man Group Auditions?

Even though I don't understand the fascination with the Blue Man Group, I think they could use a Little Blue Man.

We'll need to work on getting better coverage, but I think Barrett has real potential.

(I realize the color looks more green than blue in the picture, but trust me, it was very, very blue.)

Luckily, after Daddy found a new use for the tub tints, he was able to easily rinse it off.

What's the Opposite of Teething?

Teething has been a battle around our house for probably 20 months or so.

Every time I think we're done for a while, one of the boys start the process again.

I was talking earlier today about teething with my friend, Cindy, and I made the same comment I always do, "When I meet God, teething is going to be one of my first 'why' questions I ask Him."

Well, apparently, God was bored today because I think he was listening to my conversation.

So, I will put in writing here that I will no longer question the big man about why He chose to make kids go through teething.

In fact, I'll make him a deal.

If I promise not to question Him about teething, can he let Barrett keep the other 15.75 teeth that he already has?

Yep, Barrett knocked out about a fourth of one of his bottom front teeth today.

He's fine. It apparently didn't even hurt that bad because he only cried for the first two or so minutes after he rammed his face into the couch. I cried longer than he did.

Even though I know that it can't be fixed and that it's "only a baby tooth", we are going to the dentist first thing Monday morning.

Maybe they can at least make it look a little less jagged.

King Fisher

Fisher thinks he is such a big man lately.

He studies his big brother and wants to do everything he sees Barrett doing. It's amazing how quickly he's figuring things out.

Here are a couple videos of how much he's accomplishing lately.

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Knee Deep in Boogers

Both kids are full of snot.

I do not like constantly wiping noses, but it's better than looking at snot running out of their noses.

If the boogers were contained to only their faces, I think I could live with it, but that's not the case.

There are boogers everywhere.

The shoulder of whatever shirt I wear is covered from Fisher, and Barrett tends to wipe his face on my leg.

The couch needed cleaning because Barrett does a face plant on it when he climbs up.

Fisher managed to cover his teething toys in boogers.

I've had to wash the sheets on both their beds daily for the past three days because of the crusty spots that appear each morning.

Not to mention the loving thank you screams I receive when I try and clean their faces (and hair) when they wake up.

If all the cleaning wasn't bad enough, yesterday, Barrett managed to do something that I never would have predicted.

I was in the kitchen while Barrett and Fisher were playing in the living room. Fisher was in the saucer thing, and Barrett was running around him "singing".

A few minutes passed, and Barrett started to tell me something about a booger.

I didn't really listen to what he said, I just assumed he needed a tissue.

When I started walking to him, he said something about a booger again.

I showed him the tissue, but he said, "No Mommy, Fisher have booger."

I thought he was just pointing out that I needed to wipe Fisher's nose which isn't uncommon for Barrett to do.

So, I said, "Do I need to wipe his nose?"

Barrett said, "No, I put my booger in his nose."

Yep, Barrett picked a booger and stuck it in Fisher's nose.

And I was worried Barrett didn't want to share things with Fisher...

The School Year Begins

Now that Barrett has been in school for a couple of weeks, I guess I could write about his first day.


We went to meet the teacher the day before school started, and Barrett loved every minute of it.

He walked right into his class and started to play. He actually has two classes this year, one on Tuesdays and Thursdays and then a different one on Fridays. When we went to the second class, he was really excited because Ms. Sheri gave him a stamp and told him that she heard he was lots of fun, but that was not the highlight of his day.



When we were walking down the hall, he saw his favorite person at the school, Ms. Barb, the music teacher. He ran to her and hugged her. She says that he is her "most entertaining" student.


The next morning, Barrett was ready to go to school the moment he woke up.

He was so easy to get dressed, and there was no battle about the shoes. He ate breakfast quick and with no complaints. He was even excited to take pictures with his new backpack and lunch kit.




He was more excited to look in his new backpack. (His brother was curious too.)



I think he was a little disappointed to only find diapers and a change of clothes inside.


When it was time to get in the car, he insisted on wearing the backpack which led to our only fit of the morning.

Barrett just didn't understand why he couldn't wear it in his car seat. He ended up riding to school hugging it in his lap.

Once we got to school, he went right in with no problem. Quite a few of the other kids were crying, and when I leaned in to say I would see him later, he said, "You can leave now."


I guess he was as ready for school to start as I was.

Fisher Meets Larry, the Lollipop Man

Today was a great day for Daddy.

Doug has been begging me forever to get one thing accomplished, and today, I finally gave in.

Fisher is now officially a big boy with a big boy haircut.

We went to see Larry, the same man who did Barrett's and Doug's first haircuts.

Barrett was really excited to go see Larry because he knows that he will get a lollipop.

Since there was a wait for Larry, Barrett had his hair cut first. He was so good and everyone commented about what a great job he did sitting still. I think the sucker had a lot to do with his level of cooperation.

Larry enjoyed telling his five generation story to everyone in the barber shop while we set Fisher up for his haircut.

Fisher was in a great mood, and he loved every minute of the haircut.

He just kept looking at Larry and wanted to look at and hold the clippers.

Fisher was never even scared or upset. He just kept looking around, smiling, and sticking his tongue out. Every time he stuck his tongue out, he would spit trying to get rid of the hair that he caught. I think he was waiting for his sucker too.

He looks like such a big boy now with his haircut.





He laughed and screamed the whole way home with the help of his brother.

I am pretty sure our double haircut outing was a success because as we pulled up to the house, Barrett said, "We go get haircut again?"

Look, But Don't Touch

Barrett has been really sweet about sharing with his brother lately, and he only has one rule Fisher has to follow.

Fisher can look at any of Barrett's toys, but Barrett doesn't want him to touch them.

Barrett will take toys to show Fisher, but when Fisher reaches for it, Barrett makes this awful squeal noise and runs off with the toy.

I am slowly convincing him that Fisher is allowed to play with his toys, and if he won't share, the toy will go to "timeout". We currently have a mountain of toys on the top of the entertainment center.

Here is a short video of Barrett attempting to share with Fisher.

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Luckily for Fisher, he lost interest in Barrett's reading quickly because Barrett normally stops pushing his hand away from things and hits him on the head by the third or fourth attempt Fisher makes at touching a toy.

Barrett has gotten smart and now likes to play with toys on the couch and coffee table because Fisher can't get to them.

Yesterday, Fisher pulled up on the coffee table.

Barrett's going to have to get a new tactic really soon.

Fisher's Christening

The day after Barrett's birthday party, we had Fisher baptized. I realize this was almost two weeks ago, but things have just been too busy. (I think Fisher now crawling like a pro has made life a lot more complicated!)


It wasn't easy getting everyone up and dressed after a long day of partying the previous day, but we managed to get it together and even had time to take pictures of the boys before they got messy.



We were so lucky to have lots of family there. Nana, Paw, Uncle Ray, Kristin, Aunt Gretchen, Uncle Russell, Tyler, Austin, Papa, Uncle Pat, Cousin Jeremy, Great Grandma, and Great Grandpa were all there a lots of out church family came too!


One of the most special parts for me was that three of the high school girls I work with were a part of the christening. They were some of the first people to meet Fisher, and they even had a hand in naming him, so it was so special to have Taylor, Becca, and Amanda be a part of his baptism.

When Mike put the water on Fisher's head, Barrett said, "Oh, no, Baby's wet." Besides that comment the only thing Barrett was really concerned about was where the balls were. The room the contemporary service is in at our church is the gym he plays in at Mother's Day Out.

Fisher seemed completely unfazed by the whole event, but he did giggle when Mike held him up to show him to the congregation.


After the baptism, we all went to eat lunch and Fisher pretty much slept through his entire celebration which actually made having lunch out really relaxing for me. Well, it was relaxing because he slept and Doug was stuck at the end of the table with all the kids. ;)

After lunch, we came home and played and then both boys crashed for two of the longest naps they've ever taken. Maybe we should have full weekends more often!

Ugh

Barrett was just throwing a huge fit.

He was screaming and screaming at Doug as he threw himself down.

Apparently, Daddy took away his "toy".

Barrett was screaming, "I want bullets!"

How did Daddy solve it?

He said, "Either put your nose in the corner or stop the fit."

Barrett replied, "I'm done."

Question: Now, what is the best way to reinforce that bullets aren't toys?

Answer: Putting together a new shot gun in the living room with Daddy.

(It's not my logic, but that's what I get for marrying a country boy. There are no bullets in the living room for those of you who are concerned, and the new weapon will go in the arsenal, I mean safe, when it is done.)


I have so many other things to blog about, but there is no time right now. Barrett starts school Thursday, so I might actually catch up then. To remind myself, here is my "coming soon" list:

-Fisher's Baptism
-Fisher Sitting Up
-Barrett's First Starbucks
-Daddy & Barrett "Have a Talk" at Dinner
-Beating Little Brother and Other Fun Things that Pass Barrett's Time

The Party

Barrett's birthday party was lots of fun. It was so much fun that it has taken me four days to finally feel a little rested.

We had his party at Doug's parents house (thank you Nana & Paw), so Saturday started with Doug and I getting everything to their house and trying to get organized.

Doug's brother, Ray, and his girlfriend, Kristin, flew in from Phoenix late Friday, so Barrett was able to wake them up. He loved getting time with them before the party.

Barrett and Paw decided to swim in the pools after setting them up.

While Barrett took his nap, I ran to get the cake and go home to change.

When I got home, my dad was there to surprise me. He flew in for the party too. Barrett is so lucky to have so many people fly in for him!

When I returned to Nana and Paw's with the cake, Barrett was really excited. As people arrived for his party, he made them look at his cake while he pointed out each of the animals on it and the barn.

When my sister came in with is giant "pick-a-lotta" (pinata), he was really excited. However, later when it was time to beat it with a stick, he wouldn't do it. He was willing to eat the candy though. My nephew, Austin, thought the pinata was his.

Barrett's future girlfriend, Mary, was there too. It took her a while to warm up to the party atmosphere, but she ended up having lots of fun with the boys in the pool. Her daddy, on the other hand, looked exhausted. I don't know if it was from keeping up with her or from the thought of her swimming with three boys and Barrett kissing on her that really wore him out.

Just like on his actual birthday, his favorite part of the party was singing Happy Birthday and blowing out the candles.

Unlike last year, he was willing to get a little messy with his cake this year.

(Thanks Papa & Uncle Russell for encouraging him to do that!)

Barrett got so many great gifts, and he is still loving having all his "new toys" as he calls them.

Overall it was a great day of seeing friends and playing. When we got home that night, he said he missed his friends, so he must have had a great time too!

Thank you to everyone who made Barrett's day special!

Fisher is 6 Months Old!

Fisher's little milestone day has been overshadowed by his big brother's birthday.

Fisher did accomplish something today. He can now sit up on his own, but he falls over pretty quick. If it is anything like his crawling, he'll master sitting up on his own in no time!

The only other Fisher news lately is that he has a new toy to entertain himself with.

He LOVES sticking his tongue out. Mainly he does it when I am trying to feed him, but he thinks it is so funny.

I have a feeling he's going to be a little more troublesome than his brother.

Barrett is Two!

Barrett had a wonderful day today. He had so much fun that tonight when I took him to his room to go to bed, he wanted to get straight in bed without any songs which is a first!


I decided part way through the morning to make Barrett a cake for tonight. I asked him what he wanted, and his first choice was a horse. Since I have no idea how to draw a horse with icing, I told him to pick something else.


Here's what he chose.








He loved his giant, pink pig! (I'm not sure Daddy was very proud.)

We went to dinner, and at his request, we went for Mexican. He's knew exactly what he wanted to order when the waiter came, "puff, rice, cheese, no beans."

After dinner, we came home and had cake and opened presents with Nana, Paw, and NeeNee.

Barrett LOVED us singing to him and blowing out the candles.

We ended up singing twice and relighting the candles four times. He would have done that all night if we would have let him. He'll be thrilled on Saturday at his party that he gets to do it all over again.

He got lots of cool presents. He especially liked the "letter C" pillow (that's what he called it) from Papa and Mary, the counting books from Gigi and Jim, and the V-Smile Baby from Nana and Paw.






Even though he loved them all, he definitely has a favorite. He was so excited when he pulled out his new "Big Peanut". (Both of his Peanuts are now sleeping with him.)




All day long he talked about being two. There were so many great things he said today, but my favorite was what he said when I asked, "How many years old are you now?"

He answered, "Two old."

I think I'll say, "too old," on my next birthday too.

Something's Wrong

Tomorrow, Barrett will be two years old and Fisher will be 6 months old.

That being said, what's wrong with this picture.

Here are a couple close ups of the issue.

Barrett still loves his bottle.

Fisher has discovered he likes the sippy cup.

At least one of my kids wants to use a sippy cup, right? I don't have to tell people it's the younger one. :)

He's Such a Man

After Barrett's bath, he likes for me to dry his hair with the hairdryer.

Lately, he's wanted his hair to "stick high". As I laughed at him, he told me to "take a picture". (I guess he's used to hearing me say that!)

After I took this picture of his hair, he started to laugh at himself in the mirror. He was talking about his hair being funny, but then he said, "Barrett is so cute. I kiss Barrett."

I'm sure he got this one from Doug.

It won't be long before he'll be flexing his muscles too...

The Gift

There are so many things parents hope their children inherit from various family members.

On most days, Barrett is his daddy in so many ways, and I love it. Although, I used to wonder what he was going to get from me.

Now I know.

I gave him one of my gifts, but I'm not sure it's my best quality.

He, without a doubt, has the gift of gab.

He talks ALL the time, and he wants everyone to listen to him ALL the time.

There are so many funny and sweet things he says. I keep meaning to write them down, but life just hasn't let me sit down to type lately. SO, here is a brief list of some of my recent favorites.

He crawled into bed with me the other night after being with Daddy all evening and said, "I missed you."

Every now and then out of nowhere he'll say, "I love you." (Granted, he also says it to the tv, his farm animals, the couch, grapes, etc.)

As I was getting ready the other morning, he ran into the bathroom and said, "You pretty."

When we are in traffic, he says, "We stuck twassic, geez!"

"That's my fave-root" He says this when you ask him which show he wants to watch. He follows up his selection by letting me know it is his favorite.

He called NeeNee with help from me on the speakerphone. When she answered, he said, "NeeNee come play my house?" NeeNee asked who it was, and he replied, "Bear-Wit, you come play my house now?" She said ok and came over.

"Be patient Mommy." No need to explain. Thanks Daddy for teaching him that one!

Two of my favorites have been caught on film.

The first one is what he says when I say I need to go change Fisher's poopy diaper, and yes, he's serious.




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This video is what he says when you try to talk to him or get him to do something when he has a different agenda. Once he found the fish, he was willing to talk.




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I know there are so many I am forgetting, but those are my favorites.

Isher, Come Here!

Here is a crawling lesson that Barrett was giving Fisher, aka Isher, a few weeks ago. Fisher is already a much better crawler than he was here, but I don't have that on video yet.



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We're Going Backwards

Just when things were getting easier, Fisher decided to digress.

If it was the crawling suddenly stopped, I'd really be ok with that, and his brother would be thrilled! (Barrett is not too happy about Fisher getting to his toys.)

Unfortunately, the slip in progress has to do with sleeping.

Fisher WAS sleeping through the night and occasionally getting up once.

Now, he's up two or three or FOUR times a night.

Ugh.

So, I'm too tired to post much. I need to rest while I can because I am sure my little mover will be up from his short nap soon. Hopefully, I'll get around to updating more soon.

Poop

I went on a retreat this past weekend, and when I talked to Doug to check in, he informed me that both boys had diarrhea ALL weekend.

I'm not going to lie. Even though I felt bad for the boys, I laughed. It might be mean, but I thought it was funny that Doug was stuck here with the boys pooping and he couldn't dump them on someone else to watch them.

What is NOT funny is that Fisher is still pooping nonstop. He's acting fine. He eats, sleeps, and plays like always, but the diapers are disgusting!

So, I have no real updates from this week unless I was to describe some of the lovely poop incidents we've had around here, but I will spare you the details.

We are headed to Austin this weekend for a wedding, so hopefully, the poop stops by then.

I am sure I'll have stories to write after this weekend. After all, our last hotel experience with the boys was not to pleasant.

Froggy Footage

I've been trying to get Fisher's "crawling" on video, but he just hasn't cooperated until yesterday. It's a short clip, but you'll see why Gran Gran calls him the Frog.


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In other Fisher news, Fisher's second tooth arrived Tuesday for Gran Gran's actual 80th birthday!