Fall FUN!!

One of the BEST parts about living in Northeast Tennessee is the beautiful Fall season. The colors are in full bloom, the weather is just perfect, and there are so many wonderful activities to enjoy. This year has been particularly special in the fact that we get to share them with Barrett. It is so much fun to watch him explore and discover new things. I know that the best part of this is yet to come with many exciting years ahead!

We have tried to participate in as many fun activities as we can to get the full "Fall Experience" here with our little guy. In addition to sharing the fun with Barrett, we are blessed to have a wonderful group of friends to share life with as well. On any given weekend, you can find us together, cooking out, talking about babies (or surgery) and just sharing the days together. It would not be the same without this wonderful crew.

A few weeks ago, we decided to take all of the kids to Fender's Farm, a local pumpkin patch. Allyson, our wonderful creative friend, made T-shirts for all of the kids to wear. I must say - they were the most precious pumpkins at the patch!!

We had a wonderful time and can't wait to do it all again next year!

Our little serious man studying the pumpkins

With sweet Zachary



How Tall This Fall? - Can't wait to see how tall he is next year!! 

The sweet girlies

Loving on the goat

Feeding goats with Maddie

Snacks with Uncle Doug

The whole gang taking a rest

Family shot - can't wait until next year!!

Abbey and Avery come to Tennessee!!

Last weekend (okay, three weekends ago) brought all kinds of excitement that we have looked forward to for weeks! My wonderful friend Abbey and her sweet baby Avery came to visit. This was Abbey's first visit to Tennessee and Avery's first plane ride. It is such a tough job to fly with a little one alone, so we are so grateful that they took time out of their schedule to come and see us.

Abbey and I were college roommates at OSU and quickly became the best of friends. I would say she is more like a sister than just a normal friend. I always appreciate her wisdom and unconditional love. Abbey has taught me so much in life and has been a true friend through all of life's ups and downs. It is always fun to catch up with friends, but a true delight to have a visit from "our" Abbey. So Ab and Avery - THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for coming to visit.

Four days just seems to pass entirely too quickly - especially when you have little ones in the house! We tried to cram in as many fun activities as we could over the weekend and enjoyed our long chats in the evening once the littles fell asleep. We didn't accomplish as much as I had hoped, so that just means you guys will have to COME BACK SOON!!

Friday night we decided to go and visit the Apple Festival in Erwin. It was a much more exciting event on paper than in reality, so we made our way through the booths and found a few things for the little girls.

Saturday, Abbey and I loaded up the babies and set off to see the Biltmore in Asheville. This is the Vanderbilt family home and an absolute must to see when you visit this part of the country. Unfortunately, this was one of the most crowded days of the year and everyone else decided that it was a great day to visit this beautiful site as well. We had never been with babies and were quite the sight with two babies in strollers and just the two of us to haul things up and down the stairs in the midst of those crowds!

Barrett loving on Auntie Abbey and Avery

Brave souls we were!!

Loving on sweet baby Avery



Baby brag pic



We did get a few great pictures, which of course was the most important part!

After visiting the Biltmore, I had to take the girls and show them off to our Tennessee friends. We had a quick dinner date with the Moss and McDonald families before heading home to get ready for bed.

Sunday, we had to take Abbey and Avery back to the airport and say goodbye. This is always the worst part of the trip for me. I am so much better about holding back the tears, but it is still tough for me to put my loved ones back on a plane and say "see 'ya next time." We had such a wonderful visit with Abbey and Avery and look forward to seeing them all again as soon as we can!

Eleven Months

Can it be true? Has it really been eleven months? In some ways, I feel like the year has quickly passed us by, but in others feel like you have been a part of our family forever. Sweet boy, every day is a joy and an adventure with you in our lives!! Here is what you have been up to lately.

- You wear a size 12 months in most of your clothes and can still fit in some of the larger 6-12 month outfits and wear a size 4 shoe (although you would rather pull them off to play!) and a size 3 diaper
- Sleeping has been your latest great accomplishment!! You sleep from 7:30-8:30 p.m. to around 5:30 a.m., but we don't get you out of bed until 6:00. You are doing so well sweet boy!
- Naptime is still pretty tough for you, because you are so curious about everything else and refuse to miss something. You sometimes catch a 30 minute morning nap and anywhere from 30 minute to 1 hour nap in the afternoon.
- You have six teeth - four on the top and two on the bottom
- You are still nursing about four times a day and eating lots of solid foods with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack
- Some of your favorite foods are spaghetti, oatmeal, pears, peaches, cereal bars, GRAHAM CRACKERS, peas and yogurt
- We have started to give you some vanilla soymilk and you LOVE it!!
- You are the most active, little social bug and LOVE to be around people and chat with them. Strangers are not really strangers to you, as you make friends very quickly and easily. You really enjoy reaching out for people and waving hi - especially to little kids who are your size and older.
- Some of your new "tricks" are the Itsy Bitsy Spider song, saying "no", and holding on to our hands to try and "walk" everywhere
- You can wave hi and bye-bye, point, and say all kinds of things - Mama, Dada, Dog, Uh-Oh, No, and several other words that we don't yet understand.
- You definitely make it a point to let your thoughts be known with a shout and a "Da!"
- Reading books is still one of your favorite activities. Llama, Llama Red Pajama is one of your favorites this month, as well as any book with animals.

It has been so much fun to watch you blossom and grow this month! You are such a wonderful blessing to us and to others around you. We are so thankful that God has entrusted us with you and pray each day that you will fulfill the plans that He has for you. Happy 11 months sweet Barrett. Your Daddy and I love you SO much!!

Ten Months

Can it be that you are just two short months away from being one year old? I think each month passes by just a little more quickly than the last. You are growing and changing right before our very eyes - sometimes so fast that I can hardly keep up! Each month I try to remember your milestones and the things that you are doing, but they seem to just happen overnight and without much warning, leaving me wondering when exactly you started this activity or doing that.

These have been the very BEST ten months of our lives! We are just trying to soak in each moment with you - the laughs, snuggles, and even the little baby tears, because I know they will not last too long. So, our sweet busy boy, we love you more than words can express!! Here are a few milestones and memories from this month:



- You are wearing 9 month clothes and gradually moving into your 12 month sizes and your Fall wardrobe
- You wear a size 3 diaper and a size 4 shoe (although you much prefer to be barefoot)
- You are nursing five times a day and eating solid foods and baby food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a few snacks in between.
- Some of your favorite foods are graham crackers, green peas, string cheese, and spaghetti! You also love cereal bars, fresh peaches, plums, and pluots (I picked them up on sale and you LOVED them, who knew?)
- You now have SIX teeth!! Two on the bottom and four on the top. I have tried to pinpoint exactly when they came in, but the top four seemed to arrive all at once, with the exception of the last one, so we'll just say that you got all four top teeth in August, okay?
- Perhaps the BIGGEST deveopment of the month is your sleep habits and we are SO proud!! You have worked so hard at sleeping "like a big boy" this month and we are so proud of your progress. Thanks to my friend Katy at work, we found out about The Sleep Lady - and she has worked WONDERS for all of us.
- You go to bed around 7:30 - 8:00 and sleep until 6:00 a.m. YEAH Barrett!! You are even working hard at falling asleep on your own after our bedtime routine of a bath, stories, and songs. Way to go!!
- Your very favorite activity is reading books. Barnyard Dance is your absolute favorite, along with The Going to Bed Book, One, Two, Three, and any book with soft animals to touch. Miss Carol also told us that you love the Ten Little Ladybugs book, so it looks like that one will have to be on my list to get you next!!
- Your favorite toys this month are your singing stage (you love to dance to the music), anything that rattles when you shake it ("shakea shakeas"), and really any other toys that seem to be in your path
- One of the funniest things that you do is "driving" your toys across the floor. Whether it be a lotion bottle, a piece of paper, or a car, you really enjoy "driving" all over the house
- You are absolutely a little explorer, finding all sorts of things that we hadn't yet discovered...
- Some new words this month are "uh-oh", "dog", "dada", and "bye-bye"
- You are waving hi and bye-bye, and clapping your hands to songs, pattycake, and yeah, and you can also play peekaboo!! So cute!!
- You are still crawling everywhere and pulling up cruising everywhere. No walking yet, but it won't be long!
- Another one of your favorite activities is standing at the back door playing with Doc and Daisy - we love it!
- One of your other cute little "Barrettisms" is laying on soft blankets and saying "awww"

We have really enjoyed watching you grow into such a sweet little boy!!!

Sweet September

My intention is always to do a weekly post, but I guess a monthly recap will just have to do! We have had a wonderful September and are enjoying the beginning of the beautiful Fall weather. One of the most wonderful parts of living in the mountains is the change of seasons. We didn't necessarily experience those things in the Texas and Oklahoma heat, but here, we are able to see the change of the colors and enjoy the cool Fall air!

We kicked off Labor Day weekend with a cookout with some of our new friends. The food was fantastic and the company was even better. All of us enjoyed spending time together - especially the little ones! It is so sweet watching their little personalities and friendships develop.

September is also one of our favorite times of year - FOOTBALL SEASON!! We look forward to Saturday mornings spent watching College GameDay on ESPN, followed by a few errands and then a trip back home to see our favorite games of the day. It is only fair that we dress Barrett in both colors - with the preferred color of the day being, ahem, ORANGE!! :)

We didn't experience too many big events this month, just enjoyed being together. Hope you enjoy our little family update. There should be all kinds of October fun to report - Happy Fall Y'all!

Sweet little sleepy head

First visit to Chick-fil-A - YUM!!! Don't worry, he ate some peas too...

Loving on his dogs

You see, Zachary, it's like this...

Long afternoon of playing 

 

My handsome boys

Sweet girlies

Just the crew

I am so tired, but I just want to play with this one last thing





Practicing his Heisman moves in his ORANGE on Game Day!

Little mover and shaker

Reading stories with Dad

Hello??

Phone's for you Mom, think it's Aunt Nance

Love this guy

Just thought he was TOO adorable in this outfit with his big boy shoes

Loving on the baby in the mirror

Such a funny guy!

YUMMMM - Lunch!! (Bathtime shortly followed)



Sweet Daddy 

August Adventures

I know it is September already, but I must do an August post to sum up our exciting (or not so exciting) adventures from the month!! Time really does pass too quickly and I have to be very careful so that it doesn't slip away from me completely. Here are a few fun pictures from our August Adventures.

Our sweet friend and neighbor Maddie turned two and had a wonderful birthday party with all of our little friends!

Zachary and Barrett had a great time clapping together

Ellie, Barrett, and Zach swimming

Just the boys

Loving on Beth's dog Abbey

Puppy kisses are the best!

Everyone loves crunchies

The crunchie crew - They are so cute and always flock to anyone holding the can of crunchies!!

Maddie and Barrett just saying hi

We also said goodbye (for now) to our friend Hannah who is moving to Boston for a year. We had a great party and got to spend some wonderful time with our friends to wish Hannah well!

Maddie eats her crunchies with a fork

Hey guys! 

I only wish I knew what they were discussing...

Sure is funny!



Let's hug it out!!

We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends to share life with!!

Nine Months!



Sweet Barrett - How can it be that you are NINE months old already? It seems like only yesterday that you first arrived, but it also seems like you have been with us forever. You are the sweetest, happiest baby and so full of life!! We have had so much fun getting to know you better and learning all about your little personality. With each passing month, it seems that you are growing by leaps and bounds and we just have more fun with you all the time. We are all learning to balance the daily duties of life - work, daycare, and family time - and get better with each passing month. Your daddy and I love the time that the three of us can spend together and just cherish each precious moment with you.

You are definitely a baby on the move!! From the time you wake up in the morning until bedtime, you are moving around almost everywhere that you want to go. We have to watch you pretty closely because you like to pick up little bits of anything you find on the floor - fuzz, crumbs, or other miscellaneous items - and try to discover what they are by putting them in your mouth. They have nicknamed you "Hoover" at daycare because of your ability to find the smallest things! We like to think that those are your budding surgical skills. :)

We have also found that you are quite the charmer. Those big blue eyes and your big smile seem to captivate friends and strangers alike. You are waving now, and make friends almost everywhere we go. All of the teachers at daycare (even the ones in the older classrooms) know your name and just love you! We think you are pretty special, but it is wonderful to know that you are so loved.

This has been such a fun month and we know it will just keep getting better!!! We love you sweet Barrett and are so blessed to watch you change and grow.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Here are a few other tidbits just for our memory:

- You are wearing 6-9 month clothes and almost ready to transition to the next size! You wear a size 3 diaper.
- Crawling and pulling up to standing are both skills you have perfected this month.
- You are also cruising around the house by holding on to the couch or different tables and getting a little too brave! Sometimes you forget that you need to hold on and let go - I guess this is practice for really walking.
- Your "words" for this month are "dadadada" "mamamama" and "babababa" - you are "talking" up a storm and we wish that we could translate what you are saying!
- Grammy taught you to say Uh-Oh while she was here and it is so funny to hear you say it!
- Sleeping has been SOoooo much better! You are waking up either once or twice a night - usually 3 or 4 a.m. and then sleeping again until almost 7 a.m. We are almost there!!
- Naptime is also MUCH better - you take a short morning nap (30 minutes) and then a longer afternoon nap (1-2 hours) We are getting there little champ!!
- You also LOVE to eat. We have had many new foods this month - cereal bar, noodles, Menchie's (your fave), cheese, whole green beans, and bread - you are still nursing between 5 -7 times daily and eat some pureed baby food in between, but crunchies and puffs are definitely your favorite. I call you my little puff monster!
- People and people watching are some of your favorite activities. You do just LOVE your Daddy!! You have also become a little more attached to Mommy and get a little sad when I leave you at daycare. (It makes me so sad to leave you, but I know that you love your friends and your teachers too)
- The mornings with you are just so sweet. You are pretty happy when you wake up and a very snuggly little guy. You give away sweet kisses in the morning right after you wake up. I love it!!
- Playtime is just so much fun! You love playing with all of your toys, and your favorites this month are your racecar, your new singing stage, the stacking cups, Maddie's mailbox and kitchen, the little singing books - but most of all BOOKS!! We are so glad that you love reading with us. The Sandra Boynton books are your very favorite - especially Barnyard Dance!
- Your nicknames are BB, Little Dude, Mister Man, Little Handsome and many others
- Happy Nine Months Barrett - We Love you!!