The Klar Family

Buttercup's Birthday

2012-02-01T14:13:00.001-06:00

Charlotte is one year old!

Big laugh from the birthday girl!

Ahh ~ it is so hard to believe that our baby girl is already growing up. I think I will continue to call her "baby Charlotte" though. I'm her mom, so I'm entitled to those kinds of executive decisions, right? I hope so.

Charlotte's monogram on our front door for the party.
The pink organza bow is the one we used when she came home from the hospital!

I had so much fun planning her frilly party. I wanted it to be as girly and sweet as her little personality, starting with the invitations and printables designed by Lauren Haddox. I love her ideas!!

Pretty invitation and enclosure card

Lauren's printable drink bottle wrappers

"Fancy" food, one-year-old style: chicken popovers, PBJ pinwheels, white chocolate covered cherries, cake dip, and white chocolate covered oreo pops sprinkled with pearls~

We decided to have a cupcake table to let the kiddos decorate their own cupcake. I just set up un-iced cupcakes, and had several cans of squirt icing and lots of sprinkles and cupcake toppers~

Thankfully, the weather cooperated so we could have the cupcake table outside! Otherwise, I'd probably be vaccuuming sprinkles from in between the cracks of the hardwoods until Christmas. :) The good weather also allowed us to have have the inflatable jumpy, bubble station, and sidewalk chalk fun.

Who knew that Charlotte's January birthday party would have more comfortable weather than Barrett's steamy late September birthday??

Finally, time for cake!!

~Birthday girl high chair~

Tiny smash cake

"Big" cake, for the adults
I'd been practicing buttercream roses so I could make a cake that was completely covered with them.
The more icing, the better, right??

We decided to take off her silk dress so she could enjoy the cake. But, she still wore her pearls :)

And last, but not least -- the party favors!
Can you spy the colorful bags hanging on either side of the windows?

Monogrammed tote bags with ribbon trim for the kiddos! Perfect size to carry a lunch, use at the nursery drop-off, or just carry treasures :)

Cute printable favor tags designed by Lauren!

It was a wonderful day! Thank you to all our family and friends who made Charlotte's birthday so special!
We love you, Charlotte!
Happy Birthday ~ ~ ~

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T20:16:00.001-06:00

Can you believe she will be one in just a few itty bitty days??

It Must be Hereditary

2012-01-23T07:30:00.000-06:00

Guess where Charlotte loves to play?
In mama's jewlery!

And guess WHAT she loves to play with when she's getting into my jewelry??

PEARLS!
It's just too much -- I love it!
And I would never joke about something as serious as pearls~ I swear, every time she gets the chance, she opens up the doors to the jewelry armoire and goes straight for the pearls. Her favorite is a strand of pearl Mardi Gras beads from a few years back, but she still has time to develop a preference for the good stuff :)

"I wonder what is in this drawer??"

I know I should discourage her from getting into things like this, but part of me is just so *proud* of her budding taste that I hate to stifle her sense of style ~ ~ ~

DIY: Mercury Glass

2012-01-22T14:43:00.001-06:00

I really like the vintage look of mercury glass.

It seems formal but with an aged/rustic twist.
When I saw an online tutorial for making your own mercury glass, I was already mentally rounding up clear glass vases to glamorize.

I've been looking for a way to add style to our mantle. When we remodeled our house, we painted the brick fireplace, mantle, and bookcase a milky ivory. I like how this brightened up the room, but it made our glass duplicate vases disappear. Literally.

I wanted to keep the vases on the mantle because (1) they are from our wedding; and (2) I like the tall height. The mercury glass treatment seemed perfect, and it would complement the mercury glass lamps we already have in the living room.

small seating area with mercury glass lamp

Before I did the big vases, I practiced on an extra florist vase. This helped me fiddle around with it until I got the technique and color I wanted.

The practice vase is on the left; a "real" mercury glass lamp is on the right

And here's how the duplicate vases turned out!

BEFORE ~ ~ ~

AFTER ~ ~ ~

I think it is a huge improvement -- the vases stand out and I'm proud of them :)
If you want to give it a try, I used this tutorial. The secret is spraying the painted surface with a vinegar/water mixture and rubbing off bits of the paint to achieve the aged look.

Cover Girl

2012-01-20T06:42:00.000-06:00

Jenny from Seamingly Smitten invited Charlotte to be a model for her children's designs~~

What a pretty little buttercup!

Jenny arranged for a professional photographer to take pictures of Charlotte in adorable Seamingly Smitten outfits, along with several other children.

It was so much fun!

For some reason, Charlotte decided to stick her tongue out halfway through the shoot.

From this point on, she thought it was so funny to stick out her little tongue in every picture.

Stay tuned on Jenny's blog to watch for her new sewing patterns, and keep your eyes peeled for baby Charlotte!

DIY: Fishscale Panels

2012-01-19T13:37:00.000-06:00

I love shiny things.

I'm always up for any excuse to add a touch of glamour.

When I saw these textured panels, I knew they were for me. Here's how to make your very own fishscale panels~~
Gather your materials:
:: 2" punch (or a circle template, scissors, and a lot of patience)
:: posterboard
:: cardboard, cut to your preferred panel size
:: staples
:: trim or a picture frame without the glass

Use a 2" punch to punch out about a million circles. I used old paint chips and posterboard. I liked mixing the different finish of the paint chips and shiny/matte sides of the poster board to add subtle texture to the finished panel.

If you want to get technical, you can measure out your cardboard panel and mathematically figure out exactly how many circles you'll need. There's probably a fancy formula you can use, but I'm not a math wiz. I just laid out two rows worth of circles, took the measurements, and then multiplied by the total size of my cardboard.

After your circles are ready, draw straight lines on your cardboard to keep you on track when you begin to attach the fishscales.

Next, individually staple the circles onto your cardboard in rows. Every other row should be offset, so that you have a fishscale pattern (this means that you will have half a circle hanging off the edge of your cardboard on the offset rows).

Keep stapling...keep stapling...if you used different textured materials to punch out your circles, you may want to randomly distribute them throughout so you don't end up with a bunch of the same kind clumped together. Unless that's the look you're going after -- totally up to you!

Now that your fishscales are all in place, time to spray paint!
I used mostly metallic gold, with a little matte gold and bronze that I had on hand.

Finally, staple your cardboard to the back of your frame. You could use a pre-made open back frame or you could make your own from trim that you purchase by the foot at Lowes or Home Depot. We were in the middle of replacing door trim, so I just got Kristopher to make me some frames out of the old trim.

I used a metallic oil rubbed bronze paint on the frames, but I'm thinking about doing something lighter instead. Pewter/gold mix? Not sure yet.

I love how you can see them shimmer anytime you walk past the foyer

The best part of this project is that you can personalize it to your own taste -- use larger circles, bright colors, or any mix of textures that suits you. Good luck!

Where Have You Been All My Life?

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

I'd heard the hype, but couldn't understand.

An online pinboard? I've already got my very own real life memo board, thankyouverymuch, and why do I care what other people put on their "pinboards??"

What's the big deal??

Well...It's only the best thing ever!! It is an online database of images of all things pretty (interior design, free printables, clothes and accessories) that link to articles and tutorials (fun things to do with your kids, endless recipes, 101 valentine ideas, organizational tips, how to put your hair in an "effortless" bun).

And then there's all the crafty ideas.
I'm afraid I'm transitioning for naptime-crafter over to the dark side. They know me at Hobby Lobby. I can't stop coming up with new projects. I might need a Pin-tervention.

In the meantime, brace yourself for a bunch of do-it-yourself posts of the projects I found on Pinterest. Bet you can't resist joining...

Oh Toodles!

2012-01-18T11:20:00.000-06:00

Aside from all puppy-related Disney moves (Fox and the Hound, 101 Dalmatians, and Lady and the Tramp), Barrett's favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

I think it is a pretty cute show, plus they teach good lessons like colors, shapes, counting, and being nice to your friends. And, I'm just relieved to have a break from Blue's Clues.

Sorry, Steve...it's been a good run, but I can only hear The Mail Song so many times before my head explodes.

Anyway, the premise of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is to interact with the preschool viewer to encourage problem solving. Every episode, the Clubhouse friends have 3-4 different tools to help them along the way. When they get in a pickle, they can summon the tools by exclaiming "Oh Toodles!"

Apparently, Barrett was paying close attention.
Now, anytime he doesn't get his way, he calls for Toodles to come rescue him.

For example:
1. At the grocery store
{Trying to put Barrett into the shopping cart, when he would rather run around the parking lot and generally play in traffic}
Me: (persuading) C'mon Barrett. Time to sit in the shopping cart like a big boy.
Barrett: No, mama! Down! Please, mama?? Down!
Me: Sorry, buddy. You have to sit in the cart while we get groceries.
(gently force him into cart...)
Barrett: (struggling against me) No, mama! Down!! Oh, Toodles!! OH, TOODLES!!
{lots of stares from fellow grocery patrons, to which I am now accustomed, and thankfully immune}

Our wonderful pediatrician

2. At dinner time
Me: Alright, Barrett. Time for supper!
Barrett: Fruit snacks!!
Me: No, not time for snacks. Eat your pork and veggies. It's delicious!
Barrett: (negotiating) How about...fruit snacks? Snack bar? Special juice?? (that's what he calls Capri Sun)
Me: Sorry, buddy. You've got to eat your dinner.
Barrett: No! Fruit! Oh, Toodles!!!

Wheeeeee!

3. During play time
Me: (discovering inevitable shenanigans) No, Barrett!! No, sir!!! You can't stand on the furniture/climb in the dishwasher/pull your sister around by her arms!!
Barrett: (instantly freezes, considers his options, and runs in the opposite direction yelling...you guessed it...) OH, TOODLES!!!

Seriously, Barrett, what is Toodles going to do to save you? Do you think Toodles is going to let you sit in the dishwasher? Because I don't think Mickey would tolerate that kind of foolish behavior. He's always getting onto Donald for being a bad sport too, so you probably won't get very far with him if you keep up the bad attitude.

Part of me is concerned that Toodles is teaching him to rely on a quick fix to an undesirable situation, but the other part of me thinks it is so funny, I just can't help but laugh~

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T07:30:00.002-06:00

From My Front Porch Looking In

2012-01-05T16:01:00.000-06:00

When Hollywood comes knocking, do you answer the door??
In my case, apparently not.
You can't say I didn't learn my lesson from Officer McToughGuy about answering the door for strangers.
Let me back up a little...a few weeks before Christmas, a location scout knocked on our door and said that the director of a Fox TV show wanted to use our house to shoot an episode. And was it ok if he came inside to take pictures of the interior to email to the director?
Doesn't this sound like a set up??
Like maybe he wants to "case the joint" by taking pictures of all our stuff and then coming back later to rob us?? We live in a safe neighborhood with video cameras, but still....sounds suspicious.
Well, I'm nobody's fool (okay, fine, maybe I'm a few people's fool, but not this guy's) so I politely declined and he left his card in case I changed my mind.
I'd heard that the show taped at a neighbor's house a few weeks ago, so I looked her up in my handy directory and she gave me the whole scoop -- the guy was legit, the crew was nice, no one messed up her house during filming, and they paid her handsomly. Plus, it was fun to be caught up in the movie business!

Cell phone pic taken from my car of all the movie people on our street

I checked with Kristopher to see what he thought and then called the guy back so he could come take the pictures he needed. A few hours later, a big Mercedes bus pulled up in front of our house and about a dozen directors and producers got out to tour our house. (So cool!!)
They ended up picking our house for a short shot in the foyer, front porch, and front yard.

Because they shot at night, they set up a big light screen and had a spotlight on a crane tosimulate moonlight.
I was amazed how much trouble goes into such a quick scene!

The only inconvenience was that they had to move our Christmas tree from one corner of the living room to another so it wouldn't be in the shot. There were no ornament casualties, but our tree died of dehydration because we didn't water it for a few days before they moved it to minimize splashing. Oops. After the shoot, they offered to pay to have a cleaning service come clean the house.

"Well, if you insist, I suppose I could let someone else clean my house and let someone else pay for it...."

This is Domenick Lombardozzi, one of the stars in the shoot. He plays a US Marshall.

This is Serinda Swan, another star from the show. She was really nice and shy.
We didn't get a picture with her, but Kristopher conveniently had her headshot saved on his phone. Um hmm.

So, long story short, our foyer and front porch will be famous!! Watch Breakout Kings this spring on Fox to see our house for about 90 seconds. Thrilling, huh? It was a fun experience.

All Aboard!!

2012-01-03T20:39:00.003-06:00

Finally, a post about Barrett's card table playhouse!

My friend Kelly sent me a really cute blog post a while back, suggesting I make a playhouse for the kiddos. Although I loved the idea, I was totally intimidated by the project. But, a seed was planted.
Then, at Thanksgiving, Barrett got to experience a card table fort in person when we were at Kristopher's aunt and uncle's house. Aunt Connie, master sewer extraordinaire (runs in his family...), whipped up a fort for her grandsons out of adorable soft purple fleece, complete with doors and windows. Barrett loved it and spent most of Thanksgiving afternoon playing with his cousins' toys in the fort :)

Forts are a great place to eat animal crackers.

Again, I was appreciative of the cute-factor, but still intimidated... my hesitation started to wear thin when I saw how much Barrett loved it AND when I realized that we could double-purpose the top of the card table fort as a surface for a train set instead of buying a separate train table. So, the idea for the train-depot theme was born and I went to Hancock's the next day to buy a bunch of felt.

Here's the front door with a ruffly striped awning, front porch light, flower pot, working mail slot, ticket box with 4 admission tickets, and of course, Sassy. She's the train depot mascot and co-engineer.

The admission tickets are stuffed with poly-fil to make them puffy. I cut the edges with pinking shears to replicate the perforated edges of real admission tickets.

I was encouraged by the fact that felt doesn't fray, so you don't have to hem all the edges. HUGE plus!! But, I underestimated the time it would take to figure out my strategy, freehand pattern pieces and cut out the train cars, wheels, apple trees, clouds, bluebird, etc. I'm still a new sewer, so a more advanced person probably wouldn't have any trouble. I took pictures along the way and considered doing a tutorial on how to make your own, but there are so many steps and I didn't know if anyone would even be interested! Mostly because I just made it up as I went along. Apparently, that's how I roll.

Here's the train engine. The apples velcro onto the tree so Barrett can "pick" them.

I'll be honest, it took me a lot longer than I expected -- a majority of my "nap time" from Thanksgiving to Christmas (NO, not my nap time, smart aleck, -- the small sliver of time I have to myself when both kids nap simultaneously.)
Anyway, I'm really proud of how it turned out, even though there are tons of imperfections.

This is the cargo car, with three pockets to hold stuffed animals, passengers, or other cargo. And another apple tree (which ended up on the wrong side of this panel -- I wanted the tree to meet up so it would wrap around the corner like one big tree. Shoot.)

No girls allowed! Barrett decided Charlotte's doll couldn't ride with the cow and teddy bear. It worked out though, she got to hang out inside the fort with Charlotte. :)

The hard work was worth it. Barrett loves his fort and I think he'll get lots of use out of it for years to come. Or at least, I hope so!

Last, but not least, here's the red caboose with a bluebird!! Inexplicably, Barrett's favorite way to enter and exit the fort is through these caboose windows. I'll definitely need to reinforce those soon.

Discovering his playhouse for the first time on Christmas morning

His favorite part is the train set from Santa, which I'll try not to take personally! Choo choo!!

Big Wheels Keep on Turning

2011-12-20T07:30:00.000-06:00

Look who's riding big brother's tricycle!

So proud!

Does this mean she's not a baby anymore??

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

2011-12-19T15:19:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned earlier, I couldn't get it together for a special Christmas card picture, so we ended up using one from the beach.

I LOVE this picture of the kids and the phrase "oh what fun" seemed really appropriate because it was such a fun memory AND it is a lyric from Barrett's favorite carol, Jingle Bells (he especially loves to shout "...one horse open sleigh, HEY!"

We had sundaes with Santa at the DZ house~~ the kiddos made Christmas ornaments, met Santa, and ate sundaes (well....just the toppings really; Charlotte ate teddy grahams and Barrett ate gummy bears)

Charlotte sat on Santa's lap and whispered her wish list in his ear (a baby doll)

Barrett was less enthused about standing still for a photo-op, much less sitting on Santa's lap, but I'm pretty sure Santa knows that Barrett wants a train set for Christmas. I don't think he was afraid of Santa, he just had other things to do, like playing with another little boy's matchbox cars. I mentioned to Santa that some of his own matchbox cars might also come in handy.

We made a fun night-time visit to the zoo to see their Christmas lights~ At the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious, it is DARK at the zoo at night, and you really can't see any of the animals. I guess they don't have much need for outside lights since they are normally only open during daylight hours.

Kristopher, the kiddos, and the TRAIN!!! A favorite. Obviously.

It was fun to stroll around and look at all the lights~ they had hot chocolate, reindeer games, and carols. Very festive :)

Reindeer

We even squeezed in a rare date night to the symphony to hear their special Christmas concert~~ This was SUCH a fun date -- there are few things that will get you in the Christmas spirit like hearing an orchestra play Christmas music, new and old. I hope we do this again next year.

All in all, a very merry holiday~

Weekend Fun

2011-12-19T14:33:00.000-06:00

The weather is unseasonably warm for December, don't you think?

Even though I expect warm temperatures in the South, it almost doesn't feel cold enough for Christmas.

BUT, the major upside to the mild weather is that we can still run down to our neighborhood park so Barrett can run off some energy before his afternoon nap and let Charlotte play on the swings.

Wheeeeeeeee!

Monogrammed Christmas Ornaments

2011-12-17T09:43:00.000-06:00

Guess what?? Jenny from Seamingly Smitten asked me to do a tutorial on her blog for her Sew Crafty Christmas feature!! After I recovered from shock, I started thinking about what to post...

Jenny makes the most adorable sewing patterns that are easy enough to whip up during naptime. Remember Charlotte's fur swing coat??

Took about 30m.

It was so easy, I made one in all white too, during the same naptime.
I think she likes it :)
And she wears them all the time!

AND, she just re-worked this pattern for women, so you can make one for yourself too! (Kelly, I'm looking at you....) In fact, her women's ruffled collared cape pattern just hit NUMBER ONE on youcanmakethis.com! Yay Jenny!

Seriously, Jenny has the cutest ideas that are so approachable, even to a beginning sewer. So, what could I possibly do for a blog post? I was worried about looking like a fool with my beginner ideas...

Although I almost did a post about Barrett's train fort (coming soon...), I finally settled on monogrammed Christmas ornaments. Personal and festive, right? And you can use whatever leftover fabric scraps you have on hand.

Extra toile fabric from Charlotte's nursery made the perfect ornament for my Little Miss

Although I kind of stick out like a sore thumb as a newbie among sewing experts, it was still fun and a great way to get my creative juices flowing.

See my post here and be sure to check out her blog and sewing patterns while you're there!

Christmas Card Outakes

2011-12-11T22:34:00.001-06:00

I tried to get a good picture of both kids in their Christmas outfits ~ perfectly timed their full tummies with clean outfits and well-rested dispositions...

But, it just didn't work out.

Barrett thought I was hilarious ...

Charlotte? Not so much. She preferred the gingerbread man ornament I was originally using to distract her.

Don't get me wrong -- I love these pictures!

Just not what I had in mind for our Christmas card.

For the Record

2011-12-11T15:49:00.001-06:00

Whew! So much has been going on lately, that I better get this all out now, because I know I won't remember it all by the time I get around to putting it in the baby books...
Here's what the kiddos have been up to lately~ aside from pulling ornaments off the tree and taking bows off presents:
Charlotte said "Mama!" Warms my heart so much, I can't even tell you. She babbles all the time and even strings together two words occasionally. She also seems to use words in the proper context, like "night night" (aka "ny ny") when we put her down and calling me "mama" and Kristopher "dada." It could just be a coincidence, but I chose to believe this is obvious further evidence of her exceptional-ness :)

She is crawling all over the place -- REAL baby crawling on her knees, not just army crawl -- and especially on carpet, where she can get traction. She can even stand by herself for a few seconds, at least until she notices that you aren't supporting her anymore, at which point she plops back onto her bottom.

She loves shoes. I could insert some kind of budding fashionista joke here, but the thing is, she loves to chew on shoes.
Er...not quite the same.
Specifically, she loves to put the ends of my high heels in her mouth, but she'll take Barrett's tennis shoes or Kristopher's boots if she's in a pinch. Makes my skin crawl just thinking about it. Obviously, I keep the closet door shut when she's in our room so she can't crawl in and have A Big Time, but the real conundrum is that I can't just kick off my shoes in the living room/kitchen/wherever anymore. On another note, She also shows a consistent preference for leopard print. Girl after my own heart :)

Barrett has become a climbing monkey. Although not a unique toddler characteristic, obviously this is problematic. After a few harrowing days of Barrett using the kitchen step stool or the chairs from his wooden table set to climb onto the kitchen counter tops and wreak havoc on my nerves, we decided to relocate said furniture to avoid catastrophe. It is working...for now.

Our friend, Leighton, always pays special attention to Barrett and has now taught him to say goodbye in five languages! Every time she leaves they go through the same drill...
Leighton: Bye Barrett!
Barrett: Bye AyeTon!
Leighton: Au revoir!
Barrett: O-Ree-Vah!
Leighton: Adios!
Barrett: Ah-Dos!
Leighton: Aloha!
Barrett: A-O-Ha!
Leighton: Ciao!
Barrett: Chow!
Leighton: Sayonara!
Barrett: Say ara!
Leighton: Umm...that's all I can think of right now...I'll have a new one next time!

Ever the patriot, Barrett can say the pledge of allegiance. He put his hand over his heart during Saturday morning pancakes and started saying the words. Then, he started singing and clapping his hands. Kristopher and I looked at each other ... "does that sound like the pledge to you?? Where did he learn that? And what's that song at the end??"
Well, a quick glance at his mother's day out schedule reminded me that they say the pledge followed by a "morning song" which turned out to be "This is the Day That the Lord Has Made." I am amazed how much he can learn two mornings a week (and ... maybe .01% hurt that I wasn't there to teach it to him myself, but 99.9% proud that he is becoming more independent and is healthy enough that he can go to a MDO program!) What a big boy!

Fireman in Training

2011-12-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

To Barrett's extreme delight, we stopped by the fire station near my parent's house.

I have fond memories of my dad taking me and my sister to the fire station near my grandparents when we were little. The nice firemen let us ride in the firetruck and even run the siren. Of course, my grandfather was mayor of the small town and the fire chief was my dad's college roommate, but surely all firemen are accommodating and don't mind showing little kids around the fire station with zero notice....right???

Well, my dad WAS right! The local firemen were happy to give Barrett an impromptu tour and even let him try out the new firetruck~

Barrett even received a "Junior Fire Marshall Certificate" and a fire safety coloring book. I'm telling you, the fire department really has their act together!

We will now make it our business to frequent other fire stations back home too.

Now, all he needs is a Dalmatian. Maybe we can paint spots on Sassy...

Milestone Moment: Charlotte's First Tooth

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000-06:00

On November 27, 2011, Charlotte had a major breakthrough -- literally! Her first tooth finally popped through her bottom gum line, like a tiny little pearl.

Sweet buttercup wasn't even notably fussy, aside from having trouble settling into bedtime the night before. I don't want to brag too much because I KNOW that will come back to bite me with future teething, pun intended.

Yes, believe it or not, these are the best pictures I could get of the new tooth. I know you can't really see it...
I'll try to update with better pictures. Santa is bringing me a BIG GIRL "real" camera and I just know I'll be able to take better pictures! Can't wait!

Now she has a whole new spectrum of culinary options ahead of her~

Am I allowed to teeth on my crib??

Here's hoping for the most pain-free teething possible!

Milestone Moment: Charlotte Can Stand

2011-11-30T12:30:00.000-06:00

Imagine my surprise when I went to get Little Miss one morning...

And she was standing up to greet me!!

What?? She looks so BIG standing there like that!

I knew this milestone was just around the corner because she is starting to transition from scooting to crawling and tries to pull up on furniture, my legs, Sassy, you name it. I even caught a peek of her standing in the pack-n-play at my parent's house over the video monitor, but until November 25, 2011, I hadn't seen it in person!

Now, she greets my this way most mornings, and I can't think of a sweeter way to start our day :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T07:30:00.000-06:00

Milestone Moment: Barrett's Second Haircut

2011-11-29T12:30:00.000-06:00

On November 18, 2011, Barrett got his second-ever professional haircut.

Um...mama? Are we sure we want to take hair advice from the man with the ponytail??

Even though the first haircut is usually the major "milestone," this was a big deal too because it had been nearly a YEAR since his first haircut. I'd just been trimming up the ends myself and it was time for another professional cut.

What is he doing to me???

Barrett was VERY apprehensive, but didn't cry at all. Of course, we were armed with fruit snacks and juice, which helped tremendously.

All done!

The cut is a little shorter than I anticipated, but it will grow out soon. What a big boy!!!

Milestone Moment: Snack Cup

2011-11-29T08:30:00.000-06:00

We've had several important milestones lately, so brace yourself for a whole series of Milestone Moment posts to catch up!

Charlotte Can Feed Herself!

Around early November, Charlotte started feeding herself from her snack cup!

This is a life-changing milestone for me too -- now I can bring along pacifying snacks when we are out to run errands, at the doctor's office, in the jogging stroller, on long car trips...you get the drift.

It is SO nice to be able to give her something to occupy her little hands and appetite, even when I can't be holding her. My little lady is growing up!

So proud!

Cargo

2011-11-28T21:05:00.001-06:00

We all know that Barrett is somewhat obsessed with truck and trains. Or, as his sweet teacher says, he's "possessive" with certain trucks in the classroom. We are working to remedy this "possessive" streak and are enforcing a strict sharing policy at home. If Charlotte is playing with something first, Barrett is not allowed to snatch it from her.

In attempt to circumvent our efforts, Barrett has started stockpiling his favorite toys in the back of his dump truck and pushing it around with him. This way, he won't have to share, because the favorite items are safely within his truck, which he keeps at hand at all times.

Usual truck cargo: other trucks, the train puzzle piece from his sound puzzle, the tiger from his zoo, sippy cup, Christmas ornaments, any shoes, the jingle bells that are supposed to hang on the front door handle, etc.

In a new twist, he has also started appropriating items that are NOT within his purview, but that he covets and loves to play with even more than regular toys, probably by sheer virtue of the fact that they are off limits.

For example, in the last two days, I've found: a cordless phone, remote to the bedroom TV, my cell phone, and the baby Jesus from the nativity scene.

I'm really worried that baby Jesus might permanently go missing from the manger and be suspiciously replaced with a handful of goldfish. I don't mean to make a blasphemous joke...that is a pretty realistic scenario. This dawned on me yesterday as I automatically ran to the Tonka truck when I heard the phone ringing.

But still, his favorite cargo, hands down?

Tickle, tickle!

Hold tight, Char-du!!

Editorial sidenote: Barrett habitually calls Charlotte "Char-du" -- I guess as an adaptation of the nickname Kristopher uses - "Charlotte Sue," even though her middle name is Vivienne. I know. None of this makes sense. But what can I say?? I call her Buttercup or Bunny more often than Charlotte so I don't really have room to talk.

You Can Make This: Holiday Appliques

2011-11-28T14:27:00.001-06:00

Make your list, and check it twice!
The holidays are a fun time to make children's appliques. Anyone can do it, even without a sewing machine (although it does help to make you appliques permanent by sewing them down, you could easily use iron-on interfacing for holiday clothes, especially since they will only be worn and washed for about a month).

Fall appliques
Turkey turtleneck and candy corn shirt with matching brown gingham pants

Here's a few of the Christmas outfits I've made for Barrett and Charlotte:

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer with glitter pom-pom noses, to light Santa's path, of course.
Barrett LOVES pointing out the red nose to passersby when he wears this...
Also made this outfit as a holiday gift for two sweet cousins!

Santa Claus is coming to town!
Santa still needs a mouth...I'm thinking solid red felt. His beard is fluffy white minky fur and his hat has a white pom-pom!

And matching Christmas pajamas!

They could also wear the ornament shirts with the red gingham bottoms that go with the Santa turtlenecks.
I'm having so much fun! Although, I think I'm done with the Christmas outfits for this year, at least for my own kiddos. Hopefully, I got my sizing just right and a few of these may even fit next year!! It would be a Christmas miracle...

Thank-full

2011-11-28T13:32:00.001-06:00

When I stop to think about it -- really ponder hard -- I am completely overwhelmed by the blessings that God has placed in our life. Of course, it is important to remember these blessings every day, but in honor of Thanksgiving, I wanted to dedicate an entire post of why I am FULL of thanks.

Look at the baby cousins!
Seven reasons to be thank-full, just right here!

No matter how hectic life can become as a mother of two small children, it is important to consciously cherish each precious moment. I know this is my worn-out refrain, but it is so true and really resonates with our personal family experiences.

Most certainly, my cup runneth over with thankfulness that Barrett's heart is miraculously healed. Without a doubt, I know that God touched his little heart to heal it, and we have felt His comforting presence throughout this journey. God must have very special plans for Barrett and we endeavor to do our very best job in raising him so he can fulfill the potential that God has laid out for him.

And of course, I am endlessly thankful for baby Charlotte too~ Just when I thought I couldn't possibly love another baby the way I love Barrett, God blessed us with our sweet little buttercup, and we discovered a different -- and equally fulfilling -- type of love. I love her smiles, her easy-going attitude, and sweet disposition. I can't wait to see both of these babies grow up, but at the same time, I want to slow down every second of the day so it doesn't pass by too quickly. I am so thank-full for our children.

Although I don't want to make him blush, I really couldn't do a thank-full post without mentioning Kristopher. He is truly my rock, comforter, partner-in-silliness, and best friend. I love him more than I knew I could -- and even knowing this, it surprises me how that love deepens further as the years and life experiences enrich our relationship. I love you.

Last but not least, I think I speak for both of us when I say that we are thank-full for our awesome family and friends. This support system is another huge blessing and source of thanks~~ we have *amazing* people in our lives who are upbeat, fun to be around, supportive, excellent listeners, silly, dependable, unwavering. What more could you ask for??

Kristopher and his brother, in matching Tonka pjs with their trucks.
So appropriate, since they grew up to own a construction company together!!

Me and my sister, Jessica, at a family friend's recent wedding

In fact, this bounteous bevy of benefactors has given me the maturity and courage to let go of relationships that drag me down. Guess what?? Not everyone has to like you. And guess what else?? YOU might choose to remove yourself from a relationship because it is not best for YOU.

Groundbreaking stuff, huh? Sometimes, you just have to cancel your subscription and let it go.
Eliminating poison from your life is important, so that you can focus on the wonderfulness you already have :) Doesn't it seem silly to waste time fretting over toxic people or influences in your life, when you could be spending that time celebrating the positives? I think so. I am thankful for that realization.

Also, I have to admit, that I am thankful the Christmas season is here!! My very favorite time of year~~ everything just seems merry and bright.

Trying to corrale my squirmy boy for a quick picture while we picked out our Christmas tree.
We got the one in the middle behind us -- the fattest one we could find!

I hope everyone had a very thank-full Thanksgiving and is enjoying the kick-off to the holiday season!

Pillow Talk

2011-11-11T07:10:00.001-06:00

I had no idea that it was so easy to make pillows~ it's really just a square and 4 (relatively short) straight seams. What could be easier?? So, here we go!

I had some zebra fabric scraps leftover from recovering chairs, and decided to use them to make a few pillows to jazz up the living room.

Do you spy Little Miss tugging on the tablecloth? The one underneath the mercury glass lamp??
Yes, I learned my lesson about that...

I love zebra print...I know it isn't for everyone, but I can't get enough of this tone-on-tone zebra. I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate more into the living room and I'm considering a zebra area rug in a similar pallatte for the dining room. Go ahead, dare me.

I've also been trying to make pillows to go with the living room valance, but I haven't got those just right yet...I think I'm using the wrong stuffing for silk, because it feels like its full of cotton balls. Not the effect I was going for...

Not quite right. Very lumpy.

I was using a groupon at a local fabric store this week and I happened across a gorgeous satiny rose fabric.

Perfect to make pillow for a certain little lady!

I like it so much, I may have to go back for more...my mom had the genuis idea to save it to incorporate into her big girl bedding whenever she moves out of her crib. I love this idea!! The delicate roses will hopefully soften the horrible blow of her growing up....sniffle.

Matching little pillow for the baby rocker (aka, Barrett's favorite chair in the house)

Meanwhile, did you know my monogramming machine could do this??

just a test monogram on an old towel

Turns out my sewing extraordinaire mother-in-law gave me design software I've been coveting a year and a half ago!! I didn't know what it was!

I think I would have been less surprised if I was slapped in the face with a wet squirrel. I was gobsmacked. Totally. Gobsmacked.

At the time, I thought it was a computer CD with tutorials to teach you more about stabilizer, proper threads to use, etc. I tried to navigate through it but quickly got in over my head. We were also moving and I wasn't spending much time monogramming...apparently, I was a monogramming idiot and just didn't "get it."

But still!!! Can you believe that?? When I discovered what I had, and had been sitting on since 2010, I was so excited I couldn't sleep. Not exaggerating. My head was swimming with project ideas (I will stop gushing here, because I've probably already cemented myself as a sewing nerd, but I can't help it...)

My old guest chair pillows from my office, now on my bed.
I just upzipped the pillow on bottom to take out the down insert and monogrammed the flat sham!

Man!!! I wish I would have figured this out before I did the monograms on the zebra pillows! These are so much prettier, and easier too~ But more importantly, I wish I had understood enough about sewing/monogramming earlier so I could have been utilizing this software sooner...

So, now I'm busy making up for lost time. I've done 13 of the "new" monograms so far. I'd post more pictures, but most of the things I've done so far are gifts, so I don't want to spoil the surprise...
Happy Friday!

Window Dressing

2011-11-09T16:29:00.001-06:00

Window treatments are kind of like an outfit for your windows, no?

Dining room drapery fabric and beaded trim

Well, my windows have been naked since we moved in. Over a year ago. Eek.
Time to get dressed.

Close-up of dining room valance

So, I decided to try to make some window treatments, and it was surprisingly easy. Mostly because I took great pains to find the most fool-proof way to make them. Here's my tips:

Dining room drapes
I could only get decent pictures at nighttime because there was too much glare coming through the windows during the day, but everything looks so dark and you don't get a nice view of the colors. :( oh well.

1. I strategically only picked designs that were based on basic rectangles. This means you only have to sew straight lines.
2. Plan to gather your window treatment along the top of the rod. Gathering is your friend!!! It hides imperfections if your panels don't match up exactly, even though you painstakingly measured them out precisely. Ugh.
3. Use fabric glue to attach the trim. I got this tip from several sewing blogs I happened across when researching the window treatments and it worked like a charm! It holds down the wide band of trim better than a single stitch and your trim doesn't get "handled" as much, which keeps it looking prettier.

Living room valance fabric and trim

Come to think of it, you could probably achieve a similar effect using iron on fusible tape instead of sewing the seams.

Everyone should try it!! It was easy and rewarding.

And who doesn't like a new outfit, right??

Living room valance
(please excuse the exersaucer and truck balloons in the corner!)

For the Record

2011-11-09T11:17:00.000-06:00

Lest I forget to record this in their baby books, here's an update of our latest milestones and everyday happenings:

Charlotte is crawling!! She can push up on her toes into an excellent plank (working on her abs, I guess) and then drops to her little knees, starts to rock back and forth, and then scoot forwards. She still prefers scooting/army crawl as her primary mode of transportation, but she is officially on the move. I hope I'm ready for two mobile babies...I also need to increase my vaccuuming frequency since my precious little buttercup is scraping herself along the floor all day every day.

She can feed herself puffs, cheerios, raisins, beans, and pieces of olives (she likes them too, what are the odds? Clearly, this is hereditary~~) and is beginning to show a definite preference for being spoon-fed baby purees over being bottle fed. I think she knows that she is missing out on grown up food and wants to be a big girl.

Charlotte plays peek-a-boo! It is the sweetest thing. She pulls her dress or bib over her face when I say "Where's Charlotte....?" and jerks it down with a grin when I say "peek-a-boo!" She is such a happy and sweet baby~~

In her faux fur swing coat (more on this later...)

We are working on saying "bye bye" with a wave; she can return a high five most of the time~~

Barrett has liked to count for a while, and now he initiates counting things by himself. For example, he'll count the black beans on his plate, the pumpkins on display, the apples in our grocery cart, or the tractors on the chest of his coveralls.

Delicious goldfish in my wagon

His favorite past time must be announcing and identifying each and every truck or piece of machinery equipment that we encounter while stopped at an intersection, driving on the interstate, in a parking lot, or even small replicas of trucks that we see in stores. I mean, he is a real eagle eye for all things truck. Not much slips past him.

Just woke up and still a little sleepy
Gobble gobble!

Here's a normal conversation in the car:
Barrett: TRUCK!!! There you are! You found me!
Me: That's right Barrett, it's a truck!
Barrett: Truck! You found me! (trying to teach him to say I found YOU instead of the other way around, but he prefers it this way)
Me: (keeping the conversation going) What color is the truck?
Barrett: Yellow...? (he always says yellow first when I ask him a color....that's a mystery)
Me: No, buddy, it's not yellow...What color is the truck?
Barrett: (triumphantly) BLUE!! Blue truck! I found you!

We have this exact conversation at least a dozen times a day, no exaggeration. Usually in relation to trucks, but sometimes to other favorite things/people like Charlotte, bananas, pumpkins (new seasonal favorite), or a special toy.

"Zoo!! You found me!"
A favorite for Barrett...and Charlotte...and just about every friend that comes over to play~
We already added a dolphin to our zoo animal family. But the tiger is his favorite~

How to Tame Your Lion

2011-11-04T09:12:00.000-05:00

For Halloween, Charlotte was a lioness, and Barrett was her lion tamer.

Naturally, he immediately took to this role...

As a sweet bit of history, Kristopher was a lion tamer for a preschool play when he was three. Who would have thought that lion taming runs in the family??

Little Kristopher

I didn't know where to find a toddler lion tamer costume, so I thought I'd try to make one. This is probably the most ambitious sewing project I've taken on so far, mostly because I'm very intimidated by the complicated and precise construction of a tailcoat. If you squint your eyes and turn your head to the side, it could pass as a lion tamer costume....

Black velvet pants
Red velvet jacket
"Whip" made from cardboard and a strip of velvet
Black top hat with red velvet trim and lion

Back of coat -- little tails!!

Barrett loved trick-or-treating and says a pretty solid "trick or treat" when he gets up to the door too~~ Although, it was so much fun for him to run up to the front door with all the other children and see the nice people open the door, that he'd say trick or treat, look around excitedly for a minute, and then run down the sidewalk to the next house, without ever getting candy! Ha! Something tells me that he won't forget that crucial part as he gets a little older...

In reality, Charlotte didn't need much taming. She is a pretty laid back lioness as it is.

Happy Halloween!

Simon Says

2011-11-03T20:16:00.001-05:00

The weekend before Halloween, Barrett had a high fever -- 105.2 -- on a Friday night, of course, after the doctor's office closed. When we couldn't get the temp below 104.7, even with Tylenol, Motrin, and tepid baths, we took the doctor's advice and headed to urgent care.
SIMON SAYS -- GO!
When we get there, Barrett tests negative for strep and flu, thank goodness, and they take blood for a CBC and culture. His fever is down to 100.7 We're told to follow up with the pediatrician in the morning for a Saturday visit and blood test results, no big whoop.
SIMON SAYS -- Stop.
At 10a on Saturday, we see the pediatrician and report that the fever is back around 103-104ish. She indicates that his white blood cell count is really high, so even though he is testing negative for all the regular bugs, she prescribes antibiotics to treat whatever is making his white blood cell count go through the roof.

Playing at the park before lunch on Saturday

Well...
About 4:30p that afternoon, the sweet pediatrician calls us to say that his blood culture grew some wicked bad bacteria called "gram negative rods." We needed to pack our bags and rush to the ER immediately where a doctor was waiting; plan to be admitted for at least 2 days, so he has time to get IV antibiotics and for the doctors to learn what bug is in his blood.
SIMON SAYS -- GO!!
Of course, the frantic ER dash is all too familiar for us and dredges up old memories of heart failure. The nice ER nurses remembered Barrett, again, and took special care of him. We brought one of his favorite tractors to play with in the ER and he was happy as a little clam...at least until they started the IV, which was traumatic.

A blood draw, urine sample (interesting experience for a non-potty trained 2y old...), IV, and a brief six hours into our ER visit, the doctors said that Barrett looked great -- his normal demeanor just didn't match the scary blood culture results. It was true -- incredibly, Barrett remainded happy through the whole experience, aside from an hour or so while he got used to the IV. What a trooper!
Since (1) he looked great -- not gravely ill or like a child with blood poisoning; and (2) he already received the maximim dose via IV and they couldn't give him any more meds that night, they said we could choose to stay or go home.
SIMON SAYS -- Meh. Either way.
After some agonizing, we decided to go on home around midnight, in hopes of getting a little sleep in our own beds. The next morning, we reported to the pediatrician that Barrett still looked great. Maybe the first blood culture was a fluke?? We'd have to wait to see if the second culture produced the same results to know for sure...
In the meantime, as one of the nicest doctors in the world, she arranged to meet us at her CLOSED office, with her nurse too, no less, to give Barrett another rocephin shot, just to make sure he was protected for the next 24h. Apparently, she doesn't play around with gram negative rods.
We make an appointment to see the doctor 9:20a Monday morning.
Around 9a on Monday, the hospital calls to say that Barrett's urine culture grew the same nasty gram negative rods. This means that the first test wasn't a fluke. Eeek.
She says to head to the hospital ASAP and prepare for him to be admitted.
SIMON SAYS -- GO!!!
I tell the hospital lady that we are literally headed out the door to see the pediatrician, whose office is adjacent to the hospital, and was it okay to just go there??
She agreed; off we go to the doctor. Again.
Our doctor looks at the test results and agrees -- on paper, Barrett's condition looks awful and indicates that he should be in the hospital. But in person, he looks like a normal, happy little boy (grin). And, they defer to his physical presentation, even if the tests showed big bad bacteria.
SIMON SAYS -- Stop.
(whew, this is getting exhausting, no?)
Whohoo!! Avoided a hospital stay!
With a 3rd rocephin shot, we were on our way, with promises to call back if his condition changed in any way.
Luckily, his condition didn't worsen. And his latest blood culture had NOT grown gram negative rods after 48h. The culture is officially negative after a week or so, but bad stuff normally grows quickly, so this is a good sign. The rocephin worked!
Is Barrett a strong and brave little boy or what?? He's a survivor! I'm so proud of him and thankful that he is okay~

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-03T15:43:00.000-05:00

Kristopher and I took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch on a beautiful Saturday morning~~~

It was so much fun, but PACKED! I'm glad we went on a Saturday so Kristopher could come too, but man....everyone was there!

Barrett had so much fun that we went with some friends the following Monday when it wasn't so crowded.

Running up the big inflatable hill

And bouncing back down
Wheeeeeeeee!

They have face painting, a petting zoo, games, teepees...

In the teepee with Chief Dada and Indian Runs-With-Juice. How.

Bouncing on the horsey

a hay bale maze, and all kinds of fun activities, in addition to the actual pumpkin patch, of course.

Riding in the stagecoach

I think Barrett's favorite part was the petting zoo (more on that saga later...)

And baby Charlotte was content to take it all in~~

Happy fall y'all!

Can you guess how we made these pumpkins??
hee hee

Wordless Wednesday: Precious Cargo

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Barrett!!

2011-10-25T17:36:00.000-05:00

Beep, beep!

Choo, choo!!

Barrett just turned TWO!

We celebrated with a party themed around two of Barrett's favorite things -- trucks and trains!

Side note: My talented friend, Lauren, created all of the design printables, and she can make some for you too!! In addition to designing invitations and announcements, her party pack includes also door signs, 2" cupcake toppers, 8" cake toppers, favor tags, water bottle wrappers, and more. Check out her etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenloulolly

In a moment of delusion, I decided I wanted to try to make Barrett's cake. A truck seemed too hard, so I decided to try a train.

This was a risky move, considering I've never made a cake like this before and I made it the morning of the party. I ordered 30 cupcakes as emergency back-up....

But the cake was a hit!
I think the kids likes that it had cake AND icing AND candy. Remember that: you can almost always impress kids by adding more sugar. I'm sure their parents appreciated that when the sugar-high set in....sorry about that.

Three train cars, complete with a red caboose carrying pumpkins

Birthday banner and presents from sweet friends and family

The birthday boy was in constant action between the jumpy house, bubble station, and friends

Now time for his favorite part!!! Singing the Birthday Song~~

Happy Birthday, Barrett!! We love you so much!

Before and After: Master Bathroom Remodel

2011-10-25T15:57:00.000-05:00

Remember when I mentioned that we were remodeling our master bathroom?

Walls in the middle of the room, making it feel claustrophobic; ugly blue shower; closed in tub; toilet inexplicably placed in the middle of the room

Well, we finished!

Goodbye, ugly blue shower!

Actually, we finished about a month ago, but I'm just now getting around to the blog post. I know you were probably on the edge of your seat.

Here's some before pictures:

Please notice the lovely shell-shaped sinks

Lots of choppy walls

This is how it turned out:

Vanity: slab granite with rectangle sinks and new lighting/faucets/hardware. We painted the existing cabinets and replaced the carpet (yes, carpet in a bathroom...) with travertine

Jacuzzi tub with granite tub deck/backsplash and curved marble mosaic tub surround

Travertine shower with two heads, marble accent tiles at eye level and granite seat, shelves, and threshold

We did not add any square feet to the bathroom, but knocked down existing walls and moved plumbing so the bathroom had a more open layout.

Even though the space is still a little tight, it is so much better!! I love the tub and shower; they are such a huge improvement on the original bathroom and I really appreciate them. I can't decide which I like more, they both make me feel so happy and relaxed. Love. It.

Our smartest move: adding a ceiling fan. Not a costly addition to the budget and makes a HUGE difference to diffuse heat and humidity after a steamy shower. No one likes to be "dewy" when you're trying to straighten your hair, put on make-up, and get dressed. Or at least that's what Kristopher tells me. (kidding).

See the fan over the vanity area?

Our not-so-smart move: Heavy sigh. As I mentioned, space (and budget) were tight, and we were trying to maximize every inch and dollar. We planned to re-use the same cabinet over to the toilet when we built the separate water closet. Although the dimensions of the water closet were wide enough to accommodate the cabinet once it was inside the doorway, it wasn't wide enough to fit it through the doorway sideways and turn it to hang on the wall. Whoops. Long story short, we had to buy a new cabinet. Not the end of the world, but definitely an "aw shucks" moment.

My favorite individual features:
1. Waterfall tub faucet, with handles placed on the side near your head so you don't have to lean forward to turn the water on and off when you are soaking

2. Rubbed bronze square shower drain. This was all Kristopher's idea. Really adds a little something extra, don't you think??

3. Chandelier over the tub, on a dimmer switch. Everyone knows how much I love a bargain, and I got this for a STEAL because it was a display that needed some TLC. Now, it is all shined up and I love it. Adds ambiance.

Attempt at Family Beach Portraits

2011-10-25T15:01:00.000-05:00

We tried over and over to get a good family picture, but it is nearly impossible between the blinding sun and our squirmy babies, who are understandably preoccupied with the sand and seagulls.

These are the few pics where we don't have our eyes closed, although we don't have a single one where everyone is simultaneouly looking at the camera.

I really don't mind that we don't have a "perfect" picture, because these brief glimpses remind me of the spontaneous fun...

and sweet baby faces...

Hugs!

By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea

2011-10-25T10:29:00.000-05:00

We went to Turquoise Place in Gulf Shores with my family and had a BLAST! If you haven't been, you should definitely go. The beaches are pristine, the rooms are gorgeous, plus they have a playground AND lazy river, for goodness sake! Perfect for busy kiddos, who have a love/hate relationship with sand. It was a wonderful~

Pretty little Buttercup in her eyelet bathing suit

Barrett, checking his morning email with Grandpa.

Matching bathing suits

Charlotte wore her ittsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini. I don't have a matching one. Obviously.

On the playground

I love this picture. It was spur of the moment, and they didn't even know I took it. I think that's why it is one of my favorites.

It was so great to have a block of time to relax together as a family. The kids loved having Kristopher around for almost a week ~ we all feel refreshed!

School Days, School Days, Dear Old Golden Rule Days

2011-10-25T10:27:00.001-05:00

**In attempt to catch up on our happenings, I'm starting from the farthest and working up to present. Excuse the time warp.**

Barrett started school this fall... Agh! Growing up too fast!!!

He attends a mothers day out preschool program two mornings a week. Although the beginning was a little traumatic for all parties involved, he loves it now. The first day, he cried so hard when Charlotte and I droppped him off, that I had to drive around the corner from the school and cry in the drugstore parking lot until I could compose myself~~ sheesh!

Visiting his classroom before school started

Now, I think it is his favorite part of the week, which I try not to take too personally. He has a really sweet teacher (who happens to have three redheaded children of her own, and loves my little redhead!), he made friends with his 7 classmates, and gets to have music time, craft time, and playground time. So fun, right?

Plus, it is nice to have bonding time with Charlotte when Barrett is in school. We've never had that before, and I think she really likes her special lady time.

My favorite part is when I'm in the carpool line to pick him up and I get to see him playing on the playground and interacting with the other kids before he notices I'm there. It is so heartwarming to see him acting as his own little person, doing his own thing, with his own little friends. But....I not-so-secretly relish the fact that he yells "MAMA" as soon as he sees my car, and runs towards me smiling.

I love that he loves school so much, and I love that he loves coming home even more :)

Delinquent

2011-10-06T13:27:00.001-05:00

Okay, okay, I know....this is probably the longest blog hiatus I've ever taken. Ever. Many apologies to both of my readers. There's really no reasoning behind it, aside from being so busy with real life stuff that I've fallen behind on blog stuff. So, I've got a whole slew of new posts coming up. Here's what's on the docket:
1. Barrett's 2nd birthday!!!
2. Our beach trip
3. General updates on both kids
4. Sewing stuff (I made draperies, can you believe? Plus monogrammed and appliqued shirts/burp cloths for the 22 children that attended BCK's bday bash. I've been sewing like a mad woman.)
5. Before-and-after master bathroom remodel
6. A series of posts showing before-and-after pics of every room in the house that we've remodeled, if I can get around to that and find enough "before" shots

Sew, What Have You Been Up to Lately?

2011-09-05T08:39:00.000-05:00

I'm still trying to learn to sew, and it is pretty fun. There have been frustrating moments, particularly involving buttonholes and a specific pair of longalls for Barrett, but overall, I really like it!
Who would have thought, right??
It is gratifying to see it come together as you work on the project and I'm proud of the things I've made, even though they are full of mistakes.

Here's a few of my recent projects:

Purple dress for baby Charlotte, trimmed in gingham ruffles and lined with yellow seersucker.
I tried to take a picture of her in the dress, but it is WAY too big. I even used a pattern, so I don't know why the sizing is off. Oh well, she can always wear it next year.

Ruffled pink seersucker baby blanket with name monogram

Blue seersucker dress for Charlotte with ruffle trim and ribbon tie shoulders

The ribbon tie shoulders were a LOT easier than buttons, but she likes to untie them....when she wears this, she is usually sporting a one-shouldered look within 5 minutes of me re-tying the bows.

Truck pajama pants with appliqued shirt and name monogram. I'm saving these for his birthday... I think he will really like them because he is crazy about trucks and was very excited when I bought the fabric.

Sock monkey pajama pants with monogrammed shirt. Also saving these for birthday, just to give him an extra present to unwrap :)

Crab shorts and applique shirt with button eyes

Crab outfit in action.
Notice the sticker is still on the apple... yes, he snuck it out of the produce bag in the grocery cart and started munching before I could even wash it. Ick.

By the way, he started chowing down on the apple AFTER he'd already opened the cherry tomatoes and squirted tomato juice and seeds all over the other groceries in the cart. And yes, I did feed him before this grocery trip; he wasn't starving.
Lesson learned: he is NOT ready to ride in the big part of the cart!

Buddy, You're Way Too Young for This

2011-09-03T08:43:00.000-05:00

Excuse me, sir? I'd like to take this one for a test drive, please.

I think I'll name it the Green Machine...

Where's the gas on this thing?

Hide and Seek

2011-09-02T14:14:00.002-05:00

Where, oh where, is Barrett Klar?

There he is!

Carousel Tiger

2011-09-01T08:49:00.003-05:00

Barrett loves loves LOVES to make animal sounds.

Me: "What does a monkey say?"
Barrett: [pounds chest] "Ooo, ooo, ooo!"
A cow? MOO!!
A sheep? Baaaaaa
An alligator? Chomp chomp
A snake? Hisssssssssss

But his very favorite animal noise is a tiger: "ROAR!"

So, of course, he has to ride the tiger when we go to the carousel. After all, carousel horses are so mainstream and pedestrian.

His favorite books right now are ones that involve animals, so he can point out each animal and say the sound it makes.

I love this one. Also good practice for naming colors.

This book is especially great because it involves counting AND a train too, in addition to all the animals. His favorite things, all in one.

But, of course, tigers are always his favorite.
ROAR!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T08:27:00.000-05:00

Bouncing Boy

2011-08-30T13:20:00.003-05:00

After several consecutive days of ~~sweating through our clothes~~ delicately glistening at the park and zoo, we decided it was time for some indoor activities (ie, AIR CONDITIONED activities).

What's the best way to beat the August heat??

Bouncing!!!!!

There must be a dozen of these big inflatables at the bounce place, but the ball pit is his favorite, hands down. Or maybe I should say, belly down.

Belly flop!

Milestone Moment: First Solids

2011-08-29T08:59:00.003-05:00

Charlotte finally branched out into eating solid foods.
We tried rice cereal first, to get her used to eating with a spoon.

Then, we moved on to purees.
So far, she's had:
1. Sweet potatoes
2. Acorn squash (I never made this one for Barrett....it is a hard winter squash, almost pumpkin-esque. Supposed to have lots of good vitamins)
3. Sweet peas
4. Peaches

Next up, she'll get:
5. Zucchini
6. Plums
7. Summer squash

I haven't made any other foods for her yet, but I'll probably do cherries soon, plus pears, apples, and asparagus. Those were some of Barrett's favorites. Then avocados and bananas, neither of which Barrett favored when he was a baby, but he loves now.

So far, Charlotte is a happy little eater and hasn't refused anything. I hope she is always so easy to please!

Swinging Around

2011-08-27T15:59:00.001-05:00

Baby Charlotte tried out the park swings for the first time ~ ~ ~

Such a big girl!

Remember Barrett's first time in the swing??

He wasn't so sure at first...

Barrett, 6m

Barrett warmed up to the swings and Charlotte seems to like them too.

Whee!!!

Look at those long legs!

Happy Birthday, Cowboy!

2011-08-17T08:06:00.002-05:00

Kristopher's godson turns one today! Horray!

We had a great time at his farm-themed cowboy birthday shin dig~

And even got to ride in a buggy behind a tiny horse named Baby Blue.

Happy Birthday buddy!

UPDATE: You will never ever guess what the birthday boy got as a present --- a baby sister born on his birthday!! What a happy day!

I Never Liked the Taste of Crow

2011-08-16T09:33:00.001-05:00

Whether we admit it or not, we've all been there.
Saying "I'll never to that!" is the fastest way to find yourself backpedaling to justify your actions when you actually DO what you swore up and down you'd never be caught dead doing.

It's time to fess up.

Here's what made me eat crow lately:
:: "I'll never mow the lawn"
I always considered this a husband job. Plus, I have allergies. And I don't really like being dirty. So, although I would be happy to help pull weeds or plant flowers, I never actually mowed. Until the recent bathroom remodel. Kristopher was busy doing construction stuff in the afternoons and on the weekends and the grass was getting so high that it was hard to see Sassy when she walked around in the yard (only a slight exaggeration). It was time to take matters into my own hands. I mowed the whole yard during the kids' naptime on two separate occasions. It was a dark period that I hope to never revisit. And, coincidentally, I just hired a yard guy that starts this week.

:: "I'll never allow my child to regularly watch TV"
I count on Blue's Clues to give me a chance to blow dry my hair and fix dinner. It's practically a safety measure at this point, because there's no telling what Barrett could get into when my attention is focused on something else for a nanosecond.

:: "I'll never feed my toddler processed foods. Or gummy fruit snacks. Or frozen pizza. Or gross quantities of animal crackers."
Hey, an animal cracker bribe to give me a peaceful trip through the grocery/Hobby Lobby/doctor's office is waaaayy better than being "that girl" with the screaming toddler. Really, you should be thanking me for this one. Don't leave home without animal crackers...

:: "I'll never be one of those moms who can only talk about her children"
ahem, this blog...
Enough said.

:: "I'll never be a stay-at-home mom"
That's right, y'all. As of last week, I am no longer a practicing attorney. Ever since Barrett was deemed ineligible for daycare because of his heart troubles, I've been working from home for my firm on a part time basis. I never planned to stay at home, but after Barrett was born and we were faced with unexpected medical issues, all of our plans changed.
I can vividly remember saying to myself in law school that I couldn't understand how a woman could work so hard to succeed in the legal field, only to stay at home soon after. It seemed like a waste: trading diapers and playdates for all of those hours studying for exams, editing law review papers, and cramming for the bar exam.
But now that I am grounded in the real world, instead of up on my soapbox, I can see that I'm doing what really matters most to me -- being with my babies and cherishing their everyday moments.

And I've never been happier.

Although part of me is sad that I no longer have an office or a need for a wardrobe of suits, it somehow feels like my new job is even more important. Go figure ~ ~

Now it's your turn -- have you ever had to eat crow? Go on, confess.
It doesn't taste so bad... I'm starting to get used to it.

Charlotte's Pinafore

2011-08-15T21:12:00.000-05:00

It takes a village to raise a child. And also, apparently, to sew a pinafore.

The first part went surprisingly well!! I cut out my pattern, pinned and pressed everything, and sewed it without outside seams to that it is fully reversible (the other side is solid pale pink) ~ ~ I'm starting to feel pretty good at this point!

I guess I didn't really think I could pull it off, so I didn't plan ahead by buying buttons. Luckily, my friend Jenny lives across the street and met me on the sidewalk during naptime with her button jar so I could finish the project right then, during the waning remainder of naptime, instead of waiting until the next day to go buy buttons.

Then began the hoopla of actually trying to sew buttonholes, which it turns out, is a lot harder than anticipated. This is the part where I repeatedly call my patient mother-in-law to talk me through the sewing machine settings while I try to make a stupid buttonhole. Why do all the practice buttonholes turn out perfectly, but the buttonholes on the actual dress chew up the fabric??? On the upside, I learned to use a seam ripper.
Note to self: stock up on ribbon so all of Charlotte's future dresses can have shoulder ties. I'm swearing off buttons for a while...

I finally figured out the buttonholes around 10p that night and finished the dress. It took a while, but I'd venture to say it was worth it -- my first handmade dress!!! And notably -- Charlotte loves to suck on the buttons on her shoulders, like an attached teething ring. At least I know they are truly appreciated ~ ~

Good Morning, Sunshine

2011-08-15T08:44:00.001-05:00

I love a relaxing morning, when we don't have to rush out to be somewhere early.

Barrett and Charlotte are both in a sweet mood after a good night's sleep and a full tummy of morning milk.

And the best part is morning cuddles!

Sweet hugs & kisses ~ ~ ~

Have a great day!

Weather Update: Hell is Frozen Over. In Related News: I Learned to Sew

2011-08-12T08:31:00.000-05:00

That's right, y'all.
I can sew! I know, it's shocking, considering my renowned inability to reliably operate my automatic monogramming machine.
My mother-in-law gave me a sewing machine for my birthday and I've been having SEW MUCH FUN (sorry, couldn't resist the pun). I like it even more than I thought~~
The very first thing I made was John Deere pajama pants and an applique shirt for Barrett:

Sleepy time

Next up, I made shorts and a matching applique shirt:

Are you detecting an applique theme?? I'm really into the appliques lately, but I love making the shorts/pants to go with them so there is a whole outfit.

I haven't made matching shorts for these shirts yet. Hopefully soon.

Let's be honest, I've dreaded the transition to "big boy clothes" (ie, jeans, collared shirts, separates, etc) since the day he was born, and I still dress him in smocked clothes and bubbles when Kristopher isn't looking. But, I'm satisfied that the matching applique/shorts combos are "big boy" but still cute. Everyone wins, right??
Now I want to make something for baby Charlotte! Although I'm a little intimidated by the difficulty factor of ruffles, and puffed sleeves, and all the pretty girly-type things. We'll see how it goes...

Hello Gorgeous

2011-08-09T11:19:00.001-05:00

Very Merry Half Birthday

2011-08-06T11:50:00.000-05:00

Horray, Charlotte is 6 months old!

A very merry half birthday ~ ~

~ ~ To me? ~ ~

To you!
A very merry half birthday ~ ~

~ ~ For me? ~ ~

For you!!
Now blow the candle out, my dear, and make your wish come true!
A very merry half birthday to you ~ ~

Before I Forget

2011-07-29T14:20:00.001-05:00

In the spirit of using this blog as an electronic journal, I want to jot down these recent happenings before I forget the details of daily life at this age:

:: Barrett eats pitted black olives by poking his finger through the hole, wiggling his fingers around with an olive on each one, and then eating them one at a time. I don't know how he learned to do this, but I think it is so funny.

:: When I put on Barrett's socks, he says "bye toes!"

:: Barrett has mastered counting to ten and now we're working on the alphabet. His favorite letter is B, of course, but he also likes A and R (do you detect a theme?? Thanks for the name puzzle, Aunt Kim!). We are making progress, although sometimes, he just calls every letter "B."

:: Barrett can correctly identify eyes, ears, nose, mouth, head, hair, arms, feet, and toes. He's also pretty good and basic colors: red, blue, green and yellow.

:: He is really into bunnies right now. His favorite book is "Bedtime Bunnies" (a library book; I hope he is not so attached to it by the time all the renewals run out!), he loves his bunny slippers and snacking on cheddar bunnies, which are just like goldfish, but shaped like rabbits.
That reminds me -- I should DVR Max and Ruby for him. That's about bunnies, right? It would give me a much-needed break from of Blue's Clues...
When were were visiting Kristopher's grandparents, Barrett had the opportunity to pet a REAL bunny up close and personal, but alternated between chasing the bunny as it hopped around the house, undoubtedly in search of shelter, and then scurrying away when it started to hop towards him.

PLEASE let me pet the bunny!?
Wait, get that away from me!!!

:: Even more than bunnies, Barrett is into TRUCKS and TRACTORS! Love to scoot his toy trucks around, say "beep!" and "boom!" when they crash, and points out every truck we see on the road. The highlight of Tuesday mornings is watch THREE separate trucks to come pick up garbage, recycling, and limbs. He presses his little nose against the windows in the dining room and screams "truck!"
Once they even honked at him, which was thrilling. Or maybe they were honking in protest, because that was the day they picked up the four foot high pile of sheet rock, lumber, bathtub, crushed up tile, etc, from the bathroom remodel. Hm. We'll just say they were honking at Barrett.

:: Charlotte sat up by herself on Saturday July 23, 2011.

Sitting up, in her christening bonnet. Look at all those pretty baby rolls!!

:: Charlotte giggles hysterically when you blow raspberries on her tummy.

:: When Barrett observes this, he runs up and lifts his t-shirt for you to also blow raspberries on HIS tummy, then he and Charlotte both giggle at each other.

:: Charlotte loves her giraffe, Sophie, and uses it like a giant pacifier. I think she is teething.

Charlotte, with her two best friends, Barrett and Sophie

Sophie, come back!

:: She still hasn't eaten out of a spoon, although she now consents to an occasional bottle. The pediatrician says we should hold off on spoon-feeding for a little while longer because she may lose interest in nursing once she discovers the wildly exciting world of solid foods.

:: One night when I was short on time, I tried to bathe the kids together by putting Charlotte in her bumbo in the bathtub with Barrett. This was a bad idea (obviously, in hindsight...) because the bumbo wants to float. Now I still bathe them together, but I put the Charlotte's baby tub in the big tub with Barrett. Much better. Why didn't I think of that first?? Sometimes you can't see the forest because of all the trees.

Ear Infections, and Tubes, and Adenoids, Oh My!

2011-07-29T14:18:00.001-05:00

Well, shoot.
When Barrett got his fourth ear infection in four months, our pediatrician suggested we throw in the towel and get tubes. While they were in there, she recommended they remove his adenoids too.

He looks so small in his tiny hospital gown~

We met with the ENT, who confirmed the same recommendation. After his cardiologist signed off on any potential impact the anesthesia may have on his heart (just slows it down...a good thing for Barrett), he was all set to go.

The nice nurse gave me stickers! Maybe this isn't going to be so bad...?

So, we went this morning at early:30 for Barrett's pre-op and paperwork, and he was out of recovery and back home before Good Morning America was over. It is amazing how fast they get you in and out.

Sort of groggy on the ride home

He was very disoriented when he woke up, which is scary for any parent, but we held him in the special rocking chairs in the recovery room while he came around. Most of all, his throat seemed to bother him from the breathing tube -- he had a horrible cough and didn't want to eat or drink, even though he hadn't eaten since dinner last night.
After sleeping for a few hours this morning, he seemed more like his usual self! He ate lunch and played for a little while, but got sleepy again very soon. I have a feeling this will be a very low key weekend.
Cross your fingers for a quick recovery and that Barrett will finally have some relief from his chronic earaches!

"From the fullness of grace, we have received one blessing after another"

2011-07-29T13:53:00.003-05:00

John 1:16

In her pretty lace bonnet and diaper cover, the morning of her christening

Baby Charlotte was baptised last weekend in the church where I grew up.

It was a wonderful ceremony with lots of family and precious friends. We feel lucky to have so many loving role models in Charlotte's life!

Charlotte's godparents, Jessica and Jeffrey

Charlotte wore Barrett's baptism gown, but with added lace embellishments and a handmade lace tea bonnet.

Barrett's christening

My mom found an heirloom sewing lady to add a lace collar and puffed sleeves

She also added a silk and lace ruffle to the bottom

After the baptism, we had a family lunch reception at my parents' house, complete with BBQ, all the fixings, and christening cake.

Charlotte changed into her cream silk party dress for the reception.

You know, I hear that a wardrobe change is common among princesses, so that you can cut a rug at the reception.
Like Kate Middleton. I'm just saying...

What a wonderful day! We were surrounded by all the people we love most and that love baby Charlotte. We feel so blessed!

Family picture
It is hard to get everyone smiling at the same time!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-20T14:55:00.000-05:00

Beating the Odds

2011-07-14T15:26:00.006-05:00

***
Brief review of "the odds":
Chance of having Barrett's heart conditions: 1 in 2 million.

Doctor's prediction that he could recover from heart failure, as presented at 2w old: "it doesn't look good"

Now that he is stabilized, there is a 30% chance that he will fully recover;
70% chance that he will need more medicine, heart transplant/surgery, or worse.

... But guess who beat these odds??
***

I think this is the happiest post I have ever written!

We went to the cardiologist today for a follow up visit on Barrett's SVT and cardiomyopathy.

Not very happy about all the tests,
but the stellar results were worth it!

His echo showed that his heart's ejection fraction was 38 -- the highest and best it's ever been! This means that his heart is pumping -- strong! Based on these encouraging results and the lack of SVT events in the previous months.....

He is likely to recommend that Barrett be discharged from continuing care!

Do you know what that means??
:: No more scary heart medicines with mean side effects
:: No follow up appointment
:: No need for heart surgery when he turns 5
:: It is probably okay for him to taste chocolate, which contains caffeine. He may even be able to have cold medicines one day in the future (cold medicines are a risk for Barrett because they usually accelerate your heart rate).

Last heart monitor!

For the most part, he will be treated as a

normal little boy

I honestly cannot describe the way it feels to type those words.
Barrett has been through so much in his short life -- from a grim diagnosis of heart failure that the doctors thought could not be overcome, to a virtual discharge from cardiology care -- it makes my head spin.
I'll never, ever forget the way it felt sitting in the hospital conference room as the doctors told us to prepare to say goodbye to our new baby.

I can distinctly remember the first night in the PICU, staying awake all night, hearing the sounds of the beeping monitors, the smells of baby powder and medicine, and the feeling of hugging Kristopher as we huddled together on a chair in Barrett's ICU room and cried for the little life that was too short to end.

And I can see an unconscious and intubated baby Barrett in my mind's eye, as the ventilator pumped air into his little lungs when his body was too weak to do the work for him.

I will never forget that time.
But more importantly, I will never forget the rushing relief when his condition miraculously turned around.

A week or so later, propped up in his hospital bed

I know that God's hand touched Barrett's heart that night, to begin the healing process, and allow us to keep our precious little boy, at least a while longer. He was out of the ICU within 2w, when we thought we'd never bring him home again. Talk about beating the odds.

Barrett's journey has taught us to

never take a single second with your baby for granted.

We only have our babies for a short while, its like they are on loan to us from God.
Right now, we are the center of their world. But one day, a parent's opinion will become less important, and even uncool. They will become independent; they will grow up and move out. They will start families of their own, that take on their primary focus. These are good things that I want for my children.

Or, as some parents have learned, a child can tragically be taken away too soon. Your world can change at a moment's notice, or sometimes without any warning at all.

Regardless, one thing is certain....I'm sure I'll miss these days when they are gone.
In a way, Barrett's ordeal is a blessing to us because we now cherish moments that may otherwise feel mundane.
Bath time...singing lullabies....reading books....running at the park....blowing bubbles....

Even though toddler tantrums can sometimes get the best of me, I quickly remember that these moments are an important part of childhood and that this too, shall pass. I feel lucky to have that reminder so that I can consciously live in the moment with my babies.

We are over the moon that Barrett is doing so well. It is hard to believe how completely -- and repeatedly -- our prayers were answered.
After all he has been through, I will probably always temper my optimism with a healthy dose of caution. But right now, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and

it feels so good.

I love you Barrett.
Thank you for teaching us so many valuable lessons.

Praise God.

A Whole New World

2011-07-12T20:32:00.002-05:00

Baby Charlotte tried out the exersaucer for the first time. At first, she was overwhelmed. After all, that is a lot to take into her little world. But now that she's learned how to push the buttons and work all the gadgets, she loves it!

Come to think of it -- imagine if they had an exersaucer for grown-ups, where you were surrounded by a bunch of things you loved that held your interest.
What would yours look like??
Mine would be pearl encrusted and monogrammed, have a view of the beach, stationed around a bubble bath, and surrounded with white peonies, delicious (yet, mysteriously calorie-free) cookies with icing, a good book, and a glass of wine with Sinatra music wafting quietly in the background. Ahhh.
Someone should really look into making one of those...
If the baby version sounds as good to her as the grown up version sounds to me, no wonder she likes it so much!

The Best Deal Ever

2011-07-12T17:54:00.000-05:00

Do you know what a few naptime hours spent with your monogramming machine can get you??
New custom handmade outfits for your children!!! Yay!!!

Plaid shorts with appliqued initials in matching fabric.
Seersucker version of the same outfit coming soon!

Bonus: This outfit also works without the matching shorts when you add daddy's cowboy boots and a hat. Yee-haw!

Summery seersucker dress for baby Charlotte!

future pajamas

No, I didn't make any of these clothes myself (although, if you know me at all, I'm sure you already KNEW that).
But, my neighbor Jenny did!! We decided to trade my monogramming for her sewing.
Here's the thing though: she is brilliantly talented at sewing and I'm a medicore monogrammer at best. Even though my machine is programmed so that I only have to type in the letters and hit "go" ... (hey, it can be hard to keep the fabric straight once the machine starts making all the jerky stitches! And who knew it was so hard to load a bobbin, whatever that is...)
Anyway, I'm just hoping that she doesn't wise up and realize that I'm getting the good end of the stick in this arrangement. You can see all of Jenny's sewing lovlies at her blog, http://seaminglysmitten.blogspot.com/
Here's what you do to get The Best Deal Ever:
1. Find a good friend that is a sewing genuis
2. Convince her that she should gamble letting you monogram her things, even though there is at least a 25% chance that your machine could inexplicably eat up the fabric because you don't really know how to operate it very well.
3. Start bartering!
So far, I've done a few applique shirts with names for her sweet kiddos:

And a few shirts for Barrett too~~

And dresses for her precious little girl!

I'm having so much fun watching Jenny masterfully whip up these outfits and dresses that I'm even thinking about learning to sew. Of course, then I'd actually have to learn what a bobbin does...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-06T13:48:00.000-05:00

How to Make Banana Pudding

2011-07-04T14:44:00.003-05:00

First you pour the pudding mix into the bowl. You may want to stir it around, just for fun.

Taste the pudding mix, to see what its like...

Then, stir in the milk.

You might want to taste that too, just to be thorough...

Next, ask your mom to cut up bananas. You definitely want to eat some banana slices, because everyone knows bananas are delicious.

Start layering the pudding, cool whip, Nilla wafers, and bananas. This is a great chance to dip your hands in the bowl to scoop out pudding and cool whip to eat with your banana slices.

Add strawberries and blueberries to make stars and stripes.
Happy Fourth of July!

Meanwhile, Back on the Ranch

2011-07-02T16:24:00.003-05:00

Well, the big news is that Barrett is mostly over the pneumonia. Yay! He got a good report at his follow-up visit and isn't contagious, but still has a mean cough as his lungs work out any remaining gunk.

Best part of bedtime?? Bunny slippers.

Baby Charlotte ended up coming down with roseola. When she broke out into a faint red rash all over, I was concerned that she was allergic to her antibiotic for the sinus infection, but the doctor confirmed that it was, indeed, roseola. This was her first illness :(

All smiles with her get well card from Grammy and Grandpa~

Its funny, because she never ran a high fever, like Barrett did when he had roseola (his was 104.7; hers was 101.3) but the rash also didn't look like Barrett's allergic reaction to antibiotics (he broke out in angry red hives ALL OVER with barely any normal skin showing through; she had a faint red pin-prink looking rash).

Just more confirmation that every baby is different.

You'd think I would have stopped comparing them by now, but it is a hard habit to break...

What do you think?
Should we both smile for mama at the same time??

Nah! It's way too fun to see what she'll do next to try to make us smile together!

And in puppy news: Sassy got groomed this week, and the vet at the animal hospital informed us that she has a heart murmur and will need a bunch of expensive tests from a doggie cardiologist. When Kristopher heard the estimate for the vet bills, he asked if it would just be easier to start burning money in the backyard ourselves. Yikes.

Sassy, the fugitive.
This picture was taken when I picked her up from the front of the neighborhood the other day. She ran out of the house when I was bringing groceries inside and I didn't discover she was missing for 20m. What can I say??
I had 2 other small people on my mind.
So, then the frantic search started, only to find her prancing around the guard gazebo near the neighborhood entrance, without a care in the world. Sheesh.

Oh yes, and there's this:

We started renovating our master bathroom this weekend. You know, because we really didn't have anything else going on. More updates to follow~

You Know You are the Mother of Sick Children When....

2011-06-23T13:21:00.001-05:00

:: The pharmacy ladies at Walgreens are willing to give you infant Tylenol via the drive thru to keep you from having to get both sleeping babies out of their carseats, into the stroller, and into the store.

:: Your toddler's recent meal of watermelon and black olives is considered a whopping success because it is the first real food he's eaten in three days.

:: Last 48 hours include four doctor visits, one phone consult, chest x-rays, two pulse/oxygen tests, three rocephin shots, four doses of oral antibiotics, and an uncalculated amount of infant Tylenol and Motrin.

:: You let your toddler watch Blue's Clues in his highchair...and in the car...and in your bed.

:: The new box of 30 thermometer covers is empty.

:: In a moment of desperation, you decide to "ban" a certain pair of pajamas because your baby has stayed awake all night the last two times he's worn them and you're nobody's fool.

Et Tu, Charlotte?

2011-06-23T12:51:00.003-05:00

If you were betting that it is impossible to keep a sick toddler from spreading germs to his baby sister,

you were right.

From the day she was born, Barett has NOT been able to keep his hands off baby Charlotte or her clothes, toys, blankets, carseat, etc. Come to think of it, I guess this was inevitable...

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

Exhibit D

Exhibit E

Exhibit F
I rest my case.

Sweet baby Charlotte started running a fever yesterday that got all the way up to 101.3. Our pediatrician officially diagnosed her with a sinus infection. I'm just grateful that it isn't pneumonia or an ear infection....

In happier days...

She is too young for cold medicine, so we're just trying antibiotics, steam, baby Vicks, humidifier, etc.
And I hate to admit it, but my throat is starting to hurt and my face is tender.....oh geez.

From Zero to Sixty in 24 Hours

2011-06-22T15:43:00.004-05:00

It amazes me how quickly children can get sick.
This is Barrett on Monday:

Balls!! YAY!!

He was bouncing around with so much enthusiasm that I couldn't ever get a clear picture of him.
Aside: These places are genius -- dozens of bouncy houses inside a big air-conditioned gym. We will be back.

And this is Barrett on Tuesday:

Ho hum.

He didn't sleep well on Sunday night, so I had a clue that something was going on and kept an eye on him. But no fever or other outward symptoms. Plus, he seemed playful on Monday.
When he woke up with a fever and cough on Tuesday, I called to get the first available appointment with our pediatrician. He was lethargic, still, and subdued -- obviously NOT normal for him -- and had no appetite. Something was definitely off.

Well, guess what??

Terrible double ear infections

and pneumonia.

Eeek.
He had pneumonia as a baby and it was no fun for any party involved. Not to mention, it is scary too.
The fever + ear infections + pneumonia puts stress on his little body and makes his heart rate so much higher than normal. His doctor recommended that we alternate Tylenol and Motrin as often as allowed -- including setting my clock to give it to him during the night -- to keep his fever under control, and hopefully reduce his heart rate. So far this is helping.
He is also getting a round of three shots and oral antibiotics. He won't have to be hospitalized as long as he responds to the shots and his oxygen levels are okay.

I just couldn't get over how suddenly his condition went downhill. Instead of being his usual playful self yesterday, he just lay in my lap while I scratched his back. The two and a half hours at the doctors office were mostly spent cuddling quietly while we waited on chest x-rays, tests for his oxygen levels, shots, etc.

At least today he wanted to color at the doctor's office. That's an improvement.

Today, Day Two, he has graduated from pitiful lethargy to fussiness, which I guess it a sign that he feels better if he can muster up the energy to be fussy. Poor guy still feels awful though. We are combating the fussiness by indulging him with a near-constant rotation of Blue's Clues, baths, playing with his toys, and basically anything else that he feels up to doing.

Here's hoping that he will get better as quickly as he got sick and that Charlotte will miraculously remain healthy.

Want Some Company?

2011-06-16T17:06:00.001-05:00

Barrett likes to hang out with Charlotte.

Even if it means participating in tummy time.

He's supportive like that.

Roly Poly

2011-06-16T16:46:00.001-05:00

Something happened during tummy time last night...

Something BIG...

Drumroll, please...

Charlotte rolled over for the first time!

From tummy to back. TWICE!

Yay Charlotte!!~~~

Double the Kiddos = Double the Fun

2011-06-13T11:55:00.001-05:00

Barrett loves his bath...

Charlotte likes it too~

But do you know what is even better??

The kiddos' first double bath!

Charlotte wasn't too sure about this, and it was tricky holding onto a slippery baby in the big tub, but I can see this as a major time-saver in the future.

And They Lived Happily Ever After...

2011-06-12T17:54:00.002-05:00

Barrett has always enjoyed storytime.
I can remember reading to him when he was only a few days old. I felt a little silly at the time, but he seemed to enjoy it, so I thought, why not?
I haven't had as much time to read to Charlotte, unless Barrett happens to be napping when storytime strikes us. But, I recently discovered how fun it is to read to them together!

I don't know why this didn't occur to me before. Maybe because Charlotte wasn't sturdy enough to sit in my lap while I also held Barrett and turned pages in a book. Or maybe because I am just now emerging from the fog that engulfed me when I became the mother of two small children...
Either way, now we're doing it, so better late than never, right?~~

The book distracts Barrett long enough for him to sit still and not wiggle out of my grasp, and Charlotte is just happy to be there.

Ok fine, Barrett doesn't sit still through the whole story because he soon realizes he is within reach of baby Charlotte. Then, the whole circus of trying to get to her kicks into high gear and story time is out the window. But, it was fun while it lasted~

Barrett: Hey baby!! Hey baby!!
(said repeatedly at increasing volume to get Charlotte's attention...)

Barrett: Look, mama! This is Charlotte's nose!

Barrett: Are you sleepy, baby Charlotte? Let me cover your yawn.
Maybe you should go night-night so us grown-ups can stay up and play.

Dear Mr. Pest Control Dude

2011-06-08T21:05:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Pest Control ~~Twerp~~ Dude,

I can appreciate that it is not incredibly fulfilling to profile insects and plot their demise for a living.
Really, that must be a downer. Unless, of course, you are sadist and enjoy that sort of thing. Did you light ants on fire with a magnifying glass when you were a little boy? Just asking...

I'll just assume that your sarcastic know-it-all attitude is a manifestation of your apparent dissatisfaction. I'm sorry about that.

However. It is not necessary to tell me that the bug spray your company has been using around my kids for their entire lives is a toxic substance that can mortally injure humans and small dogs. Sassy didn't appreciate that either.

And besides, based on my prior research and previous interaction with every other member of your company that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting -- that's just not true. The interior bug spray is non-toxic. And a follow-up call to your manager confirmed that. Why do you insist that my children have been subjected to harmful chemicals that will certainly result in weird and heretofore unknown defects? That doesn't even make sense. Have you seen Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles too many times??

Further, if you can't treat the inside of our house, nor do anything to discourage the proliferation of lizards, caterpillars, garden snakes, or mosquitoes outside, then remind me -- why did we hire you?? Because I'd rather not pay you just to ring my doorbell and tell me what you CAN'T do.

Yes, we all appreciate the irony that you have the social skills of a stinging caterpillar. But, I'd appreciate it even more if you would just protect our house from bugs without putting my children at risk.

Have a nice day.

Family Heirlooms

2011-06-08T16:25:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if it is my southern genes or what, but I am really into family heirlooms and deep-seated traditions. It feels good to have a sense that you are a part of something bigger than yourself; something that is old and steeped in generations and love.
You know?
Most of our furniture belonged to family members before us, which I love. I refinished so many pieces of my grandparents' furniture that I actually included "refinishing furniture" as a hobby on my resume in law school.

Go ahead and laugh, but that one was always a conversation-starter...

We also have several pieces that were made by my great-grandfather, James Barrett -- my namesake, and now Barrett's too. He made a standing cedar chest, grandfather clock, and inlaid wood cabinet that are all three in our living room.

It feels special when we use my grandmothers' crystal or see Kristopher's grandmother's china hanging in Charlotte's nursery.
I almost teared up watching Barrett clamor sit in my late Uncle Bobby's baby rocking chair. Barrett would have loved Uncle Bobby.

I also love creating new family heirlooms~~
It meant a lot to me that my sister, Jessica, wanted to wear my wedding dress. Now, it is ours -- which makes it even more special in my eyes.

And we are currently in the process of meeting with an heirloom sewing lady to add lace to Barrett's silk christening gown, so that baby Charlotte can wear it as a more feminine version.

All this to say -- I totally dig old-fashioned stuff.

And I was thrilled to pieces when my mom showed me a hand-tatted lace cap that my great-aunt Ginny found. The baby cap is so old, that no one can remember exactly where it came from or who made it, but our best guess is that my great-grandmother Pearl (James Barrett's wife and great-aunt Ginny's mama) made it for her babies. That makes it around a hundred years old. If Pearl's mama made it, it is even older. So neat, right???

So, here is baby Charlotte sporting the lace cap. It is so interesting to think of all the family babies that wore it before her, don't you think?

Like Trying to Catch Lightning in a Bottle

2011-05-25T14:45:00.000-05:00

I tried to take a picture of the babies in their matching swim suits, with limited success... It is not easy to make all the stars align so you can get a perfectly posed shot of a busy toddler and a young baby!

Barrett: Hmpf. I have to stop swimming to take a dorky picture?? MOM!?!
Charlotte: Oh look!! There's my hands! Wow...

Barrett: Wait a minute....if mom makes me sit here...and she's way over there behind the camera... this means I have close access to baby Charlotte!! The holy grail of things I'm not supposed to mess with! Who-hoo!!!
Charlotte: Uh oh...I've seen that look before. Is he about to ring my belly button?

Barrett: Here baby Charlotte, let me help you take off your hat...

Barrett: Sweet baby [emphatic pats on tummy]

Barrett: Want me to fix your hair??

Barrett: Ok, if we go ahead and sit still, mom will take the picture and I can go play again

Barrett: Alright, that was it! Back to the pool!
Charlotte: Whew! Can I have lunch now???

Lesson learned: Next time, I'll put more effort into making sure they are simultaneously recently fed, well rested, and freshly dressed in cute outfits. Although I still think they look cute as little buttons, even though Barrett is protesting the interrupted swim time and Charlotte is anxiously awaiting a feeding. And, obviously, I'm completely unbiased...

Splish Splash

2011-05-25T14:23:00.002-05:00

When we moved into the new house last summer, we weren't sure how we felt about the pool. We quickly learned that they require a lot of ~~expensive chemicals and back-breaking labor~~ upkeep and we already had a lot on our plate at the time between moving, Barrett, remodeling the house, and being pregnant with Charlotte.

Now that we've settled into the house and a routine with the kiddos, we've also found time to learn to care for the pool.

And we LOVE it!

Barrett likes to splash around and it is a great way for him to burn off energy~

aside: I should probably point out WHO is doing the back-breaking labor in the background of this picture.
Thanks, Kristopher!

Charlotte mostly just took it all in.
I think the cool water startled her ~ she is used to warm bubble baths.

But she enjoyed participating and looked so sweet in her swim outfit that matches Barrett's swim trunks

When we put the kids down for a nap on the weekends, Kristopher and I will go lay by the pool or swim around for a little bit ~ I have to say, it feels like a mini couples vacation -- floating around in the pool together, listening to music, and actually having adult conversation. Bliss.

It is just as much fun without the kids as it is with the kids, just in a different way. I hope that we continue to use it so much, since it requires such a time commitment to keep it going.
Anyone want to come over for a pool party??

Wordless Wednesday: Big Shoes to Fill

2011-05-25T13:32:00.000-05:00

Giggles

2011-05-22T16:39:00.001-05:00

Well, it's official. Charlotte LOVES playing with toys on her bumbo play tray~

ps: please excuse my shaky videography and commentary. this is my first-ever video.

Milestone Moment: First Time in the Bumbo

2011-05-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

I love the Bumbo baby seat. Probably one of my favorite pieces of baby equipment.
We used the Bumbo all the time with Barrett, especially when he first started eating solids. We carried it everywhere we went!
So naturally, I was thinking Charlotte would also love it~ Although she is still getting used to "sitting up," I think she likes it because she can look around more easily.

Waving hello!
Notice ever-present Sassy lurking around in the background to make sure everything is okay

Courtesy of her aunts, Charlotte's purple seat also has a handy tray that attaches to it so she can have toys at-hand while she sits in the Bumbo. Fancy, huh? We haven't used the seat with the tray too just yet, baby steps.
She's getting used to the Bumbo in small doses, but is still a little wobbly. Her favorite is the swing, hands down.

Swinging during Barrett's breakfast

She likes it set on HIGH so it swings really big. Kristopher says this is a bad sign that we have a daredeveil on our hands. I'm not too worried; I think she'll be a little lady. I'm already wondering how soon is too soon to get her first pearls. They make baby pearls, right?

Trucks!

2011-05-19T13:54:00.001-05:00

Barrett loves trucks.
Loves to scoot them around the house, loves to exclaim "truck!" whenever we see a big truck (or tractor or fire engine or front end loader...), loves to carry his smaller trucks with him in the car/store/nursery, and especially loves to ride in Kristopher's truck.
Whenever we go outside to play, we always have to make a pass by daddy's truck to look at it, declare it a "truck!" and maybe try to climb on the running boards. If Kristopher is at work, we at least have to point to his empty parking spot to note the absence of the "truck!"

I credit his fire truck for single-handedly saving us from a meltdown when I dropped him off at the gym nursery. When he realized he was about to be left for forty five whole minutes and started to say "mama....Mama....MAMA!!!" in his worried, wobbly voice, I produced the little fire truck from his bag and all was well. Come to think of it, his recent infatuation with trucks is kinda handy.

Except, our floors are taking a little bit of a beating from the repeated truck crashes.

Saying "whoa!!!" right before he crashed the truck off the bench and onto the hardwood floor.
Causing the truck to break in three places.

Oh well. That's why they make Gorilla Glue. And more toy trucks.

These days

2011-05-18T14:47:00.001-05:00

So much has been going on lately that blogging has taken a back seat. But, I'm ready to get back on the wagon, so I'll just dive right into an update on my favorite topic -- the kiddos~

Charlotte is a little doll and is already growing too fast. She loves being spoken to directly in a soothing voice, bathtime, attention from her brother, being called by name, swinging motion of any kind, Baby Einstein lullaby music, and fancy dresses (not that she has much of a choice....I'm obviously the one making that call, but she looks so pretty in them, she must like it, right??).

She hates taking a bottle, but is getting better.
She smiles all of the time, and the wonderfulness has NOT worn off.
In typical mom fashion, I'm not ready for her to grow up yet. I'm already sad that she's graduated from "newborn" classification to "baby." I wouldn't have known there was a difference, but now that I do, it matters for some reason. I also refer to her age by the youngest measurement possible (so what if she turns 4 months in ten days?? I'm going to refer to her as "3 months" -- not "3 and a half months" or "almost 4 months" -- until the very last day, thankyouverymuch). Sigh.

Barrett is also growing like crazy and continues to be at the top of the growth chart for height, usually 95th percentile. He took his first unassisted steps at a physical therapy appointment on March 18th. Although I was a little bummed that the therapist could get him to walk after 5 minutes of work, when I my concentrated efforts were unsuccessful for the past 5 months, a good friend told me that I "loosened the ketchup bottle." You know how you can bang on a ketchup bottle forever and nothing comes out, but then someone else picks it up and the ketchup immediately and perfectly pours out? That's what it was like with Barrett's walking -- maybe my efforts loosened him up for the therapist ~~ I like that analogy :)

Anyway, he settled into the idea of walking by himself for a few weeks, then gained a lot of confidence around Easter and has not stopped walking since.
He loves bathtime, being outside, peek-a-boo, most anything with wheels, bubbles, coloring, sitting in chairs, Blue's Clues, playing with his sister, and "dancing" to his Backyardigans CD.
He hates doing something he doesn't want to do (hello, toddlerhood...) and being left in a nursery, although that is getting better too. He didn't cry at all at the gym nursery this morning! He has not had any change in his heart issues, which is a good sign.

All in all, things are good~ And I'll make an effort to return to your regularly scheduled blog programming.

Both kiddos trying to look around me to watch Blue's Clues -- also known in our house as heaven covered in awesomesauce

Getting sleepy...

Strawberry Patch

2011-05-11T15:50:00.000-05:00

We took a little trip over to a local strawberry patch with some friends to let the kiddos pick strawberries, have a picnic, and play the summer games set up at the farm. We had so much fun!

They had a little zoo with a piglet, pony, calf, goats, chickens, and bunnies. Barrett was very interested in the bunnies -- more so than any of the other animals.
Maybe because of all the recent talk of bunnies around Easter?
Or his new favorite book -- Hoppity Hop Bunny?
Not sure, but we had to spend a lot of time talking to the bunnies and petting them through the cage...
Next, we decided it was time to start picking strawberries. Off to the fields!
Of course, you are supposed to pay for your strawberries based on how many you pick...and I'm pretty sure Barrett ate at least a pint in the strawberry fields, before they even made it into his basket. He would spot a ripe red strawberry (had to teach him that the white ones weren't ready yet...), run over to pluck it off the plant, and immediately pop it into his mouth before I could stop him, sometimes stem-first.

Brief internal panic!! These fresh berries aren't washed yet!!

But, then I looked around and realized that every single child had a red-stained mouth. This is an organic farm, so what's the harm, right? And I have to admit that I tried them too, and they were delicious! What makes them taste so much better when you pick them yourself??
We looked a little guilty when we slunk over to the checkout, what with all the strawberry juice dripping from Barrett, and stained around his mouth, collar, and down the front of his clothes...
But the nice strawberry lady oohed and ahhed over Barrett and Charlotte and didn't seem to mind that Barrett had already sampled the strawberries.
I can't wait until the blueberry patch is open!
Here's to summer~

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-11T15:41:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-04T16:53:00.000-05:00

Egg-stravaganza

2011-04-24T17:20:00.001-05:00

Barrett wasn't old enough to hunt eggs last year, but this year, he was ready to go! We attended three Easter egg hunts to give him lots of practice.

First up, the sorority alum egg hunt at the DZ house.

This was Barrett's first true Easter egg hunt, and he did well! He picked up the eggs and put them in his basket, although we carried the basket around for him.

It was too much to walk, pick up the eggs, AND hold the basket all at once.

We tried to get everyone together for a picture, but that is kind of like keeping puppies in a basket...someone kept wiggling away.
Barrett is on the left sucking on an orange egg from Anna Grace's basket. Oh well. What are you gonna do?

Charlotte came along to ~~snooze~~ observe and we even got a picture of both babies with the Easter Bunny.

I'm not sure what this pose is about, but Barrett was leaning across the bunny's lap onto Charlotte in every shot. Hm. Protecting her from the bunny? Trying to get in the middle of the bunny's lap? Not sure.

Next up, we went to the neighborhood Easter egg hunt and had a great time hanging out with our friends and neighbors and all of their sweet kids. The very best part about our new house is the neighborhood -- we love it! Barrett has so many playmates and we are lucky to have so many neighbors as friends!

On Easter weekend, we had an Easter egg hunt for all of the little cousins at my parents house, complete with designated areas depending on age group, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and Easter goodies for everyone (my mom is SO organized!).

Are the eggs ready yet?? Can we go outside and start?!

Oh! I found one!

Basket full of eggs
We found them ALL!

Charlotte and Grandmom snuggled inside while all the kids hunted eggs outside

Hanging out with Aunt Jessica

Easter is such a fun holiday for children and I can't wait for Charlotte to participate next year too~

Failing: Mommy-style

2011-04-14T15:16:00.004-05:00

Just add it to the list of things that Charlie Sheen and I do NOT have in common:
He's "winning" and I'm ... failing.

I haven't been too shy about displaying the fact that Barrett is a pretty easy-going little boy. I am very lucky. In fact, he is so fun to be around that all of his playfulness, expressions, and words are truly the bright spot of my day. But something seems off lately. I'm not sure whether to blame it on early terrible twos or the fact that he's cutting his molars PLUS the back teeth beside his molars all at once, but trust me, something is rotten in the State of Denmark.

This morning, right after I put Charlotte down for her nap, Barrett started an epic tantrum.

It was triggered by the fact that I made him put on shoes before he could go outside. I am SO unreasonable. Tantrum ensues, and so I try to ignore the bad behavior instead of rewarding him with lavish attention or going outside, like he wanted.
...
We tried Tylenol (no fever, but potential ear infection? teething pain?), playpen time to "ignore" the tantrum, and during brief 5 second respites from the screams -- intermittently playing with Sassy, riding the tricycle, reading books, etc, etc, and nothing would do.

After 45 MINUTES (not a typo....forty-five minutes) of crying, flailing about, and being generally inconsolable, I finally surrendered and turned on Blue's Clues.

Barrett: 1
Mommy: 0

Before you judge me, think about that in your head. A 45 minute tantrum is a loooonng time. Especially when you add in the simultaneous mental olympics of "I know I'm supposed to ignore a tantrum, but should it last this long?? Am I psychologically scarring him if I don't console him?? Okay, when I console him, it seems to get worse....what's his heart rate now? Why won't he let me listen to him with the stethoscope??? Agh! Okay, obviously whatever I'm doing isn't working..."

Anyway, with the Blue's Clues theme song chirping in the background, Barrett is instantly entranced and consoled. Great. I'm out-Mommied by a cartoon dog.

Plus, apparently, my child is addicted to TV. Awesome. Please, don't all stampede at once to get my Mom of the Year autograph. Pfft.

Adding insult to injury of my crippled sanity, I suddenly notice that in my haste, I had clicked on a new Blue's Clues episode from the DVR line-up -- it's the one where Steve AND Joe try to solve Blue's Clues together!! Cool!

Jazz hands!

I always wondered about the Steve-to-Joe transition, so I briefly consider watching this one, until I realize how crazy this sounds when I'm in the throes of a mini-breakdown, so I immediately go to the kitchen to self-medicate with Easter cookies and diet Sunkist.
ps: Those Easter cookies were meant for the neighborhood Easter egg hunt on Saturday. Now I have to get new ones. Just add it to the list of mommy fail!

Ironically, the doctor's office calls at this exact moment to tell me the results of my recent battery of heart tests -- the EKG and echocardiogram were normal, so apparently my recurring chest pains are not related to heart malfunction or early heart attack, as originally feared, but stress related.

Who knew?! (dripping with sarcasm)

The very best part of my job is that the only people who don't think I'm overreacting are the people who have had my exact job. The rest of the world thinks "stay at home mom" means I'm too simple to have a real job, nevermind the fact that I do, in fact, work from home in addition to mommy-ness.

Thanks, world. You're awesome.

Don't get me wrong: I wouldn't trade my time with the kiddos for ANYTHING in the world. Barrett's health journey has taught me, in no uncertain terms, that you can never take a single second for granted. I want to be around for everything -- the good and the bad. It's just that life isn't always cupcakes and sunshine. And that's fine.