Sunday, April 26, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
For the record books
On April 23, 2009, William Bradley Barron, age 27 months, ate 4 pieces of cheese pizza. The slices were about 3 inches by 3 inches and full of red sauce and cheese. This marks a historical moment in the Barron household. Now we can add pizza to William's menu of plain pasta and chicken nuggets. At least we have 3 things in rotation instead of 2......AND, it's only taken 2 years, 2 months, and 16 days to get here. Job well done WBB!
The delivery
Signing MORE! MORE! MORE!
Showing off the goodsMonday, April 20, 2009
Roadtrip to Richmond, Virginia
We decided to hit the road for Richmond, VA on Saturday. The town is full of museums and several plantations. Also, my good friend Lindsey lives there and it was the perfect excuse to stop in and say hello. Richmond is about 1.5 hours away and since we have a boy who loves to ride the highways, Dan and I knew it would be a piece of cake. William watched the big rigs with great joy, and fell asleep for the last hour.
We rolled into Richmond around noon and decided to make our first stop at the Lewis Ginther Botanical Gardens. In 1884, Lewis Ginter bought the property and built the Lakeside Wheel Club, a destination for Richmond bicyclists. The land passed through several hands until 1981 when it became the Lewis Ginther Botanical Gardens. The gardens are among the prettiest I have seen too.
Getting a kick out of the waterfalls (they are to the right and left of him)
There is even a large lake and on the other side of the lake is the children's garden. The children's garden has a large tree house, a room for crafting and other art projects, a spray park in the summer, entertainment areas and small gardens where children can plant seeds. William had a great time walking around and seeing the water. He LOVES waterfalls and bridges. There were plenty of both and he was quite excited to explore it all!
At the Botanical Gardens glass house
After lunch, we headed the the Children's Museum. We stayed about 2 hours and William had a blast. This museum is wonderful. I only wish D.C. had something similar because it would make for the perfect winter destination. The mission: Pretend, Build, Climb and Explore. There is a dinosaur area with a slide and a pit where you can dig for bones or play with trucks (all in one large sandbox with tiny rubber tire chips), a room for climbing through tunnels and different slides, a section for pretend play where you can dress up in costumes and role play doctors, grocery clerks, bankers, etc.
William's favorite part - the race track at the water table.
CHEESE!
There is also an ambulance for kids to explore and sit in the driver's seat, a huge crafting room, an outdoor play area with a shaded beach, music instruments, a tree house to climb, an apple tree where you can "pick" apples (red balls) and then feed them back into the tree and watch the balls fly around the branches (clear tubes). It went on, and on.
The water table waterfall. Note the soaking wet shirt.
Driving the car
But the highlight for William.......the ENORMOUS WATER TABLE! I bet he stayed at the water table for 1 hour or more. He LOVED it. We'd go over to try something new, and he'd say, "Mama, go back to water table!" At one point, he looked at me and said, "all wet!" and yes, his shirt was soaked! You can see it in the pictures. He just had a blast running around the table and selecting which boat he'd sail, filling up his bucket in the waterfall, climbing the set stools to get a better look at the table, running from one end to the other just to make sure he'd covered all there was too see and do.
Mommy and William doing shadow puppets in the butterfly room
After that, we headed to dinner. Lindsey and Stan the man met us for dinner at 3 Monkeys. We had a great time catching up and meeting Stan. They graciously took us over to the Richmond canal afterwards where we walked around and enjoyed the views from a bridge. William had a great time because this part of the trip included 4 of his favorite things to do: walk, pick up rocks, stand on bridges (mom's least favorite activity to do with him), and throwing rocks into the water. We headed back to Arlington around 8 p.m.
Hi Lindsey! Great to see you and meet Stan the man. He's a keeper!
One rule I have is that William isn't allowed to wear his pjs in the car. It sounds rediculous, but there was a time (see past blog entries) a few months ago when ALL he wanted to do was wear his wheels jammies ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE we went. He was so passionate about wearing his wheels jams, that I had to make a rule for my own sake or else he'd never get dressed. Since this happened in the winter, I didn't care that much as the jams were under his street clothes (sometimes 2 layers of jams before real pants I might add) and so he could go about town since he was dressed. The phase has now subsided.
That said, we were traveling at night and wouldn't get home until about 10pm, and I thought it might be a good idea to have William "bed ready" upon our arrival home. So, I threw the rule out the window......William got to wear his beloved wheels jams all the way home while watching a Mickey Mouse movie. He keeps talking about that part as if it were Christmas. I think the ride home gave the water table a real run for first place!
We rolled into Richmond around noon and decided to make our first stop at the Lewis Ginther Botanical Gardens. In 1884, Lewis Ginter bought the property and built the Lakeside Wheel Club, a destination for Richmond bicyclists. The land passed through several hands until 1981 when it became the Lewis Ginther Botanical Gardens. The gardens are among the prettiest I have seen too.
Getting a kick out of the waterfalls (they are to the right and left of him)There is even a large lake and on the other side of the lake is the children's garden. The children's garden has a large tree house, a room for crafting and other art projects, a spray park in the summer, entertainment areas and small gardens where children can plant seeds. William had a great time walking around and seeing the water. He LOVES waterfalls and bridges. There were plenty of both and he was quite excited to explore it all!
At the Botanical Gardens glass houseAfter lunch, we headed the the Children's Museum. We stayed about 2 hours and William had a blast. This museum is wonderful. I only wish D.C. had something similar because it would make for the perfect winter destination. The mission: Pretend, Build, Climb and Explore. There is a dinosaur area with a slide and a pit where you can dig for bones or play with trucks (all in one large sandbox with tiny rubber tire chips), a room for climbing through tunnels and different slides, a section for pretend play where you can dress up in costumes and role play doctors, grocery clerks, bankers, etc.
William's favorite part - the race track at the water table.
CHEESE! There is also an ambulance for kids to explore and sit in the driver's seat, a huge crafting room, an outdoor play area with a shaded beach, music instruments, a tree house to climb, an apple tree where you can "pick" apples (red balls) and then feed them back into the tree and watch the balls fly around the branches (clear tubes). It went on, and on.
The water table waterfall. Note the soaking wet shirt.
Driving the carBut the highlight for William.......the ENORMOUS WATER TABLE! I bet he stayed at the water table for 1 hour or more. He LOVED it. We'd go over to try something new, and he'd say, "Mama, go back to water table!" At one point, he looked at me and said, "all wet!" and yes, his shirt was soaked! You can see it in the pictures. He just had a blast running around the table and selecting which boat he'd sail, filling up his bucket in the waterfall, climbing the set stools to get a better look at the table, running from one end to the other just to make sure he'd covered all there was too see and do.
Mommy and William doing shadow puppets in the butterfly roomAfter that, we headed to dinner. Lindsey and Stan the man met us for dinner at 3 Monkeys. We had a great time catching up and meeting Stan. They graciously took us over to the Richmond canal afterwards where we walked around and enjoyed the views from a bridge. William had a great time because this part of the trip included 4 of his favorite things to do: walk, pick up rocks, stand on bridges (mom's least favorite activity to do with him), and throwing rocks into the water. We headed back to Arlington around 8 p.m.
Hi Lindsey! Great to see you and meet Stan the man. He's a keeper!One rule I have is that William isn't allowed to wear his pjs in the car. It sounds rediculous, but there was a time (see past blog entries) a few months ago when ALL he wanted to do was wear his wheels jammies ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE we went. He was so passionate about wearing his wheels jams, that I had to make a rule for my own sake or else he'd never get dressed. Since this happened in the winter, I didn't care that much as the jams were under his street clothes (sometimes 2 layers of jams before real pants I might add) and so he could go about town since he was dressed. The phase has now subsided.
That said, we were traveling at night and wouldn't get home until about 10pm, and I thought it might be a good idea to have William "bed ready" upon our arrival home. So, I threw the rule out the window......William got to wear his beloved wheels jams all the way home while watching a Mickey Mouse movie. He keeps talking about that part as if it were Christmas. I think the ride home gave the water table a real run for first place!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
George Washington's birthsite
Over the weekend, the three of us headed out on a day trip to visit George Washington's birth place and home. The area is run by the National Park Service and they do a great job of maintaining the site's beautiful grounds and landscape. We were literally the one people there. William loved going for a hike and walking on the trails. The foundation of George's home is outlined on the ground and covered with pebbles. William thought it made a super hiking trail and he walked around the whole perimeter several times before moving on.
Being an airplane - notice the arms stretched out as wings
Then, we made our way to the open yard in front of the old house. This was prime territory for a game of airplanes. William would call out, "take off" and I would run around like a nut with my arms stretched wide like airplane wings -did I mention that we were the only people there? Then William would shout, "landing hear brakes" and I would gracefully glide to the ground. He got a REAL kick out of this and laughed saying, "mama do it again!" oh, the memories made and where we make them!
Mom running around like an airplane
For some history on George's home, you can read below.
Original Birthsite -The home in which George Washington was born, burned in 1779. Excavated in 1936, the foundation was recovered to preserve it. Crushed oyster shells on the ground mark the location of the home and the size and shape of the foundation.
Commemorative Area -The Memorial House and Colonial Kitchen were constructed in 1931 to recreate the home in which George Washington was born. Typical of a moderately wealthy planter of the 1730's, the buildings are not true replicas of the original Washington plantation. The reconstructed plantation does successfully depict the culture and social standing of the Washingtons during George Washington's youth.
Monday, April 13, 2009
April 13, 1983
That's the day I received one of the best presents ever....my little sister, Rachel! I can remember going to the hospital to meet her and I was so proud. I had a big button that said "Big Sister" on it and years of baby doll practice under my belt. My Rachie is the best little sister in the world. I have always been in awe of her beauty, incredible style and contagious personality. She's extremely cool. Everyone loves her. It's as simple as that. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHIE! - from your big sister who's always looked up to you.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Oklahoma, we miss you!
William's first moment to meet Elin.
Playing with Ann!
Mowing Pops and Bebe's lawn!
The Queen Bee of our vacation! Elin Ryan Johnston
William and I had a super time in OKC with family and friends. But, the highlight of the trip was getting to meet baby Elin. She's more precious than gold, sweeter than sugar and the ultimate pink of perfection! What a cutie! William adored her too. I asked him what we were going to do when we saw baby Elin and he replied, "pat you and kisses." That's just what he did to her too! She's really so small that it took him about 30 seconds to put his eyes on her. I think he was expecting to meet a fellow 32 lb. toddler! William didn't have interest in holding Elin, but he sure was sweet to her.
Aside from meeting our new niece, we enjoyed the company of old friends and relished each second spent with Bebe and Pops. We had so much fun that I didn't realize how few pictures I took. I am usually snapping away, but I was too busy having fun to remember to bring the camera everywhere. I am sick I didn't get a picture of William with Mac and Meme (his great grandparents) or his aunt Rachie, but I have a feeling Bebe took her fair share of photos throughout the week!
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