Saturday, August 25, 2012

Rip Ridin' Fool

The weather is finally cooling off a bit, so tonight we dusted off William's Razor Rip Rider big wheel and set out for an evening spin. 

Dada pushed Adeline in the stroller and she got a real kick out of watching William pedal off and spin in circles on his bike.  She'd clap and cheer for him!
 

During the spring, William had to use a pillow behind his back in order to reach the pedals, but I'd say someone has grown quite a bit and now those legs are plenty long enough to pedal like a maniac.


Rip Ridin' Fool indeed!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

AHB tackles Mother's Day Out!

Today was Adeline's first day of Mother's Day Out!  We spent the summer preparing for her big school day by signing her up for Bible School and summer camp at the same church where she attends MDO.  By doing so, I think it really helped her understand the process of me dropping her off and coming back to get her. 

When we pulled up to the church, Adeline knew where we were and she didn't get upset!  She walked right into the church lobby with a big ol' smile on her face and chatted it up with a few other kids waiting for school.  She held my hand and we walked right over to her classroom without missing a beat. 


But when we got to the classroom door, I could tell she was a little confused.  She certainly recognized where we were and what we doing, but she didn't recognize the teacher or the room.  This is because her summer camp teachers and classroom are next door to the MDO room she is in this year.  So, I think it threw her for a loop.

But, she didn't dissolve into tears....instead, just a little whimper when I handed her over to the teachers. 


I put her stuff in her cubby and went into the office to fill out some paperwork that I missed during orientation.  By the time I was done and on my way out the door, a few ladies peeked into the classroom and reported that Adeline was busy playing with the babies and going down the play slide.

I knew my girl would LOVE Mother's Day Out.  She enjoys William's company so much and with him in school 5 days a week, I think her little school experience is perfect for her (and for mom too!).  

When I picked her up, she ran right to the door with a smile on her face!  I was so pleased to see her without tears.  The teachers told me she had a very good day, cried just a few times on and off, LOVED the baby dolls, bubbles and outside play time.  She took a 1.5 hour nap which really impressed me considering it was the first day in a new environment with a totally new nap routine. 

All in all, Adeline did great!  She looked so cute in her school bus dress and she kept pointing to her new red patent shoes and said, "Mama SHHHHHHOOOOOEEESSS!" and then she'd watch her feet while she stomped off running around! 

LOVE YOU ADELINE!  I am so glad you have embraced MDO with a happy heart!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

WBB goes to Kindergarten!

Today was William's first day of KINDERGARTEN!  I can't believe he is even old enough for me to say that out loud!  It feels like yesterday when I first dropped him off at Mother's Day Out.  How the years have flown by! 

 I couldn't be more proud of my "best boy."  He's everything I could possibly ask for all rolled into a happy, polite, always curious, question asking, adventure seeking 5 year old.  We've blazed quite a trail over the last 5 years and it makes me so happy to see William face new challenges and conquer them with a new found independence. 

Although Kindergarten is a big deal, I will be honest and say that for me, it was just another start to a new school year.  For the last two years, William has gone to school 5 days in a row and last year was 5 days, all day from 9-2:50.  This year, the only major difference is that Kindergarten is from 8:05 a.m. until 3:05 p.m.  So the day is just a little longer.  That said, I didn't feel any anxiety or wheepy emotion as I let him out of the car.  He was fired up to see his friends, explore his new classroom and get back into his routine.


This morning I snapped a cute picture of him sporting his backpack and holding a sign that says, "When I grow up, I want to be an Air Traffic Control Operator."  Such a fitting start to our day!


When I picked him up from school, he told me all about using the Smart Board on the wall, drawing a picture at the "U table," finding his cubby and learning the names of 4 new friends.  He also told me how much he's going to love being in Mrs. Rains class because she is just super nice and gave him a hug when he walked through the door. 

My boy was all smiles and I am so thankful for his positive start to Kindergarten! 

On the road to Kindergarten!

Holland Hall had a few events leading up to the beginning of school.  William's first activity was a splash party in the primary school parking lot.  The Kindergarten class met from 10-11:30 am last Monday so the kids could play on the water slides and the parents could mix and mingle.  It was a great way to meet new families and scope out who was going to be in William's class.




While at the splash party, William got a Holland Hall tattoo and a free snow cone!



Another event leading up to the start of school was "Meet the Teacher" day.  William was really excited for this day because he wanted to know who his teacher was and which friends would be in his class.  So on Tuesday morning, I took William to meet Mrs. Rains and the 16 kiddos in his class.  The first thing we did when we got there was find his cubby and we figured out that he's in the yellow color group this year.  William pretty much ditched me at the door and worked the room like an ol' pro. 

He decorated a name place card for his spot at the lunch table and used the Smart Board to play an ice cream game with Mrs. Rains.  He explored the very cool tree house that sits in the middle of the Kindergarten room.  It's got a Lego table on top of the tree house and inside the bottom of the tree house is a very cozy reading area. 



We stayed about 1.5 hours before heading to the student store to buy a new t-shirt and hit the road for the doctor. 

The day before Meet the Teacher day, I got an email saying William needed the second round of the Hep. A virus shot before he'd be allowed to attend school. Of course I went into panic mode and was slightly irritated because I had called last month to make sure his records were updated and all the necessary paperwork was in place for his enrollment. After getting a "yes," this was the last thing on my mind.

Luckily I was able to get a doctor's appointment for the shot on the afternoon of Meet the Teacher. However, William spent 48 hours working himself into a complete mess of nerves knowing he was going to get a shot the day before school. He talked about it all the time, asked me how many hours until the shot, asked me about the needle, would it hurt?, reported to his friends at Meet the Teacher, asked how long would it take, etc. It went on and on and bless his heart, he was a COMPLETE mess. He made himself sick. I won't go into the details of being at the doctor for the shot, but let's just say the screaming started before the nurse entered the room, the thrashing around on the table started before the needle was even out of the bag, and my kiddo was yelling, "STOP! IT HURTS! DON'T HURT ME!" at the top of his lungs before the needle even touched his skin. Yes, it was horrible. Yes, it was kinda funny in a "terrible mom for laughing" sort of way.......but we survived.

Then we were in route home and all of William's nerves collided and he threw up 4 times in his car seat. Yum. 9 months pregnant and the smell of vomit in the car are an excellent combination. I quickly pulled over, got out the emergency blanket and tried to remedy the situation as best I could in order to get us home. After cleaning him up and letting him lay on the couch, I wasn't sure if my boy would make it to Kindergarten on the first day of school or not. Part of me was confident that he was not really sick because we'd just come from a complete exam by the doctor. The other part of me kinda thought it was all the nervous anxiety that he'd put himself through leading up to the shot. Who knows. But after awhile, William rallied a bit and ate some dinner. I put him to bed a little early and he slept all night. No more sickness and no fever.

When he got up, he was ready to go to school. Luckily, the first day of school was only a half day, so I knew he'd be ok for 3 hours and he was eager to go.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

William 5.5 years old and Adeline 17 months old







Sunday, August 19, 2012

Bartlesville Kiddie Park

Last weekend Dada had the great idea to take a family roadtrip to Bartlesville, Oklahoma.  We knew there was a kiddie park with 0.50 cent rides and a train that went around the perimeter.  Since it's been so hot here, the park is only open from 7-9 p.m.  So we loaded up the car around 5pm and headed out on the 1 hour car ride to Bartlesville. 

The drive was a success because both kiddos took a nap almost the entire way.  So by the time we got to our BBQ place for dinner, everyone was ready to party into the night!


The kiddie park is pretty cute and hosts a wide range of amusement park rides for children of all ages.  William's first concern was for Adeline.  He wasn't quite sure what ride she would enjoy because most rides were for kids who could participate on their own.  When we walked into the park, William was a little overwhelmed and it took a few minutes to process all of the choices.  He refused to ride any independent rides until Adeline got a turn on the train.

Our girl loves "choo-choos" and right when we entered the park, we walked over the kiddie train tracks.  She saw the big engine immediately and she began clapping her hands and jumping up and down in delight.  I decided not to ride the train so I could get a few pictures of everyone else riding the rails.  So Dada took the kids on the train.  He told me Adeline really loved it until they entered the dark tunnel.  At that point, she buried her face in Dada's shoulder and held on to him in pure panic mode.  But, once the train left the tunnel, she was back to lovin' the ride!  William was SO pleased that Adeline had a good time, and once he jumped off the train, he headed straight for the boat ride.

William climbed into a boat with a few other kids and had a great time steering the wheel as the boats floated in a circle.  After the successful boat ride, he was off to the bounce house and ferris wheel.  I was really shocked that he wanted to ride the ferris wheel.  William has never been that brave when it comes to this sort of ride, but I was thrilled he really wanted to give it a try.  So he boarded the yellow cage on his own and held on for dear life.


  Dan and I watched from the ground as William rode around and around while holding onto the handles with a death grip.  We laughed so hard as we watched him bravely ride that kiddie ferris wheel!  When his turn was over, he jumped out of the cage with a huge smile on his face and said, "Oh man, that went so high!  But it was really fun and I was in a locked cage so I knew I wouldn't fall out and die." 

Dada and Adeline took off for the carousel while William and I tried to decide what else he wanted to do before the park closed.  He decided to ride the carousel with Dada and Adeline for the second time, so they all boarded the ride while I took a few pictures. 

Finally, William got in line to ride the airplane.  He was really excited because on the airplane ride, the airplanes flew up high when you pushed on your controller.  He rode with a cute little girl and they had fun raising their plane high in the air. 

We wrapped up our kiddie park adventure around 8:45 pm when Adeline started to loose steam.  She was pretty tired and William was satisfied with his choice of rides. 

The trip to Bartlesville was lots of fun and we came home with extra tickets, so I am sure we'll be back to use them up very soon!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Happy 9 Year Anniversary to us!

Thursday, August 16, 2012 was our 9th wedding anniversary.  It feels like yesterday. 

There is no one else I want to walk through life with, no place I would rather call home, no other little faces I love more than the four I kiss each day, and there is no other aisle I would rather walk down to meet the most incredible future I never knew I would have...........I love you Dada.  Thank you for making my life more amazing every single day.


This picture was taken by William (using my Iphone) last night before we cut into our anniversary cookie cake.  I laugh at this picture because it totally sums up life at this very moment. 


The picture is so blurry, but yet the last 10 months of our lives have been somewhat of a blur.  A move across country, a new baby coming in 5 weeks, a new house remodel under construction, a new school year.....it's all moving so fast!

Seeing Adeline in the picture reminds me of how quick the last 17 months have gone.  In the blink of an eye, my baby girl is a busy, fun loving, chatterbox of a toddler.  Knowing my William is behind the camera reminds me how fast he's growing up - his independence, the "mom I can do it on my own.  let me show you" attitude, kindergarten, the listening challenges,and his intense love for all things Adeline.  They seem so big to me, but I try to hold on....but it's kinda blurry.

Then I see myself.  9 months pregnant with my third baby.  My third baby! A dream that delights my heart and completes me.  And I only have 5 weeks to go.  It's been such a blur, so fast and so full of joy. 

And the cake and the flowers....the cookie cake isn't perfect...it's got a few nicks and crumbs which just remind me of the last 9 years.  Full of happiness, tears and the challenges life brings.  But the journey is intensely sweet.  Sweeter than chocolate and simply a sugar high I'd gladly eat every single day with my little family.  And holding those flowers, well Dada always brings me flowers on my anniversary.  And with all the changes we've experienced the last 10 months, these flowers sum up our journey. 

Bloom where you are planted. 

And that's just what we have done. 

Friday, August 10, 2012

Stillwater Wondertorium


Last weekend, Dan suggested we take a road trip to Stillwater.  I had seen an ad for a children's museum there called The Wondertorium.  We didn't really know what to expect, but it was a chance to get out of the apartment and let the kids run around.  We thought we'd also have lunch

So we loaded up and headed for Stillwater on Saturday morning.  The Wondertorium was pretty impressive.  I really didn't think there would be much of a "wow" factor, but the facility was large, bright, and FULL of interactive displays.  You can even have your birthday party at The Wondertorium, and on this particular day, there was a party going on.  The hosts even invited Pistol Pete to make a special appearance.  I asked William if he wanted his picture taken with Pete, and I cracked up because William could have cared less about the big ol' man in the orange clothes.  He was kinda like, "huh?  who is that guy?"  HA!


The first activity William tried was an enormous maze of tubes with air blowing though it.  You put a ball inside the tubes and watch it zoom through the maze and fly out the end.  He LOVED this and played with it for a really long time.  Adeline even got into it and watched the balls fly around.  She would shout, "WWOOOWWWW! OOOOOOO!!!!"  

Adeline also liked the career stations.  She found the hospital nursery and stole a doll from the bassinet.  She carried the baby around for awhile and showed her how to go down the tree house slide.  Adeline would yell, "WEEEEEEEEEE!" and watch the baby land in the pit. 

Her other career of choice was answering phones at the work desk.  She sat on Dada's lap and banged on the computer keyboard while multi-tasking to answer important phone calls.  Perhaps she'll answer the phones in the White House Social Office one day! 



Aside from the maze, William really got a kick out of playing grocery store.  He spent a long time acting as the cashier for the old fashioned general store.  Several kids played along with him and he took his job VERY SERIOUSLY when ringing up his customers.  


Adeline played the role of a poor little girl peddling apples for pennies.  Dada played the part of a demanding old man who wanted sewing notions.  William ran around fulfilling the order and charged him $0.39 total.  What a bargain back in the day!  Even after we left the museum, William talked quite a bit about the general store and asked me lots of questions about what it was like in the old days. 



Both the kids spent time at the water table and I was so glad that I took Adeline's long sleeved bib.  She wore it at the water table and I think it kept her from drowning! 

We played in the glow in the dark room, built obstacle courses using pipes and golf balls, and explored the guts of the human body at the hospital area. 

After about 1.5 hours playing and running around, we headed to Eskimo Joe's for lunch.  But, there was a 1.5 hour wait to eat!  YIKES!  So Dada found a random BBQ joint called Bad Brad's BBQ and the four of us feasted on some good grub.  We headed home with two tired kiddos.  The day was very fun and a great way to get out of the house on a beastly hot day!










32 Weeks Pregnancy Highlights Baby #3



32 Week Pregnancy Highlights - Baby #3

How Far Along: 32 weeks
Size of baby: Baby B is measuring on target
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 165 lbs. Gained 28 total.
Maternity Clothes: In maternity dresses for the most comfort and wearing maternity shorts and t-shirts.
Gender: THINK PINK! IT'S A GIRL! WE ARE THRILLED!
Movement: TONS of movement. Lots of rumbles in the middle of my belly with a few thumps down low.  Lots of action at night and I can feel body parts rolling around. 
Sleep: I sleep on my left side and I am starting to wake up more often in the night. I get uncomfortable on my side and have to sit up and stretch before going back to bed.
What I miss: Not feeling my skin touch between my legs!

Cravings: Not many. I am mostly hungry in the morning before lunch and ok during the afternoon. Still can't handle spicy food and milk sometimes makes my stomach hurt.
Best Moment this week: Setting the date for my baby girl's arrival!


Great Joy is coming on
 Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 7 a.m.

*Baby #3 is still breech. Her head is under my chest, her back is on my right side, her bottom is sitting on my bladder (explains a lot!) and her legs curl upward on my left side towards my chest. Her hands are in between her legs which explains the knocking I feel down low. 

*Photo taken with my Iphone by a very proud big brother.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Summer Vacation

While my extended family is here:



My little family of 4 is here:




But we have so much to celebrate as we anxiously await the arrival of our sweet baby girl!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

WBB Just Talkin' age 5.

William: "Mom, when the baby gets here, let's name her Savannah."

William: "Mom, when our new baby cries we can call her "Miss Cry Baby."  When she crawls, we can call her "Miss Crawly" and when she walks we can call her "Miss Speed Walker."

Me:  "William, can you hand me my cell phone please?"
William:  "Mom, what is a cell phone?"
Me:  "Oh, I meant my Iphone."
William: "Oh (laugh) ok.  Did you have cell phones in the old fashioned days or something?"

William:  "Mom, Adeline is my best girl.  You are my bestest old girl and my new baby is my best new girl.  Did you know I am surrounded by girls in this house?  Don't worry.  All the Barron girls are my best friends.  I like you guys equal."

William:  "Mom, when I am 25 you said I won't get to live with you and dad anymore (and he starts to cry).  I am saving my money for a private jet so I don't have enough money to buy a house to live in.  I don't want to leave you guys."
Me:  "Oh William, don't be so sad.  When you are 25, you will be ready to have your own space and you probably won't want to mom and dad around."
William: (not really understanding the big picture and very sad to think he'd live alone): "Maybe when I have to live some place else because I am too old to be at your house, Adeline will live with me.  She'll be 20 years old and we can be our own family and you and dad can just come over anytime you want.  She's my best friend."


Thursday, August 2, 2012

William brushes his teeth - YUCK!

I have been meaning to blog this story for a few weeks now, but I just keep forgetting!  Must be my pregnancy brain!

A few weeks ago, William, Adeline and I were racing to get out the door early in the morning.  I can't remember where we were going (maybe Mother's Day Out?), but regardless, I was trying to hustle to get two kids dressed, fed and through their morning check list before 8:30am.  Seems like an easy thing to do, but I have one 5 year old soul who is a very slow mover and is a champion "doddler."

On this particular day, I was getting frustrated because I had asked William 4 times to go brush his teeth because the car was leaving in 5 minutes.  He just didn't move......so I asked 6 times and told him this would be the last call for the tooth brush because I was going to put Adeline in the car.  Well, that must have lit a fire under him because the kid hates to be alone and the very thought of me driving off without him (which I would never do) put him in high gear. 

William asked me where his tooth brush was and I of course told him it was upstairs on the counter next to the white tube of toothpaste where it sits 365 days of the year.  Always struggling to listen, he probably asked me this question 3 times in one minute.  Yet another frustrating moment in my frantic race to the car that day. 

So the next thing I know, William has brushed his teeth and comes downstairs with the most disgusted look on his face.  "Mom, that was THE WORST MOST GROSSEST TOOTHPASTE you have ever bought.  DO NOT buy that again."  There was even some wet white stuff around his mouth where we did his best to spit it out.  I nodded my head and didn't think much about the toothpaste because sometimes William ends up using the adult toothpaste which for a kid tastes very bad.  It is so minty fresh that it comes across as "hot and burning" to a kid.  So, I took it for what I heard, grabbed my keys, two kids, and we finally headed out the door.

Over the course of this particular day, William commented on the nasty toothpaste 6 times.  During our drive, he randomly told me how terrible the toothpaste tasted, one time he asked me what brand the toothpaste was and to never buy it again.  Then another time he asked me what makes me sad and I gave an answer only to ask him the same question in which he matter a factly stated, "I am so sad that I had to use that horrible toothpaste.  It was SO BAD."   And this played out a few other random times during the day. 

Well after about the 5th toothpaste comment, I was curious.  I mean, he never complains like this - much less about something as basic as toothpaste.   I was so puzzled.  I told him how sorry I was that he used the adult toothpaste and that was about the extent of my sympathy. 

During bath time, I was fiddling over at the sink doing something for myself when I casually looked down at the counter.  There it was.  The "AH HA!" moment.  The stars were alined and I immediately knew what William used to brush his teeth that morning........



BINGO.  Yep.  There was a white tube of hydrocortisone cream sitting next to his damp tooth brush.  He did exactly as I told him and picked up the "white tube of toothpaste" that morning to brush his teeth.  William was in the bath tub when I figured this out and I casually showed him the creamy tube and asked if it was the "toothpaste" he used.  "YES! THROW THAT AWAY MOM!  It is SO GROSS!" 

I will admit - I busted out laughing.  I mean hysterical laughter.  The kind that brings out tears and hurts your stomach.  I thought it was the FUNNIEST thing I had heard in a LONG LONG TIME!  And, it was pretty much the 3rd lowest parenting moment of my life. LOL. 

William wasn't sure why I was laughing so hard, but I brushed it off and collected myself.  Then you will be happy to know that my responsible side called Poison Control.  The man at PC kinda chuckled as I told the story - I am sure it's not everyday these emergency folks hear about a kid who uses anti itch cream as toothpaste.  Nevertheless, he assured me that if William had gone the entire day without one symptom of an illness, he was probably just fine.  He also told me that the cream has a 1% medicated formula which makes it very mild should a child swallow it.  I was relieved and thanked the PC officer for reassuring me. 

I never told William what happened.  It was such an honest mistake for a 5 year old and his mom.  I don't even know why the cream was on the counter or if William found it in a drawer with the toothpaste.  The kid is working on his reading skills but it was just another signal to me that I can't trust him to know right from wrong.  So I let it go even though a huge cloud of guilt hanged over my head. 

That night while Dan and I were watching tv, I busted out laughing with tears in my eyes and a baby in my belly who probably was sea sick from my laughter.  I repeated the story to Dan and both of us were rolling on the floor.  Terrible.  I know!

And so to my William, I am sorry for rushing around like a nut that morning and dismissing your gross comments about the toothpaste.  Part of me thought you were just being 5 and the other part of me was just glad you finally brushed your teeth after I had asked 6 times. One thing is for sure, your teeth are never going to itch!
 
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