Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Playing with my girls in the sunshine
Another blissfully beautiful day here in the middle of winter!
After I dropped William off at school, the girls and I headed to the park. Adeline LOVES the park. It's a big treat for her because I just don't get to take her as much as I took William when he was little.......we went every single day, sometimes twice and we'd stay for hours.
With Anna so little, it's just really tricky to take Adeline and camp out on the playground for the whole morning. Some days it's just too chilly for Anna and other times Adeline wants to climb and go as high as she can on the jungle gym. If Anna's asleep, it all works out. If she's awake or hungry, it can be a little challenging. But by this summer, Anna will be bigger, the days longer, the weather warmer, and we'll be able to camp at the park just like the good ol' days!
But on this particular day, the weather was perfect for February and Anna had just had a bottle. So, I asked Adeline if she wanted to go to the park and she said, "OH MAMA! Let's play! Adeline go to sandbox and toys! Let's go!" And off we went.
Adeline had a great time. She played on all the gear for about an hour or so. We climbed, we hit the swings, she went down the slides, she was in heaven! We played restaurant with wood chips and Anna watched us from her stroller. The expressions on her faces were priceless and I could eat up her personality. She's every bit as sassy as she is sweet and her husky laugh is infectious.
We had such a good time and for me, it was extra special. I loved having all that time with just Adeline. It brought back so many memories of the 4 years I had with just my William. The time with my kids is so precious and I want to record every single snapshot of their "littleness" in my memory bank.
After I dropped William off at school, the girls and I headed to the park. Adeline LOVES the park. It's a big treat for her because I just don't get to take her as much as I took William when he was little.......we went every single day, sometimes twice and we'd stay for hours.
With Anna so little, it's just really tricky to take Adeline and camp out on the playground for the whole morning. Some days it's just too chilly for Anna and other times Adeline wants to climb and go as high as she can on the jungle gym. If Anna's asleep, it all works out. If she's awake or hungry, it can be a little challenging. But by this summer, Anna will be bigger, the days longer, the weather warmer, and we'll be able to camp at the park just like the good ol' days!
But on this particular day, the weather was perfect for February and Anna had just had a bottle. So, I asked Adeline if she wanted to go to the park and she said, "OH MAMA! Let's play! Adeline go to sandbox and toys! Let's go!" And off we went.
Adeline had a great time. She played on all the gear for about an hour or so. We climbed, we hit the swings, she went down the slides, she was in heaven! We played restaurant with wood chips and Anna watched us from her stroller. The expressions on her faces were priceless and I could eat up her personality. She's every bit as sassy as she is sweet and her husky laugh is infectious.
We had such a good time and for me, it was extra special. I loved having all that time with just Adeline. It brought back so many memories of the 4 years I had with just my William. The time with my kids is so precious and I want to record every single snapshot of their "littleness" in my memory bank.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Wagon rides and silliness
Yesterday after school, William wanted to color the wagon and take it for a spin around the block. Adeline wanted to wear a plastic bag over her head while she played around the house and colored the wagon with William. Luckily, I convinced her to take it off by bribing her with some fancy new sidewalk chalk.
Anna and I watched from the sidelines and then suited up for a breezy wagon ride around the neighborhood.
Anna is 4 months, William is 6 and Adeline is a month shy of 2 years old!
Anna and I watched from the sidelines and then suited up for a breezy wagon ride around the neighborhood.
Anna is 4 months, William is 6 and Adeline is a month shy of 2 years old!
Monday, February 11, 2013
LASER TAG 6th BIRTHDAY PARTY
For his 6th birthday, William decided to have a laser tag party at Laser Quest.
Dada has taken William to play laser tag a few times with his cousins in OKC. At first, William was very hesitant to step inside the dark room where the kids play the game, but after a couple of times going and watching his cousins have fun, William got the courage to try it. And, he LOVED it. So he was really excited that Tulsa had a laser tag facility (who knew!) AND it caters to birthday parties. PERFECT.
So Laser Tag was the place to party for William's 6th birthday. I wanted to make sure that our party wasn't going to take place when tons of teenagers would be playing too. Most 6 year olds have not played laser tag before and I hated to think that William's friends would be scared or intimidated by a bunch of older kids. So, I opted to have the party on a Friday after school RIGHT when Laser Quest opened. The employees assured me that the older crowd would not start coming until around 7pm or so. They were right. We had the place to ourseleves and William's friends were the only ones in the dark room playing the game. It was PERFECT for them.
So, Friday, February 8th from 4-6pm, 16 of William's classmates suited up and headed for a game of tag. William was SO SO SO excited. He jumped in the car right after school and said, "Mom! How many minutees does it take for us to get to Laser Quest? Did you bring my darkest clothes ever? I don't want anyone to see me and that way I will be the high scorer." The questions and the anticipation went on and on.
William and I got to Laser Quest early and had plenty of time to set up. Dada was going to meet us there after he picked up the M&M cookie cake - William's birthday cake of choice the last 3 years!
Dressed in his "darkest clothes ever," William ran around the place skipping and hopping and watching out the windows for his friends. The kids started to arrive and oh, he just beamed! His friends were really fired up too because most of them had never played laser tag but thought the concept was awesome. Even the girls were thrilled to be there.
First off, everyone had to pick a code name that would link their laser vest to their score card. William chose WilcoBravo6. It's his flight name.
Then the kids got a quick introduction to the game and they were off to the dark room. Several parents went inside the dark room to watch or help their own child participate in the game. It isn't hard to play, but for a child who's never done it, a dark room can be intimidating.
After the group finished, the score cards were handed out and William placed 2nd overall! He was so pleased! Then he was called to the stage where the kids gathered around to sing Happy Birthday to him. At the end of the song, William had to close his eyes and a toilet paper gun TP-d his face and body. He thought it was hilarious and he was a great sport!
The kiddos ate pizza and we sang to William again. He showed everyone his cookie cake and he told me how great it was that the cookie place drew a laser tag vest exactly like the one he was wearing. Oh the little things in life!
After a second game of laser tag, the party came to an end. William handed out party favors (glow sticks) and thanked all his buddies for coming to celebrate with him.
On the way home, William was quiet. He was tired, but he was also terribly sad. It killed him to think that he has to wait 365 more days until he turns 7. Bless his heart.
I am so glad you had such a wonderful birthday William. It was such a treat to see you with your friends. They like you so much and truly enjoy being with you. Happy 6th buddy!
Dada has taken William to play laser tag a few times with his cousins in OKC. At first, William was very hesitant to step inside the dark room where the kids play the game, but after a couple of times going and watching his cousins have fun, William got the courage to try it. And, he LOVED it. So he was really excited that Tulsa had a laser tag facility (who knew!) AND it caters to birthday parties. PERFECT.
So Laser Tag was the place to party for William's 6th birthday. I wanted to make sure that our party wasn't going to take place when tons of teenagers would be playing too. Most 6 year olds have not played laser tag before and I hated to think that William's friends would be scared or intimidated by a bunch of older kids. So, I opted to have the party on a Friday after school RIGHT when Laser Quest opened. The employees assured me that the older crowd would not start coming until around 7pm or so. They were right. We had the place to ourseleves and William's friends were the only ones in the dark room playing the game. It was PERFECT for them.
So, Friday, February 8th from 4-6pm, 16 of William's classmates suited up and headed for a game of tag. William was SO SO SO excited. He jumped in the car right after school and said, "Mom! How many minutees does it take for us to get to Laser Quest? Did you bring my darkest clothes ever? I don't want anyone to see me and that way I will be the high scorer." The questions and the anticipation went on and on.
William and I got to Laser Quest early and had plenty of time to set up. Dada was going to meet us there after he picked up the M&M cookie cake - William's birthday cake of choice the last 3 years!
Dressed in his "darkest clothes ever," William ran around the place skipping and hopping and watching out the windows for his friends. The kids started to arrive and oh, he just beamed! His friends were really fired up too because most of them had never played laser tag but thought the concept was awesome. Even the girls were thrilled to be there.
First off, everyone had to pick a code name that would link their laser vest to their score card. William chose WilcoBravo6. It's his flight name.
Then the kids got a quick introduction to the game and they were off to the dark room. Several parents went inside the dark room to watch or help their own child participate in the game. It isn't hard to play, but for a child who's never done it, a dark room can be intimidating.
After the group finished, the score cards were handed out and William placed 2nd overall! He was so pleased! Then he was called to the stage where the kids gathered around to sing Happy Birthday to him. At the end of the song, William had to close his eyes and a toilet paper gun TP-d his face and body. He thought it was hilarious and he was a great sport!
The kiddos ate pizza and we sang to William again. He showed everyone his cookie cake and he told me how great it was that the cookie place drew a laser tag vest exactly like the one he was wearing. Oh the little things in life!
After a second game of laser tag, the party came to an end. William handed out party favors (glow sticks) and thanked all his buddies for coming to celebrate with him.
On the way home, William was quiet. He was tired, but he was also terribly sad. It killed him to think that he has to wait 365 more days until he turns 7. Bless his heart.
I am so glad you had such a wonderful birthday William. It was such a treat to see you with your friends. They like you so much and truly enjoy being with you. Happy 6th buddy!
WILLIAM IS SIX YEARS OLD!
On the morning of Thursday, February 6th, a lucky little fellow woke up to six years old. As with tradition in our house, the birthday boy had 6 balloons tied to his bed when he opened his eyes. Those balloons signaled the official start of WILLIAM'S 6TH BIRTHDAY!
But let me begin with a brief description of how our night went down leading up to his birthday morning. Around midnight, a certain little boy came into our room, patted me on the back and woke me up from a dead sleep. "MOM! I feel like I have been sleeping 30 hours. Is is time to get up? Is it finally my birthday?" After a brief sigh of disappointment, William returned to bed. Around 3am, Miss Adeline began singing in her room. Oddly enough, this is kinda normal. She wakes up from time to time, sings or talks and then goes back to sleep. We think nothing of it. But I guess the birthday boy wasn't fully asleep and so he came back into our room around 3am just to check the time, AGAIN. On his way to our room, he made a friendly stop by Adeline's room (he heard her singing) and the two shared a short conversation about whatever it is little people need to discuss at 3am. Once he was in our room, we again gave William the blow that his birthday wasn't for another 3 hours. He went back to bed. Meanwhile, our resident songstress was belting out a few tunes from the crib and Dada went to check her. Adeline gave a friendly hello to Dada and clearly, she was wide awake. Next thing I know, our performer is making herself comfortable in our bed (a big no no in the middle of the night but obviously, we'd been up too many times already). Around 5am, sweet baby Anna makes some noise so I quieted her down with a little milk and then held her in my arms. Like clock work, William reappears. "Hey! I heard Anna and I saw the sun so this means it is morning and I am now six! It's my birthday! I feel like I had to sleep 50 hours to get here." That sweet little kid of mine.....he can make me laugh so hard even with 4 hours sleep under my belt. Next thing we know, the entire Barron family is in our bed singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to William at 6am.
And thus began our day!
William sprang into action and beamed all morning long. He was SO FIRED up for six. He has waited all year long for his birthday (as any normal child does) and he was gonna revel in the glory as long as he could. He got dressed and noticed the "Birthday Boy!" button I pinned to his shirt. He loved the idea of walking into school wearing the button and everybody knowing it was HIS DAY.
At breakfast, William told me, "Mom, serve me something Birthday Boys eat." I said, "like what?" And without missing a beat, William promptly replied, "Oreos and goldfish." Who can argue. It's his birthday for heavens sakes. So our new six year old feasted on an Orea and some goldfish for breakfast. He also had a few apples and a peanut butter graham cracker to balance it out.
I was busy getting Adeline ready for Mother's Day Out and we were leaving early so I could drop her off with her teachers about 45 minutes before school started and then make it to kindergarten in time for William's class party at 9:15. While I ran around, I caught a few glimpses of William checking out his birthday button and chatting with Adeline about how TODAY WAS HIS DAY and he was finally turning Six. He even got Adeline to sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him while he listened with great pride. Adeline clapped and cheered and kept saying, "William Happy Birthday!"
Dada took off with William to school and we met up outside the Kindergarten room with William's birthday treats. This year, he wanted donuts again. But, instead of airplanes, he wanted camoflauge number 6 donuts. The donut shop doesn't do "camo" so we opted for chocolate donuts outlined in dark green. I added a flag with a number 6 and camoflauge around the edges. William was pleased as punch and loved the final product.
While the teachers set up his snacks, Dada and I got to sit and watch William celebrate his birthday with his class. First, William stood at the front and showed everyone his birthday poster. This is standard birthday procedure at HH and William had spent several nights decorating his poster perfectly. He got to use the pointer stick and read his poster to the class. After he was done, the class read a HAPPY BIRTHDAY book outloud to William and sang a song celebrating William. Mrs. Rains had 6 candles for William to blow out as the class counted in Spanish. He was just thrilled with the whole event and I was touched with how special his teachers make birthdays for the kids. William truely felt like a King.
The kids loved the donuts and it was cute to listen to their conversations while they ate snacks.
I returned to school at 11:40 am to have lunch with William in the cafeteria. He asked me to bring him a Sonic grilled cheese, milk, apples and french fries. Easy enough. Anna and I got to sit at his lunch table and visit with his pals while I watched him enjoy his feast and run around with his classmates. I love having lunch at school with William. Soon enough, he won't want me to set foot inside the hallways, so I am soaking up all the days I have left when being seen with mom is "cool."
After Anna and I picked up Adeline, we all headed back to Holland Hall to grab our birthday boy. I could tell William was tired when he got in the car, but he was just so happy too. He had the perfect birthday and told me over and over how much he was looking forward to being 7! He hated to think his big day was almost over......I know how he felt. I remember being a kid and waiting eons for my birthday to roll around and then hoping the hours would go extra slow so I could have MY DAY just a wee bit longer. Bless his little heart.
But the Barron's partied on! We hit Hideway Pizza for a birthday dinner and topped it with a chocolate chip cookie and ice cream sundae dessert.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOST FAVORITE SIX YEAR OLD IN THE WORLD!
William -
You are six. Six. Wow. How did we get here?
I am suppose to be in the hospital with you. You are a giraffe for Halloween. My stroller was shiny and brand new. We logged thousands of miles, you and I.. I should be meeting Thomas the Train and spending every winter afternoon at the airport just staring out the glass windows onto the runways. It's what we did, you and I. I remember sitting in the sandbox watching you roll trucks through the dirt. You sat on my lap in the car while we waited everyday at 3pm in the school bus yard so we could watch the school buses roll in from bus duty. There are countless days and nights of watching airplanes overhead, flying them on the living room floor. You are suppose to still wear your Pilot unifor m everywhere we go. It's my most favorite treasure from your toddlerhood. You should insist on only wearing pjs with wheels on them. Your wrists are suppose to be fat and look like they are screwed on your arms. You are suppose to be in bathtub while I read a stack of books as high as the sky. We should be walking up and down the trails at Windgate collecting leaves and sticks for our treasure pot. It's what we do, you and I.
I can still smell those days. I can taste them. With every fiber of my being, the memories take me back. And it's been six years. Six.
YOU ARE THE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE.
Welcome to six years old and all the excitement that this year will bring! Perhaps you'll finally loose a tooth and grow 48 inches tall so we can tour the Boeing plant. We'll see soon enough because the years fly by so fast!
Always know that my love for you is deeper than any ocean, higher than the sky, as bright as the sun and beyond my wildest dreams!
LOVE YOU WILLIAM!
Mom Mom
Monday, February 4, 2013
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