Brownies and Brownie Balls

Todd loves sweets... Michael loves Daddy and wants to emulate him in every way - so Michael loves sweets with Daddy. Michael and Todd made brownies the other night. Little man is all about helping in the kitchen lately! Chris kept trying to climb on the step-stool with Michael, but there wasn't room... I snapped the picture just after he gave up.

The new key to getting Michael to sit and eat a good dinner? Brownies. Will Chris eat brownies off of a plate? No way. Will he eat them if you roll them into little brown balls? Sure! (I won't mention what those little brown brownie balls look like...)

Remember Me??

I know that I've been slacking on the blogs lately... Ok, I've been downright lazy about it! Well, now that I'm in the groove at school, I promise to update more often.

Meredith and I took Michael and Juliana to Disney on Ice on Friday evening. Michael LOVED it! I can't wait to take him to the theater for the first time to see Toy Story! He wants to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween!

Michael-isms:
Michael has picked up the phrase, "It's not fair!" However, he doesn't quite get it right... When he's upset that he isn't getting his way, he says, "You're fair, Mommy!" or "That's fair!" Of course, I always agree with him (while giggling to myself)!

Chris-isms:
Yes, it's Chris's first Chris-ism. Chris loves to scream at the top of his lungs just to scream at the top of his lungs. Not because he's upset or scared or startled, but because he wants to scream. Todd and I usually tell him quietly, "Chris, shhh." At the dinner table tonight, Chris was screaming again (captive audience, ya know) and, before Todd or I could stop him, he stopped and "shhh'd" himself! It was quite funny seeing him scream then shush, then scream, then shush. Silly boy!

Silly Faces

Michael has been making this silly face for a while:

Tonight, he taught Chris how to do it:

My oldest child is going to be the class clown, isn't he?

From the Mouths of Babes...

I just tucked Michael in his big boy bed. We did our usual routine: bath, pj's, story, sleep. Here's our little conversation:

Mommy: "Good night, my love."
Michael: "I'm a wub?"
Mommy: "Well, I love you, so I call you 'my love.'"
Michael: "No, Mommy. I'm not a wub. I'm Michael Ryan Barnes."

Daddy's Boy

Anyone who has seen Michael and Todd can tell that Michael adores his Daddy.  He absolutely adores Todd and misses him when he's gone. The other day, I had Michael and Chris in the car and we were running errands. Todd came by the house to grab a tool and we passed him on the road. Michael recognized Todd's work van and said, "My daddy's home! Now I can be happy!"  Bless his heart... I love that he worships his dad so much, but I couldn't help but be a little stung by the comment... I hope I make him happy, too.  Nevertheless, I must remember that he is only 3 and didn't mean anything by it but that he loves his daddy. 

He "made my feelings happy" today when I picked him up from day camp.  He came running through the crowd of kids, arms outstretched, smiling from ear to ear, yelling, "Mommy! Mommy!" 

Baby Tricks

Well, it's just a couple of baby tricks, but I love them. All moms love it when their babies learn new things and I'm no exception. I've started teaching Chris some baby signs in the last few days so that he can communicate a bit easier. (I did this with Michael WAY earlier, but for some reason, totally spaced out with Chris. Better late than never, right?) Within 1 day, Chris was signing "more" and using it to tell us that he wanted to eat. I'm not sure why he doesn't use the "eat" sign, but it's progress all the same. Chris has also been giving me baby smooches! They're mostly open-mouthed slobbery ones, but I'm not picky (at this point). :)

Tennessee Aquarium Pictures

Chris, Michael, and Juliana checking out the saltwater fish.

I know this one is very blurry, but Michael was in such a dreamy state at this point, it fits the mood.

At the penguin exhibit.

Michael and Juliana climbed up on the ledge, but were too scared to touch the stingrays. (The stingrays are called "stingfish" according to Michael.)

Creative Discovery Center Pictures

Michael

Chris had fun in the toddler area.

Chris sat and played with this automatic piano for a long time!

Aiden and Chris. I just love this picture!

Zoo Pics

Juliana and Michael in the "Bamboobs" garden.

Michael, me, and Chris

Juliana and Michael checking out the crocodiles.

Silly Mommy!

Chillin' with a little juice

Photos coming soon...

I've spent much of the past couple of weeks with the boys trying to make the most of summer since I'm about to be back at work full-time. Meredith and I took the kiddos to the zoo and to Chattanooga (Creative Discovery Center and the TN Aquarium). *I have lots of great pictures, but will upload them to a post later in the week. We're having our internet speed upgraded on Friday.

Nashville Zoo:
My best girlfriend, Meredith, and I piled the 4 kids into her van and hauled them to Nashville and went to Grassmere. We saw all the animals, but the kids were most interested in the Bamboo garden. Well... I should correct myself - the most interesting part of the trip to me was when Juliana called the Bamboo "Bamboobs." I just about wet my pants when this sweet little girl said that she wanted to "touch the bamboobs!"

Chattanooga:
The next week, we took all the kiddos to Chattanooga where we went to the Creative Discovery Center and the Tennessee Aquarium. There was LOTS to do and they loved every bit - especially the music section of the Discovery Center and the sharks at the aquarium.

Cute kid pictures coming soon!
Brooke

Weekend at Center Hill Lake

This past weekend, Todd and I piled the boys in the car and we went to Center Hill Lake with his mom and dad (Patty and Larry), and his brother's family (Jeff, LeAnn, and Davis). We tried the boat thing with the kids, but Chris and Davis just weren't ready (they're both a year old). So we hung out at the house (big Thank-You to Ramona and Jim for letting us stay there) and had fun. Well... Todd didn't have that much fun. On Saturday morning, his stomach began hurting. At first, we thought it was food poisoning or bad gas (is there good gas?). By Sunday morning, he was having trouble walking, so I packed Todd up, left Michael and Chris with Grana and Grumps and high-tailed it back to Franklin to the ER. Unfortunately, Todd had to have his appendix removed on Sunday afternoon. He is on the mend now and doing well. I've posted some pictures from the happy parts of the weekend below.

Michael being sweet and loving on his Aunt LeAnn.

Chris only wanted his Grumps... I took this picture as they both nodded off at the same time.

Cousin Davis being handsome!

Michael and Aunt LeAnn playing with the bubble gun... I'm not sure who was having more fun!

Here are a couple of short videos of Michael being his usual silly self! :)

"What do pirates say?"

This is how Michael calls turkeys... yes, he is saying "wobble gobble!"

Fourth of July

Todd and I took the boys out to Jerad and Crystal's farm for a big get-together... I was not very good on camera duty that day! I saw a lot of friends that I had not seen in a long time - it was so nice! Here are a few pictures that I did get:

Two very handsome boys.

I love this smile!!! My cup runneth over!


This is Chris's "I'm not sure about this grass" face... He had stayed on the picnic blanket up until this point. After that, he decided it was ok and he was going to take off full speed ahead!

"Auntie Mille, will you lift up your shirt and let me squirt you?" says Michael.

We went to our friends' (Jerad and Crystal) house on the 4th of July for a cookout/party. Todd had gotten me a little handheld fan that has a water reservoir on it so you can cool off with the fan, or mist (squirt) yourself (or others) at the same time. Great idea and very thoughtful of Todd. Michael had, of course, gotten his hands on the fan and was running around showing the other kids how it worked... in other words, he was squirting everyone. He and the other boys were lifting their shirts up and spraying their bellies... that's when Michael goes up to his Auntie Mille (Camille was wearing WHITE by the way... makes the story funnier) and asks her, "Auntie Mille, will you lift up your shirt and let me squirt you?"

That little boy will be the life of the party when he gets older!

Growin' Up... Literally!

So, we're sitting at the table eating lunch when Todd whispers to me, "Baby, look at Chris!" I look into the living room to see my little man FINALLY standing on his own!!!! I have been trying and trying to get him to pull up and here he is! He's a late crawler/walker - which is fine, medically speaking... but the Momma and teacher in me wanted him walking months ago!

"Look at me, Mom! I'm standing up!"

(Yes, my kid looks redneck in a pj shirt and diaper, but it's the summer and it's easy!)

This is a video clip of Todd coaxing him up for the 2nd time. Proud Momma and Daddy!!!

Thank You to My Heroes

This is a picture of my wonderful husband, Todd. It was taken as he sat in his Humvee in the desert of Kuwait in '99 (I believe). This time of year is very special to me as we celebrate two very special days. July 3rd is our wedding anniversary and the 4th of July is very special to us for obvious reasons.

I am so thankful for Todd for many reasons, the first is for being my husband. Yes, marriage is work, but he loves me completely every day. We help each other grow as spouses and as people. Being a parent is work - and is very trying at times - but he is always there to be part of our "team." He works extremely hard to provide for me and the boys. Todd, I hope that you know this already, but you are the world to me and I love you.

Another reason that I am thankful for Todd is his service to our country in the US Army. Your service gave Americans our freedom, and for that I am thankful and proud. I hope to never take it for granted. I also want to thank some other soldiers I know and knew:

Ken Anthony, "Pop," US Army

Brennan Hammett, US Marines

Jason Pollard, US Marines

Davis Burke, US Army

Holly Adams, US Air Force (You will always be with us, Holly.)

Cris Maier, US Navy

John Blue, US Navy

Jason Hixson, US Marines

Robbie Smith, US Army

James Otey, US Army

I hope that I haven't left anyone off the list.

Love to you all, and Happy 4th of July!

Rock-A-Bye Babies

What do you call 4 children all asleep at the same time?

H - E - A - V - E - N

(L to R: Juliana, Michael, Chris, Aiden)

All Dolled Up!

On Saturday, June 20th, I joined the girls of Todd's side of the family and we went to his cousin's wedding at the Governor's Club. Jenny drove, and we all had a big laugh as we picked each person up - we were all wearing black and pink and nobody planned it!

On the steps: Kendall, Barbara, Sandy, Patty. In front: Jenny, Melissa, Brooke

Michael's New Buddy

So, you've read all about Coach Rudy nicknaming Michael "Turbo." Well, Coach Rudy's son, Aron, is one of Michael's new buddies. Todd and I took Michael to a Nashville Sounds game with the Leal family: Rudy, Lori, and Aron. It was a fireworks game, and those two boys had a ball!

Here are some pics:

Todd & Michael

Aron and Michael

(Aron's mom, Lori, is in the background to the left.)

Turbo

That's Michael's nickname at the ballpark. Turbo. Coach Rudy started calling Michael "Turbo" at the very first practice and the name stuck... Boy, oh boy, did he ever live up to the name last night! Every time he had the chance, he was running off somewhere! The poor dads had to keep chasing him down, so I pawned Chris off on Grana and took over the chasing. All of the spectators (for BOTH teams, mind you) were getting a good laugh! Although he did wear me out, at least he was in a good mood about the whole thing... he could have been running around and throwing a fit. Poor Todd got stuck on a job in Manchester (yes, Bonnaroo is this weekend and he's working in Manchester - yesterday he told me that "a hippie passed me on the interstate on rollerskates") and didn't make it in time for the game, which he was NOT happy about. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures because I was running around the ballpark after Turbo. Come to think of it, there was a man there with a LARGE camera - I figure he works for the local paper, so keep an eye out for silly pictures of us.

So, at the end of the game, the kids get a ticket to get a treat from the concession stand. Michael walked up to the girls at the counter, handed them his ticket, and said, "I need five dollars and my treat!" And if you've heard Michael talk, you know that he means what he says. Patty, Jeff, and I just about doubled over laughing!

I wanted to thank everyone who has been able to come see our little comedian play t-ball... Grana, Grumps, Uncle Jeff, Uncle "Boat" and Auntie Mille, Cousin Melissa, Ryan, Kendall, and Reid. We know that everyone has their own schedules and it means a lot when you are able to make it. We also appreciate it when you try to come and it just doesn't work out. The thought is there and we are thankful to have such wonderful families and friends. His next game is June 18th at 6:00 if you are interested in coming. :)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

I am so proud of my oldest boy, Michael. He has his first ever T-Ball game under his belt! He did a great job hitting the ball (check out the video clip below) and fielding the ball. Daddy coached at third base, too!

We were the first ones at the field, so Michael got a few practice swings in.
Helmet, check! Bat, check! Now let's go!

First at-bat with Coach Rudy.

More photos to come!

Gotta Love Summer!

This is the biggest reason that I changed my major half-way through college to education... I knew that I would have a family one day and I wanted to be able to have fun summers with them. Now, 10 years later, I have a wonderful husband and 2 sweet sons.

These pictures were taken at the park the other morning with Juliana and Aiden.

Look at the two little tushes! Michael is being a "Litte Todd" here... he has the same stance as Todd.

Taking a break with some "wem-ade." (Yes, that is me in the background putting Chris's hat on again for the umpteenth time!)

Juliana and Aunt Brookie walking toward the swings...

AWWW! It makes me so thankful to see these two love each other so much.

More Michael-isms

"I Have Crabs!"
Huh? What? You do NOT have CRABS, son!! Lately, whenever Michael itches or gets hurt in some way, he blames it on the "crabs." He announced to Uncle Beau and Auntie Mille the other day that "I got crabs in my butt!" while scratching his behind. How do you hold a straight face and tell your 3-year-old that we don't talk like that? It was so funny for so many wrong reasons!

"My Girl"
Almost 4 years ago, when my best friend, Meredith, brought baby Juliana home from Kazakhstan and Todd and I had just found out that Michael was a boy, we planned for our babies to marry each other one day... Yes, we know that we can't pick who our kids will marry, but it is fun for us (besides, if they DO get married, we approve of the in-laws). At any rate, as our "babies" grow, they love each other more and more. Michael has taken to calling Juliana "My Girl" and she has taken to calling Michael "My Michael." How sweet is that???

Michael's first real T-Ball game is this Friday at 6:00 at Evans Park, Pete Boyd Ball Fields. Everyone is invited if you are so inclined to come enjoy an evening at the ball park. The game will take about an hour.

Michael's First T-Ball Practice

Michael had his first T-Ball practice on Friday evening. He did a very good job taking direction from the coaches and was very eager to play!

It's not a great close-up, but you can see Todd (far left) walking over to say hi to Blain Fly. We found out at the last minute that his boy Jack and Michael are on the same team.

Michael is in the picture, too... the little one bent over with the red shirt on.

Daddy coaching Little Man.

Michael is all business - as he puts his glove on the wrong hand! Let me tell you, when it was his turn to retrieve the ball and throw it to the coach, he was all about it! He can throw!

He did a great job at the tee for the first time! My boy looks like a bobble-head in that batting helmet!!!

His first actual game is this coming Friday.

Our First Picture

This picture was taken when Todd and I had been dating for about 3 months... Next to our wedding day, this is my absolute favorite picture of the two of us together. We are so lucky to have each other - I thank God every day for you, Todd.

Say (Blue) Cheese!

Look real close at Chris's teeth... he decided to snack on a blue crayon at Aunt Mere's this morning... yummy.

Splashing into Summer!

Todd and I took Michael to Normandy Lake to hang out with the "crew." We had 5 boats there... all full! What a great time! Here are a few pictures... Michael is learning "the fundamentals" of fishing, according to Todd, which means only a bobber - no hook!
Driving the boat with Daddy.

Look at my two water babies! I LOVE this picture!

Light at the End of the Tunnel

I can finally see it!!! It's almost here! School is almost out!

Things have been WILD at school the past couple of weeks and I am officially at my limit! I'm ready to be done and wrapped up. The kids think that they look forward to summer break... but they have NO IDEA how the teachers feel!!!!

Counting down...

A Mother's Day to Remember

So, I already had a digital camera. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it's too big to carry in my purse, so I asked for a new one for Mother's Day. Boy, did Todd do good! I love my new camera, Honey! Thank you!

Some cute pictures from Dane's birthday party today:

Chocolate cake, anyone?

Chris loved cherry homemade ice cream!

Michael on the monkey bars... with a little help from Daddy! Look at that face! He's working so hard!!!

Wheee!!!!

Here is a video clip of Chris cracking up on the swing... (I couldn't resist.)

The best present, though, has to be Chris's first crawl. He's been scooting around on his belly doing this army-crawl thing... it gets him where he wants to go, but it still isn't the actual hands & knees crawl. Some of you may know how I've been silently worried sick about him crawling by a certain time, but the doctors say he's just a late crawler. Seeing this made me cry tears of joy! Here is a video clip that I captured with my new camera (did I mention that I love my new camera? Thank you, Todd!).