Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a good Thanksgiving weekend with our family and friends. We are truly blessed and have so much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving week in Stuttgart is my favorite time of year. It all started with my birthday on Monday. I had a great day at work and then dinner at Cajun's with my family. We had lunch with all my favorite Thanksgiving foods at GiGi and Daddy D's on Thursday. Thanks to the cooks for a great meal...especially since all I contributed was entertainment by Beau...which was great as always, too! Beau gobbled up his first real Thanksgiving dinner! The corn was his favorite. I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of the actual meal, but here he is after he got his belly full...a happy little boy!



Daddy, Beau, and DeeDee share a tickle laugh. We were so glad to have DeeDee there!

After nap, Whitney and I took Beau to the carnival downtown. We rode the carousel and I think he liked it. He didn't really smile, but he didn't cry either. In fact, he pretty much had that serious look on his face the entire time we were at the carnival. He is so observant and serious about new experiences. It was funny how he kept his head against the pole the whole ride.

Friday was all about the Ricebirds. They achieved their goal of practicing on Thanksgiving Day, which means they made it to the Quarterfinals - one of only eight 4A teams left in the playoffs. We took Beau to the pep rally downtown at noon Friday. There was a huge crowd there to support the Birds. Beau wore his white "road" jersey.

NeeNee, Gigi, Beau and Mom

Daddy and Beau...wow, we got a smile even on game day!

Check out that grin...he knows he's surrounded by pretty cheerleaders!

After the pep rally, NeeNee and Beau rode the carousel again.

He was more comfortable with it this time.

I traveled to Bald Knob for the game Fri. night while Beau went to play at GiGi and Daddy D's house. It was a heartbreaking loss...10 - 12, and a sad end to an amazing season. I am very proud of our Ricebirds! They definitely "Finished Strong"! Mr. Larry Barnes was the inspiration for the season, and I am sure he would be so very proud of Todd and his team!

14 months old today

Beau is 14 months old today. It is crazy how fast time flies! We are having so much fun with him. He learns something new everyday. He is really trying to talk a lot now...saying some phrases such as "I did it!" and "I want that". He is precious when he tells us "night night" at bedtime. It is such a blessing to be able to read him a few books, lay him in his bed, turn the light out, and hear "night night" before he lays his head down and goes to sleep. After 11 months of not sleeping through the night, I am grateful EVERY day for this milestone!

Here are few "stats" about Beau at 14 months old:

Eats EVERYTHING...he is such a good eater and not picky at all. He eats all fruits and veggies, even asparagus!

Sleeps from about 8:30 p.m. - 8:00 a.m. and takes one 2-2.5 hr. nap in the afternoon.

He was totally off the bottle by 12 months old and now drinks lots of whole milk, water, and apple juice.

Cheerios used to be his favorite snack, but since he has been introduced to more flavorful snacks, he doesn't get as excited about the Cheerios. Currently, graham crackers and Goldfish are our go-to snacks. He really likes yogurt bites, too.

He loves books, which is still surprising to me since he is sooo active. Reading is part of our bedtime routine. He picks out the books he wants me to read from a stack by the rocking chair. Favorites are Pajama Time, Fifteen Animals, musical Elmo books, and our old standby Goodnight Moon.

Cowley, the singing cow, is still his #1 buddy and goes to bed with him every night. But if I forget to pack Cowley, he does fine without him. That's nice, since I tend to forget things a lot!

Beau LOVES to be outside. If Todd or Daddy D goes out without him, he fusses by the door. He is definitely exploring his independence and has an opinion about what he wants!

He has really started climbing. I caught him standing on his John Deere tractor recently. It does have wheels and he was hanging on to a chair as it was about to roll out from under him. We have to watch him like a hawk! He's busy busy and into everything! His favorite past time at the lake is climbing the stairs. He knows how to climb up and get down on his own. Of course, we are right there with him. That's the first place he goes as soon as we walk in the door.

Wears 12-18 month clothes. Not sure how long he is or how much he weighs since his 12 mo. check up, but he seems like he is slimming up and getting tall.

Here are a few recent pictures of Beau calling the Hogs!

P.S. GO RICEBIRDS! We had a BIG BIG win Friday night in the first round of the playoffs, beating Newport 28-27. So proud of Todd and all the coaches and players!

P.P.S. This post is for you, Nee Nee. Thanks for the motivation to keep up the Blog!

Happy Halloween!

So much has happened in the last month since I posted. Sorry I am so far behind! Beau was a cowboy for Halloween this year. He went to his first carnival at church last weekend. He was a little skeptical about it all at first, but once he warmed up, all he wanted to do was play games that involved a ball...any kind of ball. He wouldn't wear his cowboy hat even for a quick picture, but he still looked adorable.




Check out my left hand...ready to pull if you mess with this sheriff!

Proud mommy!

Today, Gigi and I took Beau to the pumpkin patch. We had a blast! Beau got to walk through the pumpkin patch and pick out a pumpkin to take home. He played on tire swings, "drove" the tractor, took a hayride, and got to pet farm animals. He liked the ducks, geese, and chickens the best, because they made a lot of noise. He wasn't so sure about the pigs. After he touched the pig's nose, he really wanted to just get away from them. He loved getting to run around in the wide open spaces on the farm.

Here are few other pictures from the last month. Beau was sick for a week...no fun. One day he was so tired that he couldn't even stay awake to eat supper. Now you know he didn't feel well if he didn't want to EAT!

We've been going to all the home Ricebird games. Here's Beau in his jersey with his John Deere tractor. Can you tell we live in Stuttgart?!

Some games are so exciting that you need a nap.

Daddy D, GiGi, and NeeNee got Beau this great swing! He loves it! He tested it out at the lake and now it is in our garage ready for winter use. We love that we can go outside and swing even when it's raining!

Birthday Party

Beau's 1st birthday party was a success. He was so much fun! He didn't seem too overwhelmed with the crowd and performed for us all just as I hoped he would. He wasn't that into opening gifts this year. The first big orange bow was enough to keep him entertained. But he did get so many great gifts. We've had fun this week playing with all the new things.

He loved his cake! He completely tuned out his audience and chowed down. It was serious business! haha! He ate so much that I heard grandparents pondering if he was going to be sick from all the sugar. Of course, he wasn't and didn't even stay up late on a sugar high because he was sooo exhausted from his big day. I still can't believe I have a toddler now. He amazes me everyday! Here are a few pictures. More to come once I gather them from all the cameras.

Happy 1st Birthday, Beau!

Today is Beau's big day! I absolutely can't believe that I was in the hospital anxiously awaiting his arrival at this time last year. Time has flown by! He is such a blessing. I thank the Lord everyday for Beau Hansen Barnes!!

Beau and his best bud Cameron celebrated this morning at Teesee's with #1 sugar cookies. I actually made them myself if you can believe it? Beau is making me so domestic. I'm sure Todd appreciates that I actually cook now, too! ha! The big party is this Saturday. If he eats cake like he ate these cookies, it should be quite entertaining!

Such a Big Boy Now!

Can't you just eat me up!?!?

Helping myself to Mom's plate. Got a tomato. Not sure I liked it much.

I love Sam's Pizza!

Into everything!!!

Helping myself to a snack. I can open the box and get one out, too.

1st trip to visit Daddy at the fieldhouse

Having a popsicle with the team

1st ride in my big boy car seat

Beau is everywhere and into everything!! He walks all over the house. He still crawls to get to a spot to pull up, but then he's gone. He would prefer to stand rather than sit...even in the bathtub, which makes bathtime a little harder on me. He is eating mostly real food now. He loves grilled cheese sandwiches! We still break everything up in small bites. He has figured out where his Cheerios are stored and now helps himself to a snack. Ha!

He's saying Mama, Dada (which is coming out DaDoo all of a sudden), Back for Barkley, ByeBye (never on command, of course) and his all time favorite Uh Oh. I think he says Duck when I say it but I'm not sure he knows what it is yet. As Todd said the other night, "he's a little person now!" I think that meant he's getting to be a big boy.

Oh and how could I forget our best news?! He is sleeping through the night...FINALLY! It took us 11 months but we are finally getting some sleep at the Barnes' house! Hallelujah! Tonight we kick off football season with Ricebird Kickoff . The first real game is two weeks from today.
GO BIRDS!!

First Steps!

Beau took his first steps this week! He will be walking, or running I should say, everywhere VERY soon. His balance is getting much better. He stands on his own for fairly long periods. He's taken as many as 6 quick little steps before he topples over. I know the first big fall is also coming soon. Good thing he's a tough little guy. He is into EVERYTHING. I'm trying to teach him what is Mommy's and what is Beau's, so I don't have to completely redecorate, but I don't know how that is going to work out. I'm definitely picking my battles already. If he wants to pull all the magazines off the coffee table or the tupperware from the cabinets, I let him. He has to explore! I just try to keep him out of the breakable stuff.

Here are some pics of us playing with bubbles. He wasn't sure what to think.

NeNe (Aunt Whitney) went back to Fayetteville this week. We were so sad for her to go. Beau has had so much fun with her this summer and she has been such a tremendous help to me. We are going to miss seeing her nearly everyday! I have a feeling she'll make more trips home than usual this year to see her Beau Baby!

He is eating more "real" food and loves it. Last night he had spaghetti for the first time. That was a hit. I cut it up in small pieces and let him feed himself. What a mess he was by the time he was finished! I'm glad Barkley is a big help with clean up!

Yesterday was Todd's birthday. He's in the middle of 2-a-day practices, so we didn't get to celebrate much. We are making 1 last trip to the lake this weekend and will celebrate with our friends there Sat. night. Think we are going to Sam's Pizza. That is Beau's favorite restaurant! He loves the pretty girls and loud music...omg what do I have to look forward to?!?! He is already such a big flirt! He entertained last time we were there with his "dancing" in the high chair. He's got the "wave your arms in the air like you just don't care" dancing style. It's adorable!! Another one of those things I need to capture on video and post! Have a wonderful weekend!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODD!