Blessed Easter

We had a wonderful Easter! The weather was beautiful in Hot Springs for our long weekend. We enjoyed being outside by the lake and even took the first boat ride of the year. The Easter Bunny came to see Beau. He was super excited with his new balls, choo choo book, and musical toothbrush. He found all the Easter eggs and got to have snacks out of each one even though it was before breakfast!

Papa and TomTom came for the day Saturday and dyed Easter eggs with Beau. I have to admit we took the easy route this year with an innovative little egg spinner. Beau thought it was cool and I avoided the big mess!

We went to church in Hot Springs...Piney Grove United Methodist is a very friendly church with an uplifting contemporary service. Beau liked the band! We'll definitely visit there again when we're away from First Church Stuttgart. After church, it was homemade pizzas compliments of Whitney and Gigi (I did chop a few things, but I'm usually on clean up crew). The food all weekend was spectacular. Todd and Brad grilled steaks for us Sat. night and Beau literally ate 1/2 of a filet. Kid's got good taste when it comes to food! haha!

Beau was a delight all weekend. I don't know what we did before him! Must have been very bored.

1st time to eat corn on the cob

A little practice session on hunting Easter eggs

Easter Bunny was good to Beau!

Trying out his new musical toothbrush

Da Ball!

Eskimo kiss with Daddy

My favorite guys

Dying this egg is serious business

TomTom helps out

Ready for church...and, yes,

he has green crocs on (Easter shoes didn't arrive as planned)

Trying out his new mower. He loved it! Thanks Gigi and DaddyD!

Feb. update

Feb. has been another crazy month for the Barnes' family. Beau is 17 months old. He is getting tall! He can now set his cup on the kitchen cabinet. Just this week, he learned to turn the doorknob to open the door. He's been practicing this for awhile now, and he finally got it! Nothing is safe now!

He is talking more and more everyday. It's always something new. We went out to dinner last night and when we were leaving he told the waitresses, "Bye...thank you!". I don' t think they minded that he left a big mess after that! He and Todd have a new trick where Beau lays on Todd's stomach propped on his elbows nearly nose to nose and they give Eskimo and butterfly kisses. It is the sweetest thing! Beau is very good at hugs and kisses now. There's nothing in this world like a big squeeze from my Beau baby!

Todd and I had a much needed adult-only getaway last week to Cancun. We went with 11 friends and had a blast. This was our 3rd trip with this group and it is always so much fun. We stayed at The Royal for the 2nd time. It is unbelievable....excellent service, beautiful scenery, and a new white sand beach. The weather wasn't perfect, but I'm not complaining coming from 30 degrees here.

Beau had a fun long weekend with Daddy D and GiGi while we were gone. Unfortunately, he also came down with Croup while we were away. He wasn't his usual energetic self when we got home last Sun. He stayed home with me Monday, which I didn't mind one bit since I missed him soooo much and then DeeDee came to play Tues. He was good to go back to Teesee's for the rest of the week.

Here are a few recent pics:

Trying on Mom's rain boots.

Checking out Daddy and Mr. John's ducks.

He's really likes to climb in things. It's like he's trying to see if he fits.

Mom and Dad's night out in Cancun

The view from our room...wow!

Beau with his Mexican maracas...shake, shake, shake!

Sorry to be MIA for so long! Wow - I didn't realize Thanksgiving was my last post. Like everyone else, Dec. was a crazy month between Christmas and a super busy work schedule to wrap up 2009. Then we started January on the run. I have been traveling since Jan. 5 and Todd and Beau have had lots of bonding time. Todd is such a great Daddy. He did a wonderful job holding down the fort and made me feel like everything was perfect while I was away. This was my first extended time away from Beau. I sure missed him!

He is such a little ham. I bet we say, "He's a MESS!" a hundred times a day. He keeps us in stitches with all his funny antics. He has really developed his own little personality and I LOVE it! All boy he is, though. I'm thinking the rule "no balls in the house" is coming sooner rather than later. Throwing a ball is Beau's favorite pastime, especially if Barkley is around to catch it. And I have to say, Beau is pretty good at it for 16 months old! I'm sure you can imagine that he gets lots of encouragement to practice from his daddy.

So here's a quick update on Beau:

Still has 8 teeth - no 1 yr. old molars have appeared yet, but that's not holding him back from eating anything. He's still a great eater, although some meals are a bit rushed. It's just so hard to stop playing and take time to eat. When he doesn't want a particular food or is finished eating, he so kindly tells me by throwing his food in the floor. This is a constant battle which Todd and I have brought upon ourselves by "sharing" our leftovers with Barkley. Further proof that Beau has soaked up everything we have done for the last 16 months like a sponge.


Can say lots of words now - dada, mama, duck, quack, dog, barkley (sort of, still doesn't really sound like Barkley), more, naynay (for nee nee), Teesee, no no no (complete with a finger point - I have no idea where he got that :), yea (accompanied by a big grin and head shake) and he mimics just about anything. Phrases he says fairly clear include who's that?, what's that?, I did it!, I want that.

Beau LOVES to dance. He got an MP3 player made for toddlers for Christmas and we have all enjoyed it so much. It came with songs on it that are great for kids, but also for adults. He turns it on all the time, and it's dance party at the Barnes' house. He's got the head bob down pat. He was even bobbing to the choir in church this morning. Beau dancing is the cutest thing I have ever seen.


Here are a few pictures. My camera crashed the day before Christmas, so all the holiday pics are on Mom's camera. Hopefully, now that we are finished traveling for awhile, I can get those from her. Maybe by Valentine's Day I'll get Christmas pictures posted. :)

First snow

My good looking guys!


See the orneriness?

Barkley still thinks he is small enough to fit in Whitney's lap. Beau didn't want to be left out!

His outfit says, "Feed Me." So appropriate for this pic!

P.S. Beau did get his first haircut the Friday before Christmas, compliments of his dad. I had nothing to do with it and didn't know about it until it was done. Yes, I let Todd live....barely. I can talk about it now, but I'm still not laughing. People tell me I will look back and laugh about it....perhaps I will by the time Beau is 30. Anyway, I miss his curls, but I still think he's precious!

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!