You need a hobby!

Anyone need a hobby? Because I have too many of them! I really need to pick one thing to stick to. I'm dabbling in so many things now that I love to do but never have time for. For instance, I claim to be a scrapbooker. But, in all reality, I only scrapbook when I have someone else to do it with. I'm really not that creative, so I have to steal ideas and pester other people to make sure my pages are cute. Because if they aren't cute, what's the point! So, here I sit with more scrapbooking supplies than you could imagine (some that I don't even know how to use...haha!) and I rarely do anything with it. I also took up sewing a few months ago. I am slightly better at this endeavor because I have instructions and ideas I have gotten from patterns or free tutorials on the internet, but again, lack of time keeps me from doing it as often as I would like. Then, there is photography. I really think I could get into that since it's all about the shots you would want to take and what you can do with the camera, but I don't know how to work mine! I guess, technically, it's Steve's camera anyway, since he is the one who wanted it for years. I tried to do a "photo a day" journal on Facebook and only made it 2 days before it became too cumbersome to keep up with! Then, there are my two kids, a house to keep up with, oh, and I'm trying to get back into the gym now and do some exercise. Add in Bible study, praise team and small group and I am one busy lady! I guess I am fortunate to like so many fun things, but it frustrates me when I want to do them and can't find the time. Here are a few pictures, some that show off my non-existent photography skills as of late and some are of things that I have made with my sewing machine. I hope to improve my skills in both in the coming year and then to scrapbook the stuff I've done! Guess I'm not giving up any of my hobbies after all. :-)

There is nothing special about this picture from a photojournalistic perspective, but it is of the former President and First Lady! They were at the zoo one day when we went with the kids.

Child's tote bag with crayon holder I made

A Bible cover I made

I took this picture a couple of months ago on the playset in our back yard. I thought it came out cute!

I made this dress for Abbey today

I have lots more pictures and things I made, but I'll save those for another time. I guess I need to work on my time management skills so that I can fit in all of my hobbies!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Welcome back to my blog! I am transitioning from my CaringBridge site and this one is still under construction, so check back in a week or so and I hope to have a new and improved blog about something much more fun than my cancer! Hope you'll stay tuned and keep up with us as Steve and I are "Raising the Barrs". :-)

Home Sweet Home

Well, after being stranded in Florida for a couple of extra days due to the threat of Tropical Storm Faye, we have made it back home. We had a great trip and had lots of fun. And, for those of you who thought I was crazy for taking both kids by myself, I have to say that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The plane ride home wasn't quite as peaceful as the trip there, but the kids did okay and, thanks to the grandmother sitting in the row with us who helped us out a ton, we survived! I think Abbey thought we knew her because by the end of the flight, she was hugging her and holding her hand. It was really cute. :-)

While we were in Sarasota, I took Abbey to the beach one morning. The water was really rough, which is not normal for Siesta Key, and I thought Abbey would be scared to go in the water, but she actually LOVED it! She was jumping in the waves and having a blast. Then, she asked me to take her in the "deep end" so that she could go in the bigger waves. I don't have a lot of pictures because it was just the two of us, but here are a few.

We also went to Sarasota Jungle Gardens one morning. They had a few shows to see (a parrot show and a birds of prey show) and you could just walk around the trails and look at all of the animals (mostly birds). There were flamingos that just roamed free. Abbey wasn't so sure about that part since they were taller than she was, but as long as they kept their distance, she thought they were neat. The best part was that Abbey got to hold a bird on her arm. It was a Sun Conure named Ci Ci. She was a little hesitant at first, but after Mommy held one and showed her it was okay, she did it and even gave us a big smile! Here are some pictures.

Abbey and Grandma at Jungle Gardens

Abbey holding a birdie!

Check out those flamingos

Did you know that parrots can ride bikes??

Other than that, we just hung out with friends and family. We saw our friends Sue, Dale, Cassie and Tori and spent some more time with Uncle Steve, Aunt Tammy and the kids. All in all, it was a great trip. I know the kids enjoyed it and as much as we wore them out, my mom and grandmother were happy that we came too. My mom even babysat both kids a couple of evenings for me so that I could have some "grown up" time with my friend Wendy. Thanks, Mom! Here are a few more pics to enjoy.

Aiden showing off his sitting skills for Sue

Abbey and Aiden's cousins Nicholas and Kara

Cassie and Abbey coloring with markers

Abbey and Kara snuggling and watching The Lion King (for the 15th time!)

Aiden sharing his famous grin with Aunt Gail

Look how big I'm getting!

Toga party!

Abbey putting bandages on the doggie's boo-boos

Answered Prayer

Our trip to Florida is going great so far! The flight was totally peaceful. We flew on Southwest airlines and the flight wasn't full, so they let me take Aiden's carseat on the plane so that he would have a seat to himself. He fell asleep the minute we boarded and didn't wake up until after we arrived, so that was a blessing. Abbey watched her movies and didn't make a peep! I actually got to read a book on the plane (I told Steve when I was packing it that it was probably not worth bringing because there was no way I would be able to read with 2 kids on a plane by myself). Well, your prayers must have worked because we had a fabulous trip! We spent the first few days with my best friend, Wendy, in Tampa. She was an awesome host and had a pool party at her house for us on Saturday so that I could see all of my friends. We had a great time!

Then, it was off to Grandma's house. We have been here since Sunday evening and got to see my brother last night. Abbey is having a great time playing with Grandma and Nana and Aiden is showing off his smiles. He has learned to hold his toy and get it into his mouth. He has discovered his hands and he is really holding his head up great when he's on his tummy. He's changed so much already since we left! I'll post more when we get back from our trip, but here are a few pictures of our trip so far. Hope you are all having fun in these last few weeks before school starts. :-)

Aiden and his new friend Bailey who is 2 weeks older than him

Abbey swimming in the pool at Auntie Wendy's house

Nana shared her chocolate with Abbey. Yummy!

Abbey playing soccer with her Princess bouncy ball

Look at me holding my head up all by myself!

Aiden sharing some smiles with Nana

Nana playing ball with Abbey

Abbey and Uncle Steve taking Elvis for a walk

Aiden showing off for Trish and Aunt Tammy

Aiden and Uncle Steve

Super Abbey!

Abbey loves Uncle Steve!

The Sweet Smell of Success

So, for anyone who has talked to me at all in the past month, you know that we have been working very hard to get Abbey potty trained. She has been wearing underwear with limited success, but I think we have finally had a breakthrough. It has been 2 weeks since her last accident (even at night)! Woo hoo! Now, you may think this is nothing to blog about, but with an infant in diapers and a 2 year old doing her business in her underwear, I was at my wits end. But, with the help of M&Ms and jelly beans, we are making some significant progress. Now, we celebrate this success with all sorts of shennanigans in our house....dances, songs, etc. I think we may be taking it a little too far though because now our daughter has taken to sharing her good news with anyone who will listen.

Case in point....I had to run out to Kroger yesterday to get supplies for the tropical storm that was headed our way. As we're on our way there, Abbey yells from the back seat, "Mommy! We need to go home! I have to go potty!". Just what every mom loves to hear as she is stopped at a traffic light with nowhere to go. So, I tell her to do her best to hold it and we'll be at the store in a minute. We made it to the store and Abbey went on the potty. Well, she was so proud of herself that she shared her excitement with 3 random people in the store, including the cashier, exlaiming "I went poopy on the potty!". This is one of those times when my mom would say "If you're easily embarrassed, you shouldn't have kids." I just have to shake my head and smile as everyone says "Oh, how cute is she!". I'm not sure if they really mean it (they were probably completely mortified), but it is pretty funny when you think about it. Kids really do say the darndest things! :-)

2 Months Old and All Smiles

Aiden is now 2 months old and he just loves to smile! He is really starting to show his personality and it's really cute. He loves to smile at Abbey too. All she has to do is start talking to him and he lights up! Just check out this picture.

He had his 2 month checkup and he's doing great. He weighs 11 lbs. 9 oz. now, so he has gained 5 lbs. since he was born. That puts him in the 50th percentile for weight. Unfortunately for him, he takes after his mother and is only 21 1/2 inches long, which is in the 5th percentile for height. So, basically he is short and chubby! He couldn't be cuter though (I'm being completely unbiased here, of course) and I'm sure he will grow some eventually.

We're all getting excited about our upcoming trip to Florida. Yes, I have decided to take the kids to see their "Nana" (my Grandmother) and "Gamma" (Abbey's name for my Mom). Did I mention I am taking a 2 1/2 year old and a 2 month old on a plane by myself? I'm pretty sure I've got some sort of mental lapse happening here, due to lack of sleep, that I will realize just about the time we all get buckled into our seatbelts (actually, it will probably hit while I'm trying to herd myself and the kids through the security line), but I'm hoping you won't be hearing about us on the news..."Mom with unruly toddler and screaming infant thrown off of plane." I've had lots of people promise to pray for me. I'm not sure if I'm encouraged by that or not since, clearly, they see a need for some divine intervention, but I'll take those prayers and as I'm sitting on the plane with my sleeping infant in my arms and my toddler happily watching a movie, I'll be thanking God for answering them. :-) How's that for faith!!

Here are a few more pictures of my babies from the last couple of weeks. Enjoy!

Abbey holding her baby brother

Mr. Personality

Hat Day at Vacation Bible School

Princess Kate and Princess Abbey at Vacation Bible School

4th of July

We had a nice long weekend to celebrate Aiden's first Independence Day. On Friday afternoon, we went to a church picnic. There was a pool, paddle boats, calf roping and Abbey's favorite...a baby kitten to play with. We also got to see some fireworks. Abbey really loved them. She wasn't scared of them at all. Here are some pictures.Daddy, Abbey and Aiden decked out for the 4th!

Mommy saw this shirt at Target and just couldn't resist

Abbey made a new friend at the picnic

Abbey, Amanda and Samantha hanging out

Abbey and Amanda playing tether ball

We spent the rest of the weekend working around the house, but it was productive and now we're completely worn out for the upcoming week. Isn't that the sign of a good weekend?? Hope you all had a great one too.