Party Crashers

So it isn't really crashing when you are invited but we were not the usual crowd. Brittany invited us to Kyle's last night for dinner. Kyle and four of his friends all get together once a month and the host rotates between all of the friends. So you only have to host twice a year, one summer and one winter. It is really a great idea to do something like that. Once everyone has kids and jobs and other real world things it isn't as easy to get together as much.

We arrived a few minutes late and arrived right when the food was coming out of the oven. Two different kinds of chicken casseroles, corn on the cob, salad, fruit,  pasta salad. Along with ice cream bars, bombpops, and brownies for dessert. Jaxson went to town eating everything in sight, then finished all the cheese and cracker tray after he ate dinner AND dessert. I guess he must be in the fill up stage so he can grow some more. I think his legs are growing like weeds.

There were alot of kids and a dog there for Jaxson to play with too. Nora who was just over one (I think) and Claire who will be one in just two weeks.  She was a tiny little thing and so cute. There were also two older girls there and their mom was pregnant and due next month. They will be adding a boy to the family and I think their dad was pretty happy with that. Dave, Jax, and I ended up staying longer than anyone else. 

As the night went on Kyle showed Dave his fancy vodka and also was talking about his work. He works for his dad's company that makes and manages the things people have to put in their car to prevent them from drinking and driving. They are just launching a new product that each time it goes off it also takes a picture of you with a small webcam to ensure the driver is not having someone else blow in it for them. Kyle is testing the new one so has one installed in his car. After Dave tried some of the fancy vodka they thought it would be fun to go out and try it to see if Dave should drive home. (which obviously I would never have let happen!) Dave didn't do so hot on the reading at .250. Kyle said it was so high because he didn't wait 15+ minutes before blowing in it. The best news is Kyle said that when Jaxson is 16 he will install one in his car for me at a very good deal. :) No funny business allowed for Jaxson... poor kid... 

Kyle also has an adorable dog I couldnt help but take pictures of.  Her name is colorado gunner.

A Date With Oreo

Tonight Jaxson and I had dessert together of Oreo's and milk on top of a new box of diapers. We ditched our living room table awhile ago to make more room for Jaxson to play. It was the perfect dessert to have with my perfect baby boy. 

And it did give me an idea of what my sweet boy Jaxson will look like middle aged with a mustache. It may be a face only a mother could love but I still think it's pretty cute. 

One Sip at a Time

I know that at around 18 months kids are supposed to be able to drink out of a regular cup. This is one of those milestones I ignored simply because I didn't feel like mopping the floor after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And at 18 months he did understood the concept but couldn't quite do it with much coordination. Anyway, yesterday I was out of sippy cups and decided to give it a try. He did great!! He didn't spill a drip, that is until he intended to do so and play in the puddle on the table. I guess he is two.. and has to act like it once in a while. We aren't done with sippy cups of course but are going to start using big boy cups at the table while he is supervised. It is so silly how the small things like watching him use a regular cup make me think he is not my baby anymore.

Big Weekend

We kept busy this weekend having plans everyday this weekend. And can you believe that I didn't take pictures at ANY of the outings we had. This has to be unheard of for me, like seriously a first in the history of my being. I always feel like I am missing the moment, always keeping an eye on the action for a photo opportunity. Being without my camera felt quite relaxing I do have to say, but now I am wishing I had pictures of some of the fun events.

Thursday: I went over to spend some time with Elaine. Jaxson spent Monday with her because of a fever and I think they were both bummed he didn't need to go back on Tuesday. We compromised by making a date for Thursday. We ended up there all day and Dave came over after working on some homework. I went to the store and we had a big dinner of pork chops, corn on the cob, salad, pasta salad, and some kiwi fruit. It was a pretty filling meal. Jaxson was of course bummed again when we had to leave.

Friday: We had a surprise party that was moved to Friday and was no longer a surprise party for Collin who is leaving for Afghanistan. We all joined with Collin at Samurai in West Des Moines to have sushi or Hibachi. I did both finding a way to get a kids meal hibachi and an inexpensive sushi roll. Jaxson had fun going to dinner with Elaine and the family since Uncle Den was coming through Des Moines at the new Bang Bang restaurant. He thoroughly enjoyed the guacamole bar of course.

Saturday: Dave and I didn't have any plans so we made some. Carol said that she saw the Inception movie and loved it and wanted to watch Jaxson for a few hours so we could see it. Saturday was the day. It was a great movie but no spoilers here so I will stop! Jaxson at fruit and of course a few marshmallows that he knows is in her cupboard.

Sunday: Today was about meeting new people. I ran into Jill and her then fiance Jay at the JC mall about two weeks before their wedding. I went to Drake with Jill and had several classes together. We talked for a minute and found each other on FB. We then ran into each other again in a random chance meeting about three weeks ago or so. It seems like we were just supposed to get together. Today was the day. We went to her house for lunch, she invited her other friends who had twin boys two months ago and ate ribs Jay smoked, chicken, along with lots of other sides. It was good and was fun to meet some new people.

I love big weekends but it sure does make the weekend go by awfully fast. :)

MAC

This post may be one of those TMI posts but this issue has been consuming my thinking time lately. Jaxson just can't go #2. He tries and cries, then tries again and cries. He will try at least 7-8 times a day which seems like alot to me. He will work so hard for not much if you know what I mean. We give him a lot to drink and he gets fruit with most meals but we still just can't seem to make it work. We have tried other over the counter options that didn't seem to work very well and am trying to avoid prescription for this if possible. It may not be possible to avoid it but this is one of my final attempts, and am bringing the big guns out. I went through the store and got every thing that said fiber on it that I thought Jaxson would eat. And even spent a small fortune (only 10 bucks but seemed like alot) on the PediaSure but it says on the back that it is good for digestive health. The only thing they didn't have was Activia that according to their commercials is supposed to help these situations, so my next trip to HyVee we will have to pick some up. I am thinking that just maybe if I use all of these things all together his little body will lose the battle and just let him go. Cross your fingers! 

Sincerely, 

MAC (Mom Against Constipation)

First One Down

This Friday I had my first photo session. I was all nerves since I usually will snap a few pictures wherever I am and some may turn out good but I am never expected to produce hundreds of great pictures in a short amount of time. Because of this I made sure that I took alot of pictures. I mean alot! We were out for just about an hour and I took close to 600. I narrowed that down to 160 and put them on disk for her. She was, to my relief, happy with all the pictures. I was actually really impressed as well. Katie's kids made it quite easy to get good pictures with their piercing blue eyes and big smiles. I am excited to start my class in September and really start doing this part-time. I know I have so much to learn but am excited to get started.

Should Have Named You Blue

There were many times when dreaming of a name for Jaxson that people would suggest to name him Blue, Dingle, Harry, or anything else that sounded funny with the last name Barry. It was always funny but I found this game to be completely frustrating as I was actually trying to think of names we may actually use. Two years later I am thinking that Blue wouldn't have been a terrible name with as many blueberries this kid will eat. He ate them for the first time on my birthday when we went to Eric and Kristy's to swim. She put a little whip cream on them and he gobbled them up and asked for more. She then just gave him the carton from the store which he demolished in no time flat. Since I noticed that he enjoys them I bought them again but now he wants to eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He yells and points if we pass them at the grocery store. Luckily they were on sale yesterday so we were able to get a few, that should keep him satisfied for a few days anyway. I am happy he is eating blueberries rather than junk food but am slightly concerned with him actually turning blue. Can you imagine what he would look like if he did???

Cartwheel

Daredevil

My sweet Jaxson is quickly becoming a boy. He wants to dig in the dirt and tear things apart. Although, he still won't walk on grass. And he even whines when he is in flip flops walking on the grass. Anyway, he has become more daring lately finding things to leap off of. The couch, the bed, a chair. Anything works. Tonight he created an exceptional jumping contraption. Although I cringed each time he jumped, he was having fun and not hurting himself, and I got a few pictures/video before I put the jumping bean to bed for the night. I haven't put up a video for awhile so enjoy.

Back to the Books

Dave is on his final term of school. Finally. I remember when he decided to go back to school when Jaxson was just a little baby. Since then he has only had 4 weeks off in nearly two years doing homework everyday. With him almost done, I am about to start. I am not taking on anything like Dave did but am going back to the classroom.

Since I have had my new camera I have taken hundreds of pictures. It will be thousands by September I am sure but I want to be better at it. What better way then to take a class?? I signed up for a digital photography class this fall. They have several two day classes but this is an entire semester, one day a week from 6-10pm. They will give more assignments and help in the classroom with settings and also editing. I can't wait!

In even better news, I talked Aunt Sue into signing up with me. She has taken the two day class before and learned alot from it but thought it would be fun to learn some more and maybe some other ideas to make her pictures even better. It will be so fun to be in a classroom again since for some strange reason I loved feeling like I was getting smarter. And it will be even more fun to be taking it with family. So even though I love summer I am actually looking forward to fall for two reasons, photography class will begin and I am going on the trip to see my mom and Jaxson's new cousin in Washington.

Still taking pictures in the rain on the fourth of July, just doing it one handed while holding an umbrella. (Picture taken by Sarah Trudeau)

A baby, a plane, a suitcase

Well, we took the plunge today. We booked my ticket to go to Washington. I haven't been since Dave and I drove there on our two week road trip the first year we were together. We left Des Moines on my 20th birthday, so that is now over 5 years ago. And this time I won't be driving and I won't be flying alone. I will be toting my sweet baby boy... all by myself. We weren't able to spring for two plane tickets and Dave doesn't have that much vacation time so I am off all by myself. Jaxson will be a lap baby, so I am crossing my fingers that there will be an extra seat somewhere that we can hang out in. So, if anyone has any tips for flying with a baby send them my way before September 9th. aaahhh...

Ribbapalooza... round two

Dave came to the Ribbapalooza this year as the defending champ. He packed up the smoker with his champion ribs and strapped the trophy in the front seat with him on his way to Anne and Randy's in Colfax. It was a rainy 4th of July, it felt alot like the last Ribbapalooza with a drizzle all day long. Luckily there were some tents set up and they have a very spacious garage. Dave went out early to start the smoking process and Jaxson and I came later with Carol. I immediately got out my camera and was taking pictures of everyone there. Mostly the kids of course and got some really cute pictures. I am falling in love more and more with my camera. There were ALOT of people this year and each group brought food for the group. There was enough food there to feed an army! And it was all so good but I did have my favorites. There were these little delicious rollup things that you drizzled salsa on the top and a jello cake that was beyond amazing. I had never heard of a jello cake but I will certainly be looking for a recipe soon because it was so delicious.

Soon came the voting and with 9 smokers this year and too many people to have everyone vote as they did last year there were 6 designated judges. They had to rank how much they liked each rib 1-5 and could have more than one favorite. They counted up each rib at the end and whoever had the most 'points' won. Dave was hopeful standing there with his trophy but unfortunately he took third. A new smoker took first this year. Just like last year, the rookie took home the prize.

The final preparations before judging

Some serious rib judging

A whole lot of food! (And can you believe there was two other tables with goodies as well..)

The 'flag' cake was the jello cake and was my favorite... mmmmm

Dave staying hopeful before hearing the final votes

Dave had to hand over his trophy.

Sarah, Blake's girlfriend, playing with Jaxson. Can you tell she has a 4 year old sister??

The sunset on the drive home from Colfax with a corn field and farmhouse seemed perfectly Iowa to me.

This gathering was also a going away party for Ben and a few of his coworkers/friends that are being deployed to Afghanistan in August. It seemed like it was that long ago that we were having a going away party for him before his first deployment. Hopefully his time away will go as fast as him time at home seemed to go although I doubt it. It is always stressful and worrisome when you have a family member away on deployment, especially for his parents and his wife and kids. Although his family here will miss him the people going overseas with him are all very lucky.

Now I feel quite bad about this but this is one of the only pictures I got of Ben. Both his and Kyra's eyes are closed in this picture but I had to find something since it was his going away party

This is Matt Smith and is going with Ben when they deploy. I just thought this was a neat picture and thought I would share, and I guess technically it would be his going away party as well.

Fun in the Pool

Finally! He was having some fun yesterday in the splash pool with little Aubrey but he still wouldn't go past his knees. I am determined to get him into loving pools because I love being in the water. Being on two swim teams for years I am simply a 'fish' and to have a son who refuses is just unacceptable. I am slowly but surely getting him confident in the water and today we made a huge leap. We went to Eric and Kristy's 3rd of July party and took a dip.

He wasn't too excited about it at first but Collin, the big guy in some of the pics, is awesome with kids and Jaxson lit up around him. He was splashing and laughing out loud in no time and actually stepped into the pool on his own. Unheard of!! We swam, we jumped into the water, I threw him up and caught him with a big splash and the smile never left his face. His favorite part was the giant water squirter. I was holding him on his belly and he was kicking his little feet like a real swimmer. He even went under once and came up with a smile. This is more like it!

And on another note all the photos were taken by Dave this evening as I was designated the swimmer with Jaxson. He did a great job and there are tons of pictures I love. Trying to keep the number of pictures I post under control is proving difficult since the new camera. :)