The Downside to Wearing Glasses...

When it became obvious that i was in need of some sort of correctional lenses, i opted for glasses instead of contacts. I thought glasses were classy looking and I was a fan of how easy they were to put on or take off.

Unfortunately, the latter "pro" of wearing glasses turned out to be a "con". Fumbling after your glasses once they've been knocked from your face by a child, a dog or any other random thing (which happens more than you would think) has to be one of the most emasculating feelings in the world. In the moment, it strips away any bit of cool or confidence you may have. Until the frames are placed securely back upon the bridge of your nose, you will undeniably be viewed as weak and dorky by others (consciously or subconsciously).

Helpful tip: If for some reason you ever get into a confrontation with someone wearing glasses, do not worry about it escalating into a physical fight. Wearing glasses makes people more cowardly. No one wants to get hit in the face while wearing glasses and therefore can be easily bullied. If they happen to be up for a fight, they'll move to take their glasses off first. Take that time to punch them in the face. It's a lose/lose for the bespectacled.

Helpful tip #2: Be fearful of those who are not afraid to be punched in the face while wearing glasses. They are rare and very dangerous.

Little Rascal

Unfortunately, I have no new pictures to post. The reason for that (we believe) is that Barrett threw away our camera. It disappeared completely a couple of weeks ago - we had transferred most of the pictures to our computer, but we lost a couple weeks worth, and obviously haven't been able to take any since. We had no idea where it could possibly be until we noticed Barrett's new habit of putting things in the big trash can in the kitchen. We saw him trying to throw away a remote control, a bill, and a couple of Christmas ornaments, and unless the camera miraculously surfaces somewhere, we're pretty sure it got put in there at some point and taken away.

He has developed some other adorably mischievous habits as well...

1) He begins to do something he knows he's not allowed to do, and when I tell him "no," he says, "bye bye" and waves at me to leave him to his business.

2) He is an amazing head-butter. If I go to pick him up and take him away from something he's been enjoying, I often look down to see him rearing his head back, preparing to slam it into me - he got me once right behind my ear and I thought I was going to pass out.

3) By far the cutest - he's learned to manipulate us through requests for hugs. If I'm trying to put him down for a nap or set him down to change his diaper, he'll get me into a bear hug that he knows I won't break - he says "hug," so of course I give him one, and if I try to stop, he just squeezes me really tight and keeps saying "hug" and putting his head on my shoulder so I won't set him down.

We'll try to get some good Christmas moments on the video camera.

Halloween

Barrett's cow-hide chaps (I made them - I was proud of myself) Grumpy cowboy

Barrett's most favorite friend -Ryann Lamb, aka: "Ronnie," seen here as Fancy Nancy.
"Let's play!!" - I love that they're running and holding hands. Sweetest little girl you ever met.

New Jersey

Last weekend we were able to go up to New Jersey to visit Matt's parents, and we had a fantastic time. The Woods Sr. were incredibly gracious and generous hosts and showed us a fantastic time. See "Passport to Life" for more pics - here are some of ours...

Howell Living Farm - who knew New Jersey was so beautiful.

B with Grandma and Grandpa Wood - love that he got the chance to wear his beloved boots on a real farm.

"I want this one"

On Sunday we drove to Philadelphia and went to the Aquarium.

"Sharky"

Shark tunnel

Meeting Pop-pop

Barrett did amazingly well on the plane ride both there and back, and was uncharacteristically well mannered and low maintenance the whole weekend. Overall, the perfect first vacation.

Lil' Texan

Barrett's going to be a cowboy for Halloween, so I finally had a good excuse to buy him some cowboy boots. He LOVES wearing them, and asks me to put them on him just about everyday regardless of what else he's wearing.

Half dressed in his costume - wearing his boots and chaps with a rocker T. Urban Cowboy.

A Day in the Life (aka: the pictures you asked for)

Barrett's day in pictures...

We woke up around 7:15 this morning, and began our day with some light reading.

Breakfast time - working on our spooning skills with some oatmeal. This picture doesn't capture how incredibly precious he is becoming with Charlie - here, he's leaning in for a hug (which basically consists of him pressing his face against her back)
Off to play at the gym while Mommy works out.
Then over to the mall for an unsuccessful shopping trip. But we stopped at this ride and had a blast. Back home, lunch and naptime. Here's Barrett slowly waking up from his nap.
Very slowly.
But now he's ready. Or maybe not...post nap grumpies. Really cute.

Dinner and BATH TIME!!

He usually has his best moments of the day right before bed time. Here's one of them - this is him cheering for the cars that he just sent racing.

One last moment with Dad, then it's off to bed.
A pretty typical day. Praise God for such a precious boy.

Barrett Update

I saw Aunt Mandy's request for an update, and realized that I haven't shared anything about our little guy in quite some time. He is a BIG talker, saying TONS of words:

Mommy (enunciated clearly, adorable, and of course my favorite), Daddy, Charlie, Elmo, dog, door, dance, bark, ball, bus, bird, books, blocks, bubbles, bees, bear, bug, duck, mess, banana, toys, truck, toes, car, mouse, cat, dog, cows are called "boo" for moo, "baa" for sheep, "roar" for lion, pool, shoes, cheese, house, paci, pig, plane, puzzle, no (of course), bye, and Hi (which he uses correctly to greet just about anyone he encounters). We also have the Little People Noah's Ark set, and he knows "Noah" - adorable. I'm sure there are a few others, but these are the ones I can remember right now.

He can identify his ears, nose, arms, toes, and belly button. Speaking of ears...we're going to be taking our first plane trip with Barrett to visit Grandma and Grandpa Wood in New Jersey in just a couple weeks; we want him to be able to watch a video on the plane, so we've been practicing with our earphones. He loves it - they're falling down a little in this picture, but you get the idea. DJ BMW?