It's a Boy!

Kobe Nash Barrett
11/06/10 8:39am
8 lbs 8.5 oz
18.5 in
Long black hair that stands straight up - except when everyone pets it down.

Halloween 2010

This years Halloween was a lot of fun. There was talk about it for months. Zi got a chicken costume from a friend in the Spring so it was set that is what he would wear. Reagan wanted to be a cheerleader all year. Then a month ago she decided she wanted to be "Bug Girl." Not knowing what that was or how we would find a costume like that, I decided to draw a picture of her and let her tell me how to fill in the costume. She wanted bug ears (antennae), wings, and glasses. All green. So, I shopped around and found everything for her costume for under $5, including a skirt to finish it off. Bug Girl is a super hero. She picks up crime waves on her antennae.

Reagan also came up with a song:
Bug Girl - gonna save the day
Bug Girl - gonna save the day
Bug Girl - what ya gonna do?
Gonna save the day!
Bug Girl - what ya gonna do?
Gonna save the day!

One time we were all singing it and when we said Bug Girl - what ya gonna do? She yelled "The Grasshopper!" and then did a jumping dance across the kitchen floor. Bug Girl has a dance too.

When I drew Reagan's costume out Zi also wanted me to draw him. He decided that day he wanted to be Mad Chicken. An angry chicken. He would practice wearing his costume and frown and growl and say "I'm a MAD chicken!"

The day of Halloween Zi decided to be a happy chicken. Although in these pictures he's a sad chicken. Or more accurately a 2 year old chicken.

They got a lot of candy and it was gone in a matter of a couple days. But we had a great time.

Bug Girl.

Throwing a pre-candy fit.

Those are his sad feathers.

Can't wait for next year!

Advice for new dads

I was recently at the doctors office flipping through a parenting magazine. There was an article giving advice to new dads on what they should and shouldn't say to their wife since having a baby. There was one I had to laugh at. It said:

Pain
Now that your wife's given birth, there is no physical pain you can experience that will ever equate. Unless, of course, you have a 10-pound bowel movement that lasts between 12 and 48 hours that several people watch, including medical personnel, your spouse, and your mother-in-law. And even this is not quite the same thing. Therefore you are no longer allowed to feel any physical pain yourself, lest you want to get eviscerated by your wife. So if you smash your thumb with a hammer, particularly during this first month, just smile.

What you want to say:
"Holy @#+&!!"

What you should say:
"I am glad I just slammed my hand in the car door, because this sensation of discomfort brings me closer to understanding the pain and sacrifice you made bringing our child into this world. I love you."

PLEASE!!! If Jerime ever said that to me I would laugh in his face. Seriously? A smashed hand brings him closer to understanding the pain - I don't think so!

Zi and the Talking Tom Cat

On my new phone there is an app called Talking Tom Cat. It's a little animated cat that will repeat what you say into the phone. Some of the favorite phrases at our house are "I farted" and "I pooped my pants!" Zion just doesn't quite understand that it is just repeating everything he says in a higher voice. He actually thinks it is talking to him. Last night they got into a fight.

Zion: "we got Lightning McQueen movie"
Talking Tom Cat: "we got Lightning McQueen movie"
Z: "no you don't!"
TTC: "no you don't!"
Z: "yes. we do!"
TTC: "yes. we do!"
Z: "no we have Lightning McQueen movie upstairs!" (getting angry)
TTC: "no we have Lightning McQueen movie upstairs!"
Z: "NO. YOU. DON'T!"
TTC: "NO. YOU. DON'T!"

(we are cracking up at this point)

Z: "WE. HAVE. LIGHTNING. MC. A. QA. UEEN. MOVIE!"
TTC: "WE. HAVE..."

At this point Zi looks over at Jerime and calmly says "I'm gonna shoot him."

Boogers

The other morning when I went to get Zion out of bed he was knuckle deep in his nose.
"I can't get it. It's too far away up there!"

Then a few minutes later he was knuckle deep in the other side.
"Oh, here it is! It was in my other nose!"

Farmers Market Surprise

Last weekend we had an extended family reunion. After showing up late to the 5K fun run/walk and just eating the breakfast, we headed to the Bloomington farmer's market. I was really hoping to find a lot of fresh fruit, but the whole market was kind of a bust for fruit.

There were cute shops.

Fancy displays.

Lots of dogs.

A classic car cruise-in of 2 cars.

 Balloon guys!

 And then we heard drums. A parade! We quickly headed up the block to see it.
 

To our surprise Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Lincoln came to town!

They were led in by the Illinois 10th.

They raised a flag.

Abe gave a speech.

We got bored so we headed home.

One Year Photoshoot

I had so much fun shooting this little girl tonight! She is so squishy! Can't wait to go through the rest of the photos.

Book Review

I went to the local library for the first time this Summer. I needed some good fiction or a telling true story in replace of a vacation I was never going to get. I browsed the new additions and this cover picture caught my eye. Then the title caught my eye. I knew I had to get it if I could already relate to the title.

This book by Amy Wilson was hilarious. I nodded my head along with almost every sentence. I felt her pain, the pressure of being a mom, and laughed with stories of her three kids.

Lately I have felt like "The Screamer," I even asked Jerime if the only memory my kids will have of me is me screaming at them. My kids are 2 and 4. We are in the depths of Terrible Twos and my 4 year old loves to push buttons. Seems like there is always screaming going on at our house.

After reading this book it affirmed my feelings as a mom and I didn't feel so alone. I am trying not to scream at my poor kids, but my nerves are frayed most of the time. Hopefully this season will lighten up soon.

If you have ever felt the pressures of motherhood, beginning before the baby is born, this book is for you. She goes over pressures such as having the "best birth," which is only drug free or you're a terrible mom, breastfeeding but not a day longer than 1 year or you are a hippie mom, wearing sweat pants all day, behavior problems of the kids and mom, and many other pressures. She also has funny stories about her kids, such as, when her middle son teaches her the rules of "Cut the Cucumber" after she keeps finding him with this hands down his pants.

A great read! Get it from Amazon.com or your local library.

It works!

I finally got my blog to redirect to my website. Over the next week or so I will be making changes and linking to my photography business. Stay tuned!

Making changes

My www.stacibarrett.com website just renewed, so I am switching it to my blog. I am having some errors but am told it should be up and running in a few days. Then hopefully I will be posting a lot more.

Photographing Children - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good




The Bad



The Ugly