The Barons

Proud

2012-01-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

Some call it encouragement... some call it brainwashing. Either way, I'm so proud!

Austin is 3!

2012-01-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to our favorite 3 year old! Austin had a wonderful Birthday this year! We were lucky enough to spend birthday week with Grandma Marcia! Needless to say Austin was spoiled rotten. His big gift this year was a kitchen. Yes, little boys love kitchens too. (Much to Andrew's dismay.) We threw him a glow in the dark party complete with black lights, glow in the dark play dough, glow sticks, glowing pipe cleaners and more. I wasn't able to get many pictures in the dark, but I have a video I'll try and post later. We love you, Austin!

Thanksgiving in Kiawah

2012-01-05T17:31:00.002-07:00

We went with the Barons to Kiawah this past year for Thanksgiving. We love going, but just about every other year we miss the chance to go because we're having babies. (Hopefully that will not be the case this year!)

Austin and Dad checking out a jelly fish.
We named him squishy.
Austin thinks they say BZZZZ ( like an electric shock)
if you touch one.

It was wonderful to relax on the beach after a VERY long drive. I think we're an official road tripping family. The boys did amazing (thanks to the DVD players.) We made a point to only stop at gas stations, and fast food joints with playgrounds. Thank heavens for chick-fil-a and McDonalds.

We had a great time spying alligators, riding bikes, and checking out the local wildlife. All in all, we had a wonderful time except for the amount of sleep we got. Tyler was incredibly fussy for most of the trip. I chalked it up to teething, but Andrew insisted something was wrong. Honestly, I thought he was just being defensive about our fussy kids, but I humored him and took Tyler to urgent care. Much to my ~~surprise~~ embarrassment Tyler had a slight ear infection and tonsillitis. Antibiotics and a few days later he started to act more like himself.

Unfortunately, I didn't snap many pictures of us biking, eating, playing games, etc. We did manage to get a picture of our award winning "Polar Express." I really can't take much credit for this masterpiece, but I had fun working on a little house. It's on the "other side of the tracks" so it didn't make the picture. We won a bag of Kiawah Island goodies and we were the lucky recipients of a stuffed turtle named Terry.

The day after Thanksgiving the Island does a party in the park. There was an amazing band there Bigbangboom. Come to find out it was Ben Fold's brother, Chuck's band. They were lots of fun and Austin kept gravitating towards the music.

We also visited Santa. Tyler was pretty apathetic to the whole experience. No smiles, no tears, just a blank expression. Austin on the other hand was pretty nervous to meet him. He knew if he wanted to tell Santa he wanted an airplane- he would have to get on the fat man's lap. I think we managed to snap a pretty darling picture, too.

Thanks Barons, Heatons, and Atwoods for a wonderful trip! We look forward to spending time with you every year!

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

2011-12-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

Tyler the 1 year old- devouring his cupcake!

We had a darling little birthday party for all of the 1 year olds in our ward.
I think t
here are 10 of them that just turned 1! Something in the water...

All of the kids had matching onesies.

Cute owl cupcakes.

Carmel corn bags.

Owl Rice bags.

We had a great time and are thankful for such wonderful friends to share times like this with!

Crazy little thing called "Life"

2011-11-06T14:11:00.002-07:00

What is this a picture of?

If you said "Austin standing in his underwear... at the pumpkin patch" you would be right!

Now, I'm sure you're wanting to know WHY on earth this happened. It all started one fine Monday morning. We were all very excited to go to the pumpkin patch with our friends. Upon arriving to the pumpkin patch, Austin immediately started running around. A few minutes later he came back, climbed into the stroller and proceeded to vomit all over himself. Luckily, we were standing over a pile of hay. Don't worry, the mess is probably still there infecting other poor souls! (When I asked the worker if I could take care of the mess he told me to just leave it there.)

So there we were at the pumpkin patch with puke all over us-in a field- no change of clothes-- and a 30 minute drive home. Awesome! Luckily a very sweet man let us tidy up in his bathroom AND I happened to have a onesie in my diaper bag.

Did you know that a 9 month sized onesie can also fit an (almost) 3 year old? Here is the proof!

That is the end of our story. Don't worry, I still managed sure to get my pictures.

Puke covered, or not.

And thank you to my wonderful friend who sat in the back seat with Austin and held the bucket (... or blanket) for him the whole way home!

Tyler's Lifelaps

2011-11-06T12:59:00.001-07:00

Here is Tyler's first year in 3 minutes. Please take the time to watch it. Lisa, a college roommate, created this for us. She is very talented!

Tyler's Lifelaps from Lisa Brown on Vimeo.

Grandma Visit

2011-11-06T12:24:00.002-07:00

Tyler enjoying some "Grandma Time" after dinner.

Here is Austin at the pumpkin patch. This little longhorn had massive amounts of saliva. Thankfully, we always have wipes and sanitizer on hand.

This little guy also has massive amounts of saliva. :)

While Grandma was here we went to a pumpkin patch, had lots of delicious meals, tried a few new resteraunts, made Halloween crafts and played really hard.

Thanks, Rinda for all the fun. Austin is still talking about "squished witches."

Halloween 2011 at the ward "trunk or treat." Austin kept running from our trunk to the trunk of his nursery leader to get candy. Finally, we got him to branch out and go to a few other cars too.

Here are the cutest little lion and airplane I ever saw.

Tyler has been walking since the beginning of October so it was really cute to see him toddle around. Occationally he would let out a ferocious growl.

Austin really wanted me to make a robot costume for him, but seeing how we ALL got the stomach flu the week before Halloween... he got to be a wonderful store bought airplane.
Maybe next year, son.

Doesn't It

2011-10-28T15:37:00.000-06:00

Make you smile? Maybe I'm just a tad biased.

Baronfest 2011

2011-09-01T15:59:00.000-06:00

A few months back, Andrew and I were talking about traditions. We made a list of all the different holidays and a few things we wanted to do to celebrate each one. After our list was finished we decided that August was looking a little bare.

And that's how Baronfest was born. Next, we had to come up with a few activities. Red Baron pizza, silly string fights, and glow stick dancing seemed like obvious choices. We also had good intentions of sharing a family history story, creating our own family flag, T-shirts, "Baron Tracks" ice cream and decorating cupcakes. Not enough time in the day for all of the fun. We also decided that Baronfest is an evolving holiday. We'll just add to the fun each year.

Ultimately, we just want to have a day that the kids will look forward to.

It was great to have a night to just have fun and play. We sure love our kiddos!

Paci Fairy

2011-09-01T15:58:00.002-06:00

We took away Austin's Paci last month. Well, technically, he gave it up. He put his pacifiers in a basket and left them on the front porch for the "Paci Fairy" so she could give them to the babies that need them. In return she left him a big boy bike and a toy. Overall, he is doing really well and has only asked for them back a handful of times. He told me that " The babies do NOT need them, I need them!" and "Mom, The fairy needs to give them back to me!" Thank you Super Nanny for the idea.

I have been putting this off for months now for various reasons. I didn't want Austin to freak out because we let Tyler have a paci, I still love my "break" while the kids nap etc. Why take it now - you ask? Aside from the fact he's way too old to have it... I took a look at Austin's mouth and noticed he's starting to have an open bite. (In non dental terms that means his back teeth touch and his front teeth don't) After reading tons of mom forums I'm hoping that most of the problem will self correct over the next couple of months. As a hygienist I KNOW better!!! Yes, I'm kicking myself, but he does love the bike.

He goes "Speed Fast!!!"

Love this phase!

2011-07-23T20:41:00.000-06:00

Tyler is at the most adorable stage. You know the one where you can put him down and he stays there and entertains himself? I'm loving every second of it... and enjoying it while it lasts!

Bribery

2011-07-20T12:03:00.004-06:00

Sadly, we're not above bribing our children. Oh, Mom... are you holding puffs?

Oh... a puff trail! I like this!

I'll crawl for that!

Life in the Baron House

2011-07-20T11:38:00.007-06:00

We've been busy lately. In-N-Out came to Texas a few months ago. The lines have been so insane that we withheld the goodness from ourselves. One night when Austin was being especially rambunctious I sent he and Andrew to get burgers. It was a win-win. I had some piece and quiet for a good half hour while they were gone- and we all had good burgers!

This little Ty Guy got his first haircut. He was a very wiggly guy and VERY interested in the comb.

Austin experienced his first glow stick bath. It was a HUGE hit! He still tries to take a bath with his glow sticks that have long since lost their glow.

Andrew and I have been slowly getting our house organized. Translation: starting our child labor early. :) Austin probably shredded about 200 papers for me and loved every minute of it.

Aaaaaaaaaaannd to finish off this post another outing for fast food. We hit chick-fil-a for their free meal day. The catch? You must dress up like a cow. We took our little herd over to get our food. I should give a huge thanks to Andrew who was completely humiliated through the entire experience. He still went- all decked out in his cow get up AND let me get this picture.

It's hard to see Austin's spots/ scribbles, but he decorated his own shirt. Can you see his one little hoof that is glued to his shoe?

Better picture?

2011-07-16T09:57:00.001-06:00

Thanks Carly for taking such darling pictures of the kids today!

You be the judge...

2011-07-13T14:15:00.007-06:00

Does this look like a disaster or not? You be the judge. I think our photographer had some great ideas in mind. I just don't love the photos of our family. (The fact that our eyes aren't open in 2 of the 4 photos she took of our family might have something to do with it...)It's a bird... It's a plane... It's superman in the corner!

This was her really cool idea... She was trying to line up the mountains in every one's shot. It was a very creative photo and pretty awesome. Hopefully we can keep our eyes open next time...

The big 26!

2011-07-04T16:34:00.006-06:00

I had an awesome birthday this year. I was incredibly spoiled with family, friends, good food, presents, and fun!

Our amazing friends, the Wrights, came up to celebrate with us. I'm so blessed to have such wonderful friends in my life! Thanks again Christie for coming!

Austin sang me "Happy Birthday" all day long! It was very darling.

Another very sweet friend made me these for my special day. She showed up on my doorstep singing and I thought "Wow, spaghetti? That was... Thoughtful?" Upon closer inspection I found that they were delicious cupcakes complete with ferror rochet meatballs.

It was a day well celebrated by everyone! Thanks for a wonderful Birthday!!

We miss the mountains!

2011-07-04T15:50:00.006-06:00

Here are a few things that we learned on our trip to Rocky Mountain National Park.

1.) Santa lives there. If you thought he lives at the North Pole you should talk to Austin. He thinks that elk are reindeer and I'm pretty sure on our next trip he's going to wonder why they don't fly.

2.) Just because it's June doesn't mean that most, or any, of the snow will be melted.

3.) Make sure everyone has a sturdy walking stick for the hike. The trail was VERY slippery, given that we were hiking on a foot and a half of snow pack. Austin thought it was a blast to hurl himself sliding down the trail while Daddy kept him from sliding down the mountain. This is the best picture I got. You have to look closely to see Austin's grin.

4.) Bring a change of pants for the car ride home. Pants are bound to be wet either from the wet snow...or the terror.

5.) Lastly, leave the babies home with Grandma. They're too cute to subject to a possible slippery catastrophe!

Goodbye mountains! We'll miss you!

Colorado

2011-07-04T15:12:00.004-06:00

We traveled to Colorado to see my (Mandy's) family. It was so fun to see all of my Aunts, uncles, and cousins with their new little babies. We watched everyone run the Bolder Boulder, hit the Boulder creek festival, celebrated our anniversary and played in the mountains. It's a crazy sensation going back to Colorado. Even after being gone for almost 10 years it still feels like home. I think I could go and stay for a month and not get sick of it. I wonder if that feeling will always stay with me? That being said, we love Texas too and don't see ourselves moving any time soon. (Even if I do hate these hot summers with a passion!) Here we are standing in front of Boulder Creek.

Don't worry, no ducks were harmed during the race. All of those yellow shirts say "Duck Rescue." Here we are with my sister and niece. There were so many things at the festival for Austin to soak up! There were train rides, bounce houses canoe lessons in a swimming pool, rubber duck races, etc. It was a little chilly walking from the car to the festival so we grabbed Austin's jacket. At one point he decided to make a mad dash down the road (not an uncommon activity) and in all the commotion the jacket went missing. Luckily as we drove through the streets, hours later, we found the jacket. Tender mercies. I wasn't about to buy him a new coat in June.

Little grownups

2011-06-12T22:42:00.001-06:00

We told Austin and Sophie they had to hold someone's hand while crossing the parking lot. Those little smartie pants decided to hold each others hands. They're so cute!

Who Loves Colorado?

2011-06-12T22:40:00.000-06:00

Me Me Me!!!

Fast Forward

2011-06-12T22:37:00.000-06:00

I think this shows a little bit of what Tyler will look like when he's grown up. You know how you can look at a select few baby pictures and tell? (I'll probably eat my words later in life- because I posted this)

Easter

2011-05-08T20:36:00.007-06:00

It's hard to get a good shot of everyone... and it didn't happen. We decided to post the one that Andrew and I look best in. Great parents- huh?

Dying Eggs with the family. Catherine was sweet and showed Austin what to do. And Grandpa was nice and showed Tyler what this Easter stuff is all about. Here are Tyler and Austin finding the loot that the Easter Bunny left them. Austin was pretty excited and carried his basket around for the entire easter egg hunt. His basket was about half his size!

He was all business while looking for eggs. I think he was on an egg finding mission! This is one of my favorite shots.

Tyler got lots of snuggles from everyone...

And enjoyed the easter eggs too!

Georgia

2011-05-06T13:24:00.003-06:00

We had a fun trip to Georgia to introduce two aunts to a certain little boy. I'm pretty sure Austin thought that the trip was just so he could see Grandma and Aunt "Cathin".

In addition to stealing gummy bears from "Grandpa Pooter's" office, we jumped on the trampoline, loved on all the family members, hiked, went to the Atlanta temple open house, colored with Rebecca, ate until our hearts were content and celebrated Easter.

Here are the pictures from our Stone Mountain hike that was tons of fun. Austin was a trooper and hiked the entire loop, we were pretty proud parents. (Say that five times fast.)

Bad hair day, but really cute picture of Austin. Curly hair+ humidity= disaster.

Tyler stayed awake for Dad's half of the hike and slept for the rest. He was a trooper too. I think he loved having a new set of surroundings to stare at. Although I'm pretty sure he was still keeping pretty close tabs on his brother. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a fun trip!

Organizing Project: Before and After

2011-04-13T12:22:00.005-06:00

I like to look at organizing blogs. I know I should actually BE organizing my house instead of looking at other people's handy work. ...Similar to when I sit on the couch and watch the biggest looser while eating junk food. That's a whole different blog post. Anyway, I decided to get off my rear (after 5 months of adjusting to motherhood of 2.) Here is my progress. Please don't judge me for the before pictures- it's been a long time coming. Organization is not my strong suit. I've been This blog for my 21 day organizing schedule.

Day 1: the Junk Drawer

Day 2: The Office Area

Day 3: Tupperware cabinet. (It didn't really need it- So I did the cabinet next to it.)

Day 4: Linen closet

Day 5: Under the bathroom sink (s) Stay Tuned!

Austin

2011-04-07T08:31:00.003-06:00

At 2 1/2 Austin is such a cheerful boy. He's finally made that transition from toddler to little boy. Sometimes I look at him and wonder when he got so big.

He's still topping the charts with height and up there in weight too. He loves watch Backyardigans, Blues clues, and Dora. He loves hot dogs, pizza, macaroni and cheese, meatballs, and chicken nuggets. He also love to share twizzlers and oreos with his dad. He climbs everywhere and is seemingly fearless. The other day I found him getting into things on top of the fridge. (I could probably write a whole post on his climbing adventures.) He loves playing at the park, soccer, and skateboarding. We're busy trying to get him potty trained, but I think that is going to be a looooong road. He's been asking to wear his diaper so I think I might throw the towel in for a couple of months.

Austin does and says funny things all the time. He tells me on a daily basis that he's going to Colorado on an airplane. Usually this involves getting his shoes on and grabbing the car keys and then heading for the garadge. He then gets frustrated with me that I won't let him drive the car. I should probably add that Austin's daddy backed the family car into the neighbors car at this age. I'm trying not to carry on that tradition.

The other dayAustin wiped his nose on his shirt and said "Oh, Snot! Look mom, I made a rainbow!" The goop pattern on his sleeve was in the shape of a rainbow. We both giggled for a while about that one.

Then the next day our neighbor came over and she was wearing sandals. She has a tattoo on the top of her foot that is a blue dog paw. Given Austin's love of Blue's clues he took one look at her foot and exclaimed " A clue! A clue!" We laughed even harder at this one. Luckily, she's still our friend after repeated offenses like these.

He tries daily to do everything that adults do. He even put me in time out yesterday. I still haven't figured out what I did wrong.

We love our little man and have so much fun raising him!

Ty Guy

2011-04-04T08:59:00.004-06:00

I love being these boys' mother. Tyler at almost five months is such a social little baby. He is happiest when he is upright and being held by mom or dad. The next best thing to being held is to stand in his exersaucer or lay on the floor with as little clothing as possible. Too bad for him- I'm too attached to my carpet to let him go without his diaper too. He's not a great napper or sleeper, but he gives us just enough so we stay somewhat sane. He hated rice cereal the one time we tried, but loved my strawberry sprinkle doughnut. (Don't worry, he only got to gum a little section.) He's can roll from his tummy to his back and vi ca versa and is getting close to sitting up. He loves his reflection in the mirror and will actually squeal with delight when he makes eye contact with himself. He loves the bath and will kick his little legs, probably for hours, or until we decide we're too wet to let him keep going. He's a pretty particular guy and knows what he wants. Too bad for him we don't understand everything he tries to tell us. Andrew, Austin and I continue to fall more in love with Tyler every day and can't imagine life without him.

Rice Cereal

2011-03-27T16:48:00.002-06:00

Before...

More before...

During...

Another bite...

Done!

Sorry Tyler, maybe we'll try again in a few weeks?

Animal Voiceovers

2011-03-13T23:01:00.000-06:00

Enjoy a good laugh! We've been watching this for an hour... and it's still funny.

Blessed!

2011-03-03T09:35:00.003-07:00

We finally blessed Tyler a couple of weeks ago. We joke that he was half grown by the time we actually got around to it, but it was wonderful. We had both sets of parents come out for the event and we loved it! (Austin especially.)

The handsome little fella'. He has been such a joy and we absolutely adore him!

He started to get mad during the blessing and began to holler about half way through. As soon as they were finished and sat him up vertically he was happy. He's a particular little boy and knows what he wants. I keep telling myself I'll love that about him someday. Maybe it is just wishful thinking.

Now everyone has gone home and we REALLY miss everyone. Austin asks me on a daily basis for both sets of grandparents. Usually he'll go put on his Shoes and socks bids me goodbye and says he's on his way to the airport to visit Grandma. Then he tries to sucker me into opening the garage door for him. I don't have the heart to tell him he can't walk to the airport.

Thanks again for coming! We love you all!

The many faces of Austin

2011-02-02T17:42:00.003-07:00

This last one is Austin's "Cheeser" smile. When we ask for a smile- this is what we get. To top it off- he wiggles his head from side to side. I guess that's how Andrew and I look when we smile at Tyler?

The many faces of Tyler

2011-02-02T17:34:00.003-07:00

Christmas Cuties

2011-01-25T09:05:00.004-07:00

We had our very first Christmas on our own this year. I have a renewed appreciation for mothers and for all of the planning that goes into Christmas. I think all four of us had a magical day! Tyler definitely watched lots of sugar plums behind his eyelids.

Luckily, Santa (and his little baby) knew where to find us and leave lots of presents! Merry Christmas... and a happy 364 days until we do it all over again!

Such a Special Christmas

2010-12-23T20:42:00.005-07:00

I know it's not Christmas yet, but it has already been a really special one for the Barons. We have been the lucky recipients of the 12 days of Christmas this year. I have gone through our list of friends over and over in my mind and really have no idea who is doing such a sweet thing for us. Honestly, we have wonderful friends and it could be any one of them.

I want to share why this has been such a neat experience for our family. I'm not posting this to air our trials on the internet, but rather to express our gratitude to whoever did this for us. I think they made more of an impact on our Christmas than they are probably aware. I'd like to think that we're not really a "needy" family. We are very blessed with two beautiful children, a nice home, a job, testimonies of the gospel, presents under the tree, and many other things. Saying that, this past month has come with many blessings and trials for us. We have had the joy/ exhaustion/ challenge/ and love for a new baby. We've all endured 2 rounds of the flu, some troubling news about Andrew's health, car trouble and an investment go very wrong. These types of months are the ones that coin the saying "When it rains- it pours!" One night when I was feeling especially sorry for myself and particularly onery...during what was probably the climax of my bad mood there was a knock on the door. When I opened the door there was a basket, sweet note, and a manger scene. I immediately began to cry because I had become very aware of the love and awareness my Father in Heaven had for me. It was amazing how qickly my heart was softened. I am still very touched that somebody would be so giving and thoughtful to our family weather or not they were aware of our current trials.

Here is a picture of the completed manger scene. (minus the little baby lamb that went to bed with Austin) Each night we were given a new piece of the manger, a card and an activity, or goodie of some sort. So, to whoever you are, thank you. Thank you for renewing my testimony of Christ's birth and helping me remember the true meaning of Christmas. Thank you for giving us something to look forward to everyday. Thank you for making us feel so loved. Thank you for taking the time to make our family's Christmas "Merry and Bright." We love you!

Photo shoot!

2010-12-21T15:08:00.003-07:00

Don't mind his baby acne... Sorry son, this might be an indicator of your teenage years.

Every baby needs to be a "supermodel" sometimes... right? I couldn't let the 2nd child syndrome go on any longer and got a few cute photos of Tyler. Thanks to my wonderful photographer friends! He started to smile yesterday, but I'm having a hard time capturing them on camera. We love our growing family.

Austin kept cracking big "CHEESE" smiles. He can't have Tyler stealing the show!

First Family of 4 Photo

2010-11-28T19:16:00.002-07:00

Happy Birthday!

2010-11-14T07:29:00.004-07:00

What our little man woke up to.

Hot dog doughnuts. An Austin favorite!

He finally grasped opening presents, and even got excited about what designs were on the wrapping paper. The balloon paper was the favorite.

Thomas the train cake. We keep hearing "ALL ABOARD!"

I don't know where the last 2 years have gone. Our sweet little guy isn't so little anymore.

We started off his special day with doughnuts. He loves "pig in a blanket" doughnuts. We then opened presents throughout the day. He was completely spoiled and loved every minute of it!

Later that night we had a few (a very few) friends over to have cake and ice cream. Austin's favorite part was probably having everyone sing Happy Birthday to him and then blowing out his candle.

We love our sweet little man and his fun little personality. He is constantly making us laugh and cracking jokes. His favorite things right now are candy (I know, it's sad), Tyler, baths, snuggling, going across the street to see the neighbor's dogs, and reading stories with Dad.

Happy Birthday, Austin. We love you very much!

Tyler Alton Baron

2010-11-13T18:33:00.005-07:00

Tyler Alton Baron made his debut on Monday. We were anxious to meet this little fellow, but also hoping that he would wait until the induction day to arrive. He listened to him mama's numerous pleas and did come when we were hoping.

Here's the story...

I was scheduled for an induction at 7:30 Monday morning. I called the hospital at 5:30 to make sure that they would have room for us and they said that they did. I got myself and Andrew up and showered and we got ready for the morning only to be called back at 6:15 and told not to come in to the hospital until 9:00. I'm grateful that we weren't stuck in the hospital waiting room, but was really frustrated at the time because we had already gotten up and ready. It did give us a chance to say goodbye to Austin and get him settled in with my sister. (My sweet sister flew in to watch Austin for us while we were in the hospital)

We got to the hospital at about 9:00 and didn't get into our room until about 9:45. They started my IV at about 10:00 and pitocin soon after that. I was dilated to about a 4 upon arrival and was about a 5 by 11:00. I got my epidural about noon and my water broke about 15 minutes later. Thank heavens for anesthesia! Little Tyler had had a bowel movement in the amniotic fluid, so that was the only hiccup in our whole experience.

I stayed dilated 5 until about 1:55 was at a 6 at 2:05 and was at a 10 by 2:20. I had a wonderful labor and delivery nurse that was amazingly thorough. I could tell that the contrations were getting slightly more intense... but had no idea my body was progressing so fast. I was told not to move or laugh for fear that Tyler would come before my doctor got there. We crossed our fingers (and our legs) for 15 minutes until my doctor got there pushed through 2 contractions and Tyler was born at 2:43. He was a long 22 inches and 8lbs 9oz. He screamed for a good 5 minutes after coming and so the NICU nurses were not worried about the amniotic fluid getting into his lungs. We are all very happy and healthy.

Thanks to everyone for all of the love, support, meals, babysitting and visits we have been recieving. We have the best family and friends ever!!

Ride em' Cowboy!

2010-10-29T18:58:00.003-06:00

We had our ward trunk or treat tonight and Austin was a cowboy on a horse. I tried to put his costume on him this morning and practically had to pin him down kicking and screaming to get it on him. So, tonight dad got to do the honors of dressing Austin and this was the result.

He ended up having a really good time. He spotted a few of his friends and picked up very quickly on trick or treating. I think he had the hardest time juggling his candy bag and his horse costume. He got lots of candy and he may or may not wake up to all of it tomorrow.

Just like Mom...

2010-09-26T20:25:00.005-06:00

Lately, Austin has been wanting to do things just like me. I think he's pretty adorable.

Here's my little helper guy. In this first picture he got into my mascara. I had told him earlier that morning that mascara goes on your eyes... darn it! Here he's helping me mop the kitchen floor. The whole bucket of water ends up on the floor, but at least he's learning... right?

33 Weeks and Counting...

2010-09-26T20:16:00.003-06:00

I was really good about taking pregnancy shots when I was pregnant with Austin, but for some reason this kid is already getting treated like the 2nd child. It might have to do with the almost 2 year old I constantly find myself chasing. I'm also hoping that the decorations on the fireplace will take away from my less attractive features. :)

We have 6 or 7 weeks left until little Tyler makes his entrance into the world. Oh, and I guess I haven't really made the name public yet. I think we'll name him Tyler Alton Baron. Tyler doesn't have any meaning to us, but Alton was my Grandfathers name.

Life has been so busy for us that I haven't had as much time to dwell on pregnancy. For me, this is a positive. I don't find myself counting the days wishing that the end would get here faster. I'm actually slightly terrified to have 2 kids, but I also know that people have been doing it for thousands of years and that we will be just fine!

We have

you're never fully dressed...

2010-08-18T16:06:00.004-06:00

Without a smile! This is Austin's idea of helping me do laundry- wear as much of it as possible. 3 shirts, 4 pairs of shorts, and 4 socks. He sure is a silly monkey!

Hot Summer Days!

2010-08-17T10:04:00.004-06:00

It has been very very hot here these past few weeks! We've had to get creative on how to stay cool. Andrew and Austin made boats and floated them down the waterway by our house.

Running to beat the boats!

After Austin stepped on his boat and sunk it.

Horsey!

2010-08-04T21:13:00.005-06:00

Thanks so much Grandma for sending this to Austin. He LOVES it! If you listen closely you can hear his little tongue clicking. He's a horsie addict.

Half Way There!!!

2010-07-07T15:43:00.004-06:00

This Pregnancy at 19 weeks and it's a BOY!!!

Last Pregnancy at 27 weeks

I'm quite a bit larger than I was the first time around, but I'm not feeling like a whale yet. They books don't lie when they say that everything makes room a little faster the 2nd time around. This kid moves around quite a bit and likes to play like he's in the world cup with my bladder as the ball. It's actually starting to sink in that we're going to be parents again. Crazy!

We're Animals!

2010-07-05T16:26:00.002-06:00

Andrew had the day off of work today so we had an adventure! We took Austin to the Zoo! He LOVES his animals! Unfortunately, we don't know what sounds lots of Zoo animals make... like a hippo, and a rhino, and a kangaroo. Guess we'll have to get creative next time so he doesn't think that everything "Roaaaaaaaaaaars."

He loved the aquarium part of the zoo. There were turtles and crocs in this tank.

We tried to teach Austin how to put his elbows together and then clap (You know, like an alligator?) He just roared and clapped his hands... for about 6 or 7 minutes. I think he scared the little girl that was standing next to him. He's pretty ferocious.

...And now we're home relaxing.

We set up Austin's big boy bed. It's going to be a long transition!

All About Austin

2010-06-28T19:47:00.001-06:00

Little Man is now 19 months old and a joy to have. He keeps Andrew and I laughing everyday. He's really developing quite the sense of humor and has been cracking little jokes everyday. He's obsessed with Horses, Cows, Airplanes, and Cars, but mainly the vacuum or "Wackuum". Usually children call for Mommy or Daddy in the morning to come and get them from the crib. Not Austin. He yells "Wack-uuuuuume"

At his 18 month appointment (which was actually at 19 months) I think he was about 33 inches and 27 lbs. I can't remember if that was his exact height, but I do know that he was in the 95% for height and 65% for weight. Pregnancy brain, right?

Speaking of the new baby- Austin is learning to say baby. He actually think that my belly button is called "baby". He also thinks that he and Andrew also have babies. I took him to a friends house the other day and he got to meet his first small baby. He was fascinated, and he kept sweetly petting the baby's head and saying "oooooooooh". It gives me renewed faith that having two kids is doable.

Let's be honest, I already have two kids. I think that three kids are manageable. My boys sure love each other. Austin lights up at the end of the day when Daddy gets home. He's the fun parent at our house. A picture is worth 1,000 words- so I'll leave it with that.

Rocky Mountain High, Colorado!

2010-06-04T07:50:00.009-06:00

We have spent the last few days in Vail and Aspen... Austin free!

It has been wonderful to escape the heat of Texas. We stayed for one night in Vail and enjoyed walking around Vail Village and checking out the Betty Ford Botanical gardens. If you're ever needing a break along I-70 I highly recommend going there!

I don't know what I was thinking wearing flip flops because it was still cold! After a wonderful day in Vail we moved on to Aspen. Aspen is SO beautiful! It's been so nice to travel to these places during the off season. It's been a little less ritzy and a little more local.

We rented scooters and traveled up to the Maroon Bells. Don't we look intimidating?

Beautiful! I think I could handle coming back!

Memorial Day Run= Death!

2010-06-02T22:13:00.002-06:00

Happy Memorial Day! Andrew and I decided to do the Bolder Boulder (a 10k run... or in our case walk.) I have no idea what we were thinking. I'm 16 weeks pregnant, at a higher altitude, and haven't done much strenuous exercise for the past 2 years. It is now Wednesday and I'm still paying for Monday. On the upside... Andrew got to fully experience Boulder. Since I was keeping him at such a slow pace he really got to check out the bands, and belly dancers on the sidelines of the race. Now that I'm done complaining- we actually had a really good time. Next time, I think we'll train a little bit more.

Guess What...

2010-04-25T18:53:00.003-06:00

I seriously considered getting this shirt from here. In case this isn't clear enough- here's another picture for you.

Here's our little gummy bear.

If that still wasn't clear enough- here's one more picture...

Yes, we're pregnant. I'm due about November 13th. Andrew and I have vowed never to try for a baby over Valentines day again. Austin's birthday is November 12th and Andrew's is the 14th. That does mean that we'll have 3 birthdays in 3 days. I hope he/she doesn't come a day early or a day late.

We're very excited, but I have been very sick. I'll be really surprised if this little one isn't a girl. Guess we'll wait and see. I'll post how we found out about this little nugget in a few days. :)

Pain in the Grass!

2010-04-23T19:41:00.004-06:00

We've been pulling up some noxious weeds and boy are they a pain! We've only done about 1/3 or our back yard and this is what we've gotten so far.

Grammie and Papa

2010-04-16T15:54:00.003-06:00

Austin's new favorite person is Papa. He's been gone for almost a week and Austin walks around like a lost puppy sayind "Papa?"

We were SO blessed to have Andrew's Dad, Mom, and little sisters come to visit. They were awesome company and they helped us out so much!!! The girls did so much mothering for me I'm pretty sure I'm going to fly them out this summer so they can mother for me some more. :)

We spent some time in Dallas visiting the gardens and eating at some fabulous restaurants.

Daddy and Austin- watching the bats in Austin.

We also spent some time in San Antonio. I could totally see myself living in Austin one day, but that might be a little weird for the little guy.

We started off the week by watching General Conferance and of course... eating wonderful food.

Dancing baby!

2010-03-24T08:26:00.002-06:00

Austin loves to dance. I think it's pretty cute.

Buddies!

2010-03-07T08:53:00.006-07:00

Last week we were privileged enough to have our friends Amber and Brooklyn in town. Austin and Brooklyn have been dating since they were born, but we thought it was time that they should meet again in person. (And it was a really good excuse to see Amber too!) Amber's due to have a baby come June and I think Austin has scared her out of ever having a boy. Austin spent the entire week strutting his stuff and being completely wild!

The proof is in the pictures. Brooklyn is such a clean little eater- Austin on the other hand. Oh boy!

Poor Brooklyn. I subjected her to this one too many times.

We taught the kids the importance of the traditional Chinese New Year.

Thanks again for coming you two!

The Ends.

Global Warming...

2010-02-12T08:19:00.004-07:00

Is really a problem here in Texas. I think this is the third snow we've had this season. Let's make sure not to use those aeresol cans so that we can have a grand total of 5 snows next winter. (Can you sense my heavy sarcasm?) Andrew got to come home early yesterday and go to work late today. I love the snow- I'm not complaining. I guess I'm not a Texan at heart yet... Austin loves to play in the snow. He's pretty happy just to be outside in general, but he especially likes to stomp in the slush. I think now would be an appropriate time to add that I think I'm going to invest in the coat and glove combo that have the little clippies on them. You know, the ones that keep the gloves attached to the coat so that you don't have to hunt for the missing glove for an hour?

Only another 350 more days...

2010-01-13T07:00:00.004-07:00

Until Christmas comes again. Even though we were in Colorado- Santa still knew where to find us. Every time we go to Colorado we find ourselves jam packed with seeing friends, family, and doing all the things you can only do in Colorado. I love it! Austin was incredibly spoiled, but that's not news to anyone. Here is the little man himself.

Christmas Morning

Look Mom! My feet reach the stirrups!

We couldn't keep Austin out of the fountain. Austin and Sophie in their favorite toy. Isn't it amazing how you can spend money on Christmas presents and the BOX is the favorite toy? I think we'll save ourselves and just give Austin shipping supplies next year. Boxes, packing paper, and Styrofoam peanuts... I think I'm on to something.

Here's a VERY short video of the little guy trucking around in the snow. What you can't see is Sophie about 5 steps ahead of him. He loved following her around.

Kiawah Island Thanksgiving!

2009-12-02T12:21:00.003-07:00

Our Thanksgiving week was Amazing. We went to South Carolina and enjoyed it completely!

The HBA (Heaton, Baron, and Atwood) Dads won the sand castle contest!

This was our first attempt at a sand Christmas tree. We were just happy a few people recognized what it was.

Can you find our carnivorous friend?

Austin was afraid of Santa. Maybe he'll still get some presents from him?

This was taken in Charleston. It's such a fun town!

Hopefully we do it again next year!!!

Austin's Birthday Party

2009-12-02T11:20:00.004-07:00

Somebody needed a little help opening presents.

Can you find Grandma Marcia in this picture? She was so nice to play with all the kids while the parents ate.

Here are a few pictures from baby A's birthday party. He was exhausted by the end of the night, but it was still fun. I need to give a huge thank you to Carly for helping me do the cakes! I couldn't have done it without you Carly!!!!

I think I'll have a few proud Mommy moments and brag about my guy. He waves to everything, people, animals, bathwater etc. I'm not sure where he picked this one up, but if I say "No, No, No" he'll wave his pointer finger at me. He dances all the time (arms waving and bootie shaking.) Everyday is better than the last.

Birthday Bash!

2009-11-16T11:46:00.005-07:00

Guess Who's One?

We can't believe our little guy is already 1. Austin has changed our lives is so many ways. We feel so blessed to be the parents of such a sweet little guy. He is usually pretty smiley, and has a sweet demeanor. We wish we could take some credit, but we're afraid he came this way. It's amazing to watch how much personality has developed in a year. We think we might be starting to see a twinkle of mischief in his eye. (That's not supposed to come until NEXT birthday!) We took Austin to his 1 year well child visit and don't worry- he's still big. Weight- 22 pounds 9 ounces 60% Height- 32. 4 inches 90% We have no idea how big his head was but he's been in the 75 % since he was born. Needless to say, we are VERY proud parents.

10 minute trick-or-treating

2009-10-31T19:06:00.010-06:00

1: Take screaming baby and throw on a lion costume.
2: Take a know it all toddler and insert into ladybug costume.
3. Make sure kids have shoes on before they make a beeline for the door.
4. Have the camera ready (we mean have your finger on the button-so you can catch the fleeting smile)
5. Go to neighbor #1 who has the bowl of candy that says "please take ONE"... Yeah, Right.
6. Go to neighbor #2 who doesn't answer the door, but is clearly home.
7. Go to neighbor #3 who opens the door before you even have to ring the doorbell and lets the toddlers pick their own candy... Sophie grabbed the whole bowl.
8. Go to neighbor #4 who comes to the door, but doesn't have any candy and forgot it was Halloween. Oh Come On!
9. Go home!

Our trick or treating went from 6:45- 6:55. What can we expect from a couple of 1 year olds? All in all, it was a very successful night! Enjoy TONS of pictures. These are for the Grandmas!

We were so speedy- all Becky had time to take a picture of was our behinds.

Cute as a bug!

King of the neighborhood!

She thinks she's flying!

I am Austin... Hear me ROAR! The Spoils.

THE PUMPKIN PATCH We bought the first pumpkin Sophie liked. (But gave it to Austin shhhhhhhhh) Sophie made it through the maze. It was pretty easy if a 1 year old can do it... We'll skip that part next year. Austin's favorite part was the bunnies. He tried to strangle the duck, but that's okay because there was another one. Sophie actually petted the bunny...it was shocking since she usually whines if any animal gets too close to her. Oh and then she almost poked it's eye out!

What talent Uncle Bryce and Aunt Becky have at carving pumpkins! This is my masterpiece I call "Haunted Austin." I thought I would be artistic and try to carve his face into a pumpkin... I think I'll wait a few years, or twenty, before trying this again. Can you see any resemblance? Happy Halloween from the Barons and the Carpenters!

Walker!

2009-10-22T21:35:00.003-06:00

Here's the long awaited video of Austin walking. He's been walking for about a month and finally walking more than crawling (not that we're encouraging that.) I don't know what's going on with the open mouth... maybe that helps him stay balanced? Ah! We love our guy!

Everything's bigger in Texas.

2009-10-12T17:48:00.006-06:00

Everything really is bigger in Texas- just look at the pictures...

The Cows

The butter sculptures. Yes, there was an entire room made of butter.

The Water fountains

We've had Andrew's parents and sisters in town for the weekend. It has been SO nice having live in babysitters.

Thanks Barons for an awesome weekend!

One Man's Trash...

2009-10-04T21:23:00.004-06:00

Is my treasure!!! I've been very busy. Enough said. :)

I'll post more house pictures soon!

The Cutest Little Longhorn

2009-10-04T21:02:00.005-06:00

Arn't they cute?! Chick-fil-a ran a promotion that gave away free sandwiches if you wore "team garb". It was the motivation we needed to get out of our sick beds and out the door. I hope we didn't contaminate the rest of North Texas... but the swine flu... H1N1... (is that the PC term?) is going around anyway.

Austin's new fashion statement. The glasses save his eyes from the camera that's constantly pointed at him.

I've been a yard sailing maniac lately. I am a sucker for a good deal. I got these balls for 4$. I won't go into detail about how I spent an hour trying to bleach the balls, but I think it was money well spent! Now I just need to figure out how to get Austin to stay and play with the balls instead of just throwing them onto the floor.

Vacation part II... is long overdue

2009-09-10T07:58:00.003-06:00

This is a lame excuse for a recap on our Trip to Sun Valley, but it will have to do. We had a fabulous time playing up in Idaho with our family. This was a rare for Austin...

Vacation: Part I

2009-08-03T08:36:00.008-06:00

We have had a VERY busy past few weeks. After 3 weeks, 3 states, over 150 tubs of baby food, and seeing almost every member of our extended family, I think we have earned the title of "Marathon Vacationers".

We started off the journey flying to Colorado. Austin was a trooper on the plane. The flight attendant would come and hold Austin any chance she got, and she even made him a rattle out of a drink cup and pretzels. He flirted with all of the ladies on the flight including the flight attendants. Right now I'm grateful that he's such a flirt because it gives me a chance to use the bathroom etc. I'm sure I'll change my mind in 15 years.

We enjoyed seeing all of our family!

We especially enjoyed seeing cousin Sophie! Our, Becky and my, little munchkins did quite a big together and it was fun for them...but even more fun for the parents! Austin and Sophie are still about the same size, but Sophie is MUCH more developed. We were asked a few times if they were twins. I wonder if people think Austin is the slow twin? :)

Sorry I didn't get one of both of the kids smiling. The only one I had was of nakee babies- and I don't think I want that one floating around on the Internet.

I love that my parents now live so close to a park!

I'm VERY partial, but I think this little guy is really cute!

This little guy was quite the model. I was probably less than 10 feet away from him when I took this picture.

Since the summers are so hot and humid here, not to mention filled with pesky pests, we enjoyed spending as much time outside as possible. I'm not sure if Austin really liked touching the grass, but it kept him from wandering off. Did I mention that he's crawling now?

Things I'm learning about Texas...

2009-08-02T19:34:00.003-06:00

I try to rarely rant on the blog... but today is an exception! I keep learning new things about the south. This week I learned that I sholdn't mow over fire ant hills. Blasted ants!

Man, I destroyed their anthill yesterday and it's back today!

I have 6 nasty, raised, itchy bites that have swollen up bigger than quarters. Help! How do I make them go away?

A much needed update

2009-07-07T07:06:00.004-06:00

This past month has been a busy one! We're finally starting to feel settled in our house. There are still walls that need to be painted and pictures that need to be hung, not to mention a pile of clothes too, but we're so glad to be in a bigger space! I keep waiting to take pictures because I want the house to look nice, but that might never happen. We've had quite a few mile stones over the past month so for posterity's sake... Austin got his first tooth in the middle of June. I guess I should really say he got his first teeth. His mandibular central incisors to be exact. What, I get excited about teeth. :) He was a trooper through the experience. We didn't even notice that he had gotten any teeth in except for when my mom gave him a drink from her water glass we heard clinking. I hope the rest of the teeth are that easy. Another first is that Austin can now get himself into the sitting position. I still haven't seen it in action, but have seen the results. We also had our first 4th of July as a family. I tried to be very festive this year and got the matching shirts, hanging stars, and table decorations. We'll see if I can keep that one up a few kids later. (Can you sense the heavy sarcasm?) And last, but not least, Austin is REALLY trying to crawl. He tries to move his little legs and hasn't figured out the arms yet. It's fun to have a yoga partner though... Austin and Daddy enjoying a walk. Daredevil Dad is always trying to see what new fun tricks he can do with Austin. We've also been doing lots of swimming. I think Austin prefers just to play with his toys in the pool and stay dry. I can sense a great summer AND winter toy. Score!

A Musician in the Making

2009-06-09T20:11:00.003-06:00

Austin thinks he's really good- He's moving so fast that it looks like the piano is playing its self. ;) I would love it if he could play this well someday.

4 years ago

2009-06-04T07:52:00.004-06:00

Happy Anniversary to us! Four years ago, Andrew and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple. It's been an amazing ride, and I can't wait for eternity. Brides maids.

Finally, A New Post.

2009-05-26T12:51:00.005-06:00

It has been a long time since I blogged about something other than Austin. He IS the cutest 1/3 of our family, so I'll still include pictures of him. Don't Worry. We are finally living in our house. We still have a few odds and ends left in our apartment, but we have everything we need to survive here at the house. Our moto over the past few weeks has been "How many car loads will it take to move the Barons?" It is one of those unknown questions- like "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?" After 9 car loads of stuff to the new house- we still were not missing anything that was essential to living. What does this tell us? we need to have a yard sale! I guess I'll just add that to the mile long list of things to do. We haven't had any hot water for the past 4 days. We are pretty stinky people. Maybe "pretty stinky" was the wrong choice of words. We are NOT pretty. We have realized how blessed we are to have hot water... and that we won't have to be pioneers forever and boil water in order to take a bath. Austin had a blowout yesterday... I'll stop there. Sigh. :) Austin has been a big helper with the move. We didn't let him eat the cord for very long. I'm aware this picture makes us look like negligent parents. Seriously, he has been a trooper. We are SO grateful. In the middle of all of this moving we got to go to Georgia so I could meet Andrew's Grandma. She was a sweet sweet lady and I'm so glad I got to meet her! She adored Austin- along with the rest of the family. This was taken while I wasn't looking. Like I said, the WHOLE family had fun with Austin. I didn't get a picture of Austin with the girls, but they were a huge help!!! I think I should also state the obvious and say how beautiful both of them are growing up to be. Here is the little monkey hangin' out with Grandma. We have his 6 month appointment tomorrow. He's quite the little sitter now. He still falls over, but we're working on that. And eats his toes... We're working on that too. Lastly, here is a picture from my first Mother's Day as a Mom. Thanks to my boys for making it so special!

I love Southwest!

2009-05-07T22:14:00.000-06:00

We're hoping we get to eventually see this in person... Hip Hop Flight Attendant @ Yahoo! Video

What does your baby do before nap time?

2009-05-05T11:37:00.003-06:00

This is what Austin does before his nap. He makes me laugh! Click HERE for video

While (Mom thought) You Were Sleeping

2009-04-23T11:44:00.002-06:00

You were tearing up your crib and eating it. I knew it was too quiet in there.

Easter and our 5 month old

2009-04-13T10:42:00.006-06:00

Happy Easter to everyone! I hope the holiday was filled with joy and candy! Our holiday was a pretty quiet one, but it was fun to spend it as a family. I think it goes without saying that Austin was VERY spoiled. His Grandmas sent him outfits and goodies, and the Easter Bunny brought him candy that he could share with his parents. We died eggs for FHE, but Austin was pretty sleepy through the whole thing. (Okay, I actually woke him up from his nap so I could take some pictures... I guess I can't blame him for not smiling. I look pretty glazed over when I'm woken up too.) And just in case you didn't know- Dad's shoulders are the absolute best place to look for easter eggs. Austin was 5 months old yesterday and a little bundle of joy he is! He's still a big boy that loves to smile, talk, and laugh. He loves the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and his favorite song is the bumble bee song. He loves to stand on his feet, but he still needs some help from his Mom and Dad. We love him so much!!!

Visits and Visitors!

2009-03-31T12:15:00.010-06:00

We have had a very eventful year! We kicked off the new year in Georgia came home and had company and then some more company. A few weeks later we were off to Colorado only to come home to more company. We are so lucky! We love having people come. My only problem is that I keep getting sick. Cold in January, Stomach flu in February, and more sinus trouble in March. I wonder what kind of sickness the Easter Bunny will bring?? Enough of a tangent, here are many pictures from the past two months. Here is Grandma with Austin and Sophie. Austin's huge and Sophie is tiny. Austin= Sophie in size and she's 6 months older. Austin hangin' out with Auntie Kelly. Am I starting to brainwash him a little too early? He was ready to assist Grandpa! Having fun at the park! Next visit... Angela! We went to the Dallas Arboretum. (I still struggle pronouncing that word) Everything is in bloom and beautiful!!! Austin decided that he needed a break about half way through the gardens so we parked on the grass. He kept grabbing the grass with his toes. He must be his mother's son! Our newest trick... I really hope he doesn't learn how to drool during this trick. My most recent project has been trying to sew boppy covers. This was my first attempt ever to sew a zipper... I'm still not sure I did it right, but it zips. Hope we didn't put you to sleep. :)

Under Contract

2009-03-23T10:37:00.004-06:00

Drum roll please......... WE GOT THE HOUSE! We are now under contract and have 10 days to make sure we know what we're getting ourselves into. I'm not putting up pictures of the front of the house for privacy reasons, but enjoy the pictures of the inside. We're very excited for visitors! Check Pictures Here!

Little Big Guy

2009-03-17T15:41:00.004-06:00

I can't believe that Austin is already 4 months old! He's growing like a weed... maybe even faster. He had his 4 month appointment yesterday and he's still topping the charts. Height: 27 5/8 inches Greater than the 98% Weight 17.5 pounds 90% He's now wearing 12 and 18 month clothes. I can't believe it. We've had a really good time with him. We tried rice cereal this morning for the first time. I'm not sure any made it into his mouth, but he was a good sport. I think his fist is still his favorite flavor. In other news, we are in the process of buying a home. We are so excited!!!! We have placed an offer and are in the process of countering back and forth. Hopefully all goes well. Pictures will follow soon if everything goes well. Keep your fingers crossed!

My two favorite guys

2009-03-12T20:43:00.007-06:00

This is a video of my guys. We were having a typical family dinner with Austin parked in his bouncer next to the table. I was giving Andrew a hard time about not being "engaging" with our son... This was the result. (Sorry it's so short- I tried twice to put the longer video up and it wouldn't let me. Boo)

Click on this bottom link for a better video... I don't know how to get it from youtube to blogger. Can anyone help me? :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GXfOi1_ASk

Anybody want a craft?

2009-03-08T16:44:00.002-06:00

I think this sounds like fun- it is almost like a "pay it forward" chain letter, but you get something in return. Really, this is just a good excuse for me to have crafty things strewn all over my kitchen table. :) Poor Andrew. The first five people to make a comment on this post will receive a free homemade gift from me sometime in the next couple of months. The catch is that you in turn must share the love and make a similar post on your blog. If I can do it, you can do it! Who doesn't love a package?! Just remember to continue this love chain on your blog.

Ozarkation!

2009-02-16T20:07:00.003-07:00

This past weekend we went to the Ozarks in Arkansas and Missouri. It was a fun little Valentines day (weekend) adventure. Neither Andrew or I had been to Arkansas before and we didn't really know what to expect. It was absolutely gorgeous! Austin also wanted to wish everyone a happy Valentines. He says "Thanks Grandma for my outfit. I felt very festive for the 15 minutes I got to wear it before I had my blowout." While we were in Bentonville AR we stopped by the Wal-Mart headquarters. We decided that they really are committed to giving their customers the best deals because their headquarters are well... not that easy on the eyes. We laughed because everything else in the town seemed fairly new and in great shape. We stayed Valentines night in Bentonville and then headed up to Eureka Springs where we rented a cabin for the night. Here is our cabin. We went to Lake shore cabins in case anyone is interested. Check out the view we had from the cabin deck. Are you jealous yet? January and February are the two months that Eureka Springs shuts down so we think that the view would be even more beautiful in June.

Austin loved watching the fire. Check out those rolls! I think I'll take an opportunity to say thanks to the Little man for being SO good. He was in his car seat for almost 3 days straight and hardly cried at all. We think he's pretty amazing! (not that we are biased at all) I think we will go back!

The aliens are coming!

2009-02-04T10:11:00.005-07:00

Warning: pictures are not attractive!!!

We tried to sit down to watch an episode of "Chuck" the other night and realized that it was going to be in 3D. Quickly I got out the tin foil, saran wrap, and the red and blue markers and went to work making some 3D glasses. It was a failed effort considering the saran wrap I colored was streaky and the glasses didn't fit behind the ears. We did get some great pictures though! I don't think there's any hope of Austin turning out normal later in life. poor kid.

At least he's cute...

2009-01-31T05:55:00.005-07:00

Grandma Rinda sent this comic to us. At 2 o'clock this morning it made me feel MUCH better. :) We're writing this post especially for Austin's great Aunt who is also awake at 2 in the morning and checks the blog. So, this one is for you!

Living in the bible belt- we have to practice being outwardly spiritual. Austin in no exception! See how well he says "I see the light!"

I threw this picture in to show how big he's getting. We think his little face is changing. I'm not sure he's ever really been baby faced. We call him our "little man" and that's just what he looks like.

We have a really hard time with "tummy time" in our house. When we lie him down on the blanket he just tries to find something to eat (usually his hand) and face plants. That really isn't much of a problem, but he just keeps his little head pressed into the blanket and doesn't move...

Last night this was our alternative to tummy time. We sat him in the bumbo and he did really well keeping his head up. He got tired after a while and chased his hand with his mouth (a frequent occurrence).

I've fallen and I can't get up! (I really can't, but it's okay because I can eat my hand)

Family Fun in Texas!

2009-01-28T12:10:00.003-07:00

We were very excited to have Nate, Anjanette, Katelyn, and Sadie come to visit. It was so good to see them! Thanks for coming guys! This is at our favorite crepe restaurant in downtown Dallas. It's our attempt to be cultured... Anjanette and Katelyn. Katelyn was having her very first piece of gum in this picture. Nate and Sadie. We went to the JP Morgan building in Downtown Dallas. (It's the building with the big hole in the middle) The building was locked, but the security guard was nice enough to let us in and give us access to the sky lounge. We felt pretty high profile. The sky lounge was BEAUTIFUL! Sweet Katelyn Andrew practicing for our next baby... This one is for Nate- you can thank me later!

What I wake up to

2009-01-17T08:55:00.002-07:00

When I leaned over Austin's crib this morning- this is what was waiting for me. I love it! We had our 2 month appointment last Wednesday and we're still topping the charts in the 90%. He is 14 lbs 5 oz and 25.5 inches long and 44cm head circumference. 98% for height, 97% for weight and 90% in head size. Men's Big and Tall here we come. I'm thinking he'll have his dad outgrown by the time he's 14.

Austin's Blessing

2009-01-13T22:58:00.003-07:00

We are so spoiled. We got to have both sets of parents in Georgia for Austin's baby blessing. (Thanks mom and dad for making the trip.) Andrew did a beautiful job blessing Austin and luckily Austin didn't cry, pass any gas, or have any blowouts. He must have known it was a special day. I also have to add a thanks to Ginger for taking such great notes. We have such thoughtful friends! More Pictures will follow.

What a Holly Jolly Christmas--- and New Year

2009-01-05T11:29:00.004-07:00

After traveling to Georgia for Christmas and New Years Austin is demonstrating how we are all feeling. As they say in the south- "We're tuckered out." We didn't anticipate how much stuff it takes to travel with a baby. Wow! I am now a little more sympathetic to families trying to get through airport security. Luckily, Austin has great grandparents and they help make traveling easier. I think they want us to come back. I'm using the term "us" loosely... I think us means Austin. Santa brought Austin a Santa outfit. He has the bowl full of jelly, but we're still working on him saying "Ho ho ho." Andrew grew up having great Christmas Eve traditions. They do Christmas crackers, play bingo and the candy bar game, and read the Christmas story. It was so much fun to start these traditions in our own little family... even if Austin couldn't really appreciate them. He tried to hold on to the Christmas cracker for the picture. Our little Man has become more and more alert over the past two weeks. He has also started to smile more. I'm having a really hard time smiling at him and getting a good picture so y'all will just have to use your imagination. We both got new coats for Christmas- we're still working on our super model poses. We celebrated the new year with fireworks, family, and friends. I don't think life gets any better.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-18T20:27:00.003-07:00

We wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Here are a few pictures for the Grandparents. I thought it would be really cute to take a picture of Austin in a stocking, but he was too big for the traditional sized stocking. I'm pretty sure a toddler could also fit into this sock... Maybe I'll take a better picture with the next baby. :) He woke up! Do Grandma and Grandpa want an Austin for Christmas?

One Month Old

2008-12-14T22:43:00.004-07:00

Austin is now one month old! I can't believe he has been here for a whole month. Wow! He's over 12 pounds now and growing strong! He's such a cutie... not that we're partial at all... Here are a few more photos. It probably looks like we just sit around and take pictures all day... and that isn't too far off. We took another step today back into "real" life. We got Austin dressed up and we all went to church. He looked so darn cute that we had to take lots of pictures. It has been really fun to watch Austin's small steps of development. His smiles are still spontaneous, but they are coming more often. (I think they are still due to gas, but hey, a smile is a smile.) He has also been working on focusing on our faces and holding his head up. We actually had a hard time snapping some of these photos because Austin has a favorite spot that he likes to stare at. We have no idea what his fascination is with staring at the back of the couch, but it is his favorite. I try not to let my feelings get hurt that he likes to look at the couch more than my face. Oh well. :) Austin was lucky enough to have Grandma Rinda come for the weekend. He has gotten lots of hugs and kisses this week and he loves it. Thanks for coming Grandma! Lastly, this is one of our favorite outfits. It has a little moose on the front - fitting that we call him our little moose. Thank you so much Ashley and Ryan!

A few of our firsts...

2008-12-04T20:55:00.004-07:00

I think people really just want to see pictures of Austin- so here he is! We've been having lots of fun with our little guy. We're all pretty sleepy, but I think that's to be expected with a newborn. Here is our 1st Thanksgiving 1st time meeting Grandpa Royce 1st time meeting Uncle Jeff 1st bath- I think he had just eaten judging by his belly bulge.

The WORST theme song ever!

2008-12-01T19:56:00.003-07:00

We saw this commercial tonight and couldn't remember ever hearing a worse theme song! We laughed and laughed. We even thought it was blogworthy... That's saying something. :) Just so you can sing along... here are the lyrics. Clap On. Clap Off. Clap on- Clap off. The clapper. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XUOhjW2AXM Short and sweet- don't you think?

99%

2008-11-26T18:43:00.004-07:00

Austin's best impression of "Blue Steel" from Zoolander

Austin is 2 weeks old today and we had his two week appointment aka "The weigh in". Let me preface... Austin was 9.77 lbs when he was born and 5 days later he was back up to 9.5lbs. Normally, it takes about two weeks for babies to get back to their birth weight, but not our little hos. Since he has been gaining so well we all made bets last night about how much he would weigh. I guessed 10lbs thinking that there was NO WAY he would actually be that heavy... I'm proud to announce our little guy is 10.3 lbs and 23 inches long. The nurse thought his weight was due to a poopy diaper - nope. He's in the 99th percentile for weight and 98% for height. He's currently off the charts and the doctor refers to him as "Moose". We're so proud of our little man! We no longer fit into newborn clothes or diapers. Good thing 'tis the season' to go shopping!

What do you do on Sunday?

2008-11-23T14:53:00.004-07:00

Lately, this is what we do everyday! Like father- like Son! Andrew's starting Austin early... In other exciting news... Austin finally has a belly button instead of a stub. Can you tell there's quite a bit going on here at the Baron household?

The Birth Story

2008-11-18T09:04:00.005-07:00

For those of you that would like to hear little Austin's birth story- this one's for you! (And so we can remember the day) This could turn out a little lengthy so we won't be offended if you stop here and just skip to the pictures. Initially the doctors told us that Austin would be due on November 18th, but at our 20 week ultrasound the doctor changed the due date to the 12th. Up until last Tuesday (the 11th) we had seen very few signs that would indicate I would be having the baby. Bummer. I tried walking for miles, eating certain foods, bouncing on the pilates ball etc. But it was not helping me to efface or dilate very much. So, last Monday night we finally surrendered our efforts and decided he was going to come when he was good and ready. Low and behold- I was up for a few hours Monday night with what felt like cramps. Mind you- they didn't feel anything like "textbook" contractions so I figured that I had eaten something that didn't agree with my stomach and was finally able to go to bed. I continued to wake up about every hour with a cramp, but the discomfort would subside and I was able to go back to sleep. No problem- this couldn't be labor because you are supposed to be doubled over in pain... right? Tuesday morning, Veterans Day, came and I was still having stomach pains. I basically called the whole family trying to poll everyone to see if I was having contractions or not. (It's really funny because some of my family said "Don't fool yourself, there's no baby coming today.") My mom convinced me to give my doctor a call just to be sure everything was alright. Reluctantly, I gave the doctor a call and left a message that I was having cramps but I don't think it was labor- so there wasn't anything to worry about. I went out to run some errands only to be summoned to the hospital by my doctor. I got Andrew up out of bed and told him that he didn't need to shower or bring anything to the hospital because I KNEW it was false labor and that they were just going to send us home again. For some reason I'm a little self conscious about showing up to the doctor and/or hospital only to find out that nothing is going on. We got to the hospital and they put us in a room, the last available room, around 11 and we got situated. After being hooked up to the monitor and being checked by the nurse we found that my contractions were coming about every 5 minutes and I was dilated to a 3. The doctor then came in and told us that we would have a baby by the end of the day. We couldn't believe it! So, I dragged Andrew out of bed to the hospital with no shower and no breakfast only to find that he was stuck there. Sorry Honey! The next few hours were pretty routine- just laying in bed, contracting, and watching movies. We had the option to start Pitocin to help labor go faster, but my mom was trying her best to make it to Texas for the birth so we decided to hold off. At about 6:30 pm I decided to get an epidural the contractions were still bearable, but Hey- why not? My mom made it to the hospital around 8:30 and we started pitocin around 9:30 and waited. And waited and waited and waited until about 2 in the morning when my body finally decided that Austin could come out. I was pretty lucky to only had to have pushed for about 40 minutes, but unlucky in that I had to have an epesiotomy. Austin came at 3:33 Wednesday morning at a whopping 9.77 lbs, 21.5 inches long and perfect! I now know why I felt so much like a whale! I'm pretty proud of myself for squeeezing out such a big baby! We have loved every minute of being parents and feel so blessed to have been able to create life. We spend hours upon hours just staring at Austin and can't believe he's ours. It truly is amazing how it is possible to love something so much that we just met. Austin is so precious and we can't wait to introduce him to all of our many friends and family. We love you all! Thank you so much for all of the love, support, and sweet words.

Austin's First Video

2008-11-13T16:49:00.003-07:00

Little Austin

2008-11-13T07:38:00.004-07:00

Here are some pictures from the first day of Austin's life. We could not be happier with our little guy! We can't stop staring!

As Promised...

2008-11-11T15:52:00.002-07:00

Something's happening!!!! After second guessing contractions for a few hours I finally called the doctor to let her know how I was feeling. She asked us to come into labor and delivery and so we did (thinking that they would just send us home again) and shared that my contractions were about 5 minutes apart and was already to a 3. Looks like little Austin will be here before the end of the day. Yay!!! We're trying to "hold it" until Grandma Marcia can get here.

Baby Update

2008-11-07T11:40:00.011-07:00

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13 Weeks -----------------------TO----------------------- 39 Weeks Well folks... there's no baby yet. I've been trying hard this past week to get him to come- and I guess he has other plans. I think they will induce me on the 18th and I'm pretty sure that it is going to take that long to get him here. Thanks for all of the love and support we're getting from everyone! We'll post if something happens...

Finding fun things to do in Dallas

2008-10-24T06:00:00.005-06:00

This past weekend we were lucky enough to spend some time with Ike and Bekah. To make matters even better- Bekah is from Dallas and has tons of fun ideas for activities! We decided to all head over to the Dallas World Aquarium to check out what they had to offer. Imagine a canopy tour/ swiss family Robinson episode and that gives you the general idea of the inside of this place. It really was amazing. Ike and Bekah This bird was sitting on the fence, but he decided that he liked Bekah's shoulder better. Can you tell she was surprised? With all of the birds flying around the building it was just a matter of time until one of us got pooped on... I'm guessing since I'm the biggest target it makes sense that I got nailed. I feel like a whale in this picture, but it's proof that we really were there! Thanks again for a great weekend!

I Think I'm Nesting

2008-10-01T20:24:00.003-06:00

We're getting ready for little Austin to come! I've been trying to work as much as possible, but when you have a bowling ball under your shirt it makes getting close to mouths a little tough. In my spare time I have been getting the nursery ready. All I have to say is "Ta-Da!" Please note the paper lanterns. They were really hard to hang and they're still trying to straighten out. (I'm still proud of them) We've decided to go with a polka dot theme for the room. Our little guy does not have his own room- he's being forced to have his room combined with the office. We're still trying to downsize on all of our stuff. We're trying to decide if we really need all of our old tests and homework. I guess we still think we need them since they're still in his room. Maybe we'll change our minds before he comes... or the next baby. Andrew thinks that the walk in closet would make a fine little bedroom for Austin and he's a little bitter he's infringing on his territory. :) It's been fun finding little accessories- like my dot rugs! I'm especially proud of the crib bedding. With lots of help from my wonderful Mother-in-law, Rinda, I was able to make the crib quilt, bumper, and glider cover. I was trying to be "cheap" about the bedding and make my own, but I ended up purchasing a sewing machine. Woops :) So ready or not Austin, we're ready for you to come!

Don't you hate it when...

2008-09-20T19:38:00.003-06:00

Your Balloons sag? We went to the Plano balloon festival this evening. There was so much traffic that we ended up driving in the car and chasing the balloons as they touched down. We didn't get to see all of the balloons, but we avoided the hoards of people and the walking. (both of which I have been avoiding lately) Sorry for the Hooters picture, but we couldn't resist... Couldn't be a family friendly event without a hooters balloon!