His Backyard is a Wonderland

Here we are starting the construction of the SwingAlong Castle.

Noah wanted to help.

Or perhaps just sit in the swing.

Yes, Jeremy is too big to go down the slide.

Here is one of these funky flower, turned ball of fluff things by my back deck.

Thank you Mamaw and Papaw for the fun, new toy!



I also got Noah a sprinkler toy, which we have since moved by the deck and baby pool, for even more fun.

Just us enjoying the West Va summer action!

Meet Rylie

So much to catch up on! On July 16-20, we did it up, Bar-Nutt style! In other words, we visited our friends Brian and Stacie Nutt in Tulsa. The occasion was the birth of their first child, Rylie Sophia Nutt. Rylie was born June 22 (a bit early) and we booked our tickets for mid-July just in case she was late.

My parents drove up from Paris since it is only a 3 hour drive. They stayed in a hotel and kept Noah for us, which was really nice. We were able to focus on the Nutts a little more that way. It felt strange sending Noah off to spend the night "at his grandparents.'" :)

Here he is sporting his Sooner pride. Not so strange in Oklahoma!

We dragged ourselves in from the day's travel and were so excited to meet this beautiful girl!

The guys and their kiddos.

Noah and Scripps became good friends. Or at least Scripps enjoyed Noah's love for throwing food on the floor.

I got in some sweet snuggle time.

And the guys put up the beautiful glass tile backsplash in the kitchen that Stacie has been wanting to do for the whole four years I have known her. :) It looks great!

Miss Rylie snuggling with her um...rat paci. Yes, its a pacifier attached to a stuffed mouse.

Tired babies. I love this picture.

Did I mention we ate a lot? Here are some family pics at Ted's Cafe Escondido. Of course, we had to have Hideaway too. :)

Here is the playset that Noah became addicted to. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to spend too much time with it due to the horrific heat that I had almost forgotten the feeling of.

Rylie has great toys awaiting her next summer.

For now, she didn't care for the cold dip on her feet.

We had such a great time and miss our buddies all the time! We really like Tulsa and wouldn't mind ending up there one day. :) And for those of you who were thinking it (you know you were), Rylie, as beautiful, sweet, and perfect as she is, did not inspire my eggs to scream for another one! Heehee...

Time Out!

I don't know what happened!

Noah had his first official timeout last night. It all started with the arrival of his new toy. We ordered a Little Tikes SwingAlong Castle for him. It arrived yesterday and Jeremy put it together in the backyard. While we were in Tulsa, Noah loved playing on the one in Brian & Stacie's backyard so I decided to order the same one. He climbed into the little swing and Jeremy noticed the seat belt needed to be adjusted so we took him out. He threw the biggest stink of a fit I've ever seen him throw! Even after he got back in the swing, he was still screaming. Daddy decided he had to go back inside at that point, which was even more displeasing. By the time I got back in the house, Noah was having a screeching timeout in his bed.

Ugh. Temper tantrums are my biggest pet peeve. And he normally doesn't have serious ones. In fact, not being able to go outside is the only thing that has really provoked him to this point. I'm not sure what is up. He is still being awful today. He doesn't seem sick in any way, so all I can guess is teeth. He has also given up the wonderful aforementioned sleeping arrangement.

Short of setting up the pack and play, I'm not sure what to do for time outs. I'm afraid that when we travel, that might make him averse to sleeping in it. Anyone with a toddler have a better idea?

I'll try to get some pictures of the new toy posted soon. Hopefully, it won't continue to be a source of frustration and we'll all just enjoy it soon!

I Just Wanted a Snack, Mom...

The pictures say it all don't they? Our funny little boy is walking around like crazy and getting into everything. Another oddity: he has been waking up and not crying lately. As in, he just plays in his bed until we come get him. So we slept in til 8 this morning. PRAISE the LORD!! It's like he sleeps 11 or 12 hours at night plus a 3 hour nap in the afternoon. So strange but I'm not complaining!! He started this while we were in Tulsa last weekend. I'll have to gather pics and post about that trip soon.

Visitors from Far, Far Away

Jeremy's parents, Terry and Debbie (Papaw and Mamaw), arrived on July 2nd from their new home in Beaumont, TX and had a great visit! Papaw stayed until the 6th and Mamaw changed her ticket so she could stay until the 15th, and help out after Noah's surgery. Noah quickly became buddies with Papaw and we have been so spoiled by having Mamaw's care for so long. There is definitely going to be some grandparent withdrawal going on around here!

The day they arrived, we took Noah downtown to play at the fountain park for the first time. I think he's a fan. :)

A little timid at first.

Oh, the fun!

On the 3rd, we stayed in Raleigh, North Carolina for the night so that Jeremy could visit his old stomping grounds in Wendell. He lived there during 5th through 8th grades.

Noah and Mamaw at the hotel pool. We didn't get in much because it was chilly that morning!

We came home on the 4th and celebrated big. Not really. I wanted to take Noah to watch fireworks at the Greenbrier but realized they would not be starting until 10:00pm and there is no way Noah can make it that late!

So this was our fireworks extravaganza.

I think Noah was a little nervous.

We enjoyed a lot of backyard time, since that is Noah's favorite thing.

Mamaw and Papaw are fighting over who gets to feed watermelon to Noah here.

Mamaw spent the rest of her visit cooking, washing dishes, doing laundry, and entertaining Noah. Sounds like quite a vacation, huh? :) Noah had tubes put in his ears on the 12th. He was pretty angry with everyone when he woke up but did great otherwise. By that evening, we were noticing that his walking grew steadier and greater in distance, he became more vocal, and was much more playful and cheerful. Hooray! He is also taking Singulair everyday to keep the allergies away.

Random picture of some plants that finally bloomed in our yard.

We miss her already! But I have to focus on packing for our trip to Tulsa tomorrow. We'll be back the 22nd. The Barclays are off to meet Rylie Sophia Nutt!

Summer Lovin'

I love summer. Always have. I love everything about it. Being outside, watermelon, grilling, cherries, ice cream, swimming, long days, the 4th of July, my birthday (well, maybe not after this one...), hot weather, farmers market vegetables and fruit, lightning bugs, the beach, I could go on and on...

Summer finally arrived in West Virginia. Like in July. It's been different this year. For example, the leading news story recently was the temperature breaking 90 degrees and local businesses giving out free lemonade when that happens. But it's been fun having all the family visit us. We've been staying busy!

Noah and I have visited the beautiful outdoor pool at the Greenbrier a few times with Khristina and her family. We even got to take Jeremy's mom with us one day. It's the neatest pool. You walk into it just like the ocean (whatever you call that style) and it has fountains springing up in the shallow end that you can play in. And the back edge looks like it drops off over a mountain. Noah loves it.

We also visited the downtown fountain park, now that Noah is walking better. He has SO much fun there. He runs (as best he can), shrieks, and giggles, all while getting drenched. Enjoy!

The Long Good-bye

On June 28, 2010, my Nanna, Helen Dotson Snider, passed away after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years. We have missed her for a long time. The ghost of her true self has been laid to rest. She is finally free.

I wasn't able to get back to Texas for the funeral and I hate that. I really miss home and everyone there. They said the funeral was nice, with a lot of people attending, and Pop sounds like he is doing well, considering the circumstances.

Alzheimer's doesn't get quite as much attention as some of the illnesses out there, particularly those that rob the young, but it is devestating nonetheless. Pray for a cure!