Where have you been?!?!?!?

So, about 765,313 days ago I decided to write a blog about our sweet boy Theo. All started well and people were enjoying our initial posts about our adventures in Seoul, followed by our first adventures in parenting. Then I was abducted by aliens, flown to the planet Mars, and forced to become an indentured servant for the royal Martian family, before I was allowed to return to Earth. Additionally, my house was carried off by a twister and where Atticus was doted upon by a sweet little girl and a world full of munchkins. Did I mention Andy ran away from home and joined Van Halen on tour?

Well, if those excuses don't work for you, they don't work for me either! I'll just blame life, work, and a broken computer. Now with a new laptop at hand, I will reintroduce the world to Theo, who once was a charming, darling, little person and now is..... TWO YEARS OLD. I kid, I kid... Theo's doing wonderfully. Talking up a storm, going to pre-school, and enjoying everything from Star Wars to Wheel of Fortune. He spent Halloween as Captain Hook to Andy's Peter Pan, while I spent the day as a lowly first mate. (I tried to be Mr. Smee, but my costume just didn't quite work!) Theo spent his first weekend away from Mom and Dad at Grandma's and Papa's in early October which would have worked out great if the poor little guy hadn't gotten sick. I guess that's what we as parents get for leaving our young child at home while we went off to an adult's only weekend at Disney World. In our defense, we did go to enjoy the Wine and Food Festival at Epcot, which would not have interested the crowned prince in the slightest.

Theo also got to meet his new friend baby Penny, who he absolutely adored and did a fantastic job holding and helping feed. He had many sweet kisses for our 5-week old friend, and I'm also proud to say I was not scared of her wobbly head in the slightest. His social calendar tends to be on the full side between hanging out with his fun babysitters, his family, and seeing friends both old and new. We had a great time at a pumpkin-carving party the night before Halloween, and he's learned to cruise "the hill" at our friend Missy's house with ease. Independence is the name of the game, and it's amazing how much he's doing on his own. Latest talents include counting, (to 16 on a good day) drawing smiley faces, coloring, and of course battling with light sabers.

In the next few weeks we are excited to have visits from both the Oklahoma Barretts, and Grammy from New York for the Thanksgiving holiday. I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner(YIKES) and am hoping to bake my first pie to celebrate the occasion. If Theo survives the meal, I will be sure to post again soon!

September pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157622640137677/detail/

October pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/721576622765394148/detail/

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The school year has begun!

The last few weeks have been crazy as school has gotten back into full swing! Andy and I have been busy getting back in the groove, and Theo has been adjusting (beautifully) to a new routine that includes one morning of preschool a week.

August was a full month with lots of end-of-summer activities including a visit to Susu's house in Tennessee and countless playdate with friends. He's currently obsessed with his buddies Bobby and Emma... I sincerely hope their parents do not seek a restraining order in the near future due to his stalker-like tendencies. While we were at Susu's he had a great time swimming in the river and checking out the local sites. He definitely shared the love of the Apple Barn after his first visit!

We also had time for some short road trips to Bloomington for a day with Bella, Becki, and Mindy, into Chicago for the 2009 Korean Festival, and Melrose Park for an outing at Kiddieland. We also rode the train into the city with the Klotz family... I was mistaken to think that he would be thrilled with the train ride. After about 5 minutes, he and the other kiddos were bored with the trip. Regardless, we survived and had a great day.

August Flickr pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157622127404217/detail/

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Potty? What Potty?

Whew! The month of July was busy for us Barretts. Additionally, it was FINALLY warm enough to do many things outside! What a crazy summer it's been... I'm sure it will get hot and humid in about 3 weeks... right when all the kiddies go back to school. Balderdash to you Mother Nature!

The month started off with a fun 4th of July. No big party this year due to the house renovations, but fun none the less with a small group of friends. Theo made it to the fireworks this year (last year he was asleep almost two hours before they happened), and enjoyed them until he fell asleep about 5 minutes before the show ended. For those of you who know how close our house is to the fireworks display, you KNOW how unbelievable it is that he fell asleep. Regardless, he loved the fireworks that he did see, and now asks every night if we are going to see fireworks. Personally I think it's a stall tactic for going to bed...

Following the 4th, we got to do lots of fun things with fun people! The three of us met up with the Triebel family for a great day at Brookfield Zoo. Theo had a great time with Bobby and Emma, and we managed to find several quiet spots to see animals on an otherwise crowded day. We also had many park dates this summer with anyone and everyone who happened to call our house looking for something to do. Aside from walks down the street to our neighborhood park, we also went to Blackberry Farm with a bunch of the teachers and their kids from Mill Creek, Peck Farm with our new friend Tommy and his mom, the sprinkler park in Geneva with Storm School friends, and several other outings with new friends Katie and Gavin, as well as old friends Will and Alyvia. Believe it or not, we also managed to hit the pool! Theo might have been a fish in another life- he LOVES the water.

In other events, we helped Bumpa (great-grandpa) celebrate his 85th birthday with a fun lunch that included ALL of the cousins. There were a lot of little people running about during that party! We were also lucky to have Robyn and Zach visit from Omaha in the middle of the month. Theo had so much fun hanging out with them the night they stayed at our house. Theo also attended Camp Pride for the very first time. Camp Pride is a week-long cultural camp for Korean adoptees held every summer at a Korean church in Itasca. Theo is still too young to attend, but our good friends the Carlsons go every year, and asked us join on them on the final day of camp for the show in which all the campers share what they've learned for the week. It was SO fun, and I can't wait for the day when Theo can attend as a camper!

In all the excitments of his social calendar, Theo has some pretty big milestones occur as well. He used the potty for the first time! He used the potty for the second time! He used the potty for the.............. okay, the first two potty trips were obviously flukes at best, but he did in fact use it. I'm not sure if seeing the actual poops, or my and Andy's elated reactions did it, but as soon as he was done both times he burst into tears. I hope that isn't a sign of things to come because that would mean we are in for some REAL big trouble. Theo has also transitioned to a toddler bed, which means absolutely nothing to him apparently, as he still waits for someone to help get him in, and help get him out. I'm actually going to encourage that behavior for as long as possible! We also had a sad milestone to deal with, the passing of a pet. Bruce was a good fish, and he will be missed terribly. So terribly in fact, that Andy and I decided to buy Bruce 2.0 before Theo could realize that Bruce was no longer with us. This plan would have been fine, except for the fact that Bruce 2.0 died within days (okay, it was hours) of coming home. We decided that the universe was trying to tell us to be truthful with our two-year old. (And that there was something majorly wrong with our tank.) After breaking the news that Brucie was sick and had to go bye-bye, Theo immediately asked for a goldfish. Guess he wasn't as attached to Brucie as Andy and I thought!

July pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157621944696066/detail/

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Kitchen renovations and "big butts"

What can I say? Kitchen renovations distracted me from blogging for the last two months. WE ARE NOW FINISHED. All new hardwood for the entire first floor, new kitchen cabinets, new kitchen counters, new vanity and mirror in the bathroom, all new light fixures, and all new furniture in the family room and kitchen. Needless to say, our lives have been in shambles for weeks now! Believe it or not, I'm sick of eating out... (Kitchen pics will be posted on my Flickr account soon!)

Theo is now two years old and is as precocious as ever. His vocabulary is exploding, and he's talking in more and more complete sentences everyday. Recent favorites include, "Ready, set, go," and "Knock, knock!" He is also very into comparing big and little things, which was fine until the day he came up to me, pointed at my butt and said, "Big butt?" That was the day that I decided to eat only celery for the rest of the summer. (Don't worry, that thought was out of my head by dinner time.)

The official start of summer was mostly met with our home improvements and yucky weather. The poor boy hasn't been to the pool once this summer! Too hot, too cold, too rainy, too many walls needing to be painted in the kitchen! Fortunately, we've managed to squeeze in some great playdates with many of our favorite peeps. One of our favorite playdates were with Uncle Craig and Aunt Amy straight from Jakarta! It was so nice to get to hang out with them when they were home for some R&R. Also, we were happy to have Granny SuSu visit for a whole week in the beginning of June! With her visit we were able to celebrate a great second birthday at our favorite Korean restaurant. Theo got many great gifts... including his very first fish, which he promplty named Bruce. Yes, he's still obsessed with Finding Nemo, but we've managed to broaden his horizons to also include Wall.E, Toy Story, and Star Wars. Andy feels it's never to early to start Jedi training, especially since the kid already owns 4 lightsabers!

Here are some of our latest pics - May was a light month but we picked up the pace in June!

May: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157620698420647/detail/

June: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157620871007556/detail/

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Happy spring?

Where did April go? Is Spring here yet?!?!?! Why so many questions about the weather and the time of year??? BECAUSE I'M SICK AND TIRED OF COLD WEATHER AND RAIN! So is Theo, poor kid can't wait to be outside as much as possible!

As the Barretts try to survive the swine flu (and the extreme paranoia) that has infilitrated our sweet little suburb, we also are focused on the last few weeks of school, a certain young man's second birthday, and the pending remodel of our kitchen and family room. Andy and I continue are streak of pure crazy as we plan to rip out floors, cabinets, and countertops to start our summer. All I can say is that it will be a lot of work, but I CANNOT wait to destroy the ceramic tile that is the bane of my existence...

Since being the world's cutest ring bearer, Theo has had a visit from the Easter Bunny, become an expert tooth-brusher, and now enjoys "cooking" with his mommy. (Hold the laughter please, we all know I don't cook!) He's also becoming more social by the day... always asking to see friends like Bobby and Emma. I think we're in for a busy summer with lots of playdates around town!

Link to latest pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157617596991484/detail/

And a little video:

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Gotcha day!

One year ago today, Theo joined Andy and I forever! Andy said it best, "It feels like yesterday and a million years ago all at the same time."

It's hard to believe that exactly one year ago Mrs. Yang, Theo's foster mom, was placing him in my arms during the Giving and Receiving Ceremony at Eastern. Remembering that moment is still surreal, still bittersweet. We were receiving the best gift anyone could ever give us, while at the same time taking our sweet little boy from the only home he had ever known. Andy and I look forward to the day we can take Theo back to Korea, to meet with Mrs. Yang and the folks at Eastern once again, and show them what a wonderful little person he is turning into.

Here are some of our first moments together as a family:

Here are some pics from our first Gotcha Day celebration:

Happy Gotcha Day Theo!

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Back on track

After being a rotten blogger for the past two months, I have full intentions of mending my ways to keep Sir Theo's fans fully updated on his latest moments of cuteness... or, since he is almost two, moments of NOT so cute!

We have had a busy few months in the Barrett house. I have finished my last technology class for my master's, YEE-HAW. The last few weeks of the program were extremely busy, but now it's over and I have that much more time to spend with The Boy! Andy is also back in class down at U of I becoming more brillant as the weeks go by. Which brings me to Theo...

At last post we had just returned from our awesome Disney trip. Theo still likes to bust out his Mickey ears and wear them around the house. I can't imagine who encourages such behavior???? He also has a new bike and basketball hoop that we have actually been able to use with some of our warmer weather days. Current sporting education also includes football- he's quite the studly quarterback when we have a chance to play but I think his prospects of becoming a wide receiver are yet to be determined.

The biggest news of late is the fact that Theo got to be the world's cutest ring bearer in a wedding this month. The wedding required a weekend trip to Omaha, which now means Theo has logged more miles on an airplane in one year than Andy has his entire life! =) Regardless, we had a great time in Omaha for our friends' Zach and Robyn's wedding. While the nontraditional approach to the wedding spared Theo from walking down an actual aisle, he still stole the show with some wicked dance moves at the wedding reception. This will be well reflected in Robyn and Zach's wedding pictures... I'm not sure if the photographer was aware that it was their big day as he was so busy taking millions of pictures of Theo!

We're closing in on Theo's Gotcha Day which is April 6th. It's hard to believe that he's been home for one year! It's as amazing today as it was in those first few weeks home to see him do whatever he's doing. I continually try to be objective, but this kid's got some serious genius in his brain! His latest hobbies, other than football with Daddy, include counting to 10 (working on it), singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star(more like Tinkle, Tinkle), taking pictures with Mama's camera when she's not looking, and having light saber battles with anyone who's up to the challenge. Now, before you go thinking he's a perfect child, let's take a look at some of his other recent hobbies... "NO." Yep, saying no, ignoring no, wanting no, giving no, NO!!!! We've had an increase in whining as well, and why oh why must he grunt when he wants something?!?!? Even more special is the fact that Theo has now taken something special away from Andy and I... the oratory stylings of sailors and truck drivers. Yes, my darling son dropped his first f-bomb in the car after hearing Andy say it. We looked at each other in shock and dismay, not so much because Theo said it, but because we had not anticipated the loss of our freedom of speech so early in our career as parents. Aahh, the sacrifices we make...

Here's our latest pics! http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157616011242637/detail/

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Delays and Dole Whips

Well, I guess it's happened for real! I'm off my blogging schedule... ARGH. Okay, I'll try to get back into the once-a-month groove soon. In my defense, January was not all that exciting in the Barrett house!

Yes, the new year started out rather calmly. We had a few playdates, Theo experienced his first Super Bowl, Andy and I both headed back to class, and we dealt with frigid temperatures and way too much snow! How's that for a summary in brief?

More exciting than the whole month of January, was Theo's first trip to Disney World!!!!!!! I broke my own "not until they're old enough to remember it" rule and had the best time with my boy at The World! Even more exciting than that, was the fact that Andy, Theo, and I were joined with Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Laura, and Granny Sue. Yes, that's right... all seven of us vacationed together for 5 days! AND stayed in the same room! AND everyone loves each other still!!! Wahoo. The group stayed in a 2-bedroom villa at the Old Key West Resort at WDW. Needless to say, we were all very spoiled with the accommodations, as the villa was bigger than my and Andy's first house. Beyond our posh quarters, was great weather, low crowds, and an absolute wonderful time! Theo's favorites included Dumbo, the Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Playhouse Disney Live. He also braved Pirates of the Carribean, the Kilinmanjaro Safari, and meeting the Mouse in person. He was SO good on the trip, very few tears and no tantrums. Grandma Jane and Grandpa Jeff also enjoyed their first trip to WDW immensely. My personal favorite of the trip was the fact that we got Jane to ride roller coasters! I have never laughed so hard on a ride as when we took Jane on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad... it was well worth the cost of the whole trip for that one ride!

Upon our arrival home Theo decided it was time to get sick - croup and a sinus infection. The best part of that was the fact that he broke out in head-to-toe hives as a result of the sinus infection! It must be just so much fun to scare the pants off of mom and dad. In spite of the magic of Disney World, we are also starting to experience temper tantrums. OH JOY. As a matter of fact, he currently is throwing one as I type (I'm such a great mom aren't I?) because his Slinky won't do what he wants it to. There is definite foot-stomping, and we may see some flailing soon. Can you stay stubborn and strong-willed?

As always here are our latest pics:
January -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157613783453703/detail/
WDW -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157613780088315/detail/

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Happy New Year!

The last weeks of 2008 were full of chaos and fun! Besides all of the holiday happenings, Theo got to spend some QT with lots of important people. Granny Sue came for a weeklong visit from Tennessee. We had good friends come home from all over the country. Most importantly, Theo had his first encounter with Santa Claus! We were all prepared for screams and tears, but he handled it like a champ and even told Santa that he wanted a car for Christmas. Be sure to check out the newest pics on Flickr!

Christmas itself was a fun-filled whirlwind. We had a great time at both the Struven family and Bastian family Christmases. I have of course "trained" Theo to do the 12 Days of Christmas dance, but when the video camera came out, he wanted no part of it. Fortunately, we did manage to get a glimpse of "five gold rings..."

Presents included a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse playset, a "smash crash" car set, a Thomas the Tank Engine train set, and the appropriately overdone amount of Hot Wheels and Pixar car stuff. Beyond the toys, his Auntie Laura made a BEAUTIFUL Mickey Mouse cross-stitch for his room, and the Gilmores and Falvos bought him his very first share of Disney stock. With all of those fantastic gifts, how could he possibly pick a favorite?

Theo spent his first NYE home with Grandma and Grandpa so Andy and I could go out. It might be the last time I convince Andy to attend a NYE party as one of our friends broke his ankle as he toasted the new year! OUCH. Fortunately, Theo had a much more pleasant experience with Grandma and Grandpa, mostly watching videos and making a disaster of all of the toys he keeps at their house.

We also had another first... Theo's first illness! I know, it's crazy that he's been home since April and hasn't really been sick. Well this time, after three doctor's visits, he was diagnosed with an upper-respiratory infection and prescribed two antibotics. What a trooper, other than needing extra cuddle time and a few thousand boxes of Kleenex, he really didn't complain. 1st one down, ten million to go!

December's Flickr pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157611698600623/detail/

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