Greasy Hair

So Helen has been finding all sorts of greasy, oily substances to put in her hair lately. First, it was the Eucerin Aquaphor lotion, which is thicker and oilier than vaseline! That took about a week to wash out and she looked like a drowned rat for a week.
On Thursday, she found a stick of Crisco (which I didn't even know we had) and stuck a big glop of that in her hair. What is this new fascination with greasing the hair and I am afraid to see what she finds next.
Here's a tip though, if your child does this, Dawn dishwashing soap cuts the grease pretty well. Oh Helen.

Lazy Blogger.....

I have been a horrible blogger lately! Wow, lots of changes going on in our household and kindergarten, dance class, Gymboree, spanish class, and more. Jack is better at Kindergarten now. He still has his moments but all and all he is a pretty happy camper. I think he realized it is not so bad and sometimes it is even fun. He probably wouldn't admit that though.
Helen tells us "I'm just pretending. Shhh." when she is doing something she is not supposed to do. Kind of like telling us, oh, you don't really see me doing this, it is all just an allusion. Smart girl.
Helen loves dance class! She is so in her element and would do it more than once a week.
Jack started a spanish class after school on Thursday and he learned all about spanish fruit. I wasn't sure if he would like it or not, but he came out an hour later and was all smiles and said he had made a new friend. Of course, Jack the social butterfly. Helen is becoming more and more social as well. She talks about her "friends".
Well, more pictures soon!

No one tells you....

So, no one tells you about the 2nd day of Kindergarten. All the talk is about the first day, pictures, excitement. Jack woke up this morning and said he was not going to school today. "Not today, not any day, never again! I hate Kindergarten!" Sweet. It was 7:15am and I wasn't too hepped up about being up either, but hey, no one will hire a kindergarten drop out right?
With a lot of prodding, begging, pleading, bribing, and a tiny bit of yelling ( really just raising my voice, I don't yell :P ) we made it out the door and had a LOVELY drive to school. Jack told his aide that we was not going to school today. She said, "Ok, I was having trouble this morning too." Then Jack walked in, put his backpack away, smiled and walked to his seat.
WHY GOD? WHY? All before 8am this morning. Yikes.

Jack is a Kindergartner!

Jack is in Kindergarten. I cannot believe it. My stomach was actually twisting and turning as I drove him to school. However, his excitement was so great that I did not cry! Other parents and children were crying, but us Barrons were just beaming away! He was bummed that he couldn't stay all day and have lunch. Oh well, plenty of time for that. He came home with a handprint picture and poem from "The Kissing Hand" book which I of course will frame and keep forever. I love it. Here are a few pictures.

Kindergarten is Here!

Wow! Jack starts Kindergarten tomorrow morning and I cannot believe that day has arrived. I am excited for him and a little bit sentimental and sad. Will the rest of his school days just fly by? I am surprised at myself that I am even a bit sad because so many days I have said to myself, "i can't wait until Kindergarten starts!" Now it is here, and I am wanting a few more days, weeks, years? with my little guy. But his excitement is awesome and I know he is going to love it. Pictures from the first day coming soon.....

Redneck Days.....

So we have been exploring our redneck roots (I'm not sure if we have any...) We went to the state fair in Sedalia on Thursday with the cousins, including Madison, Cha Cha and Muddie. We met up with our friend Lindy and Wyatt. Lindy gave us the insider scoop to the fair! The kids had a lot of fun and were very good. They really enjoyed seeing all of the animals, especially the pigs. Jack enjoyed watching the pigs being judged. He climbed up into the stands and watched the judging like it was something he did all the time. All the while chatting up an older man who was probably shocked at his chattiness!
Friday night we went to the dirt track races at Lakeside Speedway with Uncle Bobby, Aunt Angela, the Hays and us Barrons. It was a lot of fun. Jack and Cam and Caleb wore their "cowboy stuff" and really fit in. They love all of the wrecks and the flying dirt and mud. Helen fell asleep to the sweet sound of the race cars. Poor Helen!
Here are a few pictures.....

Boys!

So, Jack is 5 and therefore fascinated with his anatomy. Wow. He has told me recently, "there is a bone inside my penis." He also found an athletic cup at Target last weekend. He held it up and yelled across the aisle to Muddie, "It is for my penis, it protects my penis." Mom (Muddie) tried to convince Jack that he didn't need it quite yet. He wasn't buying it, he needed it! I tried to tell him that maybe it wasn't big enough, he might need a bigger size that they don't have at Target right now. He announced, "no, it's big enough, my penis is that big Mom." Wow, I am going to use that later in life!!! Helen then said, "I have a penis too." Hello.

Don't they see me sweating?

Helen loves slides!

Jack and Helen like the sprinklers!
Jack said "it tickles my butt". sigh.
Ahh, the rainbow.

I have never been a summer person. I could care less about swimming. But now that I have Jack and Helen, I am forced to embrace summer (with a grimace and dragging my feet sometimes). These two love to be outside even when the heat index is 100 and the humidity is like 150%!!! Where do they get it from? Maybe they just have better cooling systems than me. I don't mind being out if we are in or near water, but really, I would rather stay cool. Jack loves to swim, loves it! And is very good. Helen is a little more like me, slow to the water, she could take it or leave it. She is the "cabana girl" this year at Muddie's, she likes to be on the periphery of the pool and the stairs. She likes to push people in and laugh. Jack, you have to drag Jack out of the pool! Let' s see how the rest of this miserable humidity and 90degree plus days goes....as for me, I am looking forward to cooler weather!
But the joy of watching Jack and Helen playing at the splash park at the Y is worth it. They laugh and run and slide and actually play together (most of the time)! Here are a few pictures from yesterday's afternoon at the Y. Hey, I had to bribe them with swimming so I could work out inside when we were done. We're bribers and we are not ashamed!

Our Trip to the Holt Farm

What a nice day! We drove the scenic drive to Rosendale, MO to visit our friends Lindy, Derek and Wyatt. Jessica was in town and Katie and Keileen came up to visit as well. Derek's boss Leon was gracious enough to take Jack and Helen on a tractor ride. I'm sure Jack talked his ear off. When I asked Leon he said "he had a few questions". I think he was being kind!
We are invited to come back in the fall so they can ride in the combine!

4th of July Fun!

Wow! The day started with a parade and ended with exhausted kids. In between was the carnival, swimming, and fireworks. The weather was perfect for the parade, not too hot or humid and the kids did great! We got cold swimming at mom's because the air had cooled off so much. It was a great day.

Oceans of Fun

It has been a really, really long time since I have been to Oceans of Fun. Probably almost 20 years! I am not a big swimmer myself, I can take it or leave it. Helen is kind of like me, and Jack loves to swim! Helen and Jack both loved it, as did the cousins!
At first, Helen wasn't sure about the splashing water, but then she embraced it and loved it, couldn't get enough of it. Jack does not need to get used to the water, he loves it from the get go!
Here are some pictures, the good, the bad, the ugly......:)

Jack Playing Tee Ball

Jack is really having fun playing tee ball. He is of course a great hitter but also a pretty good first base man. Steve says he is advanced for his team! Spoken like a true dad......Here are a few pictures from his most recent game.

Madison and Helen and Grandma's 86th Birthday

Madison and Helen are becoming really good friends! Helen told me today that "she loves her, she is gorgeous". I really enjoyed seeing them play together last night at Jennifer and Bryan's house, including bath time. Helen was funny because she really got into "washing" Madison....I don't think Madison was ready for that!
Even though Grandma's party got moved from the lake to Grandma's house, it still turned out to be a fun day. Including a "great walk" lead by Uncle Bill. He was like a renegade boy scout leader! Here are a few pictures......

Wacky Wedding Weekend!

Oh my calves, I don't usually walk or dance like a crazy person in heels so I am feeling the pain today. Yikes, I am getting old I guess! Stacey and Charlie's wedding was beautiful and just near perfect. I was so happy to be part of the wedding weekend! Helen is taking the longest nap after their night at Cha Cha's house. They are as worn out as we are today. Here are some pics.....

Ahh.....Mother's Day!

I don't know if you can detect the sarcasm via blog. But I do have some cute pictures from the day's festivities. Even though we spent most of the day cleaning Muddie's house and picking up from the storm the night before, I think we still had fun. Not exactly the most relaxing Mother's Day ever, but it is always good to get together. :)

Jack is 5!

Jack had the big party today...this boy has been planning it since Christmas! It goes by so fast and is over before you know it.....all that work and then it is over. No, it was a beautiful day and we had a nice group of friends, family, and neighbors to celebrate Jack's big 5.
Helen wasn't so sure about having the spotlight on Jack all day. We got some really good pics, here are a few of them. Lissa told me she is going to help me format my blog better so people can stop straining their necks! Thanks Lissa.

Spring Princess Fairy, ChuckECheese and More....

The countdown has been on this week for Jack's birthday....his "real 5 year old birthday". I have been happy to see rain but hoping the backyard will dry out in time for his party! All those boys and mud= no fun for Mommy. :( It looks like it will be a good day all and all.
Helen, with the help of Brenden, dressed in her best baubles, wings, shoes and pacifier and did a dance around the living room. She loves an attentive audience!
Jack and Helen and I went to Chuck E Cheese on Thursday for an early birthday present. The mascot Chuck E Cheese was walking around....Jack was excited, as was I, but Helen was not too pleased. She clung to my leg and told Chuck E to "go away, I don't like you, you scare me". He was quite the stealth mouse, he appears so quietly and I have to admit it does freak you out a bit! We were crouched down by the ticket muncher and suddenly I look up at two large hairy legs and tennis shoes! Yikes, I see what Helen means. Jack was happy because Chuck E kept giving him free tickets. Back off Chuck E.....
Helen and Jack love the spring weather and had me take a picture of them eating popsicles on the back deck. So sweet, short lived, but still sweet. Awww.