Stuffed animal eye patch!

Stuffed animal eye patch! My youngest son has a love for his stuffed animals and recently our new puppy has taken a liking as well. For some reason Sunny, our puppy, really likes chewing off the eyes!

After much consideration of repairing the eyes, my husband thought an eye patch would be fun! I agreed! In search of eye patches I couldn't find one that looked just right or fit the heads properly. I decided to make my own. I purchased black felt and black stretchable cord. My son was a bit disappointed at how "boring" a black eye patch was. We found sheets of duct tape in a a handful of styles at JoAnnes Fabrics. He picked out the zebra print.

I cut the felt free hand in the shape of an eyepatch and then cut a square of the duct tape sheet. I stuck them together and then trimmed the excess tape. Next, I found a needle with a extra big eye to fit the cord through. I poked it through one side and through the other and then tied the two loose ends together while the patch was on the animal. Make sure while your tieing the cord is being stretched. Voila!

The fun thing is he can put them on other animals and they are reversable since the other side is still the black felt.

Marathon training 101

It's official! I signed up for my first marathon. Savanah rock-n-roll marathon. I start training tomorrow...day 1 and I think I am crazy for thinking I can do this. Who in their right mind would train in the Florida heat and humidity during hurricane season? Me, me, me!! I am nervous, yet excited...I WANT that 26.2 sticker for my car. 16 weeks and let me tell you I will be counting down those weeks religiously. I am hoping to maintain my sanity and still be the loving mom, wife, and caregiver. And of course keeping my fingers crossed I stay far away from any type of injury.

On a lighter note. We are way into 2011 and the Barnes clan is thriving and surviving. Summer has been fun and busy. We just returned from a trip back home to San Diego. I can't get over how well the boys traveled and how much fun we had. Both boys will be in school next month which will allow me to have that much needed "me" time and make training a bit easier. We've been doing tons of stuff to the house as far as remodeling, repairing, and redecorating. I still feel like we are outgrowing the house but for now we will stay.

Many things upcoming making the year whiz by...boys starting school, marathon training, our 15 year anniversay, marathon training, a trip to Jamaica, and more training. Finally ending the year with the marathon and the beloved holidays!

Hugs and kisses to all!

Just another day...

Today is Jaejin's second day of preschool and both Jason and I are surprised and happy to know he loves it!!! I had such anxiety just trying to find the right school for him and relinquished all duties to my husband. After visiting 5 or 6 schools we found one right around the corner to our home and we love it! I thought for sure I would be in tears the first day but I managed to walk away with a smile on my face. It was nice to have Jason home for the day just in case and to keep my mind busy. Of course that wasn't the case. Both of us would look at the clock and wonder what he was doing and how he was behaving. In no time it was time to pick him up and when we did boy oh boy! He was non-stop chatter about his day and had so much to share with us. This was a big sigh of relief!
Lochlan misses him and I am finding he is a bit more clingy which is fine. I have been fighting a head cold and finally lost the battle. Now I am in recovery mode which seems to be taking longer than I would like. No fun not being able to smell or taste anything. My sinuses and eyes want to explode! I beg that this ends soon since I have a busy weekend ahead that involves yummy food that I would like to enjoy.

OVER A YEAR?!!

Who would of thought that it would be over a year since my last post! I don't even know where to begin...I will try to recap what I can remember and update everyone on current events in the Barnes family.
I started running to help me get back in shape post Lochlan's birth. I ended up running in a relay across the state of Florida November of last year. Ragnar relays hosts many events across the US so look them up if you have any interest. A team of 12 runners take turns running legs until the destination is achieved. 202 miles from west coast of Florida to the East-I ran three legs with a combined mileage of just under 18miles. Loved and hated it at the same time and of course I am doing it again this year! I am still a stay-at-home mom and find my days at the gym, grocery shopping, and the never ending housework. Luckily I have great friends who are in the same boat and we find refuge in play dates and girl's night outs.
We had many visits from relatives this past year as well. Hanging out with the cousins is always a treat for the boys. We also had a visit from Jason's side of the family from Scotland. We are hoping to make a trip out there in 2012.
Many friends and family have expanded their own families and we love watching each and every one of them grow! Unfortunately with expansion will come some loss as well.


Jaejin is growing big and outwits us all on a daily basis. I am sooo surprised what comes out of his mouth sometimes. We had a wonderful 3rd birthday party for him and tons of friends and family. I can't believe he will be starting preschool in a couple of weeks. I know he will thrive and love it and make lots of friends...I on the other hand have so much sadness and anxiety. The thought of leaving him in someone Else's hands worries me.

Lochlan is quite the toddler these days. He loves his older brother and wants to be everywhere Jaejin is. We can tell he is very sports oriented and has the temper and competitive spirit to go along with it. My baby is growing up! He is all daddy through and through.
Jason and I are going strong-we will be celebrating 14 years of marriage next month and together for over 18 years!!! He continues with EA sports and will be wrapping up his latest as Creative Director-EA Sports MMA.

Hopefully I will be better at updates for all of you. Happy rest of the summer!

June Gloom not so gloomy.

Hello everyone! I hope the summer is finding everyone healthy and happy and not too hot.



We took our first official vacation with the boys and flew home to San Diego. We had many reservations as to how the boys would adjust to the time change and being "stuck" on an airplane for five hours. I have to say they both did exceptionally well on both fronts. We rented a condo on the beach and it worked out better than we expected. Our days were filled with seeing old friends and meeting the new additions to their lives. We also had a blast with my side of the family and the boys getting to meet their aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents for the first time. Even great-grandma and great aunt who flew out for my dads wedding...the main reason were flew home. We also ate our fare share of wonderful Mexican food and a few other of our fave hangouts.

We also celebrated Jaejin's second birthday. My baby is not a baby anymore! He was lucky this year and got to celebrate his birthday twice. Once with us here in Florida and again with his cousins. Even though he is in that "terrible two" stage, we are lucky that we haven't seen it in full force and hope it stays that way.
Lochlan is growing so big and we can't believe we are going on half a year already. He is scooting himself and desperately wants to crawl and stand. I see the envy in his eyes when he sees Jaejin running around, the jealously he has for the toys he is unable to play with, and the sadness he gets when I take them away. Soon Loch...soon.

I am running now and have planned to be in a 121 mile non-stop relay in November with a bunch of girlfriends. It starts on the west coast of Florida and ends somewhere on the eastern side. 12 of us each running three legs. I was told it is much more exhausting mentally than it is physically due to lack of sleep and the possibility of running during the night. Check out the website if you like... http://ragnarrelay.com/



Wishing you all a wonderful summer!

May Flowers!

I can't believe we are five months into 2009. This is the time we begin the awesome thunderstorms here in Florida-one of my favorite times of the year.

Jaejin is going to be two next month and we get quite a bit of compliments on how smart he is. Many people cannot believe he isn't two yet. Not to be a bragging mother but come on...how many toddlers who haven't reached two yet knows his colors beyond the primary ones, recongizes his shapes including octagons, and knows some of his numbers. This is just a short list of his remarkable vocabulary. Jason and I often joke he will be smarter than the two of us combined. We are strongly considering private school for him at this point in time. The downside is that we are going through some seperation anxiety with him. I started to leave him at the gyms daycare while I workout and get a couple of hours to myself. The ladies say he does just fine while I am gone but once we are home he is attached to me like glue. I can't leave a room without him crying and he has not been liking Jason too much. Luckily this week I have started to see a turn around. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Lochlan is already four months old! He is no longer an infant but a baby. He is such a happy baby and very content to just chill. I am still trying to see some of my features in him but currently he is all Jason. I guess the one thing I have going for me is that he is defintely a mommies boy.

We are headed to San Diego next month which will be many firsts for the boys. We are excited yet dreading the flights and 3 hour time change. I don't doubt that the boys will do just fine...knocking on wood!

April Showers

Today is April 13th and so far this month has been busy, busy, busy. The weekends are jam packed with tons planned for the family.

We have had an exceptionally unusual Easter this year. We took Jaejin on Saturday to the 55th annual Winter Park Easter egg hunt. Not really a hunt but a mass scramble to get as many eggs as you can get that have been scattered on a field. Imagine 6,000 plastic eggs and hundreds of anxious children ages 1 through 7. Needless to say Jaejin was lucky to get two eggs. That's right, TWO! In under ten seconds the "hunt" was over. Happy children, crying children, and parents either upset and/or flustered. As a parent I was all of the above. Two eggs! I mean come on. How can they group that age range?
Easter Sunday Jaejin and Lochlan woke up to a basket full of goodies. Only half of what the Easter bunny will bring since the bunny will be coming again Monday. Our neighbors were so kind to have Jaejin join their family in an Easter egg hunt. Eggs full of chocolate and coins. Why do you ask did we celebrate Easter again Monday? Jason's brother, sister-in-law, and nephews arrived Sunday night from Virginia so we celebrated the bunny Monday morning. Another basket full of goodies for Jaejin and also another egg hunt.
This week will be spent with Jason's brother and his family for spring break festivities. Lots of stuff planned. So far Jaejin is overwhelmed with his 7-year-old nephew. Loves him to death, follows him around, and copies everything he does.
The boys are doing well and growing quickly. New post next month!