Good-bye 2012, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

I think I've mentioned this once before, but if I knew how awful 2012 was going to be, I would have spent the entire year curled up in the fetal position while singing, "Swing Low". As it so happens, all three of us are battling colds and I'm writing this at 7:15 on New Years Eve night in my pajamas. I'd like to go out in a bang, but the odds for that aren't looking that great. I guess we have nowhere to go but up.

And as I type this, the pizza man showed up and JB just turned on the TV to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.  See...things are already looking up! Ryan Seacrest can only hope his New Year's is this Rockin'.

As bad as 2012 was, there was one bright spot and he came into our world at the perfect time! What a blessing he has been! 

Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year. 

Passed out after playing with all his gifts!

Four Months

The Barnett's have had a busy few weeks. I feel I need to get a little bit of housekeeping out of the way and share Hayes' fourth month photos. (Try not to be jealous of this stellar photography.)

"How do you like this pose mama?"

"What about now?"

"I think this one shows off my six pack."

I have decided that four months old is my favorite age. Hayes is smiling and cooing all the time and has even put on a little bit of weight so his thighs are starting to fill out. Oh my heart! 

What has won me over is his laugh. What a sweet, sweet sound!!. Sure it takes me acting like a woman possessed, but I can get the most beautiful toothless grin and belly laugh out of this boy. 

What have we been up to you ask? Well we took our first vacation since Hayes joined the family to Highlands, North Carolina. We left at the crack of nine, after we packed the car like The Clampett's.  I even think I heard the theme song to Samford and Sons as we backed out of the driveway. A few hours later we pulled up to our "little" four bedroom, four and a half bath "cabin" and settled in for the week.



Daddy holding court!

James and I love to go to North Carolina and we try to get up there at least twice a year. This year the whole family was able to make it. James' mom and dad, my dad and my sister joined us for the week and it was really nice. 

We hiked, ate great food, shopped, fished, played cards, caught up on some much needed rest, and  even trick or treated. Highlands has the cutest little main street area, which was closed off for Halloween. The stores passed out candy and hot apple cider, which is good since it was freezing!  "Super Storm" Sandy decided to hit while we were on vacation so it snowed the first few days we were there!

Hayes and his Taunte

My dad did something he's always wanted to do. He rode the Tail of the Dragon! This is an eleven mile stretch of two lane road in Tennessee that has 318 curves. 

The rules of the dragon are to stay in your lane, do not site see, do not lay on the brakes, do not be spooked by other riders, do not make sudden avoidance moves and do not ignore the rules. Needless to say, my nerves were shot until daddy got back to the cabin.

This is pretty impressive for any driver, but even more so since daddy's 68 years young.

One week after we got home from North Carolina, Chrissy, daddy, Hayes and I threw caution and common sense to the wind and headed to Gainesville to visit Uncle Dan. Though it was a LONG drive, we had a ton of fun and Hayes really enjoyed his first Florida football game.

Paying homage to #15.

Cashed out at the letterman's club.

So sweet!

All grins at dinner after the game. (Mama was not as happy since she cheated on her diet and was full of french fries and regret.)

Sunday morning we got up early and drove to Paynes Prairie which is just a few miles from Dan's house. I forgot how much I love this state.

Since Paynes Prairie is full of gators, I thought it would be best if Uncle Dan carried Hayes. 

Do these pictures look anything alike?

After assessing our surroundings (meaning sizing up the other hikers), I determined that I would need to out run daddy or trip Chrissy if any gators decided to come after us. Luckily, they just laid around and soaked up the sun.

Where was James during all of the Gainesville fun? He went deer hunting because 'tis the season. (I know this is shocking.) Please see the picture that James sent me at the crack of dawn on game day.

Hands off ladies, he's all mine.

Speaking of hunting. James' goal this year is to kill a hog and mount it in the basement.

As God as my witness, I will burn our house to the ground if that happens. Which is a shame, because I love our house.

So now we're back home and I'm doing laundry and trying to create some semblance of organization before we hit the open road again.

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours!!

A little of this and a little of that

Three Months
I always seem to be a few weeks behind on everything. Hayes turned three months on October 6th. Here are a few pictures of that exciting day:

Hayes is kicking up a storm and "talking" all time. He gets so keyed up trying to "tell us a story" that his arms, legs and mouth move about a hundred miles a minute. I'm sure he comes by this honestly since I love to talk and throw in dramatic hand gestures for good measure. I just wish I could understand what he's saying.

(Video Disclaimer: This was taken on my blackberry and is very low quality. I know...who has a blackberry these days?)

Hayes' play mat at school has a mirror hanging at the top of it and it appears that self esteem is not a big issue so far. This child loves to watch himself from every angle.

I guess Hayes had to prove to me that he was still his daddy's son. We went to Hobby Lobby to pick up some burlap and while we were standing in line at the fabric counter, I smelled the most obscene odor and quickly realized that it was coming from my child.  I was going to try to ignore it, but every time I'd make eye contact with Hayes he'd toot and then give me a big gummy grin. People started giggling so I decided it was past time to make a graceful exit. James hates going in those stores too and would do just about anything to get me to leave.

George

Blue Bear Wubbanub is attending Harris Early Learning Center with Hayes so we have a new friend at home. Meet George:

Dedication

This past Sunday we dedicated Hayes at our Church. This is similar to baptism in that James and I made a commitment before the Lord to raise Hayes according to His Word and His Ways until Hayes can make a decision on his own to follow God. It was such a sweet and lovely ceremony. 

After the dedication we had a small reception at the church and Hayes was awake the whole time. I think he was enjoying himself and didn't want to miss a thing! By the time we got home that afternoon, Hayes was overstimulated and overtired and acted like a small dictator trying to overthrow the current regime. So we put him to bed at 7:00 and didn't hear a peep from him until 6:15 the next morning, which is a good thing since this mama loves her sleep!