minnesoooooota

we're back from way up north! liv did awesome on the 12 hour roadtrip up there... but back home was a different story. poor thing came down with a cold the morning we left and all major roads were closed in chicago due to flooding... it took us 17 hours to get home... bumper to bumper traffic and a screaming child... dutch and i now know without a doubt we will make it to our 50 year wedding anniversary since we survived that trip. the wedding was a great time...and after grandma kathy took liv home from the reception, i dropped my camera during a dancefloor photoshoot. so the camera is busted. but i have a few pics i snapped before the incident. liv was the belle of the ball. she did manage to have perfect timing as she pooped her pants exactly when the groom said, "i do." we're so glad liv was finally able to meet all her aunts, uncles and cousins in the great state of .... minnesoooooota.

get in my belly...

check it out. liv's big enough to eat that yummy messy stuff they call "cereal". please pray this helps our dear child to

finally sleep through the night...

1st "real" family photo shoot...

one of my bestest and dearest friends, tara and her hubby chris were nice enough to use their vacation days and come visit the barretts! we had such a grand time...omie and poppy kept the lil livster and we were able to sneak away to chicago for 2 days! tara has always been the one friend we could all count on to have her camera and snap fabulous pics and we are so excited she's started her own photography business and is doing just an AMAZING job! we had the honor of her being our personal photographer all weekend long and she just captured our family! it was like we were tom or katie, or bradgelina...and anne levowitz moved in for a couple days...

minus the professional make-up artists and photoshop...

scroll down for our slideshow... warning... there's A LOT!

enjoy! and thanks T!

bad news bears...

here's a little word of wisdom from erin... NEVER under any circumstances.. eat a FIBER ONE bar & drink a cup of coffee for breakfast..go on a 2 hour powerwalk, eat a McDonalds cheeseburger..and then proceed to be in public. it could very well result in "THE MOST HUMILIATING EXPERIENCE OF YOUR LIFE." i'll spare you the details, but just trust me on this one.
enjoy your day! xoxo, e.

my birthday weekend...

well my 28th birthday was saturday and the best part about it is the fact i HONESTLY thought it was my 29th. i've thought i was 28 this whole last year when it's really only been a day! fabulous! it's like i got a "free" year... we didnt make any big weekend plans... one of my bestest friends, tara and her husband chris are flying in from texas next weekend and we are going to chicago..so im saving up our REALLY fun time for then.. anyway, i awoke sat morning to breakfast in bed and just spent q-time with dutch and liv all weekend. of course we had to throw some yardwork and chores in there...but for some odd reason i actually like doing yardwork.. what is wrong with me? i just love seeing the reward.. liv helped me plant new flowers in the pots and she "talked" with the birds for hours..the weather was beautiful. she has changed just in the last few days...it looks like she has rubberbands around her ankles, i love it.

gotta start somewhere...

alrighty..baby girl is in bed and wanted to add more pics... i really am excited about this lil bloggy thing..it's like a modern day scrapbook but much cheaper and less messy. i hope i can keep up with it... so for those of you who i haven't kept in touch with that well..here's the latest scoop on us! we really like indianapolis..we bought our first home last march & live in a fun little area called broad ripple..its a bit "granola" .. but makes for a great afternoon of people watching... dutch is a full-time firefighter and loves it. i thought it would be super hard him being gone for 24 hours every 3rd day but im getting used to it & actually kinda enjoy just eating a bowl of cereal for dinner if i want OR like now..laying in the bed typing away and not bothering anyone... dont get me wrong i look forward to 7am everytime he gets off shift and walks in the door..(used to be to cuddle...now its to catch up on how liv slept).. how things have changed.. im currently still on "maternity leave" and ive been so blessed to be able to stay home and seem to never get bored. between baby yoga classes, washing bottles, poop, attempting to cook, playdates, laundry and sometimes even showering, im a busy girl. i do plan on going back a couple days a week to be a manager at anthropologie when dutch or my mom can keep miss priss... if you arent familiar with that store it is just fantastic and a fabulous place to get an a employee discount. the challenge is making it home with a paycheck...

so if anyone out there actually reads this im going to give you a "key" on words you may be seeing often.

LIV. our newest accessory. she's amazing and our joy. she started laughing out loud this week and i cry everytime she does because its the best sound in the world. hormonal, perhaps? and yes her name is really just liv. L-I-V, its not a nickname and its not short for anything. just like dutch isnt a nickname either...liv brooks barrett is 3 months old and is too much fun.

MAE. our mutt. she used to be our baby and now we just feel guilty and give her table scraps all the time...like it makes up for the lack of attention she used to get..awful, right? great dog..may lick you to death..used to sleep at the foot of our bed..and now sleeps in the hallway between ours and liv's nursery..we're assuming so she can protect us both..who knows? but i think its sweet as can be.

OMIE AND POPPY. my mom and dad. first time grandparents.i get such a kick out of seeing them fuss over their granddaughter. omie is the "dutch" word for grandmother..no dutch isn't dutch but we thought it was funny...and my mom says "ohhh meee"... when she's happy, sad, tired, surprised, or after a good laugh. perfect huh? and as far as poppy goes,,,lets just say i hope our child doesn't get shaken baby syndrome from all the bouncing he does to her...

GRANDMA KATHY. dutch's mom. may not be as creative of a name..but liv is #17 grandbaby for her..lives in minnesoooota and calls almost daily to hear liv coo.

VARMIT. my word for throw-up. for some reason i use it alot.

HOLLA. although a word that has completely run its course...dutch and i use the word "HOLLA" in incorrect situations for example..if we fall, have a good hair day, take a yummy bite of food or pass gas.

JULO. my auntie judy ball in texas and we're one of her biggest fans..

TEXAS. where i still call home. missin the best family and girlfriends anyone could ask for..

MINNESOOOOTA. dutch's home, also referred to by him as"God's country". it is impossible to me to write the word with only one O.

we joined the club.

so i honestly just found out what the word BLOG means not too long ago..pathetic i know..but a dream of mine has always been to write a book & i refuse to fall into the "myspace" world so...what better way to keep loved ones in the loop of our lives..so here we are! a blogging fam! especially now that we've joined the fabulous journey of parenthood..there's always seems to be something new. it may not be the book ive dreamed of..but im taking baby steps.:) i promise i'll make it a point not talk too much about spit-up and blow out diapers..