Happy New Era

For most people, the new year begins on January 1^st.  But for us in the Barksdale house, a new era begins today.  Not after the ball drops, not after the champagne bottle is empty (come to think of it though, it should be)…nope, we’re not waiting for Christmas to pass us by.  We are starting this new year, this new life, NOW! 

It’s been a long time coming.  I have been waiting ever so patiently…er, um, kind of.  But I did wait.  And I did have hope.  I knew this day would come.  I wasn’t sure when.  I wasn’t sure how.  But it’s here. 

It’s not that far off from the way I felt one year ago.  December 1, 2012 was the original due date given to me when my pregnancy was confirmed at the doctor’s office.  I figured it would be a November baby – my firstborn was a week early, so the second born should be too.  I’d hope to make it through Thanksiving, but happy that he or she was coming well before Christmas, just in time for a birth announcement/Christmas card combo, and early enough so that the child’s birthday wouldn’t ever get slighted, or -God forbid- forgotten during the hustle and bustle of the holidays.  (ahem...Mom!)

When December 1 came around last year, my due date had by then been officially extended to the 8^th (due to ultrasound measurements and my history of late ovulation).  So I just assumed the baby would not be a day past the 8^th.  I don’t know if it was the baby doing more flips, or true false labor (oxymoron if there ever was one), or completely in my head, but I was up the entire night before, recording time between contractions, cleaning the house, watching episodes of Homeland, and arranging plans for Isabelle in my head…fully convinced that I was going to meet my baby on December 1^st. 

That didn’t happen.  I had to wait for what seemed like an eternity for that precious little baby to finally be forced out of me 2 weeks later on the 15^th.  But when you know the love that’s about to exist, you are patient. 

Love is patient.

As I write this in the last few minutes of December 1^st, 2013, I know that I need to go to bed and get some rest.  A new era begins tomorrow when my husband heads off to work at his new job.  We have been SO ready for this day.  We have cried over the nonexistence of this day.  The worry, the sadness, the frustration….the waiting.

We wait no more.  Brian starts his job at Cigna.  We get benefits – (whoop whoop!!!).  It’s the type of opportunity that he’s been looking for a long, long time.  Employment for a dad...a husband...a man is so important, not just from a financial standpoint.  It's self-fulfillment.  It's pride, security, comradery. We are thrilled.  We are relieved.  We are nervous, but we are so happy.  And I am so proud.  Since he was hired 2 weeks ago, the happy energy in this house has been contagious!

I'll be getting up a little earlier than normal now that I won't have the luxury of sleeping in (till 8) after late nights working since Brian will be leaving well before that.  I'll be running errands more often with 2 kids in tow, no longer able to pick and choose which child to bring with me.  I won't be able to say, "come here, you have to see how cute this is" quite as often, and I won't be able to take calls and run downstairs for a quiet "work moment" quite as much.  

I'll be taking on a stay-at-home-mom role that I’ve been craving for years.  But for me it will be interspersed with buttercream mixing, cake baking, cupcake scooping, crumb coating, cake leveling, customer emailing, wedding cake transporting, careful planning, lots of time management and some serious juggling.  I have never been at home alone with 2 children and my full-time job. I have lots of decisions ahead...how much childcare do I need to arrange...how many cake orders can I (or do I want to) handle...how much work assistance to I need?   Every job that my husband has had since our marriage was either out of the home, or in a very nearby office building with extremely flexible hours.  This is totally new territory for all of us.  I'm scared.  I'm overjoyed.  I'm pumped and energized!!!

BRING IT ON!


December is here, and as always, it's hard to believe that Christmas is just weeks away.  I took so many great pictures all Fall and failed to share them, so here is a little catching up.

One beautiful Saturday afternoon in mid October we decided to take the kids to Riverbend Farm after a family wedding cake delivery.  We remembered it being awesome last year, but this year even more fun for Isabelle who is getting more and more "daring" and independent.  She couldn't get enough of the farm animals, the tractor ride, and especially the huge slides that she climbed up and "weeeeed" all the way down, over and over and over until we had to drag her away.

Me and my buddy.  I could eat him up with a spoon.

Picking out a pumpkin in the real pumpkin patch is always exciting.

Fall sunset - the best.  

Precious little pilgrims!

It's nice to have a separate kitchen that you can devote to cleaning out pumpkin guts.  Yep, that's my 3 going on 13 year old standing cross-legged while twirling her hair with one finger.  She is getting more prissy and "diva-ish" by the minute.  Scary, but somehow still adorable.

Isabelle is currently in a dress up phase.  She was in an art phase last month, which meant that she had to constantly be painting, coloring, gluing, cutting and making art projects.  Now she prefers to spend her time in a dress-up dress (usually a princess or bride), and when she is wearing "regular" clothes, it must be a dress.  Not just any dress.  She must also wear boots or fancy shoes.  Her hair must be in a headband.  And then she starts telling me what I need to wear.  Oh Lord, help us.

As for this little guy, he can do no wrong.  Other than his dangerous obsession with climbing up onto anything in sight, he is pretty perfect.  And give up on the water bowl, man.  I'm tired of moving it.

Perfect.  See?

Oooh, doesn't get more perfect than this!  

This was a true miracle. (sitting together, with happy faces, for a split second)

Halloween was eagerly anticipated by our sugar-loving daughter, and it was certainly not a let down (despite the photo below).  I had been trying to convince her to be Dorothy all month long and every time she said "I'm going to be a princess" I sighed and said, "ok, a Dorothy princess!?"  She agreed most of the time.  Silly, I know, but I was certain that this was the last year I had any say in it and we already had this adorable "Dorothy" dress, perfect ruby slippers (I made the braid with yarn and a headband), and a cute hand-me-down teddy bear costume for Collier that I was hoping to turn into a Cowardly Lion.  She dresses up like a princess 3 times a day, so let's make Halloween special.  Right.

For the Halloween parade at school, Isabelle was the perfect little Dorothy...but I could sense a little disappointment.  She saw the other girls wearing their "tippy toed shoes," bejeweled gowns and tiaras.  And after she woke up from her nap that afternoon (after I had spent 2 hours sewing a lion's mane on a teddy bear costume), she proudly announced that she was dressing up as a Fairy Princess!  Of course she chose the sequined neon green tutu and matching wings that I got on a whim at Sam's Club.

Somehow I convinced her to sit with her little brother for some Wizard of Oz photos (so glad I didn't go rent the Glinda costume!).  But all that was on her mind was the sparkly, glittery fairy costume.  And all that was on Collier's mind was that it was about 70 degrees outside and he was suffocating in a wool suit.

Cutest little lion I ever did see.

Practicing his ROAR!

We eventually took him out of the fur suit and he actually happily wore the mane all night, smiles and all!

Somewhere over the rainbow...

I wasn't able to catch my little Tinkerbell for a good photo before we headed out that night, but she was a cutie, and most importantly, a very happy little fairy princess.  Especially when it came time to inspect her candy.

November flew by like a flash.  It was a busy month but I managed to pull out the camera for a few special sibling moments.

Collier found his favorite thing in our house.  It's this little rocking chair which he proudly climbs up onto, stands and rocks back and forth.  It's going up to the attic tomorrow!

Thanksgiving was the usual wonderfully busy day spent with all of our loved ones.  We are so lucky to both have so many family members here in Charlotte.  My parents keep on insisting that we must not feel obligated to go to both houses every Thanksgiving.  But we wouldn't want it any other way.

Cousins at the kid's table...Collier can finally hang with the big kids! 

We are SO thankful for our many blessings. 

Happy, happy new Era!