Thursday, January 31, 2013

Walkers at the Drive In...

Homies,
 
You guys love your walkers. You zoom around the house in them often playing bumper cars while you giggle. But, in the end, when you guys are tired and the Ellen Show is on. You pull up in your walkers to enjoy the show.
 
One day, we will win Mommy some tickets to her show.
 
I love you guys.
 
Love,
Dad.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Time for a Crawl...

Boston,
 
Today, you crawled. That's right. You made your move. I think you have been watching me play Call of Duty though. You stayed low, looked out for snipers and crawled for safety.
 
It was super fun to watch!
 
Nice work buddy. Brax isn't too far behind. Soon, you two will be crawling together.
 
I love you.
 
Love,
Dad
 


Saturday, January 19, 2013

Flight Time...

Boston,
 
This is a great video of you playing with Papi. You love when Papi flies you around. This video is from December 1st when Papi flew you around at the Christmas Parade. It is definitely one of my favorites.

 
I love you!

Love,
Dad


Friday, January 18, 2013

Sleepy Swingin'...

Boston,
 
For the first six months of your life, you loved to swing. You would ride in the swing as long as we would let you. And, sometimes, that resulted in espiodes like this...


 
And, while you still love to swing, you rarely fall asleep anymore while you do.
 
Love you,
Dad


Thursday, January 17, 2013

Handsome Boys...

Boys,
 
Here are two of my most favorite pictures...
 
Mr. Braxton Parker Barrow
 
Mr. Boston Jammer Barrow

You guys are such handsome little dudes.

I love you!

Love,
Dad
 

 


Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Double Agent Dad...

For those of my loyal subjects who have religiously followed my exploits through the stage of life we know as pregnancy, you are well aware of both my abilities as and tendencies to become a top secret agent. These exploits while random and completely unbelievable actually happened. The events unfolded as described and were delivered to you for not only your enjoyment but your education as well. In all honesty though, they were probably much more enjoyable than they were educational. Probably?! Let's try this again. In all honesty though, they were much more enjoyable than they were educational. At any rate, here we are again about to embark on yet another whimsical mission on this journey through parenthood.
 
My wife has mocked me incessantly as I have perfected the ground crawl, practiced my James Bond rolls, borrowed her make-up for war paint and created my own theme music while attempting to repel down our stairwell. I guess she thinks perfecting one's craft is silly. I guess she finds safety extremely funny. I guess she views my glorious sophistication as amusing. Whatever it is, it makes her giggle. And, I am not talking about the little giggles. Nope...I am talking about the point and laugh hysterically until you cry while peeing your pants giggles. I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of urine.
 
As the pregnancy went on, I found myself reaching "Double O" status. Mind you, this is a self-proclaimed status, but I am sure if the Queen wasn't so busy babysitting that Kate Middleton chick then she would have been at my ceremony. If that Kate would just leave her top on then we wouldn't have had this problem. At any rate, you can just call me "Double O" until the Queen provides me with my number. Since 007 is already taken, I will be given a different number of the Queen's choice. But, for now, I have a construction paper badge that lists me as a "Double O" agent in the service of the Queen. I am on special assignment and my training has been intense.
 

As time has progressed, my responsibilities have changed. Since the day that I nearly went rogue, my training has broadened and become more intense. I have dodged and been hit by flying urine, wrestled two Gremlins in a tub, used the healing traditions of the nativestried my hand at inventing the next great product, spilled some and shared more top secret information that shouldn't ever be spoken of again. It has been a wild ride!

In future, I am sure I will be called on countless other missions. And, I cannot wait.
 
 

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

7 Months Old...

Boys,
 
Prepare to laugh at me and tell me that I am old, but I have always been a fan of country music. Your Uncle B used to tease me because I could go from listening to MC Hammer to Backstreet Boys to Garth Brooks. For some strange reason, I have always loved country music. Two of my favorite country songs of all-time are:
 
"Your Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins


-AND-

"Don't Blink" by Kenny Chesney 


As much as I have always liked those songs, they have recently taken on a new meaning for me. Before, I had no idea. As mommy was pregnant with you guys, people told us to be ready because time was going to fly by. And, at first, we believed them. The pregnancy stage flew by. It was over before we knew it. And, your mommy was a fighter. She carried the two of you for 38 weeks. That takes a tough woman. As the end of the pregnancy approached, we weren't sure just how ready we were for this new adventure. We "thought" we were ready, but we had no idea.

The first 12 weeks were overwhelming to say the least. Even with all the help provided by family and friends, especially Mema and Tutu, Mommy and I were still seriously overwhelmed. As time passed, the majority of the help disappeared. Mommy and I were exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering just what we had gotten ourselves into. But, the smiles and coos of two handsome little dudes reminded us just what we had gotten ourselves into and just how lucky we were to have gotten into it.  In the words of Garth Brooks, "some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers". Our unanswered prayer for one boy changed our lives forever. And, we are forever grateful for that.

It is hard to believe that it has been 7 months since they two of you came into this world screaming up a storm. It is hard to believe that I have been your dad for that long. It is amazing to think of all we have done and all that we have been there. But, it is difficult to think about how fast it all has gone by. I have to try not to blink because I know I'm gonna miss this.

I am going to miss the late night bottles and the early morning Baby Einsteins. I am going to miss the bath time and screeching of the baby monitor. I know much of that is awhile off, but in the back of my head, I know it is coming. And, I am going to miss it.
 
Braxton...
I am going to miss how you coo and hum "Lavender Blue" back at mommy when you are tired. I am going to miss how you laugh at my obnoxious monkey noises. I am going to miss watching you do laps and laps in your walker. I am going to miss our late night snuggling sessions and how you scratch my cheeks when I feed you at night. I am going to miss how you look into my eyes and smile. I am going to miss snuggling with my baby boy!
 
 
Boston...
I am going to miss how you say "ma ma ma" when you are tired and really want your mommy. I am going to miss how you laugh when I lip-sync Mariah Carey songs to you. I am going to miss watching you do the Riverdance in your jumper. I am going to miss our early Saturday morning snuggle sessions and how you pull on my lips when I feed you at night. I am going to miss how you look into my eyes and smile. I am going to miss snuggling with my baby boy. 

 Boys...we will still snuggle, we will still laugh, we will still smile...just on a different stage than the one before.

You are growing before my eyes and it is incredible to see. It is hard to imagine that the tiny boys I held 7 months ago are the ones sitting in front of me on their own today. Time flies. You have to cherish it while you have it. And, I cherish every minute that I spend with each of you.

I love you guys!

Love,
Dad 

Monday, January 14, 2013

Bundled Up...

Bostonian,
 
You love the winter. You like to be all bundled up and under blankets. You brother...not so much. But, you love it. I think you secretly wanted to be a Utah baby.

You are always grinning. And, I love it!

I love you.

Love,
Dad


Sunday, January 13, 2013

Rough Weekend...

Gents,
 
This weekend was a tough weekend for all of us, but it was especially tough for the two of you. Our entire household got the flu. It was a pretty difficult affair. But, you guys were tough and we got through it. Like most things, you guys got through it together with a little bit of help from mommy and me.
I am so proud of you guys and I love you very much.

Love,
Dad

Saturday, January 12, 2013

5 Generations...

Dear Boston & Braxton,
 
Life is an incredibly fragile gift. In the scheme of eternity, it is very short indeed. It is important to cherish every moment. You never know how many of them you are going to have. In your guys short lives, you both have already experienced so much. You guys have seen some of man's greatest accomplishments, The Hoover Dam and The O'Callaghan - Tillman Memorial Bridge. You guys have met political figures and received postcards from the White House. You guys put an entire delivery room in awe. And, you have melted my heart.
 
You two have experienced so much. And, the photo below is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. It is rare, especially in this day and age, for families to stay close. It is sad to say, but it is the truth in this world we live in. Even if those families do stay close, it is difficult for them to get together. Lucky for us, we have 5 generations living within 12 miles of each other. It is absolutely incredible. The group spans just a couple years short of a century with births coming in five different decades. This is a picture that I will cherish forever.

5 Generations - From Donnelly to Imlay to Barrow.
From 1915 to 2012.
What a sight to behold.

And, yes...we all know the oldest guy has the most hair. When you live to hit your late 90's, you have to be doing something right!

I love you guys!

Love,
Dad
 


Friday, January 11, 2013

Mean Ol' Daddy...

Sometimes, you just accidentally break the baby.
 
Whoops! Sorry Brax!


CPS will be back to take you away soon.

I love you dude.

Love,
Dad
 

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Hungry Helper...

Sometimes, the boys like to help their momma out. In this instance, Boston wanted to help mommy feed Braxton...that was until he got hungry too.
 

 
 Can someone say two sided bottle?

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Practical Jokester Payback...

Boys,
 
I knew it was only a matter of time. I cannot say that I don't deserve or that I thought I could avoid it. I knew since I was 16 years old that one day I would be in for a world of payback. Like Brad Paisley says, "It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback if he's anything like me." And, in my case, it's safe to say that I'm gonna get double the payback if you guys are anything like me. Double the trouble is coming my way.
 

 
Still, I feel so blessed for the lifetime of payback coming my way. It is a blessing to have it coming in the form of two handsome little monsters?! The reign of terror will begin and it will be a long one, but I am going to cherish every minute of it.

Braxton is already quite the practical jokester as you guys can see.

On your morning walk, Braxton decided to flip Boston's hat around so he couldn't see. When Boston started to cry, Braxton started to laugh. Boston, you will get him back...I don't doubt it in the least.

It is only the beginning...

I love you jokesters!

Love,
The Jester

Tuesday, January 08, 2013

ITT Tech Support...

Boston,
 
For a long time I have referred to your cousin, Shane, as ITT Tech Support. I call him this because he loves electronics. He likes TVs, computers, iPhones, iPads, XBox, etc. If it is electronic, he likes it.
 
And, less than 7 months into your life, I can already see a lot of Shane in you. You, like Shane and like your dad, love electronics. You are constantly trying to grab remote controls and Xbox controllers. You love to snag my iPhone too. But, most of all, you love Mommy's iPad!
 
When we go shopping at the grocery store, you are constantly helping mommy. You like to look for whatever item is next on the grocery list...
 
And, after you find it, you are sure to check it off the list with a little bit of drool.

Good work ITT Tech Support! Shane and you are going to have a lot of fun fixing the technology problems of the world.

I love you buddy!

Love,
Dad

Monday, January 07, 2013

Spoiled at Grampy Parker's...

Fellas,
 
Spoiled! Spoiled! Spoiled!
 
And, I am not talking about the bottle when it sits out too long. Nope! I am talking about the two of you. You two are spoiled by your Grampy Parker. So spoiled! Since day one, he has spoiled you. He loaded you up with stuff before Christmas. He loaded you up with way too much cool stuff at Christmas. And, every single time you guys go over there, he has a new Cars, Toy Story, or Hot Wheels item for you guys.
 
So, we went to see him this weekend, it was no different. You guys both left with a Hot Wheels car after daddy unsuccessful fixed his WiFi and successful broke his modem. Nice work eh?
 
Anyways, you guys love going to see your Grampy Parker and he loves seeing you. He loves to hold you guys, play with you guys and spoil you guys. Just wait until you can have candy because the only person I know who has a bigger sweet tooth than your mom is your Grampy Parker.

"Guess what you have a sweet tooth means?"

"It DOESN'T mean that you LIKE candy, it MEANS you WANT some!"


I life ten dollars! 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10!
 
I love you guys!

Love,
Dad