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.

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

 



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


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


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

 

 



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.

 

I have handled the tragic and emotional event of the side view mirror, completed dangerous night missions to the grocery store, wandered behind enemy lines mapping hostile territory in women's bathrooms everywhere, memorized specific code words that make you want to vomit, made contacts with undercover officers at fast food joints all over and been utterly confused by mixed mission orders on more than one occasion. The links to the mission reports above provide proof of just how intense my training has been. The Queen doesn't just hand out "Double O" status to anyone...obviously.

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 natives, tried 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.

 

 

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 

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



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

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
 



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

 

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?

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

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

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 



Date Night at "O"

Boys,

 

Babysitters oh yeah! Mema and Tutu time! That's right! Tonight was date night for mommy and daddy. Since you two came into our lives, a lot of things have changed. We get less sleep, but we have more smiles. We get less free time, but we have more laughs. Everything has completely changed for the better. You guys are a lot of work though, especially for mommy. She spends her days feeding and taking care of you guys, and so sometimes, she needs a break. That is part of the reason we have date night. It is time for mommy and daddy to go do something fun together. And, you guys get to spend time with a couple of your favorite babysitters.

 

Tonight was a special date night. Tonight, mommy and daddy got to go see a show on the strip called "O". Brooklyn's mom, Bre, works backstage at "O" so she hooked us up with free tickets! It was pretty awesome. We got to sit in the light-box. These are special seats that are high up at the top of the theater. We could see everything from our seats. It was pretty neat.

 

That was our view of the massive curtain prior to showtime. Our seats allowed us to see things that other people couldn't like divers in the water. We could see things before others like acrobats descending from the ceiling.

 It was a very neat experience. The show was amazing and our view made it even better.

 

After the show, Bre gave us a backstage tour. While we waited for her to come up, they stuck us in this crazy break room. There were costumes and statues and awards everywhere.

It is pretty neat but a little creepy too. Lastly, there was a wall of heads. That was when I thought for sure that Bre was secretly an alien and that we were done for. The wall of heads was pretty crazy.

I thought for sure that we were going to added to that wall. But, we survived. I still cannot prove that Bre isn't an alien, but she did let us live.

The wall of heads are metal head created in the likeness of performers who have left the show. If we ever get invited back, I am bringing a home made paper mache replica of my noggin. I will get on that wall one way or another.

 

It was a great night. Your mom and I had a lot of fun, but we missed you guys so much. When we got home, we sat in both your rooms for just a little while and watched you sleep.

 

We love you guys so much!

 

Love,

Dad

 

 

 



Christmas Eve at Nana's...

Spoiled Dudes,

 

That's right! I said it! You guys are so spoiled. It is only Christmas Eve and you are already loaded up with gifts. The Barrow Family always does gifts on Christmas Eve, so that Santa can do his thing on Christmas Day. It makes it fun.

 

You guys loved it. This is how you guys spent the majority of your Christmas Eve...

One stuffed psycho dog and a Staples box for the win. I mean how could it get much better than this...

 

But, all this excitement in a box was to much for one of you. Boston, you ended up crashed in your mommy's arms before too long. You were snoozing your Christmas Eve away.

 

Brax, you took over the box for yourself.

That was...until you discovered the tissue paper. The only thing that could defeat the Staples box was the tissue paper.

 

But...that wasn't all.

Merry Christmas Little Dudes...

Love,
Dad

 

Cousins At Christmas...

Dear Boys,

 

We are pretty lucky that everyone lives so close to us. Holidays are sometimes so chaotic because we have so much family to visit in such a short amount of time. But, the nice part of that is that you guys get to see your cousins often. Kennedy and Shane live just over the hill and Raiden lives in Utah. This makes it possible for all of you guys to spend time together and for us to snag some great pictures like these ones...

It is a lot of fun to have family so close. It is great to have your cousins around at Christmas.

I love you guys!

Love,
Dad

 

SANTA! I KNOW HIM!...

Boys,

 

As soon as Halloween ends, your mom is ready to prepare for Christmas. She loves Christmas. She loves giving presents, but I think she likes getting them more...just kidding. She loves to decorate the house with nativities, snowmen, fake snow, lights, and trees. But, most of all, she loves SANTA!

 

Whenever the name Santa is said in the Barrow household, your mom will shout out "SANTA! I KNOW HIM!" at the top of her lungs. The neighbors can hear it, the people across the street can hear it...heck, I bet the North Pole can hear it. By the time you can talk, your mom will expect you to know that line. It is essential to living under her roof.

 

Her favorite Christmas movie is "Elf". She loves this movie and can watch it day or night, any time of the year. It is one of her favorites of all time. It can always make her laugh...so whenever she thinks of Santa, she thinks of this...


Today, she must have shouted it out a thousand times. Like "it must have down poured" or "we have chocolate cake", "Santa! I know him!" has become part of the Barrow vocabulary. There are some four letter words in that vocabulary that come out when board games are played but I will let Nana explain those. Anyways, today was Santa day! If you yelled "Santa! I know him!" as you read that then you are catching on.

Mema and Tutu came with us to take you guys to see the big man. They were pretty excited. Usually for Tutu, that means one of you guys was going to get squeezed.

 

Luckily, you guys are always happy to be squeezed.

 

So, we got you guys ready and made our way to see Santa. If you know him, then you are catching on. You guys were decked out for the twinkle eyed fat man.

 

But, like you dad, when lines are too long you get a little impatient. You might furrow your brow and stare with a scowl. But, it is OK because Santa (I Know Him) is on his way.

 

But, in the end, it is worth because you got to sit on the big man's lap and with a smile, you took pictures like a champs!

 Your first picture with Santa was a huge success. The line was long, the people were crazy and the elves were short. And, with all the excitement, you guys crashed.

That would have been enough for me for one day. But, it is Christmas time so your mom is like one of Santa's elves. Go, go, go! So, after Santa, we headed downtown with Brooklyn and Bre to watch the classic Henderson Christmas Parade on Water Street. Bundled up and trying not to freeze, you guys sat in your stroller and watched intently as the lights went by.

 Whew! What a day! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

 

I love you boys!

 

Love,

Dad

 

 

 

 



Dancing Out of Your Shoes...

Boston,

 

Sometimes, I cannot even believe how much you smile. You seem to always be having a good time. This weekend, you were dancing out of your shoes.

Even with just one show on, you were smiling away as you continued to dance and bounce.

 

What a happy boy!

 

I love you,

 

Love,

Dad

 

 



Ethel M Christmas Lights...

Dudes,

 

Tonight, we had a great time. One of the benefits to living in Nevada is that it is not totally freezing at night. So, this evening, Mommy and I were able to take you to Ethel M to look at their massive light display. Brooklyn and Bre joined us too. It was a lot of fun.

 

Ethel M has a huge desert garden filled from top to bottom with lights. You guys love to look at Christmas lights, so you guys were talking and giggling as we walked around.

 

Christmas is almost here!

 

I love you guys!

 

Love,

Dad



Sometimes...You Just Gotta Giggle...

Dear boys,

 

Sometimes, when life is tough and you are tired...you just gotta giggle.

It lookes like you guys already got that down though.

 

When we were over at Papi's last night, you guys wouldn't stop laughing at the water bottle. This is even the tail end of your laughter. You were laughing even harder before the video was taken. It was pretty hysterical.

 

Thanks for making me laugh and smile last night guys!

 

I love you guys!

 

Love,

Dad



New Similac Ad...

Almost Time for Christmas...

Braxton,

 

You were so excited for Christmas that you tried to take the tree down!

TIMBER!

I love you!

Love,
Dad



TEAM MOMMY VS TEAM DADDY...