Like a kid in a candy store

Today we went to the Farmer's Market. We found some cute little shops on the other side of the parking lot. Here's Mason in the candy store. They had gigantic lollipops on the walls and clouds painted on the ceiling. It smelled like birthday. We got some candy from Jason and then had to double check the stroller to make sure we paid for everything that Mason grabbed. We also stopped by the ice cream shop (they have REAL ICE CREAM!) but didn't get any this time. While we waited for our friends we chowed down on zucchini bread. Next up we went to Princess Anne Park and just about melted in the heat. Even though lugging around our "super stroller" and packing diaper bags gets old sometimes, it's still so amazing to see the world through Mason's new eyes. Even running errands is fun with my buddy in tow.

One of those moments

Yesterday Mason got his 12month immunizations. Earlier rounds went okay because he was younger and less aware of what was going on. This time was pretty rough. We had to restrain poor Mason and the shots just kept coming. I tried to console him by telling him "I know this hurts but it's not as bad as measles. I know that shot was bad but now you don't have to have chicken pox." I don't think it made any sense to him, but saying it made me feel better. It was definitely one of those moments when I would have done anything to take the shots in his place. It took a lot of courage and Jason's support to keep me from scooping up my bawling baby and dash out the door.

Thankfully he's doing really well since the ordeal. He was actually in really high spirits last night. He assured us with a million delightful smiles and chirps that he wasn't still mad at us.

Is it just part of being a parent that you will have these moments? Does it ever get easier, and how old is the child before they realize that the decisions we made were really for his best interest?

Days are slipping by

It's scary how quickly the days go by! It is startling to see his legs dangling off a chair! Tonight I was giving him a little massage (right...the kid can sit still for about 2 seconds so picture all eight of our limbs flailing while he keeps eating the lotion) and realized that he's about double of what he used to be. I used to be able to put him on my legs and his whole body fit between my knees and my waist. Now if I lay him down like that he is bent in half and I have toes in my face. Speaking of toes in my face, Mason thinks that toes are for kissing (I have no clue where he got that silly idea). He'll keep his leg extended until he gets his kisses. So every diaper change, clothing change, shoe putting on or removal, or wrestling usually includes a fair amount of toe kissing. He thinks it's pretty funny.

Here are some albums so I can do a quick catch up.

First up: Mt. Trashmore park is the closest place with grass to where we live. Here are some highlights:http://picasaweb.google.com/asherstarr/MtTrashmore?authkey=Gv1sRgCJHY4Orqj9aYcQ&feat=directlink

Next up is our zoo trip. Honestly, Mason didn't really notice most of the animals. But we got our money's worth by looking at rocks, bark, and banging on the glass (you know, the glass that says Do Not Tap on the Glass), http://picasaweb.google.com/asherstarr/VirginiaZoo?authkey=Gv1sRgCMShvO_Uj66NoAE&feat=directlink

And last but not least; photos from Jason's Dads day gift. http://picasaweb.google.com/asherstarr/ForFatherSDay?authkey=Gv1sRgCKvH2-uS-4n4mAE&feat=directlink

ALL ABOUT ME:

Mason is 1 year old and fills our days with delight. He likes cars, balls, eating dirt, playing at the beach, and rough housing. He does not like grape peels, getting dressed, sitting in shopping carts, and not having his own cell phone.

ALL

Mason is 1 year old and fills our days with delight. He likes cars, balls, eating dirt, playing at the beach, and rough housing. He does not like grape peels, getting dressed, sitting in shopping carts, and not having his own cell phone.

Best Day Ever

Mason's first birthday was Friday and we had such a wonderful day. I love being a mom. I love doing things for my little guy. I wonder where in the world did my little baby go? No more bottle, no more baby food. He's all grown up now. He walks all over the place, knows a few words in sign language, and said his first word! "hot". (I'm going to teach him to say "mama" next and then teach him to call me "hot mama"!) One of my favorite new "tricks" is how he's started to become so affectionate. Yesterday in the store, he looks up at me, says "ooooooh" and grabs my face. We stood there for about a minute. Cheek to cheek, hugging and loving.

Here are more pictures of our day: http://picasaweb.google.com/asherstarr/MasonSFirstBirthday?feat=directlink

I wish everyone could have seen him at the beach...eating the sand...staring down the waves...

ash

10 months old

Here's our little guy looking all grown up. This was taken at Andy's wedding in SGU. Thanks Aunt Amy for the pic.

Sad, sad Santas

The words to "Santa Claus is coming to town" come to mind...You better watch out, You better not cry, You better not pout, I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town.

Grandma Starr got these festive costumes for Mason and Joss, so we tried to get some cute pics while we where visiting in Phoenix. Poor kids didn't think it was much fun. These pictures are priceless.

And we're back!

Here's Mason in his Halloween 'costume'. He's a lost boy from Peter pan. What a cutie.

The past few months in a nutshell: we all made it back to Utah safe and sound. Life goes on and Mason is simply amazing. Sadly our computer was stolen and if it weren't for this silly blog we would have lost all our pictures of Mason! We are trying to focus on that and not on all the lost pictures from Mexico, Cali, South Carolina, DEN, Oregon, Peru and all of our adventures inbetween.

Great Grandpa Horsley

I'm so grateful to have caught this moment on video. Who knew a rough and tough cowboy could be so sweet?

Return to the land of 10000 lakes

I had to return to work by the first of August so Mason and I flew back to Utah and have been staying with my parents there for the past few weeks. Jason was getting a little too used to the bachelor life so we came back for a little visit. Mas' has changed a ton, but his dad still recognized him. Jason keeps asking me "does he normally do this?"

Does he normally hold his head up so well? Yes
Does he normally kick so hard? Yes
Does he normally babble and chirp so much? Um, no. That's a new one.

Mason has been talkative for a while now but since we arrived in MSP he hasn't stopped. He goes on and on. And he's loud! Last night we put him to bed, but heard noises a few minutes later. We crawled into his room and listened while our little guy went on and on. He finally talked himself to dreamland.

Visit from the Starr Grandparents

Richard and EvaDean flew out to visit for about a week. Although flying stand by was a bit of an adventure (sorry about getting special screening by TSA so many times) we had a blast. We drove up to North Shore and saw all the amazing scenery by Lake Superior. But the best part was showing off Mason and how much he's grown up. Here's a great picture of the three generations of Starrs.

Happy 4th of July!

Apparently Mason doesn't like it when we play dress up too much. But isn't he a cute little surfer dude?

It's a miracle!

Mason is 8 weeks old today! He's spent most of the day smiling at Jason. It's astonishing how much he's grown up. He's not a newborn anymore. Mason has really filled out this past week and no longer fits in some of his clothes. His chubby cheeks are back! In the last post I mentioned he seemed to be aware of the colorful toys hanging on his car seat. Well, now he is certainly aware and playful. As a matter of fact he thinks he can pull himself to freedom.

To celebrate the two month make, Mason got his own room. Jas' was jealous since he didn't get his own room until he was a senior in High School. We put Mason's crib in the guest room; we'll see how that goes tonight. But the miracle is that for the first time, since we left Utah, he actually went to sleep on his own. Usually he goes from wide awake and happy to overly tired and cranky. Once he starts screaming it's pretty hard to get him to wind down. Well tonight our zero-to-sixty little man went to bed sans the walking/rocking/pacifier-ing/tub-running/bribing/bouncing. I hardly know what to do. I'd knock on wood but I'm afraid it would wake him up.

Better late than never...

Just like Mason, this blog is a little late in coming. Mason is almost two months old now and doing great. We're all getting over colds, so in addition to his usual growls, chirps, coos, and squeaks- he's a little stuffy too. He blows us away with how alert he is. He's hard to hold because he's always arching his back and lifting his head up to check out the world. He also thinks it's time to start crawling. When playing on his stomach, Jason and I will put our hands under his feet. Mason will push against our hands and wiggle forward.

He's still a handful but is sleeping a bit better at night. His favorite activities are bath time (sometimes he even falls asleep), hanging out on Jason's chest, and of course getting his diaper changed. You'd think he was at Disneyland for as happy as that makes him.

Today for the first time he seemed to make the connection that hitting his toys makes a noise. I wouldn't say that he was "playing" or even enjoying the noise (the look on his face said: Why are those hangy things getting in the way of my arm?) , but it's so neat to see him grow and develop.