cRaBs!

I don't like seafood or anything about it. Poor Jason does. Luckily our friends Grant and Wendy invited us over and shared crabs they caught with my boys. I love Mason's expressions.

The 3 R's- Part III

Rocking Out!!!
I've been delaying posting this one since I was hoping to get video footage to prove it, but there is something about the appearance of a camera that inhibits Mason's groove.

I know there is music in heaven, and it's not all harps. You can tell by the way such little babies react to a beat. Despite the disproportionate heads and uncoordinated limbs, kids love music and want to express it with their bodies.

Whether it's a head bob, the classic knee dip, swinging arms, or swaying bodies- I love to watch kids dance.

Mason's favorite head bangers appear to be "Island in the Sun" by Weezer, "Take a chance on me" by ABBA, and of course "Wheels on the bus" by his mom.

The 3 R's- Part II

wRiting!

At his age Mason seems to enjoy dumping out the crayons as much as "writing" with them, but coloring is an activity we can pull out when we desperately need a distraction (or for those of you that are around him much- when he starts making "that noise").

The thing that is most entertaining about Mason's "writing" is that no matter which way we hand him the crayon he always turns it upside down to color. We've tried helping him, but he prefers it pointy side up. Also, he seems to pick out the white ones to color with. Doesn't sound very satisfying does it? It's one of those pointless things that drive me crazy but Mason enjoys it so I'll let it be.

The 3 R's- Part I

Reading!
One day at the library we were asked if Mason had signed up for the reading program. You have to read 10 hours with your kid, and fill in a little bubble for each 10 minutes read. 10 hours? Easy, I read with Mason all time. I figured it would take me about two days. Three tops.
Fast forward a few weeks, add in some serious reading sessions and some very worn out books and we're finally done. Mason got a free aquarium pass, a bowling ticket, and a free book for reaching his (crazy mom's) goal. He picked a book full of messy kid pictures. Figures. I love that I'll check on him in his room and he's sitting on the floor reading a book. I don't even care that it's upside down.

I also love that he anticipates what is on the next page. One of his favorite books is Peek-a-Who? He tries to skip to the page, "peek-a-boo" because that's when I scare him. When we get to the "peek-a-choo choo" he knows he's in for train tickles on his tummy. The other night when I put him in bed I asked, "Do you know who loves you?" His response, "Who? Who?"

Other favorites: Big Plans, Big Smile Baby, Buzz Buzz Busy Bees, Haaatch, and Hungry Monsters.

Favorite reading quote: "It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting *ideas*, and *thinking*..."

What is your favorite kid book? I need to add some variety to our collection!

Brought to you by the letter K

I love being a mom. I really do. Today at the grocery store Mason helped me unload the cart. Unfortunately he was throwing stuff on the floor while I was trying to get it on the conveyor belt. Also unfortunately I couldn't stop laughing. Behavior enforced.

I went to make some toast today and the toaster was unplugged. I plugged it in and when I turned it on it started smoking horribly. I found a refrigerator magnet- formerly in the shape of the letter K- melted inside. Only too late did I remember why the toaster was unplugged in the first place. I had Mason on the counter while I was making sandwiches the other day. I unplugged it so he wouldn't get shocked if he put something it in. Well...he put something in it...

I really like these moments because they are silly events that otherwise wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been blessed with my little boy. How can you get annoyed when it's just evidence of how great life is?

We decided it was time that Mason had some responsibilities around the house. He is now officially in charge of getting us up in the morning, reminding us to bless the food before we eat, and throwing away the diapers. Here's proof:

Funny and "MORE"

Here's a quick update on Mason. First off, he's got such a little funny bone. Even a simple look sets him off giggling. Stop short in the hallway and he's rolling with laughter. He still loves to be tickled but I found a new spot right under his chin. He gets especially goofy when he's tired (but not too tired. Too tired is Tantrum Town). Today when putting him down for his one and only nap he dropped his monkey. I picked it up and he dropped it again. Then he almost fell out of my arms with laughter. Did you know that dropping your monkey is really funny stuff? I didn't. Jason is best at getting Mason laughing over the silliest things. Must be a boy thing.

Mason loves water. Take him to the ocean and he crawls right in. Same with the pool or the tub. Yesterday at the beach we practiced going under water without inhaling. He did really well, and was able to do it again today at the pool. He's made huge improvement from the first of the summer when water on his face distressed him. Now tip his face in and he laughs. See above paragraph.

After a few weeks of losing some skills I am glad to say he's picking up new words and signs. He says "maMa" and I think he might mean me. He still says Dadadada for Jason, Hot for food, and Uh-Oh for everything. I tried to tell him you can't throw your food on the floor and then say Uh-Oh like it's a mistake. He just laughed (paragraph 1 again).

He's also signing "Please" in addition to food, milk, more, and folding his arms to pray. I like "Please" a lot more than the desperate "more, more, more" sign. You'd think I starve the kid for how frantically he signs "more food".

Other than that he's your typical amazing one-of-a-kind genius baby. Oh! And he loves his toes. He'll be walking around. Stop. Sit down. Pull up one foot and look closely. Then the other foot. The switch back to the first one. Over and over a dozen times and then move on.

Happy Fourth!

Did you know that if you look very closely at your son's eyes you can see the fireworks reflected back at you?

On...Off...On...Off

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.