Game time

Tonight Mason and I played a new game called Tip Over. As the name implies you play the game by tipping over your son on the bed to which he responds by laughing his head off. This will be added to the regular games we play like There is a Bug On Your Head, POKE, two person Duck Duck Goose, and one player Ring Around The Rosies.

Opening Ceremonies

Mason and I practiced for a week doing "what fireworks do". We'd flick our hands out and say Boom! Boom! Boom! Every year, a grandkid ends up in my mom's house freaking out and I didn't want it to be Mason.

When the fireworks started it was already WAY past Mason's bedtime. He froze in my arms and didn't move a muscle, not even when cousin Natalia knocked him in the head repeatedly as she pretended each explosion was shooting her.

I tried readjusting him on my lap, but my little still as a statue baby wouldn't budge. His expression reminded me of last year when I took him to the ocean for the first time. Not really happy, but not crying. Sort of a "ok, this is really intense but I can handle it" type of look.

Cousin Hyrum trotted over and joined Mason on my lap. The Grand Finale started and we were all amazed.

Hyrum: "Whoa....Awesome"
Mason (finally): "Whoa...BOOM!"

Then it was over and the sky went dark again. Mason was very still in my arms. I leaned over and put him on the grass on a blanket. As I was chatting to friends and family nearby, he zonked out.

I wonder what he dreamed about.

What we miss...

When we leave every summer we usually have a grand adventure. What we miss out on is the camping, hiking, reunions, and normal day to day fun. I've wanted to let Mason play in the sprinklers and eat popsicles since we bought the house.

We invited some cousins over for some good ol' sprinkler fun. What I didn't take a picture of was the Teeter Totter of Doom. They set up a kiddie pool on each end so whoever fell off landed in water.

We still miss Jason but I'm glad we didn't miss this day.

Tuckered Out

We had a very busy morning running around and then playing in the sprinklers. My sister Kristi stopped by around lunch time. I sat and chatted with her for a bit instead of getting lunch out. Mason helped himself to the pantry and found a container of cereal. As we chatted he happily sat and munched on the usually forbidden treat. I watched as he ate slower and slower. Then without so much as a peep he leaned over backwards and fell asleep in the middle of the floor! He's usually the fight-sleep-to-the-bitter-end type so this was astounding.

Cute Cousins

Mason and Hyrum are only about a month apart. For a long time they've "parallel played" but lately they certainly interact. Mason will run around the yard, and Hyrum will follow. Mason screams like he's being chased, but he loves it.

I really like this picture because I have one of Jason with the same strange tongue biting expression from when he was a little boy.

Mason and Dot

My sister in law, Emily, got a cute little dwarf rabbit. Mason LOVES it. He's super nice and soft. Here they are at the Canyon Park.

Nature vs Nurture

I do not eat my oreos this way.
Jason does not eat his oreos his way.
I don't know that Mason has ever actually seen anyone eat an oreo in this manner.

But Mason does. So this is some sort of inherent behavior.
I think he does it so he can have "two" cookies instead of just one.

Happy Last Day of School

I know it will be years before we get to truly celebrate this day, but we were in a celebrating mood.
Mason went to his first movie (Shrek 4) with me, my sister Kristi, and his cousin Ryan. Mason adores Ry Ry, and it's easy to see why. We stopped at Kristi's house to get jackets and Ryan came out with a Shrek toy for Mason.

I sent this top picture to Jason. He texted back "who is the long legged boy in the car seat?" I think he will be very surprised to see how much Mason has grown up since he's been away.

Here we are in the theater. Luckily it was pretty empty so I could take some pictures without getting booed. Mason acted so grown up with his little tray of snacks. He did really well for the entire time and fell asleep at the very end of the movie.

Dear Doc:

You said to let you know if I had any other questions at Mason's 2 year check up. I know we talked about nutrition and safety and all that, but I'll be honest, I have just a few more questions.

Is it normal that he is so amazing? Does every parent think their kid is the ultimate, best kid in the whole wide world? Is it possible that he and I still have a biophysical bond? Sometimes it still feels like we are the same person. I just know what he needs, he just knows when I need hug. Sometimes I wake up 30 seconds before he does in the night. It's like I can sense it. Also I was wondering how such a little person can make so much noise. From day one he has been LOUD! Do you think he's as talented as I do? It it normal for parents to be so head over heals in love? Is it okay to have such a crazy imagination at his age? I really really believe he sees dragons. Did you hear his laugh? Isn't it the most beautiful sound in the world? Some times he only walks on his heels. Is that okay? It is normal to worry about your kid all the time? I feel like the time traveler that goes into the past and steps on a butterfly and then messes up the rest of existence. I'm trying really hard not to step on any butterflies with Mason. Do you think he'll grow up to be a fire fighter or a doctor? It would be nice to know. It would be nice to know that everything is going to be okay.

Last question. Is there any way to freeze time and keep him this delightful age forever? I miss my little guy already.

BitsOfToday

This morning Mason wore a tie to church. He thought I should wear one too and kept trying to tuck one in my shirt.

In Sacrament Meeting he kept patting me and acting really cute. I adore when he gives me a "hug around the neck". He's a very sweet boy.

I subbed in nursery and discovered which beasty girl is teaching him the bad habits. Clutching toys or other objects to his chest while screaming MINE! is not so sweet. At least now I know who to blame.

In nursery we were cleaning up snack. The teacher told the kids to line up by the door when they were ready to go to another room for a lesson. All the kids stood there so darling and well behaved, but only Mason reached out and held Mathew's hand.

Mason woke up from his nap at the usual time. He found me in my room unsuccessfully trying to have a nap. He crawled into bed with me and cuddled and fell back asleep. It was wonderful.

This afternoon while playing with stuffed animals, Mason insistently asked for a dog. I couldn't see it anywhere and told him I didn't know where it was. He signed "car" and ran to the side door. Curious, I opened the door and he ran to the car and started banging on it. I opened the back door and he screamed with delight when, sure enough, there was his dog.

Mason gets frustrated when he can't do something himself. When he comes to me for help he grabs my finger and practically breaks it off as he tries to physically get me to move somewhere to help him. This evening I was trying to help him problem solve without just doing it myself. He wanted something on my dresser that was out of reach. I told him to go get his stool and then he could get it himself. His face lit up, he gave me his million dollar smile, and then he ran out of the room. He came back with his little stool, used it to get the object down, and then clapped and cheered for himself.

Tonight I took the trash can out to the street. When I came back in the house I couldn't find him. I felt a little panicked for a moment until I heard him giggling. I found him in my dark closet, hiding, with four stuffed animals. He thought he was SO funny.

Tonight I put him to bed a little early and gave him a few books to read. I went to my room across the hall. I was so tired and I laid down for a moment. I could hear him reading out loud to himself. Whoops, I zonked out. An hour later I woke up and went to check on him. I've suspected before that he sometimes gets out of bed and plays during his nap time, but he's always back in bed asleep when I check on him. Tonight the evidence was clear. There were toys all over his floor and in the middle of it was Mason! Completely asleep, on his stomach on the floor.

Goodnight buddy. You make life so much fun.

Grandpa Heaton and other darling tales

Mason loves his Grandpa Heaton. With Daddy out of state, we've had an extra dose of extended family time. Lately, when I ask Mason if he wants to go to Grandma's he'll correct me and say "Grandpa's!".

These pictures are from the local nursery. This was one of my dad's first outings after his surgery. Mason toddled right after him the entire time. At one point Mason was distracted and Dad got away from him. Mason realized this, shouted "PApa!" and tried to catch up to him by the most direct route... right through the plants on the ground!

When we go to visit my parents, Mason always jogs to the den where Dad is resting and recovering to check in with him. Mason usually just makes sure he's there and then says "Be right back" while shaking his little finger and hustling out the door.Mason has started getting a little bossy with his Grandpa. I don't know how to describe it other than there is this tone he uses as he calls for him, bosses him around, and asks him for things.

Today I asked Mason if he wanted to go see Grandpa. He was so confused when he got out at the hospital where Dad has been admitted due to some complications. Mason gripped my finger as we hustled to Dad's room. (Mason hustles constantly. He finally figured out how to run a month or so back and now he books it everywhere!) When he saw Grandpa in bed he was very concerned. It took him a very long time to get up the courage to finally give him five as we left.

Tonight we had a quick dinner of soup and biscuits. I was too tired to do much else so I placed Mason on the bar and I sat on a stool in front of him. We ate like monkeys- no dishes, sharing, dipping, making a mess. I said, "Buddy I am so tired" and laid my head down in his lap. He wrapped his little arms around me and patted my neck. I pecked his cheek and we continued with our meal. After the next bite he reached out his arms to hold me again. I rested my head in his lap while he patted and giggled and was rewarded by another peck. We did this a dozen times until we were laughing too hard and my head was covered in crumbs.

Mason's verbal and signing vocabulary has really picked up. He's always asking "I draw?" and likes to sing with me. Today we were watching Signing Time and he was so intent on signing every single word. If I didn't sign along he'd say "Mama Bread!" or "Mama Banana!" until I did. I love how he signs Moon, Star, and Sun. Sun is especially entertaining. You draw a little circle in the air with one finger and then flick out all your fingers to show it's rays. When Mason does this with his serious little face it looks like he's casting a spell.

Lastly, I've been spoiling both of us since Jason has been away. All Mason's good habits will be long gone by the time we're together again. We have lazy mornings in which I lounge in bed while Mason destroys the house. Mason and I cuddle in bed and watch kid DVDs (he's really into covers lately and wants them pulled up to his chin. This makes for a lot of adjusting when watching signing videos and his hands have to be freed every 10 seconds and then covered up again). Nights get lonely so I tuck Mason in and then curl up in the recliner in his room and watch him fall asleep. He wiggles and rolls over at least a million times until he's comfy. Every now and then he'll stand up and sigh and lay down again. Lately he's taken to having a flashlight in bed to read books. Tonight he spent 10 minutes exploring every part of the ceiling with the light beam. Then he counted his fingers in the light. Once he was sure they were all there, he grabbed his giraffe, rolled on top of it, and was out like a light.

This morning I woke up not feeling very good. I heard Mason wake up around 7:30 and he started knocking on his door (now that he's in a toddler bed I close the door so I don't have to worry about him wandering). He stopped knocking and I fell back asleep. I heard him happily playing in his room later so I let myself snooze a bit longer.

Fast forward a couple of hours and I wake up to hear something going on in the kitchen. I jumped out of bed, found he had managed to open his door, and located him in the kitchen. Doing dishes! I expected the house to be in shambles and all manner of dangerous items discovered, but no. He had been a good little boy and was just washing some dishes.

Mason's been in a fun mood, entertaining himself and laughing at himself all day. He's started a darling habit of putting his arm around me when we sit together. When we visited my parents he scolded "Papa!" and made him sit down and eat next to him. When I showed him his PJ shirt glowed in the dark he gave me a million dollar smile.

He makes it so easy to be his mom.

proof

Dear Jason,

Here is proof that I am taking excellent care of our child while you are away. Don't worry about a thing!

Love, Ash

Make up Mess

The other day I was in the office going through my ever present paper stack when Mason marched in with a huge proud smile on his face. Also on his face...and hands...feet...legs...arms was globs of make up. He found a little bottle of liquid foundation and had covered himself and the master bathroom floor in "Natural Buff N3". Poor kid was so proud of himself and looking back I wish I hadn't reacted the way I did. I really rained on his body-painting parade.

I quickly removed his once white onesie and dumped him in the tub. Note to self: don't do that again. It made a oily yucky paste that covered EVERYTHING. It finally occurred to me to use face wash and it helped get the mess under control. By the time I got the tub scrubbed out and the laundry started, I pulled a Scarlett O'Hara and said to the master bathroom, "Oh, I can't think about this now! I'll go crazy if I do! I'll think about it tomorrow".

One day turned into several as the make up dried and preserved his darling little hand and footprints. I was a little sad to finally clean it up.

Mmmm...Good!