Remembering warmer days...

It's really cold and it's bumming us out.
We went from beautiful warm days with every afternoon spent outside to being trapped inside glaring at the falling snow.
So here's a look back at just a few weeks ago when we thought summer was really on it's way.

 

(I spy Emily and Shaylee in the swing)

Hiking in Kolob

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Daddy's BIG boy

The weather has been wonderful and we've had a lot on our to-do list. Mason has followed Jase around imitating his every move.
Jason worked on the lawnmower.
Mason worked on the lawn mower.

It has been very nice to spend so much time outside. The middle picture is Mason playing in the gutter while his dad worked on his car.
And the pic on the right is Mason plugging his ears (with his fingers and an apple?) while Jason put the motorcycles away.

Good Night Sleep Tight

Today is Day Three of the Big Boy Bed.
So far so good. Tonight was the first time he got up and left his room. It was right after I tucked him in. When he saw me coming down the hall he scampered back into his room and back into bed.

Usually I read a dozen books and poll everyone I know for advice whenever I need parenting help. On this move we just did what felt right. I hope the good luck lasts. Our approach is to be very positive, loving, and gentle. We also call it his Elmo bed and act really excited when it's time to head to bed.

He's even taken a nap each day in his new bed! That's better than the crib!
He does get up a lot earlier in the morning, but overall we're pleased. This morning we woke to the pitter patter of feet up and down the hall. Moments later our bedroom door burst open while he hollered MOMMMMMM!

Hopefully all this effort will be worth it and this will help him transition to the bed in Alabama better... we'll see!

Discovering Wind

We live in a very blustery little town so it was just a matter of time until Mason discovered the wind. He was drawing outside when the wind picked up his paper and blew it across the back yard. I delighted in watching him chase after his paper and then throw it to the wind again and again.

Doodle Bug

Mason takes drawing very seriously. He'll walk around the house, trying out different surfaces and different light.
More often than not he ends up in the middle of the hall on his stomach.
He likes to cover his paper with small little scribbles. I like to think he's trying to draw little stars.
Lately he prefers pen over crayon, pencil, or marker. I think that's because pens make a clicky noise.

Exploring with...

Mom



and Dad!

MelMo

Some family members have handed down some kid DVDs to Mason. It's neat to see that Mason has his own preferences and can ask for what he'd rather watch. The winner is clearly Elmo, or as Mason says, "MelMo". We only have one DVD of Elmo's World and as parents we get tired of it. Last week Aunt Kristi gave us a full length movie called Elmo in Grouchland. Every time Elmo is NOT on screen, Mason becomes concerned and sadly asks, "Where's MelMo?" over and over.

So we're watching it and a mean guy takes Elmo's blanket and won't give it back. Mason burst into tears! He was so upset. I didn't realize his comprehension or sensitivity was that developed.

I think we might get Mace a Elmo doll or Elmo sheets to make the transition from crib to bed more alluring. We won't have a crib in Alabama so we're making that transition earlier than any of us are ready for.

potty talk

Thought I'd share some stories from the bathroom...

TUB: Mason loves the tub. We'll be in the middle of breakfast and he'll ask for a bath. It's the ultimate reward. Getting him out is hard, so I drain all the water and then he gets out better. I think it's cute that he reaches out and tests the water before he gets in. We've been battling getting him to lie down and rinse his hair for a while. Suddenly last week he doesn't mind it at all.

SINK:Mason is really good about brushing his teeth. He has two toothbrushes so he and I take turns brushing. After all the sweets at Easter, I brushed his teeth for almost ten minutes. Now he let's me brush a lot longer and better than before. He tries so hard to rinse and spit but usually just gets soaked in the process.

SHOWER: This morning I was showering and I could hear my phone ringing (I never answer my phone, just ask my brother Nate). It sounded like it was getting closer and closer. I realized that Mason was bringing my phone to me (helpful little guy). I heard the door open and almost too late I peeked out to see Mason winding up to chuck the phone into the shower. "No! Mason No!" I hollered. He really wanted to give it to me so I said, "Mason, it's for you! It's Grandma!". PHEW~ He walked away talking to the ringing phone. Later, I checked my missed calls and it really was my mom!

TOILET: Mason has a little step-stool and a little kid potty lid that he uses from time to time. He seems interested in the bathroom, but we aren't in any hurry to potty train. The other day we spent an evening sans diaper to see how much control he has. He did really well and is very aware of his body, but I don't think he's developmentally ready yet. But dang that boy is funny. I took him into the bathroom at the first and he went in the toilet. We cheered, said "All Done" and washed up. Later on, when I could tell he was about to go again, we went back in and sat down. He didn't go, but tried to fake me out by making a noise with his mouth and then saying "All Done". He did that a few more times that evening. I'm pretty sure I reinforced the "faking" because it cracked me up every time.

Smarty Pants

Mason has been knocking my socks off with his brilliance.
He catches me off guard with how smart he is.
It startles me and I fall into a desperate state of guilt over my neglectful parenting.
I picked up these balloon shaped colors at a craft sale. Immediately he began matching them up.
WHO TAUGHT HIM THAT?

Jason teases me that Mason will never learn his colors because everything in our house is a shade of brown. I think he'll be okay :)

When playing with the shapes he'll purposefully put the wrong colors together, smile, say "Noooooo" and fix it.

Happy Easter

We celebrated commercial Easter on Saturday. You can too! Just send a message through Cupid to the North Pole and Santa will pass it along to the Easter Bunny that you want your baskets delivered on Saturday. Cool huh?


So on Saturday all the local family members got together at Kristi's house for food, fun, and an Easter Egg hunt.


Kris is a terrific aunt.


Mason and Daddy searching for eggs.



"Too much sugar and no sleep make Mason something something..."
-Adaptation of Simpson's quote



Ooh Ooh Aah Aah! Mason was excited about his monkey egg.
Now I get to spend the next few years convincing him that monkeys don't lay eggs.

For real Easter we spent a quiet morning at home learning about Christ and spending time together as a little family. Dave and Kaprena invited everyone to their house for Thanksgiving Dinner that night. That's right, Thanksgiving. Kaprena says she doesn't get enough of those delicious foods once a year so she makes a big Thanksgiving dinner a few times a year.

Mace Face

Here are the faces of Mace's.
Whether he's being sweet with his stufties,
roaring (constantly roaring),
hiding from the camera,
getting into mischief outside,
all spiffed up for church,
or opening a cereal box in the store and stuffing his mouth...

I just can't get enough of this face.

Easter Animals

Thank you Cal-Ranch for being our farm substitute.

We took Mason to see the chicks, ducks, and bunnies.

He begged and begged to PLEASE get one. Oh wait, that was me.
Except for the bunnies. They creep me out.

Starr Gazing

Yet another important life skill taught by Dad.

After a day of hiking, you still had energy to notice the moon.
Dad took you to the back yard and the two of you enjoyed a special moment together looking at the stars and spotting airplanes.

Thanks for reminding us to notice the little things that make life magical.

Lucky Boy

On St. Patrick's Day, Mason got lucky and got to spend the morning with little Maya.
We played with toys for a while but I realized we might have a more enjoyable time together if we put the toys (and Mason's stress about sharing) away.

We put on our jackets and headed outside, grateful that we had some lawn to play on instead of all snow.

We made the traditional pine-cone-PB-bird-feeders.



Mason thought the bird feed was granola. No No Mason. Don't eat the bird's food.

Guess who likes peanut butter? :)

After we were done Mason headed for the snow. Because of our neighbor's huge trees we have a lot of shade and half our lawn seems to never melt. He likes to throw snowballs but that morning Mason decided to be a gentleman and not attack Maya.

As much as I'm sick of the snow and the never ending "2 more inches" storms, Mason is so entertained by snow that I'll probably miss it when it's all gone.



I love sitting back and watching children play. I wonder how they know to be nice. I wonder what game they are playing.

I wonder what they are imagining...