the flying horsey

granny & papa arrived in town thursday afternoon, so they picked mason up from school early to have a little extra play time. the fun really kicked up a notch after his bath that night. it turns out that papa's leg magically transforms into a flying horse.

mason held on tight for a fantastic ride!

hiding

mason's new game is to hide from us. except he hasn't quite figured out that just because he can't see us, doesn't mean we can't see him.

a couple of weeks ago, mason brought a balloon home. we tied it to his beltloop so he could play with it, but not have to attach it to an actual body part. he ran around laughing and playing and having a grand ol' time, but after a while, he seemed to forget it was there.

then he hid. mason moved the ottoman and flattened himself against the floor, thinking we couldn't see him. he was right. we couldn't see him, but the purple balloon floating above the ottoman was a dead give-away!

as i replayed the scene in my head before going to bed that night, i couldn't stop laughing. truly, it was one of the highlights of an already great day. but then it struck me. how many times do i do that to God? how often do i "forget" that he sees my thoughts, feelings, actions, and sins despite my attempts to cover them up or hide from Him. and just because i'm silent, doesn't mean there's not a big purple balloon floating above me pinpointing my exact location and state of being.

i know i'm not the only one... i mean, look back to adam and eve. how silly it seems that they were hiding from God after eating the forbidden fruit. but how often do we do the same thing?

i wasn't expecting mason to teach me a lesson that day, but i love how God uses everyday, wonderful moments to show Himself.

"for the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding." - proverbs 2:6

the clubhouse

when cassie dog was an only "child," she loved to hang out in my closet. every morning as brad and i got ready for the day, she would curl up on the floor and watch us. so much so that we nicknamed my closet the "clubhouse."

apparently mason is equally fascinated with the clubhouse. he loves to sneak in there and rearrange my shoes. this time, he combined three of his favorite things: the clubhouse, the laundry basket, and my shoe collection. here's the result:

hmm.. i'm pretty sure this shelf wasn't empty when i left...

the trail of toys

the basket of fun

i was semi-excited that the shoes were in the basket; after all, he normally just clears the shelf and knocks them all to the floor. once, he transported them one by one to the bathtub. the basket is at least orderly!

and no, we're not talking about the fact that the shoes still haven't made it back on the shelf. thank you very much. :)

like father, like son - part 2

you may recall the first edition of the like father, like son series... the saga continues!

like father...

like son.

busy

the following took place within 10 minutes:

"i'll just put my napmat where no one can find it!"

"someone has to mow the hardwoods around here!"

"let's jam, mommy"

"it's way more fun to push my train around without the handle"

"why do you look so tired, mommy?"

seriously...

"seriously, mom... can't a boy drink his milk in peace?"

wild work week(s)

many apologies to our five faithful readers ;)

i'm so sorry about the lack of posts lately. i have been swamped at work and trying to stay afloat. my survival technique has been to pull out the work laptop as soon as mason goes down for the night to sneak in a few more hours of productivity. not great for pulling off that well-rested look, but it has helped whittle down the never-ending list.

i'm taking the night off, so i hope to schedule a few posts to bring you up to speed with mason happenings... granny and papa arrive tomorrow for an extended weekend and i hope to take lots of pictures throughout the visit. stay tuned!

daredevil

mason helped his friend eve celebrate her 2nd birthday at pump it up. it was our first experience at this establishment and we're 107 percent sure it won't be our last visit. mason loved it!

he was the youngest one at the party, but we kept hearing, "he's how old? wow, he sure is fast/brave/sturdy/fearless/busy!" no giant bouncy was too big for our boy. he insisted on trying all of them, but his favorite was the HUGE slide. mason didn't stop moving the entire 2 hours we were there, which meant neither did brad or i.

mason crashed out on the car ride home and brad followed suit shortly thereafter. lucky mommy had to run errands. here are a few pictures from bounce house heaven. happy birthday, eve!

happy birthday daddy!

dear daddy,

happy birthday! i hope your day is as fun as last saturday morning was! we've had so much fun this year and i can't wait to try new things with you. i'm so glad you're my daddy. i love you!

love,

mason

edible art

mason and i were on our own for most of saturday and between a (relatively) short nap, playing with all the toys in the house, and the rainy weather outside, i ran out of entertainment options a little earlier than expected. thank goodness for a box of chocolate pudding hiding in the pantry!

tasting the "paint"

the artist

finger lickin' good

concentrating...

"yay for me!"

"all done" with the tongue for emphasis

the masterpiece

it was fun and we won't dwell on the fact that clean up took approximately 3 times longer than the project itself. and while i'm not normally an advocate for excess sugar, the smile on my face from his pudding beard and the gleam in his eye from flinging his art around the kitchen made it all worthwhile!

today

this about sums it up! :)

surprise

we ordered mason a table and chairs set just his size. it arrived thursday and after the little monkey went to bed i assembled it and set it up in the den. the next morning, we sat down to breakfast as usual. he ate his banana and was about 3/4 through his oatmeal when he spotted the table in the other room. here's the conversation that ensued:




Mason: "Huh? (with emphatic point)"
Mommy: "Oh, you see your table? We'll play with it in a little while."
Mason: (Even more emphatic point) with more sound effects I roughly translated as "I want to see it now!"
Mommy: "I know you want to play with it, Mason, but we have to finish breakfast first."
Mason: (signing) "All done!" with big smile and another point.
Mommy: "Two more bites and you can go play."
Mason: (mouth opens wide)

as soon as he finished his breakfast, he made a beeline for one of the chairs and climbed right in. he played for a while and when i tried to get him to come into the bathroom so i could finish getting ready, he pitched a big fit. i ended up carrying the table and chairs into the bathroom with us so we would both be happy. apparently the table is a huge hit!

look-out

waiting for daddy...

following instructions

when mommy told me to get out from under the bathroom sink, i did.

and climbed right into the bathtub.

more monkeys, more fun

yep, our laundry basket still serves as the copycat coaster, but here lately, mason pulls his toys around the house instead of us pulling him. i grabbed his monkey friends for a ride, but after a few laps around the living room, he stopped.

when i saw this i thought, "oh no!"
we must still in the stranding passengers stage...

yes, that is an empty box of raisins.
no, i have no idea why he's carrying it around.

wait! is he loading them back in?

ok, so we still need to work on gentleness,
but hey, at least they're getting a ride!

"what mom?"

ok, ready to go!

check ya later!

brrrr....

mason reminds you to bundle up... it's cold out there!!

16 months!

this boy has captured our hearts. completely. as he sprints into toddlerhood, we are trying hard not to miss a moment. his personality is blooming daily and the good-natured, fun-loving, strong-willed, dare-devil prankster that he is definitely keeps us on our toes!

he is quite the active boy with a new scratch, scrape, bump, or bruise each week. as careful as i remind him to be, it does not seem to be in his nature. just this morning i caught him trying to climb out of his crib, with one foot over the side and his arms in position to pull himself over the top. we are currently on the hunt for a crib tent!

between hiding in cabinets and behind doors so he can jump out and surprise us to pushing his fire truck all around the house while mimicking the siren, mason is playful to the core.

he continues to exhibit his independence. if he's thirsty, he gets a drink - even if that means taking the self-watering bulb from the plant by the front door. yuck! if he wants the remote control, he climbs up on the couch to get it. and if you can't figure out what he's trying to say (still a guessing game for us although he is babbling a TON), he is a fierce pointer. of course, knowing what you want and getting what you want are different things. our boy is quick to voice his opposition if things are not going his way.

it's hard to remember what life was like without him in it, but we wouldn't want to anyway. before we know it 16 months will turn to 16 years and i don't want to miss any of it! we love you, mason!

sweet getaway

while mason was hiding from special k in my parents' pantry, brad and i were headed to the land of sugar and spice... the sugar bowl in new orleans! i surprised (well, kind of... long story that begins with a lot of secrecy and ends with an innocent slip-up by my mom) brad with tickets to see his beloved florida play for his christmas present.

it was a fast trip, with us leaving the morning of the 1st and coming back the next day, but fun nonetheless...

new orleans bound... it was very weird to not have mason with us!

the tickets!

superdome drive-by

we took the trolley from the hotel to the game.
for future reference, don't ride #951 - it breaks down!
we had better luck with the second trolley!

we made it!

first look from our seats

warm-up and last minute practice

awesome performance of the star spangled banner

go gators!!

just before halftime... florida 37, cincinnatti 3.

final score - florida backed off and let them score a couple,
much to our disappointment

our ticket source. thank you, mr. henry!

chomp. chomp.

did we mention how cold it was? or how we left our toiletries bag at home (which happened to have my gloves and hat in it)?!

pat o's... brad was really happy to see the waitress!

hello hurricanes. time to head home!

special shout-out to special k and my parents who took such good care of mason while we were away. he had a great time "livin it up" without his parents around!