Christmas Time is Here

Steven and I hope you've had a very Merry Christmas. We enjoyed watching Mason play with his new toys this year. Below is the one he really LOVES...the Leapfrog Baby he received from Rene and Lindsay.

Mason seems to think that since he already received his gifts from Santa that he no longer has to remain on the 'nice list'. I guess that's why he decided playing with the lighter was okay. And, of course I had to get a picture before I took it away from him :)

Ice Storm

Our neighbors tree in our backyard.

Our tree. The branches landed inches away from the house and fence.

Steven hard at work.

WE ARE ALIVE! This ice storm was the worst I have ever seen. We lost power early Monday morning and it didn't get restored until Friday afternoon. Thank goodness for Rene and Lindsay. We have been staying with them, and only had to sleep by the fireplace one night. Even though we desperately missed the comfort of our own home, it's always nice to spend time with them. In fact, we miss them already. HMMM...I'm thinking SLUMBER PARTY at our pad.

Our trees in our backyard are treacherous, but nothing hit the house or fence. God is good!

Hope all is well with you and yours!

Birthday Reaction

This would be Steven and Rene when they realized they have tickets to a Bears game; sitting at the 35 yard line eight rows behind their team. Can we say excited?

HAPPY 29th BIRTHDAY!

We love you!

Scenario

Mommy: "Mason, do you want down?"
Mason: (shakes his head no)

Man, does this kid learn fast!

Thanksgiving in a Nutshell

Our Thanksgiving started early Thursday morning with the annual Turkey Trot in Springfield, MO. This is the first year I actually ran the race instead of walking. Let me say that it was FREEZING!!! Despite my face being frozen, I did finish the race.

After the Turkey Trot, my mom, Michael, Steven, and I headed back to my grandparents to get ready for all the fabulous food. It was great! We also got to spend time with my cousins. My oldest cousin, Scott, has three beautiful daughters. The youngest, Isabelle, is just six weeks older than Mason. They had so much fun chasing each other around the house. The older girls also enjoyed playing with Mason.

Our second Thanksgiving was at my dad's new house in Grove, OK. It was nice to spend time with him. Mason had fun chasing their little yorkie around. The pumpkin pie he got from his Papa wasn't so bad either!

I hope you and your family enjoyed Thanksgiving as much as we did!

Mason eating Papa's banana nut bread.

Mason playing tug-of-war with Milli.

Katherine and Mason playing.

Mason and Isabelle listening to the 'radio'.

Da-Da

Steven was tackling the leaves out back, which produced 42 large bags. He worked himself to death. And being the fabulous wife that I am, I did all the housework inside. I know, I know, you can give me the wife of the year award later :) I was able to get a lot done because Mason spent most of the afternoon standing at the back door saying, "Da-da" over and over and over and over and over...okay, you get the point. He would get so excited when his 'da-da' would turn around and wave. I'm seriously thinking of getting a cardboard cut out of Steven and putting it in the backyard. I could get a whole boat load of things done around the house with baby contained...hmmm...

Daddy giving Mason 'glass' kisses.

Easy In, Easy Out

Sorry for not posting in a while. It's been a busy couple of weeks.

SO, I was in one of my 'clean-up clutter" moods. The feat o' the day included cleaning out Mason's drawers. I was attempting to store the clothes Mason has outgrown to make room for his new ones. Of course Mase wanted to be mommy's helper. In true 1 year old fashion, he threw all of his 'old' clothes onto the floor in about 2.5 seconds and then made room for...HIMSELF! Yes, my organizational plan was bamboozled by a baby. The drawer now belongs to him and only him. No room for clothes. Below will give you a visual of little Mase climbing in and out of his drawers that no longer house his outfits.

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween from our little LION!

Pumpkin Patch

Our last few weeks have been extremely busy, so it was nice to take some family time and head for the pumpkin patch. Mason had so much fun climbing on the pumpkins, going down the slide, and pushing the little shopping cart around. He is growing up so fast.

Rocking Out

Mason has discovered the ROCKING CHAIR! He got this one from his Papa for Christmas when he was a month and a half old. I thought it would be forever before he'd ever sit in it. Well today was the day. He is mesmerized by the whole concept...climbing in it, rocking, figuring how to get out of it...only to do the same tasks again. It's a good thing daddy is close by. Somebody gets a little over zealous with the rocking on occassion.

Girly Boy and Crazy Hair

Mason loves to get into my make-up bag and pull everything out. Before he grabbed the eyelash curler and mascara, he we rubbing the brushes over his face and laughing. Steven is not too amused with Mason's toy choices!

LOVE THE HAIR!

Heavenly Gift with a Bit of Surprise..

Before I can even begin my reasons for writing this blog, I must first go back...travel with me please...

It was a normal Sunday of sitting in church. I was beginning to feel the uncomfortableness of being nine months pregnant, and I knew I had a very persistent child inside of me. He was growing tired of being cramped and right when we sat down to hear the message, Mason decided he was no longer going to take it anymore. He began to stretch his little legs out and press firmly against my ribs. So naturally, I took my hand and firmly pressed back urging him to readjust. Oh, how this worked many times before. However, my precious little boy decided he was going to stand his ground and not move. So he pushed back. Mommy, not to be outdone, pushed back again. The entire church service continued in this pattern. He'd offer his little push, and I pushed right back.

I recall this memory very vividly now that Steven and I are battling an almost 11 month old and his persistence to get what he wants. I should have known that day in church was foreshadowing events to come. Yes, my precious gift from Heaven comes with a little surprise...TEMPER TANTRUMS!!! I must say he gets this from his father. Steven, on the other hand swears it is from my side of the family! Whoever passed down this gene of the devil should be dealt with most severely. How can something so precious make such wretched faces because he does not want to sit in his high chair, chew on the remote control, or my favorite one yet, share his food with the dog? So I know feel that we have entered into the true realm of parenting...working to establish acceptable behavior. So when you pass us in public and you see my precious gift throw his head back and cry, please offer a sympathetic glance :)

Now, for the pictures. Mason is growing strong both emotionally and physically. Even though he has his moments of forceful independence, he is still my sweet, precious, beautiful baby boy. Feel free to love on him anytime you want. I know we sure do!!!!

Sweet Boy~

How could a person look at the face of a baby and not know that God is REAL. I hope you enjoy looking at the face of my baby...I know I do!!!

Moving on UP!

I have not had much time to blog lately because I have been busy chasing a 10 month old around. Mason has finally learned how to crawl on his hands and knees, and 2 days later he's pulling up on everything and cruising around furniture. We can't take our eyes off him for a second. Here are some pictures of Mason exploring...

Mason stuck in the toy basket!

Mason pulling up on the exersaucer at Ms. Melinda's house...Logan is not happy with Mason invading his space!

Mason hanging out with Giada.

Labor Day Weekend

Well, we did it! We finally had a family getaway. Since I started back to school, we have all been a tad on the stressed side. I even think Mase was getting a little bonkers (hence, the pic). So with baby in tow, along with Roxy the dog, we headed to Table Rock Lake to meet Rene and Lindsay, as well as Big Rene, and some friends of R & L. Below is a Top 10 List of our weekend...

10. Spending time with adults.
9. Not getting ready in the morning.
8. No cooking.
7. Taking naps on a hammock.
6. Learning how to wake board!!!!
5. Watching Steven try to wake board.
4. Riding on a golf cart with 6 adults, 2 coolers, and a wakeboard up a hill.
3. Playing cards.
2. Spending 2 full days with family.
1. Making memories as we watched Mason enjoy his 1st lake trip.

Football Saves the Day

Weekends are always great. You don't work, and you get to spend time with the ones you LOVE. This weekend was just awesome. First of all, my mother finally got married. She's waited a long time. Even though we did not get to attend the wedding (it was just the 2 of them with their pastor), we couldn't be happier for her and her new husband.

However, this marriage has brought about a huge change for our whole family. For one, I was forced to finally move all my belongings from her house that she has been storing for me. I know, I know. I haven't lived there for four years, and my stuff was still hanging around. Anyway...today Steven and I finally went to the house and moved it all out. When we walked in I was extremely sad to see the house emptied and completely void of all my childhood memories. Just as I was about to completely fall apart, Mason and Steven came to my rescue. Apparently, I saved a football that I caught at one of Steven's college football games (yes, it probably should have been trashed years ago, but for some reason I hung onto it). Steven found it, and not surprisingly, gave it to Mase. As we were loading up the last of my belongings, I looked down at Mason who is throwing the football and then crawling to get it back. He did this over and over. I couldn't help but smile. It was so cute. So, my pity party soon turned into a final memory and one great realization...The house isn't so much of importance. It is the family that once lived in it, and I still have that family (plus more). In the end, the weekend was great because returning to the house for the last time reminded me that I am blessed to have the family I have, and to have lived the life I have always wanted to live. Above is the picture of the football. It's a little comical that I even saved it, but I'm sure glad I did!

Picture Day!!!

Today Mason had his first professional pictures, and the little stinker would not smile...not even ONCE! However, she did get some great shots of him just playing and being relaxed at home. We are super excited to get the proofs back to see if we have a male model on our hands.

So, while we're waiting for his proofs, I thought I'd post a picture of Mason with his best friend, Mr. Bear. You'd think he doesn't have other toys, but he does. We just can't get him away from this one!

ANGEL

When Steven and I found out we were going to have a baby, we immediately began praying every night for his health. We never realized that we would receive so much more. Mason has added so much to our lives. He makes us smile and laugh everyday. I never imagined that life as a parent would be as rewarding as this. We have been blessed with a precious angel.

On the MOVE!!!

Steven and I waited anxiously for the day Mason would begin crawling. He's not up on all fours yet, but he sure has perfected the army crawl. We now know the true meaning of babyproofing your house (i.e. moving everything to higher ground). Tonight, Mason's adventure was crawling under his jeep. It was all fun and games until someone couldn't get his big head out! The pictures say it all...

At the sitter...

We feel very fortunate to have such a fabulous sitter. She currently has three babies under the age of ONE! She is a Saint!!! Apparently when she is not holding a crying baby, she also takes amazing pictures. Here are some of the newest ones she sent us...

Mason is such the 'ladies man'.

YUMMY...your toes are tasty!

Mr. Independent

New Tooth=OUCH!!!!!

I can't really say Mason is teething, but he is definitely 'toothing'. He already has one on the bottom that has popped through completely, but the other one is just now starting. I'm just wondering if he will have two bottom teeth that will be uneven forever...hmmm....he can't be a hillbilly, he's a classy Puerto Rican! Anyway, here's a pic from when he was 'toothing' the first time...swollen gums, drool, and crazy hair!

Cuddles

Lately Mason has been commando crawling over to various objects and then laying his head on them. The object today was a cuddly bear. The picture was too precious not to share!

Toe Sucker

So we're driving in the car today and I hear Mason in the back seat slurping on something. It's too loud to be his thumb, so I look in the mirror to check it out. I was completely surprised to see him holding his foot and going to town on his big toe....EWWWWW! All I can say is he must get that from his Dad.