Fourth of July

My brother recently moved to a suburb of Kansas City, so for the Fourth we made the trek to go and visit. My mom, her husband, Steven, Mason and I all piled in a two door Explorer and took the 5 hour drive. My rear is did not enjoy the trip, but I absolutely refused to pay big oil companies the price for gas on two separate cars...

Once we got there, we had a blast! Mason really enjoyed playing with his cousins and Steven and I enjoyed being with family. Brandon, my brother, lives very close to a lake and we took his boat out. I was a little bummed I didn't get to ski or wakeboard, but c'est la vie. Pregnancy has it's limits and there's always next summer to show my bro up on the wakeboard! I did, however, get to take a leisurely stroll on the tube with Mason. He loved it, and kept waving to everyone on the boat. Steven also got on the tube with my brother and Micheal, my mom's husband, but his journey was not so relaxing. He was flying! I have not laughed that hard in a long time.

Mason, Jasmine, and I on the tube.

Steven trying to stay afloat with the kids hanging on.
Mason relaxing with his Grammy.
Steven and Brandon before the torture began...
Mason being entertained by his cousins. He was so excited to eat at the kids table for the first time in his short little life.
A quick pic before we take off.
My beautiful niece Jasmine.

Head Gear

Mason has found a sudden interest in putting things on his head. Yesterday it was a stretchy headband that he sported ninja style. Today, he opted for a fancier do...a silky headband. I laughed hysterically when he came out with this on. I ran for the camera and immediately emailed Steven at work. I quickly got a reply ordering me to take if off his head ASAP! Apparently he didn't see the humor in it at all.

Addison

We went to Dr. Nilson yesterday and all of Addison's measurements are showing her to be a week ahead of schedule...keep your fingers crossed. I'd like to have her early like Mason!

Working at the Car Wash

Despite all the hard work you see here, we had a very enjoyable weekend as a family. This was the first weekend in about two weeks that we have all been together. So today, we had our usual Sunday breakfast, then we loaded up to go to the park. We first took a walk and Mason pointed out all the birdies, squirrels, and trees. After our walk, we crossed the street to go to the play area. He had a blast going down the slides and climbing up and down all the steps. After about an hour of playing we headed home for naptime. Little man was TIRED!

Once Mason woke up we had lunch outside and Mason helped Daddy wash both of the cars. He thinks he's so big now and wants to help with whatever task Steven and I are doing. It's quite cute. Here are some of the car wash photos. Steven and Mason are thinking of opening their own detail business so watch out!

Supervising to make sure Daddy does it to his standards.
Spot cleaning the truck bed.

Hunters and Gatherers

In early Native American history there were the hunters and the gatherers. As I watched Mason and Kate play this morning I couldn't help but think they would have done very well during the early 1500's. Neither one was interested in playing with the toys I had brought outside for them. They both took to finding sticks to use as weapons and when their hunt for tree ants was finished, they starting their gathering of various objects. Eventually the Native Americans who didn't adapt to change and/or farming died out. Let's just be thankful there was a kitchen withing 100 feet of their whole adventure. PB &J's were only a cry away.

The hunt begins...

Gathering...

(Good thing the pack dog was within calling distance. It looks like they've gathered a lot)
Making sure they don't miss anything...

Can I have that PB&J now?

Summer Lovin'

One of my favorite parts of summer is going to the pool. It's just relaxing, even if you have 2 kids with you. Kate is a regular fish in the water, but Mason spends most of his time outside the pool. He likes to 'explore' the gated area. He'll get in every once in a while, but he has to do it on his own. Little man doesn't need any help from his Mommy, and he makes that known with his new found word, "NO!"

Mason and Kate playing with water bottles even though they are 2 feet from water. Go figure!

Mason enjoying the action pool side.
Another little girl brought this and Mason loved it. He insisted that everyone kiss the duck.

Mason making Grammy kiss the duck.

Yet another floatie that is not ours. He never wants to play with the toys I bring!

Naked Painting

When I was uploading a few of our Branson pics, I came across these. They were taken about a month ago and I guess I never transferred them to the laptop. I had just given Mason a bath, and he was running around naked. Meanwhile, Steven was in Addison's room taping it off so we could put a fresh coat of paint on her walls. When Mason found all the paint supplies he was completely fascinated and decided he wanted to paint...NAKED. I had to be careful what shots to put on here because there were some revealing pics, but (no pun intended) there were a few acceptable ones. What can I say, he likes to be free.