Who's who?

Today at our park playdate, Mason and Dylan wore the exact same outfit!  And no, they didn't plan it.  Add to that the fact that they both have blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin and Heather and I totally had a hard time telling them apart.   I'd see one kid eating grass and go to grab him...and it's like whoops!....not my kid.  They were so cute crawling around like twins.

(Fighting over a toy......not holding hands. :)

Duck Lips

About a month ago we went to a nearby park and Marcos snapped a few park pictures.

Mason of course had a blast.  He loves being outdoors!  And I'm pretty sure that at least 85% of the pictures we take of him he's got his hand in his mouth.  This one has a *bonus* with his big clam tongue somehow sticking out as well.

He is enthralled by new things....such as dandelions.  This is a great picture of what Marcos and I like to call his "duck lips" face.  It's his "concentrating" face where he outwardly purses his lips in a dramatic fashion.  He's done this since he was a newborn, and it still cracks us up.

I really like this picture of me giving Mason a flower and his cute little fingers.  Flowers are so much fun to look at and to touch.

........and of course to EAT!

Pool Playdate

The weather got quite warm last week, so Heather invited us over for a playdate so that Mason and Dylan could play in their cute inflatable pool.  It was Mason's first pool experience.  He kinda sat there for a few minutes without moving (um, what is this new experience?!) but once he discovered all the bath toys, he was happy as can be! (Special thanks to Heather for the pictures!)

Mmmmmmm...........pool toys............

 

Sometimes they fight over the same popular toy and it's really funny to watch.  They cry, and we laugh.  (We are such great moms!)

It's okay, Dylan.  We're still friends. :)
And next time Mason, I promise I'll get swimming diapers for you.  That goes on my "Wish I'd Known List."  His regular diaper swelled up to 5 times it's normal size and probably weighed as much as he weighs.  It could hardly be contained in his swimming shorts.  (Sorry baby!)  It was a fun time, though, and something we're definitely doing again soon!

For Mom

I have a really wonderful Mom who has taught me some valuable life lessons through the years and we have some special memories that are just ours.  I'd like to share just a few of them for record keeping purposes and as a special tribute to her for Mother's Day.

Here's the most recent picture I have of my Mom.  Apparently all pictures we take now also have Mason in them. :)  

Aren't they so cute with their pretty blue eyes?

Lessons from Mom:

1)  Make it work.  Use the resources you have to accomplish what you need to and make it work.  Sometimes the best ideas are cheapest and most creative!

2)  Fake it 'til you make it.  In a good way, ya know?  If you're feeling blue, act happy--many times you'll become happy for real!  If you don't think you can do something, act like you can do it--you'll surprise yourself at what you can accomplish.

3)  Take a mental health day.  Once in a while it's a good idea to take a day off from school or work to do something fun, spend quality time with family, and rest and rejuvenate.

Favorite Mom Memories:

1)  Playing Memory.  It's our game.  My Mom is really good at it.  And thanks to her, so am I!  And since I got so much practice playing with my Mom growing up, I am virtually unbeatable!

2)  The Pringles game.  My Mom would buy regular Pringles and the reduced fat Pringles, and at lunch we'd take turns closing our eyes and feeding the other a mystery chip to see if the person could identify if it was regular or reduced fat.  It was pretty much the funnest thing ever for me at the time!

3)  Our duets.  My Mom and I used to play duets together....I'd play the piano and she'd play the flute.  Some of our favorites were Gymnopedie and Greensleeves.  We even played in Sacrament together.  Our duets were so fun and special, and sounded beautiful!


I'm so grateful to have such a loving Mom....Happy Mother's Day!  I love you!

Excited about Life

It's been a few months since I posted Mason pictures....so here's a whole bunch to make up for it! (Hope you like baby pictures!)

Over the past couple of months, Mason has been loving life, reaching all new levels of cuteness, and generally doing all manner of growing up.  So......what has Mason been up to?

 Lots of feet grabbing (and eating).  They are the best built-in toys!  He's also been trying many new foods--most of which he likes...............

.....and some of which he's not so sure.  His favorite baby food?  Sweet potato.  His least favorite?  Green beans.  Sometimes I have to mix in some sweet potato to get him to eat the green beans.  I don't remember what he's eating in this picture.  Maybe the first try of banana?  He likes it now, but it has a strong flavor at first compared to the other baby foods and it took some getting used to.

He also had his first time being truly sick.  Over a month ago he got RSV and an ear infection at the same time which warranted a trip to the Emergency Room.  His fever was around 102.5 for a couple of days, he had really bad cold symptoms, and had the saddest whimper cry of pain (due to the ear infection).  It broke my heart!  He also woke up a lot during the night and at naps, which he really never does.  But after a week or two and some antibiotics.....

.....he was a happy kid again!  Yes, he was back to his regular self, sleeping through the night and putting anything and everything into his slobbery mouth.  Speaking of sleeping and slobbery mouths.....

this is what Mason does when he's tired.  How cute is that?  The absolute only time he sucks his thumb is when he's ready for sleep.  In goes the thumb, and in he goes to his crib....

...to sleep like this.  Like a cute little stink bug.  This is literally the only picture we have of him sleeping, because usually the second I enter his room and turn on the light....

....this is what I see.  He immediately springs to life, on all fours, smile on his face, panting with excitement about once again being awake in life.  (Wish I woke up like this!)  Why is he so excited about life you ask?

So he can learn new tricks of course!  This is a cute picture of when he was learning to stand up.  That's my hand on his bum helping him.  He was so proud at this accomplishment and wanted to practice nonstop!  Now he's all pro.

Just look at those cute little toes!  That's all.

I just love my blue-eyed boy.  Is he going to hate me later for dressing him all preppy?  I can't help it....he looks so adorable in a smart little polo.  Plus, he can practically wear all his clothes to church which is less money/work for me!

We take so many pictures of this kid.  So. Many.  I apologize in advance to my future children and their lack of photos compared to Mason.

Potent Quotables

I love great quotes.  I collect them.  Lots of them.  Some are religious, some are secular.  I came across this one the other night while thumbing through some favorites, and I read it over and over and over again.  Because sometimes being a girl is downright hard.  But this quote always makes me feel all warm and cozy inside about how ridiculously awesome and special it is to be a girl.  :)

"I wonder if you sisters fully understand the greatness of your gifts and talents and how all of you can achieve the 'highest place of honor' in the Church and in the world.  One of your unique, precious, and sublime gifts is your femininity, with its natural grace, goodness, and divinity.  Femininity is not just lipstick, stylish hairdos, and trendy clothes.  It is the divine adornment of humanity.  It finds expression in your qualities of your capacity to love, your spirituality, delicacy, radiance, sensitivity, creativity, charm, graciousness, gentleness, dignity, and quiet strength.  It is manifest differently in each girl or woman, but each of you possesses it.  Femininity is part of your inner beauty."  
-Gordon B. Hinckley

Oh yes I am....

....doing a lovey dovey post for Marcos for his birthday. Happy 27 my love! :)


In honor of your special day (which was actually 2 days ago)........here's a list of really nice things that come to mind when I think of you which will embarrass you/make you feel loved:

• You are generous. When you're driving and see a homeless guy with a cardboard sign, you don't uncomfortably try to avoid eye contact. You furiously scavenge your whole car for any food or spare change. When kids are selling candy bars in front of Wal Mart, you don't try to quickly walk by. You give them a few dollars and tell them they can keep the candy for themselves.
• You are curious. About things. About people. You're like a 4 year old kid that soaks up everything he sees and hears like a sponge. Because life and people fascinate you.
  
• You are talented. I love that you can play the piano and sing. I love that you're good with computers and cars. And I'm completely envious of your cooking skills and that you're fluent in another language.
• You care. More than most people do. You care about people....people you met once and may never even see again. You can tell me their name and where they're from. You can tell me all the personal details of everyone's life you've ever met. Not because you're trying to boost your memory, but because you care too much to forget.
• You are funny. Your quick wit and cheery sarcasm are impossible to resist. Even when we're arguing. Something you say or do always makes me smile which is just infuriating. And I love it. You make me laugh every single day, reminding me to not stress out about life.
• You are honest. I love that it's not in your good nature to lie, be fake, or put on a front. Ever. You are the most genuine person I know. You truly do say what you mean and mean what you say. Your all-time favorite quote sums up your motto for honesty: "The truth is far too much fun." (Captain Hook)
• You are a great daddy. I love that our family is your top priority, and that you'll always put aside whatever important thing you're doing to come and watch Mason make a funny face. I love how much you love Mason....and that the thought of him being the slightest bit cold breaks your heart more than anything. It cracks me up that even when Mason is sleeping and I know he's warm, if I joke that he's cold, you still turn the heater on. You know I'm playing with you, but it just doesn't matter. And I laugh at you. And you reluctantly laugh too.
  
• You are a great husband. You always listen to me. Even when I whine and complain like girls do. You'll gladly do a chore for me that you know I do not enjoy doing, just so I don't have to do it. You encourage any and every goal I decide to make for myself....even when those goals change daily. You enjoy playing games with me and have no problem saying up til all hours playing Catch Phrase or Bananangrams or Boggle with me. Because we have so much fun together. And I love it. And I love you.
  

Happy Birthday!