Deanna Rose

Our favorite farmstead is back open for the season & we were SO ready to visit & enjoy a beautiful day outside with our friends!

We met our friends Leann, her daughter Olivia, Megan & her daughter Harper at Deanna Rose late morning. We started off with our usual trek around the farmstead first seeing the chickens, then the cows & calves & of course the usual picture on the cow:

 

We walked around the bend to the pygmy goats & had to buy them a bottle so Mase could feed them:

It was SO cute watching him feed the baby goats while scolding them to "be nice & share"!

In the middle of the farmstead is an amazing park with all kinds of fun equipment on it which we always stop at to play. It is awesome because it wears the littles out & burns off tons of energy! The "diggers" & sitting on the tractor are Mason's favorites:

Miss Olivia was as chill as could be...as long as she had her snacks :)

We went through the other half of Deanna Rose & by the end the littles were getting cranky. It was getting to be lunch time so we all decided to drive over to Chick-fil-A for lunch. I had called Shane & he was out running errands so I told him to come meet us which he did.

No matter what time of day it is, that place is ALWAYS packed! We eventually got our food & found a place to sit & everyone enjoyed a quick bite to eat. On our way out Mase wanted to watch Daddy drive away on the motorcycle but we had to get a quick picture first:

We were going to run to Target before we headed home but a few minutes on the road I look back & see this:

 

Ugh - I just love his little crossed hands & feet! So stinkin' sweet!

Upon seeing this little angel sound asleep we just headed home where he took a 3 hour nap! That place will wear a kiddo out!

So glad our favorite little place is back open for the season! Oh how we have missed Deanna Rose!!

20 Toofers

At Mason's 3 year check-up the Pediatrician suggested to us that it was time to establish & see a Dentist for his 1st initial visit. The Dr handed me a sheet of paper with lots of Pediatric Dentist's names on it & we were on our way.

Later that afternoon I was telling Shane about Mason's appointment & showed him the list of Dentists we were given. He surprised me by saying he really wanted Mason to go to the Dentist that he went to growing up. Now usually Shane doesn't care too much about things like this but when he speaks up & has an opinion I listen.

So I went to the internet to see if he was still in practice - seeing how that was over 30 years ago that Shane went to him & found that his office is still open & he is still practicing. I called to make an appointment & we were scheduled to see him in a week.

Today was his 1st dentist appointment & it went awesome! When we walked in we all loved how the office was set up & the fun things for the littles to play with while waiting. Mase loved the chalk wall & we had to literally tear him away from it when his name was called. (*note to self...paint a chalk wall in our playroom??)

We had talked with Mase earlier about how the Dr. was going to look into his mouth & check out his teeth & that he was going to get a surprise when it when he was all done. He acted like it was no big deal but when it came time to lay in the dentist chair & look in his mouth he wasn't having it.

There was a lot of coaxing & bribing to get him to lay down & he finally agreed...but only in our laps, not in the big chair. The hygienist & I were knee to knee holding him & he would NOT let go of my hands.

Once he settled down & got comfortable Mase was a trooper through the teeth cleaning. In the pictures he looks like he was in pain but really that wasn't the case. He did great & after cleaning & counting 20 toofers in that little mouth of his we were done.

Soon after the dentist walked in, he looked in Mason's mouth & said everything looked great. He praised him for doing such a great job brushing his teeth & gave him a new Jake & the Neverland Pirate toothbrush, toothpaste, some fun floss & 2 tokens to play the surprise egg vending machine. Mason then turned to us & said "Mama I like the dentist" :)

 

On our way out, the hygienist helped Mase put his tokens in the machine & Daddy helped him win a few surprise eggs.

 

Which he was SO excited about! He ended up getting stickers, a bracelet & a bouncy ball.

 

So another "first" has occurred for this little guy & he got through it with flying colors. So proud of him for being such a good little patient & for getting a clean bill of health on those toofers! All those fights about brushing our teeth is paying off!

Work = Health Hazard



It is true what they say - work is hazardous to your health!! I proved this true this week while at work.

 

I was helping move a piece of equipment we use called a Tilt Table:

My co-worker helping me push this 350lb piece of equipment accidentally rolled over my foot with it & the wheel proceeded to land on top of my foot until she could push it off. Needless to say it hurt like a mother f***er!!

 

At first when I looked at my foot it didn't look too bad. Then several hours had passed & it was really starting to hurt so I took another peek. This is how it looked:

Please disregard my nasty toes - ironically I had an appointment tomorrow to get a pedicure done but now that won't be happening :(

 

Looking at that I knew my pinky toe was broken. It hurt so stinking bad! I had NO idea a broken toe could cause so much pain! I took Ibuprofen all afternoon, tried to keep it elevated as best as I could at work & once I got home I applied an ice pack to it.

 

The next day this is how it looked:

Wearing normal shoes hurt too bad so I wore my slippers into work. Can I just say how amazing it was wearing warm, fuzzy slippers all day at work? I work in a surgical setting so we have to wear shoe covers over our shoes so no one even knew I had slippers on! Amazing :) I may have to do this more often!

 

I showed my manager what my foot looked like & she told me I had to report the incident to employee health. So I did just that, filled out the paperwork & was sent to the Corporate Care health office to have my foot assessed by a workman's comp physician.

 

I sat there for 3 hours & wasn't able to be seen due to more "emergent" people needing attention like DOT physicals, TB screenings, drug screenings, etc. I kept asking if I was going to be seen & the gal said they just have too many people ahead of me with more "serious" issues that need to be seen first. I looked around the waiting room & saw NOONE who was more urgent than myself. I was SO pissed & in SO much pain so I gave them a big "FU" & left.

 

Well, my manager made me go back the next morning & another 3 hours at the clinic came & went but this time I actually got seen. I had x-rays done & it was determined that I had indeed fractured my pinky toe, down through the joint into the metatarsal. He didn't see the need for surgery or for a hard boot but he did say I need to wear a stabilizing soft boot for 4 weeks. So I returned back to work, paperwork in hand & a soft boot on my foot.....for the next month.

UGH - so see, work truly is hazardous to your health!







Cell Phone Dump

 

Lots of fun photos taken with the cell phone this month! Here are a few of my favorites:

Mason LOVES helping Daddy in the garage!

It melts my heart seeing these two together!

 

And THIS right there is how I feel about Peeps!! 

Someone got a haircut :)

 

This boy + his dog = LOVE! 

Cruising the 'hood on his scooter! 

The hubby surprised me with a blizzard at work - just because :) 

Playing Superheroes with Mase - the things I do for this kid :)

 Our little "fish"! 

 

 Easter selfie with Mama

Happy Easter



Happy Easter everyone!

Easter is one of my favorite holidays....right up there with Christmas. Not because of the egg dyeing rituals or Reeses Peanut Butter eggs or Cadbury Mini-Eggs but because of the meaning of Easter. It is the holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead & his resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him.

I also love that it falls around the same time of year as spring. Everything is starting to bloom, the grass is turning green, the Robin's are out collecting grass for their nests, my allergies are in full effect - ok so maybe I don't love that part but the rest of it is pretty awesome.

Mase is still too little to understand the true meaning of Easter but I can't wait for him to learn all about it in Sunday school. Until that time comes, we will celebrate the Easter Bunny's arrival....

Mase woke up around his usual time of 6:30am. He saw all the eggs laying around & was SO excited to find them all. It was a good thing the Easter Bunny hid them inside because as I looked outside it was raining, which turned to sleet which turned to snow. Hello Mother Nature!!

After Mase found each & every egg he ended up finding his Easter basket. He was SO excited to get Paw Patrol stuff & could have cared less that his basket had his favorite candy in it.

He had fun opening all his eggs, finding more candy & money inside all of them! He & Daddy enjoyed sampling the candy while opening all the eggs also!

 

While they were doing that I made pancakes for breakfast & then we got ready for Easter service at church. My little man looked so handsome in his Easter colored shirt :)

We headed to Easter service & then afterwards we went out for lunch at Fiorella's Jack Stack BBQ - YUM! Had an amazing lunch & then went home for an afternoon spent playing with the new Paw Patrol figures, watching movies & eating chocolate :)

Hope you all enjoyed your Easter with your family or whomever you may have shared it with!

 

Easter Eve

It is Easter Eve & we were supposed to start our day out with an Easter Egg Hunt out at Louisburg Cider Mill but Mother Nature had other plans for us. It was pouring down rain when we awoke & it stayed that way the majority of the day. So we decided to bake & make cupcakes instead!

Every Easter I make these yummy Skinny Coconut Cupcakes & top them off with a Cadbury's Egg. They are SO good - if you like coconut & cream cheese :) Sadly Mason doesn't share my love for these cupcakes & refused to finish the one I gave him. I was shocked because this kid LOVES cupcakes but ones with coconut flavor?? Not so much.

Later that afternoon we went out for lunch & took Mase to get his hair cut. Then when we got home it as time for our annual Easter Egg dye festivities. Mase had a pretty good grasp of how to do it last year but this year? He was an absolute pro!

 

Mase & Mommy colored 2 dozen eggs while Daddy sat back, observed & took pictures! We did make him get a selfie though just to prove he was there participating :)

 

After we were done dyeing eggs, Mase took a bath, got ready for bed & then wanted to pose with all the Easter Eggs he had colored.

Then it was time for bed for this little guy. After he was fast asleep this Easter Bunny hid all the plastic-filled eggs around the house as well as his Easter basket!

Mase has been begging for those Paw Patrol figures for weeks now so he is going to be SO excited when he sees that the Easter Bunny left these for him!

This years holidays have been SO much fun now that Mason kind of gets what is going on. The excitement & joy he exudes is so much fun to watch & it just keeps getting better & better!

 

Re-Introduction

Even though I am a couple of months behind on my blog posts, I wanted to link up today with Kelly's Korner for her "Show Us Your Life" series for this weeks topic which is "introductions"! I have SO enjoyed reading this series on Kelly's blog & am excited to be joining all the other bloggers by introducing myself!

For those of you who are new to my blog - welcome :) If you are a regular here then please bear with me as I re-introduce myself! My name is Heather - otherwise known as HT (my initials in case you are wondering) & those two boys in the picture are the center of my world!

My blogging began in June 2008 & after just typing that I can't believe I have been blogging for almost 8 years!

I have been following Kelly's blog ever since before her first daughter was born when she too struggled with infertility. After reading about her struggles to get pregnant she made me feel like I wasn't alone & little does she know helped me to open up about my own struggles.

In March 2010 I started a blog called "Hoping, Wishing, Praying" to document our painful journey through our own infertility struggles. It was a place I could go to vent my frustrations, document our ups, downs, good times & the bad times on a crazy roller coaster of emotions. 2 1/2 years later I closed that blog & that chapter of my life when I was 21 weeks pregnant with our miracle baby. Today that miracle baby just turned 3 years old :) I continued to document the rest of my pregnancy over on this blog & I attempt weekly to try & keep up with it. Life with a toddler - the struggle is real :)

I use my blog mainly to keep our long-distance family & friends informed & up to date with the happenings in our life. Every now & then I conquer a serious subject but mostly I use this blog as a scrapbook of our lives.

So a little about me - I am a 43 year old Mama, wife & domestic diva :) I have been married to my husband Shane for 11 years & our little blessing Mason just turned 3 years old in January. I have worked in the healthcare field for 21 years as a Cardiac nurse & work full-time in the Cardiac Cath Lab performing all different kinds of heart procedures on patients.

I grew up on a farm in a small town in South Dakota. I am the oldest of 4 & have one sister & two brothers. I have lived in the Kansas City area for 17 years now & can't see myself living anywhere else....other than the beach!

I love (in no particular order) KU Jayhawks basketball (Rock Chalk), Mexican food, reading, gardening, Christmas, time spent with my family & girlfriends, traveling, reality TV, popcorn, red wine, the beach & our English Bulldogs - Bubba & Millie.

So that is me in a nutshell! Thanks for stopping by & I hope to get to know some of you better by catching up on your blogs!

Sous Chef

My little sous chef & I are back at it again! With Easter right around the corner, today we decided to whip up a batch of Easter Egg sugar cookies!

Mase loves to help me make sugar cookies! He has the best time rolling out the dough, using the cookie cutters to cut out the cookies & putting the sprinkles on them.

But if I had to guess, I think sampling his hard work would be his absolute favorite :)

I am so glad he loves baking just as much as his Mama!!

Ava Jean's Birthday Party

This little sweetie turned 3 this week & we were SO excited to be able to celebrate with her & her beautiful Mama!

We have known little Miss Ava Jean since the day she was born (exactly 6 weeks after Mase)! I absolutely loved going through my pregnancy journey at the very same time as my Mama bestie Jen! Now we are going through this journey of Mommy-hood together & we definitely have a bond that will never be broken!

 

These two have been hanging out together since Ava Jean was 2 days old...

And her Mama & I hope they will be hanging out together well past graduation from high school :)

We had the pleasure of attending Ava Jean's 3rd birthday party at Legacy Community Center in Lee's Summit for a Frozen themed swimming party. Jen did an amazing job with the all decorations, the cake & all the food! 

 

 

When we got to the community center we got changed into our swimsuits & than gathered around the table to eat snacks, sing Happy Birthday & then some yummy birthday cake!

After the fun birthday festivities it was time for some swimming!! All the kiddos (& even the adults) had fun splashing in the pool, going down the slide, wading through the lazy river - again & again!

 

Swimming & birthday party fun definitely wore my little guy out! After swimming for 1 1/2 hours it was time to make our way home. Miss Ava Jean & her Mama thanked us for coming & surprised the littles with a super cute Frozen-themed beach towel! We will definitely be using that a lot this summer at the pool!

 

Ugh - can't believe our littles are both 3 years old already! Time please slow the heck down :(



Swimming Playdate



We discovered a fun little place to go to today thanks to my Mommy friends. It is the Olathe Community Center - who knew this place could be so much fun!? I met the Mama's there with all our littles in tow & we all spent the afternoon swimming!

Mason & his best buddy Greyson

 

This place has the best little area for toddlers. It had a zero entry into the pool & the deepest it got was 2 feet. They had a huge coconut tree that had fun things for the kids to play with around the bottom & every 10 minutes it dumps a huge amount of water which scared the littles each & every time.

 

They also had huge shower head type things hanging from the ceiling that sprayed water down on the kiddos every 10 minutes which they loved.

The deeper area was blocked off by a wall so the littles couldn't accidentally swim into it which was nice. They had a lazy river that was super fun & 2 waterslides for the bigger kids, rock wall & diving platforms for the kiddos to jump off of.

 

After our afternoon of fun we all ventured out to a local Mexican restaurant for dinner & us Mama's were amazed at how well behaved all the kids were (two 5 year olds, two 3 year olds & one 2 year old).

As always, we all had so much fun together & am looking forward to many more outings to the community center in the near future!!