Cell Phone Dump

Some of the pics I am "dumping" to my laptop this week from my cell phone:

Getting Valentine cards in the mail is the BEST!

"I can still fit into the bouncy seat Mama"

Finally a day nice enough to open the sunroof! 

#selfiewhiledriving  #dangerous

 

Time again for a haircut!

Cruising with my little man!

Mason's teacher at daycare was sick so we made her a "get well" sign & texted it to her :)   #rockchalk

 Mason & Mama selfie that we sent Daddy!

V-Day Party 2015

We got to Mason's daycare this morning with the monster box, gifts, treats & Valentine's in hand & he was SO excited to give the gifts to his teachers & show them his Valentine box.

As we were talking to his teachers, a couple other Mom's from Mason's class came in carrying their treats, Valentines & boxes bags. Then came the snarky comments. 

As my little guy was proudly showing his box to his teachers I hear the one Mom say "Wow - that is quite an elaborate box for a 2 year old!" Then the other Mom saw his Valentine's for the littles laying on the counter (not knowing they were Mason's) & said "Wow - someone went a little overboard with their Valentine's didn't they?!" It took all I had to not say something sassy back to them. I just awkwardly smiled, kissed my little guy goodbye & got the heck out of there. 

All the way to work I was bothered by their comments. Maybe I did go a little "overboard" with his box. Maybe I do appear to be one of those "over-achiever Moms". Maybe they were just jealous they didn't have the time, energy or mad creative skills like this Mama did? 

Regardless of the answer I wasn't going to let those 2 other Moms ruin what was a fun & exciting evening & morning for me & my little man. I said it earlier - I ENJOY doing these things...especially with & for Mason. I'm not going to change what kind of Mama I am so those other Mama's are just going to have to deal with me for the next several years - or step up their game :)

So when I picked Mason up at the end of the day he had his box filled with candy & Valentine's & was SO excited to show me what was inside. When we got home he had so much fun pulling everything out of the "monster's mouth" & going over all his little paper Valentine's & candy from all his friends. 

After seeing all his little paper valentine's the other littles brought I kind of thought to myself that maybe the 2 year old room just wasn't ready for what this Mama has to bring. Perhaps I need to lay off the elaborate creations until he starts Kindergarten?! I just don't want him to be labeled as the kid with "that kind of Mama". Or maybe I am just blowing this whole thing out of proportion??

Hmmm - we will see what next year brings.

Valentine Party Eve

Valentine's Day is fast approaching & with another holiday = my creative juices start flowing :) Those of you who know me know that I LOVE to make crafty stuff - especially for Mason's class. Yes - I have been known to be one of those "over-the-top Mama's" & you know what? I don't care. I don't do it to show off or make other parents feel bad.....I do it because I enjoy it & love to create fun, crafty things not only for myself but for Mason as well.

Like last year, I needed to get something for Mason's teachers as well as make Mason's valentines for his class. I again turned to Pinterest for ideas & came up with some really cute things to make. I absolutely LOVE Pinterest!!

First, I needed to make/get his Toddler 1 teachers a "thank you" gift for all they have done for him throughout the year. They had so many teacher gift ideas on Pinterest it was hard to pick just one. I ended up making this M&M jar because I loved the little poem on the front & what it stood for. I also got them an insulated Tervis tumbler with their favorite sports team & filled it with candy as well as a gift card to Target:

I also gave these tumblers to his 2 male teachers in Toddler 2 for their Valentines gift & filled them with candy. Wasn't sure what to get two guy's I hardly know for Valentines Day from Mason so hopefully these work ok?!

For Mason's afternoon teachers, I made these M&M jars again just like I did last year. They are SO easy & cheap to make & who doesn't like M&M's? The tag says "It takes a big heart to shape little minds" - so cute!

Next on the list of creative items to make was Mason's valentines for his class party. I had seen these on Pinterest awhile back & "pinned" them to make in the future. They were little baggies filled with bubbles & Blow Pops with a cute little saying to go with them. Ziplock baggies, some scrapbook paper, stickers & a stapler & voila - you got yourself some cute Valentine's!

Mason's teachers had sent home a note the week before requesting they bring a Valentine box to his party along with 12 Valentines so I started looking online for a cheap, easy box to make. I came across a "monster" box that looked fairly easy to make. I wanted to involve Mason with the assembly of his box so I let him help me wrap, trace, cut & paste. He had SO much fun "helping" & was so excited to see his creation come together :)

Looking so forward to delivering all the teachers their gifts & hearing how Mason's little Valentine party goes! He is SO excited to bring his monster box to "school" & hand out his Valentines & secretly, so is his Mama :)

Park Play

It may be the middle of winter but for whatever reason Mother Nature has blessed us with one random beautiful 65 degree day & we took full advantage of it! 

Since we have been cooped up in the house most of the winter months, we took our afternoon outside to enjoy this awesome day! We first headed over to our usual park that we like to hang out at but after just 5 minutes we decided to go elsewhere due to all the mud on the playground. 

 

 Ugh - look at those shoes!!

We then went over to our local aquatic center where I had discovered an awesome little park & playground earlier this summer. Seems that quite a few other parents knew of this little gem also as it was hoppin' with little kids!

Mason had fun playing on all the equipment & even met some new little "friends" while there! As soon as the weather starts getting warmer out we are for sure heading back to this great little playground!

Cell Phone Dump

If you follow me on Instagram then most of you will have already seen these photos but for those of you who don't then lucky for you these will be new.

I have a huge fear that I will one day lose my cell phone along with the hundreds of pics on it so every couple of weeks I upload my photos from my cell into my laptop. I usually end up posting more pics/video on Instagram than I do Facebook & a lot of my friends & family aren't on IG so in order for them to see pics of Mase & what goes on in our lives, I thought it might be fun to do a post a couple of times a month called "Cell Phone Dump" - that is if I can keep up with it :)

So here are a few of my favorites from the last couple of months:

 

 Helping hang ornaments on the Christmas tree

 

Wearing Daddy's cowboy boots

Mase & I made his daycare teacher from the infant room a "get well card" & sent her this pic & yes, he is sporting a faux-hawk :)

Mase & Mama "selfie" that we sent Daddy

Millie says: "This looks like a good place to take a nap"

Watching TV with the bullies!

Bubba loves snuggles with Mama

 Playing drums - Daddy is starting him early!

Checking out the headphones at Target

Those eyelashes - LOVE!

 Came home from work late one night & found these two asleep in the chair!

 Lunch with Uncle Steve, Aunt Meghan & Caleb

Mickey Mouse in the House

Since Mason's 2nd birthday fell in the middle of the week & Daddy was out of town, I decided earlier in the week to throw him a birthday party on Saturday & invite just family over to help celebrate.

I debated for several months whether or not to throw him a big party & invite all his little "friends" or just do something small & private at home. I kept thinking back to when I was growing up & how my mom always made a big deal of our birthdays & how they were often celebrated at home with just family gathered all around. I didn't want to do nothing nor did I want his birthday to go "unnoticed" - even though he is only turning 2 & probably won't remember it. I decided since they had a party for him at daycare Wednesday & since we did it up big-time last year for his 1st birthday I decided to forego the BIG party & keep it very small & honestly, I don't regret it at all.

My brother lives in the metro area so I had invited him & his family over to help celebrate & they were happy to come & join in the fun. Unfortunately, my brother's wife had to work so it was just my brother & his step-son who came over.

Mason went down for a nap around 1pm & while he slept I started decorating. I went with a "Mickey Mouse" theme & got some red, yellow & black balloons, hung a birthday banner as well as some other Mickey Mouse decor, picked up the MM cake, got out all his presents & waited for him to wake up & see it all.

He woke up around 330pm & when he saw all the balloons his little face was in awe. He kept jumping up & down, squealing, pointing & saying "ba-oons" & that moment right there made all my efforts well worth every minute that I put into it. Of course my husband thought I went a little too overboard for an at-home party but I didn't care. He should know better - when planning a party, no matter how big or small, HT goes all out! Besides, nothing is too "overboard" for our child ;) When he saw Masons excitement he agreed it was well worth it!

Once my brother & Caleb got there we all sat down to eat Papa Murphy's pizza, then afterwards Mase opened all of his birthday gifts. Since Christmas, that boy has become a pro at opening some gifts! He ended up getting so many nice things from our friends & family. Mama & Daddy got him some Thomas the Train books as well as an easel which he absolutely loves!! 

 

After all the gifts were opened we lit candles on his birthday cake, sang Happy Birthday & enjoyed some yummy white cake - or as Mason likes to call it: "cay cay":)

It was a super fun afternoon spent with family celebrating our little mans birthday & I am SO glad I put forth the effort to throw this little guy a birthday party - even if it was small!  He loved every minute of it :)

Ugh - can't believe I am a Mama to a two year old?!

Goodbye Toddler 1

So today was not only Mason's birthday but it was also his last day in the Toddler 1 room at daycare. Not only was I upset about my little guy turning two, I was also upset that he would be leaving his friends & teachers in the Toddler 1 room. 

I personally have become attached to seeing his little "friends" in his class & I am going to miss seeing them everyday also. I know they are going to be right next door to him but it just won't be the same because I won't be dropping him off in this room or picking him up in this room like I do every single day.

I dropped him off this morning like I have done every morning for the past year & Ms. Tiffany & I both looked at each other & immediately got tears in our eyes :( Mason's last day was really hard on her also! She had blown up blue balloons & had them scattered all over the floor for his birthday as well as given us a gift bag with his birthday present in it. 

Sticking out of the bag was a huge card Ms. Tiffany had made for Mason & I noticed on the back of it she had written a long message. I knew it was going to be sweet & touching & would probably make me cry so I chose to ignore it. His other teacher Ms. Valerie has only been there for a few months & she also gave us a birthday gift bag which I thought was so very sweet of her. 

I had brought cupcakes that I had made the night before for all the "littles" to enjoy after lunch & Mason helped me "carry" them in. He was SO excited about having "cay-cay" at daycare!

I gave hugs & kisses to Mase like I always do, said goodbye to his teachers & walked out the door with tears welling up in my eyes. When I got to my car I lost it. Ugh - I don't know why this was affecting me so strongly or why I was so upset!? 

I managed to dry my tears & make my way into work thinking about my little man the whole day & hoping he was having a wonderful birthday at daycare. Later in the day Ms. Tiffany sent me this photo:

It just warms my heart how much Tiffany loves & cares for our little man & how much he loves her too! 

I left work a bit early, went to pick up Mase & we headed to his favorite place to eat for his birthday - Chick-Fil-A. 

 Cheeeeeese

Shane was unfortunately out of town for work so he wasn't able to join us but no worries - there is a birthday celebration planned for Saturday with Daddy after he gets back :)

After we were done eating, Mason played in the play-area for awhile & then we enjoyed a birthday chocolate chip cookie & some ice cream. If you have never had a cookie or ice cream from CF then you are seriously missing out!! They are A.Mah.Zing! Mase didn't even want to share his cookie with Mama they are THAT good but no worries - I managed to sneak a couple of bites when he wasn't looking ;)

Mama & Mase had so much fun together & we made sure to send Daddy lots of pics!

It was starting to get late so we headed home & I let him stay up a little bit longer to open a few presents.

He got a new book from Mama, some new race cars & a stuffed puppy from Ms. Tiffany as well as some Matchbox cars & a stuffed Mickey Mouse from Ms. Valerie. 

Then I remembered the birthday card Ms. Tiffany made. I opened it up & there inside were hand-prints from every little friend & his teachers in Toddler 1 with there name written next to each hand. I immediately burst into tears. 

Mason saw the hand-prints & got SO excited seeing them. He must have watched them do the prints because he was pointing to each hand & trying to say the name that went with the hand-print - so stinkin' cute! 

Then I struck up enough nerve to read the message Ms. Tiffany had written. Just as I suspected it was so very sweet & thoughtful & touching & I started tearing up all over again. Ugh - I just love her! I absolutely LOVE this card she made for Mason & will treasure it forever! Mason is SO very lucky to have been blessed with so many amazing people in his life & so many of them have come from his daycare!

We ended the evening by doing our usual routine - bath-time, story-time, prayers & singing. It wasn't 2 minutes into singing/rocking & he was asleep. Just as I have done hundred's of times before, before I laid him into the crib I thanked God for giving us this amazing little boy & how very appreciative I was for giving us the opportunity to be his parents. 

TWO

Last night after I had put Mason to bed I sat down on the top step to pet Bubba & shortly after I burst into tears.

Why??

Because my baby was turning two tomorrow. 

I know - it sounds ridiculous....or does it? Please tell me that this is normal behavior?

Anyone??? 

Today is a bittersweet day. My sweet little boy is turning two years old & it is also his last day in Toddler 1 at daycare :( The last part of that sentence deserves a post all by itself so I will have to write about that sad milestone another day. 

TWO years - 24 months - 104 weeks....that is the amount of time that has gone by since Mason was born & I remember that amazing day like it was yesterday:

(Mase minutes after he was born & today on his birthday)

At two years of age, Mase is becoming his own unique little individual & he is pretty awesome! His never-ending energy, sweet demeanor & creative little spirit makes him a truly remarkable little human being & I feel SO privileged to be his Mama.

Weight: Mason had his 2 year appointment this week & weighed in at 29 lbs (80th percentile) & is 36 inches tall (90th percentile). Since his last appointment at 18 months old he only gained 1 lb but grew a crazy 5 inches! The pediatrician told us he will probably be at least 6' tall once he is done growing which makes us both happy since we are secretly hoping for a future as a KU basketball player :) He is wearing 24 mos/2T clothing, size 5 diapers & has a 7.5 shoe size. He also went from wearing a wide shoe to now a regular so he is definitely slimming down & getting tall. Ugh - I just wish he would stop growing so darn fast!!

Eating: Whenever Mase is hungry, he will sign & say "eat" & is really good at letting us know. Some of his favorite foods are chicken, fish, pasta, sausage, apples, bananas, strawberries, yogurt, eggs, cheese, ice cream, peanut butter, cereal & Chick-Fil-A. He is still not a fan of hamburger & green veggies. We recently got rid of the nightly bottles, he drinks with a sippy cup or through a straw & is eager to drink from a regular cup...supervised of course :) He signs/says "more" & "all done" as he pushes his plate & cup out of the way when finished.

Sleeping: This has been my greatest challenge by far as a parent & only because I have totally enabled my child....I will admit it. For the last 6 months, Mase would wake up in the middle of the night, I would immediately get up, go in & change his diaper, put him in bed with us, give him a bottle & he would sleep like an angel until 6am. 

After many nights of interrupted sleep (while my husband slept like a baby) & with his upcoming 2 year appointment looming in the back of my mind, I decided it had to stop....the co-sleeping AND the bottle of milk. SO that is what we did. "Operation CIO" began on a Monday night & after 3 very LONG, tiring & upsetting nights I am happy to say by Friday I had a little guy who slept from 8pm-6am without waking up, we have gotten rid of the bottle & Mama is finally getting some sleep!! Let me tell you, it was bittersweet for me to get rid of that bottle. It made me realize that my baby is no longer a "baby" & I will probably never make another bottle again :(

He has his special blanket, pillow & stuffed puppy that he always has to sleep with & he still has the paci at nap-time & bed-time. Will be working on getting rid of the paci in the near future!

Milestones:
- Mase is talking all the time & has recently started putting together 2-3 word sentences. He says "where's Daddy/Mama/Bubba/Millie?" "want another one" "what's that?". He probably says about 40+ words - some are harder to understand than others but I can usually figure out what he is saying. I have to "interpret" his speech for Daddy quite often :)
- Can understand & comprehend what we say to him.
- Uses a fork & spoon really well when eating.
- Can throw a ball, runs (which is sooo cute), kicks the ball forward.
- Can name all his body parts, points to our body parts & the dogs body parts when asked.
- Hide & Seek has become his favorite game & we all "play" at least once a day.
- Loves to help Mama vacuum & clean around the house.

- Tries to brush his teeth, wash his hands & dry them by himself.
- Loves to listen to music, sing & dance & will "sing" along with some of the songs. No idea what the words are but you can tell he is trying to sing along :)
- He has started to have an opinion about what he wants to wear, what he wants to eat & want he wants to do....already at 2 years of age!!

This precious boy continues to be a blessing to our lives & I can't imagine not having him in it! He is such a cool little dude & amazes me everyday to all the new things he is learning, doing & saying! We are looking SO very forward to what this next year has in store for us!!

We love you so very much little Bubba :)

Playdate

Today Mase & I met our "besties" Jen & Miss Ava Jean for a play-date! It had been awhile since we had our "littles" together to play so it was SO very good to see the both of them!

We met at our "usual" place - Monkey Bizness & the littles had much fun running around & jumping in all the inflatables:

When Jen & I take the littles to places like this we always end up getting strange looks from the other parents because we are one of  "those" moms. The moms who are actually involved with their kids, interact with them & actually play with them in the inflatables. We bounce around with our kids & slide down the slides with them & keep a close eye on them as they are running around. I have been there numerous times with Shane & Jen & each time we are the only ones that I have ever seen in the bouncies with our kids.

The day we were there was CRAZY busy. There must have been 50 kids & twice as many parents there. One little guy was running around who looked younger than Mason & Ava & he seemed to be everywhere Mase went.  He was constantly needing help up the ladder & into the bouncy & his parents were nowhere to be found. I seriously could have walked out with that little boy & pretty sure his parents would have had no clue. I asked him where his mommy or daddy was & he pointed to where his mommy was & there she was - face down in her phone not paying any attention to where her kid was or who he was talking with. I continued to watch her to see if she would look up & acknowledge her child & about 10 minutes went by before she looked up & spotted her kid. Ugh....

It amazes us both how many parents are face down on their cell phones there not having a clue where there kid is or what they are doing. I suppose when they get a bit older we won't feel the need to go in the bouncies with them but I sure as heck am not going to be nose buried into my phone not knowing where my kid is or who he is interacting with.

Right now it is hard for them to crawl up the ladder to the slide & the bigger kids can be brutal & scare them jumping around in there so we are always in there with them & you know what - I like it that way.

After the littles exhausted themselves in Monkey Bizness we stopped in to the fish store on our way out the door. They were both fascinated by the lizards, fish & bunnies in the store:

We SO love our play-dates with Miss Ava Jean & her Mama! I just love the thought of these two growing up together & sharing so many memories with them both!!

Game-Night

It has been quite some time since the ladies gathered for our monthly "game-night" & with the holidays behind us we all agreed a get-together was way past due.

Jilly had recently moved from her house into a luxury "villa" so we ended up gathering at her new place & everyone got a tour of her beautiful, new pad! 

(HT, Michelle, Jilly)

Everyone had brought an appetizer & as usual there was a huge spread of yummy food, a huge selection of beverages & much catching up was done as we all hadn't been together for awhile - or at least HT hadn't been with this group for awhile!

Later in the evening we all got our phones out, checked available dates & got some upcoming game-nights & events on the calendar - which is pretty amazing seeing how very busy everyone is!

(HT, Michelle, Melissa, Emily)

Looking so very forward to our upcoming adventures with these fun ladies in 2015!