I Love This Grinch

Dylan got to be the Grinch in the Kindergarten Christmas play. He did such an awesome job. It was complete with a "Grinchy" growl & everything!

A New Recipe

We have a new recipe for a yummy cupcake. It takes a while to bake. Ours won't be ready until April 3, 2010. This time we're going to put PINK frosting on it!

Spotlight Stealer

So you're turning 6.
Does it get any worse than having to cancel your much anticipated trip to Chuck E. Cheese because you have picked up the joy that is hand/foot/mouth disease? You would think not.
What if even your "household members only" party gets upstaged by your little brother who has to be admitted to the hospital for dehydration ? Drat. Little spotlight stealer,Logan.
So you have to spend your birthday away from your fun-lovin' parents and even agree to not have any birthday cake until your little brother can. Too kind of you.
Then the bugger comes home with presents! What kind of world is this? It's your birthday and yet the nurses give him a new blanket, a puzzle, some play-doh, a coloring book and markers, a Lightning McQueen Color Explosion thing, and a board game.

I don't know about this whole turning six thing.

How is Mason?

It has been about six months since Mason had tubes and was introduced to a world full of sound. He's making huge progress and it seems like he learns something new everyday. Before the surgery he could say "Daddy" and sign "milk". Now he says and/or signs about 20 words. Not a huge vocabulary for a two year old, but a whole new world has been opened up for him.

Six months ago, when we asked him to go get his shoes, he would stare at us as if perhaps we were sprouting another head. Now, if we tell him that we're leaving he gets excited and says "shoes, shoes, shoes!" and runs to go get them.

I would actually like it if he learned to say "no." If he doesn't like what you're doing, he just bites you. Ouch!

He has started calling me "Mommy" although it would make his life easier if I would please just answer to Dad or Dude (something his big brothers are teaching him).

Fasting: It Isn't for Everyone

Poor little Dylan had to be sedated for some dental work earlier this week. This meant that he had to fast. His appointment wasn't until 12:30. He was allowed water or juice up until 8:30, but after that he couldn't have anything at all. So, so rude. Here's a sampling of what that morning was like:
-- Mom, could I Puh-LEAZE have something? Anything?
--No, sweetie, I'm sorry. If you eat something, it'll make you sick when you go to the dentist.
--Oh, yeah? Well, if I don't get something to eat RIGHT NOW I'm gonna die. Would you rather I was sick or would you rather I die?
--You're not gonna die, sweetie.
--Yes, I will. I'm gonna count down from 10. When I'm done, that's it. I'm dead, unless you let me eat. 10, 9, 8,7-
--Wait, wait, wait. Can I have your DS when you're gone? (I know, so mean)
--No. Nobody gets to touch any of my stuff. I want you to keep my bedroom door closed and just look at it sadly as you walk by.
Of course, you all know me. I can't make it five minutes without eating something. I was hiding in the pantry wolfing down some potato chips. I'm a closet junkie.
12:30 couldn't get here soon enough. He did great at the dentist. He had to get one tooth pulled, (amongst other things) which he put under his pillow for the tooth fairy. She left him $5, which I have insisted means that she simply prepaid for ALL of his baby teeth, not just that one.

First Day

Today was Dylan's first day of Kindergarten. He has to wake up a lot earlier than he's used to. I was worried that he would want to sleep in, but he was awake bright and early this morning! He was so excited that it was finally time to go to school! His teacher's name is Mrs. Kerr and here are some highlights of his day:

* Sitting on the big rug
* Watching Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
*Putting his picture up on the coconut tree
*P.E. in the big gym where he learned all about the fire drill.
*Learning some Spanish. He told me "Buenas dias" when I picked him up.
*Playing with a new friend named Braden.
* Having a snack
The best part of all? RECESS of course!

I was so happy when Dylan finally agreed to let me walk him to his class, but apparently it was too much for him when I tried to hold his hand. Moms can be so embarrassing. I held up fairly well though, and made it without crying.

Just Curious

Let's say your neighbor runs over your kid's bike. It is totally ruined and you need to buy a brand new bike. Who covers the bill? Just curious. Don't hold back on me. I want your honest opinion.

Why We Were Late For Church

An Accident or Two

Last week Ryan & I decided to go see a movie. Mason decided to make some trouble for the babysitter while we were out. He saw his brothers climbing up the rockwall on the swingset & figured, if they could do it, so could he. He made it up just fine. Going down was the hard part. We took him in for an xray the next morning. Turns out he fractured his collar bone. There's not a whole lot that can be done for that. By Monday, we could tell he was in even more pain. We took him back in to the doctor. Over the weekend, he managed to dislocate his collar bone. They put him in a brace that he wears underneath his shirt. He'll have it on for a couple more weeks. Wait, it gets better...




The doctor prescribed some pain meds for Mason to help him sleep. While I was gone for 10 minutes to get the medicine, Dylan decided to climb a little rope. He fell down hard & bonked his head. He ended throwing up that night because he had a mild concussion. He's totally fine now. So far, Logan's been OK. knock on wood....

Can You Hear Me Now?

Our little Mason isn't really the talkative type. In fact, I consider it a good day if I can get him to say "Mama". After lots of run-around & whatnot, we thought we'd get his hearing checked. He failed the hearing test three times. Turns out his cute little ears were full of fluid & that's why he's not talking much yet. The doctor said it's like us trying to master Spanish with our ears plugged... a bit challenging to say the least. We took him to the hospital this morning and he had tubes put in both ears. He's a bit worn out, of course, but all went well.

This is just wrong....

Not too long ago, I was sitting at the kitchen table working on the computer. A sweet little boy, Bogan *, climbed up behind me and started playing with my hair. I think he likes to try and put it in knots. This was heavenly to me because I love having my hair played with, but only ever so gently. He was only styling with one hand at a time, which was odd, but whatever. Then my world came crashing down. What sniff in the sniff world sniff is that sniff smell!?! Apparently, Bogan had an itchy bum crack and was stylin' with one hand and scratchin' with the other and periodically switching hands.

* Names have been changed to protect the not so innocent.

As Seen On TV

I LOVE info-mercials. I could watch the same ones over and over again. It's a wonder I don't have more random things than I do. ProActiv.... BareMinerals.... Core Secrets... Windsor Pilates... Bring it on. I am such a sucker. Oooh, especially for random "must have" cooking utensils. So my latest "gotta try it" was the Debbie Meyer GreenBags. You've seen it, I'm sure. You put your produce in these green bags (ahh, clever) and it's supposed to make stuff last much longer. On the back of the box there's a few pictures of veggies stored in the green bags and the same type of veggies in "regular storage" (per the box). I'm sorry, but I don't know who's tomatoes can get that nasty. What are you keeping them in? The trunk of your car? I thought I would try them because I love to eat salad, but it never lasts long. Here's the problem.... In order for the bags to work at their highest potential, the food needs to go in dry. Hmm... a no- can- do for salad. (I haven't seen a good info-mercial for salad spinners yet. ) If the bag collects moisture, you're supposed to wipe it out on a regular basis. So, sorry Debbie Meyer, but I'm not a believer.

So, you know you watch 'em too. What do you love or hate that you saw on TV?

Night Owl

I'm one of those Moms that rarely gets disturbed if the kids climb in my bed at night. I know, GASP! I sometimes end up kicked out of my own bed. Just clear a space for me, I'm not picky. There's a lot of bed-hoppin' going on at our house. For the most part, Mason is a good sleeper except for when he's sick. He's got a little cold now, so he had the hardest time going to sleep last night. I have no problem holding him and even letting him snuggle in my bed next to me when he's not feeling well. Usually that calms him right down, and once he falls asleep, I take him back to his room. Well, I brought him in with me last night and I was the one who fell asleep. A few short minutes later I woke back up because I thought I heard little baby feet pitterin' around down stairs. Sure enough, the little munchkin escaped from my bed. When I saw what he was doing, I just had to sit on the stairs and watch for a minute. Keep in mind, this all happened at 3 in the morning. He was running laps around the kitchen and living room just as fast as his little legs could handle. It was so funny. I've never seen him run so fast and he just did not quit. He was crawling underneath the table and then running in circles around the bar. He'd run over to the front door and slap it as hard as he could. Maybe that was his finish line. He did this 10 times! I'm wondering if one of his brothers spiked his sippy cup.

Focus on the kid, not the mess. Thanks.

Maser

Hey baby. My name is Mason and I'm a Leo. As in lion, RoAr. I enjoy long walks, but sometimes I still think it's easier just to get down and crawl. My favorite foods include cheese slices, yogurt and whatever you're eating. If you're munching on a Snickers, you'd best be givin' me a taste. I'm not so much up for watching movies. I prefer instead to find random things and bang them against the TV as hard as I can. My dad LOveS that, I'm sure of it. In my spare time, I enjoy playing in the toilet. You should see my Mom's face when she finds me splashing around in there. One time I got in the linen closet, opened up a brand new roll of TP and threw it in the toilet. I bet she thinks I'm so smart. I'll have to do that again sometime. I also like to keep things clean. One time I thought my dad's xbox controller looked a little dirty, so I threw it in the bathtub. What would my parents do without me? I am a huge fan of healthy teeth. I love to brusha brusha brusha. I'm still in search of the perfect toothbrush, so I hope you don't mind if I try yours every now and then. I'm starting to get good at tantrums. I like to bury my face in the carpet and stick my booty clear up in air. Most of the time, I'm a pretty cool cat. My motto in life: Don't get your Pampers in a bunch. Take it easy and go with the flow. Maybe we could hang out sometime.