Goodbye 2009!

Sheesh! It's already New Year's Eve! Feels like I was just doing this last year. It's hard to imagine that the year is over, and yet that's what my calendar is telling me.

2009 has been an interesting year. I don't want to label it as a bad year per say, but it's definitely held its challenges. The year held some interesting financial challenges for our family as Tim's income was cut, severely taking out the option of my staying home with Mason for now. We faced surgery on Mason's ears and adenoids after chronic infections and health issues, which didn't help finances. You know how it goes, when it rains it pours. And of course there was always some sort of family drama somewhere to be flaring up, so in many ways the year has been difficult.

And if I look only at the challenges, it would be quite easy to say it was a "bad" year. When in fact, there were a lot of positive things to come out of all of the challenges. God's good like that, always working things out for good. Because of the scale backs and the cut backs, Tim and I grew closer in our relationship with God. We had to trust He would provide the money for the needs we had, because we could no longer put our trust in a bank account figure. We learned the importance of God's timing in situations as He showed His divine will when we felt impatient or unsure. We learned that God will always come through for us, no matter how bleak something seems or how trivial it might appear to someone else, He really does care for our individual needs. We cut back on all the unimportant things and invested our time and effort in what counts, and because of that we've grown.

This year held some wonderful changes as well. We switched churches, more out of need for change, than because of a problem, but it was a good choice. After a few weeks of hunting, we found that DC3 would be a good match for our family and our lives. The people there showed their slogan, "Real love, real people" is truly their heart, as they embraced us and welcomed us in. I started working in the 3 year old class at church, and while I was unsure about it, and have only done it a couple weeks, I felt an overwhelming love for the little ones in the class.

Mason's health has improved post surgery and we've been grateful for everyday of health he has. He's growing so much and so smart about so many things. It's a miracle to just watch him bloom. He was able to get into speech with a super kind therapist and she's helping him work through some struggles he has.

I could go on and on about saying goodbye to good friends and meeting new ones, job changes at work, etc.  but it just comes down to for every tunnel there was a light and for every valley a hill. God showed Himself all the time. I didn't always look, and at times I didn't want to acknowledge, but God was there through it all.

I know all years aren't full of sorrows, and not every year will hold prosperity. Life happens in cycles and we need to learn and grow from each one to prepare for the next phase. 

So goodbye 2009, welcome 2010. I don't know what the year will hold, but I know the One who holds it, and that's enough for me.

Why I Blog.....

I was thinking about why I blog...... Because I've gotten so used to typing that a handwritten journal would take too long for my short patience. Seriously, though, I blog because I'm very quick to forget about my past experiences both good and bad. But I need to remember them, because it's through them that I see God working in my life and I'm reminded of everything good He does for me.

I was going to blog about people tonight. I was going to rant and rave about how people annoy me when they want everything in life to be according to them, how they don't want to see the truth in front of them, blah blah blah.....

Then I took a look at some of my past blog entries and my heart softened. My spirit opened and God just gave me a sense of peace. So I blog because I need to remind myself of things in life that are worth remembering. Lessons learned and the ones that I should have learned. And I do it publicly because maybe one day someone who needs to read it as much as I do might actually see it and it will touch them. Because I'm not about hiding my life.

Nice start to the week

Ahh.... It's Monday morning and I didn't have to go to work. Such a nice feeling..... Mason has very nicely been playing which has allowed me to do two loads of laundry and clean the house.

We're now enjoying homemade smoothies :) I love break time. I don't mind housework when I'm home to enjoy the house, and be the one making the mess.

I've got a doctor's appointment later, then maybe the hubby and I will go out to dinner. I know this week is going to fly by because I want it to go slow, but I'm going to savor every minute of it.

Art Caddy Here!

So after finally getting a new card reader, I've uploaded pictures of the art caddy I made for Skyler's Christmas present. I'm still waiting for her to get her box and hear how it works out for her.

WHEH! It's Christmas

Now that the presents have been opened, the food eaten and naps taken. It's hard to imagine all the work is done and we're at the end of Christmas. Little Man was so overwhelmed with all the presents, yeah I'm the mom who wraps each little thing so he has millions to open, that we had to take a break, play for a while and then finish when Papa and Grammy came over for lunch.

It's been a great day. I was so excited last night about "Santa coming" and wanting everything to be great for little man, that I hardly slept last night, but oh well. Mason's winning presents were his super cool new Buzz and McQueen sippy cups, a red laser light for Mocha, and his talking Buzz and Woody dolls.

From 7 to 9 this morning we sat and opened presents and watched Mason oh and ah at toys and jammies and books. We stopped to open all the ridiculous twist ties and plastic boxes so Mason could get some toys in use. Everyone got ready for Papa and Grammy to come, and we had a feast of a lunch with some great Daddy grilled steaks and my yummy potato crisps. After eating for a few hours we then took a short nap and got to more playing.

I've been collecting little gifts for the past few months when I found them on clearance so it's been great. I had a ton of things to wrap, which was a pain, but Mason loved opening things. Of course some toys will get put away for later on, so that the novelty of everything doesn't wear off. And between all the family getting him gifts only a couple of toys were duplicated, so it's nice to not have too many returns.

It's Christmas. My husband and son are outside on the playground. My sister and brother in law are resting from the Mason whirlwind, and our home has been blessed by an abundance of love. In spite of the challenges this year, God has been abundantly good.

Off to go play with my boys and enjoy the rest of the day :)

A quiet moment for mom to think

It's quiet. Well almost. There's a car in the box of Mason's cars that randomly spins it's wheels and I' haven't gone fishing to turn off the battery yet, but other than that, my house is quiet. While I should have taken a serious nap, I rested and let my mind think and enjoy the quiet a bit. Much different than it was a couple of hours ago with a dozen or so 2 and 3 year olds running around.

We did our "Once Upon a Time Healthy Mom's Group" Christmas party at our house this morning. The group has evolved quite a bit over the 3 years. Geeze! We've celebrated 3 Christmases together now. Time seems to pass by in a blink of an eye. In the last 3 years we've gone from new moms following Vicki around doing all our Kegel exercises and obsessing over every baby thing, to more secure moms who will eat cookies for the holidays, work off the calories later of course :) to not freaking out about every cry and even to being a mom twice over. While our group has lost our founder, to a newer and better job, and even had to say good bye to our mother hen Wendy, we've grown a bit too. We've had some new faces and new babies join. We've been through arguments, hurt feelings and new beginnings. Through it all, we've just kinda been there for each other. Some of us have bonded better with some than others, but having had the support and openness of the other moms for the past 3 years has been a miracle.

I was at the mall with a friend yesterday and we were watching our toddlers play together. An older mom of school aged children was next to us alone and watching us and our kids when she remarked how much she missed the age of toddlers. How she missed the mom's groups and the getting out with other moms and all that. It made me think about how sad it will be when our kids grow up and are in school, but I hope that our mommy group will evolve with that change as well and we'll be able to stick together in some way to be there with each other as all our kids grow up. Because as much as our kids need one another, we need each other too.

So to Casie, Michelle, Katherine, Nydia, Callie, Julie, Molly, Melissa, Stella, Rachel, Amy, Jade, Amanda, and of course Wendy, thanks to a great three years. Thanks for the holiday parties, the tears, jokes, celebrations, birthday parties, girls nights out and in, support, love and of course cupcakes. :)

Happy and Frustrated

After a lazy weekend with the boys, well we were busy, just not productive with cleaning or household tasks, I've finally straightened the house, put away the craft stuff and finished my art caddy box!!!! I'm so excited. It looks so cute and if it wasn't in a color scheme that would match Skyler's room, I'd almost keep it for my own stuff.

I want to post a picture because while a few areas have a crooked stitch here and there, it was a crazy difficult pattern and took a day to figure out and two days to make, but it's done. Now my silly card reader won't work and read my card, so I can download my pictures. GRRR! Figures though. So I'm so happy to be done, and it look cute, but super annoyed that I can't post a picture!

Oh, well I guess that means I should go to bed :)

Christmas Vacation!

I've survived! It's finally here, Christmas break! 2 weeks of being home, no traveling to do, no obligations, nothing but what I choose to plan for the next 2 weeks! So with the thought of being a lazy daisy and staying home, I realized I've already book up my first week off! I've got a lunch date in Brandon with Cassie and Annelisse, Kids Christmas party I'm hosting with Moms Group, speech class and chiropractor appointments, birthday party, Christmas cookie baking, Christmas at Papa's house, plus family coming in for the holiday weekend.

Oh well, I love it. I'm not worrying about anything but having fun with my little man and just being a mommy and wife for the next two weeks. We're going to have fun on our day trips and enjoy sleeping in bed a little longer and smoothies in the morning!

I've made it through half a school year, and that just means I've only got half to go when I return. Until then, I'm loving the cool weather, the playground and the memories I'm making with my wonderful guys.

All of a sudden

It's always funny how everything happens "all of a sudden" in life. Things are nice and calm, and I anxiously await for something to happen and then when everything happens all at once, I can't wait for the calm. :) So silly of me I guess, but it's God reminding me again to enjoy the still moments and get ready for the chaos.

Just a few more days of work and then into my jam-packed, busy, "stay at home" but never going to be home, Christmas vacation. :)

10 Days till Christmas and I can't wait!

Happy Birthday to me :)

Happy Birthday to me! I love birthdays. Not just my own, but anyone of my friends or family. It's just a fun thing to celebrate and a great reason to party!

Little man slept in this morning, so no mid-morning wake up call! Tim started my morning out with a beautiful charm bracelet, and I had a great day at work with ice cream cake :) The kids even behaved in classes!

Then Nana treated us to a dinner out and Mason did a great job through the long ordeal at Outback. Now we're home and playing with Mason before bedtime. It's been a great day.

While the past year has held its fair share of struggles and challenges, I'm now a year wiser and have had a year of experiences to guide me through the next one. 25 was a good year, but this next one is going to be better. I don't feel much older, but I certainly feel wiser and happier about the coming year than I had last year. I have a wonderful God and look forward to what He's going to do for me this year and how He's going to use me in His plan.

So here's a big thank you to my parents for all they've done for me, my husband and my son for all their love and my God for being so good. I can't wait to write about all the great things for the next birthday :)

Black Friday

So yesterday I read all the ads, talked with Tim about what we needed to get if anything and our plan of attack for the "Black Friday" madness. We had PLANNED on getting up early, going to get Mason a wagon at Toys R Us and then meeting up with Tim's mom and sister at Target to get a few deal there, run to the mall and get going south to hit up Joanns and the outlets in Estero.

Well, we slept through the alarm and the snooze. Thank goodness my SIL called to ask me a question about something she was going to pick up for us, otherwise we would have missed out. We made it in time to stand in line for the last few minutes of waiting at Target, but other than the 15 min in the cold outside, we had a rather easy time this Black Friday :)

I did get some great deals on a few things, such as craft items, awesome sneakers at Puma and some home things at Target. But my best, most excited about item was of course for my little man. We weren't able to get his wagon, but we did manage to get him a little leather armchair on sale this morning. It looks just like Tim's and I hope he'll love it.

So the madness is over. I have a few things to return that I'm not sure I want, a few more things to pick up, a couple of presents left undone, and then we'll be all set for the Christmas season to come.

28 days til Christmas!!!!!!

Christmas Photo Shoot

I LOVE pictures. I love to take them and I love having them taken of us. This past weekend we had a couple from church who own, L'Espirit Photography do a photo session for our Christmas photos. I can't wait to see the samples and then get some Christmas cards made.

Pictures to come soon, I hope :)

One of those phone calls

You know those phone calls that happen in the middle of the night? The one that wakes you suddenly from a dead sleep. The kind of phone call you know will only bear bad news because bad news always comes at night, it can never wait. Good news isn't something we wake people up to share. The kind of phone call that makes your mind race wondering where your family is and if their okay before you dare answer the phone. Yeah, that phone call.
I got one of those calls this morning. The first thing that came to mind was that it would be my dad's health. When the relief came that it wasn't Dad, then the panic struck because is was my sister in law. Panic again, was it one of the kids?
She quickly got out the information that my bro in law was in the ER for heart pain that turned out to be fluid around his heart. The team in town couldn't treat it so they were going to send him by ambulance to SMH up in Sarasota and my SIL was too tired to drive. I quickly got dressed and brushed my teeth and headed to the ER.
As I drove to the E.R. a million thoughts rushed through my head about them. All the "what if" and "what now" questions that naturally run through your mind. Then as I waited for a light to turn green, I started to pray. Remembering that God was in control of all and purposes all for His good will. And my spirit settled and my peace grew. Knowing I couldn't do anything in my power to change things but that I could pray for God's great hand to work His mighty ways, reassured my spirit that all would be okay. I knew I had to have peace in order to help my SIL have peace through everything as well. It turns out everything is going to be okay. An infection turned out to be the culprit of the cause of the fluid. They are giving him antibiotics and hoping it will clear out the fluid. A night in the hospital for observation they hope to release him tomorrow.
This morning helped me be grateful for the people in my life who I could lean on when I get a middle of the night phone call. I know there are a slew of people who would help me out if I needed it. But most importantly I'm so grateful for knowing my God is in control of my life and walking through everything with me. And when the phone calls at night happen and I know they will, I have a God I can call on to be there.

10 Things I love about Mason

• Mason going to the pantry and getting food when he's hungry. (He's such a little man.)
• The way Mason carries his Woobie with him everywhere.
  
• How much Mason loves to play with his friends.
  
• Mason curls up in bed with me in the mornings and when I try to get up he hits my pillow and tells me to stay.
  
• When Mason's super tired and laying down with me, he sticks his arm or leg in the air for me to scratch me.
  
• When Tim and I kiss in front of him, he gets all silly and wants to be kissing us too.
  
• The way he says please when he wants something, but just says please and not what he actually wants.
  
• How much Mason loves cars and trucks and tractors and all things that move.
  
• That Mason is a great sleeper and does so well at bedtime 99.9% of the time.
• The way Mason brings books to us at night and holds our hands and uses them to point at the pictures he wants us to read to him.
  

Good mommy night.

Last night was a great mommy night. Tim had to pick up Mason as I had a doctor appointment and when I got home, Mason was all about mommy.

We ate dinner in the big recliner together, (not our usual dinner practice, but it was a quick meal) split a milkshake for dessert, read 6 books together under our fuzzy blanket, (we got through about 60% of an entire George story, which was really good for his attention span) played with his cars, and then he wanted the lights dark so we shut off the lights, chilled in the recliner and I scratched his back and tummy.

No computers, no t.v., no phone calls. Just Mason and mommy spending the night together doing whatever he wanted. He curled up on my lap, gave me a kiss and I haven't had such a great evening in a while. I put him to bed and just stood at his crib side grateful for such a wonderful night. Nights that refresh me as a mom and strengthen him as my son. Just good mommy nights.

Yuck!

Saturday morning as we were preparing to get ready for breakfast and our trip to the pumpkin patch, I was in my room digging for clothes in my drawer and trying to make the bed when little man came into my room from his with his shoes and favorite car shirt. I had told him we were going to get in the shower soon, so I didn't think much of his walking into the bathroom.

I was literally mere moments from following him in there when he emerged from the bathroom with a wet shoe. Instantly my mind processed where he could have gotten the shoe wet.....

Sink was too high. Shower wasn't on yet, and there was no bath running. Oh no, the toilet. My very not toilet bowl playing son had finally dunked a toy in the toilet. When I went to the bathroom, about a nanosecond after my brain processed where the shoe got wet, I quickly found his shirt soaked as well as the shoe. YUCK!

Well after doing the mommy thing, making a big deal out of the issue, letting little man know in a stern yet calm voice that toilets are not in anyway acceptable play places and quickly sticking him and myself in the shower, Mason began to cry. He got the clue it was a bad idea, but what bothered him the most was that we refused to let him hold the toilet soaked truck shirt.

I know boys do things like this when they're little, hence why I've seen toilet locks at people's homes, but I had hoped to bypass that stage of a boy's life. I guess I didn't get so lucky. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to not have to go through this again.

Needless to say all the toilets in my house are severely sanitized just in case, and there is a greater awareness of his location in the bathroom. :)

Mason's Pumpkin Shirt

So last week I got the idea in my head to make my own holiday shirts for Mason this year. I scouted out the fabric, cut out templates and started the project. The pumpkin shirt didn't turn out too bad. I'm thinking next year I'll post them online and sell them if I can. I've got a turkey shirt in the works for Thanksgiving. :) Tell me what you think about it.

New floors

I HATE carpets in a house. Well in our house that is, mostly because of our dog!

The reason in part is because they collect allergens and germs and more germs. Tile and wood are so much easier because I can vacuum and mop them and sanitize to my heart's content. So when mom offered new flooring for our office, we jumped on the offer. My wonderful husband did all of the flooring and while most it was done in one night, it took a couple extra nights to get it finished and cleaned up. But I gladly traded a messy home for a few nights for wonderful floors.

Photoshoot

Every year we've decided to make a big deal out of birthdays. We always want Mason to know that the day he blessed our lives with his presence is important to us. So after the big birthday party we got in touch with Nicole Adams who does some great children and family location photography to do some pictures for us. She was so incredibly patient with our busy little 2 year old, and the photos came out great.

Mason's Monster Mania

Believe it or not, I've been working on Mason's 2nd party since right after he turned 1. I know it's crazy, but I love party planning. I love the creativity process required to think about something and then the hunt to find what you need and perfecting things. Granted, with all that time I still ran out of time to make things more perfect, but Mason had a great time with his friends and we had a lot of fun planning his Monster Mania.

The favors were the most fun to make because I seriously made a dozen monsters before deciding on the last ones. The house was decorated with such wonderful monster posters thanks to Molly. She did a fantastic job painting them.

It was just wonderful to see so many people come to celebrate my little boy. I'm so blessed to have people who love him.

Disney Birthday Fun

Mason turned 2 and we went to Disney. There are too many pictures to post, so to consolidate, I made collages of some of the day's events.

Been a while

It's been a while since my last blog update, not because things are slow, but rather because so much has happened I haven't had a chance to stop and blog. The biggest thing was Mason's 2nd birthday. Holy moley, he's 2 already. Seems like just yesterday we found out we were pregnant. The last 2 years have been a roller coaster of such emotion, mostly joy and so much learning and growing, for Mason and ourselves as parents.

On top of the birthday excitement, we were blessed to have Nana come and visit us for a week to celebrate Mason's birthday. We went to Disney on his birthday last week and had such a blast. The weekend was filled with party time and tons of family and friends came over to bounce in the monster truck bounce houses. I either need a bigger home, or less friends. Neither of which will be happening soon, so I think next year the party will be planned in an alternative location :)

More than anything, it's nice to take a moment and step back from the busyness of it and just enjoy the wonderful blessings the busy weeks have given me. That and sift through the thousand pictures that were taken :)

Mommy's Little Man

 

When we went up to Tampa for Annalisse's baptism, we tried to get a picture of Mason all dressed up with me. As you can tell from the 3 best shots, it was no easy task. He was more interested in the golf cart across the way. But Daddy got Mason to give me a kiss and Tim snapped a shot in time. He's a busy little man, but I wouldn't have life any other way :)

My little model

Some friends of ours came out with us today to play in the pool. Before that I was able to get some good shots of Jonas playing in the grass.




Some friends of ours came out with us today to play in the pool. Before that I was able to get some good shots of Jonas playing in the grass.

Tent Time

Mason's new thing is taking mine or Tim's hand and leading us around to where he wants to go or to what he wants us to get for him. So the other night I was led to the tent. Such little things make the little guy so happy. It would have been easy to tell him no, Mommy doesn't feel like sitting on top of the toys and squishing into the tent, but his face was so sincere in his asking, how could I possibly say no.

What fun it was anyway. We squished ourselves in and all the toys he wanted and then just played in the stuffy tent. But how happy he was when he went to bed and Mommy had played with him in his little world of toys. Playing together is so much fun :)

Family Photo

We went to the Florida Aquarium a few weeks ago with the Hernandez family. What a fun trip. I think I blogged about it here or on Mason's page, but either way my camera died at the last leg of the trip and we never got a family picture.

Those are hard to get these days as one of us is chasing Mason and the other one (usually me) is snapping away with the camera to take 50 shots and hope for one good one.

So here's a family photo from the day. It's as good as we can get at this age with him.

Lasagna, Chocolate Pudding and Friends

I was tired after work today. That tired that never seems to go away because you only rest enough to make it through the day and then you're tired again.

I beat the boys home after work today and started dinner. Not sure what possessed me to call Molly and Mark over for dinner, but before I knew it I was on the phone and the invitation opened. What a blessing it was. Besides the fact that there was enough lasagna to go around, Mason and Jonas had a blast playing, eating pudding and taking a bath together.

God is so very good at putting the right people in my life when I absolutely need them. What a wonderful evening of making a mess with toys, talking to other another Christian couple and just making friends.

God is just so kind :)

Just rambling about myself and my today

Ever feel like things are changing and you're not sure what's ahead, but it's exciting? That's where I'm at now. I'm determined to be positive about the things I have to do. I'm so tired of living in a world full of obligations. I've decided that I'm only going to live in a world of passion and desire.

So things have changed in our home. Priorities shifted and rearranged.

The Drumm home has stopped worrying about pleasing others all the time and trying to make things perfect and we're living with take out nights and tickles in bed all the time. We've shifted from a clean and perfect home all the time to some slightly messy floors and toys scattered everywhere because we've played with everything. I'm letting go of having to get things done super quickly and holding on the the precious moments I have when Mason is awake and playing.

I still hate working, but I'm going to do a great job at my job because my family needs that from me. We're praying more, playing more and finding more time for the things that matter in life. No more worrying about bills and payments, we're staying on budget and enjoying the simple pleasures in life. After all, it's just money.

We're saying goodbye to the things we don't have a desire to do, and opening our hearts to new adventures and paths God may have for us. We're letting go of fears and expanding our faith, one day at a time.

When all is said and done, we all die. Our possessions will rot away and we take nothing with us. So for today, I'm going to make it the best day I can. I'm not worrying about what I can't control, but I'm going to shape what I can, myself.

So work is started, I'm getting in the swing of things, I'm tired and the house still isn't totally completely spotless, but I had a great night with family and that's all that really matters.

Heartbroken....

My heart's broken tonight, because while I try not to live in the past or the future, I know tomorrow is going to be a rough day. I know the God of my tomorrow will get me through and help me thrive in my circumstances, but it doesn't always seem to make the pain of the knowing less bearable.
I have to start work again tomorrow, which means I have to leave Mason. I know he'll be cared for, happy, safe and have fun. But at the same time I fear how he'll react. He's so little and he doesn't understand why Mommy has to go or what is happening. I hate that summer has to come to an end and that I have to return to work.
Yet at the same time I am grateful for the job and the ability to provide for my family. There are so many people out there without work, or even worse, the ability to work without the desire, that I must be grateful for the blessing of a job that provides my family with food and necessities.
I'm just sad to be in a position where I have to leave my little man. I love him so dearly and just want to spend time with him. But at the same time I love him so dearly that I'm willing to put my wants beside and do everything in my able body to provide and protect for him.
Tomorrow is going to be rough. Thank God He'll be there to walk me through it.

When Dad's in charge.....

Dad's aren't like moms. They try their hardest and love their deepest, but it's not quite the same when Daddy is in charge. I've been sick all weekend and spent 2 full days in bed resting so Dad's been the boss.......

When Dad's in charge.....

time doesn't always work on the right baby schedule
messes tend to get bigger than the confined space allowed for the mess
too many snacks are consumed and not enough meals
diaper capacity is tested
poop ends up on shower floors because shaving takes too much time
t.v. limits are pushed way too much
nap time either goes way longer or way shorter
a plethora of dishes need to be cleaned at the day's end
playgrounds are visited frequently to break up the day
a lot of prayers of safety are said
toys find new homes in odd places
important items typically get misplaced
dinner is take out
other helpers are employed to keep the dad sane and help with the baby
baby falls asleep dirty and daddy falls asleep exhausted

So goes the days when Daddy is in charge of the house for a few days. Then when Mommy gets better, there's one big mess of a house to clean up and set straight. Thank God there's two of us to keep up with one of him :)

Christmas in July craft fair

So last weekend Cassie and I split a table at the Cultural Center's Christmas in July Craft Fair. While it wasn't a great financial weekend, it wasn't necessarily our target audience, we did have a good time. We're very excited about the upcoming baby expo in September. Katherine and Finn even came by to give us a smile and check out our table. What fun!

A day of fun at the aquarium

Well with a summer of budgeting and having to visit family we weren't able to take a family vacation just the three of us. But that hasn't stopped us from having a fun summer doing things around us just the three of us. Today's trip to the aquarium was quite a blast. Mason had a fun time watching the fishes and we had fun just watching him. Angel, Cassie and Annalisse got to come meet up with us and we had a fun morning.

So just some things to remember today:

Mason can run much faster than we think when he wants something or wants to get away from us.

Being almost two makes him more squirmy for snapping posed pictures.

He says EEEZE when taking a photo instead of CHEESE :)

Mason blew kisses the fishes he liked, it was too cute.

Mason loved leading Daddy around and staring at fishes.

Happy family days like today are what build us up and give us memories to remember when times get tough.

Praying for Meikah and praising for moments with Mason

The hardest thing to endure as a mother is the pain of your child. When Mason falls and gets hurt, bonks his head, is sick or has surgery, my heart fears, waits and gets anxious. I'd do anything, give anything, endure anything to protect my child. Especially since he's so little that he can't physically, verbally, emotionally, etc. protect himself from harm. So many times I have to be the one that protects him from himself as he often runs toward things that might injure him.

So as I read updates and information on Meikah's progress and struggles through her disease, surgeries, and so much more my heart breaks for her parents. So young and so uncertain of her future. It makes me grateful for every healthy moment with Mason. And it reminds me to slow down, take a break and just savor the time I have with him. Because none of us are promised tomorrow.

Because of all that, I've sat in really teeny tiny places today to play with him, wound up race cars a million times, ate ice cream with him in front of the tv an hour before dinner, took him to the potty after he went pee, just because he wanted to, bit into a felt banana because he insisted on feeding me, and gave up time with my friends because Mason came first. Today he's healthy, happy and right now wrestling with the dog. For each moment of happiness I'll give thanks.

To follow Meikah and her progress check out http://cotaformeikahh.com

Thank God for the joy you have with your children today. You'll need to remember it one day when you have to endure sorrow with them. You'll treasure those precious moments.

Music Up and Running

I love music, but unless I'm in the car I hardly ever get a chance to listen to it. My iPod is always dead and the baby is usually asleep when I have time at home, and God knows I'm not about to play music and risk waking him.
So when I finally got enough time to sit down and flip through songs for my play list I had some fun. If you're going to read about me you might as well hear music I listen to and like. :)

New things to say

The past few weeks at home with Mason have been awesome. I love watching him learn new things.

The other day he played at Abbie's house while I was at the craft fair and when it was time to leave he wanted to stay and play with the swim pool set up out back. "I want that." was what he said plain as day. Several times too. It caught me off guard because it was random, unexpected and the first sentence he's said like that.

Then Sat. night at a church concert he went poop in his diaper and when I went to change him he said, "I poop."

I know they're silly little things to most, but to me it means the era of babbeling is going to be coming to an end soon and he's going to be communicating like a really big boy.

Amazing sometimes how you blink and they're born, and you blink again and they're all grown up. For now I'm going to treasure his little moments of speech.

I swore I would never....

Feed my child a lollipop to stop crying
Swat my child in public
Lose my temper at my kid because I was mad at someone else
Let him watch t.v. so I could do something else
Play with toys at the store we weren't going to buy
Eat ice cream before meals
Pull him out of the crib because he just didn't want to sleep at bedtime
and so many more........

But then reality hits and your child really will stop screaming in the store if bribed with a lollipop, your kid does something inappropriate in public and you have to discipline with old ladies staring at you, you do get mad, and sometimes they're just the ones in front of you when you lose it, not all t.v. is bad, and I have to shower :)
How bad is it really to let him play with the truck so I can do my shopping in the store? Ice cream has dairy in it so shouldn't it be allowed before a meal?

Disappointed with Sale Ads

Okay so this afternoon, after a full morning of cleaning and a moderate nap time I decided to venture out with Mason to try and find new shoes. I've scoured all the store for summer shoes in size 7 for little boys with no success. So I attempted the last possible place, K-Mart. Mind you it's been forever since I've been there sine Wal-Mart and Target are my first shopping places.

As we get out of the car and load up into the stroller, I see these signs everywhere, "Extra 50% off of clearance toys." I think this will be great. Maybe I can find some fun summer toys for Mason at a great price.

Was I wrong! Not only were their clearance prices more than the regular prices at Target, but there were only a few toys on clearance to begin with. Hardly worth putting up a sign for. They didn't even have enough toys to fill an aisle shelf.

I hate when stores advertise to get you in and what you find is hardly worth coming for. Reminds me of why I don't shop there first.

Frustration and faithfulness.

A day for the blog.... So my morning started an hour and half earlier than normal with my little angel's voice screaming through the monitor. Okay, I can handle this. Turn on the Curious George emergency dvd and plop him in bed between my husband and I. Works for about one episode (14 min.).

Okay, let's go with the flow. We'll go shower, get breakfast, clean up the house before our mall playground play group. 4 minutes into the shower as I'm rinsing out my shampoo and trying to not step on the little one under my feet, the water pressure starts to slow down. I figure Tim's turned it on to shave at the sink. Wait a minute, the water pressure isn't slowing down, it's disappeared!!!! Yup, no water. None, zippo, zilch. Anywhere in the house.

Okay, we'll get this taken care of, jump out, dry off get pump figured out. Tim goes out the check the pump, goes to work, makes some calls, all the while I try to figure out how to feed Mason breakfast without making him dirty and having to rinse him off. Cheerios. Thank heavens for cereal.

Don and Tim check it out, think they know the problem. Part estimate = $600! Yeah, too much money. Tim figures he can fix it with the parts but can't do it till tomorrow.

My day hasn't been so great so far. Trusting God through this, because after I sat down and paid bills and budgeted out the rest, there wasn't an extra $600 in the books for new parts plus the cost of everything else to fix it. All the while I can't get a hold of my mom. At least I can cry to her. So as Tim and Josh are outside trying to investigate, I'm inside on the verge of tears with a dirty house, cranky baby and no dinner because I had no water all day to cook with.

God's gotta come through, because I'm about to lose it! And sure enough, He does. Right at the moment of my breaking point. I hear, "We've got water!" from the outside of the house and sure as day, I turn on the faucet and water flows out. So what do I do? Feed Mason dinner, put on a movie for him and hurriedly clean the house, mop the floors, wash some dishes, put in laundry and get both of us in the shower, you know just in case.

Then God comes back with some sweet surprises, a new posting on my Etsy store sold and one of my items got posted in a treasury. Okay, a better ending to the day than a beginning. God is faithful, all the time. And I'm more grateful for working water pumps. For the record, gummy bears do not come out of clothing well with just baby wipes :)

In Obama We Trust

In Obama We Trust.

As I walked into our mall this morning to do a return and scout out some more clothes for Mason, the kid grows like a weed on steroids, this is what I read on a bumper sticker. As it caught my eye, I read it, stood in shock for a nano-second and then read it again. It was as if my brain didn't register the meaning, or perhaps it did and I had lost my breath. "In Obama We Trust." Those words have haunted me all day.

Now before this gets political, it's NOT. All politics aside, no Republicans, Independents or Democrats. Think about the words for a moment. "In Obama We Trust." Take the politics aside, and think about the meaning, the emotion, the implication.

When I first read it, I felt disgusted. As I thought about it, I felt sympathy. And as I write about it I feel a sense of hope. Let me explain the process.

Seeing those words brought about a day of serious thinking on the state of human relationships one with another. For so many years people have been trying to take God out of everything, especially the founding phrase of this nation, "In GOD we trust." So to begin with, the changing of the statement felt blasphemous. How can you equate the status of God with that of a man? Then as I thought about it I remembered that there are so many millions of people out there that do just that. At God brought to my mind, that there have been times in my life that I have been guilty of such behavior. They have no concept of the life changing power of the Almighty and live their entire lives with their hope bestowed in another human like themselves. So I began to feel sorrow for people out there who are in such a place where they place their hope in imperfect people. As the day went on and I tried to go to bed, the words lingered in my head and God brought such a sense of hope into my heart.

For, as humans, we all long to place our hope into something or someone. We want to feel validated, completed, and connected as humans. We want our hopes, dreams and aspirations to be shared and validated by another. Therefore we seek to entrust people or objects with our most scared possessions, our trust. We enter into relationships, marriages, friendships, partnerships, etc. with one another in order to find a greater sense of hope in this world than found in just our own being. We entrust our sense of power and control, our trust, into others in the hope that they will in turn make us feel connected and satisfied as individuals.

It was in considering all of this that God gave me hope. Because for my life, I have learned that to trust in another man, no matter how great or charismatic or honest or kind or attractive or anything else is simply foolish. Because no matter who I choose to trust, they are no more and no less than what I myself am, human. And in that humanity comes so many failures and shortcomings. But it is when I place my trust and confidence in the Lord that I am satisfied, completed, accepted, encouraged, strengthened, and feel as if my life is truly being witnessed by an audience that cares about my growth, happiness, well being and so much more. Humans long deeply to trust in someone. The bumper sticker this morning proved it. The question simply lies in, what are you willing to put your trust in? A man, or God.

When I trust others, I am certain of finding them lacking because no one is perfect. But when I trust God, who is Himself the very root of Trust, then I am sure to find trustworthiness and faithfulness. So "In God I Trust."

Sales!

I posted some hair clips in my Etsy store for my July summer clearance and they've been selling! Whoo hoo! Sometimes its hard with Etsy. I'll get a flood of customers and then things will be still for weeks. Frustrating at times. But this week its selling :)

Hair Clip Satisfaction

So a while ago I started making hair clips to sell in my Etsy store. They were a pretty good seller, and I actually ended up making a lot more of them as gifts for friends than for sale. I bought a bunch of clips wholesale and since you can't just buy a piece of ribbon, you have to buy the whole spool of the ribbon I had way to many spools of ribbon in my stash.

While being on vacation I decided to go ahead and make the hair clips and post to the store. With new laws possibly coming down the pipes about handmade items for sale, I decided to go ahead and see if I can sell them. So for the month of July all the hair clips are on clearance for $.99 a pair. I'm hoping they sell and I can clear out some inventory. We'll see. I posted 4 sets this morning and sold 3 already, so that was a blessing and definitely helps to keep my spirits up.

If you have little girls, nieces, or need gift ideas, check out the store.

www.TheWoobieShop.etsy.com

Projects

One of the nicest things about this vacation has been having others to help watch Mason during the day so I can work on some of my new projects. Here's how I've come along.

Project 1- Network for my Etsy store: I made the mistake of listing my items and bailing. I sat around and waited for sales thinking it would just magically happen, I'd sell everything and make money. HA! Not the way it works. So I've been online networking, blogging, commenting and researching. SUCCESS! I have a giveaway on a blog next week for a crayon caddy which will hopefully help people come through the store and create more publicity. Check it out on www.organicmama.blogspot.com

Project 2- Making hand stamped metal jewelry. So I saw a necklace online that I wanted to get for a friend of mine having her second baby. Then I thought about the 4 other friends having babies this summer and my husband told me that rather then buy all the necklaces I should buy the materials and supplies and make them. So after screwing some up, I have finally made some that I'm happy with. It's an easy process, but dangerous in the sense that if you screw it up, you're screwed. Unlike sewing, where you can use the seam ripper and start over, once you screw up the metal disc, there not much you can do to save it. But I've rather enjoyed it :)

Project 3-Learning how to make new things. While I have loved making crayon caddies, Woobie blankets and paci clips, I want something new. Not necessarily to use for sale, but more for just the sake of knowing how to make things. So I found www.makeitandloveit.blogspot.com which is great site for learning how to make homemade things. I definitely want to make some of the felt hair clips for my nieces. :)

Project 4- Exercise- well if you read my earlier post on this you're up to date. I've been doing the 30 day Shred by Jillian Michaels and have loved it. Feeling great!

Just for me!

School's out, I've got two months at home with my little one and finally the opportunity to do several things I have wanted to do for myself. It seems that sometimes my life has revolved around Mason and Tim so much that I forget about myself. So this summer I have taken on the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred challenge. I don't have to lose the 20 pounds they claim you'll shred in the workout process, but I just want to feel good about my body. Don't get me wrong, after Mason was born i quickly lost all 36 glorious pregnancy pounds (sense the sarcasm?) before returning to work, but the time to hit the gym every day was hardly there anymore. So while I've been home I've been doing my 20 minute workout just about every day.

To begin with I struggled through the first workout and then took off two days because I was too scared to do it again. I mean seriously how hard was a workout video supposed to be! I got my butt kicked. But after a couple days I did it again, and then again. I took off a couple days while on vacation, but even here, in the midst of homemade food three times a day, I've found the incentive and time to workout each day and have even moved up in my workout sessions to the next levels. And man, it feels great! I'm not losing weight, but that was never my goal. I'm feeling strength return in my muscles, endurance through the strength training, and I'm feeling fit inside. I love it. Besides, I've been taking more care of what I eat because I don't want to work out more and I want the working out I do to mean more because my body is growing stronger.

It's so important to take time to care for yourself as a mom. I've always known this, but it always seems easier to take care of others than myself. Now I'm focusing on taking better care of myself so I can better care for my boys, and be around longer to take care of them.

So if you read this, and you aren't working out, eating well, or just resting enough, then do it. If I can do it, you can too.

Vacation Memories with Mason

This past week its been just me and Mason at my parents house. While we miss Tim terribly, it has been kinda nice to share this time and make memories for the two of us. Well I suppose just me since Mason won't remember any of this.

* At Nana's house can a full course dinner meal be two cups of chocolate pudding.

* At Nana's house Mason is allowed to sleep in bed with Mommy all night rather than in the crib.

* At Nana's house Mason is able to get so dirty he needs to take 3 baths in one day.

* At Nana's house he can convince Nana to go fully clothed into the freezing fountains outside.

* At Nana's house Mason can watch tv to go to sleep and have his back scratched all night.

* At Nana's house he can go swimming as many times as he wants in a day, even in the rain.

But the thing I'll remember more than anything about this week, is having Mason wake me up in the morning with his little hands patting my face and then giggling when I open my eyes to him. You really think you understand love when you get married and give your life to another adult, but when you wake up and see the little one you created with your spouse out of that love, then you really understand what love is.

Almost vacation

Well it's a vacation without technically being a vacation, but being here at Mom's house sure is nice. Granted there aren't big attractions and too many things to do, but being in her kitchen watching t.v. and chatting about everything and nothing sure is nice. It's nice to have someone to pass the baby off to in the morning and go back to sleep. It's nice to sit and do nothing or something just because you can. It's nice to just rest.

Searching

It's late, I'm tired, yet I can't sleep.

I've learned tossing and turning in bed only makes me more restless, so I usually get up for a while and then am able to fall asleep. Tonight my Bible found it's way in front of me again.

As I search through the pages, not entire sure of what I'm searching for anyway, I come across this.....


Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Prov. 19:21 (NIV)

It's not highlighted or marked, or anything, it was just there. How true is that verse in my life. My plans have very rarely matched up with God's purpose, or so it seems in the past few years. I thought my plans were in line with His purpose, but it doesn't seem to be the way things have worked out. So after anger, silence, hurt, confusion and so many other feelings, I am just here. Open, willing, waiting and learning.

Learning is the hard part. It requires me to accept I'm not perfect and have to change in order to be better, not better, more like Christ. My plans have been many, but no matter what it's the Lord's purpose, not my plans, that prevail. So the interruptions in my life I have to take as God telling me His purpose has to prevail.

So the question is, am I to know the purpose? Am I to know it now, or somewhere down the road? I have to believe as His child he would have me to have understanding, but that doesn't always mean it comes right away. Ought I to keep questioning and petitioning, or just be patient and see what happens?

No matter what, knowing its His purpose that will prevail gives me a sense of comfort. Even if it doesn't match up the plans I have in my heart or in my flesh, it means He's still in control of my life. So I'll sit here and be content in the today and let tomorrow come with what it may.

Day one at home :)

Today was my first official day of summer as a stay at home mama. It was quite a day.

Started out with Mason waking up way earlier than normal, about an hour grrr!
Then breakfast while I cleaned the house. Followed by a bath in my big tub while I jumped in the shower to get clean and still be able to see him. (MISTAKE 1)

About 3 minutes before I was about to get out I hear. "Uh oh" Never a good sound from a one year old. I peeked out of the shower door and saw a lot of poop floating in the tub and Mason saying "dir" which is equivalent to dirty. Here we go.

I grab him out of the tub and stick him in the shower with me to clean and disinfect him off. Get us out of the shower, dry him off, scramble to his room to dress him all the while dreading what awaits me. Search out cleaning gloves and bleach. Lots and lots of bleach.

Head back to the tub and begin bleaching everything while Mason stands nearby repeating "dirty" over and over as I try to PATIENTLY and LOVINGLY explain that poop belongs in the toilet not the tub. Bleach everything and throw some things away, just for precautionary measures. Finally get ready to take care of me and the mess I've become :)

Lunch while Mason watches the neighbor mow the grass, and my second mistake of the day, going to clean off the plates while he ate his chocolate pudding. Had to patiently and lovingly explain that chocolate paint is not war paint and clean him up.

Run to Toys R Us to meet up with Daddy and get a new shopping cart for Mason to tote around his belongings. Run to Target for errands, and then home for a nap. Mason decides his 2 minutes snooze is enough and spends 30 minutes tossing in his crib before sleep comes. In the meantime I try to assemble his cart. I get all the pieces but the wheels. Seriously, putting toys together should not be this difficult. Call it quits and take a nap.

Nap time ends to ringing cell phone :( Baby wakes, laundry, dishes, dinner and dessert to make. Get it all done, Daddy arrives on time. Dinner and a trip to the mall to play in the playground before bedtime.

Baby sleeps, I do a workout dvd and realize how bad of shape I'm in and suffer for a half hour, grrr. Shower, work on my store, blog and bed. Just to wake up and see what tomorrow holds. Today could have been a challenge, but I loved every second of it. Because I spent the entire day with my little man and savored every minute of it. Well minus the poop. :)

Being Home

I'm home. Finally after the close of another school year I get to just be home with Mason. I love this time so much because it's time for just the two of us to play, discover, explore, and so much more. I love this time because there isn't the stress of getting things prepared for the week ahead and preparing for work, etc. If things don't get done today it's okay because we have tomorrow together to do it. I think because I know that I only have a short time of being a stay at home mom I enjoy every minute of it more than if I stayed home all the time. So tomorrow we're going to play, clean, cook and cuddle during nap time, just because Mommy's home and we can.

Regina's wedding

We went up to Brandon last night for Mike and Regina's wedding. It's been forever since I've seen them, but it was a wonderful celebration. Regina and I met because we were thrown into working together and it was a wonderful year of survival, excitement, growth and friendship. It's amazing how God can put people in your life for a short little while, but they make such a lasting impression in your life. Being up there and seeing old friends and co-workers made for a hard return home. On top of a great night out, Mason had a great night at home with Uncle Josh.

The boy's gang.

I spent the day with my boys at the zoo. But we had a special guest with us today too, Uncle Josh. I had read the book by James Dobson, "Raising Boys" a while ago, and today's adventures made me think about how blessed I am to have such amazing men in my son's life. It's a blessing in and of itself to have a wonderful godly husband to raise our son and be a wonderful father, but it's also a wonderful blessing to have Tim's great friends in Mason's life. As I consider the kind of man I want my son to grow up to become I look around and the great guys that surround our life and have in a way become a part of our family. It's such an encouragement to see Mason smile, play and even obey Josh. I love watching him run into Drew's arms at church.
I don't know what life will hold for us and which friends will walk through it long term with us and Mason, but I am so grateful for the godly influences not only in my husband's life but also in my son's life. There are so many young kids out there without two parents and so many boys whose father's don't take enough of an interest in their lives, and I have a wonderful husband who adores our son as well as his great friends who invest in our son's life.

Party fever

So perhaps I'm a little obsessed about things. I know this is stupid because his birthday is still 5 months away, but I've started working on Mason's birthday party. Crazy I know! I'm super excited about this year's theme and because I've already picked it out I've gotten it into my head that I want the decorations and favors to be unique and as hand made as possible. I suppose I start things so early because it takes so much time and I never seem to have enough time. Perhaps if I start now and stick with it for a while I will actually get things done the way I want, and if I can it will be one amazing party! I love parties :)

Curious George

The greatest gift in child rearing that God has given me the past 6 months is Curious George! I know that sounds ridiculous, but let me explain. Mason is a goer (is that a real word?) He is on the go from 7 am to 8 pm with two nap breaks. When he starts to get tired he gets cranky, (yes I know he gets that from me). The problem with this is that sometimes I need him to just stop for a few minutes. Which for him is quite a challenge if he's not asleep. Here comes in Curious George.
Mason has never been a fan of t.v. and we hardly ever had it on, but one day while at a play date Curious George was on t.v. and Mason became captivated. Since then I have been on a hunt to collect all the dvd's of the show available. Which has been quite a task as Wal-Mart and Target only sell one of them at a time and it's hit or miss as to what they have and when they have it.
Being a teacher I know all the research on t.v. and brain development and the effect of commercials on kid's attention span, etc. So we hardly ever watched t.v. And perhaps that is why I love George shows all the more because for 20 uninterrupted minutes Mason is captivated by a full story of learning. Which also nicely buys me 20 minutes to do the million things I need to.
Just recently Nana gave Mason money for the Curious George movie DVD. I bought it rather reluctantly thinking a one year old isn't going to sit through an entire full length movie. So one night when it was just the two of us, I popped in the movie and to my utter amazement he stayed awake and barely blinked for the entire thing! Mason loved the movie. Now when he is acting cranky or tired but not ready for nap or bed I ask him if he wants to have an adventure with George and he goes to the sofa with his green sippy and Woobie to watch George. He even asks me to join him so I can scratch his back while he laughs at the curious little monkey.

Silence

The house is silent, well as I say that the AC kicked on. :) I'm home on a Sunday morning in peaceful silent bliss. My home is hardly ever silent, and even if the baby is sleeping, I am up and doing something like cleaning or cooking or working while he sleeps so I can get it done. I got some stomach bug last night and Tim suggested I stay home from church and rest and now I'm just savoring the silence.
It's amazing as moms, well at least me, how much I feel I need to accomplish during the day. And granted some days I really do need to be productive and busy, but the business of life sometimes gets in the way of the quiet of life. I have several things I could get up and do right now, clean the floors, laundry, make lunch, finish painting the room, etc. but for a while I'm just going to enjoy the silence. I'm going to just enjoy the time alone to rest and lay still. No work, no worries, just quiet rest. For all too soon my bubbly baby boy will come through the door saying "mama play" and the day will go on with the normal noise and chatter of life's business.

Personal mission statement

So I have to write a personal mission statement as part of the Franklin Covey 7 Habits Training I'm doing through work. Since I think and blog the best when I'm exhausted and it's late, I figured I'd give it a try. Granted it will probably be edited several times, but here goes.

At the end of my life I want people to remember me and my life with smiles and memories of love. I want to enter eternity as watch my Master smile as He leads me into heaven.

Therefore, I will...

Live in the moment of today.

Trust God for tomorrow.

Pray without ceasing.

Start and end my day by speaking words of affirmation to my children and touching them with kindness.

Kiss my husband in front of our kids.

Have tickle wars before bed with my children.

Forgive continually.

Respect others.

Worship sincerely.

Show integrity.

Be honest.

Choose to be happy.

Refuse to regret past decisions, because they have shaped who I am.

Give God the glory for where I am, who I've become and what I will one day be.

Just enjoying Mason

A lot of my girlfriends have had baby fever and now several moms in our group on on their way to baby number 2. It got me thinking the past week as I've been making baby shower presents, am I ready for baby number 2, do I even want another one?
I started my typical pros and cons list. Age spacing, timing, money, etc. And while I could probably list a slew of reason why I should or shouldn't have another child anytime soon.
Then Mason came charging into the room to sit on my lap and sew, or rather to pull the cool thread thing off the stick and screw up my perfect line of stitches. It got me thinking to how much I love just spending time with him alone. Tim's been busy with several church and work obligations the past couple weeks and Mason and I have had our share of Mommy and Mason nights. It's been such a pleasure to have time to just share together and memories for me to hold on to. I know I'm never going to get this time back with him, and while he won't remember these days, I will. The pictures will tell the stories. And as I scolded Mason about the thread and we went into the bathroom for a bath I realized I'm just not ready to share. I'm not ready to give up my time alone with Mason. It wouldn't be fair to him or to me or another baby.
Maybe things would be different if I stayed home full time or business was better and we had more money, or if health issues required another pregnancy sooner than later. But for now I'm just happy to share my time with my little man.
I'm quite happy for all my girlfriend embarking into Mommyhood of more than one, but it's not for me, at least not quite yet. I think I'll get to the place where I can't wait to have another baby, but I'm sure I have to passionately want another baby before I make that kind of commitment for our family. I love watching Mason learn and grow in front of me each day. Right now I'm just loving our family as just the 3 of us.

Transitions

So today was a busy day. We went to Payton's second birthday party. It's crazy because going to a baby's first birthday is such a huge deal that the milestone's been reached, but when you go to a second birthday party, you just start to feel like time is flying by to fast. All of the babies in our mom's group are not babies anymore. As I watched Mason interact with the kids today I saw him as a "big boy" for the first time. He held him own in the battle for the balloons, he climbed into the table with the others and ate his cupcake without help and he followed commands like a champ.
It's amazing how when they're 3 months old and sit around like a lob you can't wait for them to move, talk, interact and more and then when they do you want to freeze them in time.
So much has been changing in his life the past couple of weeks. He's taken off on the move like no one's business. It's hard to keep track of him when he's on the go. The doctor has put an end to using a bottle, and we're on only sippy cups, much to his disapproval, and he's working so hard on saying anything he can. I was putting socks on him this morning and realized they were getting too small, so we stopped at the store on our way home for new ones and I had to buy them in the boy section rather than the baby department. We're definitely moving away from babyhood into full fledged toddler hood. It's an interesting transition.
I'm a big believer in accepting life's stages and adapting with them, but as a Mama, it's hard to see the moments go by so quickly. I must admit there are times when I'm tired from work, stressed from life, and drained to the point where I don't always treasure the moments I have with Mason. It was nice to be reminded today to slow things down, enjoy my son, because the days go by too fast and you never get to re-wind the movie of your own life.

It's been a while

So it's been while since I've posted, not because things haven't been happening, but rather because too many things have been happening. Most of which have revolved around my little monster so they just get posted to his blog rather than mine. But putting aside the baby aspects of my life and moving on to more mommy or adult issues. I've started a little online store where I get to make baby items and sell them. Granted I've had more luck with my friends than online, but I'm going to stick with it as you never know what will happen. I think part of my problem was I wasn't sure how to set things up and didn't do it right at the beginning. That and my lack of time hasn't helped. But after a semester back to work and some major events and holidays out of the way I'm hoping to have a little more time for myself and activities.