Memorial Day 2014

Sean and I really wanted to climb, and I also really wanted to take Mason on a hike! We tried to get to Maple Canyon that day (it is very kid friendly as far as even ground to stand on haha), but timing just didn't work out. So, we picked a pretty easy spot to get to up Rock Canyon (a favorite of Sean's and mine anyway) and packed up! We met up with Dave, Cameron, Alex, and Kelsee.

Dave and Cam both set up sweet hammocks. Dave was working on editing his thesis that he was defending the next day…

Mason had a great time with the rocks.

Alex climbed first, then wanted Kelsee to lead climb the route. She did amazing!!

After Kelsee, Cameron, Dave and Sean all went up. Sean came down so I could take a turn. This is probably the hardest route I've ever climbed, but it was great! Thanks to Dave for talking me through the tricky section!

After we finished, Mason was pooped. He screamed as I put him in the carrier, and passed out as soon as I started walking. 

Water, water everywhere!

Mason has loved bath time since he was about a month old, and it is especially fun now because he can sit on his own and play with the bath toys. All winter I was a little nervous how he would react to pool water, because that would determine how often Sean and I got to go to Seven Peaks this summer ;)

Well, turns out, he loves it! He is usually a little apprehensive at first, but warms up quickly.

Here he is at cousin Sarah Jane's birthday party:

And here he is in our little plastic pool in the backyard:

And Eve: she is just the funniest girl you've ever met! Right after this picture she asked me to get in the pool, and I said, "Are you sure? There won't be a lot of room when I get in." And she said "Yes I'm sure!" After a couple minutes of me sitting in there with her and Mason, I asked her, "Do you want me to get out so you can have more room?" and she said, "Yes please". Haha I knew it wouldn't last but she's so sweet to have invited me in :)

Mason at 11 months

I can't believe we are only 1 month away from my sweet little baby turning a year old! The warmer months always seem to fly by faster because there is more to do, and these last couple months are no different. Plus, sleeping through the night is major helpful! Here is what Mason has been up to:

Likes:
- yelling into the dryer. He thinks it is a fun game.
- patting/slapping everything with his hands. Including, but not limited to, people's faces, the dryer, the oven, the trash can, tables, chairs, the piano keys, the couch, etc.
- seeing how things work: like the handle on his little wagon, the flaps of the diaper box, doors. He really enjoys it :)
- being outside. And eating dirt.
- whispering. It is SO funny when he is blabbing and all of a sudden drops to a whisper
- did I mention doors? He seriously gets a kick out of them. He loves shutting them and hiding from us but gets frustrated when he can't get it back open… usually because he is in the way.

Dislikes:
- when I have to put sunscreen on him.
- coming inside from outside. Especially if he is tired.
- afternoon naps. He is starting to fight them, which I am not ready for. So, some days he is up from around 1, maybe 2, until 8:30. Not fun for any involved party…
- when we won't let him play with earrings. It hurts kid, it hurts bad.

Other notables:
- takes 1-2 steps and falls down. Usually face plants haha. Don't worry, I catch him.
- he cut his top left tooth June 3, 2014. This time it was during his afternoon nap. Crazy!
- babbles ALL. THE. TIME. Sometimes if people are talking, he will make noise to contribute to the conversation, or to make sure people know he is still there. Attention hog…
- shows people what he is holding, and loves when you acknowledge it. Also loves yelling at you from a distance if he thinks you should be paying attention to him.
- knows how to get his shirts off over his head. It makes getting him dressed in the morning hard sometimes, but is really convenient at bath time.

He is such a sweet baby, and loves "giving loves", which usually means tackling you or patting your face not so gently :) We love our baby Mason!

I'm just gonna stand here and pretend to walk to you okay?

Mom, just let me have more of that dirt okay?

Sitting on Sean's cousin's scooter 

Happy happy happy!

Loves kicking things, and stomping on things

This kid climbs those boxes at least twice a day.

Can I just say how thankful I am that he still falls asleep in the stroller/car seat?

Loves fruit, especially watermelon.

Sometimes watching videos (of him) is the only way to get him to relax.

First time at Tucanos! He loved it!

  

In his element: outside, with dirt and sticks around!

The only way to eat cheerios...

Family selfie! Is it still considered a selfie if there is more than one person in the picture?

Before church yesterday. Cute new shirt for Mason from his cousin Michael!

These are both snapshots from videos of Mason. On the left, he is conducting the music playing form that book. On the right, he is climbing those boxes again: shocker ;)

The sweetest boy! We are all dirt and sticks around here and we love it!

Oh Monday...

...how I loathe thee. And not just the normal "oh great, it's Monday again", this Monday has been particularly exhausting. They always creep up after a wonderful weekend, am I right? Today, I worked for half an hour before Mason woke up, and then he and I cleaned and started laundry. I was about finished and was going to put Mason down for a nap when Sean asked me to bring him a lunch because they asked if he could stay a couple extra hours at work. Score, more money right? Yeah... Well Mason was already cranky because I kept him up so that he would take a better nap. So he half cried, half played with toys and climbed diaper boxes while I threw a lunch together for Sean.

We got in the car and, surprise surprise, Mason fell asleep 3 seconds in. I figured as much, he had already been up for 2.5 hours. Then I got lost on the way to Sean's work and ended up by my work... seriously? How long have I lived in Provo?? Finally got to Sean's work after driving around and finding a few cute houses for sale... Whoops... not even close to looking at houses to buy, what was I thinking even looking?

We get home and Mason's eyes pop open as soon as I open his car door. Awesome. So much for him finishing his nap. I tried. I even let him cry it out for like 15 minutes. He was done sleeping. But still fussy. So then I sat on the floor and worked while playing with him/trying to feed him. Oh and his lunch that he normally likes? Wasn't having it. Graham crackers it is! And watching the same videos on my phone over and over again because they make him laugh. (He particularly likes the one of him and Eve playing chase, and the one of him and James playing on the stairs.) I finally ate lunch, and then realized that it had been over 2 hours since we had pulled in the driveway. Sweet! Bottle, downstairs in the dark, blanket, bounce for a few minutes, and he finally passed out. Mommy nap time!

Oh wait. I have only worked for 2 hours today. Log back in to finish up my hours for the day. Luckily it is slow so I can pretend I'm doing nothing but checking facebook and instagram  and blogs for the next two hours. Maybe I'll work on Sean's CASPA application next, except he'll be home soon to work on it himself. Oh, and keep the water coming, because I feel like I am coming down with a cold. Great.

Monday, June 2, 2014, I am so over you. Tonight I will be at the gym for a couple hours to hopefully make myself feel like I'm not worthless for sitting on the couch all day, even though I have been working...




Sorry I just needed to get that out of my system. I do feel a little better. Especially after typing the part about the gym. Hopefully it's a good movie on tonight.