Happy Birthday Mason!

Yesterday was my little man's first Birthday. Can I just say I am so happy to be his Mom. He is such a joy. We had such a big day yesterday and he was a trooper through it all.

He had is 1 year check up at 9 am and he came through with flying colors. He is 31 inches tall (87%), 21 lbs. 8 ozs. (29%) and has a head circ. of 49.5 cm (99%). So he is tall, skinny and has a really big head!!

He had to have 4 shots and he was really sad until I gave him a sucker. We finished faster than I had planned and we had a 1/2 hour to kill before Holly's preschool orientation so we went to Lowe's so I could look at paint colors and prices while he enjoyed a bottle of his favorite Soy milk. He won't drink regular cows milk! ;(

Then we went to the preschool and Mason was so tried he fell asleep about 5 minutes after we sat down to listen to the orientation speech. We where there for over an hour and he slept through everything! He didn't wake up until I had to put him into his forward facing car seat (Yeah!).

We went home and after a good lunch of Chicken Noodle Dinner and a nice bump change it was down for a blissful nap at 1pm. He slept right through Ryan coming home so I could take Ethan to his kindergarten evaluation, which Ethan passed with flying colors by the way.

Mason didn't wake up until 3:45pm! He was happier after some more ibuprofen and played happily with his brother and sister and Patrick, who is now at our house every day after school.

After a ton of fun and lots of Birthday wishes, he has to wait for all his presents and cake until Sunday at his party, he played in the tub. He loves the water and it is really hard getting him out. Then prayers, which he crawls right over to so he can be part of the family.

I was very surprised that we went right to bed without the usual fight right at 8:30pm and slept without waking clear through till 8 am this morning!! It was a wonderful first.

I will have more pictures and fun to post on Sunday after his party so till then, Happy Birthday Mason - We love you tons!

Lots and Lots

I've been a slacker, again and not posted anything although I have plenty to. We have been busy with school stuff, soccer and getting ready for Masons Birthday among other things. But let me start at the beginning.

Last week Holly and I decided to paint our toe nails. Holly loves to have her toes and fingers painted and I have gotten 2 new colors. Mind you I didn't have any nail polish in the house before about a month ago. The things that change with little girls... anyway, I was distracted for a minute with something Ethan was saying and Mason decied to taste the nail polish. Thank goodness he only went for the brush and didn't think to drink it. But he got it all in his mouth and and on his cheeks. You can just make out peach colored nail polish on his face if you look closely at the picture. I called poison control just to make sure he was going to be all right. I hate calling them because I always feel like such a terrible Mother, but better safe than sorry.

Then this past Saturday was a big day. Ethan's first soccer game of the season!! He got up at 6:30 am all excited. He had a hard time waiting until Noon when his practice was. They practice for 1/2 and hour and then have a game with 2 - 10 minute halves.

The field was full of soccer games with tons of people. Ryan's parents were good enough to come up and cheer Ethan on. Although he didn't show it, he was really happy they came. It was just so HOT!! We will know to bring something for shade and blankets to sit on for next time.

Ethan was a little too nice about letting others get the ball, but we will work with him on going after the ball a little more this week in our back yard.

Just after half time he socred a goal!...just in the wrong net. :( But it was his first game and didn't understand that they had switched goals after the half. We made a big deal out of him any way, it was a goal after all!

We had a hard time trying to keep Holly off of the field. She wanted to play so badly!! She is really good at kicking the ball around our yard. But we did find out that she could play next year because of where her birthday falls.

I tried to see if she wanted to take dance this year but she didn't want to. She is all sports!! She loved the Olympics and wanted to do just about every sport she saw. I guess she will be my sports girl and not a girly girl, which is fine with me. But I still think it would be good for her to take some ballet. I just need to convince her and her Dad of that.

On Sunday, Mason finally decided to crawl like a man. He just started doing it. He still army crawls when he is in a hurry though. I think he will be walking before he gives it up completely.

Then yesterday I took Ethan to his Kindergarten orientation. All the other kids went back to school yesterday but Ethan just had a 1/2 hour orientation and then he goes back on Thursday to have his student/teacher evaluation. Monday, Sept 2nd is his first day of school. Ryan is taking the day off to take him. It means a lot to Ryan to take him and I think he wants to go by himself so I won't see him cry when he ushers his oldest son into "kid-dom".

Well that's it for now. We have a big week ahead of us this week too. Ryan left for Driggs, Idaho this morning to help Wells Fargo switch over a branch of a bank they just bought, and will be back tomorrow night. Then Thursday is Masons 1st Birthday and he has his 1 year check up with shoots that morning, then we have Holly's preschool orientation after that and then that afternoon Ethan has his evaluation. Boy, do you think I could fit anything else into one day??

Here are few more pictures of Ethan's game (he #2) for your viewing enjoyment...

PS I Love You

I rented the movie "P.S. I Love You" and let me just say very good movie. Have you heard about it?

It has Hillary Swank in it, who is not my favorite actress but she did a good job in this one. It is the story of Holly Kennedy, who's husband of 10 years dies of a brain tumor. He arranges before his death to have several letters delivered to her over the course of a year after his death. It is really sweet how he gets her to celebrate the life they had together and helps her go on without him. He ends each of his letters to her "P.S. I Love You" hence the name of the movie.

I cried through the whole thing!!! It was a real love story, kind of after the fact but still a love story. I loved the fact that it showed how someones life should be celebrated not morned although morning is and has to be involved to help the living go on. As an added bonus it has some really nice eye candy. Most of the guys in this one are really easy on the eyes. I think I will have to buy this one and add it to my collection.

If you need a good cry pick this one up.

Ethan's Love Interest.

Yes, my 5 year old has a love interest!! But let me start from the beginning.

Last night we went down to Ryan's parents to help celebrate Ryan's sister, Liz's birthday. Liz's best friend Mikey and her family were there too, and Mikey has a daughter named Megan. Did you get all that? Well Ethan was VERY taken with Megan.

All the kids went for a walk (with grown-up supervision, of course) to see the light rain trains that go by not too fair from Ryan's parents place. I guess that Ethan and Megan were holding hand as they walked and talked. I wish I would have seen it and taken a picture!

As we drove home after we left Ethan went on and on about how nice Megan was, that she was his age and was going to Kindergarten this year too. I asked him what they talked about, he really got excited and told me all about how she knew about super heroes and star wars and what characters she likes to pretend to be. It was really cute to hear him go on and see his eyes light up when he talked about her. He even asked when we could go to her house and play!!

I could only think about two things the whole time he was talking...

1) Boy has he got it bad, and 2) My Ethan married to a Huffman. LOL ;) When I said something to that effect to Ryan he just mumbled something about being related to Mickey and then said "I don't think so". But I did get him to admit that it was very cute that Ethan was so taken with Megan. At least we don't have to worry about him not liking girls!

BUT anyone who talks to Ethan PLEASE don't tease him about having a girl friend!! He gets REALLY upset and you can just see it in his eyes how crushed he is. Ryan has already teased him and we had to calm him down after, so Megan is just his "very good friend", okay - Thanks!!

My little boy is growing up and I'm sure this is just the start.

Ready or Not

I have come to realize lately that our lives are going to change here very soon. Ethan is growing up so fast and now it is time for him to be a kid, not just a preschooler. Which means my role as a Mom is changing and I don't know if I'm up to it.

Ethan starts elementary school in two weeks. I will have to get used to getting up early to get him to school and homework. Wow it's been a long time since I've had to worry about homework.

He also starts soccer in a week so I get to go to little league soccer games and practices once a week as well. Anyone who would like to come and watch him play, just let me know and I will give you all the details as to where and when. He is so excited for both school and soccer and feels like he is becoming such a "Big Kid".

Holly also starts preschool in three weeks and is so excited. She was always so sad last year when we would drop Ethan off at preschool and she didn't get to go. Now it is her turn.

She is kind of bummed that she doesn't have to go shopping for school supplies but was happy to be able to get a backpack all her own. She has been waring it all over the house, ready at a moments notice to go to school. Her smile is just so big and so very cute your can't help but smile back.

Mason is turning the big 1 in 2 1/2 weeks and is cruising all over the place. He get upset all the time because he is not able to do everything that his brother and sister get to do. When he finally walks on his own I know I will have to watch him very closely so he doesn't run off into the neighbourhood after Ethan and Holly. I think Ryan will have to finish the fence here very soon. As you can see from the picture he has a temper on him. He was upset that I he wasn't allowed to play on the computer with his brother. Boy am I in for it!

But my kids are all growing up and all too fast in someways. It makes me feel inadequate for what I will have to prepare them for in the future. But change is good, right? So ready or not....

Random

Just a few random things...

1. Mason is pulling himself up on EVERYTHING!!! He is getting better at it every day and has even started to "cruse" but is also very cranky. He gets so frustrated that he can't make his little body work the way he wants it too (i.e. walking) and is not too happy about being told NO. He is just not the happy little guy he once was. I hope this phase does not last long.

2. Holly is sick AGAIN!! I am starting to think this house is cursed. My kids never used to get sick this often. I don't know if it's because they now are outside all the time, if it's because they now have friends they see more often or if it's just I have more kids. I hope it is just the timing of our lives and not the house.

3. I'm convinced that Ethan is addicted to video games. We have put a limit of 2 hours a day on him and that includes his computer time. Video games are the first thing he wants to do in the morning and then when his time is up he tries to convince me that computer time is not the same thing as video game time. Little stinker.

He was really mad yesterday when he found out that once school starts he will only get 1 hour of game time and that he has to do his homework BEFORE he can play anything. Life is so hard! :(

4. I am so tired!! Between Holly and Mason I have not been getting a whole lot of sleep.

5. I am so bored with everyday life. I have a ton of stuff to do but just no desire to do it. I've been feeling like I need a creative outlet. I would love to start scrapbooking again but nowhere to do it without my kids getting into it. Besides I haven't done it in so long I don't know how to anymore. But I have been watching a lot of HGTV (Home and Garden TV) and have been getting itchy to start doing something with my new house. But once again I am discouraged. Not enough money, with school and then Christmas coming up. And what do I do with my kids? I can't even empty the dishwasher without a child right there trying to "help". I guess my creative side will have to wait, while I'm having to be super Mommy. A time and season for everything, right?

Well that is it for now. TTFN

Breaking Dawn

Okay so I just finished Breaking Dawn. Holy Crap was that good!!! I waited to get my copy until Saturday morning because I knew that 1) I couldn't stay up that late and 2) even if I could stay up to get the book I would want to start it right away. I knew that my kids would have a hard enough time with their Mom having her nose in a book for a few of days, but a Mom who was a zombie with her nose in a book was not an option. Ryan has been so good to let me just read for the past couple of days. I think the fact that I got back on my med's yesterday helped. He has been waiting with baited breath for that day for almost 2 years. He says I'm nicer, but all I know is that I can focus better so I'm not stressed so much and I can handle my kids better because of it.

Anyway, all I can say is "Way To Go Stephenie Meyer!!" I won't spoil any of the book for those who have not read it but she did a VERY good job of tying all the loose ends up and giving you a feeling of closer. I will admit she took the story in a direction I would have NEVER have guessed but once I finished it, it was the best way the story could have taken. She gave each of the characters the best ending possible, giving both Edward and Jacob a great ending and showing that through all the pain and sacrifice, love does provide a way. It did bring new meaning to forever family...

I will also say that this one was wonderful because it made me cry, hold my breath and smile. Which to me just makes a very good read.

Stephenie Meyer has said in interviews that this was the very last time she would write a book from Bella's perspective and from the way she tied things up I can't image how she could. But I do see how she could take a couple of other characters and tell their story, from their perspective. I really hope she does because that would be a wonderful way to continue with the wonderful world of "Forks", with some of Bella and Edward in the background. (You'll see when you read it.)

If you haven't picked it up yet, DO. If you haven't read it all yet, BE prepared, it's awesome.

Mighty Mason

The last week Mason has really started to spread his wings. He still does his army crawl most of the time but he is always up on all fours trying to figure out how to make his little body work the way he wants it too. Then just a few days ago he succeed in making two real crawl steps. He was so proud!

Then I guess that he figured if he could do that he could do other things. He has started to pull him self up to his knees at the coffee table, getting from him tummy to a sitting position and back down again and then just this past weekend pulled himself all the way up in front of the TV after pulling open the draw for a little bit of help. He is growing so much so fast!

He just turned 11 months old on Monday and has decided that he likes to feed himself so he gets bottles during the day. In a way it is great for me and in others it is kind of sad that Mason and I only get our bonding time at night now and that even that will soon end a few weeks from now. I will not be nursing him past 1 year. I really need to get back on my med's and he needs to find more Independence.

Ethan and Holly are getting really excited for school and I am excited about only having one child for a few hours twice a week. I think it will give Mason and I a new kind of bonding time with just the two of us.

Oh, by the way we are having Mason's first Birthday party on Saturday, August 30th. I don't have a time yet but those that are within driving distance will be getting your invitations in the mail here in the next couple of weeks. So mark it on your calendars.