Family Time

What a blessing our family is to us!


Mary and Sophia are doing quiet well.

And Aunt BeeBee and Grandadder drove in town to see Baby Sophie and to spend the week before driving Mom/Gigi back to Oklahoma.

Here's a cousin and parents photo. We color coordinate in our blues and navy, but didn't plan this!
Mason is entranced by that doggy toy.

He was showing Gigi how to feed the puppy.

Mason enjoyed seeing his Gigi again...she rocked him to sleep for naps and bedtime.

Bedtime became a family effort...

And we already miss everyone!

We Love you Family!

How Much Is That Doggie In the Window

We went to go visit Baby Sophia Grace again this past weekend. She's 2 weeks old and her Mommy & Daddy are doing great!

They even gifted Mason a special barking puppy toy...Mason can't get enough of this little toy and I'm afraid we may very well have to become dog owners in the next 5 years or so.

Saturday was sunny and beautiful so Aunt Mary and Uncle Josh took Baby Sophie out for her first walk. Mason was so proud to show her off.
Sophie enjoyed that gorgeous outting and Mason kept watch over her to make sure she was okay.

There she is- my long and skinny niece! She is such a pretty baby too. Her skin is clear and that head of hair shows some serious signs of future ringlets {like her mommy has naturally}.
And then of course Mason was able to sneak in some good Aunt Mary time {since he has that major crush on her an all...}

PS doesn't she look fab for just having a baby 2 weeks prior?

And then it was just so pretty outside that Mason had to run all over the place. We tried out the park, but there were lots of big kids running around {pushing hazard!}

So I just took Mason out to a field and he ran around for an hour straight. I thought it'd wear him out, but he wore me out first!

And as hard as I tried, the one photo where we're both looking at my camera phone, a gust of wind blew my hair up and over my face *sigh*

I took a video of Mason's strange behavior at the park. I thought he was being a bear or a monster, but then after Gigi's review she suggested he was copying his toy dog who barks...it's hilarious because he's copying exactly what the little dog does:

"Aarrrf Aarrf" (emphatic barking while moving his whole body)

*pause* (moving lips with no sound)

"Aarrrf Aarrf"...

REPEAT

Funny little guy!

Have a Nice Weekend

Hope you have a lovely weekend- we're excited to be spending it with family!

And while Mr. Preppy is still stealing my phone and running away from me, I'm hoping for some beautiful weather so I can put him out...on a leash {just kidding}.

School Spirit

We're already gearing up for Fall 2010 over here...
Have you ever checked out Remember Nguyen? They're a smocked and specialty clothing store for babies and children; they have a fantastic clearance link with some incredible deals on there, like this houndstooth with red piping dress and coordinating jon jon.

A certain Cousin and Mister will be wearing matching outfits to cheer on the Tide this Fall.

{$15.50...told you they're great prices!}

{$14.50}

Slide Slide Slippity Slide

Oh how my little guy adores the playground.

All I have to do is put him at the top of the slide and he inches his booty to the edge on his own.

We're having some potential safety hazards arise...Mason sometimes likes to dangerously look over the edge of a tall platform; he's already tried to step off on his own {of course I caught him}. And he thinks he can already walk down the steps WITHOUT holding onto the rail.

Check out that static-y hair!

He's started to become more curious about dirt...gross! I try to teach him that it's "Yucky and Dirty" but he just picked up a pinecone with the other hand and started grasping for more dirty mulch with the other *sigh*.

Just to note: I cannot stand snails, worms, and am particularly grossed out by SLUGS! Mason Tinsley, if you bring those things to me OR ever try to eat them, your mommy will run the other way and you may be left on the playground {teasing...sort of}.

Oh and he really liked the tallest spiral slide...he kept twisting and bonking his head on the way down. It looked dangerous; the bonk noise and red forehead sounded like it would hurt BUT NO, he really wanted to keep sliding down this slide. After 3 times, Mommy said "Enough!"

Stepping Down

Mason demonstrates how he transports himself from the 2nd floor to the 1st. I will warn you the videography is a little lacking; however I needed to stay very close below in case he started to tumble. Safety First!

And yes, this is the same morning as {HERE} that's why he's missing his pants.

Sippin' on Milk and Juice

"...Laid back (with my mind on my mommy and my mommy on my mind)"

HURRAH- Mason actually used a STRAW Sippy Cup yesterday!

Last week a fellow Mommy introduced us to organic fruit purees by Revolution Foods. The great thing about these pouches is they're travel-friendly, kid-friendly, and only packed with healthy organic fruit purees!

This morning when I was feeding Mason his breakfast, I let him try feeding himself with the pouch. He started sucking up the pouch and I realized he has the tongue and sucking movement down, he just needed some help applying that same skill to a straw. I snuck the straw sippy cup in and he drank about 2oz of milk with it. It's a HUGE improvement as he's not interested at all in traditional sippy cups. Yay!

When You Throw Fits...

I just have to remember that it's a phase. I feel like Mason's entered the "terrible twos" a little early. My mom tells me that for all 5 of us kids it was the odd years (1yr, 3yrs, 5yrs, etc) that were the most challenging. Who knows- but it does seem like last week he turned into a different child:

• He threw himself on the floor and had a fit at Home Depot when I wouldn't let him carry the window film box. After I snatched him up, he continued to yell loudly {which reverberated through the acoustic store} until we got to the register where he proceeded to act like nothing was wrong.
• He hit the Nanny purposefully one day last week. Another day, he hit my face and scratched the edge of my lip; it bled and looked like I had a cold sore for a day.
• He's been going after my knees, elbows, and fingers trying to bite down {so weird}.
• He got mad when I closed the door to go to the restroom once and went around the living room, kitchen, and sunroom pulling everything he could down and scattered toys everywhere. He even found a napkin and ripped it into shreds, leaving tiny pieces all over the living room.

We still have our sweet moments. And I'm going to relish every one of them because they're not as consistent as they used to be...

He cracks me up that he can't sit still when he drinks his milk. He has to walk around the house while he sips.
Oh and Sunday night I was finally able to get him to drink a couple of ounces from our funny-shaped Boon sippy cup. He'll sip a little from a regular cup, but he'll inevitably spill it all over himself. Baby steps.

And while it's rare that I can get him to stay still for a photo...

...he'll pose every once in a while and I crack up because I'm pretty certain he has a healthy self-confidence level. This child knows he's cute!

Weekends to Remember

I just love weekends! I get uninterrupted one-on-one time with Mason and it's a treat to get to spend the days with him.

Why good morning Mason Tinsley...

I'd ask where your pants are, but I certainly don't want to disturb your morning cup of milk since you take it so seriously...

Yes that morning jog put you right to sleep...

And while we're out and about, I think it's time for a professional haircut. Perhaps one that will help disguise where your mommy botched the back with her first attempt...

Taking the shirt off was much wise than trying to keep a smock over you since you like to remove your clothes now. Thankfully there was a little girls party in the next section that helped keep your attentions...of course. But anything to distract you is appreciated while we're dealing with a wiggly boy and sharp scissors near your head.

We're almost done. You'll look so sharp when we see Grandadder and Aunt BeeBee next weekend.

Oh Mason Tinsley, you're sooooo COOL!

Happy Spring- Supper Club Celebration

Last night Mason and I hosted Supper Club at our house. We were ecstatic as it's been a while since we've all been able to get together.
Madi is such a sweet little bunny!

Mason temporarily sported his bunny ears with Madi. And while she was perfectly poised...

...Mason was not.

He was a HUGE Booger after the girls left last night. He's been pretty defiant lately. He decided he wouldn't go down for bed until 11:30pm. I'm not really sure what's gotten into him this week. He's been a fuss-bucket Tuesday through today so far. It's like the "Terrible Twos" only he's 13-months instead of 24.