Halloween 2013

Happy Halloween 2013!

Spider Man & the Zombie....minus his hood!

"Trick or Treat"

 Taking the tour through Tomb Town!!!!  The boys have been waiting for this all month!

We had fun spending Halloween at Grandma Diane's house this year!  The boys "trick or treated" around her neighborhood and it only took them ringing a couple doorbells to really get into it!  Brandon was the first to call it quits but Mason seemed like he could gather candy all night.
No Halloween would be complete without stopping at Tomb Town....

Mason's 3 yr appt & some memories

On a brighter note, Mason had his 3 yr old well check today.  He is 39 lbs and 40 inches tall, still hovering in the 96 and 97%iles!!!!!  He is right on track with his developmental milestones and did really well during his appointment with Dr Gloudemans. 

Mason memories:
"Last night ago"
"I love you like a Daddy piggy" & "a Mommy Piggy"
He still loves to snuggle in Momma's bed, still loves his wubby, and is seriously addicted to pacy (I  know, he should long ago have been broken of this bad habit but it really soothes him at night).
He has become quite good at climbing out of bed at night, gathering all his lovies, and heading to Momma's bed for some snuggling.  I should probably not allow this but I so love it, after all he is my baby and eventually he won't want to snuggle with me.
He has a huge vocabulary but often has to be reminded to use his words, especially around people he doesn't know.
He is still obsessed with tractors (we did a tractor themed birthday for the second year in a row) and loves to play (or torment, depending on the hour) with Brandon.

Favorite foods: pasta with butter/parm, salami, green beans, strawberries, goldfish crackers, and he has a serious sweet tooth
Favorite movie: Handy Manny, The Lorax, and Robots
Favorite show: still loves to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Diego
Favorite outing: going to the park and the zoo

He went to his first movie, Airplanes (when it opened over the summer), with Daddy, Momma, and Brandon.  He did pretty well but as to be expected, was pretty restless toward the end.  I had forgotten their would be 20 minutes of previews before the movie actually started, so next time we plan to show up 20 minutes late!

Sickly kiddo

The boys were home sick yesterday and today but I bet you can't tell by these photos.  Mason had been ill over the weekend and unfortunately Brandon caught it, but way worse!
Poor Brandon got taken to the ER parking lot last night after we discovered him significantly short of breath (even after a visit to the steamy shower and an albuterol treatment), but of course by the time we got there (and thanks to the cool night air), his breathing improved.  The doc on call told us to go home and keep an eye on him.  Thanks Grandma-nama for coming to our rescue at 2 o'clock this am, Mason thought it was so neat you came over the watch him soooo late at night.  Next time, let's go out for pie (like the good ole days).
Luckily we had a well check scheduled for Mason today and our pediatrician was able to see B for a sick visit.  He was diagnosed with croup and given his first dose of steroids in the office (he'll get his second dose in the am).  The steroids finally seem to be kicking in, his appetite is slowly returning and he is tiring of being told to lay around!  Poor guy, I haven't seem him this puny in a long time. 

Preschool update

Mason was moved up to the 3 yr old room last week and it has been a lot better for him and us.  He no longer talks negatively about going to daycare, some mornings he almost seems happy to go.  He really likes to drop Brandon off at his class and then proceeds to lead the way to his room, even helping to put his lunch and cup in the frig.  He really seems to like his morning teacher a lot better, gets to be on the 3 yr and older side of the playground, and to top it off his best "buddy" Declan is also in his class.  He still seems a bit sad to see us leave in the morning but we have been told he has been doing really well. 
Brandon has been enjoying St Mark's ECC since the beginning, he really seems to thrive in a more structured, school type environment.  The teachers regularly tell me how "wonderful" he is and that he too is doing well.  They tell me that he will spend the entire first hour doing arts 'n' crafts or playing with the wooden blocks (which he loves because they are different colors and shapes) while the other kids are being dropped off.  Preschool class is still his favorite time of day and he has made friends in that class also.  I am still working on teaching him to write his letters at home but now I just follow along with the preschool letter of the week and that seems to help. 

Still can't believe Brandon will be in Kindergarten next year.....I think my heart may break a little when we no longer have our extra day off together during the week however I know Mason will LOVE to have the extra time alone with Momma!

scrimmage, trophies, and pics!

Brandon finished soccer with AYSO this past weekend.  I wasn't able to see his last game (Mason had been sick) but Kevin said he was pretty excited when he got to kick the ball but continued to lose interest toward the end of the game.  He was VERY proud of his trophy and we hope that next soccer season he will be excited to play.  We'll get his soccer pictures this week and I'll post one for all to see! 
Next up, tee ball in the spring. 

playtime!

We bought the dogs a new bed and Brandon wanted to be the first to us it!  Looks pretty comfy, doesn't he?

Look at these handsome boys!  We spend lots of time on our days off playing and mastering the art of taking turns and sharing (lets just say that some days are better than others)!

7 years and counting

Happy anniversary my love!

Jake thought he would stand in for Brandon (who didn't want to cooperate for the pic)

Kevin and I have been married for 7 years!!!!!  Time has really flown by since having the boys and I can't wait to grow old with you.

Happy 3rd Birthday Mason!!!!!

Mason and Declan, best buddies!

Best buddies having fun, they were pretty much inseparable today

The best birthday smile I could get!

Ah yes, we LOVE our tractors!!!!

Ms Catherine and Mason....we missed you Ms. Brandie

Happy 3rd Birthday Mason, you are such a big boy!  We celebrated at Peter Piper Pizza again this year and got another construction site cupcake cake from Fry's, making my day that much less stressful. 

And of course, we repeated the theme of construction/tractors at Mason's request.  I even created a super cute construction site invite, found a bunch of clearance John Deer tablewear, and gave dozer and dump truck cookie cutters for party favors!  I can't stress enough how much this kiddo LOVES tractors and well just about anything with wheels that he can drive on one knee (pretty sure that line is straight out of a country song, just can't think of the song).

Thanks to all for coming and celebrating with us, we love you all.  For those that we missed, we'll see you next time!

Marana Pumpkin Patch with the Steward Family

The boys were excited to ride the tractor to the patch.  Notice Brandon's AYSO water bottle, he carried it all day!

Mike, Stefanie, and Austin....and baby girl Steward on the way!

The pumpkin hunters!!!!

Not sure who had more fun on the jumping pillow, the little boys or the big boys!

The boys spent most of the time in the corn maze trying to scare us....

We spent the day at the Marana Pumpkin patch with the Steward family this year.  It was opening day at the patch and it was by far the best "patch" we have been to!  It was a beautiful day and all the kids had tons of fun.  We picked pumpkins, jumped on the giant "pillow", played on the slides, watched the pig races, climbed the straw mountain, walked the corn maze, and ate lunch and sno cones.  Couldn't have asked for more! 

Fall has arrived, finally!

 The boys and I met up with the girls at the park this morning.  As always, good conversations & goodies from Trader Joe's!

The boys loved my homemade kale chips....ate a pound of kale between the three of us!

We ended our day off together with more outside time!  Mason LOVES to drive his trucks around the yard, usually driving his blue truck until the battery goes dead, then moving on to drive the hand me down yellow truck!  Brandon, as usual, was busy creating inventions. 
This is by far my favorite time of the year.  We are no longer trapped in the house by the heat, we soak up the cool mornings and afternoons.  We even decorated for Halloween already, complete with lights on the front and back porches.  Let the holiday season begin.....