A December to Remember!

This December was truly amazing! It was our first Holiday season with our sweet boy and it all started after our wonderful thanksgiving when we put up our Christmas tree. I must admit I was a little hesitant about putting up our tree with our glass ornaments on our tile floor with a newly walking 11 month old, but i was so surprised by how great Mason was with the tree. We put out all our decorations while he was sleeping and the next morning when he woke up, i carried him into the living room and he was awe struck by the lighted Christmas tree. I was smart enough to put the less breakable ornaments on the bottom but Mason was so gentle with the tree. All month he has loved the tree, he waves at it, he sits next to it and stares, he touches the branches gently, he lightly touches the ornaments with his finger tips. He even tries his best to say the word tree, he says "eee". If you ask him where the tree is, he will walk over to it. I hate that we are going to have to pack it up, I'm afraid it will be disappointing to him. The one thing that we unfortunately cannot pack away and clear out of our living room is all the toys mason got for Christmas. On Christmas eve we went Landon's parents house in the afternoon and exchanged our gifts with them. Mason got a light up drum, two books, a megablocks boat, a music cube, and a toy tractor. Later we all headed to Landon's grandmother Hinson's house where Mason enjoyed playing with all of his cousins and we were excited to announce our family news. Mason enjoyed his new toy truck, race car, turtle toy, and new outfit. He loved being around all of the other kids and was so excited at everything that was going on. After a great night of wonderful family, food, and fun, we went home and put Mason to bed on his very first Christmas Eve! The next morning we woke up, Mason enjoyed his bottle on his bean bag and Landon and I enjoyed a cup of coffee. My mom came down the hill to our house and we opened our Christmas gifts. Mason had little interest in opening his gifts on his own, so Ling-Ling jumped right in and helped tear in to his gifts. He got a push cart, a monster puzzle, a pair of pj's, a tractor ride toy, some bath boats, train cars, stacking cups, and a play tent. Landon surprised me with a new ipod and a few weeks earlier i surprised him with a new salt water fish (a lunar wrasse) for our aquarium. After a few hours of playing, eating breakfast, and cooking our dishes for lunch at my moms, we got ready and went to my moms house for Christmas with my family. My brother and his wife and two girls came over and we had a delicious lunch and then opened gifts. Mason got an alligator piano, an Eeyore stuffed animal, a Monica the moo cow lawn mower, some clothes, and some cute little stocking stuffers. He got an adorable pair of toy story pj's from his cousins. Later that day we went to Landon's Grandparents on his dads side, the Greenes. They had music and food at the fellowship hall near their house and when we got there Landon jumped right in with his guitar and played hours of bluegrass while Mason and i visited, played, open presents, ate yummy food, danced to the music and played some more. Mason had such a big time walking around and being the center of attention, waving and smiling and being so adorably cute!! He loved the music so much and would wave at his daddy and walk over to his daddy while he was playing, he would try to touch his daddy's guitar and at one point even turned his papaws bass guitar off while he was playing. He loved bopping and dancing to the music and when the music would change to a fast paced song Mason would just about burst with excitement, clapping his hands and waving his arms around in excitement. He had a great time seeing everyone, being some place new and opening his gifts. He got so many neat toys like a set of weebles with a merry-g0-round, a sing-a-ma-jig doll, a jack in the box, a drum pad, a pillow pet puppy, a shape sorter toy, and a clock toy. He had such a great time playing with all of his new toys and was entertained for hours with them. He also loved playing with his cousin Carson who was there, and they had a lot of fun together. We also got to share our exciting announcement with Landon's family as well (more on the exciting news in an upcoming post). It was a long two days of Christmas celebrations but we enjoyed every minute of it!! And I'm really looking forward to next Christmas when Mason will hopefully get the hang of opening his own gifts!! Now we just have a couple of weeks till mason's first birthday!! I can't even believe he will be turning ONE! This year has flown by in a flash, and has been the happiest and most exciting and joyful year of my life!!

Mason's 11 month update a little late!

I'm a little behind on mason's 11 month update but there are just so many new things happening in our lives. In the last month Mason has become a confident well balanced walker! He walks EVERYWHERE all the time now and rarely crawls. He got his first pair of real walking shoes this month from stride rite, they are so adorable and stay on his feet well. He has also learned to stand up on his own without pulling up on anything. He is speaking some new words, the newest is "ahh-ohh" he says it everytime he drops something on the floor. Here is his current list: mama, daddy (no longer Dada), nah-nah (my mom), hey, bye, hi, eee (tree), baba, Go, and something that sounds like no-no but he says it more like (neh-neh). He waves all the time now and especially if someone says hello or bye-bye he waves. He shakes his little head side to side like he's saying no but he doesn't actually mean no, he just thinks it's cute. If you ask mason where his tongue is he will stick it out at you and if you ask where his paci goes he will stick his tongue out. He also likes to scrunch his nose up and snort at you, it looks so mean but he knows it is funny and loves to do it for attention. He loves music and likes to dance and bounce up and down when he hears any kind of rhythm. He also loves to try to sing a long with songs and will humm and make little noises that mimic the sounds. Mason has two new teeth coming in on the top next to his two front teeth. He really understands so many words and things that we say and do. If you ask him where the fish are he will look at the fish tank then walk over to it and wave at the fish. If you ask him where the Christmas tree is or where ling ling is, he will look at it or walk to it. He is eating so many new table foods, lately he loves his organic cereal/nutrigrain bars and cheerios with a fruit puree for breakfast, he has 4 bottles a day with 6 oz formula and an ounce or two of regular organic whole milk to transition him from soy, for dinner he has two vegetables and some of our dinner. He also has cereal for snacks during the day and eats a lot of things that we eat now too! He is drinking out of sippy cups with no problem other than he is a little messy with them compared to bottles, so we are still giving him his milk in bottles sometimes too. His favorite toys are still any type of cars or trucks, he loves pushing them around the house and he loves the wheels. He naps once in the morning and once in the afternoon on days that we are home. He likes to have his paci for his naps and he likes to have his glow seahorse on and his light up elephant on while he naps. we have to run two fans during nap time and bedtime because he is still a very light sleeper. He goes to bed around 8:30 and wakes around 8 am if nothing wakes him up earlier, occasionally he will sleep till 9 or 9:30 am. He is still wearing 9 month pants in the waist but needs 12 month length. My best guess is he weighs about 20 lbs. He is quickly outgrowing his rear facing car seat because his legs are so long. He loves to watch "Olivia", "toot and puddle", "the fresh beat band", and "Mrs. spiders sunny patch". Mason loves to play in the mirror, he likes to explore the house and he now will walk to his room, open the gate, and go into his room and play, then open the gate and come back out. He is such a happy little guy and everywhere we go people remark how happy he is, and they are so right. Mason is so very friendly to everyone he meets, he smiles and waves at people in stores and places we go, he makes everyone feel so special and when they talk to him he just lights up and gets so excited he kicks his legs and waves his little arms in the air in excitement. He is so delightful to be around and has such a great personality.

Christmas Town USA

Being Mason's first Christmas Season, I've been so excited to create our own new traditions this year that we can enjoy as a family for years to come. One thing I had been hoping to do this year was for Landon and I to take Mason to Mcadenville (Christmas Town USA) to see the beautiful lights. Landon had never been and it has been many years since I last visited Mcadenville at Christmas time. After begging Landon for weeks to go, our good friends, Maclaren and Erica, invited us to go along with them on Tuesday night and I was thrilled. It was really so much fun to go along with them and their sweet little girl Riley. I got such a kick out of watching Mason and Riley riding in their little car seats side by side and looking in amazement at the beautiful lights and houses! They are just too cute together, I hope they will grow to be great friends as they get older! We had such a wonderful time and it was so nice to get to spend it with our good friends! Mason has really enjoyed all the beautiful lights, trees, and decorations that we've seen this Christmas season!! It is so great to see the excitement and joy through his eyes, he finds beauty and excitement in the smallest details, things I hardly even notice immediately catch his eye and he is completely fascinated!

We took our Christmas photos with our great photographer friend Kim last Friday and we got to see a sneak peak at 2 of our photos so here they are! Unfortunately Landon couldn't be there for our Christmas pics so I still have to figure out what to do about a family pic for our Christmas cards, which I need to get ordered soon, but i am waiting on the rest of our Christmas pics before i decide on anything! And last Saturday we took Mason to see Santa Claus for the first time. We went to the mall to see him and waited in line for nearly 2 hours, it was ridiculous and Mason was totally over it by the time we got up there to see Santa. He waved in delight and was smiling and happy, he didn't even mind Santa holding him, until i walked away for them to take his picture. As i turned my back to him, he totally freaked and started crying, I quickly took him his paci and everything seemed all better but unfortunately his little eyes were still red in the picture and the ugly paci was in the pics too. We also got a group shot of him with his cousins Madison and Molly! I leave you with the pics!

Thankful

Last week we celebrated our first thanksgiving as a family!
The night before mason decided to show his daddy and i his amazing walking skills
we were impressed
we were extremely impressed
he went from being a little boy who would take a few wobbly steps here or there
to being a little boy who was brave and walking back and forth from mom to dad on his own
he was so proud
we were so very proud
it was amazing and i was thankful for that moment
as long as i live i will never forget that moment and i don't think Landon will either
it was perfect.
mason was perfect.
Speaking of perfect, Mason's first thanksgiving was pretty close to it
Mason loved it, he loved seeing his cousins and getting to play.
He loved going to his grandma Lisa's house to eat,
he loved visiting and showing off for his Aunt and Uncle and his great grandmother Stegall.
he loved eating mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli cheese casserole, and cream corn
he loved exploring the house, walking from table to table, person to person
not one nap was had the entire day
we also ventured on to visit his great grandma & great grandpa Greene's for dinner
we enjoyed having them all to ourselves since everyone was else was out of town this year
yep, you heard correctly
Masons grandparents randy and Annette were at the beach with his great grandma Hinson,
uncle Ben was in Florida with his band,
Tammy, Bob, Carson, Wayne, and Mandy were in the mountains on vacation
But we did get to see aunt Beth
Aunt Beth has been gone out of state for her FBI training
but she was back in town for the holiday
and just as we were getting ready to go home
she came over to great grandma and grandpa Greene's
she came over just to see little mason
she played on the floor with him
they laughed and crawled and played hide and seek
she tickled him and talked to him
and he ate it up
he loved every second of the attention
i see them having a lot of fun together in the future
then after a long day of food, laughter, smiles, and lots of talking
we finally made our way home
home to bed,
well mason and daddy went to bed
momma and grandma Lisa went shopping
yep, we were out from 10 pm to 5 am
we tried to snag us some great Christmas deals
it was exhausting.
but we had a great thanksgiving weekend
there were lots of surprises (more on that another time)
there was lots of food
and there was a whole lot to be thankful for this thanksgiving
like all the holidays we have had this year
all of which are masons first
i find myself lost in thought
thoughts of last year
last year before mason was here with us
i think of how different things are
and how much has changed
and thinking of the changes makes me look ahead
i find myself thinking about next year
and all the changes that life has in store for us.
I wonder what our thanksgiving will be like next year
it's hard to imagine my baby boy growing up
i can really only picture him the way he is now
but i know next year i will be looking back wondering where the time went.
and marveling at how much he has grown and how different things are after just one year!
We are really looking forward to masons first Christmas
followed soon after by his first birthday
but i am trying not to get ahead of myself
I'm maybe even dragging my heels a little
in hopes of holding on a little longer
slowing down time just a little
I'm trying to enjoy this moment
this Christmas season
this special time with my little boy and my wonderful husband!
life is wonderful right now, I'm truly at a happy place
and even though there are always improvements that can be made
i am blissfully in love with my darling son and my amazing husband!
God has truly blessed us and we are so thankful!

10 month update

10 month old Mason is keeping Landon and I on our toes every minute. He is doing so many new things these days and is busting with personality and charisma! Mason has totally mastered waving and for the last several weeks he is constantly waving at everyone and everything. He will wave at most anyone and even wave at buildings, lights, figurines, the TV, and anything else that looks interesting. He will still occasionally say bye-bye and it has gotten very clear and understandable, it's so adorable to hear his sweet little voice! In addition to mam, dada. gaga, and geh he has started saying "hey" (it's his own little version of hey, but Landon and i know that is what he is saying because he will say it back to you when you say hey and he will say it while waving. He has also learned to turn his wave into a knock. And he loves to knock on his toys, walls, windows doors, and even other kids and people. Yes, Mason crawled right up to one of his favorite story time pals at the library and waved at him then knocked on his head a couple times. It was one of the funniest things and all i could do was apologize to the boys mom, but she thought it was humorous too!! Mason has really turned into quite a character lately, well he has always been a character but his personality is really coming into his own as of late. He really loves to be around other people and truly lights up with the most magnificent smile when someone pays him attention. He is such a delightful little fella and just truly the happiest baby you will ever meet! Mason is getting so close to walking, everyday he takes a few steps on his own and Landon and i are on the edge of our seats waiting for him to take off on his own. He will walk all over the house holding onto one of our fingers and loves to push his pushcart all over the house but he often runs into the furniture and the walls and docent know how to get around it so he will just plop down and play with the wheels. He LOVES wheels!! He seems to know what trucks are and he will turn over anything that has wheels on it and spin the wheels. He still LOVES his sesame street table and will bang on it while watching TV. He tries to mimic the "la,la,la-lala-lahhh" and has also started mimicking a lot of the words and sounds that Landon and i say. He seems to really understand a lot of things we tell him or say to him. He also likes to "sing along" while you sing. And just today i caught him wiggling and bouncing while the "toot & puddle" song came on, it was so adorable and my heart melted to see him wiggle his little booty. I hope that he will have a love for music and dancing, like his dad and I! He is eating a lot more table foods, he can eat cheerios, chopped spaghetti, little pieces of ground beef or turkey, mashed potatoes, soft cooked veggies like pieces of cooked carrots and peas, he can eat rice and loves to have anything we will give him off of our plates while we are eating. he can feed his self a lot of things that you put on his tray for him to pick up. He really enjoys feeding himself and loves to eat his food at the table along with everyone else. He is also drinking nearly all of his formula out of his sippy cups. He LOVES his bath time and we have a lot of fun at bath time now because he is big enough to sit up in his tub and play and splash with his toys. Landon and I both love to sit and watch him play during his bath time and he is always in such a great mood after his baths! At his last Doctors visited he weighed a little over 19 lbs. He is going to bed around 8pm and loves getting his teeth brushed before bed, he has to have his glow worm or light-up elephant to get to sleep at night time and nap time. I have been sneaking into his room occasionally to see him sleeping with his face down, knees tucked under, rump in the air and head under the blanket. When you see how he sleeps in his crib it is the most adorable thing. He wakes on his own somewhere between 6:30 and 9:00 with no explanation for the 2 and a half hour difference. i love the 9 am mornings and hate the 6:30 mornings. he loves to play with Ling and will grab up one of her toys and tug back and forth with her while giggling the whole time. He has a mighty grip and he loves to get ling's attention. he is quickly outgrowing his clothes because he is so long, he is wearing 6 and 9 month onesies and pants in the waist but he is so long he needs 12 months for the length. We have started planning mason's first birthday because it is just around the corner!! And we are looking forward to the upcoming holidays!! This week will be celebrating Mason's first thanksgiving and i know that we have so very much to be thankful for this year!! I can't wait for Mason to get his first taste of homemade thanksgiving dinner!!

Playing in the office while mom works

At the Southern Christmas Show

Excited for my bath, watching my tub fill up!

Waiting with bath toy in hand

The holidays are upon us!!

It's that time of year already, the holidays are quickly approaching!! And even though it may seem early I've already started preparing for the holiday season, i've been pulling out my decorations, planning where the tree is going to go, scheduling family pictures, and i have also started planning our holiday greeting cards for this Christmas season. I'm very excited to be using shutterfly this year for our holiday photo cards. I have never ordered cards through them in the past but i have heard amazing things from friends and famly who have used them and who loved them! This year will be our first year as a family and our first year with Mason included in our gretting cards, so I am very excited to send our cards out to all of our family friends! I've been looking through all the beautiful cards and shutterfly and really like the classic styles and the cards that have multiple pictures because it is always hard to narrow it down to just one picture, so i am loving the fact that there are so many styles that have room to put in all your favorite pics onto your card! I'm loving all the great designs on shutterfly but i am particularly liking this card and I also love this photo card. What do you all think? You can check out ALL of their photo Christmas cards Here!! And if you are interested in recieving 50 free cards you can go HERE!! I hope everyone will take advantage of this great offer and be sure to check out all the beautiful cards and invitations on Shutterfly!!

Pajama Man

Mason is 10 months old today and it makes me excited for the future but scared at how quickly he is growing up and how fast time is slipping away!! As of a few days ago Mason has a new tooth poking through on the top next to his front left tooth. That will be 5 total. He is so close to walking but just won't commit to it. You will catch him taking a few steps on his own but as soon as he realizes it he will plop down and crawl. Here's a video i took this week of Mason pushing his toy around the kitchen, it also shows his new waving skills and a little crawling! I've got to get better about taking some videos of him!!

Isn't he just too cute in his little PJ's?