Weekend Fun for 3

What a great weekend it has been.

Friday evening I went to a Vault Denim jean party and scored some great bright blue colored jeans. PERFECT for my Spring wardrobe!

On Saturday, Chris, Mason, and I got to spend all day together! We went out for breakfast at a restaurant down the road. Blueberry pancakes, eggs, and the BEST bacon I've ever had. Yum. We ran some errands, came home for Mason's nap, and ended the evening at Applebee's for dinner. Mason was so well-behaved.


Today, we got on our color-coordinated Easter outfits and went to church in the pouring rain. Not exactly the "spring weather" I was hoping for. We had lunch at church and I got to see my sister after her week in HAITI. What a great hug that was! (SO proud of her and can't wait to hear all about her trip!) We enjoyed a sunny afternoon, mud puddle fun for Mason, and a dinner outside on the grill! It was a much-appreciated weekend with my guys. I'm very much looking  forward to Spring.

The way he loves his Daddy.

I think there is a certain way our children show us they love us. Whether they be 5 months, 5 years, or 35, they have a way of showing their parents that they love them. I also think they love Mama and Daddy differently. When Mason is hurt, he wants "Maaaa Maaaa", when he's tired he wants Mama. But when that back door opens, Mason runs. He knows that Dada is finally home.

 

Chris is a hard worker. I don't mean he is your typical "hard worker." He works from the moment he wakes up until he goes to sleep. He. Works. Hard. So, naturally, I get to see Mason and spend more time with him. And that boy loves me. He really does. But I think the difference is his time with Dada is special. It doesn't happen as long or as frequently as time with me. I can tell by the way Mason watches Chris. I can tell by the way he will not come to me if his Daddy has just come in the door. I can tell by the way he runs up to him and opens his arms wide for his Daddy to pick him up. I just love to watch those two together. I soak it in as I watch them play, hug, cuddle...I know as Mason grows, he'll love his Daddy in different ways. The bond between a father and a son is undeniable. I love watching that bond grow each day.

 

 

He may not verbally say the words "I love you" yet but he sure knows how to show it. He loves his Daddy. 

 

 

 

A Weekend Away

Chris and I had the chance to get away for the weekend. Jet ski season has started and he is already so busy with his full-time job and what has turned into a second full-time job with skis 6+ months out of the year. So I was so happy for us to be able to get away for 36 hours. Here is a picture summary of our weekend and also the fun Mason was having while staying at his Grammy's. Those two are a pair! :)

 

 

 

It's always fun to get away. I think it's important to keep a husband/wife relationship with your spouse, not just a Mom/Dad relationship that comes with having a child. We had a great weekend, enjoyed our time together, but we were both ready to see our baby yesterday. Mama got a little snuggle time with Mase while Daddy had to finish working on a ski. (Thanks for your hard work, babe.)

 

 

 

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! Happy Monday!

Babies

I mean, who doesn't love a baby?! It's one of the greatest (if not THE greatest!) miracles in life. Think about it. It's an act of love between two people that create such an amazing living being. Of course, we have to give all of the credit to God for his work. But there is something so amazing about a woman's pregnancy, how her body changes, birthing a baby, the changes a baby makes SO quickly, the instincts they have...I am in marvel of it, really.

I guess my whole point in this is that I love babies. I love my baby. I love when I hear about an expecting mother, whether it be her first or fourth(God bless her!). I'm fascinated by answers to my questions. "How do you feel?, What are you going to name him/her?, Are you going to find out the sex?, How are you going to decorate the nursery?, Are you getting the epidural?" I'm not trying to be nosey. I just LOVE everything about babies and I love to hear other Moms' stories! I've always thought of myself as the "20 questions" person. I ask so many questions. My friends have to find that annoying. I'm sorry. I'm just a very curious person.

And, of course, there's always the "When's the next one" question. Well, I hope we are blessed with another child. But at the right time. Right now, I'm just enjoying my not-so-baby Baby.

What's your fascinating baby story??

26

I'm 26. A year older, a year wiser, a year grayer (no really, I'm getting gray hair(s)). Another year to be thankful. For my birthday post, I decided to post 26 pictures of the past year. These are some of my favorite pictures/moments captured on camera, although many of my favorite moments aren't captured on camera and I am equally as thankful for those too.

It's amazing what happens in a year! Mason and I on my 25th/26th birthday!

Tummy time

One of many playdates with our good friends Brittany and her daughter, Reese

 Our little Duke Dog!  




Celebrating Lindsay's college graduation!

                       

 

Our family portrait- 6 months old.
Photo by Robert Harris Photography

 



      

Pool time

Swingin'
 






Mason's first time at the beach!




Beach Trip '12




Trip to Harrisonburg with Mama and Mason

Visit with the Burns Family for Stella's 1st birthday!

A trip to our alma mater for a friend's wedding

Pumpkin Patch



Rock a bye Mason



Love

Halloween with Mckayla




  

Fun at Mama's




We're nuts

My sweet, sleep baby on Thanksgiving Day

Story time

Getting ready to see Santa!

 

One of my favorites

Our crazy family on Mason's birthday :)

Before his 1 year pictures :)

Snow baby



As I looked through this year's pictures, it was hard to pick out only 26 "favorites." I realized, once again, how LUCKY I am to live the life that I do. This year, I am extra thankful for my family, my friends, my job, and most of all, my Mason. I have had a special weekend full of fun with Chris and Mason. Thanks to everyone who has wished me a happy birthday via phone call, text, facebook, card. It means so much to me. 



 

In The Rearview Mirror

I dropped Mason off this morning at my Mama's house. As I pulled out of the long driveway, I caught myself watching Mason out of the rearview mirror. I realized that I do this everytime I leave. It made me wonder, "Will I always watch him as I leave?" And then I thought, "What about the day he leaves me?" There will be a day when I'm not leaving him, but he's leaving me. Leaving me to go play with friends, leaving me to drive on his own for the first time, leaving me for a date at the movies, leaving me to (hopefully) go to college, leaving me for another woman, his wife. That's a lot of leaving that I'm not ready for.

Don't grow up too soon Mason.

Part Time

I have to admit, I am so blessed that I am able to work part time. My husband works his butt off to be the main provider for our family. Calling him a "hard-working man" is an understatement but that's another post for another day. Before I became pregnant, before Mason was born, and even after Mason was born I thought, for sure, I wanted to be a stay-at-home Mom. I mean, who WOULDN'T want to stay at home and admire their baby all day?!

I've had 1 job my entire life (unless we consider the years I spent filling barns growing up!). I work at my Grandparent's frame shop. I've worked there since I was 15. My grandfather passed away in '05 right after I went off to college. Now it's me and my Grandma (Betty). Lucky doesn't describe my "work" life. I've always made my own schedule which consisted of 4-5 days a week. Now I'm down to 3 days a week. Mostly, I work Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. My Mom keeps Mason on Wednesday and my Grandma keeps Mason on Thursday and Friday. How lucky am I that I know my child is safe and in good hands when I leave to go to work??

I enjoyed 2 1/2 wonderful months at home with Mason after he was born. I had some major heartburn and anxiety about going back to work. The plan was to keep him at the shop while Betty and I worked. After a month, I was so stressed that I realized that schedule was NOT good for me. I was nursing him, trying to occupy him, trying to work, change his diapers, and do everything to keep him satisfied and get my work done all at the same time. It wasn't fair to him and it wasn't fair to Betty (although as long as Mason was around she didn't care :). We finally came up with my current schedule.

As I said earlier, I always thought I'd want to be a full time stay-at-home Mom. But I love my schedule now. I get to be around the public, get dressed like a real person, and have grown-up interaction. But I also get Saturday-Tuesday to snuggle, play, wear pajamas, and soak in this time with my boy who's growing by the second. Don't get me wrong, I love Mason and love the time we spend together but being away from him those 20-24 hours a week makes me savor the time we are together. I never want to take him for granted.

 

 

 

 

I cherish my time with Mason. He is the light of my life. The love of my life. The reason I believe I was put on this Earth other than to serve the Lord. He has given me my most important job and I am so blessed to watch him grow.

MIA

I have not posted in 3 years. I'm not sure blogging is for me. I like to read a few selective blogs on a consistent basis but most blogs don't interest me. The only reason I think blogging would be good for me is so I can document what our family does, how we live, and important things I otherwise may forget.

Since I last posted, our life has changed forever. We have a 14 month old son. He has changed our WORLD. He IS our world. Chris and I were so blessed when I became pregnant. I won't get into details in this post because so much has happened. I may do some flashback posts later on to tell our stories of expecting our first child, the birth of Mason, his first year, etc. But for now I'll just play catch up.

Once again, I do not expect this to be of any interest to anyone but myself :) If you would like to read along, then welcome to our life! It's not the most glamorous but it is the life that makes me happy.

P.S. I am not an English major. I always did well in school but I may not always use the correct grammar, punctuations, etc. But you will never find me using "4" for the word "for", "b" for the word "be", or spelling love "luv".