What's Mason Up To?

At two and a half, Mason is very busy, very moody, very opinionated and independent. Far more so than Braden ever was. He's smart as a whip and remembers everything he hears!

• He is a picky eater.
  
• He knows exactly how to push our buttons and make Braden scream!
  
• He's lost one of two ear tubes and about to lose the other, so has had back to back ear infections lately. He never runs fever, but is extremely cranky.
• He can sing his ABC's and count to 20
• Has unbelievable language skills
• Has the biggest belly laugh every, mostly for Braden
• Can select between 4 different games on my iPad WITHOUT help
• Memorizes lines from his favorite movie, right now is How to Train Your Dragon
• Loves to help do laundry; put the clothes in, put the soap in, turn the water on and shut the door
• Just took his first shower last week, and loved it
• Thinks he should be able to do EVERYTHING Braden can do.
  
• Or asks if he can when he's "taller"
• Is 100% potty trained
  
• Loves chocolate milk, watermelon, rice, corn, green beans, chicken, turkey, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, biscuits, bacon, apple cinnamon cheerios, apple juice and suckers!
• He loves to read a story before bed, right now the favorites are The Gingerbread Man, which Ann got me when I was pregnant with Braden, and a Cars look and find book, Aunt Kelli sent for Christmas.

• He loves to take his giant basketball to the YMCA and let Blake hold him up to put it in the basket.
• He can pedal his tricycle with no help at all, and loves the scooter he got for Christmas.
• He loves to watch for the bunny who lives in our back yard, and loves to play in the back yard, regardless of the weather.

• "Braden can sleep with me if I leave him alone" He has moved to Braden's bottom bunk, and it has been a process, but is finally getting the hang of not getting up 20 times.
• He loves to talk on the phone, no matter who calls. I'm guilty of letting him talk to telemarketers!
  
• He loves Sadie, Will's dog, across the street, and lets her lick his hands every chance he gets.
• Loves to watch the Michael Jackson videos and dance "like Braden"
• Loves to brush his teeth and hair
• Loves to take a bath, but also loves to throw the wash cloth out of the tub!

Braden threw water on Mason.....

So Mason threw the whole cup at Braden. This is what I'm talking about....and we love all 2 1/2 years of him!

P.S. as soon as I finished this, Mason turned the TV off on Braden while he was playing Wii, is throwing himself on the floor screaming NO NO NO NO because it's time to stop playing and put PJ's on. He threw his PJ's across the room, and screamed until he turned red! We still love him.


I went to the computer to type that last sentence and while I was doing it, Mason pulled all of his PJ's out and threw them on the floor. At this very moment I am telling him to pick them up, and he is insisting Braden did it.

Highlight Reel

Braden just finished up his first round of Basketball. We weren't able to play before, because the season was in December, when we were out of town. Blake was an excellent coach. To quote one of the parents "He's perfect! He makes it exactly what it should be about at this age, FUN!"

This is just a highlight of shots over the course of the season. I did ok at first, but the gym was dark and most pics have a yellow tint. Also, Mason would dash out onto the floor every chance he got.

Can you say "Air Braden"

Love the expression on Blake's face.....wait a minute! There were too many players on the court!

Student Success

I am so proud to show off my student's success at the recent ADDY Awards. You can get the full story on the class blog that I keep. I cannot take credit for their talent, but I can take credit for twisting their arms to enter and driving their awards to Joplin. Not all of them were able to attend the dinner, and not all of them won, but they had a great time.

The best part of the event is that they get to see what real professionals in this industry are creating, and those same professionals get to see our student's work. A few of them went home with a few business cards from potential employers!

Being the amazing husband that he is, Blake didn't even mind that I "volunteered" him to MC the event. Our table mates were a little shocked, and I'm sure thought I was crazy, until they saw him in action. He's a pro! It was not a seamless presentation, poor guy, some of the script did not match the actual presentation, but he did great!!!!

I was able to take home a Gold ADDY for this logo

A Silver ADDY for this wedding invitation package. You might remember the fabulous shower for this bride, back in October.

Blake's Billboard Debut

I had no idea Blake was going to be showcased on a local billboard, until I saw these pics on our camera! What a hottie!

Feel The Love!

Why I LOVE my husband

My husband, Blake, who runs despite the temperature, can eat salad without dressing, can skip lunch and not kill someone before dinner, competes in Triathlons, and eats cereal for breakfast, while we eat the bacon, eggs and biscuits he cooked for us, came home with every Super Bowl party food imaginable, and we weren't having a party! It was just for US!!!!

The dip above is a recipe he tried out of the "Cook this Not That" book and baked pita chips.

The rest was pure indulgence, buffalo wings, popcorn chicken, potato skins, veggie tray with ranch dipping sauce and some chopped fruit! The best...mini pizza with all the fixin's for the boys to make their own. As you can see from the handful above, Mason is a fan of shredded cheese!

And doesn't feel bad about it!

"Save some cheese for the rest of us!"

Ok, it wasn't an official party, but we did have Will over.

Did I mention the "low fat" brownies for dessert! Since they were low fat, I had two!

Snow Bunny

Blake was the awesome parent today! While I stayed warm, and Braden was at Will's, he took Mason outside to play in the DEEP snow! Mason has wanted in our back yard ever since it hit, but I was afraid I would lose him!





I love this picture of Mr. Tree!