Mason celebrates 3!

 Mason celebrated turning 3, with Braden coming home from being in Forrest City for a week, and having Pop in town for his party! Since they arrived on his birthday, we had a small family celebration opening gifts. Nan and Pop got the wagon, Braden picked out a new Thomas the Train book, we got him a bubble machine, and Nana and Papa got him his own soccer ball, and bat that came with "soft" real baseballs. Lots of cards and money arrived in the mail, and some more books from Aunt Kelli!

 Saturday morning Braden had his first ever machine pitch baseball game. So after we cooled off from that, we started getting ready for the party. Low key, cook-out in the back yard, with friends that have kids close to Mason's age. Most of these couples we've gotten close to, through our Young Professional's Dinners for Eight groups.

 A pleasant surprise was that our good friend Andrew Davis and his sister Sydney were in town from Dallas, and were able to join in the festivities.

 I started a new approach with the gifts. It was a success last year, so we did it again, this year. Each child brings a gift, we number them all 1, 2, 3. I put the same number of 1, 2, 3, in a bucket and each child gets to pick a number and then select a gift from the pile. So everyone gets a present!

 Pop was quite the entertainer at the party! He held the five month old baby and pitched to all the little kids. Mason wasn't quite on board with sharing Pop.....or taking turns. He wanted to be the only one to hit.

 The gift Mason chose was a set of maracas, and he loved them!

 Let me just preface this by saying I saw how this was going to play out, but instead of stopping it, I grabbed my camera! I was across the yard, but I'm quite sure Pop was saying something like "No, Mason, don't get Pop wet."

 And following up with "Boy, I told you not to squirt me." Again, that's just a guess. As you can see Mason was not deterred. I'm still not sure why Pop didn't offer to take Mason back to Forrest City with him for a week! Maybe next year!

 Mason with his good friends (brothers) Weston and Emmery. They both go to school with Mason, but we've known them since birth. Weston is about a month younger than Mason, and Emmery and Andrew are the same age.

 This is Mason's good friend Brocky Dell (translated Brock Radell) from school, but we've also spent time with Brock and his parents during Dinners for Eight.

 One night at dinner I was asking Braden what theme he wanted for his party, and Mason was all too happy to tell me he wanted a Basketball party.

 Thrilled to have everyone singing Happy Birthday to him

I think the cookies were good!