A Splashing Good Time

This is my 5th post tonight(!)so be sure to scroll down & check out the previous new posts...

I'm almost embarrassed to say that before yesterday, Mason had never been to a swimming pool. Me, of all people, former swim team member, 3 year Lifeguard, teacher of private swimming lessons, had never taken the poor child to the pool before. So now that the guilt is over with, here's some pictures of what a great time we had!

Before getting in the water, he had to try out the cool chairs

I took him in the 3-4 Ft water first & bobbed him around to get him more comfortable. He jumped into my arms twice from the side of the pool (he wasn't afraid) and then we spent the rest of the time over in the kiddie pool, which is just 1 FT deep. He "swam" all around that little pool. He didn't stay by me very much but of course I sat at the edge & kept my eye on him at all times. Mommy may have gotten a sunburn~but at least I kept Mason greased up like a little piggy with sunscreen! (I put it on myself too, just not enough or not in the right places!)

I love this pic of my pasty white boy!



My new fave pic! What a cool dude.

My Dad's 60th Birthday BBQ Bash

This is my 4th post tonight, so be sure to check out the previous 3...

My Mom threw a big BBQ for my Dad's 60th Birthday this past weekend. There was a big turnout of family & friends. My Uncle Morgan (my dad's brother) flew in from CA as a surprise (to my dad only) and my Grandma (Dad's mom) came up from Fort Smith. Everyone brought side items and mom provided the hamburgers, hot dogs & all the fixin's. Wayne was elected to be The Grillmaster and grilled 50 hamburgers! and some hot dogs. Man, it was H-O-T outside & especially over that grill. We ate way too much and had a lot of fun. Mason ran around and with his cousin, Cameron, and was so red-faced hot but enjoyed the one-on-one time with his best bud. He didn't get to sleep until 10:30 that night!! Dad had a great birthday BBQ and we're glad we were able to help out & have fun!


Wayne, The Grillmaster


Wayne, Uncle Morgan, Grandma Betty Ruth, & Mason

My Mom & Sister, Angela

Nephew Cameron & Wayne

Me & Wayne

Dad (in blue shirt to the right) with friends

Summertime!

Mason's favorite thing to do (besides play with cars) is to play outside. He loves to swing, run around, ride his trike, and of course, play in the sprinkler!
We finally got a new camera a few weeks ago since I was at my wit's end with our old one. We knew we had to break done & get one with Mason's birthday and our Vegas trip coming up. So you won't have to hear any more griping out of me about how most of my pictures are blurry, it takes so long to snap the picture that the action is then over, or that the video option is broken! Now I have good pics AND video back!

Okay...I just tried to upload 2 videos & it's not going for some reason. I'll keep trying...

Father's Day 2009

It's really too bad I failed to get a picture of Wayne & Mason together on Father's Day :( I think I'll take one soon & play it off like it was from the actual day...I mean 5 years from now, who will know? (Let's keep it real~ ONE year from now will anyone remember? Oh, a scrapbooker's book of secrets...LOL!)

Mason & I made breakfast in bed for Wayne (which he decided to get up and eat in the living room, because who really wants to eat in bed?) Mason let Daddy borrow his lap tray just for the special occasion. I ran outside to get the newspaper to add to his tray and told Mason to wait inside (ya right) since he was just in his pajama shirt & underwear. I hadn't sooner left the front door when I heard "I'm following you!" and Mason was right behind me in his underwear in our driveway!
This doesn't look that appetizing in the picture, but it was, I swear!


After breakfast, we went to see my Dad & give him a new wallet. He loved it & Mason was being silly, as usual.



Wearing my new flip-flops

Then we came back home & spent the day relaxing with Wayne.

Mason's last few weeks as a 2 year old...

My baby is about to turn 3! I can't believe what a big boy he is. He amazes us everyday and we're so blessed to have him in our lives. I can barely think about him turning 3 with out tearing up...pause for Kleenex...

And I just realized that I haven't officially announced that Mason will be attending Preschool in the Fall! (That is, IF he's fully potty trained! STRESS!) He'll go 3 half-days a week. He'll get to learn new things and have interaction with other kids and it will also give my Dad a break. He's been a lifesaver watching Mason since he was about 2 1/2 months old!! (I think that's right)

Mason and I have been doing a lot of "crafts" lately since we've both been a little bored with our regular routine. He's made paintings, caterpillars & a spider, necklaces out of yarn & straws, and even painted these little figurines:
He painted a Lion for his Grandpa (who loves lions) and gave it to him for his birthday. (although he's painting an elephant in these pics)


Really concentrating


Baked potatoes are one of my fave foods, and Mason has picked that up. Here he is eating "his very own tato"

In the backyard in the tent/obstacle course his Grandma Clova got him

It's hard to believe that there are so many "firsts" left for Mason to experience. Some everyday things are still special when it's your first! Case in point:
Mason usually eats cereal dry but he finally wanted to try it with milk. He loved it! (And he doesn't usually wear a bib, I was just expecting a big milky mess~but he didn't spill a drop!)


We're counting down on a paper chain (another craft we made) to his birthday & Spongebob birthday party. He's so excited!

Wild Wilderness Safari

A few weeks ago, we took Mason to the Safari in Gentry. I hadn't been in years and it had changed a lot. The petting area was a lot bigger, for one. Mason had a great time feeding & petting the animals, then we drove through the drive-through safari to see the big wild animals that you don't exactly want to pet!

Gimme a big wet kissy...



A little apprehensive at first to feed the zebra...

Then quite proud of himself after he did it!

Our fave~the kangaroos!

They were all asleep so we were able to pet them and they didn't mind. Check out the joey's feet hanging out of her pouch...

They were very soft!


The peacock didn't want to show us her feathers, but it was beautiful nonetheless
A baby giraffe
Roooaaaarrrr...
Tortoise friends
This pic cracks me up! It's as if they all do this everyday~it's so mundane that it's not worthy of looking up. Just a deer, an emu, and a boy walking by...nothing unusual about that.
These white-spotted deer were so cute. We fed them some bread. The one on the right is asking for more.
This camel is a little too close for comfort...grabbing a piece of bread.
This one was on my side wanting some more~Ahhh!
Love this camel head pic!

Texas Longhorns (BOOOOOOOOO!)
This one won the fight to be King of the Mountain. (literally!)
Huge Rhino!
It was fun to see wild animals that you don't normally see everyday~and so close up.

The only downfall to the trip was a crazy bite I got on my arm. I guessed it was a spider bite but it could have been an infected mosquito or something. It was crazy red and swollen and itchy and I had to get my Dr. to look at. I probably should have had a steroid shot because it just healed about a week ago (after 3 weeks!) but still gets red every once in a while! Yuck!