Be My Valentine

Mason & I had fun putting these little treat bags together to hand out to his friends at preschool.
This was the assembly process...

I made the headers on the computer & printed them out. I was so happy with how they turned out!
Here he is signing each and every Scooby-Doo Valentine! I was planning to write the other kids' names on them and just have Mason sign his name so it wouldn't be so overwhelming for him (it's a lot to ask at this age) but he insisted on filling them all out-with the kid's name & his. Then he started signing "Love," and drawing hearts!
Working hard (still in his jammies)...
So proud of him!

Our Easter Craft

A few days ago, we made Easter Crosses. I cut out 2 crosses from cardboard and then Mason and I each picked a paint color & painted them. I picked white & Mason picked gold. (good choice, huh?) He ended up adding a lot of white to his as well. Then we glued on buttons and added ribbon to hang them by. We both had fun!
Disclaimer: I took way too many pictures of this little project, and I'm posting a lot of them~ Mason just looks so cute concentrating on what he's doing, it was hard to narrow them down!

I hope to get some eggs dyed tomorrow, although I haven't actually done it since I was a kid. I'm a little apprehensive about it, however, I really want Mason to experience dying real Easter eggs. I bought this contraption that you put the egg in and push a big button and it swirls the egg around in the dye~without having to touch it! It's supposed to make it marble-looking. We'll see how that goes.
I also hope to make Jello eggs tomorrow~wish me luck!



Such a good painter...

and gluer! (Is that a word?)



The finished product!

My cross


HAPPY EASTER!

Holiday Crafts

Mason and I made these little Christmas trees out of colored craft sticks, glue & jewels. We attached ribbon to hang them.


I made about 25 ornaments~one for each of the girls at my work. Here are some of them:

All bagged up & ready to hand out...

Under Construction: Gingerbread House

This was our second year to make a gingerbread house. And when I say "make" I mean of course opening the premade kit and assembling it.
Last year's kit made Mommy a little cranky but this year the kit made all the difference~it was perfect!
Mason had fun decorating with (and eating) the candy and we were happy with how it turned out. Another great holiday tradition!

Oh Little Sheepy-Whoooo

(That title will only mean something to you if you watch the Wonder Pets! hehee)
Mason & I hadn't done a craft in a while, so a few weeks ago we pulled out the craft box and made these little cottonball sheep. I was amazed at how skilled he was with the bottle of glue! He did a great job, don't you think?

Gettin' Crafty Again (and other news)

Before I get into the story, I have a couple other things to share...

First, I just want to point out that the silly tickers to the right are NOT WORKING! (I HAVE SINCE REMOVED THEM) I've never had this prob before & I've tried to redo them but they just won't "tick." So Mason is now (just slightly) older than what it says & we leave for Vegas on WED. MORNING!!! Yippee! We haven't packed a thing, but started washing lots of clothes this evening. Rest assured I have at least 4 ongoing lists of things to buy, pack and do before Wed morning! We're so excited!

Which brings me to the Second mentionable: Wayne has Shingles!
Not to roof the house, but as in a rash on his face & chest!!! I know-gross, but it has really put a damper on things. He started getting it Thursday and by Friday night we realized we had to get to a Dr, so we got up early on Sat morning & went to the walk-in clinic (left Mason with my parents-don't worry!) Long story short, he has Shingles.

For those of you who don't know, it's a virus that is dormant in your body after you have chicken pox. When you get stressed, your nervous system can kick it into gear-in the form of a rash that is itchy and can be very painful and cause a lot of bad side effects. It can last up to a month or longer. He's on 3 different meds and trying to get lots of rest before our trip. Please pray that he feels well for the trip and gets better soon! Thanks!

OKAY~ here's the Crafty Story...
Mason and I worked on another craft the other day. He had found some pine cones in our backyard, so I thought I'd show him how to made Pine Cone Bird Feeders-you know the ones.

I laid out some newspaper, tied on yarn to hang them, and then slathered them with peanut butter (a little messy!) I let Mason roll them in the birdseed to coat them. We then took them outside and hung them up. About an hour went by and I noticed a squirrel was having a wonderful time eating off of them & Mason could not have been more proud. It only took about 2 days before they were completely stripped and we took them down! He also made one for his Mimi & Grandpa.

I realize this is way too many pictures to document such a small occasion, but he just looked so cute and excited in each of these, I had to share them!

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!

Memorial Day Weekend

Our long Memorial Day weekend was filled with shopping, eating & more shopping. Wayne went on a 2 night camping/floating trip to the Buffalo River with his brother, so it was just me & Mason all weekend. We shopped for about 2 days straight with my Mom...

We finally tried out the Green Bean (a restaurant) and LOVED the food! But not the service. They were short handed & overwhelmed, so I'm sure it would be better if we went back. The food was definitely worth another trip. So fresh and unique. Mom & I had the chicken salad. It had everything you can imagine on it. (see below) Mason had a rosemary ham & cheese sandwich. We all had to try a strawberry almond corn muffin as well~ or "muffcake" as Mason would say. (think "muffin" & "cupcake")
YUMtastic!

We shopped at the Promenade and took my niece, Chloe' along. I had forgotten just how much fun it was to shop with a teenager. (said sarcastically)

Mason had fun trying on sunglasses

I took a mirror shot of us:

The next morning, I took Mason to a class at Gymboree. He LOVES it.

Then we visited the downtown Bentonville Farmer's Market. It was nice. A trip to B LaRue, As For Me & My Home, and a walk around the square.

Then we headed to Interiors Galleria. I really love this place & hadn't been in a few months. One of my faves~Lavender Blu:

Another cute little booth that I like:

We did do something besides shop~

I've been trying to keep Mason busy with crafts lately, so I picked up some pipe cleaners & pom pom balls & googly eyes at the Target dollar spot the other day. I wasn't sure what we'd make, but we ended up with...

2 caterpillars & a spider, too!

Hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend!