Thanksgiving

We headed to Pop-pop and Ya-ya's house for Thanksgiving.   Mom-mom, Faye and Jerry joined us there, as well.  We had a great time and Ya-ya made us a delicious dinner.

The next day Mom-mom and I embarked on a full day of Black Friday shopping, something we haven't done together in several years. Ryan took the boys to Aunt Laurie's house in Pottstown for the annual get together. (Unfortunately, he didn't take our camera.)

We are blessed with such a wonderful and loving family, and have so very much for which to be thankful!

Mason turns 18 Months Old!

Mason turned 18 months on November 4 and had his well check-up visit today.  He was not at all happy to be there either.  In fact, he fussed so much that they were unable to get his length, but he did weigh in at 25 lbs. 5 ozs.

He is a wild man these days and starting to say a few more words here and there.  Dr. D said his language will really start to rapidly increase as we continue to move towards his second birthday.  His motor skills of course are still advanced.  He can jump with both feet now and has really taken to dribbling and kicking the soccer ball.  The kid can throw a ball left-handed like you wouldn't believe, and he still uses both hands when using utensils... guess he figures when it comes to food being ambidextrous ensures it will get in his mouth faster.  With his 2 new upper canine teeth, he now has a total of 14.  Only 6 more to go and we can be done with teething - YIPPEE!!

Mason has developed a bad habit of hitting when he gets frustrated.  Common at this age, when they understand so much and want to communicate back, but don't yet have the ability to formulate the words.  It doesn't help that our boy has a rather short fuse, either.  So, if he is told "No" or can't have something he wants, or if something is taken away from him, he lashes out immediately by hitting.  This is heightened by the fact that both he and big brother Hunter compete for toys constantly now.  Mason absolutely wants to be doing anything Hunter is doing and especially wants Hunter's attention and will do anything (positive or negative) to get a reaction from him.  Mason can be quite devious as well, instigating and provoking Hunter, and admittedly at this age Hunter is an easy target, easily provoked.  Honestly, both of our boys are quite ornery- a trait they get solely from their father, I know. Of course as with most siblings, they are quarreling one minute and then giving hugs and kisses to each other the next.

Mason doesn't really have what we would call a favorite toy, but he really likes trains, cars, sports (especially soccer and football), books, Sesame Street (especially Elmo), chasing Jack the Cat, and listening or watching his Uncle Scott's band Ballyhoo.  All said, Mason is a happy, handsome, and loving little boy.  He still has an infectious smile, accentuated by the big dimple in his right cheek.  Can't get enough of this little fireball!

This last picture is typical Mason...I was upstairs helping Hunter get dressed and Mason starts calling "Mama, Mama, Mama."  I look over the upstairs balcony to see him on top of the ledge that separates our kitchen from the family room, lying on his belly on top of daddy's computer while playing with the iPod he had just pulled off the Bose sound system.  He had climbed up on the ledge via the back of the bench.  Of course, he wanted to get my attention to let me know what he was doing, even though he knows even standing on that bench is a "no-no" much less using it to climb up higher.  Little stinker!

Visiting and Visitors

Papoo suffered a stroke so we went to visit him at the rehabilitation center.  He looked great and is recovering well, getting very strong.  He will soon be going to live with his eldest daughter, Andrea.  We are all looking forward to that and visiting him in a better setting.

We also had a visit from Pop.  He traveled from Florida to visit all his kids and grandkids before the colder winter months set in.

Halloween 2012

Enjoyed the holiday this year.  The kids had a blast picking out pumpkins at Applewood Farms again this year and Mimi was able to join us, which added to the fun.  Hunter and Mason really loved riding the train around the farm, as they were unable to do so last year given it had broken down the day we visited.
Both Hunter and Mason were absolute angels on Halloween night, or rather Spiderman and Batman.  I think they were on their best behavior given the prospect of getting so much candy.  Hunter seemed to compliment everyone we passed on their costume, even a neighborhood dog at one point.  We pulled Mason in the wagon, but after seeing Hunter run up to the doors saying "Trick or Treat" and getting candy, he decided he wanted in on the action as well.  Opa, Mimi, and Uncle Scott joined us for the festivities and I believe a great time was had by all!

I don't want any of that marijuana!

This requires an explanation, I know!  Many of you are aware that Ryan's research is based mostly based on marijuana research.  He was away for a week in September and again in October to present his research at conferences in Germany and Sweden.  Of course, Hunter wanted to understand where Daddy was going and why he had to be there.  So we discussed it was a work trip, but Hunter is a very inquisitive boy at this age, so he kept asking questions.  Eventually we told him that Daddy does research on drugs, specifically called marijuana, to help people.  He then wanted to know what drugs were, so we explained that some drugs people take when they are sick to make them better, but if you use drugs when you aren't sick or use them too often than they are not good for you.
Not long after, Hunter started using the word "marijuana" quite clearly...so you can imagine our angst in thinking that he would say the wrong thing to the wrong person and they would think his parents use drugs.
We were heading home from picking up a movie while Ryan was away on his trip and Hunter started talking about why Daddy was away.  Then he started talking about how he doesn't want any marijuana since it's bad.  I was just pulling into our neighborhood so quickly pulled over to get it recorded on my phone...definitely something to show him when he goes through his experimental teenage years!

Random Pics

Charm City Music Festival 2012

We met Opa at the Charm City music festival to enjoy some of our favorite artists, including BALLYHOO!  Hunter was in awe, as he always is when seeing his favorite band live and get his photo taken with the group.   We even got to see our Baltimore Oriole Mascot, which petrified Mason.
It was a perfect day to spend outdoors listening to good music!

Our Anniversary

We celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary today with a great family hike to Kilgore Falls.  The Falls happened to be crowded with the local cross country team who had just finished their run and were cooling off in the water, but that didn't stop Hunter from stripping down and wading around in his underwear.

Later that evening Hunter and Mason enjoyed a sleep over with Mimi and Opa, so we had an adult evening out!

End of Summer Beach Trip

The summers always zoom by, it seems.  We squeezed in one last end of summer visit to Mom-mom's.  It was our maiden voyage in the new Sienna Minivan and Hunter was ecstatic as he was allowed to watch a movie during the trip!  Of course, no one told us that even with headphones our son would then commentate the entire movie while yelling as he was unable to hear himself.  Needless to say, Maon's nap was cut short.
The boys really enjoyed the visit with Mom-mom's, as usual, and made the most of her pool.  Upon our return home, we stopped at Mimi and Opa's for dinner and a wonderful visit with Aunt Joan who was in from St. Louis. Mason certainly made himself comfortable in her arms.

Dance Party!

to Ballyhoo of course!  Who else?

Mason is obviously setting a new trend with these dance moves!

Our Garden:the good, the bad, and the ugly

The Good:

For our first time gardening, we did pretty well!  Everything was growing quite well from seed, with the exception of the eggplants and hot peppers.  I  also had some trouble with the onions, but eventually got them to grow.

The lettuce and zucchini were the first to arrive and we harvested them a few times!

The Bad:

Gus, our groundhog, also ended up being a big fan of the garden and once he found a way in, there was just no stopping him.  In a very short period of time, he devoured our entire garden, eating our brussel sprouts, carrots, onions, corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins, banana melons, beans and butternut squash.  Of course, he did this before anything was ripe enough to pick.  We were able to get our green bell peppers out of there before he got to all of them.  

We were so worried about keeping the deer out of our garden that we didn't focus on a fence that would deter the little critters too.  We won't make that same mistake next year, I promise you.  I was heartbroken to see all that hard work eaten by an oversized rodent.

The Ugly:

We got a live trap and set it in the hopes that we could catch the little (insert expletive).  First we caught a young raccoon, then we caught a larger raccoon and eventually we got Gus.  

From what I hear, when you get rid of one groundhog another one moves in...so we are waiting patiently before the trap needs to get set again.

In the meantime, the only thing left is our tomatoes and basil from the herb section of our garden, so we've been enjoying them now that we are critter free!

Oh and don't worry - all were taken to a large wooded area away from houses and roads to be set free.

Check Ups for Hunter and Mason

It is that time again, more milestones for our little monkey's!!!  They continue to grow and grow...

Mason is now 15 months old and at his check-up he tipped the scales at 24lbs 3ozs (44th percentile) and was 31.5 inches tall (60th percentile).  These measures really need to be validated because it seems he weighs a ton when we have to carry him or hold him for any stretch of time and he is tall enough to climb up onto all the furniture in the house and can navigate the stairs on his own now.  His personality is bursting through with lots of smiles, demands, and more complex vocalizations and understanding of things we say to him.  Some of his frequently used words are: Mama, Dada, Hun, Ball, Up, Down, Hat, Elkie, Mom-mom, Green or other similar variations...oh and almost any animal sound you ask him to make.  He likes to play games, and is extremely skilled at kicking, throwing, and catching things of all shapes and sizes.  He really looks up to his big brother, but we are also already seeing clear signs of a blossoming sibling rivalry.  The competition for drinks, snacks, toys, and attention is becoming pretty fierce.

Speaking of big brother, Hunter's fighting weight was 36lbs 8ozs (90th percentile) and he was measured at 38.3 inches tall (62nd percentile) at his 3-year doctors appointment.  Though it may not sound like it from these percentile scores, Hunter is really starting to thin out and get more of a slender look.  Pictures of him now versus even 6 months ago show an astounding change.  In addition to that, Hunter's speech has really taken off!!  He pronounces things so clearly and says so many complex words, it is amazing.  He does need reminders to pronounce the "s" at the beginning of many words, but once he has the prompt the words come out perfectly.  He has his ABC's dialed and can count well past 20 on his own.  He is still the leading authority on all things Star Wars in the state of Maryland and is now branching out into comic book super heroes.  Current favorites are Spiderman, Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern.  Hunter is also becoming more independent.  He is now fully potty trained with few "accidents", can get himself dressed/undressed, and can brush his teeth without much assistance.

Life is good these days, and these crazy boys keep us entertained every day.  Though there are many more milestones and memories to look forward to in the near future, here are some pics to help us remember and enjoy where we have just been with these guys.  Pretty amazing stuff!!!