I LOVE YOU DADDY!!

Mason has been making the "I love you sign" for awhile. I love it when we are driving in the car and he says..."hey mommy, Yook" and when I turn around he's holding the sign and smiling! It takes him a min to get it he really focuses first pointing his finger, then bringing out his thumb then lastly he holds up his little finger!... Hes is so proud that he can do this and he Loves to because he knows it will make us smile. I told him that he and I were going to take some pictures of him so we could give daddy some new photos for his desk at work for his birthday and right away he started cheesing and throwing up the I love you's all over the place! Hes soo sweet!

Last night Chris was looking at all of the pictures and he said, "Oh man, there are so many to choose from, I just don't know" (because you know I have a TON more than are posted here) Chris didn't know but Mason was just standing behind him smiling and then when he heard Chris say that he said, in a very sad voice, "Aww, Daddy doesn't like them"...to which Chris explained that he loved them all...its just so cute to watch Mason begin to understand things...like he knew he was posing for daddy's pictures and he wanted him to like them. :)

Here he is playing "peek a boo" Yesterday we were in the car, he was being very quiet looking out the window and then he said, "mommy, I'm ready for baby Micah to come out, I will teach him everything" Wow, what a challenge to Chris and I...we better get it right with Mason since hes going to pass everything he knows down to Micah! Only 6 1/2 weeks to go Mason and you can meet your little brother...hope you aren't disappointed :)

30th Birthday Party

For my 30th birthday Chris and I decided to have a dinner party at our house. So we made Crock pot BBQ Pork and Chicken, Baked Beans, Corn on the Cob, Slaw and some Texas Toast! I was really excited about this night because its been a really long time since we've all gotten together 'kid free' for a while. We just ate, talked and played some yard games. I love everyones growing families and hearing all about them but it was also nice to hang out like the 'old days' with just our friends. Thanks Mom and Dad for watching Mason for us!
Joya, Christy and Myself...I guess we've been going to each others birthday parties for over 10 years!!

Chris was such a huge help in getting ready for my party! Maybe we can do this again next year for his 30th?

Joya and Christy were trying to feel Micah move!

I've been wanting to get a picture of us pregnant together...we were pregnant together last time too...but this time Lara is due 2 weeks after me with a little girl.

The guys playing Boccie

Steve, Chris, Tunis and Brian

Yummy, my favorite kind of cake- Cold chocolate cake with chocolate chips and chocolate icing!

The girls playing Corn Hole

Christy and Estela

Chris loves cake too!!!! This is where Mason gets his love of sweets from!

I had so much fun and I think everyone else did too! I wish we could do this more often!

After everyone left and Mason was in bed, we decided that it is now time to focus on all of the stuff we need to do for Micahs arrival...he'll be here in 8 weeks!

Big Boy Bed

I know, I know...Mason will be 3 December 5 and is still sleeping in his crib, which I don't think would be such a big deal if we didn't have a new baby due in 8 weeks... we've been talking about it but hes been really attached to the crib and sleeps so well for nap and bedtime so I didn't want to push it... SO FINALLY yesterday, Mason told me he wanted to sleep in his big boy bed! I had been checking out books from the library about big kid beds and we'd been talking about it and yesterday Mason wanted to take 2 vitamins and he usually only takes one...well, Chris and I discovered that we actually could be giving him 2...the bottle says children ages 2-4 up to 2 daily...so I told him that when he was a big boy and slept in his big boy bed that he could take 2 vitamins. Right away he said he wanted to sleep in his bed! I told him he could ask daddy when he got home and see what he said. Sure enough as soon as Chris got home Mason said..."Daddy can I sleep in my big boy bed?" Chris said sure...so we disassembled the crib, and began the process!!
Mason Loved finding some stuff under his bed 3 balls, an empty coffee can that he wanted to put his money from his piggy bank in so he could shake it and let it make noise, and the bed rails. He also got out his tools and was working with daddy to take the crib apart.

Once it got moved out and we got his bed ready he said NOW CAN I GET IN MY BED? We told him we still had to take his Zyrtec, try to potty, brush teeth and get 2 stories...he said...OH YEAH, I FORGOT! Here he is picking his 2 stories.

Chris read him 2 stories, we turned on his night light and sound machine, said prayers and goodnight, then turned out the light!

He was very excited to be sleeping in his bed with ALL of his animals!

I went straight to our room to watch the monitor...he just looks soo little in that bed. He got out once right after we had closed the door and said, "Daddy, Rock Me" and Chris went in and rocked him for 30 seconds and told him he couldn't get out of the bed until his clock said 7 and Mason said okay and off to dream land he went until 7:15 this morning.

So sad that My baby boy is getting so big!

I don't know why I always stress about stuff...Mason has been so easy with the transitions of things that are typically so hard for everyone. He stopped taking his paci on his own at 7 months, he weened himself from nursing, had no trouble drinking from a cup, potty trained in 3 days and did great with his big boy bed! I know its just the first night and we haven't attempted a nap yet but...hopefully he'll do just great with that too!

Chris asked him this morning how he liked sleeping in his big boy bed and Mason responded with, "IT WAS GRREEAAT"

Life

Earlier this week Kristel called to tell me about how Mary Kaylin ran into the wall and they ended up at the emergency room. Thank goodness she was okay and that night Chris and I were talking about how Mason had really not had anything, other than his allergy reactions that was too scary for us....WELL....Today after Mason finished eating his breakfast he was standing up in his booster seat at the table, I was reaching out my hand to help him step down and..."SLIP" he fell backward right onto our tile floor catching himself with his head! I knew it was going to be bad when I heard the thump but there were a few seconds before I heard the cry...the fall took his breath away and mine too! The first words out of his mouth were, "I want Daddy" As if I was the one that pushed him out of his seat or something...not really, I think its because I've not been picking him up and holding him as much lately because Micah is getting REALLY big....Right away there was a lump which I knew was a good sign but since I have the pediatricians telephone number programed in my phone I decided to just give them a ring. They asked if it was smaller than an inch and my best guess was that it was a little over 2 inches close to the size of a golf ball and sticking out that far too so they said they wanted to see him and give his body a good check to make sure everything was normal. So off we went and I've discovered with Mason he has this coping strategy he uses when hes in pain he kinda "laugh crys" Its as if he wants so bad to be brave and tough so he forces a laugh vs a cry and he says, "see, I'm laughing, not crying" I told him it was okay if he wanted to cry he could but he just held onto baby baby and was talking up a storm.

The doc said he was fine and his knot measured in at 2 1/4 inches x 2 1/4 inches...his first REAL boo boo. We came home and sat on the couch together and watched TV all afternoon (which he loved since he only watches a little in the mornings when he first wakes up) plus the TV was the only way I could get him to agree to let me put Ice on it. So far hes acting pretty normal but he isnt wanting to walk ANYWHERE, he just wants me to carry him...I told him his boo boo was on his head not his feet but he said it still hurts to walk so I'm enjoying giving him the extra cuddle time since hes never been a suggle bug...Thankfully when it was nap time I showed him how he could lay on his tummy like daddy dog and I turned daddy dogs head toward his and Mason fell right to sleep...hes still sleeping now but hes been stirring some so I feel like hes okay...BUT this has made me so thankful that we've not had too many injuries in his life so far...I'm sure there will be many more to come but I sure don't like to see him so sad I'd much rather see him like he is in these pictures below!

After doing some finger painting earlier this week Mason asked if he could take a bath in the sink like Mary Kaylin did after she finger painted. At first I was thinking..."UGGGHH, will he even fit? I'm going to have to clean the sink first before I let him get in and then what if he dosent even want to get in...." But he said, "Mommy, this would be so fun for me to take a bath in the sink, I'll get all clean and wash all this paint off it will be a special day"...so I decided that he was right!...Life it too short for me to feel hassled about my son asking to take a bath, wanting to do something fun. And he loved every second of it! He got to use the sprayer, the sponge (dont worry it was a new sponge) and when he was all done he grabbed my cheeks and said, "thanks mommy for yetting me take a bath in the sink"...it melted my heart! Who knew something as simple as taking a bath in the kitchen sink could be so much fun for a little boy.

Still in this post titled "Life" thought I'd include a picture of the roses that Chris and Mason got for me for my 30th birthday! I had such a great day and I love getting older! I love the fact that I love where God has placed me, I love who I've become and who I'm becoming as a wife and mother, It feels good to feel good about myself, I feel so blessed to have such awesome people in my life (family and friends) I love that I feel like I'm right where God wants me, I dont have any wishes to be anywhere else, or to be anyone else and the best part is that I'm just now 30! My life is just getting started! I dont know what else God has planned for me in this life but whatever it is I'm excited!

Tractor

FINALLY I remembered to tell Chris that Mason has been asking for months to ride this tractor!! Its been in our garage since we moved in like 5 years ago. It used to be Chris' when he was a little boy and the peddels were off of it so the tractor had just become something to take up some space and become a nice little home for spiders in the corner of our small garage!

The guys took a "boys trip" to Home Depot to get the correct nuts and bolts to put the peddles on the tractor and boy oh boy did Mason LOVE to help with this project! You'll see in the pictures below he has his very serious face on when Chris instructs him to find flat head screw driver!

"I know what a flat head screwdriver is, I'll be right back"

"Oh yeah, this is my new tractor, I can 'drive' it all by my self"

I think the peddles were a little hard for him at first but hes got the hang of it now! How fun for Chris to be able to fix something for Mason to play on that he himself used to play on when he was little. Now he wants to ride it all the time so when its too hot I tell him he can just ride it pretend in the garage...he loves it and feels sooo big pulling the wagon behind!

Haynes Family Comes for Labor Day Weekend!!

DAY 1

They arrived in Charlotte around 4:00...we wasted no time to let the fun begin but maybe we wasted a little time because by the time we made it to the pool it was SOOO cold, but the kids didnt care...I was thankful that I "had to take pictures" so I couldnt get into that ice cold water!

Nicholas took the first plunge down the slide

I'm so sad this is one of the last times Mason will get to play in the pool this year.

Mary Kaylin was waiting for daddy to get in the COLD kid pool

"You stand Right here, close to the edge Daddy... 1, 2, 3...
WHOA...that was a yotta, yotta splashes hunh? Did you see dat?"

Making Rice Crispy Treats...YUMMMY...of course Mason found a way to lick the bowl of hardened marshmallows.

DAY 2

started with the boys making a trip to the Home Depot Workshop while us girls stayed behind to pack lunches and get ready for a train ride and picnic uptown at ImaginOn

They each made a little corn hole game...gotta love the free little workshops!

The train ride was very exciting for Mason...I thought it was fun too!

Pool Time AGAIN...we went back to the pool after nap time to play some more! After the pool we came home for some Elmo Splash Mat time in the back yard while the guys grilled and played some boccie ball!

Open Wide!!

This kid LOVES some sweets!

Yummy Ice Cream!!

The whole Family!

Silly Faces

Grandmaw and Papa Joined us

Cousins

Awww...cute buddies

DAY 3

We started the day with some sing a long time and instruments in the living room, then dressed and went to eat lunch at Don Pedros, did some shopping (the guys took the boys to Best Buy and the girls went to Marshall's :) We came home and after nap time played a little then had some pizza!

No Haynes trip would be complete without a pizza party (Good Idea Kristel to add some balloons)...and this one was even better because we had a homemade cake from Linda...YUMMY

I was able to squeeezzee in some MORE time with my new camera!!

Peek-a-boo Mary Kaylin

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!! SO BIG climbing all by himself!

This is a great capture of the Kids and Grand kids!
and the grand kids are all expressing their little personalities!

MamMaw bought some finger paints for the kiddos so we let the try it out

Mary Kaylin finger painting

Nicholas and Mason painting...thanks MamMaw for the paints!

DAY 4
Time to say goodbye...I always hate the last day of a trip because everyone is so focused on leaving and packing and what they have to do next...but it was kinda fun just having some playtime with the cousins in the bonus room while everyone else loaded the van. The rest of the day Chris still had off work so we were able to still have some more family time. The next morning when Mason woke up he said, "where is everybody?" And all week long he kept asking where everyone was and wanted to pray for Poppie and Mamaw, then MamMaw and Nicholas, then he proceeded through everyone in his prayer time. We miss everyone and wish they lived closer but we are thankful for the times we do get to spend with them...and the next time we see them baby Micah will be joining the family...on the outside world.

Thanks everyone for making the trip! We had so much fun!