18 months

Today, Mason is 18 months old!
WHOAH....that means 2 is right around the corner. Holy Moly...time flies even faster with the second one.

So this post is to get all those things down about him that I want to remember.

It took so long to get him to communicate with words very well. He did the few signs that we taught him - "more", "please", "all gone". But pretty much he has communicated mostly with "uh huh" (yes) and "uh huh" (no). Okay, really they sound different, but I don't know how to type them different. Thank GOODNESS they sound different. That's the only way we've known how to understand this guy for the last few months. He also throws in some feet stomps, fist clenches and arms and hands waving furiously in the air moves lately too.

I'm praying these fits don't begin to happen with his body on the floor. I pretty much skipped that chapter altogether in the "what to expect from a toddler" book the first time around. (FYI...no such book, I made it up). So I will maybe need to be revisiting that here soon. Along with a few other "chapters" in which weren't neccessary for Taylor either. Hey, at least he keeps us LEARNING. And if this boy and girl grow up anything like most of the boys and girls I hear about....I'm guessing that Taylor will keep us LEARNING more through her later years....and maybe we'll find that Mason will be the easy, laid-back one. It's interesting to wonder what they will be like.

Back to Mason...

He's finally starting to use words more....HOORAY!!!
"Mama" and "ball" are his favorites. He'll say "PAPA" anytime we drive near Papa and Nana's house. And he'll say "BA" (Aunt Barb), anytime we are driving down her street (which is a main street here in town and we drive on it all the time to get lots of places, not just her house). He'll repeat lots of other things we ask him to say, even if they don't sound anything like it.

He LOVES to be outside and he's starting to like books more. But STILL won't sit and let me read much of anything to him. He likes to do it on his own. Along with many other things.

He loves to scream.
Laughs when he's getting scolded.
Runs from me constantly.
Grabs for my cell phone or the TV remote 100 times a day...and runs.
Loves to cuddle.
Goes to bed SO easily and sleeps GREAT!
Is not a morning person (just like his mama -although I'm not cranky, I'm just dead)

Gives the sweetest kisses in the whole wide world.


You would think that he'd be enjoying the typical boy things, but you'll be surprised to know that lately you'll find him enjoying...

high heels,

headbands,

tutus (and chessy fake smiles),

and babydolls that he refuses to let go of, even while eating.


Last night I believe he slept with 3 babydolls in his crib.

Okay, okay, he likes his balls and cars and tools too...but those pictures just aren't as cute! I'm sure the tutu picture will be following him the rest of his life.

Happy 18 months Little Guy! We love you and are blessed by you every day!

thanks Miss Donna!

We got this fun idea from our PAT lady (Parents as Teachers), Miss Donna.


I had several Twister mats that I had for my classroom, and had been saving them in case I thought of something creative.


We bought a BIG bag of beans and a plastic tub, and mixed lots of "treasures" in with the beans (aka: colored dice, blue glass stones, and foam stickers in the shapes of bugs that I had in my classroom that I had bought for games and such).


This keeps them busy for a good chunk of time!


Mason enjoys pouring more beans on himself than anything else.

And wouldn't ya know...it didn't take him long to figure out that he could SIT in the tub of beans to play.
This time, Taylor joined him for a picture.

I'm trying to implement the "BEANS MUST STAY ON THE MAT" rule. But that's kind of hard for a 1 and 2 year old. If I look away for too long, usually someone is throwing beans, or making so much comotion in the tub that beans are flying everywhere. Sometimes beans are being launched off their "digging" spoons too. But it's not too hard to get all the beans back on the mat, then we fold the mat up a little and hold it above the tub and let the beans funnel back to their home. Clean up is pretty fast. We've done this outside a few times too, then I don't really worry about the beans that get off the mat.


We needed something new and fun. This is great! Now I need MORE ideas.


If you have any...PLEASE send them my way. Especially INDOOR ideas for the fall and winter when it's too cold to be outside.

painting stinks

(I've fallen behind with updates on our house project. I started this post weeks ago and just now finished it)

I don't mind painting. But Dave hates it. The part that REALLY stinks is picking the colors.

We were about the throw the towel in...but I don't really know what that means.
Would we have just left our walls unpainted?
Hired someone to do it for us?
I'm not sure what our options were...so luckily we sucked it up and made some decisions.

Our first dilemma...

The wall we tore out used to cover up the color-break between the living room and dining room (green to red). But without that wall, something really had to be done about this. We were pretty sure this LONG wall needed to be all one color. But what? I did NOT want to lose that red wall in the dining room where I have the black frames...that's my favorite wall. But neither of us were too sure about extending the red into the living room. We worried it would be TOO much.

But we decided to go for it.
Dave grabbed the old can of red from the garage so we could match the color to what was already up there. After the 2nd coat got put on, we noticed that it was NOT the same red. WHAT!??!! It has to be. We've never used red anywhere else, this HAS to be the same color (says Dave). And then I reminded him we did one of Mason's walls red.

OOPS.
Back for more paint. Thank goodness for Uncle Jim and his 40% discount!

So the red is up, and we are loving it.

Now for the 2nd color. This is where we wanted to give up.
I was thinking something yellowish/gold...but maybe brownish/tan. I don't really know WHAT I was thinking. Dave's sister has a color in her house called Applesauce Cake. She referred to it as a yellowish color. I see gold, but it's more brown than yellow to me. So anway, we tried it. Hey, I like it in her house, so hopefully it will look good in ours.

We got a small can and I painted this small area to see the color on the wall.
We hated it.
It looked peachy or something weird. I don't even know how to describe the color.
It was suggested that we paint a LARGER area to get a better idea. And then a 2nd coat as well, since we were maybe seeing some of that green still through it.

Here it is again, where our hallway meets the kitchen...and we liked it here. It looked totally different here than the other place. Weird what light does.

We left it on the wall for a few days, and I kept going back to the area by the door and painting more. It slowly grew on us just a little bit. Dave was in a hurry to just get the decision made and get it done. So of course, the minute I said, "I guess it's okay"...the paint was bought.

WHOAH HORSEY!!! I was still not sure about it. But I also didn't know how to change it. I really didn't want to go back to square one. So he assured me that if we (I) didn't like it, we could repaint in a year. OK. Deal. He hates to paint...so hearing him say he'd do it again in a year, that was fine by me. I can deal with yucky paint for a year.

So the Applesauce Cake went on the walls.



And surprisingly....we really do like it now that it's ALL up. The only weird thing is that it looks like it's 3 different colors in 3 different spots. Down the hall it looks VERY yellowish-gold. Outside the hallway, someone said it looked green. And over by the door it looks even different. But all in all, we like it. I think it looks great with the red wall and with our furniture.

Dave began building the shelves around the fireplace. He'll put adjustable shelves in for decor, picture frames...whatever I find to fill the space. And the other side will be our TV, with a shelf or 2 above and a cabinet below (for games and toys). We'll stain it darker to match the other woodwork.



Coming up next....the stone for the fireplace, and carpet.
I just can't wait to have everything put back together. Right now, everything's just kind of randomly placed or put away all together. I'm hoping we can come far enough along here soon that I can get my fall decorations out...I can't imagine having to skip that this year.

Oh yeah, and here's what the kiddos are thinking about our big project...


Sometimes when people come over, the first thing Taylor will say when they walk in the house is "my daddy tear down my house!" and points to the missing wall.

cardboard testimonies

I just received an email for a link to a YouTube video....

Ironically, a video that had a very similar message to one that I watched last night while searching for possible studies for our community life group.

I wanted to share this with you....

A reminder that no matter WHAT you are carrying, no matter what your baggage is, no matter how heavy it is....why do you keep on carrying it?

What if someone came to you and said...

"give me your bag"

You know, that BIG black trash bag that you carry with you every single moment of every single day. That bag that you won't even open and look into...because it's just too hard. That bag that causes your back to hurt, your shoulders to ache, your body to be weak.

What if a friend said, "just give it to me, I'll carry it for you"

Maybe you've carried it for just a few days, maybe you've carried it for 25 years. You just can't seem to find a place to just get rid of it.

What if a friend was willing to get rid of it for you...forever.

HE will.

He's waiting for you to give it to him. You just have to hand it over. Don't leave any behind...just hand it ALL over. Give your entire MESS to him.

And tomorrow, when life brings you another mess...don't just stick it in a little grocery sack, now that you've gotten rid of your big black trash bag...don't carry it for even an hour. Continue to give your messes to the one and only friend that can truly carry them, get rid of them and turn our big messes into something beautiful.

I hope these cardboard testimonies are a reminder to you, as they were to me, how much we are loved by our Savior.

What would be your cardboard testimony?

I had a friend recently comment that it's so much easier for "good" people to come to God, because they are so pure already. It just fits them better. If they grew up with it, they understand it and need it.

But what about this verse from Matthew (9:12):

Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.... I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

The thing that seperates those who have Christ in their hearts and those who haven't fully (or at all) accepted Him, is that one set of people no longer carry their own trash...the others still do.

Isn't it refreshing to know that the children of God all come together with one thing in common.....we WERE all a mess.

But not anymore.

a perfect example

***UPDATE...DO NOT MISS KATIE'S POST FROM TODAY (FRIDAY, AUG. 14)...SHE WILL TAKE YOU BACK THROUGH HER JOURNEY TO WHERE THIS ALL STARTED AND WHERE IT IS TODAY!!!

I just found the most amazing and life-changing story! A blog that will FOREVER be added to my list. And I just have to share it.

My friend Heather mentioned this in her facebook status tonight (maybe some of you saw it), and I just have to say that these words....

"a 20 year old girl who moved to Africa and adopted 13 girls"

definitely got the best of my curiosity. So I HAD to follow the link that she posted.

LIFECHANGING.

That's all there is to say.

I could have read on forever. It looks like the blog started back in 2007, I just read the most recent few posts. And I am just sitting here speechless. I want to go back and read more and more a little at a time.

So go HERE to read Katie's story, and prepare your heart.

This post in particular will help you know more of who Katie is and what she's all about.

Add it to your favorites...this is a story you will want to follow, support, pray for.

clown cake

I never shared my 2nd cake production....so here it is.

Of course, Taylor LOVED that I was making a cake each week...


This week I did chocolate cake. Which really wasn't that great of an idea with white frosting, it was hard to cover the crumbs.

I can't believe I don't have a KitchenAide....for some reason I didn't register for one when we got married. So I borrowed my mother-in-law's. SO glad I did. Did you know that for good frosting you're suppossed to beat it for 20 minutes? That's a long time for a hand mixer.

So ever since this thing has been sitting on my counter, I have used it TONS!! I keep meaning to give it back and then I end up using it again. So you can guess what I'm now adding to my wish list...my husband is thrilled to say the least. I've heard there are great deals on them on Black Friday...we'll see.

Here are the fun girls I took the cake class with...

This night we were learning piped figures. And she taught us clowns. She asked if anyone objected to clowns, but no one spoke up....we should have.

So anyway, we learned clowns. Luckily the technique can be used for other figures, since I highly doubt I will be doing a clown cake ever again.

If you want a professional looking cake made for any event, call these girls, not me...




Taylor was quite upset when I came home with a clown cake. We've started to talk about her birthday coming up in October and she has informed me MANY times that she wants a princess cake and party. So she was confused as to why I brought home a cake with clowns. She kept saying "but MOM, I wanted a princess cake." It took awhile to explain that this cake is not for her birthday...we ended up telling her it was for Papa's birthday, so then she was fine.

Thanks Julie for inspiring us all to take a cake class! We should get together and compare Wilton roses.

a house full

A few weeks ago, we got to watch our neice and nephew overnight. It actually went a lot better than expected. I'm not sure what I expected, but you never know with 4 kids under the age of 4.
We made homemade pizza for dinner.
You'll notice there are 5 kids in the picture...Tyler, the oldest stayed with Grandma and Grandpa, they just came over for dinner...just so we wouldn't have all 3 of them.


They LOVED putting the sausage and cheese on the pizza.....although I'm pretty sure more cheese ended up in mouths than anything....especially Mason's.

They played outside and layed in the hammock...

The next morning we made it to church.....4 kids, in 2 cars, with 2 pans of coffee cake that I had to take to Sunday School also. It was a load.

When we opened Paige's suitcase to get her dressed for church, Taylor's eyes immediately lit up and said "I have that dress!" So of course she wanted to wear it too.

Dave thought dressing them the same was kind of dumb. I thought it was adorable! Matching dresses, matching bows, and even matching shoes.

Oh how cute these two are together....

If only they always got along like this.

All in all, 4 wasn't so hard. We enjoyed it and really hope we can do it again sometime! Maybe we'll get brave and take Tyler too!

young at heart

I guess at 30, you have to find things to make yourself feel like a kid again...

I'm not sure who was laughing more, the kids, or me.....that would probably be why these pictures are blurry, I couldn't hold still.


And he didn't even need to use the training wheels.