Do you ever...

get really worried that you've upset someone you care about, even though there's really no good reason to worry?  Like some little thing happens, and then you don't talk to them for a week, and then when you text them, they never respond?  And you think, "Oh no, is ______ upset over _________?  Or am I overreacting??"  Does it ever make you a little sick to your stomach, thinking that you've done something (consciously or unconsciously) that will ruin the friendship and things will never be the same? 

Yeah, I've never done this...




Anyway, you know who you are...CALL ME!  <3<3<3

Chick-fil-A

Today, we dressed up like cows to get some free Chick-fil-A.  It was awesome.  =)  Jessica hooked us up with cow ears, and Mason even got spots on his shirt and cow spots on his legs.  CUTEST cow ever!

The best part was that the boys were SO well behaved - they sat and happily ate their food while Jessica and I were able to talk.  Most of our outings lately have been a little more chaotic, so it was nice to be able to just relax!

My big boy even ate a couple bites of nuggets and fries!  He's coming along with his eating, slowly and surely!

He kinda looks like a ninja cow in this one...

Here's Jessica and Lewis (and Penny!) all decked out in their Moo-wear.  =)

I have to add too that I'm SO impressed with Chick-fil-A and the people who work there.  They are always friendly, but today the service and friendliness were exceptional!  (They didn't even pay me to say that!)

Good Friends

Three summers ago, the first time I started teaching in Belton, I was sent to a Houston workshop at the last minute.  I was the only one from my school, and I only knew two people from the whole Belton group, and that was the older couple that I rode with.  I always feel very anxious in these situations...who will I eat with?  Who will I talk to?  Will I be stuck by myself the whole time?  Who will I share a room with?  Will they be up all night?  Ignore me?  Snore???

On this trip, I got so lucky, and I didn't even realize it at the time.  My roommate for that weekend was Emily.  She answered my main questions pretty quickly...she ate with me, we chatted, she didn't stay up all night, and she didn't snore!  Score!  =)

We realized pretty quickly that we had a lot in common.  We talked a lot about teaching and students and kids of our own.  She had one little boy, Zeke, at the time and we talked a lot about our desires for future children.

After that trip, we kept in touch off and on, sporadically for the next couple of years.  Then, thanks to the joy of Facebook, we had an easy, accessible way to keep up with each other a little better.  Emily had another baby, Anna Kate, and when I had Mason, we all of a sudden had even more in common!  She was very generous with some of her baby stuff that we couldn't afford, and we are still using some of those things now!

Today we took the kids to the splash pad, and it was so nice to have time to catch up.  We have SO much in common and joke that we are "kindred spirits."  We have the same kinds of struggles - picky eaters, being a full time working mom, and we are passionate about the same things (healthy eating and rear facing carseats to name a couple).  We both long for five minutes to just sit and "have a cup of coffee" but we both wish deeply that we could stay at home with our children.  We both worry too much about what others think but in the same breath know we shouldn't care.

It's so nice to just be able to share all of this with someone who is also right in the middle of it, and understands where I'm coming from, and even more doesn't judge me for the things I do and the decisions I make.  Thanks Emily, for being such a good friend.  I'm so thankful that I was randomly chosen to attend that workshop three years ago, and I'm even more thankful that I've got such a good friend in you!

Just out of curiosity...

Okay, first I know that the main purpose of this blog is to be able to look back on Mason's childhood and for him to someday be able to do the same, and I am SO glad I've kept up with it for that purpose.

BUT, I also really enjoy knowing that other people are reading about my precious too.  I feel like ever since I made my blog private, I've lost most of my readers.  So, could you do me a biiiig favor?  If you're reading this, will you please just leave me a comment or send me a message and let me know?  I'm trying to figure out if I should leave it private or make it public again.  Thanks for your help!  =)

A Day at the Park

Mason has been getting a little bored sitting around our tiny house, so I've been trying really hard to think of things to do to keep him entertained.  Today we went to...

Mason had SO much fun!  It's amazing how different the park is for him than it was just a couple of months ago.  He loves the freedom he has to explore without too many "no-nos" and he was ALLL over the place!  We also discovered that 8:30 AM on a Tuesday is a great time to go to the park - there was only one other kid there, so we didn't have any "big kids" to watch out for.

Now just to figure out what's on the agenda for tomorrow! 

Happy 4th of July!

To celebrate the holiday, Mason and I walked down to the parade.  He had been quite a little stinker that morning, so we were glad to get out of the house, even though it had been raining off and on and it was very humid!  Mason seemed to enjoy watching all the people and animals, and didn't even freak out when the police sirens went off like I thought he would!

Grandpa came and joined us near the end, and Mason decided he was going to be a big boy and walk around. 

It was all fun until he decided he didn't want to hold Grandpa's hand anymore.

Then he threw a nifty little tantrum while we put him back in the stroller.  Ahh, the joys of toddlerhood!  Overall we had a good time though!  Happy 4th of July!

15 Month Check-up

We got to go see Dr. Riser today, and I think this was the first time Mason didn't want anything to do with her!  He normally LOVES her, but today he stayed in his safe spot on my lap.  =)

He currently weighs 26.13 pounds, which means he's gained 12 ounces in the last 3 months.  He is 31.5 inches tall, which is half an inch more than his one year check-up.  He went from the 90th percentile (at every single appointment) to the 75th, but doctor riser said the decrease was perfectly normal because of his newfound energy and activity!

She was thrilled with him and his progress once again, which makes me so happy!  I don't know if she acts like this with every child, but she always makes me feel like he's so perfect!  We talked a little about separation anxiety and the transition to daycare in August, and she warned me that this is the hardest time to start something new like that, but that he would get over it pretty quickly.  She was impressed with his vocabulary too and said he was pretty advanced for 15 months!  He's learned lots of new words lately - ball, dog, book, hello, and bye to name a few!

This was the first doctor's visit that I didn't take the stroller in.  I realized he's gotten so big, he would much rather get down and play than hang out with me in the stroller, and I was right!  I normally get a little squeamish thinking about the germs on the toys in the waiting room, but he was having so much fun I couldn't say no!