My New "Blogspot"

My parents had an oversized chair that they were dying to get rid of.  I pretty much can't say no to freebies, so we took it, not quite knowing how or where it would fit.  I didn't know it, but I was setting up the perfect "blogspot". 

You should know that the pictures don't do it justice.  Right now, it's completely dark except for the Christmas tree.  Mason is asleep.  It's cold outside, the heat is running, and the only sound is the A&M/UT game playing faintly in the background.  I'm curled up on my comfy chair (which apparently already has Goldfish under it), with a lovely view:

I am so cozy, and I am SO glad we took this chair!  =)



Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was an unusual day, but a day to be thankful nonetheless.  My grandma has been in and out of the hospital over the last month or so, so she wasn't up for her normal feast today.  Thankfully, everyone else (except me - oops!) stepped up and made our Thanksgiving dinner as yummy as ever.  I think we even had more food than normal this year!

Mason had a lot of fun playing with his cousin Tennie.  Just like cousins do, they made each other laugh, they made each other cry.  One moment they were best friends, the next, bitter enemies.  (Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but my cousins all know what I mean!) 

Playing on Mamma's new couch (turned on it's back).

 Tennie giving Mason hugs.

 Playing with (and fighting over) flowers.

 Giving kisses - aren't they sweet?!?!  (I'm sure this picture will come back to haunt them both in the future!)

 Mason was saying "cheese", hence the goofy look on his face! 

I'm so thankful for my wonderful family and friends!  Happy Thanksgiving!

The Great Outdoors

Mason absolutely loves to be outside.  Just hearing the word "outside" makes him excited!  We've taken a couple of trips to local parks in the last couple of days to see which ones we like best.  Over the weekend, we went to Heritage Park, but there were some unfortunately rude older kids there, so we left quickly and stopped at Beall Park.  Mason really liked it - especially the slide!  There were some BIG dogs in a nearby back yard, and he was very impressed with them - he kept saying "Hee-haw" to them.  Yeah, they were big enough that he thought they were donkeys!

Today, it was very warm outside (82 degrees.  The day before Thanksgiving.) Tomorrow it's supposed to get cold, so I decided that another trip to the park was necessary today.  This time, we went to Yettie Polk Park.  Mason LOVED it!  We went down the slide a couple of times...

...but then it was time to explore!  (He looks so grown up in this picture!)

 This was the look he gave me...

 when these guys started running towards him:

 Before too long though, he was chasing them around!

Once again, we had a ton of fun!  I'm so glad he likes to be outdoors, and I hope that's always something he enjoys!  One of my goals is to make that happen!

O Christmas Tree!

Today was my first day of Thanksgiving break!  I took Mason to daycare (I know, bad mommy!) and I put up our Christmas tree!  I've been wanting to do this for a couple of weeks, so I'm proud of myself for making it this far.  =)  I enjoyed my alone time and got a lot done.  Christmas shopping for Mason is done and all of his gifts are wrapped. 

I am extra excited about Christmas this year.  For one thing, we bought a new Christmas tree after Christmas last year, so this is the first time I've been able to use it.  Since it's a new tree, I HAD to get new ornaments too!  And while I was at it, I got a new star for the top and a new tree skirt. 

I'm also really excited about watching Mason enjoy Christmas this year.  Last year he enjoyed it, but didn't seem to really know what was going on, but I think this year will be so much fun!

Here's my lovely new Christmas tree!

Here's my little man enjoying the tree for the first time:

We've already had a couple of conversations about leaving the ornaments alone, but he really did a good job tonight!

I love this picture!

I'm sure there will be MANY more Christmas posts to come!

30!

Well, today is my thirtieth birthday!  It's pretty hard to believe, but it kinda makes me excited.  I'm not one of those women who is crying at the loss of my twenties, instead I am excited about what the thirties will bring.  I feel like I can finally let go of some of the things that always held me back before, like worrying so much about what other people think of me, and feeling like I have to please everyone, and being so indecisive about what I want in life.  I have a great life, and now I feel like I can finally focus on that and just make it even better. 

Here are some of my accomplishments during my last decade:

• Got engaged
• Got married to my love (and just celebrated 9 years!)
• Became a kick-a** bank teller =)
• Graduated from UMHB
• Bought a car
• Became a teacher
• Worked in a very difficult school - and liked it!
• Made some BFFs who I love and would do anything for
• Taught in Killeen - something I never thought I would do!
• Taught (and am still teaching) in the district I always wanted to teach in
• Bought a house
• Started working on my Master's degree
• Became a mom to the most amazing little boy

Not bad for a list off the top of my head!  =)  I can only imagine what 30 will bring!

Today I was reading through a book that was given to me at my baby shower - my friend Mistie got a spiral and had everyone write "Words of Wisdom" to me about being a mom.  I love to read over them every now and then to remind myself what all of these "seasoned" moms mentioned as being most important, but the one I always come back to is the one my own mom wrote:

"Go camping and fishing, have picnics in the back yard.  Put more efforts into memories instead of stuff.  The stuff will fade away and the memories will last forever."

I've been thinking about this a lot, and coming to a realization of how true it is.  I've been trying really hard to make memories with Mason (even though he won't remember them yet!) instead of focusing on the stuff.  Today, in honor of my mom's thoughtful quote, Mason and I went to the park together, just to have fun and make some memories. 

I am absolutely amazed at his reaction to the park.  He watches the other kids so intently, he runs and climbs and jumps and slides like he's been doing it for years.  He is so much fun to watch, and I really treasure these times with him. 

And of course, I have pictures.  =)

 (Wow, Mama needs some eye cream!)

A Day Off

Today I took what I like to call a "Mental Health Day."  Things have been a bit insane in the world of the 4th graders, and sadly, as their teacher, I am lumped into that "insane" category.

So today seemed like a lovely day to take off!  And man, was it lovely!  The weather was perfect, the little darling slept until 7 and then scooted off to daycare around 9, I got a little pampered...

I met with my hero, Becky, to get my hair cut and styled.  She really is amazing, and if you need a hair stylist, let me know.  She didn't cut much off today, but she always makes me feel like I look good.  (Of course, I often change my mind when I see pictures, but anyway...)

After my appointment, I moseyed on over to the consignment shop where I just happened to have a $20 credit!  I went ahead and used all that up, and then went to the mall - All By Myself.  It's been a while since that happened, and let me just tell you, it was lovely.  Mason is almost always a good shopper, and I never mind taking him with me, but there's just something special about being alone and not lugging around diapers and strollers. 

After my alone time at the mall, Terry and I headed to Waco to go to one of my most favorite places:

Yummy, yummy, yummy.

Here's what I ate:

And...

Yeah, I'm not embarrased.  And it was delicious.

After lunch, we walked around James Avery and Target, and we of course got a little something for the little man:

Then we picked Mason up from daycare.  Mom and I went to Toys R Us and got a couple of Christmas gifts, and then we watched our Veggie Tales, ate some pizza, and zonked out for the night.

Doesn't it sound like a lovely day!  It was, and I'm SO glad I was able to have it!

Mason's Favorite Things

One of Mason's favorite things is playing in my kitchen cabinets.  One cabinet in particular is his very favorite - he loves to get in and close the door behind himself and say "Bye! Bye!" 

It's obviously the cutest thing ever, but this particular cabinet was not exactly the cleanest.  So yesterday (when we were home sick AGAIN) I decided to clean it out.  I got rid of some junk, cleaned it up, replaced the contact paper.  (Yeah, we're ghetto like that).  After all this work, guess who DOESN'T want to play in it anymore.

Yeah, you guessed it.  Now he opens it, looks inside, and closes it again.  I guess he liked the junk?

Another of Mason's favorite things is sweeping.  Well, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, etc.  When we go to Mamma's the first thing he does is get her little vacuum/sweeper and go to town.  This is a good thing of course, until he breaks something!

Something else Mason LOVES is emptying out Grammy and Grandpa's pantry.  He's been bringing us cans of beans and spinach for a long time now, but yesterday, he did something new:  he started stacking them!  I was totally impressed with his stacking skills!

What a smart kid!  Those are just a few of his favorite things!  There are more to come, I'm sure!