January Snow

These 3 had adventures in the snow:

Wyatt and I did not:

Mason turns 5

Mason was born January 8th, 2007. I barely made it to the hospital in time; it was a struggle in the middle of the night during winter. But Mason was in a hurry to enter the world-- all 8 lbs, 12 oz of him. Our hospital stay was brief; we were anxious to be home and have Mason meet his big brother Cole who was then only 17 months old. Rusty and I were so excited for another boy! Flash forward 5 years and look at what we have! A smart, witty, thoughtful, sensitive boy with a very tender heart and a sweet smile. He is growing up so much, but still loves to be snuggled and doted on.

He had a request for waffles for his birthday breakfast and spinach soup for his birthday dinner. It was hard getting his candles to stay up in that soup, let me tell you. So, no picture of that, but the spiderman candles made up for it. Here are a few others:

It was special to have Grandpa Bob and Gradma Gena there

Welcome 2012

I realize I'm several months late in this, but wanted to share where my kids are at the start of a new year...

Cole (6 1/2 years old) loves Kindergarten. He has an awesome teacher who he really enjoys. He reads very well and loves to learn and make new friends. He is still into Zorro, the Rifleman, and trucks with trailers. He loves playing outside, playing with his cousins each week, and being the biggest brother.

Mason turned 5 years old this January. He loves Preschool with Miss Ashlee and having a chance to sing and do crafts there. He has a special love for music and a very tender heart. He also attends Occupational Therapy twice a week and loves "playing" there (he thinks of it as play, not work). He is great at puzzles and loves reading books. He also likes to dress up in capes and costumes, pal around with Cole, and play with his cousins.

Hunter will be 3 years old in April. I can't believe how much he has grown up this past year. He acts so much older for his age-- independent and talking coherently about everything! I miss many of the things he used to mispronounce. He loves trucks and tractors, capes and "saving the day", but has a fear of bugs and loves to squish them with his boots when possible. He is easily the busiest brother and we always feel the need to know what he's doing at all times because he is so quick! Although he is mischievous, he has a tender side and the cheesiest of grins that help to even out the naughtiness.

In January, Wyatt turns 6 months old. All of my babies have been good, but he has really taken the cake-- he is so easy and mellow and has really just gone with the flow of our family. It is such a blessing to have a smiley baby who is so happy, and I hope it continues. He sits up pretty well, loves baby food, and has been awesome about taking a bottle as life has gotten busier! He loves being surrounded by a bucket of toys and watches his brothers, probably waiting for the day when he can more fully join in on their fun.

Brave Mason

(Pre-surgery-- clueless in the waiting room; still in good spirits in his hospital gown- no idea what's in store for him)
Mason had surgery Dec. 27, 2011 to shave down his tonsils, to remove his adenoids, and to put tubes in his ears. He has been a big trooper through all of the testing that has led us to this point. After an overnight sleep study (hoping to figure out why he doesn't sleep well), we determined that he does have a bit of apnea and the choice was made to remove these items. We opted for the less invasive/quicker recovery of just shaving the tonsils down. The hope is that Mason's congestion and sleep will improve after all of this (thus far, not much change has been noted), but we are glad we did this still to eliminate these factors and are hoping for great results!

He did awesome through all of the operation stuff. The hardest part was having him wake up struggling to know what had happened to him, sad, throwing up, and in pain. I had chosen to be very vague with him on what would happen and though I'd told him it would hurt, you could tell that it caught him off-guard. That was hard, but I still felt gratitude for several things that day: a supportive husband that could spend the day with us (crazy how vulnerable I feel when watching my kids get pinned down for anesthesia and waking up delirious), grateful for family at home to watch my other 3 boys (glad we scheduled the surgery during Cole's Christmas break when we had no commitments, and happy that Wyatt will now take a bottle-- fewer worries on all accounts), and so much admiration for the doctors and nurses at Children's Hospital. They are so kind to kids and families who just don't want to be there. Mason's recovery has been quick and better than expected, and that has been a blessing for all of us.

(Post-surgery-- a brave face, trying to enjoy his wheelchair ride)

First Real Food

Rice cereal and I love it!

(Wyatt- 4 1/2 months)

And some other cute photos from chow time...

Special Day

We have an 8 year old cousin who is getting baptized. Isn't she beautiful?? We love you, Cassie! (Dec. 3, 2011)

Look at Me

I'm a sitter and a smiler!

(Wyatt- 4 months old)

Trunk-or-Treat 2011

And what do we have?? A pea pod, a frog, Zorro, Batman, Buzz, and a Halloween princess. Fun cousin memories!

I am not going to miss 2 year old tantrums!

Classic Hunter!

Tub of Boys

We love having cousin Ryder spend the weekend with us. But playing hard means the day always ends with a bath!

Thomasson Family Farms 2011

We love this pumpkin patch, and have gone there for the past few years. So it was fun to tag along with Mason and his preschool class when they went in October...

Baby Cousins

It's fun to have family dinners and get the kids together to play. My brother's baby Meika was born a few weeks after Wyatt. She is super cute, but a little on the fussy side (sorry, but true), so this picture of her is not too far off from reality. She's screaming and Wyatt is very chill. Maybe a little like how girls and boys are different as they grow up??

The Perfect Book Spot

There's been a little black inner tube floating around the toy box lately. Often, it becomes a hat, but for Hunter, it has become a cushy spot to relax and read. (Sept. 2011; 2 1/2 yrs old)