Playmates are coming!

As it usually goes, when I found out that I was pregnant last summer, I was suddenly surrounded by fellow baby bump bearers. By the time I'd entered my third trimester, I had at least 15 pregnant friends . Since then, there has been a steady stream of newborn cuteness in our lives. Mason will have no shortage of options when it comes to playmates especially considering that a few of those newborns belong to some of my closest friends.

Cass is one of my oldest and dearest friends. Her boy Logan is just
seven weeks behind Mason. They will be best friends, like it or not!

Logan is younger but he can out eat Mason all day long!

Happy Birthday, Ellie

Ellie looking very obedient

A few weeks ago Mack asked about Ellie's birthday. Since we got her from a shelter, we don't know an exact birthday but we know she was born sometime in July. Upon hearing this, Mack insisted we put the date on the calendar and began planning a doggy birthday party. Normally I'm not someone who loves their pet so much that I celebrate their birthday. I'm fairly certain there isn't a canine in the world who would know or care that their birthday was fast approaching. I love my dog but not that much. Having said that, I am the mother of a four year old old who does love her dog enough to feel compelled to make the day special and who is fairly certain that Ellie would be heart broken with out a celebration. So a celebration we had.

Making Ellie's birthday cake

Check out those egg crackin' skills

We made a yellow cake mix but
added dog bones to Ellie's.
Turns out, they were the only part Ellie ate.

Ellie got to lick the bowl

But Macky got to frost the cupcakes

Ellie's meaty birthday present- a ham bone

Ellie could hardly believe her luck- a day full of treats!

Ellie shortly after we brought her home

Curls abound

Mack is in love with her hair. Any chance she gets to do something new or crazy to it, she snatches up. I showed her how twisting her hair into buns can make it extra curly and crazy when you take them out. She seems to really like the idea since she informed me this morning that she'd be wearing buns to bed every night.

Back at it!

After having gotten the " all clear" from my doctor to start running again, I was ready to jump back into it but with the 100+ temps, I wasn't about to even try running. Thankfully, this last week we had four days in a row with temps below 80 degrees so I grabbed my chance!

I mapped out a three mile route around our neighborhood and I was surprised to find that I hadn't really added much more than a minute to my pre-pregnancy time and , even more surprising was the fact that I had absolutely no pain at my incision site despite the fact that it's still considered a fairly new " wound".

Even though I am excited to be back to running, the route can be kinda lonely  . So, I recruited a jogging partner and, despite her outstanding physical shape, I'm pretty sure I wear her out:

Ellie, post jog

Poppies

Last September, Mike and Mackenzie were in Andrea and Andy's wedding where the favors at the reception tables were little jars of poppies, a great idea since both Andy and Andrea are in the Army. We decided over the winter, we'd scatter them in a corner of our yard that needed a little something. Two weeks ago, Mackenzie found the first of the blooming poppies and we've had a steady showing of them since then. It's fun to look at them and think of great friends.

My little shadow wasn't far behind me with her own camera that, coincidentally, the Thueme's sent her for her birthday.:

Nice shot, Mack!

It's a tough job....

Being the best friend to a little girl isn't an easy job, but Ellie finds it worth it...

Belly laughs

Mason shared his first belly laughs with Mack and me today! He has been giggling for a while now but the big laughs always seem to get stuck in his throat. I was dancing his arms and singing to him when he let loose the sweetest laugh. Mack and I were so excited that we had to keep trying for more. After three other laughs, Mason got crabby and the fun ended but oh, what sweet music!