Busy Body

Each night before I go to bed, I check on each of my babies to make sure they are covered up and warm, snoozing soundly in their beds. Mason is basically immobile so there are no surprises with him. Mackenzie is a different story. It takes her a little while to wind down after a busy day and so I am never sure just what she's doing in her room after kisses are " pinged" , good nights said and the door closes. I usually get a little glimpse of her busy work, though, on my pre-bed checks. Take a peek:

She was tucked into bed at 7:30. Inside that
sleeping bag, she's wearing two pairs of
heavy polar fleece socks and an exra pair of
underwear.

Mackenzie dressed up this little guy in her princess
cape

A lot of times I find that Mack's made beds for
random stuffed animals

Mickey needed a cast. I have also found Mack wearing
this doll blanket as a sock on several nightly checks

Ladybug got a late night hair do

Mack's been watching us closely as we swaddle
Mason.

Whether it's finding her wearing extra clothing  or listening outside her bedroom door putting someone in time out only to find six stuff animals crammed in her sock drawer the next morning, I find it impossible to be upset with her.After all,  I know I can't just lie down in bed after a busy day and fall right to sleep. It takes a while for my brain to turn off and the same has got to be even more true for such a busy little mind. Mackenzie has never once left her room with out my permission. For that reason plus the entertainment value that her "late" night antics provide, I look forward to seeing what she's been up to and try to conceal my laughter at what I find until I quietly close her bedroom door for the night.

Toes

Ever since Mason discovered his toes, he's been infatuated with them. Every chance he gets, he wrangles them into his tiny little grasp, always trying to guide them into his mouth.It won't be long before he actually gets them there:

His own worst enemy

 Despite the fact that he is tightly swaddled before bed, when little Houdini squirms to get an arm free, he always seems to wake with an extra battle wound where he somehow manages scratch himself ( even with the shortest of nails!). What a cute little bruiser he is!

Striking resemblance

People tell me all the time how much Mason looks like Mackenzie. Maybe it's because their personalities are so different, but I just couldn't see it. To satisfy my curiosity, I went looking through pictures of Mackenzie and here's what I found. Both kids are 3 months old in their picture. What do you think?:

A striking resemblance, indeed

Along those same lines, I had a bit of a flashback the other day as Mason sat in his exersaucer smiling away at the sunshine figure on it. It hardly seems like four years ago that I sat watching Mackenzie doing the very same thing. So on my hunt for " look a like" photos, I found these:

Mack checkin' out the sunshine

Mason's turn!

A few minutes with Mason

Mason's up to some new things: He can direct his hands to touch things that grab his attention. He can also grab a hold of things like rattles, hanging toys,clothing , blankets and HAIR! He is determined that he will get his toes into his mouth but so far, he can old lift then up to his belly and then he opens his mouth as if willing the toes to go in! Though he is still Mr. Impatient and wants what he want when he wants it, he is a lot of fun and is still one of the sweetest babies I know! His little laugh is contagious and it leaves us all looking a fool to try and coax a few giggles out.

On top of that, he has a pretty set routine which includes waking about the same times twice a night and naps that are so predictable, you  could set a clock by them. His current routine isn't quite so ideal for Mackenzie's upcoming school schedule so we're working on tweaking that a bit to ensure plenty of time for getting to school and back as well as sufficient nap times for Mason.

Mini Clay

One of the first things Mike said to me as they wheeled me into the recovery room after delivering Mason was that he looked like my dad. We joked that Mason had more hair than he does and sort of left it at that.  As Mason's grown, the resemblance is still there but more and more we notice how Mason looks like a mini version of my brother. This isn't surprising since Clay looks so much like my dad with out the beard. Seeing these little glimpses of my brother who means so much to me in my son tugs at my heart strings . See what you think:

Mason looks a little fearful here but he really does love his uncle.

Clay telling Mason how handsome they are.

While on the subject of Mason's looks, I will add that Mason has the classic Taylor family ears. His ears look like a mini version of my moms whose look like a mini version of her dads. Maybe one day I can get a picture of their ears....but I wouldn't count on it! Genetics are so interesting, aren't they?

Celebrating Brooklyn

We had so much fun on Saturday celebrating Brooklyn's 9th birthday. It's strange to think that 9 years have passed since Taylor and Brooklyn came into our lives, just two weeks apart, and changed them so much. It always feels a little sad to celebrate one birthday with out the other but our thoughts were on Taylor as she celebrated her 9th birthday on July 14th in Arizona.

The whole gang ( minus the Arizona Hansfords who were missed) came to celebrate over pizza and cake. Brook was down the minutes to " present time". Her mom let her open this one early...

Mark and Carley's gift to Brooklyn was a hamster whom Brook
named Shark bait.

Shy Brooklyn being sung to.

Brook got a little too close to the cake while Mark was around.

Brooklyn has grown into such a sweet, sensitive girl with a playful side , always ready to play a practical joke. She is always willing to jump in and help any way she can, even if it involved a yucky diaper! We love the time we get with her and can't wait to see the young woman she becomes. We know she'll be great!