My two year old

Four of four. Mason's birthday is the last in our little family. In true Mason fashion, he's decided all the details of his birthday. All that matters to him is having a balloon and having steamed dumplings for dinner after spending a day at the zoo.

I wish I could adequately describe Mason or  I could somehow just bottle him up so I never forget his little crooked smile or how he says " Ok, mama." even as he's running away from me, doing the opposite of what I asked. If only there was a way to portray the way he adores those he loves and how his favorite thing is to make other people laugh. Of course, Mason has a very certain way of letting you ( and the world ) know when he isn't happy. He inherited that fiery Rose temper and learning to contain that takes a lot of work. In fact, I'm not sure any of us have really figured it out. None the less, he loves with that same passion and those who are lucky enough to be in the wake of that adoration cannot help but get drunk on this little boy's personality.

As I was putting him to bed tonight and he asked me to see " Rock a bye, rock a bye" , his favorite bed time song ( second only to " Sunshine" ( You are my Sunshine) ) the thought crossed my mind that I was , for the last time, putting to bed a baby of mine. I'll never have a one year old again. And though our family is complete, I wish for just one day that I could cuddle that crabby little baby. When I think back on those days that were so tangled in anxiety, I remember with great joy the way that tiny baby, barely able to hold his head up, could spot me across the room and he'd lock his gaze on me, not crying, but almost like he was admiring. And I could literally feel that love from him right then.

Mason is a man of certainty ( even when he's uncertain....figure that one out). And there are very few things in life that I am certain of. One of those things is that this boy, this little man in the making, will be fierce and he will always carry passion with him. I am so happy and honored that I get to be in the front row, watching him grow and learn. I just hope he slows it down so I can enjoy feeling the weight of him as he fits perfectly on my lap, holding my hand as I turn the pages of a book. Slow down, my boy.

Favorites:
Red
Doo-oughts ( donuts)
Anything with wheels
His sister
Anything his sister has
Being outside  ( " Sweem, Mama!" - Swing, mama! )
Raspberries
Running around the tree in the front yard


Here is Mason's 2nd year re-cap video. You can click the little box in the lower right corner to make it bigger. There is music, so adjust your speakers accordingly. I will work on getting the rest of the blog updated soon!

Swinging in spring

Look at this wild man, sailing through the air like his sister does!

Worm break! 

There are some mighty big bugs in the yard this year!

They alll fall down!

The Colorado wind is not kind to fences. Neither is the baking hot sun. And so it goes, the cycle of baking how summers and windy falls and springs and before you know it, you're dedicating much time to the fencing aisle at Home Depot. 70 MPH wind gusts took down 5 panels of fencing. That was no match for Mike and me! We make a pretty decent team!

We suddenly had a full golf course view!

And while we were at it....Now the kids can play in the front yard with out me worrying about them as much.

Everything and nothing- life in Instagram

Mason was caught, pencil in hand, writing on the floor. As I was having him clean it up, Mack walks over, pencil and notebook in hand and says to Mase " I'm writing you a ticket!" . And she did.

It's fun being 6'6 with Uncle Clay

Birthday countdown

You just never know who will show up to breakfast at our house.

And you never know who you'll find picking their nose on the swings here, either.

Baby Steps

It's been about three years since I first picked up my DSLR camera. Mike got it for me for Christmas and it was the best material gift I've ever received. The camera is a tool and when Mike gave it to me, he gave me the confidence to pursue my dream. And it's been slow progress but progress just the same. Steadily , I've learned bits here and there. I've practiced what I've learned the important things and I've learned which rules can be ignored . I've been encouraged by countless people to share my " talent" with others but my own insecurities have stopped me.

Until now.

I'm taking a teeny, tiny baby step. I have listed some of my photos on Etsy.com as digital downloads- people can pay to download and/or print my photos. This wasn't something I decided to do earn money. If I do, that's fantastic. But this is just me sticking my toe in the water, testing it out. It's a tiny step. But it's a step and many steps will follow. Thank you to those who have supported me and encouraged me to push forward. I feel photography in my heart. I see life in photographs. My dream would be share that with others and I am certain I will one day get there.

If you want to check out my Etsy shop, click here to take a look around!

Raw Talent!

My mom is so talented! I think it even takes her by surprise. She's really taken a liking to acrylic painting and has been painting almost every day!  If you want to see more of her work, check it out here. 

My photos from last spring

My mom's painted photos . They look so great!

Clothed in style

Grammy and her creative side kept the kids and I busy for almost two hours last week! We pulled out our ( mostly naked) Barbies and the suit case full of clothes that Grammy made for Mike when he was growing up and we clothes our entire troop!  What fun we had!