Summer fun time

I guess it is safe to say I am taking a 'break' from the blog. We're busy enjoying summer and getting ready for 'real' school to start in August for Mason. I cannot believe my baby is going to Kindergarten. I have to admit, I used to think the pre-K graduation was silly, but now I kind of get it. We toured his new school a few months ago and it seems surreal that he will be wandering the halls in a few short weeks!

So, to catch up for the past 3 months - here's what we have been up to:

• We had a fun family spring break trip to Hilton Head with our friends the Packer's
• Mommy & Daddy had a fun adult trip to Cancun :)
• Matthew turned THREE
• Matthew is officially potty trained!!!
• Mason turned FIVE
• Mason graduated from pre-K
• Mason can officially swim with no floaties!! He is doing great and only wants to jump off the diving board now!
• Matthew fell and cut his head on a piece of glass and had 11 staples. It was quite traumatic for everyone, but he is fine now
• We had an awesome 4th of July in our neighborhood
• We leave for St. Simons in 2 weeks (week before Mason starts school)

Whew! I think that about covers it! And here's a few pictures from the past few months!

Mason at 'infant room graduation' and 'pre-K graduation'!

Enjoying the beach at Hilton Head with our buddy Bryce

Happy 3rd Birthday Matthew!!!

The boys still love sweet Shadow who also had a birthday (she turned 13!)

Hanging with the cousins on Memorial Day weekend

Riding with our neighborhood friends to see the fireworks on 4th of July

Happy 5th Birthday Mason!

Relaxing in Cancun!

So happy that the pool is open for the summer!

Matthew after getting his boo-boo stapled. Poor baby :(

Baseball Mom

I don't post as often now - I try to reserve it for exciting or new activities. Mason started T-Ball this spring and he LOVES it! He is in a 'rookie' league for 4 & 5 year olds at Murphey Candler park and it is mostly about having fun and learning the basic fundamentals of baseball. He has only had 3 games and we can already see a big improvement. His practice and game is early on Saturday mornings and he usually gets dressed in his uniform all by himself and wakes us up ready to go. It is so cute! And at today's game, he was given the game ball for his 2 great hits! He was so proud! Matthew also loves watching big brother and can't wait to get on the field himself in a few years! Baseball is really big in our area, so I'm very excited to officially be a 'baseball mom' (in addition to a soccer mom).

Listening to coach after he got on base

Mason with his teammate Raj

The cutest t-ball fans in the entire rookie league!

Merry Christmas 2014!

We had a very exciting Christmas and New Years! Each year gets more and more fun as the boys get older and understand more. Mason was REALLY into it this year and asked for any and every toy he saw the entire month of December. He also was a huge help decorating the house and loved seeing the Christmas lights every night on our drive home. Matthew wasn't completely scared of Santa this year and (kind of) sat in his lap after being bribed with a candy cane. Mason helped me bake cookies for Santa and was so excited that he ate most of them and took the apple for his reindeer. Seeing Christmas through the eyes of your children is truly magical! I can't wait until next year when Matthew is just a little bit older.

Baking cookies for Santa (and his friends which he insisted)

Reading 'Twas the night before Christmas' with Daddy on Christmas eve!

Santa Came!

Mason with his Martian Rover

Matthew with his Thomas train set

 

'Mommy's' Christmas tree

'Mason's' Christmas tree (with the new train from Mimi & Dee)

You better watch out...

I'm sure he's telling the big guy what a good boy Mason has been

We were very excited that Murray the Elf reported for duty when we returned from our Thanksgiving trip to Florida. He was waiting in the wreath over our mantle with his story book for the boys to read. He has been quite mischievous this year and Mason literally runs downstairs every morning to find him (and some mornings mommy or daddy is running just ahead of Mason yelling 'oh crap!', but we haven't been busted yet). I'm sure Murray's reports to Santa have been good this year... Mason is especially careful of his behavior when Murray is watching :)

Weeeeeee!!!!!!

Murray in an epic battle with Jake and the Neverland Pirates

Some days he just likes to chill on the shelf too.

May your Christmas be magical and filled with surprises!

Thanksgiving in Florida

We were very excited to travel to Florida for Thanksgiving to visit Chris' parents and grandmother. The last time we visited was when Mason was less than a year old, so Matthew had never even met his Great Grandma H. The weather was a little chilly, but we found plenty of fun things for the boys to do. They loved the mermaid show and boat ride at Weeki-Wachee springs and we even got to ride a train to visit Santa! Matthew wasn't so sure about Santa (which I expected), but we managed to bribe him with a candy cane for a quick picture! No tears this year!! Great Grandma was thrilled to watch the boys play and she quickly won them over with her stash of happy meal toys that she let them pick from :)

My little mermaids?

Waiting for Santa!

Matthew wasn't so sure, so mommy had to join. Mason was so excited!

Riding the train to see Santa!

Watching movies with Great Grandma!

Happy Fall 2014!

Just a few pictures of my favorite superheros from our fun filled Fall season. We woke up to a temp of 27 degrees this  morning, so I guess we're officially into winter now! Both boys really got into trick-or-treating this year and stayed out WAY past their bedtime collecting candy in the neighborhood with their friends. Our neighborhood also hosted a fun fall festival the weekend before Halloween, so the boys got to try on their costumes early and even got to see Captain America and Elsa from Frozen! We're looking forward to the upcoming Holiday Season! Mason is already asking Santa for toys and I'm hoping Matthew will actually enjoy talking to Santa this year (we'll see).

Fun at the church pumpkin patch!

The boys meeting Captain America! Matthew wouldn't get any closer than that.

Mason was pretty excited about meeting a real super hero

My adorable little super heroes

The whole crew before trick or treating!

It's really hard to get everyone sitting and looking at the camera...

Trick or Treat!

Our jack-o-lantern!

St. Simons 2014

Beautiful sunrise view from our condo. I loved waking up to this each morning.

We spent an amazing week in early October at my favorite place in the world. There's just something about St. Simons Island that feels home to me. It was our first family beach trip since Matthew was just 6 weeks old and Mason was just over 2, so I'm not even sure if he remembered it. True to their personalities, Matthew was a bit hesitant until he got used to the sand and ocean and Mason jumped right in without ever looking back. By the end of the week they were both total beach bums like their parents. We were very happy to have Nana and Grandpa come stay with us for a few days and then the whole Young crew joined us for the end of the week. The cousins had a blast on the beach and baby Maci got to put her toes in the sand for the very first time! It was such a fun and relaxing week for everyone! I have TONS more pictures, but here are a few of my favorites.

Matthew's very first time walking on the beach. He stood back and watched Mason for a while...

"I think I like this, but I'm not sure yet mom"

And our adventurer! He ran around like this for hours on the first day. I've never seen him so happy!

Mason showing Matthew the waves.

Before dinner with Nana and Grandpa

Family picture before dinner

My little beach bum

Uncle Lamar is on sand castle duty

Pretty girls checking out the water

Mason getting the hang of this sand castle thing

Dee enjoying his new retirement on the beach

My sweet beach bums on our last day. No one wanted to go home!

Many more pictures here: https://picasaweb.google.com/114433430345175019209/StSimons2014#