My greatest joys

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They're coming. I promise!

OK, so I know I have a handful of people really anxious for some new posts. The thing is our computer had about a million viruses & I had to get it fixed. Sooooo...be patient with me & I'll get them up as soon as possible. There is OH SO MUCH to blog about!!! This being on of them...

Finally

After almost a week of Bowen being in Florida, he is finally home. I missed him so much! I really do love that man! Mason missed his daddy as well. As some of you know quite well, that little monkey does NOT like to snuggle. Well, he wouldn't leave his daddys side this evening and when Bowen sat down on the couch, Mase was right there laying on him. Pretty sure Bowen loved every moment of it! BTW...I'm 35 weeks today. Five and counting...but I wouldn't complain if Kai decided to come in 3 weeks. That would be lovely!

Mason's latelys...

First of all I'm sooooo excited that the sun has FINALLY decided to come out and play! Not that I've been wanting the heat, but it's definitely nice not to have the dreaded June Gloom hanging over our heads. I've been trying to remember all the new things that Mason has been doing or saying lately. It seems like as soon as he turned 2 he changed from my baby boy to my little boy. I can't believe how fast he's growing! Two years has completely flown by. *He can count to 11 pretty much by himself. Sometimes it goes 1,2,3,4,8,9,10,11 & then we try it again together. *He looooves ketchup aka dippy, on most anything that is meat or potatoes *Twinkle Twinkle, ABC's, and the Sing, Sing song from the primary book are his favorite songs. Although lately he's starting singing songs off the radio. Alejandro by Lady Ga Ga (Alejandro, Alejandro, AleAlejandro, AleAlejandro) and Airplanes by B.o.B feat Hayley Williams (wish right now, wish right now) are his two favorites. He'll usually sing them for you if you ask. *He's still obsessed with any sport that involves a ball. His absolute two favorites right now are: 1. Baseball. He has a mitt, ball, and bat that he has to take everywhere. 2. Golf. He started playing with Bowens golf clubs that were a bit too big for him so we bought him a little "Mason size" club. He loves it! *Since it's summertime now I've started buying Otter Pops. He calls them POPFICLES!!!They were a hit from day one! Both he and i usually enjoy 1 or 2...or 3 a day :) Recently I found 100% juice ones at Costco so I've been buying them. They're a lot bigger so I end up cutting them in half and it makes them the perfect size. *Me or Bowen ask him- "Guess what?" Mase- "what?" Me or Bowen- "I love you!" Mase- "I love you too" *He and Lady have a game where he chases her around the back yard with a wiffle bat. They both think it's the funnest game in the world. Don't worry, the bat is so light that he doesn't hurt her. *His collar bones are his most ticklish spot. Next are his hips, ribs, and ham bones (thighs). *Anytime we walk on grass he says, "ewwww poop!" I guess I've trained him well. *We make smoothies at least a couple times a week and he absolutely loves them! Little does he know that I hide spinach in them...Mwa ha ha ha! *This is his bedtime routine: -Bath -Brush teeth -Pick out 2 books. Bowen & I alternate our nights doing this reading. One time I told him he looks like a little stink bug when he's kneeling down for prayers. Now after we're done reading books he calls out "Stink Bug" and the other parent has to come in to say prayers so we're all together. He always blesses Sienna, Giselle, Jackie, and Kevin. Most of the time he blesses Heidi and Gordon too. When we tell him to bless baby Kai he says "Pop the Balloon" Here's the story behind that... I take Mason to most of my OB appointments. One time the Dr. showed him that you can blow up the latex gloves to make a funny balloon. Well, after one particular visit to the Dr. we were walking out of the office when I asked him to hold my hand in the parking lot. He wouldn't. I told him that if he didn't hold my hand that I would take his balloon away. He still didn't. So I took it away. This resulted in a HUGE meltdown & in the process the balloon popped. I guess he was traumatized from that incident because now instead of saying "bless baby Kai" he says, "Pop the Balloon" -He has to have his Choo Choo blanket, doggy, and a sippy cup of water to sleep. -Now he's in his Big Boy Bed!!! Yay! I don't know where our guests are going to sleep when the come out though. There's probably so much more that I can't remember right now. I'll list them when I do. I love my little boy so stinkin much it's crazy!

*4th of July weekend*

It seems like we celebrated this the 4th of July this whole 3 day weekend. Every day we had something going on. SATURDAY- We woke up bright and early to go to the Annual 7th ward pancake breakfast. There is always a great turn out of people and the food is always delicious! Since it's in the parking lot all of the boys bring their skateboards...and Dave & Kari Rich bring their Star Spangles Scooter. He was so nice to take the kids on a little ride around the parking lot. Mase had a blast! The plan was to head to the beach after but the darn clouds just wouldn't go away! So us girls and kids ended up going over to our friend, Chris & Stacy Circuits, house while the guys played a couple hours of softball. The kids all had fun playing, painting, digging in the sandbox, & wearing each other out. We had left our Lady Dog at home and she's such a whiner that we left the back door open so that she could come in the house and wouldn't bug our neighbors. Now, I am 100% against that because who know what critters or animals have ventured into our house. But, until we get a dog door, this is the best solution. So when we got home I walked into the bathroom and out of the corner of my eye I saw a little animal behind the soap on the sink. I called Mason and Bowen to come and look at our newest squatter. Turned out it was a baby bird and Mason thought it was the neatest thing...until I tried to pick it up. The little bird flew right up into Masons face and, scaring him to death! He was screaming and so was the bird. He ran out of the bathroom as fast as he could! -I'm such an evil mom, I was laughing the whole time- After i got the boy and bird under control, I took Mason in the back yard and let him pet the little sparrow. Everything was okay after that until Lady attempted to eat it. With it's life on the line the little bird flew away never to return. After all that excitement it was time for Masons nap! That evening we went to a Padres baseball game with our good friends the Galbasinis. Mason was so excited to go and of course he had to bring his baseball mitt and bat. We had great seats and even better company! Thanks guys for the tickets! SUNDAY- Happy Independence Day!!! I love the 4th of July! It's one of my favorite holidays. Of course we had church as usual...unusual testimonies...poor Utah/Arizona visitors probably think our ward is crazy. Oh well. That afternoon we had a new couple in our ward, Clayton & Kristin Austin, come over for a BBQ. With our bellys full and the evening setting in, we decided to head out to watch the fireworks. In the past we've gone up to Kate Sessions park to watch them. It was fun to see all the fireworks go up at the same time. But since the drinking crowd has shifted there from the beaches we opted out of it this year. Instead we met the Riches & Romneys at La Jolla Cove. I couldn't believe how many people there were! Wow! The fireworks were awesome! It seemed like we were right under them. Mason was a little scared at first and asked to go sit in the car. After a bit of convincing him the fireworks were "so pretty" he laid on the blanket with us. I taught him to "oooooh and ahhhhhh" at the them...which he did unless it was an especially loud one in which he said, "GEEEEEZE!!!" Waiting for the show to begin MONDAY- Bowen woke up bright and early to go surfing with all the guys. Mason and I slept in. Yesss! After breakfast was finished, the house clean, and Mase and I ready for the day, Bowen finally came home. I guess the surf was good!?! My only request for the day was to go to IKEA for some storage ideas. With Malachi on the way I've realized we need another dresser or storage...something...With not too much luck later we headed home. It was nice to get out of the house anyway. We picked up our new friends, the Austins, and headed over to Phil & Mindy Wings house for their annual 4th (but this year the 5th) BBQ/Pool Party. All the kids love going to their house because they have a slushy machine. Mason drank a whole cup and was literally rolling around on the grass from his sugar high. Of course no get-together could be complete without a few games of washers. In fact, there was a whole tournament set up. Mason noticed that all the kids were playing in the hot tub and he wanted to join them. So he ended the night with a good soak and another slushy. Like I said before, I love the 4th of July! I guess it's the spirit of everyone and their patriotism. God Bless America!

Our little helper

Mason loves to help out around the house. But his favorite person to help is Daddy. Aren't they the best lawn mowers ever?

Rainy day at Kid Ventures

Last week we met Jackie and her girls at Kid Ventures. It was a little rainy so it was a perfect day to go. All the kids had a blast playing on the castle, pirate ship, and cars. This was our first time going and boy was it exciting! Mason was a bit overwhelmed at first, but soon adjusted to the chaos. We were there for quite a while but Mason was starting to get hungry & tired so we headed home...not before stopping at In N Out though. With a full tummy he was ready for bed. Since he's such a 2 year old big boy now he decided he wanted to sleep in his big boy bed. A few stories and a kiss goodnight later, he was out like a light. I couldn't believe he actually stayed in bed! Bowen arrived home before Mase woke up & I was such a proud mom I had to show him. It was almost time for him to wake up so Bowen laid down and snuggled with him. Fifteen minutes later, and still silent, I walked in to the room to find both of my boys fast asleep. It was so cute (and peaceful)I left them there until Mason woke up. What an exciting and exhausting day. Since then he's been taking his naps and sleeping there at night. Our little boy is growing up so fast I can hardly stand it! Eating his yummy hamburgers & fries! Passed out!

Happy 2nd Birthday Mason!

Wow! I can't believe another year has gone by. Our precious little boy is growing up so fast! It just so happened that his birthday fell on a Saturday this year, so that was perfect for a party! We decided that since we'd probably be at the beach anyway that we would have his party there. Bowen was such a sweetheart. He got up super early and took the tent and tables down to save our place on the sand. Mase and I followed a couple hours later with all the food and decorations. We got all set up and soon enough people started to trickle in. I'd watched the forecast and it said that it was supposed to be sunny with a few clouds, but it was June Gloom overcast the whole day. That didn't stop us though! All the kids were busy playing in the sand & the adults busy visiting. Actually, Bowen and Jayson kept the kids busy for quite a while by burying their feet in the sand. They thought that was the greatest! Oh the small things that keep 2 & 3 year olds busy! We fired up the grill around noon and BBQ'd up some savory burgers and hotdogs. There was some more playing in the sand, football, & Frisbee throwing. The kids were starting to get pretty worn out so we wrapped up the party with the Happy Birthday song and cake. Mason's expression was so cute as we sang to him. He was grinning from ear to ear! He definitely knew this party was all about him! I guess it's a given that kids like cake...or at least the frosting, so I set the cake down, handed them all a fork and let go at it! At first they were all a bit hesitant looking at the cake, then us, then the cake, at the fork, back at us, wondering "Is this okay? Do you really just want us to dig in and eat this whole cake?" That only lasted a few seconds before they realized it really was ok. Sunburns, full tummies, & a few tired kids later we wrapped up the party and headed home. Mason had sand in every possible crevice so a nice bath was much needed! By then he was so tired he was pretty much begging to have a nap. I'd say it was a successful party for sure! Happy Birthday Mason!!! We love you!!!

San Diego County Fair 2010!

It's fair time again! This was our 2nd year going to the San Diego Fair, so I guess it's a tradition now. We invited our friends, the Mitchells, to come along with us and we all had a blast! The evening started with Swifty the Swine races. Basically, it's cute,little piglets that run around a short track and whoever wins gets a prized Oreo cookie. Mase was a little unsure about the Swifty Snouts. He would NOT let us put one on him! The cute Mitchell Family Now the theme for the fair this year is Taste the Fun. It is widely known that when you go to the SD fair that pretty much everything you eat there will be fried and not so good for you. The newest additions to this years menu...fried butter and chocolate covered bacon. Ya, I know right??? Between the 6 of us we shared: *Smoked turkey legs-yum! *Fried zucchini-yum! *Corn on the cob-yum! *Icecream cones-yum! *And...chocolate covered bacon-not so great. But at least we can say we tried it! Bowen and Jayson holding up their prized chocolate covered bacon...ugh! Icecream was main choice for Mason and Avery. This is what happened when I "tasted" his icecream. Little did he know that I was just doing it so that it wouldn't drip all over his hands. Of course no fair would be complete without carnival rides!!! The kids running across the bridge to get to the rides. Mason was never one of those babies that liked to be thrown up in the air and even now he does not like to swing at the park. So I thought he wasn't going to like the rides. Boy was I wrong! The first ride he and Avery went on were the swings. I'll never forget the excitement that was on that boys face! Priceless! He had an absolute BLAST! I'm still in awe at how big our boy is getting. He did most of the rides by himself where as last year he was barely walking at this time! The swings were followed by... ...a whale ride ...a canoe ride ...carousel, hot air balloon ride, & and to top it off, the Ferris Wheel. We sent the Dads with the kids on that one partly because we didn't have enough tickets for all of us and they wouldn't let me on the ride because of this giant belly. We all left that night feeling sick and exhausted, but it was completely worth it! I can definitely say there will be no more chocolate covered bacon sampling in this family!

Ladies Man

Mason decided that he was brave enough to ask his friend Avery out on a date. To where you ask? To see Toy Story 3 of course! Don't worry, he was a complete gentleman. They only held hands, shared a popcorn, and ended the date with a hug. I couldn't get a very good picture due to the fact that their eyes were glued on the screen, but it was so cute to see the excitement on their faces!

Golfing!

Lately, Mason has been completely intrigued by golf. All he wants to do is "hit the golf ball". I'm just fine with that except he was trying to golf with Bowens clubs...which are a little too big for him. So, Bowen decided that we needed to take a trip to Sport Chalet to find Mason a suitable club; and we did, along with practice wiffle golf balls! Now our sweet little boy has become even more obsessed. He will stay out in the back yard for hours just hitting the golf balls around. He likes when anyone will play with him, but he absolutely loves when Bowen does. Mase is definitely turning into a daddy's boy and I don't hear any complaints from Bowen! As soon as he walks through the door Mason runs to him and asks, "hit dolf (that's how he says it) ball"? Then he'll run and grab Bowen a club and tell him to go outside on the grass. What a little bossy boy! He is actually really good! We took him to the driving range for the first time and he was hitting the ball more accurate than some of the other men out there. Bowen and I were getting such a kick out of watching him!

Keeping a 2 year old busy...

I decided that my house needed some much needed TLC from being neglected this week. But how do I keep a little Mason from trying to help me bleach the bathroom??? Let him get paint all over himself of course! It's always a treat when he gets to paint and today was no exception!

Hard at work

He was mad that I took his picture, but too bad. Look at that face!

These are his masterpieces. Ta Da!

Maybe we'll mail some out for the grandparents to hang on their refrigerators.

Sea Trials

This is the ship that Bowen has been working on, The USNS Charles Drew. He had to head out for Sea Trials for the second time this week. The first time they ran into some problems and had to come back in for repairs. Today they headed back out to sea until tomorrow afternoon *hopefully not longer*. My friend Amanda (a fellow NASSCO wife) and her kids met us on Harbor Island so that we could wave goodbye to our husbands and the kids their daddys.

Mason and Avery

I was able to see Bowen (barely) and he us, but try getting a rambunctious 2 year old to "look reeeeally hard" ya, Mase just knew that was daddys BIG BOAT and he was completely content with that  :)

Watching him sail out today made me so grateful that he doesn't have a sailing job. It's hard enough having him gone for one night. I know I couldn't do it for weeks/months at a time.