Mom and Ethan Day 1

Mom and Ethan flew in yesterday. Yay! They were starving when they got of the plane so, of course, we had to stop by Rubios for their famous fish tacos. Yummmm! I knew they were tired so we just took it easy for the afternoon and waited for Bowen to get home. We visited some more and called it an early night.

Unfortunately Bowen still has to work, so he left early this morning. But we woke up, made breakfast, Mom and Ethan cleaned my kitchen (THANK YOU!), and we headed out for the morning. One thing Ethan really wanted to do is go see the seals in La Jolla childrens pool, so that's where we ended up. It's pupping season, so there's little baby seals everywhere. You can't go very close to them, but we got some good pictures. The tide was pretty far out; enough that the tide pools were exposed. We kicked off our shoes, rolled up our pants, and played in the water. I showed Ethan where the sea anemones were and he walked up and down the entire tide pool poking his finger in them letting them swallow it up. Mason had fun splashing and playing in the sand. We even found a baby crab to play with. The boys thought that was pretty cool! By the time we were ready to leave it was already past noon. So we, of course, headed back to Rubios. Ha ha!!! I think we've had our fill of that for now!

I love him

tenderness...

February fun!

A couple weeks ago we took our friends, the Galbasinies, to the base in Coronado to go bowling. Its super cheap and a really nice place. Before we got there, their girls fell asleep so Jackie ended up taking them home but Kevin and a kid they were watching stayed. There was a bit of a wait, but soon enough we had our lane and got our game going. All Mason wanted to do is hold the ball. It was so heavy he couldn't even pick it up. He was getting so frustrated. I remembered we had a plastic ball out in the car so Bowen got that. It kept Mase pretty busy for the rest of the time :) Erick and Gibby showed up for the second game. We had so much fun and decided we needed to do go again soon.

Mase "helping" daddy bowl

Kevin and Bowen

I've mentioned before that church basketball season has started. If you've seen the movie Church Ball, then you know what this is all about. Ha ha! The guys are pretty competitive and it is usually pretty fun to watch. The last game Bowen scored two 3 pointers at the very end which helped win the game. Of course all Mase wants to do is "shoot ball". There's usually a few other kids there so they keep him pretty occupied most of the time. They've got a really good team, so I hope they win it all this year!

Bowen giving one of his pep talks

Mason has hit the age where he loooooves the park. We usually do park day on Friday mornings and meet other mommies and kids there. Bowen calls us "The real housewives of Pacific Beach" because we're all stay at home moms and just "do things at our leisure." Ha! If our husbands only knew what it takes to be a stay at home mom...lol! Anyway, the weather has been so nice lately that we'll spend 2 or 3 hours just soaking up the sun. Recently Mase has gotten brave enough to go down the big slide without any help from me. I can't believe how big he is! I know I say that all the time, but really. I love this age he's at and wish it would stay forever.

I watch kids on Tuesday mornings. This is a typical day... notice the primary songs trying to keep the peace? No, they didn't work. Ha ha!

Valentines

This Valentines my good friend Heidi threw a party. It was so much fun and decorated so cute! We had a great time visiting with friends, playing games, and laughing. Thank you, Heidi, for such a nice evening!

Bowen and I don't usually don't do too much for Valentines. He gave me flowers and a nice card and I made him this candy poster and a card. When he saw it he said, "Thank you so much! That's very Utah."

LOL! I guess it is, but we're on a budget :)

Friday we had a babysitter and, thanks to gift certificates, we went to dinner at applebees and then saw the Valentines Day movie. It was nice not having to pay for any of it! But the best part was that I was with the love of my life! I love you Bowen, so much!

Family updates

I get so caught up in writing about all the trips we take that I don't take the time to write about things that actually go on at home. So let me get caught up a bit... Bowen * He recently got accepted into the USD Law Program starting in the Fall of this year. He worked sooooo hard and studied for months to get a good score on the LSAT and it paid off! Ever since I've known him he's talked about going to law school and now it's a reality. I'm so proud of him! *He's still the Young Mens President and loves that calling. The boys really respect him and his counselors and look up to them as great examples. *Drum roll please....Church basketball has started AGAIN! This is, by far, the longest season of any sport I have ever watched. It's fun to go watch he and all "the guys" go play their multi stake rivals. So far they've only lost one game...thank goodness. I'll go to the early games but it's too late for Mason to go to the 9:00pm games. I don't know how Bo stays awake at work the next day. Crazy! But he loves it, so I'm supportive of it. *Work at NASSCO is pretty busy! Bowen is getting ready to launch his ship this month so everyone is trying to tie up the loose ends and make it all a huge success. He really enjoys working with all the guys on his team which makes the grind of work more pleasant. Shaelyn *Well, probably the biggest thing for me is that I'm pregnant :) I'm about 13 weeks and already showing. It's so crazy how my body remembered. I did have a bit of morning sickness for a while but now I'm feeling just fine. One thing I've noticed is that I have to have my sleep or else I'm a grouchy bear the next day. Bowen can vouch for that! I already had my first ultrasound and everything looked good. There was a little baby blob with a heartbeat and that's all I needed to see. The Dr. said my due date is August 19th (right when Bowen starts school...aaahhh!) Both he and I are so excited for this little peanut to join our family! I don't care what it is as long as it's healthy and happy! *I'm still working at Nightingale Music School teaching Mommy and Me classes. It's just super part time and that's just how I like it! Sometimes I do birthday parties on the weekends too. It such a fun creative outlet and I don't mind the little paycheck either :) *I recently got called into Young Womens as a beehive teacher. I love those girls! Hopefully I can guide and teach them values and lessons that they'll keep for a long time. It's fun working with the other teachers and presidency too. They're all so cute and I know each of their lessons and activities are inspired for these girls. *One hobby I've dug up is sewing. It's kind of like riding a bike, but harder. I've forgotten a lot of things, but I'm slowly teaching myself again. Thanks to Grandma Jill I still have my basic knowledge so it gets easier every time I sit down to sew. I did get a serger for Christmas and I plan on using it sometime this next week. I'm a little intimidated by it...what a machine! I am excited for all the fun things that I have planned to make! Mason I did just give a pretty detailed update in my previous post but there are a few things that I need to add... *We have a little play group with 3 girls and Mason. He's the only guy, but I think he likes it that way. They get together around three times a week to hang out and get into trouble. It actually works out really nice because whoevers house they are at, the other mommies get a break to go grocery shopping or to the gym kid free! *Mase has been in Nursery for 2 months now. He loves it and doesn't even look back to say goodbye when I take him there. All he's focused on is finding a ball, coloring, and snack time. Such a cute little stinker! *I'm debating on putting him in a preschool when he turns 2. He's been on a waiting list since he was 3 months old for a preschool that I really like and finally got in. But, it's quite expensive...so we may go with other options. I still can't decide if I want him to wait until he's 3 either. I am exploring other options and we'll see where that takes us.

It seems our lives are busy as can be. We're always doing something or going somewhere. I don't mind it as long as I'm with my boys!

More about my little man...

It seems Mason is growing by the minute. Every time I turn around he's doing or saying something new.

*When I'm in a different room than he is, he'll poke just his head around the corner and say, "I see you!"

*He has 5 favorite books that we usually have to read one or all before nap time and bed time. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Goodnight Baby, Pat the Bunny, I love You, and Old Mac Donald. He got Old Mac Donald for Christmas from Great Grandma Jones. Thanks to this book he's learned the chicken, horse, dog, cat, duck, pig, sheep, donkey, snake, and owl sounds.

* Sometimes when he's playing by himself I'll hear the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star coming from his little voice. If I'm quite enough, I'll go watch him make the little "twinkling" actions with his hands. It's so cute and makes me tear up!

*He also sings the ABC's to the best of his memory.

*He looooves to take a bath! He'll stay in the tub a good 1/2 hour playing with his toys. That is the time I usually take to clean the bathroom, or get ready for the day. It works out perfect!

*He likes to say prayers before we eat. He absolutely does not like to say them before bed because he knows it's night night time after that. I think we need to change up our bedtime routine.

*He know who Jesus is and will point him out of any picture.

*He loves babies (he doesn't realize that he's still kind of one himself) and loves to just watch them. Sometimes he'll touch them really soft and point out where it's eyes, nose, mouth, etc...are. He doesn't get that there is a baby in mommy's tummy but judging by the way he is with other babies, I'm not too worried.

*He is obsessed with choo choo's and trucks. He has a little train set that we set up daily. On Monday Mornings when the garbage truck comes we have to stand by the door and watch.

*His current favorite foods are chicken nuggets, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tomatoes, apples, craisins/raisins, pears, oranges, and grilled tuna and cheese sandwiches (I've found that if I put peas and carrots in with the tuna he'll still eat it. Anything to get a toddler to eat veggies eh!?!

*We're in the process of potty training. It's still a little early for it, but at least he knows the potty is there. We have had a small number of success stories, and a large number of not so great stories. I'm just excited he wants to sit on his potty!

*He loves to color. If you ask what color he's using, it's blue whether it's green, red, orange, or yellow. He has an obsession with using his teeth to tear off the paper around the crayons. I had to break down and buy the crayons that are in the plastic casing and you twist them up.

*I made play dough the other day and he didn't quite know what to do with it. I think we'll try it again in another couple weeks.

*He's officially out of the highchair. We bought him a little table and chairs from Ikea and he looooves it! I make it a point to sit and eat breakfast with him every morning. We talk about Lady dog, how yummy our breakfast is, if we had a good dreams, and what we're going to do that day.

* I take him to music class every Monday. On our way there we sing the primary song, Sing, Sing, Sing, so our voices are all warmed up for the class. His favorite songs are Tick Tock and Clean up (we sing that when the kids put the instruments away).

I love my little monkey so much! His little light shines so bright and he's such a happy boy! I can't believe how fast he's growing and learning. I thank Heavenly Father every day for such a perfect baby boy. I love you Mason!

Happy Birthday Bowen!

Happy Birthday to Bowen! It's crazy to think that together we've already celebrated 4 birthdays of his. This birthday was low key with just a couple presents and a yummy birthday cake that I made from scratch. I've never made a actual cake from scratch, just a box. How pathetic is that? Oh well. It was delicious! I'm so grateful for my wonderful husband! He is my best friend and companion. I don't know what I'd do without him! Love you Bowen!!!

I was going to put the camera away when Mason looked up at me, crossed his arms, leaned to the side, and said, "cheese!" He actually posed for this picture all by himself! It was so funny!

Christmas and New Years 2009 Part 2

Christmas Day Brad and Sara came over. They were headed out of town early the next morning, but were nice enough to stop by and visit for a couple of hours. It's always fun to catch up with friends. Even Chasey, Lyndsay, and Rylee popped in for an hour or two. Mason and Rylee were so cute playing together. He tried to poke her eyes out, but she would just scream (out of excitement) at him, startle him enough that no damage was done :)

The whole group that night

Cousins

The next morning we went to breakfast with Chase and Lynds before they flew back to Utah. Mason stayed home with Grandma Melinda, so that was a nice break. Thanks! We went to this little restaurant on the beach that had unlimited pancakes. They were huge and I barely finished my first plate. Afterwards we walked out by the water and Lynds took some cute pictures of Rylee playing in the sand. All to soon we decided it was time to head back. It was so nice just to visit with them and catch up!

After all that partying and Christmas festivities we all needed to recuperate! But, Bowen was itching to get out on the boat and go fishing. So, that's what we did. It was fun for the adults (Mom, Coach, Bowen and I), but Mason absolutely did NOT want to wear his life jacket. Plus it was pretty cold ( I know. Florida, cold? I didn't know that was possible!) And he was totally exhausted! Finally after fighting it the whole time we were out there, he fell asleep for the last 1/2 hour. What a stinker! Even though we didn't get so much as a bite, the water was glassy and the sunset was beautiful!

Me looking beautiful with my windswept boat hair. Ha ha!

In between Christmas and New Years it was a blur of activities. Popsi had driven down from Alabama. What a treat! It was so good to visit with him. Thank you, dad, for making the long trip to see us! We were able to go out to dinner with him one night. We tried to get in as much time as possible because we don't get to see him all that often. I guess it's time for another trip for him to come out to San Diego...eh? One night we went with Carl and Mariah for sushi. Yummm! It was a good break from the kids too! Another night we went out with them and Popsi which was so much fun. And another evening we went out with them and Margie, Stu, and Marley. I was CRAVING Sweetberries so after dinner Bowen and I headed there. On our way Mike Oneal called Bowen to see what he was up to. It just so happened that he was already at Sweetberries so we told him to wait and we would be there in just a minute. Mikes parents were there and so were a couple of other guys Bowen had grown up with. It was like a mini reunion! We ended up going back to Mikes place to watch to hang out and watch a movie. It was a good night!

I knew there were lizards everywhere, but I hadn't seen any that I could catch. Mason had never seen a lizard up close and I wanted him to experience one first hand. We had already played with it for while before Bowen filmed this, so Mason was pretty much over it.

I think I ruined my chances of him ever trusting me again.

One very important event that we were able to go to while we were there was Carl and Mariah's family being sealed together as a family for all time and eternity in the Orlando temple. What a wonderful day it was! Carson and Amelia were so adorable! It was a beautiful ceremony and I think everyone there shed a tear or two. After we all went out to dinner then headed home. Popsi and Margie had graciously volunteered to watch the other kids while we were in Orlando. Thank you to them for giving us the opportunity to go. When we got home that night Mason was sound asleep. Just the way I like it! Ha ha!

All to soon New Years rolled around. Mariah and Carl had a HUGE party at their house. There were games, toys, even a bouncer for the kids; a giant inflatable screen that people were playing the wii on; and tons and tons of food! Also, whenever Bowens family gets together, there must be a ping pong match. My skills aren't what they used to be, but Bowen put up a pretty good match!

Mason was obsessed with the slide, the choo choo's, and an inflatable chair. It's so funny what catches a kids attention! I made my mango salsa which was pretty much gone by the end of the night (I think Bowen had a lot to do with that) What a night! One of the most important things going on was the football game of course! There was so much going on that Mason would absolutely not go to bed. So he stayed up the entire time. We all got together for the countdown to midnight..3,2,1, a kiss to ring in the New Year, then bed!!! It was a really fun night. Needless to say, I think everyone slept in the next day.

I think it was the day before we left, mom took us out to lunch at Panda then we drove around for a bit and ended up at De Soto National Park. It was nice to learn a bit of history about the area and walk off our lunch. Mason loved just being able to run around! It was pretty chilly and we didn't stay too long, but it was a fun afternoon.

Even though we were there for almost two weeks it seemed like not enough time. We had such a fun time being with all of our family and friends. Thank you to all!!!

Our plane ride home was...well...lets just say Mason and I were in tears a time or two. Bowen didn't know what to do with us. I felt so bad! But we made and recuperated from the flight. Now I want to go back!