"I'm 2!"

Mason graced this world 2 years ago on October 26th and we cannot believe how quickly time has gone! As you can see there was a lot of Lightning McQueen going on for his birthday -- he has a true love for him :)

As we sang Happy Birthday to him he sat patiently listening - and as soon as we were done he instantly blew out both candles in one breath! I was taking pictures, not video, so I was completely caught off guard that we didnt have to prompt him to blow them out and missed the shot! Smart cookie!

He had his 2nd year appointment yesterday and weighed in at 27.4 lbs (40th % -- he was in the 15th at 18 months, so way to grow buddy!) and 34 inches. He is so much fun and is growing so fast! We really are loving this age (moments of defiance included, haha) and love our little boy!

Happy Birthday Mason!

P.S. I did make the cake - with the help of a wilton cake pan borrowed from my friend Amber! (no sculpting for me) Check out Ambers work at ABCCakes! She is amazing!

Pumpkin Carving!

I thought for sure Mason would love digging into the pumpkin... this picture tells all:

Not a huge fan.

In the end, Matt ended up doing most of the work and he did a GREAT job! A picture of the end product will be forthcoming...

Haircuts and more

Thanks to Ms. Katie/Auntie Katie (see her here at Haircuts and More), Mason has been looking well groomed since... well, basically since he was born. Thanks to her expertise and his regular attendance, Mason is pretty much a pro nowadays in the seat. Here are a few snapshots from his last (overdue) haircut!

Pumpkin Patch revisited

We went to the Pumpkin Patch last year with Granny Kay and went again this year with her! It is becoming a little bit of a tradition... but hopefully next year we'll be doing it somewhere in Tennessee. Here are a few more pictures from the trip there since we got some cute ones of the boys and our little family (thanks to having a 5th person with us!).

Granny Kay came to visit!

We had a busy and fun week of going.... playing, shopping, for walks,to Library story time, to McDonalds play place, to the petting zoo, to the pumpkin patch, to ride the train at the mall, and much much more! Mason was spoiled rotten (that is what Grannys are for!) and Lincoln got lots of snuggle time. It was a great visit and so fun to have her here! We miss you Granny!

2 Months

Lincoln is 2 months old already! He had his doctors appointment and weighed in at 11 lbs 6 oz and 23.5 inches long... interestingly enough, he is almost the exact same size Mason was! He did great handling his shots - until later that night when his thighs got sore! Every time he moved his legs he wailed :( Luckily they already seem to be feeling much better. A few facts about him:

• he has the cutest, most heart-breaking "pouty" face you've ever seen (trying to get a picture still) - it typically only comes out when he is tired. That bottom lip stops you in your tracks.
  
• he LOVES Mason and smiles/talks to him all the time - they're really, really cute together!
• he has already survived a few accidental 'run-in's from his sweet, clumsy brother... and handled them well.
• he isnt a fan of the pacifier. At least I wont have to wean him from it later!
• he has done 5 hour stretches at night and did a 6 last night... his nights have been pretty inconsistent due to tummy woes, but I expect them to even out now that we seem to have that somewhat under control.
• doesnt love tummy time, but has rolled from tummy to back a few times... probably a fluke for now, but we'll take it :) He can get to his side pretty well though.
• He has already settled into our routine and our days are pretty smooth - love it! He eats typically every 3 hours and goes to bed between 7-8 and gets up between 7-8.
• is a happy lil' boy - I often find just smiling for no apparent reason! Cute.

Tales of September

We've been (among other things)...

Replacing our stolen items and getting forms notarized so can hopefully get this insurance claim in soon (today). I will be sooooo glad when that is done.

Good news: they caught the man who robbed us! They have an arrest warrant out for the

woman. The Salt Lake police picked him up for breaking the law up there and our officer drove up to question him (since he fit the description of the guy using our credit cards in the Walmart videos). When he got there the man fell to pieces and confessed. The court case *should* be pretty clear cut - we'll see what comes of his escapades.

Sad news: he chucked most of our belongings (minus a few cards and the electronics) into the dumpster in our parking lot.... and no one thought to look there before the trash was taken that day :( Ohhhh well. Live and learn. The location of the rest is yet to (ever) be determined.

(Hopefully our insurance claim doesnt go as this picture depicts...)

Various family outings such as... riding the new train at the mall! (to our surprise, he cried uncontrollably when he had to get off - what is it with little boys and trains?) It is actually pretty nifty - it takes you on a lap of the entire mall (see the wheels). Mason still talks about the "train... ride... mall".

My million dollar mouth: after Mason was born I had a tiny cavity... after Lincoln was born, I had a mouthful of work to be done! In all actuality, it is old work from my teen years that is coming back to haunt me. Needless to say, I will be so glad when it is all done (two crowns later). Big THANK YOU to my brother in law Chad for doing a fabulous root canal on me! :)

Also of note: heredity has struck, the fight is over, Matt is officially on a low-dose medication for his cholesterol. Feel free to tease him :)

A visit from Papa and Grandma -- Grandma had a quick trip to make so Papa stayed with us for a few days!

Cutting out EVEN more foods. Lincoln appears to be sensitive to... everything? I will now be living on rice and water. Not crackers, bc those might have butter on them. haha :) OK, maybe that is a slight exaggeration. I am hopeful he will grow out of at least some of it by 3-4 months. Time will tell! At present I am avoiding all dairy, soy, chocolate, nuts, onions, and tomatoes. I am positive dairy is a problem and about 80% sure soy is (need to try some soy formula to find out for sure), and the others are maybes. For now it is just easier to avoid than suffer the consequences! On a positive note, he looks so healthy and I was able to take him off Prevacid down to just Zantac and am thinking I might even be able to take him off that soon. Hooray for good health! On another bright note, I think helping me lose weight. Win-win! :)

Attending our first pinewood derby! Mason ADORES the scouts and LOVES going to all the activities. It is a lot of fun for all!

I cant believe it is October already!!