The Big Wheel

I've been promising Mason a Ferris Wheel ride for ages; it seems like every time we're supposed to get on one, it's raining and the rides get shut down. Finally, at the beach, Mase took his first ride on "The Big Wheel".


I think it's pretty amazing that a kid that small isn't afraid in the slightest of being up so high.

It's What's for Dinner

Earlier this morning Mason and I were lying in bed. He's been talking about his bones lately, so I was trying to teach him the names of some of them - ankles, elbows, ribs, etc.

I kept poking his ribs and asking him what they were, and for some reason, he couldn't remember the word "ribs". I moved on to his ankles and he was counting his ankle bones. After awhile, I pointed to his ribs again.

Me: "Do you remember what these are called?"

Mason pauses for a long time and I can tell he's thinking really hard. Finally...

Mase: "Roast beef!"

Holycrap.

Life is nerve-wracking.

I just spent twenty minutes interviewing for something that could possibly determine the events that will take place for the next twenty years of my life. How do you make someone fall in love with you solely by answering 10 off-the-wall questions that really don't have anything to do with anything?

There will be other opportunities after this one. Tons of them, I'm sure. But how nice would it be to have everything work out rightfreakingnow?

So, so nice. We'll see..

All We Need

Beach Day #2

Mason was born for the beach.



Look at him. A beach bum in the making. My kid, for sure.







We're moving, I swear.

Move Over, Tiger

Mason had never golfed before, but where better to learn than the beach? As it turns out, he's a natural. Just look at that technique.





I would have gotten more pictures, but we were so slow we had a line of people behind us waiting.


18 holes really wear a kid out.

Beach Day #1

When we got to the beach on Friday morning, the weather was gorgeous.






Mason loves the sand, and he has no fear when it comes to the ocean (a little scary!) and kept wanting to go out in the "big waves". I'll never understand toddlers - the same kid who acts like he's dying when he gets Johnson and Johnson's Tear-Free Baby Shampoo anywhere near his eyes was smiling and laughing when huge waves of salt water smacked him in the face.

Home Sweet Home

Well, we're home safe and we had a great time. Vacation is not quite as easy as it used to be and Mason and I are both happy to be home, but it was great showing him around the place I used to visit every summer as a kid - Long Beach Island, NJ.

I love the beach. I have no idea why I haven't moved to one yet.


Millions of pictures to come during nap time. :)

Little Sandbox Today...

Big sandbox tomorrow. Tomorrow night we're off to the beach again! :)

Expect a Little More Blogging

Two more grad classes down and two more As. Holy cow... that was a rough one. Now, let's enjoy the rest of the summer, shall we?

The Clearfield Parade

Three hours of firetrucks and Shriners, condensed into three pictures.

Bland's Park

We've been to Bland's Park half a dozen times this summer - next year we're getting season passes, for sure. Mason always has a blast; his favorite ride is what he calls the "Bunny Train" (I think it's a caterpillar kiddie coaster - we ride it together). He loves the "big rides" like the Parachutes and the Scrambler and I wish we could spend every 90 degree day at the water park. We have a little routine and he doesn't like it when we deviate from it - kiddie rides, Merry-Go-Round, ice cream, train, big rides, water park, hot dogs, more water park, and a big pretzel for the ride home. We never get have time to get too many pictures, but here are a few from a recent trip.






Ahh, summer. I wish we could do things like this all year round.

Music Snob

Mase is watching The Cat in the Hat cartoon with his breakfast and they have this catchy little song they always play in the beginning. I come into the room with my coffee and start doing this crazy dance and Mason's not even smiling, he's just staring at me.

Me: What? I like this song.

Mase: I don't.

Me: Oh, really? You don't like this song?

Mase: No. I like Hey Jude. And Do You Love Me? [Guster] Yeah. That's what songs I like.

These are a Few of Our Favorite Things

Mase and I go on frequent dates where just spend time together and do things we love to do all day. This was one of them.

Breakfast at Waffle Shop:


Mmm..


Barnes and Nobel:



And rides and shopping at the mall:



We need more days like this ASAP. Summer classes, could you please be over now?

The 9th Street Ducks

Does anyone have any idea where all these geese came from? All I wanted to do was get rid of some stale bread and let Mase feed the ducks, when all of a sudden I'm having flashbacks to life in Michigan, where I couldn't walk Mason around the backyard without fearing that a giant goose would have him for breakfast.


They almost took off one of his fingers trying to get a hot dog bun out of his hand. I screamed. Now Mase thinks ducks are mean and Mommy is a wimp.

The 4th

Wow. The fourth was already a month ago - that's so hard to believe. It's crazy how fast the summer always flies by... and it seems to go even faster now that Mason's getting bigger and we have so many fun things to do all the time.

Like the Osceola Parade:




I have no idea what we were doing here (or why it was apparently self-portrait day for Mase and I, I have at least 50 pictures of the two of us on the 4th) but this one cracks me up. If you look really close in the bottom corner, you can see the ant he's looking at.


And, later, hanging out at my dad's house:


Mase and Nichole picked raspberries and then rode around on the four-wheeler.



Then, my dad pushed him in the hammock swing and tried to teach him some valuable life skills.




Another happy fourth.