They've only got eyes for each other. At least in this sweet MOMENT.
These are our people! We had a great time having everyone over to our house to celebrate Mason's 1st Birthday. Thank you all so much!
The next day, I needed a picture to send in for Mason's thank you cards. Donna is the real photographer, but I decided I would give it a shot this time. It was hot, difficult to get any kind of smile, but more than anything...It was SO FUN!
Where are my big grins, Mason? I swear he was all smiles once we got home.
Mr. Serious
Although he wouldn't smile, he came up with a whole new expression. This "lovely" pucker face.
That's what he looks like here to me. I love the elderly, so it's all good:)
He's such a stud.
I fell in love with Pam's sweet Aiden so hard that day. Mike was like, "Step away from the baby." Ha!
Here's a random April pic of Madden. Love this boy!
By the end up April, Mason had turned into the gentle giant!
When you're "Thor",
a sore throat and ears can't keep you down!
Mason rocked this tiny baby all morning. Such a sweet sight!
I can already tell that he is going to have a gentle heart for loving others.
Mason is always my date for Donna's art shows.
Amy and Donna sugared him up with all kinds of yummy sweets this night.
Look who slept until 9:30? That's awesome, people! Now he's calling Donna and Amy for some more sugar cookies:) Ha!
I spent the first part of Mother's Day with my mom, Jayme, and Kelli. We went to a nice church service, the cemetery, and then to a yummy lunch. The rest of the day was all about being with my guys.
Love is when...Brothers become best friends.
We're ready for Taylor Swift!
Amy, Kaitlyn, Mom, me, Missy, and Jayme
Of course we had to stop and eat at On The Border on the way.
RED! This concert was so much fun!
I love this picture of my mom and I. So glad we got to share this night together.
Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are AMAZING! Even Mike likes Ed.
Great performances all night long!
I was so excited when I learned that Florida Georgia Line was going to be one of the opening acts.
I seriously love these boys. Their songs are upbeat and fun!
Look who we ran into! It was so nice to see Kim again and meet Brianna.
Tia and I were best friends growing up.
Her mom is just as sweet as can be.
My mom and I had a blast with the Cook gals. They treated us to a great game! Every outing with them is sure to be fun. Amy is super sweet and she reminds me a lot of just me being with my sister. Reda is so easy to talk to and I genuinely enjoy spending time with her. My mom and I are blessed to have these ladies in our life.
June 2- Fun in the sun
How cute is this picture? I can hardly stand it!
June 6- Madden fresh and clean
He looks so grown up with his slick back hair.
June 10- Last school day at Grammy's
June 15- Mason & Payton's belated 1st Birthday
I love that our kiddos are the same age Fun!
Payton and Mason are exactly one day a part. She definitely has him beat in the hair department:)
June 20- Beautiful Locks
Madden wanted me to dry his hair with my hair dryer. It turned out a little afro-ish, but still pretty.
June 21- Amy's 40th Birthday
June 23- Little Boys Play Dress-up, too:)
June 29- Donna took this photo of Madden on his 2nd Birthday. It is one of my favorites! She had it displayed during the month of June, so we were thrilled to go see it. So cool!
I remember July being a busy month. Mike and I had just finished summer school.
We were all ready to relax and enjoy Summer.
I crammed lots of fun into July 1. We started our day with with Whitney and Katy. First, we saw Monster University. Then of course we had to ride the carousal. It was a great date for Madden and Whitney!
Then, the boys and I took my mom out to eat and gave her an official retirement gift. She has been helping us out since day one of Madden's life. Mike and I agree that there isn't anybody who is as awesome as Grammy. She is SO good!
I love this pic that my mom captured by mistake of Mason and I. We really enjoyed our lunch and spending time together.
That night I went to Gloria's with Emmy and Charity. I love hanging out with my cousin and BFF.
July 2- I got to see Charity again AND her cutie pie kids.
Braden and Madden had a blast at Punp It Up!
Mason and Landri did some bonding of their own. Love her face!
This little collage that Charity made is almost too much for me to handle!
OH.MY.CUTENESS
My Crazy Curly Head
July 3- We went to Pump It Up AGAIN! Mckenna and Madden somehow got me into this wind machine thing. Good times!
We had a great time at the parade with our family. Mason sat in Emmy's lap the entire time. He was such a good boy! Madden did well for the most part, until the end that is. Then, the meltdown of the heat began. It was greatness I tell you.
Madden was a fan of the flag.
Emmy, Me, Jayme
Dallas and Madden became instant BFFE on the 4th of July.
Madden always says, "Dallas is SO nice!"
We ended the day at the movies. Jayme and I were feeling brave and decided to take the boys to a 3D show. Slurpees and popcorn helped us survive!
Madden was out before we even got out of the parking lot.
All-in-all, it was a Fourth of July to remember:)
July 5- Mason is 15 months
28 lbs. and 33 inches
July 9- We had our Grammy day. My boys can't get enough of my mom.
Grammy's house is fun! Mason's face says it all. :)
That night, Daddy took us on a snow-cone date. Yum!
July 15- Our sweet boy went to the dr. He hadn't been feeling well. We were having trouble keeping him hydrated.
Doesn't he look sad?
11 hours later, he turned a happy corner after a nice bath:)
July 17- First Family walk of the summer
I LOVE my three guys SO much!
It was such a pretty morning to spend time outdoors with my family.
Yes, we have two kids.
No, we don't have a double-stroller.
Don't judge!
Melt.My.Heart
Later that day, we had a cousin day at Grammy's. She is so blessed to have these sweet grandsons.
Best Friends 4 LIFE
July 19- The Heat!
Missy, Kelli, and I had a fun girl's night.
The movie was hilarious and I sweet talked us into some yummy ice cream.
Worth every bite:)
July 20- Pool Day at Willman's
Amy is a natural host. She was so brave to have my little M&M's over.
She became Madden's new best friend:)
There were lots of laughs, tears, and bruises that day.
July 22- Just a typical Monday morning
I am crazy about this wild child!
I had a meeting that afternoon. Mike sent me this pic with the caption,
"Daddy is cooler than Mommy."
July 23- Madden's idea of hide-and-seek
This pic cracks me up! So glad I captured this.
HILARIOUS!
July 24- Madden and Whitney's Date
They both loved Turbo.
I love their sweet, hand-holding stroll. Presh!
July 26- Pump It Up
Hannah, Hailey, and Madden bounce off some serious energy.
Ronna's girls are so polite and well-mannered.
July- 30
Powdered donuts make everything better! That's all.
July 31- Aaron and I turned 32
The day started with me going to training; which I had planned on lasting until about 3:00. I was so happy when they let us out early at 10:30. I came home and surprised the boys. Mike took our little family of 4 to Chili's. Madden and Mason were so good. That night, my mom and Charlie took Aaron and I to Outback.
Any meal at Outback is to die for, but these red velvet bundt cakes topped it all. Our 32nd Birthday was low-key and I enjoyed every minute of it.
8/6: Madden had his first dentist appointment. He did a really great job! I was shocked that he let them do X-rays AND a cleaning with no fuss. He did get to sit on daddy's lap, so that probably had something to do with it. Either way, we were so proud! Mike and I took him to Target to pick out a gift. Of course, we came home with something Thomas:)
Mason is so cool!
8/11: My boys love their special toy chest. It's special for many reasons. First, my dad built it. But more importantly, it was my sisters. That carries huge meaning right there! ANYTHING of my precious sister's will ALWAYS be a treasure to me. I was proud of my mom for parting with it. I know it wasn't easy at all!
8/14: Madden turned 4! These years are just flying by. I need a rewind button.
I remember this day. First, Madden wouldn't even let me brush his hair, so that's a battle I didn't care to pick. Then, apparently...he thought he was doing an eye exam. Ha!
First, Mike went out and got Birthday donuts. Then, Madden wanted to see Despicable Me.
That evening, it was time for Pump It Up. This place never gets boring for Madden. He has had his last 3 parties there. Honestly, it's so much easier than doing a home party.
These four ladies are such great moms! I love their sweet kids, too!
Some of our party friends:)
The Gang
Some of My Girls
Love our Family
We had such a nice celebration. Thanks to all of our family and friends who were able to come and party with us. Love you all!
8/16: Madden got tubes.
He had to make a phone call to Grammy to help calm his nerves, but did great. We are hopeful that this will help with his speech, so that he can communicate better. It's hard on a mama's heart when your child struggles.
8/17: Mr. Smarty Pants
8/18: As I was getting ready to start teacher work week, my mom gave me this awesome sign for my classroom. It is a wonderful reminder and I LOVE it!
8/21: Missy, Kelli, and I having some Ranger fun! Thanks, Alisha for the awesome tix!
8/22: Our family had SO much fun surprising Charlie for his 60th Birthday. He was shocked to see all of his friends. My mom did a great job pulling it off! I heart happy nights like these:)
8/23: To celebrate the end of teacher work week and the beginning of a new school year, my family and a few friends went to Rio Mambo for a girl's dinner. I was ALMOST too tired to even really enjoy it, but it ended up being fun.
Bring on the school year, we're ready!
8/24: The very next night, we celebrated Fred's 40th. Fred has had a rough year. It was so nice to see him smiling and having a great time. We love you, Mr. Leuzinger!
Jayme even brought Jackie and Emma with her. Blast from the past!
8/30: I survived my first week of school. I got to come home to these sweet faces, and enjoy a 3-Day weekend! Woo-hoo!
8/31: I thought we would do some family errands and let the boys get out a little bit. Well, it was an off day for both of them. We started at Chick-fil-a, where things went relatively well. Then, I tried to take this pic on the way out. Notice the nice choke hold:) The fact that they are both sitting, is a success it itself. Ha!
Then, we made our way to Staples. It was extremely HOT this day. As any good mom would do, I hunted down a double-shopping cart from the parking lot to contain the crazies in. I wasn't worried about the fact that it was a Target cart. Until....it wouldn't fit down any of the aisles at Staples. Oh well, I have no shame for trying to think logically. We eventually made it over to Target. Without going into detail, I'm sure you can figure out how that visit went just by looking at the picture. Good times!
Mason got a second wind that night. This was like 30 minutes past bedtime and no signs of sleepiness.
I was pretty bad about taking pics in September. The month went by so fast! We went to a few parties and a wedding. That's about all we had the energy for. Work and daily life has drained us!
Here we are at Whitney's 4th Birthday. Madden had a blast on that big baseball slide. Mason might have devoured two cupcakes:) I definitely got a workout running around the Kids Zone after little man. Luckily, this picture was taken at the start of the party. For real!
Our Little Ranger FULL of energy
Our Big Ranger
Mason's hair really started to sprout this month. He was practically bald for so long! I wonder if he'll have Madden's curly locks????
10/2: We took our second graders to River Legacy. It was a fun field trip! Lanee was a huge help to me that day. She's going to make a wonderful teacher:)
10/5: Mason turned 18 months. He's such a big boy!
His personality is sweet and he's such a funny little guy.
Weight: 32 lbs
Favorite Foods: Grapes and Mash Potatoes
Sweets: Powdered Donuts
Clothes: 2T
Words: Mommy, Daddy, Ma (Madden), Grammy, MiMi, Down, Off (Office), More, WaWa (Water), No-No, dog, car, bubbles, Peppa Pig, George, milk, nose, eyes, ears....those are the main ones that come to mind.
He jibber jabbers all the time!
Favorite Character: Peppa Pig of course:)
I know this is random, but these are yum! Candy corn is one of my favorite! My sister would have went crazy over these. I bet they have candy Corn EVERYTHING raining down in Heaven:)
Madden got this pumpkin at speech for trying so hard. He painted it so pretty. Buffy is so good with Madden. He is making improvements, but we are hoping to see a lot more growth before he starts kindergarten next year. Thanks Buffy for all that you do to help our sweet boy!
As overwhelming as updating this was, I did it! I feel a sense of accomplishment. Yay, me! It was nice to take a walk down memory lane. A lot has happened in a years time. Wow!