Friday, April 26, 2013

Oklahoma Land Run

In Oklahoma, the Land Run is a big part of the history of the state.  And sometime in the elementary school career of a Oklahoma student, they will do a Land Run reenactment.  This year, Maddie had her turn.  She very kindly volunteered us to created a covered wagon.  She wanted this task because the students who brought that covered wagons got to be the heads of household, which was apparently a desired position.  So, we worked on the wagon together and it actually turned out quite cute!  Costumes were not required, but were encouraged and my overachieving daughter definitely wanted to dress up.  And unfortunately, I didn't have any pioneer costumes lying around the house, nor did I have time to go all over town to find one.  Amazon.com came through for me once again - a really cute costume with free 2 day shipping, all for $12.99.  SCORE! 

The Pioneer Girl with her Covered Wagon
 
The weather this spring has been terrible.  Rainy and nasty the whole month.  And the Land Run day was no exception.  Thankfully, it was more of a drizzle though and they decided to go ahead and proceed with the land run.  It was a really fun day for the kids.
 
 A little square dancing before the big run


My pretty pioneer girl 

See that wagon way in the distance?  That is Maddie and her "family".  They were chosen as Sooners :) 

Enjoying their lunch on their newly claimed land 


A little bit of love from little brother before we headed home
 
A very cold, bundled up little brother at the land run


Thursday, April 25, 2013

Do It Myself

Mason is in the middle of the I-Want-To-Do-It-Myself phase. Whatever needs to be done, his response is "I gig it" (I get it). But there are some tasks that are just better left to mom, but he has apparently not learned that lesson!

He was playing and ran into something or fell down, or something that resulted in him calling out "boo boo Mama". He rarely cries when he gets hurt, but is vocal about letting you know he has a boo boo that needs to be kissed. So, I babied him a little and put him in my lap and said "does Mama need to kiss your boo boo?". His response? "No, I gig it". And then he proceeds to kiss his own boo boo. And go on about his merry way.

And just because I love this sweet face, here is a picture of him doing his most favorite outdoor activity -blowing bubbles!


Sunday, April 14, 2013

Already Two Years Old??

Today is Mason's 2nd birthday.  How could it be possible?  We had a little family party for him yesterday and he seemed to have a fun time - cake, grandparents, and presents!  Life is good if you are two!

We set his party for 4:00 so that Mason could take his regular nap and (hopefully) be happy for his party.  It worked for the most part although he didn't nap as good as usual, but he was still relatively happy.

Unfortunately, the birthday boy is just a little bit cranky and I'm worried that he may have another ear infection.  He goes to the doctor later in the week for his 2 year check so we can have it looked at then. 

Here are the highlights from his party.  The theme was Elmo because that is his favorite thing right now!











There are so many fun things about a 2 year old.  Mason is starting to be more independent and wants to do everything on his own.  His line right now is "I get it" which sounds like "I gig it".  Whether it is easy or hard, he wants to try to "gig" it all by himself.  But he is still a major Mama's boy and often prefers me over anybody else (which I love).  He is a TV addict and would watch as much TV as we let him (much like big sis Maddie).  He loves to play outside and is still showing a strong love of balls and sports.  He likes to "play catch" for long periods of time although he surely has his own way of doing it.  He is talking up a storm.  Sometimes he is very easy to understand but other things only Mark, Maddie, Micah and I can translate.  He is completely smitten with Maddie and gives her hugs, kisses, and cuddles as much as she wants.  But he also enjoys Micah and is thrilled when Micah invites him to play in his room.  Mason and Micah are definitely a pair of boys - one of them burps or passes gas, and they both laugh hysterically.  He is also easily irritated by both of them though - he doesn't like to be interuppted when he's at work on a task and they often bug him, and he is quick to let them know!  Mason is quite a trooper - he has to go to softball practice, piano lessons, grocery shopping, baseball practice, errand running, etc and he is generally an enjoyable and entertaining companion.  He is really in a good place right now - independent and determined to do things on his own, but happy, obedient, and sweet at the same time.  We are enjoying this little boy so much and he is such a blessing to our family.  Can't imagine life without him!

Friday, April 12, 2013

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Micah is officially a baseball player. He had his first game on Tuesday and it was funny. They play "modified" coach pitch, which means that they get three pitches from the coach and if they don't hit it, they get 2 tries to hit off the tee. For some insane reason, they have the 5 and under teams (us) playing against the 6 and under teams. So, the other teams have a huge advantage in age and experience. For his first game, he did ok. In the field, he spent lots of time playing in the dirt, but they all did so we just rolled with it. When he got up to bat, he wasn't able to hit the coach's pitches so he got to hit off the tee. He actually hit it pretty hard, right down the third base line. Which would have been great, except that Micah only has one speed and it is S-L-O-W! So, by the time he sauntered to first base, they were easily able to get him out. For his next game, Mark used a little well-placed bribery - the promise of a dollar if he was able to get to first base. It worked - he got a good hit off the tee, and then ran quickly to first and earned his buck. In the field, a ball came to him and he picked it up, but just held onto the ball as a run crossed home plate. No worries though - at this age, just getting them to go to the ball and not fight with teammates is a victory.

I am pleasantly surprised that he seems to be enjoying it so far. It is too early to tell if he will want to play again, but for now, I'm thankful that he is doing something active and getting to be part of a team. And I get to enjoy my favorite sport!! And this little dude looks so cute in his uniform .... I mean, does it get any cuter than this??