Halloween

Halloween this year was, well....Halloween. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a Cat in the Hat and Ducky having fun at parties all week long.

Lets get to the pictures.

The Cat in the Hatand Brynnie the Ducky. We have started a tradition of carving our pumpkins to match our costumes. I thought the kids' turned out pretty well (the duck was much cuter in person).

Mason loved to play "the pumpkin game" he made up where he took off all the lids and mixed them up while singing a little theme song he made up and then figure out which lid fit which pumpkin. It was a horrible day to have misplaced the Flip.

My parents had their annual Halloween dinner with the local grandkids.

Mason, Grandpa, Brynn, Chase, Grandma, Kennedy, Cannon. Grandma had lots of fun Halloween projects for the kids, but the favorite for all of them was the Halloween balloons that we played with all night long. The older kids would blow up their balloons then let them go and chase them as they blew around the room. Brynn preferred hers attached to a stick she could shake shake shake. (Don't mind the serious costume hair she's sporting). When the big night finally arrive it was pouring rain. Mason decided he didn't want to go trick-or-treating because "if I get candy I will have to go to the dentist". I have no idea where he heard that. Instead he just wanted to stay at Grandma Nancy's and help pass out candy. Fine by me. And what a fine job he did. Are we horrible for not forcing him to trick or treat in the pouring rain? It's about doing what makes him happy.

Hope you enjoyed Halloween as much as we did!

Blackmail Material

During an afternoon of dressing up in old costumes, Mason wanted to put on Brynn's ducky costume.

I told him it wouldn't fit.

What can I say, he proved me wrong. He disappeared downstairs for a while then reappeared announcing, "Mom, you were just teasing me. See, it does fit!"

I snapped this picture on my phone to send to Scott and then realized this could be valuable backmail material in teenage years, so I'm hanging on to this baby. It's too bad I didn't get a picture of his tush hanging out the other side.

Hats

People everywhere love Santa because every December 25th he comes and showers them with gifts, but what about the rest of the year? I don't know about you, but we've got the mailman. Mason thinks anything that comes in the mail is a gift from the mailman himself. So, sorry to anyone who has sent us a package, the mailman got credit for it. Sometimes when Mason wants something he says, "Maybe we can ask the mailman to bring it." Yesterday the mailman didn't disappoint us and delivered a box with these darling hats my friend, Hilary, made for Mason and Brynn. Hilary is one of those amazingly talented people who kindly shares her talent with others on her Etsy site. I'm completely in love with them and Mason thinks it's cool that his hat has a smoke stack on it for when he pretends to be a train out in the rain, so really it's a win-win situation.

Thanks mailman....I mean Hilary.

Earth to Mason

These days Mason spends most of his time in his own world. His imagination NEVER shuts off. He often transforms into a character and dedicates himself entirely to the role. If I accidental call him Mason he will either A) completely ignore me (this happens most of the time) or B) whisper, "Mom, call me Cat in the Hat" (or whoever else he is at the time) and wait until I correct myself to respond. He doesn't always become the character himself, sometimes he just enters their world. I overhear scenes like this frequently when he's playing with his toys:

Mason: Toothless, do you want to come have a sleepover at my house.

"Toothless": Let me ask my mom. Mom, can I sleep over at Mason's house.

She said yes.

Mason: Okay, come with me. Let's go fishing first. Do you like fish?

"Toothless": I love fish! ummmm, those are Deeeelicious

And on and on. Don't think that the rest of us get to be innocent bystanders, Mason assigns everyone down to Brynn a role and asks us to play along.

I, myself, am not a very creative person so I am very fascinated watching his creativity flow. I love this phase and always want to remember the hours we've spent playing Cat in the Hat with Mason as the Cat, me as Nick, and Brynn as Sally chasing Thing 1 and Thing 2 around the neighborhood and many other adventures.

Creditors

I try not to worry about what other people think of me and my family, but I feel a new vulnerability as I send Mason places like preschool, nursery, and friends' houses without me there to edit what comes out of his mouth. For example, often times in his imaginative play, Mason likes to pretend he's being chased by predators, only he pronounces it "creditors" (I think somewhere along the line he combined predators and critters). I can't help being a little embarrassed when we are in our front yard playing and Mason yells, "Mom...Hide...the creditors are coming!" I find myself desperately wanting to explain to my neighbor getting their mail that we are not in financial trouble and teaching our children to hide from the creditors. Since Mason uses that line multiple times a day I'm sure he has said it at preschool along with many other embarassing statements. Oh well, kids say the darndest things, right?

There She Is

I feel like most of my posts lately have revolved around Mason. This is in no way due to a shortage of material on Brynn, but more not knowing where to begin. So I figure I'll do a little (almost) 16-month-old post about Brynn. So here is a little bit about Brynn along with some cute pictures from the last month.Brynn continues to be a little monkey and keeps us on our toes with her ever growing capabilites. She no longer walks, but runs. No longer asked to be lifted up, just climbs. No longer crawls up and down stairs, but walks up and down them. She doesn't let anything stand in her way of reaching her target. I am so grateful she's short, because that is the only thing that holds her back at all, although she can now reach the front door handle and knows how to open it if it's unlocked, and yes she has already escaped several times...YIKES. While she's been busy mastering control of her body she hasn't been a huge talker. Her vocabulary has been adequate but not huge. About 3 weeks ago it was like a switch inside her flipped and now she is jabbering up a storm and constantly mimicking our words. She still has her favorite words we hear over and over including "Dink" (Binky), "Dat" (That) accompanied by a pointing finger, "Day Is" (There it is) when she finds what she wants, and of course "Ma" for her favorite person in the world...me. Every day she throws out several new words and every time Mason responds, "Mom, Brynn learned how to talk!". I blame some of her silence on her refusal to take her binky out. She almost always has a binky somewhere nearby if not in her mouth. I know, I'm a horrible mom, but you don't understand the crying and whining capabilites of this girl when she wants her binky and doesn't have it. And I'm not just talking about for a couple minutes. She will not forget about it until she gets what she wants. The binky keeps me sane and makes me enjoy my child more. I've decided I'll give her until 18 months and then I'm going to restrict the binky to the crib.

Brynn is 100% girl! I have always been sort of a tomboy so I was a little worried about raising a girl and at least giving her a chance at being girly. So far it just comes naturally to her. Brynn got another haircut a month ago and this time it was long enough to give her a real bob. It is so darling and the best part is she actually likes me to roundbrush it. When she gets out of the bathtub she runs downstairs to her saucer where I do her hair. She loves to help, too. She might grow up to be a girl who has a closet full of shoes. Immediately upon waking up in the morning and after naps she asks "Seuss" and finds a pair of shoes for me to put on her. I took her to payless and the girl was giddy as she ran around grabbing every pair of sparkly shoes she could reach and tried to put them on her feet. The only problem is my little one still wears size 3 which makes it very hard to find cute and sturdy shoes, not just wimpy infant shoes.

Brynn likes to sing songs with me and has started dancing with a big smile on her face when she hears music. This is uncharted territory for me because Mason always told me to "be quiet" or "stop that" mom when I try to sing songs with him. Since starting preschool, Mason loves to sing, too, and now we are a bunch of singing fools at our house. Brynn is absolutely and completely in love with animals. She knows the sounds of seriously every animal including fish and lizards and even if she doesn't know it she just makes it up. She can't pass a stuffed animal without picking it up and smothering it with loves as she makes its noises. Reading is a favorite activity and all her favorite books are animal books.

All in all, Brynnie is a very sweet girl who will always come running into my arms and let me snuggle her tight.

Double Whammy

Last week we got not one but two new cousins.
One is a Hale and one is a Murray, and I'm not just talking about their names.

We woke up Thursday morning to an unexpected text message that

Andrew Parker Hale

had arrived 2 weeks early.

And I don't think it was a minute too soon since he weighed a whopping 8 lbs 1 oz.

He made a liar out of his parents who had been telling Rachel Faye her baby brother was coming in October...oops.

Check out that hair. That's the Hale I'm talking about.

Introducing the new and improved Hale Family

Whitney, Rachel, Andrew, and Brandon.

After I heard about Andrew's birth I immediately thought about Lisa who was past her due date. I called to find the most upbeat and optimistic overdue pregnant women I've ever talked to... no surprise there. She told me it would be ideal if she had the baby Friday so Vance could have the whole weekend without having to worry about school. I should have known that any child of Vance and Lisa's would start obeying his parents before he was even born.

Lincoln Vance Murray

Arrived on Friday Oct. 1 just as his parents requested.

And there's the Murray I was talking about. And here is the new little family

Lisa, Lincoln, and Vance.

While we are so excited to have these two new babies in our family, I really don't appreciate their parents keeping them so far away from us. The fact I won't get to hold either one of these little guys in my arms until Christmas makes me so sad. In Mason's words, "It's going to take FOREEEEVER for them to come."

Welcome to the family boys. We're so glad you made it safely!

Date Night

A couple weeks ago Scott surprised me and took me to Sundance for their full moon lift ride. It was the perfect date. It was a crisp fall night, the air was filled with the smell of the mountains, our kids were at home sound asleep in bed with Scott's brother watching them, I was drinking hot chocolate with my best friend in the world coming up with escape routes from the lift should we suddenly fall under attack. We had fun talking about random things and reminicing about the last time we rode that lift together. It was six years ago when we rode it to the start of a hike that ended at the top of the back mountain where I was surprise with a candlelight dinner and a beautiful diamond ring on my finger. Needless to say, it's a special spot with a lot of really great memories. Thanks for the wonderful date, Scott. Now anyone who is reading this, go plan something fun and unexpected for your special someone, everyone loves a surprise.

Best Buds

These two kiddos are best buds.

I think these pictures pretty much sum it up for me.

This is what our daily walks, or adventures as Mason calls them, look like these days*. One day Mason just started taking Brynn's hand and leading her around and she loves it. I love it, too.

*This particular day we were playing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Mason was Mickey, hence the ears, and Brynn was Minnie, but refused to wear her ears long enough for a decent picture, and I was Daisy. Other favorite roles to play are The Cat in the Hat, Toy Story things, and trains. Brynn loves Mason's hugs even though they are more like head-locks.

Mason refuses to let Brynn kiss him with her opened mouth kisses. I can't imagine why :)
But he will still plant a kiss on her cheek occasionally.

Close Enough

I was beginning to think poor Brynnie was going to be in a rear facing car seat when she started kindergarten. We had her 15 month checkup last week and although she didn't quite hit the 20 lb mark, she was close enough at 19 lbs 12 oz (8%). Once we turned her carseat around I was expecting some big smiles and excitement from her, but all I got was a wrestling match buckling her in and then this.She wasn't very impressed. Apparently it wasn't the view she's been disgruntled about, but the fact she's restrained in the seat. I know I've mentioned it before, but seriously, this little girl (29.5 inches, 22%) has a big opinion and does not like having her movement restricted at all. She completely refuses to eat if we strap her in her booster seat, but literally the second the buckles are undone and she can move around freely she starts chowing down. We have finally surrendered in this battle and let Brynn climb up and down and all around during dinner and are just grateful she's eating well and gaining weight. Unfortunately she'll never win the car seat battle. Even though she tries to hide it, I think she's been enjoying her time in the car more.

Fine Dining

Last night Mason was helping me make dinner and spotted some champange flutes on the very top shelf and exclaimed, "Mom, I didn't know we had those cups! Can I have one with my dinner, Pleeeeeease?" I thought it was cute he was facinated by these oddly shaped "cups", and got one down for him to use for dinner. As we finished setting the table Mason noticed no one else had the cool cups and said, "Mom, you need one of these cups so we can mash them together like this" and did a perfect "toasting" motion. I started laughing so hard and asked him, " how do you know that is what you do with those cups?" He matter of factly stated, "They do it on Ratatouille". So we had a very fine dinner of German Pancakes toasting our milk all night long.

Furry Cousin

I came across this picture of Mason and his furry cousin, Weston, from the 24th of July and had to post it. Mason loves Weston so much and from what I can tell, the feeling is mutual. He still thinks Weston is just like any other friend and plays and talks to him like he's a person. Mason couldn't quite understand why we didn't want Weston to play Toy Story things with him. He was more than willing to let Weston be Woody and was confused why I wouldn't let him share his toys with his friend. It melts my heart watching them together and almost makes me want a dog.... but then I realize I just want SteveJenna to move in next door so Mason and Weston can be best buds without added responsibility for me. Brynn warmed up to Weston during their visit and liked him from a distance. She is completely in love with dogs now and so I can't wait for another visit...Hint Hint.

Top of Utah

I did it! I completed my first full marathon and LOVED it! This has been on my life list of things to accomplish for a long time and I decided even though I had no one to do it with and I wasn't able to commit myself entirely to my training program, now was the time to do it. I struggled getting my long runs in due to time constraints so my longest training run was only 14 miles, which anyone who has trained for a marathon knows is not even close to the 18-22 miles most training programs suggest. I also have been battling a bit of runner's knee and a sore hamstring along the way which inhibited my training a bit. I was a little nervous going into it because I wasn't sure if I was physically prepared, but I knew my determination could get me through. So I really didn't make any goals as far as time or performance, just to finish. Scott and I drove up to Logan Friday night and witnessed the whole city overtaken by runners. It was fun to be a part of it. Saturday was a beautiful day, perfect for running. As I started the race I just found a comfortable pace, turned up my music, and enjoyed the most beautiful run down a canyon full of changing colors. Scott met me throughout the race dressed in his running gear ready to jump in with me if I was struggling, but I felt great. I told him I was good to go at mile 21 and he said he'd see me at the finish. Then I hit mile 22. I still felt great conditioning and energy wise, but my joints started screaming at me, starting with my hips and lower back and then moving to my knees and ankles. My pace slowed from 8:30 minute miles to almost 10 minute miles for the last 4 miles. I was still able to finish with an offical time of 3:58:36 and was thrilled to have finished under 4 hours. I really enjoyed the entire thing, even those last few miles weren't too bad. I don't know what it is about running, but it is like a drug to me. I get the biggest high from it. I will definitely be doing more marathons in the future and would definitely recommend the Top of Utah Marathon for anyone looking to do one. It was a great course.

Preschool

This was Mason's first week at Discovery Preschool with Mrs. Young. He has been waiting for this day for a long time. At the beginning of the year Mason asked me if he could go to preschool. I told him he could go when he was 3. I realized my mistake in April, when he announced on his birthday, "Now I can go to preschool!" I had to correct my previous answer and tell him he would start preschool after the summer when the swimming pool closed. He has been counting down the days ever since. When Wednesday morning finally came Mason was so excited and 12:30 just couldn't come fast enough. He asked me all sorts of questions about preschool that morning that showed his excitement mixed with a little bit of nervousness. My favorite went something like this.
Mason: Mom, will I leave my backpack upstairs at Mrs. Young's?
Me: No, preschool is just downstairs. You will hang your backpack up on the wall by the door.

Mason: Oh, okay.

5 minutes later sounding a little bit concerned.

Mason: But mom, will there be a little ladder for me to climb on so I will be tall enough to hang up my backpack?

Me: No, you won't need a ladder. At preschool everything is just the right size for 3-year-olds like you. You will be able to reach the hook.

Mason: laughing Oh, I didn't know that.

Mason goes to preschool with his cousin Kennedy. I am so excited about this because I went to preschool with my cousin, Anthony, who was my best friend. I have such great memories of preschool with him and I'm so glad Mason gets to have his cousin and buddy with him, too.

On the first day, Mason and Kennedy held hands and ran right in, never looking back. It felt so weird leaving Mason and going home with just Brynn for a few hours. It is very nice to have some alone time with Brynn and then when she naps having time to get things done uninterupted. When we picked Mason up he came walking out with his class then ran over to me and gave me a hug. He enjoyed his first day and was excited to go back for more today. I'm so excited for this next phase of our life.

My Little Fishies

Today we put on our swimming suits and goggles for one last Hurrah at Scera Pool. This summer has been an adventurous one at the pool. Having two kids who love swimming and are fearless of the water is great, but difficult when they each want to spend the day on different ends of the pool. Mason loves the deep end of the kiddie pool where he can barely touch and can jump off the edge, dive for sticks, and practice his swimming. Brynn, little miss independent, is not about to have her freedom taken away by being in my arms or a floaty in the deep end. She wants to be in the shallow end where she can walk, crawl, splash, and go down the slide as she pleases. So we did a lot more evening trips to the pool this year so Scott could join us and everyone could be happy. Here are some pictures and stories of our adventures in the pool over the summer. *Warning! This may get a little journally. Enjoy the pictures and feel free to skip over the rest*
Throughout the summer, my mom took Mason to my Aunt Marilyn's pool for some little swimming lessons. Each time we would set a goal for him and he usually did a great job achieving it (sometimes it required a little bribery). One thing I've learned about Mason's personality is he is cautious of new things but if I can get him to do it once then he has no problem.

The first time he was scared to jump off the diving board to my mom, so she had Marilyn help him walk out and drop him off (for the record he was totally fine with this he just didn't have the courage to jump on his own). He now loves to jump off the diving board even without his floaties if someone is there to help him swim to the side. Mason has never had a problem sticking his face in the water, but ever since we got him a pair of goggles we can hardly keep him above water for more than 10 seconds.

One of Mason's favorite games at the pools is to chase diving sticks. I sit with Brynn and throw diving sticks and Mason chases them and dives under the water for them (even if it's only in a foot of water). I love how excited he is every time he comes up with a stick. Mason is getting so close to being able to swim on his own. He does great holding his breath and kicking, but the distance can't be too far because once he runs out of breath he's done.

One thing Mason still doesn't like is floating on his back. We'll have to keep working on that.

Little Miss Brynn is hilarious at the pool. We might as well be teaching her to swim, too, since she mimics everything Mason does. I tell Mason to put his face in the water and blow bubbles and Brynn dunks her face in the water right along with him. I tell Mason to kick, kick, kick and I look down to find Brynnie kicking away. One of the perks of a second child, I guess.

Brynn does like to join Mason in jumping off the side of the pool. We count 1-2-3 and she squats down and leans forward until she falls into our waiting hands. She thinks she is pretty big stuff jumping with Mace.

You can usually find Brynn pulling herself around on her tummy with her bum and legs floating behind her. She always seems to be testing how deep she can go before her head goes under.

She goes on the slide over and over and over laughing every time. By the end of the summer she didn't even need my help climbing up or sliding down. I would sit and the bottom and cheer her on. I would always hear people around me talking about that little babyon the slide. She still looks too tiny to be doing all the coordinated things she does.

Little Goodbyes

One spring morning Mason gave Scott loves and kisses before he left for work. As Scott walked out the side door, Mason, completely unprompted, sprinted out the front door and sat on the top step to wave goodbye as Scott pulled out. He has done this every morning since. Alway the same wave... tight fingers, elbow down, quick little side to side motion.

It didn't take long for Brynn to join in. Scott claims this is his favorite part of the day.
How couldn't it be?