An Economics Lesson

Mason: Dad, can you fix my train track?

Dad: Unfortunately, due to the slow economy, the county has run out of funding. You'll have to wait until the next budget year.

Mason: What did you say?

Dad: Yeah, buddy, I can fix your train track.

Meeting of the Minds

I've been kind of MIA in posting lately. It's been a super busy couple of weeks with the kiddos, but the last few days have really killed me for some reason. We have a few new developments to share, but I want to give each one it's own post. So for now, this is all I've got.

This past weekend, my cousin was in town for a family funeral (the other side of her family, not mine). The good news about this was that it provided a rare opportunity for us to get together and chat. Plus, her daughter Arianna was born on the same day as Claire. I share a birthday with another cousin of mine so the two of them sharing a birthday was a fun surprise.

Arianna is beautiful and has lots of long hair. She's so cute and teeny she makes Claire look like she's about ten feet long. Someday, we might be able to get a picture of them together... where they are both looking at the same camera. But for now this will have to do.

Where were the boys during this, you ask? They were checking out Cowabunga Bay. I was also supposed to go to a bridal shower (sorry again for being so busy visiting that I missed it entirely), so they had planned a 'boys-only' afternoon before the brunch ever materialized. I took the not-water-friendly camera with me, so there are no pictures. However, I am told that Mason showed not a lick of fear or hesitation. The only reason they didn't go on the tallest, 70-foot-high water slide was because of the long line that came attached. He is still talking about the next time we can go back.

The Last Lecture

Yeah, I know. It's kind of horrible to rip off the title of a touching and important book for a blog post. Oh, well!

Mason has a routine as we leave the house on those occasions when we leave the dogs out of their kennels. His routine is to speak directly to them when Alan has them in a down command. What he says is a variation on the following:

"Now dogs.... don't do anything dumb. Don't eat anything, don't lay on anything, don't poop on anything, don't throw up, and don't die. Just take a nap and we'll be home in a little while."

That about sums it up, doesn't it?

M.O.P.

..that's me. I'm officially a Mother of Preschooler. Congratulations, Mason! You're going to do a great job. His first day of school was Friday. I think it's safe to say he loved it. I wasn't such a big fan of having to pry the details out of him. He was gone for two hours, and all I got was that his teacher gave them candy-- which I knew because he promptly asked me to open it for him. Throughout the day, we pieced together that they read stories and colored pictures. They also have show-and-tell every day. Of course Mason took Thomas; it seemed like that was a big hit with some of the other boys in his class.

... meanwhile, Claire enjoyed her brief stint as an only child. We played with her newest ability, that of rolling on to her side. I gave her some tummy time and this was about the only photo op without her crying. She seems frustrated that she can't move; if she can learn to keep her arm down, she'll at least be able to return to her back.

Kids get too big too fast!

A-Wanderin' We Go

We went for a short walk with some friends recently. Our trips included the library and Arctic Circle for ice cream cones all around. Mason rode his bike, and with the huge hill that comes off the walking path to the sidewalk, it felt a little more like hiking; Ashlyn found some flowers to blow. I'm glad we weren't by our already-infested yard! And Claire talked to the friendly animals dangling from her car seat/stroller.

In the end, Mason was exhausted, and came home toting only about half of the 12 library books he selected. Heather got to snuggle with Claire (and was spit up on, thus being inducted into "the circle") for a while. Mom got out of the house for some fresh air and sunshine. Overall, I would say it was a hit.

Three Months and Counting

Likes: snuggling, her swing and bouncy chair, sitting up, staring at the lady bugs on her walls, ceiling fans, kicking those long legs, her grandpas, sneezing

Dislikes: Mason's loud noises, the hiccups, being put down, the carseat