Happy Birthday, Mason!

It's Mason's special day today! I can hardly believe he is two already! He told me a couple weeks ago that he wanted to go to Happy Joe's for his birthday, so we planned to go there today. But due to the blizzard we're having, we opted for a McDonald's supper last night instead. He loved it as always, and he even got to get ice cream since it was his birthday celebration.

Greasy yumminess with a side of chocolate milk. Happy Birthday!

The ice cream lid was actually better than the ice cream itself!

Although it has been a day of being indoors at home, we've done our best to make it special. Mason and I started our day with muffins and birthday candles. He blew out the candles many times! I made his fave, mac 'n' cheese, for lunch, and we're having another favorite, meatballs, for supper tonight. He also had his fill of his favorite movies and TV today (Bad Mom Award!). He opened his presents from Mommy & Daddy after Brent got home, and Daddy and Mason are currently playing a combination of Thomas trains and MegaBloks!

"Cheese!" Love those birthday muffins!

Aunt Tiff and his cousins called on Skype this morning to sing Happy Birthday. He loved that! He did his classic act of repeatedly yelling, "Hello!" into the camera, even long after we were disconnected. He also talked to Grandma Nikkel and Grandpa & Grandma Gaulke on the phone. He told Grandma Gaulke happy birthday. :)


He was also thrilled to hear them say "Happy Birthday, Mason!" several times over the radio today. Brent's parents sponsored a day of broadcasting on 107.1 in honor of Mason's birthday, so they announced it throughout the day. He thought that was way cool!


Like any good mother would, I tend to get a bit nostalgic on days like these. I've remembered several times the day we brought Mason home from the hospital. It was an ice storm that day, by the way! I remember just being overwhelmed by all that had happened in the previous 48 hours but thrilled to be the mommy of my Mason. And from the moment I met him, I couldn't imagine my life without him. No one can tell you how it feels to delight in your child until you have one. And Mason, you are my delight! I am in awe of all you learn each day, entertained by the funny things you say, and so proud of you! You are an amazing kid, full of life and joy! You make every day new for Mommy & Daddy, and we are so thankful for the life you bring to our home and our lives! Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Choo! Choo! Mason's 2! (Almost...)

Sporadic blog lady is back! Maybe with Mason's birthday and Christmas this month I can manage to complete a couple posts...

Hard to believe, but Mason turns two this week! We celebrated him Friday night with family and friends. Of course, Mason opted not to take a nap on Friday, which made for some interesting moments by the end of the evening. He was deliriously tired by the time the party ended, so he topped off the night with a couple good 2-year-old fits. The poor kid was so exhausted!

All week poor Mason heard, "That's for the birthday party." He really was incredibly patient for an almost 2-year-old. At one point on Friday he ran into the kitchen and said both excitedly and matter-of-factly, "It's time for my birthday cake!" He had to wait a few more hours, and when the time came, he was too excited about all the action to eat much of anything. So much for having his favorite foods--noodles, strawberries, jello, cake and more. Hopefully the other guests enjoyed it all!

Mason got lots of great toys for his birthday. His favorite on Friday night was his new Mighty Machines Diggers & Dozers DVD. Once he opened that, he wouldn't put it down! He could watch Mighty Machines all day. But since that night I can honestly say that he has played with every single toy--they are all a big hit! Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us!

Children's Books=Weird

Mason LOVES books. We probably read at least 8-10 books a day. Sometimes the same book a few times, but I still love it that he loves books. He's just starting to pretend a little, and I know that books can only grow his already active imagination.

But some of these children's books are just a bit strange. Can any other parent out there relate?

For example, I was reading Corduroy Goes to the Fire Station for the 8th time the other day, and it dawned on me that I was reading about a teddybear who was visiting the fire station with his class, comprised of a stuffed pink gingham bunny, a couple bears who are blue and purple, a doll and a bear teacher. On top of that, the firemen at the firestation were a mixture of animals and people. In one picture a human woman is sitting at the table playing cards with a dog, an alligator is cooking spaghetti, a monkey is lifting weights and a bear is sitting on the couch reading the paper. Mason thinks nothing of this. He loves this book with its fire engines and flaps to lift, but I must say I find the concept strange.

Then there's I'll Love You Forever. I know many are familiar with this book. It's a classic children's book about how a mother's love never ceases through her child's whole life. But honestly it creeps me out a little. I mean, this mother is sneaking into her adult son's house in the middle of the night using a ladder at his window! It started to get a little weird for me when she was sneaking into her teenage son's room and rocking him "back and forth and back and forth and back and forth," but when she drove across town with her ladder, I got a little chill. I know, I know, I'm completely missing the sentiment of the book. Rather than noting the blessing of being a mom for life, I'm tucking away the lesson, "Keep appropriate boundaries with your children!"

Well, those are just two examples, but I know there are many more out there! The world of children's literature is a fascinating and fun and sometimes strange place. I have moments that I really hope Mason won't pick a certain book because it just doesn't make sense to me. Thankfully it's not about me... :)

If you've got any other weird chidren's book examples, I'd love to hear them! Happy Friday!

Thomas is a hit!

Due to Mason's current love for Thomas, Grandpa & Grandma Nikkel took us to spend the "Day Out with Thomas" at the Scenic Valley Railroad in Boone on Sunday. I'd heard mixed reviews of the event, including several people that said the train ride wasn't too cool, so I just wasn't sure what to expect--especially from a 1-year-old boy. Thankfully Mason loved it and had a great time!

We left from church and drove through Arby's for a bite on our way to Boone. Just as I'd hoped, Mason quickly zonked out for a nap. Although it was only about 45 minutes of sleep, I know it saved us from some ugly fit-throwing!

We got there in time to peruse the activities a little, see Thomas and snap a few pictures, watch Sir Topham Hatt from a distance (Mason was just fine keeping his distance!), and hop aboard the train that Thomas was "pulling." I must agree with the reviews: the train ride was definitely the dumbest part of the whole event! Mason was actually pretty bored; we had to get out the snacks. It felt like we were barely moving, and aside from some Thomas music playing overhead, there was nothing at all fun going on in that train! Hopefully older kids thought it was cool to be on the train because it was definitely lost on us! Mason acted fine and sat nicely, but he was simply not enthused (none of us could blame him).

After the train ride, Mason played in the straw maze a couple times, wandered through the petting zoo, played with trains and tracks in the Imagination Station for long time, got a James tattoo, jumped through the blow-up train tunnel, jammed and danced with the railroad singers, and rode a trolley car (which was equally as boring as the Thomas train but thankfully much shorter and with more leg room!). There were only a couple things we didn't do. I was impressed with the range of activities and thankful that so many were age-appropriate for Mason as well as for older kids. Mason really had a great time!

Mason was really into the music. He even skipped the limbo to keep on drumming! :) Here's a little video...

We made a final quick stop at the gift shop where Grandpa & Grandma bought Mason a Thomas train whistle. I thought the whistle was a fine idea because Mason really couldn't blow it very loud. Well, that was yesterday--today he has practiced enough to learn to blow it loud and clear!

After a stop at DQ, we were headed home from our day with Thomas. Mason told us several times on the way home that he was "all done" with being in his carseat, so my mom and I ended up doing a quite impressive Sunday school song sing-a-long to entertain him. Mason was asking for encore performances right and left! If you'd like to book us for your next birthday party, let me know!

When we got home last night, we got Mason bathed, being careful not to wash off his James tattoo, dressed him in his Thomas PJ's, and realized that in the excitement of Thomas, he'd barely eaten a thing all day. Two hot dogs, half a banana and some cottage cheese later he was off to bed! But wait...I'd left the Thomas whistle downstairs, and that just wouldn't do. So, after retrieving the whistle and practicing with it a few times, Mason was finally off to bed! This morning when I went to get him out of bed, he already had his sleeve pushed up. He immediately pointed to his arm and yelled, "James!" then followed it with, "I go whistle too!" We had to immediately leave his room to find the train whistle, which he can now blow like a champ LOUDLY. Thankfully he has an extremely tolerant and patient mother that can handle such things (or just hide them!). :)

A tip to parents: If we had it to do over again, we'd only buy tickets for a couple people instead of all 5 of us. You only need your ticket for the train ride, and at $18 a piece, it's not worth it! You can enter and do the other activities without a ticket. I would have been content to let Mason and Brent or Mason and Grandpa & Grandma ride the train while the rest of us waited.

As adults, we did brainstorm a few ways they could make the event better while we were there, including spicing up the train ride,but overall it was a fun place for kids, especially those who love Really Useful engines. :) Thanks to Grandpa & Grandma Nikkel for a fun day!

A Summer Favorite

Well, without warning I took a summer break from our blog. In fact, I didn't really even know I was going to do it myself! But when life feels full, there are certain things that must go away. Since Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, I thought I'd jump back in--though I just can't promise how consistent I'll be. Still, it's such a fun way to record life and share with friends and family.

I'm starting simple to ease myself back in. :) This is my current favorite picture from the summer. I tend to just look at it and chuckle. After babysitting Mason for us, Brent's parents stayed over one Friday night because we were headed to a family reunion together the next day. As Grandpa Gaulke got ready for the day, he did his usual spikey hair routine, and Mason thought it was something he needed as well. They are quite a pair! Mason's facial expression just cracks me up!

Mr. Sandman

Brent used his afternoon off today to do something very exciting--especially if you're Mason. We now have a sandbox! We already had to hose Mason off, empty sand out of his pockets and realize we didn't get it all as sand trickled out of his diaper when we changed it. I'm sure most days this summer will include a similar rundown of activities. Baths before bedtime are no longer optional. Welcome to summer...welcome to the world of little boys! Will & Natalie, Mason's cousins, were at our house to share in the inauguration of the sandbox. All were filthy, all were joyous. :)

Tough Decisions

Mason's toughest decision of the day was which lawn mower to play with! We brought both of his mowers out from the basement today, and he was pretty excited. It's tough when your birthday is in December, and you have to wait 5 months before you can play outside with your cool toys! He really loves to see a real lawn mower, but if it gets too close, it becomes somewhat like the vacuum in his eyes--slightly too loud and scary.

As he played, I heard Mason say "lawn more" about 500 times today, and I loved it every time. Here's a little video so you can hear it too! (You may have to turn up the volume--sadly, my voice is loud and clear, but Mason's is not!)