25 Randoms

I was tagged on Facebook to write a note with 25 random things on it about me. I figured it would also work for here. On Facebook though I didn't include the explanation because we weren't supposed to.

1. I have been married for 8.5 years; we've been together 12.5.

We met at the Fremont County Fair in July of 96. For the next 4 months or so we talked to each once a week and wrote letters back and forth.
Two days after my 16th birthday I drove to Ames to a hockey game and the rest is history. Really old history because we didn't really have email. As I said we mailed letters back and forth and talked on the phone 2 hours a week. I can't imagine we would be together right now if we had had cell phones. Just a feeling.

I still have all of our letters. The ones he sent me and the ones I sent him. I didn't find out until a couple of years ago that he kept them. What a wonderful surprise that was.



2. I like to cook... just not supper.

I hate having to decide what is for supper. If I had my way we would have hamburgers every night. I do a lot of my experimenting at lunchtime.



3. I wash my bedding every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

I don't know why. I just do. It isn't even that those same sheets are going to go back on the bed. We have something like 11 sets. The comforter and all gets washed. We also have a lot of comforters. Enough that I don't want to count them.

Austin used to think that this needed to be a couple's joint decision. After all it is about decorating. He no longer thinks that because I refuse to get his okay every time I want to change the blankets.

I have a new one in the closet that I got on clearance and I don't feel one bit guilty about that at all. It would be on the bed but it is more of a summer theme one and just looking at it makes me cold this time of year.

All the comforters have a light brown color in them somewhere so that every one that I get blends right into the colors in the room.



4. I might be OCD on some things.

The bathroom must always be clean. Sink washed out and the toilet scrubbed. Floor swept and mopped. Mirror wiped down. Everything clean.

Sheets get washed on schedule. If I am gone on one of those days and get back the next it is okay I just change sheets and they still get washed on the next scheduled day.

The blankets on the bed must be centered. They all have to be pulled up to the same evenness at the top. No exceptions. I have been known to safety pin them together. My husband just realized this quirk last year. Crazy.

DVDs must be alphabetized according to the first letter of the title not including 'The'. DVDs with numbers in the title go at the end in numerical order no matter what the title is. Unless it is just a second movie in which case they go alphabetically.

Glasses in the cabinets go one right side up, one upside down, etc to prevent chipping.



5. I like to go grocery shopping late at night by myself.

I think this one is self explanatory.



6. We have one too many houses.

We have a second home in Indiana that has been on the market for a really long time. It will be a miracle if it ever sells. We have an accepted offer on it right now but I am not holding my breathe. After 3 years we have had more than one failed offer. Nothing to do with the house but with buyers financing going bad.

I am really glad that we bought the house we are in when we did. There is no way we would have qualified for another loan in the current credit market. Not that we can't pay it but because the banks are a little more skittish now.



7. I count the steps in my house every time I go up or down them like I expect there to be a new number of them. There are 14. That isn't going to change.

If I happen to lose count on the way up I will usually trip. If I lose count on the way down I have to stop and check myself because I have been known to fall down them. Thankfully I usually lose count on like number 12 or 13.



8. I hate when people talk about nothing or try to monopolize the conversation and will often change the subject to better suit myself. ;)

I don't like when people just talk about themselves and don't let anyone else in on the conversation. That or they just talk to hear themselves. That just doesn't fly with me. I also don't like when people have to think about what they are going to say. Like they are reading off of a teleprompter or crib sheet. Don't get me wrong if they have some kind of mental problem or disability that is something else entirely. But most of the time it is just people trying to keep their lies straight. I might be a domineering conversationalist but I let everyone in on the conversation.



9. I am a morning person that for some reason likes to stay up late.

Just call me stupid. Thankfully I don't need a whole bunch of sleep. 4 or 5 hours a night is enough.



10. I kept Mason rear facing until he hit the limits of his seat.

It was and is so much safer to have little kids in rear facing. He hit the limit of his seat and I have reluctantly switched him over to forward facing. I did look around at other seats and decided for the extra inch I would have gotten out of it was just too much. I really struggled with this decision because I do drive a lot. Now when I go somewhere I am more likely to find a route that isn't traveled very much. I don't worry about my driving so much it is more those other stupid bastards out there talking on their cell phones playing with the radio while trying to light a cig that make me nervous.


11. I am scared of snakes... really scared.

I have always been scared of snakes. I used to have nightmares about them, they would be climbing the walls and coming out of toilets. As I got older I realized how ridiculous it was to be that afraid of snakes. That was until we moved here. Most snakes in the state of Iowa won't bother you. Once in a while you will run over while you are mowing the yard but that is the extent that you might see one.
Here at my house though we have a more aggressive bread of bull snake I believe it is called a fox snake and they will follow you around striking. I currently have one in the basement and have caught others down there.


12. There is an unwanted snake living in my basement.

Here is a pretty good of what it looks like. It is bigger than this though.


13. During the colder winter months Hyde can usually be found under my sweatshirt with just his nose sticking out of the neck hole.

We started this when he was just a cute tiny puppy. Whenever he is tired or cold he likes to get on my lap and he will worm his way under my sweatshirt. He cuddles up and then sticks just his little nose out the neck hole. He is my own portable heater.


14. I am a closet smoker... SHHH don't tell.

Yep, been a closet smoker for many many years. I know your wondering how in the world do I hide this from the husband. Easy he just associates me with the smell of smoke. He can take something of mine out of the dryer and say it smells like smoke. It could be something that I have never smoked in.
And he said I would never be able to brainwash him.


15. I go to the mailbox everyday but don't always check it...(refer to #14)

I make it look like I checked it if there is snow on the ground or it is muddy. Really anything that will show my foot prints.

16. Most of the time I just bring the bills in and let the junk mail pile up in the mailbox.

All I care about are the bills. I just let the rest of it pile up out in the mailbox. My mailman thinks it is hilarious. We get a lot of magazines every month and I don't even bring them in. We can fit 3 months worth of junk mail out there.
I have tried to train Austin that on Mondays to just empty out he mailbox when he takes the trash to the end of the driveway but he won't go for it.


17. I love to sit and watch my son play 'trucks' on the dining room table.

He will line up his cars and trucks on the edge of the table and push them around for house. They have to stay in line and it is just fun to watch him try to get them all moving and keep them in line. Sometimes he gets frustrated and starts to grumble and sounds like his dad.
He does the same thing in the window sills.


18. I like sweet tea with a bunch of ice and don't understand how people can drink it unsweetened.

My family has always had sweet tea with a bunch of ice. Austin's not so much. I don't know what they drank I have a feeling it was probably pop. I buy no pop. Austin will not drink sweet tea. He likes it unsweetened and at room temp. So wrong, so very wrong.
I have given up and make it unsweetened but only because I have figured out that if I add two sweet and low packets it taste almost the same. There are some days though that I just don't care and add sugar right to the pitcher. Those are usually the days that Austin decides to drink some. He is very aggravating some times.


19. I love the aftertaste of black coffee but I drink mine with enough sugar and creamer to qualify it as candy.

There is nothing like warm candy to get me going on the weekends. I don't generally make coffee during the week. I don't know why I just don't.


20. I love to read. I always have a book in my purse.

Perfect for those times when Mason falls asleep in the car and I know that transferring him will wake him up and it will still qualify as a nap. It never fails he falls asleep during the last 5 minutes of the drive.
I have finished many books in the driveway sitting in my car with a sleeping child in the back.


21. I talk to my little sister everyday on the phone. She truly is my best friend. I just stay on her good side...

My little sister is a bitch. There is no other way to put it. When on her bad side she can become vicious. She is my best friend though. We fought like no other all through high school.
There aren't very many days over the last 10 years that we haven't talked on the phone.
She is a very protective mother with two of the naughtiest little boys. Smart naughty boys and a protective mother is not a good thing.


22. I wish I had more time for photography... time to myself for photography.

This should be easier this summer when the sun is out later. I used to feel guilty when I would need some time alone because that meant leaving my husband with a crying baby but i don't feel guilty anymore. Why? Because he gets the crying side from his father and I totally believe Austin should know how to take care of his own child. I shouldn't have to be afraid every time I leave them home alone.
I have taken this so far as to get a job. I love it. Adult interaction and it doesn't involve me asking them to bring down their dirty clothes or cooking them supper. Wonderful. I will only be working about 12-15 hours a week but that is perfect.


23. I have decided to paint my office a pink color; I just need to find a way to tell my husband how it is going to be.

My husband spends no time in here. I let him have an opinion on every other room in the house and I am claiming this one as mine. I have already bought the paint and am just waiting for a weekend when he isn't in the house. It might have to wait until summer when he is helping his friends hay.


24. I can survive on very little sleep.

I found this out because my husband cannot. I have had more than job where I had to close and then open. Casey's specifically I would close Friday nights, get home about 12 and be back up there to open on Saturday mornings. I had to be there at 4:30 to get the paperwork done before we opened at 6. There is a very good reason I don't work at Casey's anymore.


25. I DON'T drink. Like at all. Cost too much to get tipsy and taste bad too boot. No Thanks.

I have way too high a threshold. When I would go to the bar with my siblings I would usually drink my own drinks and finish off everyone else's and didn't even get buzzed. It has been years since I have tried that. Mainly because it taste bad. Sorry don't like the taste.
More recently when we have friends over they will bring over different alcohol for everyone to try and I keep up with the guys and so I just get to sit there and watch them get trashed. There has been more than once that one of our friends has had to have help getting to the car and yet I am clear headed and sober. Sucks.


Well those are my 25 random things. If you follow this blog I am sure you knew some of them but I know you didn't know all of them.

What did he call him?

Mason recently has been into renaming things and has decided to rename Hyde, Sid. The sad thing is that he actually comes to it. Mason loves to watch Sid, the Science Kid on IPTV in the mornings. It is so cute he tries to mimic him. I have no clue why he thought that Hyde needed to be named Sid but I guess whatever works.
For the longest time Austin couldn't figure out why Mason was calling the dog Sid. I finally had to explain it to him. He actually asked me why I didn't stop him. Um... because... he is one and doesn't care what I say. He wants it his way and only his way and I am sure he will grow out of it... eventually... I am sure of it.
Mason has started to call me Momma Rura. I am not a huge fan of this. Austin thinks it is hilarious. At least until Mason started to call him Papa Oney (Honey). I sure have got a lot of laughs out of it. I swear sometimes Austin has no sense of humor.

Blah Blah Blah

I am ready for Austin to be home. It is too quiet here. Not to mention dark. Hyde is on guard duty and has been barking at nothing all night. As you can imagine that is more than enough to set me on edge.
I tried to go to bed but couldn't settle down enough to sleep so I gave up and am now playing on the computer. I should be washing dishes or something but I just don't feel like it. I know hard to believe. Austin isn't home and so I don't feel like the house has to be clean so it isn't. I will have to some heavy duty cleaning on Sunday. Very heavy duty.
I have been mudding in the bathroom. Another light coat and some light light sanding and we will be ready to paint. My neck and back hurt from doing the ceiling. I am just not tall enough to do it without being on a chair. I tried it with the ladder but it was big and bulky and hard to maneuver in that little area. I would just leave the ceiling for Austin but I do a much neater job and any time I thought would be saved by having him do it would be wasted by the sloppy job he would do that I would have to sand. So really I am just saving myself time and aggravation. So I guess that is something anyways.
Mason tried to put himself to sleep again tonight. He was playing in the toy box and just walked over to the dirty clothes I was sorting and laid down and snuggled up to one of Austin's dirty work shirts. I took pity on the poor child and he threw a fit when he dropped the dirty shirt. I let him take it up to bed and sleep with it. I figure Austin has a desk job so it isn't like his shirts get that dirty. It was so cute when I put him in his crib he had to adjust the shirt so that he was laying on one arm and had the other on over him. I would have taken a picture but my camera battery is on the charger. I think I will take a photo of it before I go to bed.
Well I think I'm off to go take a hot soak in the tub. Maybe that will get me tired...

Tickle Tickle

Mason amazes me everyday!! Lately his new favorite word is Tickle Tickle. It is so cute he will chase Hyde with a mixing spoon yelling Tickle Tickle. I know Mason doesn't think that Hyde's name is Tickle or that hitting the dog with the said mixing spoon is tickling because he will try to tickle me while saying tickle tickle. I think he just likes to torture the dog. Now when Hyde hears anyone say it he takes off for my bedroom.
Mason vocabulary has gotten quite large for such a little kid. Mason can now say:
sip sip= sippy
Hyda= Hyde
Momma
Dadda
Raura= Laura
ball
block
no
yes
don't
stop
u bu= you butt (I call Austin this all the time.)
dog
wa wa= water
milk
foot
eye
kiss
mof= mouth
ong= tongue
ear
eef= teeth
air= hair
car
truck
cheese
mote= remote
beep beep (when he is playing with cars)
and my favorite
Ason= Mason (he talks in third person when talking about his toys)
He has started to put phrases together and grabbing whatever part of his body hurts. It is too cute when he falls down and grabs his knee or if he bonks his head he will put his hand on his forehead and say 'ouch'. He has also started dancing. If he can hear music he is dancing.
He can also bark, growl, hiss, meow and neigh. He also thinks himself quite the comedian. He will be there talking to himself, just a bunch of gargly gook and an occasional word we can understand but then he will get quiet for a second say a couple more words and then just laugh and laugh. I dont' know where he gets his sense of humor but I know it isn't from his dad. Thank God.

It's Tuesday!!

How did that happen? Where did my weekend go? That's right. It was spent working on the bathroom and other stuff.
So it is Tuesday and I am not done with the newsletter for MOPS on Thursday. I really should be finishing that instead of what I am doing but who really cares.
Mason has made it impossible to do anything. I have caught him licking the dog 4 times today. 4 times!! I have no clue why he would want to lick the dog. Totally gross!!
Tomorrow I will be posting the paint color we I decided on. Austin may not like it but I LOVE it.
So for now I am off to finish my newsletter. Any MOPS members in the North Central division of Iowa should come to the North Central Conference held in Webster City at Asbury Methodist. I know I'll be there. There was even some talk of us steer team leaders wearing some kind of crazy hat but I think I will put an ax to that. It should be a fun time anyways.

How Do I...

I know how to get the dog to stop licking the kid but how do I get the kid to stop licking the dog?
I would really like to know the answer to this.

Hot! Hot! HOT!!

We baked in the heat! Friday it was around 100, Saturday it was 101, Sunday it was almost as hot, and Monday was another hot day. The whole weekend was miserably hot.
Friday I drove down to the Sidney area for a weekend of fun and rodeo. The original plan was for Mason and I to go alone. Well we found out some info and I put my foot and told my husband that he had better make an appearance. I really try hard to get down and see his grandparents whenever I am down with Mason. I have given up hope on getting Austin down very much so he didn't throw too big of a fit. Lucky for him!!
Friday around noon I had the car all packed and ready to go, Hyde included. Since Austin would be riding the motorcycle down. We got to Austin's grandparents house around 3:30 or so. Mason was just a doll the whole time. About 5:30 I was getting ready to head over to my parents house for supper when Austin's parents show up and Grandpa informs me that Mason and I are going to go to supper with them. Not a big deal Mom and Dad didn't think I was going to get over there until around 8. So we went to Shenandoah and had supper at the Depot. Thankfully Mason decided to behave and ate his supper instead of throwing it on the floor.
I got over to mom and dads around 8 so I wasn't even late. It was so hot outside that the sweat was dripping down my leg and my carpi's looked as though someone had sprayed me with a hose thanks to the leather seats in my car. The black leather seats in my black car. Why my father-in-law ever wanted a black car is beyond me. I did notice though that his next car was silver. Mason went right up to bed much to the chagrin of my family. I really hate to get Mason off of schedule just because they want to keep him up to play. I ended up staying awake really late talking with Mom and Marianne. (When will I ever learn?)
Saturday Mason woke up at 7. Yes 7. I was thinking just shoot me!! Again will I ever learn to go to bed instead of staying up gossiping. Probably not. Again it was hot outside. Even at 7 in the morning outside letting Hyde go pee I could feel the humidity surround me and weigh me down. I gave up on my hair for the weekend and just put it in a bun and took two Tylenol for the head ache that would follow. I really should get my hair thinned out but I hate dealing with it then because not all the hair is one length and there seems to be more flyaways. Anyways it was hot.
Marianne, mom and I went down to one of moms houses in Thurman and cleaned. It is a super cute house it is... just... in... Thurman. It does have air though. Trust me I wouldn't have been down there cleaning it if it hadn't.
Saturday night we went to the rodeo. We always sit on the north side at the very end of the general admission section because with the addition of kids someone is always having to get out and go to the bathroom. This year there was a wonderful cool breeze and we all had fun. No one puked or spilled anything sticky on me so by my estimation this year was huge success.
We ended up getting over to Grandma and Grandpa's house about 10:30 and Mason didn't wake us up until 8. We spent Sunday morning with them and watched Mason be a loon. Austin had planned to leave after lunch to go home. I almost felt bad for him because he rode the motorcycle down with a tank top on and got sunburned so he had to wear a long sleeve shirt on the way home. He has informed me that it wasn't too bad because he didn't have to listen to me yammer on and on. (I read while he drives so I know better than this.)
After some lunch in Shen Mason and I headed over to my moms house only to find out that hey were headed up to my grandma house to show my cousin Jessie and her boyfriend Rapheal a house close to grandma's. So I turned around and headed north. I couldn't believe it but I beat them there by like 20 minutes. So glad I have a key to grandma's house.
We also got to look the house and let me tell you it needs some major work. The houses in the area are assessed around $200,000 and the house was listed for $139,500. I guess it didn't deter them. They put in an offer and got it. I can't wait until they are done working it. I am sure it will end being a show place.
Sunday night Mason and I stayed at Austin's grandparents again because we planned on being there for lunch on Monday and everyone over at mom's works full time so they wouldn't be there.
Monday we made it up to my Grandma's house about 2 to go shopping with her. She works at JCPenny and gets a pretty good discount. Austin needed a new suitcase because he came home with a hole in the last one. JCPenny was have a huge sale on luggage so I ended up getting him a really nice suitcase for about $80, or literally a third of full price. I also got Mason some shoes and clothes and Austin a couple of work polos. All for under the sale price of the suitcase.
I had planned on going home Monday afternoon but again it was so hot that I decided to stay with my grandma. She was thrilled. I don't get up to see her as often as I should. I also spent a good part of Tuesday with her also. I figured Austin doesn't get home until 5 anyways so why should I. So I didn't. I did have to stop at the store on the way home. I don't why he couldn't stop on his way home. No instead it had to be with a car full of stuff and the dog with me. Sometimes things like that irritate me. I guess I'll just have to get over it because it isn't going to change.
So that was my whole weekend. Nothing too exciting. Mason behaved for the most part. Hyde was a good puppy and didn't bite anyone. Not that he ever has but I wouldn't blame him if he ever wanted to take a chunk out of one of my nephews. They have all been warned. The naughty little cusses that they are. I know Mason just sits there, watching them, soaking in all the naughty.

Puppies...

Well puppies has turned into puppy. Tasia had the chance to sell one of the puppies for a considerable amount over $25 so I told her to go ahead. She breeds them for the money not to give them away. We really aren't that upset because we had only planned on getting one to begin with so it worked out okay.
I am still really excited. I have been asking for another puppy since we got Hyde.
Hyde is feeling tons better and was caught trying to eat a banana on my kitchen counter this morning. I know your thinking a dog eating a banana. Yes, a banana. Hyde loves fruit and veggies. There is actually very little he won't eat. Between him and Mason I get absolutely nothing done all day. They both get into so much stuff over and over again that it is just scary.
It is very nice to have my rambunctious little dog back though.

Puppies and the sort..

Why does it seem like when you are the busiest that that is when everything will go wrong?
Friday really REALLY early morning Hyde decided to throw up all over our bed. Over the next 24 hours wasn't able to keep anything down and was swollen around the middle. Hyde is usually a very active little dog and would think nothing of jumping on my kitchen counters. He was really sick and was just not himself. he wouldn't even jump on to the couch or over the baby gate and didn't want to be touched. Odd for a little lap dog so Saturday we had to take him for an emergency vet visit. Turns out we had a right to be concerned he was very sick with pancreatitis. Now we are on antibiotics for 7 days and on prescription food. So three-hundred dollars later we have a puppy on the mind. He is feeling a lot better but is not up to his usual self quite yet.
We are currently looking for another outside dog. The dog we currently have, Bubber, came with the property and is 14 years old and has started to have seizures. I am afraid his days are coming to an end. We would like to get another one soon so that it can learn from Bubber how to stay close to the house, bark at strangers and where to sleep. Hopefully in the next month or so we will have one.
My husband wanted to be involved in the search until I ruled out: Boxers, Pitt Bulls, Great Danes, Dobermans, Mastiffs, Basset Hounds, Boston Terriers, Bulldog, Bull Terriers, Bull Mastiffs, Dogue de Bordeaux, German Shepherd, German Pinscher, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, or any mixed of above aforementioned or miniatures of aforementioned.
I want something that will be good with Mason and will warn in case of trouble but isn't able to kill me if I correct it for something. I know some of the breeds I mentioned are good dogs for some people but not for us. Some I ruled out because of aggressive tendencies, or too big dog poopie piles. The DPP must be of a manageable level. I like to walk around outside barefoot and don't want to step in a steamy DPP that would cover my foot.
Instead of argueing with me about it Austin decided it was wisest to just let me pick.
As I was typing this my mom called and I told her we were looking for an outside dog and she told me Darin's girlfriend Tasia had some mini Australian Shepherds which are my dream dogs and sell for around $500-$800. Therefore the 'dream'. She is asking $25. She has two a red merle male and a black tri female. So a little call to Austin and we are getting two puppies this weekend. I am so excited I could just break into song but being unable to carry a tune I think I will refrain. Friday cannot come soon enough.
Amazing how fast things work when your mom works at a vet clinic.

Nap Time

So, yesterday, as I was trying to put Mason down for a nap it sounded like we were getting dive bombed by military jets. Just kidding!! Let me set this up.
It is about 11:30 in the morning and it is beautiful outside a light breeze, sun shinning, birds chirping and the scent of honeysuckle wafting in the open windows. When all of a sudden seemingly out of nowhere this little plane flies overhead and seems to be circling the house. Over and over again. Mason not wanting to take a nap but needing to take a nap was being difficult. I decided that I needed a couple of minutes to myself as happens everyday when he takes a nap. So I lay him down in the p-n-p, grab the camera and head outside. Mind you as I shut the door I can still hear Mason screaming his head off. (This only last about 2 minutes and then he is asleep)
Hyde and I set off to find this plane. We are surrounded by corn fields so it really could be anywhere. I hear it to the north of us so we have to walk to the very northeast corner of the property to be able to see the plane. That is when I got these pics.

This guy knew I was taking photos and flew right over me a couple of times before taking off for another field. So today I am trying to track him down and get some of the photos to him.

For all those who think what a horrible Mommy leaving her child crying inside. This is what he was doing when I got back. I was never out of ear shot and am honestly surprised he could sleep with the plane over the house.

Oh My!

This year has gone by so fast. Where do I start? Well, Mason is turning one on the first of June. Can I just say I am not ready. I don't want him to grow up. I want my baby back. The sweet little thing that took two naps a day and didn't talk back or roll over right after I get the diaper off. Mason is growing so fast and learning new stuff everyday. Thankfully he isn't walking yet but I am sure he will be in no time. He has become a little mimic. He really tries to copy whatever you are doing. Sometimes this isn't helpful. Like when throwing something away. I am throwing away not digging in the trash like he interprets.
Mason vocab has just exploded recently. His favorite word is still NO, but he has added new words. Hy do (Hyde dog), ball, don't, ouch (touch), momma, dad, kiss, more, ood (food), cookie, cracker, down, shhh, ash (trash), bath, and mine. I know there are some wierd ones like touch and trash, well that is because when he is sticky I tell him 'don't touch' and trash is because I am always telling him and Hyde to stay out of it. I never thought I would have to tell him to stay out the trash but things don't always turn out the way you want.
Mason loves hot wheels cars. He carries them around pushes them around with one finger and makes the car noise. I think little boys are born knowing how to do that. I sure didn't teach him and I highly doubt Austin did. He also loves to torture the dog. He will follow him around all day. Given that Mason gets bored of this game Hyde will go lay down in a spot of sunshine and Mason will find him. It is almost like Mason tries to sneak up on him. He will approach him real quite and then just lunge at him and land on him. Hyde for the record doesn't think this is fun.
During the day Mason and I play and sometimes weather permitting that takes us outside. Mason loves to swing and has started to throw a fit if I try to take him out of it. So after getting out of the swing I put him in the stroller and we go check the mail. You will notice I didn't say get the mail. Nope we just check it but that is a whole other post. So then we walk to the stop sign and back and then we go inside for nap. Nap is a very important part of this equation. He has to be tired enough that I can bring him inside and lay him down for a nap. At least with a minimal amount of fussing. Some days this works and some days I have to rock him in the recliner and we both end up falling asleep.
I know the next 3 years will fly by and he will be in preschool and next thing I know he will be graduating high school. I am just not ready to give up my baby yet.

Huh?

Why do Fridays always sneak up on me? Let alone a Friday leading up to a 3 day weekend. Austin and I did nothing on Saturday. I mean nothing. It was really nice. Sunday we cleaned the basement. Yes, I actually went down in the basement. I have been working on that while he is at work. I can actually do laundry again without having a panic attack. Lucky me!! Monday we went and ordered Mason's birthday cakes and food for his party. Should be fun. 30 people invading my property for the weekend. Shoot me now!! After that we went to our friends' house and saw their new baby. I don't remember Mason ever being that small. After that we went to other friends' house and had a BBQ. We always have fun with everyone. We had a nice slow weekend. I know I am leaving details out but I have to go rescue Hyde. Mason has been following him around all day and now he is starting to whimper. At least I hope that is the dog and not Mason. Anyways...

Bee-u-te-full

Tuesday morning Mason and I took Austin to the airport. We had to leave the house at 6:45 a.m. That is about the time I usually get up. I hadn't slept well because of the wonderful thunderstorm that went thru about 3. It was like trying to sleep under a strobe light. I woke Mason up early enough that he could eat before we left but he didn't want anything so on the way home he was grumpy because he was hungry and the SUN... yes I said sun... was in his eyes. He had better get used to that. We can switch to a front facing car seat at a year but we aren't going to. It is much safer to sit rear facing as long as possible so that is what we are going to do. I figure if he never knows the difference it won't matter.

The rest of Tuesday went fairly well. At least until around the time that Austin would usually be getting home. Hyde goes on watch and barks at everything. We got lucky though because it was so nice outside we were outside alot more than usual and wore Hyde out. So he sat on the couch about 7 and fell asleep and I had to carry him up to bed. What a spoiled watch dog.

Wednesday Mason woke up really early. I mean who can sleep with sunlight spilling in the bedroom window. I am usually a morning person but I was dragging butt today. Mason woke up at 5:30 and I left him there until 7. He fussed for about 5 minutes and I thought he had gone back to sleep but then I hear him running his linka doos up back and forth on the crib slats. Thankfully he got tired of that really quick like and just talked (screamed) to himself for a while. He was so happy all morning. Then we took a nap and he woke up all grumpy so we went outside to play. Mason didn't know what to think of the grass.

Now we are back inside and he is trying to destroy my house. Banging things around and tearing apart a cheerios box. Now we are off to the grocery store. Fun! Fun!!

Quiet Sunday

Usually on Sundays my house is rather loud. Between Hyde and Mason fighting for Austin's attention and the TV or radio it is rather noisy. Not today. Austin has the flu so he is in bed. Mason doesn't know he is home so he thinks it is a work day so we are on schedule and Mason is napping. Hyde knows that Austin is home and upstairs under the electric blanket. Hyde is not stupid so he is up there as well. Being the spoiled dog that he is he is also under the blanket. Only I am awake. I am not doing anything noisy like washing dishes because I don't want to disturb Austin. I know I am such a good wife. Really I am I don't even dry heave when I empty his bucket. Maybe that has more to do with a strong stomach over being a good wife, but we aren't going to split hairs. For today I am a good wife. I will get back to my normal self after he is feeling better. I refuse for this change to be anywhere near permanent. I would hate for him to expect me to be this complacent all the time.

Now on another note. My mother-in-law, Robin, Mason and I went to church today. My front windshield cracked from the cold. Mason had a pooplosion at church and again at Perkins afterwards. Two in one day. That is a record for him. Reading this it might sound like I had a bad day but that is not the case. I am having a good hair day so all this other stuff is trivial. If I had been having a bad or even just okay hair day it would be a different story.

As I was taking a photo of the said good hair to prove it I noticed that I am starting to look old. Well okay maybe not old but deffinatly tired.

I have bags under my eyes.

Where in the world did that zit come from?

My lips are chapped from the below zero temps.

This is why most photos are of the back of my head.

I don't care though because I am having a good hair day.

This is how my hair is usually worn. Mason is too quick on the grabbing.

Amazing what a couple of minutes with a curling iron will do.

Maybe one of these days I'll get my straight iron back from Cammie.

My Mason

I think most of these pictures are self explanatory.

"This is my tongue"

"Who? Me!"

I'm sure in a couple of months the dog will know better than to spend so much time so close to Mason.

Almost crawling!!

This year our tax return is getting spent on a camera. We bought our camera 7 years ago when the digital cameras first came out. My SD card can only hold 20 photos. It is a crap shoot as to what kind of quality we are going to get. Not to mention that it is slow. A lot of these photos would be really good if Mason wasn't so fuzzy in them. Hopefully in the next couple of months we will be able to remedy that. Screw the credit card. I am spending the tax return on me.

Mobile

Mason is becoming more mobile thanks to the walker. He can now get to about anywhere he wants to go. Unfortunately that means cornering the dog. He loves to play with Hyde's kennel beside the fridge. Hyde doesn't like this. He will go into his kennel and growl at Mason. Mason will laugh and Hyde will come out and lick his hand. Thankfully this has just turned into a game for them and they do it over and over again. Keeps them entertained for quite a while every evening while I am cooking supper. Once in a while though Mason will get a hold of Hyde's chain when he walks by. That is never good. It usually ends up with a whimpering dog and a crying child. Thankfully, Hyde is not a biter. He will lick and bare teeth but never bite.
Hyde loves to hide his pig ear treat under the walker. So while Mason is getting into everything he can reach he is dragging around this dog treat under him. Hyde can be seen going in and out from underneath Mason. He has learned to be quick because Mason kicks. I don't know what the poor dog is going to do when Mason starts crawling and walking. Should be interesting. I am afraid I will never have a moments peace with the dog sitting between my feet or worse yet jumping on my counters. Yes, he can jump that high. I have seen the evidence of it.

Bad Weather

I love snow. I don't love ice. That is what we woke up to Saturday. Now where we live any ice and we the power flickers and is crappy. So for Mason's sake we went to Austin's Mom's house for the day. We had fun. Well at least Mason and I did. Austin just dropped us off and came back home. I have no clue what he did. Don't think I didn't ask either. He just said he worked outside. I know, he did, his carhart coat was soaked. I think he was out in the barn working. I know I said "in" the barn but the barn needs torn down so it isn't in the best of shape. I think he might have been in the chicken coop part. The chicken coop is in a part of the lean-to area and they only part of the roof that is complete in that area is where the chickens are kept.

I knew he hadn't been working on the corncrib because if it didn't kill him I would. He has done a lot work to get it down, so now we are just waiting for it to fall on its own. When the wind is blowing you can hear it creaking.

When I let Hyde out in the mornings I have to go out also and stand with him. Mainly to make sure he goes #1 and #2. Otherwise he will hold it as long as possible and then he whimpers the whole time he goes. So anyways I was outside waiting on the dog and walked around to the barn and corncrib to see what he was doing and then I saw the tracks leading to the grove of trees. My husband had been cutting down a tree. I normally wouldn't care but Saturday it was raining and snowing. All around it was just a horrible day. At least he wasn't working on the corncrib.

Nap Time

This is where I choose for Mason to take his nap. There usually aren't any toys in there. The block was in there thanks to the dog. (It jingles and the dog has claimed it as his toy.) On the right side of the pack-n-play is a changing table and beside that is an arm chair. Hyde gets on the chair and then on the changing table. Most afternoons Hyde can be found laying on the changing table looking out the window into the side yard. That day, thankfully, Hyde didn't get all the way into the p-n-p. He usually does if Mason is in there. Every little baby needs a needy little dog to steal their body heat... No... No, that came out wrong. I, really, meant share their body heat.








This is where Mason chooses to take his nap. I was in the kitchen washing dishes and noticed that it was really quite. Mason is not quite. He is very vocal. Most of the time he is humming, lately he has been yelling. Not from pain or anything, really, but just because he can. So when I notice it is quite I go and check on him. Most of the time I find him fascinated by his hand or something of that sort. Not this time I go in there and walking in I see the back of the walker. I immediately panic, thinking he has choked on something. Not even thinking, duh, there was nothing on his tray he could choke on. I run around to the front of the walker and find him slumped over sleeping. So what do I do, I grab the camera and take photos. He was sleeping pretty heavy, he didn't even stir when I took him out and put him in the p-n-p.





This is Hyde, he is 5. Mason was 4 months in this photo. So he is a little bigger now. Hyde is always trying to lay next to Mason. Not a very safe place since Mason likes to grab everything within reach. We have had to take Hyde's chain off. Mason kept choking him. We had a horrible time trying to get Mason to let go. The dog would be whimpering and Mason would be crying. Who do you console first. I realize Mason is my child but Hyde is my puppy and he didn't do anything wrong. I, kinda, just swoop them both up at the same time and sit in Austin's chair. Usually, a couple of rocks and they are both out and I am free to get back to whatever I was doing. Usually that is cleaning the kitchen or laundry.