2011 Year in Pictures

Christmas 2011

 Our little Christmas tree.  I set it up the night before Christmas, as Mason could not be trusted not to pull the big tree over on himself.

  

 We weren't sure if you would 'get' Christmas, but you were so excited when you woke up and saw the lights and the presents.  

 Looks like someone got their two front teeth for Christmas.  

 Mason was not a fan of Santa

 Early Christmas morning

So many new toys to play with and you just wanted to love on your BlaBla

Happy 1st Birthday Mason!

*This blog post was taken from The Life and Times of Mason Moss

Happy Birthday, Mason!

We celebrated your birthday on Saturday, Sept. 10th by having family over for a BBQ. You loved playing with your cousins and showing off your walking skills. You were walking around like you owned the place!

Family that helped you celebrate your special day included: Nannie and Poppy Snyder; Grandma and Grandpa Gillispie; Uncle Josh (Gillispie); Uncle Brad, Aunt Gala, Noah and Addy; and Uncle Jack, Aunt Jill and Jackson.

For your birthday, Dad picked you out a green four wheeler. It took you a little while to get used to it, but we know that once you get brave enough to ride it, you will love it!

It's been a fantastic year! We are so proud to be your Mom and Dad and love you more than you will ever know!

You weren't a huge fan of having icing on your hands, but you loved the cake!

Hanging out with Dad at your birthday party.

Trying out your new four wheeler.

Don't worry, we already talked to you about drinking and driving.

You and Dad playing at the park.

Camp Grandma

A HUGE thank you to both Grandmas for hosting Camp Grandma so Richard and I could get away for a bit!

Our date started out with Mason joining Grandma Gillispie at the mall so Richard and I could go get a couples massage at Grove Spa. It was so relaxing and a great way to start our day. Then, we headed to Joplin, where Mason spent the night with his Grandma Snyder. Richard gassed up the Jeep, took the top off and off we went to Rogers, Arkansas for some good food and some shopping. The weather was PERFECT! Richard and I fell in love during lots of Jeep rides almost 3 years ago, so it was nice to fall in love all over again. We wouldn't change our life at all, but the one thing we really miss since having Mase is those great Jeep rides with the top down. Thanks Grandmas for making this weekend possible.

Busy February

Wow! It's been a busy February... Busy with what, you may ask? Yeah, that's a great question... I'm not sure where the time goes, I think it disappears, especially when you are sleep deprived.

Mason has been getting up about 5-6 times a night for the past two weeks! I'm not sure what is going on with him, I just hope it passes quickly. I'm guessing he is either going through a growth spurt or teething. Poor guy! I need to remember that if I have a rough night, he too has a rough night.

Richard has spent the past several days in Las Vegas for the Lowe's National Sales Meeting, and Mason and I decided to take a trip to visit my mom and dad. We had a great time (except for the episodes of Mason wanting to party at 11:00 pm, 1:00 am and 3:00 am. Thankfully, my mom got up with Mason, which allowed me to get a few nights of uninterrupted sleep. There is nothing like the gift of sleep! Thanks Mom!

Life is good, God is great!

Snow Day Memories

Today is a snow day for most schools in the area. I was telling a friend that SAHMs don't really get a snow day, but then realized in some ways, everyday is a snow day. You know, getting to stay in your pajama's all day, hot chocolate, naps... Okay, it's not always thatglamorous, but it does have it's perks, no?

This snow day reminded me of snow days when I was a kid. My hope is that someday I can make Mason's snow days as special as my mom made ours.

Some favorite snow day memories include:

• Getting to drink hot chocolate from my favorite mug with lots of marshmallows! My mom would refer to marshmallows as snowman poop and we thought it was the coolest thing ever!
• "Playing school" with my sister. Even though it was a snow day, my sister and I would hold our own school day playing teacher. My mom would even pretend to be a cafeteria lady and make a school type lunch (usually grilled cheese and tomato soup). She usually drew the line at wearing a hair net.
• Getting all bundled up to go outside. We would play outside as long as our little bladders would let us! I remember several times rushing inside and barely making it, because that snow suit took so much time to undo, especially with frozen little hands. Let's just say, it's a good thing snow suits are waterproof.
• Making cookies... Mom always said snow days were God's way of telling us it was time to bake cookies. She made a fabulous peanut butter cookie or dishpan cookies. Note to self: get stuff to make dishpan cookies to have on hand for the next snow day.
• Getting to watch daytime tv. My parents usually limited our tv time, but I think on snow days my mom was probably just desperate to get us to be quite and to not bug her every 3 minutes.

Part of me dreads Mason being old enough to dress up and take outside in the snow. The other part of me is so excited to see his sweet little face when he gets all excited that it's snowing. To ask him what kind of cookies he wants to make. To give him his cup of hot chocolate and snowman poop in his favorite mug.

Tis the Season

Tis the Season... for stuffy, runny noses. Yep, the entire Mossi clan had it between Christmas and New Years and we suffered through together. While it was unfortunate we all were sick, I must say I enjoyed the low key family time and on several occasions Richard commented on enjoying Mason sleeping on his chest. I am happy to report that we all are feeling better now and Mason is back to his fun, toothless-smile self.