We're walking!

It is official! And we have the bumps, bruises and scratches to confirm the milestone. Mason is our little pinball these days.

Florida!

Last week we were in Florida for Liam and Meredith's beautiful wedding. They were married on the beach with a gorgeous bridal party surrounding them. Their wedding album I'm sure will be spectacular.
It was great seeing so many friends and family on the trip (not quite a vacation when traveling with an eleven month old). We had lots of helping hands with Mason which was awesome. Mason loved his dance party with Gabe and Catalina, sharing Cheerios with Maddy, swimming in the Gulf, tasting sea shells, spending many midnight hours in Pappy's arms as well as claiming his territory out on the balcony and in Andy's lap. I guess that's what we get for letting him "air out" for more than a brief moment.

The slight glow coming from Andy's face is the extra Water Babies SPF 55 that we had to do something with. That stuff takes awhile to rub in!

A clean balcony after the piddling incidents.


Gabe, Catalina and "Baby Mason"

The best part...

of our morning is when Andy puts Mason in the hiking pack for the traditional morning stroll. Mason's squeals are awesome.

Just a little pathetic

Looks like someone doesn't want to be in their pack-n-play.
*sigh*

Garden Update

For four years we have been working on making the garden a fantastic place for veggies to grow, fruits to ripen and to provide those who walk through a simple sense of serenity. That was the original vision. Between our first year here and now, a few things have distracted us from our ultimate vision to include deer, drought, voles (not moles but similar), plant diseases, squash bugs, cucumber bugs, bean bugs, weeds and pregnancy. I had grand plans last year for the garden but hauling around a nine-month pregnant belly in the heat just didn't equal fun.

Since the first year of garden hope, a fence has been built to keep the deer out, rows have been dug to provide wide and deep beds for our plants to live, an irrigation system has been built and fabric has been put down to stifle the weeds.

I have to say, this year the garden is finally the vision of four years ago. We've already picked multiple pounds of burgundy beans and can't wait to taste the other delights that await our mouths and bellies in the weeks to come. Come by and visit anytime!

PS. Dad, thanks for all the help to include the fence, seeds and positive words of encouragement. You garden looks beautiful as well. My cucumbers send your cucumbers love. We hope they feel better soon.

Three years ago Dad and I worked all summer building the fence with a post hole digger, tamper and a lot of Pepsi.
Two years ago, with the fence complete, our vision seemed within reach. A rainbow visited to say good night.

I don't have any pictures from last year because we were a little busy.

However, this year...TA-DAH!

There are no weeds in our rows and the tomatoes, beans, peppers, strawberries, asparagus, artichokes, and rhubarb are enjoying being loved daily. Can't wait for the fall planting of peas, spinach and lettuce.

Fresh cut flowers from the yard. Ahhh...summer.
Come by and visit!
We can sit on the porch and catch up. Happy Summer! Love, Andy, Jenni and Mason

Learning about H2o

Water sure is funny!


But sometimes it can distract you.

Oh, geez

For a little boy who is fascinated with doors, this was surprising.

My soccer stud

Ahh....some of you may think I'm referring to Andy, my original soccer stud. However, there is a new star on the rise....


Mason's first, official, soccer "uni." Thanks, Elise!
We enjoyed time at the park where Andy worked with Mason on his soccer skills.

$1.13

What can you buy for a dollar and thirteen cents these days, besides four-piece chicken nuggets, you ask? I will tell you...you can buy quality time with your son while blueberry picking! If you're a better picker than the two of us it may cost you just a bit more :)

Mason and I drove down the road a few miles to Muskrat Farms for the picking adventure. We lasted about ten minutes due to heat, bugs and picking at the end of the blueberry season. I held my head high though as I dumped my dollar and thirteen cents worth of blueberries on the scale. When we got home Mason took his nap and I proceeded to eat all of the blueberries. Maybe I need to do a little self-reflecting on the notion of sharing.

Playdates!

Last week Mason had a grand time playing with Max and Taffe. These boys will have a blast when they're a bit older and can get into all sorts of trouble :)

Nicole's baby, Taffe, and big boy Mason.


Max, Mason and a defeated Mr. Lion
Sara and LD's baby, Max, is a super trooper when it comes to our little boy and his "aggressiveness." I am happy to report that Max is starting to hold his own. Being able to sit up helps although it's really sad when Mason takes one of Max's toys and crawls away. Poor Max can just sit there. Someday, Max. Someday.

I guess I don't have a "baby" anymore. Mason is officially starting to look like a little boy. A territorial one apparently.

A day in the life...

Often times, Allison (Buddy) has asked, "What do you do during the day when you stay home with a baby?" Hmm...that is a good question. Recently we have discovered doors and we are in the process of learning that they open and close. Sometimes it's not a good idea to put yourself between a door that you are trying to close. Mason is still working on that one. We are also learning how to share. "Can you give Mommy a cheerio?" Mason was so kind to take one out of his mouth, put it in my hand and then immediately pick it back up and eat it. Yum.
We also play lots of games of hide-and-seek. "Wow, Mason must be advanced to play such a game at eleven months." Yes, very advanced. See the video below to see how advanced we are talking.

Mason attempts to break out of the playroom


Our little game of hide and seek


After a long day of strolling, wrestling, standing, opening and closing doors as well as playing hide and seek, it's always a good idea to splash in a pool.

I totally forget to tell you!

Mason has been standing and taking one or two little steps for the past few weeks. Yay, pumpkin! There hasn't been any official walking but there have been a few stumbles to get around. I will get video soon!

Our water baby

Mason had a busy week that started with a trip to Raleigh to visit Sue and Chad and then a trip to Danville for Kim's sister's wedding followed immediately by a late night car ride to the OBX for a family vacation. It was great to catch up with friends and awesome to see Dana and Malissa's family as well as Mom and Dad. We enjoyed fantastic meals, drinks and harbor fun. Mason did pretty well although nightimes on the road are still a bit stressful. Mason tends to wake up scared and not be able to go back to sleep without some loving from us. It sort of sounds sweet as I'm typing it but at one o'clock, four o'clock and five o'clock it does not feel sweet...it feels more like exhausted.
Mason enjoyed his first dip in a pool at the Outer Banks and also today with a visit to Pap and MaMa's pool in Burke. He loved it! Our little water baby will have a blast in Florida for Liam and Meredith's wedding.

Swings are fun!

Although Mason looked a little scared at first, he came around and enjoyed his early morning push on the swing. It will be great having another little play area at the house that is far away from any rocks that could be used for munching.

Not too sure about this...
Now he's totally into it!

Bye Elna, until August

Mason had to say goodbye to Elna and his friends Luca and Oriana because it is officially summer. Now he gets to hang out with the 'rents! We'll miss you Elna! Thank you for loving our little boy :)

Oh my...

Elna was unable to watch Mason today so MaMa volunteered to watch our little boy. When Mom met me in the parking lot this is what Mason decided to do...



It would appear we need to take baby proofing to the next level.

Silly parents...

Camping? With a ten month old? Are you crazy????
Well...now that the experience is behind us...yes, we are in fact crazy. A while back I asked my awesome sisters if they would like to go camping at George Washington National Forest. When I say camping, I mean camping. No showers, bathrooms, campgrounds. Just you and what you can fit into a car. The Gormans were the only takers. With regards to taking Mason I would think to myself, "How bad could it be?" We're laid back parents and we have a pretty laid back kid. Besides eating everything in sight, we will all be fine. Right?

For the most part, yes. Everything was fine, beautiful and delicious. Nighttime however proved to be a bit more difficult. When your baby wakes up at one o'clock in the middle of the night screaming...for an hour and a half, and cannot be consoled by your loving arms, there are moments of panic. When I say panic I mean tears. Frozen tears because it was really, really cold. Well not literally freezing but adults were shivering inside their sleeping bags cold. No wonder Mason was ticked. After multiple attempts at soothing, camp fire admiring and flat out pleading, we laid down Mason in between us. Did I mention that this was one o'clock in the morning and had been going on for over an hour? He thought it was playtime and proceeded to do laps around our tent. Awesome.

Eventually he tuckered out and slept soundly for the rest of the night between us. It was difficult for the other parties involved to get any sleep with a baby between them and the chilly weather. Mason woke up refreshed, happy and ready to tackle the day with two, very sleepy parents.

Anyone up for a camping trip?

Fun in the playroom

Our new favorite toys include a John Deer riding toy and a cardboard box. The box is great fun for all parties involved. Mason flops down on his belly and fumbles his way into the box to get his toy. With feet all over the place he tends to be successful. Mason did get stuck once but it was on his first attempt. He has been a box master ever since.

Mealtime Update

Mason has been enjoying food that does not come in liquid form or a bottle these days. Our pediatrician says anything goes (except for the baby no nos like honey) so we are full steam ahead on the eating train. Delicacies include eggs, yogurt, clementines, beets (yep, beets) chicken, pickles, mushrooms and beef. Mason eats and he eats a lot.

Life Choices...

Everyone throughout life has hard decisions to make but for me, some decisions are quite clear. I think my son and I may differ on a few things down the road. The second video is the basis for my hypothesis.



Obviously a popsicle is a good thing, right?...




A deliciously cool, strawberry treat or hard, nasty rocks...seriously?
The nastiness on Mason's face is debris from a previous attempt at eating igneous goodness..