Yuba Lake 2013

Almost one year ago, exactly, we went on vacation to Yuba Lake.

Mason was just four weeks old and we had so much fun! We decided to go back again this year with my family and we had a blast (even though vacation ended a couple of days early).
The drive was only an hour and a half long, but Mason was so antsy to get out of the car! Payton walked with him around the campsite and they played around on the grass while we unpacked. Grandma hung the baby swing from a tree branch and Mason was thrilled! Every single time (no exaggeration) that Grandma was holding Mason he pointed to the swing.

Grandma got Mason his very own camp chair and he loved it! I love that it is so low to the ground so he can get in and out of it all on his own.

We ate tin foil dinners that night and Mason ate more carrots that night than he has ever eaten in his life!
He was so tired from playing and just zonked out in my arms. I love his snuggles!


Wednesday morning we woke up and got ready to go boating for the day. We hadn't even made it to the boat launch before Mason was sound asleep. He didn't love his lifejacket so much, but it made for a nice pillow.


We made it to the beach just a few minutes later and had it all to ourselves! I didn't know how Mason would react to the cold water so I pulled out the camera to capture the moment.
Saying he loved it would be a complete understatement!

He splashed and splashed and even tried crawling into the deeper water. Daddy had to run and grab him to bring him back to shore.

Daddy and Uncle Bob dug a huge hole on the beach and let it fill with muddy water. Mason thought it was so much fun to play in the mud!

By the afternoon we were ready to go tubing and got back in the boat.

Sadly, Mason fell asleep the moment we got back in the boat so we didn't get to take him tubing. He slept through everyone else jumping in and out of the boat and didn't flinch once!

We got back around dinnertime and Mason had just woken up. He was still such a sleepy head all through dinner.

He had a hard time sleeping in his playpen because it is so small. He is a crazy sleeper and rolls all over the place. I put him on our bed to give him a bit more room to fall asleep. He started out at the top of the bed by our pillows and in a matter of 30 seconds he had rolled to the foot of the bed. I guess that is where he was most comfortable because that is where he slept.

Little Bubba!

Lots of snuggles with his daddy! He still loves the hammock just as much as he did last year! He took a nap in it with daddy this time.

More snuggles with mom.

Notice the spatula in his hand. I brought his wooden spoon and Grandma brought spatulas for him to play with. They are honestly his favorite toys!

On Thursday we woke up and it was windy and cloudy so we couldn't take the boat out. We headed to the town of Scipio where there is a free petting zoo. Brad and I had a lot of fun, but Mason wasn't too sure about the animals. We forced him to pet the zebra and then he was done.

Although you aren't supposed to, Brad decided to pet the Ostrich. He put his hand straight up to distract it and then pet it's neck with his other hand. I was freaking out!

Uncle Bob pet the Emu and that was rather frightening as well...

After the petting zoo we headed across the street to Dairy Queen and grabbed some ice cream. We headed back just in time because hurricane winds began blowing through our camp.

Within minutes our tent had blown over and it began to pour! Mason watched a movie with Payton & Brooklynn in their tent and then took a nap in Grandma & Grandpa's tent.

It was pretty windy and cold the rest of the night but Mason handled it like it was no big deal.

By the evening the rain had stopped and Brooklynn wanted to go play on the beach so badly! Brad was kind enough to carry her down there so she could play in the water.

Mason threw a fit when he saw them down at the beach. When Brad got back he bawled until he got to go down to the water.

Daddy loves us!

The next morning we woke up so happy and ready to go boating! Well, we walked outside and the clouds were still there, the wind hadn't quit and it was freezing! We checked the forecast for the day and it was going to be a repeat of the day before.

We ate breakfast and then Mason played in the tent while we packed up. We decided that it wasn't worth staying for two more days if it was just going to be awful weather.

By noon we were all packed up and made the drive home.

I love my two sleepy heads.

Overall, it was a fun (and very much needed) vacation!

Fun things I want to remember:

-Mason cried every single time Grandma was in sight and didn't hold him for a minute.

-He ate a chimichanga and LOVED it!

-He said dog for the first time.

-He said bird for the first time.

11 Months

It is a little crazy when I hear myself saying, "Oh, Mason will be turning one next month." Time flies is an understatement! He is more fun every day and I just love my little bubba!

Just yesterday he took his very first steps! We were watching a firetruck and an ambulance out the window when he decided to let go of the table he was holding on to and take three steps toward me. I then made him do it over and over until he sat down and refused to do it again. So exciting! Hopefully he'll be walking by the time he turns one!

He has also become quite the troublemaker!

-He knows how to turn on and off the water in the shower

-He knows how to open and close the drain

-He knows how to work a doorknob (and is nearly tall enough to reach them without being on his tip toes)

-He throws everything off of his highchair when he is done eating

-He hides things under the couch

-He can reach the top of the bathroom counter (and sadly, burned his fingers on my straightener the other day)

-He bites...

-He can open and close my dresser drawers (and takes out all of my clothes)

-He unravels the toilet paper in about three seconds flat, then eats it.

-He took every tampon out of the box and threw them everywhere in the bathroom 

His newest "trick" is climbing into his old car seat. He will stand and try and rock it back and forth or just sit in it and play with the buckle.

He still only has his two bottom teeth. All four of his top teeth are about ready to pop through and when they do I will be giving him a hamburger for the first time!

He wears size 4 or 5 in shoes and his clothes are all at least size 18 months!

That Bumbo seat is also where he gets his haircuts every three weeks. He would have hair down to his shoulders if I didn't ever cut it.

He finally decided that he likes popsicles. It could be because  he figured out that he can hold the stick and not the popsicle itself.

Other favorite foods are Mac-and-Cheese, cheese, yogurt, milk, apple cinnamon oatmeal, scrambled eggs, mangos, peas, pancakes, honeydew melon, watermelon, raspberries, mandarin oranges and sweet potatoes.

My favorite news about this month is that he officially sleeps through the night! Just over a week ago he wouldn't let me rock him to sleep so I laid him in his crib and he rolled over and went to sleep - no tears!

I was hoping it wasn't going to be just a one night thing and lucky for me, it has become a habit! I am so glad that I never let him "cry it out" because I simply couldn't deal with it. I guess I just had to let him decide when he was ready to be a big boy and sleep in his own bed all the way through the night!

Besides that, there isn't anything too new to post since I posted everything else in the last one.

We love our Mason and can't believe that we will be having his first birthday party in one month!!

No Longer A Little Baby...

Goodness...I love this boy.

I saw on Pinterest a good way to use old baby food. Throw it in an empty tub with a naked baby and let them play in it. Needless to say, Mason hated it. He didn't want to touch it or get anywhere near it so I gave up and washed it all down the drain. I filled up the tub and he was finally a happy baby again.

Lounging in the playpen with all of Grandma Jepson's stuffed animals.

This video takes, "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home..." to a whole new level!

(And this is Mason's newest trick)

He LOVES to play in water...yesterday he got to take a bath and two showers.

This is what our bed usually looks like...Mason sprawled out, sound asleep in the middle of OUR bed.

However, the last two nights Mason has put himself to sleep in his crib. Thankfully he loves his Avengers blanket and just snuggles down with it and falls asleep. I hope this is a turning point for us and means that he will learn to sleep in his bed...not ours.

*Side note: Tonight I laid Mason down in his bed after I had rocked him for a bit. He proceeded to stay awake in his crib for over thirty minutes, completely happy, until he leaned forward and zonked out.

Daddy's first Father's Day! I love these two!!

Brad's brother got married and Mason looked like a stud! I was proud of him because he didn't mess with his suspenders or his pinwheel the entire night!

Mason likes to stand up and walk along whatever he can. His favorite activities include:

Unrolling all the toilet paper, eating it and getting into the bathroom cupboards.

Climbing the entertainment center.

Walking over to the diaper bag and taking everything out, one by one.

Got Yogurt?

And another bath picture...because lately the majority of his days are spent in the tub.

10 Month Pictures

My friend Ashley was kind enough to take Mason's pictures and they turned out pretty cute!!

Those big blue eyes just kill me!

He LOVED sitting on the suitcase - he thought he was just so big.

 I told him to do his "Hulk Smash" and so he did. Seriously, what other ten month old baby knows what that means? 

My two favorite pictures!

Thanks again, Ashley Stilson!

Check her out here!