The Beginning of Fall

Sometimes, the weather on Oregon fall days is stunningly gorgeous. We didn't have many of those kind of days last fall, so I'm appreciating and enjoying them even more this year.

Mason fell in love with picnics over the summer. Our picnics usually consisted of pulling his little table into either the front or back yard for lunch. He still asks for a picnic every sunny day.

Alan doesn't watch a ton of football because he's too busy in the fall, but Mason saw enough to learn that he likes it! He loves to "play football" in the backyard with anyone who is willing.

Kiki loves to be outside too. She discovered that she can jump onto the top of the fence from the trampoline and our grill though, so we've had to limit her outdoor time. Maybe I just need to get her a collar and let her go. Maybe her survival skills will surprise me. I feel bad keeping her cooped up all of the time.

I love the way the garden looks all wild and overgrown at the end of the summer.

Another robot!

What is Spencer doing?!

Mason was really excited to help me decorate for Halloween this year. Holidays are so fun with three-year-olds! (I've been taking an on-line photography class and have been trying to take more pictures at home than I normally do to practice.)

Edy Ridge always holds their Fun Run in early fall. Spencer was REALLY excited to try to beat his record of 11 laps in about 25 minutes. Mason was excited to give the wolf a hug. Both of their wishes came true - Spencer finished 12 laps and Mason got some love from the wolf!

4th graders get to wear cool headbands!

It's pretty awesome that Spencer's Dad and Grandpa get to time the race!

Big boxes in the garage provide lots of entertainment.

I love the color my hydrangeas turn in the fall!

Mason always tells me that he is "a really big boy now" and likes to help me do jobs. Sometimes. He was super proud to empty the silverware basket one morning. It took him about 15 minutes. ;)

 "Autumn ... the year's last, loveliest smile."  -William Cullen Bryant

Mommy School

Since Mason has a September birthday, he still has three full years until he will start kindergarten. I'd like to do a co-op preschool with him for a year or two like I did with Spencer, but not this year. This year we're doing Mommy School. Mason loves having his own school like Spencer even though his attention only lasts for 10-15 minutes. :) Thanks to Alan's cousin Lindsy and her awesome blog for making my planning so easy! I spend a few minutes looking for books and ideas on there each week, sometimes pick up a few craft supplies, and that's it. We focus on one letter each week.

I usually don't take pictures, but here are a few of things we've done so far:

We painted with water colors for our first day. Mason was REALLY excited to try it and had a lot of fun. He painted a "dragon" and a "mountain" that day.

We did another water color project because he loved them so much. I forgot to take a picture of the finished project, but it looked pretty cool once the paint dried and we peeled off the painter's tape.

We had a pumpkin hunt on the day I got out the Halloween decorations. Mason loved finding the foam pumpkins after I hid them around the living room.

This googly eye slime bag was a big hit! Mason played with it for several days until the bag got a hole in it. We'll have to do that one again.

This has been a good way to discover lots of new books and to spend some structured time together most days. Mason's attention doesn't last long, but it's fun while it lasts!

3-Year-Old Mason

Our Mason is one huge bundle of personality and energy squeezed into a small body! He is so curious and is constantly on the move and is constantly asking me questions about everything he thinks about. His vocabulary and other language skills are excellent and Alan and I often catch each other's eyes to smile or laugh about something he has said.

Loves: trucks (especially construction vehicles), playing outside, playing with Spencer or Daddy, watching movies (Paw Patrol and Daniel Tiger are his favorites), listening to stories, The Scripture Scouts cds we listen to in the car, Nephi, any kind of bread, any kind of treat, waffles on Sunday mornings, Kiki, nursery at church, going to the library.

Dislikes: most vegetables, eating his dinner, getting hair cuts, getting his hair brushed, playing by himself, long shopping trips, holding my hand while we're walking somewhere.

Mason had a big growth spurt this year and is now tall just like his big brother. He is in the 88th percentile for height and the 74th for weight. He is very healthy and thankfully does not have Spencer's affinity for ear infections.  ;)

Mason is still an excellent sleeper. He takes a two-hour nap each afternoon and sleeps from about 8:00 pm - 7:30 am. He is still in a crib and I have no intention of moving him to a toddler bed until he forces me too by climbing out of his crib. I can't imagine him actually staying in his bed if it wasn't a cage. I'll keep the good sleeping as long as possible!

Mason't isn't very interested in potty training yet. He sits on his little potty every night before bed, but refuses to use it any other time of the day. The Paw Patrol underwear at Target were pretty tempting though. We'll probably give it a try once all of the nice fall weather is over and we're stuck inside all day.

Right now, Mason is really into pretending - something Spencer never did care about. He's always pretending to be a superhero, a scripture hero, a truck, an animal, etc. He likes to dress up and comes up with new ideas for his Halloween costume everyday. He is super set on being Nephi though and always goes back to that when I remind him about it. I'd much prefer Nephi over a ninja or Spiderman! Mason has the natural boy tendency for fighting so I try to steer him away from that as much as possible. :)

I love that Mason is almost always happy. He is just full of joy! It's hard to be sad for very long when you're around him. He finds such great joy in the simplest things that it reminds me how wonderful life really is whenever I'm having a hard day. We love him so much and tell him how grateful we are that he came to our family all of the time.

Mason turns 3!

Mason turned three-years-old on September 11th! We had a family dinner with Darwin and Debbie the day before. It was a beautiful evening so we ate outside, but the bees were so aggressive that I regretted that decision a little. We had Hawaiian haystacks because they are one of the few dinners Mason likes these days. :)

After dinner, Spencer and Grandma played their usual Sunday game of Trouble while Mason dug played in the dirt with a little digger truck that didn't fit on his cake. He loves all things trucks right now and was thrilled when I suggested a construction birthday cake. It was easy and I think it turned out cute. Mason was also thrilled at the digger truck his Grandparents got him.

Mason got to have his favorite breakfast (waffles) on his actual birthday. Then we spent a slow morning at home. He got to watch a movie while I got ready for the day and then we hunted for bugs in the backyard.

We went to a park for a picnic at lunch time. Alan met us there and we had fun playing on the playground and walking on the trails. This is the only picture I got though.

Mason got to open the rest of his presents after Spencer and Alan were home in the evening. Spencer picked out these two Paw Patrol pups for him. Paw Patrol is probably Mason's favorite show.

Alan and I got him a balance bike since he is always wanting to ride a bike like the big kids. 

Kiki loved playing in the packets of sealed air that came in the boxes.

Grandma and Grandpa LeFevre got Mason a lawnmower and he absolutely loves it! It's just too bad that we're starting into the rainy ten months of the year now.

Mason brings so much joy and laughter to our family and we love him to pieces! More on him in the next post...