Happy 21st Birthday Mason!

It's been almost 1 full year since my last post to the blog.  I almost forget how to!  Hopefully it's like riding a bike.

Happy Happy Birthday to Mason Paul - the big 21!!  

He continues to grow into a young man that would make any parents proud. He finished up his Junior year at Capital University this spring.  Hard to believe!! We love you Mason!

The 2014 Wrap Up

Way overdue wrapping up the year of 2014!  My last post was early November after one of Silas' soccer tournaments.  Since then, soccer lead to the holidays, the holidays flew by and now it's 2015!

So...November...
Ella had her first 6th grade social.   This is her "Stop! In the Name of Love" move.  I think I mentioned before but she is REALLY loving 6th grade!  She gets herself up at 5:50AM, makes her breakfast and gets me up to pop her contacts in and walk her to the bus stop. The extra 30 minutes of sleep does wonders for me :)

Justin's old white truck finally (pretty much) bit the dust.  It still drove like a champ but the radiator spewed fumes into the cab and there was no heat...it would cost more to fix than the truck was worth. So...it got donated and Justin got a new old truck!

He loves the cap and he loves having heat again!

I went on 2 works trips in Nov/Dec. - One to Tucson and one to Boston.  Both were pretty quick trips and I would have loved to have spent more time in Tucson taking some pictures!

I still never tire of taking picture of sleeping kids. This boy has to have the book yanked out of his hand every night - he's re-reading the Harry Potter series now and on book 3 or 4 again.

We got a beautiful November snow - perfect, beautiful, fluffy snow.  I took a walk on the Mudsock Trail and it was gorgeous.

We hosted Thanksgiving again this year - which we love to do.

I love having my family all together.

And lots of cousin love!

and some sister love too :)

Thanksgiving was late so Christmas came early...

We had Santa come for a little visit too (even though there were MANY moments that he has marked them in his naughty book this year).

Felix (aka Buddy) came back for a visit. Not sure how many years it's been now but it gets more complicated each year! His friend, Gino, now hangs out with him and they roam...around the house.  Usually around 4am or so. But sometimes they are just too damn tired to move. Or respond to the notes that Silas leaves for them.

We had a wonderful family Christmas party at Greg and Tracy's - and we celebrated Dad's 80th Birthday!!!!

So blessed to have parents that are happy, healthy and wonderful :)

And then it was Christmas! I tend to be the first one up now on Christmas - though I fall back asleep until Ella (who is generally the first one to wake up and then wants to get everyone up). Another year with all 3 at home which I'm thankful for.

Justin did surprise me with a little Happy Birthday party.  That was nice even though I was in pj's and hadn't showered - but then again so were a few of the attendees!

And it's never boring after Christmas either - we get to celebrate Silas James' 9th birthday!  He really wanted to go ice skating this year on his birthday...so we did.  And it was painful!!

Two hours doesn't seem like that much time but strap some ice skates on your feet and it can seem like an eternity! I cried uncle quite a few times.  

And we did have some cake and ice cream for the 9 year old (even if it was my leftover cake). He'll get a party and a real cake...maybe in FEBRUARY?

Ella edited this fantastic photo of Silas in his new Superman pj's. I love it!

He was laying on our couch in the family room and then she did the cloud edit.  So cool!

And then it was time to ring in the New Year - it was spent at some different neighbors (because of the OSU game on New Year's Day!) and then at home with the kids after 10pm.  It was nice and relaxing and felt like the perfect way to start 2015!

Happy New Year!  I feel like this one is going to be GRAND!

Lordy Lordy...That Whole 40 Thing

We are gathered here today...to celebrate...another birthday.  Seems that birthdays and holidays are all we get now on this here blog.  Boo.  Life sucks when you have to work and take care of kids all day and cook, do laundry and clean, then more work and don't have time to blog...(kidding...ish)

We had the pleasure of ringing in a new decade for my wonderful husband this past week! 

The BIG 4.0. !!

He picked one of his favorite things...hanging out in Hocking Hills.  And it was a perfectly wonderful weekend.  A HUGE thanks for mom, dad and Margie for taking care of my kids, especially since Silas had the flu and was sick.  Probably made him easier to handle though.

And a HUGE thanks to a few friends that made time in their crazy schedules, got sitters for their own kids and battled their own sicknesses to make it for the weekend!

 This cabin was a first for us and we were greeted by a lovely, long driveway that would be hell to get up an ice/snow storm.

And a gorgeous front porch with all these rocking chairs on it.  It was WAY too cold to sit  in them but they looked lovely!

 Had I been sitting in the rocking chairs, I would have enjoyed all of this very nice sunset.  Since it was 20 degrees, I took a step out the front door, snapped this picture and ran back inside.

A hike on Saturday for some (I may have been napping)...Rock Stull, our favorite hiking spot, with some frozen falls.

Followed by a healthy fire, with snow falling all around.  Cold but fun! (and Lee learning to whistle with an acorn :)

and some hot tubbing with Bloody Mary's.

And then MORE fun when we decorated the cabin while Justin was out by the fire after dinner.

And sang the Happy Birthday song...and ate some DELISH carrot cake (thanks to Beth!!)

 Carrot cake is Justin's absolute favorite cake on the planet.  He was a very happy camper!

 

And then, suddenly, it was Sunday and time to pack up and come  home.

The time with friends and celebrating goes WAY too fast. 

So happy that we had the time to share it with my husband and our friends.

(And thanks again to YOU who watched the kids and held down the forts while we were gone!)

Happy Birthday Mason!

Our first baby is 17 today!!! Old enough to see an R rated movie without an adult. Old enough to take the car to the midnight showing of Spiderman (which is what he did last night).

There is no doubt that I miss...

this baby face.  The thumb sucking that took until 7? to break (actually, probably longer...)

...the crazy mashed potato tousled haired kid.

...those chubby dimpled cheeks.

...his belief that he really WAS Batman!

...that huge goofy grin (thank God those teeth evened out!)

...pirate Mason and his pirate cousins.

I miss those days and wish I could flashback and remember them all in more detail.

But more than I miss the boy, I love this young man...

...this teenager who still loves to hang out with his pap-pa and cousins

...who is very often annoyed by his younger brother and sister (but also finds it difficult to not be amused by them and their silliness)

...this handsome, smart guy that is growing into his own.  Every, every day he makes us so proud.


In the blink of an eye - ever so true!

Happy Birthday Mason!  We love you!

Silas James - The Birthday Boy!

"Even when freshly washed and relieved of all obvious confections, children tend to be sticky."

Man, isn't that the truth!  Silas James is one of the messiest, stickiest kids I've ever known :)  Especially after licking the spatula with his chocolate birthday cake icing.  On December 26th my baby boy was 6!  SIX!  It really doesn't seem possible.  After all day on Christmas of unwrapping gifts, eating junk, playing with new toys, it's like the movie Groundhog Day - we get up and do it all over again for Silas.  First thing when his eyes popped open, he was all excited and said I'M 6!! I'm 6!! And I blinked my eyes and held back tears because I want to keep him my baby forever.

He is one ornery kid - he loves to tease, torment, poke and push every button - at home.
He's the complete opposite at school and around most others - super quiet, whispers when talking - I'm sometimes not sure if he's being shy or just cautious. Maybe a little of both.

He is a very, very smart kid.  Mrs. Sherwood has said she is amazed by this math abilities - he gets it.
He is a funny kid - he really has a good sense of humor (though he is still learning to laugh at himself!)
He is a kid that loves to learn.  He always wants to read books, ask questions and now, since he's started kindergarten, he loves to draw, color, paint, do mazes.  I love to see this side of him develop!

He's a junkie:  Wii, candy, DS, candy, movies, candy.  He's got a serious sweet tooth that is hard to derail!

He also is a master gift unwrapper - he looks like Fists of Fury unwrapping below!

Even though he's getting to be a very big boy, I'm lucky because he still likes to snuggle. When he has a hard time falling asleep, he still lets me rock him.  When he falls down and hurts himself (which is often!), he'll still let me kiss it and make it all better.  He's still my baby - my Smiley Siley.  I love you sweet boy.

Mom-ma

Today would have been Mom-ma's 92nd birthday! She died in 1996 but 15 years later I still miss her sense of humor and remember how smooth and soft her skin was when I'd kiss her good-bye.

Mom-ma in her moo-moo :)

We love and miss you!