Mason - International Man of Mystery

Day One

In which Mason begins his mission with a pleasant day of air travel, meets a relative, and sleeps in style!
The first leg of the trip went off without a hitch. After a brief check-in at SMF, our hero, Mason, mixed and mingled with the locals at Gate A 16, broke the hearts of all the single ladies, and showed off his bipedial skills with a five-step solo free-walk. As he entered the jetway, he turned back, one last time to give his fans a crisp wave.

On the plane, tethered to his special seat, Mason took a quick inventory of necessary items:


Blanket…check!
Teddy…check!


Boarding pass...check!


Once the plane was up, Mason settled in for some shuteye.


Fast forward to touchdown at Dallas International. Here, Mason enjoyed the sights and lights of the busy runway as we taxied to our gate.


Mason made his way to our hotel for the night. It was here that Mason met up with his long-lost aunt, Amber, for a nice, tender, meaty, juicy grilled cheese sandwich! MmmmMmmm!


Finally, tuckered out from his busy day of travel, Mason returned to his hotel, and, after a light dessert of spoons with ice cream, he settled into his fine, cotton sheets to mentally prepare for the next day, and believe me, he was going to need it!


…to be continued…

Don't Blow A Gasket!

I am not sure if it is just in his genes or if it is all the broccoli he eats, but Mason has taken to "Hulking" at the dinner table.


This little game is sure to entertain, but with all that clenching, I'm afraid of what is going on below.

Concepts of Print

Mason has recently found a love for reading. He has always enjoyed a good story or two before bedtime.


Now he is taking the books into his own hands quite literally.


He is also finding his reader's voice. In my professional teacher's opinion, he reads with great expression and fluency. I am sure that you will agree.

Greetings From Clogland

Mason recieved a postcard from Holland. It was from Grandpa. Grandpa is a world traveler just like Mason.


Mason loves mail. It is so nice to hear from family and friends.


and it is high in fiber.



Want some?

Grandma to Visit Sacramento: Some Say Hoax

Drunk on gin? No, drunk on grandma love! And it ain't no hoax, folkx, Grandma's in town. Well she was in town just a few weeks ago, and she made quite a splash...


with her coins in the fountain adjacent to the Tower Cafe.


Mason and Grandma shared a grand breakfast of fruit and fruit with a side of grapes. It was delish!
Grandma rocks!

10 MONTHS!

Eat your heart out Jeremy Piven!
10 MONTHS!
Okay, so we are about a month behind on this post, but whatever! We have a baby. What's your excuse for your lack of blogging (BTW, Chelsa, you rock! 2 kids, and prolific blogging. Kudos!)?
Alright, let's break it down for y'all.
10 months.

24lbs 5oz.

30.5 inches long.

19 inch head! Seriously!
That's a huge noggin!
98th percentile and stuff!

And a new book.

Done!

Piano Man?

We traveled to Los Angeles for a friend's baby shower (who, by the time of this post has already delivered her 7lb, 12oz baby girl). We also were able to see Jen's family while we were there (since we were staying with them. We tried to just hide out in their place and not be seen, but Mason's squeals of excitement gave us away. Babies. Sheesh!).

While on our visit, Uncle Chris broke out his keyboard, and after serenading the family with a saucy rendition of "The Final Countdown," he allowed Mason to have a go at the ivories (or in this case, the molded plastics).


My good friend, Ian would be proud of the intensity with which Mason attacked the little Casio. Look out, Chopin!



Towards the end of Mason's performance, he noticed that one key was just not up to par with the rest of them. So he removed it. Who needs C# anyway. The key of D major is highly overrated. Besides, I think we all prefer mixolydian modes! Am I right?



And though Mason was excited about the piano, his final verdict was one that so many of us realize in the end...


Guitar is so much cooler!

Tub Toy!

Mason loves his new tub toy. It has arms and legs, just like him. It has a nose and a bebo, just like him. It has eyes, ears, mouth and hair, just like him. His new tub toy loves the bath, just like him. He splashes it. He squeals at it. He slaps it lovingly. Yes, Mason is just enamoured by his new tub toy, but I am not sure his new tub toy is as excited to share the tub with such a wild, young boy.


Are you, Rylan?

Mugshot

Mason has cut his teeth traveling all over the western states. Now it is time for him to take on some serious travel. Last time Jen and I traveled to Costa Rica we didn't have a son, we didn't have a completed roof over our house, and we didn't need passports. Well, with the dawn of the new, more strict, more cumbersome (due to the spawn), more tedious (due to TSA), and only somewhat more secure air travel, we are now required to provide passport ID for our family vacation scheduled for November. Mason is no exception and needed a passport of his own. While both Jen and I selected our passport photos based on good lighting, a perfect smile, and well placed hair, we selected Mason's photo based on goofyness.


Look out Costa Rica...Here comes Mason.

Endless Summer? Don't I Wish!

Summer break. For us it has always been a time of relaxing, traveling, visiting family, and creating the annual project list. This summer had its unique qualities. Many indoor projects were completed so it was onto the outdoor stuff, decisions were made on new fencing and orders were placed, two more trips were added to the annual Idaho roadtrip, and of course, our little Mason was here to join in all the fun. The phrase, "Time flies when you are having fun", was created for a reason and suddenly we are back at school 2 weeks underway to be exact and wishing we had a bit more summer to finish up some loose ends. The triple digit heat sure feels like it is summer. In fact it does bring back the bitter/sweet memories of roofing back in '04. Wait, I think that was just bitter and hot. Anyway, we have a few photos to share that show our work in progress. Josh was hard at work in between trips to build our new front porch. It is almost complete and sealed for the rainy season to come.



And this endless summer post wouldn't be complete without a Mason Montage.

Here's to a summer of great food,

many laughs,

big smiles,

and SEXY TIME!

Who turned up the heat?

Well as far as Sacramento summers go, I must say this one has treated us quite well. We had many a mild days this summer. So mild, that a couple were even a bit on the chilly side, hence the outfit Mason is sportin' in these photos. As we have gone back to school these past couple of weeks, it is back to the blistering heat of summer. No cable knit needed.


I know I have been slacking on the blogging...it is hard to find time while chasing my little mobile one around these days.


He is constantly on the move, and more than willing to show us where all the "non-child proofed items" are around the living room. He particularly loves to crawl over to Josh's guitar and play us a tune (or one might describe it more accurately: pound out a tune).


This week his biggest display of bravery and strength is trying to stand on his own. I have yet to capture it on film, being that it is just for a few wobbly seconds, yet it is definitely there. He'll climb up to a stand and then let go. We find ourselves not realizing he's doing it at times. Then we notice and he catches himself.


Look out "Little Plastic Castle", soon he'll be on the loose and off and running. That PVC gate won't be able to hold him back for long.

Rock Stars!

A visit from "the fam" the other night brought about an impromptu show. Josh busted out the guitar and the partying began.

We had the dancing, singing, hippie-tie-dye wearing concert goers,



the exhibitionist/streaker,



and the young rock stars in-training!


Rock On!

Rewind

So the 6 month mark passed us by in the blogging world. Let me rewind a bit for you loyal fans and share with you Mason's big check up.

He had his big weigh in:



Then on to the length measuring pad:





After that, he got his first book from Kaiser which he proceded to inspect orally, of course:



Finally, play time on the crinkly paper while waiting for the doctor:



All in a day's work.

(To sum up: 19 lbs 11 oz, 27 3/4 inches long, new book Baby 123, which he loves, and crinkly paper is a cheap way to entertain!)