7 weeks

I am happy to report, Ryan has some chub going on.

He is doing great. He goes with the flow.
He stills sleeps a lot and anywhere.
He eats 7 times during the day and once during the night.

We are hoping to see a real smile soon.
He is definitely more alert and can focus better on his surroundings.

We just love him to pieces!

Jokester

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Joke Day.
Joke day who?
Today is joke day.

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Elephant.
Elephant who?
I am going to ride on an elephant tomorrow.
author: Owen Fogarty

Today, is joke day at school. Can you imagine, 17 other jokes as bad as this one? It's way much funnier listening to Owen laugh at himself tell the joke, than the joke itself. I wish I could be a fly on the wall.

I guess Beautiful is still on his mind.

The Best for Last

I really think our weekend could not have been more perfect. When Lissa and I planned this trip as a surprise for my mom, we had some hesitations (the trip was a surprise but she learned about it in April for her actual birthday).
I had vague memories of mom mentioning she'd like to go to Natural Bridge, but I wasn't totally sure. It seemed like a good choice with a variety of activities to please everyone. And it was. It was also a great travel distance for a baby who needs to eat so frequently.
The house we stayed in was nothing special, but it met our needs and was a comfy place to relax at the end of the day. It was nice to just be someplace where no one person was "hosting." We took turns cooking and cleaning up. We watched a movie one night.
The weather was much better than predicted. The rain came but usually we were in the car-perfect timing!
Ryan was a champ. He did great with all the hustle and bustle. The older 2 are still tired, but had a great time.
On Sunday before heading home, we went to the Lexington Zoo. It's definitely not a big or fancy zoo. They had the basics. Little did we know the highlight of the trip for our boys and Lissa and Alex would be an elephant named Beautiful.

I am so proud of Owen. He was very nervous.
After watching Alex and Lissa survive their ride he changed his mind.
Of course there was never a doubt in Mason's mind ;)

Faux Fishing

Earlier, I mentioned "faux" fishing. If you aren't familiar with that term (b/c I made it up) it is fishing without a hook and bait.
The house we rented for the weekend backed up to a river, we were are a narrow spot so it seemed more like a really large creek. The boys were really excited to use their rods (Mason got one for his birthday). EJ bought real hooks assuming they would do real fishing, but the boys didn't seem to care and the weather wasn't too cooperative, so they just faux fished. They had a great time.

Celebrating

I made ice cream cone cupcakes for Mason's birthday. I baked the cake mix in the cake cones. I don't recommend it. The cones turned out soggy. Fortunately I had regular cupcakes too.

Mason has awesome reactions when he opens gifts.
He would be great on a reality show with the surprise reveal.

A Very Full Weekend

Full of Family, Fun, Laughter, Beauty, Nature, Exercise, Delicious Food and New Experiences.

We spent the weekend with my parents, sister and brother-in-law in Lexington, VA. We stayed in a little 3 bedroom cabin on Buffalo Creek. The weekend was a gift to my mother for her birthday. While we were there we visited the Natural Bridge (which included a Native American Village, Toy Museum, Wax Museum), Natural Bridge Caverns and the Lexington Zoo. We also celebrated Mason's birthday and did a little faux fishing.

3 Years Old

1,2,3

I never realized how tricky it is to put up only 3 fingers.The sparkle in his eyes, and his infectious smile, continues to win the hearts of everyone he meets. Mason can light up a room in seconds. He is most commonly described as "fun." He is willing to try just about anything. He even laughs while he runs.

CAUTION: His emotions, moods and reactions can swing quickly.

If he wants something, he doesn't let much stand in his way.

He is one determined little guy.

He is very silly. Some call him "crazy". He loves to make faces, this is one our favorite.

Random, but it must be noted that Mason likes all "salty" meats: hot dogs, sausage, kielbasa, salami, bacon, etc. He refers to them as "meatdog." It has become a part of our family vocabulary. He almost always discards any kind of bun, just to get to the meat.

Bigger?

Almost everyday for the past several months Mason has asked if he is bigger. I can't imagine always wanting to fill the shoes of someone 3 years older. (sorry Sis, no wonder you are scarred for life). He has also been saying he'll use the potty when he is bigger. Let's just say he picks and chooses when he wants to be "bigger."

Happy 3rd Birthday, Mason!

He was literally shaking with excitement when he opened his present, a fishing rod.

The rest of the present opening will happen tomorrow night at the family b'day party.

Bubble Blast

A package arrived yesterday from Mim, EJ's mom. Inside was a birthday present for Mason (tomorrow he turns 3) and a baby gift from a friend of Mims. Mason could not stand the anticipation so he opened it. I tried getting a picture but the flash is not working on my camera (ugh!) and our house was too dark to get a good shot. Needless to say he loved the dinosaur floor puzzle. thanks Mim! He rocks at puzzles. He AND Owen worked on it together.
I will say the true excitement was over the packing peanuts and bubble wrap. To spare Ryan and myself I sent them outside. They had a blast. So, if you ever need a gift idea bubble wrap will do just fine :)

I am pretty sure Mason is throwing Owen an elbow.

This little one can hold his own.

More Birthday excitement to come!

Hard at Work

Ryan has been working hard to strengthen his neck and upper body muscles. His head control is getting noticeably better. His grandma the Occupational Therapist will be very happy next time she sees him ;)

Easy does it

AlmostAnd the head is lifted. Don't you love the wrinkled bald head?

Phew... 5 seconds and he is down.
Sucking on his arm is much more satisfying.

Ryan and Daddy

I haven't taken many pictures of Ryan with EJ or myself. The timing is hard to come by. Well, last night we had a few minutes of Ryan's awake time and we were sitting down together, so I got a few.

As you can see I didn't have much time :)

Boys Night Out

EJ and the boys went to a Flying Squirrels game Friday night with our friends Cary and Leah. They had great seats, a friend of Cary's had box seat tickets right behind home plate. Owen and Mason were very excited. Leah was kind enough to take all these pics.

Mason kept a close eye out for "Nutsy" the mascot.

I don't blame him one bit, I think he is scary too.Hiding from Nutsy

Mason and Leah

Can you tell how much Owen enjoys getting his picture taken?

Fun times! Cary and Leah, thanks for the invite.