Fall Update 2009...

Sorry to have missed the October post. We will make up for it by posting lots of pictures! Today we are celebrating Daddy's 32nd Birthday! Mason and I made a Strawberry Pop Cake for him that we will enjoy this evening. As for other celebrations....

We will be celebrating an early Thanksgiving/Christmas next week on the Wilkens side. Granny and Papa are looking forward to a house full of company and having holidays at "The Farm" this year. Now, after several days of having 10 grandkids (4 of which are under 2 1/2 yrs.) we will see if they volunteer again next year (keeping in mind they will be up to 12 grandkids by then)!

We found out on October 16th that Mason is going to have a little sister! Mason and Daddy were just certain it was a boy (or according to Mason, a "brother")! I had a "gut" feeling from the beginning that it would be a little girl. Her expected date of arrival is Feb 27th, 2009 (up to 2 weeks early is fine w/ Mommy)! We are planning to name her Taegan Kae.

Mason is growing into quite the little man. He is very busy and is literally talking more and more each day. His favorite play activities are play dough (or "dough play" as he calls it), anything that involves a ball or bat and jumping on his mini trampoline. Movies he could watch over and over are Shrek, The Bee Movie, Madagascar and Alvin & The Chipmunk's (we pretty much have these memorized line for line)!

Playing Poker with the boys...

Baby Bump at 16 weeks

Mason at the farm- Sept 2009 Mason and Daddy at the farm
Cuteness!
Mason and his "Buddy" Conner
Baby Bump at 20 weeks
Mason relaxing in the baby papasan chair
Baby Bump on sono day...21 wks
Mason- Oct 2009
Little genius...figuring out how to carry several balls at once!
Halloween 2009


Happy 32nd Birthday Matt!

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.
~ Luke 6:38, NLT

Summer 2009

Summer is winding down and I have been way behind on posts, so I thought I would share a bunch of pictures from Summer 2009 as a recap. A couple of quick updates: *We have a due date of Feb 27th, I am 15 wks and 2 days along. *Our good friends, the Cogswell's, will be leaving in just 2 wks to travel to Taiwan to bring home their daughter Chloe. *The Wilkens side of the family will be getting not just 1, but 2 new grandkids in 2010. No, not twins!! Our little one in Feb. and Lee and Ande are expecting again in April.

What we caught Mason doing just last night...

Don't worry, it's a totally new and unused potty!

Labor Day Weekend 2009

Mason and Cousin D at the Lake

Cute lil' monkey backpack

Labor Day Weekend at Papa & Nana's

"Bear" enjoyed the weekend too...

Isn't this picture a scream!!??

A day at Lakeside August 2009

At home this summer...

Trip to Colorado- Summer 2009

Watching Daddy at Nationals in Colorado Springs

Mason and Daddy- Seven Falls

Visit to the North Pole

Mason's 2nd birthday!

Mason and Papa Jim
Mason and Granny Marletta

4th of July...Mason and Cousin D

Lake June 2009

Of course, we couldn't leave "Bear" behind

Going "fast" in Papa Jim's boat...

Nana with her grandsons!

Behold, children are a heritage of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.

Psalm 127:3

Desperately Due For An Update!!

I am sooo far behind and have sooo many pictures to share. This post will be brief, but I will share more when I have a little more time. Mason turned "2" on July 5th and we celebrated the day at home with family and friends! At his 2 year check up he weighed 27 1/2# and was 33 1/2" tall. He's just a little guy but full of BIG energy and a HUGE personality.

Speaking of "Due" we have a little family announcement. I am completely unexpectedly EXPECTING!! It didn't take long for the hormones to kick in and get the nausea fired up....so that is my excuse for the lack of updates. I have been "blessed" with pretty much 24/7 nausea and shear exhaustion. We are still a little shocked, thankful and excited. Mason is going to be a big brother!!

A sneak peek at our Family/Mason's 2 Year pictures...

Photography by Callie MacDonald/Chickenhead Studios

Mason hangin' at his favorite spot....the ballfield!

Mason sportin' his swimming gear!

Like father, like son....

You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.
~ Psalm 92:4, NLT

Father's Day Weekend & Misc Photos

Horrible pic of Mommy, but cute one of Mason

After a VERY long afternoon at the pool...

Playin' in the pool at home...

Carrying softballs to the pool...

Watching the W-Day parade with D

Mason and Cousin D playing in Papa Jim's boat

Mason and Papa Jim

Mason and Daddy- Father's Day 2009

Headin' To Church....

Mason LOVES salsa!

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.
~ Lamentations 3:23, NLT

Summer Fun!

I am actually doing it.....a monthly post before the very last day of the month! Mason is now sleeping in a toddler bed (well, the crib with the front rail removed). He decided to start crawling out (and then back in) the crib on his own. We feared bruises and broken bones, so we had to do something different.

For the most part Mason sleeps through the night. HOWEVER, he is an early bird!! It doesn't matter how early or late this kid goes to bed....it is a miracle if we get him to sleep until 6am. He is usually awake for the first time by 4:30 am or 5 am, but we tell him "Mason, it's night-night, go back to sleep". We then hope and pray he falls back asleep until at least 6 am. His bedtime is 8 pm, but even if he's up later it has zero influence on his awake time.

Nana Jeanette and I took Mason and cousin Dawson to a Day Out With Thomas yesterday. I must say, the events of the day are still fresh in my mind. Beautiful day and thankful for the time with family. BUT, let's just put it this way..... If you were there and noticed a precious little boy using the bubble wand as a bat, throwing a FIT when he had to leave the bounce house and slide, sitting in time-out next to a tree behind the bounce house and then another time-out in one of the Johnny On The Spot's (yuck by the way) and then the grand finale.....a MAJOR breath hold under the tent while waiting on Thomas' arrival......it wasn't Mason. Ok, it might have been Mason. ;o)

Riding the train....status post breath hold

Sharing his water with the Llama....
Petting the goats....Mason LOVED the bounce house...Climbing up to go down the slide..... Big D "trying" to take charge of Mason.... Big D, Mommy and MasonMason's Thomas Hat from his Cogswell buddies Big D and Mason.... Mason and Big D ready for take off....Mason and his baseball glove....

Playing in Mommy's shoes....

Nap Time!

Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
~ Romans 12:16

So, it's been awhile....

Hello! Our family is well, just busy. I am way overdue in posting an update. I somehow managed to end up with a completely bum memory card....which means all the hundreds of pictures on it (going back to Halloween) are lost. I had planned to try a recovery program to see if I could restore some of the images, BUT now I can't even find the memory card. I am so disappointed because there were alot of pictures I had planned to share...including Easter pictures. Anywho...I have a new memory card but so far only a few pictures to share.

Mason is doing super. He continues to be a very busy little boy. In Mason's eyes just about any object can be used as a "bat" to hit a "ball". Seriously, we have witnessed him holding a string cheese stick and pickle spear as he proudly says "bat". He is really picking up words and imitates EVERYTHING we do. Mason is an outdoor boy for sure, he can entertain himself for hours outside and is typically not a happy camper when it's time to go inside. He will be 23 months old on June 5th.

Our family is looking forward to the summer....ballgames, some pool time and hopefully a visit to the lake and back to the farm (and of course more projects around the house). We are already brainstorming for Mason's 2nd birthday party. We also continue to look forward to and pray for the pending adoption of our friends precious Chloe in Taiwan and the arrival of the Molleker's little Julia Grace. Another goal for summer is applying for Mason's COC. Anyone out there that has done this recently, I would appreciate any advice or tips you may have.

Swing batter, batter!Using his cheese stick as a bat...
The Cheesy Grin is still in!

Decorating cupcakes w/ Nana and Big D
Mason and Daddy at the Circus
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful" - Psalm 139:14

April Showers...and sleet...and snow!!

Our family has been busy settling into our new home. Still some unpacking and organizing...and lots of updating to do. Mason has adjusted just fine to his new room. We can't wait for warmer weather to arrive so we can get outside and enjoy our HUGE yard!

Mason has started saying several new words and still uses his basic signs. He said "NO" for the first time last week. I am actually surprised it wasn't one of his first words. He is obsessed with baseballs, basketballs and bats...makes his Daddy so proud!

Obviously the blog is still public, making it private is just one of the many tasks on my "to do list". I am keeping this short- I have a 21 month old in my lap that has super busy hands! Have a Happy Easter!

The Cheesy Grin...
This grin is very popular these days...
here it is again....

Still a thumb sucker...a battle I am dreading!

Mason loves to play "hide"!
Mr. Stinky Pants

Since God chose you to be the holy people whom He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
~ Colossians 3:12