Like father, like son

The other day the three of us were downstairs playing when Mason asked to watch a train movie. Have I mentioned lately how obsessed this kid is with trains? Well, now that he's seen a couple of train movies his obsession has been raised to absolutely obscene levels. We don't let him watch much, if any, television, so these movies are a huge treat to him. Anyway, we put one on and curl up on the couch to watch it. I look over and get a little smile at my two boys sitting together to sweetly, and remember just how much alike they are, both in appearance and demeanor. 

Then I laugh even more when I see just how alike they really are. Mason has always crossed his feet when he sits. He has been doing it since he was a tiny baby, just like his dad. This day I realized that they both cross their feet the same direction. How cute is that?

Terrific Two!

Ok, I know, it's normally the "terrible twos", which some days is definitely more accurate, but today I feel like celebrating all that is terrific about Mason being two. He is such an amazing little boy, and every day I feel so incredibly lucky and blessed to have him in my life. He is going to be quite a character as he gets older, I can already tell he has such a personality and fun sense of humor. I'm eternally thankful that he is (generally) healthy, and hope to never take this for granted. He is kind and sweet, but definitely all boy!

It's crazy to think that it has already been two years. Time really does fly by (although, to be honest, there are days now and then that one day can feel like two years). It seems so cliche, but it is so true! Everyone told be how fast it would go, but now I really know for myself. It honestly feels like yesterday that I was pregnant and counting down the days until my c-section, when I would finally meet Mason. What an awesome day. I thought my heart would burst I loved him so much, and that feeling has only grown since then. (Click on the links to see me super preggo and also pics of Mason's grand entrance)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Mason! I am so amazed and awed by you every day, and I am so thankful that you were brought into my life. If you were the only thing I had to call my own, I would be, by far, the richest person in the world!

 In the car he is now very aware of everyone having their seat belt on. And now, as you can see, his friends have to wear their seat belt as well.

Dr. McCutie here, getting ready to listen to his thump thump. Having asthma has to have some perks, right? Lucky for us he still thinks the stethoscope is cool.

Open Bed

A few days ago Todd and I decided to be brave and take the tall rail off the side of Mason's crib. He hasn't decided to climb out of the crib, but I know that day is totally coming. So, to try to avoid injury, we decided to move toward a toddler bed. This scares the crap out of both Todd and myself. Mason has always been so incredibly easy to put to bed, we have been SOOOOOOOOOOO lucky with this! Our fear is that once he isn't contained in his crib this will be over, at least for a period of adjustment.

Anyhow, I ventured to Babies R Us and picked up a side rail to put on the crib. This allows Mason to get in and out on his own (EEK) but keeps him from actually rolling out of bed in the middle of the night.

So far, knock on wood, it's been going really good. He is super excited that his bed is "open", although the first night he did ask Todd to close it and we had to explain that it doesn't close any more. My little man is growing up!

Here's what his crib looks like now. It's kind of hard to explain what it looks like now.

I almost forgot

The other fun thing Todd and I did last weekend was go to the Firefighter's Ball. It had been quite a few years since we have gone, and I was super excited to hear that this year was a "formal/semi-formal" year. (It alternates between a "theme" year and a "dress up" year. It should be no surprise to anyone that knows me that I'm not as big a fan of the "theme" years).

The drama that unfolded that morning was poor timing to say the least. All I'm going to say about the Mark Hall incident is that I hope people are able to remember that the poor decisions/actions of one do not always accurately reflect the masses. It's unfortunate for the men and women of AFD that this is how the public now perceives them. Ugh. That morning I also had my Tysabri infusion, so my face was a little flushed and my tummy was a little upset. After 6 months of this stuff, though, I am getting used to it.

We had dinner at Crush. It was the second time I'd been, and Todd's first. SO GOOD! Definitely one of my favorite new places in Anchorage.

Anyway, here we are at the ball. I had a lot of fun, and I think Todd did, too. I drank a little too much, but I figure it evens out since Todd doesn't drink at all. I even got Todd out on the dance floor a little! Crazy!

And here are my awesome shoes. They pinched my feet a little after a while...but they sure were hot!

A Match Made in Hair Heaven

Saturday, Todd and I went to another Anchorage Symphony concert. This one was titled "Story Time" and I was really looking forward to the "line up" for the night, and of course to see Randy's fantabulous hair.

The first half of the concert went by so quickly! They started with the William Tell Overture. While I admit, it's hard to hear this without thinking of either Warner Bros cartoons or that woman singing her own Mom version of it, the ASO did great. And, seriously, Randy's hair was MADE for this piece! I did notice it looked like he had gotten a haircut since the last concert, though, so it wasn't quite as poufy as usual...but beggars can't be choosers, right?

Next up was Debussy, which was beautiful, but the piece that really trumped all others was the Suite from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Wow. I was really looking forward to this, and the ASO did not disappoint! It really makes me want to go back, re-read the entire series, re-watch all the movies, and then head to the theater ASAP to see the latest Potter movie. Bravo!

Now, as for the second half of the concert....Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream is one of my top 10, for sure, and I was excited for the women's choir to be joining the symphony, but the switching back and forth between the music and the acting just really didn't do it for me. And, to be honest, I noticed a lot of people checking their programs and shifting in their seats. Also, on the walk to the parking garage after, it was a topic of many discussions. Most people weren't totally against it, but almost everyone commented that it was "different".

All in all, it was another great night. Thanks to Mariah's Mama for putting in a good word to turn the heat down (it was so nice, a lot more comfortable). And, hey, 2 hours to stare at Randy's feathered locks? A girl can't complain about that.

A Mother's Journey

This is one of the most heart wrenching things I've seen in a long time. I am so thankful every day that Mason is a happy, healthy boy. I looked at these photos for a long time today and just cried. I know it's depressing, but I felt like it was important to share.

A Mother’s Journey

I can do anything good

I LOVE this little girl! I have watched this video so many times and it always makes me smile. How great would it be to start every morning like this?