Joining in the LEGO Mania

We are in full blown LEGO mania in this house and planning our party. Even Bryson is joining in on the craze!

Watch Your Step

We had a hard time going up and down the stairs the other day. We also had to be really quiet because all of Ellery's babies were asleep on the stairs!

It also isn't that uncommon to be told to be quiet from our teacher when playing school aka Ellery! Sometimes I get to be the line leader, but that job usually goes to Mason!

Super Hero Time Out

Mason and Ellery put these guys in time out for biting and hitting. Robin got pulled into doing bad things with the wrong group of people.

I was also informed by Mason that I can get rid of hit Batman toys. He said he is done playing with them and only wants legos now. Yet, I still find him playing with them.

He has a few friends who are really into Star Wars, and I think he wants to be into Star Wars with them, but doesn't really understand what it is yet. He SW friends aren't fans of Batman.

Super Hero Sitting

Mason has recently hit a Batman phase. It all started with Santa bringing him the Batcave. He has yet to actually see a cartoon or any Batman related items on TV, until he spotted a commercial with a Batman lego creation. He is now requesting that toy. Oh the joys of TV, it was only a matter of time for advertisements to lure him in.

It has been warming up here and I can hardly keep the kids inside. We do have a great yard for the kids, and the house is set up really nice for me to watch them from inside. We have tons of windows in our kitchen and we call it the "fishbowl". As I approached the "fishbowl" to check on our children I am greeted by these fine babysitters. Mason and Ellery set them up on the windowsill so they could watch them jump!

Scalped by Thomas the Train

We had a little mishap with a Thomas the Train today. I was on the phone with Rob when Ellery starts crying, I went to investigate why and my investigation didn't last long. Thomas the Train "Lady" isn't very lady like and pulls hair. These are battery operated trains and the kids turned them on and were rolling them over their bodies and Ellery rolled hers right into her hair. I didn't have to cut but 5 stands to get it lose, Lady scalped her. I think I would cry too! Nana bought these for the kids a few months ago and then we discovered we could put batteries in them so the kids were even more excited over them. I am not so sure that Ellery will be thanking Nana again anytime soon for these. I am also sure Nana didn't intend for them to use them this way. Maybe we should write into the toy company so they can change the wording on the package for intended uses. Do not roll on body and into hair when operating. It would be hysterical. They could use this fine picture as a reference.

Lincoln Logs

Happy Presidents Day. We might not have played with the Lincoln Logs on the actual day, but we did build a nice big fort before anyone had the urge to knock it down.

Meet Buzz Lightyear

A friend of mine told me about these Buzz Lightyear PJ's, thank you so much Michelle. I had intended for Santa to bring them, but could only find a 4t and out of fear they wouldn't fit, I brought them home after a shopping spree. Mason was beyond thrilled. Toy Story has had quite the impact on him. I showed him my new purchase and he requested to wear them right then and then asked if he could wear them out to a function that evening. I was a mean mom and told him no on wearing them out to a function. Needless to say, he asks to wear them every night and if I do laundry his wish is usually granted. They bring hours of entertainment to Mason and to us. I catch him jumping off of the couch, bed, from the couch to a chair, etc. He pushes the big red button to make his wings pop out and if you push one of the three smaller buttons he gives you quotes from Buzz. I have also been told not to touch his buttons because they are dangerous. It doesn't come with a laser button on the arm, but no worries Mason uses him imagination and points his laser at you. If you have seen Toy Story you will see his actions mirror Buzz, I wish everyone a Space Ranger who can't fly, but falls with style like Mason.

Worth Every Penny

The trampoline had been worth every penny. We are still going strong and jumping on it everyday. Ellery isn't as big a fan as Mason, but she does jump sometimes. Part of the reason might be due to the fact she is the only one Mason can double bounce. Mason is learning new tricks and getting more coordinated and controlled. He finally figured out he can jump and land on his bottom and then pop back up by putting his feet beneath him and keep going.

Trampoline

Yesterday was the first day we didn't jump on the trampoline. It wasn't because we didn't have the intention to jump, time just ran out on us. We are still going strong and Mason loves to play his version of crack the egg. He likes to be double bounced while sitting on his bum. His coordination is getting better and he jumps higher and higher. No question about it, I am still enjoying myself on it.

New Toy

Our neighbors called and left a message that they were getting rid of a toy we might be interested in. Boy were they correct. Both kids have a few years before they really grow into the toy, but Mason is super excited over his "new toy". It is an ESPN ball zone, it even turns on and counts your baskets and throws, etc. It give the famous ESPN jingle for you and all, Fancy! Our neighbors said it is old, it was passed down to them and now they are passing the torch to us. I hope it survives our children so I can pass the torch on when we are done with it. Mason now requests to go to the basement to play with "my new toy". We have painters here painting the deck and play structure and Mason even asked them if they wanted to see his "new toy".

Monkey on my chest

We don't carry a monkey on our back around here we carry him on the front. Meet Abu, Mason's pet monkey. He requests for Abu to be hooked to him often and he holds his tail up appropriately so he doesn't trip on him. Abu is such a hot commodity that he shares Mason's affection and takes love time away from his dear stuffed "Double". He loves Abu so much he requests to sleep with him, but something about a 2 foot tail makes me nervous. It is pretty sweet watching Mason walk around with his pet monkey. He twists it's head so he can see things, the head isn't a swivel head so he has to put some force to it. He also gives him kisses and pats him on the back and even supports him when he feels it is needed, like walking down the stairs and shielding Abu from the dog. Abu was never used for his intended purchase. Abu was originally purchased for a trip prior to Ellery being born to harness Mason in the Chicago airport, but I didn't have to use it. I thought I had wasted my money, but once again my child will prove me wrong.

Dinos Vs Iron

I set up the ironing board and was gathering all my supplies to complete my task and when I came back I was met by these biting beasts. Mason was thrilled with the new area to play that was out of reach of his sister. She likes to knock them all down and for some reason Mason doesnt' like it. He likes to put them on his fingers like they are biting him. Sometimes they bite him so hard that he can't get them off his finger himself and he asks me for assistance. I asked him the other day if he wanted to turn his biting dinosaurs into kissing dinosaurs and they converted but only for a few minutes.

Baby Swing

Our new favoirte toy is playing with the baby swing. Mason doesn't fit in it like he used to and only wants to play with it when Ellery finds it and comes running at it saying "my turn". She enjoys pushing the buttons, dancing to the music, and sitting in the swing and swinging herself in it. 

Radio Flyer

Wagons have come a long ways since I was a child. Grandma Ellen was gracious enough to give the kids a wagon for Christmas. She sent it up early and we hid it in the garage, we hid it so well we forgot to put it together and put it by the tree at Christmas time. It warmed up to 50 degrees and we remembered we had the wagon. Good ol Rob put it together for us and both of the kids were thrilled. Mason kept informing us "That's my spot" as Rob was putting it together and the spots he assigned are now permanent. Ellery gets to ride backwards while Mason gets to see where we are going. A big thanks to Grandma Ellen.

Swinging

Mason used to be terrified of swinging. Even when he was Ellery's age he would never relax into the swings at playgrounds. He had a look of terror on his face every time he swung. Now we can't keep him out of the swing and he requests to go higher and higher. We don't know what happened but he just decided he wanted to swing one day and has been loving it since. He does sit in a big boy swing and has to have assistance into the swing but once he slows down enough he does his own dismount. Since we have been spending a lot of time on our swing set we decided to get Ellery her own swing. She loves it and giggled and giggled the first time I put her in it. She stopped giggling when I got the camera. It has been a great treat having a play structure in the backyard. We use is daily.

Chef-Bord-Ar-Mason

Grandma Ellen got Mason a mini kitchen and he loves it. He says "I make it" and he brings you a cup of something he made. He gets really tickled if you pretend to eat what he made. He does make a lot of "waffles" and "pizza" it is really cute watching him with it. He is starting to do a lot more pretend play with a lot of his toys. The kitchen also comes with a phone and he was walking around and cooking while he was talking on the phone. We have placed the play kitchen in the main kitchen so Mason can cook while I cook. The other day I made zucchini bread and I had a shadow with me the whole time wanting to help with everything maybe I can encourage him to cook in his kitchen and stay out of mine!