Read all the fine print!

So, here is the cover of the box of the kid's "Waterpark" we bought for Tyler:

Look at the kid on the far right, using the water gun at the corner of the pool. Note that he looks about 8 or 10 years old, he's kneeling on the ground, and the side of the pool is above his waist. The gun is almost shoulder-height to him.

Now, look at the basketball hoop, note how the kid shooting the basketball is throwing the ball UP to shoot. THAT kid looks around 7 or 8 years old, also. See the gushing waterfall coming from the arch, and how big the slide is, compared to the kid going down (who also looks about 7 or 8 years old).

See the kid behind the pool, he looks also about 8 and the top of the arch is clearly above his head.

Now, here is a picture of my 3-year-old, 39" tall son playing in the actual pool we pulled out of the box:
The dimensions were clearly labeled on the box, (the length & width, not the height), but we didn't read it. We just looked at the cool picture. Oh well, at least Tyler enjoyed playing in it.

Now, notice how it's called "Hydro Blast". The little watergun that's installed at the corner has a pinhole that water can "blast" out from. It's like being shot with a bathtub squirt toy. Also, if you notice in my picture, we've got the slide off to the side, not even installed, because (though the picture shows it UNDER the gushing waterfall) it's not long enough to reach the sprinkling water coming out of the arch. So, you have to slide into the pool on a dry slide!

Lesson learned.

"Day off"

Today, Mike and I both took the day off, to extend our Memorial Day weekend to a 4-day weekend. We spent all day ripping out the bushes in front of our house and tilling up the soil (removing weeds, roots, and rocks). I got to use my new wagon! Though our yard is small, it was nice to have it to bring stuff from the shed out to the front yard. Tyler and Mason hung out with us outside, and Tyler enjoyed playing in the wagon. He put his snacks and gardening gloves on the wagon. Mason sat in his stroller and was happy just chillin’.

Here is a picture of our house 2 years ago, while we were removing the evergreen-type ground-cover that we had along the corner of our front yard:

And below is a picture I took this afternoon, showing how we removed the shrubs in front of the house:

Now, we need to figure out what we want to plant in front of the house, instead!

All I Want for Mother's Day...

Here is my belated Mother’s Day gift (mine is green):
I say belated, but on Mother’s Day, Mike gave me a gift of sleep and not having to make breakfast. He ended up so frustrated with the skillet pan that we have (it burned half the pancakes he tried to make) that I also ended up with a new skillet! But that wasn’t something I really WANTED. This wagon, I want!

What color is my thumb?

So, I’m actually growing a vegetable garden. I say “actually growing” because that is what the plants are (surprisingly, under my care) doing. They’re growing! None of them are dead! And, it’s been almost a month! Last month, Tyler helped me plant tomatoes, green peppers, and basil. They’re now so big that we’re going to have to transplant some of them to other planters, so that they can (hopefully) grow even more! I hope we get real vegetables from them, and that I can teach my son about plants/gardening/etc. I’m really hoping the basil grows, because I want to make my own pesto sauce. My mom has this wonderful recipe and I can’t wait to have homemade pesto, instead of the salty store-bought pesto!!

Teething

Last Saturday (the day before Mother’s Day), Mason’s first tooth broke through his gums! As happy as I am that he’s growth is on track, I find that I’m counting down the days I have left to enjoy his toothless grins. The only reason we even knew he was teething was his constant drooling. If his gums have been hurting, his disposition hasn’t been affected. He’s been the same happy, smiley little guy. Tyler was like that, too, not really affected too much by teething. Mason does love chewing on everything, though. Most notably, his hands, but I found a cool pacifier-shaped teether that he can hold easily which has a gummy/rubbery tongue, instead of a pacifier nipple.

Birthday Cake

My sister loves watching the Oprah Winfrey show. She tries to catch it every day, and since she’s home with her 3 girls, they (obviously) are very familiar with Oprah, as well. Two weeks ago, my sister turned 30. Today was her daughter, Hannah’s, birthday. Prior to both birthdays, my sister asked Hannah who she wanted on her birthday cake. Hannah promptly told her that she wanted Dora on her cake. Then, Hannah asked her mom what was going to be on her cake. My sister said that flowers or candles would be nice. But my niece didn’t think that was enough. She asked, “No, Mommy, what PERSON are you going to have on your cake?” My sister replied, “I don’t know, who do you think should be on my cake?” My niece responded, “I know! How about Oprah?!”
So, today we went to my niece’s 3rd birthday party. The kids had fun with their cousins, and I also got to see and visit with my family. My mom and I thought that my sister deserved a birthday cake, as well. This is what we brought her:

Days and Months

Here is Tyler singing the days of the week:

And reciting the months of the year:

5 months!

Dear Mason,

Today, you are 5 months old. You probably weigh over 20 lbs and your hair is growing in more evenly. You're growing so fast, all your milestones are seeming to fly by! I missed playing with you today. We were all so busy with errands after I got home from work, and Daddy had class this evening...it seemed like we were all just bustling around all afternoon and evening. Before I knew it, it was time for you to go to bed. Right now, you're asleep in your crib, and I want to sneak in there and pick you up and hold you in my arms.

Speaking of milestones...we started feeding you baby food about a week and a half ago. We first started with oatmeal (mixed with apple juice) and you LOVED it! I think it's the apple juice ;) You took to it very well. Two days ago, we started you on carrots (baby food). They're a bit soupy, so I might get you the "2nd Foods" version, and try that. You sure love eating, though!

You are also sitting up much better. You're still not sitting on your own, but I can tell that's coming very soon. You would rather be upright than laying back. In fact, you usually try to muscle yourself to a sitting position if we set you down in any reclined position. You love your doorway jumper...I mean you REALLY love it! You can still stay in it for almost an hour, I think it makes you feel free.

You are grabbing things and picking things up (then putting them in your mouth) much better, though your favorite thing to chew on is your own finger...any of them.

We moved you from an infant carrier to a convertible car seat about 2 weeks ago (you were actually about 20 lbs 2 weeks ago, so I'm sure you're heavier now!), since you're near the weight limit of our infant carrier. You don't seem to like being put in the car seat, though, you always cry when we put you in there if we don't distract you enough.

Random

Mason is a great eater. He always loved nursing, and then formula, and now baby food. He has been eating oatmeal mixed with apple juice (which he loves!) for about a week, now. Tonight, I introduced carrots to him. Loves them!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this might mean he won't be a picky eater. Tyler wasn't a picky eater, either, and it was awesome. He ate so well and so healthy.

One thing that Tyler loves to do is ask us about our favorites. Especially about our favorite parts of movies or tv shows. He's asked us so many times that he knows what our answers are going to be. His "favorite" parts somehow end up being the same as ours, too.

Tyler's attention span has definitely increased, also. He can play a board game all the way through, following directions. We recently found a Thomas the Train board game at a yard sale (for $0.50!) and he LOVES it. We've actually played that 2 or 3 times in a row with him.