Practice Run

Today my mom babysat her neighbor's 2 month old baby boy and we spent the afternoon at her house using it as a little practice run for when our baby brother arrives in just a few short months. It made me smile to watch the loving and tender way Mason held and talked to the baby. He was just glowing as he spent time with the baby. He is so excited for his baby brother to arrive and I can tell you right now he is going to be an amazing older brother. Brynn on the other hand still has some room for improvement. She was more excited about the baby's binky then the baby itself and expressed on multiple occasions, "I don't like the baby." I guess they got off on the wrong foot when she said hi to the baby and after a long stare and a silent pause she pouted, "The baby didn't talk to me!" After watching Mason shake a little rattle and sing songs for the baby she decided to join in and give the baby a teddy bear... by throwing it at his head. It was with good intentions, but I'm very glad it was a stuffed animal and not a hard toy. She does love her baby doll (actually my old doll) very much these days and takes it everywhere with her. She seemed to do better when we focused on her taking care of her baby rather than focusing on the real baby. So I guess that teaches me to include her in things by letting her take care of her baby as I take care of our baby brother. Today sent mixed emotions running through me. Of course I am excited, but mostly I just feel incredibly nervous about the arrival of baby #3. I am already so in love with this little guy kicking around inside of me and just pray I will be able to give each of my precious children all of the love and attention they need and deserve. Thank goodness for 12 more weeks of preparation...I need every minute of it.

And since no post is complete without a picture, here is a picture of the first time Mason saw Brynn through the nursery window. I have no doubt Mason was sent to our family first to fill a very important role as an older brother in the lives of his siblings. And I think Brynn will feel this same kind of love when she meets her little brother.

The Red Dragons

Mason participated in his first official team sport this fall as a member of the "Red Dragons" soccer team.

The beginning of the season felt a lot like Brian Regan's "Lousy in Little League". (If you've never heard it or just want a good laugh go here ). Mason was more concerned about what they were having for the half time snack than where the ball was on the field. His little legs would tire easily and after a few trips up and down the field he would sometimes find a nice patch of shade to watch from rather than try to keep up with the ball. But as the season progressed, his confidence grew, and we started to find him in the center of action more often. He told us before each game, "I'll try to score a goal for you today." Each game came and went without a goal but Mason would proudly tell everyone that he helped his team score lots of goals by kicking the ball to them. In the final game of the season Mason finally got his goal... sort of. After a goal scored by one of his teammates the ball came back out on the field and before the coach could pick it up Mason kicked it back into the goal. The whole team celebrated his first goal with him. It was a perfect excuse for him and his best friend, Tanner, to given each other a chest bump, which they had perfected throughout the season. Mason had a blast playing soccer and is very excited to play with his team again next spring. We are so proud of Mason's great attitude and the improvement he showed over the season. It sure is fun being a soccer mom.

My Marathon Man

Scott has definitely caught the running bug this year. He had such a great time running Ragnar, that he decided if he was ever going to run a marathon, now was the time to do it since he was already in great running shape. So this weekend we headed to Logan for him to run the Top of Utah Marathon. Running 26.2 miles is challenging enough itself. Add in downpouring rain and hail for most of it, and you've got Scott's first (and very possibly last) marathon experience. As I sat in my car at mile 14 to cheer on Scott as he came out of the canyon I could hardly see out the window through all the rain despite my windshield wipers going at top speed. I felt so bad watching all the runners pass by SOAKING wet. I breathed a sigh of relief when the rain appeared to be letting up a little, but then it was just replaced by hail. I took a picture from inside the car to try and capture the conditions. You can't see the hail that is pelting the runners, but you can see it all over the road. Shortly after that, Scott came running along and informed me his headphones had shorted out around mile 8 due to all the rain. I had an extra pair for him, but it wasn't long before they started shorting out, too. So he got to run the rest of the race with no music, but luckily he met some nice people along the way he was able to chat with. The weather began to let up a little and by mile 23 it was sprinkling on and off. Scott was still running strong, but said his shoes were so water logged they felt like they weighed 10 pounds each.

The sun emerged from behind the clouds for the first time right as Scott crossed the finish line, but I think the smile on his face shone brighter. He said it was the absolute best feeling crossing that line and knowing he was done. Despite the difficult conditions (we heard people's times were about 20 minutes slower because of the rain), Scott still managed to finish in the incredible time of 4:15:34. I am so proud of him! He says this was a one time thing, but I'm still going to try and talk him into another marathon with me, hopefully in better weather conditions. Great job to my amazing marathon man!!

Back to School

This week was the beginning of another year of Preschool for Mason. I think his prayer the morning of his first day pretty much sums up how he felts. "..thank you that I can go to morning preschool and see Mrs. Young again. Help that I can make lots of new friends. Help that I can do my work and not scribble..." Mason went to preschool in the afternoon last year and thinks moving to morning preschool is a promotion for the kids who are 4. Not only is Mason going at a different time, but his best friends from last year, Kennedy and Benson, both moved and are no longer in his class. I was curious to see how he would handle all the change, and have been glad to see how excited he is to meet new friends and after just two classes he has made several friends that are already inviting him over to play after preschool. It's going to be a good year.While we definitely miss Mason while he's gone, Brynn and I are enjoying our alone time together. It is something I've never had with Brynn since Mason stopped napping when she was born and she napped during Mason's preschool last year. I am absolutely loving the one on one time with her. I just can't believe it will be her starting preschool next year and I'll be left home alone with the baby. Where does the time go?

At a Glance

Today I took some pictures of Mason and Brynn playing outside completely unplanned and unprompted. I wanted to capture them just being themselves, and I think I succeeded. Mason is a serious hoarder. He always has bags full of his favorite stuff that he carries everywhere with him. Anything he finds along the way, even leaves, are worth collecting. He still loves imaginative play and this particular day he was a transformer busy saving the world from the decepticons, but not without his bags. Brynn is still attached to her binky and is always twirling her hair. Her favorite thing to do is pull her hair under her nose and wrap it around her binky making a hair mustache. Not very cute and causes serious tangles. You might recognize these boots from previous pictures. Brynn insists on wearing her oversized hand me down boots everywhere. It always puts a smile on my face.

Just a little bit about my kiddos at a glance.

The Peoples

It's no secret that Brynn has had some serious stranger anxiety throughout her life. While it has improved considerably, she is still initially hesistent in situations with more than about 5 people. The only difference is now she can verbalize how she feels rather than just freaking out. So when Brynn finds herself in an uncomfortable situation I usually find her wrapped around my legs saying, "There are lots of peoples" or "I scared of the peoples" in a tiny whisper like she's in a horror movie being chased by "the peoples". Silly girl. At least she does warm up to "the peoples" most of the time.

Pool Time

I couldn't possibly end the summer without a post about our time spent at the pool. As always our kids loved all of our pool outings this summer. Mason preferred it when Scott came along so he could be more adventurous. After two sessions of swimming lessons during the winter Mason knew how to swim, but his time at the pool this summer helped his confidence in his swimming ability to grow. By our last trip to the pool Mason would jump in the deep pool without either of us around and swim around taking breaths when he needs them and then back to the wall. I love how comfortable he is in the water. Brynn is quite the little swimmer with her floaties on. She loves to kick around on both her tummy and back in the deep water. Her absolute favorite thing to do is jump off the side of the pool over and over. She has no problem holding her breath and going under water, but water in her ears really seems to bother her, so she prefers just to stick her face in and blow bubbles. Here are some pictures from our last Scera Pool trip of the summer.