Spring Pictures 2011

M had school pictures the last week in March, and when I came to pick him up that day, the director said, "Oh, M smiled so big today! I was afraid he wouldn't smile if Miss Jen weren't in there with him, but he just did great!" Ummm...okay. Not quite how I would describe the child in these pictures. He isn't exactly hamming it up. Chris LOVES this outfit, though (I was instructed to dress him in something "manly"). I guess he should have called the photographer and requested a "manly" background, too. Ha!

Prom Came a Little Early for Mason

Here's my little man with his "date," Jayda. Love it, love it, love it. They were wild things, running amok so that I despaired of getting a single cute picture, but providence winked at us. Immediately after this, we got the heck out of Dodge before M single-handedly brought down the intricate balloon arches in the ballroom.

Daycare Retrospective

Some pictures of M from his 10 months at Broadway Baptist Childcare. Love that precious face! My favorite is the one of him asleep with the book still dangling from his fingertips. That is one dedicated reader.

Breaking Another Long Silence

I'm going to stop apologizing for my long periods of absence from blogspot. I'm just going to forgive myself for not blogging regularly because, honestly, I have had better things to occupy my time.

The new house has been never-ending work. Pulling out flooring and paneling, installing crown and hardwoods and trim and drywall, yanking out hideous and misplaced plants, etc., etc., etc. Needless to say, we are burned out. We moved in at the end of March, and since then we have neglected to re-hang many doors we painted or finish pulling down wallpaper in the bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry room. Not sure when we'll get back to it. I'm banking on mauve and country blue coming back in style so we won't ever have to re-do anything else.

M is nearing the big 2, and we are gearing up for another birthday production. Since we moved into the new house, he has been sleeping all night, putting himself to sleep in his crib, and playing in his crib in the mornings until I come get him. HUGE NEWS! It's about time, right? I work until June 6th, but M left daycare in Maryville last Friday and is now staying home with his cousin Tyra. Saves me gas money and time and gives her mission trip money (er...if she quits asking to go to the mall). Maybe I'll blog more when I'm done with school...yeah, probably not.

Closing on Friday

Hard to believe, but the end of living with my mother is in sight.

67 Degrees!

Yay for the first Spring-like day of 2011! M and I got home early than usual after his Valentine's Day party, so we rushed outside to enjoy the beautiful sunny day. After M unloaded every single ball from the toy shelves in Gramma and Grampa's garage, he selected two to carry with him in the stroller and off we went for a walk around the neighborhood with Skipper in tow. Mase got to play on his Kangaroo Climber and his Cozy Coupe for the first time in a loooong time, and we were both happy campers.

Valentine's Party at School

I left work early yesterday so I could attend M's first Valentine's party at Broadway. It was adorable, and I'm so glad I was able to make it (Yay for flexibility at work!). All five little ones dug into frosted cookies and Cheetos, and, yes, Mason ate twice as much as anybody else and is still the skinniest kid in class!

Ms. Jen had made an adorable Valentine's photo card, and M came home with two bags of goodies and crafts, including a book on animals from Ms. Jennifer (his new afternoon teacher). You can imagine how excited he was to have another animal book!

Okay, I just went to upload pictures, and I had deleted all of them somehow. We got new computers at work, and apparently the way I used to save pictures to my desktop doesn't work, so I just lost the CUTEST picture of M grinning from ear to ear with Cheetos up to nose. I am soooo mad! I just had to walk around the parking lot and cry. Okay, I was able to find one because I sent a few to another mom this morning, but all the cute ones of just M are gone.

Weekend at Granny's

M got to spend a lot of quality time with Granny and Grandpa this weekend, which means we can sum everything up with three words: Cheetos, donuts, and outside. Oh, and clocks. M is obsessed with the clocks at Granny's house and insists that Grandpa carry him around to all the clocks at least two dozen times a day.

And Grandpa and Granny are always quick to comply with any of M's demands, including whisking him outside every time he cried, "Outside!" We had a good time catching up, and C and I ran by the rental house to check on it, and I discovered that my husband forgot to mention that he dug up all the creeping phlox on one side of the house. Yes, the creeping phlox that would have bloomed so beautifully in a month or so. He can't imagine how we forgot to tell me that. I can.

So all went well until Sunday morning, when Debbie took a terrible fall down the back stairs. She gave us all a HUGE scare and busted up her face pretty badly and it turned out later that she actually broke her arm as well. She held it together until we left, so we celebrated Valentine's Day early with M so she and Grandpa could see him eat his giant strawberry cupcake. In true M fashion, he eschewed the traditional and used the botrom of his Valentine balloon as a utensil for scooping icing into his mouth. Oh, well. It worked.

2 Kids and Counting

So we finally got to meet Natalie and Matthew last Saturday, and they were so unbelievably sweet that it's a miracle I didn't kidnap at least one of them (although I have called dibs on a girl if Miriam has anymore--that's only fair. She has them two at a time, and that's twice as fast as me, so a good friend would share.) We got in around 9 o'clock, and despite my best efforts to keep Mason Baker asleep as we went into Debbie's house, you know the end of that story.

C and I went over to Mirm's about 9 on Saturday morning and helped out while Nick picked up Lindsey at the airport. It's hard to imagine that Mason was ever that small, but Natalie is only 4 ounces smaller than M was when we brought him home from Vanderbilt. Sigh. Miriam looked great and has this twin routine thing down pat already. And I heart Lindsey.

That evening Tanicia came over and we had a pseudo-surprise party for Miriam's 28th birthday. We all dressed up like Duggars for the 2 Kids and Counting theme (haha!), and I made an ice cream sandwich cake from the Duggars' own family recipe. I had borrowed some of Mom's old outfits for the dress-up part, and she asked me, "Is this party making fun of me?" Nope, the Duggars...and Miriam, who is their #1 fan. Anyway, we had fun, and I'll post a picture as soon as Miriam sends it to me (what else does she have to do?).

I Do As I'm Told

Miriam says this is the picture I should have posted of the twins, so I am dutifully posting this picture, which is precious and might make you cry (yep, I did).

Aaaaaaah! I can't wait to hold them!

Oh! One More Thing

Best new development of the month: M saw someone on TV shush someone in a library, and now he shushes Chris. And only Chris. It's soooooo funny!

He seems more little boy and less baby every day. Sigh.

Superbowl Sunday 2011

So C was pretty bummed this year about not having a Superbowl party in front of his giant projector screen, but he held it in well. He isn't complaining too much about not having a place for the projector in the new house, either. We ended up going over to Tom and Pattie's house to watch the game with them and the Hacklers, and we had fun...none of us so much as M, who is quickly becoming a Thomas groupie. Thomas got down and wrestled around with him, and M ran 90 miles an hour until 8:10. We knew better than to break his routine, but we hoped that he would wear himself out. Riiiiiight. I took him home and had him asleep by 8:30, but he woke up at 2:27 with a major diaper breakdown. I got him cleaned up and just took him to bed with us, but he flopped and wiggled all over me until 4:52, at which point an hour and a half of no sleep and the tears streaming out of the eye he had just elbowed made my head spin like The Exorcist. I yelled "take him NOW" to Chris and rolled him to his daddy's side of the bed. Chris told him sternly to go to sleep, and he cried halfheartedly for a minute and then dropped off, and we all managed to get one final hour of sleep in. Again, to all of you who accuse us of being boring now that we have Mason (ah-hem...Kristin!), he does NOT do well off his routine. Period.

They're Heee-ere!

Natalie and Matthew are finally here! The newest (and cutest) Shasserres arrived on January 27th, and we can't wait to meet them. Matthew spent 9 days in the NICU at Gateway (he had, in Mary's words, "wimpy white boy syndrome").

Hoping to make it to Clarksville this weekend to see them if everything pans out.

Ch-ch-changes

Well, as most of you have heard, the Clarksville house FINALLY rented--on the night of my last post, to be exact (That's a good excuse for not blogging, right? Too busy with new house plans? Well, let's go with that anyway.). Chris met M and me at church that night because we were attending a board meeting about the daycare and we wanted to share some concerns we had. So Mase and I were in the fellowship hall eating dinner with Mom when Chris came in and slid in beside me with his oh-so-irritating "you want the bad news first or the good news first" routine. He knows I despise when he does that because he always twists the meaning of "good" and "bad" around beyond recognition.

So after I gave him an evil look, out he came with the news that the house had rented, and I (of course) teared up in stunned joy. Mom yelled out, "Praise God!" I laughed at her and then told her that was a smidge insulting. I cannot communicate how excited we were!

The next day we took the contingency off the contract on our new house in West Knoxville, and since then we have lived in a whirlwind of inspections, appraisals, measuring things, shopping for flooring deals, etc., etc.

We close on the 25th of this month, but it will take a few weeks to fix and cover and replace all the UGLY in the new house, so we won't be moving in for a few weeks after that. The end is in sight! Mom won't miss us, but she is sure having a hard time at the prospect of not seeing M every day.

Where is Supernanny When You Need Her?

Okay, so Mason has been a mama's boy--we all admit that, but recently things have taken a turn for the obsessive. At daycare he has spells about every half hour where he drops what he's doing and runs to the door crying my name. At home I can barely get him off my lap or out of my arms.

Two nights ago he woke up at 10:49 crying for me, so, of course, I punched Chris in the arm and told him it was his turn to get up (Sidenote: Chris had been hunting all weekend, so it was REALLY his turn). Dutifully, he stumbled into M's room, but five minutes later, M was screaming for me at the top of his lungs. I lay in bed, pondering if I should go help or if Chris would see that as interference, but I didn't have to wonder long because Chris rushed back in and said, "He won't stop screaming your name, and he won't let me pick him up."

When I got in the room, Mason was backed into a corner of his crib and was smacking at C anytime he tried to touch him. As soon as M saw me, he rushed toward me, arms up, and immediately silenced when I picked him up. He put his head on my shoulder and didn't make another peep--although he did stay awake for 2 hours after that, but that's a different issue. And then last night he did the same thing. C tried to take him from my arms, and M screamed and pushed him away.

It's so weird, and I know it breaks C's heart, so I hope this phase passes quickly. We're definitely seeing the beginning of the Terrible 2s, so maybe this is a symptom. Oy vey.

Ba-aww!

We tried to do Photography Day during the Great Snow-Week of January 2011 (we were desperate for ANY form of entertainment), and it was pretty much a dismal failure. Alas! Chris is no Miriam. Haha!

We did come out with this one picture of Mason with his ba-aww (which is actually Jase's, and when Jase realizes it and comes for it, we will have a MAJOR meltdown...followed by a trip to Dick's to pick up a replacement). Love it!

*All these are posted pre-photo editing, so be kind.

All By Myself

Mom and Dad are heading to Lexington for Jordan's first collegiate track meet, and Chris is leaving for a duck hunting weekend, and 1.) I am happy for him because he needs a break from reality as badly as I do; 2.) I can take as many baths and read as many books as I want when Mason is asleep and not have to talk to anyone if I don't want to; 3.)M and I will be bored out of our minds, so someone please rescue us! Please! We'll be good if you'll just take us somewhere! Anywhere!

By noon tomorrow we will be so desperate that I cannot even begin to predict what we will do in our stark raving madness. Stay tuned to find out where we end up. Before you judge, remember that I spent 5 straight days in the house, snow-bound, this week. I will try not to channel Britney Spears and ride my bicycle naked into Pistol Creek, but I can't promise much else.

The Big 3-0

So I turned 30 last Sunday, and I think it made my mom feel older than it did me. I was fine with 30. Who cares. I don't feel older, although I did take inventory: 3 faint but permanent lines across my forehead, 5 pairs of size 0 J.Crew pants that fit a year ago but do not any longer, and no visible gray hairs...so not great, but nothing to whine about either.

Because we're still little budgeting fiends, there was no birthday cake or presents, but I did let Chris know that I expected a dining room suit for my birthday as soon as all this house drama is straightened out (yes, please continue praying that The House That No One Wants rents or sells...or burns). I didn't even get one of Chris' super-romantic birthday cards (and let's be honest, I think we could have afforded a card, Cuh-ris). Anyhow, for reasons totally unrelated to turning 30, it was a horrible day except for the couple of hours that we went to the mall and out to Jimador's for dinner. Oh, well. Just another day. 30 will be an awesome year, though...I am SURE. Seriously.

Oh, and I did get a birthday cake (from Rita's--yum!) at work today, so that made it allllll better!

The Beginning of the Snow Chronicles

On Christmas night we went over to Donna's again, and M got to help JaRon (Shaina's boyfriend) open his presents, which was hysterical because that stocking was the ONLY thing that could get Mason near JaRon that night. Every time Mason is around JaRon, they start back at ground zero: JaRon tries everything, and M gives him the cold shoulder. It takes a few hours before M warms up.

Besides the little Nerf gun JaRon got in his stocking, the highlight of the evening was definitely M's trip outside in the snow with Rosie. Donna made Diddy dig out the old Radio Flyer sled, and out we all went to brave the cold. Mason loved it, but his poor little hat always turns sigoggled, which drove him crazy!

Christmas Day

This was possibly our last year of sleeping in on Christmas morning for a loooong time (and by sleeping in, I mean 7:30, which is SUPER late for Mason). Once we finally rousted him and got in position (me with him and Chris with the camera), things got off to a slow start. First of all, he wasn't interested in going into the dining room where the tree and gifts were; he wanted to linger in the hallway and look at all the pictures. Eventually, we ran out of pictures and made it out of the hall, but we couldn't get Mason to look over toward the tree! I had to walk him right in front of it, and he just looked at it in confusion for a moment. In short, his excitement level was slow in peaking, but he did eventually get into the spirit. M wanted to ride his Smart Trike immediately, but we induced him to open some presents, and he made quite a mess and ended up with WAY more than one child needs...and this was before my family's Christmas or Christmas with Papaw and Nanny Baker. Geez.

After the opening of presents, we went over to Kristin's for breakfast and enjoyed the snowfall on our White Christmas. Mason and Gracie and I ventured out briefly. All in all, a good Christmas even though we're still (sigh) in limbo. Lots to be thankful for, and I'm trying-trying-trying to keep that foremost in mind.

Waiting for Santa

This year we packed up M and trekked over to Rutledge for the Baker Family Christmas at Uncle Johnny's house. M met his Baker cousins for the first time, and Lauren helped him open presents. It was fun to talk to Chad and Kathy and all the rest, and Mamaw Baker looked great and was in high spirits. The only bad spot was that no one had mentioned to us that everyone was exchanging presents, so M had a pile of presents, and we had brought nothing except a gift for Mamaw. We were mortified, but what do you do? Sigh.

M resented the long drive home from Rutledge and let us know by crying for the entire 1 hour-long drive, so Chris and I were both frazzled by the time we pulled into church for the Christmas Eve candelight service. M lasted through about 15 minutes of the service, and then Chris had to take him out, but the service was lovely.

After that, we headed over to Donna's for Christmas Eve dinner, and M's spirits improve exponentially because Donna's house means unlimited food and a plethora of attention. He has had Donna riiiiight where he wanted her from the beginning, and he knows it now. Dinner was--as always--excellent, and we stayed just past M's bedtime (we've been trying to push back his bedtime, and this was night 2 of the experiment...so far a wild success!) before heading home to read his Christmas bedtime story and tuck him in for the night. Mason got a prelude to Christmas morning at Donna's and opened a little dog that bounces and barks (soooooo annoying, but he likes it) and some UT pajamas that M just might fit into by kindergarden.

Once home, Chris and I (ahem) paved the way for Santa's arrival quite cheerily until we realized that the video camera was nowhere to be found. After 45 minutes of frantic searching, I called Donna in hysterics. As usual, she bailed me out of my crisis, and at 10:45 on Christmas Eve I was driving back to Donna's in my jammy-jams to borrow her camera. After an extended wait in the Walgreens line to buy tapes for the camera, I made it back home and into bed just before midnight. Drama, drama. Luckily, Christmas morning proved less traumatic.

Oh, and NO, Chris did not let Mason wear the elf outfit all day. We compromised, and he wore a Christmas sweater vest all day until we got to Donna's, and THEN he changed into his festive-wear. And it was precious, as you can see.

Sidenote: Lesley Burdine called Monday to let me know that she had my camera bag (with video camera) at her house, where it had been left during Miriam's shower. As I had never taken the camera out of the car, I would NEVER have entertained the notion that it culd be anywhere but at Mom's house, but Mom or Tyra must have noticed it in the car when they arrived at the shower and "helped me out" by bringing it in. Oh, well. It's found, and all the discs of M's first birthday, learning to walk, etc. are safe and sound at Miriam's house now, where they will wait until we return to Clarksville to see the new Shasserre babies.

Must Love Dogs

These pictures of M and his cousins are courtesy of my brother Tom. I helped Pattie paint Rachel's new bedroom pink (PINK-pink!) one night over the holidays, and Chris and M and I lounged with the Beem cousins and watched Despicable Me afterward.

Facts evident from these photos: 1.) Bella is a longsuffering dog. 2.) Mason idolizes Cousin Thomas already.