Firetrucks, Police Cars & Ambulances - Oh My!

Today our YMCA held an event called Healthy Kids Day. Part of the fun included firemen on site with a fire truck, police officers with two police cars and a police command unit, and EMT's with an ambulance. Before we even got out of the car there were lots of "brmm brmm's" and siren noises coming from the back seat.

Our first stop was the firetruck which Mason was allowed to climb around. Our only warning was to not let him touch the red button, as it would send out a signal alerting other firetrucks that they were on their way to a fire. When I turned to look, what do you think Mason was doing? Touching the red button, of course. Thankfully there are two red buttons and he had pressed the other one. His next button to push was the reverse button, but they had blocks on the wheels so we weren't going anywhere. Mason is very into details if you couldn't tell!

He didn't seem too interested in the ambulance so we just did a quick tour there. When we got to the police cars he climbed in the front seat and I told him there better never be a reason for him to get in the backseat! They tried to get him to talk over the loud speaker but he wasn't quite sure what to do. We met a nice officer that patrols our neighborhood a lot and he was kind enough to take a picture with Mason.

There were a lot of activities inside as well, including a massive bounce house with a really high slide, but he's not quite patient enough to wait in lines at this point so we passed on those.

Mason had a great time and we may have to visit a fire station soon for a tour!

 Now that's a lot of buttons

 "Where's that red button?"

 Daddy's enjoying himself too!

 Making friends with the firemen

 "Hey guys, look over there!"

 The guy actually looked!

 Quick tour of the ambulance

 "Oh fun, more buttons!"

 "How do I turn the siren on?"

Mason and Officer Fuentes

Brmmm Brmmm

Mason Papa got a new toy that he just may have to keep around for another 15 years to pass down to Mason. This boy loves any and all vehicles, so imagine his level of excitement when Papa's bright yellow Corvette pulled in front of our house. It was like one of his toy cars had come to life. Papa was brave kind enough to let Mason crawl all around and explore every inch of the car. He loved touching all the buttons, especially the volume on the radio. The boy loves to jam. We even took him on a little spin around the block while he sat in my lap in the passenger seat (shh, don't tell). He laughed every time Papa accelerated and had a smile on his face the whole time. I managed to get him out of the car at one point, but he noticed that the passenger door was still open so he quickly walked around, crawled in, and crawled over the console back to the drivers seat. Boy did he get upset when he had to get out for good.

Of course when Sean came home from work he had to take a spin, so we left Papa in charge of feeding Mason dinner and took her out to see what she could do (turns out 6:00PM on a Thursday isn't the easiest time to drive fast on a city street). When Mason was done eating Sean took a turn at driving him around the block, which Mason loved just as much as the first time.

Thanks Papa for the new toy - Mason loves it!

You can't sneak up on anyone in this car

Papa and his babies

So happy!

Taking mommy for a spin

Daddy's turn!

"hmm, what does this button do?"

Seriously, he was so thrilled

Hair blowing in the wind!

He checked out EVERY part of the car!

Paci-Free

Back when we were the perfect parents with no kids, we said that we'd never offer our children a pacifier. If they didn't know it existed, they wouldn't need it, right? Then Mason was born. And on night one of his sweet little life I demanded that Sean go home and get the emergency pacifier out of Mason's dresser and bring it to the hospital, STAT. What a wonderful, $3 miracle it was.

We said that by month six he wouldn't need a soother anymore and we'd get rid of it then. But when six months rolled around we were really enjoying our full nights of sleep and didn't want to disrupt them. So we said we'd do it at one year instead, and stop using it in public. The public part of the deal was upheld, but his first birthday came around and there was no way he was going to part with it anytime soon. He had even named it. We're not sure where the name 'dada' came from, but I think it was his way of telling us that his paci was important to him, so important that he would give it the name of the man he loves more than anyone. So we compromised and starting only using it in the carseat and crib. It was the first thing he asked for in the car and the first word he'd say in the morning. He doesn't sleep with anything in his crib other than a little giraffe noise machine that's strapped to the side, so his paci was a large source of his comfort. Our goal was pushed back again to 18 months.

Then last week happened. Mason started a naughty little game where he'd throw his paci out of his crib/carseat before we were even out of the room/backseat. And then he'd scream. And scream. And scream. He's done this many times before so I did what I've done in the past which was go back in, give it back to him, and firmly tell him that I loved him and he needed to go to sleep. This worked for a couple of days, but then he became relentless. My frustration level escalated and I decided to see how long he could scream. Turns out he can do it for his full three hour nap period. This boy is stubborn (no idea where he got that). ;-) Sean and I discussed it, and decided that we were done giving in. If he threw it out, it was gone. Of course he threw it out at bedtime that night, and we stuck to our word. He cried for only 45 minutes this time, then slept until morning. At naptime the next day he only cried for five minutes, and at bedtime that night, for one minute.

I'm happy to report that it's now been a full 72 hours with no paci and he's doing great! He's actually much happier in the carseat, probably because he has no thrown paci to cry about. We promised ourselves we won't go back, because this can't get easier with time and the process was pretty easy compared to other stories we've heard. We're so proud of our big boy!

Here are some Mason & paci pics from the beginning (keep in mind we stopped using it in public a while back so these are all of his 'young' months!):

Sweet little one month old

Ready to go out in the cold!

Cuddling with Daddy

Checking out the Farmers Market

Mother's Day at Bent Tree

Playing in the baby pool

Sleeping in the big bed

Chillin' with Grandad

Father's Day. Daddy and Baby both have their pacifier :)

Relaxing on BeBe at Matt's ball game

Exploring the Dallas Children's Museum

Rolling around his room post nap

Outside nap with Mommy

Ready for the lake! Can you spot Mason under all the gear? :)

Preston Hollow Park

We've been visiting Preston Hollow park so much lately that it warranted its own blog post. It's a great park that's a short drive from our house and Mason always has a blast there. There's a large sand area, lots of swings and slides, tons of shade from the many trees, a large open field next to it, covered eating areas, ample seating on the playground, and a baseball field and tennis courts. Plus, it's in a gorgeous neighborhood so the drive is pleasant. Here are some pics from our recent visits!

"Which shovel shall I use?"

Staying 'cool' in the shade

 I had a miniature heart attack when he started going down this way, but all was okay!

 Mommy prefers this way!

 He went down at least 10 times on this particular visit

Enjoying the double slide with Kennedy!

Weekend at the Lake

After hosting eight adults and four kids at our house for a potluck dinner on Friday, we woke up Saturday and headed out to Pete and Dorrie's new lake house for the remainder of the weekend. I was a little nervous about what the morning would hold considering the amount of wine I consumed the night before, but remarkably Sean and I both felt great!

The Andrews lake house is only an hour or so from Dallas on Cedar Creek lake so it's a pretty easy drive. Well, easy for most. Mason is NOT the best traveler and made his discomfort known about 30 minutes in. Half an hour can feel like an eternity when there is a screaming child in the car. Mason is still rear-facing and Hazel was taking the space next to him, so other than singing songs and nursery rhymes there wasn't much we could do to amuse him. But we survived and the trip was well worth it!

I have never seen a lake as choppy as it was on Saturday. Their house is in a cove which made for some really big waves. It seriously looked like the ocean! We had a yummy lunch when we got there then enjoyed beverages on the patio while Mason napped and Thomas and John played in the inflatable pool. Dorrie and I indulged in Strawberry-Amaretto Milkshakes and we all enjoyed watching the water and soaking in the breezy weather. When Mason woke we took a walk around the area and then let the boys play to their hearts desire. Mason had more fun than I knew was possible with a cooler full of ice - it provided endless entertainment for him! We had shrimp cocktail and cheese and crackers for appetizers that night, and a delicious beef tenderloin, grilled asparagus and baked potatoes for dinner. We finished the night with cocktails at the firepit down by the water, and Dorrie and I indulged again in fire-roasted s'mores. After breakfast and playtime on Sunday morning, we hit the road and were home in time for Mason's nap!

We can't wait to make it out to their lake house again, especially once Pete's boat arrives. Thanks for the great time Andrews family!

Mommy Milkshakes

No, it wasn't sunny and no, it wasn't particularly hot, but I really wanted to wear my floppy hat!

John and Thomas playing in the pool

Enjoying the view

Preparing for dinner

Good people, good food!

Digging dirt in their jammies

First Haircut

The time has come for Mason to have his first haircut. It wasn't really too out of control, but he was definitely getting a little rat tail in the back and needed to even out the top with the areas that haven't grown in as much. We've heard great things about the hair salon inside the Stride Rite near us, so I made an appointment as late as they'd take one so that Sean could join us after work. We met with Miss Lolly and Mason sat very still for her the whole time. There really wasn't much of a difference once it was all done, but the back is definitely more clean cut. $17 for a mini-trim annoyed us, so I'll probably try to do it from now on until it gets to the point where it really needs some shape/style. I'm happy to report that his curls are still in tact and we have a envelope with his clippings for his baby book!

Wearing a little smock - how cute is that?

Looking at the situation with a little hesitation

"What's going on here?"

He held on to his car the whole time

This picture cracks me up for some reason. Such a little man!

Walking around after. No more rat tail!