Dear Santa

We are ready for you to come visit. We have our Christmas tree, Santa hats, and snow. What more do we need?

1 month old. REALLY?????

Where does the time go? Laynee is already a month old? Life has been crazy busy and I have not had much time to blog as you can see. These pictures were taken when Laynee was just a week old and she has already changed so much (more recent pictures to follow). I'm still trying to adjust to having two kids around and trying to figure out some sort of schedule. Is that possible????
Kylee is still not real interested in Laynee other than the past few days she has taken it upon herself to torment the poor little thing. For one reason or another she has decided that it is funny to step on Laynee's hands when I'm changing her diaper. She has even gone so far as to try to step on her head. Really? Who does that and why does she think that she can do that? Argh. Then when I try to tell her not to do that she looks at me and laughs. Other than that she has been pretty good with her.
Laynee thus far has been an outstanding baby and is changing daily. It's been a HUGE adjustment having her around but one that I would not change for the world. I can't wait until she gets old enough that her and Kylee can play together but I will enjoy my time with her while she sleeps ALL day long. We love you Laynee and we couldn't be more happy that you are in our lives.

Dear Grandma Mason

My daddy refuses to hold me while I'm dressed in this Utes outfit. My mommy on the other hand thinks it's rather cute and will continue to dress me in it. Thank you!!!!!

Laynee McKell Mason

Ok so I have been a total slacker about blogging but I have had my hands full the past few weeks. So here is the story...
On Monday November 2, I went to my standard dr appointment with hopes that my dr would just start me but instead she just decided to strip my membranes. So while walking out of the dr office my water broke. At the time I didn't realize that my water was broken and I had to go get some blood work done so while I was waiting to get that done I was texting my friend Mindy about my situation and thanks to her I realized that my water broke. So I walked back over to the hospital to have them check to see if it really was broken and sure enough it was. I got admitted at 11:30 and the labor process was really easy compared to the last one and Laynee finally showed her cute little face at 7:49 p.m. I'll take 15 minutes of pushing instead of 3 hours of pushing like I did with Kylee. Laynee weighed in at 6lbs 14 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long.
I think Kylee is liking her new little sister although I'm not exactly sure she is 100% sure of what is going on. Every time Laynee cries or makes a little squeal Kylee will say "ne ne" and point to the baby. She also walks around the house all day and says "baby baby baby" on and on and on. I think it's more to get our attention than anything but the kid has to do something right?
I know one thing is for sure.... Christian is a huge sucker for little girls and he loves to snuggle with Laynee. As much as he wants a boy I think he really really really enjoys having little girls around.
I am doing really well and my recovery with this pregnancy has been EXTREMELY easy and I am almost feeling up to par again. I just wish I could start the exercise routine again but I still have a few more weeks before that will happen. In the meantime I will enjoy my time with my girls and my AWESOME husband. We have been so blessed in so many ways and I would not trade it for the world.

Halloween 2009

Halloween was loads of fun this year. We started out carving our pumpkin then ended up at Christian's parents house to do a little trick or treating. We ended up taking our pumpkin to Christian's parents house so we could at least see the finished product all lit up. It actually didn't turn out all that bad.
Kylee was not too sure about trick or treating at first but caught on really really fast. She wanted to walk to all the houses and carry her mel-mo bucket. After we hit a few houses we came back and Kylee helped grandpa Mason hand out the candy to all the kids. I think she might have had just as much fun doing that as she did doing the trick or treating herself.
I on the other hand should have stayed home on bed rest like the doctor ordered. I came home with swollen ankles and feet and now my feet look like shrek feet. O'well. It was so worth it to watch Kylee get all dressed up and excited about the night. Thanks grandma and grandpa mason for letting us bombard you for the night. We had loads of fun and I hope everyone else did too.

Once there was a snowman

This is Kylee's first snowman. Oh and don't mind that Kylee totally looks like a little boy in this picture. I should have been a little more prepared and put a coat on her but I guess I'm just used to the St. George weather and didn't really think about putting her coat on. Brilliant mother I am huh? She loved being out in the snow and loved the snowman her daddy made for her. Every time we went outside she would say smo mo (snowman). I'm so not prepared for the snow but like it or not here it comes and I'm sure Kylee will have a blast in it.

Wii Tennis Player or Rag Doll?

On Sunday Kylee spotted the wii remotes and really wanted to play with them. So Christian turned on tennis and let her "help" him play. She thought it was cool at first and then decided that she wanted to hold the remote all by herself and when Christian wouldn't let her that's when she leaned over sideways and at the same time Christian swung the remote. Does she not look like a rag doll being tossed around in his lap? When Christian gave her free reign to the remote she got down and tried to show us some of her skills. It amazes me how much they learn just by watching the things we do. She is getting more and more of a personality every single day and not a day goes by that she doesn't surprise us with new and super funny things. I love this girl and could not imagine my life without her.

Alpine Loop

Yesterday we took a ride on Alpine Loop to see the leaves. Figured we might as well go since it is supposed to snow in the mountains tonight. It was so cool to see all the leaves changing and the pictures don't even do it justice. Wish I had a better camera to capture the images. Fall is definitely in the air.

It's a Miracle

At almost 16 months old Kylee has started taking her first steps. Christian and I have been working with her at home and she would only take a few steps here and there but while visiting my parents this weekend she decided she would do the marathon walk. I guess there is hope that she will be walking by the time this new baby gets here. Miracles really do happen!!!!

Bridal Veil Falls and a few random pictures

We took a little walk up to Bridal Veil Falls the other day and let Kylee put her feet in the water. It was FREEZING cold but she loved every minute of it. It's such a pretty walk and I would recommend it to anyone.
Also, there are just a few random pictures of Kylee being her mischievous self and getting into things left and right. She definitely keeps us on our toes but we enjoy every minute of it.

We have a slight problem

So I hired an exterminator. Well.....ok it's just Christian but really, we have a HUGE problem at this house. Wasps, EVERYWHERE and anyone who knows me knows that I am petrified of bee's, wasps, hornets, whatever you want to call them. I run like Forest Gump and I don't stop until those suckers leave me alone. We even have them building nests literally on our front door. It's ridiculous how many there are around here and it looks as though we aren't the only one with this problem. All the neighbors have them as well. UGH.....

Where's my sign

that moving to Lehi was the right thing for us to do? Is Christian's hours getting cut a good or bad sign?

Hogle Zoo

Saturday we took advantage of the weather and decided to go to the zoo. I was really excited to take Kylee because every time we see any sort of animal she gets really really excited and starts squealing and eventually barks like a dog. Her favorites of the day were the Turkey's, Monkey's and the water that was in all of the animals areas. She wasn't too thrilled with anything else surprisingly but I think she had a pretty good time.

After the zoo we hit our final destination:

It was a place called Pat's BBQ that we saw on Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives on the food network. It was divine and Christian pretty much thought it was Christmas in June. Anyone coming to SLC who loves a good BBQ joint ought to check this place out. It was super super good.

We had a great day and completely wore ourselves out but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Blue or Pink???

PINK........

There were no danglies (as Christian would say) in the ultrasound today which means we will be having another girl. I couldn't be more thrilled and I'm hoping Kylee and the new one will be really good friends. Christian on the other hand I think is a little bummed but is still excited to be having a healthy baby. Things looked really good in the ultrasound now the hard part.... finding a name.

Will Kylee be a......

Big sister to a baby boy or baby girl? Tomorrow is the big day but does anyone care to guess what it will be before? Those who think it's a girl I promise I won't tell Christian. If he finds out he will probably hunt you down and hurt you. J/K he won't but he is really praying for a boy. I on the other hand am praying for a girl. Tomorrow can't come soon enough.

Park City with the Mason's

I kid you not this is the place we stayed in over the weekend. It's was nicer than anything I ever have or will ever stay in again. It was a place called Escala at the Canyons Resort in Park City. It was so nice to get away and take a little break from unpacking. We played a lot of Wii, shopped and even managed to sneak in family pictures. Thank you so much grandpa and grandma Mason for planning such an AWESOME family getaway.

Goodbye Dixie

Goodbye to this......

Hello to this........

So our journey begins in Lehi. I will miss everyone I met here in St. George and I will be back OFTEN to see all yall. Thanks in advance to everyone who helped us pack up the U-Haul. We owe you BIG TIME.

Kylee's 1 year old pictures

Deb at Funny Face Photography took Kylee's pictures a few weeks ago and they turned out so well. We are always so impressed with the work she does and this time was no exception. This was way passed Kylee's bedtime but she was such a sport and even gave us a few smiles. I still can't believe she is already 1. The time has gone by so fast and we have enjoyed every single minute of it. Happy Birthday Kylee.

Kylee's Number 1

This day came sooner than I thought. Kylee turned 1 on the 14th and boy did we have a big birthday bash. It started first thing in the morning where I began singing happy birthday. That continued throughout the day and she would just giggle at me and dance a little bit and then carry on with what she was doing. I bet I sang that song a good 1000 times throughout the day. Can you say physco???? Later on that night we went to my brothers and had a swimming party and Kylee loved being in the pool. She showed everyone her skills she learned at swimming lessons by splashing, kicking, and blowing bubbles. But I think her favorite part of the night was the hot tub. I think she thought that was a ginormous bath tub with bubbles which I guess it is but with chlorine. She probably could have stayed in that thing all night if we would have let her. After that I brought out the hot pink lady bug cake and she went to town on that. She got super super spoiled as you can see by the pictures. Toys, clothes, books and more books. She loves reading and will do it all day long. In fact my mom came over that afternoon and Kylee pulled out the books and one by one went through every book we had. My mom would read one then Kylee would crawl over to the others, grab a new one and crawl back over, and climb on my mom's lap to read another one. I bet they spent a good 1.5 hours reading books. We had such a great night and completely wore Kylee out. Goal accomplished!!!!
Happy Birthday baby girl. We love you so much. You have brought so much joy and meaning into our lives and I could not imagine what it would be without you.

Mom and Tot Swimming Lessons

The last couple of weeks Kylee and I got to do a Mom and Tot class at the Sand Hollow swimming pool with Mindy and Kayden. Kylee absolutely loved being in the water. We learned how to use our arms, kick our feet, blow bubbles, and jump off the edge of the pool. Every time I would get her swimming suit on she would just get so excited and she knew exactly where we were going. Being the cruel parent I am I ducked her underwater almost every time we went. Gotta get them used to the water somehow right? She didn't mind other than when she came out of the water she looked at me like what in the heck did you just do to me? Are you crazy? All in all it was a great experience for Kylee and I'm glad we had the opportunity to do it.

Here comes #2

Baby number 2 is on it's way and should arrive on or hopefully before November 14. Christian and I are both very excited and Kylee is in for a very BIG surprise. Wish me luck as the two will be exactly 18 months apart. Are we out of our minds?

Easter Weekend

This post is long over due and I really have no excuses other than I have just been extremely lazy. We had a great time in SLC celebrating Easter. Kylee loved being around the nieces and nephews and especially loved her grandpa Mason. She is still warming up to grandma Mason though. I swear LeAnn we are not teaching her to act like that around you.

I think Kylee picked up on the whole Easter egg hunt really fast because she would pick up an egg, shake it then drop it in her basket and squeal for the next. Of course I reaped the rewards of her hard work and downed all of her candy in about 2 minutes.

While we were up there visiting we got to go to one of Christian's FAVORITE restaurants called the Red Iguana. While we were there Kylee kept waving and smiling at this lady that was behind the counter which is so not like her. The next thing we know this lady brings out a Red Iguana T-Shirt for her and apparently the lady she was waving at was the owners daughter and she just thought Kylee was the cutest little girl EVER so she gave us a t-shirt. Let me just tell you that Christian was in heaven. Not only do they have UH-MAZING food but it's the bomb because they gave our daughter a free t-shirt which Christian thinks should be framed.

We had a great weekend and one that will for sure go down in history. I hope everyone else had a great Easter weekend as well.

All you mom's out there

I'm begging for advice. Kylee and I have hit a HUGE rut and I'm not sure I know how to get out of it. A few weeks ago I started feeding Kylee macaroni and cheese. Up until that day she was still eating her baby food with no fuss at all. Now..... she won't touch the stuff. Not only will she not eat her baby food she won't eat anything besides mac and cheese. I have tried EVERYTHING. I tried chicken and stars, cut up pieces of fruit, cooked peas. You name it I have tried it. I can't force her to eat anything else because if I do she won't trust that I am giving her something good to eat and then she won't eat anything at all. So my question is.... Should I worry about this and quit feeding her mac and cheese or should I keep feeding her mac and cheese and just be glad she is eating something? I'm about ready to pull my hair out as it is an all out battle of stubbornness at lunch and dinner and I usually lose. Advice anyone?????

Handle With Care

For lack of things to blog about I have decided to blog about another one of Christian's crazy dreams. Hope you all laugh as much as I did. Love ya Christian.

I was rudely awakened last night at the sound of things moving around such as the lamp, reading material, the alarm clock and such. As I rolled over to see what in the world was going on I see Christian's pillow on the night stand. So I ask as usual "What are you doing?" and he sits there for a minute and then quickly realizes that he was dreaming, grabs his pillow and goes back to sleep. At that point I was too tired to ask him to explain the pillow being on the nightstand so I rolled over and went back to sleep. This morning as he is getting ready for work he asks me if I'm interested in knowing why he was doing what he was doing last night. Um.... HECK YES I AM YOU FREAK OF NATURE. So he begins to tell me that he thought the pillow was an award winning sandwich and that he was worried about smashing the sandwich and the sauces on the sandwich getting all over the bed. So he was strategically moving everything on the nightstand so that he could place his sandwich (the freaking pillow) there. What in the world???? Who dreams about giant sandwiches the size of your pillow? Christian Mason.... Anyone that knows Christian should know how passionate he is about food. Totally makes sense that he is dreaming about giant sandwiches that win awards.
I love you Christian. Thank you for always making me laugh. I will take a good laugh anytime I can get it even if it is at 3 in the morning.

Like Father Like Daughter

Need I say More???

We have lift off

Ok so this is probably not exciting for anyone else but me but I'm posting about it anyway. Kylee got her first tooth today. Can you believe it? 8 and 1/2 months old and she just got her first tooth. I really am so excited for her even though she really has no idea what that weird thing in her mouth is. What a big step and super to cool to see as a new mom.

Happy Birthday Christian

So this is a little late (a day to be exact) due to a very sick child and a very busy day but I couldn't skip this post. Happy 30th Birthday Christian!!!! I just want you to know how much I love you. You truly are the best husband anyone could ever ask for and I really am blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for always making me and everyone around you laugh. You have am AMAZING personality and even better a great sense of humor. You make life so much easier even though I try my hardest to make it difficult. Thank you for your patience and your love. I don't know anyone else that would be able to put up with my freak outs and my yelling fits. And I have never been loved the way that you love me. You always have a way of making me feel like I am the most important person in the world to you. Most of all, thank you for being such an awesome dad. I see in your eyes and your actions just how much you love Kylee. She really is a lucky girl to have you as her dad. We love you so much and we hope that you had a great birthday.