Mason is 10

My mom created this AMAZING video capturing Mason's first 10 years of his life.

I can't believe that he is 10. Mason is happy, hilarious (at least he thinks so), friendly, polite and for the most part kind (unless your name is Callie). He still lets me give him hugs in public and still asks me to lay by him at bedtime so we can chat. (this is my favorite) This kid is a talker! He really enjoys teasing, cracking jokes, and tickling my feet (which I HATE!). I'm amaed everyday with his resilience and creativity.
On his actual birthday we had a little bit of a crazy schedule.

6-8am Got ready for school, Had french toast and a muffin for breakfast (per his request), opened presents
8-3:15pm School (I got to see him at lunch and bring him a cherry slushy)

 (Don't let Callie's face fool you. She actually really enjoyed having lunch with her big brother)

4:30-5:30pm Webelos (His first time!) And of course he loved it
6-8pm (Basketball Practice for Noah and Mason)
BED!

Callie's Tooth

When Callie cracked and injured her tooth back in March of 2014 I had to jump through a lot of hoops to help save and preserve this tooth. I went to 3 different specialists spent hours on the phone with our dental and medical insurance companies. Treatment to her tooth consisted of a root canal and cementing a zirconium crown on tooth #E. When it was all said and done I told myself I would be happy if this tooth lasted even just one year. I didn't want my beautiful baby girl to be missing a front tooth for close to 6 years. (My kids hang onto their baby teeth FOREVER. Noah is almost 8 and has only lost one baby tooth.) Well... Her tooth lasted almost 2.5 years. So I should be happy.

Almost every single day for the last two years I have done "bump checks" on Callie. After I brush her teeth I look for any sign of infection around the tooth. About 6 months after all this dental work I took x-rays on her and noticed the root canal material was gone. I consulted with the doctor and we decided to basically just watch the tooth and check for infection.
Monday morning this week when I checked and sure enough she had a fistula.

I'm surprised I didn't freak out. I knew it was coming and I've come to grips with it. I made an appointment with my friend and colleague Dr. Wruble. We drove to Casa Grande to see her at her Pedo office (totally worth the drive). I have learned from past experiences it's best not to tell Callie what is going on. She didn't know she would be losing the tooth. She didn't even know she had a bump in her mouth. When I explained everything after Dr Wruble's exam I was shocked at her acceptance and calmness.
Callie loved the princess room they seated her in. She tolerated the nitrous very well and everything was all finished very quickly. Later she was surprised to find out that she had gotten a shot in her mouth. I'm very grateful this was such a good experience. THANK YOU DR. AMANDA! Callie was excited to go to school the next day and show all her friends her missing tooth. Love this girl.

First Day of School

I can't believe my Callie started school today. I'm not ready for that, but she definitely is. Callie is in afternoon kindergarten this year. All my kids so far have been in half day and I seriously LOVE it. One of the main reasons I chose this school. We get all morning to play and hang out, then she leaves for school and April goes down for a nap. It's perfect. All morning Callie was so excited for school. I think we went through about 4 different outfit choices (something I NEVER experience with either of my boys.) She even whined a little about how it was going to take soooooo long for school to start. She wanted to go this morning with her brothers. When time came we loaded up in the car and headed for school. She was super excited and didn't even look back when Ms. Stradling rang the bell. I'm glad I was wearing sunglasses because I got a little emotional walking away from her class. I still can't believe she's in school.  

This smile

Callie came home from school all starry eyed and full of stories. She told me she made friends with all the girls in her class. Harley sits by her on the bus on the way home. It makes me happy knowing she gets to ride the bus with a friend from her class. I knew Callie would love school and be good at it I just wasn't sure about the first day jitters. 

Noah is in 2nd Grade this year and was really excited. He went to bed last night with his clothes all laid out and backpack ready. He's been telling us all summer that he's ready for some "real homework". Well, he happily reported today that "2nd grade is the best so far because he has more homework." I really don't know where all this comes from but I'm proud he takes his studies so seriously.

Mason came home announcing he has the best teacher in the whole school. He plays off like he isn't that thrilled about school. I know he likes it, and I love how social he is. Last week at his dental appointment. I was cleaning his teeth and my assistant friend JoAnn came in the room and started asking Noah and Callie questions. They didn't really answer and would just politely nod or look at me for help. JoAnn (who happens to be a big tease) then tells them "You guys don't talk much do you!?" Mason with both my hands in his mouth energetically responded "I do!"

April was not sure what to think today. She woke up from her nap and searched the house for her siblings (even the backyard). I read some books with her but she was a little whiny the rest of the time. I'm hoping she adjusts soon and learns to enjoy her quiet time.

"cheese!"

14 fabulous years

We celebrated 14 years tonight. I ate at a new place and LOVED it . Couples massage (he loves me, this is totally out of his comfort zone). Finished up with a movie at home. I love my man and love my life. Looking forward to forever with him. ️

We do not have a career in modeling/picture taking. We are terrible! But it was fun trying to get a good picture. Oh well! Maybe 15 years will bring us better luck with the photo shoot. 

Noah Read the Book of Mormon

This kid. Seriously crazy! We celebrated something huge tonight. He read the entire Book of Mormon cover to cover. All. By. Himself. I don't know where he came from but I am super proud. At the beginning of the summer I had introduced the STOMP program to all children in primary. Noah went home and got started immediately. Little by little he completed the 531 page book. I didn't have to nag or really even remind him. He took his Book of Mormon to swim team practice every morning and would sit and read during Mason's swim time. I asked him tonight on our date what his favorite part of the Book was. "The fighting. That's the parts that I really understood. You know where the 2 kings battle until there was no one left? King Shiz and King Coriantumr." It's amazing how your 7 year old can make you want to do better and be better. I need to get crackin. I'm not finished yet and the summer is almost over!

California

I'm so glad we made it to California this summer even if we only got a few days out of it. This was my only weekend off before school starting and I told Ron it's now or never. I even threatened taking the kids myself (which he knows I probably would even tho I really didn't want to brave it with out him). We stayed in Buena Park this time close to Knott's Berry Farm. It's our Christmas gift that keeps on giving and we love it. We are really enjoying using those annual passes. Everyday was pretty much the same. We would hang out at Knott's Berry Farm for a couple hours. Then head to the beach. Ron found us a nice smaller beach called Little Corona Del Mar. It's a rocky beach which means lots of exploring for my kids to do. They had fun playing with crabs and finding Sea Anemone's. This time of year at Knott's was a lot more crowded than the spring, the kids noticed too. On Saturday they had to stand in a few lines and didn't enjoy that much. As we were planning out our events for the next day Noah announced "Tomorrow will not be so busy at Knott's. It's Sunday and people go to church on Sunday." Too cute. That night for family prayer Mason prayed "Sorry we aren't going to church tomorrow." I'm glad my kids are aware of the importance of the Sabbath Day observance. 

  

  

 Last day in CA we hung out at Huntington Beach.

April wasn't quite sure what to think of the ocean the first couple days. She didn't like getting sand on her hands and wasn't a huge fan of the water either. She tolerated it ok. It wasn't until our last and final day at the beach that she embraced the dirtiness and fun. She discovered the use of a shovel and stayed busy sprinkling sand in her pail.

Callie loved playing in the sand and even talked me into digging her a life size hole in the sand. Which I might add took me an entire hour and she only stood in for like 2 mins. (I'm rolling my eyes) Not an easy task, we were not well prepared. I dug this hole for her with a flimsy plastic shovel about 12 inches long. LOL

 Noah loved exploring the beach and the sand. He wasn't too fond of the cold water with crazy waves. I'm still laughing over his comment on our last day. He was a little upset that Ron had dragged him out into the ocean to experience the waves. Imagine him proclaiming this in his very disgusted stubborn voice "The worst part of California is the beach!"

Mason. Mason. Mason. This kid scares me. He LOVED the water a little too much. Those waves were huge and the riptide was incredibly strong. I personally did not really enjoy getting tossed around and jerked into the water confused on which way was up or down. Mason LOVED every crazy minute of it. We couldn't get him to come in, he kept going farther and farther out. Ron did good staying close to him but I was still a little paranoid. Mason stayed in the water the whole time we were at the beach. The last day coming home we had so much fun playing we stayed probably a little too long. Mostly because Ron and Mason were having such fun out in the water while April napped on the beach. That made for a tiring ride home when we arrived around 1:30am. But it was worth it. I really love experiencing things like this with my kids and watching them take life in.

 Knott's Berry Farm selfies

 "The Excelorator" the fastest ride ever and our favorite! 

 I lost my hat on this ride. Boo. Gone forever. Jaguar (Noah's 2nd favorite ride)

 This nap of hers was amazing! I even got to enjoy part of it.