On the Plains of Old Sedona...Arizona.

Mason and I had a wonderful trip to Arizona last week. It started off with a fairly uneventful plane ride. (Which is a nice change of pace from our last few flying adventures.) We were greeted by 90 degree weather, my mom and Kim, KC the dog (aka "ruff ruff", according to Mason), and later Shay and her dog, Duke (also "ruff ruff"). We did a lot of relaxing, a little shopping, and some good old fashion together time. It was perfect. Here is a quick photo diary of our trip:



From the moment we got there Mason loved to be outside and we took walks every chance we had.








We celebrated Mason's birthday with Kim, my mom, and Shay.

We visited our good friends Heather and Paxton.

We went swimming. Mason loved the water.

I apologize for any blindness I may cause due to my extremely pasty skin. I told my mom I wanted to go home with a beautiful golden tan. She laughed.

We went to this pizza place called the "Organ Stop" where this old guy takes requests on his gigantic Organ and plays for all the patrons. There were pipes, sparkling lights, and of course...creepy kitties.

Grandma dancing with Mason.


Mason dancing with strange boy. (Who he later decided to follow as the boy bolted into a large crowd of people, most likely in an attempt to escape the creepy kitties.)

The crew. Partridge Family style.

Mason at the Condo. He loved playing on the steps that drop into the living room. I mean he spent hours on those things.

(Not pictured here is my "spa day" where my mom treated Shay and I to pedicures. Afterwhich I had my hair cut and Shay gave me a to-die-for facial at her spa. I mean really...she's good.) Thanks Mom and Shay!

Sedona! (This picture was taken just moments before Mason peed through his diaper and all over Shay. This was the second time she'd been peed on in a 24 hour period. Only the first time was by a smaller, slightly furrier type mammal.)

This is the wind blown look.


Mason had a great time walking around the town.

Mason the brave.

Javelina. They must have heard my heart song.

This church was built right into the rock. Very cool.

Walk way up to the church.

This house was ginormo. People were taking more pictures of it then they were of the church. We later found out that its to be Nicolas Cage's desert home.

The woman who made the trip possible. Thanks Mom!


So ends another awesome trip to the great state of Arizona. We miss the warm weather and beautiful scenery, but mostly we miss the company. Thanks guys for a great week!

One Year Ago...

One year ago this week I was ready to burst...

and one year ago today we fell in love...

Because one year ago today we met him...

and since then we have decided that he is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to us. We love you Mason!

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I've Got It Good

I came home from spending a week in the Arizona sun (post to come) to these:

Does it get any better than that?

Uno Year-o

I have lots to post about after my trip to Arizona...but I am tired and therefore will put it off for another day. But I had to say this. My baby turns one tomorrow and I can't believe how fast this past year has flown by. I know most moms say the same thing...but seriously. Turbo speed. He is the joy in our lives and I can't even express how wonderful he is. So here's to you Mase-Man. Although he can't read, I'm sure he will appreciate this. Mama and Daddy love you!

Arizona Here I Come...

...and I can't get this song out of my head. The Pixies are one of Nic and my favorite bands, and this song reminds me of the good times we have spent in the magical mountain deserts of Arizona. Nic thinks that if I sing it out in the desert this week I will be able to call all the javelina to me. We'll see. We will see.

P.S. I also keep singing "Cactus" by the Pixies. If you are a Pixies fan, get out your album and enjoy.

Bangs

So I'm considering cutting bangs. Real bangs.

Not quite like this.

Or this really.

But more like this.

I talked to my sister about it and found out that she just recently cut bangs herself. (She is the one on the right. With the bangs). I think they look really cute on her.

So yeah. I'm considering it. I'm going to Phoenix on Saturday (to visit my mom and sister) and so I'll probably cut them then. If anyone has a strong opinion on the matter (i.e. "Don't do it Meagan, it will make your face look puffy", or "I have been dreaming that you would cut bangs for quite some time now, and I'm just glad my dreams are finally coming true") please speak now or forever hold your peace. I'll do my best to consider your feelings on the matter.

Portrait of my Almost One-Year-Old

Scratch on the chin from falling outside: 0 tears

Bruise across the cheek for biffing it against a shelf: a few tears.

Rug-burn on his chin from falling and/or dragging his face on the ground: lots of giggles.

Trying to get him to hold still so I can take a picture of the bruise on his forehead for my blog: lots of blurry pictures.

Finally getting this ragamuffin to sit long enough to get a picture of him: priceless.

P.S. And you wonder why the poor guy has so many injuries.

Gonna be a Socca Playa!

I am still working on putting a video of Mason's dance moves on here. The problem is that I have over an hour worth of footage...so I need to do some editing. It should be worthwhile once I get around to doing it. In the meantime, here is a video from last week.

Mason loves his ball. It was his first word other than "mama" and "dada". He loves to kick it around the house...especially when Nic kicks it with him. This video should also showcase his walking skills for all you grandparent's out there who haven't seen him walk yet! Enjoy! (Its kind of long, but I didn't have time/the desire to edit it today. And I wanted to post it today)

Fun and Not So Fun...

Fun:

• Going to visit my dear friend Deb's parents in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
• Awesome 60 degree weather while we were there.
• Relaxing, playing Dominos, eating yummy chocolate cake.
• Taking Mason to the beach for the first time.






• Taking Mason's shoes off and letting him walk all over the beach (he loved it).











• Trying to keep Mason from running into the ocean.





• Letting Mason put his feet in the Atlantic Ocean. (brrr!)





• Watching Mason try to catch the seagulls. (Have I mentioned how fun he is?)

• Spending some quality time with Deb and meeting her awesome parents.

Not-So-Fun: (Sorry, no pictures. Although I think we considered it at one point, but decided we didn't need pictures for the following events to be burned in our memory forever.)

• Diaper blow-outs on the beach.
• Deb getting sick before we leave, and being sick the whole way home.
• Getting poop on my shirt. (So much poop in my blog posts as of late).
• Changing Mason's completely blown-out diaper at a rest stop without a changing table.
• Mason throwing up several times in his carseat on the way home.
• Removing everything from the car in the dark parking lot of a Tweeter store in an effort to clean up the mess.
• Sopping up vomit out of the carseat with clothing from my suitcase.
• Throwing up myself on the side of the road.
• 3 hour trip home becoming closer to a 6 hour trip.
• Bringing home the disease to both Nic and Deb's husband Dave. (I'm sorry!)

It was an adventure we will not likely soon forget. Honestly though...it was worth it. Thanks Deb for a fun get-a-way!

Book Club

I've had the chance to read a few books over the past several months. Several of them are books that I wouldn't typically read, but I found the books either during a time of boredom, or they were free...so I gave them a shot. I thought I'd give a run-down of the good and the bad in case anyone is looking for something to read.

• The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. I found this book at my mom's house last September. Mason was having a difficult time adjusting to new sleeping conditions, so I read this book while I let him cry himself to sleep one night. This is not the typical book I would chose to read. I'm not usually into motivational, "feel good" type books. I don't know why. I'm just not. But this book was pretty good. Randy Pausch seemed to have a good grasp on life and I liked that he didn't make himself out to be a saint the whole book. Overall I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars.
  

• The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. My dad and Penni gave all of us kids a signed copy of this book for Christmas. Again, I don't often read stores like these, but I was very touched by the message in this book. I think Glenn Beck did a great job portraying how guilt and self-pity can lead a person into a downward spiral. I know there was some critizism about the book not being entirely a true story, but after looking into Glenn Beck's life a little I can understand why he approached it the way he did. Overall I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
  

• Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. I found this book on the "community book shelf" at our apartment complex's clubhouse. It was a good find as I like Jon Krakauer. The book is a true story about this kid who leaves his entire life behind to live a life of solitude on the "open road". He ends up dead in the wilderness of Alaska. In the book, Krakauer retraces his steps trying to get into his head and find out exactly what happened. Great read. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
  

• The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks. I'm not a big Nicholas Sparks fan. Well, I've only read one other of his books. So I guess thats not fair of me to say. But I was kind of disappointed then and I was disappointed again reading this book (another "community book shelf" find). This time around Sparks deviated from his usual romance novel by adding a mystery/thriller type plot. I found it predictable, and only slightly entertaining. But even the love story, which is suppose to Sparks expertise, was lacking and kind of boring. One of the only redeming qualities was that there was a dog in the story who played kind of an "Old Yeller" type role. Overall I give it 2 out of 5 stars.
  





• The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. So this book is currently on my nightstand. So far though its fabulous. Its an extremely interesting/unique look at how Satan tries to tempt those who believe in Christ. Its all from the view of a couple of satan's "devils". Very interesting and insightful. So far I give it a 5 out of 5.

I have a few other books I've read recently, but Mason is growing tired of playing alone. So I'll have to save them for another day. Happy Reading!

One of those days

Yesterday was just one of those days when the universe was out to get me. It all started with Mason completely pooping through his diaper. Okay, so that happens. So what if it was all over the carpet, in his hair, on my shirt, and even on the wall. I stripped him down and put him in the tub. After sanitizing him, I started a load of laundry. About 10 minutes later I walked into my kitchen (the laundry room is off the kitchen) to find 3 inches of water all over the floor. I ran through the water and shut off the washing machine, then called maintenance (gotta love living in an apartment!). Shortly after calling maintenance, my downstairs neighbors (who are very elderly) call me in a panic because water is pouring into their kitchen and bathroom. Great. In the meantime, Mason is throwing a fit because he either wants to play in the water or be held. Neither of which I was willing to do at the moment. So I put him in his high chair with a stack of graham crackers and started mopping up the water as quickly as I could. Luckily the maintenance guys came quickly and I ended up getting a new washing machine. While they were out making the switch, I got Mason out of his chair and I was holding him when Nic called. So I'm relaying the events of the morning and absent mindedly put Mason down...forgetting that I left the gate to the stairs open. Now this is the EXACT situation that I have promised myself I would never be in. Things get crazy, everyone and no one is watching the baby, etc etc. As soon as I sat him down he ran for the stairs and I turned to find him teetering (toes curling over the top step) with a huge smile on his face as he stared down his fate. I screamed, threw the phone and dove just to catch him as he was falling forward. (No one probably knows this since not very many people have been to our apartment...but our stairs are deadly.) Afterward I found the phone and told Nic what happened. All my kind, sweet husband could think of to say was, "Wow Meagan. Sounds like you need to get it together." Thanks dear. I'll work on that.

In the meantime, the carpet is clean, I have a new washing machine, my neighbors aren't flooded out, and my child is still alive. Now if that isn't having it together I don't know what is.

Mason Update

I have been putting this post off because I wanted to get some video on here...something I still intend to do. But until then I just thought I'd announce that Mason is walking. He has been walking independently for about 2 weeks, but he really took off last week and now walks everywhere.

Other Mason Stats:

• He is 10 months old.
• He has 7 teeth.
• At his December Dr.'s appt he weighed 22 lbs (65th %tile) and was 32 inches long (100 %tile).
• He loves to dance to music. We bought him a CD player for Christmas and when he wants to dance he hits the top of it and bounces up and down.
• He waves...on his terms.
• He just discovered tonight that he can stick his finger up his nose...all the way to his second knuckle. (So talented).
• He loves spicy food. He got into some jalapeno jerky that Nic got for Christmas and he loved it.
• His first word (other than mama dada) was ball. He also says "cool". Only it sounds like "ccccoooo".
• He loves to be "chased" by Nic. He breaths really heavy like he is running a marathon while he's running away.
• He still prefers to be naked and can't sit still long enough to get a diaper on.
• As always, we think he is pretty dang awesome!

Thats about it. Video to come.

Sometimes...

when you are the wife of a resident and you are spending yet another evening alone...you just have to do it...

And let me just tell you...afterward you. feel. awesome.

The Sick House

Mason got a doozy of a cold right after we got home from Idaho. It wiped the poor guy out. He even fell asleep in the tub. He was content to just sit on my lap all day. No toys. No walking around. Just sitting.

He did recover, but now I have a cold. I hoped it was the same cold he had so he wouldn't get sick. But lo and behold this morning we both woke up cranky with snotty noses. Gotta love cold season!

Birthday Boy!

Today is Nic's 29th birthday. Another year and we'll start looking for age spots, wrinkles and mold. Until then...enjoy your day my dear! I sure love you and I'm glad you were born!

This is Nic when he turned a very young 25. He is unfortunately on call tonight...so there are no pictures yet of him as a 29 year old.

Christmas Pics

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Two Terrible Travel Days and 4 Christmas' Later...

Two Terrible Travel Days:

To...

Original Plan: Straight shot from Philly to SLC with a connection to Idaho Falls. Approximate travel time in an airplane: 5.5 hours. ETA in Idaho Falls: 10 pm MST Sunday night.

What actually happened: We were 1/2 hour late boarding plane in Philly. No big deal. Once we (Mason and I) were on the plane they gave the annoucements then told us to hold on for a minute. 10 minutes later they got back on to announce that the airport was closed. They did not elaborate on the cause. Word on the plane soon brought to light that a plane was forced to "crash land" at the airport, therefore by protocol the airport was closed until they could get everything cleaned up and situated. Unable to leave the plane, we waited. and waited. and waited. Four hours, and one poopy diaper, later we left. (FYI: I had to get "captain's permission to change a poopy diaper since we were, in fact, moving approximately 1/4 inch every 10 mintes and thus had to remained buckled in.) Four and a half hours after taking off we landed in SLC...but had of course missed our connection to IF. So my wonderful, sweet dad drove to SLC in the middle of a snowy, cold night and took us safely home. Actual arrival time in Idaho Falls: approx. 2:45 am MST Monday morning. Actual time on plane: approx. 8.5 hours plus 3 hour car ride to IF.

From...

Original Plan: IF to SLC. SLC to Philly. ETA: 9:30 pm EST Sunday night.

What actually happened: The plane we were suppose to be on was late getting to Idaho Falls, delaying our (luckily Nic was with us this time) departure and therefore making us miss our flight out of SLC. With no other direct flights from SLC to Philly (and Nic had to be to work the next day) we were re-routed to Phoenix where we were again delayed due to there not being enough oxygen tanks on our plane (come on people!). We then got on a plane to Atlanta (in front of an exit row so we couldn't recline...in the middle of the night). Then finally we were able to board a plane to Philly. Actual arrival time: 11:30 am EST MONDAY MORNING! We drove home (another 1 hour), Nic showered, then he left for the hospital not to be seen again until Tuesday at noon.


With that said...we are never flying again. Okay yes we are. But we won't like it!


Now onto the less whiney part of our holiday...


Christmas #1: Before Mason and I left for Idaho we wanted to have our own little Christmas here. (Something we look forward to doing for real when we live out west and can therefore see our family and have our own Christmas all in the same week). It was so fun...even though the concept was a little beyond Mason. We still had fun and enjoyed spending the morning together.


Mason and I then spent a week visiting family, baking with Grandma and enjoying the freezing cold weather before Nic was able to join us. Mason loved playing with all the family dogs, whom I credit for teaching Mason to finally crawl on all 4s. (He took his his first steps all by himself later in the week when Nic got there). We had the "Hall Christmas Party" on Saturday night up at the country club. The food was excellent and it was really nice to catch up with everyone. My Grandma and Grandpa Hall put a lot of effort into doing this for us every year. They are truly are wonderful!

Christmas #2: The Sunday before Christmas we had a party with my dad and Penni and all the kids. Nic barely made it in time (due to a slightly less dramatic, but still annoying delay in air travel). We had great food and played some fun games. The grandkids exchanged gifts and my dad and Penni gave us some really special gifts. Then we watched the photo DVD Jenni made of the cabin. I think my favorite part of the evening, though, was when my dad got a little choked up when he told us how much we all meant to him. That is something I'll remember for a long time. Even thinking about it now makes me a little teary. It was a really nice night. Later in the week we were able to make our way up to the cabin for a relaxing couple of days. I love it up there. We snowmachined and played in snow up to our eye balls (literally). I took a nice jacuzzi bath and we played games in front of the fire. Whenever someone says to think of a happy place (which, yes, happens to me all the time) the cabin is always where I think of. Thanks Dad and Penni for letting us reap the benefits of all your hard work!

Christmas #3: On Christmas Eve we always have a party for my mom's side of the family. This year was a little hard because my grandma isn't doing very well. We were able to get her there though and she stayed for about an hour...which is better than usual. My mom put together a photo DVD of some old pictures she found of her and her siblings when they were little...so we watched that with my grandma there. It was very touching. As my grandma was leaving I looked her in the eye and told her I loved her. She said, "I love you too Meggie". Which was awesome because she often doesn't recognize people anymore. I really appreciate all the effort my mom put into making it a nice evening for us all. She has been through a lot with my Grandma over the last several years, but she is always trying to make things nice for her and the rest of the family. So thanks Mom! After everyone left we did the classic reading of the Polar Express with Matt and Shay. Lets just say there is some footage of that event that will forever make me laugh until I cry. We'll leave it at that.

Christmas #4: On Christmas Day we were able to spend the day with the Piersons. Everyone was there (except Marci's kids Seth and Ellen...who came later that evening) and we had a great time. I made my first homemade apple pie all by myself and, if I do say so myself, it turned out pretty good. (At least everyone tried to make me feel like it did...thanks guys.) We had an awesome meal with my favorite: twice baked potatoes with shrimp. Fabulous. We played Rock Band and just enjoyed each other's company. Mason loved being surrounded by his cousins...especially Chloe who kept trying to play with him and give him kisses. (There are some pretty funny stories involving Seth and Ellen and playing in the snow a few days before Christmas...but I'll have to save those for another post). Thanks Lloyd and Gail for putting up with a house full of hooligans!

So we are home in PA now and adjusting nicely. Despite the horrible travel to and from Idaho, I don't regret going. I love spending time with our family. I love watching all the grandparents fall in love with Mason, and I love watching him fall in love with them. It was a little crazy at times, but I wouldn't change a thing. Thanks to everyone for making it a wonderful couple of weeks!


(More pictures will follow as soon as I figure out how to do a slide show thing.)