Photo Session!

This week started with Monday off for President's Day. It was so nice to sleep in, hang out in our jammies for awhile, and spend the day with the boys! We met Matt for lunch and just hung out at home for the rest of the day. Tuesday I didn't have school, but did have a teacher meeting day. I was in charge, with another teacher, of the kindergarten meeting. I am so glad that is over for this year, it's just a little stressful! Here are some pictures and videos of us hanging out at home. Sorry about the two videos...I couldn't get Mason to both smile and talk in one video:

Lion and Mason

Mason smiling

Mason "talking"

Mason after his bath

Mason in his jammies, ready for bed

You'll be glad to know that we read the lunch menu for preschool and sent Zane with a lunch on Tuesday like we were supposed to! We'll be sure to always watch that from now on! Matt got a lot of work done this week and weekend in the basement. He finished up the walls and trim in the bathroom and is now ready to install the sink and toilet in the bathroom. I can't wait until it's not "under construction" anymore! I know it's a long process and I'm so glad Matt knows how to do all of that...but it'll be nice to come home and just get to hang out and enjoy our room, not have to have it worked on!

Zane & Mason at Jo's house

Thursday when I picked Zane up at preschool, Miss Michelle told me he wrote his name all by himself on the marker board. I have been trying and trying to get him to do this at home, but he has been less than interested. He does so much more for them! Friday was a pretty nice day, so when we got home we took advantage of the weather and Zane played on his swingset. I was able to get a couple of shots of the boys together. After the pictures, they slid down the slide with my help...Zane was so excited to take Mason down the slide!

Zane & Mason enjoying the nice weather

This weekend we've stayed pretty close to home. We replaced Donkey, the fish who died, this weekend. We got another goldfish with a black stripe down its back and a black tail. Zane named it "Tiger." He was so excited when he woke up Saturday morning and went to check on Tiger, who was still alive! He ran into our room and said "Tiger not dead!" We thought he said "Tiger is dead," so we were thinking we were done getting new fish!

Saturday morning I took Mason for his 3 month pictures. He did SUCH a good job! He looked at the ladies who were trying to make him smile like they were crazy! As soon as he saw me and I talked to him, he was all smiles! They thought he was very handsome, and of course they thought he looked older than 3 months old. Once again I over-bought pictures...but they were so hard to choose from! Here are some of the shots we ordered...you can see them all on our Flickr site:

Mason, 3 months old

Last night we stayed home and grilled steaks. We're trying to enjoy being home since we know very soon we'll be traveling to Iowa every weekend. We love going home and seeing our families, but it's nice to be at our own home also! Take care, have a great week, and see you all soon!

The World According to Zane

• After eating McDonald's at Jo's house, Zane had a "watch" toy from his Happy Meal. He put the watch on in the van and said, "What time is it? It's 7 degrees, it's time to go home!"
• Lately Zane has been telling me, "Oh mom, I like your new baby," or "Mom, I like your new van (not new)." He's also said to Jo, "Jo, I like your new house." He's so complimentary!
• During supper the other night, I was showing something to Matt in a catalog and wanted him to say how nice it was...so he told Zane to tell me that it was adorable. Zane looked at him and said, "That's dumb, Dad. That's really dumb."
• As Mason was sleeping in his carseat, Zane said "When Mason sleeps, he looks like a sheep!"

Happy Valentine's Day!

This week another daycare mom had a baby! Tara works with me at school and Ryan goes to Jo's house with Zane and Mason. She had a c-section on Wednesday and welcomed Braeden Michael! I went to the hospital to visit them Wednesday evening and it brought back so many wonderful memories of my time there only 12 weeks ago...but I honestly can't believe it's already been that long! Our baby is three months old already! He's growing and changing so much every day! He is so much fun right now...smiling, "talking," and trying to laugh! He really knows his mom, dad, and big brother!

Zane giving Mason some "advice"

We got Zane's February newsletter from Preschool a little late and realized that Valentine boxes were due the next day!!! We had no idea, but as soon as I read the newsletter to Matt, his wheels started turning! He disappeared into the garage and came up about an hour later with this:

Zane's Valentine box...Wall-E!

Those of you who have been around Zane lately know he's obsessed with Wall-E and Eva! He brought Wall-E upstairs and said "Mom, come, look, I have a surprise for you!" He was so excited about it! And, of course, Matt immediately thought of ways he could have improved it and/or made it better, but it was WAY more than anything I could have come up with! If it were up to me, I would have wrapped it in paper and given Zane some markers and stickers and let him go to town! Here is Matt and Zane with their creation before taking it to Preschool:

Matt took Zane to school that morning and he said it was so neat to watch Zane carrying Wall-E inside. As soon as he got into his classroom and set it down, all the kids came running over to check it out. He kept saying "This is Wall-E. My Daddy made it for me." Matt tried convincing the teachers that Zane made it...but they knew! I told Matt I always laughed at the obvious "parent made" projects and now we have done just that!

Friday was the Valentine party at Jo's house. We were in charge of making fishing poles and a pond for a fishing game. Matt came up with some amazingly detailed fishing poles and even built a dock for the pond! Jo said the fishing game was the hit of the party! I wish I had half the creativity Matt has! Here are a few pictures from that party:

Nora and Mason

"Fishing" for Valentines!

On Valentine's Day, we spent some family time together. We shopped, ate, and hung out at home. Zane got a few gifts from us, which he loved, because after opening everything he said, "I like the stuff I have here. Thank you Mom and Dad!" He sure knows how to melt our hearts!

Mason's first Valentine's Day

Kissy, kissy!

Mason all smiles!

Saturday afternoon our couch was FINALLY delivered! We ordered it at the end of October and were told it would be in by Christmas! It was worth the wait, we love it! The main room is now done except for "decorating," and Matt is working on finishing the bathroom. Saturday night we enjoyed laying on our new couch watching a movie! We can't get enough of our new room and love hanging out in it! Here are a couple of pictures:

Our basement

Our new couch

Thanks for checking in on us! We are excited to have tomorrow off for President's Day (all but Matt...but we'll go eat lunch with him)! See ya next week!

The World According to Zane

• Matt was helping Zane on the computer one night and he said "Dad, I love you. You make me so happy!"
• Zane loves to have Mason lay in our bed with him. He puts his arm around him, it's so cute. One morning he was laying beside Mason, then gave him a kiss on the cheek and stood up. He looked down at Mason and said, "Mason, I love you." Then he looked at me and said, "Mom, I love Mason. He's just a little baby. He's our baby!"
• We were driving home one evening after eating supper and Zane said he had to go to the bathroom. All of a sudden he grabbed himself and said "I almost to pee in my pants!"

Monster Jam!

February already? I was disappointed that the groundhog saw his shadow...I'm ready for an early spring! This week the kids in my class were very sick! On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I had 8 kids gone, Thursday I had 7 gone, and Friday I had 5 gone. They either had fevers, vomiting, pneumonia, or strep throat. Unfortunately I seemed to have gotten a cold from them and currently don't have a voice...don't know how well that's going to work for teaching this week!

Here are a few pictures from this week:

Mason wiggled his hand out!

Madelyn & Zane sliding down the stairs at Jo's
Nora & Mason at Jo's

"Wink, wink!"

Thursday was a gorgeous day, so after picking the boys up, we went to the park! Mary, Madelyn, and Nora ended up meeting us there for a little while. The kids had fun playing!! We're really looking forward to summer!

Mason & Nora sleeping at the park!

Zane & Madelyn leaving the park

Friday was even nicer than Thursday! The kids at Jo's house were finally able to get outside and get some fresh air! I thought this picture of everyone "racing" was hilarious!

Friday evening Matt's parents came down to spend the weekend with us. Papa, Matt, and Zane had tickets to the Monster Jam! Zane had been looking forward to this all week! We went and ate supper, then the boys headed down to the Monster Jam. Gaga, Mason and I did a little shopping before going home. When the boys got home, they told us how excited Zane was the whole time! Matt bought him a monster truck DVD, so we had to watch that a couple of times before going to bed!

Monster Jam

Zane at the Monster Jam

"Oh my!"

Saturday Zane wanted to take Papa and Gaga to Fritz's. Papa hadn't been there yet, so Zane was excited! When we got there, there was a huge line! Luckily it went quickly. The food isn't the greatest, but we go to have a "choo-choo" bring us our food! By the time we got home from lunch, Aunt Marcy had arrived at our house. She was wanting to see the boys, so it was a good weekend for that! Zane always loves it when Marcy's here and she brings her wii! He had fun playing in the 70+ degree weather with Marcy and Gaga. They were all over this neighborhood! Later on, he beat everyone in wii bowling!

Zane holding Mason

Papa, Zane, Mason, & Gaga

Another reason Craig & Keeta were here was to stay with the boys while Matt and I went to my school's Christmas party (we always have it in February...much less busy!). We had it at a local restaurant this year. They had an 80's band playing, which was a lot of fun! You had to be there to appreciate the full effect of this band, but check out this guy!

80's rocker dude!

Today we all went to church, then to lunch. When we got home, Zane had a hard time saying good-bye to everyone. He sure knows how to make you feel good and bad all in the same breath! He was clinging onto Keeta's leg and saying "Stay here. Don't go." He was puckering up and wouldn't let go! As she and Craig walked out the door, he puckered up and cried! He was a tired boy and slept for 3 hours!!

We got news that our couch is in and will be delivered next Saturday...yippee! Matt is hoping to get everything finished throughout the week so that we can spend more time down there! The bathroom needs finished and trim around one of the doors, so we're almost there! I can't wait to post pictures of the finished product!

The World According to Zane

• On the way home from the Monster Jam, Zane said "What's the big idea?" Matt said he has no idea why he said it!
• All weekend long, Zane has been saying "Hello, ladies!" Another boy at daycare, Ryan, says that too, it's hilarious!
• I forgot to mention that one of our beloved goldfish, Donkey, died. We've been talking all week about getting a new fish. Tonight in their bath, there was red lint from Mason's socks floating around in the water. Zane "caught" a little lint in his squirt bottle and told me that he caught a fish. He said "it's a sock fish."
• When Zane was going to the bathroom tonight, his hands slipped while he was trying to hold himself up. His eyes got big, he looked at me, and said "Mom, I almost fall in the water!" Then I asked him what would happen if he fell and he said "I would go in the ocean with Nemo. If I go in the ocean, you not find me mom. The cops can help me." Amazing how they can put all that information together!
• I told Zane that I saw Payton's (a girl in his preschool) mom last night (she teaches with me). Keeta asked him who Payton is and he said "Payton wants to be my best friend."

A Weekend in Iowa

So...as soon as I posted last week that Mason had been sleeping through the night, he woke up that night at 2:00! Since then, he's woken up every night and is STARVING! I guess I jinxed myself! I really can't complain though, it's only once per night and it's never been any more than that since he's been born!

Thursday Matt had his first cavity ever filled. He was nervous, but it all went well. He was in and out in about 15 minutes. That night our Parents as Teachers lady came over to see the boys. She was impressed with Zane's language (he seemed to acquire language skills rather slowly). She was mainly here to see Mason, but he was a little out of sorts - tired - so she didn't get to do too much with him.

Zane helping me feed Mason

This weekend we headed to Iowa for a visit. We hadn't been back since Christmas, so it was nice to see everyone again without all the hustle bustle of the holidays. Friday evening we went to my parents' house. Adam's 18th birthday (yes, he's 18) was Wednesday, so we wanted to wish him Happy Birthday. On the way home, we stopped for a bathroom break and Zane bought some candy necklaces. He kept telling us he was going to give one to Adam and he was going to say "Happy Birthday Adam. I have something for you!" He did give Adam a necklace, but he wanted it back when we left! We had a good time hanging out with Mom, Dad, and Adam for a couple of hours.

Saturday we went to the Cafe for dinner and just hung out all day. It was a pretty nice day! We had a little accident in the afternoon...Zane was outside playing in the mud and with Big (the dog) while I was in the van charging my phone and checking voicemails. He was out of my sight for a second, then all of a sudden I heard him screaming and crying...he had accidentally touched the electric fence! I felt so terrible for him! They tell me everyone who grows up on/around a farm has done it, but I just felt so bad because I knew he had no idea what was happening...at least the adults would have known what was going on! We put some ice on it and he ended up falling asleep, so all was well! When he woke up he kept saying "I play outside and I touch Papa's fence." I think Papa was on the "naughty list" for awhile!

Zane "reliving" his babyhood!

Mason is becoming such a smiley bug!
Both shirts say "Quarterback..." #'s 02 and 12

The Hogans were anxious to meet Mason so after we ate supper Saturday, Matt and I took him in to their house. We decided to leave Zane sleeping at Grandma and Grandpa's house since we figured he needed that more! It was nice to see them again and I could not believe how much those kids had grown! I held all of them a ton when they were babies! They'll still crawl up on my lap to cuddle though, so it works for me!

Rydder, Mason, McKinna & Colton

Today we spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa Beggs' house. We ate dinner (noodles for me and meatloaf for Matt...yum!) and then played cards. It was a small crowd today which meant Mason got a lot of quality time with the grandparents! We are so lucky to have so many family members living in the same area...we got to see almost all of the grandparents this weekend! We so enjoy them and know they enjoy seeing the boys!

Zane "swaddled"

It's so hard to believe it's February already! Hopefully Mr. Groundhog will come out and tell us spring is closer than we think! Have a fabulous week and thanks for checking in on us!

The World According to Zane

• Zane, Mason and I were hanging out one evening and Mason kept sneezing. I said "We'll have to call Mason "sneezy pants." A little bit later I sneezed and Zane said "I call you "sneezy pants" too Mom!"
• Matt had Zane and Mason in the chair with him. Zane looked at Mason and said, "Mason, you wanna be my best friend?"
• Mason was crying and would not settle down. Zane ran up to him, put his arm around him, and said "Mason, it's okay buddy."
• Something came up about "uncles" and I asked Zane who his uncles were. He said, "Uncle Aaron." I said, "Yeah, and Uncle Adam." Zane said "I like those two guys!" (Don't worry Uncle Brent, I said you too! He just got that out before I finished)!