Chicago and the Sickies!

It has been a little bit crazy around the Baker household lately! Last Sunday I left for Chicago. There was a National Quality Education Conference. Five teachers (including me) from my school submitted proposals and we were accepted, so we went there to present. We also went to other sessions while there. It was a good time! The morning I was to be picked up at 5:15, Mason woke up at 2:00 and had gotten sick in his bed. He got sick again at 3:00. So...I was up from 2:00 on, worrying about him, and worrying that I was leaving for three days! Matt reported that he ended up having a great day Sunday and didn't get sick again, so that was good! Unfortunately Jo and her kids got it also, so she was closed on Monday. We are so lucky to have an amazing friend, Mary, who called Matt and offered to watch Mason so he could go to work. That was an amazing offer! Here are a few random pictures from home and Jo's house:

Zane's homemade "bed"

The lovebirds...Mason and Nora
Mason ADORES babies!

I had a fun time in Chicago, but missed my boys terribly! They picked me up at the airport...standing by the gate and Zane was holding a sign he made that said "Mom" with an airplane. I wish I would have thought to take a picture, but I was holding back tears...it was so good to see them again! Friday afternoon Jo called and I could hear Mason sobbing in the background! She said he woke up early from his nap and could NOT stop crying. She knew something was wrong, that's just not our boy. So I called the doctor and they had an appointment open, so Matt left work to take him. It ended up that he had a sinus infection and bronchitis, so we got a "kid z-pack" for him. He seems to be doing well, and except for the episode at Jo's, we never would have guessed he was sick!

Friday evening my parents and Adam came down. When they got here Matt and I went on a date! Saturday morning we did some shopping, then headed to Arrowhead for the Northwest/Pitt State game. It was COLD out there, but we had a good time! The Bearcats barely pulled out a win, but they did, so we were thrilled!

Me, Mom, and Karol at the tailgate party

After the game, Mom, Dad, and Adam had to head home, so we went out for pizza and then to Target (see Mason pushing Matt and Zane around below). We purchased a new camera, so we're going to have fun playing with it! Then we got a couple of movies from RedBox and headed home to have movie night!

Target on a Saturday night...

One of our camera's first photos...

This morning around 9:30 Zane got sick! It's been a week full of illnesses! He stayed in bed ALL DAY LONG and slept most of the day. Right now, as I type, he is sitting beside me and cannot stay quiet...I think he's making up for lost time. He and Matt are going to stay home tomorrow morning to be sure he's okay.

Zane-isms

• Today we were talking about going to Burger King for lunch, and then Zane got sick. As soon as he got sick, he looked at Matt and said, "Dad, I want to eat at home so the people at Burger King don't get sick." I thought that was pretty sweet of him to think of that!
• Zane is such a great artist, and I'm always telling him that he "gets that from his Dad." So yesterday when he was trying to make something, and asked Matt for help, he said, "I just think about what to build and I build it, because you give me the artist." I guess he took me literally (you get that from your dad).

Mason's Marvels

• Before going to Jo's each morning, Mason and I review what he's going to do there. I say, "Mason, what are you going to do at Jo's today" and he says "Share...Be nice..." Well, this week he added a new one. "Share...Be Nice...No hit!"
• Yesterday I was making pumpkin bars and Mason just got out of the tub. He was in the kitchen licking the beaters with frosting on them, and all of a sudden he said, "No peeper!" I looked at him and he was holding his peeper (privates) and telling it "no" because he was going to the bathroom. Don't worry, I sanitized!
• Mason peed in the toilet twice this week! He was so proud of himself!