It was a Merry Christmas

 I was very much in the Christmas spirit this year!  I was so excited to decorate our house for the first time and share some of my Christmas spirit with my son.  DIY holiday projects and online shopping were major part of my holiday prep. I usually prefer the hustle and bustle of mall shopping but with the extreme cold temps online was a much better option.  Plus it put me ahead of the game.  I was happy with my online purchases and I believe my recipients were too. Thank you GAP, Shutterfly and Amazon for having just what I needed to complete my list this year.

Mason loved seeing Christmas trees and saying hohoho when talking about Santa but the whole concept of Christmas and opening presents didn't matter to him. Just because he didn't want to unwrap his gifts didn't mean he didn't love them. This was the year of the kitchen for Mason; complete with play food, pots and pans. I think this is going to be a great addition to the toys he already has; he can cook while I cook (and just maybe he will open the cabinets in his kitchen instead of the ones in mine). Mason received several items from Melissa & Doug (great quality toy brand by the way) his favorite so far being the broom (he is still sweeping away). His other favorite gift this year was a firetruck from Uncle Tony & Aunt Sherri (Matt likes this one too because it is a remote firetruck). Matt and I only got Mason a few small things this year but Santa along with everyone else went above and beyond; we are truly blessed.  Watching Mason oooh and ah over the past few days filled my heart with joy.  It also shed Christmas cheer among those around us.  We certainly are lucky. We hope you had the same magical experience in your house this Christmas.

His new favorite Firetruck 

Aunt Mia & Mason Christmas Day

Checking out his new car

Pintrest in Action

I've been "pinning" things to my "boards" for a couple of years now! I have tried some recipes along the way but recently I'm making my way through my recipe board and attempting some DIY holiday projects.  Pintrest is a great place to search for great ideas; food, style, home decor etc.  As a mom with a 1 year old running around I am looking for quick, easy and yummy dinner options. I love to cook but I don't have the time I used to; so making labor intense meals isn't a great option at this time in my life.  For other moms wondering what is for dinner; here are a few of my favorite Pintrest successes.  Follow my Cooked it Up board going forward so you can see what we are eating and what is a flop and what is not.

Seal peppers, potatoes, zucchini and sausage in an aluminum foil pouch and grill for a quick dinner (I baked mine, way too cold to grill right now). Would highly recommend this for a quick easy and mess free meal. 

Broccoli Cheese Bites: I've made these once a week for the last few weeks! I have altered the recipe along the way to our liking.  I always have panko on hand so I substitute that for the breadcrumbs. 

Mini Frittatas: I make these at night and we all enjoy them in the morning!  I wasn't sure how they would warm up but honestly they are great.  I have made them three times in the last week; putting whatever we have on hand in the frittata.  







Getting Organized on Pintrest: As I started trying out more recipes on Pintrest I had a need to get organized.  I have a recipe board (recipes I want to try) & a cooked  it up board (recipes I have tried).  I simply edited my pin once I have tried a new recipe and add a comment when I move it to my cooked it up board. This allows me to keep tract of what recipes we liked and those we won't be making again.  Happy Pinning!

Not into Pintrest; not to worry our family blog will remain family focused!

Snow Day

We are having a very cold very snowy winter; it's hard to believe it is only December. I'm doing my best to keep Mason & I from going stir crazy.  Last week we made pizza which then lead to a bath. It was a great way to pass time and I didn't have to worry about what Mason put in his mouth seeing it was all edible.

Matt and I bundled him up on Saturday morning (after a decent snow) to see what he thought about playing in the snow. It was hard for him to walk with his layers on but he sure did look cute. It was nice to get some fresh air and have some family play time.

Our visit with Santa & Aunt Megan

Tis the season; and this year I am really in the Christmas spirit. So is Mason, he loves seeing Christmas Trees & saying "Christmas tree." We have taught him who Santa is and that he says Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas. So, when we ventured out in the snow to see Santa I thought it would be painless. Mason started by giving Santa a once over and then it went down hill from there (I'm going to blame it on the unfriendly Santa who neither said Ho ho Ho or Merry Christmas). We got some great shots of this transpiring. Plus, things went more smoothly when both Matt and I sat on Santa's lap (literally all three of us were on his lap). Of course, brunch turned that frown upside down and the rest of our Sunday was joyful.

                     

With the extreme cold weather I find it unnecessary to take Mason out if the house every day! Plus taking him in and out of the car seat with his big bulky winter coat is not easy or fun (more tears). We are so lucky that we had a visit from Aunt Megan this past weekend. It truly takes a village and having another adult in the house for 48 hours was amazing! Megan was able to entertain Mason along with Matt and I. It made staying inside most of the weekend an absolute pleasure. Thank you Megan for the pre-holiday visit; we are very grateful or the one on one time we got to spend with you.

A thankful Thanksgiving

The Murray family had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We spent the afternoon at my parents' house putting up the tree (one of my favorite things to do) and  after we all took a nap we headed back over to my parents for Thanksgiving dinner. Throughout the day there was one thing I couldn't stop thinking about; what a incredible difference a year makes. Last Thanksgiving, we just had Mason, I was still in pain from childbirth and could barely keep my eyes open, we were about to close on our house, I was nursing Mason what seemed to be like every hour and Matt was days away from starting a new job. It was SO very nice to just enjoy the holiday with our family... stress and worry free. As I chased Mason around the house watching him interact with his Aunts/Uncles, Great Aunts/Uncles, Nana & Papa it was clear what I was thankful for. Watching my louder then life son bringing joy and warmth to everyone around him was priceless. Matt and I are so thankful for him, each other and our very loving friends and family.

Here are a few pictures of our Thanksgiving! We can only hope your Thanksgiving was as joyful as ours.

Not liking his hat!

Got Milk?!?!?

Mason has a new favorite; his milk carton. Today marks day 3 of carrying it around, pretending to drink out of it and chewing on it (he is teething right now). I would prefer he carry around something a bit smaller only because he is still wobbly when he walks. Nonetheless, we find Mason's new found love for his milk carton funny and endearing. Plus, it is super cute watching him walk around the house saying milk and carrying the carton around. 

Yes, he took a nap with it it. I figured it was better than fighting him for it. He took a nice long nap this afternoon so whatever works, right? 

{1st Haircut}

On November 13, 2013 my mom and I took Mason to get his first haircut. I had been putting this off for some time now; but not for reasons you may think. Although, Mason's hair was cute shaggy he didn't have the ability to push his hair out if his face. When he attempted to it always resulted with lots of food in his hair. I knew the time had come but how were we going to make this happen? Remember Mason doesn't stop moving and new on the scene are his tantrums. I found a place called KidSnips close by and I knew this would be a good venue for the task at hand. Little did I know how good!!!!

KidSnips is every kids dream! Wall to wall toys surround cutting stations equipt with cars (instead of chairs), TVs in the mirror along with a very friendly welcome. We were instructed to pick a movie (we went with Elmo) and load up with some snacks!  Success success success. Not only did Mason have the best time driving his car, watching Elmo and eating snacks; his hair turned out better then I would have expected. Of course, Mason's head never stopped moving during the process but that's would made Kid Snips the right choice for us. These hair stylists specialize in working with kids and 1st haircuts. We left with a happy baby, mom and nana as well as a certificate document the occasion (picture and hair included).

Needless to say I would recommend KidSnips! We truly were impressed (plus $5 off on Tuesday/Wednesdays if your child is 3 and under).

End Result

  

Cups cups....and more cups!

We hit the one year mark which means it was time to  switch to whole milk. The transition went smoothly, along with the first few days of whole milk.... Then we hit a wall. Mason started drinking way below the suggested 16-24oz and I didn't know what to do. I bought a special sippy cup, I tried his favorite sippy cup and tried the old sippy cups (which we didn't have luck with in the past). None of the above worked and while the nurse I spoke with recommended we begin again; I just couldn't see how buying his very expensive liquid formula and adding one ounce in the bottle would be the right move. So, we turned to Dora (perhaps we have created another issue) but for now when all else fails we watch Dora and drink a bottle. The last few days we have even drank some bottles sans Dora. While I never anticipated any issues with the milk transition sometimes things don't go as planned.  As of today we are in the right track....drinking 16 plus ounces of whole milk. If we keep that up we will slowly remove the bottle from the equation (which the doctor said needs to be gone by 15 months).

A cup for me and a cup for you; has become my new motto! My Starbucks addiction is rubbing off on my son. Even as he starts to walk (yep, we have a walker) he has his cup in hand.  I have rinsed out some of my used bux cups to give to the babe to play with.  Who needs toys when you have a Starbucks cup!?!?!?  His need for my cups doesn't extend to a glass of water but water bottles, coffee|tea to go mugs must come in twos.





Mason is walking! He uses walking and crawling to get around.  He only walks in the house right now, for some reason he isn't a fan of trying out his new shoes on the pavement or grass.  He LOVES saying the word shoes but it is touch and go when it comes to actually wearing them.  Either we are totally enjoying this new stage Mason is entering.  Here is a video of him taking some of his first few steps. Enjoy!

{The Big ONE}

It is official, we are parents of a one year old! This is huge; Mason is a toddler and Matt and I have survived our first year of parenthood.  The day was special for me; and although Mason won't remember I did want to make the day special for him too. For Mason that means a day filled with pancakes, meatballs and playing!

We started the day off by going out for pancakes with Nana!  We hit up the Honey Bee Cafe; a local diner.  They hands down made the breakfast a special one; check out those birthday pancakes!

 

The day was bittersweet but mostly filled with lots of love, joy and fun!  Mason is getting so big and he is such a sweet boy.  We are enjoying interacting with him; he is smart, silly, active, determined and loving.  We are so LUCKY!

Happy Birthday to our sweet baby boy!!!!

 
 

This month Mason has really started cruising; he uses pretty much anything to get from point A to B.  He has taken a couple spills but nothing serious (yet).  He is a little chatter box when he doesn't have his Monkey Monkey in his mouth.  He loves saying dada, babies, apples, trees etc.  

 Mason's Likes:

- Monkey Monkey (his wubbanub)
-Dora the Explorer
-Playing in the fridge
-clapping
-books

Dislikes:
- being told no
- getting his diaper changed
-mashed potatoes

Just thinking about this past year brings SO much to my mind! I could write down all my thoughts but I will spare you all.  Just know that when our angel went to bed we popped up the prosecco and toasted to the most fabulous year of all our lives.  We celebrated the BIG ONE!

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Mason has enjoyed his week full of presents!  It is amazing how exciting Elmo wrapping paper can be (pretty sure Mason said Elmo for a good 20 minutes).  He really enjoys interactive toys so a big thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Murray and Aunt Megan for a week of birthday fun! Clearly, Mason enjoyed all of his fun gifts and of course the Elmo wrapping paper.









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Here is the birthday sign Mason was playing with.  I ordered it from Etsy; I figured it was something we can use every year (even for Matt's birthday).  You can choose your own colors; if you want to create one for you family click here.