Say Cheese!

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."  ~John Hughes 

We feel so blessed to have such a wonderful little family; I wanted to somehow capture the love we have for each other. So, it became important to me that we capture the three of us together and have some family pictures taken. The photo session was on my mind weeks beforehand; outfits, props, location...there were so many decisions to be made. And most importantly, I wanted the pictures to be "us." 

If you would like to view our pictures click here. 

The pictures are everything I hoped they would be and more! If you are looking for a photog to take pictures of your family I would highly recommend Acorn Portraits (Amanda Hein was also our wedding photographer).  A HUGE thanks to Amanda for doing an incredible job! Needless to see Mason was ALL over the place but you wouldn't know that by looking at the pictures. 

The Good Bad & Ugly

Most of my posts are of all the wonderful things going on in our lives. But blogging is about being honest so I'm going to share some of the ugly. Parenthood isn't all sunshine and roses (if you are a parent I don't have to tell you this). Mason has been off all week but when we went to the doctor to get a rash checked out we found out he has hand foot mouth disease. There is NOTHING you can do for this contagious virus. Mason has a bad case (the sores are all over his body, in and around his mouth) and is in a lot of pain.  Besides Tylenol there is little we can do for him which makes waiting for this to go through his system that much more diffcult. My happy very active boy has been crying a LOT and just wants to be held. My heart breaks for him. It is so hard to see him in pain or even worse cry out in pain. It has been days and it has been rough; nothing pretty about the situation. 

Being a parent is about being selfless and as my best friend and her son (in town from Kansas) stay at a hotel; We both are doing the best for our respective children. And as my parents have gone beyond the call of duty they too are being selfless and sacrificing for their children. Thank you mom for spending the day in the car with me driving Mason around and for much much more. Thanks dad for still making it appoint to celebrate Matt's birthday and making sure we are fed and ok. I hope we are making you both proud as we teach our son the same values you are constantly instiling in us. 

Being a parent is the most amazing and satisfying job I have ever had and while I love being a mom it is not always easy. So while I have been thrown up on, cried with and worried about Mason over the last few days all I want is to take his pain away. Nothing else matters...

I will spare you pictures of my sweet, sick baby boy. And just hope that next week we are back to sunshine and roses. 

11 months & it feels so good!

As we hit Mason's 11 month birthday a few things dawned on me: 1) it is official Mason has been out of my tummy longer than he was in it. 2) holy sh*** his real birthday is just a matter of weeks away 3)  I think I need a bit more time before thinking about baby # 2 (I'm finally functioning at full capacity). While it is totally a thought I think we are a few months away from it being in the forefront of our minds. 

Enough about me; I know you would much rather hear about what Mason is up to. Well, he has become proficient at crawling, pulling himself up and cruising the furniture. He loves to talk to us, read books and play. He seems to be able to play on his own a bit which is so great to watch or use the five minutes to get something done. Mason also seems very aware of other kids; he is always sure to say hi and give them a growl. This month we retired Mason's infant car seat; we stretched it out as long as we could. He is officially riding in his toddler seat. Going out to eat with Mason has gotten to be something fun for us to do as a family. I don't need to bring a ton of extras for him and he pretty much feeds himself. Plus, he enjoys the extra attention he gets from other diners 

Likes:

- books 

- meal times (loving meatballs & peas)

- being outside 

- making animal noises 

- stacking  his cups or putting smaller objects inside a bin

- my car keys 

Dislikes: 

- having his diaper changed 

- being cleaned up after mealtime 

- being told "no"

We have lots going on in the next few weeks so stay tuned for some fun updates. 

PS: The key to taking the monthly pictures once they become more aware of the stickers is putting the sticker on the onesie and then putting the onesie on the baby. Your very welcome, moms that haven't gotten to that stage yet. 

Successful Trip to the Splash Pad

Last weekend we decided to hit up the Ty Warner Splash Pad in Westmont (if you have little ones I would highly recommend a visit to this park|splash pad).  Mason was so excited by the water park he was trying to bust out of his stroller.  He loved crawling around and getting wet; the trip was a success and we will be taking Mason back to the splash pad again!

August 28, 2013 Mason learns how to clap; we couldn't be prouder of our little man!

Much love from the Murray's!

10 months {lions tigers & bears oh my}

As Mason's first birthday creeps up on us it makes we question where the time has gone!?!?!? There really hasn't been a dull moment since his arrival (ok to be completely honest, Matt & I haven't had a dull moment since our engagement which was in November of 2010). Mason is all consuming & we wouldn't have it any other way. With each month comes new milestones reached, with each week he grows bigger and his looks change and with each day his personality evolves. I am both in aw of him and so very humbled by him all the time.

Mason is very active these days; crawling all around and pulling himself up. He loves getting into things he is not supposed to and has no fear. He loves to play with his toys and read books (he loves books). He naps twice a day once around 9:30 (this is when I try and get my stuff done) and again around 2pm (I relax if I can during this nap). He gets up around 6am and we are on the go from that point on (unless he is napping). I have found early morning walks to get coffee and watch trains are the best way to start both of our days. I am fearing winter since Mason prefers to be outside. Mason loves making animal noises; he is especially good at barking like a dog and growling like a bear.  He has added more words to his vocabulary this month which makes it so fun to "talk" with him.

Taking pictures each month continues to get more difficult!  He loves those damn stickers....


Mason's Likes:
- knocking down blocks
- turkey & meatballs
- his push car
- dogs
- pacifier (loving it more then ever)

Dislikes
- potatoes (especially twice baked or mashed)
- when we take things away from him (lots of crying)
- his once favored bouncy chair
-Monkey Business

Sunday Funday {Family Style}

Today the Murray Family ventured to the Brookfield Zoo!  Mason has been working on his animal noises so I thought it would the perfect time to take him to see some real animals.  Here are a few pictures from our day, along with a few others from this past weekend. We continue to take advantage of the wonderful weather we are having and tend to spend a LOT of time outside (hey, that is where Mason is happiest).  Walks at 7am our key these days and have become a staple in our household (I'm nervous about what we are going to do in the winter). 

Our little Frogy!

Loves to eat & drink like a big boy!

Mason LOVES books!  He enjoys playing with his books on the floor & he also LOVES when we read to him.  He gets so excited when we read one of his favorite books and is sure to tell us when we are reading a book he doesn't want to listen to (we never seem to make it through a book he doesn't want to read).  It is so very special for me to see Matt and Mason together.  The love and excitement they have for each other is heartwarming.

Where did our baby go?!?! {9 months}

Honestly, where did our baby go? The one I nursed & rocked hours on end!!! At 9 months our little baby has transformed into an independent toddler (ok, not really but we are getting there). Mason started crawling & boy is he on the move. He is great at communicating with us which makes our job a littler easier. Speaking of communicating he has added the following words to his vocabulary mama, dada, ba (bottle), car, up, bubbles, pool & papa. If we say the word he can repeat it...so fun! He can also pull himself up which is a little nerve wracking at times. Not going to lie falling and bumping his head are the norms these days. He likes to feed himself which makes meal time a little bit longer these days. We have to provide food for him to feed himself and then in between bites spoon feed him. And if we are lucky he will offer us a piece of his food which is like the cutest thing ever.  

Mason's likes:

- the book Lama Lama Nighty Night 

- straws

- avocado & watermelon

- his toy cars & trucks 

- being outside (I'm in trouble when it starts getting cold)

- playing in his room by himself 

Dislikes:

-  door stoppers (they scare him)

- bumping his head

We are so lucky to be Mason's parents! I love spending my days with him; it is priceless.