Christmas at last!

Well, Christmas was only a week ago, so we're not doing so bad updating the blog. 

This year  Xmas was definitely a lot of fun for Maddie. For the first time she really "got it" and was super excited. To pass the long days until Christmas, Janet came up with a really fun game. She got a little Christmas elf and we told Maddie that the elf was visiting us before Christmas to report back to Santa about the happenings in our house and whether everyone was being good. The elf was found in a different spot every morning (since elves only move when no one is around, i.e. at night). Maddie at first wasn't quite sure how she felt about the secretly moving elf but really got into it after a couple days and started looking for him every morning before breakfast.


Finally the big day was here. Here a few shots of the kids unwrapping their plentiful gifts.

Mason and his toy guitar and his  new "cheese" grin . 
He does this every time he spots a camera now.

Maddie got an Ariel figurine playset and was very excited.

Maddie played with her Ariel set for over an hour by HERSELF. Anyone who knows our daughter will surely be just as amazed as we were.

Lots of blocks and potential for a messy living room.

Maddie and melodica

Oma sent Maddie my old melodica, my very first music instrument. It's kind of like a flute with keys. Maddie enjoyed the honking noises she was able to produce easily. When asked if she wanted to learn "Twinkle twinkle" she simply responded: No!.....honk honk!!!!"

Even with dozens of new toys a good old fashioned roll of 
toilet paper is hard to beat.

The following day we were greeted with 6 inches of snow, seemingly putting a major wrinkle into our plans to head down to see Grandmama and Grandaddy. After much frustration and shoveling the driveway I decided to take a test drive to see how bad the roads really were. Better than expected and we decided we would make a go of it. We left a couple of hours later than planned but got there safely.

Before leaving though Maddie really wanted to play in the snow some, so I took both of the kidlets out.

Maddie really loves snow......until she gets cold that is.

Mason was not sure what to do with the white stuff.
He much preferred to be held up at a safe 
distance from the cold mess.

We arrived in Burgaw around 2:30 and after a late lunch/early dinner it was time for some winter fun farm style.

Four wheeler: check! Wheel barrow pan: check!  Rope: check!

Janet and Maddie ready for the ride

And off they go:

Havin' a bit of fun myself

Then the second phase of opening presents started:

Yay, jammies!

New swing for Mason, Daddy serves as tree.

Maddie got a sleeping bag for sleepovers and camping next 
summer. Mason and Maddie are enjoying it together.

Hoppy horse for Mason

And crayons. This boy really loves to color and paint. 
He was very excited.

A crawl tunnel for both of the kids, and by now....... the cats.

The end of a fun but very long five days with the kids: 
Daddy has given up, Mason takes to drinking and only 
Maddie, as expected, has any energy left.

Much Ado About Mason....All About My Boy

Sweet kisses for my buddy.

This post is for Mason and about Mason.

With two kiddos in the house, it's pretty easy to sometimes forget that one of them is doing many, many things for the first time. As most Moms can tell you, the second kid is different. In our house, that means that we deliberately try to pay equal attention to both kids -- all the time. This isn't realistic, and frankly, sometimes one kid needs more attention. Like when that kid is walking and talking for the very first times.

Mason is so much fun right now. He's walking everywhere, which is funny in itself. He does the Mason shuffle into the kitchen to see what "Da-dee" (Daddy) is doing. He does the Mason shuffle into the living room to see what Maddie is watching on TV. He climbs the stairs when he sees someone heading that way. He pries open the bathroom door when someone doesn't want it to be opened! He is really pleased with himself and warms our hearts with his cheeky smile. No kidding -- this kid is cheeky!

To think that he learned how to crawl while we were in Germany in early June is truly amazing. He has come so far in such a short time. In October, he was walking 8-12 steps on his own and in the last two weeks, he's just walking all over the place.

Enjoying gifts from Mommy's trip to Pennsylvania -- sausages and pretzels.
Who's the happier guy here????

Mason also has been climbing to the top of the stairs for more than a month now. He usually climbs one or two steps and then turns around to see who, if anyone, is looking. If someone is watching, he grins his cheeky grin and starts climbing again. Sometimes I really believe he sits on the stairs and waits until someone sees that he's there, so he can show them how he can climb to the top like a big boy.

Maddie is often in charge of watching for stair-bound Mason. We tell her she's the "little mommy" for a while and to let us know if he gets on the stairs. Unless Dora or Shrek has Mason completely immobile, which happens a lot, we'll hear a cry from Maddie soon. "Mason's on the stairs again." There's something to be said for tattling.


Grandaddy pretends the Mouso puppet is going to eat Mason's snack. Mason seems unconcerned that the mouse will actually be able to pry the snack from his chubby little fingers.

Mason and Big Sis Maddie in their Thanksgiving finest -- bewitched by the TV.

One of his favorite things to do is body slam. He shuffles over to said thing or person and lifts his arms high in the air and just drops his whole body on them/it. It is so funny and he loves doing it. He laughs and smiles and hasn't a care in the world about whether or not he is hurt -- uh, or whether or not the person's back is dislocated!! He especially likes doing this to pillows and Da-dee. Mommy (me) doesn't really spend a lot of time lying on the floor for this punishment. But Da-dee obliges and Mason is thankful.

Roll of Paper Towels = Big Time Fun for a One-Year Old

Mo' Sketti, Mo Smiles!

Speaking of Da-dee, this is Mason's new word. It is the most used word in his small but ever-expanding vocabulary. He says it when he wants his Daddy. He says it when he wants anything. He is very much a Daddy's boy, but we have noticed lately that Mason points and cries "Da-dee" whenever he wants his sippy cup, more food, you name it. So.....we have been teaching him the names of things.

So far, he has said the following in the correct way more than once:
water
kitty cat
a cat
ball
bowl
more
all done (a-duh)
thank you (this sounds like tha-du, but we'll take it)
bottle (ba)
cracker

I think that's about it.

Wow is this fun

Teething..........again.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Halloween(s) and roughing it in the Appalachians

Frank posting tonight in case you wonder about the different style.

Hey, we're getting better....only two weeks behind the events, yay!

The title has Halloween as plural and that is exactly how it transpired. The Thursday before Halloween, Maddie and Mason's daycare had their annual Halloween parade. Big excitement for Maddie since she finally got to wear her mermaid outfit. Great fun to watch all the little ones dressed up in their favorite costumes. I would guess about 86.71% of the girls were dressed as princesses while the boys showed a bit more variety, ranging from the good old cowboy outfit to superheros and the latest Disney Corp must-bes. Maddie had a ball and was hopping up and down the entire time of the parade and during the subsequent singing of Halloween songs.

Pretty mermaid

Mason's class was not participating in the costumed revelries, but all of his friends were watching the bigger kids from the baby buggy.......not our little man....he fell asleep about five minutes before the parade started and was conked out the entire time.......why can't you sleep like this at night, Dude?

Just two short days after the daycare festivities it was time for the next Halloween party: Salem's 4th birthday party. This time Mason did not fall asleep and got dressed up as a fierce (but very cute) lion:

Janet dressed up as a good or bad witch, depending on occasion and check mark on her outfit, and I went fittingly as banjo playing farmer. Mason got tired of pretending to be a lion and had to take off his outfit to give his tummy room to expand from all the food:

Elvis Grant helping Maddie to de-mummify

Jumpolene: $150
Toilet paper: $12
Princess toilet paper madness; priceless:

The day after, finally the real Halloween: Robin, Waylon, Noah and Kylie came over for dinner and to trick or treat in the old neighborhood.

Buzz Lightyear and Ariel the goofball, uh mermaid!

Mermaid and fierce lion

The wee ones: lion and butterfly

Well, the lion wasn't so fierce after all and passed out about halfway through the neighborhood

After all these events it was time for a drudging workweek before heading out to Asheville with Amy and Stella Dot. Unfortunately Grant could not make it and we missed him.
In case anyone has any delusions: no, a five hour drive with two little ones is not exactly relaxing. My nerves were raw by the time we pulled into our log cabin court. Then the skepticism about our quarters began and Maddie immediately declared that she was going to be scared in her room......sigh!

In the meantime Mason was busy planning the rest of our trip:

The nights were challenging since the kids were not used to their surroundings and we were all kind of groggy in the mornings....well the Scholles that is......some people have lower maintenance kids, right Amy? :-)

We kind of messed up on Saturday and instead of showing the kids some waterfalls and cool mountain scenery, we ended up eating lunch and spending some time in Asheville. I had never been in the city and really enjoyed it. Nice place with a neat downtown area and some nice shops, bars and restaurants.

On Sunday we finally made it into Pisgah forest to introduce the kids to the mountains.

All geared up and ready to hike to Looking Glass Falls.....little did we know that it was only about 25 yards off the road, duh!

The Waterfall

Girls, waterfall and general happiness!

Scholles, waterfall and general happiness!

After the waterfall we went to the "Cradle of Forestry", the first forestry school in NC. They had a neat exhibit with a scavenger hunt that the girls enjoyed and a trail that showcased some of the old buildings of the forestry school and other artifacts from that time.

Too bad the horses are missing!

Happy to hang out together

Mason having a good time walking

The kids having breakfast in our rustic log cabin

Aside from a couple of sleepless night we had a good time. The girls really enjoyed being together and we were pleasantly surprised to see how well they still get along and how much they like each other, even though they are not in the same school anymore and only see each other every couple of weeks.

Fall Frolics

Disclaimer: Frank named this post. Please send all comments about silliness and general dorkiness of the title to his attention.

Fall has happened -- to us. We love this season and all there is to do during it. There has been a lot of activity around and to our house this month. Below are the highlights, summations and just some generally goofy photos we'd like to share.

Princess shoes -- third generation. Will the fad/obsession end anytime soon? The first pair (far left) now has holes in the toe area. The second pair is fading fast. To the right is the newest pair which Madelyn refuses to wear because, "they are too big." I give up. Disney, are you listening?

Mason snacking on one of Maddie's socks. Guess dinner wasn't ready yet.

Mason kneeling on the play kitchen. We can definitely see the differences between boys and girls these days. He's mischievous in a very naive way and will open/climb on/throw anything. Time to update the child locks.

Pumpkin patch:

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Raleigh Southern Home show and ended up talking to one of the exhibitors who sold flowers and diverse farm grown goodies. Turns out they have a farm with pumpkin patch, hayrides, catfish pond, chicken coop and other farm related goodness. So we quickly made up our minds to pay them a visit and procure our fall decorations.

Here's Maddie in the middle of the pumpkin patch, grumpily indecisive about which pumpkin should be rescued.

Mason selects his pumpkin, matching it to his size.

Three minutes after grumpy Maddie, we have happy Maddie posing with her chosen pumpkin. I love this photo. She is happy and natural and in her element. Except I had to carry her through the pumpkin patch because she didn't want to get her princess shoes dirty. Okay, she was happy and natural though!

Trying to turn the pumpkin into a carriage with her pink wand. Carrying the wand everywhere doesn't even phase me anymore. After all, there was another little girl at the pumpkin patch with a tutu over sweatpants......

Have pumpkins, will travel.

Maddie was excited about feeding the catfish. No fish at first because it took them a while to figure out that they were being fed. Then a big splash, a squeaking Maddie and there they were, about twenty apparently well fed and accordingly humongous catfish fighting the turtles for the fish food. Maddie quickly turned into a fish feeding pro.


Hangin' at home:

Just a few pics of Mason posing in his cuteness.

Skull cap: check, remote in hand: check. Ma, where's my drink??

Getting my drink on. (Don't worry, it's empty!)

Aw, Ma! Come on, it's like the paparrazi in here! Can't a guy chillax?

Haircuts:

In anticipation of a family photo session we all decided it was time to get purdied up. Maddie has got to be the girliest girly girl on the planet: Hour long screaming matches about what to wear and unbridled excitement upon mention of the word "haircut".....WTH?

At any rate, the kids were taken to the local haircuttery on Saturday afternoon.

Maddie first. It's been a LONG time since her last haircut. I think it was last fall.

Bye-bye blonde! All the blonde hair from her baby days is now all gone. Sniff....

Mason's first hair cut! Apparently he was a wiggly worm during the procedure.

I wasn't there, so Frank was in charge of two haircuts and photos. Go Frank! I was picking up a book for a course I'm taking and got hit by a tour bus en route. No kidding.

NO.......not choking the baby here......Frank said he had to hold his head like this almost the entire time. Mason looks concerned with the hand around his neck and sharp scissors nipping his head....but no one was injured during the process and his hair now looks less like a baby and more like a little boy. Again, sniff, sniff....

More pumpkin fever. We went to the State Farmer's Market last weekend and had to buy, you guessed it, more pumpkins.

NC State Fair:

As hokey as it may be seem, we have an annual tradition of visiting the State Fair. Maddie is now old enough where she can really enjoy it and so we were looking forward to showing her around.

Maddie's first taste of cotton candy. After the cotton candy she proceeded to eat her weight in other nutritious and healthful foods such as popcorn, BBQ, and ice cream.


Mason in the backpack. He stayed awake and alert for the 3 1/2 hours we were there. I think he loved watching all the "interesting" people!

Maddie's pony ride

Comin' around the bend. Actually, these ponies are well taken care of. I got the scoop on that the last time we took her for a ride.

Outside the UNC-TV (PBS) tent, Maddie found some familiar friends.

And inside the tent, she found a tunnel.

More house construction:

After the rush of getting the downstairs painted, the carpet in the living room replaced with hardwoods and the downstairs halfbath redone in time for our collective birthday party it was finally time for the big project: conversion of our deck into a screened porch. Here a few shots taken in the middle of construction. We are very happy with our contractors and the thing is turning out really nice.....much nicer in fact that we had ever expected.....nice surprise for a change. More pictures when everything is done.

And in the middle of all this it was time for our anniversary:

11th anniversary cake. Is Frank trying to tell me something??