20 Questions, Mason

An interview with Mason - 

My 3 year old little man.

My son who hates green beans, but will eat them until he thinks the muscles in his arms have had enough...

My son who wants to grow a white beard so he looks like Santa...

My son who likes to put my shoes on and pretend he is a "mother".

My son who has.my.heart...

What is your favorite thing to do with your family? Go bowling.

What is your favorite color? Blue.

What is your favorite toy? My  markers.

What is your favorite fruit? Strawberries.

What is your favorite t.v. show? Team Umizoomi.

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Pancakes.

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Macaroni and chicken nuggets.

What are you afraid of? The dressed up ice cream cone at Culvers.

What is your favorite game? Bowling.

What is your favorite snack? Fruit snacks.

What is your favorite animal? Elephants.

What is your favorite song? Oh, Mickey, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind.

What is your favorite book? Spiderman.

Who is your best friend? Kaeli.

What's one thing you're really good at doing? Playing basketball.

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play on the swing set.

What is your favorite drink? Soda.

What is your favorite holiday? Fourth of July 

What makes you happy? God.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor.

Mason Allen

This is my son.

He says honey grosses him out.

He likes to go to basketball games to watch the flip over girls (aka cheerleaders).

Based upon the following conversation, his sisters are going to be more eager to take care of my personal needs in my old age -

Mommy:  Mason, I'm about ready to poop my pants.  Will you wipe my butt if I poop my pants?

Mason: (with his lip curled, he was looking at me like this conversation wasn't for real) NO!

Mommy:  Why not?

Mason:  Mom, just put a diaper on.

Mommy:  But, you'll still have to wipe my butt...even if I am wearing a diaper.

Mason:  No.  Just go to the bathroom. (totally disgusted in the conversation we were having).

Mommy:  Makayla, would you wipe my butt?

Makayla:  YES!  Your butt smells like roses.

Mason:  Mom, you will have to lay down and I will have to get wipes.  (his poor mind still reeling...)

He loves to sing.

Waking up with a dry pull up in the morning is usually the proudest moment of his day.

He is a giggler. He giggles when he's hiding, he giggles when he's sneaking something, and he giggles when somebody lets him do something that he knows he shouldn't be doing.
I love his giggles.

He loves to cut paper, race cars, and shoot hoops.

I often times have Spiderman, a dinosaur, or Hulk running circles in my house.

Thanks to his sister, he can spend a good amount of time concentrating on painting his nails.

His favorite food  (today) is pizza, oatmeal, and macaroni and cheese.

He think "cigarettes" is a bad word and says it often, looking at me with wide eyes, waiting for me to say something to him.

He has lots and lots of girlfriends, but wants to marry Stephie (one of his babysitters).

I love how he greets Mia every morning - "Good Morning, Baaaay-beeeeeee" - with a smile so big his eyes get lost in his cheeks.

He loves to flex his muscles.

He is an extremely sensitive little boy.  His feelings get hurt and he gets embarrassed.  Very easily.

He is a ball full of energy, makes me laugh with almost every thing that comes out of his mouth, and melts my heart with every smile that comes across his face.

He is my little man!

He is my sunshine!

What Mason Says

2 important conversations I had with Mason last night.

(i say important, because they're conversations that i never want to forget)

As I was getting Mason dressed in his pajamas, I was talking to him about how big he's getting. 

Mommy:  Mason!  Look at you, buddy!  You're getting so big!  Look how big your feet are!!

Mason:  (Beaming!)  I know, mom!

Mommy:  How do you get so big?!

Mason:  I practice (as he shrugs his shoulders...as in like it's not a big deal)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *   

We were sitting on the couch last night and Mason, out of the blue and with a puzzled look on his face, asked:

How is Santa going to get in here if we don't have a chimney for him to come through?

That question took me by surprise and I couldn't help but smile.  Who knew his 3 year-old little mind was worried about that?

It's magic, buddy!

...never stop believing in the magic of Christmas!

A Piece For Each

Makayla - 

Her newest accomplishments are learning to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (starting at Middle C, of course) and discovering the love for spelling.  She loves to spell and is always asking me to teach her new words to spell.  I find papers all around the house with words written everywhere - makayla,curry, mason, mia, mom, dad, papa, police, emma, adalyn, cat, dog, love... 

Buuuuuut...a little frustration for mommy has come along with this new found love of spelling. 

Daily, we have conversations that go like this:

Makayla:  Mommy, do you want to go to V-V-A-L-M?

Me:  Where?

Makayla: V-V-A-L-M.

or

Makayla:  I really want a E-B-A.

Me:  A what??

Makayla:  An E-B-A.

Daily, we have conversations where Makayla spells "words" and I have nooooo idea what she's wanting to communicate with me.  She gets upset that I can't decipher her words and refuses to speak the word, but continues to spell it.  I'm hoping that she'll quickly improve with her letter/sound/spelling skills because, oh my gosh, it's hard...for me and for her!

Mason -

Mason and I were alone having one on one time, all cuddled up, watching Caillou, and eating popcorn.  I topped off the perfect moment by handing him a fruit snack.  THEN (i don't like asking questions like this, but sometimes i get curious to see where their mind is at), I asked him who he loved more - mommy or daddy.  Thinking he would definitely say "mommy" (i mean, after all, i was rubbing his legs, letting him watch his favorite show, snuggling with him, AND i snuck him a fruit snack), I was blown away when he said "Mia".

So...then I asked him who he loved more - Mia or Makayla.

And, he answered "Grandpa".  

He's a smart, smart boy and his heart is oh, so good!

He knew just exactly how to answer those questions...

Mia  -

She's amazing and I think has a sixth sense.  Almost every.single.night no matter what time we turn our lights out to go to bed, she wakes up.  It truly is amazing.  I don't know how she does it or how she knows, but the second the lights go out, little miss wakes up.  She fusses around and fusses around until one of us go up there to tell her goodnight.  All we have to do is give her a kiss, lay her back down in bed, whisper goodnight, and she falls back asleep immediately...before we can turn around to walk out the door.  It's pretty cool and to be honest, I kind of look forward to it every night.  It's not something I'm tired with, yet...

Mason Is THREE

Happy THIRD Birthday, Mason Allen Curry!

goodness!  you are so handsome!  those beautiful blue eyes, your kissable round cheeks, and that dimpled little chin i fell in love with the second i laid my eyes on you...

you  make my heart flutter, mason!

 TWO was a big year for you -  

You graduated from diapers to BIG BOY UNDERWEAR!!

(this picture is so cute, i couldn't resist!)

and

You became a BIG BROTHER!!

 

It was this past week that I kissed my two-year old little boy goodnight for the last time and went to bed that night dreaming of waking up to a three-year old little boy.

TWO has been a year full of fun and growth! - Growth for you (you've grown to be such a smart and extremely independent boy) and growth for mommy (raising a boy is muuuuch different than raising a girl! you educate me daily, son)!

To celebrate your birthday, we took a family trip to Grant's Farm -

This picture reflects you perfectly - such a goofball and always one to bring us laughter.

You got to feed the goats at the farm -

Here's another picture that represents you so well - 

you are so tenderhearted.

I look at this picture and I can still hear your little voice and see the look in your eyes.

As you fed the goat with one hand and petted his head with the other, you looked into his eyes and said "Here you go, bubby"...and every once in awhile, you would bend down to kiss him (ick). You are such a kind and gentle soul, Mason.

You also got to ride the camel.  You're THREE now, so you got to ride the camel by yourself.  You didn't need mommy or daddy to ride with you.  THREE brings on new opportunities and a whole new look on life...like riding camels by yourself and participating in a Mad Mud Dash (a one mile mud run obstacle for kids) - something that we are going to do next month that requires you to be 3 to participate!

...you're growing up!

Anyway, 

You were completely embarrassed riding this camel and could barely lift your head from the bar for me to take a picture!

  

We had a great time celebrating your birthday at Grant's Farm...and we had a lot of fun watching you open your presents.  You got a bike with a Cars helmet and a vacuum cleaner!  You were ecstatic to open the vacuum cleaner and all you kept gasping was "It matches Grandma's!!  It matches Grandma's!!".  You love vacuuming. I  keep saying that you are going to make a great husband one day!

Look at you, Mason!
I get to see this face everyday!
I get to look into those eyes everyday!
I get to stare in awe at you everyday!
I get to kiss those cheeks everyday!

I'm blessed to call you mine!! 

I loved watching you turn 3 

and I'm looking so forward to watching you grow and learn this year.

You, Mason, are my one and only little big boy.

I love being your mother and I thank God every day that you are my son.

You radiate so much joy and happiness...and you are a gift to everyone that you meet.

*may all of your dreams and wishes come true*

Love,

Mommy

What I Love About You

Mason -

There is so much to love about you...

And I can't tell you how many times a day I catch myself smiling, thanking God for you - for letting me be your mommy.

Taking a few minutes, I want to just write...

write what I love about you.

with no special order and organizational flow, i'm just going to randomly write what comes to mind

First of all, I love your smile and all the expressions that your little face can make.  Just a "look" from your face can send me overboard with giggles.  You have so much expression in your eyes and mouth that sometimes we don't even need words to communicate.  I love it and not knowing what's going to come from your face from one minute to the next makes me love it even more.

I love how you love to put money in your Spiderman piggy bank...dumping your change out and filling it back up over and over again.

I love how you love to play "daddy".  You love to bounce your babies to sleep and change their diapers.  Listening to you "shush" your babies and tuck them into their crib makes me happy.

When I tell you that I love you, I love it that you say "I love you the most".  

I love your new found obsession with daddy's deodorant.  I love how you roll daddy's deodorant on your elbows...how it makes you smell oh so good and puts a little strut in your walk. As you put the lid back on the deodorant with a smirk on your face, I sometimes get lost in la-la land imagining you, my baby boy, as a man.

My heart jerks a little bit every time you call me "mom".  Where's the name "mommy"?  You're still too little to call me "mom" and I feel like you're years ahead of your time when you call me "mom".

I love how you lay down in the bath tub submerging your entire body and head so just your eyes, nose, and mouth are above the water...how you can just lay there, relaxed, for as long as I'll let you.  No words, no splashes, no movements at all.  Just stillness under the water...and I wonder what goes through your mind.

 I love how you call Mia 'Mia Grace' every time you say her name.  Nobody else adds on Grace to her name so it's something special between you and your baby sister...plus, there's something so beautiful in hearing your sweet voice say "mia grace".  

 I love how you hold your head above Mia and let her explore your entire face with her tiny hands...and then when you've had enough you bend down and gently kiss her.

I love how you cry and cry for Papa when you're upset.  I love that your relationship with your grandpas is so strong that they are the first ones you cry for second to mommy and daddy.

I love watching and listening to you play your harmonica, shoot hoops, and act as conductor of your choo-choo train.

you are an amazing little boy, mason.  

it's a joy to watch you grow - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

you make me proud and give me butterflies in my tummy.

you are my whole world.

Love, 

Mommy

Mississippi And Fireworks

Last night, while daddy DJ'd, I took the kids for a surprise.

We took early baths and got our jammies on.  At dusk, we piled into the car.

I drove to the end of town and parked the car.  I got all three kids out of their car seats and we piled in the front seat of the car. 

(i learned that letting the kids sit in the front seat of a car is enough to make their entire night.  who needs a surprise when you get to sit in the front seat of the car with mommy?!) 

I asked this kids to guess what the surprise was...to guess what we were going to do.

And...this is why I love Makayla -

She guessed that maybe we were parked to look for airplanes.

And, when I said no, she guessed that we were parked out there to look at stars.

Ooooh, Makayla!  I didn't expect those two guesses to come out of her mouth, but they were really good guesses!...two things that I love to do.

Mason, on the other hand, was waaaay too busy looking at his teeth and tongue in the mirror to play in our guessing game.

Within a few minutes of getting situated, our surprise began -

... *FIREWORKS*...
!!

There's just something about fireworks that make you smile...

**************************

Yesterday also came with a funny story about my Mason...

All day long, Mason and I would practice spelling "Mississippi".

I'd spell it in different patterns and he would repeat me -

MISS - ISS - I - PP- I

M - I - S - S - I -S - S - I - P - P - I

MI - SS - IS - SI - PP - I

...every single time we got to the "PP", he would laugh uncontrollably and obnoxiously say "PP".

Oh, Mason.  Aren't you too young for that, buddy?

23 Loves

Love is a like a rainbow...an intangible beauty that leaves us feeling as though we've been hugged by God's grace.
- Crystal Dawn Perry

 I love...
the way Mason brings his spoon to his mouth when he's eating,
the way Makayla plays "house" with her brother and baby dolls,
and the sweet, sweet sound of Mia's voice as she squeals and talks.

I love...
the way Mason snuggles into me when he gets up from his nap,
the way Makayla applauds herself after writing her letters,
and the way Mia stares in amazement when she shakes her rattle.

Mason - age 2

 I love...
the way Mason says "horse poop" every single time he smells something stinky,
how proud Makayla is when she holds her baby sister,
and the way Mia starts to excitedly pant with a smile on her face when she knows I'm going to feed her.

 I love...
Mason's continued passion for bowling,
when Makayla makes a club house under Mia's crib,
and when Mia doesn't take her eyes off of me for one second when she's in the arms of someone else.

Makayla - age 4

I love...
to listen to Mason count to 10 and try to continue on to 20,
how Makayla doesn't forget a single person or thing and brings up the strangest stories from years ago,
and nursing Mia skin-to-skin in the warm, heated bathroom before her bath.

 I love my kids' character, the strength of their hugs, and where their imaginations take them.
I love their messy bedrooms, when they crawl into bed with me in the middle of the night, and how I get lost in time while rocking Mia.
I love to kiss their cheeks and hold them tight.

Mia - ALMOST 3 months

...I could hold them forever.

My heart is overflowing with love and I can't imagine my world without my 3 little babes!

Hoops

I (daddy) do not get the chance to write in the blog too often, so I am going to take the opportunity of taking Mason to his first big college basketball game to write. Mason got a basketball hoop for Christmas so he has been totally obsessed about shooting baskets, so I knew that he would LOVE to go.

On Thursday January 3rd Illinois State was playing host to Creighton.  I thought, what a great opportunity to take Mason to his first "big" college basketball game then to be able to see the #16 team in the nation play.  That afternoon mommy and I decided that it would be a great time to have a daddy/son outing.  I called my buddy Mike (assistant Athletic Director at ISU)  to see if there were any available tickets left knowing that it was a "big game".  I was lucky enough for him to tell me that he had 2 tickets in the 13th row of the lower bowl.  CHA CHING!  What great seats for your first basketball game.  Knowing that Mason would not need a seat I immediately called my best friend Mike to see if he wanted to join.  After I told Mason that we were going all he would talk about was going to "basketball hoop"  This kid was so pumped up...

When we were talking about going to the game before he went down for a nap for the day we talked about what all we would see and do at the game.  Mommy mentioned eating dinner and eating a hotdog.  Of course Mason is like his dad and really likes to eat hotdogs.  That is ALL that I heard about the whole way up to the game and when we got there.

After eating his whole hotdog, it was time for the game to start.  He loved the crowd and the cheering.  Mason sat on my lap or stood right in front of me the whole game.  When ISU made a big run at the end of the first half to pull within 3 points and the crowd was on their feet yelling and cheering, Mason was right in with them yelling and clapping his hands.  He figured out real quick what to do.  He had a smile on his face the whole time.  

During the game he was OBSESSED with knowing where "Redbird" was.  That was Reggie the school mascot.  He wanted to know where Redbird was the ENTIRE game.  I am not sure that he would have liked him close up but he really did from far away.  

The game did not turn out quite the way that we wanted it to with ISU losing.  Although it was not the ending that we were hoping for it was a great game and a great time.  It is things like this that I love to do with my kids.  I know right now they probably do not know what it is all about, but I hope one day they will and they will do the same with their kids.  

After the game Mason got to go on the court and get his

picture taken.  He wanted to shoot a basketball so bad.  Next time we are going to have to take a little ball in with us so that he can dribble like the other kids.  

Mason had so much fun and talked about it so much the next day that now Makayla wants to go back with him.  So, it looks like there is going to be another ISU basketball game in our near future.  I just hope this time that mommy and everybody will join us.  

Boy

We've been working with Mason on knowing the difference between boys and girls. Well...I love it when I tell him that he's a good big brother and he 'corrects' me and says "no, me a boy"!

Dear Mason

Dear Mason,

You are TWO years old today!  

...and there hasn't been a single day in the last two years that you haven't brought joy to my life. 

We lit your candles and sang "Happy Birthday" to you two times tonight because you loved it so much.  Watching you sing, blow out your two candles, and applaud yourself is something I could watch you do over and over again.  The way your birthday has made you smile - has made you beam - has filled me with warm fuzzies!

You are my everything, Mason.

Every single thing about you, from the tip of your blonde hair to the depth of your tender heart, has taught me so much about being a mom...about having a son...about life.  And as I have been busy raising you these past two years, you have been busy raising me.

I love tucking you into bed at night.  I love covering you up, cuddling with you, and kissing you goodnight.  I love how we can lay there in pure silence, making eye contact every couple of minutes, and grinning at each other through the glow of your nightlight.  Listening to you suck your thumb, I soak up these nights. 

I love that you love to eat.  For the most part, you are such a good eater.  You'll eat mostly anything, but still have your very favorites...cottage cheese, string cheese, macaroni and cheese, cereal, yogurt, grapes, and popsicles!  Popsicles are your all time favorite things to eat and when the box is empty, you have a fit!

I love how you are talking more and more every day.  You are beginning to talk in sentences, placing 2-4 words together to tell us what you want.  It is so fun to hear you grow and talk!  Everytime we drive by McDonalds you'll yell out the window "Donalds niiiice" (McDonalds is nice)...and you've started to yell out "ice cream" when we drive by Dairy Queen.

I love that you are finally sticking up to your big sister.  You are holding your own and I love it. You are now protecting yourself and your toys from Makayla.  It's entertaining to watch you two work things our between yourselves.

I love the way you play with balls.  Your Sunday School teacher made a comment once saying that with the arm you have, she'll be following your name in high school.  You do have a strong arm, son, and you will have a talent with balls.  Your throw is amazing and your stance is awesome.  You make me smile. You should see your bowling pose!  You bowl that ball with one arm behind you and one arm bent up in the air above your head - then you hold it until the ball has stopped rolling.  Amazing.

...and that smile. I love your smile - the way your entire face lights up, your eyes beam, your cheeks round out - that stops me in my tracks...that makes my heart skip a beat.  Your smile is your gift to the world.

I love that every older man with facial hair is "HO HO" (Santa)...

I love that when you get scared of something or someone you say "Gitchu" (Get You) - then when I tell you it's okay, you'll bring your little finger up to your face and say "nice" with big wide eyes...
I love that you are left handed and when we give you something in your right hand, you don't know how to function...  

I love that your hugs are getting stronger every day and that your kisses are getting bigger every day...
I love to hear you imitate animal sounds - especially when you snort like a pig!...
I love you, Mason.

...every.single.thing.about.you.

I cannot imagine living this life without you.

...and although I am holding strong to these days with you right now, I cannot wait to grow old with you, my son.  I love you and feel blessed to live my life with you.

Always and forever,

~your mommy

Looooove

I just loooove cruising the country on these cool summer nights with the windows rolled down...the stars, the smells, and sleeping babies. It's all beautiful :) 

The Cutest Thing Ever

His baby boy blonde hair that makes me tear up every time it gets cut,

His dazzling blue eyes that are truly the window to his soul,

His kissable cheeks,

And his chin.

Oh, his chin.

He's just the cutest thing ever...

And it's not just his heavenly good looks that make him the cutest thing ever, but also his sweet little voice, his rich personality, and the way in which he carries himself - full of happiness, joy, and pure cuteness!

A couple of things that make my heart melt, because Mason's the cutest thing in the world, are when Mason gets scared of the cicadas (those noisy insects in the summer time that sing so very loudly) and when he pooped in the potty last night.

When we're out and about at night and the cicadas start up, Mason gets scared...super scared.  He takes his tiny fist and clutches it against his chest and with fear in his voice says "get you"!  He's so scared that the cicadas are going to get him and the more fearful he becomes of them and the more he repeats "get you" and nuzzles into mine or Kevin's arms, the cuter I think it is.

...and last night, Mason pooped on the potty.  For months, Mason has excitedly announced that he needs to poop and he runs to sit on the potty.  Sometimes we set him on the potty and sometimes we don't.  When we do set him on the potty, he never poops.  Well...last night he pooped!  The way our family was cheering, clapping, and war hooping, you would have thought that the boy won an Olympic gold medal!  We were all surrounded around the potty pointing his 'accomplishment' out and telling him how happy we were.  Makayla kept repeating "Good Job, Buddy!" over and over again to him.  Mason was so excited he couldn't stop looking proudly at his poo in the potty.  He would slam the lid shut and 2 seconds later, he would lift it up again and beam.  He was one proud little boy last night.  Watching him beam at the potty and his audience (mommy, daddy, sissy) surrounding him...was in fact, the cutest thing ever!

So, between Mason's blonde hair, blue eyes, kissable cheeks, his perfect little chin, and his a-m-a-z-i-n-g personality, I am one lucky mama!

A Bit About Each

First up is...Baby

Documenting the progress, we're 20 weeks along - halfway there!  

As we (me and the kids) pose along the wall and Kevin takes our pictures (a lot of pictures), it's really funny to go back through and look at all of the expressions that were captured.  

20 weeks along and feeling great!

• I don't have any particular cravings.  A couple of months ago, I loved hot dogs and ate 2-3 hot dogs a day - one for breakfast, one before bed, and one during the day as a snack.  This month, I feel like I have lived off of berries and french fries - blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and french fries with ketchup.
• For a few weeks now, I have been feeling baby move.  But being pregnant with my 3rd, I haven't felt near as much movement as I had expected or heard...just one more thing for me to be nervous about if I think about it.
• Tomorrow we have another doctor's appointment and we get to hopefully (fingers crossed) see what gender the baby is.  And yes, for all of those who question if we're finding out what we're having since we already have one of each, we will be finding out if baby cooperates!  It's just something I need to do for bonding, preparing, and organizing purposes!

Up next is...Makayla

3 years old and swings all by herself!

A huge accomplishment!
It was our goal to learn how to pump our legs and swing by ourselves before the end of summer...and look how much time we have left to spare!

"Soaring towards the sky,

I gaze at the tallest tree...

The breeze flows through my hair, 

My thoughts are simple and free..."

She gets so much joy swinging by herself and I get so much joy watching her face (and relaxing in a chair rather than standing at the swings pushing non-stop for an hour or more day after day)!

Finishing up with...Mason

1 year old and can put his shoes on!

Mason can put his own shoes on (thanks to Crocs)!

It feels great to be getting things ready and packed up to head out and I can tell Mason to go put his shoes on.  Not only does it save me time, but it gives him a sense of independence and something to be proud of.

Not only do I love watching him put his shoes on (and most of the time they are on the right feet), but I love watching his face as he looks up at me so proudly when he is done!

He is always so excited to put his shoes and he loves wearing his shoes.  He'll even put his shoes on at night after his bath.  Watching him play at night with his jammies and shoes on just gives me another reason to smile.

It's all kind of bittersweet to watch my kids grow and accomplish these simple, yet wonderful things - swinging and putting shoes on!  I love watching my kids grow, but it makes me sad that the days of learning these things for them are behind us.

It will be gone before you know it.  The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher.  Then suddenly they disappear.

-Dorothy Evslin