Don't Worry

I was taking Mason to preschool this morning and said something about the snow (probably complaining that it covered the ground yet AGAIN!) and he quickly responded "Don't worry mom, we'll keep spring". He then added that it's a beautiful spring day (which he was also saying last week after church when I was trying to capture a few photos of them by the popcorn popping trees (see blog title photo).

Mason has been saying "don't worry" a lot lately . . . like don't worry mom, we'll find it" when something is lost. I'm glad he has confidence that things will always work out! If only it were as easy for adults to see things that way!

Maybe it's time to teach him the song Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Baby Animal Days

We recently went up to Dan's hometown for Baby Animal Days, which has become an Easter time tradition! Before we left we told Mason we were going to visit Grandma and Grandpa, so he talked about it all day and even carried our big cooler up from the storage room so we could pack it for the trip! When we got closer we told him we were going to go see the baby animals and he just kept saying he wanted to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house. When we pulled into the parking lot of the Heritage Center we told him again we were going to see the animals first and he said "No! I'm not! I'm going to Grandma and Grandpa's house!" Then he had a meltdown and although we didn't want to give in to his tantrum, we knew getting him out of the car would mean dragging him around while crying. So, we went to Dan's parents for a quick visit and lunch. Then he was fine going back to the farm!

He still didn't care much for the animals (he never really has), but he wanted to head straight for the toys and rides instead. Tristyn liked the baby pigs, sheep, goats, bunnies, chicks, and goslings. However, when the big lamp baa'd right in her face she got scared and didn't really care to spend much more time with the animals! We didn't go through the long line to hold the chicks or goslings, but she liked watching the other kids hold them and giggled when they squirmed around.

Mason wiped Dan's wallet out so he could go on the bouncy slide a million times! Then he waited patiently for the candy cannon. Mas said the candy shot out of the ground, up to the sky, and back down again. He was pretty hesitant to grab candy that was near anyone else, but he did come out with a small bagful. Even after that he wanted cotton candy! I was surprised he ate it, but he did. I ate some too . . . it was yummy! Bear World brought a few bear cubs and they were super cute and really curious! It was fun to see them. Mason wanted to watch the train go around and he just stood there for a long time, but when Dan asked about 10 times if he wanted to ride it, he kept saying no. Until we were ready to go home, of course! Then he wanted to ride it! By then we were done, so he had another tantrum because he didn't want to leave! Kids . . . they never know what they want!



We finished the day with Cafe Rio and a yummy Charlie's shake (the BEST SHAKES EVER!), so it couldn't get much better than that! Yeah for spring!

More cupcakes

I blogged about Mason's cupcakes earlier, so this will be quick. I just wanted to share a couple of photos of the kids 'helping' mix the batter when they made cupcakes a couple of weeks ago (yes, we have been making them a lot lately). Mason is great at reading the directions and telling Dan what to do next. He also likes to put the papers in the pan. I think Tristyn had just woken up from a nap, which is why she looks a little zoned! I'm glad they like to help bake and just hope they'll actually eat all the things they help make!

Little Camper

Mason loves to play in his little tents and keeps asking Dan when they can go camping. So, a couple of weeks ago we set our dome tent up in the front room so he could play in it. He actually did fall asleep in it one night after several hours of playing in it. He really liked having the zipper done up and didn't mind that it got all stuffy and hot. He pulled out his little sleeping bag and even put his other smaller tent inside. He had a blast and was a great helper when it came to folding it back up. I think he's ready to hit the great outdoors! Tristyn was a little hesitant to go in at first because I think she thought we'd zip her in, but she eventually realized it was fun. Melissa even had a picnic in there with them! The kids love it when she comes over to play!

Shoe Queeen

Here's another first for Tristyn--the past couple of weeks she's been trying to put on her own shoes. In this photo she got the right shoe on (even on the right foot) and pretty much had the left one on too before I had to take them both off to put socks on so she could go outside to play! She has always been good at putting her little feet into our big shoes, but she has quickly mastered squeezing into her own shoes. I'm actually surprised she chose these shoes because she normally picks her princess shoes. Maybe she knew these were easier to put on! She normally picks her own shoes and there's no changing her mind once she's made a decision! I doubt she gets her stubbornness from me!

First Skinned Knee

Tristyn loves her Mini Miche Bag! She finally let me take off the pink shell and trade it for this furry leopard shell! We keep a few trinkets in the purse, including these sunglasses. She's great at putting them on herself and sometimes even gets them on the right way! This photo also documents her first skinned knee! She walked outside in just her onsie and fell down on the patio. She was pretty upset, but has enjoyed the attention she gets when she shows her owie. She has a lot of character and is always doing silly things! Such a cutie! Oh, you can see her doggy in the corner. She is still a great little mommy for her dogs, especially the one she got from DanaRae's family on her first birthday (white with gray spots that you occasionally see in other photos)! Thank goodness it's washable.

Swim Jar

This is Mason's SWIM jar . . . he wrote swim on the lid by himself (the w started as an m and he hasn't realized yet that all the letters should go in order and in a line--he puts them all over the place). Inside the jar are peanut M&Ms and when the jar is full, Mason gets to go swimming. We started this as a way to get him to behave. When he's good we add to the jar and when he's naughty or doesn't listen we remove treats from the jar. It worked really well at first and we have convinced him to do a few things he didn't want to do by threatening to remove treats, but I will admit that the jar has been completely empty a couple of times (even though we started with it about half full). It's almost half full again--we're really trying to reward all the good things he does with plenty of treats. I'm not sure how long it will last, but he really needs to fill it up soon so he can go swimming and realize that he gets to do fun things when he obeys! If it can get him to sit through dinner at the table with us, I'd say it's somewhat successful! At least when he's being naughty it gives Dan or me a chance to indulge in chocolate!

Our Bakery

Dan must be so proud that his little boy shares his love for yellow cake (and cupcakes)! We were sitting in church Sunday and Mason whispered in my ear and asked if he could make cupcakes when we got home. So, he helped Dan read the box and crack the eggs into the bowl. He even licked the beaters and wanted more batter, which is kind of a big deal for a kid that won't try anything! Once they were cooked, he had to frost them too. He kept licking the knife and his fingers and saying 'mmm, tastes like marshmallows'. I'm not sure where he got that, but maybe all things super sweet taste the same to him!

I think he did a pretty good job frosting these on his own! He has also done a great job eating the cupcakes on his own--yesterday he ate three in a row! At least that keeps me from eating them :-)

For those that we shared a plate with (Dan's home teaching families), please know that Dan frosted those and he did not lick the knife or his fingers in between cupcakes (at least I didn't see him do it!). Next time we'll be sure to share Mason's specialties!

Straight from Blossom?

The first thing I thought of when I saw what Tristyn put together this morning was the show Blossom . . . and maybe Pippy Longstocking (although I haven't seen that in a while and maybe she didn't even wear weird combinations of clothing). My friend, Naoni, made the cute jumper dress for Tristyn and I put that on her, but she picked out the pink leg warmers and brown skirt. She even put that skirt on (inside out) by herself. That skirt was made by another neighbor, Amy! Tristyn used to hate wearing dresses and it was a fight to get her dressed every Sunday. Then suddenly the day I put on her Easter dress, she decided it was fun to flip dresses up and spin around in them. Since then she has been excited to wear a skirt or dress every day. Her favorite is the green polkadot skirt. I have to hide it down in the laundry so she doesn't pull it out and put it on. Actually, she likes to dig through all the laundry and drag it around the house or put it in her drawers. She's such a great helper!

Showing off in her Easter dress:

Another fun way to wear the leg warmers! See how she likes the green skirt . . .

We made the kids tie-dyed shirts with the extra Easter egg dye. I'll try to post Easter photos soon so you can see Mason's shirt too.


Wearing a skirt even to baby animal days in Wellsville!

We wonder every day how we managed to get the cutest and sweetest girl EVER!