mason and me

since madelyn and daddy were at the ball game, mason and i went down to the park. no reason to just sit at home, right? going to the park with just mason gave me the opportunity to play with him and to take some video of him going down the slide on his own - only there was a chatty neighbor so i am talking through the video.

we went with daddy and madelyn the night before and he slid down on his bottom for the first time on his own. that is what i was hoping to catch on video but he wasn't as in to sliding on wednesday. we had also seen a triple/quadruple rainbow on the way home! i wish that i had my camera.

in the video we are talking about the local wildlife because this neighbor's family is new to the neighborhood and we were just watching a woodchuck in the grass near the park so the conversation led to what else you can hear and see around here.

mason is just doing all sorts of things now that i am not getting pictures or video of these days. here is another rundown:

- watching madelyn ride her tricycle has just been too appealing to mason and he had to give it a try himself. i had my phone with me and was able to catch a quick picture, but i didn't get the huge smile on his face. he couldn't really reach the pedals but he still thought that it was pretty great.

- mason has also figured out how to 'play' the recorder. this i am going to have to get a video of because he puts the entire mouthpiece in his mouth and just blows it over and over. i don't even notice it but one of my coworkers laughs that she get a serenade every time she calls.

- unfortunately, mason has figured out how to open our most difficult baby locks in the kitchen. madelyn has just gotten the dexterity to open them this year. granted she opens them by pushing the two buttons required to open them properly and mason just opens them with brute force.

- not only can he open the baby locks in the kitchen now, but he can unlock the glass sliding doors! oh geez, this kid.

- thankfully we have a lock on the water dispenser on the refrigerator. mason takes his cup over for a refill when he feels like it is empty. it's nice that he is so independent, but it can be messy...

- mason loves to color. i think that he is even motivating madelyn because they sit together and color for decent blocks of time almost everyday. we are still working on using crayons only on paper. mason seems to find it more satisfying to color on the table and chairs right now. at least he isn't coloring on the floor, walls, doors, or windows. i am also pleased to say that he doesn't break them up like madelyn used to do. as you can see, mason finds other uses for his crayons too.

- still no words. he is signing more consistently and communicates just fine for what he needs; mainly pointing and grunting. he is starting to know the names for animals too. he can correctly point most out when asked.

- his favorite book right now is the very busy spider. i think i read it 10 times last night before stopping and putting him to bed. and mason does not sit for a story he does not want to hear. i have no doubt that this is his favorite book of the moment. when we finish he points at the back cover, makes a noise that i would say means "again", and then flips the book back over to the cover before settling back into my arms - waiting.

i really need to carry the camera around more... love.

he really is such a sweet boy and full of hugs and kisses. he will be snuggled up on my shoulder and just pick his head up to give me a kiss before resting his head on my shoulder again. we just love him. love.