meeting mason all over again

sometimes i think about what i am going to post for so long that i can't remember if i ever actually posted about the topic or not, so if this is repetitive, i apologize.  at least part of the story is new...

one of the neat things about madelyn being in school so much of the day is that i have really gotten a chance to know mason more.  mason and i generally don't spend a lot of time alone together and have very rarely been together without madelyn - and she talks a lot!  mason does his own non-stop talking too, but i rarely get to observe him without madelyn's, let's say, "influence".

i have learned that mason is extremely confident socially!  i don't know why this surprises me so much because he is a very confident kid overall, but i always think of him as shy because he is fairly sensitive.  i lovingly call him our "gentle giant".  but he is very outgoing.

mason will talk to anyone and makes very fast friends.  and not just playmates, but he finds out their name, how old they are, if they have siblings, etc.  madelyn could never be bothered to find out names, she is just interested in playing.  and kids like mason - older, younger, it doesn't seem to matter.  i think it is the confidence.  he is straightforward without being mean or bossy about it.

here is an example from today.  i took the boys to "playland" at a local church.  it was pretty crowded because of all the rain lately, but not too loud and not overwhelming - just more than normal.  mason and maddux stay together for the most part but do not become upset if they split up.  at one point they were playing up in the play set with another boy, probably around mason's age.  they were playing like boys and there was some rougher, shove-style playing.  they were in a spot where i could see everything and hear most of their conversation so i knew that none of them were upset and they were just having fun (they were sort of shoving to take turns on a steering wheel, but giving up each turn willingly when someone else 'shoved' them out of the way for their turn).  so maddux starts to say "no" because he isn't happy with how rough the other little boy has gotten.  after about three times, mason addresses the other boy calmly but firmly, "do not push my brother".  and that was the end of it.  they kept playing together and the other boy took it a little easier on maddux.  mommy's heart swelled with pride and love for my biggest, little man.  love.