Transitions at Day Care & Father's Day Fun

We were all sad to see Mason's favorite teacher leave this month.  I made sure to get a picture of Mason with Ms. (now Mrs.) Whitney on her last day.  You can tell they are pretty fond of one another.  She was a wonderful first teacher for Mason.

This month marked Tony's first Father's Day.  Mason "signed" a card for daddy with his signature scribbles.

Leo and his mommy and daddy came over for a barbecue with us on Father's Day.  Look at big ol' Leo sitting up so well at 5 1/2 months old (or so)!

Ashley was telling us about how Leo holds his arms behind him, and it looks like he's doing just that in this picture.  Maybe he holds his arms back to act as a counterbalance for his big, cute cheekies!

Look at those baby blues!

Leo was getting a kick out of me bouncing back and forth with the music [that Mason was dancing to...you just can't photograph dancing effectively; MUST use video camera more often] and making some crazy noise in his face.  It was adorable.  He's got such a sweet, happy personality.

Leo loves watching Mason, but I don't think he knows what to think of our little wild man.  Mason is a very loud, boisterous "talker."  On several instances on Father's Day, Mason talked/yelled in Leo's face, and the poor little guy got the saddest face and let out the most pitiful cry each time.

Tony with the boys...it looks like they're up in smoke, but I think the lens on my camera was fogged over after coming out of the air conditioning.

Proud papas goofing off with the nephews.

Time for bed!

Messy Time

We took Mason to "Messy Time" at the library the other night.  He seemed to enjoy it!

Playing in the oats...I made sure we avoided the adjacent tub of Cheerios because I knew those would go straight to the mouth.  Given the communal nature of these tubs of "edibles," I wasn't too excited for any of it to end up in Mason's mouth.

Bubbles (and the flash turned off on the camera; a storm did not suddenly move in, in case you were wondering)...

Ice...a favorite, I think.

Oh, yes.  Definitely a favorite for the teething baby!

And chalk.  Although Mason didn't actually do any sidewalk art, he did enjoy throwing the chalk out of its container!

It was a fun half hour, or so.

Fun Around the Palmer House

The month of May was a busy one--lots of unpacking, cleaning, yard work, etc.  And plenty left to do, of course!  Memorial Day weekend, my family came for a quick visit.  All six of us "kids" were at my house at some point...can't remember if we were all at the house at one time though.

Mason enjoyed some fun with his cousin Leo.  Both boys appear to be doing some teething (or they just like chewing on their hands).

Ah, cousins holding hands.  Getting along nicely!

And even sharing!  Hope this always goes so well...

Mason and Grandpa visiting on the deck.

I made chili over the weekend and decided to let Mason try it (after soaking it in water to remove some salt and spice).  He loved it, but I'm not sure his teacher did when she had to change an armload of diapers the next day...oops!

One of Mason's new favorite things to do is pushing the chairs all over the kitchen/dining room area.

He is walking quite a bit and regularly takes several steps unassisted.  But when he has the support of a chair (or other push-able object), he's a little man on the move!

Back to the Blog for a Palmer Family Update

After what's been a very busy month or so, I've finally found a few minutes to update the blog.  

As many of you know, we've just bought our first house and we're all moved in, which is NOT to say we are done unpacking.  I fear the boxes won't all be unpacked by the end of 2011!  

Daddy/Tony rolled out the tripod for a couple of family pictures in front of the house after closing.

Tony is quite the photographer...he got us all smiling at the same time!  A small victory, I say!

Mason is an eager subject in our many photography sessions.  He knows when the camera comes out it's time to smile.  He actually will make himself laugh/smile for the camera.  Wonder where he learned that from...?  ;-)

With Mason and I both being sick a time or two a piece in the month/week leading up to closing, I had to enlist the help of my mama for some last-minute packing and moving preparation.  During a break from the packing, cousin Leo came over for a visit with his mommy and daddy.  Look how sweetly Leo looks at his older cousin.  It's so cute to see him watch Mason.  He's getting so big and is very adorable.

Leo looks like he's already camera-ready like big cousin Mason.  Since all we can see is the back of Mason's head, it's hard telling if he's checking out the cell phone or his baby cousin.  Or maybe it's grandma.  Probably the cell phone, haha.  He's already technology-obssessed!

 Mason loves hanging out at the windows in the house.  When Tony's out mowing, he gets especially excited and bangs on the windows and scream/talks in an attempt to get his daddy's attention.  Boy, will it be nice when he can talk and stop the shrieky screams!  He's got a big voice, and his high-pitched screams can be hard on the ears.  They are multi-purpose screams--sometimes happy, sometimes irritated.

Daddy came up with the fun idea of putting Mason in our laundry organizer.  Mason was a BIG fan.  Tony pushed him around the kitchen, and Mason was loving it.  

He would squat down almost hidden...


and then pop up.

If I could keep the thing empty (and not half-full with laundry at all times), it might be a great baby-entertainer.  Most restricting toys (like the play pen or his exersaucer) are no longer favorite toys.  Mason likes to move...and he can't be far from walking.  He already walks along and between things as long as he has a hand on them.

Here's a picture out our front window.  I just LOVE my Japanese Maple.  The former home owners had quite a green thumb, and our landscaping is just beautiful.  It will take some work to keep it nice, but we are excited to do just that.  Maybe I'll get out and buy some plants this weekend and add a few flowers to our flower bed.  We've got so many shrubs and perennials, that there really isn't too much space to fill, so I may buy some pots.

We were happy to make it to church on Easter morning.  Daddy got up EXTRA early to make sure he was done with work in time for us to go to church as a family.  Mason was a VERY good boy at church.  We didn't get any pre-church photos, but we did get a few later that afternoon when we gave Mason his first Easter basket...had to be a sports theme!

Mason got the football-shaped Easter basket, a new fleece sleeper, and some miniature athletic balls - a couple footballs, a baseball and a basketball.

One day, he'll know just what to do with a football.  But here, you can see that Mason is looking at it a bit confused.  haha

Mason definitely knows what to do with a rattle--make lots of noise!  This wasn't part of his Easter basket (it's a rattle borrowed from Aunt Kirsten), but it's a favorite of Mason's.

Well, hope everyone is having a lovely spring!  And Happy Mother's Day to our mamas, mama friends, mama relatives, etc.