monster jam.

monster jam.

instead of having a big birthday party ...

mason opted to take a few of his buddies to monster jam.

so we went.

and it was awesome.

14 people. 6 adults. 8 kids.

pre-show pit party passes.

excited boys {and girls}.

and chaos.

the show was in downtown DC.

did i mention it was chaotic?

each adult was assigned a child. or two.

but i am pretty sure all 6 of us felt like we each had 8 kids to watch.

it was good. great teamwork.

lunch arrangements for 14 people was hard.

restaurants were packed.

i want a cheeseburger!

i want a quesadilla!

i want a chocolate shake!

i want a brownie!

oy.

before the show ...

all service men and women were called to stand.

fire and police men and women too.

we had a cop with us.

it was very touching.

we stood for the star spangled banner.

our little cub scouts knew exactly what to do.

the show was loud.

i'm not sure what i expected, but it was deafening.

thank goodness for ear plugs.

the illuminator was our favorite monster truck.

actually, the lobster was pretty cool.

crushstation.

he got a flat tire.

he's wild like that.

who had the idea to change grave digger?

not nearly as cool.

that dude sure can fly though.

did i mention it was loud?

sometimes exhaustion overrides loud.

my nephew.

i could smooch those eyelashes all day.

mason and alex.

buds since diapers.

$10 snow cones.

worth every penny.

no?

a great day had by all.

He had a bad dream. A nightmare.

Are there certain things from your childhood that you remember so vividly ... that you wonder why you remember them so well ... when there are other things that you cannot remember for the life of you?

When I was around 10 years old or so ... I remember waking up crying after having a bad dream that my parents were getting a divorce. My mom rushed into my room to comfort me and from what I can remember, to ensure me that she and my dad would never get divorced.

Well ... fast forward three years or so ... and they got divorced.

Why do I remember that dream so vividly? It is so bizarre.

*In no way, shape or form am I bringing this up to make my mother feel guilty. I totally get why it happened how it did ... and here is why ...

A couple days ago, I woke up in the morning to find Payton sleeping next to me ... knees in my back. A few minutes later, Mason crawled in my bed too ... although he didn't know I was awake.

He was sniffling. I figured he was just a little congested and thought to myself that I should get up and get him a kleenex. Next thing I knew, he was whispering, "Payton. Payton. Payton!"

I rolled over and told him to stop trying to wake his sister. And he started bawling ...

"But Mommy, I don't ever want to be an adult. I want to be a kid forever."

Completely confused ... and slightly worried as to where this was coming from ... I asked him what in the world he was talking about.

"I don't want to grow up. I don't want to be an adult. I want to be a kid forever." Through tears, he repeated this over and over and over again.

I told him to come to me and I held him. My heart was breaking for him, because I assumed he had just had a bad dream ... and it turns out those sniffles were a result of him crying.

I asked him, "What are you talking about, Mason? Did you have a bad dream?"

He nodded his head and said, "Yes."

I asked him what happened in his dream ... and he said, "You and Daddy died. Someone came into our house and killed you."

Sigh.

"Baby ... Mommy is right here and Daddy is at work. We are fine. Nothing is going to happen to us ... everything is okay."

And all during this conversation, memories of my conversation from my childhood flashed in my mind. Was I lying to Mason? What if something ever does happen to Kyle or I ... and Mason will always remember that I told him that nothing is going to happen to us.

But how ... in that moment ... could I have said, "Well son ... some day Mommy and Daddy will die ... blah blah blah." That would have sent him into further hysterics!

Ei yi yi ... parenting is a hard thing.

I realized later in the day that we had spent the night prior talking about Martin Luther King, Jr., who he was and how he died. Mason told us, "He was shot because people didn't like him."

I can only assume that Mason went to bed that night thinking about how people are shot in this world ... for many reasons. And how horrible I feel that he had that dream ... it really took a toll on him.

Yesterday, he told me, "Mommy, when I grow up, I don't ever want to drive because I don't want to crash Daddy's car. I just want Daddy to always drive me around." Knowing we were headed back to the I-don't-ever-want-to-be-an-adult conversation, I asked him to discuss his dream with me again. Same story. 

"Mason, Mommy and Daddy will teach you how to drive. You will do great!"

He persisted in that he just wanted Daddy to drive him around forever. Sigh.



Love this kid to death ... and I will say it again ... parenting is a hard thing!

7 years.

It was January 12, 2004 ... I was at home anticipating the birth of my first child. I believe I was to be induced the next day and had already wrapped things up at work. My grandmother kept me company and we waited for Kyle to come home early from work ... for no real reason, he says, other than he just had an inkling that he should be home.

By 3 p.m. ... Kyle was home and we were hanging out with my grandmother. I went to get up from off of the couch and swoosh. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh! I had been told that having your water break spontaneously was rare and I never dreamed that it would happen to me. I froze and had no clue what to do. I crossed my legs, bounced up and down and yelled for someone to get me a towel ... I had to stop the flow!

Well ... if you have ever had a spontaneous water break, you know you really cannot stop the flow. 

It was time ... we knew we had to get to the hospital, but first I wanted to jump in the shower to wash off my legs. Ha. Kyle about had a heart attack and I'm pretty sure he thought the baby was coming right then. Whatever dude, home girl needed to clean her legs.

By midnightish ... after laboring for about nine hours, it was time to push. Baby boy was coming and I was told he had a head full of dark hair. That shocked me!

I pushed ... and I pushed ... and I pushed some more.

The baby was sunny side up and clearly has a head like his momma ... read: big ... and after about two hours, they gave me two choices ... forceps or vacuum.

I chose vacuum.

It did not work. They pulled on baby boy's head so hard ... no luck. All I can picture is the doctor attaching the vacuum, putting her foot on the hospital bed for resistance and pulling with all her might. No luck.

Goodbye labor and delivery ... hello operating room. A little prep, a little tug and a baby's cry.

We are proud to announce the delivery of our first child ... a boy ... Mason James at 3:12 a.m. on January 13, 2004 ... weighing in at 8 lbs 9 oz and measuring 21 inches long.

4 weeks old

Dear Mason ...

Today you are 7 years old ... my first born, my little man. I realize this sounds so cliche, but where have the last 7 years gone? You are growing up so fast ... Momma wishes she could just freeze time for a little bit.

And yes, you still call me Momma ... your teacher thought that was so cute today when she heard you say that. Be still my heart.

I love how you look out for me and even more so, I love how you look out for your sisters. You are such a compassionate person and I thank God everyday for giving you that quality. I love watching you comfort your sisters, asking them if they are okay, including them in everything you do. If I could record and rewind those moments a million times over ... I would.

Your favorite food is macaroni and cheese and you often beg me to take you to McDonald's. Blech. Your favorite color is red. You love playing video games and you think your phone iPod Touch is pretty cool ... you stick it in your back pocket, just like an adult. You are very picky about what you wear ... you especially love wearing your pro football jerseys ... give you a polo shirt and you cause a ruckus. Every morning your hair has to be styled just so ... but you won't let me spike it, I have tried and tried. You like Justin Bieber ... and I say, more power to ya ... everyone has an idol, right? You love cars and motorcycles. And all you wanted for your birthday was Mighty Beanz ... and that is all you got ... lots of them. Although, I'm still trying to figure out what makes them so desirable, but whatever makes you happy, right?

You have come so far this year in school, with your reading especially. You love math, just like your Momma. I don't know what it is, but something has clicked and you are reading like a champ. You also are very artistic ... your teacher often tells us you have the grandest imagination of all the kids in your class. We are so proud of you!

You are such a great little ... err, big ... athlete. You excel at every sport you play ... you are making your Daddy proud. Well, you make me proud too ... but you know, I try to pretend I don't care about sports. Right now, you are very into football ... but you tend to like baseball a lot too.

Speaking of big ... you wear a size 8/9 in clothing and a size 3 shoe. You are the size of kids that are two or three years older than you ... Daddy just says that means you are sure to be a pro athlete. Momma says you have just got the Bosman genes. Just give me a few more years before you pass up your Dad and I, okay?

You and your cousin, Ethan, who is 4 years older than you.

Happy, happy 7th birthday, Mason. I feel so incredibly blessed to have you as my son ... definitely a very special gift from God. You are growing up so fast, but in so many ways you are still my baby boy.

A million hugs and kisses,
Momma

PS ... a birthday in the life of Mason ...

Are you ready for some football?!

Mason decided that he wanted to play tackle football this past fall. I don't think I quite realized what I was getting myself into ... I am still shocked we never ended up in the emergency room.

Mason is a big kid. As in, much larger than his peers. As in, most people think he is 8-9 years old, when in reality ... he is only 6.

And when you put a big kid on a football field with a bunch of smaller kids ... well, let's just say the smaller kids ganged up and hung on Mason as if he was a monkey bar. And oh, that made him sooo mad.



But he loved the game.



Mason has been asking to go to a NFL football game ... he would prefer to see Brett Favre and the Vikings play because that is the one player that he really knows. Yes ... we are cheeseheads and yes ... we still like Favre. I think. Actually, ask my husband.

But we live in Redskin country.

And we knew he needed to see the pros play, because clearly he thinks that you tackle opponents by grabbing their face mask and pulling them to the ground. Oh wait, maybe he learned that from his opponent. 

And if you were to tell Mason not to pull on his opponent's face mask and if he were to tell you, "I didn't ... they pulled mine!" ... then perhaps you could show him the evidence. Just sayin.



Love you kid ... but you can't lie to your momma.

Today ... Mason's wish came true. His Daddy took him to the Redskins/Giants game and he was ecstatic. Since I was not there, I asked Kyle to share some key moments with me ...

*The first thing we had to do was get Mason some nachos ... no matter what. Do not pass go, do not collect $100 ... head to nacho stand.

*It had started raining soon after we got there, but Mason did not want to wear his poncho ... you know, because then nobody would be able to see his Redskins gear.




*When the Giants ran on the field ... Mason asked, "Why are they booing?"

*A highlight of the day for Mason was when the Redskins started to blow up their inflatable helmet ... he thought that was awesome.



*Mason loved #16 ... the punt returner ... because, "He is fast ... like me!"



*Mason loved the rap music that was played in between possessions.

*Mason wanted to know why the crowd was booooing Cooley ... when really they were chanting, "Cooooley" ... and he thought that was awesome.



*Mason wouldn't leave the game until the last second was off the game clock ... even though the entire crowd had left the stadium with 45 seconds left and the Giants had the ball. "They still have a chance!"



*After the game was over, Mason wanted to know if the players were going to get paid ... and if we could stay to watch. I told them they would probably get their paychecks in the locker room. Ha.

*As we were leaving the game, Mason wanted to go to the nacho stand to get more nachos. But sadly, it was closed.

I'm sitting here grinning from ear to ear ... nothing makes me happier than making my kids happy. As much as I would have loved to have been sitting right next to Mason at the game today, I love that he got to spend that time with his Daddy. And even more so ... I love that he thought it was so awesome.

Meanwhile, I was home with my girls ... playing games, laughing, putting together puzzles, chatting, snuggling for naps, giggling ... just loving them and loving life. Sometimes, it just feels so good to do nothing else and take things in slow motion. I guess that is why it hit me extra hard tonight when Payton said, "Night night, Momma." 

She may not speak like her peers, but when she does ... it rocks my world.

Back to school, kiddos.

Whelp ... I guess summer got busy. So much for my pact with um ... myself ... to blog about our summertime adventures. I feel like therapy has consumed our life and I am currently evaluating our 4-mornings-a-week therapy schedule ... momma needs a break!

Somehow, it has been almost 7 years since I became a momma. I ... in no way, shape or form ... know where the time has gone and that bums me out. Big time. I feel like I've missed so much, even though I've been here the whole time!

*



School is back in session. Man, I love my kids but I'm loving the fact that I have my afternoons to myself this year! Our mornings are nutso ... three kids, three different buses, three different elementary schools. Come lunchtime, I'm ready for a break!

Mason has started 1st grade. I think he and I both were more nervous for him to start 1st grade than we were for kindergarten. I don't know what it is ... the fact that he is older, has more responsibility and is more aware of the social aspect of school? Why does the social aspect of everything stress me out so much?!



Speaking of ... I snapped this picture in a hurry as we got out of the car at the bus stop. Mason was less than thrilled and sort of placed himself behind the car so his friends would not have to see his mom doting on him. Oh dear ... I am such an embarrassment!

*

Nika was so excited to start school this year ... she jumped right into the mix of things at orientation ... I'm excited to see what this school year does for her being in a peer modeling classroom.



Even though Nika is just 9 months younger than Payton, I feel like developmentally she is so much younger. She has come so far since coming home from Russia, but she still has a lot of catching up to do. We are waiting for more spontaneous speech to show up ... her therapists do not believe she has apraxia like Payton, just really weak oral motor function. She can repeat every letter and sound of the alphabet, but developmentally she is not really putting those sounds together spontaneously.



Payton continues to be the little mother hen to Nika ... sometimes nicely, sometimes overboard. Ahem ... bossy little thang.



Here comes the bus!





*



Payton is in love with school. Even the sheer mention of school, she runs to get her backpack and is ready to go ... whether or not she gets to go to school that day. The fact that Mason got to get on his bus before her was a problem ... a big problem. I had to pull her from his bus line ... kicking and screaming. Oh, she cried. She just wants to get on the bus with everyone else! Hopefully now that she knows the bus order, things will be better ... even Nika gets to go before her.



I was so excited to wait for her bus with her. I knew she would be so excited ... and of course I missed all the rah-rah-jump-up-and-down on video. Grr.



Crazy chick. I can't believe we only have one year until kindergarten ... ahh!

*

And for kicks ... we had fun looking back and reading about the first day of school last year ... oh, the difference a year makes! Click here and here ...

One of us, not one among us.

Mason: Mommy, what does Chicky's shirt say?



Me: It says, "One of us, not one among us."

Mason: What does that mean?

Me: It means that Chicky is just like everyone else, even though she has Down syndrome.



Mason (in a joshing voice): Noo she doesn't.

Me: Yes she does. Do you know who else has Down syndrome?

Mason: Nikers (referencing Nika, pronounced Nee-kers).

Me: Yep, and who else?

Mason: Lila.

Me: Yep.

Mason: And lots of babies have Down syndrome. Like Charlie.

Me: No honey, Charlie does not have Down syndrome.

Mason: Oh!

Ha. He was  impressing me there for a minute until he told me that he thought Charlie has Down syndrome. But you know what ... it just shows me that he views Chicky, Nika and Lila just the same as he views Charlie.

And isn't that the point? Love him.