Scot's Dance

So nothing is exciting here in Stark-vegas, but we just wanted to wish Terry a happy birthday! The only problem is that I wasn't allowed to rotate the picture so that it would be face up. If anyone can help me....

November 2008

It's hard to believe how much life has changed in the past year. And how much a child can change in that same amount of time. Scot is finally getting his third tooth, and there are three more still waiting to drop down. They have been hiding just out of view for about a month now, but never will quite come out. Fortunately, Scot doesn't fuss about them at all. He has learned a new skill, how to play with the dog. Like all dogs, Sonny enjoys a good squeeky toy, but he doesn't have any because once he gets his teeth on the thing, he is already bored with it. But, Scot does have squeeky rubber duckies. Just a few days ago he figured out how to actually make them squeek, and quickly after that, realized how excited the dog gets over it. So here they are, a baby waving a squeeky toy in the dog's face and a dog that is too timid to take it from him and instead just gets excited. Makes for a good laugh for the baby.

I decided this year to see if Scot would be interested helping me carve a pumpkin. Well, just the de-seeding part of it. As you can probably see from the picture, he was a little less than interested. Each time I helped him stick his hand inside, he immediately pulled away and tried to get all the slimy pulp off his hand. So that activity didn't last very long.

Lastly, Scot has found himself a "lovey." His aunt and uncle in Idaho gave him a teddy bear for Christmas last year and every time he sees it, a huge smile erupts across his face and he proceeds to give it a great big hug. He enjoys having it in bed to fall asleep as he sucks his left thumb and then plays with the bow on the bear's neck with his right hand. But, we are also lucky enough that he doesn't have to have it in order to fall asleep. I think we just got lucky with an easy kid.

One-Year Old Already

Scot just turned 1 year last week and we had more fun with it than he did! We threw him a birthday/Halloween party a couple days before and invited a few friends of ours. Scot ate his first piece of cake, but surprisingly, he didn't even eat the whole thing. He ended up sharing with anyone who would let him, and then left a whole bunch of it anways.
For the Halloween dress-up part, we decided to go as the cast from Lonesome Dove. I was one of the few female characters, Laurie. Phil was going to go as Gus, but couldn't grow a mustache on such short notice. Scot, of course, was one of the pigs. I know, I know. We put our little boy in pink. But he has a few more years before he will be embarrassed, and he looked so cute!

As for his new skills, Scot has learned how to clap his hands, wave good-bye, play peek-a-boo, and even starting saying "mama." Most of his skills are very temperamental, he only does them when he feels like it, not when he ask. And as for the mama, most of the time when he wants me, it ends up coming out as "mamamamama." But he knows what he wants, so I figure it's close enough. And no, he's not walking yet. But I'm not worried. It just means I haven't had to rearrange the house again.

Last Stop: Wisconsin

Finally, after much driving, we made it to Wisconsin, and by then Scot was getting sick of the car. Here we were able to spend almost 2 weeks with my parents. It actually would have been about 2 days even shorter had I not fed Philip bad chicken and given him food poisoning. The thing we probably did most in Wisconsin was eat custard. I think that with all the weight we gained by eating out, that was a bigger culprit. Everyone's place to get custard is called Kopp's, and we made it there almost every single night due to their evil plot called "flavor of the day." When we did do something physical, it was water-skiing. But now, this is not what most people think of water-skiing. My dad is such a fanatic that he waits until just an hour before sundown, when most people are eating dinner, and we all have to make as many runs as possible in a short amount of time. There were a few times that Philip said, "ok, two is enough" but Dad made him make one more. Lucky for me, since Scot was born I seem to have no balance, so most of my runs were in the cold water just trying to get up.

We also were able to spend four days with my grandfather at the family cottage. It was a wonderful experience. Basically, there is nothing to do. So we swam a bunch, played a lot of cards, Philip did tons of fishing, and watched movies while grandpa slept. Scot loved it! We were anxious to finally get home, but sad that it had to end.

And now that we're home, Philip asks when he can take another vacation. Just one more semester of taking classes, one more exam to pass, one more discertation to write, and maybe then he can take a break!

On to the Church History Sites

After leaving Cincinnati, we worked our way up to Palmyra, New York, the town where the church was restored. We were able to enjoy many sites, take many tours, and even see the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Unfortunately, it rained during part of our stay in New York, but the country is absolutely beautiful. I think that we decided the best site there was the Sacred Grove, it was incredibly peaceful and it gives you so many opportunities to be to yourself and contemplate your testimony of the church.

We then spent a day in Niagara Falls, a much more spectacular site than I ever envisioned. Scot took that day quite well, even without a nap, except for the tour at the base of the falls. By that point he was hungry (I forgot to pack him a lunch), tired of waiting in line, and did not like getting sprayed on with cold water. Well, once we got to the car, and ate lunch, a few minutes later he decided to give it all back. All two bottles of baby food. So there we were, pulled over on the side of the road, scraping food off his car seat and stripping him down to his birthday suit. But even still, he was such a good kid.

We then made our way over to Kirtland, another historical site of the church. Most people go there to see the temple, which is the first temple built after the restoration, but few know about all of the many sites located there as well. Philip and I decided that we liked Kirtland better than Palmyra even and we feel it is due to the Spirit that dwells there. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared four known times in different parts of Kirtland, and to be at each of those sites was absolutely incredible. By then end of this part of the trip, though, Scot was starting to get tired of sleeping in a tent, driving around all the time, and taking tours in his stroller. Although he behaved incredibly well, he didn't have the opportunities to play like he normally does.

Next Stop: Cincinnati

After we made it back from Utah and Idaho, we all piled in the car and started driving towards Cincinnati to visit my brother with his family. They also have a son who is just 3 months younger than Scot, so it was fun to let Scot meet the rest of my family. While in Cincinnati, we had the wonderful opportunity of visiting the Creation Museum. Nothing at all like we had expected. I guess that I had anticipated learning about the Big Bang Theory and stuff like that, but instead it was 100% Biblical. We were able to learn about Adam and Eve and dinosaurs, and we were shocked to even see dinosaurs climbing on board the model of Noah's Ark. All in all, it was an educational museum. We also were able to enjoy some wonderful food in Cincinnati, and surprised that we could possibly spend 3 hours inside a single grocery store. My father raved about it so much that we had to see what it was about. I don't think I have ever seen so many different kinds of olives, cheeses, and hot sauces in all my life. Well, three hours later, Philip and I were fortunate enough to have spent only about $50. We could have gone broke inside there. Also, we learned that Scot has a bully side of him when we found him wrestling his cousin (and winning, he was standing right on top of Anders's head and throat).

Summer Vacation

We finally made it back from our long summer vacation, but it has taken me a few more weeks to find the time to catch up on our blog. Starting back in the first part of July, we began our trip by making our way to Utah and Idaho. It was exciting to get away from the heat of Mississippi, only to discover that it is also hot in Utah during the summer. The first day was over 100 degrees, but it actually felt almost pleasant due to the lack of humidity. After that first day or two though, the weather was just beautiful.

Our first stop in Utah was to visit Philip's side of the family, and we were fortunate enough that the whole family lives quite close together. Scot was able to ride his first horse there, something that he wasn't too sure about. But he did enjoy riding the pony later in the trip, maybe because it was a little more his size. Scot also enjoyed his first water park, and although he was limited to the kiddie pool, that was a lot of fun for him. He was able to pee freely along with all the other kids in that warm pool. Scot also got his first opportunity to be in a swing, something that we now look for when we see a park. Scot had the chance to meet a few of his great-grandparents, and of course get spoiled by every one related to him in Utah.

After almost a week in Utah, we drove up to Idaho to meet my brother and his family along with my parents. It was almost a complete family reunion, so we quite enjoyed that. When we first got there, Philip and I were excited to have instant baby-sitters so that we could finally get to the temple. Rexburg has a new temple so it was much easier to attend there than have to drive almost three hours to get to the one closest to us in Mississippi. Once my parents arrived from their drive across the country, we were able to go camping in "the hills" of Rexburg. Coming from hot and humid Mississippi and then to hot and dry Utah, we were shocked how cold the hills got. The night we slept in a tent, Scot actually had to sleep with us under all our blankets in order to keep warm, and instead, Phil froze against the side of the tent! What a good dad! Mostly, we were excited to let Scot meet his cousins, especially Daisy who is just 3 months younger than him. We are glad that Scot will have cousins so close in age.

5 Year Anniversary

May 17 marked our 5 year anniversary so to celebrate we decided to head down to New Orleans for a couple days. We enjoyed the time down there, short though it was. We found a couple museums to see, but enjoyed the tours we took even more. The first tour was a haunted history tour where they walked you around the French Quarter and told you about the haunted places and what happened there historically. The second tour was to their cemetery or "cities of the dead" which is so called since the people are buried above ground. New Orleans is built on a swamp so it is impossible to keep people buried underground, hence they built tombs and bury their dead in them. The most interesting part is that the dead "rent" and tomb for a year and a day, then the church comes back, takes what is left of their body to make room for the next renter, then there is room for two. This continues over and over as the bodies decompose quickly in the hot weather. Some tombs have been holding family members for over 200 years. So we quite enjoyed ourselves.
Scot was such a trooper during the entire trip as well. He didn't eat nor sleep well, yet he remained happy the entire time. Don't worry, he's already making me work harder as just yesterday he figured out how to pull himself up to his feet! Life is sure getting exciting.

Six Month Milestones

Six turned six months old today and neither of us can believe how much he has grown! Just three days ago he figured out how to crawl. He uses his entire arm to wriggle his way forward and every once in a while he manages to get his toes involved with the action. We now realize that nothing in the house is safe anymore. And that includes the dog, who gets up to move whenever Scot gets close. Unfortunately for the dog, Scot finds him to be the most interesting this in the room. As it is, he is incredibly inefficient but as each day passes, he gets better and better.
In addition, he loves to drink out of his sippy cup. The cup is about as big as his head and he can barely even hold it, let alone drink out of it by himself, but he enjoys being able to gulp the milk instead of using a bottle. It's quite humorous to watch this guy being carried around church clutching his cup as drool is dripping off his chin.

Spring Break

Phil and I were finally able to celebrate spring break. For the past few months, he has been spending every spare minute studying for his qualifying exams. Basically, he has two chances to pass this test which covers theory and methods of sociology and if he doesn't pass, then he must leave the program. This exam lasts eight hours, so you can imagine how much work goes into this. He ended up taking it the day before spring break (and later found out that he passed!) so we decided to take a small vacation to celebrate. For a few days, we went down to Jackson, MS and toured around and even visited a 120 year old carousel that is still operational. A few days later we went to Memphis, TN and visited their zoo and the temple.
A few days after that, my parents made it down to see Scot for the first time. We really enjoyed having them here and I think Scot started to memorize her songs by the time she left! In addition to enjoying some good southern barbecue, we also got a chance to see the eagles' nest in our local refuge which has 3 eaglets that are only a couple months old.
Lastly, just last Saturday, Phil and I ran a 5K. Phil nearly died, seeing as he hasn't even worked out in the past month or so. I was sore in my back the next day, probably because I have been training pushing a stroller. We were fortunate enough to have someone hold Scot during the race so I could use my arms. It made the run easier, but I couldn't believe how many muscles are involved with just pumping your arms!

Every Baby Needs a Nudie Shot

So just the other day I went to get Scot out of his crib and found that he had a new sleeping partner. The cat likes to sleep in the same corner of the crib, so I just make sure to kick him out at nap time.

I also just recently decided that every baby needs a nudie shot. Something to embarrass them in the future.

The Mason Family

So my family has tried to talk me into doing this since I have "so much time" on my hands. I guess it is an easier way to keep everyone updated with photos and accomplishments.
I will start by introducing the newest member of our family, Scot B Mason. He was born Oct 15, 2007 at 9 lbs 1 oz and nearly 21" long. Coming from mom who is only 5'2", that is one big baby!




As of Friday, Feb 29th, he can officially roll over from his front to his back, but then he gets frustrated at being on his belly so mom comes and rolls him over. Scot then decides he wants to be mobile and roll again and the process repeats itself. I think I spend more time rolling him around than changing diapers.





Scot is also a thumb sucker. He now refuses his pacifier almost all the time and instead sticks that thumb right in his mouth. That's fine for now, but we are worried about the future. We just don't want an 8-year old thumb-sucker.

I've also started him on cereals but he still can't figure out what to do with a spoon. So I keep trying to stick it in his mouth, but it ends of drooling all over him as he doesn't seem to realize that the next step is to close the mouth and just swallow. But he will take the solids out of a bottle.

This last picture is Scot in our favorite outfit. When he was just 3 weeks old, he made it to his first rock concert. Starkville incarcerated Johnny Cash back in the 60s for picking flowers out of someone's yard. He ended up writing a song about it. The town decided to pardon him this year and had a 3-day celebration, bringing in cover bands and such. Well, we just wanted to get Scot on the right path of being a rock-n-roller.