Slip...Sit and Slide!!!

We haven't had alot going on here at Mason's house. Mason has been enjoying the leisurely days of summer...sleeping late...sipping on orange juice and watching cartoons...shopping with mama...eating popsicles...and all the other glorious things summer has to offer!

He has gotten to spend a lot of time with his Gigi and Granddad also. He likes it there since he gets whatever he wants! He loves to go outside and make mud pies. Yuck!

Also, what kind of hillbilly East Texan would my son be if he didn't take his first bath in a bean wash'in pot?!? At least he used soap!

Also this week, mama purchased Mason a Slip-n-Slide. They are much more cush than what I remember. I remember a long yellow piece of plastic held in the ground by some metal "tent" stakes and a small sprinkler on the side. Today's version comes with a fully inflated slide with guard rails on each side and a landing pool at the end. No more metal "tent" stakes either, smooth plastic ones that don't work worth a crud.

Anyway, Mason loved it. He loved the pool at the end the most, but enjoyed the whole slide at times. We could not get him to run and slide. He would run and jump on his knees or bottom...sometimes just run right through it until he wiped out. He was a hoot to watch.

These are the best two pictures I have because he wouldn't stand still long enough for me to get a good one. I'm glad he had fun with the thing! He needs some older kids to come over and show him how to use it! Daddy is a little big to slide down it.

Finally, Gramps' birthday is Monday, so we wanted to say Happy Early Birthday Gramps!!!!

Hope you have a great weekend and birthday Monday!!! We love you.

Father's Day Weekend

Mason started tumbling class Friday. I call it gymnastics, but I was quickly corrected by my wife and her sister that it was tumbling class. Mason loved it to say the least. Mama only took a few pictures that didn't come out so great. She is promising more next week of better quality! This clown picture of our son is the best I can do for this week!

Saturday we got up early and took Mason to Gigi and Granddad's for an extended stay. Amber and I were off to the NASCAR race in Detroit, MI. Mom and dad had gotten us tickets and airfare for my birthday. I don't know if they wanted to send me to the races as a gift...or if they wanted Mason all to their self for an extended weekend?!?!?!

Either way, we all had a blast. The only downside was that I was not with my son on father's day, Amber was not with her dad, and I was not with my dad. We made plenty of phone calls Sunday morning though!

Amber and I had a great time. We made a brief tour of downtown Detroit...not suggested, on Saturday afternoon. Woke up Sunday and went racing where our guy Dale Jr. won the race! Then Sunday we drove to Niagara Falls.

It was a really long drive. Five hours one way, but definitely worth it. It drove me nuts having to constantly convert km. to miles. UGH!!! I would like to have the guy who invented the metric system alone in the ocatagon for a few rounds! Also, I would like to go a few rounds with the genius who didn't put the km. scale on the speedometer of our Chevy rental. What a whooping there.

Amber had never been to the falls, and it had been nearly ten years since I was there. She really enjoyed it. I know I have incuded a few pictures, but they do not do it justice. It is a much bigger spectalcle in size and scale than any picture or television documentary can show. If you are ever close enough to visit, you should.

It is eerie how close they allow you to get to the edge. One would only have to climb over a 30" tall rail and jump in to go over the falls. I'm sure someone has. It is nuts. Made me nervous to be that close...Amber made fun of me...but I didn't like it one bit.

These are the American Falls about a quarter of a mile down stream. Much smaller than the main falls, they are more three dimensional and relaxing to watch. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but there is a deck and spectators at the bottom right...maniac adrenalin junkies!!! I'm just old and boring I guess!

Finally, we made our way back to the good ole U.S.A. and arrived home at 5:30pm today. Boy were we glad to see our little man. You could tell he missed us also, even though Gigi and granddad spoiled him rotten! I told Amber that it sure was a boring drive to the falls and back without someone talking and singing in the back seat all the way. He blessed us with a song or two on the way home from mom and dads! We are glad to be home and a complete family again.

Summer is here!

This is my first post since Amber and Mason have been off for summer time. I can hardly live around these two because they are so giddy about staying home and doing all the fun stuff that being home all day entails. I know...once again it has been over two weeks since the last post. I have no excuse.

On the 28th of May, my sweet aunt Sharla passed away. She was my mom's youngest sister. She lived here in Jacksonville at Travis Towers (limited assisted living) for the past several years. Mason loved seeing her and always had questions about her. He pronounce her name "Char-wa," that always made me smile. Mason had questions because my aunt had many quirks about her due to mental illness and health issues. Mason always notices if something is not quite normal about someone. Aunt Char-wa had many problems, but also had the biggest heart. She lived on a minimal budget, with my mom and dad filling in the gaps most every month. Never once did she miss a birthday though. It was always a card, sometimes a pair of socks from the dollar store, or even some sort of trinket she thought Amber would like. I probably didn't spend near the time I should have with her. I think of her every time I enter Whataburger because she practically lived there (it's right next to her apartment)! I miss her smile and hearing her call me "Joshie bubba." She was a wonderful person and loved our Lord and I thank God for that and the time we got to spend with her.

Look at this guy! He is happier than a tornader in a trailer park! On the first day of summer, Amber took Mason to the playground and heard that in Rusk, TX there was a Tow Mater parked on the side of the road for all to see. Well, that's almost better than the World's Largest Ball-o-twine...they had to go. Mason was so very excited. She said she could not get him to quit smiling so big! I'm glad he had such an exciting experience with one of the characters from the movie he LOVES!!!

Also that week, Mason got to go to the zoo. He always loves that. I think he feels at home with all the other animals! Haha! I know his mama does! I'm going to get in trouble for that one!! Also during that week, we cleaned a bunch of tree limbs from our back yard to make a play area for Mason. He was quite the helper. So the following weekend, last weekend, we built a fence to hide the ugly barn that is behind our house!

Mason wants to help so much. He will do anything: hold the hammer, hold a nail, pull the rake, pick up rocks. He likes to talk while he works also. I try to stop and listen to him always, but it starts getting ridiculous! So mama has to listen while daddy keeps working! He is such a good boy though, and great helper. I will try to get a picture of our finished product on here next week. He loves playing back there and it is shady all day.

We are off to Brooklyn, MI Saturday to see the NASCAR race. Mom and dad got Amber and I tickets and airfare for my birthday. I think they just wanted a long weekend with Mason alone...no Josh and Amber to boss the grandparents around! Well, I guess they got it! Happy Father's Day to all you guys out there with litlens. What a privilege and honor it is. Thank you God for the gift of being a father.