He did...not want to quit swinging when we went to the park last week. He wanted to swing in my lap like when he was smaller...which I enjoyed because he wants to do everything "himself" these days. So we swang...for like an hour! I thought my hands were going to fall off, but I wasn't stopping until he wanted to. I know my hugs and kisses are numbered as a "dad," so I'm going to take all the cuddle time I can while I can still get it!!! 
She did...not really enjoy grandma's 90th birthday party. It may have been because she got her first tooth last week!!! Now she will not let you put the spoon in her mouth without chomping the rubber coating with her one tooth and making you fight her for the spoon!
He did...not want to quit playing in the snow after about an hour in the freezing temps. I was so glad we received our 4-6" on Thursday night so that Mason could play in the snow. With Nana and Gramps in Colorado, he talks about the snow a lot...at least this year he got to play in some!Our snow man, "Frosty," has been melting since Friday. Every time we leave the house, he gets excited and says, "There's a little bit of Frosty!"
She did...nothing short of melt my heart when she touches my face, ever so softly, and says "da da." She is so happy to see me each time I come home and has brought even more joy to my life.
He did...have some wicked spills on the trash can lid while sledding Friday! How much fun does he look like he's having?!?!
She did...confirm that I am her father, by trying to down the last of the Dr. Pepper Saturday afternoon. How can I deny that this is my child? Who needs DNA when you have DP?
He did...bounce off a little energy Saturday afternoon at Tyler Vinings birthday party. Bounce house establishments are just stinkin' fun. I just hate that I have to take a shower after we leave. Ugh!
She did...turn eight months old today. In addition to the new tooth, crawling for twelve days, and saying, "da da," she decided today that she would pull up and stand up next to the ottoman and play with her purse. Let's just say she takes after her mother. She is quite the over achiever!
And finally...
She did...allow me to be her Valentine one more year! We went to a hibachi grill restaurant with friends from church and my sister. We had a really good time. Afterward, we went to Starbucks and played games, speed scrabble to be exact. My sister gave us a good dose of John Prewitt trash talking followed by John Prewitt whining due to getting spanked by the youth minister and our friend Trey. The youth minister, who we will not name...we'll just call him Doug, admitted to cheating in a text message after leaving the Starbucks victorious. It was a hilarious evening. We enjoyed our time together and our friends. I made up for the lack of blogging with a really long one. Maybe I'm off some of your bad lists now! Ha!
This one is about to crawl. She has taken a try at it several times, then face plants...it is just any minute she will be gone. She is pretty quick with her army/belly crawl, especially when motivated by Lego's or any other toy of her brother's she is not supposed to have. Katy bar the door, when she is mobile, we are going to be in trouble.
And this one is about to be grown. He took his little sister for a ride in his Gator the other day. He shielded her eyes from the sun, held her hand, and took very good care of her while he drove her around. Although she looks scared, she really liked it.
They are both getting so big. Mason is doing great with school. Things have seemed to really click since the holidays, he is coloring very meticulously, and able to communicate what they learned at school EVERY day. He tells me the letters, sounds, and combinations of sounds he learns, and what words go with those sounds. I think that is my favorite part of the day to see the pride and joy in his face as he remembers the words he learned. I am so proud of him. Anslee terrorizes him because he things she is going to druel on whatever she touches. It is a funny cat and mouse game with those two.
This one is loving being home with the kiddos!
The next week Mason got to go to Chuck's for pizza and games with Maddie, Molly, and Mrs. Jennifer. I don't think he had fun. Ha! There are many pictures from that day, but this one sums it up!
We really were going to send Christmas cards, even had attempts at a Christmas photo, but had an unwilling participant. We are since planning a happy New Year's card, possibly happy Valentine's, or even a happy Memorial Day card...all depends upon the speed in which that project gets finished!!! Look for it in the mail!!!
Santa did come to our house, and we had a great Christmas this year. I think this is the first year Mason "really" got it. He was all about leaving the cookies in just the right spot and making sure we turned the fire "off" so that Santa didn't get burned. This is a picture of his rocket ship he asked for from Santa. He loves it. He also loves his box of Lego's he received. He builds things all day long.
We had a great day with both of our families together at our house. Entirely too many gifts and too much food. All in all, a success for our first Christmas to host. We just need to dispose of 75-80% of Mason's toys when he isn't looking. Ha! Fat chance of that!
Our beautiful little girl is growing up so fast. She is pulling up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth...then springing forward in the direction she wants to go. Crawling isn't far off...we aren't looking forward to that! She is eating well and sleeping fairly well. We have had a couple of entire nights lately. She is all smiles though, and we think those blue eyes are here to stay! I sure hope so. She is so much fun, and in a totally different way than Mason was. I love her the same as Mason, but it is different...I guess because she is a girl. What a blessing she has been to us. I will probably sound different when she wants me to give her money and drop her off around the corner from the mall so I don't embarrass her. We'll see!!!
Well, these two are our life. This is what we do! You know, I had a pretty good streak going until this year. I had a new year's kiss probably every year since I was 15 yrs. old...that is like an 18 year streak. Pretty good for a country boy like me. Well, this year I was watching a bowl game while laying on the floor in front of the fireplace when last I looked at the clock it was 9:00p.m. I awoke at 1:30 a.m. to my wife already in bed, the TV off, and me no kiss at new years! I will be over 50 years old before I can get back to a 18 year streak...and that's if I don't fall asleep again!!! Unbelievable! 
Well, after the chlorine quit burning our eyes and nostrils, we headed home. This brings us to "my child." He had his Christmas program at school Tuesday night. After much lecturing, he agreed that it was good to stand up tall, sing loud, and mind the teacher. Very clear...right? My child was the one...you know, the one...that turned around backwards the whole time, looking at what was going on behind him. Then when it was time to sing, he leaned over the railing and looked all around. His friends...the ones from the water park...tried to talk him down, but no, he was determined. His mama went the front row to lay down the law...he smiled real big and turned back around. What am I going to do with this guy? He is something else.
This picture doesn't do his misbehavior justice. He is much better at it that what his reflected here! And that brings us to the next picture. I must say, it is of my own doing...maybe...karma, as "Ed" would say. I told Amber about two weeks ago that we don't need the plastic things in our plugs anymore. Mason is big enough and not going to stick anything in them, Anslee is too small to and we will be hopefully moving before she is big enough. This is what I found when we came home from the musical.
Let's take this in order, shall we:
Mason was a farmer for Halloween, and Anslee was a pumpkin. They were both very cute and cooperative with pictures. They actually didn't get to go trick-or-treating. We gave Mason a bunch of candy and took him to mom and dad's for a visit. He didn't seem to miss it. We will do better next year!
I forget all we did in November, but we have been busy. Amber is teaching children's choir at church (Mason's age) and she is getting ready for the Christmas musical. They had a warm up during the Hanging of the Greens service Sunday night in which they sang two songs...Mason played with a piece of string in his pocket and adjusted the microphone. The rest of the kids she taught did great though! Mason and I had a talk afterward...he will be singing next time. 
We decorated for Christmas a few days before Thanksgiving. Mason was a big help. It is neat seeing him more interested each year. I know it will peak soon, so I enjoy it while we can! He has only watched Polar Express 627 times. And that is just the past few weeks! Ha!
Our gifts are definitely under the tree! What a blessing they both are. I thank God for each day He gives me with them.
Mason was pumped about going to the pumpkin patch! Ha! He is getting so big also. He is really enjoying school and learning alot. He is all about deer season and wants Granddaddy to, "shoot a deer with a bullet and make some sausage." That is a whole other story, just ask sometime. ;-) Seriously though, I have been wanting to take the boy camping, but the weather has hexed it more than once. Maybe this weekend?!
Amber's folks have been here for the past couple of weeks. They left yesterday headed home. They will come back at Christmas. Mason always loves getting to play with them. Anslee took a few days to warm up, but eventually did. Amber, Erin, and Sharon went on cruise to the Caribbean this past Thursday. Spoiled bunch of women, if you ask me!
Well, that is about all I know from here. Sorry it has been so long on my posting...just really busy. Guess we'll wave bye for now!
