Five Months and COUNTING...

Happy New Year!

Mason is now 5 months old and we cannot believe that time is flying by so fast! Our baby is feeling less and less like a baby every day and we just want it all to SLOWWWW down!

Mason is babbling up a storm!  Not only is he loving all of the newfound sounds he is capable of creating, we are too!  He giggles and coos and is constantly telling us stories.  He recently started shrieking and is just a ball of fun watching him grow.  We still are more in awe of him each and every DAY!

Mason loves Starbucks just like Mommy and Daddy!

The last month we have noticed the so many changes, both physically and  developmentally.  

Mason is becoming quite the pro at grabbing for his toys and his hand eye coordination has improved so much in just one short month.  He is not quite sitting up on his own but he is rolling from front to back with ease and has almost mastered his back to front roll as well.  He also finally discovered the toy bar we added to his crib.  Check it out!

Mason spends a lot of his time during the weekdays being moved by Grandma Lynn from station to station is his play room;  especially since it just got a major upgrade at Christmas time!!!! :)  Mason loves to read books, jump in his bouncer and has recently started moving around in his activity table walker.  He loves our Iphones and Ipad but really loves Mickey Mouse!  Check out this video with Mase enjoying the best of both worlds:  Mickey and his activity table! 

We celebrated Mason's First Christmas with Grandma Lynn, Great Grandma Gebby and Auntie Diana. We had a great few days together preparing for Christmas and then enjoyed our holiday feast and gift exchange before Daddy surprised Mommy with a trip to Las Vegas.

How could he NOT be Santa's Favorite?

"Daddy what are you doing up there?'

Making his handprint ornament from Auntie!

With Grandma and Great Gram!

Auntie and Great Gram stayed until the Friday before New Year's.  We enjoyed the last few days we had together playing card games, watching Mason play with his new toys and enjoying the beautiful weather!  Great Gram even strolled Mason around in our newly renovated backyard for a few minutes as this is now his preferred way we get him to nap during the day.  Whatever works right?

On New Year's Eve we had a nice visit from some fellow pirates and their little pirate Jordan.Mason had a good time playing with his new friend and crazy Daddy!

We rang in the New Year at home and barely saw midnight!  :)  We were actually EXCITED about our low key holiday plans and enjoyed every second at home.  Mason had such a tough day (yeah right!) that he was sleeping by 8 pm---a little late for him actually!  :)  This month things have become rather consistent with his sleep patterns.  He starts dinner between 6 and 7 and is usually asleep by 8 at the latest and usually sleeps through the night.  We think this is because Mason is eating solids now- here is a video of his first bout with peas.  They are growing on him but we think his favorite food is bananas!  He would eat an entire jar if we'd let him!

We are preparing for another trip to New Jersey in the beginning of February to celebrate the birthdays of Mason's favorite cousins and have another action packed month ahead.  Can't wait to see some of you then!  

Wishing everyone all the love, happiness and joy 2012 has to offer.  We are definitely looking forward to all it has in store for us and those we love!

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Viva Las Vegas!

We woke up Christmas morning and had lots of fun and good times with Mason, Great Gram, Auntie and Grandma. The very last gift Anthony gave me was a bag with toiletries, a Vegas Magazine and two boarding passes. My response was "We're going to Vegas?" followed by "When are we going Vegas - this week?" I proceeded to pull out the two tickets and looked at the date and shockingly said "We're leaving for Vegas tonight???" I was off to pack my bags and we left that NIGHT!

I didn't know whether to cry hysterically or laugh and be excited about going away. With having no time to prepare mentally or even physically, I was left laughing and crying as we said goodbye and left Mason for a few days. He was in EXCELLENT hands with Auntie, Gram and Great Gram but that didn't make it any easier.

Anyone who knows me well is probably wondering how Anthony got me to leave Mason for a few days. Let's just say he didn't do it easily. I had gotten myself so worked up about leaving that our trip started like this-GROSS!!!!

Once at the terminal I was feeling much better but saying goodbye and missing out on a few days with the family made me sad and obviously SICK at first!! Poor Anthony-he was a wreck! 

We checked in at our hotel, Treasure Island, grabbed a quick bite to eat and crashed once we got our room.   The next day we started off our morning learning how to play Craps!  We'll call it a learning experience since it didn't really go that well :)

~Good Morning From Fabulous Las Vegas!~

Had to make sure to get a shot with the Zoltar Machine from "Big".

Grabbed a bite to eat on Freemont Street. Hugo's Cellar had an old school feel with GREAT service. They greeted the ladies with a rose. :)

Stopped at Toby Keith's Bar and Grill. Had a few drinks and shots. Probably the most we drank the whole time!!

We did a lot of walking and monorail riding, got to take in a ton of the different hotels, and taste some amazing dishes as we tried a few restaurants. The Wynn was by far our favorite hotel; it was absolutely beautiful and since we got there on Christmas everything was decorated for the season. We snagged a few pictures but they don't do it justice. Our favorite dinner was at SWITCH in Encore - the decor changed every 20 minutes with swapping walls! 

Mosaic Tile Art! The vibrant flowers were at the Wynn and butterflies at the Encore.

Real flower balls!!!

The ceiling was beautiful at the Wynn!

The real flower balls from a distance! Just GORGEOUS!

Drinks by the Lake at Wynn before heading to dinner at SWITCH!

We did some gambling and also got to see a few shows! Here is a picture with Anthony and Mr. Jerry Seinfeld who was HYSTERICAL!

We got a chance to see the Volcano Eruption at the Mirage which was also beautiful and kept us warm for the whole five minutes it lasted!!!

Yummy Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity 3!!

Had lunch at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant in the Paris hotel. Yummy food and a GREAT view of the strip!

A lit up Strip on our way home from Zumanity --the CRAZIEST & MOST SENSUAL Cirque show!

At the Venetian, we took some pics by the beautiful fountain and stopped by Bouchon Bakery for some Gluten Free Macaroons!

Finished the trip with the morning at the Oleksandra Spa (AMAZING) and one last stop at the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign!

Thank you to the most wonderful husband for such a FANTASTIC surprise! Although I thought it was VERY CRAZY at first, we ended up having such a great time! I cannot thank you enough making sure I had absolutely no WAY of turning down out little getaway! We all know that if asked for permission... I would have NEVER agreed!!!

I love you today, tomorrow and always!!

Christine