Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The Cake

I couldn't post about their birthday party without adding a picture of the cake.  Mason & Alex's former & Brady's current babysitter made an awesome cake for them this year.  It was a chocolate and white marble cake with delicious "grass" frosting.  The boys were excited to see their cars used as cake toppers.  We had some leftovers & it was still fresh 4 days later when we finished it off.  (Jason was deer hunting over the weekend, otherwise it would never have lasted that long!)  I told Stephanie to save a spot on her calendar for next year, this cake was fantastic.  Plus, the "icing on the cake" is that we know this one was made with love.  Thanks, Steph!!!

5th Birthday Party

We had a great family party with a special guest, Santa!  Mason & Alex were happily eating their birthday cake when in walked Santa!  The just sat in their chairs and stared at him, then Mason covered up his face.  I thought it was because he had been naughty & didn't want Santa to see him, but later he told us he had "stage fright".  Geez, the things Mason comes up with!
Our Family - Jason, Denise, Brady, Mason & Alex 

Nathan, Alex, Mason & Alex

Larry, Connie, Brady, Davon, Alex & Mason

Jim, Jason, Denise, Brady, Connie, Sharon, Alex, Mason & Great Grandma
Thank you to all of our friends and family who helped us celebrate Mason & Alex's special day.  They loved every one of their gifts, but most of all they had a wonderful evening spending time with people they love.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

A Sneak Peek

I was going through some computer files to organize some of my pictures and came across a few in a Misc. file that really touched me.  Seeing how far Mason & Alex have come in the last 5 years is amazing.  I thank God for bringing them into our family and letting us be their parents.  So for today's post I'm giving you a sneak peek of the joy they've brought to our hearts.
Alex - 1 month
Mason - 1 month
 The first few months were rough.  We had no idea how much work it would be to take care of a preemie baby.  Preemie twins definitely made for two very exhausted parents!  We were so thankful for all of the support from our families to help get us through the rough patches.

Alex & Mason - 1 yr
 My what a difference a 11 months can make!  Mason & Alex were delightful toddlers.  They took great naps & slept through the night.  Plus, you can't get much cuter than this!

Jason, Denise, Mason & Alex - Adoption Day!
 This is without question one of the top 3 best days of my life.  Right up there with marrying Jason & Brady's birth day.  All the worries and fears that things may turn out the way we hoped were finally put to rest.  But this day also opened up a new door, one where we were solely responsible for these two precious little boys.  It was quite a transition for me, a slight sense of loss as the wonderful social workers & service providers we'd gotten to know over the last 11 months were phased out of our lives.
Mason - 2 yrs

Jason & Alex - 2 yrs
 Terrible 2s?  Not in this house!  Mason & Alex were a blast to have in our home.  Everything was exciting to them and they did everything at 100%.  They were so snuggly and lovable.  I miss my 2 year olds.
Alex - 3 yrs

Mason - 3 yrs
 Now age 3 is quite a different story.  They were still so snuggly and loving, but something had changed.  Gone were the days of Mommy & Daddy knowing best.  These two figured out how to team up against us and had minds all their own.  They learned how to challenge us and really gave us hard time.  I was assured that age 4 would be much better.

Mason - 4 yrs

Alex - 4 yrs
 So we toughed it out & eventually they turned 4.  The improvement I hoped would come overnight didn't happen!  They're still naughty, but there was a little bit of maturity that came along too.  They were an absolute joy to have individually.  I realized I have got some of the neatest kids I've ever met.  They can be little tyrants when they're together, teasing, arguing, fighting.  But there's also a love, a bond that is very strong.  They look out for eachother and if one is wronged, the other one has his back. 
Alex - Almost 5 yrs!

Mason - Almost 5 yrs!
Here we are, at almost 5 years old.  Their naughty streak has really gotten under control.  They still like to torment each other, but what siblings don't?  Mason and Alex have really blossomed at preschool and are learning new things all the time.  They love their little brother and haven't given a thought at being jealous of the attention he gets.

Mason and Alex, I am so thankful and proud to be your mom.