Lots of New Words

Brady is growing up so quickly and has become quite talkative lately.  His words include:
Mama
Mommy
Dada
Daddy
Papa
doggy
ball - A favorite, he even sings, "ball, ball, ball"
yeah
What?
no
up
bird
baby
cookie
sucker
juice

Happy 1st Birthday, Brady

Brady's 1 already, I just can't believe it.  He didn't stay a baby long at all.  Having 5 year old twin brothers must have been quite a motivation for him because he started walking at 10 1/2 months and hasn't looked back since.  At age 1 Brady has 4 teeth, he isn't saying any words yet but he points and grunts/growls to let us know he wants something.  He is such a cute little guy and very smart, too.  For example, if he isn't supposed to have something, he will grab it and run away from us so we can't catch him.  What a stinker!

We celebrated Brady's birthday party with our family at our church.  His wonderful babysitter, Stephanie, made an awesome John Deere cake for everyone and even a special birthday cake just for Brady.

Brady didn't really understand what he was supposed to do with his cake so Mason & Alex pitched in to show him how it was done.  Even when they were getting messy he just carefully picked at the cake with his fingers.  He definitely doesn't waste food!

 Mason and Alex were even nice enough to help Brady open all of the wonderful birthday gifts.  He's a pretty lucky guy to have brothers who are so willing to pitch in and give him a hand.  :)

Magical Moments

Jaime, Davon, Denise, Jason, Connie, Larry, Mason, Brady, Alex



 Here we are at "The Kingdom" as Alex likes to call it.  We had to bundle up, the highs for the day were only in the mid 40's.  Thankfully the weather has warmed up since then.  We have really enjoyed each park we've visited.  Jason and I were here in 2004 but with 3 little ones, our interests have really changed.  Mason and Alex are really into meeting the characters and getting their autographs.  Brady has taken a lot of long naps in his stroller but he likes meeting them too when he's awake.



Alex, Jake the Pirate, Mason, Brady, Connie

 This is Jake the Pirate.  Mason & Alex knew who he was but the rest of us were clueless.  The lines have been fairly short to meet the characters.  We've walked right in to meet some and up to 30 minutes for others.  I'd guess the average wait is about 15 minutes but it is so worth it.  They really spend time with the boys, lots of hugs & high 5's.  We never feel like they're rushing us.

We couldn't pass up the chance to go on the Aerosmith Rockin' Rollercoaster.  It's by far Jason's favorite ride and he was super excited when we got to ride in the very front car!  We got a fast pass so we didn't have to wait in line so long & then Jason & Davon went on it for a second time.

Let the Fun Begin!

Just a quick post to let everyone know we arrived safely.  Alex wasn"t feeling well last night on the plane ride.  He slept the whole way and was looking a  little green when we landed.  I'm glad I grabed an airsick bag from the plane before we got off because he had to use it on the way to our house.  He's back to normal now, coloring and giving Mason a hard time.

Speaking of our house, this place is GREAT!!!  We love the extra room we have to spread out and the pool is wonderful.  I figured when they said it was a heated pool that meant it was just above the air temp.  Nope!  It is like a warm bath, the thermometer said it was 90 degrees.  We had a lot of fun splashing around in it after lunch and plan to be in there a lot.  Brady is getting along like a little trooper.  He's short on napping but he's having a good time and behaving so I can't complain.  Mason is having a good time as well.  He really enjoys the extra time he's getting to spend with cousin Davon..  Jason is wishing we had a pool like this one in our backyard. 

The plans for today are to take it easy, check out the facilities at the clubhouse (playground, etc.) and get everything ready for the big day tomorrow.  Look out, Magic Kingdom, here we come!!

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.

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.