Mimi & Granddad's Visit

My parents came to visit this past weekend. Not only was it Easter weekend, but it was the first time they got to meet their first grand-daughter. Everyone knew it would be a short trip, but no one expected it to go by so quickly. Nothing beats watching Mason & Taylor with their grandparents. So special!

Thursday afternoon, I received the call from my mom telling me that there was a strong possibility that they might not be able to get on a flight out of Houston to L.A. Since my dad works for Continental, they fly standby. It was Spring Break in California last week and if you add to the fact that it was also Easter weekend, meant all the flights were overbooked. I tried not to worry, but I knew that if they didn't make a flight out on Thursday, they wouldn't be able to come out at all. After waiting for awhile at the airport, they were able to get the last two seats on the plane. Thank you to the couple that decided not to take that flight after all.

Mason normally goes to bed at 7pm, but I wanted to keep him up to see his Mimi & Granddad. At 8pm, Mama & Daddy pulled into the driveway and we were standing outside to greet them. Mason was thrilled to see them and immediately went into entertainer mode. He was showing off all of his toys and loved staying up late.

Taylor captured their hearts right away. It was love at first sight. Taylor loved snuggling and cuddling with each of them. Around 10pm, everyone headed to bed. It had been a very long day for everyone.

Friday morning, Mimi made a delicious breakfast for everyone. I love my mom's cooking! Afterwards, Mason & Granddad took Mason to the park. Mimi had some one-on-one time with Taylor. That evening, we met up with our friends Ray & Marissa for dinner at Rosemary's. Last time my parents visited, they didn't get the chance to meet Ray or hang out with their kids.

Saturday we woke up to another great breakfast, but unfortunately, Mason wasn't feeling very good. The poor boy was backed up and in pain. It was to the point that he couldn't sit without crying and just wanted to be held by everyone. My heart broke seeing him in pain and not being able to do much about it. It was like this for 5 hours. Luckily, he was able to go that afternoon, and was back to his normal self.

Mama & I spent the afternoon doing a little shopping and picked out some cute outfits for the kids. It was a short shopping trip, so that we could get back in time to take pictures before the sun set that evening. My dad and I both love to take pictures, and I wanted to get some shots of Mason and Taylor with their grandparents, and some family shots. Unfortunately, Mason didn't take a nap that day. When you add that to the fact that it's hard to get a toddler to sit still for posed pictures, makes for no pictures of Mason & Taylor with Adam & I as a family. However, we did get several with them separately, and some great candid's of Mason.

We ended the evening eating my favorite, Steak & Baked Potatoes. It was the perfect Easter meal. Mama & Daddy had to leave early the next morning, so they had to say goodbye to Mason that night before he went to bed. It broke my heart to know that Mason would be looking for them in the morning and wondering where they went. After we put him to bed, I cried and cried. I was so glad they came to visit, but I didn't want to say goodbye. It was a hard evening.

Sunday morning, we woke up at 5am and said our goodbyes. The flights were even worse going back to Houston. They were told that they would not be able to get out until the next day. But they sat at the airport and waited to see if they could get on any flights. Fortunately, they were able to get on the 3pm flight. We took several pictures this weekend and I'm sorry for the long post, but I wanted to make sure to capture every minute of this weekend.

Mimi holding Taylor for the first time.



Cuddle time with Mimi.





Granddad holding Taylor for the first time.

Sweet kisses

Mason showing off.

Cuddle time with Granddad.

Taylor

Funny faces

Mason likes to put his fingers in his ears and pretend he can't hear you.

Coverston's, Kaye's and Mooney's outside of Rosemary's.

Taylor cuddling with her Daddy.

Mason wanted his Mimi and laid on her almost the entire 5 hours he didn't feel good.

Mason & Mimi


We didn't get a chance to get Granddad in the picture because Mason was all over the place.

With our baby girl

Daddy and his little girl.

Mommy and her little girl.

Granddad with his little Princess.

So much love to give.

Mimi was in heaven.

Three generations

My boys!

Mason loved the buttons on my jacket.

My little doodle bug.

Giving his cheesey smile.

The only picture we could get of Mason & Taylor with their grandparents.

Pouty Lips

This is what I'm talking about. My kids have the cutest kissable lips!

Taylor 2 weeks old


Mason 1 Week Old

Last Week

Adam put together Mason's new kitchen
Mason LOVED it!

Playing with his house


Taylor after her bath

Close up

2 Weeks Old

It's a bit hard to get her to sit up

Showing off her lips. We have a picture very similar to this of Mason when he was her age.

Looking good in red!

Potty Training HELP!

I need a little help from all of you Mama's and anyone else that cares to share their opinions regarding POTTY TRAINING! Mason will be 21 months next week and has been showing early signs of being close to potty training, since he was 16 months old. I know that sounds really young, especially since boys normally have a harder time potty training than girls, but he is a smart little guy.

It started when he would run behind the curtains or go in the corner and hide anytime he had to poop. It was the cutest and most pathetic thing to see. This has continued every day since.

For the last month he has been grabbing his diaper anytime he pees or he tries to take it off. It's good that he knows something is going on, but a little embarrassing when he does this in front of others. Did I mention that he has been successful recently in actually taking his diaper off on his own. I have gone into his room a couple of times to find his diaper in the corner, with him sound asleep in the crib, and everything soaking wet. Fun stuff!

This evening, he grabbed at his diaper again and was trying to pull it down. I asked him if he needed to go potty and he shook his head yes and ran to his bathroom. As I followed him, he lifted up the toilet. I was shocked that he knew what he was supposed to do. After putting the seat back down and taking off his shorts and diaper, I placed him on the seat. We don't have a potty training seat yet, which made things more difficult. I tried to show him what he needed to do, but it wasn't easy helping him sit on the toilet, while trying to make sure he didn't fall in. At this point, he wasn't interested anymore. Of course, when we put him in the bath tub, he went. Lovely!

I haven't read any books on potty training yet and my only knowledge comes from talks with my sister when she was potty training her boys and from my friends. I don't want to stunt this venture by waiting, but at the same time, we still have a bit of a communication gap. The plan was to wait until he can speak more clearly and relay to me what he needs and wants before beginning the process. I understand him for the most part, but he is still learning.

For now, we are going to buy a potty training seat and place it on his bathroom floor to get used to the idea. Any suggestions or ideas would be very helpful.