Weekend in the CIty

We decided to start a new family tradition this year of spending a night in San Francisco during the Christmas season. We booked a hotel room at the Grand Hyatt, and loved it! We did it because my energy level is pretty low these days, mason's attention span is short these days, and we thought that over the years it might be a fun thing for us to do as a family!

The view from our room - this isn't the best shot, but we could see coit tower, the bay, and Alcatraz - it was gorgeous!



The tree in the lobby of the Hyatt:

So we really wanted to go a nice restaurant in the city for dinner. But, with a 16 month old, we realized that Rainforest Cafe is fun, nice, and no one cares if he gets a little bored. Plus, we were in the fish room so he got to watch fish all night, which seems to be one of his favorite pastimes

It rained most of the first day we were in the city, but by the evening after dinner it was actually

really nice. So we decided to take a walk through union square. There were many carolers in the square, people ice skating and it was just super christmassey!

Inside of Macys it was nice and empty, we were able to shop for our 50% off ornaments, and get some cute pics too!

Sunday when we woke up Mason was feeling silly with his PJ's. We went over and tried to see Santa. But after being in line for an hour and not moving, and hearing 3 moms get upset about how they had waited an hour after seeing Santa to get their photo CD's (so they can print their own copies....which we wanted too), we decided to call it a day and head home!

Horse Drawn Carriage Ride!

For the past 4 years Kurt and I have always said we wanted to do a horse drawn carriage ride when we have seen it go down the street. And this year we did. It was a 6 person carriage so we got some of our friends to go with us. It was a VERY cold night, but tons of fun. It was an hour long ride looking at lights, even the christmas house! and at the end mason and the other kiddos got to feed the horses carrots. SO FUN!!!!!

Snow in Novato

It has been so cold the past couple of nights that it has snowed in Novato on the mountain tops!

Setting up the Christmas tree

So we got a 7.5 foot tree from Target of all places. Maybe next year we will cut our own tree. But in any event, Mason was quite the helper with setting up the tree:

And he loved the finished product:

Mom's idea of cute..........

THis is what happens when Mom goes shopping the day after thanksgiving at Gymboree with the 30% sale and a 20% off coupon...
As a side note Mason has never wanted a pacifier - but when he is playing every once in a while he will find one and decide he likes it for a few minutes.

Mason's first starbucks

We got up and out this past Saturday to pick out our christmas tree, but first we made a stop at starbucks. As we stood in line we decided to buy an non-hot-chocolate for mason. In starbucks terms this is a "kids hot chocolate 100 degrees. As you can see Mason loved it!

Halloween

Again, sorry for the delay!

We took a trip to the pumpkin patch to get a pumkin which today remains uncarved:

For Halloween Mason was a monkey and we were zoo keepers! Mason didn't fully understand trick-or-treating. He understood that you go up to houses, knock, they give a small thing that you drop into a bag, and mom and dad clap.

Little Monkey Cooking:

I'm Back!

Ok, so it has been a while since I have posted here, so I will try to update you on all the fun things that have been going on. I have been absent for a while because since basically the last post I have been pregnant! I am due May 17 2010 with a new little ENgel.

But back to Mason: We went to a bithday party where mason got to ride his first pony - and he LOVED it!

He is signing for "More" at the end of the ride:

We took another trip to Monterey to see Grandma Penny and Grandpa Jim, and to go to the aquarium to see the great white shark that was there. It wasn't all that impressive - but neat to be able to say that we saw it. We did time it just right to see the fish feeding at the outer bay exhibit. That was really neat to see the Mahi Mahi turn gold as they eat!

I like to sit in things

Mason for the past couple of days has been practicing climbing into and sitting in various containers: baskets with and without toys, his inverted drum, this box - pretty much anything that will hold him. He will sit there for quite a while, often times piling toys onto himself. Today he decided to read a book, even if it was upside down.

Kindermusik Birhtday Party

Birthday dinner at Rainforest cafe

for mason's first birthday, on the actual day we went to the rainforest cafe and were sitting in the fish room. he loved it, and we did too!

oh no!

Mason had been playing with his cars, when one flipped over--

Peek a boo

Visit to the Zoo

THe SF zoo all in all is a bit sad and depressing..small cages, none of the animals that i remember growing up like elephants.....but for Mason it is fun....and who doesn't love your baby as an animal pics!

Fun in the fountain

It was such a hot day, and the mall at corte madera has fountains...so we were off to play in them. How do you keep an almost one year old from not getting full on in? I have no idea - and he loved being in the water, so i let him get him. you can se the water shooting out of the frog's mouth, as he put his hand on it he would manage to redirect the water and shoot other kids in the fountain with water and even people walking past - and most importantly himself in the face!

Watching this video back i could see my terrible parenting skills - removing him and then letting get back in....and although i didn't want him shooting other people, i was a bit rough in the taking his hand out of the stream...

learning opportunities....

Cal Acadmey of sciences

I had a day off from work and so mason and i went to the cal academy - so fun

Cruising with the baby walker!

look at the big boy walking with his car! ok....this is from a month and a half ago, but i am catching up on my blogs!

Mason's first visit to the monterey aquarium

These are not floating leaves....but seadragons! Both of my (hattie) parents live in monterey and on the most recent visit we mentioned we wanted to go to the aquarium, that we though mason would like it now. Like it, he loved it. He is very into fish and birds, and there were plenty - as well as the AMAZING seahorse exhibit. we went on both days we were down there we loved it so much! there is lots of hands on, so much fun stuff to play with!

Here is video of the seahorses:

and of the seadragons that i am so enthralled with:

My favorite food.....

is chicken salad that mommy makes

Happy Father's Day Kurt!

Kurt is the who stays home with Mason during the day (grandma bonnie helps out a few hours a day too). He doesn't just stay at home and work while mason plays on his own. Kurt plays with Mason, sings to him, dances with him. Kurt teaches mason sign language, and how to clap and dance. Kurt takes Mason to kindermusik every week, and also on fun field trips to exotic locations like brokers opens.
Kurt doesn't just stay with mason during the day because it saves us money, or because right now it makes more sense for me to work - although those are two true statements, kurt stays with mason during the day because he loves it and he loves his son. The two of them are pals and have so much fun together. When i walk in the door Mason is excited to see me - but that is boobie effect. Seeing Mason and his dad together you can tell they are a team. As soon as mason can talk they will have inside jokes, and secrets to keep from me.
Kurt also has the difficult task of balancing all the guilty mommy musts in throughout day - must have two naps, must have a certain number of bottles, must not watch tv, must have cute matching clothes on. and then when i get home, he is off to work to try to finish what he didn't get done in the morning - but always home in time to be there and give mason his bath.
You would think that being the full time parent and working, when night came he would be glad to be off duty. However he takes the night shift too. Ok, maybe partly because when the monitor starts going off I don't hear it to wake up. and maybe partly because if i do wake up i literally bounce off the walls on the way to mason's room and back. (i don't wake up easy or well). But every night or morning (depending on how lucky we are) when mason wakes up kurt goes and gets him, and brings him to me so i can nurse him.
On my bad days i am jealous and sad that i don't get to be one with Mason during the day, that i can't be a stay at home mom and love on mason full time. But on the good days and most of the time I feel so lucky that mason has a father who is so present in his life, who is in love with him, and enjoys spending time with him.

To celebrate our first father's day we went to the academy of sciences. Mason LOVED it. He couldn't get close enough to the open top aquarium tanks - he would have jumped in if we let him. And we got to take a look at the albino alligator - i think that thing was around when i was a little kid. We had so much fun, but are looking forward to going back on a day when there aren't quite so many people around, holiday weekend makes for quite a few people out!