Super Masio Brothers

And we're ready!

2011-08-29T11:03:00.000-04:00

To catch up, here are a few quick reviews of books and products we used in our prep time for our first homeschool year.

Usborne books.
Love everything Usborne. If you see anything used Usborne, pick it up. Its going to be a keeper. We did a few different books from the early readers series. They are perfect for reading at this age and at the end they have a link where you can go do a few online activities. So you get to sit and read with the kid, then send him off to play on the internet for a while. Perfection! I can't wait to get a few more of these. All the ones I have, I bought at Goodwill for $1.
Spiders
Antarctica
Caterpillars and Butterflies

Masio's (age 4 1/2) favorite books from this summer.
Adventures of Little Bear
Frog and Toad are Friends
Days with Frog and Toad
Silly Milly
Arthurs "Family Values" Series
Curious George Early Reader Collection
A Fly Went By
In a People House
The Me Book
And we read aloud to him The Magic Tree House books 1-4 and Charlotte's Web
He loves to sit and flip through The Usborne Complete Book of Astronomy and Space

Sefu's favorites (age 3 1/2)
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Richard Scarry's Best First Book Ever
Richard Scarry's Best Picture Dictionary Ever
Once Upon a Potty
Crazy Alphabet
Stop Train Stop
Little Quack

I sat down and did two workbooks in completion with Masio and I actually learned that with a LOT of patience, he is really good at sitting and doing a workbook. He's not really the creative one of the bunch, but he loves to follow directions to a "T" and he loves checking off a list of tasks and completing a page.

We did:
Kumon My First Book of Tracing (bought for $.50 at goodwill)
This was a great first book for Masio. By the end of it, he was able to sit still, hold a pencil correctly, and understand the satisfaction of completing a page of work. It actually made him interested in writing letters and drawing shapes. This is one of those situations where I had to take a step backwards from my expectations. I thought that I could just sit with Masio and write letters (like I can with Sefu) but that was too difficult at first. So I went back one level in learning to just drawing lines and curves and circles and after that, he was able to start working on letters without being so frustrated. So anyway, I highly recommend this book for the needs of Masio. Sefu would have been bored by this book.

Usborne First Learning Odd One Out (paid $1 at goodwill)
The other basic skill I had to teach Masio was to color. Yeah, I know. This seems simple, but Masio had never really been interested in sitting and coloring with crayons. This book was GREAT. I hope to get more of these first learning books. This was our first real trial of patience. The Kumon tracing book was super simple and self explanatory, but with this book I actually had to sit with him and read the directions for each page. That was a painful process. I would have loved to have given up on it, but he wanted to do it, so we kept trudging though it. By the end, there was a huge improvement in how he listened and followed directions and how we communicated. I cannot say enough about how much I love these Usborne First Learning books. I will definitely be buying more of them.

What about Sefu? The other thing I learned is that he is NOT ready to sit and do work books. He will sit and do connect the dots or connect the letters or just plain coloring or writing words, but he has no interest in my explaining a page to him and having him do a task. Its funny that just 6 months ago he was willing to do that, but now that he's such an independent 3 year old, he's not interested. He wants to do what he wants to do on a page. That might be write letters, it might be color, it might be just to read it. So I mostly just give him the dry erase books and pens and that keeps him happy for hours.

Beautiful Day

2011-06-30T08:47:00.005-04:00

Today is just gorgeous out. We spent the morning blowing bubbles and digging in the dirt. This is why I love being home! I seriously have the best job ever.

Sefu started off the day practicing writing.

Today I let Masio pick some experiments out of Chemistry for Every Kid. We had a blast.

Then we took our first venture into the world of Lapbooks.

Just being kids

2011-06-29T08:01:00.004-04:00

Today was a day just to be kids. A trip to the grocery store. A neighborhood friend over to play. Lots of naps, lots of cuddles, and lots of play. Oh and lots of TV.

Our learning experience of the day centered around the water cycle. Masio was helping me fill the ice cube trays and boil water for Isleia's mac and cheese and it got us talking about water. This is where I'm seeing that my book purchasing er, habit? is a good thing. Its nice to have resources around to back up whatever we're talking about. Of course there is always the interweb, but that leads to distractions so easily. We also were lucky that today's episode of The Magic School Bus was about the water cycle. We watched it and talked about it. And by "we" I mean Masio and mommy. Sefu isn't so into the science stuff. He just wants to read and write and draw.

Wanna know all about the water cycle? Here ya go.

While I have your attention, can I just please complain about Dora and other Nick Jr shows? Why oh why does every single science reference have to do with saving the environment/endangered species? Here is a show that kids love and would be a great chance to actually teach them something halfway intelligent but instead its the same crap over and over. I mean I am all about the environment and all. Really I am. But come on already.

The boys wanted nothing to do with reading out loud today, so no books today. But they love picking a page out of the Draw Write Now and reading that. Sefu can always read the 4 sentences perfectly, but Masio, not so much. So it gives us a good chance to practice reading without having to hold him down, lol.

I read some really good articles about finding your child's learning style. Let me see if I can find one to share with yall.

Lets see if we can have a schedule

2011-06-28T06:52:00.000-04:00

So I'm spending this next month or so just kind of feeling out the boys and seeing how much structure we're going to be able to manage. I'm starting a rough schedule, something we've never had. Here's what our day went like.

6am: boys and dad are up

7am: mom and Isleia are up (I'm spoiled like that)

8am: a brief romp outside to burn off some morning energy and a morning snack. Its HOT and buggy so the kids really dont want to be out there, and neither do I.

9am: handwriting practice books on the couch

10am: reading out loud in the boys room/quiet time

11am: big breakfast/first lunch

noon: computer time doing math and making a calendar on starfall.

1pm: playtime in the basement

2pm: second lunch and the "craft" attempts begin. working on cutting, stamping, tracing and gluing. Oh wait, I dont have any glue.

3pm: reading out loud in the boys room/ quiet time/ afternoon snack. Do a page out of Draw, Write, Read.

4pm: trip to Michales to buy glue, brief outside playtime.

5pm: more crafting attempts that necessitate a bath.

6pm: playtime with dad building marble mazes.

7pm: bedtime.

We're back!!!

2011-06-27T10:02:00.012-04:00

Well hello everyone! I'm going to start posting again, mostly to document our new adventure in HOMESCHOOLING! Eek! First, lets start with whats going on with us.

I'm still home with the kids. We're in Northern VA. Dad has a job with the feds and we have a new baby girl, Isleia! She'll turn one next month. Masio will be 5 this November and Sefu will be 4 this September.

So we were going to put them in preschool this fall, but well, we can't afford it. We tried our hardest to come up with the cash, but it aint happenin' so we're going with plan B. I had already planned to start homeschooling them next year, so I just went ahead and moved it up a bit. I'm going to start a kindergarten curriculum this August. Based on how well it goes, we may or may not be teaching the exact same things next year. I'm in no rush, I'm just trying to keep my little brains from being bored, but at the same time, allowing them to be kids.

I'm not really sure whats going to work well for us yet, so I am going to go with a loose combo of a few different programs. If we were rich, lol, I would just go Sonlight all the way. But we're not. So instead I'm going to follow the same Charlotte Mason type approach, but with a little bit of an unschooling philosophy thrown in. We'll see how it goes. I'm also hoping to figure out a way to make a reading list of what books we have read and want to read and need to buy etc. I'm going to have to take a few minutes to get reoriented with the blogger format and all of that. So be patient!

Our proposed Kindergarten Curriculum:

Handwriting.

I would love to do Handwriting without Tears with Masio, but Sefu really doesnt need it, so I'm going to try a more basic approach and see how it goes. I picked up some write and erase practice books from Lakeshore Learning. Masio will be starting with capital print and Sefu, who has mastered print will be starting cursive. I'm not sure how frustrating this is going to be for Masio, so I'm not really planning a schedule until I see how it goes for him.

Math.

Right now the boys do math on more.starfall.com. I am looking to do the Miquon program with them, but dad is going to be the one teaching the math, so I am going to let him get oriented with the program before we start the boys. I am guessing we will be mostly focusing on telling time and counting money and starfall until we get the Miquon stuff ready to go.

Science.

We are very lucky to have two great resources here. One is the smithsonian museums and two is Huntley Meadows park in our backyard. We're going to be mostly doing hands on field trips at least twice a month. Other than that, I'm working on building a little science library for them based losely on the Sonlight reading list and Usborne books. We'll be reading through some lessons and coordinating them with our "field trips".

Social Studies, Reading and Language Arts.

As I mentioned before, instead of using a textbook based system like the public school system, we're going with the Charlotte mason method of learning. That means a literature based learning where you read about history through non fiction and fiction books. I plan to start an actual history program with first grade, but for now, it will still be pretty loose learning.

In terms of actual reading, both of the boys can read at a first grade level already, so we've already dealt with phonics and all of that. We'll be reading together for the main part of their homeschooling day. I'm still working on compiling my reading list, so there will be more to come in this category.

Drawing and Writing.

I have some great books called Draw, Write NOW that the boys love for their practice for writing and drawing. I am keeping my eye out of more of these. The boys really enjoy them. I got #1 used and I would love to get the rest of them when I can.

Religion.

I do plan to teach the boys the Bible and the Christian faith. We aren't a particularly religious family, but I think that the Bible is a great moral code foundation in addition to being an important part of an American's social life, so I want them to be exposed to it. I will also be focusing on a world religion perspective based in part on a great class I took in college from Dr. Steve Boyd. It was probably the best class I took at Wake.

Sports.

Right now, the boys play tennis, golf, and baseball with their dad on the weekends. Honestly, they don't listen well enough for me to invest in lessons. Maybe next year.

Music.

Obviously dad will be teaching them music. He's taught many students and knows from personal experience that teaching an instrument is pretty much a waste of time before age 6. So we'll start doing some formal piano lessons closer to that age.

Socialization.

First, if you really think this is an issue, read this article.

In terms of our children, for one, they have each other, and for two, we are lucky to have plenty of kids in the neighborhood to play with in the afternoons. So most everyday they interact with other kids and most every weekend, we do some kind of activity socially. I'm not the least bit worried about this aspect of homeschooling.

Phew. There it is. That was mostly an exercise for me to put all my info in one place and start to get everything sorted out in my mind. My next task will be working on a book list for them....oh and posting a few updated pictures for any of you who aren't on Facebook.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Masio!!!

2009-11-10T07:51:00.003-05:00

I did do a quick album on picasa for his birthday. I still need to put up Halloween pics. I'll try to do that today.

http://picasaweb.google.com/supermasiobrothers/Happy3rdBirthdayMasio

Greetings

2009-10-16T14:08:00.002-04:00

We are still having some bad computer luck, but I wanted to drop in and make a few notes for those who might be reading.

I have been putting pics on picasa if you want to check them out.
http://picasaweb.google.com/supermasiobrothers/
they are not all that well organized, but I'll try to get caught up.

For those who may be wondering about sizing for christmas and birthdays, here you go.
Masio wears a childrens Small (4-6) or a 5T or 6T for pants and a 4T in shirts. Shoes are hard to fit for him.
Sefu wears a 4T for pants and a 3T or 4T for shirts. Shoes are size 11.

Toys: they both love Thomas the Train and Sesame Street. Books and Puzzles are still favorite toys. They both know their alphabet and all their phonics sounds and love phonics and reading videos.

Thats all I can think of for now.

technical difficulties

2009-05-21T15:41:00.003-04:00

We have two dead laptops and an outdated desktop. We have no real way to get them fixed right now and no money for new computers...SO. Its going to be a minute. I won't be able to put videos on here, and I'll work on the pictures, but I don't really know how that is going to go.

OR, just come visit us and you can see the kids all you want :)

Tonight, I swear

2009-04-29T09:44:00.003-04:00

I'll upload pics to picasa tonight. Check tomorrow morning. I promise.

And just for those who asked, the boys are in the following sizes:

Masio: Shoe size 1. (Youth size)

Sefu: Shoe size 9.

Shirts: 3T and up. Masio can wear a "children's small" shirt which is a 4-6. Sefu can wear 24 month, but I prefer to buy things both of them can wear so that they get twice the use. They wear tshirts to bed, so a bigger tshirt gets a lot of use around here.

Shorts: 4T and up is a safe bet. They both have giant thighs...hum...wonder where those came from? So 3T is okay if its an "athletic" short kind of thing -- meaning loose fitting or jersey knit or something like that.

okay, pictures tonight. really.

a few pics

2009-03-24T09:43:00.003-04:00

Just a few highlights from the picasa album.

we love this toy! It doesn't spill and it satisifies the toddler "do it myself" urge.

sports videos

2009-03-15T18:43:00.004-04:00

fun at the Staffords.

so worn out

2009-03-11T22:13:00.004-04:00

I have been updating a little on the picasa album, but I am still terribly behind...on everything...I am headed over there now to straighten it up a bit.

We upgraded our internet speed so I'm going to try to get some videos up this week.

Oh, and to update, things are going much better with the sleeping and the teeth and all of that. Masio just went through another fun growth spurt and Sefu is staying on track to be heavier, and maybe just as tall as his brother. We are going to have to buy a second refrigerator when these kids start really eating. They can already do some serious damage.

I'll be back, soon.

Eye Teeth and Night Terrors

2009-01-28T20:40:00.001-05:00

Pardon me if you've already heard this, but the above listed items are to blame for my blogging absence. That in addition to my iPhoto being buggy and giving me problems with uploading pics.

Our dearest Sefu is teething his eye teeth. He is already the proud owner of 4 molars and 8...um...incisors? He is biting everything and anything that comes near his mouth. Including his mother's collarbone and his father's calf.

Meanwhile, over in terrible twoville, Masio has started the night terrors and last night tried to choke me.

No really, he woke up screaming bloody murder and trying to climb off the bed, but then wanted to be on the bed, but then wanted to be off the bed, but then wanted to climb the wall, but then wanted to hide in the corner of his bed. All while being hysterical and with his eyes glued shut.

I picked him up and he was arching his back and screaming and wanted to sit with me, but then wanted to be in the bed but then wanted me to pick him up, etc. All while being hysterical and with his eyes glued shut.

Finally he started hitting me and then grabbed my neck with both hands and started squeezing. I was saying, "Masio it's mommy, its mommy" and finally he opened his eyes. After that he calmed down and went right back to sleep.

These kids are literally going to kill me.

SO...I'll eventually sleep. Maybe. Or not. And I'll eventually blog again.

Inauguration Day 2009

2009-01-20T10:02:00.005-05:00

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
- Martin Luther King, Jr

http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/

So cold!

2009-01-16T08:18:00.006-05:00

random cuteness in the cold!

Peace and Harmony at the train table (and yes, thats chocolate on their faces)

While the cat's away, the mice will...walk?

2009-01-10T19:17:00.012-05:00

While Masio had the stomach flu and was doing this....

and some of this....

Sefu decided to stop doing this...

and this....

And start doing this!!!

and this!!!
(be sure to turn up your speakers for this one to get the full effect of the Sefu laugh. And Jenni, be sure to notice what is in the bottom left hand corner of the video during the first few seconds)

and this...poor pitiful Masio...

Our theory? Sefu's main source of entertainment (Masio) was out of commission, so instead of sitting and watching Masio run circles around him...or crawling to try and keep up with Masio, Sefu actually decided to take the time to walk! And Masio wasn't available to push him over, knock him out of the way, or do any other big brotherly type of behaviors that hinder walking. Soooo YAY!!! We have a walker!!!!

drum roll please...1yr/2yr WCC

2009-01-06T18:23:00.003-05:00

so we FINALLY had a well care check up for the kids. Our fabulous (read:sarcasm) health insurance in the past didn't fully cover WCC so we were way behind on check ups.

Anyway, Sefu at 13 months...

Weight: 31.5 lbs (off the charts)

Height: 32 in (90-95%)

Head Circ: 19.5 in (off the chart)

(and just to compare...at 14 months, Masio was 28.5 lbs, 34 in tall and head 20 inches)

Masio at 26 months

Weight: 33 lbs (90-95%)

Height: 38.5 in (off the chart)

Have I mentioned that my kids are very large?

Here's the plan

2009-01-05T13:27:00.003-05:00

Hello!!!!!!!!! Oh how I missed you, blogosphere!

While writing that sentence, Masio found my leftover cold coffee from this morning and tried to drink it, pouring it all over himself and the floor...cleaning now...okay I am back. This is why I can't keep up with the blog.

Here's the plan. I often upload pics but don't have time to blog. So if its been a while since a blog post, if you just look here...

Masio just figured out how to open the gate and I just had to chase him down the driveway...okay back to what I was saying...

If you just check here... PICASA WEB ALBUM , you can keep up with the pics before I get them blogged. I'll post a link at the top when I get a chance. And if you are really technology able, I think you can RSS it...whatever that means.

I just realized that Sefu is eating a box of raisins. I mean the BOX. Like the whole box, raisins, box...a huge brown gooey mess.

Here are a few pics in the meantime.

Masio just demanded that I make popcorn...but I am back now...and can maybe finish the post.

Masio's favorite Christmas toy. His ride-on-car-thingie-that-needs-a-name. I am open to suggestions.

Masio hanging out with cousin Anika's roommate, Kea.

So Isabel gave me a very generous Christmas gift that allowed me to purchase some clippers so that I can attempt to cut the boys hair...and maybe not make it look ridiculous. Here is Sefu in his new 'do...which could use a little help.

Masio relaxing on the couch with a snack. This pic gives me a weird kind of sense of looking forward to the teenage years...when he'll be doing the same thing, only he'll be bigger than the couch. And as you can tell, I haven't yet braved the new clippers on Masio's curls.

More haircut...and really I should take 2 extra minutes and open up photoshop and get rid of that ugly scratch on the wall behind his head. The boys love to ram that recliner into the wall. Oh, and have I mentioned that this whole home haircut thing is still a work in progress?

Guess who is up and "kind of" walking???

Okay...Sefu is once again eating something weird off the floor. And Masio is way too quiet in the front room. I had better run.
xoxo

PS. I cannot thank you enough -- all the family and friends who made our difficult Christmas so much brighter. The boys love all of their gifts, as do we. I have tons of pics from Xmas and our visit in NC, but I don't know if I am ever going to have time to blog them. I'll make an album on Picasa and let you know when I've posted them.

Happy birthday sweet baby Sefu

2008-12-07T08:01:00.003-05:00

Happy 1st birthday little man.

what we were doing a year ago, today...

leftover bday pics

2008-11-22T13:25:00.002-05:00

...from Masio's birthday...

and here comes Sefu...

thanks Marie!

and general cuteness

insanity

2008-11-20T14:10:00.002-05:00

Things are way crazy thanks to teething+bad weather+terrible twos. We're pulling our hair out! I promise to be back with more Masio bday pics as soon as I catch my breath.

Sefu took a step!

2008-11-16T09:01:00.004-05:00

I think we still have a while to go before "real" walking, but its a start! He really could do it if he wanted to, but he doesn't seem to want to! I'm predicting before the end of 2008...

Your mother is BRILLIANT.

2008-11-14T11:37:00.004-05:00

Once, back in 2001, before I met your father, I needed to use a laser printer with my computer, but the only way to do it was to have a USB port, which my dinosaur of a computer did not have. So, with the help of Uncle Charles, I "cracked the case" (For those readers who don't know, this is nerdy tech talk for opening up your computer. I mean with a screwdriver.) of my desktop and installed a USB port. It was a very proud day for your mommy.

Well, I once again proved my brilliance by cracking the case on my laptop (okay, they probably don't call it that when its a laptop) and with the help of Uncle Winston, installing more memory. Yes, boys, I used a screwdriver, opened up my laptop, took out the old memory thingie and installed a new 1GB one.

One day when both of you are nerds, you can look back on this and one, laugh at how pitiful my computer was, and two, know how much you should look up to your mommy because deep down, she is a nerd too.

According to my computer:
DIMM1/J31:

Size: 1 GB
Type: DDR SDRAM
Speed: PC2700U-25330
Status: OK

See that? Status: OK? I didn't break it!
And here's photographic evidence. And, yes, I preformed this delicate surgery on a pampers cruisers box.

PS: Winston:

that is what I thought you were talking about...and so...when I was putting those screws back in, I kind of lost one...on the floor. Is that okay?

Christmas comes early!

2008-11-13T11:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I just couldn't resist.
Check out the very cute Christmas PJs that Grandmother Parker sent the boys.

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY MASIO!!!

2008-11-10T07:50:00.003-05:00

I can't believe its been two years already. Happy Birthday, Masio. We love you so much!

Masio had no interest in actually eating the cupcake. He's on a diet. Kidding. He's acting like a normal two year old who only eats every other day. Sefu on the other hand is acting like a normal one year old who eats anything small enough to fit in his mouth. Including sticks, acorns and cupcakes.

and here comes the sugar coma...

Thanks to Grandmother and Granddad Stafford who sent a gift that we used to buy three things...
First, a train set.

We hope to get a train table eventually. I'm watching craigslist for some used ones. Masio has just started to take interest in trains, so we started out with this IKEA set.
And yes, thats a yoga mat that is serving as the track holder right now.

Also, we got this Thomas the Train video which came with a train that he can use on his new track!

Soon little brother caught wind of the fun that was being had without him...

So he decided to join...

and across the tracks he goes...this is why we need a train table.

And third, we got a tricycle! Its another craigslist find. Yes, everything we own is from CL. This particular one retails for $64. Can you imagine? We got it used for a fraction of that. Since Masio is hugely tall for his age, this style is really the only one that fit him well.

He immediately tried to pedal.

One very happy boy!

The Parker Grandparents sent lots of really cute clothes for the boys including some Christmas PJs and this really cute outfit for Sefu. Can you tell that the birthday was making me feel all sappy and sentimental?

Masio also got a wonderful winter coat! Its super warm and has plenty of growing room. As soon as I convince Masio to leave it on for more than 2 seconds, I'll take a picture!

Grandmother Parker is an expert toy picker and this gift was no exception. Here are pics of the hugely popular piggybank.
Opening it...

Waiting *ahem* patiently for mommy to take all the twist ties off.

Trying it out...yes it works! And hey mom and dad, how about you unpack those boxes behind us?

Well, look who showed up to join the party!

hum...maybe he won't notice if I...

who me? what? I didn't do anything...

and SCORE! A coin of my own!

I'll just go ahead and get one for my other hand...

okay, who am I kidding. I want a piece of this action.

Thanks for the card, W&L! We can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

and just for memory's sake

golf pro

2008-11-07T16:03:00.002-05:00

move over SAM ...here comes Masio!

first, the short version...

and then the long version if you really care...

a year in shoes

2008-11-06T14:59:00.003-05:00

As you have heard me say a million times before, Masio has giant feet. His first pair of shoes were a size 7 when he was 11 months old. That is the size that most 2 year olds wear. Masio, who will be 2 next week, just grew out of his current shoes and is now wearing a size 12. 12s are usually worn by 4 year olds. Sefu is now ready to wear Masio's first shoes which fit quite nicely.

This is what a 12.5 looks like next to his first pair of shoes, a 7.

his year of shoes. 12.5, 11, 10, 9, two 8s, and 7.

Sefu in Masio's first shoes.

Masio and Sefu's feet

Masio in his new shoes...and btw, the reason they are 12.5s is because we bought them on sale and they didnt have any 12s.

Tall Sefu who can now reach the doorknob.

and just for the fun of it, here's Masio in the turtle costume last year.

The day after.

2008-11-05T07:41:00.004-05:00

Barck Obama, a biracial American, was born into a country where segregation was still the law of the land. Our boys, also biracial Americans, will grow up in a country where their president looks just like them. We have come so far.

Sorry Baby Boomers, its our world now.

The tortise and the hare (sort of)

2008-10-31T23:00:00.007-04:00

Happy Halloween! The boys dressed as the tortise (Masio's costume from last year) and the hare (a set of ears and tail that were intended for a playboy bunny costume. Shh, don't tell him). And no, Masio would not let us put the ears on him. Anika came and helped out and we had a great time! Masio would have stayed out all night if we let him. Even poor little tired Sefu had a blast.

The funniest part of the evening:
"ewwww it STINKS"!!!!!

seriously, if I had known that Sefu was going to be this cute in the costume, he would have been wearing it all week.

I'll explain the pumpkin in a minute

Super sweet and Super tired Sefu afterwards. I was so tempted to let him sleep as a turtle all night.

And I HAVE to include this one. This is the first time I have ever convinced Masio to turn, look at the camera, and smile.

And no, I didnt let him know that you could open these. He thinks they are fun just like this

Trying to take a pic...

now, back to the pumpkin...
our neighbor Anthony visits often to play with the boys. Abebi quizzes him on math and other fun things like that. Well, when we found out that he had never carved a pumpkin before, we made sure he put his artistic skills to use on ours!

making the first cut

the adults realize that Masio and knives do not mix, so Anthony takes him to play football while Abebi gets things started.

oooh yucky pumpkin guts!!!! Always a fun first time experience.

Anthony drawing the face.

The finished masterpiece!

Happy halloween!!!

airplane

2008-10-23T13:26:00.005-04:00

So...ya know how Sefu has no desire to walk? Well he has been using his brain power for something else...TALKING!

Here he is saying his favorite word, airplane.

there are a few more that he says, like ball and milk, but airplane is the most impressive!

Haircut and steggy the revenge.

2008-10-16T21:21:00.001-04:00

Okay, yes, I cut his hair again. Look it. Times are lean. I don't have $15+tip for a real haircut. And besides, with curly hair, after a few days of growing out plus a few more snips, you won't be able to tell.

Notice the little curl sticking out on the side. You get what you pay for, right?

And just bc its cute, here he is trying to put on his jeans (upside down and over shorts)

And a lovely shot of the back when he was wrestling his brother

So here's the other exciting thing around these parts. You know Masio's BFF, Steggy? Well I ebayed him a spare. Steggy was starting to look (and smell) kind of funky. So now he has two. I was worried at first that he wouldnt accept the newer, shinier, less disgusting Steggy, but no worries. He loves having two. I'm even leaving the rattle in this time around for his entertainment.

Can you tell which one is new? HA.

yum...tastes like steggy!

and now jumping up and down on the bed while looking in the mirror is even more fun!!!

And since I know you are going to ask, yes, as a matter of fact, I did spend the haircut money on steggy. I think Masio is happy with the choice.

Playing together

2008-10-13T22:09:00.003-04:00

These days, playing together is the norm instead of the exception. And mommy and daddy are very happy about this!

And some cuteness...

September

2008-10-12T23:02:00.009-04:00

From September

Oh, I hope you didn't give up on me. We moved and I am sure you can imagine what its like to move with a 9 month old and a 22 month old. Oh wait, you probably can't. :)

Anyway, I give up on trying to keep up right now so I am just going to let yall know whats going on and I'm going to post the link to the pics of what you missed in September. Maybe I'll get a chance to caption a few, but no promises.

Updates...
Masio
...is super tall and started wearing size 11 shoe last month. This is not normal for a 22 month old. He now wears "youth" shoes that are twice as expensive as "toddler" shoes.
...has decided to talk. After 22 months of gibberish, we hear his little voice in the back seat say "there's a bus! there's another bus". Yes, gibberish to sentences. Awesome.
...loves his brother. He calls him "beega".
...can throw a ball perfectly straight at a target 9 out of 10 times.
...loves to dig in the yard with daddy's golf clubs.
...loves to color and read. has no interest in playing with cars and trucks.
...can say the alphabet perfectly and can count to twenty. Can read one of his board books cover to cover. I am guessing he memorized it, but who knows!
...tells me every letter and number he sees while riding in the car. This includes license plates.
...has his second birthday next month!

Sefu
...has no desire to walk on his own (remember Masio was walking independently before his 10 month bday) and mommy is perfectly fine with that decision.
...can crawl about as fast as Masio can run (Masio on the other hand had no interest in crawling at Sefu's age)
...loves to eat big boy food. Hates mushed up baby food.
...loves his brother. Screams when he is taken out of the room from his brother. You should see his face light up when he sees Masio.
...loves to hit things! And loves toys that roll. He loves the puzzle Grandmother Parker bought for masio that has the big knobs on it. He hits them together all the time!
...is confused for Masio's twin all the time. which is quite funny to mom and dad.
...is huge! Sefu wears the same size clothes as his brother now (3T), only with the arms and legs rolled up. He is very large framed and thats the only way clothes fit around him!
...does everything with his left hand.
...has his first birthday in less than two months!

Cutest thing ever.
...the boys hold hands in their carseats. we look back all the time now and see their little fingers cupped in each others hands. Its too much and often brings tears to mommy's eyes.

Best gift.
...Granddad Stafford sent a yellow blanket for Sefu. Its perfect because its warm and very large and Sefu uses it every night! Thanks granddad!

Pictures.
...heres what you missed in September.
For the link, click HERE.

Or watch this slideshow...

I love my brother!

2008-08-24T08:21:00.005-04:00

I think Masio grew again. He looks so tall next to Sefu.

Fun Videos!* These are Masio playing a sort of tag with Sefu. It is hard to tell which one of them is screaming. Generally speaking, I can't tell their voices apart.

The mei tei has returned.

No, it doesn't glow in the dark. At least I don't think it does...

*look...we live in an apartment with terribly cheap carpet. It is basically like a sponge for kid goo. We are moving next week - please try to overlook the grossness in the meantime

Happy Friday

2008-08-22T13:49:00.004-04:00

Some cuteness to end your week.

Masio working hard at daddy's desk with a cookie in one hand and the mouse in the other.

Sefu trying on Masio's very first pair of shoes. Very flattering to his cankels, don't you think?

Two very short Sefu laughing videos.

And a sweet sleepytime pic of the boys napping together.

Fun kid stuff

2008-08-16T10:50:00.004-04:00

A few pics of us doing fun kid stuff.

Playing in the sink.

Yes, this is the North Point mall food court. Classy!

And some Sefu cuteness.

Happy Birthday Aunt Laura!

2008-08-11T19:58:00.002-04:00

we miss you :)

xoxoxo

Phew! I'm back online!

2008-07-31T14:44:00.007-04:00

Happy 8 months Sefu!!!! And Happy 21 months, Masio!!!

this is why I haven't been blogging...

but I have a replacement now and all is well...

I have a million pics from July that I am going to just throw up here...so sorry for the messyness.

First, here are a few videos...

and here come the pics...

Masio and his good friend "Joe"

Visiting daddy's work! Cathy is always excited to see us!

Teef!!!

Visiting with Anika.

Showertime!

I love fruit!

Trying to stand...

Wonder if I can just step on him...

Trying to crawl!

And just being cute...

Masio read his first word!!!!

2008-07-20T15:14:00.002-04:00

Our little brainiac can read!

I'll spare you the details which are only interesting when you have a kid this age. Long story short, he can now read the word "off."

He's brilliant!

We're getting better with speech, but he's still not a great talker. This Sunday at Anika's place, he all the sudden started saying some words like "hi" and "bye" and "I don't know" really clearly. He's also starting to mimic things we say. Hopefully he'll start communicating better soon!

New shoes and a new (old) table

2008-07-19T15:05:00.002-04:00

Masio tried out his new size 10 shoes in the park!

We scored an awesome kitchen table from Craigs List. Only $50!!!!! The huge captain chairs are perfect for containing and restraining Masio!

And I have to throw this pic in. Sefu is such an easy baby! He gets tired, fusses for a minute then just falls asleep. In this picture, I had laid him on the bed with a toy while I finished up something with Masio. I came back in and he was dead asleep!

Romper comparison

2008-07-18T15:01:00.002-04:00

See, I told you Sefu is giant! Here's Masio in Sefu's 24 mo romper. Nice wedgie, huh?

thanks Marie!

2008-07-11T19:39:00.005-04:00

Marie just sent us some new clothes! Maybe she noticed that Masio is never wearing pants in the blog pics and she felt sorry for him ;)

On that pic above, put your hand over the bottom half of the pic and you can see why people think they are twins when they are in a stroller. Sefu has such a long torso!

Here's our seven year old, I mean our 20 month old (doesn't he look huge?!) practicing blowing his nose. Orange is a great color on him -- as is brown on Sefu. Great job, Marie!

See how long Masio's feet are? His toes just got to the end of his latest pair of shoes. Time for size 10s!

Excuse the destruction in the background. Its Friday. Cut us some slack. And btw, mom, how about if you tuck in my shirt?

I am still so fascinated when the boys play together.

Some Sefu cuteness

Twenty months

2008-07-10T10:26:00.005-04:00

Another milestone! Doesn't 20 months sound so old? Happy 20 months, Masio!

Here's the old man playing with his little people animals. He loves to find them in his picture books and try to match them up.

The brothers playing...sort of...

we all know what Masio was thinking about doing with that mallet.

"no really, mom, look I am playing nicely!"

"yeah, okay, its no fun if I can't hit brother with it."

We're all sick with colds around here, so there's a lot of chillaxin' going on.

Seven months

2008-07-07T12:20:00.000-04:00

How time flies! Yesterday, Sefu cut two teeth and army crawled for the first time.

And yes, he's still spitting up.

Sefu's doing so many new things!

He's driving

Sitting in a cart with his brother (why aren't all carts made like Sams Club carts?)

Eating cheerios, puffs and biter biscuits

Hanging out with brother and daddy

And sleeping on anyone and everyone.

Masio is doing plenty of fun things too!

He's eating peaches

Guarding his beloved apples.

Dancing to his favorite show (Curious George)

Feeding his brother

Coloring, coloring, coloring

Watching downloads of the backyardigans with his brother.

Oh, and guess who's back in town?! Sarah Keene! We had so much fun on the 4th with her and Amanda and her parents.

New stats and a squirrel

2008-07-01T11:27:00.007-04:00

Okay, first I had to post a pic of Masio because he seems to get less blog face time these days.

Sefu had an overdue 6 month appointment. He turns 7 months next week. He is off the charts on all his measurements.

Height: 30 inches
Weight: 25lbs 15 oz
Head Circ: 18 3/4 inches

He is bigger than a lot of kids who are a year older than him.

Because mommy needed a break from almost 2 years of getting up in the night with kids, daddy has had some serious bonding time with little brother. For almost a month, daddy slept with Sefu in his room and got up with him during the night. Now the two boys are sleeping in the same room with mommy, but the little break was a huge help for mommy's sanity.

Sefu really sitting up for the first time -- on Father's Day!

Enjoying the bumbo!

Where did my big belly go?

Cousin Anika has been a huge help -- she has come over a few times to help out when things were crazy

Masio looking hot in cousin Anika's shoes.

Masio's new best friend, squirrel. Thanks Uncle Winston. You give the BEST toys.

eating an apple with squirrel

the (cored) apple after Masio ate it:

And a few pics of the brothers in action
"This is a remote. This is dad's favorite thing to hold"

"Wait -- where's your other ear?"

"Phew. There it is"

Father's Day 2008

2008-06-15T00:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there!

Here are a few more cute pics...

Happy 6 months, Sefu

2008-06-12T09:53:00.003-04:00

We will be back online in two weeks and will be able to catch up. We are doing great. Sefu is sitting up and sleeping better and Masio is very into coloring and learning the alphabet. Here are a few quick pics and there will be tons more in just a few weeks. Thanks for visiting!

The aquarium

2008-05-18T13:43:00.003-04:00

We bought annual passes to the Georgia Aquarium and went for our first visit.

Masio had a great time!

Sefu was a pretty big fan too.

Get out the tartar sauce!

Masio was giving a lecture on fishys to these two girls.

Masio got a little tired from all the excitement.

2008-05-14T12:53:00.001-04:00

We've been busy growing and teething and not sleeping. Masio just went through something fun called the "18 month sleep regression." He's back to sleeping normally (whatever that means) just in time to start teething his 2 year molars. Did you hear that, Masio? TWO year molars...not 18 month. Apparently he didn't get the memo.

Anyway, I'm working on catching up. Here are a bunch of random pics. I'm having some issues uploading videos but I'll keep working on it.

Masio LOVES the alphabet. He can identify a few letters and now can identify all his numbers 1-10. Here he is looking at his favorite letter "o" and his little people alphabet.

Little big man is holding his bottle!

Check out the belly.

And the guns!

A little cuteness

Masio and his favorite ball

Doing some climbing

Nothing is safe from the Mas touch.

Playing peekaboo

Happy Mother's Day!

I just can't get enough of beautiful Sefu pics.

Bath Time!

Another haircut

2008-05-13T13:08:00.001-04:00

Come on -- you know you want to see the pictures. It's so much fun...

BEFORE

AFTER

Happy Birthday Sayon!

2008-04-27T22:03:00.000-04:00

So yesterday we celebrated Sayon's 2nd birthday at his home. Sayon is a playmate of Masio's. These two are a perfect pair. I don't know if its the fact that they look similar or that both are larger for their age or that they are close in age, but Masio plays with him like they have known each other their whole life. When Sayon came over for a playdate the first time, I have never in my life heard Masio talk so much to someone. I mean he babbled the whole time -- and Masio doesn't really talk when he's around new people, so this was something new.

Here's a picture from a playdate -- notice that they aren't fighting over the bead maze, but actually playing with it together.

So anyway, here we are at his birthday party -- and check this out. We put a blanket on the floor for the two boys to eat some nachos and these two sat there for around 45 minutes quietly eating their food together. Yes, you read that right. No food on the wall, no screaming, no running around the room. They just sat there and ate. And most of the time, they used forks. It was amazing. Yes, eventually it got a little messy, but I have never in my life seen Masio eat so peacefully. They were eating off the same plate, trying to feed each other, Sayon kept handing Masio his sippy. It was too much. Anyone who has a kid this age, much less a boy this age understands the wonder of two of them sitting so peacefully doing any task, nevermind that they were eating.

Meanwhile, Sefu couldn't get enough of this Daphne doll.

Poor daddy got spit up on twice by Sefu and ended up having to borrow Brian (Sayon's dad)'s shirt.

Happy birthday Sayon!!!

Yard Sailing, doggies and brotherly love

2008-04-26T09:43:00.005-04:00

Look at what $35 gets you at a yard sale -- our new stroller! Its a baby trend -- nothing fancy but it does the job. We of course would love a BOB but its really really not in our budget anytime in the forseeable future, so we're very happy with this one.

you'll never guess what a mere $3 can buy --

...And a little cuteness for good measure
I'm this tall!

airplane!

look mom! Its a giant baby!

Hey mom, is this his eye?

Doggies and soccer at piedmont park

Motor skills and head control

2008-04-25T09:39:00.004-04:00

Look at Sefu in the Bumbo! He loves sitting up now. Of course I can really only use it when big brother is sleeping or he tries to pull Sefu out of it...same with the jumparoo. Masio just wants to spin him in circles which isn't so much fun for Sefu.

Jumparoo!!! Well, right now its mostly a "stand-a-roo"

And jumparoo skills

Masio eating an apple

everything tastes better when you are sitting on daddy

Masio showing off his "eating cheerios with a fork" skill.

honey, don't get mad at me

2008-04-23T13:55:00.005-04:00

Not the words you want to hear at 10 pm when your husband returns from taking out the trash. You see, we live in an apartment complex and when people don't want to throw stuff out but don't want to keep it, they leave it out by the mail boxes/trash compactor. It's where we found Masio's leap frog learning table which he loves. And its where Abebi found THIS...

we could only find one of our drumsticks the next morning when Masio discovered the great find. But really, he did quite well. Watch out Che!

Sweet sweet Sefu

2008-04-23T00:13:00.006-04:00

He's growing so quickly! Just like his brother he prefers to stand rather than sit up. If you hold his hands or let him lean against you, he'll stand up and support his weight fully on his legs. But making him bend at the waist is nearly impossible.

Here are a bunch of pics in my quest to get caught up.

Hmmmm...

Showing off my belly

LOVE ME!

Hanging out with the guys

Hanging out with Mommy

Being cute in the sun

Lots of Park

2008-04-22T22:29:00.003-04:00

We love to visit all the parks near us. You know, little boys need to be outdoors as much as possible.
Here's Masio enjoying this perfect spring weather...

And Sefu grumpily along for the ride.

Swinging like a big boy

A swinging like a big boy video!

Enjoying the view

And playing with his best playmate, Dad.

A really cool park near us

The BLANKET!

2008-04-21T21:22:00.000-04:00

how sweet is this blanket Erin S. made for me??? Sefu LOVES IT. He still loves the swaddle.

PS Erin -- can I tell you that Masio LOVES the picture book. It is actually the most annoying thing ever bc he loves to go retrieve the things he sees in the pictures, or drag me to the room to point them out - like crayons, crib, bear, football, hat, etc. He is going to be a reading fool thanks to that book! (Now, if we can just get him to talk...)

Just lots of pics!

2008-04-18T21:20:00.002-04:00

I figure this is the best way to get caught up...enjoy!

General Cuteness

A visit with Ayoka before her overseas adventure!

DRAMA!

Fatness!

The climber

I think he's explaining something very important to his brother in this pic.

Sleepytime

(ps, have I mentioned that he's a half an inch away from being 3 feet tall?)

Best of friends!

Basketballs are for sitting!

Great Uncle Jan and Aunt Peggy visit!

2008-04-16T22:06:00.002-04:00

Cousin Anika had some visitors so we all stopped by!

Alligator

2008-04-15T21:14:00.000-04:00

We love the alligator. Really.
Anika got Masio the cutest Alligator for his birthday. Turns out everyone but Masio is in love with it. Sefu thinks its the best thing ever. I am sure yall have seen the pics on the announcement

4 months and 17 months

2008-04-14T09:29:00.001-04:00

We had a dr. appt this month.
Sefu turned 4 months on April 7
Weight 18lbs 12oz
Height 26in
Head 17 1/2 in

Sefu is still puking all over me all the time, but my dr says 4 months is the worst so there is a light at the end of the tunnel...or at least thats what I keep telling myself. He's rolling over and doing all of that stuff. I should be feeding him solids now (can you believe it?) but I am way too lazy to deal with that right now. I'll get around to it in a month or two. The last thing I want to do is clean up peas off my back at 3 am.

Masio was 17 months on April 10
Weight 28lbs 12oz
Height 35 1/2in
Head 20 1/4in

My great eater now spends most of the time throwing his food off his highchair tray...really the low weight gain is no mystery. I guess the days of my easy eater are over. All I have to say is thank heavens for nutrigrain bars and cheerios.

My rearfacers

2008-04-13T09:27:00.000-04:00

Greetings from the backseat!
I hope none of you have turned your babies around yet! If Masio (who is off the charts for height) can ERF (extended rear face), so can your muffin! I'll throw in some links at the bottom for those of you who haven't already been subjected to my ERF speech.

its cheezy but you have to watch the crash test part in the middle. I think around 1:30.

And here's a great MSNBC article about it

Happy Birthday to Uncle Winston

2008-04-12T16:20:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE WINSTON!!!

Sending birthday wishes from the tent on the bed.

xoxoxo

Catching up again again

2008-04-01T10:48:00.001-04:00

Okay! The entire page is new...we're still not caught up, but we're closer.

Sefu rolled over for the first time today! They are both doing great. This is the best age for both of them. Both of the boys are in the most precious times. Sefu is cooing and smiling and Masio is learning a new word every day. Masio is starting to entertain his brother and Sefu can sit up more and see more and he loves watching his brother be crazy. We are so blessed.

We are going to finally work on getting Sefu's birth announcements finished. I know, I know. Having two kids 13 months apart is no joke. We're just finally getting out of survival mode and into really enjoying them. We're really looking forward to them growing up together, but this is definitely one of the harder times.

Thanks again for keeping up with the blog. I'm going to get caught up by this weekend, I hope.
:)

The first haircut

2008-03-29T09:22:00.002-04:00

I don't think he liked it.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Chairs are not for sitting and bumbos are not for babies

2008-03-16T17:15:00.001-04:00

Its amazing how the simplest things can provide hours of entertainment for a toddler.

We got the Bumbo back out for Sefu but Masio has reclaimed it.

Photo sessions

2008-03-15T17:16:00.002-04:00

THE GROUP PHOTO
It's not easy to get us all in one picture. It involves a lot of wrestling...

and tears...

finally!

once we set Masio free, we took a few more.

THE ALBUM COVER

Another attempt at capturing the two brothers in one frame. Something about the pics remind us of a cheesy album cover.

More park

2008-03-11T09:21:00.000-04:00

Sefu taking a nap at the park.

Masio getting his drive on.

Playing with Cousin Anika!

Sefu and mommy.

Big brother long legs

2008-03-07T17:11:00.010-05:00

Masio sure is looking tall and thin these days. We're not sure who he got those genes from...certainly not his parents.

He's also learning some odd new tricks, including walking on the windowsill...

...and the one two three game...

however, he does still fit in a pot...

and his little people wagon...

and his daddy's shoes...

but not Q's...

Little Brother Cuteness

2008-03-05T17:08:00.003-05:00

Here's more mr. handsome

and some sleepytime

stroller time

and a video of mommy being silly

Things you should not teach your toddler

2008-03-01T10:53:00.003-05:00

Chasing games...

...and throwing toys.

(but, man is it fun...)

Fun with dad

2008-02-29T11:19:00.003-05:00

These have to be the cutest Masio and Daddy pics ever taken.

So fat!

2008-02-23T10:50:00.002-05:00

Masio was never really all that chunky, so we are thrilled to have a chubster this time around. Nothing is cuter than a fat baby.

Just the two of us

2008-02-20T10:39:00.000-05:00

Masio is warming up to the idea of a brother. He's no longer only trying to feel Sefu's eyeballs or see if he can get his finger in his brother's nose. Now he will actually play next to him and talk to him and smile at him.

<

...as long as Sefu doesn't get too close.

Big brother, the nut

2008-02-18T10:23:00.003-05:00

Masio is just too much. He's playing alone and using his imagination...even "reading" books alone. Here are a bunch of Mas pics...

cuteness...

playing alone with bear and basketball

Wearing a adult hat...yes, his head is that big.

playing bubbles

don't you dare take steggy from me

playing wth daddy

reading 4 books at once with cousin Ayoka

Masio is getting better at IDing his body parts and clothes. Here he is helping curious george wear his shoes.

and just having fun...

Smile!

2008-02-17T10:05:00.004-05:00

On our quest to capture Sefu's smile...
Feb 10

Feb 12

Feb 16

Feb 17

a few gifts

2008-02-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

Grandmother Stafford sent the boys some clothes. The jacket is great!

Shoes and a Jacket for the Mas. (Its hard to get pics of a toddler's feet. They never seem to stop long enough to snap a pic.)

And a couple of onesies and a fleece jacket for the baby.

Tummy sleeping

2008-02-10T09:40:00.001-05:00

Tummy sleeping??? Yes, I am breaking the rules. Well, not really. My pedi gave me the okay for supervised daytime tummy sleeping. You see, our little man has been battling reflux (GER). The tummy sleeping helps. And the baby zantac.

So we've been pretty busy trying to be careful with feedings and doing lots of laundry.

He's some big brother tummy sleeping pics just for the heck of it.

And the two boys napping peacefully...

Tent

2008-02-09T20:26:00.000-05:00

Wanna see the best $9.99 we've ever spent?

Check out Masio's new IKEA tent.

Watch out big brother!

2008-02-07T13:26:00.000-05:00

Here comes Sefu!!!

Sefu had his 2 month appt today. And our preemie is bigger than his brother was at this age! (well, everything but his head, hehe).

His stats:

weight: 12 lbs, 13 oz

height: 24 1/4 inches

head circ: 40 1/2 cm

I promise to get up more pictures soon!

I cut off his hair!

2008-02-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

Before

After

(yes, this is his favorite shirt)

Perfection and the park

2008-01-29T15:51:00.000-05:00

Could he be more perfect?

and a quick cute sefu video.

Its finally warm enough to go out...

Its Emma!

that weird growth on mommy is Sefu in the Moby.

Mommy's birthday

2008-01-27T15:49:00.000-05:00

Happy 32nd, mommy!

Emma and Spot

Masio videos

2008-01-25T19:29:00.000-05:00

Yes, these are totally random.

He can identify books by their title and pick them out of a pile.

playing hide and seek

working his tool kit.

wearing daddy's shoes.

More snow!

2008-01-20T15:13:00.000-05:00

It snowed again!

Getting dressed to go out.

Snow pics.

oops!

Random Masioness and the Moby

2008-01-19T15:39:00.000-05:00

Toddler interior decorating.
Masio watching TV. Notice that there is nothing in the book shelf.

Masio, why do you smell like daddy's armpit?
Oooohhhh.... I see.

My moby.

Moby + Kozy

For Isabel

2008-01-19T13:45:00.000-05:00

A little bit of snow and a whole lot of Sefu

2008-01-18T22:10:00.000-05:00

Masio and Sefu experienced their first snow! Yes, it was just a few big, wet flakes, but it was still technically snow.

Sefu is growing like a weed and becoming a much better photography subject. He's 6 weeks old today!

Mommy and her two big boys! (And Spot...wait...we still have Spot?)

And more snow pictures...thrilling, huh?

okay, this video will make you motion sick, but its worth watching to see the expression on Masio's face...that and to hear him make the sound he makes when he runs.

and this one is just cute...

What you can do when you are almost 3 feet tall.

2008-01-14T21:40:00.000-05:00

Climb on top of bar stools! Once again, my firstborn is defying the laws of physics. Thats a very lightweight IKEA chair. I still don't understand how he does it. I'm guessing the baby gate is going to be of little use in the not-so-distant future.

Here is a video of it...

Thanks Sarah!!! Check out Masio's awesome shirt!

There's the baby!

And finally, some random sweetness.

14 months!

2008-01-12T14:09:00.000-05:00

Masio had a checkup (it was a late 12 month/early 15 month appointment) and is ridiculously huge.

He's 28lbs 6 oz and 34 inches tall. At 14 months. Really. He's a giant!

Yes, you Masio. You are a giant!

He's still working on those millions of teeth he cut all at once. So he's still quite a grumpy pants some days. Oh and he's eating with a fork now! I'll have to get a video...
Anyway, here he is being pitiful and watching teletubbies on the couch.

Here are a collection of Sefu pics and a few Masio videos.
This may be one of the last videos you see of Spot...

Especially since Masio has learned to go in the cat door of the kitchen gate.

Masio using the remote. Thanks Mas. You are soooo helpful.

Grandmother Parker and Sefu.

Now for some reason, despite the fact that Grandmother Parker stayed with us for almost 3 weeks, we have like no pictures from that time. Probably because we were so busy just trying to get a few hours of sleep. Thanks again for all your help, Grandmother. We couldn't have done it without you.

Things have more or less settled down around here. Unfortunately mommy has been sick twice and is still sick with some stupid virus. Here's mommy and Sefu doing what they do best.

He has been able to lift his head up for a while now. He's not quite as endowed in the head department as his brother is, so he has much better control of his nog than Mas did at this age.

And finally, some general cuteness.

Christmas visitors!

2007-12-31T13:03:00.000-05:00

Uncle Winston and Aunt Laura drove down to visit little brother and brought Christmas with them! We had a great visit and we love all of our gifts. They also brought gifts from the Bobby Parkers. Masio loves his new toys! His favorite is the beenie baby wolf that cousin Megan got for him. He carries it around everywhere! Here are a few pictures.

all I want for Christmas...is 8 more teeth...

2007-12-30T12:50:00.000-05:00

A few weeks before I started my early labor with Sefu, Masio started teething his first set of molars. Before that, he had his front 8 teeth - 4 on bottom and 4 on top.

So, in the two months surrounding the birth of his brother, Masio has teethed his first set of bottom molars, his first set of top molars, then his bottom eye teeth, and now he is in the process of cutting his top eye teeth. I can't imagine worse timing for the hardest teething. The poor guy has been in constant teething pain for 8 weeks now.

Now he has 16 teeth - 8 on bottom and 8 on top!

Here are a few great pictures of the teething Mas so that you can share in the joy of parenthood with us.

Sometimes he just lays down and gives up. poor kid. He's so exhausted from not sleeping and doesn't want to eat anything but bananas. At least we're getting it all over with at one time.