"I be rockin' them beats, yup, yup"

Thank you to the Black Eyed Peas for a little song called "I've Got A Feeling" as it sparked Mason's interest in music again. Mason and I anxiously awaited their performance on the American Music Awards hoping they would play his favorite song. Instead, they played "Meet Me Halfway" and "Boom Boom Pow." While Mason was slightly disappointed in the lack of "I've Got A Feeling," he quickly recovered and found love for "Boom Boom Pow." It turned into a small obsession, which included watching the not so great AMA performance over 100 times before it was not so accidently deleted from TiVo (see pictures below of Mason watching Fergie & the Black Eyed Peas with his microphone) and many of his own performances at home and at school, yes school.

I swore I would never post this video, but I think it represents the kind of rock star I hope he does NOT become (i.e. playing guitar in his underwear). It is also the only video of I have of him singing this song, and it is a poor representation of his performances we got to witness, but he gets quite shy when we take out the camera.

Good Run of Bad Luck

November was a rough month for the Voth family. Sickness hit November 1 on the dot and lingered into December. Of course our boys decided not to be sick at the same time and traded weeks they were sick while Corey and I traded days/hours we were home with them.

We made our first trip to the ER with a sick Cooper on November 13 after coming home from school with labored breathing. It was reasonably determined that he had croup, post X-Ray that is (which I can say was one of my saddest moments as a parent seeing my baby strapped down for this process...yuck!).

We made our second trip to the ER the following week, yes 2 trips in one week. This one occurred in a more traumatic fashion, for me at least. I am using this blog as therapy for the incident because it was so awful. I was home from work with two sick kids, who saw their pediatrician earlier in the day and given the all clear to go back to school. I was doing some laundry that afternoon and carrying sheets in one arm, Cooper in the other. As we were approaching the laundry room, Cooper literally jumped out of my arms. In a slow motion sequence that replays over and over in my head, he falls to the floor without me being able to catch him and lands flat on his back. Sheer panic sets in which included a hysterical call to Corey and a trip to the ER. After a quick check by the doctor and being told that babies are resilient to these things, we went home with a smily Cooper and a wreck of a Megan. I hope no one ever asks us later in life in fun if Cooper was ever dropped on his head as a baby, because I would sadly have to answer yes.

We hope that our luck with change and we can move on to more happy and healthy times.

Happy Thanksgiving

As many of you know, we attend 2 Thanksgiving celebrations every year. Yes, we indulge in 2 Thanksgiving meals. We begin in Red Wing with the Holden family and end the day at my parents house celebrating with the Wadleys.

Since Cooper had started eating solids, he got to enjoy Thanksgiving squash and a Turkey with Gravy dinner by Chef Gerber for Thanksgiving.

Mason on the other hand, being the world's pickiest eater that he is, did not enjoy any of the great foods Thanksgiving has to offer. Instead, he enjoyed a very large bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios.

Warm Days of Fall

We were lucky to take advantage of being outside into November this year. Since Cooper had mastered sitting up, we decided to try out the wagon, which Cooper LOVED. We are definitely looking forward to lots of wagon rides this Spring.

Santa 2009

Mac McGoon invites Santa to make a special trip down from the North Pole early in November to take pictures at their studio. We decided to take advantage of this trip and schedule some time with Santa to take a special picture with Mason and Cooper.

Mason talked big all week about telling Santa what toys/games he wanted for Christmas, but when we arrived at the studio for the picture, the panic started. Luckily the studio had had a number of years of practice and asked before it was our turn whether anyone was afraid. We opted for the "scared child" option where Santa would just peak at the boys from behind the chair rather than the boys sitting on his help. Thank you Mac McGoon. Unfortunately, the only picture that turned out well was the one before Santa came out. Thankfully, the photographer offered to Photoshop Santa into the picture, so we still have a photo memory, even though the images weren't necessarily in sync.

After the pictures were complete, we made the mistake of trying to have Mason talk to Santa, which resulted in a screaming child. It may have been too close to the Halloween incident to tackle Santa...oops.

Regardless, we walked away with a great pictures of the boys.

2, 4, 6

We made a 2 trips to MacMcGoon Studios this fall to get special pictures for Mason's 4 year pictures and Cooper's at 6 months.

Happy Halloween 2009

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Mason and Cooper were lucky and patient enough to celebrate Halloween for two days, both at Anna's Bananas and home. Mason was his favorite Wii character Mario and Cooper was a cute, cuddly lion. Mason enjoyed a day of activities at school which included a costume parade, activities in other classrooms and of course a treat bag (and since Mason doesn't really like candy, he was simply estatic about the M&Ms in his bag). Cooper got to hang out looking cute with his teachers and other babies.

On Halloween, Mason and Cooper got their costumes on again and paid a visit to Grandma Geralyn and Grandpa Mike's house where Tyler jumped in on the fun. After arriving home, Mason and Tyler were joined by Henry (with parents Mandy and Andy in tow) for some trick-or-treating in our neighborhood (for those of you who haven't heard, our neighborhood, especially our neighbors are huge fans of Halloween). Trick-or-treating did not last long since Mason came home crying after a man in a mask scared him when he answered his door. Luckily the boys were ready to play at home anyway. The Gunderson's also joined us later in the evening. The kids were all very adorable in their costumes and enjoyed some playtime.

Milestones Times Two

Today when I picked up Mason and Cooper from school, I was greeted as always with big smiles from Cooper, but today something was a little different. The difference...his first tooth has arrived. I attempted to get a picture tonight of this tooth, but Cooper had other ideas.

Later while playing at home tonight, we were treated to another difference...Cooper has finally figured out crawling. We are definitely in trouble now that he is mobile. He has been frustrated for quite some time so we are very excited he figured out how to move himself around easier. I was able to get a little video of his success.

It has been quite a busy, fun and eventful evening. It makes me wonder what will happen tomorrow:)

Six Years and Counting

On Sunday, Corey and I celebrated our six year anniversary and could not have spent the day any better than with our boys. Similar to the random warm weekend we got married, we were able to enjoy some time outside.

We visited Pahl's Market in Apple Valley for their Pumpkin Pahlooza.

We also got to log some backyard time. Cooper was captivated by the leaves on the ground, which surprisingly did not end up in his mouth. Mason had his fun rolling around in the leaves.

Our lives have changed so much for the better in the last six years. With these two, how could it not?

Yyyaaayyy Gophers!

Let the Gopher Hockey season begin!

6 Month Stats

Height: 27.5 inches (75th percentile)

Weight: 18 pounds 15 ounces (60th percentile)

Head Circumference: 18 inches (90th percentile)

Likes: Being out and about, balls, bananas, Mason's attention, a soft Gopher hockey puck (go figure), putting anything and everything into his mouth.

Dislikes: Not being able crawl!

Catching Up With Cooper

Cooper has learned some new tricks since our last update.

Sitting on his own.

Rolling over (back to front). After long ago mastering the roll from front to back, Cooper finally figured out how to get onto his tummy (first achieved 09/25/2009). I apologize for the bad lighting on the video, I really need a new camera or to learn how to use more lights while filming.

Ready, set...almost. He is very close to crawling. Here is a little video of an attempt.

I again apologize for the bad lighting.

A week shy of his 6th month birthday, Cooper was finally able to try out some baby food. We started with the traditional rice cereal and have since introduced bananas, sweet potatoes and oatmeal. He is very much enjoying this variation from the bottle and hopefully he continues loving new foods.

First Food 10/02/2009

Since Mason has had a number of photo slideshows lately, I decided to include a little photo montage of Cooper as well:)

Summer Season Finale

We started and ended our summer season at the cabin; unfortunately, these were the only two (2) trips we were able to make to the cabin this summer. We are hoping for a couple more visits next year.

Highlights from the weekend included the following:

Golf. As some of you know, Corey golfed most Wednesday nights in the summer in a men's league at Hidden Greens Golf Course. Each and every Wednesday Corey golfed, Mason was disappointed that he was not able to join him. After a long summer of waiting, Mason finally got his chance. Corey, Grandpa Mike, Erik and Joe decided to play a round at Echo Hills Golf Course in Turtle Lake with Mason and Tyler in tow.

Boats. Cooper had his first boat ride with little to no fuss about the life jacket, until he got hungry anyway. He enjoyed taking in his surroundings during the first part of the tour and even got in a nap mid way.

We had Mason geared up to try tubing, but he quickly changed his mind once he watched Erik whip Joe around the lake. He decided to be Grandpa's co-driver instead.

Engagement. The excitement of the weekend peaked when Emily and Erik got engaged. We are very much looking forward to their wedding next year. Congratulations Emily and Erik!

Mason Turns 4

After a long summer of waiting until Auntie Rachel and Uncle Chad were married, Mason's birthday finally arrived. Leading up to his birthday, we finally agreed that he could play Wii Boxing when he turned 4 (we had used this as a bribery tactic for potty training and then he pushed it out to when he turned 4 on his own). As Mason awoke on his birthday morning, his first words were "I can go play "Working The Bag," which is a training exercise for Wii Boxing. Since his birthday fell on a Wednesday, Mason was able to spend the day with his friends at Anna'a Bananas where Miss Rachel made him a birthday crown and he shared birthday cookies.

After school, we celebrated Mason's birthday at home with Mom, Dad and Cooper. We had Mason's favorite dinner of chicken nuggets, fries and chocolate milk from "Old McDonald's," known simply as McDonald's by most. After dinner, we made a trip to Toys 'R' Us where Mason got to pick out his first big-boy bike, a Spiderman bike to be exact. We ended the night with cake, ice cream and song at home.

The following Sunday we celebrated Mason's birthday in baseball fashion complete with field, family, food and fun. Mason was excited to share the baseball field "my dad" made to all of his guests, which included some corporate sponsership (thanks Regis). We served some food items typically found at the ballpark (i.e. Dome Dog replicas, complete with paper basket and Old Dutch Chips, and nachos). Mason as always was showered with great presents and enjoyed his birthday cake.

And that wraps another birthday.

Up Next....

Mason's Birthday Party Invite

The Fours Stats

Cooper's 4 Month Stats

Length: 25 3/4 inches (67th percentile)

Weight: 16 lbs 13 oz (75th percentile)

Head: 17 3/4 inches (96th percentile)

Mason's 4 Year Stats

Height: 41 inches (64th percentile)

Weight: 37.4 lbs (61st percentile)

Ring Bearer Extraordinaire!

We have been anxiously awaiting Rachel and Chad's wedding and Mason's debut as a Ring Bearer. Corey and I had been fairly confident that he would do fine, although we were slightly nervous when Rachel and Chad requested he carry their actual rings. Of course, Mason was perfect and as I have said many times since the wedding he was the "best ring bearer ever."

The Practice Run

The flower girl was Grace Bremer, Chad's goddaughter. She is the daughter of Anne and James Bremer. Anne and I grew up on the same street. James was in our graduating class at Red Wing High School. Needless to say, we have known her parents for a long time. Grace and Mason were also born just 4 days apart.

Just a few (ok, there are quite a few) photos from the day.

Stay tuned for more photos and video.

Regis Valleyfair Day

Every year, Regis pays for its employees and their families to go to Valleyfair, which is ideal for taking little ones since it is an expensive venture, especially since you don't know how they are going to react to rides. Corey and I took Mason last year and he had fun on a few things. This year, Mason and I ventured out to the park on our own (Corey was out of town and Cooper stayed with Grandma Geralyn) and had a blast. Mason went on so many rides and enjoyed just about every minute of our time there. I had to carry a crying kid to the car when it was time to leave.

Mason went on the following rides: Antique Autos (twice); cars (twice), trucks & carousal at the Corkscrew Totspot; the train & slide (twelve times) in Kidsworks; Bumble Bees; Hot Air Balloons (his favorite); Sea Planes; and Mild Thing.

We are definitely looking forward to next year's outing.

Week 16 Update

COOPER:

Cooper continues to give us lots of smiles and laughs, especially in the morning (which makes getting up so early easier). He has become very aware of how his hands work. He has no problems getting them in his mouth and has begun to grab for toys. He is working hard on trying to roll from his back to stomach and is so close.

Likes: Hands (in his mouth preferably), being outside, toy paper (yes, they make toy paper for babies - its tag said "because babies love paper," they are so right), pacifier and Mason.

Dislikes: Waiting for his bottle to be warmed up, his carseat and being tired.

MASON:

Mason continues to be a sports and Wii fanatic. He is anxiously awaiting his birthday. We used to tell him that his birthday was next until one day we were headed to Red Wing for a shower for Rachel and I told Mason that I was going to a party for Rachel. Mason got upset because "but my birthday is next." Now we tell him that his birthday is after Rachel and Chad's wedding.

Likes: Milk (Mason is giving me this list), waffles, sports (see Mason perfecting his golf swing above), being outside, Wii Tennis, Wii Sports, books

Dislikes: Boxing (again from Mason and note, he is still not allowed to play Wii Boxing), going to bed and eating most foods.

Cooper's Three Month Pictures