"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!"
~Psalm 127: 3-5~
New Living Translation
Happy Thanksgiving! Or otherwise said, Happy Turkey Day! But whether you had turkey or ham or tacos, the Mellish Family is thinking of you and wishing you had a wonderful day! We have been thinking a lot and it is so easy to lose the meaning of Thanksgiving (and Christmas for that matter). We just wanted to first and foremost thank GOD for blessing our lives in such a monumental way. It is only because of Him that we have so much. We are also very grateful for our FAMILY, near and far, who live life with us day in and day out, for making memories and sticking together. We are grateful for our FRIENDS, those who shared about Jesus with us, those who continue to help us stay faithful each and everyday, those who enrich our lives, those who make us think more, love more, laugh more. We are grateful for our HEALTH, as fragile as it may be, our family has been healthy. We are grateful for our JOBS, for the means they provide for us to live, for the security we have as it is inevitable that they could be gone in an instant. We are grateful for our FREEDOM, for the red, white, and blue, for the soldiers fighting for it. We are so grateful and know that we don't deserve any of it.
This year for Thanksgiving the Mellish-Kantorowski-Aguilar clan met together at the clubhouse of one of dad's rental properties. Lani put her talent to good use and put together the most beautiful fall place settings and table decorations. Believe it or not, sometimes this makes or breaks the event and truly made everyone feel special for the effort and time she put into making it so lovely. Calvin, the chef in the family, of course made the turkey and boy, did that bird turn out beautiful! Sharon and AL did most the side dishes - all homemade: twice baked sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn casserole, cranberry sauce, and more. Cal's mom, Rachel, brought veggies to snack on before the meal and they went fast since we were all hungry and just waiting to dig in! Katie and Steve brought drinks and of course, we could not do without wine! And to top it all off, Joe made the best pumpkin and apple pies from scratch! We all had such a wonderful Thanksgiving and hope yours was just as great!
Calvin has been trying to get Mason to laugh for some time now without success. Last night, for the first time, MASON LAUGHED! We thought he was scared at first, but after he saw all of us smiling, he giggled and giggled and, of course, made us laugh! Calvin bought these two magnets that when you throw them together they make a weird zipping sound...and Mason just LOVED them! So enjoy the video and we hope you find yourself chuckling! :)
A first for Mason...he went to a tea party and was surrounded by Estrogen! By the end of the day, he just wanted to the TV remote and a beer! :) HA!
My friend, Vicky, runs a business called "Miss Tabitha's Tea Party's". She decided to put on a special event for the girls at church and their friends. What a well done production! She had hats, boas, shoes, jewelry, and stations for make-up, hair, and nails. All this followed by a tiny lesson in manners and etiquette during tea time. The girls had so much fun! Here are a few pictures from the event!
Well, today we went to the doctor's office to get the remainder of Mason's four month shots. (We decided to do an alternative schedule for immunizations, splitting them up and returning each month for them.) The nurse who gives them was going a bit too fast and Mason ended up getting a flu shot when he wasn't supposed to. She was telling me he only had to get one shot today and before she had said the words "flu shot", she had already prepped the skin, stuck him, and bandaid-ed him up. Usually, that skill is a plus because sometimes Mason doesn't even realize he's received a shot. But it turned out that in this case, it was a problem!
She thought it was what the doctor ordered, but neither of them caught it. (Babies under six months old are not supposed to get it.) And then she tried to blame it on the wording in my email. It was a little scary especially since there was literally nothing I could do. (And what if it were something worse!) The doctor did say that he wasn't too far away from his six month birthday and should be fine. Mason ended up getting his immunizations (two shots and an oral) as well and his poor little legs had three bandaids on them. Of course, he fell fast asleep in the car on the ride home and to the car dealership. Poor little man! Needless to say, I sent the pediatrician a stern email with my concerns...though I think he chickened out because instead of calling me like I requested, he emailed me back. Said this has never happened in their clinic before and would never happen again. I should hope they would take it seriously! Don't get on Momma's bad side! ;o
I sure hope this works! Finally Calvin gave me written instructions on how to condense a video and make it smaller. I sure hope this works because the video is really cute! I have been trying and trying to upload it and had been unsuccessful until this point. So if it works, you will get to see how cute the little man is eating apples for the first time!
So since Calvin has been away, he has asked me to upload videos so he can see the munchkin. But everytime I try, I can't seem to get it to work. Maybe the file is too big or the system is not working. I have no idea. I agree with my sister that computers are so hard to figure out! I love them for what they can do, but hate them when they beat me at my own mind game :)
Here is a little video that Mason and I did. We tried to make it short to be able to email, but since that didn't work, we were going to try putting it on the blog. Hope you can see sweetie! We love and miss you and can't wait for you to come home!
This seems to have become a favorite ... probably because it means freedom! He can move, he can play, he can jump! Just look at the smile on his face! What a happy little man! :)
It's so amazing how fast these little ones grow. It challenges me all the more each and everyday to be a good example, to be close to God, to teach my son His ways, and trust that one day Mason will be a noble, honest, loving, God-fearing, man of integrity. Mason changes so quickly ... as you can see in this picture compared to when he was one week old. He is so happy and such a good boy. He is a good eater and a good sleeper. I feel so blessed to have him and feel like he is just an extension of me. It's like second nature being a mom.
Well, we know that eating peas for the first time was not a huge hit ... in fact, Mason gagged his way through most of it. But we tried it again today and this time mommy mixed it with rice cereal and it went over quite well. So, now we have sweet potatoes and peas in our veggie repertoire! :)
So Mason got all dressed up in his little lion costume and went trick or treating with the Plums. He was so cute! But guess we tuckered him out because he was asleep before we got home. :)
So on Monday, 10/27/2008, Calvin left for one month. This is the second time he's been away since Mason was born; though it's the first time since Mommy's been back to work. This week has been a little challenging...adjusting to a new schedule, planning lots of things (maybe too much), and staying busy. We made it through okay and I think we are ready for week two. Here are a couple pictures of Mommy and Daddy's date night before he left as well as Calvin and Mason the morning of.
“The family has always been the cornerstone of American society. Our families nurture, preserve, and pass on to each succeeding generation the values we share and cherish, values that are the foundation of our freedoms.” ~Ronald W. Reagan~
Alyson and I were very blessed with the addition of Mason to the family back in June 2008. We have now expanded the household by "two more feet" with the arrival of our new little boy, Jackson Trevor.
I hope you continue to enjoy this new journey with us! Sincerely, Calvin, Alyson; Mason & Jackson
