What's new?

Hello family and friends,
Just a note from the Mellish family as to what is new here. We are sorry that we haven't updated the blog in FOREVER! Mason grows so fast and it's hard to keep up. He now has about 10 or so words he uses: (and of course he understands A LOT more)

ee-ow (meow)
ba-- (ball)
ello (hello)
da-da (daddy of course :)
up-a (up)
dow- (down)
roar (lion)
more (he signs this one by clapping his hands)
bye-bye (waves)
poo (poo-poo)
boo (peek-a-boo)

It's been really fun. We got Mason into swim lessons and he is getting much more comfortable with the water. He also had an OT (occupational therapy) evaluation (no, we are not putting him to work). We requested it because we've been having a little bit of issues with feeding and textures. Turns out he has a little bit of mild sensory issues (go figure!) and mild motor issues with his tongue. They've recommended 12 sessions of therapy though we have yet to start them.

Let's see, Calvin has put in his retirement paperwork (YAY!) and will have his ceremony January 8th and his official out date March 31st. We were thinking either the Midway or Admiral Kidd Club, but haven't decided yet. They have been giving us a little bit of flak and disapproved his terminal leave. So we are not sure yet what will happen.

Mason had a super high temp this past week for five days (104.4). It came down with tylenol and motrin (100.5-101). Of course, he was home from day care and mommy and daddy were juggling work and caring for him. He was otherwise okay - no vomiting, no diahrrea, nothing. Took him to the doctor on Thursday and everything was clear. Thought it was either Roseola or Parainfluenza, but I am not sure it was either. He didn't have the congestion and vomiting that accompanies the latter and never developed a rash that would be a clear indicator of the first. But at least he is better now and has not had a temp since Friday morning.

Otherwise, things are going well. Calvin just finished making dinner so I have to go. Hope everyone is doing well and I promise I'll post some pictures and videos.

Love,
AL

Couple of Cool Shots

A Couple New Shots of Mason!

Here are some new shots of Mason in the family room. He is such a HAM!! He smiled whenever the camera light came on :) And check out all his teeth! There is a new one on the bottom just to the right of those that came in already. I think that was the culprit of the runny nose back at the beginning of June.

He is a keeper!

YIPPEE!!! We have TOMATOES!!

Calvin and I planted tomato plants for the first time and here is our first crop! YAY! We were so excited because we didn't KILL them! :) There are already a bunch more and the big ones are now turning red too! I sure do LOVE home grown tomatoes!

An Afternoon at the Zoo

So in the petting zoo section (which they are renovating) is a new bug exhibit...and boy is it GROSS!! They had hissing cochroaches, giant spiders, thousands and thousands of BUGS!! Outside that lovely little exhibit is the face boards that you can take pictures in. Here's one of Mason in the spider :) Isn't he cute!!??

Happy Fourth of July!

We had a great time yesterday at Torrey Pines State Beach. Just a little gathering of friends: The Mellish Family, Mike, Michele and her two kids Meaghan and William, William's friend Kevin (and later Kevin's dad), and Diana Craft. Surprisingly, there are NO photos of the day. Daddy didn't bring his camera! Mommy had hers, but left it in the RV and Daddy didn't feel like getting it :( Too bad, because the weather and the ocean were beautiful!

Mike drove his RV out early in the morning and secured us a nice little spot in the corner. Unfortunately, we were not able to "tailgate" there, per Ranger Rick, (e.g. set up any chairs, tables, or grill outside) so we staked out a spot on the beach not too far from home base (the RV). It was so nice to have the RV there because we had a place to change clothes, use the restroom, and retreat to at the end of the day.

Calvin and I bought a canopy at Wal-Mart Friday night and it was one of the BEST investments! We set it up with the 8 chairs, two tables, the pack-n-play, and a mat and the grill and jogger stroller just outside. It was perfect! We had plenty of shade, the breeze was blowing all day (making it even a little chilly at times), and a perfect little retreat from the sun. We hiked Torrey Pines, dipped only our feet in the water (it was real cold), walked along the beach, and, of course, ate. We had grilled chicken, burgers, hotdogs and hotlinks, PB&J bars, watermelon, clementines, yummy jello salad, chips & dip, green salad, macaroni salad, and potato salad, corn on the cob, and plenty of drinks. It really was such a sweet day. And as the tide came back in, we packed up (so not to be submerged) and spent a little time just chillin' in the RV. After, we decided to go back to Michele's condo to order pizza for dinner, and then went home around 830pm. We didn't stay up for fireworks as the munchkin was pretty tired from the day. It was so much fun, we're already talking about doing it again!

Wish you could join us! Happy Fourth of July and God Bless America!

Our Vacation to Santa Monica - Part 2

Our Vacation to Santa Monica - Part 1

June 21, 2009 - Father's Day

Powdered Donuts!

So we gave Mason powdered donuts to try and get him to feed himself. Well, he LOVES them. The other night when we took these pictures, Calvin, Janae, and I sat down to eat dinner. He had just finished his, but was awfully fussy. I tried to give him some fish and some rice and some bread, but he wouldn't have any of it. So I gavein and gave him a donut. Well, he sat there on my lap and ate four! Yikes! He also loves Nilla wafers and now will shove a whole one in his mouth! He's definitely got some Colvin in him! :)

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY MASON!

Mason's 1st Birthday

Today was a fun and memorable day as we celebrated Mason's first birthday. I can't believe it has been a whole year since he was born...boy, does time fly by fast! Calvin and I both took the day off to celebrate.

We started out the day by going to breakfast at our favorite eatery, The Eggery Etc, in PB. We LOVE that place and I think Mason does now too. After he woofed down his breakfast I brought for him (consisting of greek yogurt, homemade applesauce, oatmeal, and flaxseed), he had the joy of having some of Mommy's blueberry pancakes with syrup. OH BOY! He sure did love that!

After breakfast, we went up to Mt. Soledad where we prayed. It was so pretty up there and it was nice to thank God for Mason and pray for his life to come. Thankfully, we had a blanket and Mason took a nap on Mommy.

Then, we went to Mission Bay to try and feed some birds some stale bread we had. But, surprisingly, there weren't many birds around. But we were able to take some cute pictures of Mason in the grass.

We came home and Mason had lunch and a nap. Then, Mommy decided we should go get pictures done at The Picture People in Mission Valley Mall. That was fun! First, Mason is A LOT more mobile than he was before and so everytime Mommy put him down to take a picture, off he flew crawling away! Then, we tried to get him to stand up inside a block with the #1 on it. HA! Finally, we brought out a cake! Yes, Mommy brought a birthday cake for Mason to try and we got some CUTE pictures! Fortunately, they will be available online in the next 48 hours. Since Daddy had to go to class, Calvin and I have an appointment on Sunday afternoon to go back and select some.

Lastly, Mason and I came home, had dinner, and played until Daddy got home around 8pm. We then celebrated with a little cupcake and sang "Happy Birthday". Sorry, no pictures right now because there is something screwy with our computer. But I promise in the next couple days, we'll get some photos on the blog. For now...

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY MASON!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Mason - the Sailor

So before Mason grew out of this little outfit, Lauren and I decided we better put him in it and take some pictures...thank goodness because he is the cutest of all! Anchors Away!

The Wall Revision Project - In Progress

A couple cute shots...

Mason in the swing at Mission Bay Park. We have been twice when the weather has been beautiful! We have so much fun!









The Future Charger player...Isn't he cute?!






We went to the commissary and met Daddy. Daddy thought it would be cute to put on his chief hat :)

EASTER PICS...Courtesy of JT Photography & Imaging

Something special about moms...

My friend Mo sent this to me in an email and I liked it; not that I've experienced all of it, but am definitely looking forward to...

MOTHERS:
Real Mothers don't eat quiche;

They don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils

Are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,

Filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough

Doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what

The vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'

And get their answer when a littleVoice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growthIs not measured by height or years or grade...

It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother...

The Images of Mother

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.

14 YEARS OF AGE - Mom doesn't know that, either.

16 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother? She's clueless.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman?!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it!

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion

.45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom thinks about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes,because that is the doorway to her heart,the place where love resides.It is the caring that she lovingly gives,and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

Here's just a little snip-it of Easter day. We were at church and the kids had an egg hunt. Of course, Mason was too little to participate, but the older kids looked out for him and gave him an Easter egg from their basket :) And Mason, as usual, was the hit of the party with his little Easter outfit. Daddy wasn't too sure at first, but Mommy knew it would be a smash! Such a little cutie! More pictures will follow, not too worry. Wait til you see him in his bunny ears! Happy first Easter Mason! And to all!

He's Getting Big!

Mason is a big boy now! He has been army crawling (as you saw on the video) but is now crawling on all fours so much better. And he would get on his knees in his crib, but today was the first time that Mason stood all the way up!

Mason's First French Fry

We had lunch with Grandpa Howard and Grandma Lani last Monday and went to Island's, a popular hawaiian burger joint here in San Diego. Mason didn't have too much interest in his white beans, peas, and chicken combo. So Mommy decided to let Mason try a french fry. I don't think he was too sure what to do with it. But Mason seemed to enjoy it! See for yourself!

Mason's Safari Hat

This is the hat we got at the San Diego Zoo!

I just think Mason is so cute!

And since his room is done up in Jungle,

it suits him just fine!

Mason on the Move

The short version (above)

As you can see here, Mason is now army crawling to get around. While he can take a few steps on his hand and knees, he is much faster pulling himself along. Daddy likes to play and tease sometimes, too.

The long version (below)

A Unique Experience

So we went to the zoo on Monday with Mommy's friends, Vicky, Lauren, and Valerie and Mason's friends, Madison, Mikayla, Tabitha, and Isabella (he was a bit outnumbered, but LOVED it!). After Vicky and Val left, Lauren and I decided to go check out the pandas. Along the way, we stopped at the lions, which we heard from the bus tour driving by, that these two female lions rarely are seen out together because they are usually sleeping 20 hours a day! WOW! Lucky! And then, we went by the grizzly bears, Montana and *** (I can't remember the other one's name). And they were playing, playing, playing...chewing on toys, swimming, fighting, scratching their backs. It was so fun to watch. And Mommy was smart enough to get a litte video. Hope you enjoy too!

Mason's First Trip to the SD Zoo

Mason LOVES to SING! La-La-La

Mason LOVES to sing songs. Some of his favorites include "Twinkle,Twinkle", "Itsy-Bitsy Spider", and "This Little Light of Mine". Another one that really makes him smile is one that Miss Cindy taught us...

God made the big round sun,

God made the tall, tall trees,

God made the birds that fly-y-y

And God made me.

So here you can see his great big grin! Isn't he cute!?

Not a Happy Camper

Mason was sleepy after his bath. Daddy gave him a mohawk and wanted a picture without his pacifier. Needless to say, Mason was not happy. :(

Bath Time

SPLISH-SPLASH!! We got a new infant bathtub for Mason and he LOVES it! It's the perfect size for him to sit in and Mommy doesn't have to worry about him slipping around or falling over. For the first time, we actually let him have toys to play with in the tub! Now bath time is fun!

All Tuckered Out