New Pastime--Eating & Playing With Playdough

I didn't get a picture of the eating part, but I did get a few of the playing! Actually he is doing a lot better about not eating it. I can't blame him though, it's hard to resist that wonderful, salty flavor!

Thank You, Aunt Catherine!

About a month ago, my sister-in-law Catherine bought Mason a cute swimsuit for next year. I put it in Mason's bottom drawer, but he keeps pulling it out wanting to wear it. Everytime he does he brings it to me saying "Thank you, Aunt Catherine." Today I gave in and put the swimsuit on him. I then called and let him thank Catherine on the phone. He thought it was pretty funny.

Trip to Branson...A Little Late

Okay, this entry is a little late. I have been meaning to write about our family vacation for a couple of months now, but I figure better late than never. Here are a few pictures to start off with.

Mason riding a butterfly. He really liked pushing the buttons to make it go up and down.

Playing in the ball area.

Shooting balls with an air gun. Mason LOVED shooting the balls!!!

Group picture at Branson Landing, a new area down by the lake full of fun shopping and restaurants. It was a really great place to spend the evening.

Smelling the flowers.

Playing in the splash area.

Mason with his new pop gun. FYI...He has now figured out how to pop it. Thanks Mom and Dad!

My brother Josh and his girlfriend.

After the Veggie Tales show with Bob and Larry.

Mason loved riding the train!

Okay, so after the craziness of my sister's wedding, the rest of my family felt that we needed a little rest and relaxation. So...while Julie and Gabe went to the Dominican Republic and lounged on a beach, the rest of my family went to Branson and rode rides at Silver Dollar City. Woohoo! Jonathan gets a kick out of how nostalgic I am, but I think being sentimental makes life wonderful! I have so many great memories from my childhood and one of the places that we loved to go for a quick get away was Branson. It has changed dramatically from the days when we used to go( for the better) and is still just as wonderful in my eyes. Going there brings back so many fun memories, but as I have gotten older I appreciate different things. The first thing is how beautiful the Ozarks are. I love being surrounded by the beauty of God's creation and being able to take it all in. The second would be (this sounds so momish) how family friendly it is. Branson and Silver Dollar City seem to have been designed with families in mind. The shows and the amusement park are clean, fun, and full of things that are fun to do with your children. The last and most important thing that I appreciate is having quality time with my family! Next to God, family always has and always will be what is most important in my life. Here's to another great family vacation! Thanks Mom and Dad and thanks Mason for making our trip tons of fun!!!

Living Room Sessions

Hello, Jonathan at the helm here (gasp!). This is my official, once-and-for-all, first blogging adventure on what has previously been strictly Jill's project. One of my recent demonstrations of wonderful husbandship included criticizing our blog for only having pictures of Mason on it. Not that I don't love my child, but in spite of my unselfish nature, I felt compelled to draft an entry that is strictly about me.

For those of you who don't know, one of my favorite hobbies is playing the classical guitar. Somewhere between the torment of childhood piano lessons and adolescent dreams of being the next rock star, I think I have developed a reasonable facility to play. Among my greatest admirers was an apartment neighbor a few years back who knocked on my door just to tell me that the guitar music was "driving him crazy". Indeed, music can be so inspiring at times...

Lately it seems that playing has become more of a periodic stress reliever than a recreational ambition. Between life as a medical resident and a father/husband, I often trade learning the more challenging pieces for quick-to-learn tunes that don't require as much practice. This still brings me great joy at times though. The video above represents a clip of a song by my favorite guitar composer, Andrew York. Be wary of any perceived mistakes, those are probably just Jill snoring in the background. She was taking a nap when I filmed this!

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Not Mason! Lately, he has been slightly obsessed with wolves. I don't know what the deal is, but it is kind of funny! It all started with a Peter and the Wolf DVD that he wanted to watch nonstop. I got so tired of hearing him say "Watch wolf, watch wolf!" over and over again. Then my mom started telling him the story of The Three Little Pigs. He loved the story, so he was super excited when the three little pigs and the big bad wolf were on Sesame Street. He would watch it all day if I would let him. Next, I found a Three Little Pigs book in my children's books that I had when I taught school. Mason really liked the book and was especially interested in the pages with the wolf on them. Below is a picture of Mason at my parents friends Patsy and Steve's house. Patsy had a little school house on a bench and Mason thought it was the wolf's house from the book that we read. He kept bending down, looking in it really intently, and asking for the wolf. At first we could't figure out what he was saying, but once we did it was so funny!

Visit With Liv and Jay

Mason and I were able to go and visit my best friend from college Olivia and her husband Jay, who I was also great friends with, earlier this week. She lives in OKC and we haven't really gotten to spend much time together since we moved 2 years ago. Kind of sad, but we made up for it this week. We had so much! I was there for 3 days and by the end we were both worn out from staying up late and talking every night. Mason also had a great time! He loved "Livy" and Jay and especially loved being the center of their attention. I was so proud of him. He was really good and even allowed Liv and me to spend a significant amount of time in Babies R Us doing her registry. I didn't even mind at the end of the trip when he pulled out every baby wipe from the package. It kept him busy, and I was at a great place to buy more! Liv's 1st baby, Benjamin, is due November 4th. I'm so excited for her and Jay and after watching them with Mason, I know they will be wonderful parents. Thanks again, Liv and Jay for letting us visit. I love you both!

Family Reunion

Two weekends ago we went to Oklahoma for a Huggins' Family Reunion, which is my dad's side of the family. My Grandpa, my dad's dad, is one of 7 siblings that are still living and 5 more that are deceased. Altogether my great-grandmother had 13 children. This included 3 sets of twins-- Wow! Anyway, they are all still very close, and we have a reunion every summer. It is always a great time to see all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family. I also love that we always have a worship service together on Sunday morning. God and family are the two most important things in my life and have made me who I am.

Jonathan was also really sweet and let me go up the week before to stay with my parents. Mason and I had a great time hanging out with my Mom, my Dad, my sister and Gabe. Josh was gone to South Dakota on a mission trip. Here are some pictures from the reunion. We didn't get a picture of everyone together in my Grandpa's immediate family. Some people had to leave early so there are two different pictures.

Two of my Aunt Karen's sons, their families, and her husband Steve.

My family, my Aunt Holly's family, my Grandpa and his wife Ethel, and my Aunt Karen. The only people we were missing were my brother Josh, my cousins Zac and Jason, and Jason's wife Morgandi.

Mason loved the Pinata that the kids got to do on Saturday. He was a little upset when it started breaking, though. He kept repeating "Oh, no!" over and over again very dramatically. He enjoyed the candy and treasures from it thoroughly!

Mason and his "Old Papaw"

Mason being a big helper!