Have a minute to goof off?

Leave it to Burger King to make your "break time" at work even more fun than eating a burger and fries! You too can simpsonize yourself at http://simpsonizeme.com/

Oodles of Noodles

I love noodles. Give me oodles.
Make a mound up to the sun.
Noodles are my favorite foodles.
I eat noodles by the ton.

Funny little Mason!

I don't know where he comes up with his ideas, but it is true what Bill Cosby has said, "Kids say the darndest things!" Brian, Mason and I were sitting in the living room watching a movie and Mason burst out with, "I wish daddy would turn into a strawberry so that I could eat him." I could not contain my laughter and had to share it with my blog readers.

On a less serious note...

Finally, election debates have been turned over to the voters. The latest election debate was held with questions coming from YouTube videos created by regular Joes rather than television personalities. John Edwards may have won my vote simply by creating his YouTube campaign video set to the music of "Hair". I find it oddly humbling for Edwards to choose this considering how much criticism he has received for paying $400 for a haircut recently. His angle by using the music from "Hair"? "What really matters? You choose". How refreshing.

There's more to Atlanta than traffic...

Yes, the traffic here sucks, but the skyline more than makes up for it (sometimes)!

Lensbabies ROCK! ! !

Masonism...

"God lives everywhere. God lives in Kansas, God lives in Georgia and God even lives in Manhattan."

Happy Independence Day!

It was a beautiful cool evening for a fireworks show! Country Club of the South really knows how to knock 'em out!

Tiffani and Athena visit Georgia!

Our first stop...the Georgia Aquarium! Yes, it's as much fun for adults as it is for kids. Being the largest aquarium in the world, it takes quite a bit of time, and photos, to get through it. Last time Brian and I went was on a weekend, so this time I was thankful for going on a weeknight. We were able to stroll through all of the exhibits at a leisurely pace...which was really nice!










We all pack up and go to South Carolina to visit family tonight. I will post pictures of Isle of Palms Beach sometime next week. Ah, sunshine!!!

Summer is full of fun!

Fun in the sun and on the playground!

Yes! It's gardening season again!!! Thank God for sunshine and jalapeños! I can taste the homemade salsa and fresh green beans now. Oh, I can't wait!

Just look at that face!

Need I say more?

Congratulations Brian!!!

The time has come for Brian to say goodbye to the Atlanta Athletic Club and move on to a higher position within the golf course profession. He interviewed at Reynolds Plantation, a golf course south of Atlanta and Country Club of the South, which is right up the street from where we live. After what seemed like an eternity, he accepted the position at the Country Club of the South as the first assistant. This is a well-deserved promotion and we are so proud of him! Congratulations!!!

In response...

Perhaps my last posting raised a few eyebrows, and I must admit, that was the point. It did get me thinking about the safety of my own offspring when it comes to matters of his own innocence. There is a fine line between innocent nudity and pornography, and as an artist it is important to know the difference. Artists such as Sally Mann would be questioned more about her art in these times than she was when she photographed her small children nude in the early to mid-1990s.

You can go to this website to view all of the registered sex offenders in your area. You can search by zip code.

American Conservatism...

America never ceases to amaze me when it comes to its conservatism. This especially rings true when it comes to the viewing of the human body in its most natural form: nude. While searching for books illustrated by Maurice Sendak, the author and illustrator of Where the Wild Things are, this wonderful illustration of a young boy riding in a bread-dough airplane came up. This illustration is obviously not the controversial image to which this blog refers; but in the book, the young boy is awakened in the middle of the night and begins to float. While floating, his pajamas fall off and he remains nude for the vast majority of the story. When this book was first published in the 1970s, after the sexual revolution, librarians were painting diapers and drawing shorts on the boy in the book because some found a nude child to be obscene. According to Wikipedia, this book later went on to become #25 on the list of the most 100 most controversial books list because of the nudity. Now, I don't have a problem with people finding a nude child in a children's book as offensive. However, anyone with children know that most children enjoy the freedom of being clothes-free at any given moment in time. As a country that claims to have moved past the Victorian era view of the human form, I find that few Americans embrace how beautiful and innocent a child, in his most natural state, can be.

Watermelon!

Sing along to the tune of Frère Jacques!

Watermelon, watermelon
How it drips, how it drips
Up and down my elbow, up and down my elbow
Spit out the pits, spit out the pits!


Yes, I know I need to post a video of this along with "Where is Thumbkin".

Not the Dogwood Festival...

The freezing cold and the rain kept us from enjoying the Dogwood Festival a couple of weeks ago, but this weekend we enjoyed "Barefoot in the Park" in downtown Duluth. There was an artist's market, fun for kids and the local dance studios performed.

An entire tent was dedicated to children's activities. There was also a children's art show, which showcased some young local talent. Mason enjoyed making his very own fish print from a rubber mold and paint. He also got an airbrushed tattoo (but only after mom did it first). We enjoyed watching excerpts from the ballet version of "Cinderella" and a traditional Chinese dance performance!

Easter fun...

The Easter fun began on Friday night with egg coloring! I don't recall ever doing this activity with Mason, but he seemed to get the hang of it pretty quickly! Of course, anything involving getting our hands dirty or temporarily dyed pink or blue is always kid approved. I think Brian even had a good time!



Sunday started off with a bang when Mason found the first of his many surprises left by the Easter Bunny (those of you that know me well must be surprised by my mentioning of the fictional bunny; but the media and other children seem to have won that battle.) After digging through the many eggs filled with tooth-rotting treats, we headed off to our favorite Chinese buffet – a Sunday afternoon ritual at our house. Don't worry mom, I did cook Easter dinner.




It was rather chilly on Sunday, but the inclimate weather did work to my advantage when it came to hiding the hard-boiled eggs outside for the hunt. I may have passed on hiding those had it not been cool. Mason is pretty good at finding things and finding Easter eggs is no exception.

Unfortunately, it was a little too cool to fly the lizard kite that was given to him. Hopefully it will warm up for next weekend! Tune in next week for photos from the Dogwood festival!

Swingin' in the Rain...

Mason's Easter present arrived a few days early and since I am no good at keeping surprises, we hung the swing the day it came in the mail!

Brian and I debated on whether to get a tire swing or the disc swing and since the only thing Mason wanted to do with the disc swing was throw it around, I am sure that he was correct in thinking about a tire swing. It was difficult for Mason to stay upright, but I'm sure with a little practice he will get the hang of it! He and I did manage to have some fun swinging together!

Praying for Rain!

Those of you that suffer from seasonal allergies are well aware that checking the pollen count, along with the weather, will give you somewhat of an idea as to how your day is going to go. The South, Atlanta especially, has been hit with the worst allergy season most have seen in years. A pollen count of between 60 and 120 particles of pollen per cubic meter is considered to be extremely high. The South has been hit with a pollen count of over 5,000 particles per cubic meter for the last couple of weeks. Dear, God...please send rain! Pray for us allergy sufferers as we are spending more and more on medications that make us sleepy!

What a back yard!

As most of you know, Brian and I rent a townhouse in Norcross and we love the space that we have; but one of the major issues that needed to be tackled was the yard! The back yard is in a low-lying area that is heavily shaded throughout the day, so growing grass really isn't an option. When we moved into the house last year, our entire back yard was filled with white rock. Now, being the parents of a very energetic 4 year old, a white rock filled back yard was not very practical or usable.

I am thankful that I have a husband that knows what to do with a yard that you can't really do anything with. Although I would prefer grass over anything, mulch was the next-best thing! It was so pleasing to see Mason outside with his dump truck scooping up the mulch and moving it across the yard.

There are also three retaining walls leading down to the newly mulched area which will be the perfect place for a vegetable garden. Brian is excited to plant his jalapeño and habañero plants soon! I am looking forward to fresh green beans and herbs. Mason is a big helper when it comes to watering the plants!

Just a friendly game!

Although this weekend was not the first time the croquet set has come out of the closet, it was the first time Mason was old enough to understand the concept of using the mallet for something other than hitting the ground or other people. He did quite well for the first time playing. It was a beautiful day and I'm glad Brian didn't have to work and was able to spend it with us!

Happy 4th Birthday!

Mason's birthday bash started off with cupcakes and a happy birthday song from his classmates at Kids R Kids. After Brian got home from work, it was present opening time! Mason had a great time opening the gifts and an even better time playing with his new stickers and toys. Thank you to Grandmas and Grandpas for helping us celebrate this very special event!

I had to giggle!

I was mindlessly surfing through my friend's list of blogs on his own blog and was delightfully reminded of something that Mason had said to me during our trip to Kansas at Christmas. As we were nearing the end of a dreadfully long car ride from Kansas City to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Larned, Mason awoke from a nap with the following, "Okay mom, here are your choices when we get to Grandma and Grandpa's; you can hold me or you can hold me." Trying not to laugh at his very serious request, I assured him that I would hold him when we got there, despite the fact that he would be so excited to see the grandparents that he would forget that I even existed, let alone need to hold him.

From the mind of Fernando...

Holy Cow this blog is GREEN!

Get ready! St. Patrick's day is near!

Just look at that face!

Yes, it's true. Our little boy isn't so little anymore! Mason will be four on the 26th and boy does time fly! Don't worry everyone, prints are on the way!

Also, today is Brian's 30th birthday, but he wouldn't let me take him to get his picture taken. I did manage to get this one, though. Yes, folks, that is a delicious Cold Stone ice cream cake....Oooo...Ahhh!!! I didn't put 30 candles on it because I didn't want it to melt AND I didn't want to burn the place down.

Happy birthday!!!

It's been a while...

We have a couple of birthdays to celebrate this month! Tune in next week...same bat time, same bat channel!

Oh! And Happy Anniversary to Us!

Today, January 4, 2007 is our second wedding anniversary. We have made it two years without killing one another! Cheers to many more!

What a busy Holiday Season!

Brian, Mason and I started our journey to Kansas in a most unusual fashion this time around! Instead of driving in rush-hour traffic in Atlanta, Brian had the brilliant idea of taking the MARTA (for all of you non-Atlantans, that is an acronym for Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority – whew!) Boy do I miss the public transportation of Chicago!

Although carrying our baggage to the station was cumbersome, it was well worth the effort to sit back and let someone else do the driving to the airport. The other advantage to riding the train was the $3 a day we saved on parking! What a smart husband I have!

After getting to the airport safe and sound and traffic-stress free, we walked to the Delta kiosk to check in and to my surprise Al Roker, the weatherman for the Today Show, was standing directly in front of us! Oddly enough, he was the first celebrity that I have spotted while out and about in Atlanta.

Getting through airport security is no small potatoes these days and it went surprisingly quickly considering what time of year we were flying. As we were waiting to board our flight, an announcement came over the loud speakers that our flight was overbooked by 15 people. WOW! Since we weren't in a time crunch, Brian and I decided to volunteer to take a bump from our flight and take the $400 per ticket in airline vouchers and run! We were also put up in a hotel that was close to the airport and got free breakfast courtesy of Delta.

We finally arrived in Kansas City at about 1:00 p.m. on December 23. Thankfully my mother lives close to the airport and she was anxiously awaiting to give us all endless hugs and kisses like all moms do. The following day, she prepared a wonderful standing rib roast dinner with all the trimmings. Yum! After we were sufficiently miserable from overeating, Michael, Sam and Mason, opened their gifts. Michael and Sam scored mp3 players and Mason got a Leapster! Toys for kids these days are so cool.

Relaxing with my mom was great, but it was time to head on to the Fleske home in Larned, KS. Larned, for those of you who are Kansas geography challenged, is almost 5 hours from Kansas City. Mason was so excited to see Grandma and Grandpa that he was about to jump out of his skin! He did manage to take a short nap on the way, though.

Now, Christmas at the Fleske household is not just a one-day ordeal. There are many many relatives to visit in a short amount of time and so Brian's Aunt Karen hosts Christmas dinner for anyone who can make it. Even after over 30 inches of snow, Brad and Kristen managed to make it in from Denver, and they brought their little boy, Logan, of whom we had not met yet.

On the 26th, Mark, Elizabeth and their three daughters joined us at Bill and Janet's. They have Madison, 4, and Brooklyn and Jordan, both 2. Luckily, Mason and Madison are best buddies when they are together. They all had a lot of fun unwrapping their packages. I was very proud of Bill and Janet for finding "flat" things that would be able to make the trip back to Georgia.



After celebrating Grandpa Steffen's 80th birthday and Christmas at the Steffen house, it was back to Kansas City to catch a flight out on the 31st. Mason does well at following directions, especially when mom and dad's hands are full of baggage, and followed us through the airport incident-free. He even took a nap on the flight home! What an ending to a wonderful holiday visit! Happy 2007!!!

Santa Claus and our family are coming to town!

Tomorrow is the big day! Our first visit home that wasn't work-related since we moved to Atlanta! Mason is really looking forward to Christmas, but I think he is looking forward to seeing everyone back home even more.

In other news, Mason had his first Christmas program on Tuesday night. I have posted the section of the program that he is in on the right. It was wonderful seeing all of the children having such a good time!

See you all soon!

Fright night highlights

Mason had the pleasure of trick-or-treating at my office on Halloween. Consumer Source had a big Halloween bash and candy was everywhere! I was sure that Mason didn't need to go trick-or-treating any more after all of the booty he got at my office, but my co-workers insisted that it's the experience rather than the candy that drives a child on Halloween. I have my doubts about this theory, but we went out anyway.
After dinner Brian, Mason and I ventured to Perimeter Mall to scare up some more candy. He did really well at saying "trick or treat" as well as "thank you" after he got what he wanted. He was a perfect angel at the office and at the mall. The reward? Candy of course!
We got plenty of trick-or-treaters at home as well. We had kids knocking on our door until 9:30. I was sure that my scary Jack-o-Lantern would scare them away, but it just seemed to attract more! I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!

Halloween is coming...hahahaha!

Tuesday is Halloween! Mason is getting excited about being Yoda and about his party at school. In preparation, he was practicing being scary with the traditional vampire teeth! EEEEK!

Ah...Fall!

It's the best time of the year to be outside. There is a chill in the air and Halloween is just around the corner! Mason is finally big enough to reach the peddles of his tricycle, but his legs aren't strong enough to push himself yet. We will keep working! Who needs a posed picture when you have such a genuine smile!

The new baby...

It's official! We have a new addition to our family. Although it was sad to see the Grand Prix go, she was on her last leg (or tire). She served us well, but it was time
for an upgrade. Sadly, we found out that she isn't worth much to a dealership with 235,000 miles. Weird, I know! Brian has some prospects of selling her to the guys at work for close to Bluebook value, though.

Brian did his research and for his profession, a truck was more sensible than another car. Weeks and weeks went by and I heard about nothing but what kind of truck he wanted and what we were willing to pay. I'm glad I married such a smart shopper! In the end, Brian found this silver beauty at Stone Mountain Ford (about an hour's drive from our house in Norcross). Amazingly, you can really get something this big at an affordable price! Now if only gas prices would keep going down, we would be set! Mason really enjoys riding in daddy's new truck! He was disappointed when I strapped him into the Grand Prix for the ride home. Hopefully she will be out of our driveway by the end of the weekend. Wish us luck!

Strange, but true!

I have a friend that lives in Dallas, and he and I must be living the same parallel life! I was taking a look at his blog this afternoon, and up came this drawing of a guy that looks just like my next door neighbor! The only difference between Ben's "that guy" and my neighbor is the size of his beer gut and that my "that guy" doesn't ride a bike (obviously because his gut is so much bigger) – he waxes his 1980-something bright orange Porsche every other day without a shirt on. Ew! Thanks Ben! How about a rendition of my "that guy" next to your "that guy"?

Corporate Challenge 2006!

The Corporate Run/Walk & Company Picnic attracts approximately 20,000 participants of all levels of fitness (walkers, joggers and competitive runners) from more than 600 Atlanta companies, and a portion of proceeds benefits the Atlanta Braves Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. I was proud to be among the 50+ Consumer Source employees to participate in this yearly event.

So long Bobby!

Living in Atlanta, Georgia has it's perks; and having Whitney and Bobby as local celebrities is one of them! On a weekly basis we hear stories about how Whitney was spotted cracked out at a bar in Buckhead or that Bobby was arrested again for a domestic dispute. Well, the big headline this week is that they are divorcing after 14 years of blissful wedlock. Where are our celebrity headlines going to come from now?

Unwelcome Roommate!

Our peaceful household had an unwelcome visitor Monday evening! It was a typical night at home...which means Mason is on the floor playing with his play-doh and trucks. I had just sat down to relax when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. To my horror, I happened upon this monster of a wolf spider hanging out on my lampshade. As a photographer, I take pictures of every mundane thing that I can focus my lens on, but this monstrocity is something that everyone had to see! I did my best to not project my fears onto Mason, but as I put the quarter next to the spider to take a picture, it moved! I squeeled in absolute terror (like a little school-girl, mind you)! Needless to say, this is the only photo I got of the spider with my finger anywhere near it!

Summer fun!

Summer is the time for playing outside– especially for little Masons. The county of Gwinnett has built a brand new park right down the road from our new place! Mason had a great time trying out all of the new things this park had to offer. There is a rock climbing wall (for little guys), slides, swings, monkey bars, and even telescopes to look through!
One other really cool feature about this park is that it is right along side of the Chattahoochie river. There is a deck with seating that overlooks the river, and access to fishing below. I don't think Mason and I will be indulging in getting closer to the river until he is old enough to swim...or date...maybe even old enough to go to college. Diving into a muddy river after a 3 year old just isn't my idea of a good day at the park!

Our new addition...

Every kid needs a pet growing up, so when I saw an ad for free kittens at work, I pounced on it. We took Mason to choose one of three kittens. Two of the little boogars were orange and white, and one was grey with white. They were all as cute as can be, but Mason chose the grey one to be his childhood friend. The car ride home was interesting since we didn't have an animal carrier. Yes, this little furry wonder was let loose inside of a moving vehicle! Please don't call PETA on us, this will not be repeated. We got her home and decided that with Mason's history of naming things after what they were (Bear, for instance), we would take on the task of naming her. Brian and I chose the name Elsa. She quickly made herself at home...and is quite tolerant of Mason chasing her around everywhere she goes. As you can see, she will come in handy in the winter because she likes to snuggle so much. Ah, my own personal electric furry blanket!

Mason visits the land of Oz...

At the end of July, Mason visited his grandparents in Larned, Kansas. While he was there, he got to spend some time with his cousins. Madison (top) is four, Brooklyn (bottom left) and Jordan (bottom right) are twins and they will be two in November. Mason and Madison are inseperable whenever they are together, which makes me thankful that they are so close in age, as Brooklyn and Jordan will always have each other. This will prove to be useful at large family functions for entertainment purposes.






Janet will tell you that he was once a "Grandma's boy", but Mason quickly figured out that Grandpa does some really fun things on the farm. Riding in the tractor is every boy's wish...and here is Mason...in the DRIVER'S SEAT! Look out cows!









Mason must be the biggest sweet-talker ever to have gotten Janet onto the ferris wheel and Bill onto the kiddie roller coaster at the Rush County fair!