Missing the Snow...

Taken For Granted...

Living in the city has given me a new perspective for the rural community in which I was raised. When we go visit family in Kansas and Missouri, I get the opportunity to take in the wonder that God has created and to notice the things I had always taken for granted growing up.

To those that have grown up where it snows, you know that once it snows, it's too late to think about purchasing a sled or toboggan. In those instances, you learn to improvise by using what you have on hand. Brian would tell you that a car hood works mighty fine as a sled when pulled behind a tractor, but since I had no car hood and no tractor (let alone acres of land to drive on) I figured a cardboard box would do just as well on the tiny bunny hill at my mother's apartment complex.

White Christmas...

It was a winter wonderland when we arrived in the land of Oz this year. Luckily,we landed in Wichita before another snow storm pounded the city with 8 more inches! Mason was quite amused with the white stuff as he hadn't seen it since we moved to Atlanta 2 1/2 years ago.

The night we arrived in Kansas City it began to snow and we got another 3 inches for Mason to play in. Although this was not Mason's first snow angel, the photo is priceless. Brian and I also made a makeshift sled out of a cardboard box and twine and pulled Mason around the parking lot of my mom's apartment complex.

We had a great holiday that was filled with lots of family and friends! I couldn't think of a better way to spend vacation days from work. I can't wait until next year!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

This is officially the first year that Mason has been excited for the coming of Christmas. Not only is he excited for Santa and what comes along with that, his one Christmas wish was for snow. Let's pray that a warm front doesn't move into Kansas by the time we get there!

Another recent discovery...

I am cleaning out my 2007 photos to make room for 2008 and came across our little fisherman! Mason, Brian and I used to really enjoy fishing at the Athletic Club before Brian took another job at the Country Club of the South.

A Recent Discovery...

While Tiffani and Athena were visiting this past summer they visited Babyland General in Cleveland, GA. I was browsing through my photos this afternoon when I came across this one. I chuckled a little and thought you might too!

Happy Halloween!

It was an eventful Halloween this year! As usual, my office decorated for the trick-or-treaters that stop by from the Atlanta children's shelter. Our department chose a Hogwarts theme from the Harry Potter books. We decked out the entire department with stone wall paper and we all dressed up as wizards and witches. There was a pumpkin carving contest among all of the departments and I won first prize with this monster! A big thanks to extremepumpkins.com for the idea. I should share my half-day off prize with them!

On top of visiting my office donning his veterinarian costume, Mason went door-to-door trick-or-treating for the first time. Apparently, it was the first time Brian had gone door-to-door as well. Mason was so brave! He walked up to each door by himself while Brian and I hung back on the driveways! I'm not sure I would have done that at 4 for any amount of candy that my mom would promise! I am also very sure that we will still have plenty of candy to give to the kids in goody bags at Mason's birthday party in February! Happy Halloween! Till next year...

A Place of Beauty

Albeit far from natural, one can't help but be in awe of how nature can be manipulated to be even more beautiful.

Halloween is coming...ha ha ha!

As you all know, Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year; not because I am a pagan devil worshiper, but because it is the one day of the year that society allows us to become anything our heart desires without fear of being ostracized. Mason, being the ever unique child that we have come to adore, chose to be a "vegenarian" this year. Perhaps in 20, or so, years the world of medicine will welcome another member of my family! Calling Dr. Fleske!







Kids R Kids had a Fall Festival this past Friday. There were games, face painting and a magic show for the kids to enjoy. Don't worry Tiffani, it won't be long before you too can prescribe cotton candy to your patients! To top it off, he washed that cotton candy down with a sprite! Yes, Tiffani, he brushed his teeth, but only after he ate a sugar cookie!

Mason-O-Lantern

Yes, my favorite holiday is upon us once more! Mason and I stopped at the local pumpkin patch today and picked out three of the most beautiful pumpkins I have ever seen.




Mason had a good time picking them out and even got to help by pushing the wheel barrow.








We played games and I even convinced him to stick his head through the pumpkin! Jack-o-Lantern and Halloween costume photos to come...

It's a jungle out there!

We always knew that Mason belonged among the animals!









Zoo Atlanta is a great place to explore the animal kingdom! Of course, Mason favored the giant panda exhibit. There, we saw Mei Lan, the first giant panda to be born in captivity in Atlanta.












We also had fun riding the carousel and the train. I tried to convince him to climb the rock wall, but he wasn't having it!

Firemason...

The children in Mason's class had a great time learning the letter "F" (yes, "F" for Fleske was definitely mentioned). His class learned about emergencies, how to dial 911 and when it is appropriate to do so, and even took a trip to the fire station! They all had a lot of fun taking photos in the driver's seat of the fire truck and used the photo in a project in class.

Stay tuned for the letter "G"! Next week the class is going to Dahlonega to visit the gold mine! I, unfortunately, will not be able to attend. Hopefully I can get some photos from his teacher to post!

Fire! Fire! Fire!

Mason and his class have been learning about fire safety for the past two weeks and this morning, they visited the fire station! They got to see and touch a fireman in full-gear and sit in the driver's seat of the fire truck!

A picture worth 1,000 words...

I have never been a big fan of the "goody bag" that most children give out on their birthdays, but now and then we receive something that makes me giggle.

Sign Language

It is up for debate whether or not I was ever taught the alphabet in sign language, but I do know that when my beautiful Mason came home and knew all of the letters up to the letter "M" and I didn't, I felt pretty darn silly! So, this image is a refresher for all of you who don't recall or were never taught the alphabet in sign language. I hope you all have time to study, because I'm sure Mason will be testing you when Christmas rolls around!

It's been very busy in the Fleske household lately. It was nice to take a Sunday and spend it at the park with Mason. Tell me Dr. Shelton, should I take him to the nearest physician to have those spots looked at?!

Our new addition...

Just when people thought our family would never grow! This little guy must have been the slowest of his buddies since he was nabbed by one of Brian's crew and given to Mason. Of course, his name is Crush (for those of you without kids, it's from "Finding Nemo).











Mason was a little apprehensive at first, but he didn't seem to mind the wiggly turtle legs after a few minutes of holding Crush. Careful! Wash those hands!!! Turtles carry nasties like salmonella!

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!