Lots of time with friends

We've seen a lot of friends this past week. A week ago, my long time friend, Amy, came with her family to meet Spencer and visit. This is a picture of her daughter holding Spencer. Isn't she cute!

My friend, Cheri, and her 15 month old daughter came this week to meet Spencer. She is 5 1/2 months pregnant with twin boys. How crazy! She is going to be very busy come July. I wish I would have taken some pictures that day, but totally forgot. We worked together at Kensington Preschool 2 years ago. Her Mom actually teaches at the preschool where Mason is going next year. I hope he has her as a teacher. We'll find out in a month at our parent meeting.

Now today, we had our play date at my cousin's house. It has been almost a month since we've gotten together and boy have the babies gotten big. They are so cute. Spencer and his second cousin, *N, loved looking at each other. They were both smiling a lot. What a great visit! I love that we get together every couple of weeks. I'll miss it next fall when my cousin has to go back to work. We'll enjoy the pictures.






Tomorrow is Mason's last day of soccer and the big soccer game between the kids and the parents. Tim was able to work it out to be there, so I'll be able to stand back and take some pictures and video. How fun for Mason and Daddy! I will post pictures from the game tomorrow.

ECZEMA

Back on the 18th of March, I had taken Mason in for a recheck of his ear and lungs. We were seeing our regular doctor's partner, but our doctor came out to say hi to the boys. I asked her to look at Spencer's face, because it looked terribly dry and red. I thought that maybe it was cradle cap that extended to his face, but she said that it was eczema. She suggested that I put Cortisone on it twice a day for 5 days. If it didn't get better, I was to call her and she would refer us to a dermatologist. So, this past Sunday, I noticed that he had a rash on his torso and back. I decided to go ahead and call our doctor and she wanted to see him. So I took him in today and she definitely thinks that it is a bad case of eczema and has referred us to a dermatologist. I also told her that he seemed to be spitting up more lately, so she prescribed something for reflux. We're not sure if that is what it is, but I guess if the medicine helps we'll know, otherwise it could be allergies to something I am eating. Who knows? I'll keep everyone posted. I have to check and see if the dermatologist is covered by our insurance and schedule an appointment for him.

Check out our new car

This is our second weekend shopping for this car. We actually bought (leased) one just like it last weekend and then returned it the very same day. It's a long story, but it boiled down to the seller not being upfront and honest. We specifically went with the Toyota Highlander for it's 3rd row seat (stow away middle seat in 2nd row makes easy access to 3rd row). When Tim got home with the car, we were going to take Mason for a ride and discovered there was no 3rd row (which we made very clear that we wanted). Tim and his father took it back to the dealership and they were going to add $12 to our monthly payment to put it in (it was deleted from this specific car). Any how, we weren't going to give in and worked all week to find one in the Chicagoland area. Fortunately, we did and we brought it home today. YEAH!!!!!!! If you want to see the specs on this car, visit the Toyota website. This is the sport model. One of my favorite features is the back up camera, so that you can see if anything is in your path. I really wanted a DVD player, but we were going to have to have it added after the fact any how, so we may just go to Tweeters (a local store) and have them install one (it will save us some money too).

We joke that this is Spencer's 3 month gift because we had gotten our Acura when Mason turned 6 months.

Easter and Nana and Grandpa's visit

What a nice week we had with Nana and Grandpa. Mason absolutely loves having his grandparents here. He loved playing outside with them, making cookies, and dying eggs. He was sad to say goodbye to them today. He has a very special bond with them. We hope to go visit them in Florida very soon.

Favorite Picture of the Day 2

So I was practicing taking some pictures today, getting ready to take Spencer's 3 month picture and the boys' Easter pictures this week. What do you think? Would you like to see it in color? Any "cc" would be welcome.

Practicing taking pictures in manual

So, I am determined to learn how to take good, quality pictures in manual mode. I have taken a lot of pictures this week for "practice". I am hoping that my very talented sister will give me some "cc". Next Friday, Spencer turns 3 months old, and I want to try and take his 3 month pictures along with some Easter pictures of both boys. I found them very cute outfits at Children's Place. If all else fails, my sister is planning on coming to visit at the beginning of April, and she can take some pictures for me (at least I hope she will).



This week seemed to just fly by. My friend, Jamie, and her kids came to visit on Tuesday. We loved having them here. It was so nice to see them. Mason and E* play very well together. We are going to try and visit them sometime in April. The pictures I took of them that day did not turn out at all because I forgot to take it off custom white balance (which I was messing with the day before *see the Cascade picture). I was kicking myself for messing that up.


The weather was great this week. We got outside the past 3 days which was wonderful. We all benefited from the fresh air. Mason started sneezing on Tuesday and had a bit of a runny nose. On Wednesday, he was coughing some and it sounded like a wet cough. I was worried because last year at this time he had pneumonia. I took him to the doctor and she said that he had an ear infection and sounded wheezy (she said could be allergies, she sees a lot of this this time of year). She put him on an antibiotic for his ear and put him on breathing treatments with a nebulizer 3 times a day. He acts perfectly fine and hasn't had a fever or anything, so that is a relief. We did go ahead and skip soccer for this week.





Spencer is doing well. Unfortunately, he has pretty bad cradle cap that has extended itself to his face. I called our doctor's office and the nurse suggested that I put baby oil on his hair and face. I am supposed to then use a soft brush on his head and then wash it off in the bath. If this doesn't help they will prescribe a topical ointment. He continues to sleep well and really enjoys watching his big brother. He is such a sweet baby.



This weekend, Tim is going car shopping. Our lease on the Acura is up in a couple of weeks, so it's time to get a new vehicle. I guess this is perfect timing. With the gas prices the way they are, we are going to look for something that gets better gas mileage.

Next week, Nana and Grandpa are coming to visit and spend Easter with us. We are looking forward to seeing them. Tim and I may try and get out on a little date (if I can only get Spencer to take a bottle). We'll see. Have a great weekend!

HIP HIP HOORAY!!! Mason played soccer today.

Yep! I stuck with it and it paid off. Mason had the confidence today to play. There was a little bribing, but it worked and he was sooooooooooooo proud of himself in the end. And, of course, Mommy and Daddy are so very proud of him. In two weeks, the parents are invited to come and play a game with the kids. I can't wait (I'll get some pictures that day to share).
We've had a great week. Spencer is doing awesome, sleeping 12 hours at night, waking after a 10 hour stretch to nurse, and then back to bed. His new thing is sitting up in the BUMBO seat.
Mason is still getting up at night, but last night he did stay in bed until almost 6:00 (not bad).
Yesterday, we had a playdate with my cousin and our mutual friend. We hosted this week and I was finally able to get some pictures of the boys (all born within a month of each other). They are soooo cute.


Enjoy the pictures! (The one of Mason crying is from a time in time out. I couldn't resist capturing this moment too. Even with tears and in trouble, he looks so cute.)


Never know where you'll find their toys hiding.