Work Shower

I am so blessed to work with such amazing girls! They were sweet enough to throw me and another girl at work a baby shower! I thought that was so sweet considering the fact I have only been here since March and they were willing to do this for me! Max and I got so many great things including lots of diapers and a lot of the girls went in together and got us the pack and play that we registered for! I am so blessed to work with these girls!

Me and Mom- She Only Came To Show Off Her New Cinnamon Rolls- Just Kidding

This is Sweet Beth's Daughter Kaylee- Her Sister Kendall (she calls her Candle) will be here around the same time as Max!

Opening Presents

Pajamas From LisaOur Pack and Play

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

We celebrated Mom and Dad's 25th Wedding Anniversary a couple of weeks ago! It was a lot of fun and Derek and I were very thankful that we got to do something for mom and dad after all they have done for us!

Mason's First Birthday Round 2- Pool Party

For Mason's BIG birthday party, we decided to have a pool party! He loves the water and so we thought it would be a great treat for everyone! We had a great time eating, opening presents and swimming! I'm so excited for my sweet boy and we are loving watching him grow!

Very Late, But Here They Are... Mason's First Birthday Round 1- Chuck E' Cheese

For Mason's first birthday, we decided to take him to Chuck E' Cheese the day of his birthday! Kim, the kids, and Pop were there to help us celebrate! He had so much fun and his favorite part was riding the Bob The Builder tractor! However, Derek enjoyed it more than anyone as he wracked up on the cheap toys by playing 3 hours of ski ball and earning over 1000 tickets. I'm so proud!

Davie/ Mason Crockett

This past weekend, my mom and dad took Mason camping in Gatlinburg. I must say it was very difficult being away from my sweet precious for more than one night, but I did get some rest that was much needed. Saturday morning, I woke up to this picture message. See, Mason refuses to wear hats. We have tried many times, and he hates them. He doesn't even like for Derek or my dad to wear them. He takes them off of their heads every time he sees them in one. So Saturday morning, they went to the Pancake Pantry (Derek and I were very jealous) and Mason finally found a hat that he liked. Or he liked to look at himself in the hat. He liked it so much so that not only did my parents buy the hat, but he walked down the Gatlinburg strip with his "Coon Skin" hat. And of course when we went to pick him up yesterday afternoon, he was sporting his new found friend. See for yourself...

Officially A Slacker!

Ok, I admit it. I have been a major slacker when it comes to my blogging, but we have been crazy busy these past few weeks. First we had Mason's First Birthday and all of our family was in for that, we had Brittany's baby shower for Sweet Luke that will be here soon, we had mom and dad's anniversary party when more family came in, and we just had a baby shower for Max today at work, so we have been crazy so I promise to post pictures soon.

As far as updates go, we are still waiting on the letter to tell Derek when to report for the agility test. Me, I am huge and sleepy because I am not sleeping well at night mainly because I am in some pain when I sleep. I will be moving to the couch soon! Mason, oh my where do I begin? He's a crazy man! Mom had the "Thinking Chair" down stairs from Blues Clues and he jumps off of the back of it, so now we just have a bean bag. So when I say he's crazy, he's crazy! He's starting to talk a little. He cries for Derek and I saying momma or dada. I think he mean Ya Ya or Paw though. He says "Ah Bull" thanks to Scott and Jeff we have learned that one. He also says Heidi, bird, and No No! Yes, he tells Derek and I no no! I am so proud! I laugh so some of it is my fault! And Max is growing like crazy! I can't believe we will meet this precious baby soon! I will post pictures as soon as possible!!!!

The Results Are In...

It has been a crazy weekend for us! We celebrated my parents 25th Wedding Anniversary on Saturday night, but not without a small celebration on Friday night. I got off of work on Friday early to begin the decorating for the party. Derek was already off of work, but had to run to the bank and meet me at the house before going up to mom and dad's to eat dinner with all of the family. Derek was acting normal when he walked in the door and handed me his phone that had the following email on it:

Derek Bates
6170 Tuscany Place
Hixson, TN 37343

Dear Derek:
You scored 86.25 % on the Chattanooga Firefighter written exam which was administered on 06/17/2009.
A score of at least 65% must be attained to be considered for further processing. If you scored at least 65%, you will be scheduled for the physical agility test at a later date.
If you wish to retake the written test, contact our office.

Sincerely,
Janice Suttles Personnel Technician423-757-0900

So as you can see, Derek made an 86.25% on his written test for the fire department. I was so happy for him that I started crying. He worked so hard to study and prepare for that test. It was probably harder than I have ever seen him work for something before and it completely paid off for him! So mom went and got him a cookie cake and we celebrated Derek's high score on his test Friday night. He still has a long way to go, but this was the most nerve wracking part for all of us. Next is the Agility Test which we should be getting in the mail in a couple of days letting us know when that starts. So please continue to send your prayers our way as we continue this journey and thank you for the prayers that have already been sent for the first part.

1 Year Wellness Visit

Mason went to see Dr. Wiley today for his one year check up. It never ceases to amaze me how much we love this doctor. He is truly amazing and always takes time to answer our questions and plays with Mason so that he isn't terrified of the doctor. Mason weighed in at 24.6 pounds putting him in the 70% and 33 1/2 inches long which makes him between the 99- 100% for height. Dr. Wiley always says that Mason needs to be practicing his jump shot because he is going to be a BIG boy. I wonder who on Earth he gets that from?

Our BIG concern with this visit was milk. Last week we tried Mason on whole milk for the first time and he loved it but his tummy did not. He had a stomach ache for about 4 days and that made for a few sleepless nights. We weren't sure if it was the milk or a stomach bug because that was also going around with Kim's kids when they were in and Pop was also sick. So we knew it was either the milk or the bug. So Dr. Wiley suggested Silk Soy Milk Vanilla flavored. It sounds disgusting to me, but if Mason likes it and it agrees with his stomach, I guess we will have a Soy drinker on our hands. He loves water and doesn't show much interest in drinking anything else so we will see. Derek and I both had issues with milk when we were younger so I guess it's just a part of life.

Mason also had to get 4 shots today and that didn't go over very well. He normally does great with shots, but this time was different and the nurse said it was because these shots sting on their way in and have more side effects to them and he's liable to be in a bad mood for a couple of days! Awesome! Just what I wanted to hear with tons of our family coming in this weekend for my parents party. So I just hope its all over by Thursday when people start getting here.

So Mason is doing great and got an A+ on his health! I am so thankful for a healthy baby! We go back at 15 months with Max for his 3 day check up! Hopefully I can time them just right and we can all go togehter! We'll see! Max already seems to be a little stubborn so he may have a schedule of his own!

Next Time You Think You Are Losing It...

I am posting this for all the mothers out there who, every once in a while, think they are losing it. I have come to the conclusion that the day you give birth to your first child, you lose half of your mind. So the more kids you have, the more you feel like you have lost it sometimes. So just in case you are having one of those days, remember one of our Mammogram patients today. As she was signing a consent form, she very ecstatically exclaimed, "Oh, it's April Fools Day!" I looked at her thinking, maybe she was kidding or looking for some sort of smile like it was an inside joke between her and her friend that was standing behind her. Nothing! I said, "Ma'am, it's July." She looked at me in some what disbelief and said, "Well, I guess I am running a little bit behind." Bless her heart! She wasn't the youngest patient we have ever had! So remember, just when you think you are at the worst of it, there is always someone out there who thinks it's April Fools Day!