Let's play...

Very appropriate to Halloween is posting about our "pet" spider. I'm not sure how long our tarantula has been around but we first noticed it just over a year ago. Yesterday I saw it on the wall close to it's house (hole). So I quickly took a picture (unfortunately with my phone). I love spiders. I've instructed our pest control company to avoid the area around the tarantula and it's doing fine so far. So here's the "game". I have a link with pictures of different species of tarantulas. Everyone take a look then post a comment about which one you think it is. If you have any ideas about whether it's a male or female I'd love to hear your opinion on that too. My guess is female based on it's width. I'm also hoping it's a female since they live 30-40 yrs. as opposed to a male's 3-6 year life span. Then after all that fun go ahead and submit a name idea. Tarantula Gallery

Costumes...

Here are the rest of the kids dressed to go to the ward party Friday night. The only thing creepier than Cole's costume is the fact that Sage's unicorn looks like the dementor (Cole) sucked the life out of it.

Smurfette...

Ashley decided to be Smurfette for Halloween. It's been fun coming up with the costume and I only had to sew the hat! Noah was completely mesmerized. I thought he'd be scared but he thought it was great. Ashley went to a YW costume party dressed like this and had to walk passed all the other wards youth that weren't dressed up to get there. A year ago she would have refused to even get out of the car so I'm proud of her for overcoming that fear.

Happy Birthday Ashley!!!

Ashley turned 13 on the 16th! Here's how I'm thinking of it...in 2 years she'll have a learner's permit. AAAAAAHHHH!!!!! Really though, I'm so blessed to have Ashley as my daughter. We have so much fun together and I know that's a rare thing at this age. I love her so much.

Fall!!!!

Fall is my favorite season. I'm so excited it's cool outside! The kids were pretty excited too. They ran right outside in their rarely used jackets to play. Including Noah. He could stay outside for hours. He loves it!

My Boyz

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Flashback Friday!!!

I haven't done a flashback for a long time. This picture was taken during one of many "Circus Circus" adventures in Vegas. As a child, our family would drive to Arizona for Thanksgiving. Most of the time we would stay at "Circus Circus". So this is us (The Mason kids), with the stuffed animals we won and our faces painted. We got progressively better at the games as we got older and would come home with more stuffed animals and bigger stuffed animals. The tradition of being with my family in the room afterward was fun for me but as for the casino itself and the circus act; all those did for me were produce major anxiety. I was a pretty nervous kid.

Happy Birthday Sage!

Sage's birthday was on Sunday the 7th but this post took a long time to assemble since we didn't have a digital camera when Sage was a baby and I had to find and scan pictures.

Sage had a rough start...


After she was born she had to stay at Primary Children's Hospital until her lungs were strong enough. (2 wks.)


She was the most easy going baby I ever had. (9 mos.)


A first attempt at getting things herself. These days she always wants someone to get everything for her. (2 yrs)


(2 yrs.)

Sage has adored Ashley from the start. The easiest way to get her to do something is to talk about Ashley doing it. (3 yrs.)

(4 yrs.)


(5 yrs.)


6 Year Birthday Picture!


I'm so thankful to have such a sweet little girl as my daughter.

Redemption...

Luke and Jacob have redeemed their masculinity. The next week when the Larrabees and Noyes' came to see us Jacob had a new cowboy costume from Grandpa Tom and Grandma Ruby so they dressed up like cowboys this time.

Jacob and Luke...

Jacob and Luke loved to dress up from the time they could walk. They always have some extra thing on pretending to be an animal when they were younger and progressing to superheroes, police, firemen, military officers, detectives....you get the idea. I guess being together again sparked a dress up overload and this is what they came up with. Meet Miss Kiki (Jacob) and Miss Mary (Luke). Sorry Rob it had to go on the blog.