Mason is going to Canada...

...or so he thinks. My adorable little goofball is already packing and planning for the Canadian vacation he thinks he's going to win this summer. A few weeks ago, I entered a contest offered by a train magazine for an 8-day vacation on the exact same train that Mason has watched hundreds of times on The Big Train Trip DVD. He already knows all the towns between Toronto and Vancouver where the train stops. How many 5-year-olds do you know that obsess for years about taking a trip to Canada to ride the train? I only know one, and it will be nothing short of a miracle if that boy wins the trip he's already claimed for his own.

Paparazzi

Obviously, I followed the kids around with a camera this weekend. Mason had friends over Friday and Saturday night - it's the first time he's made "social" arrangements on his own. Our neighbor, Ben, came over to play Friday night. Poor Ben had to watch Mason's favorite YouTube video of the model trains set to opera music over and over. He may never come back. Saturday night, Gracie asked Mason to come over. I walked him part of the way and made it very clear that he was NOT supposed to jump on her trampoline for another 2 weeks (surgery recovery instructions). As soon as I walked in the house, Tabi called to ask if Mason was supposed to be jumping on the trampoline. Apparently he told her that I said it was okay. Reminds me of the little girl who told her babysitter it was okay to go swimming with the parks and recreation group when I was...ummm.....when she was five. Anyway, they decided to come to our house to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks. They loved it - especially parts with bathroom humor.

Sunday was great, too. I came closer than ever to being on time for praise team practice. Steven's message was the second one in a series about forgiveness. I always feel like I should forgive someone when I hear a message about forgiveness, but I usually can't think of anyone I'm holding a grudge against. Last week I was mad at Jas, so I forgave him at church - that worked out. But this week I came up blank. I guess that's a good thing. Although, I have to confess that I thought of several other people who need to forgive someone - maybe it's easier to see the need for forgiveness when it's not personal. If anyone knows of someone I need to forgive, please let me know. Thanks!

"I agree with what Hillary said..."

...the words of Bill Clinton, not me. I just read an article that quoted him saying, "I agree with what Hillary said," when asked about a controversial issue. For some reason it made me laugh and cry at the same time...he's such a joke! How did he ever get elected twice? Can you imagine the reality of this couple in office again? It really wouldn't be any different than it was when Bill was prez, only this time Hillary can just sign the bills herself instead of running things behind the scenes. She was president for 8 years, after all.

And don't get me started on Obama. I can't figure out why he's so popular. Who is supporting this lying, racist, inexperienced joker? Must be the same people people who voted for Bill twice. I actually think his supporters would switch their vote to Oprah in a heartbeat if she ran for office. Aren't they really voting for who she tells them to anyway?

On a personal note, Jas is outside pushing Mason and Carter around in the little Jeep. They're loving it and laughing hysterically - I love happy, Spring noises. Of course, we could just charge the Jeep's battery and let the boys drive it around. I guess Jas needed a free workout.

Back in the Groove

It was so nice to get back to church today - I feel like we're starting to lead a normal life again. We haven't really had a very normal life since Mason was diagnosed with MVP. Carter was born a few months later, and life with a baby is never normal. Then last year we had one illness after another - mostly Mason's illnesses. But this morning, no one was sick, everyone got dressed without arguments, I made it to praise team practice almost on time, we all had a great time at Sunday school (even Carter only cried for a second after I left him), and Steven's message about forgiveness was awesome. Mason colored pictures instead of squirming around and asking to go to the bathroom every five minutes, like he usually does in "big church." All is well this Sunday afternoon.

One piece of the "all is well" puzzle is the new behavior program we started a couple of days ago for Mason. It's a website that all moms MUST visit - http://milo.handipoints.com. Mason has an account on this site that allows me to make behavior charts and chore charts with "tasks" that are all assigned positive or negative points. He decided on some rewards and he earns point toward those rewards everyday. He also earns bonus points that he can use to "buy" cartoon clips and really cool costumes for his cat character. There's even a little interactive land called Handiland where his cat can talk to other kids' cats. They're limited to a list of generic phrases, though, so it's safe for kids to do by themselves. Mason loves it so far, and it's motivating all of us to focus on the positive for a change.