Week of Heat

So for those of you who don't know, the Pacific Northwest has had record heat this week. A lovely 105 degrees on Wednesday, and mid to high 90'sthe rest of the week. You might think a girl from the south could handle this but let me remind you- only 15% of the population in Seattle have AC. We are unfortunately not part of that 15%. So, Mason and I have spent the week trying to keep cool. We hung out at the mall, played in the kiddie pool in the backyard, and hid out in the house. On top of the heat, I had food poisoning on Monday- great timing- I know it. But I am back to the land of the living and it seems to be cooling down, so I think we will survive. That's about all for us and this cool Friday :) (it's nice to be able to say that!)

Happy Birthday Mason

So it's official. Mason is 1. I can't believe how fast this year has gone and how different my perspective on life, parenting, and love have changed in just one year. We had a great day today. During our vacation to Tennessee, we had Mason's birthday party, so we decided today to host a playdate in the park and invite some friends to just come hang with us. It was an amazing day. I looked out on my mom friends and realized that without Mason, I wouldn't know any of these wonderful women! We have gotten each other through some rough patches and I always appreciate knowing I am not the only "blank" is happening to! (Insert lack of sleep, rolling over during diaper changes, standing up to sleep, or countless other things that just pop up in the "blank!")
I was also very happy Steve was able to pop over to the park to celebrate with us! I feel so blessed that he is so involved in Mason's life and that he wants to be there for all the little things as well as the bigger things!
It was HOT today in Seattle. So hot, that the icing on the cupcakes melted more rapidly than I could have ever imagine. Mason enjoyed putting his hands in the cupcake and smearing it anywhere he could! He was a lot more messy today than he was when he was in Tennessee. (Plus he destroyed my outfit!)

Since Steve and a couple other dad's were able to make it, we took the opportunity to have a group picture taken of us! It's hard to get everyone together and looking the same direction but we did our best. Erika had already left and Paige hadn't made it yet but for the most part these were Mason's party guests!
Thank you for all your love and support this year. Mason, mommy and daddy love you and can't wait to see what adventures our future holds!

11 months... a year is around the corner!

Today is a great day for the Marlowe family! First, it is Steve's first fathers day, Mason is 11 months old, and I am 29- my last year in the 20's! We are having a pretty low key day, preparing for our trip to TN and just enjoying each other!

I can't believe Mason is 11 months old! For those of you who we will see in the next two weeks- he is no longer a baby. He is a little boy- get ready! I held him yesterday and it was the first time I realized he is really growing up. He has his own little personality, and his little body is getting longer and making him look like a little guy. It is amazing how fast these past 11 months have gone. As you saw from the video I sent a couple weeks back- June has been a cruising month for us! Mason is everywhere- he crawls all around, follows you if you leave the room, attempts to climb stairs, stands in his crib ( more than he sleeps in it these days) and babbles all day long. He LOVES to say "dad" and has also said "hi" and "dog". Steve works on "mommy" all the time, but I typically only hear it when he is hurt, overtirred, etc. That's okay though- I know he will say it in his time. Mason is still doing really well eating solids. He has pretty much given up purees (except applesauce) He LOVES cheese, yogurt, and all fruit. This past week he tried red peppers and brusselsprouts and he liked them both! We are trying to expose him to as many fruits and veggies as we can while he is still young and developing his tastebuds. It is nice that now when we cook Mason can pretty much eat everything we do and it encourages us to try to new things. We still haven't cooked swiss chard but it is on my list to try so if anyone has a great reciepe please sahre. We have so many farmers markets that have such neat things I feel like while we have access to them we might as well try them. We have enjoyed the past 29 days of NO RAIN (a seattle record) and Mason and I spend as much time outside as we can. We go for long walks with other mom friends and swing in the yard to soak up the sun!

I have a request if you are interested in helping- for Mason's birthday I am going to make a photobook from his first year and I wanted to include wishes from everyone. So if you want to send Mason a wish, please email it to me. As an example, some wishes I have for Mason are that he leaves the world a better place, that he finds the good in everyone he meets, and that he finds love and happiness in life. They can be anything but I thought it would be neat to include them from friends and family as well. I know he won't understand the book now, but I hope one day down the road it will mean something to him.