Broken Bones and the Future Tom Brady

Mason- WE CELEBRATE THE FOURTH OF JULY WITH MY FAMILY. AND IT ISN'T JUST A DAY. THIS PAST CELEBRATION LASTED FROM JULY 3RD THROUGH JULY 10TH. AND IN THE MIDST OF THIS CELEBRATION, MASON SUFFERED A FALL- ALBEIT A SHORT ONE- THAT RESULTED IN A BROKEN ARM. WE WERE AT MY SISTER'S HOUSE AND THE KIDS WERE PLAYING IN THE KIDDIE POOL OUTSIDE. AT ONE POINT, SOMEONE PULLED THE KIDDIE SLIDE OVER TO THE KIDDIE POOL AND THE KIDS WERE USING IT TO SLIDE INTO THE POOL. A GREAT IDEA UNTIL MASON STOOD AT THE VERY TOP AND LOST HIS FOOTING. HE FELL BACKWARDS, LANDING ON HIS RIGHT ARM. HE WAILED OF COURSE AND HIS WRIST SWELLED UP. I'VE NEVER BROKEN ANY BONES, SO I WASN'T SURE HOW TO RESPOND. MASON IMMEDIATELY WANTED TO LIE DOWN ON A TOWEL AND BASICALLY REFUSED TO MOVE. I THOUGHT HE MAY HAVE SPRAINED IT, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE DISTANCE HE FELL WAS VERY SMALL. HE REFUSED TO EAT DINNER BUT WAS ABLE TO SHOVE A CUPCAKE DOWN. :) WHEN MITCH ARRIVED, HE IMMEDIATELY KNEW WE NEEDED TO TAKE HIM TO THE HOSPITAL. WE DROVE TO TRIA, WHERE THERE WAS A SHORT WAIT. PROBABLY TWENTY MINUTES AFTER ADMITTANCE, WE KNEW MASON HAD BROKEN HIS ARM. WHEN HE FOUND IT HIS ARM WAS BROKEN, HE BECAME HYSTERICAL. HE TOLD US LATER THAT HE THOUGHT THAT MEANT THEY'D CHOP OFF HIS ARM. HE CALMED DOWN AS THE ARM WAS CASTED. WE TRIED TO GET HIM TO CHOOSE THE COLOR OF HIS CAST, BUT HE REFUSED. WE MADE THE SMART DECISION AND SELECTED RED- SO HIS CAST WOULD MATCH HIS RED AND BLACK CLOTHES. ONCE THE CAST WAS ON, HE FELT GREAT AND RESUMED LIFE AS PRETTY MUCH NORMAL. THOUGH I'M NOT SURE HOW I'M GOING TO LAST THREE WEEKS IN THIS HEAT WITHOUT GOING TO THE POOL. MY BOYS HAVE ENDLESS ENERGY AND FIGHT CONSTANTLY. OH WHAT WILL WE DO NOW THAT THE POOL ISN'T AN OPTION?!?! ALSO, MASON APOLOGIZED FOR NOT LISTENING TO MY WARNING JUST BEFORE HE STOOD AT THE TOP OF THE SLIDE. HE SAID HE'LL LISTEN THE NEXT TIME I TELL HIM NOT TO DO SOMETHING. AND HE TOLD ME THIS ALL ON HIS OWN. I DID NOT HAVE TO PROMPT HIM :). HUNTER- I THINK WE FINALLY FOUND SOMETHING HUNTER WON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT! THAT MIGHT BE WISHFUL THINKING ON MY PART, SINCE HUNTER IS KNOWN TO COMPLAIN WHEN YOU GIVE HIM CANDY, BUT I'M FEELING HOPEFUL RIGHT NOW. HUNTER IS TOTALLY EXCITED ABOUT FOOTBALL AND WAS OPEN TO US SIGNING HIM UP FOR A FOOTBALL CAMP, WHICH STARTS TONIGHT. WE HAD INVEST IN ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT- HELMET, SHOULDER PADS, MOUTH GUARD, JOCK STRAP! THAT LAST ONE THREW ME FOR A LOOP. HOW CAN I HAVE A CHILD WHO NOW NEEDS TO PROTECT THAT AREA???? I'M SOMETIMES SHOCKED AT HOW QUICKLY HE IS GROWING UP. TACKLE FOOTBALL BEGINS IN FOURTH GRADE AT EDINA AND IT'S WAY EXPENSIVE. I THOUGHT THE ENTRANCE FEE WOULD INCLUDE THE EQUIPMENT. IT DIDN'T. SIGH. ANYWAY, HUNTER SAID THAT FOOTBALL IS "PRETTY MUCH HIS THING" WHICH HE HAS NEVER SAID BEFORE. HE CAN BE VERY RESISTANT TO LOTS OF THINGS SO I WAS SO HAPPY TO HEAR SOMETHING POSITIVE COME OUT OF HIS MOUTH. WE SHALL SEE.

"Time in a Bottle"- Mason and the Fireman

If I could save time in a bottle: I would save the moment I witnessed this morning as I dropped Mason off at daycare. Today was "dress like a firefighter" day. And of course we had nothing for Mason, so we dressed him in red and that was that. Another mother, however, was more prepared than I as one little boy was decked out, head to toe, in firefighter gear. Mason's reaction to this little boy's costume was so precious, so genuine, so full of appreciation: "Whoa----- that is so cool!" Mason proceeded to circle the boy and then sit right next to him and stare. To Mason, this little firefighter was a celebrity. Mason was completely awestruck! My reaction to his reaction was also "Whoa-----that is so cool" but of course, I didn't show it the way my beautiful little son did. As adults, we are so good at remaining unaffected or looking like we are unaffected. Today I appreciate that both of my sons still cry freely, still stare at super-cool things, and still express their amazement at the little things in life!

The Boys Predict The Future

I did a terrible job keeping track of our life in 2011. I don't know what's changed but I feel busier and more distracted than I ever have as a mother, wife, and teacher. I am going to be better about writing in 2012- I have to be, because the older I get, the worse my short-term and long-term memory gets. Here's what I have to share about the boys and the Mohs family right now:

- Hunter wants to be a gymnast when he grows up and plans to live in California where he can be close to the American Ninja Warrior tryout course and his favorite ninja warriors. Hunter loves to wear all Under Armour clothing. He has a friend at school, Aidan J., who wears all black Under Amour and Hunter wants to follow suit. Santa bought Hunter a brand new Under Armour football sweatshirt this Christmas. He can pair that with his t-shirt and black pants. Monday is the day of the week that Hunter wears all black Under Armour. In regards to Hunter's future, he does plan to get married. His reason: he doesn't want to live alone. However, talking about future spouses upsets him greatly. There is a lot of blushing and very little information divulged.

- Mason wants to be three things when he grows up: president, a builder (we talked about the word architect), and airplane driver (another vocab lesson- pilot). Mason wants to have ten babies when he grows up. The names: Lucas and Bowser. Nine Lucases and 1 Bowser. He wants to marry Lillian from schoool. Mason is a big kid. He is able to wear clothes that Hunter stopped wearing a little over a year ago. I bet he could pass for a six year old. Right now he finds life with his brother incredibly frustrating. I have spent about half of this break breaking up fights between the two brothers. They enjoy the same things and are always trying to "one up" the other.

- As for me- I swear that the act of my sitting down sets off an alarm in my boys' heads (yes, that includes my husband). The second I sit down, someone finds me and asks me or tells me to do something. Get me a glass of milk. Take me potty. Can you go to the store? Get me. Can you? Get me. Can you? That's pretty much my day at home with these three men.

- As for Mitch- he is playing a lot of Madden on his new Playstation 3. He is also obsessing about trucks and, as always, his I-phone. He also came up with a new show for he and I to watch together- "How I Met Your Mother." We tend to find shows and then watch anywhere from three to seven episodes in an evening. It's kind of our thing :).

Here's hoping that I can continue to update "You" on our life! :)

All I Have Time For- Post #1

Excerpt from breakfast conversation this morning- Monday, October 17th, 2011:

After asking me where his heart is located, Mason said, "Broken hearts.... those aren't such a good idea."

A little later, Hunter shared this profound insight: "God must be really short because he's so old."

Yes, we get pretty deep in our morning conversations. I might not be able to remember how we got from Mason's insight to Hunter's, but I think it's most important that I remember the most memorable parts.

Summer 2011

Because it's really all I have time for, here is a list showcasing the "best of" our summer:

(12) We love the penguin exhibit at the zoo. We enjoy spending whole days at the zoo.

(11) Hunter attended an enrichment class at the Fair School in downtown Minneapolis. Bus picked him up at our house and dropped him off at the end of the program. I watched my boy grow up before my eyes! Mason enjoyed a lot of mommy time.

(10) Fantasy Football draft party #1 and #2 (#3 is happening next weekend)

(9) YMCA Preschool soccer (Mason earned his first medal) and 1st grade soccer (Hunter scored two goals during the season)

(8) St. Louis Park Pool (Hunter, determined to conquer what we call the Wipeout zone, taught himself to swim for the sole purpose of conquering the Wipeout zone; Mason grew a bit braver every time we swam this summer)

(7) We spent 4th of July with my parents and then Hunter and Mason stayed for a few days. They went fishing and went to the pool. They had an all round good time and completely exhausted my parents. They also had so much fun with cousin Hudson.

(6) The Mohs reunion at a YMCA campsite in northern Minnesota. A trampoline on the water and we had our own cabin. Cousins are awesome!

(5) Edina Aquatic Center- this year, the waterslide was a hit. And Hunter almost jumped off the high dive. I'm guessing that will be next year.

(4) The Splash Pad in St. Louis Park. Great park and great water fun! (We basically visited a new park every few days. I like to vary our activities so no one grows bored)

(3) Ninja Warrior. The boys will re-enact this show in my living room, at any park.... basically anywhere.

(2) The Wilderness Hotel- Wisconsin Dells. We love the Wild West side of that world.

(1) The Twins game against the Yankees. I know he is the enemy, but I think Derek Jeter is smokin' hot. And you can't beat the Legends level at Target Field. It is luxurious.

Ultimate #1- Lots of time with family and friends! So much fun! Memorable.