Friday, September 26, 2014

Mason: Week 47 {photos}

Day 323: "No thanks, Mom! I don't think I'll wear a hat this year! :)

Day 324: First Sonic Slush

Day 325: Playing with Thomas (in a 3T Bailey Boys outfit!!!)

Day 326: Exploring at Storytime 

Day 327: Looking like a big boy! 

Day 328: Hey Mom! 

Day 329: Date with Momma! 



Monday, September 22, 2014

Videos {All of Them}

These are just a few of the videos we have captured of Mason lately. So often when he realizes we are filming/photographing, we stops doing whatever it is he was doing. Silly boy!

Reading a Book


Playing "Don't Wake Daddy" 

Fixing His Train

Knocking Over all of the Blocks

Mason Meets Worm


Saturday, September 20, 2014

The First Family Detail by Ronald Kessler {A Book Review}


I enjoyed reading The First Family Detail by Ronald Kessler. In the book, Kessler goes in depth telling stories about the Secret Service and the Presidents they have protected. The stories span from the beginning of the Secret Service to stories from the current presidential administration. They also range from revealing serious security breaches in the past to light hearted stories of the presidents personal lives.

I enjoyed how the book is easy to pick up and put down, with no one chapter being too long or too short. I also liked how the author went back and forth from serious stories to light hearted ones. The best stories were the ones about the presidents and their families. Several stories made it seem like the author had an ax to grind and were not as impersonal or objective as other stories. Overall, I enjoyed the book. If someone has a specific interest in the Secret Service, Presidents, or Washington, they would most likely enjoy this book.

You can find more Book Info here

As a reminder, please be sure to use the FTC disclaimer copy at the end of your blog post which says, "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Celebrate the Treasury of Bible Stories by entering the Rhythmical Rhymes Kindle Giveaway!

As I've mentioned before, now that we have a little one, I'm always on the look out for books that are perfect for him now as well as books that he can grow with. This book, Treasury of Bible Stories: Rhythmical Rhymes of Biblical Times by Kelly Pulley is one of those books! 
First, let me just say, when I opened the package and saw the brightly colored illustrations on the front cover, I was so drawn in. When Mason saw it, he crawled over and just stared at the cover. Wow, great work on the cover illustrations. As we opened the book, I saw that the inside illustrations were just as excellent. They are fun to me and honestly, draw you in to want to look at more. In my opinion, they are almost caricature-like in a way. Either way, they are super great! Since Mason will currently try to eat books when given them, I held this one and read to him and he loved looking at the pictures. 
The book contains 20 different stories from the bible including the story of Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark,  Moses crossing the Red Sea, and stories of Jesus's life as well. We have read 5 of the stories so far and have enjoyed them all. They will obviously become more enjoyable to Mason as he gets older and understands more. 
As a speech-language pathologist, one of the things I love about this book is the rhyming aspect. Learning rhyming words is great for helping children learn to read and it also keeps attention for much longer than some other books might. 
I highly recommend this book to any family looking for a way to add to their bible study lessons as a family or who are just looking for a fun bible story book to read any time. 
See below for a chance to enter a fun giveaway! 
Kelly Pulley Treasury of Bible Stories
Part of the Magnificent Tales series, Treasury of Bible Stories: Rhythmical Rhymes of Biblical Times will delight children ages 4–8 with rhyming Bible stories pairing spiritual truths with playful illustrations.

Enter the Rhythmical Rhymes Kindle Giveaway 9/15 – 10/12.
Treasury of Bible Stories Kelly Pulley
One grand prize winner will receive:
  • A Kindle HDX
  • Treasury of Bible Stories by Kelly Pulley
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 12th. Winner will be announced October 13th at Kelly's blog.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to visit Kelly's blog on the 13th to see if you won!


Friday, September 19, 2014

Mason: Week 46 {Photos}

Day 316: Helping Mom and Dad with Laundry

Day 317: We purchased Mason a toy that he picked out. (a first)

Day 318: Go Eagles! (only for Dad) 

Day 319: Wearing shoes for a bit

Day 320: HEY!!!

Day 321: Drinking from a juice box for the first time. Big BOY! 

Day 322: Closing doors. 


Monday, September 15, 2014

Colliding with Destiny by Sarah Jakes {A Book Review}


**I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.** 

Colliding with Destiny Finding Hope in the Legacy of Ruth by Sarah Jakes intrigued me when I saw it up for review with Bethany House. Sarah Jakes is the daughter of TD Jakes who I knew from hearing him preach several times in the past. I have always loved the book of Ruth, too, so I wanted to see what this book was all about.

Colliding with Destiny goes all throughout the book of Ruth with Sarah beginning each chapter with a portion of the book of Ruth. The verses being at the beginning of each chapter was a neat touch to me. After the scriptures are written, Sarah talks about those verses by adding in stories and experiences from her own life. Sarah then gives some ideas of questions to answer and journal through. Sarah ends each chapter with a prayer based on the scripture, stories and points presented in the chapter. 

Each chapter is fairly short which makes them quick to read if you don't have much time to sit and read for a long period of time. Sarah is a good author and she really put herself out there in the book. I enjoyed this read. 

Lately...

The weather has been so beautiful and we have just had a renewed sense of "Let's get out and do something!" Here's what we've been up to lately! 

Walks for Mom and Mason 



A little play time here and there...

Sitting in the backyard enjoying the scenery


Breakfast Dates

Pool time...

Trips to the mall which include a little ice cream...

Of course, bathtime...

Trips out with Dad
 



Snuggles...

A few blurry pictures taken before church...


A few clearer pictures taken after church...





A morning car watching adventure...


A little climbing...

Pots and Pans play time...

Block time...



A little late night snuggles when a certain little guy woke up unexpectedly...





A little more block time...


A little hair-venture...

A walk around Converse College... 


Video game playing with Daddy...

Oh and of course, EATING! 

A few more smiles! 
  

And some posing...

And several attempts for a picture with Mom...



A little car nap after a long morning at BSF...

And then quite possibly my favorite picture right now...oh that sweet smile!!