A Very Happy Easter Prayer by Bonnie Rickner James {A Children's Book Review}

I'm trying not to add too many books to our collection right now since we have such an extensive library already and we have access to so many great books through the county library. Exceptions I make are holiday books. This sweet book, A Very Happy Easter Prayer, by Bonnie Rickner Jensen is a fun addition! 

I loved the illustrations in this book. Bright and colorful with some fun texture to them. I also really enjoyed that this book was a good mix of spring and Easter. Each page is a prayer to God thanking him for something related to spring and Easter. The boys have enjoyed reading this and I can see us reading it for much of the Spring and Easter season. 

I think this would be a great addition to an Easter basket for a child between birth and maybe 4/5. 

**I received this book for free from BookLook Bloggers.**

Maddox Says and Does {6}

I told Maddox that he was going on a date with Daddy and he so sweetly said "Date Da Da?!?" He was excited!

As I counted to three to have Maddox come to me, he says "One" and holds out his little finger. Yeah, super effective!

"Good Job!"

While watching luge, he started leaning back in his chairing went "WoooO!"

Maddox sat down on the couch the other day and said, "Show. Blanket." 😊

llama llama

have

go go 

Lots of two word phrases coming together now! 

Mason Says And Does {26}

While listening to music in the car, Mason begins describing different guitars and tells me "Here comes a guitar solo" and then explains what a guitar solo is. Yeah...he's been discussing music with his Daddy!

One morning we were getting ready to go to the grocery store and I asked Mason if he wanted to help me pick out groceries as he often does. His response: "No ma'am. I need a break from all of that grocery shopping" 😂

One afternoon, Matt was home for nap time and Mason gave him one of his stuffed animals, Stinky Face, to sleep with. Matt told him thank you but he didn't need him and Mason said, "But, Dad, I'm just trying to be nice!" Well, okay then!

Mason told his speech therapist about his favorite commercial from the Super Bowl. Describing to her the rhyming battle they had going on, etc. So cute.

"Did God make Donald Trump?"

"I Have another question. Why is Donald Trump president?"

Aye aye aye. I wasn't prepared that day! We have not discussed our feelings one way or another regarding the current president with Mason. This is based on his knowledge that Donald Trump is president. Man, his little brain is working!

While watching the Olympics: "Will he ever stop!?!"

Matt had a drink from QT and Mason asked, "Is that wine!?" 😂

"Oh my goodness gracious!"

He came to the desk one day and said, "I'm checking in. Mason Matthew Morgan. M A S O N"

We need to bring Maddox to monster truck jam when he's a kid. 😊

While at a friend's house, the song "Can't Stop the Feeling" comes on and Mason says: "This is my beat!" Yep, it sure is!

Mason made a new friend at the park the other day and we talked to him some, learned his name, etc. They played for the longest time together. The little boy was there with his grandfather who he called "Pop Pop". This is of significance because Mason also has a PopPop. Later on, Mason and I were discussing Nehemiah,  his playing with him, etc and Mason says, "He had a PopPop, too! But his PopPop was different than mine." I paused to see what he might say because Nehemiah and his PopPop were black and while we didn't point that out and had no reason to do so, I was curious what Mason would say. He continues on to say, "They were different because my PopPop has a hurt back and his didn't." I had never been prouder of him. We love all people fiercely and pray our boys do the same. We have read books about people of color and talked about how those of color have been mistreated at times, etc. I was so impressed that Mason continues to look past color or even not see it at all. I love him so.

Favorite Children's Books {8}

Time for another edition of our favorite children's books! 

These books by Andrea Beaty are just the best. After reading the others, we checked out Rosie Revere Engineer and we loved it, too! Rosie follows her dream of becoming an engineer.

The underpants books continue in our house. This one was just as funny as the previous ones we read. If your kids like underwear jokes, check this one out! 

All of the "bear" books are great. Bear has a great group of friends and these books show them loving each other, learning things about each other and more. We love these! 

Incredible books for learning about animals. So many facts about commonly discussed animals as well as animals we don't know much about. These are probably a bit advanced for Mason but we've enjoyed them nonetheless and think they will be great to check out again in a few years. 

  

Simple and sweet. 

In honor of Black History Month, we've been scouring the library for books with main characters that are of color. Here are a couple that we have liked! 

Mason LOVED this one especially because the little boy goes to the barbershop for his first haircut. It was fun! 

Oh man, an incredible book based on a true story of the youngest protester arrested. This was eye opening and Mason asked so many questions after this! 

Steal Away Home by Billy Coffey {A Book Review}

Steal Away Home by Billy Coffey was my first book by Billy Coffey but he has reeled me in for sure! To be completely honest, as I read this book, I could not figure out if I actually liked the book or not. Let me explain. 

First of all, the book is based in the sport of baseball and while it is not necessarily technical about baseball, I think it would be enjoyed most by someone who does know about and care about baseball. The book is split into the tops and bottoms of innings in a baseball game and the story bounces back and forth between present day and several different "ages" in the past. At first, that was difficult for me to keep up with but as I learned more about the characters, it wasn't hard to follow at all. By the middle to end of the book, I began to enjoy this back and forth more and truly enjoyed it. 

The main character is Owen, a baseball player raised in Appalachia who makes it into college and eventually the MLB to play baseball. The present day story is of him being called up from Double A to a major league game and the innings of that particular baseball game are the setting. 

The past of the story is related to him in high school and college as he discovers who he is, what's important to him, etc. He is a part of town that is divided and he meets someone who is "from the other side of the tracks." Their relationship is secret and as it develops, so much changes. This story is complex on so many levels and therefore difficult to explain. 

I feel like the main premise if of two main characters trying to discover who they are and what they need in life while things are constantly changing. The family dynamics are interesting and also difficult to read about at times. I loved this story. I loved the ending even though it took a while to get there. I love the way Billy Coffey developed the characters. I'll be reading more Coffey books in the future! 

Thanks BookLook Bloggers for the free copy! 

Mason {4 years, 3 months}

When Matt was getting pictures of Maddox, of course he needed to get some of Mason, too! 

Mason's personality and intelligence is exploding right now! He's learning so much, growing so much and he's becoming just the kindest human being. I love him so much! 

Maddox {20ish Months}

Well, I had every intention of writing an 18 month post about Maddox. Yeah, that would have been in December and that didn't happen. So here were are and he's almost 21 months old and I'm doing it. haha! 

These last few months have been so much fun! Maddox is learning so much, saying so many words, and is into everything!!! 

You can see in these first few pictures that he has a scraped up eye. Yeah, he fell down the steps.😑

Then, his eye cleared up and Matt was able to get outside with him during a beautiful day to snap a few more shots. 

Well, first he got some inside. Man, I love this blue-eyed boy! 

Maddox is very quick to let you know how he feels about something with a scream. If he gets hurt, he runs immediately to Mom or Dad for comfort. He has gotten a little tougher recently when he and Mason have a tiff. 

Speaking of Mason, they fight as much as they get along but their times together have gotten so much sweeter in the last few months. The other day, Mason left for several hours with a friend and Maddox cried off and on the whole time. He loves his brother. 

Maddox continues to be a great sleeper. He naps 2-3 hours each afternoon and sleeps 7p-7a each night. He loves his buds and his thumb. 

  

Maddox is a pretty good eater and likes most things that we give him. He is quick to let us know if he'd prefer not to eat it. Unfortunately, that, at times, involves tossing it on the floor. Yeah, not my favorite. 

  

Look at those eyes!

Maddox loves going to church, MOPS, AWANA and storytime as well as anything else we do. He loves to check people out, wave hi/bye and play with others. 

Maddox loves playing outside and has been known to eat dirt when allowed. Or heck, who am I kidding, even when we don't want him to. 😂

We have enjoyed the last 20+ months with this little guy! He's the best!