Mini Relay For Life...

This week was Mason's school's "Kicking Cancer" week.  One of Mason's fellow kindergarteners has a baby sister who is battling liver cancer.  She is only 6 months old...a hard reality for me to think about every time I look at my healthy baby girl.  This week's activities were to help raise money for her cure.  (Please be in prayer for baby Kayelyn and her family as she continues to battle this illness at such a young age.)  Every day each student was asked to bring a dollar to participate in a daily activity.  Some of the activities were to see their principal kiss a pig, to sign a cancer banner which will be sent to a local cancer center, and to watch the staff have a kickball game against the class who raised the most money.  Today, to wrap up the week's events, a mini relay for life was held.  Families were invited to attend, so the girls and I went to show our support.  I love the way Ellie joins in with Mason and his class. 

Members of the Texas A&M soccer team even came out to help teach the kids some skills for "kicking" cancer:

Five Months Old...

Love that girl!  ...Those eyes, those chubby cheeks, what a little sweetheart!

Why I Love Having a 6 Year Old...

Reason #403: Because at 6 years old, a little boy likes to create numerous sweet drawings of he and his Momma together:

 He labeled this picture 'M' and 'C' for Mason and Carrie.  (And no, he doesn't actually call me 'Carrie'.) So when I asked him why he didn't put an 'M' for Momma instead, he explained that I wouldn't know which one was me, since we'd both be labeled 'M'.  That boy is always one step ahead of me.  :)

Ellie's New 'Friend'...

We'll call him "Lizzy"

I love you, Lizzy: 

I'm going to kiss you, Lizzy:

(Poor Lizzy...he probably thinks he's about to be eaten)



Cereal Time...

Mollie will be 5 months old later this week, so between that, and her cutting her first two teeth, I decided it was cereal time.  And despite the fact that she ends up wearing more of it than she actually swallows, she seems to really like it!  Ellie was fascinated with the whole process, so this is her little hand next to mine, helping give Mollie a bite:

Kindergarten Texas Hoedown...

Yesterday was Mason's school kindergarten program.  The theme was 'Texas Hoedown'.  They did a great job!  I was determined to get there on time with the girls, so I was sure to have everything ready that I needed:

Bring a snack and drink for Ellie--Check!
Bring a toy for Mollie--Check!
Bring camera and camcorder--Check!
Remember to charge batteries in camera and camcorder before heading over to the school--Ooops.

Realization #1: I'm always destined to forget something.  Luckily, Mason's speaking part was at the very beginning of the performance, because this short video of him was all I was able to record before my battery died.  He is the one on the right-hand microphone giving the show's welcome in Spanish. 

No worries for me though.  Luckily there was a repeat performance that evening, so I could just go home and charge the batteries, and we'd be ready to go the second time around.  I figured the crowd would probably be larger during the evening show, so we got there a little early.  But this leads me to realization #2:  No matter how early I show up, there will always be 100 other parents who get there before me, thus resulting in me sitting toward the back behind everyone else who is trying to get pictures of their kids.  During this performance, my battery was charged, but I couldn't see Mason well enough to get any pictures.  Go figure.  :)

So finally, I come to realization #3:  Sometimes it's just easier to take pictures of Mason at home in his cowboy costume:

This is Mason with his classmate, Gabriel.  He is one of the sweetest boys in Mason's class, and from the looks of his picture, perhaps a future western-wear model.  (I love how Mason is trying to copy Gabriel's pose, but somehow it doesn't look quite as natural.)

Even Ellie got to be a little Texas cowgirl!



Mollie's First...

Mollie has a tooth!  Today the girls and I were playing, when Mollie smiled really big and I saw a little white "something" on her lower gums.  It looked like a tooth poking through, but she is only 4 months old, so I figured I was just seeing things.  But when I checked, my fingers confirmed that it is indeed her first tooth!  I couldn't get a picture of the tooth, but I did manage to get a picture of all the drool that accompanies her tooth.   :)

(Note: Later this afternoon, as I was trying to get a better look at this new tooth, I realized that both lower teeth are actually poking through!)  What a sweet baby she is!  Aside from her being really "chewy" lately, I would've never known she was cutting teeth!