Good bye Chip....Hello....Chip

Mason's birthday fish, Chip, lasted exactly 2 days before he joined his fellow fish tank brothers in the sky.  I think the stress of cold water, excited little kids and perhaps poor genetics meant that this Chip wasn't long for the world.

Monday morning we had to say our goodbye's to Chip.

Mason appears very sad in this picture.  

He wasn't.  

As he was holding the plate he was asking if we could filet Chip and eat him.

The following Saturday we brought our receipt and got reimbursed with our next fish!

Meet....wait for it.....Chip!

So far this little guy is doing amazing!  1 week in and going strong!

Weekends mean sleep overs...in each other's bedrooms.

It was Kade's turn to host.

And because we just experienced The Blizzard of the Century they got a bonus sleepover!

Seriously, I think they've had 9 or 10 snow days so far this winter!!!  

Mason watching the blowing snow in the comfort of Na Night.

Nothing keeps Kade from being outside!

To give some perspective, Kade is just about 5 feet tall.

We had drifts up to Erik's shoulders!!

Picture catch up this week!

Kade's loving basketball still.  Only 2 games left!  I can't believe how fast 8 weeks goes.

It's so fun to watch the improvements from week to week.  Since they keep score, it's also fun to watch his intensity and competitiveness developing.

Mason has started to show a bit of interest in basketball too!  Although he could care less about watching Kade's games, he has started to practice dribbling and taking shots.

Here he is with Gunnar at open gym, apparently Mason was the hoop.

What do you do after a day of basketball?  

You go home and tape a court onto the floor, of course!

Best dressed couple!

We watched the Super Bowl in Erin and Kurt's Man Shed!

There's a basketball hoop in there so Kade shot around 2000 baskets.

Mason pretended to drive this lawn mower most of the time.

We ate a lot of food.

Oh yeah, and I guess the game was on in the background.

Gotta love finding these little gems on your phone!

Mason's Turns 5!

I can't believe our littlest man is 5 years old!!  5 years?!?!?  

This year his birthday fell on a Saturday so we had a bunch of his daycare friends, and their families, over to play.  The kids braved the cold weather and did some sledding and snowmobiling.  They also dance partied in the basement as well as lots of playing.  

It was nice because they all spend so much time together at daycare together they know exactly how to play with each other and work things out if need be.  The bigs also do a great job of playing with/watching the littles.  That's a win-win for the parents too!!

Mason's birthday was a few days celebration, starting at daycare on Thursday.  He was supposed to bring treats to school that day too but it was canceled due to YET ANOTHER snow day.  I think they are up to 6 now!!  So now his birthday celebrations will extend into Monday too.

Best birthday ever--a snow day means his hero, Gavin, stayed home too!!

I love this video Amanda sent.  How cute is that bashful, little smile?!?!

On Friday his gift from my brother arrived!

He opened it, raised his arms in excitement and said, "YES!!  Now I get to shoot Kade!!"

He also got his gift from my parents, a fish!

He named him "Chip" as in "Fish n Chips".

Anyone who's been to our house know we keep it a bit chilly so Chip's first night home was a kind of worrisome as far as making it through the night in less than ideal temps for a beta.  Luckily we got Chip a heater for his tank and he seems to be doing great now!

Welcome home, Chip!

On his actual birthday Kade had a basketball game.  I had to run a few errands in town so Erik took the boys home afterwards.  Kade was in the shower, Erik was outside, I was driving home and Mason was.....opening his present.  Luckily Erik caught the tail end of it!  That little stinker!

Party time!

Our friends, the M's, brought out their mini snowmobile and the littles had a blast driving it around the driveway.  I think it was the highlight of the day for Mason!

The bigs riding on Erik's sled.

Mason and his best buddy, Gunnar, checking out his new toy.

Supper time!

Mason requested a na-night cake.  What is a na-night cake you ask?

Apparently it's a cake that looks like his blanket, Na Night.

I went with a more figurative interpretation rather than a literal one.

Trick candles!  Kept them entertained and laughing for a bit!

The end of the night.  Mase fell asleep shortly after this picture was taken.

Happy birthday to my sweet, snuggly, stubborn and funny FIVE year old!!

We love you Mason David!!!