Hello, Again!!

I've only been putting off writing a new blog for about three months now. In fact, it has gotten so bad, that I actually wrote in my planner to get it updated. I think that qualifies for loser status. But, I ended up staying home sick from school today, so I've gotten a few things accomplished. Don't worry, I'm not deathly ill or anything, but I'm definitely not 100%. Last Thursday Eli had a yucky stomach bug that resulted in a lot of puke in a short period of time, primarily on the floor, Mason and me. Then on Saturday evening, Mason got the crud. Naturally, they were kind enough to share with me, though I didn't get it quite as bad as they did. Actually, I have yet to throw up (knock on wood), but I have just felt very weak and out of sorts. I really have not had much of an appetite either, so I'm just hoping that whatever it is goes away quickly and does not get worse.

Anyway, between the holidays and snow days (lots and lots of snow days), we have had a lot of quality family time together! Though we have had a couple days where we all (Gus included) drove each other nuts, overall we have had a lot of fun. We set up our Christmas tree prior to Thanksgiving because we weren't going to be home Thanksgiving weekend. Eli had a good time "helping" with that, and luckily, didn't break anything! Thanksgiving was a lot of fun as we went up to St. Joseph to visit Mason's mom. Since they have significantly more shopping than we do here in Rolla, Mason and I ventured out for Black Friday shopping (it was actually Thursday if I'm going to be truthful). We started at Wal-Mart Thursday evening and then we hit up a few more places Friday and Saturday. We got a lot of great deals and spent A LOT of money, which was mostly okay since a lot was for other people! I got some new boots and a coat out of the deal, too, so I can't complain too much!! ;)

Eli "helping" with the garland!

My two favorite boys.

After Thanksgiving, we had SEVERAL Christmases. We had one with the Heavin side, one with Eli's daycare, one with Mason's dad, one with Mason's mom, both my mom and dad, the Steffen Christmas, plus our own. I "think" that was all of them. Each one was so much fun, of course! Not only did we have a whole week together as a family prior to Christmas, but we also were able to spend nearly a week in Iowa visiting friends and family. We stayed with my brother and Bailey like we normally do, and were so excited to learn that they are expecting a baby the end of August! It was definitely difficult to keep that a secret!! Mason and I are both excited to have the opportunity to be an aunt and uncle again. Both sides of our families are growing, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have baby fever!! Ha!

Eli was definitely a spoiled little boy when it came to Christmas gifts! He has many very generous family members, especially grandparents! Some of his favorite gifts were his books (which I'm thankful for!). He also received a couple toys that he was able to push around, which he really liked as well. He received several nice outfits, but he just wasn't as excited about those (shocking, I know..)! ;) I took a ton of pictures at Christmas, so there's no way I can include them all, but I'll share some.

Many of you saw Eli's horrifying experience with Santa. Here's one with the three of us, with Eli clinging to Mason for dear life. I felt bad for the boy, but it was kind of funny...poor guy!

Tabitha and Mason with Carson and Eli.

Grandma and Papa Heavin with Carson and Eli.

Hanging out with Dad!

Big smiles!!

He LOVES his Mickey Mouse slippers from Papa and Momo Ellis!

This silly boy has been paci free for over a month now!!

As he walked to the living room Christmas morning he gave me a great big smirk (I missed it, of course) when he saw his presents from Santa. He dug in quickly!!

He went straight for the dump truck!

SPOILED!

Mason was very surprised when he opened his gun scope. He had no idea!

A glimpse into the Steffen Christmas!!

JJ and I on New Year's Eve.

Ash and I!

We were supposed to go back to school on January 6th, but because of snow, our break was extended. But, later that week Mason was finally able to begin student teaching. He is student teaching here in Rolla with a third grade class. So far he is really enjoying his time there and he is learning a lot. Of course, both of us are VERY eager for him to finish, which will be in approximately 57 days, not that we're counting....;) He still has a couple of classes to take this summer, but then he will be officially finished! His graduation is supposed to be May 17th, but one of Mason's good friends is getting married that day, so we're hoping he can still walk either in August or next December. We just have to check out our options. We just pray that everything works out and he is able to get a teaching position this fall.

We looked at some land not long ago as well, just to check it out, because that is something we're hoping to purchase in the not-too-distant future. We really like that particular land, but at this point, it's just not in the budget. With any luck, it will still be for sale when we are more financially able to handle it, but if not, it wasn't meant to be. A lot will depend on if and where Mason gets a job, so what happens in the next few months will play a big role in whether we move in the near future. There are a lot of unknowns at this point, but it is also kind of exciting. Mason and I have really enjoyed our conversations about what the future holds and what our long and short-term goals are together. He's a pretty great partner in crime! :)

I also started taking a photography class with one of Mason's cousins, Laura. We've only had a couple of classes (again, because of snow), but I've really enjoyed them so far. I'm a very far cry from knowing what I'm doing with my camera, but I'm encouraged that I'll figure it out at some point. At the very least I would like to get good enough that I can take decent pictures of Eli. He has this thing where he likes to ignore me and look the opposite direction the moment my camera comes out, but I'm not so sure this class will help with that! ;) Either way, I really like it!

That's about the extent of what we have been up to since I last wrote, at least from what I can remember. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but I'm just thankful I finally had the chance to get this written! Now, I'm going to attempt to get some pictures ordered. It has only been on my to-do list since August.....

Happy (Belated) Halloween!

Like I mentioned in my previous blog, we didn't have big plans for Halloween other than to pass out candy. But we did make a big pot of chili, we got to dress up our favorite little mister, and have a fun evening together as a family. Mason's professor was nice enough to give them the night off since many of the students had kids they wanted to take trick-or-treating. Even though we didn't do that it was very nice to spend time together. For Eli's birthday, my sister bought him a cute little superhero costume, so we decided that would be his Halloween costume. Even though it was kind of drizzly out, we did have several trick-or-treaters. I always enjoy seeing the kids all dressed up, and Eli really liked helping to answer the door. He didn't really know what to think at first, but he was definitely curious about all these kids ringing our doorbell. He even started waving to the kids as they were leaving!

Our sweet little superhero!

Mason's pumpkin

Eli and his pumpkin! He's a great carver! ;)

All three of our pumpkins lit up and ready to go for Halloween!

Though Halloween was very fun for the three of us, the last month and a half has been slightly hectic. It started with my car being backed into and finding out that my wisdom teeth needed to be removed, which I already mentioned. The morning of Halloween Mason ended up leaving school early because he wasn't feeling well. After going to the doctor it was determined that he had bronchitis and borderline pneumonia, so it wasn't surprising that he felt the way he did!

The evening of Halloween (after we went to bed), Mason's truck was hit. Luckily, no one was injured, and it wasn't a hit and run, but it caused enough damage that it totaled his truck. The driver was going fast enough that she managed to push the front tire of the truck from the street onto the curb. Though dealing with all the insurance stuff is kind of a pain, we actually ended up sitting pretty. We only had roughly $1500 in the truck, and we got $5700 out of it. And Mason has already purchased a different truck. It's a diesel so he's like a kid in a candy store.

Where the truck tire ended up.

Mason's new truck.

The next day I ended up going to the doctor with a pretty significant ear infection. My ear and head were just throbbing. The doctor gave me some medicine, but by Sunday it was even worse, and I ended up getting sick because of the dizziness. So off to the doctor I went again! This time they gave me a different antibiotic and some ear drops as well, which were a God-send! Somewhere in the chaos, Eli fell and cut his head right at his eyebrow. It could have been so much worse, but it scared me half to death because it was his first significant injury that I've had to deal with on my own (Mason was in class). He's pretty tough, but he definitely cried for awhile with that one!

Last Friday after Mason dropped Eli off at daycare, he hit a deer with the Cobalt. Luckily, he was okay, but the car has seen better days. We dropped it off Monday to be assessed, but we haven't heard anything back yet. We're hoping to hear something tomorrow. If it's totaled we're still on the fence as to whether we will purchase a different car right now or just wait until later. Since we drive about a half hour to work each day, the truck would be a bit of a gas hog, so we are still back and forth at this point.

And then on Tuesday, I got my wisdom teeth removed. I only had to have the bottom two removed because the top two just never existed. But because they had not come in all the way, they had to be cut out rather than pulled. I had intentions of going back to school today, but it probably would have been a bad idea. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat uncomfortable right now, but I'm hoping the pain (and some of the numbness still in my lip) will subside soon. I'm hoping tomorrow will go okay and there will be minimal laughter at my chipmunk cheeks. They could be a lot worse, but I still don't like how they stick out right now. And no, I will not be posting a picture of that! ;)

As you can see, things have been crazy. Despite everything, we've been incredibly blessed that we are still as healthy as we are and that none of us got hurt with the vehicle issues we have had. And not only that, but we found out that Mason gets to student teach this spring!! That was probably the biggest relief of all, because that means he will get to apply for teaching jobs for this fall. All the prayers definitely worked, and we are incredibly thankful!! Though we've been very blessed, we're hoping for a slightly less chaotic holiday season! ;)

October Fun!

This year I swore we wouldn't be turning the heat on until November (yes, I'm cheap and I want a low electric bill), but here I sit, teeth chattering, waiting for the heat to take the chill out of the house. The sad part is that it's not even that cold today, I'm just a sissy!

We have been really lucky with all the nice weather we've gotten, though. There have been a few cold days, but it is fall, so I don't have too much room to complain. The first weekend of this month Mason decided to surprise me, and we took a day trip up to Hermann, Missouri. I've been wanting to go for quite some time, and even though it was a rainy day, we had a good time. We started by having lunch at Swiss Meat and Sausage Company, and then spent quite a bit of money on bratwurst. They were just too delicious to pass up!! We did drag Eli along, and got a few looks when we took him with us on a tour of the winery (yes, we are those parents). It was either that or leave him in the car. Somehow I don't think that would have gone over too well either. :) Since it was Octoberfest, it was a bit of a zoo, so we didn't stay long after the tour. We then went to a little candy shop and got some chocolate before heading back home. Even though Eli was a good little boy, next time we go, we will definitely get a babysitter!

My love

As always, my son is so cooperative. :) He was trying to shove goldfish in Mason's mouth.

Just some of the vineyards.

The very next day we took Eli to the pumpkin patch here in Rolla. We took him last year as well, but since he could barely sit up at that point, it wasn't quite as fun. He still didn't get super excited, but he really enjoyed looking at and petting the animals. He just kept giggling! We also went on a "train" ride and Mason took him down the big slide. Then we got on the wagon to go pick out our pumpkins.

Eli with the calves. He loved them!

Having a good time with Daddy!

Quite a height (and weight) difference from last year! At his most recent appointment he was 33" tall and 28 pounds 9.8 ounces!!

I want this one!!

The best one we could get!

The following weekend (October 12th), we went to Iowa again for my cousin, Nicole's wedding. We got to Iowa Friday afternoon and took a pit stop where my dad works so Eli could see him and all the pigs. He was pretty content the entire time, and was even given a Tootsie Pop. As you can imagine, he was a sticky mess!! But he loved it and ate the entire thing!

The next day was the wedding, and Nicole was absolutely stunning! Though it was pretty windy, it was gorgeous out and everything went very smoothly. Unfortunately, Eli refused to sleep in his pack and play like he did at JJ and Bailey's wedding, so we ended up having to leave the reception a little earlier than planned.

Mr. and Mrs. Becker!

He's sure pretty!

Otherwise, we've just been trucking along! I had conferences last week, which went very well. They're pretty exhausting though (just because of how long we're at school), so I didn't do a thing on Saturday. Literally, I did nothing. Then yesterday morning we went to church, ran to the store quick, and then went to Mason's dad's house to celebrate his birthday. It was a very relaxing afternoon and it was nice visiting with everyone.

On a random side note, it's looking like I will have to have my wisdom teeth pulled. Yuck!! I only have bottom wisdom teeth, and the last 4-5 days I've had headaches, some minor neck pain, and a toothache where my left wisdom tooth is. I called the dentist this morning and luckily they were able to get me in this afternoon to check it out. From the sounds of it, I will have a consultation on November 18th, and then get them removed the same day, assuming all goes well with the consultation. However, Mason is most likely going to be out of town still because of hunting season, so I will probably need to reschedule. Naturally, the dentist said my teeth are probably in the worst spot they could be in (right by the nerve and facing some wacky direction), but that I would definitely need to be put out, and that everything would be fine (I hope he's right!). In some respects it will be nice to have it done and over with, but at the same time, it's kind of scary!

Other than that, we're probably going to carve pumpkins tonight since Mason no longer has class on Monday nights. Yay! We're not doing anything big for Halloween except for passing out candy. I considered taking Eli to Trunk-Or-Treat at our church, but we decided that we're just going to stay home. We will probably take him out next year for a little while instead. We're still going to dress him up, but he can just be a super hero around the house! I'll post pictures of him all dressed up at some point!

Have a safe and happy Halloween!! :)

Is September Seriously Over?!

Wow, I didn't realize how long it had actually been since I was on here last. Two months is definitely pushing it, especially considering all that has taken place! The big things that went on were Bailey's bridal shower, school starting, JJ and Bailey's wedding, my car getting hit, my first 29th birthday (yes, my first), and another wedding.

We had Bailey's bridal shower and bachelorette party on July 27th. Though I missed Mason and Eli a lot, I have to say that it was nice to have a girl's weekend to get away! It went very quickly, however, because as soon as got to town I went to the store and then went over to my mom's to do some baking. After completely annihilating my mom's kitchen, my mom, Laura, and AJ (one of Bailey's good friends) were kind enough to help decorate the hall so we didn't have to do much the next morning. From there I headed to Dunkerton, where I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was Dunkerton Days. I had not been to Dunkerton Days in several years and it was fun seeing a lot of people that I had not had the opportunity to see in awhile. After fireworks we went back to JJ and Bailey's and watched her model some dresses in preparation for her bridal shower/bachelorette party. The shower was a lot of fun and several people were able to attend. Overall, I feel it went very well! Here are just a few of the pictures that were taken at the shower (Bailey, I promise I'm working on a CD for you! :)).

Me with the beautiful bride-to-be!

Bailey and her mama!

Bailey with a few of her good friends!

This was when her mouth was full of bubble gum because she couldn't answer the questions correctly. I know she'll appreciate this immensely!

After the shower, those of us who were attending the bachelorette party headed down to Iowa City for dinner and a night on the town. We had a fabulous meal at the Brown Bottle, and a great evening afterward!

Our pretty little bachelorette!

After Bailey's shower, Mason and I had to get back into school mode, as we started back the end of August. I had several workshops to attend, and Mason had to prepare for another semester of class, in addition to school. I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but at the end of last year Mason was asked to switch from being a para to a building sub at the school where he works. Basically that just means that he is at the school everyday and he goes wherever they tell him to go. It's really good experience because it allows him to be in multiple classrooms, which is great for learning classroom management. And so far, he really seems to like it! The school year has been off to a good start for me as well, and I'm really enjoying my group of kids. I feel like I can't catch up, but I think that will always be the case to an extent.

In just two short weeks after school started, Mason, Eli, and I were headed to Iowa again for JJ and Bailey's wedding. We left early Friday morning so we would get there in time for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. After the rehearsal we went back to Ben and Ashley's house to get some sleep in preparation for the big day! The next day, everything went very smoothly, and it was absolutely beautiful out (complete with a smidgen of rain for good luck!)! It was a little toasty outside when we took pictures, but overall, it was so much fun! It's kind of hard to believe that my "little brother" is a married man, but it is great to have another sister to add to the mix!

My incredibly cooperative son posing for a picture! :)

My family! <3

My brother and I

My favorite little mister!

Mr. and Mrs. Steffen!

Leeann, JJ, myself, and Laura

Mason giving JJ a hand with the ball and chain.

The next semi-big thing that happened was that my car got backed into. This actually just happened on Thursday, and since I was at a complete stop, the damage was not nearly as bad as it could have been. I was waiting for traffic to clear out (in the school parking lot), and I was stopped behind a pick-up. Unfortunately, he didn't see me when he started to back out and he ran right into my rear passenger door. It left a pretty good dent, so Mason and I dropped it off tonight so the adjuster can look at it in the morning to assess the damage. Luckily, it wasn't my fault so I shouldn't have to pay anything out of pocket.

Saturday was my first twenty-ninth birthday, which was a difficult pill to swallow. I may be an emotional wreck next year, which is why it's a good thing I can celebrate being twenty-nine again. :) We didn't do anything too exciting to celebrate, but we did go to a wedding for Mason's cousin Steve. He got married to the lovely Hannah, and it was a beautiful ceremony and reception. Unfortunately, we had to leave earlier than we would have liked because Mr. Eli was not a happy camper. Speaking of weddings, we have my cousin Nicole's wedding coming up in a couple of weeks as well, so we get to make another trip to Iowa! I'm super excited because Nicole and I were always really close growing up. Another friend of mine (also a Nichole) is getting married in October as well, but because of how much traveling we've been doing, we're not going to be able to make it to hers.

Eli is continuing to get huge, and is FINALLY walking without us prompting him to do so! He definitely likes to do things in his own time, even though we know he can do more. He has a stubborn side to him (totally have no idea where he gets that from.....;)), but he loves to eat, read, and take baths. It's so adorable because he will go to his room all on his own and stay in there for a really long time just "reading" to himself. I've put those books away so many times it is unreal! But I'm definitely thankful he enjoys it!

Eli with Daddy on the first day of school.

Look at those big blue eyes!

Reading away!

Trying to play with his cousin Carson.

There are no words! :)

Other than all that, we've been trying to relax and enjoy this beautiful weather we've been getting. We did get a bit of bad news tonight, however. There's the possibility that Mason's student teaching may be put off for another semester. He sent in his application for student teaching not long ago, and he found out tonight that it has been denied. There are two classes that his paperwork specifically stated he could take while he student teaches. However, he received an email tonight stating that he was supposed to take one of those classes prior to student teaching. Needless to say, we're very frustrated right now, especially since he did exactly what he was told to do as far as classes were concerned. He has sent some emails and made a call or two to try and get the situation fixed, but all we can do is wait to see what happens. This definitely has the potential to put some kinks in our future plans, so if you would, please say a few prayers that everything gets figured out and he can still student teach this spring. We would definitely appreciate it! :)

I think that's all I needed to ramble about, and since it's after 8:30, I need to start getting my stuff ready for tomorrow and head to bed. Yes, I am that lame. ;)