Miracle Mason is 8 years old and Happy Holidays!!!

Better late than never! Right?!

Mason turned 8 last month!! Here's his birthday post.....

(I posted this on his birthday, November 30, on Instagram)

"Happy happy birthday to our Miracle Mason! So hard to believe he is 8 years old today!! 8 years ago he changed our lives forever, he has taught us to have great faith and hope, and he has shown us how to love one another more than we ever thought possible! Thank you Mason for being you, and for bringing smiles to our faces each and everyday! We continue to be so very grateful to his donor who made more birthdays with a our sweet little boy possible❤️!

(pictures taken by http://www.byjess.com)

Mason is quite a little ham! He loves to have his picture taken! (Unlike my other kiddos!)

He loves taking selfie pictures too, 

so if he gets a hold of your phone.....

just know you’ll find lots of Mason selfies!

Mason has a great imagination and loves dressing up. Usually soon after he gets home from school he will disappear and return as a new person. Some of his favorites are a swat police officer, firefighter, baseball player, or a football player. Sometimes it also depends on what is on our TV in the evenings or what his brothers are doing…. whether it be a basketball  game, a hockey game, a lacrosse game, golfing, mountain biking, or skiing…. Mason will dress up appropriately! And he doesn’t miss any details either!

(It was only 30 degrees out and he decided it was a 

great day for golfing! He wasn't too happy when I

 made him put a coat on over his golf shirt! Even then

 he only lasted about 5 minutes before he was too cold

and was done golfing for the day! Such a silly boy!)

Although Mason is still just a little guy, weighing in at 38 lbs (on a good day) and stands 44 inches tall , he has certainly come a long way since he was born at 5lbs 5oz with a very sick little heart. After completely crashing at 3 days old, 1 ambulance ride, 2 life flight trips, 3 open heart surgeries (the 3^rd being his heart transplant), 35+ heart caths/biopsies, back rod placement surgery for scoliosis, 6 rod expansion surgeries, too many to count hospital stays for pneumonia and other severe infections….He has totally exceeded all medical expectations! He is our miracle boy who loves life and lives it to the fullest!

(10 days old, right before his first heart surgery)

(Masons first Christmas, in the PICU)

(This sweet little baby has been a fighter since the beginning!)

And now, look at this handsome little 8 year old!

We got him a suit for his birthday, because this cute

8 year old is getting baptized on January 2nd!

When Mason is asked who is best friends are  almost always he will say; Kaitlin, Preston, Braiden, and Ammon! He loves and adores his sister and brothers! (This darling picture was taken by http://www.byjess.com)

As much as Mason has loved football this year, it didn't surprise me when he asked for a football birthday party! He invited several little boys to come celebrate with him the Saturday night before his birthday. 

We had a special guest come visit the party...

Our friend Brett used to play football for BYU,

so he came and met the boys. I think their favorite

part was trying on his heavy football helmet!

After their special guest visitor, the boys played a few games and broke open a football piñata. Then it was the long awaited opening presents and birthday cake time. What a darling bunch of kiddos we had in our home to help Mason celebrate his big day!

Mom and Dad love you Miracle Mason!

 

















On Monday, Mason's real birthday, he got to celebrate his birthday at school with all of his classmates and friends.

Here he is with one of his amazing teachers, Mrs. Losee.

Mason loves going to school and loves his teachers too!

 And, I am so grateful for all they do for Mason!

Again I just want to say how very thankful we are for the family who thought to donate their child's organs at such a sad time of loss for them. I am also so thankful for the opportunity I have to be Miracle Mason's mom and to see God's hand in our lives each and everyday! 

Mason, 

Thank you for being our reminder that miracles happen and prayers are answered! Thank you for reminding us that all the little things in life are actually the big things! I love you more than words can begin to express! Happy belated birthday!

Love, 

Mom

My next post will be about our surprise early Christmas gift to our kiddos. We finally got the okay from Mason's transplant team that he is healthy enough to take on a trip further than California, so we took our family on an 8 day trip to Hawaii! We had a wonderful time and returned home late on Christmas eve! We had a very nice Christmas as we celebrated and remembered the love our Savior has for each of us. We hope your family has felt His love this Christmas season as well!

(This was the night our kids opened an early gift which told them 

about our trip to Hawaii! We told them just 2 nights before

 we were leaving! It was so fun to see their excitement!!)

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year

from our family to yours! 

May the miracle of Christmas fill 

your hearts and homes with love and joy at this time

and through out the new year to come!