Logan/Chucky

Logan had a half day of school today, so we took the opportunity to get appointments for flu shots for him and Mia. Ok - so I know that this doesn't sound like fun, but when else are we going to do it without causing Logan to miss school? Besides, I was off work today and it's so much easier if Joe and I are together when both kids have an appointment.

Mia was up first. She got one shot in the upper thigh, from which she cried for about 10 whole seconds. There I was thinking "Man, this is going good! Logan isn't even getting a shot - he's just getting the nasal mist. Looks like we'll be out of here with smiles!".

Then it was Logan's turn. Let the tears begin! I mean it. He threw an all out raging hissy fit. We tried reasoning - no deal. We tried negotiating - no deal. He started kicking, punching, crying, and contorting himself so as to avoid a simple nasal mist. I mean, if he could have, he would have ripped that nurse's head off and thrown it across the room. I wish I had brought the video camera. I truly believe it would have been worth some serious cash later on (Americas's Home Videos - you missed out on a good one!). It was like my sweet little boy ran out of the room and in stepped Chucky. Well, you know what they say: "When all else fails - manhandle 'em.". Afterward he had to pretend that the nasal mist actually did hurt so that he wouldn't feel so silly. So, of course he cried all the way to the elevator; and just for dramatic affect, he even threw in a few moans. I really felt kind of bad for the other moms who then had to explain to their children that the nasal mist truly wouldn't hurt despite Little Chucky's behavior. Once we got into the elevator, Logan had returned and the rest of the day was uneventful.

Well, I guess I learned my lesson...

1. When Logan has a half day of school, let him enjoy it.
2. Never make the mistake of assuming that he's tougher than Mia. 
3. The next time Logan needs a shot (or nasal mist as the case may be), pack the body armor (the nurse can fend for herself). 

Gramps

Anyone who ever knew my Gramps would probably be taken aback to know that someone confused him with Pope Benedict, but it did happen not so long ago...

One typical Sunday in Church, Logan decided he needed to use the potty. As anyone who has a 4 year old understands, you cannot ask a child to hold it - even while in Church. So, off we went, down the aisle in the middle of Mass to the back of the Church to the bathroom. As we got near the back of the Church Logan called out "Gramps!" with lots of excitement in his voice. Now, I knew that Gramps couldn't possibly be there because he lived across the lake and didn't get around all too well; however, I had to look around and see if I could spot anyone that might resemble Gramps. I didn't see anyone that looked anything like him, so I just said "No, Logan. Gramps isn't here today." and continued toward the bathroom. After the potty break was done, we went back into the Church and again Logan called out "Gramps!". This time, he was pointing. When I looked in the direction he was pointing, I saw it there: a portrait of Pope Benedict. I explained to Logan that it wasn't Gramps in the picture; it was Pope Benedict. He, of course, became extremely indignant and insisted that it was Gramps. After a moment I realized that I better start agreeing with him, or he was going to make sure everyone in the Church knew that the portrait was his Gramps. I remember laughing about it afterward. When I told my Mom what happened, we both cracked up together. I will always think of him when I see that portrait.

It's so strange to think how differently each person remembers others. To my mother, Gramps was a strict, forceful man who didn't cut his kids a lot of slack. He was stern and unbending.

To me, he was a sweetheart and as funny as a person can be. I think of him and I think of his skin; "as soft as a baby's behind" he would say. I think of his cologne, which was so strong that for hours after giving him a kiss on the cheek you could smell it and taste it on your lips. I think of the "sexy waves" in his hair, as he would say (man, he had such nice looking hair!). I think of his larger than life key ring with more keys on it than anyone would ever need (I still swear that he would just put random keys on that darn key chain). I think of his beeper and remember wondering: "Now what in the world would he need a beeper for?" - I don't think I ever heard that beeper go off! I think of the endless packs of sugarfree Extra gum which he gave out to anyone and everyone who would take one - it was his way of being sweet (and getting you to do what he wanted!). I remember crushing his "near beer" cans in the back yard for him. I remember his awful driving! He would bring me to religion school and he'd hit someone's car almost every single time and then swear that it was "just a love tap". I remember my cousins Jami, Aaron and I dashing to pretend like we were sleeping every time we heard him clanking down the hallway and then laughing because we thought we pulled one over on him. (I still feel kind of bad about that). I later realized that he knew better. Most of all, I remember his sweet smile and the love he showed me. He always cared about his grandkids and his door was open to ANYONE that ever needed ANYTHING. He never had much to give, but he'd give it all and more if you needed it. I loved him for that.

What saddens me is that my children won't have those memories. Mia will have no memories at all. I hope that Logan will remember the Gramps that sat there and pushed race cars with him, but I fear he will not.

I told Logan that Gramps went to Heaven yesterday and he looked at me with such a sweet face and questioned "We won't see him again, Mommy?". Sadly, I had to tell him that we wouldn't see him again for a long, long time but in the meantime we can talk about our memories, and look at our pictures.

We love you, Gramps and we'll miss you.

My Sweet Little Girl

Wow! I cannot believe how fast Mia is growing. I feel like I was pregnant yesterday. When I look at these pictures I realize just how quickly time is flying. Before you know it I'll be posting her 1st day of school photos as I did with Logan recently. I'm so proud to be their Mommy.

Bowling, Birthday & Football

The weather has been so bad for the last week that we decided not to allow it to keep us from enjoying our weekend. So, while Mia went to play with MiMaw for the afternoon, off went Mommy, Daddy and Logan to the bowling alley!

Aunt Sherry, Uncle BJ, and Daphne met us there. We had a great time. At first, Logan and Daphne were bowling "Granny-style". The only problem was that it took as much as a full minute for the ball to make it all the way down the lane! They just couldn't seem to get enough force behind the ball. After a while, Logan wanted to try to do it like the big kids. He did really well; of course his hands were way too small to hold the ball properly, but he was able to hold it with 2 hands and through it down the lane. While this may not have been the appropriate form, it resulted in the ball making it down the lane every time without stopping (always a good thing when you're paying for a certain amount of time rather than by the game). Soon, Daphne started bowling like a big kid too and they both got a Spare! We managed to get in 2 full games before our time ran out. I'm still not quite sure if Logan and Daphne had more fun running around the bowling alley or if they truly enjoyed bowling - in any case, they were happy and so were we.

After bowling, we celebrated Lily's 2nd birthday at MaMaw Rosie and PaPaw Joe's house. She really getting to be a big girl now. So smart too! She can already recognize letters and numbers. She's quite the little singer as well. We rocked out to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and ABCs!

On Sunday, we went to Church and Logan was such a big boy. He remembered to make the Sign of The Cross when we entered Church and even stood and kneeled each time the grown-ups did. Mia was all decked out in her red dress with (of course) a big bow right on the top of her little bald head. For some reason she really got excited toward the end of Mass and started screaching as loud as she could. I, as her mother, thought it was adorable. Not quite sure what the rest of the congregation thought...

Finally, after what seems like forever, football is back. We watched the Saints game. GO SAINTS!!! It was a really great way to end up the weekend.

A Busy Weekend

This was a very busy weekend!

On Saturday we went to the fishing camp in Cocodrie. MaMaw Rosie, Papaw Joe, Aunt Ronnie, Uncle Joey, MaMaw Toni and Papaw Freddie were there as well. Logan spent time "fishing" on the dock (as much as one can do without a hook on the pole). Mia enojoyed swinging on the dock and watching the boats go by. Uncle Joey had been out shrimping the entire night and after selling most of his catch, came back to the camp with an ice chest full of shrimp and crabs for us to eat. We feasted on shrimp (boiled and fried), crabs, potato salad and turkey. Yep! Papaw Joe got up early to make his famous turkey - it was delicious. We spent time together watching Logan play with the fishing pole and watching Mia do the army crawl through the living room. It was a great day.

On Sunday we went to Kyleigh and Megan's 4th birthday party. Logan and all the other big kids played in the swimming pool and on the slide while Mia served up the entertainment inside. She showed off her gold strappy sandals and the ever famous army crawl for everyone. We all sat around and talked and caught up on the latest events in the family. It was a super fun party!

 

Logan and I had an interesting exchange on the way home from the birthday party:

Me: Logan, take your finger out of your nose.

Logan: Why?

Me: Because it's yucky.

Logan: Why? Does it hurt you?

Me: No, but it's bad weather outside and if we get into an accident it will hurt you.

Logan: How?

Me: You'll poke your brain.

Logan: What brain?

Me: Nevermind.

Since there's no school tomorrow due to the Labor Day holiday, we continued the fun by "pitching" Logan's tent in his bedroom to sleep in. I have a feeling that he's going to sleep well. It was a great weekend.

Logan's 1st Soccer Practice

Logan had his first soccer practice today. To say that he was the best at sharing is to stretch the truth a bit too much. He brought his own ball and had quite the difficult time allowing the coach to use it to demonstrate drills. That said, he was perfectly happy not to use anyone else's either!

It was an absolute comedy. Logan spent much of his time doing cartwheels and eating grass (he has the strangest eating habits). I had to remind him that he truly isn't a cow, no matter how good the grass may taste. But when it came time to compete 1:1 for the ball, Logan was going to win at all costs! I've never seen him run so fast, he kicked that ball away from the other little boy so quickly and kept running with it so hard that the little boy just stopped in his tracks and started crying. Then Logan, the ever so sweet little boy that he is, turned around and politely reminded him that "It's my ball, so I have to be the winner". The games should be interesting!

Police Officer, Logan

Logan has just begun his new "big boy" school and uniforms are a brand new thing to him. He awakens on the first day of school completely excited and ready for his big debut. I pull out his new school uniform and begin to dress him; first his pants and then the shirt...He looks down at his shirt and back up again with a look of pure joy on his face. He says "Mommy, am I going to Police Man School?" and I say "Why are you asking that?". He points to the school logo that has been embroidered on his shirt and says "Look, I have a Police Man badge!"

So cute when I think about how innocent he is. To him, life is so simple. You can be whatever you want just by dressing that way. When he picks up a sword he actually becomes General Grievous; when he puts on his new shoes he can immediately jump higher and further than anyone else. It's amazing.

The Ferocious Mia

So, we're taking a walk around the block. Actually, Logan is riding his bike, Joe is riding Logan's scooter, and I'm pushing Mia in the stroller. We come up to 2 little boys (4 and 5 maybe) playing on their bikes.

Little Boy:  Ooh! Is that a real baby?
Me: Yes, in fact she is a real baby.
Little Boy: What's her name?
Me: Mia
Little Boy reaches in to her stroller to touch her face...
Me: No, No. Please don't touch.
Little Boy: Why? Does she bite?
Me: Sometimes.