A Day at the Park

Two sweet angels...That's exactly what I have. We spent Saturday at City Park. Logan climbed trees while Mia played on the slide and marvelled at the ducks swimming in the pond. After play time, they enjoyed chocolate ice cream and popcorn (so much for the white dress). They had such a fun time and it was great watching them enjoy it.

The "Man"

Logan thinks he is so grown up now. He comes up with the funniest things! This weekend Logan was taking a shower (yes, he showers instead of bathing now) and when he finished up, he wrapped himself in a towel. Of course, when a towel is wrapped around him he can't take his arm out and do anything with it. So there he stood inside the bathroom calling for me to open the door. I opened the door for him and this is the song I hear him singing to me:

"Open the door and let the man walk through. Let the man walk through. Uh-Huh! Open the door and let the man walk through! Let the man walk through!"

Too funny!

A Nickname for Logan

Every now and then Logan decides that he wants a new name. It's usually something like "Spiderman" or "Superman" or "Puppy Dog" depending upon what he's into playing with at the time. We humor him and call him whatever he wants. What's the harm? Logan's newest nickname; however, this is one for the books. He came up to me the other night while I was sitting on the sofa and said "Mommy, can you call me a different name?" Of course I assured him that it would be no problem and asked him what name he would like to be called. His response? "Buck Wild"...seriously! So, for the past few days, my sweet little boy has gone by the name Buck Wild.

When he first told me this name, I sat there in disbelief for a moment, then bust into laughter, which ended with a few tears. I finally pulled myself together enough to ask him where he had ever heard of such a name. (After all, I was sitting there wondering what kind of television shows his Dad was allowing him to watch when I wasn't home.) He politely reminded me "It's the weasel's name on Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs". What a character to emulate!

Now That Logan is 5...

Now that Logan is 5, I thought it would be good to do a quick interview with him to document his likes and dislikes as well as his future plans.

Favorite Number? 1, because it's the first number.

Favorite Color? Blue Red

Favorite Food? Vegatables because they make you big and strong.

Favorite TV Show? Backyardigans because they help you learn.

Favorite Movie? The Lion King

Favorite Toy? Red Motorcycle

Best Friend? Cole & Cassidy because they're twins and because they have black hair.

Favorite Teach? Mrs. Dawson

Favorite Game? Wii Toy Story

What do you want to be when you grow up? I'm still thinking about that. Maybe a Dad.

Favorite Song? I love a lot of music CDs but mostly my sleeping music.

Do you have a girlfriend? Yes, Cassidy. But I'm not going to marry her.

Why not? Because...just because...because I don't want to kiss. That's why. Is that a good reason?

Mothers' Day

I had a wonderful Mothers' Day! Logan and Mia got me a sweet card and then I was presented with the gifts that Logan selected for me on behalf of him and Mia. My gifts this year were themed... and the theme was pink!!! Does my kid know me, or what? He selected a pink bracelet, and pink ring, and a pink rubber band. They even came in a bag with pink paper. Thank you, my little sweeties. I love you and am very happy to be your Mommy!

Happy Birthday, Logan!

Logan's fifth birthday has already come and gone. I still don't know how this keeps happening! He has been looking forward to this birthday for several months now. I, on the other hand, have been just fine with him being my little baby forever. Why does he have to grow up? Who says that it's the only choice we have? Why not stay a little boy forever? I know, I sound like Peter Pan now! Here are some pictures from his Lazer Tag Birthday Party.

Twinkle Twinkle

Something I thought of when I was singing to Mia the other day and didn't want to forget...

Up until Logan turned 4, bedtime was a total ritual. There was the bathroom trip, the extra sip of water, the million hugs and kisses, the bedtime stories, and of course lots of singing. One of Logan's favorite sings was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and he would sometimes sing it to me:

Twinkle, twinkle, wittle star

How I wonder what you are

Up-a-bubb-a world so high

Like a diamond in the sky...

Too cute!

A Date with Logan

Logan and I went on a date together on Friday night. It was fantastic! He got all dressed up in his long sleeve shirt, khaki pants, and deck shoes and requested that I wear a dress. The dress ended up being a skirt and blouse, but he was happy nonetheless. He told me that I'm "the most beautiful Mommy in the world" (look out ladies - here comes a real romantic!). When we were ready to leave he asked me for the credit card so that he could pay for dinner and told me that he would be opening the door for me. When we left the house, he held my hand and walked me down the stairs and then opened my car door and his. He said "Mommy, I would close your door too, but I can't do it with my seat belt on." I buckled him in and off we went. The car was running a bit low, so we stopped for a fill up and I allowed him to help me pump the gas (not really the best thing in the world, but he really wanted to do it for me so that I could stay in the car so this was the best compromise I could think of without hurting his ego). When we arrived at the restaurant he whipped out his Audubon Zoo animal wallet and pulled $2 from it to pay the vallet, making sure to tell him to "drive very carefully". We walked in to the restaurant and he couldn't see over the counter, but was able to hear the hostess ask me how many were in our party and responded "McNeewy. Just me and my Mommy." When given the choice of tables, he requested the "table with a sofa" (a booth). We had such a nice time, he talked to me and told me about his day at school and gave me kisses. It was the sweetest thing ever!!! When the waiter came over, Logan made sure to order me a diet coke and got himself a chocolate milk. His manners were impeccable - napkin in his lap, "please" followed every request, and "thank you" each time the waiter passed. At one point, the waiter passed by to check on us, but Logan had his mouth full of macaroni and cheese so he couldn't answer him. I gave the old "everything is fine, thank you" and the waiter proceeded toward the kitchen. As soon as Logan was able to swallow what was in his mouth, he yelled across the restaurant "Everything is good! Thank you for the food!" (So maybe we need to work on that, but it was absolutely adorable!) After dinner, he handed the waiter his credit card and then signed the check (I saved the copy he signed and slipped my signed copy in the book without him knowing). When we walked out of the restaurant he again pulled $2 out of his wallet and handed it the vallet along with the ticket. When we got into the car he told me what a great time he had and that it was "the best first date ever."

It truly was one of the most wonderful experiences I've ever had. He was so proud to be with me and wanted everyone to know that I am his Mommy. It was so sweet. I'm so glad we did it! And I am so proud to be his Mommy!

Logan's 1st Homerun

Isn't She Lovely?

T-Ball

We were so disappointed to find out that Logan wouldn't be able to play T-Ball for the recreation department this year. He misses the age cut-off by 9 days... But thanks to a few fantastic parents, whose children are in a similar situation, a T-Ball group was started at Logan's school for children in the Pre-School and Pre-Kindergarten classes only.

It has been awesome for Logan. He's so excited to go to practice and loves playing in the games each weekend. His coach is Andrew's Daddy (one of Logan's best buddies) and the assistant coach is his Daddy. His skills have improved dramatically over the last 2 weeks. He fields the ball very well, understands when to run and when to stay still, stays in his position (for the most part) and bats very well. He's still working on catching the ball in the air, but that will come with time. In the meantime, he's having a blast with his Daddy and Mia and I are having a great time being cheerleaders! Go Cubs!!!

Baby Steps!

She's finally doing it! She started walking at MiMaw's and PaPaw's house. Yeah!!!!

So Long, Fishy.

This evening Logan's beloved fish, Fishy, died. Every so often Logan has gone into his room only to emerge moments later and tell me "Mommy! I think something's wrong with Fishy." Each time, I would go into his room mentally preparing myself for how I would break the news to him. But each time, Fishy has been just fine. Yesterday evening, it started much the same way - except this time he said "Mommy! I think  Fishy is dead." I was in the middle of getting a blanket for Mia, so I only half heartedly listened to him and told him that I would be there in a minute. Joe, obviously noticing that something was different this time, got up from the sofa and walked into Logan's room. After I got Mia's blanket, I started back down the hall only to look into Logan's room and see him standing there with his little eyes filled with tears and hugging his Daddy. Poor Fishy had died. Logan cried for quite some time. He asked us to take a picture of Fishy so that we could print it out and put it in a frame on the shelf in his room. Now, I think that's a little gross - I mean, a picture of a fish floating upside down at the bottom of a fish bowl? But, what were we to do? So, we took the picture. Joe assured him that we would go this weekend to get a new fish. After a little while, this seemed to calm him down. Logan and I said a few last words to Fishy and then said our goodbyes. It was so sad. His little heart was just broken.

Goodbye, Fishy. You were a really good fish and we'll miss you.

Mia is One!

My sweet little baby girl has turned one already! I cannot believe it. Wasn't it just yesterday that she was born? How is it going so fast? It seems like it took me forever to grow up - so why are my kids doing it so much faster than I did?

Well, she's not walking quite yet. She definitely fooled her Daddy and me; we thought she would be walking all over by now. She's been pulling up and walking along the furniture for months now - but she still lacks the confidence to actually let go of the furniture and go for it. I'm sure it will be any day now. I mean, after all what does she have to feel nervous about? It's not like we have a dog who will...oh, wait! We do. Well, it's not like she has a big brother who might...oh, wait! She does. Hmmmm. Come to think about it, I don't think I'd let go if I were her either! We'll wait patiently and hopefully we'll be able to capture it and post a video on here for all to see her remarkable accomplishment.

Happy Birthday, my sweet little baby girl! Mommy loves you.

Valentine's Day 2010

This Valentine's Day began with Pink Pancakes with Chocolate Chips for everyone! Joe woke up with Mia and let Logan and I sleep in for a little while. When Logan awoke he ran to check to see what Mia was doing (as usual) and noticed presents in the living room. He was so excited; I heard him say "Daddy! Daddy! Come see what I see in the living room. It's presents! Who are they for?" I decided this was my cue to get out of bed before Logan took it upon himself to open all the presents. Logan got a Valentine gift basket with 2 new monkeys in it and Mia got a large pink teddy bear. Mia kind of looked at the teddy bear and then decided that playing with the paper was much more interesting. Logan exclaimed "But I didn't need any more monkeys. I already have Leonard and Franklin." Oh well, I guess you win some and you lose some. We still had a lot of fun. It was a very nice relaxing day - just what I needed!

Logan made Valentine's cards for me, his Daddy and Mia. They were really sweet and took him quite a while to complete. He wrote the cards on paper and then cut out heart shapes from construction paper and glued them on the writing paper.

I think his handwriting is really improving - especially considering he isn't even 5 yet.

Christmas 2009

I just don't know how this Christmas could have gone any better...We had so many wonderful experiences this year!

Logan was in a performance at the Children's Mass on Christmas Eve. He was a Donkey in the first play that took place before Mass began and was a Shepherd in the second play that took place at the end of Mass. He did such a wonderful job. Logan has come such a long way from the little boy who had an absolute meltdown at last years' Christmas performance. I can still remember sitting there in the Church watching all the other proud parents snapping pictures of their children singing their little hearts out, while my son sat next to me singing every word but refusing to go up with his class. I remember letting out a few tears because I wanted him to do it so badly but he just wouldn't even consider going up in front of all those people. What a long way my sweet little boy has come. He is really beginning to develop self confidence; as a mother there is nothing more pleasing to see. I am so very proud of him!

Mia got her first tooth! It poked right through Christmas morning. I don't know if her Daddy and I were more excited about it or if Logan was. You see, Dr. Kappel told Logan that Mia should have a tooth for Christmas when she went in for her last checkup. Ever since that day, anytime I asked Logan "What happens on Christmas?" he would respond "Mia gets her tooth! And it's Baby Jesus' birthday." I cannot even imagine what would have happened if that tooth had not made it through on time.

Santa treated Mia and Logan like the super great kids that they are. Logan was so funny Christmas morning. He came bursting into my bedroom exclaiming "He came! He came! Mommy! Daddy! Santa came and there's presents everywhere!" Then when we walked into the living room, he said "Aww, man! Santa messed up. I didn't mean for him to bring Sissy a big car to ride in - I wanted him to bring her a little car so she can play race cars with me!" I couldn't believe it. What a little stinker! Luckily, he got over that very quickly when he began opening his own gifts. Box after box, he tore open the paper and exclaimed "It's just what I wanted!" It was such a nice experience. Then, Mia woke up (we purposely let her sleep late so that each of them could have their own time to open all their gifts without feeling rushed or overwhelmed by the other) and she was nothing but smiles with her new little tooth sticking right up through her gum line. She sat down with me to open her gifts and ate a few pieces of paper. After about 10 minutes, I let Logan take over opening her gifts. It was so nice to watch the two of them interact. Logan was so gentle and sweet - he let all of his toys wait on the side while he helped Mia with her toys. And Mia sat there just watching and smiling while her big brother gave her so much attention - it was like she had stars in her eyes. They are so sweet with each other. I know those days are probably numbered, but I truly hope that I will always remember how they are right now. My sweet little angels.

Mommy's Favorite Things About...

Logan

1. The tiny little freckles on his nose.
2. The way he chews bubble gum as if he hasn't a care in the world.
3. The little snorky noises he makes when he's sleeping.
4. The fact that his favorite thing to do on the weekend is to sleep with me (it's my favorite thing to do, too!).
5. His laugh - it's infectious.
6. The way he cracks up laughing at his own AWFUL jokes as if they are the funniest he's ever heard.
7. How sweet he is to Mia - he plays so well with her. It warms my heart.
8. The fact that he truly believes he is invincible.
9. How much he tells me that he loves me (he truly says it all the time completely unprompted).
10. The fact that every time we walk from the back of the house to the front, he must be one step in front of me and then when we get there he exclaims "I won!".
11. The way he likes to snuggle with me.
12. The way he always looks for me when something is wrong or when he is hurt.
13. The fact that even though he knows he's going to get in trouble, he cannot help but to make a complete wet mess in the bathroom every time he takes a bath (that kid just loves water and bubbles).
14. How well mannered he is.
15. The way he dances as if he were a break dancer - even when he's dancing to classical music.
16. The way he likes to spin around and around as he walks holding my hand.
17. The way he thinks EVERYTHING I do is better than ANYTHING ANYONE else does (what an ego boost!).
18. The fact that he has to sleep with all of his buddies (Leonard & Franklin, Blue Puppy, Brown Puppy, Baby Puppy, MiMi Cat, and any other buddy that may have caught his interest that day) every night.
19. The way he makes his tags "talk".
20. His little, stubby, fat feet - especially the toes!

Mia

1. Her little bald head (I tease about it all the time, but I secretly love the fact that she's bald). It's so darn cute!
2. The fact that I get a complete workout trying to change her diaper - and if I have to change her clothes, too...
3. The fact that bath time is her favorite time of the day. She splishes and splashes and giggles - so sweet!
4. Her beautiful blue eyes that gaze around in wonder.
5. The way she chews on her blankets when she's sleepy.
6. The way she loves to follow Logan around the house regardless of what he's doing.
7. The way she shoves her fingers in her mouth after every bite of food and then leans over so that Zachary can lick her hands clean. (I know it's gross, but it's hysterical!)
8. The fact that she cannot sit still for even a minute - she's always on the go.
9. The way she almost always wakes up with a smile.
10. The way she "talks" to Logan.
11. The fact that she tolerates me treating her as a real live Barbie Doll (changing outfits several times per day, switching out bows, changing shoes, etc.).
12. The way she screeches at "the other little girl" in the mirror every time she sees her.
13. The fact that she's so tiny (makes that infant carrier so much easier to lug around).
14. The way she completely stops crying as soon as her Daddy starts playing the guitar for her.
15. How excited she gets when I walk into the room. (I wish I got a standing ovation every time I walked into a room at work!)

They Grow So Quickly...

Logan's Top 8 Reasons Not To Go To Bed

How is it possible for one child to come up with so many reasons not to go to bed? 

8.     (Cough, Cough, Cough) Mommy, I need a drink of water.
7.     Mommy / Daddy, you forgot to give me my vitamin.
6.     I need to go pee pee (again).
5.     Mommy / Daddy, my closet door is open.
4.     But I'm SOOO hungry!
3.     Mommy / Daddy, Zachary is sniffing too hard.
2.     Mommy, I need to tell you something....ummmmm, oh yeah! Why did the pig cross the road?
1.     Mommy / Daddy, I smell something stinky. (I've learned that having a boy means that there is always something stinky, or gassy, or burpy.)

I must admit that I admire how creative he's gotten!

Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving Day this year was fantastic! We slept late (Yeah, Mia - thanks for sleeping until 8:30!) and started our day out right. Logan was very happy when he awoke, as was Mia. We sat down in time for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade...it was so beautiful this year. Logan couldn't wait for Santa to pass; he especially loved the Mickey Mouse Pirate balloon. Then it was time to get ready and get over to Aunt Terry's house for our Thanksgiving Feast. There was soooo much food! Mia had her first taste of "real food"; she ate some of PaPaw Joe's famous turkey and loved every last bite of it.

Next, we went to Hardware MaMaw and PaPaw's house and Mia had some of Hardware PaPaw's famous sweet potatoes. Once she got a taste of that, I don't think she cared about anything else. The smile on her face was priceless! She started kicking her legs and flapping her arms and even tried to steal the spoon out of my hand. It was really cute! Logan spent most of his night playing with the Monster Trucks that Hardware MaMaw bought for him to play with when he's at her house. He had a blast. Hardware MaMaw and PaPaw had just returned from a vacation at the Grand Canyon so (of course) they brought back gifts. Logan got a Native American Flute, which he played most of the way home (thanks, Dad!). About half way home I noticed that there were no more "sweet melodies" coming from the back seat so I turned around to do a status check and there he was, with the flute still up to his lips and his fingers covering the holes and sound asleep! It was absolutely adorable.

We had a great Thanksgiving this year and are very much looking forward to Christmas!