The Girls: Then and Now

A few weeks ago when I was in Texas I had dinner with some of my oldest girlfriends. (I don't mean as in age! I mean, as in we've been friends the longest, lol.) Sarah and I met the summer before 3rd grade and have been friends over 20 years. We grew up 2 houses apart! Angela and I met Freshman year of high school and were in band together. The 3 of us were really close all through high school and have kept in touch over the years! Our 10 year high school reunion was this summer, and even though I couldn't attend (Shane was leaving for CA the next morning) it has still made me nostalgic. I feel so lucky to be able to still say these are some of my dearest friends! Here's a little walk down memory lane...

Angela, Sarah and me-10 Years Later and better then ever!!!
Me, Angela and Sarah-Right after Graduation 1998
Angela, Sarah and me-Freshmen Year of High School 1995


Posted in: on Friday, October 31, 2008 at at 10:26 AM 1 comments  

The Tortuous and the Hare

We hosted our playgroups Halloween party today. It was a lot of fun! I'm too exhausted to write much now, but here are some pics. Logan and I went as the Tortuous and the Hare : )

A shot of my bunny tailI have no idea what I was doing in this picture but I think it really funny This shows the table and a friend of ours at the party

Some spooky ghosts stopped by! I made the little spider treat bags for everyone. There are girl and boy spiders.


I'll write more later! Logan's taking a nap and I'm off to put my feet up for a bit.










Posted in: on Thursday, October 30, 2008 at at 2:41 PM 1 comments  

Is Vaseline Toxic?

I have to say that we're going through some sort of a transition. The tricky thing about toddlers is that you don't always know what you're transitioning into....but, such is life. Naps were hit or miss all weekend and last night he turned into the strangest baby! I think he is getting frustrated because he cannot tell us what he wants. Or, rather, he is trying to tell us and we don't understand him. So, we're walking that fine line where you're trying to get them to communicate with you but also trying not to encourage the screeching that IS them trying to communicate with you. Grrrrr.....


He now understands that there are fun things on top of tables and countertops. He'll sweetly ask to be picked up and then reach for whatever is on the counter-none of which he can have. This does not make him happy. I've caught him not once, but twice, playing with the Vaseline. One time, he figured out how to open his top drawer of his dresser, reach in, and take everything out. I did NOT think that he was tall enough for this. Then, this morning, he apparently reached up and got it off the table in our foyer where I had hidden it the last time. I sure feel silly that my child has eaten Vaseline not once but twice this weekend. I don't think he actually ingested that much but I guess it's more the principle of it all. He is getting into everything!!!!
We went this weekend and bought a new gate for our fireplace. We had one in there that was flush with the molding, but you couldn't light the fireplace with the gate on. I LOVE the fireplace in the fall and winter, and usually light it every day. So, this new gate was a must!!! Shane did a great job installing it : ) Here is a picture.


We planted pansies in our front yard on Sunday and Logan helped. This is him working on the window boxes for our deck out back. If I dug a hole, he would chunk the flower in there. He was so proud when he pulled two of them out and brought them to me!!!

He loves to play with the pots. He would pick up rocks and carry them over to put in his pot. He also helped us mulch the beds and would take handfuls of mulch out of the bags and throw them in the flower beds. It was so cute!Shane had to water the new flowers after everything was planted. Logan loves water! So, he started running for the hose. Shane kept trying to miss him, but he eventually got wet (of course!) Luckily is was 80 degrees here yesterday. (Although this morning is is 41 degrees! Ouch!)

Well, I'm off to get busy with my week. I just got L down for a nap (I think!) after our walk/run with the dogs this morning. I'm going to try to get some work done on the crafts for the Halloween party that I'm hosting for our playgroup this week. We have our usual storytime at the library this morning and lunch with friends. Hopefully, he will sleep until we have to leave.

Posted in: on Monday, October 27, 2008 at at 8:57 AM 2 comments  

Saturday Morning

Uh-Oh-here's proof that my baby is a talker! Oh and I forgot that he is also saying bye-bye : )


It's amazing how quickly kids can pick up on things. Logan is now a climbing maniac and loves to be on the couch with us. But, once he is up there, he climbs immediately over to this table we have in between them and trys to sit on it. He has a picnic table outside and now he loves to stand up on it! Talk about trying to give me a heart attack!!!

Here's a picture of it...




I think we're also starting to transition from 2 naps a day to 1. I've really been trying to avoid this day, and am still not sure that I am ready. I really love knowing that if he skips one nap, he'll have another one later. It seems like everyday over the last few weeks has been different. One day he'll take 2 great naps and then the next day he'll take a long morning nap and then no afternoon nap. The hardest part is that I do not think he is ready to go from 6:30 or 7:00 when he wakes up, until after lunch for his nap. He is usually asleep by 9 or 10!! So, maybe he isn't ready...maybe all of the travelling has messed him up. Yesterday he napped 2 hours and 45 mins in the morning and 1 hour and 45 mins in the afternoon. Then he still was asleep last night by 8pm and slept until 7am this morning. Who knows?!?

This is Logan playing with my cell phone this morning. It is one of his favorite "toys!" He opens it and holds it up to his ear and starts "talking!"


This is the little bike that my parents gave Logan for his birthday. It rocks right now but can be converted into a real bike (you can see the pedals on the front) for whenever he is big enough. He can now climb on and off by himself and rock it. He has so much fun!!!

Posted in: on Saturday, October 25, 2008 at at 9:19 AM 1 comments  

Uh Oh

Logan is saying "uh oh" now! It is the cutest thing ever!!!! My baby boy is now saying 3 words consistently-Daddy, Mama and uh-oh! Woo hoo!!!!


Just a typical sunset here....I feel so lucky...This is Logan and I at our local park playdate last weekLogan and a cute little friend of his here!Right after his bath
Well, things have just jumped right back into normal, I guess! Monday was a really busy day for us. First thing, I had to give Lucy a bath since I had planned a visit at the Childrens Home for her in afternoon. (She has to have a bath within 24 hours of every visit! This is not easy since she is 75 pounds and sheds like a maniac!) Then, we had our usual Monday storytime at the library. My Mom was still in town and so I wanted her to be able to come and see it. We have so much fun there every week! They sing songs, read books and do a craft. It is truly "toddler time" and they are free to dance and sing! It's adorable to watch. Usual errands after that-the bank and Target. We ran home so I could grab some lunch and then Lucy and I loaded up for our visit.
We had a really great one. We got to meet with the preschoolers since I was able to do a weekday visit. They are some of my favorites! They love Lucy and just climb all over her. It was really funny though because there were some guys doing construction on the building across from where we were. Lucy likes to check things out so I took her over there to see. One of the guys asked to see her, so I said "This is Lucy and she is a therapy dog." And, then he laughed and said "Well, I feel better already!" HA HA HA. I couldn't help but giggle. After we wrapped up our visit, he called us back over and started asking questions about how to get involved and what a dog has to go through to become a therapy dog. It's funny how the word can spread!!!
After our visit, Shane and I loaded up for our date night : ) We left Logan with Memaw and went to a really nice restaurant for dinner and spent the night at a hotel downtown. So much fun! We had an old gift card for the restaurant and used hotel points for our night. That made it even better!!! You really do appreciate a night alone and out on the town. We had a wonderful time. My Mom was so amazing to help us with Logan. I can't thank her enough!
Cute story really quick. Tonight when I was reading Logan his good night book I started asking him to point to the animals. I said "Where's the cow?" and he pointed to him. I went through several animals (sheep, dog, cat) all of which he knew. Then, I said "Where's the snake?" And, he looked at me and did his hands like "I don't know???" It was so cute! I guess he didn't know the snake yet! The other funny thing is that he knows which dog is which. He will point out Booker or Lucy without fail, yet to most people they look exactly alike! (Booker is more gray and taller/thinner then Lucy so we can tell. There are a few other small things, but most people always ask how we can tell them apart.) It really is amazing to be with him every day and see him learn and change. Every day, he seems to grasp more things and understand a little bit more.
Okay, I'm off to bed because it's after 11pm and I have a busy day tomorrow!

Posted in: on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at at 10:51 PM 0 comments  

All Together Again!!!

We're all back in AR safe and sound-together!!! My Mom, Logan and I drove in on Thursday afternoon and Shane came in Friday night. We're so glad to have him home with us! Things have been pretty busy since then. On Friday, I had to go to Children's to get ready for the dog evaluation that we had this morning. I have to have a male volunteer in every evaluation and my token guy got sick. So, Shane got talked into volunteering with me today. He did a great job! We only evaluated 4 dogs and only 1 passed....it's a pretty tough test. (Most of you know that Lucy didn't pass her first time either.) In November, we'll be testing about 24 teams so hopefully we'll have a better pass/fail ratio. I'm just really relieved that this first evaluation is over. Now, I have a system and know what I'm doing so from here on out it should be a lot easier.

Logan has taken to holding your hand and leading you places now. It is so cute! Most of the time he takes you to the front door to go outside and play. He is really glad to have Shane back. He keeps saying "Daden" which is how he says daddy. It is so sweet. I don't have much else to report. I'll probably post some more pictures soon because we have some cute ones!!!

Posted in: on Saturday, October 18, 2008 at at 4:58 PM 0 comments  

Headed back to AR



Mom and I are headed back to AR tomorrow. Logan and I have been in Texas one week already and we've had so much fun!  But, it's time to get back to real life I guess. This weekend, I have my first dog evaluations at the Children's Hospital since I took over as the evaluation organizer. This has been a huge job! Our biggest evaluation is in November when we'll be testing over 20 teams. The one this Saturday is going to be small, but I'm still pretty stressed about it. I have had to organize all of the volunteers, book the room at the hospital, schedule everyone to test, send out instructions and many many emails....it's a lot of work! But, it is really rewarding if more teams can get out there and start volunteering. I have to go Friday night to set up and then be there on Saturday to coordinate the evaluation. I'm glad that my Mom is coming back with me to keep Logan. I have a lot of work to do to get ready and set up!


We're hoping that Shane will be back on Saturday. I'm so excited! We're going to make sure to have a date night before my Mom leaves. I can't remember the last time that we had dinner out at a restaurant alone. Actually, I can. It was our anniversary-May 24. 5 MONTHS AGO! I'd say we're due a night out : )  

One of my girlfriends told me that she read a study that said the average married couple talks only 12 minutes a day. Unfortunately, I'm sure that we have been in that average while he has been gone. It is so difficult having children and busy lives to make time for each other. In our normal lives, Logan goes to bed early (usually around 7:30pm) so we do have time in the evenings to ourselves. We usually treasure this time to reconnect after a long day, but sometimes it's hard not to sink into the couch and veg out. My marriage is one of the most important things in the world to me. Both Shane and I feel like it is crucial to make time for each other because someday, the children will be grown and gone and we will only have each other. We want to still know each other and enjoy each other as much then and we do now. I know that 12 minutes a day is certainly not enough to achieve that goal!!! We also know that we're setting the example for Logan as to what a healthy marriage is and trying everyday to provide him with positive examples for him to learn how to treat people.

I'm looking forward to having my husband back and hoping that we appreciate the time that we have together and continue to find creative ways to reconnect despite the business of having a one year old.


Posted in: on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at at 11:04 PM 1 comments  

Pumpkin Patch

My Mom and I took Logan to a Pumpkin Patch today. We had fun despite the rain! We decided that we wouldn't melt and had fun anyways. We were covered in goat slobber and then went to Marble Slab afterwards. Logan got his own small cup of ice cream! Yummy! He loved it and was working really hard with the spoon. He kept putting it in his mouth upside down.


This is Logan first seeing the animals up close. Look at that face!

My Mom was so surprised when the cow took the food from her. We got a good laugh out of this picture : )
Pumpkins...
He was running after a John Deer tractor that was pulling hay
He got brave and fed all of the animals. He loved them all! 

There's that face again!

Posted in: on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at at 6:12 PM 1 comments  

Missing him...

Just a little note to say that I am missing my husband. I miss him because he is Logan's Daddy but mostly I miss him because he is my best friend. We're on day 16 (I think?) of him being gone and I'm about done with it. But, I'm trying to be a trooper! We are very lucky that he has a good job and that our house didn't fill with water like some of the people in South Texas. I'll count my blessings...but I still miss him and can't wait until my little family is back together again. I hope that he is enjoying this blog and the vidoes because I'm kind of doing it for him too...; )

Posted in: on at at 11:23 AM 0 comments  

Spinning...

He just learned how to spin around when he dances! 

Posted in: on at at 10:53 AM 1 comments  

A few pics...



Here we are at storytime in Plano on Friday.
Yea! Texas beat OU!!!!

This is playing at the church playground


Here he is climbing on the bench outside of storytime. He loved it!
Sweet Logan sucking on a lego at breakfast (he wasn't having the lego FOR breakfast...just as a snack afterwards.)
We've been having fun! We went yesterday to visit Steve and Kathy (Shane's parents) and Logan had so much fun! He showed off a bit and even danced for them : ) It was great to get to spend some quality time with them and Logan's cousin Tabi. As usual I'm not taking enough pictures ( I know that I take a ton but I always feel like I don't have pictures of the things that I want pictures of!) 

We went out to eat last night and Logan threw all of his dinner on the floor. But, at least he had fun so I guess that's all that matters! I'm meeting two of my high school girlfriends for dinner tonight. I'm soooo looking forward to an adult dinner! Memaw and Granddad are on Logan duty tonight!

Posted in: on Monday, October 13, 2008 at at 4:44 PM 1 comments  

I feel the need...

to clarify a few things. I love having this blog so far. It seems to be a great (even greater then my other website) way to stay connected with family and friends. But, it is also a great place for me to just put down my thoughts. So, I will feel free to write as I wish on here and not feel the need to sensor too much. Being a mother is really rewarding, and a lot of work. Most of you know that I am not short on opinions so my goal is to be able to write about the good, the funny, the wonderful and the not so wonderful...


The sign language thing....I've chosen to teach Logan sign language as an additional way for us to communicate with him. It is in no way more important then speaking, but it just seems to be easier for him. We all learn in different ways and I was anxious to "hear" my child and understand his wants and needs. Since he was not one of those children speaking by age one, we went this route. This encourages him to communicate with us. We always say the word while signing and I believe that it is helping him make the connection to what things are. He is understanding so much of the world around him and I am really grateful that he has this additional tool to communicate. To me, this is kind of like teaching your child a second language. You never expect it to take priority over the first, but you'd love them to know one anyways. 

Another thing, lets all support each other as mothers. Let's just accept that all of our children will do things at a different pace and we'll all do things different ways. We all make choices in life and each of us have to do what's right for our families. This is not a competition. I choose and am lucky to, surround myself with women who encourage living life and making your own decisions. If you're competing with me, you are competing alone. I applaud every mother (or parent) out there because I know that most of us agonize over our decisions. It's so easy to get caught up in comparing our children or our things but it just doesn't do anyone any good. And, it certainly doesn't build positive relationships. I'm not even close to perfect and I'm just as guilty as the next person of judging every once in awhile. So, my goal for all of us is, the next time you we're thinking something judgemental about another mother, lets think of something positive or supportive and put that out in the world instead. 

Just my two cents. I told you I have an opinion on everything : )




Posted in: on Sunday, October 12, 2008 at at 10:50 PM 0 comments  

Logan Dancing


Here is a cute video of Logan dancing this morning. He is really getting the  hang of it! He doesn't even need music, lol. He get's a little cranky at the very end but just ignore that part....

Posted in: on at at 11:12 AM 0 comments  

In Texas...

We made it here safe and sound. Logan did wonderful in the car and I really was so thankful. He woke up before 6am on Thursday and I optimistically thought maybe I would make it on the road by 8 or 8:30am....no such luck...I just forget that you literally run for 3 hours back and forth trying to get everything ready to pack. It is insane! Every time I would think I was close to being ready, I would remember something else that we needed to bring. Between packing, picking up the house, setting up the cat (my neighbor is going by there to check on him) and feeding Logan breakfast, we barely made it out the door by 9:30am. Whew. AND I still had to drive over 5 hours. We stopped in Texarcana and ate at the Chickfila. I managed to walk the dogs (briefly) while chasing Logan. We got to Mom and Dad's in one piece...


So far, we've been having a great time! Logan remembered my parents which is a huge blessing. He is going through stranger anxiety big time right now. Big Scary Uncle Marty was another story...LOL. (Heck, I'm still scared of him sometimes!) He did sit in Aunt Jill's lap today which warmed my heart. I'm sad that we're not closer to our families and that this even has to be an issue. I feel like a little boy should know all of the people who love him and get the joy of having them around. 

We took Logan to storytime at the library here which was adorable! We've also taken many walks outside and been to the park. He loves to pick up the acorns! I think that he is saying "UH" for uh-oh and "ba ba ba" for banana. These are pretty consistent. Talking has been a slow process for him! But, he is understanding so much. He bring us everything and will go "give Granddad a kiss" or "take that to Memaw." So cute! He's also signing a lot-his regulars are eat, more, milk, please, banana. We're working on water and drink right now. 

I'm headed to bed because I can't seem to catch up on my rest. Do you ever feel like sleep just isn't enough? We're going over to Shane's parents tomorrow to spend some much needed time with Logan's Grandma and Grandpa. He misses them! More updates soon...

Posted in: on Saturday, October 11, 2008 at at 9:23 PM 0 comments  

MOLARS!

I discovered last night that Logan is cutting TWO molars : ( At his 15 month check up, the doctor said that he was cutting all 4 and that they might come in before the other two front teeth. (He only has 2 bottom teeth right now and 4 on the top.) Last week I felt a tooth coming through on one side, and now there are 2 poking through! Poor little guy!

Shane has also been gone for over a week now in Beaumont, TX. He got the call to go last Monday 9/29 and will not be coming home until 10/22. We've been hanging in there though! It's definitely a lot harder to parent on your own, but I'm really lucky to have made wonderful friends here. But, Logan has been acting so strange. I think a lot of it is his molars, but I also think that he misses his Daddy. Last night he started getting sleepy so I put him down for a nap around 5:30pm. He slept all night! He didn't even have dinner. This is super odd for him because he usually is very scheduled. Naps are within 30 mins of the same time every day and he goes to bed around 7:30 or 8 every night. This happens regardless of where we are. If we're in the car and it's naptime, he's asleep at the same time. He's so funny! (hmmm...I wonder where he gets that??)

Logan and I are loading up the dogs and heading to TX tomorrow for a week. I'm looking forward to having some extra feet to chase Logan around! It will be so great to catch up with everyone and have some down time. Well, I'd better get busy. We have our normal playgroup today at noon and then I have a big meeting at the Childrens Hospital tonight to get ready for. Not to mention packing us all to leave tomorrow!!!

Posted in: on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at at 8:35 AM 2 comments  

Playtime Pizza Pics

We went to Playtime Pizza last Saturday with our playgroup. We had a lot of fun! This place is like a kids Dave and Busters. They had a little toddler room that had blocks and things for the little ones to play with.

Here is a picture of Logan and I upstairs. This is at the end of the day after I'd been chasing him around the whole time! We were both getting tired : )
He loved to "drive" the cars! So cute!

Here he is riding the carousol with his friends.

This was a big kid game but he thought he knew what he was doing!

Here he is in the toddler room.






Posted in: on at at 8:24 AM 0 comments  

Wow!

Today Logan put two signs together for the first time. He signed "more please" all on his own! I was so amazed!!!

Posted in: on Sunday, October 5, 2008 at at 5:47 PM 0 comments  

It's the best

My favorite thing in the world that Logan does is run up to me and give me a spontaneous hug. It's the best thing in the whole world. It's one thing when they're tiny babies and you're snuggling with them, but it's completely different when by choice they decide that they need to hug you! It really warms my heart.

I have to say that parenting is way harder and way more wonderful then I ever imagined that it would be. There are days when I wonder if I am doing enough to mold him into a smart and well rounded person. I wonder if I am teaching him enough, talking to him enough, if he's eating enough, doing enough, around enough people....if all of it is enough....But, I have learned in the short 16 months that I have been a Mom that being there for them and doing the best you can IS enough. Learning anything new is hard and I can say that I have learned more as a parent then I ever have before. There is always pressure to teach them what you know and to set a good example. But, then there are days when something just clicks for them and you think "Wow. I'm doing a good thing here."

Posted in: on at at 10:05 AM 0 comments  

Whew.

So, here's what I'm thinking. We should come up with a new Olympic sport called "Toddler Diaper Changing." For those of you who have never changed the diaper of a 16 month old, let me give you a play by play. First, you lift the child that is over 20 pounds onto the changing table. (This is not an easy task since they have now learned what this means and start screeching and resisting.) But, once on the table they immediately stand up and try to take things off of the shelf above. Once you finally get them laying down, their legs fly straight up and start kicking. They, by the way, think all of this is hilarious. Once you have finally pinned the wild man down, you have to attempt to remove a diaper filled with poop-again. And, of course he is reaching down because apparently he thinks that there is a penis thief and he must check every chance he gets to make sure that his penis is still there. Okay, so now you're trying to keep him laying down, keep his hands out of the poop, and wipe at the same time. Meanwhile, singing The Wheels on the Bus at the top of your lungs complete with the hand motions. Do I look like an octopus??? Okay, finally, the poop is cleaned off. But, now let me tell you-a naked baby is a baby that wants to be free so he is REALLY trying to get off the table now. The Wheels on the Bus stop working, and he begins flipping back and forth, back and forth. By this time, the poop is long gone but you're trying to put white sticky diaper cream all over his bottom. This, he wants no part of. By this time, you've resorted to a firm "Be Still" and when that doesn't work "BE STILL!" and then when it still doesn't work, you attempt The Wheels on the Bus again just to keep yourself from going insane. Once the cream is applied, the clean diaper has to be put on (straight nonetheless or poop will creep out the side the next time he goes. And, there will be a next time. Soon.) At this point, you're so happy to just have a diaper on, you hoist him off the changing table and commit to putting his pants back on later. Whew.

Posted in: on Saturday, October 4, 2008 at at 7:53 AM 0 comments  

Tent Camping with a Toddler



We went camping over the weekend to Brady Mountain at Lake Ouachita and had a blast! We brought the whole family-Booker and Lucy included! It was Logan's first camping trip and he did pretty well considering he's only 16 months. We did find out, however, that camping with a toddler is totally different then camping with just the two of us. Here are just a FEW of the many things we had to pack: his pack and play for him to sleep in, his aquarium that hangs on the side of his crib, his blankie, sippies, diapers, wipes, milk, bananas, cheese, many wet wipes, antibacterial hand stuff....the list goes on. Needless to say, the back of Shane's truck was full! But, it was totally worth it. Logan ate more dirt then food, but isn't that what little boys are supposed to do?


Logan loved the lake and wanted to splash there forever. There was all of this tiny gravel around everywhere, and he wound up so dirty! We had to strip him down in the lake and rinse him off. We carried him back to our tent wrapped in Shane's shirt. He has been sleeping a TON since we got back. I think it wore him out!

Here's Logan on the first day of our camping trip. We had gone down to the lake and let him splash around. He is covered in tiny pieces of gravel!


This is poor little Logan after we stripped him down, washed him off in the lake and wrapped him in Daddy's t-shirt!


Our friends brought Logan a big boy chair for the trip. Isn't it cute?!

This was taken around dusk on the first day. I think he was getting sleepy...

This is early in the morning on the second day. I think he had about all the nature he could stand! He was still in his pj's with his little jacket on. Take me home Mommy!!!

Posted in: on Friday, October 3, 2008 at at 3:48 PM 0 comments  

Our New Blog

Welcome to our new blog! Most of you have been following our original website at http://sites.bundleofjoys.com/ellisbaby/index.php. I'm going to keep it up and running for a bit, but I plan to officially switch to this blog sometime soon. I have a big sentimental attachment to our bundle of joys website since I started it before anyone even knew that I was pregnant with Logan. But, I think that it's time for me to move on to a website that is easier to use and has a more flexible format. I also am wanting to be able to write about everything in my life and not just Logan. I hope to keep more regular updates on here so that you can read more about our daily lives. Thanks for checking it out!

Posted in: on at at 10:24 AM 0 comments  

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