Loganisms

I love 4 year olds.  Love them.  They are so funny, and usually past some of the behavior issues related to the terrible 2’s terrible 3’s.

My Logan Bug.  He is delightful.

He makes us laugh every single day.  He has said a few things in the past week that I have to remember.

We went to the mall today (PSA to any of you who might have a slight obsession with like Gymboree…they are having a big sale starting Sunday…30% off anything you can fit in one of their reuseable bags, plus you can use a coupon on top of that.  There is a coupon in the June/July issue of Family Fun.  PSA over.)  Actually, I wasn’t planning on going to the mall.  The original plan was to go eat at Chick Fil A and then go to Wal Mart for a few things.  But when I couldn’t even find a parking spot in the Chick Fil A parking lot, I decided to go across the street to the mall for lunch instead.   And of course, since I was right there, I thought I should pop my head in and see if there were any good sales.  So we are at the mall (you should know I totally forgot what I was going to write about, and I had to go back and read what I’ve written so far to remember. Hello, mommy brain.)  We pulled up to the mall, and Logan says in the amazed voice “mom…look at those windows!  They are HUNORMOUS!”
“Do you mean enormous?”
“No”, he said very assuredly. “They are hunormous.” I think hunormous must mean even bigger than enormous, and I for one really like the word. I think I’ll throw it around here and there and see if I can start something.

A few days ago, he asked for some cinnamon toast, which I think is one of his favorite foods right up there with chicken nuggets.  He’s got a very refined palate.  He was starving, so I said to him, “your toast will take a few minutes to cook, so in the meantime, why don’t you have some applesauce?”  He came over to me with a very serious look on his face.  “Mom!  Why do you have to have mean time?”  I cracked up at his literal intrepetation.

Every Friday at swim practice, all the kids get a turn on the diving board and a lollipop.  Every Friday, Logan asks for a “sip” of C’s lollipop.  It’s one of those weird phrases that has infiltrated my vocabulary.  I have caught myself asking for “sips” of things where I would usually say taste or bite.

I know there are more, but that’s all I can think of for now. I still need to go get everything packed up for the swim meet tomorrow, and it’s already past my bedtime.  That’s got to be my one beef with swimming…we have to check in by 7:00 a.m. for the meets.

Hope y’all have a great weekend!

It feels like summer

Despite the fact that Connor technically has 2 more weeks of school before summer vacation (or if you ask him, 6 1/2 days of learning), it felt like summer today.  The boys stayed up late last night.  They slept in woke up promptly at 7:00 a.m. just like always. Logan, Cami, and I were in and out of HEB by 9:00 a.m.  By 12:15 we were at the pool, armed with a picnic lunch and plenty of pool toys and sunscreen.  I planned on staying at the pool for quite awhile, but Camryn just didn’t get the memo about taking a nap in her stroller today, so I headed back home at 1:30 with a very cranky, very tired baby.  Derek and the boys stayed a couple more hours, and when they arrived home, the boys wasted no time and played for hours in the backyard.  We had hamburgers and corn on the cob for dinner and ice cream for dessert.  It really was the perfect summer day.  I can judge the quality of a summer day by how my boys smell at the end of it.  Do they smell like wet puppies?  Check.  It was a good day.

Warning: Picture overload.

This next group of pictures probably deserves its own post, but every time I think about doing that, I never get around to posting them.  That would explain why I have about 20 blog drafts, just waiting to be finished and published.  Chances are I will never get around to finishing them.

Connor and Camryn have a sweet, special little bond.  They love each other so much, and Connor is so incredibly sweet to his baby sister.  She has brought out a side in him that I had not really seen before.  We were playing in the backyard earlier today, and I asked Connor to keep an eye on Cami while I ran inside for just a minute.  When I got back outside, I saw this.

And they did this.  Camryn tackled Connor over and over and over again, and both of them laughed with delight every single time.

He is such a good big brother.  He loves her, and I pray that they always have a special bond just like they do right now.

Don’t tell Derek (oh wait, he reads this blog), but it’s moments like this, it’s days like today that make me want to have more babies.  I mean, just look at them!  Our life is so rich and so full.  I am blessed.

Watch out Michael Phelps

Here comes Connor!  Connor had his very first swim meet this morning, and it’s definitely not going to be the last.  He had a great time!  Derek left the house at 6:15 to set up (parents have to volunteer to work the meet, and set up is early but then you can enjoy the meet.)  I arrived with all 3 kids at 7:15.  And let me just state, for the record, that I am so proud that we made it there without a single meltdown and I didn’t forget one thing, which was amazing considering we were there until about 12:45 and that length of time requires a lot of stuff.

The meet was really crazy, but I think now that we all know what to expect, there won’t be as many nerves or anxiousness.  I knew Connor was nervous when he was hard core twiddling my hand before his first race.  And when his eyes welled up and he got chin quiver because he didn’t know where he was supposed to go at one point.  But it all worked out great in the end.  The pool was at this amazing park…Logan had a blast playing on the playground and digging in the sand volleyball court.  There was plenty to do between races, and that definitely made our first swim meet a fun experience all around.  God even sent us some nice cloud cover and a cool breeze to keep us comfortable.  It was great.

Of course I took pictures…and movies…I had to record it all!  Just in case they ever do one of those Olympic specials about the swimmers way back when…I have to be prepared for that, you know, just in case.

Here he is, on the ready bench before his first race.  I love the look of concentration on his face!

It was a relay race, and he swam the second leg.

Go, Connor, go!

He is in lane 2, ready for the 25 free.

When I looked closely at this next picture, it made me squeal over the cuteness of 6 year olds swimming.  Connor won his heat, and I’m pretty sure it was his start that cinched it.  See his feet?  Check out the other starts!  They are all so cute. (And I’ll admit I was one proud mama!  He did awesome!)

I can’t resist these pics of Camryn and Logan.  Cami had so many people to play with…she loved it!  This is our good friend, Rylee.

And the Logan bug.  I could eat him up, he’s so cute!

And here are the movies.

I can hardly stand the cuteness

As I played dress up with my very own life-size doll this morning, I just knew it would be morning for pictures.  She was so happy!  And A for Adorable is an understatement (in my no-so-very humble opinion, of course.)


( I know the focus is off a little one this one…I was playing around with camera settings. But I just love her little kicked up leg!)

And, check out the hair! It’s finally starting to grow in. And it is blond. Like white blond. I get the most comments about her blond hair and her bright blue eyes. And then people ask if the boys had blond hair like that…no, no they did not. Connor was fairly light haired, and was especially blond the summer he was 18 months old. Logan’s has always been a light brown color. And no, the blue eyes don’t come from me. That’s also a question I get asked a lot.


(And, I want to point out that is a real bow in real hair! Woo hoo!)

Today was Logan’s last day of school.  Summer is almost here…

How I roll

I like to get into reality shows at the very end of the season.  I do not like the Bachelor or Bachelorette when there are 25 people involved.  I like it when there are only 10.  Same thing with American Idol.  I think Survivor is one of the only reality shows I’ve even been into start to finish, season after season.  That’s because I just knew I was going to be on the show.

(It’s been awhile since I flat out embarrassed myself on the blog…how about I post my Survivor audition from 2001?  Awesome.  I crack myself up, and I’m not even ashamed to admit it.  And this video not only makes me laugh but also gives me warm fuzzies because that was the very apartment where I peed on a stick and found I was going to be a mama for the first time, and the very apartment that I brought that sweet baby home to.)

I’ve never gotten into Dancing With the Stars, even at the end.  That is, until this season.  I knew all along that Shawn Johnson was in it.  And I knew all along I would root for her because in my heart of hearts I wish that I were a 5 foot power house gymnast instead of a 5′ 9 mediocre volleyball player.  When I was a kid, I would constantly pretend that I was a world famous gymnast.  I can still remember my “vaults” through the living room with my little brother as the judge.  I remember the beam my dad built me when I was a kid.  I remember how excited I was when we moved when I was 10 and our new house had a bi-level backyard with my very own railroad tie “beam”.  I spent hours perfecting my rountines.  This wasn’t only a thing I did as a kid.  When I went away to college, I briefly joined the intramural gymnastics team.  Were they called the Flying Cats?  Not sure…like I said, it was brief.  It was then that I learned to do a back handspring, if you could call it that.  For some reason I could never quite land on my feet.  I always ended up on my knees, even though at eighteen I was still convinced that the only thing that stood between me and Olympic Gold was 9 inches and about $30,000 we didn’t have when I was growing up to spend on my gymnastics career.

Okay, I so don’t remember where I was going with this blog.  I’m watching the DTWS finale right now and hoping that Shawn Johnson wins.  I wish they would just hurry up and get there.  I don’t really care about the recap of the entire season.  Thank goodness for dvr so I can fast forward all this nonsense.  Except I don’t fast forward those commercials for that show Wipeout.  Does that remind anyone else of Double Dare?  I told Derek I wanted to go on that show because it looked like Double Dare for grown ups.  Derek forbid it.  The last thing he needs is a wife and mother of his children who was injured on a goofy game show, and seeing how I have a knack for injuring myself doing silly things, he’s probably right.

Doesn’t any reality show want me?

Speaking of Derek, I was talking to him on the phone this afternoon and I have to tell you what he said.  So we’re chit chatting about our days, and he tells me that a morning meeting ran long and “that changed the entire complexion of his day.”  Wow.  That has got to be the nerdiest sentence ever uttered!  I have no idea what he said after that because all I could think about was the “complexion” of his day, which led me to think about my own complexion that has been completely and totally out of control since Camryn was born 10 months ago.  Seriously, am I fifteen again?  Zits, please go away.  I am almost 30.  Now I’m contending with wrinkles, and I’m done with you.

And on that note, I will wrap up this blog.  I think I needed to get some words out.

Good for the soul

I had a really great weekend, and it was just what I needed.  It started of bright and early on Saturday with the garage sale.  I ended up keeping it really simple (i.e. I didn’t go through every single toy and book.  I just sold the stuff that I could think of off the top of my head.)  I made about $95, which was almost enough for the stroller I wanted.  Mission accomplished.  I put everything away and closed the sale at 9:30 to go to the boys last soccer game.  I have really loved watching them play this season.  This is Connor’s 4th season to play, and he had so much fun.  It was a huge confidence builder for him because he was the oldest on the team.  I loved watching Logan on the rare occasion that he wanted to be out there..he spent a fair amount of time on the sideline with me.  I liked that, too.  Just hanging on the sideline with my middle and my baby, watching my oldest and my hubby on the field.  And working on my tan by wearing a tank top and shorts to every game.

After soccer, we all turned into monitor heads.  Derek played Halo with some friends, Logan played PBS Kids on the computer, Connor and I played Mario Kart on the Wii, and Camryn crawled around, charming us all with her happiness.  Several times during our wii game, Connor spontaneously leaned over to hug or kiss me.  So sweet.  I don’t play wii with him all the time, and I guess he must have really loved that I joined in the fun.

After lunch, while Cami napped, I went shopping.  I picked up my new stroller (it rolls like butter.  Love it.)  I went to Kohl’s to use my Kohl’s cash.  After trying on a million things, I left with a new pair of nice capris and 3 new tank tops.  I didn’t get one thing for Camryn, which is you know me, that was quite a feat.  Man, I love to shop for that girl.  She is way more fun to shop for than myself.  Everything looks so cute on her, and everything fits.  Not so much with me.  But I wanted to get myself a few new things, and I did.  Mission accomplished.

Then it was back home.  After a dramatic foot puncture wound involving Logan and a roofing staple, we all headed to the pool for a bit of swimming.  (He’s fine, by the way.  It really wasn’t too bad even though it was a lot of blood right when it happened.)  I love our family swim time so much.  After the kids were in bed, D and I watched Lost until I fell into a happy sleep on the couch.

Today also started bright and early because that’s when Cami wanted to start the day.  D left early for church to work sound, and the kids and I ended up playing hookie.  Camryn napped, and the boys played with our neighbors while I scrapbooked.  The boys played with friends from 8-5 today! They spent the morning in our yard and house and the afternoon at the neighbors.  They even scored a pancake breakfast at one house and a hot dog lunch at another.  They had so much fun with their buddies!  Derek worked hard on the yard, even taking Camryn on a trip to Lowe’s for a few tools.  I scrapbooked some more, and then I steam cleaned the carpets.   Note to self…if you rent a carpet cleaner, and you think it isn’t doing a great job…and it’s leaving the carpets awfully wet…and eventutually shoots out little pieces of metal and starts to smoke…it’s probably broken.  After a replacement rental, I sucked up up all the dirty water and went over everything for the second time.  And now the carpets look good.  Well, as good as they can considering they are 15 years old and desperately need to be torn out and replaced.  Good is all relative when talking about our carpet.

I mopped the kitchen tonight…did some laundry…I was really so productive today!  I did just the right mix of fun and work to feel totally content at the end of the day.  I pretty much only had Camryn for the day since the boys were occupied.  It’s amazing how my perspective had changed with the birth of each child.  Connor rocked my world and I thought it was crazy hard to have a baby.  Logan seemed easier, but of course I had a two year old to contend with. Now, the times when I only have Camryn around seem so easy!

I’m so thankful for this good family/fun/work weekend after a stressful week.  It was just what I needed!

overwhelmed

Just feeling a bit overwhelmed this week, so I’m doing what a do best when my to do list is larger than my energy level. I’m doing nothing. Although is blogging really considered nothing?

There’s too much to do. and for whatever reason, I am exhausted this week. I’ve fallen asleep on the couch for the past two nights before 10. I don’t have a baby waking up at night, so there is no excuse there. I’m getting plenty of sleep. Maybe it’s the cold/sinus thing I’ve been fighting. I know it’s not because I’m pregnant so don’t even think it.

As I type this, Cami is sitting in a mound of cheerios that was once Logan’s breakfast that she pulled off the coffee table. Logan is standing here naked because he just showed up at the back door soaking wet and covered in mud. I have an ant problem in the kitchen. I clearly need to vacuum, not only because of the cheerio mess, but also because I haven’t vacuumed since Friday, and 5 days is way too long with 3 messy kids and a cat.

I am having a garage sale this weekend in hopes of making enough money to buy a new stroller. Did I tell y’all that I backed the car over my stroller? Good one, Meg. My step-dad fixed it for me, so it still works….but the frame is bent just enough that it doesn’t steer very well. It’s been 2 months, and I just can’t take it anymore. But I feel bad spending money on a new one, so I figure if I make enough at the garage sale then I can get a new one. Oh, but all the stuff for my garage sale is in the attic…or piled in the garage…and I haven’t even gone through the toys and books to see what we can get rid of. I don’t even want to start the garage sale project. Just thinking about it stresses me out.

Speaking of thinking about things and getting stressed, Derek, who does so much any time he is home, is traveling. A lot. And there is no sign of his travel schedule slowing down any time soon. In fact, it’s getting busier and with bigger trips (like China). And I feel like I should be able to handle it, because there are single moms or military moms who do it alone all the time. But the truth is, I don’t handle it very well. There are only 3 weeks of school left, and then it’s summer. It’s kids 24/7 and a traveling husband. And then I feel guilty because I do realized how blessed I am to have this life, to have these kids, to have a husband who has a great job. And I feel guilty complaining or even feeling overwhelmed by it, because I should be able to handle it. And there are women out there who would give anything to be where I am, and I bet they would be able to handle it.

Okay, enough. I’ll end with this picture that totally warms my heart and makes me smile. Oh, how I love this girl!

I have a tentacle like grip on his heart

A video blog.  Your favorite, right?  Ha.  I’m such a dork.

I might be the only mom who didn’t blog a Mother’s day post.  I think sometimes I just don’t have words to describe the passion I feel for my job.  It’s the hardest, but most rewarding job I could ever imagine.  I am so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to not only have my babies, but to also be at home with them.  Even on my bad days (and, oh, are there bad days…) my heart still remains full.  I feel so unequipped to raise Connor, Logan, and Camryn, but I pray that God gives me the grace and the patience to do a halfway decent job.  And boy do I ever love those kids.

(even when the absolutely refuse to smile and cooperate for a picture)

so much to say

Warning: This is a massively long blog post. but there are lots of pictures.

First of all, a Logan story.  A very classic Logan story.

Last Wednesday, Derek was out of town, Logan was sick, and Connor had swim team practice.  I hated for him to have to miss because it was the big swim test day.  One of my friends graciously offered to take C to practice with her kids, which left my house very, very quiet at a time of day that is usually the craziest.  Camryn took a nap.  Logan just laid around, watching tv and playing quietly.  I ordered a pizza for dinner, and it arrived before Connor got home, so Logan and I decided to go ahead and eat.  I sent Logan to wash his hands, and I started to eat.  A few minutes go by, and I realize that it is eerily quiet.  I didn’t think too much about it and continued to eat my pizza while catching up on my blogs.

Another minute or two pass, and it’s still quiet.  Very, very quiet.

“Logan?” I call.
No answer.
“Loooogaaan? Where are you?”
“Right here” comes a little voice from behind me.

I turn to see him come around the corner, holding a nearly empty paper towel roll. That sends a red flag right up. I just bought paper towels today…where did that almost empty roll come from?

“Um, Logan? What are you doing?”
“Just a minute”, he says with deep concentration and resolve in his voice.
I watch him curiously, as he slowly walks, unrolling the paper towels behind him.
“Logan? What are you doing? Why are you unrolling that?”, I ask a little more firmly.
“I needed to see how long this roll of paper is. I’m almost done.” And indeed, he was almost done. “Come see!” he said, quite proudly.

In case anyone was wondering, a roll of paper towels will stretch down the length of my hallway, through the dining room, and almost to the end of the kitchen.
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Another little Logan snippet…
I had to go to Sam’s today and picked up some applesauce for my applesauce loving kids. Every single time i buy apple sauce in bulk, Logan spends time doing this:

I’m so happy to have such an organized little helper.
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Connor has started swimming on a swim team, and is loving every single second of it. The other day after practice, he told me that he liked soccer, but he loved swimming. It’s been really fun watching him do something that is totally his thing.
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Speaking of soccer, I finally got my camera out to a game this weekend. We’ve had lots of games canceled this season, and both boys Connor was really excited about the double header on Saturday.  Logan still spends about half the time sitting on the sideline, or wandering around searching for sticks on the ground.  Logan did have some really good kicks (they may or may not have been towards the other team’s goal.)  My favorite Logan style soccer move is when he leaps up from the sideline and jumps in when the ball gets close to him.  Connor had a great time, and is getting especially good at playing goalie.  It’s fun to see him finally enjoying sports and activities.


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Saturday was also our first family swim day! Everyone had a great time, and I was so proud to see Logan swimming without any floaties. He took a month of swimming lessons, and it’s really starting to click with him. We told him he couldnt’ go off the diving board unless he could get to the side all alone without floaties. Derek waited at the side, Logan jumped in, and did it! It was a big day. Camryn loved the water. Absolutely loved it, even though I thought it would be a tad chilly for her. She didn’t seem to mind it at all and had a blast. This was only the first of many, many pool days this summer.


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I got a little crafty on Friday night and made Cami a bow holder. I love how it turned out! They look so cute displayed, and I don’t even care that only 5 of those many, many bows will actually stay in her wisps. (and I have to give a little love to my favorite place to buy Camryn’s bows. They really do stay in her hair! Well, until she pulls them out. But they don’t slide right out like all our other bows.)


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Saturday I also did something I’ve never done before. I took pictures of a family that I had never met before that day. I’ve been thinking about doing a little photography business on the side, and the opportunity to take pictures of this family just fell in my lap. They were such a cute family, and really good sports as we walked all over the neighborhood. The low part of the experience was disrupting a mosquito hatchery. Luckily I am a mosquito magnet, so I think I’m the only one who got attacked. The best part of the day was all the rest! I think we got some really cute shots, and I did enjoy it…the wheels are definitely turning about how to make this photography thing work…


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And finally, miss Camryn got her first shiner on Sunday night. That darn coffee table got in the way as she lost her balance. Poor little pumpkin head.

Whew! I think that is it for this massive blog update! It’s only taken me 3 days to finish.

stubs

I know that all babies look a adorably disproportionate.  But seriously.  Camryn has the stubbiest legs!  These shorts are a size 12-18 month.  Now, granted, she can still wear a 6-12 month on bottom.  But I decided to get these cutie shorts in the next size so she could wear them all summer (you know, until like October).  Um, I think she will wear them as capris this summer and shorts next summer.