RIP Papa.

Today we got sad news that Dennis' Papa (his Mom's Dad) had passed away from severe pneumonia.  I know that Dennis was glad he got to visit with him one last time a couple weeks ago.  We hope that he is in a better place now and reunited with Dennis' Nana.

Here in Richmond it was a dreary day (as it has been the last few days).  Logan was very clingy and was pulling on his ear.  I am thinking that his two top teeth that are coming through are hurting him.  However, he was great at the grocery store as always.  He just stares at everyone and if they acknowledge him he flirts a little and then looks down as if he is bashful.

I also wanted to mention that I am very grateful that my first born has the personality that he does.  Colin is very loving and a great helper.  He is always picking Logan up and moving him for me or giving him his sippy cup.  He is very loving toward Logan.  Today he even vacuumed for me and helped Evan put on his shoes. For being a 6 year old boy he is amazingly caring and loving and we are all lucky to have him.

Happy 1st Birthday Logan!!!

My baby is One years old!!!  I feel like just yesterday I was pregnant and so grateful that Logan was in my tummy as long as possible because I was trying to savor every moment of the pregnancy.  Then 1 day before I was scheduled to be induced (3 days after my due date), I woke up thinking the contractions were a little uncomfortable and this might be the day.  Sure enough a few hours later Logan was born!  What an awesome day that was and what an awesome year it has been!  I have been so lucky to be home with him this whole year and for some reason it has gone by even faster than with the other boys.

At One years old Logan is crawling very well.  He occasionally will let go briefly, but doesn't show any interest in walking yet, which is just fine with me, I haven't really tried to make him.  He can wave and say "bye bye" and maybe says Daddy, though we aren't sure.  He is also cutting his top two teeth right now (he already has 3 on the bottom).

Today we switched from breast milk to whole milk and so far so good!  He is eating 3 meals and has a snack between each.  He is a good eater, but is kind of funny.  While he likes collard greens, tomatoes, and spinach, he hates the gerber pasta pickups (which is basically ravioli).  He also doesn't like rasberries and blueberries. At least he likes most fruit and veggies!

Logan is sleeping well.  He goes to bed at around 7:45pm and wakes around 6am (anywhere from 5:45 to 6:30).  He then takes a nap at around 8:30am and another around 1:30pm, each lasts a couple hours.  He still sucks his thumb in bed and cuddles with his little lamb lovey.

He has a little stranger anxiety at times, but no worse than his brothers at the same stage.  He still loves his Mama, but is also pretty happy with his brothers and Daddy.  He loves to play with empty vitamin water bottles, phones, and remote controls.  He also loves that he can now open drawers and he takes everything out of them over and over again!

He is a sweet and happy baby.  Even though I look forward to seeing who he becomes as he grows older, I am also equally sad at the thought of him getting bigger.  I just want to savor every moment with him! 

The Love of Yellow....

When I was younger my favorite color was yellow.  When Evan started to talk and recognize colors, the first one he learned and could say was yellow.  Well, now Logan seems to have a fascination with the color yellow.  For months now he has loved a little matchbox car that is yellow.  When he can't find it he will pick another yellow one out of the bucket.  His favorite toy is a car piano that he can push, and coincidentally it is also yellow. 

Logan has been fascinated with the vacuum and gets a huge grin every time I pull it out.  He follows me around the house as I vacuum.  If any one leaves the coat closet open, even a crack, he comes crawling and goes straight to the vacuum and pulls it down.  I thought that maybe he might end up being a great house cleaner, but I realized today that the vacuum is yellow and that must be why he loves it so much!

Spring Snow.

Snow in March...that has to be a crime.  Luckily, it was barely a dusting this morning, but the weekend was way too cold!  Saturday, Colin and Evan had soccer pictures and soccer games and we had to be there at 8:00am.  It was FREEZING.  Luckily, I thought to grab hats and gloves, the boys sure needed them. 

The cold weather must have brought Evan some luck because he was a scoring machine.  He scored 4 goals (though 1 was for the opposite team again)!  Colin also did well, he was the top scorer for his team with 2 goals and his team really dominated the other team. 

Saturday night, Colin went to a birthday party for one of his classmates.  Colin's teacher was even there (supposedly the kid had been asking her since January if she was going to come).  The party was at a bounce place and Colin did not stop bouncing and playing the whole time.  He was exhausted when he got home.

Today, it was very cold again so after Colin's church class, we did a quick run to Walmart and out to lunch, but then spent the rest of the day inside.  The highlight was watching VCU basketball win and get a spot in the final 4!  I was proud to be an alumni!  Dennis made a deal with me, we will have a fourth baby if we can name him Shaka (after Shaka Smart, the head coach).  Ha Ha, I don't think I could do that to the baby! 

Pee Pee...

Dennis took a half day off work today, which was a nice treat.  He had wanted to get some things done around the house.  Even though he went straight outside and did yardwork the whole time, we were happy to have him home.  Evan enjoyed some time outside with Aspen, and even helped Dennis to "cut the grass".

I had planned on grilling out tonight, but laziness took over and we decided to go out for Mexican instead.  Overall, it was a pretty quiet day, but I was just happy to get through it without being peed on.  Yep, yesterday I bent over to give Logan a zerbert on his tummy, while I was changing his diaper, and I suddenly felt something wet.  Logan was peeing all over my chest!!! 

If You Clean It.....

They will come.

Or at least that is what I am hoping for.  I spent ALL day cleaning today.  I was hoping that maybe if the house was spotless we might get a call for a showing.  We haven't had any showings in a few weeks and we got a pretty discouraging update from our Realtor.  The latest market analysis for our neighborhood shows that we are still priced as one of the best deals in the neighborhood, but there is a TON of new construction we are competing with and Internet traffic has been decreasing.  Ugh.  Of course the only houses that seem to be selling are the much smaller (and thus cheaper) homes. 

Once again Logan spent most the time he was awake making messes.  He now knows how to open drawers and in the time I ran upstairs to change clothes he emptied out all of the wipes out of the container.  From there he went on to empty out drawers of puzzles, as well as diapers.  He is getting in to EVERYTHING.  Once again, ugh. 

On a different note, about a week ago Logan started standing, without holding on, for brief moments.  He is a bit cautious (thank goodness), so he doesn't do it too often.

Evan was super excited when I picked him up from school because he got to bring home "Aspen", his class stuffed dog.  He gets to spend the weekend with him and take pictures of himself with Aspen on their various adventures.  Should make for a fun weekend.

Spring Cleaning

This week is all about Spring cleaning for me.  I have spent the last few days pulling out spring and summer clothes for the boys.  Of course because the weather keeps going back and forth I have had to leave some of their winter clothes out too, so their drawers are pretty full.  I also planted some flowers and with my black thumb they will be lucky if they last a week.  It doesn't help that the soil was full of roots.  I actually really love gardening, I am just completely clueless.  Someday I hope to have the time to learn more about it.

Doing any of these chores takes five times longer with Logan around.  Today I had to do his closet (which I saved for last since I couldn't do it while he was napping), and I spent most of the time keeping him from dumping all the clothes out of the buckets and drawers.  Keeping the house clean is much harder now that he is roaming around opening drawers and emptying out buckets of toys.  I thought it was hard when he was a newborn, but I was so wrong.  I am getting really tired of having to build a train track every time we have a showing.  I had gotten used to the older boys not messing with it and it staying nice for months.  Now, it lasts about 10 minutes and then Logan messes it up.  When Evan was little he used to do the same thing and was given the nickname "Godzilla" as a result.  Well, looks like Logan has taken over that role...

Cousin Miranda Visits!

After Evan joined Dennis in a morning workout, Miranda arrived and is visiting for the weekend (Meghan and Eric are in VA Beach for a race).  Considering we had four kids today, the day went pretty smoothly...

Evan and Colin had back to back soccer games.  Evan scored a goal!  We won't tell him that it was for the other team!  Actually, this happened several times this game by a bunch of different players.  The first half of the game Evan did great and kicked the ball a lot.  The second half he started to get more distracted and even though he continued to have a smile on his face, he was doing more Spiderman hands than kicking!  He is hilarious to watch.  At one point I said, "Evan you are doing awesome!"  He responded, "I know I am".  Then when I was taking some pictures of him he ran off the field to ask me if he could see the picture.

Colin's team won 3-1 and Colin scrored 2 of those goals!  He is getting better every season and I am wondering if traveling soccer could be in our future.  Most importantly, he LOVES it.  He was annoyed when it was his turn to sit out.

The rest of the day was spent with naps, haircuts for Colin and Evan, and then playing outside.  Evan gave Miranda a T-ball lesson.  It was funny to watch him taking charge.  Now the kids are bathed and ready for bed.  I don't think this smooth day changed Dennis' mind about four kids, but I couldn't have asked for things to go any better. 

We're Going To The Zoo, Zoo, Zoo...

I am exhausted, it has been a long, long day.  A great one though.  It hit 80 degrees, so I met up with a couple friends at the zoo today with Evan and Logan.  Logan did great as long as the stroller kept moving.  Evan enjoyed the animals, especially the monkeys.  He was nervous about feeding the animals and would only feed them if they would eat out of the cup, not his hand.  After seeing the animals and having a picnic we headed home and both boys fell asleep right away.

After Colin got home we walked over to one of our neighbors homes for a birthday party that Colin had been invited to (since Dennis was out of town, I asked if I could drag the little too along as well).  The boys were in heaven...moon bounce, pinata, games, cotton candy, cupcakes.  Evan must have been having fun because he did "belly show" to everyone after they sang "happy birthday".  That is where he lifts his shirt up and yells "belly show".  Colin spent almost the entire time in the moon bounce.  I don't know where he gets his energy.  Anyway, lots and lots of boys were there.  I think this Mom might be more daring than I am. 

Well, I need to go rest after this fun filled day.  Dennis is back which makes the day even better!

St. Patty's Day 2011!

Today was a "me" day.  As in I got to do something for me.  I saw that there was a jcrew warehouse sale and since that is one of my very favorite stores I hit the road as soon as Logan woke from his morning nap.  Logan did awesome while we were there.  I put him in the baby carrier and he cooed and waved bye bye the whole time.  He was very patient while I spent a long time searching through boxes of clothes looking for my size.  He did cry the whole time I was trying on clothes, but that was after an hour or two of me shopping so I think he did well overall.  I was excited to get a few great deals, though I do wish I could go back without kids so I could spend even more time digging.

Today is St. Patricks Day and we couldn't ask for better weather!  As soon as the boys came home they ran outside and stayed out there for a good hour while I cooked dinner.  The only damper to the day was that Evan pooped his pants!  Yep, he hasn't done that in at least 6 month, so I have no idea why it happened.  He was outside playing in the woods at school when I picked him up.  He came to me and said he had had an accident.  I guess maybe he was having too much fun outside and didn't tell his teacher soon enough?  Anyway, after a bath at home he was ready to head out with Colin.  Lets hope that never happens again.  I was enjoying having no kids in the potty training stage.

Good Parenting or Good Kids?

Evan had another soccer practice today.  He was so excited that his uniforms are finally in!  The practice was a bit of a mess though.  Evan and one other kid were really the only ones that participated the whole time and at least 3 of the kids didn't participate at all.  I know that 3 year olds can be difficult, but I think this is a bit ridiculous.

First of all, I think some parents put their kids in sports without really knowing their kids.  If your kid is going through a defiant stage, this is not the time to put them in sports.  They are only 3, you can wait a year or two.  And then there are the parents that are just too nice.  I guess Dennis and I are pretty strict, but we don't put up with him not participating.  If he comes off the field we pretty firmly tell him to go back out.  Afterall, he was the one who said he wanted to do soccer.  I think you can keep it fun, while still being firm to your kid. 

My kids aren't perfect, there are times that they are silly at practice or don't listen to what the coach is saying. However, with both Colin and Evan I have always been able to sit in my seat almost the whole time and watch them play and practice, while other parents are having to stand on the field with their kid, deal with temper tantrums, beg their kids to play, etc... Dennis and I must be doing something right, or maybe we are just blessed with good kids?? 

Cartooning and Basketball Party!

Today was a big day for Colin.  After school he had his first of 3 cartooning classes.  This is an after school enrichment class.  He chose cartooning which we thought was great since he loves to draw.  Today, he was supposed to make an animated TV.  He had a lot of fun, but the first thing he said when he got in the car was, "It is a good thing I didn't sign up for French.".  When I asked why he said, "because they didn't do ANYTHING fun, at all, they just learned French."

After that we picked up Evan from preschool and went to Colin's basketball coach's house for their end of season party.  His coach has a great backyard with a zip line, football goal, basketball hoop, trampoline and swing set.  The kids had fun playing a game of football and running around.  I was nervous about having to go to a party with all three kids without Dennis' help (he is in Indy until Friday night), but it went real well.  I was most nervous about Logan and if he was going to be fussy in the evening.  He did get a bit fussy but overall he hung in there pretty good.  Colin fell playing football and now has a big bruise on his cheekbone, great timing with picture day on Thursday!

Both coaches separately made a comment to me that they bet Colin is good at soccer, since he has so much speed and coordination and height is not as much a factor in soccer.  His coach said that Colin's basketball team was the best defensive team in the league that season and Colin was pretty much the reason for that.  Anyway, it was good season and a good coach.  And probably the best after season party we have had thus far.  My Mississippi Mud Cake was a HUGE hit, I will have to make that more often.

On another note, I took Logan for his followup doctors appointment and his ears are clear so that was great news!

What Year Did Jesus Live?

Saturday the boys had their first soccer games of the season (uniforms were not in yet).  Colin kicked off his season with 4 goals!  Evan also did great, though I think he enjoyed talking to his teammates as much as playing.  His team name is the Hokies this year, which we couldn't be happier about!  That was completely random by the way.  He played the Cavaliers on Saturday and we kept thinking that it was good he didn't get put on that team!  I was proud of him because he stayed on the field almost the whole game, and was actually a little upset when he was asked to sit out.  As usual at the 3 year old level, there were a couple kids on his team that never wanted to even play. 

After soccer, Evan, Logan and I made the trip to NOVA for Matthews 2nd Birthday.  I didn't see Evan almost the whole party, because he was playing nicely in their playroom the whole time.  The drive up and back was uneventful, both boys slept both ways.  There is nothing better than a long drive with kids when they sleep. 

Farrah and Logan

Evan helping Matthew open his gifts.

Dennis, Colin, and Grandpa McLaughlin, who was visiting for the weekend, went to Colin's last basketball game of the season.  Colin finished off the season with a couple baskets.  I am wondering if basketball will be a one time sport or we will visit it again?  It isn't my favorite, but Colin loves it, as he does all the sports. 

Anyway, the boys had a great time with their Grandpa visiting this weekend, they always enjoy him coming and get pretty hyper trying to get his attention.  We were all tired after the weekend and everyone, including me, fell asleep at nap time.

Today Colin had CCD and they talked about Lent.  Colin got in the car and said, "I gave up Chocolate for Lent, I can't have it for 40 days".  I said, "That is a good choice, that is a tough one".  He said, "No, that isn't hard, Matthew (one of his classmates) gave up Wii, no way am I giving that up, that is too hard!"

We then were talking about Jesus and how he lived a couple thousand of years ago and Colin said, "A long time ago, like 1982?"  Wow, I must be getting old!

Evans first Soccer Practice

Soccer season has officially begun for Evan.  He did great at his first practice.  When I am around a group of other 3 year olds I am reminded that maybe my expectations for my boys are too high.  I feel like they don't always listen and are too active, but when I am around other 3 year olds who are not listening to the coach, misbehaving, talking back to their parents or throwing temper tantrums, I realize not only are my kids completely normal, but also better behaved then many.  Evan did great at practice, I was able to sit in my seat the whole time, he listened to the coaches and except for being a little silly (he tried a couple times to hit the ball backwards), he did great!  I am looking forward to the boys first games this Saturday.  The three year old team should be interesting...

Prior to soccer Evan, Logan and I hit the grocery store.  Evan did not stop talking the whole time.  While I love his chatter and the funny things he says much of the time, it can be exhausting, especially when he asks questions that have no answer like "What if you couldn't talk?"  He also asked me what "Surprise" means.  He didn't even wait for an answer and instead said, "I know what it means.  It means when you are surprised!".  If he is happy with that answer than I am too.

Snacking.

Finally got a picture of Logan showing me his tongue

Logan and I had a great day today, he is such an easy baby so much of the time.  He just played and played while I did some cleaning.  He is also becoming a bigger eater, so I am starting to give him some snacks between meals, which he is really enjoying....

Yum a snack!

I can't get it in my mouth fast enough!

Ah, this is better!

No more snack.

Oh wait, I found one more.

Dennis had to go up to Northern VA last minute due to his grandfather not doing well.  When I told both boys that they would not be seeing him tonight, they both cried.  It seems that as they get older they are becoming less "Mommys Boys" and more "Daddys Boys".  Maybe they will cycle back around to me as they get older?  Since Dennis was not here for dinner I decided to order pizza, maybe that will earn me some points!

Colin reading to Evan

Colin's 1st Soccer Practice

Logan reached another "milestone", he sticks out his tongue when you ask him where his tongue is!  I know, this is a "milestone" that only a parent would get excited about and think is cute, but hey he's my baby so I will gladly record these little moments.  I am trying to get a picture of it, but he won't do it on command when the camera is in his face.

Colin had his first soccer practice tonight.  Of course, when the coach asked him what his favorite sport was he said "soccer".  Whatever sport is currently in season is always his "favorite" sport.  He really gets excited about all sports.  I am excited about another season of soccer beginning, and I can tell by Colin's face during practice that he was excited too!

Colin has come a long way with his reading.  He is able to get through some of his first reader books pretty quickly now.  It is nice to see his confidence growing.