Friends Galore!

Today we hosted about 15 friends from the Twin Cities area! It was such a blast! This is a special group of friends who really act more like family when they are together. Everyone (except a few of the spouses - me included) went to University here in Eau Claire and were Young Life leaders together during that time. Its hard to believe that was about six years ago! Well, you wouldn't be able to tell that much time has passed since these folks we roommates, co-YL leaders, and classmates. We are fortunate enough to usually see the group a couple times a year, but this time we were really lucky to have everyone come to Eau Claire!

Logan and I had a busy week, so we were especially busy on Friday and Saturday morning preparing for our guests to arrive! The first guests arrived around noon and I think most everyone stayed until about 9pm. It was a great day! Logan really loved all the action and luckily napped early on Saturday so he didn't miss out on anything. He quickly made friends with everyone, showing off his skills, bossing them around, playing ball, and handing out plenty of hugs. It was so fun to see him warm up to people so quickly and easily. He was also thrilled to be joined by Kyle and Jen's 2 year old son, Caedon. Logan loved watching Caedon and copying his every move! It was so cute! I just wish we lived closer so we could have the boys together more often.

Kyle, Jen and Caedon came over early in the day to give the boys a chance to play. Caedon even brought his kids' aero-bed so he could nap. After his nap, the boys had fun running down the hall into the nursery and jumping on the bed. It was hilarious!

Here they go...

Logan likes to collapse onto his knees all the time. He runs around the house and then falls - I guess he thinks its funny because he laughs at himself all the time!

At one point I said, "Can you boys go nigh-nigh?" and this is what we got!

So cute! And so tuckered out!

Logan was so bossy...I was a little embarassed at times and started to think that I let him get away with a little too much around here. He kept making Emily lay down, then get up, then repeat. Then Logan would copy her and just giggle, giggle, giggle!

The UWEC boys and their kiddos!
Kyle with Caedon (2 years), Matt with Emery (5 months), John with Logan (18 months)

The boys kept going over and leaning up against this wall with an
"I'm-up-to-something" look on their faces!

Logan and Caedon did a great job playing together and Logan really did a great job sharing. He would often bring toys over to Caedon to give him. I was proud of Logan for being such a good boy all day with all the commotion!

Thanks to all our friends who made the trip! We don't often get visitors and we just loved hosting everyone! You are special to us and we can't wait to see you all again soon!

Hallelujia!

Our 6 month long project of installing the fireplace is complete! John did the whole thing on his own - by himself. I am so impressed! It was such a long process, using free time and working in the evenings when he could to finish this great addition to our house! I know John enjoys projects around the house, but I also know he is really glad this one is now complete! Now we can just sit back and enjoy!

Mantle detail

Stone detail

The finished product!

"Dot-ter"

We've had a very busy week back from vacation. Monday was Logan's 18 month pediatrician appointment and house refinancing; Tuesday was our brand new mom/kid play group; Wednesday was Sammy's bible study, Nana's visit, and our OB appointment; today was music class and lunch with friends. Whew! Its been great to keep busy now that we're back in the cold! Logan has done a great job of getting back on schedule with sleep - he's a happy boy!

Hanging out in the toy basket!

On our way to the pediatrician, we told Logan we were going to see the Doctor. So, that was the word-of-the-day: "Dot-ter". It was so cute! Logan really is at a point where he literally repeats everything we say (which means we have to be careful!) and its so much fun!

Logan's appointment was great! We love Dr. Gilmartin and enjoyed catching up with him on Logan's development and needs. He told us we can start 1 minute Time-Outs when we need to discipline him. We are also starting a new multi-vitatmin. As far as potty training, Dr. Gilmartin says we're on the right track introducing Logan to his potty chair, but not pushing it. He reminded us that kids who stay at home have a real disadvantage because they don't see older kids use the potty...it sounds like it could be a looooong road ahead!

We clap for everything at this house! Yay!

Healthy as ever, Logan measured 34.5 inches (90th %) and weighed in at 28 lbs (80th %)! He was so content on the table that I think those measurements are pretty accurate. His head is still huge...95th percentile! He also passed his autism screen with flying colors: stacking blocks, following directions, understanding words, and motor skills.

High stepping with a little help from Mom

"Gimme that camera, Mom!"

100 Days (and counting!)

Tuesday marked 100 days away from Baby K's arrival! Oh boy (or will it be "oh girl!"??)! We are getting so excited! In the last two weeks, I feel like I have become very pregnant: growing a bigger belly and feeling the baby at all hours! My lap is starting to get smaller and its getting harder to ignore the baby bump when picking up Logan, carrying the laundry basket, and playing on the floor. Thankfully, everything seems to be going great and we are so looking forward to meeting this new little one! We do have some names narrowed down (and a few others on our list as well). We still have girls' names leftover from when we found out we were pregnant the first time, so those were easy to come up with. The boys' names are a little harder this time around, but you can see them on the right hand side of the blog under "Choice Baby Names!". Enjoy!

25 weeks!

Mexico, por favor!

We would like to go back to Mexico, por favor! It was paradise with sunny, blue sky, warm temps and no responsibilities (well, except for being a parent, of course!). It was relaxing and wonderful! I don't think I have the energy to post lots of photos from the trip, so here are a few teasers! I will put together a slideshow or something this week and attach that so you can see more of our time in Mexico.

Logan was GREAT! He was a super duper airplane baby and so adaptable to the trip. He absolutely LOVED the water, sun, and warm temperatures! It didn't take him long to get used to no socks, no shoes, and playing outside all day! Thanks to SPF 70 and lots of great swim gear from Nana, Logan didn't ever get any sun overexposure. Whew! He was swimming, splashing, jumping all day long. I think it was hard to him to nap because he didn't want to miss out on any of the fun! Logan also learned lots of new words, learned about new animals and reptiles we saw, and loved the quality time with his aunts and uncles (Papa and Nana, too!).

The whole crew!
(Yes, I look as big as a house in the photo...no, I am not really.)

More updates later!

Happy Love Day!

I tried my best to get a cute Valentine's Day photo of Logan this year, but I just couldn't seem to have the right touch. This is what happened when I tried - for the last time - to get him to do what I wanted! Oh well!

Logan and I have Valentine's Day cards that we didn't quite finish before we left for our trip, so those will be going out late (very late) this year. It will make for a good project for us on a snowy March day, I presume!

Hope you all had a festive Love Day with family and friends!

While we were gone...

While we were away on our vacation, one of my very best friends had her beautiful baby girl, Grace! You will have to check Mike and Sarah's blog to see photos of their new little one! Its so exciting...we are looking forward to learning from them as they grow into their "family of 4" just before us! Congrats Mike, Sarah and big brother William!

Our friend Ben Dodds launched his professional photography website, complete with portfolio, etc! We are so excited for him as he uses his great talent to capture many memories for other families! Check it out!

18 months!

Yes, it's true! Logan soon turns 18 months! On February 17th, Logan will officially be one-and-a-half, but we'll be away and unable to give an update, so I thought I would write a little something now while I have time! We remember when Logan was an infant, thinking to the "18 month" mark seemed so far away. However, time has gone so quickly and everything has continued to change so fast that we find ourselves with a little boy, not a baby anymore.

Logan is such a light in our lives. He keeps us smiling, laughing, and loving all day long. Some of his favorite things to do right now are to dance, listen to music, run, talk, read books, play with Elmo, and snuggle. The comment we hear most from the church/bible study nurseries and babysitters is, "He really is such a lover". Yes, he is! Logan loves to give hugs and kisses - he even makes sure to kiss "the baby in Mommy's tummy" when he gives kisses to us.

Words, words, words! Logan seems to pick up new words every day and some of them are very surprising! Of course, they are not always pronounced just right, but we can tell what he is saying. Here are a few of the most entertaining: helicopter, pickle, squirrel, go!, pajamas, tent, garbage, icky!, stinky!, eggs, muffin, bowl, pizza...the list goes on. I wish I could get video of him saying more words, but he's tough to catch these days.

When Logan says "cold" he shivers! When Logan says "stinky" he plugs his nose! He also loves to say OH BOY! and UH-OH! He loves Elmo - he has several Sesame Street books that he loves and he has grown pretty close to Elmo! He also really likes trains and says "Choo-Choo"! During the week, we watch out the window for the neighbors puppies, the garbage trucks, and the mailman. Logan loves to wave at people and greet them - he's become pretty social!

The video below is in lieu of photos because I haven't taken many lately. I took this when John was home for lunch today. Logan LOVES to dance and run! On Monday nights our friend Lisa Donnellan watches Logan and she taught him "On your mark, get set, go.....!". So, here you get to see him running and dancing a little...what a cutie.

*Just a quick disclaimer: at some point in this video I shout "Shake it!" - that's just because of the song - we don't really encourage Logan to shake it all the time! And, I'm still learning how to use this Flip Video we got for Christmas...its so light sometimes I get a little carried away and its really rough video. Enjoy!

Baby Bum

We just had to add these from tonight's bath time. Logan loves to watch the water fill the tub and throw his toys in before he gets in. Tonight he was so cute: kneeling on his stool, just like John was kneeling. He's definitely really into doing just what John does these days. Its so cute!

Love that bum!

Caught naked!

Warmer Weather!

We were finally able to enjoy some warmer weather this weekend! I honestly don't even have an idea of what the temps were, but the sun was out, the snow was melting and it wasn't windy. So, we took advantage of the time together to play outside. We tried to build a snowman, but the snow wasn't quite right for sticking together - and Logan mostly liked to demolish the structure! Nonetheless, it was great to get out and Logan loved playing in the snow! Here are some photos from the backyard adventures....enjoy!

Okay, this is John here making a brief addition to this post, just to clear something up.
My feet aren't actually that big!!! These boots are the biggest boots ever made.
This problem dates back to childhood. My parents always bought us boots like we grew up in the great depression. We called it the "Boots For Life" (BFL) program. The boots I first wore in 5th grade were literally still big enough for me when I was a senior year in high school!!!!
Try playing football in the snow during 5th grade recess in boots twice the size of your feet!!!!
No wonder I always got picked last. haha.
Anyway, now anytime I try on boots, my idea of what fits is totally warped and I buy them big enough for an elephant!!!
However, here's to you mom and dad. Now that we've started to think of buying boots for our kids, I can see why you did what you did.
Logan and Kumkuat have already been enrolled in the BFL program.

Boy or Girl?

The most frequent question we've heard lately about our future addition is whether or not we know if its a boy or girl! Inquiring minds want to know! Well, since your guess is as good as ours, we thought we would set up this little survey on the right hand side of the page. So, cast your vote and we'll see on June 5th whether we have a boy (maybe Luke, Lucas, or Bennett), or a girl (maybe Lucy or Nora)!

Superbowl Sunday

After spending the weekend away from Logan again, we were excited to see him on Sunday afternoon when my parents brought him back to Eau Claire. They came with dinner, so we all enjoyed pizza, snacks, the start of the Superbowl, and catching up on the weekend.

Logan and John enjoying a little football together. Logan got to try licorice! He was sure to make known that he loved it by letting out a big "MMMMM" after each bite!

Logan even got to have a snack at his special little table downstairs!

MCC 2009

We traveled this weekend to Madison for the 2009 Mission Community Conference. This conference is held every two years for our Young Life region (Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa) to connect, learn, fellowship, and grow together. We've been waiting since early fall for this chance to spend a weekend with our leaders and committee, so we had a great time!

Logan stayed in Stillwater with my family from Thursday-Sunday afternoon and did great. He loves all the toys and attention! We're thankful to have family so close and so willing to care for Logan! It would have been so much fun to bring him to the conference, but I also enjoyed the time getting to know the leaders better!

We worshiped, prayed, and attended conferences on club, camp, and adolescent culture. We spent our free time drinking coffee, playing lots of games, eating snacks, and meeting up with YL friends from other areas. It was a great weekend and we're so excited about the rest of the year ahead!

We were lucky to have such great worship leaders this weekend!

I have to admit that this was a highlight for me (since I am pregnant, I have no shame in admitting how I've been craving Oreos!)! We all ate out at Cosi on Saturday night and enjoyed these made-at-the-table s'mores! YUM! Toasted marshmallows, melted chocolate, and giant Oreos. What more could a girl want?

The girls' table at dinner! I guess we forgot to get a picture of the guys. We have about 6 returning leaders and about 10 new leaders this semester! We have college students of all ages and several post-college leaders on our team, as well. We were also lucky to have some committee members with us this weekend. I think we all have sore stomachs from laughing all weekend long!