LOGAN IS 2!

How did this happen? Our first baby turned 2! It was pretty unreal for John and I to think that Logan suddenly is so grown up (relatively speaking). Today my Babycenter.com email updates changed from "Your Toddler" to "Your Preschooler"! WHAT?! Preschooler?! I still feel like Logan is my baby in so many ways.

We had an awesome birthday party for Logan yesterday, but I have to post some photos later when I have more time. Today, Logan got to have a special banana bread with a candle, open gifts before Daddy went to work, and play lots of baseball with Mommy. It was a great day to turn 2!

Logan can almost get the candle out by himself...he just needed a little help!

So many fun new toys and gifts!

John thinks I do a little too much shopping with the boys given Logan's extreme interest in the shopping cart and cash register. What's scarier is Logan's instant use of the credit card swiper! It was like second nature to him...maybe I should start carrying more cash...
Actually, I would like to note that those gifts came from my mom and sister - frightfully appropriate!

After a quick run to the store for diapers and a stop at Starbucks (Logan had a yummy birthday cookie from our friends at Starbucks!) we played some serious baseball.

Bennett slept through all the commotion in his carseat!

Logan hits the ball and then takes off running - its the cutest thing you've ever seen! And he can REALLY hit the ball! It goes flying so far...you wouldn't believe it until you see it! I think its because of all that practice with a hockey stick. Logan is one super-coordinated kid.

This is Logan's special present from Papa. He doesn't look too happy in this photo, but that is because he really DID NOT want a photo taken. He loves the truck, but likes to have Mom or Dad close by while riding...I'm ok with that for now. :)

WHAT A DAY! WHAT A BOY! To think that two years ago he was smaller than Bennett and just one year ago he wasn't walking or talking much. Being a parent is the most amazing gift - to watch a child grow is the most amazing show in life!

We love you, Logan!

"I Wanna Help!"

We're getting ready for Logan's big birthday party tomorrow and he had to help John with yardwork! He LOVED it! He said, "I wanna help...yard, grass!". Its so cute! Anything to be just like his dad.

Logan didn't like the sound of John's new lawn-edger, but once the edging was over, he was ready to run out and help pick up the extra grass. John even asked Logan to "get the orange bucket" and Logan found it, hauled it all the way out to the end of the driveway by himself. He's such a little smarty (and strong, too!).

Nice work, boys! The lawn looks great!

"Denny, Mike, coming"

Logan kept talking about Jenny and Mike coming to visit again. They were in town one more time this summer before school starts back up and Jenny's begins her new job. Logan totally remembered them and was so excited for them to come, he kept saying "Denny, Mike, coming". We were at the grocery store that day and he saw a blond girl with a boy and said "DENNY, MIKE!". The couple looked at us, but I just told Logan that it wasn't Jenny, she was coming later! Well, we had a really fun time with Jenny and Mike, so no wonder Logan was looking forward to it so much. After Neir-style tacos, we spent the whole evening outside and it was great!

Logan was full of hugs

And, of course, made Jenny look for bugs with him!

Logan thinks he is really cool on this little contraption. He is way too big for it now and his legs are about the whole length of the slide, but Logan thinks that is just so funny! High-fives for Mike at the bottom of the slide!

Bennett was loving the fresh air, too, and snuggling with Auntie Jenny!

The sand table has been a great summer toy! We play with it every day. We started packing the sand into buckets to make sand castles and that is Logan's new favorite thing. He packs the sand and we tip the bucket.

Pretty Auntie (she went brunette!) with sweet nephew...

John and Logan were running around and it was the most fun to watch. The running, laughing, screaming - Logan couldn't get enough of wild time with Dad.

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Our wild man...almost 2!

Daddy is tired out after all that, but who can resist those smiles and giggles?!

After the rowdy playtime, it was bathtime and bedtime. Jenny and Mike stayed late so we could spend time together talking and catching up after the kids were in bed. Thanks for a great visit, Jenny and Mike! Can't wait to see you again SOON! Come back anytime - we love you!

Mmmmmm.....

Logan is totally hilarious and totally a TWO YEAR old (almost!). One minute, he is cracking up making jokes and the next minute, he is on his way to a tantrum. John and I constantly remind ourselves of what a good kid Logan is - his temperament and demeanor are really pretty amazing for someone his age. However, we definitely have our moments...

Mr. Cool Dude in his sunglasses - his favorite accessory! And yes, Logan says "Sunglasses" and "Cool Dude"! Logan did not want his photo taken - he has a love/hate relationship with my camera.

This was a crazy morning...I was getting ready for the day when I came around the corner and say this! Logan found the M & Ms! He was diving in and not wasting any time polishing off the bag.

Suddenly, stocked full of chocolate, the camera isn't so bad. Who can blame him? Chocolate makes everything better!

Logan is amazing with Bennett. He is super protective and worries a lot when Bennett is sad. When B starts to cry, Logan says, "Ben-en sad. Mommy feed Ben-en!"

Logan love love loves to hold Bennett. He has started to get really jealous when other people get to hold Bennett, stomping his feet and screaming "I wanna hold Ben-en! I wanna hold Ben-en!".

Logan is really advanced with his language skills. He talks mostly in sentences now - we can't believe how quickly it happened. People comment a lot about his verbal development, but I know its different for all kids and pretty soon they even out in their verbal and motor skills. We have the best time listening to Logan talk and continue to say new words each day. This is our favorite stage yet!

9 weeks!

At 9 weeks, I started putting Bennett in a sleep sack each night because he moves around so much in bed that I was worrying about him getting his face under the blankets. Look how long this baby boy is! He's super duper long and lean - taking after his Daddy! Bennett is such an awesome sleeper - often sleeping a 7-8 hour stretch at night already! Its great! Bennett is also super strong, often standing up strong with his legs on our laps, turning in circles when laying on his back, occasionally rolling over, and doing some serious tummy crunches as you can see in the second photo!

Check out those baby blues!

Little B's Baby Shower

My good friends from SAMmy's (Strength Among Moms Ministry) walked with me through my whole pregnancy with Bennett. The girls insisted on giving me a shower for the baby, but waited until after the birth so they would know if it was a boy or girl! Plus, it was a great excuse for us all to get together, sans kiddos (except B) and for them to all meet Bennett!

This group of women is a blessing to me. They have become so special to me and they are who I talk about when I say "my friends". Before last year, I really didn't know many other people in Eau Claire, especially other moms I could relate well with. God really gave me a gift when he put me in this small group at SAMmy's. Its a great group of women, different ages, different lives, but so perfectly compatible. It was special to have a night out together!

As usual, Bennett was a wilkd and crazy party animal! Haha!

We sat on the beautiful patio at Mona Lisa's - it was so beautiful and a perfect evening to enjoy the outside dining!

Bennett really was showered with gifts - some great new things! It will be so fun to wash up some brand new clothes for him! The girls were so sweet and generous...clothes, toys, keepsakes, and, of course, diapers!

We were laughing at ourselves because our topics of conversation included: our kids, babies, feeding, poopy diapers, potty training, and preschool. What a group of MOMS, right?!

My friend, Steph cuddling with Bennett. She is anxiously awaiting her second baby this winter!

Bennett got lots of love from the ladies and was flashing some pretty cute smiles!


Holly made these amazing cupcakes!

Of course, I got photos of everything except B and me. So I had John take a couple photos right when we got home.

My sweet little B.

Potty Time