Family Time

We have been busy, busy, busy!  During Thanksgiving, Logann had the opportunity to play with Owen for a few days.  Every night, she would cry because she didn't want to leave Owen.  When the weekend was over, Logann woke up every morning looking for Owen.  She can't wait until we go to visit him once baby Stella is born.  She will be excited about seeing the baby, but she will LOVE playing with Owie.

Christmas has come and gone quickly.  We got to spend some time with my cousin from LA.  Logann cozied right up to her and her husband, Matt.  There were many times when I would find her sitting right next to Matt playing his DS.  He controlled the left buttons and she controlled the right ones.  It was really cute.  When the DS wasn't around, Logann would sit with Lisa and play games on her iphone.  We drove with to up to my grandparents house for my grandpa's 90 birthday party.  Logann loved playing the organ in the party room and riding the scooter up and down the hallways.

After the party, we drove to Seminole to celebrate Christmas with Jeremy's mom.  We had a blast watching Logann dress up in her new dress up clothes.  She loved being a princess.  She was so excited to get the movie Wall-E.  She had already watched it before we even got back home.

Christmas was a lot of fun.  We opened presents at our house Christmas morning.  Once we finished presents, we went over to Nana & Poppa's house for our traditional star biscuits and gravy breakfast.  We had more Christmas with Nana & Poppa and Uncle Larry, Aunt Barbara, Cousin Lisa, and Cousin Matt.  Logann received a Rose Petal Cottage and a new baby doll.  The cottage is so big that I'm going to have to rearrange her bedroom or get rid of some furniture to make everything fit.  She loves it though.  She puts on her princess dress everyday, accessorizes with her high heeled, plastic shoes, and climbs into the cottage to play.  She is becoming such a big girl.  Almost a week later, she is asking me if she can open more presents.

Fall Adventures

It's been a little busy around here, and I am a little bit behind on posting recent events. This past weekend, we went with the 55 and up group from our church on a trip to Branson. We saw Noah, the Musical, and did lots of shopping and talking. Logann came home from the trip talking all about her dolls being GRANDbabies. She loved sitting with the ladies on the bus, and she, again, did not want to come home.

We went out to the pumpking patch on Monday and let Logann look at the petting zoo, the pumpkin patch and the corn maze. She loved hearing the pigs snort and seeing the tall stalks of corn. We brought home two pumpkins that Logann picked out. It took us awhile to find some good ones because Logann kept telling us, "That's not a good one." or "That one has bugs." We finally found two that she approved of, and brought them home to our front porch.

Tonight we went Trick-or-Treating. Logann dressed up as a gum ball machine. At each house, she walked right up to the doors and rang the bells, but when our friends would come to the door, she didn't wait for them to hand her the candy. She would walk right into the house and try to find the bucket herself. We had a great time visiting friends and, of course, eating the candy.

Tomorrow, we're off to a 5k and the SWOSU homecoming parade.

Camping Out

Needing to get out and about, we took Logann on a one night camping trip. I decided to take one for the team and make a huge sacrifice--we actually stayed in a tent. We drove down to some land, owned by one of Jeremy's friends on the outside of Altus, OK. We set up our tent, and we geared up for the night. Jeremy took Logann fishing with her new Princess pole.She did not catch anything, but the next morning she said that fishing was her favorite part. We roasted hotdogs and made smores. It took some convincing, but Logann finally decided to eat the whole smore and not just the marshmallows. Once it got dark, we headed to our tent to watch movies (we couldn't rough it totally!). The night went smoothly until a few cows found their way to our tent and started chewing on my shoes that were outside the tent "door." I woke up to hear Jeremy yelling, "GAW! GAW!" as he tried to get the cows to move on. Luckily, they dropped my shoes and took off. Logann slept through the whole thing!

The next morning, we made some pancakes on the griddle and enjoyed a nice family breakfast. As we were getting things set up, Logann played on the side of the "kitchen." As I cooked, I could hear her singing "Jesus Loves Me." It was the sweetest thing!

I am actually surprised that I survived, but what surprised me the most is that I would consider doing it all again. Memories!

Lovely Lady

As Logann gets older, I am trying to find fun adventures for us to do so that we're not just playing at home with the same old stuff. Last Wednesday, we went to a Stephen Fite concert at the local YMCA. She wasn't too sure about all the kids screaming and dancing. You know how crazy kid's concerts can be!!! She kept asking to go to the bathroom, so I deduced that she was finding any excuse possible to get out of there. On our third trip to the restroom, I finally figured out that she had spied a fish tank outside of the bathroom doors. By this time, the concert was over, so as we headed to the car...she threw a fit because she wanted to go back to the concert. She cried all the way home. I guess she really did enjoy herself.

Today, we went to get pedicures. I loaded Logann up in the stroller for our walk, and we walked down to a local nail salon. Of course, she got the movie star treatment. They brought her a cold drink to enjoy while she picked out her color. She sat in my lap as they clipped and filed away on my old feet. Then, she got to put her feet in the bubbling bath and watch as the under-light turned the water different colors. They massaged her feet and added her carefully selected, hot pink polish. She looked like a movie star getting pampered.

First Day of School

Today was Logann's first day of Children's Day Out at our church. All weekend long, she kept telling me she was ready to go to school. Last night, I couldn't get her to go to bed, but finally, the first day arrived! Looking at the picture now, I know I have a big girl on my hands. She made a picture of "Logann's House." She played with the toys in the gym. She even took a nap on her napmat that I made her. To top it all off, she came home with a book order. I remember getting so excited to take them home and look at them with my mom. Now, I'm the mom (and I still get excited to look at them.) I am officially a FREAK! I took too many pictures of Logann's first day, from her eating breakfast,

to getting her hair fixed,

to walking to the door.It's not really school, but from all the flashes going off, you would have thought I was dropping her off at college. I'm proud of my big girl. She's already talking about going back to school, and it's only 3:58 on the same day!

Logie and Momma's Night O' Fun!

I'm always trying to find things for us to do so that we are not parked in front of the television. Tonight, the crafter in me wanted to think of something that was fun, productive, and creative. I got online and looked for edible projects. I found a recipe for pudding paint. Logann and I made a batch of banana pudding. Then, she chose the colors, and we mixed up our paints. I think she was a little shocked when I sat her down at the table with no paint brush. She just sat there with the paints and looked at me. She finally said, "I use my fingers?" It took her a minute to get going, but after a few minutes she was dumping the bowls onto the paper, and the little finger dabbles became full hand swishes. My little budding artist makes me proud. Next, we're off to play a little Elefun!

Winter Can't Come Fast Enough!

Obviously, Logann can't for winter to arrive. We were going for a walk the other day, and I told Logann to get her flip-flops on so we could leave. She came in and said, "I changed my mind. I want to wear my boots." Tonight after church, she same right in, threw off her flip-flops, put on her boots and her hat, and she was ready to play. I can't complain. I'm ready for some cold weather too.

A True Texan

Tonight, we were invited to eat dinner with our friends who run a ranch, "Maw-Maw" & "Big Daddy". Every time we go to their house, Logann begs to wear her "cowboy" boots (her pink, winter boots with fur) and her "cowboy" hat (her hot pink, cotton, bucket hat). She puts them on any time she rides her stick horse. The other day, while she was riding, she even said, "Look at me, Momma. I'm a cowboy!" So, tonight for her last dinner with Maw-Maw & Big Daddy, we told her she could wear her boots and her hat, even if it didn't match her outfit.

We enjoyed wonderful steaks, baked potatoes, bread, salad, and strawberry shortcake. After dinner, they surprised Logann with a going away present--red and brown cowboy boots! They told her the brown was to represent Texas, and the red was to represent the Sooners. At first, we had trouble convincing her that her pink boots were not actually cowboy boots, and that these brown & red boots were what real cowboys wore to ride horses. After much talk, she finally took off the pink boots and put on the cowboy boots.

They took Logann outside, and she became a real cowgirl because she rode her first horse. She didn't want anything to do with the horse unless I rode with her. So, I put my childhood nightmares in the back of my mind, and I hopped up on that horse (actually someone had to give me a little boost), and Logann and I rode him around the ranch. He was very gentle and slow. We walked by the barns, across the yard, and up the drives. We were headed back to the beginning when the unthinkable happened...I saw my life flash before my eyes...I shouted for help...I pondered if I should toss Logann off before we all crashed...I had to make a split second decision with our lives...

the horse stopped and knelt down to eat grass. I'm sure it was no big deal, and I'm sure he was probably moving in slow motion, but to me (flashing back to 4th grade when I learned to ride the fastest horse on the planet) I remembered why I had nightmares. I have no clue how to ride a horse. We recovered from the kneel, and the horse walked back to the group. No one seemed to be bothered by the incident, so I had to pretend that everything was fantastic. I tossed Logann to the first person I saw, and I nonchalantly dismounted the horse. Logann had a great time, and I pretended that I did as well!

I know I may not be a true Texan, but my daughter is...she even has the boots to prove it!

We sure love our Texas friends. You will all be missed, but we know we will see you again soon!

Splashing Around

We discovered a small water park the other day. So, Saturday, Jeremy and I took Logann there to play. It's perfect for small kids, and Logann has a blast. She fell all over herself splashing around in the water screaming with delight. She wore her "Bono" sunglasses as she explored fearlessly. She attempted the slides a few times, but of course she was drawn to the huge slide that was for the big kids and adults. Once we convinced her that she needed to stay in the kids area, so splashed around for a few hours. Needless to say, when it was time to go home, everyone within a mile radius knew that she was not pleased with me making her go to the car.

This week, we are trying to do something fun around the Dallas area before we move to Oklahoma. Today, Logann and I went back to the water park with our friends Amy and Avery. Logann and Avery were so excited to get in the water that they wouldn't hardly touch their lunch. The only way they were eating was when they would take it down to the water. After a few soggy pieces of bread, we had to hide the food until snack breaks. Logann and Avery splashed around for a few hours again.

At the end of the day, the girls slightly protested our leaving. They had a blast, though, and it really tuckered them out.

Any tips?

Well, it's been a month since we converted the baby bed to a big girl bed. The first 2 nights were a breeze. EVERY night since...not so much. From everything I've read and been told, after I put "the child" to bed, every time she gets out of bed, I am supposed to walk "the child" back to bed without emotion and say, "Good night!". Then, I am supposed to walk out of the room. I am supposed to do this over and over until "the child" gets the idea that it is bed time. So, here we are, 1 month later, and "the child" does not get the idea that it's bed time. If I sit in her room, she will fall asleep in minutes. If I stand out in the hall, she will scream and get up for over an hour. What is a parent to do at bedtime with "the child"?

On another note, what is a parent to do with a "busy" child? This past week, we had Vacation Bible School at our church. Logann got to attend the 3 year old class because she is the only 2 year old. I warned the teachers at the beginning of the week, that if they wanted to leave her behind with the 1 1/2 year olds, I really wouldn't mind. They of course said they would LOVE to have her in their class and wouldn't think of leaving her behind with the little ones. Needless to say, by Wednesday when I went to pick her up from her class, she was no where to be found. She had gotten the boot and was sent back to the baby class. They said she kept running away and was too busy for them to keep up with. Over the course of the week, I would run into her teachers at Wal-Mart or at another church function. They all had the same thing to say, "She sure is a BUSY little girl...VERRRRY BUSY!" (great emphasis on the busy.) Is this a nice way to say that my precious lamb is a crazy loon?

I am glad she is curious and interested in everything. She knows how to behave, yet she gets her mind focused on something and it's hard to change it. Is busy a bad thing? My mom keeps reminding me that I was the exact same way as a child. My grandmother also said my mom was this way. So, I have hope that somewhere along the way (hopefully sooner than later), she will get her craziness out and will grow up to become a "less busy" young lady.

Despite being warn out from chasing her around, I love Logann's business! It may not appeal to everyone, but I wouldn't have her any other way.

P.S.-I think my 4 kid plan has gone down the tubes! This world can't handle 4 mini-Courtney's. I think I will stick to a 1 kid plan from now on!!!!

Dear Logann,

Dear Logann,
We changed your crib into a big-girl bed tonight! I couldn't tell if you were excited about it or not. I tried to talk it up to you, but I think you were more excited about jumping on your matress than about sleeping. It seems like an easy thing to do, but honestly, it's not coming easy for your mommy. I walked in to check on you tonight, and you were sleeping like a big girl! Memories flooded back to me from when Da-Da and I went to pick out your bed. We were so proud of our choice. We thought it was beautiful!! I couldn't wait for our baby to arrive so that she could sleep in it. Now, I no longer have a little baby sleeping in a beautiful crib. I have a big girl laying in a big bed singing every word to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "Jesus and the Children". I just want you to know that I am so proud of you. I miss my little baby, but I am so excited to spend each day with my Big Girl!

p.s. Thank you for going to bed quietly tonight. Hopefully, you will always go straight to sleep without a fuss and stay in your bed all night!!!!

Love,
Ma-Ma

Travels

Before we left for Mississippi, Logann and I spent a few days at Jeremy's mom's house. While Grammy was at work, I took Logann to the Jasmine Moran Children's Museum in Seminole. What a wonderful place for children to explore!! Logann RAN from station to station checking out all of the exciting displays. We saw fish, a fire truck, an ambulance, and an airplane cockpit. She got to play with bubbles, broadcast the news, excavate dinosaur bones, shop at a tiny grocery store, be a judge and jury, make shadows, and much more. She was such a big girl!

My favorite part was taking her in the little grocery store. Not because I always played "store" growing up, but because she shopped like a little mommy. She bought rolls, apple pie, oranges, oatmeal, and egg beaters. When she got up to the register, she ran to put the oatmeal back, and she picked up some dog treats. She was so sweet to think of Sam! Then, she ran the register like a pro. Typing in the numbers that the volunteer pointed to. She did get a little carried away with the plus button. I think her 5 items ended up costing her $269.58. Inflation!!!!

I tried to get her to play in the 3 and under room so that I could sit down for a minute. She lasted a whopping 20 seconds before she was at the door ready to head off to the next station. We had a great day, and I can't wait to go back again!

We left Grammy's house and headed to Mississippi. My brother graduated from Ole Miss with his doctorate, so our family traveled out to see his hooding and celebrate with Casey. Logann got to spend time with Nana & Poppa, Owen, Casey, & Christa, Sher-Bear & Ron (my aunt and uncle), and Christa's sister's family. Logann spent hours running and playing with Owen and his cousin Max. She got to "drive" Owen's Escalade. I use the term "drive" loosely. She pushed the gas, but she got distracted every time looking around. She would forget to steer. Jeremy and I used our quick reflexes often to grab the steering wheel before she plowed down a mailbox.

We had a great time hanging out with everyone. I was so happy that Logann got to see ALL of her family at one time. We finally got home, and now we are trying to get back into the swing of "normal". We can't wait to head out on our next adventure!

Adventures in Logie-land

I have a little catching up to do. We have explored a lot these past few weeks. Let's start at the beginning...

Last Friday, we had dinner with some friends from Fort Worth. After dinner we let the kids hang out. Then, we all took a family walk with the wagon. Logann and Andrew had a great time riding along...especially when they spotted all the dogs along the way.

Of course Logann didn't want to leave baby Andrew's house. But, we have promised to catch up more often. I'm not sure who had more fun: the adults or the kids!

The next morning, Logann attended a birthday party for her friend Caroline at Bouncin' Around. My little toddler didn't think twice about climbing the HUGE steps on the GIGANTIC slides. The first few tries, I had to give her a little boost, but she quickly got the hang of it and went crazy on all of the bouncy toys.

Before we left, I realized how sweet my Logie Bear can be. We were getting our things together to leave, and I told Logann to go tell Caroline, "Happy Birthday!" She walked over to Caroline, but Caroline got distracted with her new presents across the room. Instead of walking back to me to leave, she chased Caroline around the room until she could give her the birthday message. It made me laugh to myself, yet think how proud I am of my baby girl. Instead of giving up (like mom would have done if someone walked away), she knew it was important to listen to her mom and to be kind to her friend. Isn't she precious?!?!?!?

Finally, we took a trip to the Oklahoma City zoo. Logann's cousin Miah had a class field trip to the zoo, so Jeremy, Logann, and I got to tag along. My mom and dad and Jeremy's mom also met up with us. We didn't ride over there with Miah, so as soon as we walked in the gate, they hugged like long lost friends and held hands for the longest time as they walked along with Jeremy's mom (Grammy).


On our way out from seeing the lions, Logann stopped to listen to the zoo keeper holding a turtle. Of course, Logann reached out and touched the turtle (begging to hold it) as the nice lady pointed out specific turtle characteristics. At our next stop, being fearless, Logann also plopped herself down next to a gorilla sitting in a window. It cracked me up because neither one of them seemed to mind the other one as they "sat" together.

We had a great time looking around at the animals. As expected, Logann was not ready to leave, but we were able to talk her into going to find a hamburger as long as we had "catup." Next, we're off to Mississippi. Adventures with Owie to come!!!!!