little big boy

Here is my newborn son at 2 weeks old, fast asleep in the swing his Lolly and Pop gave him. He loved his swing as a baby and as he grew, he grew out of it. When we moved, we packed it into the shed, saving it for out next child.

A month ago, a dear friend asked if I'd watch her son on Saturdays. I was elated! He's 3 months old and the perfect way for me to get my newborn fix. He enjoys his swing at home so we brought out the swing and cleaned it up. Logan, had other plans:

Wow. Big boy loves his swing! I think the fact that he's still below 30 pounds allows him to enjoy it without the fear of breaking it. He loves playing with the buttons for the music and changing the speeds. I love watching him enjoy something that started out as his bed. It was the only way we could get him to sleep at night for the first few weeks which meant we did not get much sleep ourselves.

As a two year old, Logan has grown and changed so much in the last few months. I've been terrible at documenting some of those milestones, so here are just a few:

• Flew a kite all by himself the day before Easter (and LOVED it!)


• Peed in the potty--twice!


• Drinks out of a cup well (but not regularly)


• Puts 2-3 words together (juice mama please)


• knows opposites (up/down, on/off, in/out, hot/cold)


• counts to 3


• learning his colors (gets red right just about every time)


• learning A,B,Cs


• mastered going down the slide without fear


• got a haircut by his auntie m

Some things he's not so fond of:

• His bath....ugh this makes me so sad! He HATES taking a bath now and I have no idea why.


• Doing anything we ask him not to do (aka: NO NO NO!)


• Going to bed by himself. We've never co-slept and suddenly Logan has become very upset at night if I don't lay down with him. I obliged two times (TWO!) and now I started a habit he becomes desperate for.


• Having things put into his nose. We went to the ENT last week and they stuck a camera up his nose to see his adenoids. It was miserable for both of us.


• Waiting for anything. Period.


• Not being in my arms 99% of the time. Okay, 80% but it is exhausting! I love this little man so much but I can barely get the dishes done without him pulling on my leg.

This summer is going to be wonderful. We're going on a family vacation in June and as Logan learns more and more, he becomes more fun. More difficult, too, but it all balances itself out. He's a true blessing!

the two year old outside

You know it's summer time when I bust out my camera and snap more photos in 2 days than I have in 2 months.

Nothing like finishing a day off at the park with a PB&J and string cheese.

fancy deviled eggs {easter}

Ironic as this might sound, I am not crazy about dyeing Easter eggs. I enjoyed it as a child, but now I feel it more of a pain in the arse to set everything up, dye the eggs, wait for the perfect color, let them dry and then clean up. OH and then try to get all those purple and blue stains off of the counter. Yeah

BUT. This year was different. And I'm pretty sure next year will be even better. Logan was not totally interested in the whole process, but he did enjoy putting the stickers all over his face and every other surface in the kitchen.

This year...I invited friends over and volunteered to bring in an Easter treat for work.

I LOVE love LOVE deviled eggs. I could eat them everyday. And what better treat for a large group of people! I found an idea on pinterest in which you dye the egg after you shell it and out comes pretty little deviled eggs.

I mixed the yolk in with some mayo and a dash of spicy mustard, salt and pepper. And for the first time ever, I packed the mix into a baggie, cut the tip off and made filling the eggs so much easier!

And alas, I present to you my very pretty Easter Deviled Eggs! They were a hit at work and very tasty. Some may wonder about tasting the vinegar from the dye and I couldn't tell. A few others could but that did not stop anyone from eating them up.

germs suck

I'm sick--again! This new year has hit our family hard with germs and I am so sick of being sick. I have not gone more than 3 weeks healthy since December...no wonder I'm so exhausted! Every germ I encounter at work or through Logan has found a way to beat down our immune systems and since it (our systems) have not had a long enough time to recover, we keep getting sick. So that is why there have not been any new posts. I'm laid up an resting as much as I can, all while working full time (no sick days left!) and taking care of the fam.

Fun Giveaway!

Friends, there is a great giveaway going on over at The Art of Making a Baby. TONS of breastfeeding products that me, as a mom who is not expecting again (yet), would LOVE to be able to use next time around. I read about all these products and this has a great review. Check it out and enter to win! Enjoy!!

Lately...

My friend Randalin over at Harvesting Kale wrote a post like this recently which has inspired me to do the same! Sorry I have been so MIA the last few weeks. We have a lot going on in our little family, some good, some bad. So this is good enough for now.

Loving. Cracklin Oak Bran cereal! I know, it's plain, but I love how it fills me up in the morning and with almond milk it's just delish! Sometimes I wish I could have it for every meal.

Noticing. Weeds in the yard. We had a little moisture last week and it has made our yard greener, but oh the weeds! They have popped up quickly.

Appreciating. My husband. He's amazing and this week has been so trying for us. He never gives up on us and keeps holding me up when things get tough. Best man to have by my side.

Anticipating. So many things! Most of which I can't write about yet, but it's good stuff! For now, I am anticipating a better upcoming week than the last! lol

Looking. For guidance and patience.

Thinking. I need a mental health week off from work.

Enjoying. Early AM snuggles with Logan. Every morning he comes out of his room and climbs into bed with me. Daddy gets him some juice and a waffle and we lay there together.

Wishing. That I wasn't an adult all the time! Sometimes I miss my parents making all these hard decisions for me!

Welcoming. Not much. I wish I could say I was welcoming something.

Bully

This movie is coming out soon and just from watching the trailer, I get mad. I have always been a very empathetic person and cannot imagine treating others in such a cruel way, in such a way that they feel like they no longer deserve to live and start believing the lies the bullies are telling them. There is something so poignant about this, especially as a parent, that makes you take a step back and start to pray for your child's well-being before they're even in grade school.

I would like to say that growing up, I was never bullied, but alas I was one of those kids. Honestly, who wasn't bullied? I know I've been the victim, but I've also been the bully. On very rare occasions did I stoop to that level and make someone feel less to make me feel better. Of course, I was a teenager who certainly knew better and chose to hurt someone. I'm ashamed to admit it.

Growing up I was a social, but quite kid. I was independent and preferred to work on school projects alone. I had a hand full of friends, but never fell into any one specific group. I wasn't athletic and only played volleyball for a few years in middle school. I danced for a few years and, while I loved it, there were some girls who showed off so much so that I felt too insecure to keep at it. I wasn't into acting, band or choir. I enjoyed arts, crafts and home ec the most. Despite how much I tried to be my own person and stay out of the drama and cliques, I was still bullied on a few occasions which I've not forgotten.

In 4th grade I got glasses. There is no better way to draw attention to yourself as a child than to walk in one day with four eyes and a butch hair cut. Until my hair grew out, I didn't hear the end of it. I avoided the bullies and chased the boys on the playground.

When I was in 5th grade, on the last day of school, we were doing an outside activity with wooden planks over buckets, trying to cross to the other side without falling off. One of the girls, Katie R., was a loner for the most part but decided to leave her mark, literally, before the day was over. She was behind me and had one of those old, plastic jump ropes. I suppose I wasn't moving fast enough for her so she took that jump rope and whipped it across the back of my legs. I instantly fell off and began to cry. The teacher wasn't paying attention and I didn't want to be a snitch so I just laid there a minute until I could put the tears away. Worst way to end a school year!

In 7th grade, I had some awesome "friends". They were so awesome, in fact, that they were the fake-nice bully. Y0u know, the girls who pretended to like you, pretended to be your friend and then the minute you didn't do something they wanted you were black-listed. At our school if you found money and turned it in, you'd get a box of Gobstoppers. I'd found some cash and quickly turned it in. Please note: I have the biggest conscience you could imagine. My moral compass has almost always been straight and narrow. These girl "friends" wanted me to share my Gobstoppers and so I passed a few around, smiling for winning some brownie points (or so I thought). The girls asked for more and I politely declined. I got up and headed back inside, but not before they tackled me and pinned me behind the door. I was wedged between the door and the brick wall of the school. It was a hot day and the bricks stung my skin. I tried to play along for a minute, trying not to become terrified of what might happen. I threw the box of Gobstoppers at them and they let me go. I ran inside to the counselor and had a good cry. I don't know if they ever got in trouble for what they did, but I never got my Gobstoppers back and they never apologized. In fact, they continued to be my fake friend.

Over the years, I've learned pretty quickly if someone is fake or not. It's sad, really, that those people are still out there even as adults. I've tried to be my genuine self and give a little trust here and there, only to find that they're not really my friend and I let it go. It doesn't hurt anymore. It just sucks.

I'm not sure how I will deal with bullies as a parent. From what I can tell, Logan is a very social child who is friendly with everyone. We get praising reports from his daycare teachers and he's never been in trouble to earn a time out. He's never bitten a kid and as far as I know, he's never hit one either. I hope is that he is not the bully or the bullied. But I can't control that. And that also sucks.