The Heagy Family

Busy!

2010-07-04T09:30:00.002-05:00

Whew! The summer got off to a crazy, busy start, but I feel like I can finally sit down and catch my breath. We moved at the beginning of June, and it's been crazy trying to get settled in and everything out of boxes. To make it even MORE hectic, we did not sell our old house, but kept it as a rental property. So now we have two houses to take care of, which sounds so intimidating! Luckily, we have some renters that we think will be great for the house, and we get to make some money on it, which is also nice.

Summer so far has flown by. I went to several workshops at the beginning of June for the upcoming school year. I have a feeling that the fall of 2010 will be even more crazy as I try to find my groove as a first-year teacher. I am also still working on my masters to defer my student loans a bit longer. I can't wait to be DONE with school.

Emma is switching from Oakwood Manor to Gashland Elementary, so there are changes in store for her this fall, too. She seems excited to be going to a new school, and I know that she'll make friends quickly based on how social she is. I hope that her new school will be as good for her as Oakwood Manor has been. She learned so much in her nine months in kindergarten, so I hope that it continues!!

We've all spent the summer hanging out with friends, going to the pool, and doing tons of other fun things. I love having the summers off with my kids!! It's great to have Emma's school schedule.

We are also working with Logan on potty-training. It's been an adventure! He's done well with it so far, and it would be great to have him fully trained before the fall. I'm not sure how that will go, though! His vocabulary is booming and he is learning more and more each day.

As for Matt, he is back in school to work on his degree. He is thinking of going in to nursing, which would be a great career for him!!

Pictures of the house to come soon!

Come On, Summer!!!

2010-05-10T18:13:00.004-05:00

We have been enjoying the nice, warm days we have been having, but we are not loving this cold weather! I packed most of the kids' winter clothes away, so we are running on very few outfits until it turns warm again! Here are a few pictures of the time we were able to enjoy while it was warm! Logan has been talking more and more lately. Most recently, he put together the words "More, please." :) He has also decided that life is more comfortable without a diaper. We catch him all the time trying to get out of his clothes and diaper. If we're not quick, he takes the opportunity to pee on the floor!!

I was all pumped up to put him in a toddler bed, which we did. However, it was musical beds at bedtime, and that got exhausting. Emma and Logan went from his bed to her bed and back again. He was also not sleeping through the night. When he was a baby, he had a lot of trouble in his crib. He would wake up and cry, but in his play pen, he slept all night. We think it's the security of being surrounded by four "walls." In the end, I decided to put him back in his play pen for now, and we're all sleeping all night again!!

We recently went to the Air Show at Rosecrans AFB. Matt had to be up there all weekend for drill anyway, so we went to check it out. Logan has recently begun to LOVE airplanes, so he loved seeing all the airplanes up there. Emma's favorite part, of course, was the cotton candy!

I had to capture my kids in a sweet moment. They are holding hands in this picture, and there was no bribing on my part! I turned around and they were holding hands, so I hurried up and grabbed a quick picture!

Finally, here is the rose Emma got me on Mother's Day. She went to the store with me while I bought my mom and grandma a rose, and she had a dime that she wanted to use to buy me a rose. Luckily, the cashier's played along, and she felt so important!

Busy, Busy!!!

2010-04-24T08:38:00.002-05:00

We have been super busy here in the Heagy household! We recently signed a contract for a new house, and we are going to move to it in June. Of course, panic has already set in for me. It's tough to think about packing a whole house and moving it! It's especially difficult when you have a husband who has much difficulty letting go of things.

We also had a wonderful Easter recently. My grandma makes Easter so special for the kids every year! They got a ton of eggs and a ton of Easter candy. Even Logan got the hang of finding the eggs.

The most recent, most exciting news is that I was offered a first grade position in the Grain Valley School District! I was certain I wasn't going to get a job this year due to all the layoffs, but luck was on my side. We are super excited!

My Little Genius

2010-03-15T13:34:00.006-05:00

We are so proud of our little girl! Her teacher sent home the lists of the sight words that they want the students to master before 1st grade, and she has mastered words all the way through THIRD grade. She is also excelling in math, which is awesome! We are super proud!

Below is a picture of my baby boy actually being still. He is sitting on the toy box, quietly "reading" a book.

We have been anxious to get out of the house, so I took the kids to the park one day when it was still a bit chilly. They had fun, but they only made it for about half an hour before we all got too cold to play! We are ready for spring!

The kindergartners at Emma's school recently had a music program. It was too cute!!

Sweet Relief!

2010-03-06T20:26:00.002-06:00

Throughout half of Logan's life, he has been plagued with ear infections. We would go to the doctor, get an antibiotic, and come back again only to discover that he still has an ear infection. Matt and I were exhausted from the sometimes twice nightly wakings from pain in his ear. Finally, our doctor recommended that we see the ENT. Last Tuesday, Logan had surgery to put tubes in his ears, and it's been smooth sailing since! We are finally getting some sleep around here!

Uh-Oh

2010-02-17T20:30:00.003-06:00

I just had to include a picture of my adorable boy trying on glasses at Hy-Vee. He becomes more and more verbal everyday, and I am loving watching him grow! The amount he understands from me never ceases to amaze me!

Matt and I recently celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. Our kids spent the night with some friends, and we went to the casino for dinner, gambling, and a movie. It was great to not have to worry about running home to get the kids, and we got to go to a kid-free breakfast the next morning.

Logan likes to act bigger than he is sometimes. His little arms were straining to hold onto the cart in this picture. During this particular shopping trip, he knocked numerous items off of the shelf, climbed onto the second shelf when my back was turned, and then screamed when I punished him by buckling him into the cart. No wonder I usually leave them home with Matt!

Logan is definitely our "challenging" child. He has done so much more at this age than Emma did. However, I do thank God that he is active and healthy and causes so much mischief, because the alternative is much worse! This evening, we put Logan to bed and were sitting in the living room. We were both startled when Logan came running up to us! After putting him back in his playpen, we watched again as he climbed out. This is something we never had to worry about with Emma, so I'm not sure what we're going to do!

And, of course, who can resist fun with Fun Dip?

Secret Keeper

2010-02-02T20:35:00.002-06:00

Well, we know for certain that Emma cannot keep a secret. Matt's birthday is coming up, and I got him a super present, which I have not told Emma about. When he came home tonight, she said, "I can't wait until your birthday to give you your present."

Matt says, "What is it?"

Emma whispers in my ear, "What is it?"

I whispered in her ear, "A screwdriver." (Not true).

A few seconds later, Matt asks, "So, what's my birthday present?"

She says, "I can't tell you."

Thirty seconds later . . . "It's a thing that you twist and it screws . . ." All while making the hand motions of a screwdriver.

So, needless to say, I will not be telling her what he is getting. It seems that at every holiday and birthday, Matt is able to figure out what he gift is, but this year I am keeping it a secret!!!

Lessons Learned

2010-01-28T07:02:00.003-06:00

The things that Emma says never cease to amaze me. She came home from school the other day and told us that dark-skinned kids can't hold hands with light-skinned kids. Matt and I refrained from freaking out and asked her where she her it. She told us . . . her art teacher! Then, I remembered that it was recently MLK day, which they had obviously studied. We discussed that this was a long, long time ago and that she can hold hands with anyone she wants to. This was sort of upsetting to us because she has never noticed the color of skin before, and now she does. She wanted to know why we were white and others were not, and we just explained that that's how God made us. I have a feeling that this isn't the end of the questions!!

Emma recently gave Logan a super cool tattoo. She loves to draw on her belly and Logan's belly, and he lifts up his shirt to let her. Of course, I had to put in a picture of the final result!

Just a few pictures of the kids . . .

When a camera comes out, he sits on the floor and says, "Cheese." He is such a chatterbox. He loves the words "eat," "snack," and "yes," which sounds more like "yesh." He also says "sishie" for "sissy." Too cute. :)

Our indoor picnic during the snow days.

Brrrr . . .

2010-01-05T06:24:00.002-06:00

I, for one, have had enough of this cold and snow. I think Emma has, too. She got a new scooter for Christmas and she is more than ready to go outside and try it out. You can only go so far on a scooter indoors. Speaking of cold and snow, there is no school today for the NKC district. Emma may go crazy being out of school. She loves it and is so ready to go back!

Yesterday, we went to the doctor because Emma was complaining that her ear hurts. Of course, she has an ear infection. The strange thing is that she had one ear infection when she was three and didn't get another one until Logan had one. That was a few months ago, and now Logan has another and a few days later she got one. He is so nice to share with her. :)

Speaking of sharing, that's not something that Logan does well. We are trying to teach this to him, but it's tough when you're only 18 months. He does, however, think he is sneaky. He will grab the remote or something else he knows he is not supposed to have, then run as fast as he can away from you. Of course, we always notice, but he thinks we don't! Emma thinks he is the funniest baby ever . . . we will ask him for "baby love," which is a hug or kiss, and she cracks up every time he says "no." She also loves that he loves to brush his teeth. He will run to the bathroom and pound on the door saying, "teeth, teeth" until someone gets his toothbrush.

We are enjoying watching him grow and Emma is enjoying being a big sister. She tells me that she will "always be older than Logan." I think she is worried that he will have a birthday and she won't! Matt told her that Logan will probably be bigger than her someday, which is okay with her as long as she is older!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T08:41:00.002-06:00

Whew! What a year! I know that 2010 is going to be a great year!

Rock Stars!

2009-12-20T07:37:00.006-06:00

Emma's school had a snow day recently, so I stayed home with her and Logan. It's tough to entertain two kids in the house all day when it is freezing outside. So, we started our own rock band. Emma was, of course, the lead dancer and the lead singer. Logan played the maraca wonderfully!

On Friday, she came home with a gingerbread house from school. They were studying many things using the gingerbread stories, and at the end of the unit they got to make gingerbread houses. She loved it! The white blob in the front of the house is the gingerbread puppy.

Her school also sent home an opportunity to be part of the birthday book club at school. Since her birthday is in June, she gets to celebrate on her half-birthday. If you choose to be part of the book club, you send in money to buy the book and the student gets to pick it out. They then get to have the book dedicated to them and get to be the first to bring it home and check it out.

Emma has been keeping us laughing recently with all of her stories and questions. Most recently, I dressed her in white tights, a pink and white skirt, and white shirt. She told me that pink and white is "her style." I put her hair in a ponytail and she got so mad at me. She told me that a ponytail is NOT cute and that pigtails are cute. Since she was wearing a cute outfit she MUST have cute hair. I have a feeling that her teenage years are going to be interesting. On the other hand, she will sit and watch shows like "How It's Made" with her daddy. So . . . tomboy or girly girl?

She has also been asking questions about babies. She wants to know how Logan got out, and I usually tell her that the doctor helped me (this is the truth!!!). However, this time, that answer wasn't good enough. She said, "But HOW?" I told her that she needs to ask our friend, Maia, to see her really cool scar on her belly where the doctor took her babies out. This pacified her for now, but I know that the questions are going to keep coming.

While Emma is keeping us laughing, Logan is keeping us on our toes. Just when I take something away that he's gotten into, I am turning around to find out that he's doing something else. It is definitely a shock to me how different two kids can be. He is a handful, but he's a sweet handful. His most recent funny is that he hands me the phone and says "Daddy" over and over. He LOVES to call his daddy on the phone and gets mad when I don't dial. He is also our personal phone assistant. He goes crazy when the phone rings. He runs around looking for it and then brings it to us when he finds it. It's so cute! While he is an energetic boy, I know that this phase will pass one day and I will want my sweet baby boy to be little again!

My Sleeping Beauty

2009-12-05T07:33:00.003-06:00

Whew! So far the holiday season has been super busy! The kids had a great time over Thanksgiving. They really enjoy playing with all their aunts, uncles, and cousins, and of course they love all the attention (and food) that they get.

I can't believe how quickly they are growing! I took Emma took the doctor twice, four weeks apart. She had gained two pounds within that one month. I am sure she grew taller, too. Her reading has really taken off. The school put her in a reading group at the beginning of the year to increase her confidence in reading. At the beginning of kindergarten, she could only read a few words, but now she is reading whole books to use and sounding words out. I love it!

Logan is still a handful, but so much fun. The whole kitchen is entirely baby proof now and he hates it! His vocabulary is increasing every day, and I am constantly amazed by what he can understand. Recently, we have begun to put him in time-out for hitting, biting, and not listening. He just sits there in the corner and grins, but I think he gets it. He's probably the kid who the principal will call me about, but at least he is cute! He has recently began to put at us and blow air out of his mouth. We're not sure what he's doing, but he thinks it's hilarious when we do it back.

So, all in all, I am sad my kids are growing so fast, but I am loving each and every stage. One morning, we went to Kate's Kitchen to eat. There was an older couple next to us eating breakfast. I told Matt that that will be us in about thirty years . . . out to breakfast and no kids with us and it would be so sad!!! He said that by then we'll have grand-kids and we can just take our grand-kids with us. Of course!!!

Emma's school recently put on a Cinderella ball for the kindergartners. They had been studying different versions of the story "Cinderella." Emma wore her Sleeping Beauty costume and crown, of course. The "Prince of the Day" got some slippers that he got to try on every girl in the class. His princess was the girl who they most closely matched. Emma was almost there, but not quite!

She danced by herself for awhile.

Then, the boy she calls her boyfriend, Xavier, asked her to dance.

They danced and held hands The. Whole. Time. I'm not sure if I should be concerned about that . . . hmm.

Loving This Weather!

2009-11-10T06:36:00.002-06:00

The kids and I have been taking advantage of this wonderful weather and getting outside as much as possible. We have been hitting as many parks as we can think of because we know that it's going to be freezing before long! There is a park by my mom's house that has a huge hill, and Emma loves to run down it.

Logan's favorite thing is the slide. He will swing for a few minutes and then be itching to get down. He is so active all the time that the swings aren't enough for him!

This past weekend, Matt used his leaf blower to make a huge pile of leaves for the kids. Emma, obviously, loved it.

Logan was not happy about being tossed in and refused to go anywhere near it. I'm not sure why he's so scared of the leaves!

Recently, we had a huge scare! I was blow-drying my hair in the computer room with the baby gate up so I could still hear the kids. Emma had already interrupted twice, so I told her once more and we weren't going to the park unless it was an emergency that she was interrupting. Of course, two seconds later she comes running up to the gate saying, "Mommy, mommy! Logan has a big knife from the kitchen!" Here comes Logan with a butcher knife in his hand, blade sticking straight out. I jumped up and took it. I asked Emma where he got it and she said he just reached up into the drawer and grabbed it. It's scary because if she had tried to take it from him, he would have jerked away from her and they would have struggled over this huge butcher knife! Needless to say, we went to the park and Matt installed a drawer lock that night! I can't keep up with this boy!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T07:18:00.003-06:00

Okay, so maybe it's a few days after Halloween, but the kids had a great time. The Friday before Halloween we went to Park University's Fight Night. They have carnival games, trick or treating, and a haunted house for the kids. The scariest thing for Logan was the pirate, and the scariest thing for me was the cockroach that the chemistry club had. It was disgusting!

On Halloween night, we trick or treated with some of our family. Logan caught on quick as to what was going on. He would push his way to the front of the group to get at the door where the candy was, and he had no fears about reaching his hand in the bowl and grabbing the candy out!! He also had a super tight grip on his bag and would panic if it was out of his sight! Overall, I think that he loved trick or treating! Emma, of course, had a great time, but daddy had to hold her bag towards the end because she said that it was getting too heavy. Poor thing.

The kids are growing so quickly that I can hardly believe my eyes!!! Emma is learning to read more and more everyday, and I am amazed by how far she has come since the beginning of kindergarten. Last night, she read me a whole Barbie book, which was awesome! We are looking into some activities for her after the holidays. Recently, she said that she wanted to do soccer, but now she is back to wanting to do ballet, so we'll see!

Logan is talking more and more each day. He is understanding a ton, too! My favorite is that I can tell him to go get me a diaper and he will, and I never have to get up. :) I love that he can shake his head yes and no and say the words yes and no because it makes it easier to know what he wants. My kids are growing way too fast!

Busy, busy!

2009-09-24T13:40:00.002-05:00

Things have been so crazy busy in the Heagy household!! The school year is well underway, and Emma is doing amazing. She loves everything about school, and I hope that it remains that way for years to come. Yesterday, we had a scary incident. She went out the walker door to leave school instead of the car riding door, and they couldn't find her. She had gone to the playground to cry, and luckily another mom got her and was going to take her to the office. I asked her if she was crying because she was scared, and she said, "No, I was crying because I was worried about you." I told her that I'm sorry I made her cry, and she said that she is sorry she made me cry, too. What a sweet girl. Hopefully this won't happen again, because this mama was terrified!

Logan is now walking full-time and is keeping us on our toes. He is constantly into things that he shouldn't be into. We are closing doors and putting up gates to keep him out of trouble! He is saying so many things now and is basically being a little charmer.

I have recently decided to go back to school to get my Masters in Educational Leadership! I figured that I might as well go down so I don't lose the drive. I know that if I am out of school for a few years I will not want to go back. Honestly, I don't want to go now but know that I have to do it. Wish me luck!

Soccer, Beer, and Kindergarten

2009-09-02T06:40:00.002-05:00

Things have been busy in the Heagy household! Logan has become such a climber. He wanted to "help" me clean the fridge, but of course he had to climb in it to help me! He is climbing on everything and getting into everything, so it's hard to keep up. Currently, he is taking a few steps here and there but not walking all the time yet. I know that it's just a matter of time, though. His vocabulary is expanding daily! His favorite word is probably "uh oh," which he uses when he drops something, purposefully or not. He's also been saying "ow" when he gets hurt and "whoa" when he is surprised. :) My least favorite word of his is "uh uh," which he uses sometimes when I ask if I can have a kiss!

I use this gate to keep him out of where I am if I need to, and here he is climbing onto the time out chair to try to get up and over the gate!

Emma started soccer recently, and she has been loving it! For the most part she is getting right in there and kicking the ball, but we have had a few bumps and bruises. When she got hurt two practices in a row, she said, "I don't want to play soccer anymore." I told her that she is signed up for soccer and she needs to finish the season. She says, "Did you sign me up in pencil?" I told her no and asked why, and she said that if I signed her up in pencil I could just erase her name! After yesterdays practice and not getting hurt, I think she likes it again.

Here is Emma on her first day of kindergarten. So far, she is absolutely loving it! She even got a phone call from a friend from school last night because she has been passing out her phone number. I went to hand her the phone and told her who it was, and she said, "Yea, she likes me." :)

Deep Thinking

2009-08-14T21:56:00.002-05:00

Emma has been such a deep thinker recently. The other day, I picked her up and we were driving down the road. Out of the blue she asks, "Mom, do only really old people die?" I told her usually, but not always. She then said, "I don't want to die." Of course, hearing her say that broke my heart because I don't want my little girl worrying about something like this at the tender age of five. I told her that it would be a long, long time before she dies. She says, "Mom, what are you going to do with all my stuff when I die?" Where does she come up with this????

A few days prior to that, she was talking about how she remembers when the world was all white. She says that the people were angry with no color and talked to God and asked for color. So, she says, God used his magic hands to make the world colorful and everyone was happy again.

My Sweet Boy

2009-08-04T09:30:00.003-05:00

I am constantly amazed at how different boys are than girls. Boys are just rougher and tougher all around. Already, Logan is doing things that are keeping me on my toes. If you've been to my house lately, you know that my coffee table was pushed up to the wall under the windows. Well, it's no longer there. The other day I caught Logan ON the table playing with the blinds. My absolute pet peeve is seeing blinds messed up from the outside, so I had to move the whole table so he couldn't do it to mine. I moved it back in front of the couch, and he continues to climb on it. He has fallen off twice so far, but that doesn't stop him.

I have two large tubs that I use to keep Logan out of the kitchen when I cook. He has learned to climb up and over the tubs and climb from tub to tub. I have no idea how to keep him out of the kitchen! When I used Emma's baby bathtub that I thought was tall enough, he climbed into that, too. I use the same tubs to keep him out of the computer room (see how well they work?). The other day, he pushed the timeout chair up to the tubs to use that as a stepping stool to get over it. He is clever and figuring things out quicker than I can keep up with him!!

Vacation

2009-07-25T08:46:00.003-05:00

After a week-long relaxing vacation in Branson, MO, we are back home. We had a great time with our friends Brian, Maia, Malena, Nik, and Kiera. We all rented a two-bedroom condo that overlooks Table Rock Lake. The best part about it was that we could buy our own food to cook and not have to eat out for three meals a day. It was beautiful and we never ran out of things to do. On Saturday, we arrived and unpacked, and then Maia and I went to Walmart. Most of you know this is a big deal for me. I DO NOT do Walmart, but our options were limited and I actually survived the craziness. I don't like Walmart in general, but add Walmart at a tourist location and my blood pressure soars.

On Sunday we went to Ripley's Believe it or Not. The kids seemed to enjoy it, and afterwards we had a relaxing afternoon at the pool. Monday we went to Talking Rocks Cavern. Maia opted out of it and sat out with Kiera. She is not a cave person! The cave was pretty, but it had too many steps for me, especially since I was carrying Logan most of the way. When we got on a bridge that was over a mini pond, Logan looked down. The next thing I knew, Emma said, "Mom! Logan dropped his binki in the water!" Unfortunately, there was no way to get it back, so we were binki less for the rest of the time in the cave. I'm fairly sure he did it on purpose because he normally has a death grip on his binki! After that, we went to Branson Landing, which is a lot like Zona Rosa. They had a lot of neat shops there and we ate at Famous Dave's BBQ. Yum!

On Tuesday we went to the fish hatchery. We got to see a video about how they help the trout reproduce, and it was fairly graphic. I was concerned that one of the kids was going to ask what sperm was, but none did. :) After that, the kids got to feed the trout and they loved it. Unfortunately, Malena was feeling sick by this point so we all went back to the condo for naps. After the nap, she felt fine so we went to Cakes and Cream Dessert Parlor. It was so good! Emma, Logan, and I shared a banana split while Matt got a funnel cake topped with ice cream, whipped cream, and syrup. Logan kept screaming because I wasn't feeding him fast enough!

Wednesday was our first day at Silver Dollar City. The kids had a great time riding the rides and seeing the show JEERK. We stayed for about 10 hours with minimal whining from the kids. They were excellent! On Thursday, the guys went to see a movie in the morning while Maia and I hung out at the condo with the kids. Later that afternoon, we went on Branson's Scenic Railway. It's about two-hours round-trip and we got to sit in the observation car. While it was moving, they let you walk around and see the other cars. The kids thought that part was so neat, but I thought it was hard to walk! We went back to Famous Dave's for dinner since we were right there in the location, and then let the kids play on the playground there for a bit. During dinner, I discovered another way Logan is just like his dad. He would offer me a bite of whatever he had and when I went to take a bite he would pull it away, shake his head, and laugh. He is such a jokester! He did this over and over.

Friday was our last day there, and we spent it at Silver Dollar City again. We could not have asked for a better day! The weather was nice and cool. The kids were so brave and rode a few roller coasters like Fire in the Hole. They also rode the water ride that absolutely soaks you. It would have been better to go on that ride on Wednesday when it was warmer. Malena, Emma, Matt, and myself rode in one boat. Malena thought it was neat, but Emma hated it. I'm sure it's because the water splashed on her face, and she hates water on her face. Nik loved it so much that him and Maia rode it twice! Since Matt bribed the kids with ice cream if they'd ride the water ride, we went to the dessert parlor again afterwards. When we got back, the guys took the kids swimming even though they were probably beat!

On Saturday, it was time to leave. :( We got everything together and drove to Lambert's for lunch. Luckily, we got right in and the girls had a great time yelling, "ROLL!" It was a great vacation, but it's nice to be home, too. Next stop . . . Hawaii!

If you're on facebook, I have all the Branson pictures uploaded there!

Young Love

2009-07-05T09:54:00.002-05:00

Happy late 4th of July! We spent the afternoon and evening at Dorothy and Jeff's house. Logan was running a fever and was CRANKY! Matt and I think that he is cutting another tooth because he is on day four of being absolutely cranky. He wasn't a huge fan of the fireworks. He couldn't decide whether he wanted to laugh or cry at them, and he kept making this noise that sounded like something between those two.

Emma played frisbee with one of Jeff's nephews, who is about 19. She was following him around and wanted to sit next to him to watch the fireworks. At one point I looked back and she was trying to pull a strand of her hair out. When I asked what she was doing, she said, "Mom, I am trying to give him a piece of my hair to remember me by!" Oh my goodness, Matt and I are in trouble! I told her that she shouldn't pull her hair out for a boy.

Lately, she has been extremely helpful. Each time she does something, she says, "I can do this because I'm 5" or "5 year olds can do this." It is so funny that she is loving being 5!

Logan

2009-06-29T16:06:00.003-05:00

Logan recently turned one and I am absolutely loving this age!!! He is learning more and more everyday and becoming more vocal. He has an extreme temper, though! He yells when he doesn't get his way. Emma was sharing a ring pop with him and every time she would take it away to have a lick herself, he yelled. She said, "Mom, Logan won't let me have any of my ring pop." I ended up distracting him with something else, but he got so loud!

He is also such a strong little boy! When I am changing his diaper he will twist to the side to try to crawl away. I try to push him back down and he strains against my hand, all while giggling. Eventually, I win, but he puts up such a great fight! His most recent achievement is learning to shake his head no. If I offer him something that he doesn't want, he shakes his head no. Earlier, I asked him for a hug, and he shook his head no. What a sweet boy . . .

Emma

2009-06-28T18:53:00.001-05:00

Emma says to me, "Mom, do doctors ever get sick?"
"Yes, they do," I replied.
"Where do they go when they get sick?" she asks.
"Ummm . . . they go to other doctors."

Torture!

2009-06-18T12:44:00.004-05:00

This picture here is Emma acting like an alien. We were at the dino restaurant at The Legends, and she was being her usual goofy self! Such an entertainer!

We have been without air conditioning for the past two days. It's miserable! The kids have been getting up early because they have been so hot. Luckily, Emma is in summer school and gone most of the day and friends have taken pity on us and let us in during the day. :) I am ready for it to be fixed and am not really sure how people live without it.

Logan can now officially get his body into the bathtub all on his own. He LOVES to take a bath and is always standing outside the tub when the water is running. He tries to lift his leg up to get in, and last night he kind of jumped on both feet and threw himself in head first. His head landed right inside the bucket of toys and he cried. Emma was upset because she tried to catch him but wasn't fast enough. What a good sister. :) He is also doing well with his words such as "mama," "dada," and "done." He was such a difficult newborn, but now looking back it seems that the year has gone so quickly. He will be one in less than a week!!!!

It's A Good Idea to Put the Seat Down!

2009-05-27T20:19:00.004-05:00

Logan got a haircut! Here are some before and after photos.

I was talking on the phone the other night when I heard Emma start crying. She was supposed to be brushing her teeth in the bathroom. Matt went to go check it out, and he starting laughing hysterically and telling me to come into the bathroom. When I got there, Emma's whole bottom was soaking wet. Matt had gone to the bathroom and left the toilet seat and rim up. Emma wasn't paying attention and sat directly into the water (and pee). She cried and cried while Matt gave her (another) bath. We couldn't stop laughing and she told us, "I don't like it when people laugh at me." We honestly couldn't help it. :)

I put both Logan and Emma in the daycare at the gym when I go to workout. When I picked them up this evening, she told me that she wants to move into the gym. She said if she moved in then she can do ballet, go to the daycare, and go swimming whenever she wants. I'm glad that she enjoys it so much!

Logan is into a full-fledged crawl. He can also pull himself into a stand. He follows me all around the house and when he gets to put he tries to climb up my legs. He stands directly behind me and pulls on my pant legs. Adorable.

Summer Time

2009-05-20T18:42:00.003-05:00

With the warm weather setting in, the kids and I have found tons of fun things to do! Unfortunately, Emma was sick this week when the weather was so beautiful. On the way to the gym Monday morning, she got sick in the car even though she had shown no signs of sickness. I took her to the doctor, and they said she just had a virus. She was MISERABLE. I took her to urgent care that night because Matt and I couldn't get her fever to go down. It got as high as 105, and that was way too high for us. She got to lay around and watch TV all day Monday and Tuesday, and finally her fever broke on Tuesday afternoon. Today was much more fun since we got to leave the house.

Logan is moving around everywhere. He is still doing his weird crawl, but he is crawling "normal" half the time. He is a loud talker, and loves to say "mama" and "dada" all the time. I know that he recognizes many words, especially "snack," which is his absolute favorite. He will be one in just one month!

Emma and I both graduated within the last couple of weeks. She is off to kindergarten and I am off to a job and working on my Masters. The thought of doing more school makes me cringe, but I have to do it.

Emma

2009-05-02T08:05:00.001-05:00

Emma and I were driving the other day, and she says, "Mommy! Look! That cloud looks just like God!" I looked and it didn't resemble anything to me. It makes me wonder what Emma thinks God looks like.

I am also started to think that there are too many commercials on the Nick channel. She saw a commercial for "Push and Brush" (it looks cool, really) and she said she really wanted it. Then she went on to describe how the homegrown tomato planter works - in great detail. She asks me, "Mom, do you want push and brush or homegrown tomatoes? You have to pick just one." :)

Yesterday was my birthday, and she gave me a tube of her purple lipstick from her makeup pile. She is very worried now about her daddy's birthday. She says she has nothing for a boy to give him! I told her that I am sure we can find something . . .

Fun Times!

2009-04-26T15:03:00.003-05:00

The kids and I have been having a lot of fun now that the weather is nicer and Logan is able to do more. In this picture, you can see his top two teeth poking through. It's funny because Emma got her top teeth at eleven months, and his top teeth are coming in first, too. He's been a bit miserable because of it, but nothing too bad.

Logan and Emma get along great. She is a bit rough with him at times, but it's nothing he can't handle. Here she is showing him how much she loves him. :)

Matt loves the shirt Logan is wearing. It says, "My dad is the man."

Logan is still doing a modified version of a crawl. He pushes himself up, lurches forward, and lands. I'm starting to wonder if he will ever crawl "normal." I do carry him a lot more than I ever carried Emma because he is more demanding. I've been trying to let him become more independent, so we'll see how that goes. Right now, Emma and Logan can play in Emma's room together for an extended period of time while mommy gets quiet time. :)

In a quest to be healthier, Matt and I got a family pass to the NKC community center. I still have some baby weight to lose, and so does Matt! The kids can be in the daycare room for up to two hours while Matt and I work out. It's great because I can go during the day and not have to worry about babysitting. We were going to get Oceans of Fun passes, but I'm glad we did this instead. I took the kids to the pool there today for the first time, and it was nice to not have to worry about sunscreen or the heat with my fair-skinned kids! Emma, of course, loves to "swim" and I was glad that Logan loved the water. He had a great time splashing and walking around with me. :)

Am I FIVE?

2009-04-17T14:54:00.003-05:00

This week, I took Emma to her new elementary school for her kindergarten health screening. She was so excited about going and seeing her new school! When I told her, she says, "Am I five?" I told her that she was not yet five. So, she says, "Can I please be five?" She knows that when she is five she is going to kindergarten.

The other day, she asked me for a snack. I told her yes, she could have a healthy snack but that was it. A few minutes later I was talking to Matt when she came in. She says, "Daddy, can I have a snack." I said, "No!" She says, "I wasn't asking you, I was asking my dad!" I'm glad that she thinks she is so clever! She didn't get the snack.

Logan is getting bigger and bigger each day! He is still not crawling all the way, but he is doing a modified version of a crawl. He pushes himself up and lurches himself forward. It's adorable!

Disney on Ice

2009-04-03T17:01:00.007-05:00

Here are some random pictures of us before and during the show. That's a ten dollar sno cone that Emma is eating . . . CRAZY!

A few days ago, we went to Disney on Ice. Last year, the theme was princesses, but this year it was Mickey and Minnie's Magical Adventure. It had the The Lion King, Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, and Lilo and Stitch. I thought it was funny that I knew every word to The Lion King songs, but Emma has never even seen the movie! It's weird that the movies that are classics to me, she doesn't even know. We went with our friends Emily and Olivia, Jill, Allison, and Emma, and Maia and Malena. We had a great time! Emma loved dressing up like a princess, of course.

This Is For You, Maia

2009-03-19T07:19:00.003-05:00

Okay, so Emma and I had the strangest conversation the other day. I told Maia, who has proceeded to tell everyone! ;) Another friend, Sarah, told her to put it on her blog, but Maia thought it would be weird since Emma is not her kid. I don't think so, though. Maia is Emma's "surrogate mommy." :) I was never going to put it on here because I think it's a gross conversation, so this is for you, Maia. Anyway, most of you know that Emma was sick with the "flu" last week (she had all the symptoms Malena had, who tested positive, but Emma tested negative). She had a bit of diarrhea on this day, and our conversation went something like this:

Emma: "Mommy, I peed out of my butt!"
Me: "It's called diarrhea."
Emma: "Oh."

She went about playing for several minutes, and then asked:

Emma: "Mommy, what's it called again when you pee out of your butt?"
Me: "Diarrhea."
Emma: "Oh. What's it called when you poop out of your vagina?"

I told her that should never, EVER happen. So, you see why I had no desire to post this conversation. :)

This Song . . .

2009-03-11T18:28:00.003-05:00

Every time I hear the song below, it makes me think of my kids. It's called "It Won't Be Like This For Long" by Darius Rucker. He's right, it WON'T be like this for long. It wasn't too long ago that Logan was having inconsolable crying fits (I KNOW some of you remember those). I remember thinking that he would never outgrow it, but he did. Now he is a happy eight-and-a-half month old. I used to record Lifetime movies so I would have something to watch when I would be up late with him or in the middle of the night, nursing and rocking him.

Emma is going to start kindergarten this fall, and that's hard for me to believe. She has grown and learned so much in the past four-and-a-half years that I am constantly amazed by her. I can't wait to see what the future holds for her and Logan. Check the song out on youtube . . . it's beautiful.

He didn't have to wake up
He'd been up all nite
Lay'n there in bed listen'n
To his new born baby cry
He makes a pot of coffee
He splashes water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss and says
It gonna be OK

It wont be like this for long
One day soon we'll look back laugh'n
At the week we brought her home
This phase is gonna fly by
So baby just hold on
It won't be like this for long

Four years later bout four thirty
She's crawling in their bed
And when he drops her off at preschool
She's clinging to his leg
The teacher peels her off of him
He says what can I do
She says now don't you worry
This will only last a week or two

It wont be like this for long
One day soon we'll drop her off
And she wont even know you're gone
This phase is gonna fly by
If you can just hold on
It wont be like this for long

One day soon she'll be a teenager
And at times you'll think she hates him
Then he'll walk her down the aisle
And he'll raise her veil
But right now she up and cry'n
And the truth is that he don't mind
As he kisses her good night
And she says her prayers
He lays down there beside her
Till her eyes are finally closed
And just watch'n her it breaks his heart
Cause he already knows
It wont be like this for long
One day soon that little girl is gonna be
All grown up and gone
Yeah this phase is gonna fly by
He's try'n to hold on
It wont be like this for long
It wont be like this for long

2009-03-07T12:21:00.002-06:00

Being Goofy

2009-02-18T16:37:00.003-06:00

Before taking Emma to school the other day, we had the camera out. Emma loves to take pictures (just like mommy). She got some cute shots of Logan giving kisses. She thinks it's hilarious when she makes goofy faces at the camera. :) She just had to have a picture of the three of us, which is easier said than done.

She started swim lessons last week, and she did SO great. She is in a group with two other kids. Maia, Emily and I have decided that they are in the middle group (Malena and Emma are in the same group, Emily's daughter, Olivia is in the "upper" group). She was so excited after her first lesson and said she kissed the water and took a magic carpet ride. The second swim lesson, however, didn't go as well. They practice splashing one another, and she cried. She HATES to get her face wet. The parents have to sit outside on bleachers and watch, which is fine because the pool area is HOT. Hopefully, she'll have a basic understanding of doggy paddling by the time we're done.

We're Off To See The Wizard!

2009-02-16T15:04:00.005-06:00

This weekend, I bought Logan some Gerber Puffs. For those who don't know, they are kind of like flavored cereal, only they dissolve easily. Logan hasn't quite grasped how to pick them up, so Emma helps him out. Of course, she follows the "one for me, one for you" theory. If she's not quick enough getting them in his mouth, he squeals LOUDLY!

Matt came home after work last night and had some cuddle time with his kids. They love to climb on his lap when he's in the big chair because they all fit!

Emma, Logan, and I went with our friends Emily and Olivia down to Crown Center today. They have a Wizard of Oz display, which the kids (and Emily and I) loved. It was neat because you got to follow the yellow brick road and see all the characters in the movie.

Emma was a little freaked out by the wizard that lit up and talked to her . . .

I think this is hilarious because it looks as if Olivia is actually flying on the witches broom.

Afterward, we went to lunch at Fritz's. The girls were hungry before 11, which actually ended up being a good thing. By the time we left at around 11:45, the line was WAY too long to wait in.

Logan had to sit in the high chair with his binki in his mouth because he wanted to gnaw on the table.

When Mom Is Away . . .

2009-02-14T08:13:00.003-06:00

everyone will play!!! Matt bought me a motorcycle helmet so I can ride with him, and of course I got PINK! Emma loves to wear it around the house. I haven't actually been on the bike of the motorcycle yet, but I will when it gets warm. SCARY! At least if I fall off the back I will do it in style because it's an adorable helmet!

When I was in meetings on Friday, Matt was home with the kids. He snapped a picture of his terrible behavior. ;) Yes, this is my seven-month-old on the couch eating a SUCKER! He only had a bit, but Matt said he loved it. Of course he does; which kid wouldn't??

We've had a couple nice days recently where we got to get outside. Logan hasn't really had the chance to sit in the grass because he was too little when it was last warm. Emma loves to blow bubbles for him and he loves to watch it. They are too cute together!

Here is my handsome boy hanging out in the grass. Go ahead and comment on how red his hair looks in this picture . . . it would only be the billionth time we've heard how red it is!! ;)

Emma's A Dancin' Fool

2009-02-07T16:47:00.002-06:00

Emma has her own special dance. I'm not sure where she picked it up, but I think it's adorable. It may be a dance that only a mother could love . . .

Smells Like Broccoli

2009-02-03T18:33:00.002-06:00

I just had to update with a few pictures of my kids. Emma, Logan, and I were hanging out in Emma's bedroom last night. She wanted me to take a picture of her with her two babies. She got them for Christmas and "rediscovered" them at the bottom of her toy box. All night long she was directing Matt and myself to feed the babies, change the babies, etc. She sure knows how to pawn off her mommy duties.

She goes back and forth from being excited about the swim lessons she is starting on the 17th to not wanting to go. I think she is mostly worried about getting her face wet. When she gets it wet in the tub and she gets upset, I tell her that she will learn how to do that in swim lessons. She will then tell me she's not going to swim lessons (I already paid sixty-five bucks for them. She's going!). When I say she can't go to Oceans of Fun this summer if she doesn't, she suddenly wants to go. I'm not above bribery. :)

She surprised us the other day when she was looking for something. I can't remember what it was that she was looking for, but she says, "Daddy, I can totally find it." I think I have a mini-teenager on my hands already!!! I have a really cute video of her dancing that I will upload later. Right now, it's on the desktop in the computer room, and I'm not going in there in case it wakes Logan up! :)

I called the school Emma will be attending to give my address for the information on kindergarten roundup. I can't believe she's going to be starting kindergarten already!! She will be going to Oakwood Manor, which is pretty much down the street, unless I get a job at a good school this fall. If so, she will be able to go to that school with me, which will make my life much less stressful!

I finally snapped a few pictures of Logan sitting up. He was playing with this huge toy that was half his size, but he loves it. When he gets really excited and worked up, he still tips over, but for the most part he's got it. It doesn't seem like he's 7 months old already! I swear it feels like he was born yesterday.

I made him some broccoli recently and froze it into cubes like I always do. The smell of broccoli was so overpowering when I pulled it out of the freezer. As dumb as this is to say, it smelled just like broccoli. Most of the foods we have been making don't smell that strongly when it's frozen, so if you come over and my house smells like broccoli, you know why. He loved it, though. He gobbled it up!

He Did It!

2009-01-25T12:32:00.006-06:00

Many of you know I have been anxiously waiting for Logan to roll back to front. I KNOW he can do it, but he was being lazy. I checked on him in his crib today and he was on his belly! Later in the day, he rolled over when I was watching. Emma was excited, too! The next step is crawling!!

Emma really loves those Lunchables where you make a pizza. The teachers at her school don't like them because they are WAY too messy. I buy them occasionally and let her have them at home. Notice on the dessert pizza that there is way more candy on there than anything else.

I got home from school one day and Matt told me Logan had been saying "mama." I finally got him on video!! Of course, he said it twice at the beginning and didn't say it again. ;)

The Joys of Butternut Squash

2009-01-24T19:41:00.003-06:00

Tonight, Matt made Logan some butternut squash. We are still in the stage of trying various foods, and so he's never had it before. He LOVED it! I gave him two cubes of it like normal, and then took him out of his bouncer. He started to cry! I put him back and gave him another quick, which he gobbled down. The whole time he was eating he was saying "mmm" and smacking his lips. It was adorable!

The picture above is of the kids playing together. Logan gets more and more fun for Emma the older he gets. In the picture, Emma was rolling the ball to him and he was "rolling" it back. :)

Many Updates!

2009-01-16T08:45:00.002-06:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've been on here. Things are finally settling down after Christmas, and I think that we got every last toy put away (finally). It's been crazy because I started student teaching on January 5. Since I have been a stay-at-home mom for the past four years, we are adjusting to having a "working" mom in the house. It's interesting trying to divide the chores between Matt and myself and getting the kids out the door and to daycare. Luckily, Matt is off on Thursdays and Fridays so the kids are home with him on those days. As the days go by, it gets a bit easier each day, so by the time I start working this fall we will be experts!

Emma is doing well in preschool. Parent-teacher conferences are on January 23, and I'm anxious to see what the teacher has to say! The conference last year wasn't bad, so I'm hoping for the same. ;) Here is my little princess doing the warrior pose on the Wii Fit. She had first place for awhile there (until mommy beat her).

Logan is finally sitting up on his own!! He is so stubborn and refuses to roll back to front. He gets his body in this awkward position in an attempt to roll, but he doesn't actually do it. He's just lazy. ;) I got two full nights sleep because he slept 8pm-6:45am two nights in a row . . . but then he was back to getting up at 3am the next night. :)

Some of you know that Matt applied for the lead tech position at his job. Thirteen people interviewed for five spots and six got a second interview. He got the call yesterday that said HE GOT THE JOB!!! We are so excited! He'll be working the same hours so we don't have to worry about switching around daycare days. :)

Busy, busy

2008-12-26T16:46:00.003-06:00

Whew, I have to say that I am not sad to see Christmas behind us! Every year Emma is bombarded with presents, and this year was no exception. Only this time, it was times two!! We spent Christmas at my dad's, then my grandma's, and then lounged around at home on Christmas day.

My mom gave Logan chocolate. She actually ASKED me first, unlike some people who like to sneak him food (THERESA!). He kept grabbing her hand and pulling it back to his mouth. He loved it, but he won't be having it again for quite awhile!

Here is some of the lounging of which I am referring to. She is so funny at this age. She says things like, "May you help me, please?" instead of "will you" and asks us to "tag" her clothes so she can put them on. This basically means we have to lay the tag of the pants on the floor so she can dress herself. That sort of independence is awesome at this age!

She also got some great new make-up from Santa. Daddy did up her face and I painted her nails. She was so pretty.

Logan wants so badly to roll from his back to his front. He gets himself in a weird position that looks so uncomfortable!!

I think I've whined to some of you about our sleep problems with Logan. He was getting up every hour for his binki and it was starting to wear on us. He had been sleeping in the playpen in our room, but we decided to move him to the computer room and let him cry it out. So, we moved him in there and that first night he got up to eat at 3:30, as usual. He didn't get up every hour! We have no idea why he didn't, but we decided to go ahead and keep him in the computer room for now. We will probably move him to his crib in Emma's room when he starts sleeping through the night, which at this point feels like it will be never!!

Matt's New Car

2008-12-21T08:13:00.003-06:00

Most of you know that Matt has had an old 1997 Ford Aspire for years. He finally got a new car! I was so glad he did because when I am student teaching next semester, I will have to drive his car two days a week so he can have the van. Here it is, a 2007 Mazda 3. We got a great deal on it!

We had Christmas last night with my dad and his girlfriend, Janet. We played the Wii Fit, and Emma loved it!

On Friday, Emma had a Christmas party at her school. They made reindeer out of brownies.

Finally, we gave Logan avocado. It is his favorite by far, and so easy to make! Here he is in all his avocado glory.

My Future Star!

2008-12-18T07:49:00.004-06:00

Emma's Christmas program at preschool was last night. She, and all the kids, did amazing!! I am so proud of my little star. I put Logan in his Baby's First Christmas outfit for the performance. Emma wanted to wear a hat, too, but the pink one was all we had.

The songs they sang were great! Mostly, they knew the words, but they did stumble at times. Emma told me in the van that she would wave to me and blow me a kiss. She did that the minute she got out there, and it caused a chain reaction of kids finding their parents. Finally, the teachers told all the kids to find their parents and wave to get it out of their system.

They all had to remember a line to tell a Christmas story. Emma's line was "Everyone who heard the news was amazed." Her teachers, and myself, were amazed by how she said her line. She is normally soft spoken, but I think that tonight she was the loudest speaker!! I was amazed! :) Here she is saying her line. I am going to try to get the video uploaded to here.

After the kids' stunning performance, they got to play with the decorations onstage to get pictures taken, and they got cookies and juice.

White Christmas?

2008-12-17T07:10:00.002-06:00

Matt and Emma played in the snow yesterday. I stayed inside in the warm and cozy house. Someone had to be inside with Logan, right? :) Anyway, this picture is taken through the window of my house. Emma came inside after about twenty minutes, and she was freezing! She loves the snow, though!

I had to throw in a picture of Logan's mohawk because I think it's adorable. Matt, on the other hand, does not. This means I don't get to do this to his hair for his six-month pictures, but I can do it at home! Emma also had a lot of fun "wrestling" with Logan. He tackled her. ;)

Yummy!

2008-12-14T08:40:00.003-06:00

Well, we finally started Logan on some real food. He had been getting up every few hours at night to nurse, and I was exhausted! We gave him some cereal right before bed to start out, and he loved it! He still gets up once at about 3:30, but that's MUCH better than three times a night. A few days later, we tried some sweet potatoes. Matt and I spent about an hour on Sunday making and freezing sweet potatoes and avocado. Making it ourselves is MUCH cheaper than buying it. He didn't like the sweet potatoes at first, but he did soon enough!

Matt took Emma for a ride on his bike last night. He would roll down the driveway and drive back up. She loved it! She wanted me to get on the back and ride, too, and she said, "Mommy, you're so brave." Yeah right, that was scary! Emma did great and Matt did it over and over for her.

Christmastime!

2008-12-04T07:08:00.003-06:00

Logan wants so badly to be able to sit up on his own. He starts sitting, then slowly falls down. Since this picture was taken, he is able to hold himself up a lot longer!

We finally set up our tree last night. I didn't want to because I hate the hassle of setting it up then taking it down, but Emma told me Santa wouldn't come if we didn't set up our tree. She LOVES seeing the tree up everyday and decorating it. Now we just have to prepare for the billion different Christmases we have to go to!

Time Flies

2008-11-29T18:20:00.003-06:00

It's hard to believe that Logan is already five months old. Emma is so in love with him and gives him kisses constantly.

Here he is at five months exactly. Such a big boy!

Here is Logan next to Maia's 10 lb 11 oz newborn. I think Logan is around 15 lb. She is going to catch up to Logan in no time.

Finally, here is Malia and Logan on Thanksgiving. Malia is Logan's cousin, and she is two weeks older than him and about three pounds heavier! She started off two pounds heavier at birth, but the difference in their body type is amazing. I could only hold her for a few minutes before I gave her back because she was so heavy. ;)

We Did It!

2008-11-24T07:00:00.003-06:00

Friday night, we moved Logan to his crib in Emma's room. His bassinet has a weight limit of 15 pounds, so he could no longer fit in it. We had talks with Emma throughout these past five months that said she couldn't put anything little in his crib, she couldn't put blankets in, etc. The first night went well. He got up at 3 and 6 to eat like he always does. The only problem was that when I put him back in his bed at around 6:20, Emma was awake because she'd heard me come in. For some reason, Logan didn't go back to sleep. Every sound that he made, she mimicked and I could hear it all on the monitor as I tried to go back to sleep. I finally admitted defeat at around 7 and just got them out of bed.

Naptime the next day was awful. She doesn't actually nap, but she plays quietly in her bed. This was fine until Logan realized she was up and decided not to take a nap. Matt finally suggested we set up the playpen in our room and he can sleep there until he starts sleeping through the night so me going in there doesn't wake up Emma. I did this, and he got a full two hour nap yesterday. Not only that, Emma slept past 6:20! :) He might never leave our room . . .

So now, I need to change the title of this blog, because while we did do it, we un-did it. :)

The Battle of the Sickies

2008-11-22T18:01:00.005-06:00

I just couldn't resist sharing these baby blue eyes and this bright red hair:

And when the day becomes too much for him, he forgets it all with a nap on the comfy rocker.

Last Wednesday, Logan and I went to Emma's Thanksgiving Feast at her preschool. The kids got to "make" things even though the meal was already prepared. Emma and her BFF, Malena, are pounding away at the dough here.

They made turkeys that stated what they are thankful for on the feathers. Emma is thankful for Daddy, Logan, and Mommy. Before they ate, the kids had to go around and say what they are thankful for. Emma said, "my baby," not mommy or daddy! :)

I just had to throw this in here, although she is going to kill me. Here is my friend, Maia (Malena's mom) at a zillion years pregnant, with her husband. Look at that adorable baby bump!

Her teacher read a book that had actions, and they were all on the school bus. Malena was the teacher and Emma was one of the kids on the bus. It was adorable.

Emma made some kind of cranberry, marshmallow, cool whip mixture. She LOVES marshmallows and cool whip, but only took one bite of whatever this was supposed to be.

On Thursday, she woke up with welts on her upper body and a swollen face. I called Matt and asked him to come home because I couldn't miss class again. He took her to the doctor and they think she either has mono (great) or an allergic reaction to the medicine she was on for her strep throat. We are leaning toward the allergic reaction. Benedryll wasn't helping, so we had to get her a prescription allergy medicine, which seems to be doing the trick. Hopefully she'll be able to go back to school on Monday!

Here she is on day two before the prescription:

I hope this is the last sickness of the year that we will have to deal with!

Shriner's Circus

2008-11-16T09:47:00.002-06:00

This weekend Matt and I took the kids to the Shriner's Circus. My sister, Theresa, and my nephew, Gabriel, came along with us. Emma was more interested in the flashing necklace that daddy bought her than she was in the circus! She was excited to go, though. She really wanted to see the elephants, which was the second to the last act, of course. Gabriel really wanted to see the motorcycles in the ball, which just happened to be the very last act.

Emma chose to buy the necklace, but she tried on the flashing glasses that Gabriel bought. They were ten bucks! They better last for a long time.

Emma has NEVER had cotton candy, but Matt got some for her and Gabriel. She loved it, of course. Who doesn't love pure sugar?

Logan was most interested in the flashing lights. He wanted to go to sleep so badly but had trouble doing so since it was so noisy.

After the circus, we came home for naps, but of course Emma didn't sleep. Logan and I did, though. :) That night, Emma and I went to rent Cinderella from Blockbuster. She got popcorn in her trick or treat bag and said that she wanted to pop popcorn and watch a movie with daddy. When I asked her which movie, she said Cinderella, which is her favorite princess. She has actually never seen Cinderella, but she loved it and ate almost the whole bag of popcorn! Matt and I have both seen it multiple times, but we watched it again with our own little princess. :)

Mirror, Mirror

2008-11-14T16:09:00.002-06:00

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the cutest baby of all? Logan LOVES to look at himself.

Tough Week!

2008-11-13T07:16:00.003-06:00

This one is especially for Emily:

Emma has had a tough week. Sunday night she banged her head on the rocker and her nose started bleeding. Matt put some toilet paper up there to stop it, and she thought it was funny. When it was time for bed, she told Matt, "Dad! I can't go to bed looking like THIS!" Here is a picture of her "looking like this." :)

After school on Monday she came home extremely clingy and saying she had a headache, which I thought was from her banging her head. I gave her some Tylenol and took her temperature, and she had one. On Wednesday, the fever was still there. There were also tiny bumps on her hands, feet, and mouth, which is what it looked like about a year and a half ago when she had hand-foot-mouth disease (this was when she had that, plus her first ear infection ever, PLUS impetigo at the same time, AND it was the week Matt left for his eight month training) I took her to the doctor where she was diagnosed with strep! Her throat was so red and raw! It seems that about 10% get a rash with strep, which I never knew. I had asked her earlier that day if it hurt and she said no, so who knew? On top of it all, she has a cough. Poor baby. Hopefully next week will be better.

Moving On Up!

2008-11-09T08:01:00.005-06:00

I titled this moving on up because the kids are getting so big! Emma will be starting kindergarten next fall, and that is so hard for me to believe. On Friday, Matt went and had lunch at her preschool, and she was SO excited. When I picked her up, her teacher told me that Emma was super excited about it. I didn't get that comment when I had lunch with her. Hmm . . .

Yesterday, Logan was SUPER fussy. We have no idea what his problem was, but I was looking forward to bedtime. Here he is in Emma's room (or I guess his room now, too, when he moves into it) ready to take off.

Emma decided she wanted to be in the picture, so I got both of them together. Notice how he is looking at that tootsie roll she is eating and not at the camera? He hasn't started solids yet (much to my family's objections), and candy definitely won't be his first food!

Emma is ready for her close-up here . . .

And a great big hug.

Finally, Logan decided he'd had enough of tummy time. He is not a big fan of it, anyway, so here is a great picture of his tantrum. He woke up in a great mood, so I am sure today will be a better day!

Only To Me . . .

2008-11-05T16:39:00.004-06:00

Here's something that could only happen to me. It was like a series of unfortunate events. Logan, Emma, and I got home from picking Emma up from school today. I picked Logan up from his car seat and noticed he had pooped out his diaper and up his back A LOT. Of course, he was wearing a two-piece outfit so it leaked out all over the car seat (I later had to take the cover off and wash that, of course, because that just adds to the fun, right?). I laid him down on his belly on the blanket so that I could just wipe him down without getting the blanket dirty. Clever, right?? Right. Ha!

Logan chose that exact moment to roll over for the first time. Seriously. He started to act like he was going to do it, and I didn't stop it because I didn't want to ruin his first rollover!! Everything left in his diaper squished out onto his back, where it was further squished. My big helper, Emma, brought me a diaper and wipes so I could clean him up, which I did. I moved him off the dirty spot on the blanket so I could keep him clean, but he started kicking, and kicked himself right into the dirty spot. His poor little head landed on it and got poop all over it! :( At this point, I gave up trying to clean him with a baby wipe first and just plopped him in the bathtub. He's lucky he's so darn cute.

Voting Day!

2008-11-04T16:39:00.003-06:00

Finally, finally, FINALLY the day has arrived to vote. The political emails are enough to make me crazy. Matt and I took the kids to the polls today when we voted. I tried to explain the importance of voting to her, who the candidates are, etc. Of course, this was all explained to a four-year-old, so it may have went over her head. I didn't tell her who I voted for at first, but she sure did talk a lot about "Jarack" Obama!!! We finally got her to say the "b" on Barack, and told her that Barack is who mommy and daddy like. She must have heard mommy and daddy talk a lot about him and knew who we were voting for, then she formed her own opinion. :)

Afterwards, we all went to Starbucks for our free coffee for performing our civic duty. :)

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T20:34:00.011-05:00

Halloween started off great! It was perfect weather outside, and of course Emma was wearing a very warm costume. :) I was a party planner for Emma's preschool Halloween party, and we started off with a game of hot potato, only they used a witch's broom. Emma made it fairly far before she was out.

Next, they made ghosts out of tootsie pops and coffee filters. Emma loves running around with it and saying "whhhoooooo."

After that, the preschoolers made spiders out of crackers, pretzels, raisins, and peanut butter. I think Emma enjoyed making it more than she did eating it.

Later, that night, we went to my grandma's house to go trick or treating. My uncles and cousins were there, so we joined them for trick or treating. Emma had a blast!

I forgot the stroller, so Logan got to be carried the whole time. Most houses had steps to the front door, so I stayed down with Logan and Matt took Emma up. She loved having daddy trick or treat with her.

Matt held Emma's trick or treat bag between every house. She claimed it was too heavy for her. :)

Updates, Updates, Updates

2008-10-30T15:58:00.005-05:00

The Heagy household has been so busy lately! Matt is gone for nine days to St. Joe for military training, so I am doing the single mother thing. I hate it! Thank goodness my mom and friends are helping me out with babysitting. :) Last Friday, Emma and I went with some friends to a Halloween event while Logan stayed home with daddy. I put Logan in his costume so I could get a picture, and he hated it!

Later in the week, I caught Emma being goofy with Logan. She is such a great big sister and loves to make him smile and laugh.

People always say you don't take as many pictures of your subsequent children as you do of your first. I LOVE to take pictures of Emma, so I just knew this wouldn't happen to me. Well, it's happened. :( I took a picture of Emma on her monthly birthday. I never forgot. I'm not doing so great remembering this time around. Here is a picture of Logan at four months (but really a few days after). He weighed in at around 14 pounds this week, so he's about the same size as Emma was at this age.

Logan has been learning and doing so much that it is amazing! He is constantly gnawing on his hands and drooling, but he refuses to use a teether. He has been laying on this toy since he was born, but just today he started reaching up for the toys. He grabbed one and held on. I had to do a sneak attack to get a picture so he wouldn't see me and let go.

Emma, Logan, and I spent the morning at the park with some friends, enjoying the beautiful weather! When we got home, Emma went to her room to take a nap (where she lays on her trampoline and not her bed). She got up to go potty, then went back to her room. A few seconds later, I heard her crying. She had fallen and banged her face on her toy box. Here's the injury she received . . .

She wants to show her friends her boo-boo and school tomorrow and doesn't want me to "wash it off in the bathtub." :)

No Pretending

2008-10-21T21:25:00.002-05:00

Today, we were driving down the road and Matt was saying to Emma, "Are you Emma Bemma?" She would screech, "No, I am not Emma Bemma!!!" Then he would say, "Are you Emma Demma?" and she would . . . well, you get the idea. This went on and on and . . . on. Finally, Emma says, "Daddy, stop pretending like you don't know my name! I know you know!" Well, considering he helped name her, of course he knows. He just likes to tease her until she can't take it anymore! :)

Pure Torture

2008-10-21T07:26:00.003-05:00

Every year, Matt, the kids, and I get our family pictures taken. It takes days of planning what to wear, how Emma is going to wear her hair, etc. Of course, Matt and Emma could care less . . . I just tell them what to wear and what time to be there and they are completely oblivious to the thought process that goes into this.

Last year, it was terrible trying to get an appointment for Portrait Innovations in November. You can only book two weeks in advance, so my friend and I both spent forever on the phone last year trying to get an appointment for me. When we finally got in, we waited over an hour for our appointment. This year, I decided we were going to get our pictures done in October to beat the Christmas rush. Genius!!! I also decided we were all going to wear white tops with denim pants. This took away some of the pressure of buying two Christmas outfits and trying to find something for Matt and I that would coordinate. At this point, I was feeling fairly smart. Until . . .

We got there on Saturday and had to wait a bit for our pictures. I picked up Logan out of his car seat and realized he had pooped through his clothes!!! Like an idiot, I had dressed him in his picture outfit at home instead of waiting. No, I didn't feel so smart anymore. Luckily, I had a blue and white striped onesie in his diaper bag. So, he doesn't completely match, but at least there is white. :)

Naptime Fun

2008-10-15T15:56:00.005-05:00

When I was pregnant with Logan, I used to take a nap with Emma everyday. Now that Logan is here, I don't nap when she does anymore because he keeps me up! I use the term "nap" loosely. What she really does is stay in her room for two hours and rests. So, Logan and I have to find a quiet activity to entertain ourselves. What better to do than to take pictures of ourselves? Here he is wanting to take his own pictures and grabbing at the camera . . .

Then here is a great close-up if you want to look up his nose . . .

Then, of course, I had to get a mommy/baby shot . . .

Lately, Logan has been drooling like crazy! I am not sure if he is cutting teeth. Emma didn't get her first tooth until eleven months, so I don't expect Logan to. Here he is with a big glob of drool on his face. About this time I was flying him through the air above my head. It was "raining."

Of course, no blog would be complete without a video of my handsome boy.

So THAT'S What They're For!

2008-10-13T17:43:00.006-05:00

I have finally figured out why people have gobs of children . . . to do the chores! Today I decided to tackle the inside of the refrigerator. Emma helped me by wiping down the inside while I pulled the drawers out to wash them. Now if I could just get her to do the dishes . . .

Later in the day she had her best bud, Malena, over to the house. They used the magnetic alphabet to play school. In this photo, Emma points to each letter as Malena recites them. What do they need preschool for anyway? We could save gobs of money by having them teach each other!

Logan decided he needed a nap, and he just looked too sweet sleeping to not take a picture of it.

Busy Weekend!

2008-10-12T17:47:00.002-05:00

On Friday, Matt and I took the kids to the pumpkin patch. Of course, I got NO pictures because my camera was dead. :( Next time I will check the batteries before we leave. Emma had a great time and wanted to get the "littlest pumpkin." Logan smiled throughout the whole hayride . . . I think he liked how much it bounced! When we got home, Emma painted her pumpkin instead of carving it.

On Saturday, we went to my dad's house for a "hotpot." This is a typical meal in China where you throw your veggies and meats into seasoned water, dig it out with chopsticks, and eat it. Emma loved playing with all her cousins and I hardly saw her in the six hours we were there since she was playing so much!

Emma is terrified of bugs and anything creepy crawly (she may be playing off of my irrational fears of the same thing!). When we were at my dad's, Gabriel caught a frog. He promised her a quarter if she would hold it. With the help of daddy, Emma got the courage to hold it. When it was finally in her hands, her whole body shook!! After that, Matt forced me to hold it, and it was the grossest thing I did all weekend!

The bright point of my weekend was that Logan finally laughed for me! He has laughed for both Matt and Emma, but not me. This wasn't for lack of trying on my part, though. On Sunday, Matt went back to work and Emma, Logan, and I recovered our wreck of a house from the busy weekend!

Oh, The Words of a Four-Year-Old

2008-10-10T20:16:00.002-05:00

Emma and I had quite the interesting conversation the other day. I think that she is still processing how Logan got from mommy's belly to our home. Our conversation was a bit like this:

Emma: Mommy, why is your belly squishy? (thanks, Em!)
Me: Because Logan came out of my belly.
Emma: How did he get out? (This is not the first time she has asked . . . I keep avoiding the direct answer.)
Me: The doctor helped Logan out. (This answer always works.)
Emma: Oh . . . but how? (What????? Seriously? What happened to the simple answer?)
Me: Oh, he's just a really good doctor.
Emma: Oh, okay. (long pause) One time, I had a girl baby in my belly and the doctor helped her come out.
Me: He did? Wow! That was nice of him.
Emma: Yup and I feeded her and she bited me. (Obviously, she had just witnessed me "scolding" Logan for biting during a feeding.)
Me: Well, that wasn't very nice.
Emma: When is your belly going to get bigger so you can have a girl baby, too?
Me: Never.

Welcome to the Funny Show

2008-10-06T18:37:00.004-05:00

After bath tonight, Emma was being hilarious! She was doing the "funny show," which is something I think that she picked up in preschool today. Here is the video. Please excuse the messy computer room and the crazy arts and crafts bookshelf behind her! :)

Later, when Logan was sitting on my lap watching Emma do this for the 100th time, he laughed over and over again!! This is only the second time he has laughed, but it is adorable. Interestingly enough, both times he has laughed have been caused by Emma!

Gladfest

2008-10-06T07:30:00.010-05:00

Today, Emma, Logan, my mom, and myself went to check out what was going on at Gladfest. Emma, of course, wanted to check out what was going on in the kiddie area. She saw the dragons and just HAD to ride in the pink one. They spun around really slowly (we won't even go in to how it was $3 for a four minute ride!!!) and she thought they were great! Yes, I know her glasses are crooked, but they're stuck that way!

Here she is having a very serious conversation with grandma while taking a break on the curb in the shade . . .

and this is what Logan did most of the time . . .

It was a great day and the weather was perfect!

Sibling Love

2008-10-04T14:10:00.005-05:00

Logan loves to sit in his exasaucer. Of course, his favorite thing to look at is still his hand, so luckily he had that with him to keep him entertained.

Emma got a new book at school that she had picked out from the Scholastic order form. She was so excited to "read" it to Logan.

After awhile, he lost interest . . .

Then, she caught his attention again, but now she appears to be choking him to hold his head in place.

One last picture to show their sibling love! I am so proud of Emma for adjusting so quickly to having a new baby in the house. She is a great big sister!

Gladstone Parade

2008-10-04T12:48:00.009-05:00

Today, Emma, Logan, and I went to the parade in Gladstone with our friends Maia, Malena, and Nik. The kids had a great time, but I think they were more interested in getting candy than in the actual parade!! Logan especially liked to watch the pommies and cheerleaders dancing. :) I am going to try and get a video of the girls dancing on here, but I think you may have to turn your head sideways.

Sadly, there were plenty of claps and cheers when the Republican float when by, but interestingly enough, I was the only one clapping and cheering when the Democrat float went by. Oh, well, I will wear my Obama sticker with pride!

Apple Orchard

2008-09-29T18:35:00.008-05:00

Today, Logan and I went with Emma's preschool class on a field trip to the Apple Orchard. It was lots of fun and a great day weather-wise for apple picking! First, we ate our packed lunches at the picnic table with Emma's classmates. We went on a very bumpy and nerve-wracking hayride. I was sure that the preschoolers leaning against the side were going to fall out. Luckily, they didn't! Then, the kids got to hear about how bees make honey and the women in the bee colony do all the work (sound familiar?). After that, they fed goats and got to hold baby kittens. Emma loved the kittens! Then, they got to fill a bag with apples to take home. Right now, Emma and I have baked apples in the oven using the apples that she picked. :) Overall it was a great day and a perfect fall activity.

Lunch at Preschool

2008-09-24T18:36:00.003-05:00

Today my friend Maia came over to watch Logan so that I could go have lunch with Emma at her preschool. It was interesting, to say the least! I got to meet the infamous Jake. She asks everyday to go play at Jake's house, and has once asked if she could have a sleepover at Jake's house (her daddy told her NO, not ever!). He's cute and they both enjoy talking and SpongeBob, which is probably why she likes him. :) I also now know why Emma has such a "potty" mouth. A few boys at the table were saying "Raise your hand if you like poop." Nice.

By the time I left, I was exhausted. Twenty preschoolers at one table is an energy drainer!

He Laughed!

2008-09-23T18:40:00.004-05:00

Is there anything sweeter than a baby's laugh?? Logan and Emma were in the tub tonight (which is a big risk because he's peed on her in the tub before) and he laughed for the first time! She was making some funny noise or face at him like she always does, and it was apparently funnier tonight than usual. She loves to entertain him, but up until tonight she has only gotten big smiles from him. It was adorable! I can still remember the first time Emma laughed for me, and I know I'll remember this. :)

Social Butterfly

2008-09-22T14:51:00.003-05:00

Today, I was in line to pick up Emma from preschool. Her teacher stopped me and told me they were moving Emma's spot at lunch. Right now, she sits by her BFF Malena. However, her teacher said that she is talking WAY more than she is eating, and is getting 1/3 of her lunch eaten in the 45 minute lunch period. Malena's lunch, however, is mostly gone, so I am assuming Emma is doing the talking. She has always been a chatterbox, but it's never presented itself as a problem until now. (Mom, I hope you're reading this because now I am paying for it!!!!) Her teacher says she is going to put another student between Emma and Malena and hope that cuts down on the talking. The only problem with this idea is that Emma makes friends with anyone and everyone, and she will have no problem striking up a conversation with the new kids next to her. No wonder she is always starving after school . . .

Why, Why, WHY????

2008-09-16T19:53:00.002-05:00

This question has been driving me up . . . the . . . wall!! Matt and I read Emma a bedtime story every night before bed. Lately it has taken forever to get through one book because she has to ask AT LEAST five "why" questions about the book per page. Sometimes I just answer "I don't know" and she ends up answering her own question. Fabulous.

On a more funny note, today she was sniffing things, then she would blow out of her nose really hard. When I asked her what she was doing, she said, "I have to get the stinkies out!" :)

Out With the Old

2008-09-16T16:15:00.006-05:00

We have had the same rocker for four years. We bought it when I was about eight months pregnant with Emma. It is made out of "pleather," and recently it began SHEDDING all over our house. I would rock Logan in the rocker, resting his feet on the arm of the chair. The pleather would actually stick his socks and fall off somewhere around the house!! I finally told Matt that it is going in the garbage because I was tired of vacumming up bits of chair everyday, so he either had to buy a new chair or be chairless. We went to Nebraska Furniture Mart Saturday and picked out a new chair we all love!! Logan obviously loves it, as well.

It's sort of bittersweet because it's the chair I rocked Emma to sleep in every night when she was a baby, but I think I can deal. :)

Look Quick! This Won't Happen Again!

2008-09-12T11:18:00.004-05:00

Today while Emma was at school I super-cleaned her room. I had to do it while she was in school so she wouldn't know I was getting rid of a trashbag full of toys. :) I should have taken some before pictures to give you a general idea of how wrecked her room was, but I only have after pictures. You can see Logan's crib tucked into the corner underneath all the princess stuff hanging on the walls. He'll move there when I get enough courage to let him sleep alone in Emma's room with her all night.

What Were We Thinking??

2008-09-10T22:04:00.002-05:00

Each September since Emma has been born, my sisters and I get the kids' pictures done. This year, there were three new additions: Logan and my sister's step-kids, Makayla and Jazmin. This, of course, made it even harder than it was last year! It is difficult to get six kids in coordinating outfits, and even tougher to get them all to look at the camera. Thus the title of this post: What Were We Thinking? We do this to ourselves every year.

The above picture is what we ended up with. In the 50,000 other pictures that were taken, Jace had a funny face, Gabriel didn't smile because he didn't want to show his braces, Logan looked shocked, etc. and so on. They are ALL looking at the camera in this picture, and we love it.

Now, as long as nobody has a baby this year (don't look at ME), we should be pros with six kids by next year!

Daddy's Little Girl

2008-09-10T21:35:00.008-05:00

It's official. Emma is turning into a little Matt. If I leave a door open or a light on, she will tell me, "MOM! You're losing electricity!" In other words, I am wasting electricity by leaving a door open or a light on, and she will run to fix the problem. She sounds just like her father!!!

Chunky Monkey

2008-09-10T12:53:00.007-05:00

Logan and I went to our breastfeeding support group this morning while Emma was in school. We go each week to get him weighed to make sure he is gaining enough. This morning, he weighed in at 11 pounds 12 ounces. This doesn't sound like much to some who have ten-pound babies at birth (Maia!!!!) but this is a great weight gain when you consider he left the hospital 11 weeks ago weighing 5 pounds 15 ounces!!!

The Joys of Preschool

2008-09-09T07:43:00.005-05:00

Preschool is well underway, and Emma enjoys going to school three days a week (and mommy enjoys her going!). On the way home yesterday, we chatted about how school went that day, just like we always do. Our conversation went something like this:

Her: "My boyfriend bit me today."

Which is more concerning? The fact that she is calling someone her boyfriend or the fact that he bit her?

Me: "Why did he do that?"
Her: "I don't know. He just did."
Me: "Did you cry?"
Her: "No."
Me: "Did you tell your teacher?"
Her: "No."

At this point, I think maybe she is making this up. As we get out of the van, I ask to see where her boyfriend bit her. Sure enough, there on her finger are TEETH MARKS. EWWW!!!! A quick call to Maia and we confirmed through her daughter Malena the child who bit her.

Of course, the mama bear in me wanted to find the boy and bite him back, but instead I called her teacher. I later find out through Emma that they were playing a "biting game," whatever that means. Emma and I had a long talk about how biting is not okay and how she needs to tell her teacher. Hopefully there will be no more biting at school! Gross!

New Blog

2008-09-07T08:06:00.002-05:00

Well, I have officially joined the blogging world. It's not like I have anything better to do, right? I figure it's a great way to keep friends and family updated on what's going on in the Heagy household. Also, when I'm 90 and can't remember what happened when my kids were younger, maybe this blog will still be up!!