Adventures of the Geier Family

A Brief Recess

2010-07-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Life continues to be crazy for the Geier Family. We are on month 8 of trying to sell our house. I completed the class required for my licensure to transfer from GA to AR. I have apparently lost a lot of brain cells since grad school...this class kicked my butt! I squeaked out with my B and am not looking back! I'm still loving my time at home with Logan and looking forward to more fun adventures with him this summer. Trey loves his job and seems to be doing well. He is Mr. Social but finds time for us too. We are hoping and praying that the house sells soon so we can stop travelling back and forth. I'm past ready to settle and put down roots. I want to invite people over for dinner, host playdates, decorate my house, and make messy craft projects! Hopefully sooner than later.

I'm further behind on my blogging than ever before. It is tough to find time, energy, and a free computer. Thanks for your patience!

PUD!

2010-05-17T19:47:00.001-07:00

When I was pregnant with Logan I had a fear that I wouldn't know how to engage him or how to teach him about the world. Now I know that most of the lessons present themselves without planning. All the same, having resources for ideas is great! I am absolutely in love with a series of books that provide activities for children at various ages. I have the books from infant through age 5 and turn to them all the time! I ordered the first 3 off amazon.com and found the others at Rhea Lana's last year. I was so excited about the find at Rhea Lana that I shrieked and danced a little...my friend Krista was probably a bit frightened...oh nevermind, she knows me too well to be scared!

The books provide monthly age-appropriate activities for families. There are games, ideas, songs, recipes, homemade toys, etc. They also "highlight skills and abilities that are developing naturally" at each age. (Description totally ripped off from the back of the book!)

One of the activities in the 3 yr old book for this month was to make "Pud." I think my mom calls it magic mud. I poured cornstarch into a shallow baking pan. Logan played in the dry powder for a few minutes and we talked about how it felt on his hands. We have been working on opposites lately so this was a great activity to highlight dry versus wet!

Next, I gave him a small measuring cup of water and had him pour the water into the pan. He mixed the water and cornstarch with his fingers to create the "pud." If you've never tried this experiment, it is hard to describe. Pud looks liquid but feels solid. You pick it up in your hands as a solid but it pours and drips off as a liquid. I saw a MythBusters episode once where they filled a large vat full of pud and ran across the top. If they stood still for a second, they would sink into the liquid.

Logan loved this experiment and we will definitely repeat in the future! Pud made for a fun, inexpensive science activity that allowed Logan and I to get sticky, gooey, and sloppy! PUD!

A'hoy matey!

2010-05-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

I found a box in the attic and decided to haul it downstairs for Logan to play with. I expected him to make a car or airplane but he immediately deemed the box a pirate ship. Excited by his creativity, I pulled out a cardboard tube that has been propped in the corner of the garage escaping trips to the recycling center and an old pillowcase. Logan cut pictures out of magazines and glued them on the side for decoration. I bet you've never seen a pirate ship with pictures of eyeglasses, children, and magnolia blossoms!? He colored with markers and wrote the letter 'L' all over both the inside and the outside of his vessel so everyone at sea knew this beauty belonged to Logan. His colored the bottom of his boat brown, as well as his right foot. Not sure why, but he did. Thank goodness for washable markers! At one point he decided he needed one of Daddy's tools to finish the boat and brought in a screwdriver from the garage. He then proceeded to punch holes in the sides of the boat so the water could get in. Apparently he had hopes of diving for this boat??

Finally, after 2 solid hours of prep the mighty ship was finished! We broke a juice box over the stern to bless the ship and the captain was ready to sail. He instructed me to return to the living room so he could depart without an emotional farewell. From my looking point I watched my pirate climb into his boat, prepare his oars (wooden spoons), and look left and right. At that moment I was proud and content. Then my genius son said, "Wait! There's no water! Mommy, how I'm going to sail the boat with no oceans?" Yep, that's my smart boy!

If you can't stand the heat...

2010-05-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

I enjoy cooking under the following conditions:

1) I select the menu. I have recipes I'm comfortable using and only branch out when I so choose.

2) No complaining about my poor chopping, slicing, whisking, or basting skills.

3) Expect the kitchen to be messy when the meal is finished. I excel at making messes!

4) I cook, someone else cleans up.

5) I don't bake bread.

Logan loves to help me cook. He is a great assistant. He helps measure, pour, mix, and taste! Sometimes I give him a butter knife and a tomato to chop. I can tell he feels very important by the pride and special care he takes in chopping the tomato. His Grand and Big Phil gave him a gingerbread man apron for Christmas and it is essential that he wear the apron...even when making lemonade. Logan has a few dishes he considers his specialties; microwave s'mores, chili mac, and homemade pot pies. My intent is three-fold...first, he is willing to try new foods if he has been a part of the preparation and second, it is annoying when I'm trying to cook and he is underfoot playing soccer or wanting me to read so I choose to involve him in the cooking instead of battling for peace, and third, maybe someday when he is much older he will surprise me by cooking a dinner on his own!

I don't have any funny stories or touching moments to share but wanted to remember my little assistant someday when he no longer wants to hang out with mommy. I can't wait to see what we cook up together tomorrow!

One Fish, Two Fish (4/21)

2010-05-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

On my never ending quest to discover free activities for Logan I stumbled across information online about the Joe Hogan Fish Hatchery in Lonoke, Arkansas. I remember visiting a fish hatchery or two in my youth. My memories were of huge concrete "ponds" filled to the brim with flip flopping fish ready to be released.

Once my grandparents took my brother, my parents, and me to a hatchery in Missouri for Father's Day. This particular hatchery allowed fishing in some of the pools and Grandpa offered to pay for whatever my brother and I caught. These trout were big and hungry! I'm not sure the hooks even hit the water when cast before we'd caught the fattest, most expensive fish ever! My poor Grandpa honored his word but we never went back!

I suppose I expected something similar in Lonoke. The Joe Hogan Fish Hatchery is the largest state owned hatchery in the nation. There isn't a lot of information online but I encourage those interested in visiting the Arkansas Game & Fish website (http://www.agfc.com) for details on this and other sites. There is an old visitor's center on site (2nd building, no the first. although the people housed in the first building are very good at pointing people to the correct building...hypothetically) showcasing live fish and taxidermy'd creatures native to the state. There is a "lovely" mobile hanging from the ceiling made of stuffed Arkansas fish. Lovely??

The hatchery is self guided and HUGE! The day was beautiful and Logan and I were the only visitors in sight. The map was a bit confusing so we didn't find observation deck or the spawning tanks. (Spawning tanks are the concrete pools I remembered from other hatcheries.) The sign outside the visitors center encourages onlookers to keep quiet and still in order to notice other creatures visiting the hatchery. What a perfect reminder to slow down and notice nature! The hatchery is made up of acres and acres of small square ponds (probably the size of 4 Olympic sized pools each) laid out like a checkerboard. There are gravel roads between each pond and strips of grass and wildflowers bordering each pond. Logan and I sat in a strip of clovers and watched one pond for about 20 minutes. We saw jumping fish, birds skimming the water, a little water snake, bees landing on the clover flowers, and heard frogs singing all around us.

While sitting still I noticed a little water snake (years at camp taught me the difference between cotton mouths and water snakes...no worries, folks!) peeking its head up nearby. I tried to point it out to Logan but caused too much movement and the snake popped back underneath the water. Logan kept saying "C'mon little buddy! I love you!" I explained that we had made too much noise and probably scared the snake away. Logan looked very confused and said "But I didn't even say boo!?"

I'd like to return in the future, perhaps with a tour guide to explain what we were seeing and to show us the full site. While we didn't see fish flipping and flopping like I'd expected, the day was a huge win! I truly enjoyed the peaceful moments with Logan!

Lichterman Nature Center - Apr 16

2010-05-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

I lost the cord that connects my camera to the computer and the memory card reader stopped working too! I finally made it to Walgreens to get my pictures off the camera and onto a cd. My intention is to catch up the blog over the next week. However, we all know life may get in the way of this plan. Oh well!

Since the house still hasn't sold (moment of silence please...) Logan and I have alternated weeks between our home in the Memphis area and my parents' house in Conway. I am continuing to adjust to life as a stay at home mom and am in constant search of free/inexpensive activities for Logan. We are definitely keeping busy!

April 16th (see, I am behind!) Logan and I ventured out to the Lichterman Nature Center in Memphis. I'd read about the Nature Center when we visited the Pink Palace Museum last year with my parents and brother but hadn't made time to go. I was a little hesitant due to the price of admission ($6 adults/$4.50 kids 3-12). I have trouble paying to walk in the woods. Despite my concerns, we packed a picnic lunch, sprayed ourselves with sunscreen & bug spray, and head out to explore. Fortunately, my concern was a mute point because the center was having their semi-annual plant sale and admission was free. I can afford free! There are few pictures of this outing because Logan was not in the mood to be bothered by mommy's camera.

Allow me to plagiarize for a better description of our experience. The following is from the website:
Located in the heart of metropolitan Memphis, the Center features exciting new exhibits, lush gardens featuring native wildflowers and trees, and a tradition of excellence in environmental education set in the midst of 65 acres of lake, meadow, and forest. Home to a wide variety of plants, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, Lichterman is an urban nature center, easily accessible to the people who need it the most, the people who live in the city. http://www.memphismuseums.org/lichterman-overview/

Lichterman Nature Center (LNC) was gorgeous! I immediately took a picture of the gigantic plant sale and sent it to my mother-in-law. Carolyn would have LOVED browsing through the various exotic plants available. Logan and I took the picture and were done with the plant sale. To each their own! LNC offers walking trails through a forest, meadow, and around the lake. The trails were well maintained and the foliage (yep, I went with a nerdy word here) was beautiful! Although there was a large school field trip on site, Logan and I didn't feel crowded or inconvenienced in the slightest. The most interesting part of the day happened when Logan and I approached the bridge over the lake. A staff member encouraged me to pick up a stick to "fight off" territorial Canadian geese. The geese had apparently recently laid eggs and were prepared to defend their nests at all costs. The staffer said "Your son's eyes are at pecking level so be careful." I have worked so hard to enforce the "no waving sticks rule" with Logan and had to change the game. Logan was pleased. I, however, was a bit on edge. Geese have never looked so scary as they did when they were a threat to my child! We survived and have a great story to tell! I did not stop to take pictures of the lake or geese out of fear my child would be maimed while I was distracted!

I was disappointed in the Backyard Nature Center. The building was large and had aquariums to display various native animals and initially looked great. However, upon closer examination, many of the aquariums only had replica creatures. A couple of the tanks were empty and a couple more displayed dead fish. Gross! There were great explanatory exhibits about meadow, lake, and forest habitats.

Overall the LNC was a fun outing and worth the price. I'm not sure we will rush back but will keep an eye on the paper for another free admission day.

When life imitates art...

2010-05-14T12:29:00.001-07:00

Logan and I have been working our way through his first chapter book, Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary. (No, he's not reading it but listens very carefully) In the story, the reader gets to know Henry and his rag tag mutt Ribsy. Henry is the main character in 6 books and a secondary character in many of the Ramona books.

Last night, while Logan was in the tub I read him chapter 5: The Pale Pink Dog. Henry enters Ribsy in a dog show and chaos happens! Ribsy chewed his leash so Henry has to use a too long clothesline which leads to several funny incidents of tangling. After a thorough bath (and shower), Ribsy proceeds to roll in mud right before the dog show. Henry runs home to grab talcum powder and shakes the powder on Ribsy's muddy white fur so he will hopefully appear to be clean. Unfortunately, Henry grabbed pink powder and has turned his muddy, tangled dog pink. Great book!

While we were reading I kept hearing crunching noises from the other room. I should have known better but I ignored it for awhile. Finally, I told Logan I'd be right back and I walked into my bedroom. There I discovered Banjo with her head inside a bag that held various craft supplies. I called her name and she popped her head up. She had a bright blue nose! I grabbed the bag and revealed two bright blue paws too! Banjo had been chewing on an electric blue ink pad (stamps)! I picked her up and carried her outside. She left blue nose prints and paw prints on the back door! Fortunately the ink was washable and the carpet & Banjo have since returned to their original colors.

I think it's pretty funny that while reading about a dog that turned pink, my dog was turning blue!

What a ride!

2010-05-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

The other day Logan and I were headed to the grocery store. I walked into the garage from the house behind Logan. I pushed the button to raise the garage door and opened Logan's car door. I turned to tell Logan to climb into his seat but he wasn't beside me as I thought. I then heard a weak and pathetic voice say "help me." I walked around the back of the jeep to discover my child hanging like an ape from the now raised garage door! I rushed to him and barely caught him as he fell. Upon catching him I got an elbow to the eye which caused a bit of a shiner for several days! Logan looked up at me and said "that was a ride!" I put him in his car seat, closed the door, and walked to the drivers side. I got in and the adrenaline got the best of me. I yelled "Don't you ever, ever, ever do that again!" Logan then burst into tears and began crying for his daddy. I did my best to comfort Logan while calming myself down too! I've always been careful to watch him while the door was closing, not completely trusting to sensors but it never occurred to me that the door raising might be a hazard too. I suppose it should have occurred to me that MY son would be the one to hold on for a ride! If he had grabbed on to a crossbar higher than the bottom he would have hit the jeep on the way up and things could have turned out much worse. Or he could have pinched his fingers! Or he could have fallen on the concrete before I got to him! It was so scary!

Ten minutes later we were on our way to the store and the giggles hit. I had to pull over because I was laughing so hard at the image of my sweet little monkey hanging from the door! My hysterical laughing embarrassed Logan and he began crying for his daddy again. After another round of comforting words and pats we continued on our way.

Garage doors are dangerous going up AND going down. Lesson learned!

Boy & Dog...

2010-05-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

Mojo is a little over 5 years old. She is a sweet mutt that I rescued from the Savannah Humane Society the day Trey deployed to Iraq for the first time. Mojo is patient with Logan and affectionate with me. She merely tolerates Trey, which really amuses me. Mojo was once hit by a car, broke her nose, and had tire tread marks on her hind end! She doesn't make messes and is relatively low maintenance. She is an almost perfect pet.

Then there is Banjo. After we moved from Savannah to stay with my parents for a few months and then to the Memphis area, Mojo began gaining weight. I convinced myself she was depressed and needed a playmate. In retrospect, I was feeling the need to nurture a baby and having another child wasn't in the cards yet. So, I began putting pressure on Trey for a puppy. I found a man on Craigslist advertising free 8 wk old basset puppies. I emailed Trey the information no less than 30 times. Finally, he gave in and we were headed to pick up Mojo's "friend." (Note: When we arrived at the breeder's home we learned that the dogs were not 8 wks old but 5 wks old and headed for the shelter if not adopted. duh-duh-duh...) We brought home the tiniest floppy eared sweetie. She has since grown, and grown, and grown. Banjo is loud, into EVERYTHING, and wild! She is certainly not the sleepy hound seen on tv.

Logan is very sweet with Mojo but loves to wrestle with Banjo. We have to watch him because he sometimes gets a little rough. Banjo likes to wrestle with him too. One of them is frequently body slamming the other. It works out well since they both weigh 43 pounds. This week Logan has invented a new game. He and Banjo run back and forth down the upstairs hallway. I watched (and even ran) for a bit with them yesterday but ended up sitting in the doorway of his room with Mojo watching them run by over and over. Then last night, Logan wanted me to pitch a ball to him so he could practice batting. Every time he missed the ball (which, by the way, isn't often!) Banjo grabbed the ball off the ground and took off running. We almost had her trained by the end of the night to pick up the ball and bring it to me to pitch again.

I'm sure that people read my facebook statuses and wonder if I ever supervise my child. I mean really, how can a kid get away with releasing a frog in the house, coloring his foot brown with markers, smearing pudding on the wall, etc. I'll tell you how it happens. I leave Logan to let Banjo in, then out, then in, then out..., clean up the toilet paper roll she has unrolled and shredded in the house, get her out of the dishwasher (yep, she can open it if it isn't latched!?), chase her up and down the stairs attempting to get Trey's watch from her, scrub the carpet where she chewed a highlighter pen...etc, etc, etc. It is a good thing she is cute...

I pray for Banjo to grow out of the puppy stage and for our house to sell so I have back up with Trey. But, even with all the stress, I love this darn dog and I'm glad Logan has a forgiving playmate. As I'm typing this blog Logan is in his room singing and Banjo is asleep on my feet. At this exact second they are both accounted for. But...come to think of it, I have no clue where Mojo is!?

All boy...

2010-05-14T11:09:00.001-07:00

I used to cringe when I heard someone say "She's all girl" or "He's all boy." I have been determined to provide Logan with gender-neutral toys & activities as well as traditionally feminine toys & activities in addition to his boy toys. He loves to cook with me, play with his kitchen toys, do art projects, play dress up, and love on animals. I see nothing wrong with balls, sticks, rocks, and trucks but make a concerted effort to not pigeonhole Logan into playing a certain way. Imagine my anger towards a former daycare provider when Logan came home sad because he could no longer dance with his arms above his head because that is how girls dance. C'mon people...he's 3 and gets to dance however he may choose! I favored dolls as a kid but also enjoyed playing in the dirt, camping, and catching frogs...and I knew that was ok.

HOWEVER, I can't and won't ignore the fact that my son is "all boy." Yep, pretty much. He may enjoy cooking with mommy but if a ball happens to pass his line of sight, the kid is gone. He is sports OBSESSED! (see previous blogs about his love for soccer!) If he can't find a ball to play with he improvises. Did you know empty margarine containers make great hockey pucks? Or that daddy's army helmet (shhh, daddy doesn't know this one yet...) is a great way to catch launched tennis balls?

We spend a lot of time outside exploring nature. One nature walks Logan will tell me to "listen with your ears, smell with your nose, and look with your eyes." We have observed squirrels "playing" (love was in the air...I went for the more G-rated explanation...there is plenty of time for the truth later on), tadpoles growing, birds laying eggs, and flowers blooming. I've noticed an increase in the number of rocks and sticks in his pockets and dirt under his fingernails. On a recent walk on the Tucker Creek Bike Trail in Conway we parked the bike and stood close to the water to watch minnows and water bugs. Two different people stopped to tell us we'd better get out because there were snakes around. (Really!? Snakes outside...get outta here!? ) I thanked them and grumbled to myself. I'd much rather Logan learn to respect nature than fear or ignore it. (Soapbox #232) Last week Logan wandered into my parent's kitchen from the backyard and told my mom "Sweet P, look at the snake skin I found!" Yep, he found a snake skin...with the snake still attached! Since the snake was dead and my mom is no pansy, she told Logan to go show his Granddude. Dad now calls him the snake handler. We've had several talks about how it is not wise to touch snakes unless a grownup says it is ok first. Yesterday, Logan walked into my kitchen holding a dead lizard by the tail (are there live animals around anymore?) and said "Mommy, we need to tell 'Dude that this is not a snake." Two days ago Logan released a frog in our house 20 minutes before it was to be shown (the house, not the frog). The pool has provided bunches of frogs lately to play with!

So, in summary. Logan chooses balls, dirt, rocks, sticks, and reptiles/amphibians over dolls & art. I'm ok with it but will continue to offer him opportunities to explore a variety of toys/activities in the future. In the meantime, I'm checking his pockets every time he comes inside because I REALLY don't want to launder an amphibian!

Easter Fun!

2010-04-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

I love Easter and am discovering that it is even more special with a kid. The week prior to Easter Logan and I dyed eggs at the house. He was concerned that the eggs where dying...darn English language! Logan remembered celebrating Easter last year and was psyched about the Easter bunny (EB) visiting again. He swears he heard the EB "hop, hop, hopping" outside his window last year. Logan was completely preoccupied with worry that the EB wouldn't know that we would be in Conway and would "hop, hop, hop" to the wrong house. I sent several emails to the EB but Logan's fears were only calmed when he received a card in the mail from the EB confirming our intended whereabouts. (Thank you, Sweet P!) Once that was settled, we packed up our eggs in a cooler and headed towards Conway with plans to hunt every egg in sight!

Saturday morning Logan, Trey, and I headed to Laurel Park for FUMC's egg hunt. I was concerned that there would be an egg limit and Logan would have a related meltdown. After stressing all morning, I was relieved to learn it was first come, first serve! After a prayer and a whistle the hunt was on! Logan was polite and thoughtful in his hunting. I was extremely proud! He found 7 eggs and was thrilled to discover that they were filled with candy...who knew?

Sunday morning we dressed in our fancy duds and headed to church with my mom & dad, grandpa & grandma, and brother. I can't begin to describe how special it is to share holidays with family at church. We missed this experience while living away. David brought Logan into "big church" following communion to hear FUMC's traditional Halleluah Chorus in which anyone can join the choir in the choir loft to sing. Logan was thrilled to see his Granddude singing in the choir loft! He still talks about Dude singing up high. We left church and headed to mom & dad's for Easter dinner and a second egg hunt. The meal was wonderful and the cake I made turned out cute! The EB found Logan as promised and left a stellar stash! Logan loves his new baseball glove and has donned his Super Why costume off and on since Easter. What a lucky boy!

After a nap, we packed up and headed to Russellville for a 3rd hunt and a yummy dinner with Grand and Big Phil. Logan loves playing at their house and who could blame him...swingset fort with fireman pole, chickens, Queenie the puppy, barn, tree swing, space to run, and dirt to collect head to toe! In fact, we had so much fun that I forgot to get the camera out of the car. Please imagine pictures of Logan covered in dirt, Logan filling a basket with a million eggs, Trey and Carolyn walking through the garden dreaming of future projects, Phil grilling steaks, and all of us laughing together!

One cute Easter story that wouldn't fit in the timeline text above. Before heading to Conway, Logan asked "Mommy, can I go to the Easter Bunny's house?" I said "No, buddy, the EB is too busy preparing for Easter." Logan, "Then can I go to Jesus' house to play?" Me: "Not today." Logan: "But he loves all the children of the world!" Easter is a special holiday and was made all the more special this year in the fact that we could celebrate in the company of our family. Thanks gang!

Camp Cousin

2010-04-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged for awhile and have much to report. The next few may be out of order but you can deal with it, right? Although Logan is generally doing better with me staying home with him, he desperately misses playing with friends. I know once we are relocated we can establish some regular play dates as well as Sunday School and (in the fall) preschool. For now though, he is pretty much stuck with mommy and the dogs. He broke my heart Easter Sunday when we picked him up from Sunday School. I asked how it went and he reported in his saddest voice "I don't got no friends today." (note...grammar lessons continue!) I feel stuck and unable to fix his loneliness. We don't know anyone in Memphis with kiddos and our schedule hasn't allowed for much socialization in Conway. I came up with a perfect (and yet insane) plan. I texted my lovely sister-in-law and asked if she would let me borrow my niece for 4 days/3 nights for Camp Cousin. She was more than willing, which is amazing to me, as I'm anxious spending just one night away from my little monster. Michelle has been asking for over a year to keep Logan overnight and I haven't been ready. I'm sure he'd do fine but I'm not quite there yet. (In my defense, currently the only time Logan has with his daddy is on the weekends and I'm not willing to give up that time right now. Once we move...I'm sure I'll have to come up with another excuse or give in and ship my kid off.)

Logan was ecstatic when I told him Paige was coming to our house. He made big plans to take her to the park, paint, and play catch with her. Trey and my parents were gracious enough to permit the dogs to stay in Conway so I didn't completely lose my mind. Our schedule was as follows:

Tues:

Pick up Paige from daycare after her nap
Drive 3 hours to our house - 2 potty breaks & 2 "pull over on the side of the road" breaks
Dinner
Bath (anatomy lesson #1)
Stories & Bedtime

Wed:

Kids came downstairs @ 6:45a for breakfast
Arts & Crafts extravaganza (color pillowcases, paint wooden letters, paint stories)
Playdoh
Lunch (Paige learned how to eat green beans. She ate the little peas out of the bean and
said she didn't like the wrappers. Funny girl!)
Nap (2 hours!?)
Make cookies
Outside to play in the dirt
Spaghetti dinner
Bath (anatomy lesson #2), story time, bed

Thurs:

Kids came downstairs NAKED!? @ 6:15a for breakfast (anatomy lesson #3)
Backyard to play in garden
Dance party!
Shower painting (shaving cream + paint brushes = awesome shower fun!)
Lunch - Make your own pizzas
Nap (1 1/2 hours!)
Park & Nature hike
Dinner, bath, story time, bed

Fri: Kids came downstairs @ 5:30a and stood by my bed until I opened my eyes. Scared the living daylights out of me! Fortunately I did not wet the bed! We had to be in North Little Rock to pass off Paige to her Nana at 1p so the morning was spent rushing around to pack and clean the house.

Logan and Paige had a fabulous time together and there were fewer meltdowns than I had anticipated. Logan had some trouble sharing his toys and Paige had some trouble following rules that are different from the rules at her house. In some ways having both of them was easier than just Logan because they entertained one another and I had free time to finish projects. They only painted on one wall and it was completely washable. I think Paige only went home with one bruise and Logan only had one welt. I loved watching the two of them explore together. I haven't had the opportunity to watch Logan play with other kids his age and it was neat to see areas he excels in and areas in which we need to work on. I discovered areas in which each kid has talents and strengths. The most surprising outcome of this adventure was a boost in my parenting abilities. Logan's behavior has been challenging the past month. His behavior was HORRIBLE during a recent trip to visit friends and family in Missouri and I was absolutely mortified and shell shocked. I learned during this week that (1) He is 3, (2) He has learned values and morals and is able to demonstrate them on occasion, (3) I can handle 2 kids with minimal damage...I will survive his periodic outbursts. All in all, I have no extra bald spots and am willing to host Camp Cousin again sometime in the far off future.

Neck'd

2010-03-10T19:03:00.001-08:00

Why does my son love to be naked? Seriously, I can't keep clothes on the kid. I sound like a horrible mother who pays little attention to her kid, but I'm bordering on being the "helicopter" parent I bad mouth. The kid must have been Houdini in a previous life. Once I left him outside swinging to run inside (barely 40 feet) to grab the phone and when I returned he was still swinging but this time completely nude.

Even as an infant he preferred to be naked. My mom was shocked to check on her sweet 10 month old grandson asleep in his crib and to discover him still asleep but with diaper and jammies thrown on the floor.

Oh, and there was the infamous "Naked Spaghetti" night. I set the table and ran to tell Trey dinner was ready. I returned and there was my child eating spaghetti in the buff.

Today, he ran inside to go potty and returned within 3 minutes wearing a different t-shirt than he'd gone in with and NOTHING else. I said, "Logan, you need to go back inside and put your underwear, pants, socks, and shoes back on." He looked down and said, "Wow." Was he unsure how he became naked? He ran in and came back out in yet another t-shirt, underwear, and nothing else. "Logan!? You must wear pants outside!" Our neighbors must think the world of us!

I'm sharing pictures of Logan playing fetch with our dog, Banjo. I was folding laundry. One minute they were playing fetch and the next, fetch without pants. I just don't get it. Must be a boy thing. It is pretty sad when your nightly prayers include, "Please, Lord, clothe my son. In righteousness would be nice but in public would be be stellar. Thanks, AMEN."

I Want to Ride My Bicycle. I Want to Ride My Bike.

2010-03-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

Logan's birthday gift when he turned 3 was a big boy bicycle. It was love at first sight. Seriously, a major fit went down in the middle of Walmart when he learned that he could not ride the bike he had picked out through the store. Mommy and Daddy questioned whether to leave with the bike, the kid, or the bike and kid. It was a doozy.

Anyway, Logan has been begging me to take him on a bike ride for several weeks. The begging started on a snowy day and hasn't let up. Now that the weather has become more pleasant, I've been more receptive to the begging. I told Logan the other night that if he went to bed without getting up we would go on a bike ride the next day. The next morning, at 6am, I heard Logan yell from the top of the stairs "It's wake up time! Mommy, get up for our bike ride!" I managed to put him off for several hours but then we began to prepare for the ride. Somewhere along the way the ride to the park became a ride and picnic at the park. When I started pulling picnic supplies out of the fridge Logan appeared with a silly basket. Not that I'm image conscious but the idea of walking a mile holding a basket was not my first choice...but there was no getting out of it...we HAD to take the picnic supplies in the picnic basket. I made sandwiches and packed pudding, apples and water bottles (reusable) and off we went. Logan is not a fast rider. He likes to watch the front wheel turn and tends to veer left into the grass A LOT. It was a LOOOONNNNNGGGG journey (barely a mile) but we finally made it, intact, without a fit, and ready to picnic at the park! He parked his bike and ran to the picnic table. I sat down, took one picture of Logan with his basket, and began unloading our goodies. Logan took one bite of his sandwich, looked at me, and said (if this is where you expect a sweet "thank you" or "great picnic, mommy" please stop reading now...) "Mommy, I gotta poop." Yep, it took us 45 minutes to ride 1 freakin' mile for him to need to go potty. If it were just pee, problem solved. However, it 'twas not...and we were not alone at the park. Soooo, we packed back up, helmeted up, and headed back home. (only took 30 minutes this time) We did make it home without an accident but threw the bike in the yard and went running into the house where he did not have to go to the bathroom after all. Yep. We both napped that afternoon. Hopefully our next bike ride/picnic is more successful.

Night at the Opera...ummm...Theater

2010-03-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

I love live theatre, especially musicals. There is something special about a bunch of people crowding into a dark room with uncomfortable seating to lose yourself in a world of song and dance. I've never been a great performer and know my place is in the audience. My brother's place is on the stage. Growing up I think my brother struggled to find his niche. He tried sports, scouts, Camp Fire, but it just wasn't a good fit. When we moved to Arkansas my mom signed him up for Youth Theatre at UCA and the rest is history. (Warning...soapbox 103) I admire my parents for standing up to fuddy-duddies who questioned a boy singing and dancing. Once they saw how invested David was, they were equally invested as well. You've heard of the soccer mom? My mom was the theatre mom. One Christmas she even bought her son a case for his makeup. David took his passion for theatre and moved to NYC. As the eldest, type-A, practical to a fault child this seemed like a daunting and at time foolish adventure. However, he did it and can therefore live his life without that particular "what-if." I can't say the same. I don't know what my brother's "destiny" holds, but I know performing will always be a part. And I'm glad to be in his audience.

Ok, so where is this blog heading? Heck, I never know. Allow me to pull back onto the tracks and finish my initial train of thought. (get it, train...this thing on?) I recently took Logan to his first movie, The Princess and the Frog. (eh.) As I was leaving the movie theater, I saw a sign for the children's series at the Orpheum (Memphis' historic theater). I wasn't sure how Logan would do sitting through a live show but when I saw that there was a musical based on one of our favorite book series "Frog and Toad," I knew the show must go on! I bought tickets and began rereading the "Frog and Toad" books to Logan several times a week so he was fresh. A few days before the show I finally broke the news to my little cultured guy. I told him all about wearing fancy clothes, parking downtown, going to a play about "Frog and Toad," and that we had tickets. He was sold when I agreed he could carry his own ticket. I was nervous about managing my less than calm child in downtown Memphis between the parking garage and the Orpheum (and back). On the way to the show, he did great. He insisted on bringing one of his "Frog and Toad" books with him, which I thought was adorable. We sat in our seats (aisle because I anticipated, correctly, several potty runs...and I do mean runs...those sloped aisles are really appealing to a 3 year old boy) and waited anxiously for the show to start. Soon the curtains parted, the music started, and the lights came on. And we had a problem...men dressed in the tradition of "Frog and Toad" began to perform. To an adult or an older child, this isn't a problem. You simply understand that one man is playing Frog and the other Toad. However, this simply won't fly in the literal world of a 3 year old. Logan was quiet and polite but kept tugging on my shirt and whispering "but where is my Frog and my Toad?" Fortunately the show moved at a good pace and had funny songs to keep his interest. I don't think the entire night was a flop, far from it. Even though "Frog and Toad" were not what was expected, we will remember our first night at the theatre together. And if I had any anxieties at all, they were squashed when Logan told me at bedtime, "Mommy, I like our date today."

Monet, van Gogh, Picasso, and Logan!

2010-03-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to watch my kiddo develop new skills. During today's art project he completely shocked me! I have a stack of plain white pillow cases stored away for a rainy day...yes, I'm a craft supply hoarder. Call A&E! I figured that since we are travelling back and forth between our house and my parents' house so often, Logan might like a special pillow to take with him. I found a pack of fabric markers in the craft closet and Logan went to town.

He is really interested in writing his letters and can do a couple solo and several more with minimal assistance. (In the picture you will see his name. In the interest of full disclosure...he did the L & O alone and I did "dot to dot" for the remaining letters.) He has decided he needs to do his own "dot to dot" every time he writes and L. Hopefully we can move past that soon. Logan is really active (really, really active) but will sit and focus on playdoh and art projects for a long time, if interested. He was in the zone (brow furrowed, head down, and tongue out) so I used the time to clean up the kitchen and load the dishwasher.

His crafting always includes a constant narrative of each motion and today was no different. I had kinda tuned him out but heard him say "There is a spider." and "I made an L!" and "That is my daddy, mommy, and Logan!" Each statement was met with my distracted "uh huh", "that's good", or "you are working so hard!" When the kitchen was clean(er), I returned to the table to admire Logan's creation. I am so proud of what I saw...he drew a spider that looks like a spider! He made several 'L's! AND...TADA...a daddy (bald!?), a rather hippy (not as in flower child but as in junk in da' trunk), and a little boy! This is the first time his artwork has resembled what he was drawing! I can't wait to see what he makes or does next! I'm a proud mommy!

**NOTE: God was pretty smart today. Thank goodness I was reminded how special Logan can be because his behavior has been otherwise ROTTEN! Thanks, Big Guy for defusing the situation! :)

Fun at home...

2010-02-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

I took a leap of faith and gave notice at work. The stress of Trey living in Arkansas for work, me working fulltime, Logan misbehaving in daycare, having the house in tip top shape for potential buyers, AND a couple minor health problems have been weighing on me. Trey and I agreed for me to take this step and begin transitioning to Arkansas. Everything about the plan is great...except that we can't seem to sell our house. I absolutely love my house. Seriously, it's a dream house. We bought the house with intentions of staying here for a long time but life happens. I know that someone else can be happy in this house but can't imagine why they haven't decided that yet! Sooo, if you know of anyone interested in moving to Tennessee...

ANYWAY, being a stay at home mom (at least temporarily) is a dream come true and I'm embracing every moment. I've planned excursions, crafts, projects, and so forth. Today was the first chance I've had to snap pics of one of our projects. (Please excuse the "Dumb & Dumber" haircut. I actually took him to have his haircut rather than doing it myself and this is the product. GRRR!) Logan and I love art projects! As active as he is, he will sit still for the longest to paint, sculpt, and cut. I found a recipe in a book for making homemade finger paint. Ok, recipe is probably not the word. It was EASY! Mix flour and water into a paste, a pinch of salt for texture, and add 2 drops of food coloring. TADA! Logan loved that he made his own paint (I loved the price, the easy clean up, and the fact that it was nontoxic!) He painted 3 lovely pictures which are currently on display in our kitchen.

We have also spent the day gathering items for our letter box. (No Lexi, not a letterbox...) I remember haivng letter boxes in kindergarden and have completely ripped off the idea. Sorry, Mrs. Elmore. This week we are putting objects that start with "L" in our box. So far we have a picture of Logan, lLemon, Lime, Leash, Lion, Lamb, Lizard, Lincoln Log, Little Grover, Lipstick, and a dirty sock (Laundry!) *NOTE: it was very disappointing to learn that the stepLadder didn't fit in our box and that you can't hold Love. :)

Tomorrow's plans include a scavenger hunt, a sorting game, and baking cookies with mommy. We may be broke, living apart, and saddled with a house we wish to sell...but I'm enjoying my time with my little monkey!

12 More...

2010-02-10T16:56:00.000-08:00

I haven't had much spare time lately to write a full entry so I'm just jotting down funny incidents here and there.

1. Logan climbed into bed with me last night after an accident in his own. Usually this is a no no but I was too tired (after stripping his bed and changing his clothes) to object. He woke me up sometime later talking in his sleep. He said "My foot is a meatball." I think it is hysterical!

2. After buckling Logan into his carseat after daycare today he turned to me and said "Mommy, you are flippin' awesome." Touche, my buddy.

3. Logan idolizes his daddy. He constantly tells me that he is growing big, big like his daddy. Last night at dinner he told me he is almost big like daddy but still does not have hair on his chest. Funny!

4. I overheard Logan praying over his cereal bowl a few mornings ago. We pray each night at dinner and try to remember to say prayers before bed but breakfast prayers are new. (Although it might be something to start. Lord knows we need help in the mornings!) "Dear God, please make me big, big like my daddy and make Banjo (our dog) stop poopin' so we can move to Arkansas. " Not sure why he thinks we are moving because of Banjo's bowels but whatever works in his little head.

5. Logan selected a doozy of an outfit Sunday. Neon green toad shirt and his pirate dress up shorts. He called himself the "toad pirate." Seriously folks, that's funny stuff!

6. Logan announced the other day "Mommy, Daddy is my best friend again." Not sure what Trey had done to make the little monkey mad but we are all glad he is back in good graces.

7. My grandmother was in the hospital last week with hip and back pain. (Still struggling with pain...prayers are welcome...even at breakfast!) Logan told me that he couldn't see his Granny D because "she was running and jumping and hurted her leg." She was flattered to hear he believes she can still do these activities!

8. I was on the phone with my friend Beth the other night and Logan told me "Mommy, get off your phone. You need to practice soccer." Apparently my game is slipping.

9. Logan: Mommy, where do babies come from?"
Me: Ummm, why do you ask?
Logan: I don't like to share my toys with loud babies. I gotta stay away from those
mean babies.

10. Said loudly in the checkout line at Target: "Mommy, I'm sorry you do not have a penis."

11. "Mommy, tell me the story of when you were so so mad at me?" [I reply "When you put vanilla pudding on the floor?] "No." [When you kicked the dog?"] "No, mommy, when I hided your music." *NOTE: my ipod was later found in his dresser drawer.

12. We had a great snow overnight Sunday. I was excited for Logan to build his first snowman but he refused because we didn't have a carrot. He told me "My snowman will not be able to smell me!" We braved the roads later in the day and went to the store. Upon arriving back at home, Logan marched outside with 2 carrots in hand to build his snowman. Before I could join him in the yard he marched back in and announced "Mommy, I like my carrots in my belly. It is too cold for a snowman." We snuggled on the couch and watched a movie instead!

Another two before I forget...

2010-01-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

1) My mom visited last week and was on hand to help corral my little monkey while I was feeling under the weather. One morning she was helping Logan put his shoes on upstairs. After checking on them, I needed to run downstairs. Logan yelled after me, "Mommy, I'll be down in a couple of whiles." Cute!

2) Trey and I decided that the entire family was headed to Walmart last night to grocery shop. Logan was not happy that he was being asked to put on warmer clothing (see previous post) and leave his soccer ball behind (see another previous post). He stomped his feet and yelled in his ugliest voice: "I can't go to the store because I have too much work to do." I asked "What kind of work do you need to do, Logan?" To which he replied, "Mommy, I have to kick my soccer ball a lot of times."

Independence

2010-01-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

I honestly thought I was a fabulous parent until Logan hit 2 1/2. Man...since then I've sobered up! Logan's strong will and desire for independence is loud and in your face. We've dealt with tantrums, aggressive outbursts, and general unruly behavior. I admit that we've had a lot of transition in our lives during this period but also think he'd probably have been this challenging under the most calm circumstances.

Our biggest power struggles are currently over clothing. My little fashion-bug changes clothes at least 4 times a day! He comes downstairs each morning wearing outfits that would make the fashion police come running. A few recent examples include: football pants (capri length - part of Halloween costume) and a sleeveless shirt, umbros with black knee highs from my drawer and a swim shirt, and swim trunks with too small pajama shirt. He often tops each ensemble off with a hat, rain boots, or Mardi Gras necklace. I then wrestle him into school-worthy clothes with promises that he can change as soon as we get home. Upon arriving back at home he chooses "fast clothes." (Logan's dictionary defines "fast clothes" as soccer shorts, soccer shoes, rock n' roll tshirt). I'm trying to convince him that the clothes don't make him fast but he insists that his legs are slow unless he has fast clothes on.
After his bath, I dress him in pajamas (just pants b/c my little guy needs to see his muscles) but the pjs only last through reading and tucking in. As soon as I turn out his light and leave his room, Logan selects another ensemble more fitting (in his mind) for bed. Such outfits have included: nothing (naked on his bearskin rug), layers of underwear underneath shorts, swim trunks, and overalls.

The week before Christmas my mom experienced some of the same struggles when he stayed with her. He was apparently determined to leave the house wearing his frog t-shirt, Christmas boxers, black church socks, and "fast shoes." (see picture)

Logan's closet is full of cute clothes. I love little boy clothes! While it is more difficult to find cute boy stuff (unlike girl's clothes that are EVERYWHERE!), Logan has quite the adorable wardrobe. At one time he always looked put together. Shirts that matched pants. Jackets that matched shirts. Shoes that matched all of the above. I'm now resigned to settling with weather-appropriate duds.

I have wondered if other kids go through this fashion obsessed stage. Then I realized that while Logan may be a trend setter (just look at the above pics again!), it isn't just him. I felt the first pangs of peer pressure last week. On the way home from school we had this conversation:

Me: How was your day at school?
Logan: My friends love my new shirt. I love my new shirt too. Mommy, do you love my new shirt? (it isn't actually new...just rediscovered)
Me: Yes, I love your shirt.
Logan: My friends love my new shirt.
Me: Good, Logan. I'm glad.
Logan: When my friends love my new shirt I am happy in my heart.

Since this conversation, I have washed the "new shirt" 6 times and admit that he is wearing it today underneath a sweatshirt after wearing it yesterday and to sleep in last night. This particular power struggle goes to him today...I just didn't have the energy to fight it. Plus, it makes him happy in his heart! :)

Before I forget...

2010-01-01T14:09:00.001-08:00

I want to document two funny stories before I forget. Logan keeps me going so fast and sometimes I worry I'll wake up one day and he'll be grown!
(1) Logan has a Nativity puzzle to help him understand the Christmas story (see previous Christmas post to understand why this is necessary). A couple nights ago he decided to put the puzzle together at the coffee table. He worked and worked to fit the wise men together and line up the shepherd just so. He added the angel, Mary, and Joseph. There was only one piece left...but where was baby Jesus? We looked high and low. I asked our mischievous dog, Banjo, if she had snacked on our Lord. She did not answer as dogs do not talk. I joked on my facebook status that perhaps the puzzle was transitioning into Easter and we had witnessed ascension. The next day, I opened the fridge and what to my wondering eyes did appear? ... BABY JESUS! I assume he was healing the wilted lettuce, witnessing to the mayo, or perhaps discussing heaven with the leftover Christmas pie. For the record, Logan seems to have no recollection of putting baby Jesus in the fridge. Perhaps it was a post-Christmas miracle!?

(2) I think Logan is getting close to giving up his daily naps. I'm heartbroken and exhausted at the suggestion. Yesterday I was desperately pleading with Logan to nap but he had other ideas. I ran up and down the stairs a million times (why am I not in better shape?) but he kept getting up. At one point I head him running around the guest bedroom and I hollered up the stairs for him to get in bed. He yelled back, "I am in A bed." and he was...the guest bed. Not what I had in mind, smarty pants! Finally, he did seem to settle and I hoped sleep had graced us. I found him lying in his bed with his hands behind his head staring at the ceiling. I felt defeated and asked Logan "Why are you not sleeping?" To which, my sweet child replies "I'm just thinkin' bout that big poopoo this morning." I shared the story with my facebook world and texted it to my parents. My dad insisted that this was simply the mind of a man.

Letting Go

2009-12-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

Logan isn't a baby anymore. He is 3 years old and becoming his own person. He is fiercely independent and confident trying new things. It is exciting to see this change in development but I'm still having trouble admitting that he isn't my sweet baby anymore. I think Trey's deployment during Logan's early period made me hold on tighter to the kid than a lot of moms. I didn't have family nearby (we were in Savannah at the time) and didn't leave him other than daycare. Since we've moved closer to home, we've had several requests to keep Logan for the weekend. I know he is taken care of and has a fabulous time on these weekends away but I still don't like them. I don't feel complete without having him with me. I feel guilty letting him go. As a therapist, I have seen so many kids not wanted or not properly nurtured and I hold on tighter to my little monster. Trey was headed to Arkansas Sunday evening and my mom offered to keep Logan until Christmas Eve, when the family is headed to my house. Reluctantly, I agreed. Logan was thrilled when he learned he was going to Sweet P and Granddude's house! He packed his bag and was ready to go...right then! I tried to not squeeze him too tight before loading him in the car. Sunday night was surreal. I was home alone with my two dogs; no husband, no kid. I had trouble sleeping and kept waking up thinking I heard Logan cry upstairs. Seriously, am I going crazy? The routine of work helped yesterday go by more quickly. I stopped by my favorite take out place for dinner and lounged on the couch all evening. I will admit that it was relaxing and nice to eat a warm dinner without getting up a million times to get more milk, pick up a dropped fork, or wipe up spills. Today, I'm planning to go to a movie after work. I might eat dinner in the living room! I may even pick up a long forgotten hobby tonight.

My dad sent several pictures of Logan's adventures yesterday which helped immensely. I called after work last night for a full report from my mom and could hear Logan playing with my brother in the background. I know he is having a blast and is in good hands. I still miss him and am counting the seconds until he is home. Until then, I'll take my husband's advise and enjoy the time alone without guilt. Logan will be home soon and I'll jump right back into mommy mode and there is nothing I enjoy more!

Life with Amelia Bedelia

2009-12-16T10:40:00.001-08:00

Do you remember Amelia Bedelia? Let me begin with a brief children's literature lesson for those who have not...Amelia Bedelia is the title character of a series of American children's books written by Peggy Parish. The books were a favorite in my house growing up.

Amelia repeatedly misunderstood various commands of her employer by always taking figures of speech and various terminology literally, causing her to perform wrong actions with comical effect. For instance, the employer asks her to dress the chicken and Amelia sews a tiny chicken-sized dress for the bird. In my personal favorite, Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping, Amelia can be seen pitching the tent as though she was Nolan Ryan. (**Note to my fellow bibliophiles: I consulted Wikipedia for the author's name and learned a few interesting facts. First, the author spent time living in Cameroon and based the character after a domestic in her childhood home. Also, Peggy Parish died in 1988 and her nephew took over the series. There have been 3 illustrators for the series.)

Why are we discussing Amelia Bedelia? Because, I truly believe that my sweet son was abducted by aliens last night and replaced by Amelia Bedelia. We were talking in circles around each other creating chaos and mayhem at every turn. Allow me to illustrate. Logan and I were involved in a baking frenzy trying to finish Christmas gifts. The dogs (mainly Banjo) were attempting to assist with dish washing...a bit prematurely. Minus one batch of zucchini bread. I told Logan, who was crying because Banjo ate the bread, that it was time to "kick the dogs out." Oops. Poor Banjo probably has a nice sore spot on her ribs. Certainly an Amelia moment! Later, as we were working on cookies (which did not get finished due to mixer drama) Logan asked "Why are we making cookies?" As I continued to measure and stir, I said "Because it is Christmastime and..." Before I could finish with "we are making presents for people we love," Logan jumped off his stool, screamed "It's Christmastime!?", ran to the tree, and began ripping the wrapping off the first gift he could get his hands on. After tears and several failed explanations we rewrapped Daddy's present. We cleaned up our mess and headed towards the bathroom to try and scrub some of the dough out of Logan's hair (ok, mine too). I said "Hold on, let me pull my hair back." Logan started crying "Don't pull your hair, mommy! That's not nice!"

Add that Trey was out of town, the dogs kept howling some sort of canine chorus, I overfilled the bubble bath, and Logan was trying his best to demonstrated his independence. I was overwhelmed and frustrated last night; questioned my parenting skills. I'm blogging the chaos so I can someday look back and laugh at the experience. But for now, I'd prefer Amelia Bedelia stay on the pages of beloved children's books and my son and I have one evening of harmonious interaction. We'll see...

Bend It Like Beckham

2009-12-15T07:19:00.000-08:00

Logan is obsessed with soccer. Seriously obsessed. I'm not sure what prompted this love as he only recently went to his first soccer game. When the weather turned cool this fall I had to tell him every pair of pants were soccer pants so he would wear them instead of his soccer shorts. Did you know corduroy pants are soccer pants? I found a cute pair of football pants at a consignment sale that matched his UCA jersey and planned for him to be a football player for Halloween. He wore the uniform proudly...but told everyone he was a soccer player. He was given a soccer ball and soccer goal for his birthday and the obsession has officially peaked since.

Last night Logan insisted on wearing his cleats to bed. I told him no shoes on the sheets so he made a pallet on the floor. When I went up to check on him, I found him without a pillow...balancing his head on his soccer ball. Some battles are not worth fighting.

This morning I had just gotten out of the shower when I heard the ball bouncing down the stairs with the pitter patter of Logan's feet following close behind. He dribbled the ball (very well, I must admit!) into my room and then dribbled it into the kitchen for breakfast. The ball was dribbled outside to the car when it was time to load up for daycare. Once at daycare he was reminded that toys stay in the car. He hugged his soccer ball and gave it a big smooch. I got a high five.

Perhaps this obsession will fade after Christmas presents are opened, or I may need to prepare myself to be a soccer mom!

The Great Pumpkin

2009-12-14T09:10:00.001-08:00

I have fallen behind on my documentation of life events. I recently wrote about preparing for Christmas and am now traveling back in time to record pre-Thanksgiving goings on. Anyone that knows me understands that I live in a stream-of-consciousness state. My dad once told me that I talk with footnotes. On with the story...

Logan and I packed up one Saturday morning and drove up the road to Jones Orchard to pick our pumpkins. I was a little disappointed to learn that the pumpkins had already been picked and were piled on crates near the entrance of the orchard. The orchard was instead set up for the popular Haunted Corn Maze. Nevermind my disappointment. Logan leaped up and down clapping and shouting "Pumpkins, my pumpkins!" He pointed at another little guy picking out his pumpkin and said "Mommy, that baby is having so much fun!" We inspected all (and I do mean ALL) of the pumpkins and gourds. After trying to pick up every pumpkin, Logan finally settled on the perfect one. We carried our 3 pumpkins to the car and went to the stand to pay. We also picked up local peach jelly (good but nothing like we were able to get in Georgia) and a bag of peanuts. (yes, I know. Logan is supposed to avoid nuts but I caved and he later wheezed...lesson learned)
The following day Logan painted his pumpkin. He artfully layered black, green, and white paint before a final coat of silver glitter. The end product was a gray pumpkin. Perhaps his art skills will improve before next year. He was so proud of his pumpkin! He carried it all over the house and even asked if his pumpkin could sleep in his bed with him. He couldn't wait for Sweet P to visit so he could show off his creation.

Fast forward another day...Logan was in bed and Trey and I were watching television upstairs. I made the comment, "I wonder where Banjo is." Trey replied with something like "Probably downstairs getting into something." A few minutes later our sweet puppy came sauntering up the stairs and into the playroom. She looked guilty. Those sad hound eyes...Oh, and she had pumpkin goo hanging off of her chin. Trey and I both ran downstairs with fear in our hearts. The nightmare was real...Banjo had eaten Logan's precious pumpkin!

What to do, what to do? We put our heads together and came up with a plan. We did what any 3 yr old-fearing parents would do in this situation. We cleaned up the evidence, distracted the kid the following morning, and Trey bought a replacement and painted it before Logan got home from daycare. Trey was proud of his reproduction. All was right in the world until Logan got home. I held my breath and only looked out of one eye. The new pumpkin was considerably bigger than the original. Logan heaved and hefted the new pumpkin into his arms. He looked at me directly. Sweat began to form on my brow and the hair stood up on my head. In a seriously intimidating voice, my son said "Mommy, my pum'kin is growing big like me." WHEW! Someday we will have to fess up and tell him the tale of the great pumpkin. But for now...I know our secret is safe with you!

Personalizing Christmas

2009-12-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

Logan is getting to the age where he aware of holidays and becoming inquisitive about celebrations and practices. It is important to Trey and I to establish family traditions while honoring some of the traditions we grew up with in our own families. I remember tree decorating as a funny experience. Mom usually attempted to make the decorating a family event but Dad would get frustrated with her desire for the lights to be perfectly spaced, David would be distracted, and I would want to do things my way. Our family would begin bantering back and forth but I most clearly remember the jokes. David and I would argue over which Nutcracker ornament was higher ranked and therefore would have a higher placement on the tree. Mom would move less attractive ornaments on the back of the tree and David and I would move them back to the front. Mom and Dad have accumulated several odd ornaments over the years....Elvis, a talking ornament from family friends that will need to be hidden from my son as to not teach him language I'm not ready for him to have, and a couple oddly shaped angels. Trey's family has a competition in which they try to beat the other family members in saying "Christmas Eve gift" on Christmas Eve. The reward for being the first to say it is that you get an additional gift.

The Tree: This year Logan and I began assembling the Christmas tree the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I had made hot cocoa and had Christmas music on the stereo. Every branch I put on (allergies = artificial tree), Logan systematically took off. We finally wrestled the tree up to discover our lights must not have made the move from Georgia. It is difficult to explain to a 3 yr old that lights have to come before ornaments (footnote: he calls ornaments instruments??). The following day we bought lights and were ready for ornaments. I quickly (ok, maybe not so quickly) decided that we wouldn't put any glass ornaments up this year (we only broke 5). Our 8 month old basset Banjo thinks it's fun to get under the branches and spin laps around the trunk. CHAOS!

Santa: Gotta love daycare!? Logan has had a few behavioral challenges this year. I am in (near) full support of the daycare providers use of timeout, playground consequences, and restriction of toys but am NOT ok with them threatening to call Santa when he misbehaves. The fallout of said action (which prompted 2 separate "Come to Santa" meetings with the daycare) is that Logan is petrified of Santa. Horrified that a man would sneak down our chimney while we are sleeping. Terrified that he is watching and knows if you have been bad or good. Traumatized by the meer suggestion that children are supposed to sit on his lap! We have finally gotten to a point where we can say "Santa" without the poor child bursting into tears.

The Nativity Story: I proudly put out our nativity scene in the living room and Logan and I have been role playing the story. It is important to Trey and I for Logan to know why we celebrate Christmas and what we believe. We have read books and told stories in which to illustrate Christmas for Logan. Here is what he knows...He told me that Jesus has 2 daddy's. (How else do you explain God and Joseph to a 3 yr old with no exposure to stepparents?) He thinks baby Jesus is adorable! He keeps getting in trouble for carrying our infant Lord around the house. His response has been "but he's so coot." Logan calls the 3 Wise Men the clowns. He thinks they have funny hats on and therefore must be clowns. We have talked about Mary and Joseph taking a trip to find a bed for baby Jesus. I overheard Logan telling the dogs that Mary and Joseph are going to Arkansas so baby Jesus can go night-night. Yep...that's our religious foundation. Cute baby Jesus was born in Arkansas. His 2 dads love him very much and the 3 kings brought presents from afar.

Maybe next year we can begin the tradition building.

Expect the Unexpected

2009-10-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

It always seems that the second you begin to feel settled something else happens to shake the foundation. That is certainly the case for our family. We knew a year and a half ago that leaving the Army had both positive and negative consequences. On the positive side, no more deployments, Trey's knees could have respite from daily PT, and we might feel more in control of our future. However, while in the Army we were guaranteed stable employment, comprehensive (although frustrating) health benefits, and a comfortable income. After listing both pros and cons, we knew the pros won and we prepared to begin the next chapter. After months of transition, job searching, and living with a sense of uncertainty we were thrilled to set up shop in Memphis ('burbs). We love our home, church, and neighborhood. BUT then the other shoe drops and we are back to job searching.

Those who know me well understand that transition is not my strong suit. I like stability and thrive in creating tiny adventures in an otherwise boring life. I have to refocus my energy every day and avoid my tendencies for self pity and nervous obsession with the "what if's." During a recent tantrum, I cried to Trey "I feel like our marriage has been one period of waiting after another. I just want stability!" Have I mentioned how incredible my husband is? Seriously, he is my perfect match and has the ability to bring me back to reality like no one else. He held my hand and said, "Lauren, we have stability. We are married and that's not changing. We are parents and that's not changing. We have supportive friends and family and that's not changing." So very true.

I don't know what is next for our family. Perhaps more tough times are headed our way. I don't know if we will continue establishing roots in Memphis or if life will lead us elsewhere. But...I have stability and am striving, with considerable effort some days, to take comfort in this fact.

Grandparents

2009-08-15T10:28:00.001-07:00

Logan is a lucky little boy. Not only does he have two incredible (if I do say so myself...haha!) parents who worship the ground he walks on but he has wonderful grandparents. I wonder what a group of grandparents would be called; a gaggle, herd, mass?? We'll go with gaggle for now.

Recently, my parents and grandparents were highlighted in a newspaper article about grandparents. The author wrote about my mom driving back and forth from Conway, Arkansas to Savannah, Georgia to see Logan and help me out while Trey was in Iraq. The author talked about Logan calling my dad "Granddude." The article also discussed my grandparents repeating some of the most special acitivities they did with my brother and I with Logan. (ie. popping popcorn and watching football and basketball games). I grew up never doubting that I was loved. My biological grandparents and 2 stepgrandparents have influenced me (and continue to influence me). While many of my friends had grandparents scattered across the country or who were too feeble (or busy) to interact, my memories are "bustin' at the seams" with the gray hairs!

As I write this blog, my mother in law is running around her large yard with Logan in a wheelbarrow. I hear their combined shrieks of laughter and his yells "Go faster, Grand!" Trey's stepdad Phil has spent the morning repairing several fishing poles in the off chance we'll have time to take Logan fishing this afternoon.

Again, Logan is a very lucky boy...and Trey and I are grateful tenfold!

It's not night-night time...

2009-08-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at the computer checking email listening to my child protest bedtime. So far his excuses have included:

It's not night-night time.
I want my Banjo. (our dog)
I want my Mojo. (our other dog)
I need my daddy.
Mommy, I'm awake!
I want to read a monkey book.
I need to go to Bear School. (what he calls his daycare)
Mommy, Sweet P is talking on my phone to me.
It's wake up time!
Daddy say it's tickle time! (the only other time he knows)
I not tired!
My eyes are awake.
MOMMMMMMMYYYYYYY!
My door is closed. I need it open.
I need chocolate in my milk.
I want to go potty.

Seriously!? Surely he'll fall asleep soon. At least his pleas are humorous!

Our fantasy world...

2009-07-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

Many of my favorite childhood memories are of times my imagination ran wild. I fondly remember a dear friend and I walking around the block brainstorming what would happen if an evil witch returned to our camp. We developed a game plan for combatting her terroristic threats that would make many heads of state jealous! I also remember spending hours designing tree forts, club houses, and forts in the woods. I sincerely hoped my parents would allow me to knock a hole in the wall of my closet to expand my room into the bathroom. Many plays were performed on our front porch and our kitchen chairs were easily converted into a train or the corners of a tent. We had tv, nintendo, and a VCR when I was young...it wasn't THAT long ago...but a majority of my memories don't involve those things. David and I also had toys that talked (ie. David's scary Teddy Ruxpin) or moved (a roller skating doll) but I preferred the toys or objects that could be whatever I dreamed. I once whittled a stick into a treeman and played with him for days!

I'm recounting these silly experiences today and wonder how I will ensure that Logan develops a healthy imagination, the ability to create fun, and to think outside the box. I want Logan to view our backyard as an ocean full of pirates, an African savannah, the wild west, etc. I love to watch Logan begin to stretch his fantasy legs. Below is a list of recent creative moments...allow me to brag for a second, but isn't that what this blog is all about!?

1. Logan told me he couldn't go "night night" because a "monster ate his bed."

2. While talking about my brother's upcoming visit, Logan said "I like Unc. He dances." - I don't remember recent incidents in which David danced for Logan...

3. Logan tells me he swims "like a pig."

4. Prepare yourself...this is perhaps my favorite moment ever...out of the blue, Logan said "I love you big big like a water tower." Collective awwwwwww...

5. Logan fell from the kitchen chair (while not sitting on his bottom like he was instructed) and then refused to walk for 15 minutes because "my legs break'ed."

6. He LOVES to construct complicated block castles, towers, and houses. (Then gets furious when one of our 4 legged beasts knock them over.)

7. We taught Logan to give us bear hugs awhile ago. Now he substitutes various animal sounds for frog hugs, bird hugs, bug hugs, etc.

8. He has begun to draw with purpose. His scribbles are, in fact, daddy or Banjo or his name.

Looking at this list, I feel initially proud...a little nervous that my kid may be psychotic (ha ha)...but still proud. I can't wait to see what is next in his development. I don't often evangelize but...God is good. Logan is proof of an amazing creation perfectly made for this family.

Squash

2009-06-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

Logan and I planted a little vegetable garden in the spring. I have not inherited my Grandma Doris' green thumb so this was not only uncharacteristic but a true experiment. The previous owners had a small raised bed in the backyard in which they left zinnias and carrots. I'm sure there were other crops that simply died out. I jumped whole-heartedly into the project without doing my homework...as is my style. The bed is probably 3x6 and I planted the following: watermelon, pumpkin, zucchini, yellow squash, red lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, and bell peppers. Many of the plants were bought as little plants but many others were started as seeds in a little plastic greenhouse that I stored in the pantry. Trey has consistently made fun of my "farming" abilities and my precious crops. Logan hasn't had much interest after the initial planting...until recently.

While the spinach and watermelon have not done well, the yellow squash has taken over. I counted 45 blossoms a week ago and discovered more big yellow blossoms this morning. I like squash and know of a couple squash recipes but had hoped for more variety in our homegrown produce!

Logan has begun to pick the big squash when playing outside. I was initially excited by his interest but quickly learned that he doesn't see the squash as food but as a toy. Our squash have been colored on, thrown as a ball, floated in our little fountain, used as pretend musical instruments, wrapped in blankets and put "night-night", and used as a phone to call various family members. Logan and I even used the squash as models for still life drawings! Needless to say, Trey and I have given up wrestling Logan's precious treasures away from him and are laughing at what the imagination can do with a squash.

The bell peppers appear to have buds on them and we have a few very tiny tomatoes. It will be exciting to see how these veggies will be incorporated into our play!

I don't wanna grow up...

2009-05-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

I've been holding onto Logan tight and haven't wanted to let him grow up. I didn't have trouble getting rid of the crib for the big bed but weaning from the pacifier (aka "the plug") and venturing away from diapers is killing me! Babies don't wear big boy underwear!

Last night Logan came into the living room and said "Mommy, I'm gonna need the plug." Trey and I burst out in laughter. I think it's time!

And the other clue that it's time for Logan to grow up came this weekend when he climbed under the table at a restaurant and said, "I hidin' and poopin'!" Yep...it's time.

I am still not ready but realize I have no choice in the matter. Logan is growing up and there isn't anything I can do about it. Grrr! I feel like it is all happening so fast! My mom has hinted that perhaps it's time for another baby. I would like nothing more but it isn't in the cards just yet. (unemployment and Trey's new career do not make for good conditions to add to the family) I think getting the new puppy was a bit of an effort to redirect my need to nurture a baby?? Trey may have to drag me kicking and screaming along the way, but we are going to let Logan be a big boy. No plug, no more diapers. (But, he'll still have Grover...)

Bodies are private

2009-04-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

This morning was not unlike most mornings. In a rush to get out the door for daycare and work, I was losing patience with Logan. He was a naked bandit; running from one room to another, narrowly escaping my grasp. I kept yelling up the stairs "Logan, we have to get you dressed for school!" Finally I ran up the stairs and captured the little jaybird. I again said, "Logan, you have to get dressed for school." To which he replied, "No mommy, I will show Harry my penis." I chuckled quietly and continued to wrestle with him to get out the door on time.

On the way to daycare, I called mom, Trey, & Michelle to share Logan's comment. Mom laughed a lot. Trey was in class but texted back LOL. I know Michelle will laugh when she gets the message. I then started to think about the statement and began to panic a little. As a therapist, I've encouraged so many parents to start talking about Good touch/bad touch early. I've worked with kids that have been violated in ways I don't want to put on my family-friendly blog. So, I interrupted Logan's singing/screeching of "Kinkle, Kinkle, Little Tar." I told him "Logan, we don't show our penis to people and no one gets to touch your penis except for you, Mommy and Daddy during diaper time, and your doctor." He nodded and echoed, "doctor."

At daycare I shared the story with his teacher. I half hoped for a chuckle but also wanted to prepare her if Logan continued our conversation at school. She did not smile. She looked straight in my eyes and said "Oh, no. That is not acceptable." I nervously muttered some statement of agreement and awkwardly left for work.

In the car I started to panic. I imagined going to daycare and having a note to see the director. I envisioned being questioned about Logan's penis statement. I practiced explaining that I'm a therapist and have begun age appropriate discussions about boundaries and our bodies. I started thinking about ways to convince the daycare staff that my wild little man is not a perpetrator...

Ok, stop! Parenting has once again thrown me for a loop. We'll see if there is a note on the door when I pick him up. I hope all will be forgotten soon and then I can return to chuckling at, what was at one time this morning, a funny statement.

Going Green for Earth Day

2009-04-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

Today is Earth Day. I remember celebrating as a child and learning about recycling at school. We learned to reduce, reuse, and recycle. The main tips I remember were to turn lights off when we leave a room and turn the water off when brushing our teeth. We recycled at home.

As an adult I admit that I haven't remained "green." We didn't have convenient recycling in Savannah, so we didn't. I have reusable shopping bags in the back of a closet somewhere. I haven't bought natural cleaning products and have been generally wasteful. Lately I've wanted to reorganize several areas of my life and have wanted to become more green. We are recycling and I've started a little garden. I want Logan to internalize the lessons he is learning at daycare this week. (Can you believe they celebrate Earth Day at 2 years old!?)

I have spent a good part of the day researching green tips online. I've scribbled ideas and recipes all over a legal pad and admit I'm intimidated. I am not sure where to start. I want to adopt habits that I can sustain. It's not reasonable to burn my bras, live only off the earth, and eat only raw foods. Not reasonable for this family. It would be easy to let my intimidation turn into inaction but I'm going to start small. I can commit to continuing to recycle, turn off unused lights/water, and add a few small actions. (ie. not buying cleaning products until my current supply is gone and then buying/making healthier options...reduce my use of paper towels...maybe even make detergent like my sister-in-law has done.)

I want this commitment to stand longer than many of my others that have been abandoned after a brief passionate moment. (ie. making our own candles/diffuser oil, exercising, dieting-ugh!, sewing, making extra money by selling on ebay, blogging/journaling regularly, writing, etc.) I plan to guilt myself into maintaining this focus by remembering that Logan is watching and learning my every move. As cliche as it is, I owe him a healthier future. (Gag! I hate when I'm sappy & generic.) Besides, I want Logan to learn that passion can create big changes with a little hard work.

As I type this silly blog o' inspiration, I am sincere. (And I'm singing Jack Johnson's The 3 R's song...) Happy Earth Day! Go Green Geiers!

Sick Day

2009-04-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

I'm about to be laid off. I've never been faced with this reality and am stressed. I've mailed out a million and one resumes and am praying (hard) that an agency will soon realize they simply cannot operate without me. (I've never been based completely in reality.) With this job winding down and no other in sight, worries fill my every minute. How will we pay for daycare, the mortgage, and groceries? How long will our savings hold out? Am I doing something wrong? Why can't I find a job...I have a freakin' masters degree! I can't sleep and my stomach remains in knots. Last week I found my leave update on my desk and read that I had one sick day. I decided late Sunday night that I needed this sick day as a mental health day. (Not completely in vain, Logan has a horrible diaper rash that needed babying for another day before turned over to daycare.) I woke up early yesterday morning and decided to spend the day with Logan at the zoo. Unfortunately, Trey work up early with a high fever and sore throat! By 10a my little man and I were walking hand in hand towards the front gate. If you have never seen the entry to the Memphis zoo, you are missing out! Very cool! Logan and I had a wonderful time looking at the animals. I savored every second of my day with Logan, growing healthier by the second.

He studied the animals. Several times I prompted him to move on and he said, "No, Mommy. I lookin'." Logan's highlights were riding the train around the farm, the hissing cockroaches, and the gibbons (that's my boy!). My heart melted when he waved goodbye to the penguins and said "Bye bye penguins. Love you!" We laughed at the little sparrows that begged for our lunch and both stood amazed by the gorilla washing her food in the creek and the baby giraffe eating hay. I sat on a bench reflecting on our day while Logan ran around the playground. I try to present myself as tough but this kid has created an absolute marshmallow. My eyes filled with tears as I thought about our first trip to the zoo together, when he was only 6 months old. I wish with all of my heart that I could be a stay at home mommy and not miss out on Logan's days. However, it's just not in the cards right now. I looked around at other mommies around the playground and wondered what their worries are. Suddenly, Logan's cries for me snapped me out of my daydreaming/pity party and back into reality. He had climbed too high on the jungle gym and was scared. I flew into action and rescued him like any super mom would do. He squeezed my neck, patted my neck, and cried "Oh mommy. Oh mommy." We stood there in the middle of the playground at the Memphis zoo holding each other and crying. No one else existed in that moment. After what seemed like a cherished eternity, we collected ourselves and continued on our zoo tour.

When I think back on my last 30 years, this day stands out as one of the best. Sure, I am still losing my job and have nothing lined up. Sure, Trey has strep throat and I have used up my one sick day. Sure, Logan threw a whopper of a fit last night with a kick to Mojo's ribs and a hit on my legs. Sure, when I do find a job Logan will still go to daycare and call his teacher "Mommy" some days. But, we will survive it together. "Oh mommy."

2009-04-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

No post today...just wanted to post this picture. Mommy's "sweet" boy. Notice the bruise on the cheek. Logan fell headfirst into the door frame. He also has a giant bruise and knot behind one ear from falling into a table at school. He gets his grace from me!

How do you expect the truly unexpected?

2009-03-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

I'm writing at the tail end of a very difficult week. I had a wonderful weekend with dear friends and began the week excited about continuing to settle into daily life in our new home. Monday seemed delightfully uneventful until I recieved a text from a family friend. The text told me that my childhood best friend's father had been shot. My world began to spin. I announced the news calmly to Trey and my brother, visiting over his spring break and walked upstairs to look on the computer for information.

I sat at the computer reading and rereading reports of the incident. My friend's dad was found dead in his business by a coworker. He was dead. My friend's dad was dead. Early reports indicated the death could have been either suicide or homicide. My chest tighted and my throat felt dry. He is dead. I emailed his wife and sent a quick note to my friend. Trey came to see what I was doing and I crumbled. He is dead. I hardly slept.

Tuesday I was surprised to have a reply from my friend with an invitation to call. I did not know what to say but knew I should call. She answered, I asked how she is, and she said good. Silence on both ends. We both chuckled and commented about the irony of the question and answer during such a horrific time. She sounded strong and confident; evidently taking charge during the difficult initial days. I was blown away when she said the police spent the first day questioning the family...can you imagine!? We talked about the family's hope that the body would be released for burial later in the day and the fact that the police have communicated no concern for the family's safety. (I hadn't even considered the fact that the family could potentially be in harm's way...the killer is still at large? Is this CSI/Law & Order?)

This has shaken me hard. My two closest childhood friends have now both lost their dads in a matter of months. Sure, I've known other people who have died and have grieved in the past. (Grandpa Jim, DeeDee, Grandpa Roy, etc) I am not sure why this is impacting me so heavilty. Perhaps it is because both men died so suddenly or perhaps it is because I have watched my friends grieve and pictured myself in the position.

I am not writing for sympathy or support. I simply need to process my feelings as part of my grief process. I ache for Jessica's family and wish there was something I could do to change the situation. I talked to my mom briefly about my sadness and asked a favor. "Will you please tell Dad that given my recent history with losing important father figures...tell him I need him to eat healthy, stay out of the sun, and not get shot."

Bird in Hand...

2009-03-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

There is a lesson in every moment. Trey is in St. Louis for a training this week. Logan and I decided to eat dinner on the patio and play in the yard until the sun went down. After dinner (only minimal drama; Mojo ate Logan's hot dog & Logan dropped his lemonade on the ground.) we began playing with the wagon. Logan sat inside and instructed me to go "dat way" or "dis way." We made our way to the gate and discovered that a mother bird had made a nest in the rocks while we were out of town. I suppose she thought she could set up a nice, quiet home but little did she know Mojo was only temporarily in the kennel. Logan and I watched the mother bird protecting her nest for a few moments. I even took a picture (posted). Then, it began...Mojo came to see what we were looking at and chased the mother bird away. I called my mom for advice. Should I leave the nest alone risking Mojo killing the eggs and the mother bird or should I move the nest to a safer place? Mom simply stated, "Lauren, this is an example of survival of the fittest."

My conscious couldn't just leave well alone. I grabbed a large shovel and moved the nest to the other side of the fence. I did so under the watchful eye of the mother bird. Once the nest was safely relocated, I let Mojo back outside...where she promptly chased the mother bird, caught her, and killed her in cold blood. Logan started screaming "Momo popped da bird!" (Note: a few weeks ago Mojo popped a beach ball and Logan has held a grudge.) Mojo strutted around the yard like she had accomplished a fantastic feat. (As an aside, while I removed the dead mother bird from the yard Logan stopped screaming about Momo popping the bird and got quiet...uh oh!I found him drinking out of the fish fountain. UGH!)

I took Logan inside for his bath and to go to bed; all the while feeling sad for the abandoned eggs. I decided to bring the eggs inside and set up a little nest. I wrapped the nest in the heating pad and set it on low (I thought) before leaving the room to work on laundry. A couple hours later I returned to the nest to discover that the heating pad was not on low but on high. I apparently hard boiled the orphaned eggs.

So, what is the lesson in all of this? Leave nature be? Natural selection is real? Dogs will be dogs? The best intentions?

How about "Chaos is the norm at the Geier household!"

2009-03-16T11:19:00.001-07:00

I read banned books but I am unable to consign them...

2009-03-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

I'm a fan of nostalgia. I enjoy the silly emails "You know you are a child of the 80's if..." and have watched VH1's "I love the [insert decade]." I am jealous of my friends Rhonda, Lex, & Danielle for attending not one, but 2 NKOTB reunion concerts! I loved my friend Moe's college picture posts.

I also LOVE to read. I always have a book in my purse and a pile of books "on deck." Perhaps this is why I jumped on the suggestion to read "Everything I know about being a girl I learned from Judy Blume." I nestled into the couch on a rainy Sunday thrilled to be reminded of books from my childhood. However, what I found was essay after essay about a Blume book I did not remember. "Forever?" I promptly put the other book aside until I could locate a copy and digest "Forever." For those of you unaware of the book, it is Judy Blume's sex book. She ignored the G-rated norm and wrote about high school students discovering their bodies and experimenting with sex. This is one of the two books (the other being "Deenie") that led to Judy Blume being one of the most banned authors. I honestly expected the book to be more graphic, more raunchy, and less socially responsible than it was. (We'll save this particular soap box for another blog.)

ANYWAY, fastforward another couple of weeks. I took a pile of books into a local used bookstore to consign. Upon checking out the clerk said, "Ma'am, I will accept the other books but I WILL not take this book." She slapped my copy of "Forever" on the counter. She then proceeded to tell me that there were words in the book she did not feel were appropriate for children and that she had actually written the author when the book was first published. (Nevermind the fact that the main character insists on using protection and even makes herself an appointment at Planned Parenthood. A responsible move??) She also said, "We do not sell this type book in my store." At that moment, the other customers looked up, probably curious about the smut I was trying to sell. She finished my order and then placed "Forever" (the 100 page book) in a brown sack. I had to laugh as I walked out with my banned book past the aisles of romance novels. Irony?

I have laughed and laughed about the exchange. I've had suggestions from friends about trying to consign other banned books to see the reaction. Another friend said she might go in the store and ask specifically for "Forever." I will admit that I am bothered by a bookstore that censors the content, but choose to laugh at the situation.

So, if you are interested in reading my contraband, it's at my house in a brown bag. I ought to proudly display the book in a prominant place but admit I might hide it again until Logan is older. ??

Making connections

2009-03-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

We moved into our house a month ago. I wish I could say we had unpacked all the boxes and were fully settled. However, I'm realistic. When moving out of our house in Savannah I found things I hadn't unpacked since we lived in Arkansas. (5 years before!) I have a list a mile long of projects I want to plow through in the house but am forcing myself (and being forced by my husband) to take things in stride. The paint in the living room and extra bedroom will wait. We won't get Logan's bedroom furniture for a few months. The furniture for the hearth room has yet to be discovered. I haven't hung all of the pictures. Etc, etc, etc.

I'm feel anxious to feel at home. I think I've confused unpacking with settling in. I still feel in transition. To be honest, I think I've grown accustomed to feeling in transition. Let's face it, the Geiers have lots of experience with living until the next event. (For example, waiting to graduate, waiting to move to Virginia, waiting to move to Georgia, waiting for and then through deployment #1, pregnancy, waiting for and then through deployment #2, job searches, home selling, home buying, etc.) I wonder if this is the way all families feel? Always looking for what is around the next bend? I recognize I've grown cynical through our military days and am slowly sloughing off the old "tude" in an effort to "live in the now." (Cue my closest friends and family laughing. "Lauren not worrying about the future!? Ha ha!")

I hope we find a church home and begin making friends in the near future. As I search for a long term job and Trey continues to meet those in his network, we will become more connected. That is what I am ultimately yearning for...connection. Connection to my friends & family, connection to my home, neighborhood, & community, and connection to the present. It can come...it will come. Just around the bend.

Where is my baby boy?

2009-03-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Where did my baby go? This morning Logan told me he was going to sing "Elmo's Song" at school. Every evening on the way home from daycare I ask what he did during the day. He always reports that he "Sing Elmo's Song." Today he announced his plans for the day at breakfast. He then told me "Mommy cut hair. I sad. Hair cute." (Yes, his speech delay makes him sound like a caveman.) I did cut his hair last night, and he did cry. I'm so glad he thinks his hair is cute. I agree!

Each developmental milestone is amazing to witness, but I'll admit my heart aches a little too. I miss my little (ok, Logan was never little, but you get the picture) baby. I miss picking him up out of the crib and holding him over my shoulder. I miss the uninterrupted eye contact during feedings. I miss bouncing him on my knee while singing silly songs. I miss my baby.

But then...Logan runs to me when he bumps his head. He asks "Mommy hold up?" and I pick him up. He builds a house for his toy animals out of blocks. He finds the letter 'O' on a menu. Logan sings "Kinkle, Kinkle, Lil' Tar" into his toy microphone. Logan asks me to lie next to him in his bed and read a book.

Ok, the toddler stuff is incredible too. He is still mommy's baby boy.

Lauren's Diary

2009-03-04T09:24:00.000-08:00

When I was little I was given a diary with a little gold lock and key. As most girl's my age, I was excited. I had images of my diary becoming my best friend and confidant. In my fantasy world, my diary would someday be discovered and ranked with Anne Frank or Margaret from the Judy Blume book. I wrote a flowery description of some event that was of great importance in my elementary school world. Two days later, I again wrote an entry beginning with an apology to the diary (I was very polite to random objects.) for skipping a day. Two months later, I wrote about having bronchitis and was worried that I was dying. (I was also highly dramatic...a characteristic that continues to emerge.) Several pages were skipped before another entry was made...2 years later! The last entry was inspired by a Brady Bunch episode where Jan is upset that Marsha keeps reading her diary. She writes silly lies in the diary to trick her siblings. I wrote that the President was coming to visit David. I was apparently under a false pretense that David actually cared about what was written in my diary. I'm sure he was in the backyard climbing on roofs and "catching" dead snakes. (a story for another day)

And so here we are, repeating the trend with my blog. I last wrote in October. I'll chuckle at my absence and make another apology & promise that I will write regularly. The reality is that I might possibly skip months at a time more often than making daily entries. I'm ok with this. My life isn't nearly as interesting as Anne Frank or Margaret. I accept this fact and am ready to move on.

Ok, so here's the update in a nutshell since the last entry. Trey went to his hiring conference and left with two job offers. (Milwaukee & Florida) In the meantime, we sold the house. Logan, Mojo, and I moved to Arkansas with my parents while Trey crashed with a friend in Savannah. Trey finished his days with the Army and joined us in Conway. My poor parents begrudgingly tolerated our messes, Mojo's "accidents", and Logan's fits for several weeks. On the job front, neither offer felt like a good fit for our family. So after several meltdowns (mine, not his) and conferences with friends, Trey decided to apply to Edward Jones Investments. He was hired pending his taking (and passing) the series 7 test. We began making day trips to the Memphis area to look for houses. After looking at 375 houses (possibly a slight exaggeration) we found an incredible house in the Bartlett area. When I say incredible, I am not exaggerating! The house is huge and has a pool! We have definitely benefited from the broken housing market. I interviewed and accepted a job with a mental health center in Memphis to provide counseling services in the Shelby County Schools. The job is grant-based and will end in May which makes me nervous. We have since moved into our house (after 2 weeks living in the local Navy Lodge and commuting back to Conway on the weekends) and are starting to reduce the number of boxes in the house.

Trey passed his big test Monday, March 3 and we have been jumping for joy since! (The irony is that he passed the test the day the stock market plummeted but we are confident things will turn around soon...??)

We are blessed to be employed and have a great house. Life will feel more settled when we find a local church and start making friends in the area. (Finding a good babysitter is also a high priority!) Logan is enjoying his school and seems to be learning something new every 5 minutes. We are excited to be close to friends and family again...although still missing the Savannah area and our Georgia friends.

I'm thrilled to be able to make weekend trips to Arky to go consignment sale shopping, attend Michelle's graduation, meet Mini Ryken, and attend UCA events. Our best Savannah friends (& my long lost sista-friend) the Onks are only 4 hours away! We learned our friend Wes and his wife will be moving to the Memphis area this summer. Trey already has Wes' social calendar filled...poor Wes!? :) Life is great!

We are ready for company!!!

2008-10-29T06:06:00.000-07:00

Today is Wednesday, October 29th and my stomach is in knots. Logan and I dropped Trey off at the airport bright and early (merely a figure of speech as it was not bright but frosty and foggy). Trey is flying to Austin, TX as I type for his hiring conference. The conference doesn't actually begin until Friday at noon but Trey wanted time to explore Austin and cram for the interviews. He will be in workshops through the weekend and will interview with 10-11 companies Monday and Tuesday. I felt like I was walking a tightrope last night. I wanted to be cool, calm, & collected for Trey but also felt a pressing need to remind him to not say "fixin to" and to not get distracted by Austin. I can tell he is nervous and excited. He repeated himself over and over the past couple of days and has destroyed the garage. I'll have to focus on entertaining Logan over the next 7 days so I don't get bogged down with anxiety. AGHHH!

I am excited to learn what companies he is interviewing with to begin to have areas to research and brainstorm. I have 2 1/2 weeks left at my job which is very bittersweet. I'm sad to say goodbye to my clients and coworkers but ready to focus on being a mom. I'll admit that it is frightening to move away from the career I have worked so hard to enter. Part of me is scared about transitioning into a new identity outside of the professional arena. My hope is that this insecurity will be washed away after a few months of enjoying more time with my kid. We'll see...stay tuned for possible crises!?

The Adventures of the Geier Family

2008-10-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

I have avoided the blog scene for long enough and have finally given in to the temptation to brag on my family in yet another format. I figure blogging at the very least will be therapeutic during the next several months. Or it may just become documentation of my breakdown. I'll let you decide.

Ok, so let's start with the reader's digest history. (Why do we continue saying reader's digest? Is it still published? ANYWAY...) Trey and I met in college and figured no one else would put up with us so we have stayed together. Trey proposed in 2001 on the Tucker Creek bike trail somewhere near the port-a-potty. Not his original plan but he made the most of it given the tantrum I was throwing. We married 5/25/02 and had a great wedding/reception. Moved a year and a half later to Ft. Lee, VA for Trey's Officer's Basic Course. We lived in VA for 6 months...in a hotel room...and our marriage survived! :)

From VA we moved to Savannah, Georgia where we have been since. Savannah has been great. The city is gorgeous and there is always something to do. We have met good friends and have enjoyed the area despite the distance from family. We bought a house and had 2 dogs...notice the past tense. Mojo is still with us. Jagger was reassigned after biting the baby. (I'll talk about the baby in a sec) Trey has spent 2 tours in Iraq working as a quartermaster officer. He tells me he works with logistics and supplies. I am working as a mental health therapist. Initially I worked for a company doing in-home family counseling (ugh!) then worked 2 years at a residential home for boys. For the past 2 years I've worked at a not-for-profit agency providing counseling to children, teenagers, and adults. My main area of focus is with women and children who are survivors of domestic violence. The deployments have been challenging but have shown us two things; 1. we are strong and can get through tough times and 2. we have the BEST friends and family! Between the two deployments we had a baby boy...ok...a HUGE baby boy. Logan is our pride and joy as well as our entertainment and motivation. We joked throughout the pregnancy that we would like a cute, intelligent, athletic kid but were really pining for a funny kid...we got it! Being a working mom has been the most challenging role of my life. I feel like I'm juggling every moment.

Ok, so here's where the story gets exciting...Trey returned from Iraq (deployment numero dos) in July and began working immediately with a corporate recruiting firm. His last day of work is in December. We decided mid September that given the current housing market we should begin thinking about getting the house on the market. We officially listed the house October 6th and it went under contract October 13th! Seriously!? Sooo, we are scrambling. I turned in notice at work and work up to the day of the closing. Logan, Mojo, and I will then pack up my jeep and head to TN (holla Onks family!) and AR where we will move in with my parents and also spend time with Trey's parents. Trey will be couch hopping with friends until his last day. In the meantime he'll go to a hiring conference (on Halloween...hopefully not a sign of scary times) and narrow down the job opportunities. For those who know me well know that the uncertainty is not one of my strengths. I am FREAKING out that we will soon be unemployed and homeless! AGHHH! Hopefully, Trey is offered a wonderful job that he loves making enough money that I can be the trophy wife I was born to be and we can relocate before the new year. Ahem...ideally.

So, this blog will be my official documented journey through this crazy time! Don't worry...you can expect a MILLION pictures of Logan! Ok, my lunch break is almost over. Until the next time...