What a ride!

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...

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...

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!

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

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

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.

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.