Our Big Boy Gets Bigger (9 months)

I can't believe how fast time is flying!! I know I say that every time I write Logan's updates... but seriously he changes so quickly and will be a One-Year-Old so soon that it makes me a little bit sad. Lately I've been trying to spend more quality time with Logan (because to be honest he is the one that usually gets stuck in the exersaucer while I'm doing something with Grace). I am trying to spend more time singing baby songs with Logan and tickling him and being silly because I was recently reminded that he needs that stuff too! That sounds ridiculous, but it's like I'd forgotten that he needs that one-on-one fun time too... not just for his sake and his development... but for MY sake as well! Pretty soon he'll be even bigger, not nursing anymore, walking and not wanting anything to do with me. ;) 

He didn't much like the leaves falling on him.

I caught a funny face in this one...

Weight:
Height:
Head: 18.5 cm (ish)
**I will be getting his stats on wednesday and will update it here**

Within only the last month, Logan has accomplished a ton of things! He started crawling (army crawl on his tummy), saying "Dada dada" when Ryan is around, got his first 2 teeth (on the bottom), dropped to 4 feedings a day, eats two meals of baby food, and is now eating some finger-foods. See what I mean about how quickly he's changing?! It's like last month I had a baby boy, and this month I have a big kid!

As I said, Logan is eating two meals (lunch and dinner) of baby foods. He also eats pieces of bread, cheese, strawberries, cheerios, puffs, cantaloupe, pears and sometimes sucks on or tastes what we're eating for dinner. Ryan has even given him little licks of ice cream... which we NEVER did with Grace when she was this age, haha. Dr. Daddy doesn't have any issues with letting Logan try pretty much anything at this point, except for honey and peanut butter. Logan loves it. He is getting really good at picking up little bits of food on his tray and enjoys the independence I think. He loves Grace's sippy cups and knows exactly what to do with them. :)

I dropped his "dream feed" finally a few weeks ago. It was out of pure laziness that I kept going with it this long. It was just the routine, and to be honest I was afraid of losing my sleep if he was hungry in the middle of the night without that last feeding... but I finally bit the bullet and stopped doing it. And it was just fine! He sleeps from 7:30pm until 6:30am usually, but I will let him whine in bed until 7 when I finally drag myself up to get him. ;) He does wake up at night between 1-3 times (sometimes within an hour of going to sleep), and I will either wrap him in a blanket again or let him quiet down on his own. He only naps twice a day but they don't typically last more than an hour to an hour and a half each.

One of his favorite things to do is be on the floor and have a basket or bucket to tip over and pull stuff out of. Even if it's the same bucket of toys over and over, he seems pretty content. He also loves to stand up and hold onto the couch or his exersaucer. He is kinda sorta getting to the point of "cruising", but will usually only do that if we're right there helping him. Logan is also very oral still, which I know is typical... but more-so than Grace was at this point. He will drop his binkie out of his mouth at any given moment to put something more exciting in there! Which can be very annoying for me haha.

These two photos below make me laugh. He looks so chubby and big, looking down at his cousin in her carseat (who is only a few weeks younger).

As I said, he is crawling (not to be confused with "creeping", where babies are on their hands and knees). My husband is so technical when it comes to these things. ;) He can move pretty fast when he wants something really bad. Those things include, Grace's coloring books and markers/crayons, remotes, Grace's snack cup or sippy cup, or chords plugged into the wall. Such a trouble maker.

Out on the hunt for his next chew toy...

Logan's first word is officially "dada dada". When Ryan gets home from work at night, or walks into the room, that's when Logan starts to say it. He rarely says it when Ryan isn't around. It's so cute!! He has said what sounds like "ma ma" but it's only happened a handful of times and always when he is yelling for me or whining.

Daddy likes to tease Logan often. 

Speaking of yelling, this child has quite the high pitched scream! Like a bloody-murder scream. He especially does it when he is being held down for a diaper change or to get dressed, is waiting impatiently in his high chair for food, or if we're holding him and he really doesn't want to be tied down at that moment. Logan also likes to growl at anyone who stops him from something he wants to do, or takes something away from him. Seriously, he full on growls at us! He's such a noisy child. But even though he makes those kinds of noises, he so rarely laughs. It's so strange to me! We don't often get to hear him laughing unless Grace does something to make him do a belly laugh. The only happy sounds we get are squeals or what we call "chuckles".

Logan has clogged tear ducts (just like Grace did). He's had them pretty much since birth. It's mostly just his left eye but both have issues. He also spits up still, which is getting very old. I wish he would grow out of that already! I already want to wash our carpets and they were clean when we moved in. I feel like the whole front room smells like Logan's barf. :(

He loves playing wherever Grace is playing!

I really really love that these two are such good buddies. Sometimes Grace can be really mean to him when she trying to push our buttons... but most of the time they love being around each other. Even tonight in the bath, he was full on laughing with her. It's like music to my ears when they're like that. :) I LOVE sibling love.

We simply adore you, Logan boy. You're such a handsome little stud! Thanks for being a part of our family.

FALL!

It's the most wonderful time of year!!!... Ok so that's the wrong song, but in my opinion THIS is the best part of the entire year.

One street over from us has these gorgeous red trees line the street. Everything is so beautiful right now, and changing so quickly. I'm sure everything will be ugly and dead and freezing in just a couple more weeks, so I am trying to enjoy the short fall season while I can!

On friday night after dinner, we met up at "The Pumpkin Man's" house just a few miles away. He is 60 something years old and has been growing and selling pumpkins for 30+ years from his front yard. He sets them all up on picnic tables and they were pretty good prices too. :)

My handsome men.

 Our pumpkin picks!

 Ben and Amanda and their kiddos met us there, and we got some hot chocolate and donuts afterwards! Perfect fall family activity.

 Grace was super strong pulling our wagon UP hill to the car. Very determined to do it on her own.

 Of course Logan just wants to eat them...

 On saturday evening I was driving along a road that goes past a big metro park near our home. I noticed a huge tree with incredible colors, and half of its' leaves underneath it. I've been wanting the kids to play in leaves for a few weeks now... so as soon as I got home, we packed everyone up and headed over for some fun in the leaves!

Of course all Logan wanted to do was eat them.

 Grace was loving throwing the leaves on everyone!

 Daddy helped bury the kids.

 That silly girl ran around and around the tree while we chased her. It was a great way to get all the evening energy out!

 "Catch me, Dad!"

 We had SUCH A BLAST!! I love my family so much, and these kiddos make me smile. This is by far the best time of the year in my opinion!

Rejoice and Be Glad TODAY

Life has been busy for me the last couple of months. Ryan's schedule has been great, to be honest, so I have nothing to complain about right now as far as that goes. Between ABC school, Young Women meetings/activities/assignments, photo shoots and editing, keeping the house picked up, keeping TWO kids busy and happy, story time on wednesdays, and "LIFE" in general, I have been feeling pretty overwhelmed. 

I love being a mommy, and I love our new life here... I just have to keep reminding myself to be happy, have fun, and enjoy the moments in between. I find I've been getting so caught up in needing to check things off of my list (or being so overwhelmed that all I do is stress about where to start on that list) that I haven't been letting myself enjoy it as often as I need to. Almost every day I think back on the days in Henderson when life seemed so much less stressful, and where I felt so much more like "myself". Ryan and I had built a comfortable little life there, with great friends, and I guess you could say we knew where we stood. I love living here now, but I also feel like I'm not settled into my own little comfortable place, or my own "skin" here, if that makes any sense. I'm so grateful for President Uchtdorf's talk in the Saturday morning session of conference. He totally hit the nail on the head and said exactly what I needed to hear. Now I just need to LIVE IT! :) I'm determined to settle into all my new roles with joy in my heart.

"We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote. “Rejoice and be glad in it.”⁶

Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it." -Pres. Uchtdorf

Here are a few fun photos recently. :) Grace likes to dress Logan up, even if it's her favorite thing (like her Woody hat). I'm so proud of how easily she shares with her little brother at this age! Let's hope it lasts.

 Daddy was home a little early one day and I caught this sweet moment while making dinner.

 During General Conference weekend, I pulled Gace's huge box of busy bags out of the closet and let Grace do a whole bunch of them. She calls them "games" and I'm so glad we have them! I need to host an exchange here so we can collect more. Anyway, I showed Grace how to fish in her boat on the water... (Thank you Rachele for the busy bag, and Paige for the fun idea!) Ryan walked in the room and said to me several times how extremely awesome that was. haha I think he wanted to fish in the boat too.

Drawing with chalk on our drive way. I traced around Grace's body and she thought that was the coolest thing ever! 

The other night, we were completely out of food (night before my grocery trip). All I had for dinner was spaghetti, an orange, maybe some bread and butter?? Needless to say, it did NOT sound appealing. It was 5:30pm when Ryan called to say he was driving home and was 40 mins away. I had been craving Chipotle literally for weeks and we decided to meet at the one a few miles away. I hurried and packed a PBJ sandwich for Grace, some baby food for Logan, got them in the car, and headed down there. We met Ryan by about 6:15 and had a yummy dinner together. It was totally random, last minute, and a pretty late dinner by our standards, but we had so much fun! Logan loved sitting up like a big kid next to his sister. Our burritos were yummy! Grace pretty much grooved to the music the entire time and showed off her dance moves for a bunch of families eating near us. We honestly had a blast. In the car on the way back home, Grace said to me "That was really fun eating dinner!" :)

While I'm thinking about it, here are some cute things she has said lately:
-When she bites her cheek while eating, she says "Ouch, I bit my tooth."
-She talks in her sleep a lot, and will cry out for us almost every evening/night without being totally aware of it. The other night I went to tuck her back in and she was saying "I need Logan".
-I have to remind her all the time to stop eating when her tummy is full so she doesn't get sick. The other day she said "When my tummy is full and I get sick, daddy will make me feel better. He's a doctor."
-Driving in the car yesterday, I said "Look, cows." A minute later she said (sort of annoyed) "Who are you talking for?!" (meaning: who are you talking to?)
-I was rushing at the grocery store and Grace kept talking and asking a million questions. I was getting a little annoyed and short with her, I admit. But she sure called me out on it and said "Mom, you need to relax." Hmm... I wonder where she learned that?
-My biggest pet peeve with her right now is that she has SO much attitude. "No, I'm not", "No I can't", etc. And when she asks a question, and I answer it, she will say "No it's not ___", as if I'm lying to her. Ugh. I get so fed up with it and am trying to teach her not to talk back and to cut the attitude.

This last week was my turn to teach ABC school and our theme was "Fruits and Vegetables". We also learned about the letters J and K, and numbers 10 and 11. The first day I only had the 2 girls since Owen was in Utah. I think the girls had a lot of fun with our activities and lesson! I had gathered a bucket of things starting with "J" and they really loved helping me go through all the things. I didn't do it for "K" because not much starts with a K...
I bought a couple boxes of Runts and had them sort the fruits/candies by color with a little piece of colored paper at the bottom of each muffin cup. I also wrote numbers 1-10 on the papers so they could put 1 Banana, or 7 Grapes, etc, but that was a little harder.

 We also played "Super Market"! They had a grocery cart, some fruits and veggies (mostly plastic foods), and I threw in a couple empty boxes of cereal and a mini-pumpkin. The girls LOVE love loved that activity and we played it for awhile.

 They loved having their grocery lists I wrote up and would ask me "What's next?" After getting all their food, they would get their money out of their purse and check out at the toy cash register. So fun! Our snack that day was toast and jam (J is for JAM) and some apple juice.

 On thursday, we made a "K is for Kite" picture and glued fruit loops (it ties into "fruits and veggies" right??) onto a picture. And of course they ate more than they glued. :)

 We also did some finger painting and made broccoli imprints! They make the shape of a tree, and the kids put red finger prints on the trees to make them into apple trees. They loved it and it wasn't nearly as messy as I thought it would be.

  We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the kids helped me stick all the foods up on the wall while I read about each of the different foods. I tied in the number 11 afterwards because we counted how many foods were on the wall. Honestly, I had way too much fun cutting out food with construction paper ...

We did a freeze dance (pictured below) because they ask to do it almost every class time now. It's so cute to watch! We also played "Fruit Fruit Vegetable" a few times on both days (which is the same as Duck Duck Goose) and helps to get their wiggles out. In between crafts and the Super Market game, they also worked on a few different busy bags I had pulled out.

It was a really fun week of school! The kids were happy and are getting better at writing letters and numbers. I'm really glad that we're doing this for them and that I can see it paying off. I admit when it's my turn I stress out, and it doesn't come very easily for me, but it's helping me have the motivation to create more activities for Grace outside of class too. There are so many awesome ideas out there for kids this age and I love that she is so eager to learn.

Our trip through the "I" states

This last week we were able to have Ryan home with us! We don't have many chances to have him home for more than a day here and there, and wanted to make the most of it. So on saturday morning, bright and early, we loaded up the car and drove to Iowa City, Iowa to stay with our friends the Larsons! Chris and Robyn and their girls are our good friends from Nevada, and they are now doing a 4 year anesthesiology residency in Iowa City. The drive wasn't all that bad, and took us about 10 - 10.5 hours. The kids did pretty well, except when they were fighting their naps of course. This was Grace's first road trip potty-trained and she did awesome! No accidents. In fact, let's just say it wasn't Grace who needed to stop often for potty breaks. Ha. 

We also timed lunch just right so that we could stop in Bloomington, Illinios for some Smashburger! It was definitely the busiest location I've ever been to (and I've been to a lot...) but we were still able to make good time. 

 We drove on the bridge over the Mississippi. So cool to see it for the first time!

It was dinner time when we pulled in, and we were SO EXCITED to visit with the Larsons and the Dunlavys that evening! Alisha had driven in from Des Moines with her kids and spent the night as well. We had a great time catching up, and the kids especially seemed to love running around, making messes, and playing! I could tell Grace was having such a blast.

 On sunday, we all attended the Larsons ward and really enjoyed their meetings (including their primary program). Almost all the kids napped and the adults chatted and dozed. Robyn made us a super yummy dinner of roast, potatoes, carrots, and homemade rolls to die for. I ate way too many, of course. :)

 Before Alisha headed home with the kids, we got a couple of good photos.

Greydon (Grace's birthday-buddy), Eliza, Asher, Leila, Abby, Grace, Logan.

I really loved spending time with these ladies again!

 Before it was time to put kids to bed, we went on a walk up the street to take a stroll around the pond. It was a beautiful evening. :)

The Larsons in front of their cute, new neighborhood. We wish we were closer to each other! 

 After our walk, we headed back to make s'mores! Yum!

 On monday, we got up bright and early to start our day-trip to Nauvoo, Illinois. Neither of us had been there before and were anxious to experience what we could... even with the 2 distractions we took with us. ;)
Robyn drive down as well and did a quick Initiatories session at the Temple while we took all the kids on the wagon ride. It was quite chilly, and longer than the kids liked, but I'm so glad we were able to see Nauvoo this way. We couldn't have seen it all on foot with the kids, so it was the perfect way to see a lot of it and decide on the few buildings to actually go inside afterwards.

 The vast Mississippi River that the early saints had to cross. I cannot imagine...

 The visitor center is such a peaceful place, especially with the Christus there to welcome all who walk inside. Grace seemed to respond to and enjoy the special recording that the Sister Missionaries played while we sat in that room.

 We headed over to the Living Center so the kids could get play around a little bit. The girls played with the cute pioneer dolls.

 We learned about making rope...

 and Ryan did an awesome job making us some!

 The man doing the presentation was very impressed with how straight and tall Ryan's rope stood on its own. :) Good work, bud!

Grace especially loved the homemade bread area because of the taste-testing. :)

 Scovil Bakery was neat and also had cookies to try! They sure know how to keep the kiddos happy.

Next door is the old Cultural Hall. Such a neat building and history! They have a show running in the evenings but we didn't stay in Nauvoo long enough to see it this time around. 

 On the third floor is the original wooden dance floor that the early saints used, including Joseph and Emma. :)

 I especially loved the view out the windows!

 Ryan and I called the Temple to find out if we could do some quick Sealings while Robyn watched the kids. They were happy to have us and we were so excited to be able to go inside and perform that service. Every Temple is special and beautiful, and we felt the Spirit of the Lord inside the Nauvoo Temple. Thank you Robyn. :)

 Such cute girls!

 Robyn went above and beyond, and allowed us to send Grace home with her while we went to Carthage Jail with just Logan. It was SUCH a relief to have the quieter/less crazy of the two and know Grace would be fine without us for a few hours. Thank you again, Robyn!
Going to Carthage to see the jail where the Prophet Joseph Smith was killed is definitely one of the most sacred experiences of my life. I remember the moment (in 10th grade) that I received a witness for myself that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God, that he restored the Gospel to this earth, and that he translated the Book of Mormon through the power of God. I literally remember it like it was yesterday ... and honestly I have a terrible memory otherwise. So to be able to visit this sacred place was an incredible experience for Ryan and I.

 This is the downstairs room where the jailer and his family lived.

 We sat in the room, listened to a recording of what it must have been like to be there while Joseph and Hyrum were there, and felt the Spirit testify to us of the amazing men they were. I was brought to tears the moment I walked into the room, simply knowing what happened there and feeling the sacredness of that place. The window on the left is the one Joseph fell from.
I wonder if anyone outside of our faith would look at this "tourist spot" as a little morbid... That we visit the place where a Prophet of God was murdered and call it "special". But unless you have been there and can feel of the Spirit there, you may not understand. Unless you can visit with an open heart, you may not understand the thinness of the veil that exists there.

This is the actual door, with the bullet holes still visible. The one in the middle of the door is the shot that killed Hyrum while he tried to hold the door shut against the mob.

 This is the view from outside, looking toward the 2nd-story window Joseph fell from.

 Visiting Carthage Jail was the experience that I hoped for from this trip. I didn't get to truly feel like I was standing on hallowed ground in Nauvoo the way that I did in Carthage. I'm so grateful to have had that experience, and to have experienced it with Ryan.

On Tuesday, we were all tired from so many early mornings in a row, so we just wanted to have a relaxing day. The weather was absolutely GORGEOUS and Robyn offered their bikes and trailer to us to get out on a little ride. There is a bike trail just down the street from their house and we headed out. 

 Logan fell asleep within about 10 minutes and Grace pretty much whined the whole time about wanting to get out and go back to Abby's house. :( But Ryan and I decided we want one of these!! We had a great time despite the whining girl.

 We relaxed and played some more...

Like father like daughter? I think so.

 These girls were hilarious to watch during our visit! They were always coming up with a new game, or a song, or giggling and running around. Grace had such a blast, and there were very few arguments between them the whole time. :) During lunch (in the picture below) they would leave their food at the table on the patio, walk up to the "stage" and sing "Who wants carrots?? I DO!!" Over and over and over. They thought they were so funny. :)

 On wednesday morning, we loaded up the car, said goodbye, and headed home. The drive home felt like it took twice as long (which is always the case with a vacation, am I right?) but we finally made it in about 11.5 hours I think. It also felt longer because we gained an hour driving East. The kids did alright... I made Grace an activity book with tracing worksheets, coloring pages, I Spy driving games, etc, and put it all in page protectors. She could draw all over those pages with her washable dry erase markers and then start all over again after wiping it clean each time. Best invention ever!! It helped keep her entertained for some of the time.

 They both took awesome naps though, which is a big thing for Grace who RARELY sleeps in the car. She even slept through a quick stop in Indianapolis while I nursed Logan. :)

We had such a great time and made some wonderful memories on this trip! I loved seeing friends, new places, and spending lots of quality time with my little family. We are very grateful for our good friends the Larsons for letting us come and stay in their home, and for Alisha for coming to visit as well. Thank you for everything!! Now it's YOUR turn to come to Ohio. :) We love you guys!