Sweet friends

One of my old teaching buddies Catherine that has lived far from here the last few years made a visit to Texas last week. She comes to Texas pretty often, but Houston is a rare stop for her. I was so thrilled to be able to see her and her new little girl Kinsley... just 4 days older than Ryan. The little ones really enjoyed watching each other, and our conversation was absolutely wonderful! I was sad that Logan was sick and she didn't get to visit with him, but I'll admit our conversation was probably so strong because of his absence! :-)

Checking her out...
Showing off his new sitting skills
Tummy time together

Thanks to her wonderful mother-in-law for a great lunch and a warm, dry place to spend the rainy afternoon!

A BIG Family Day

Last Friday Jeff's dad finished up his treatments at MD Anderson! Whoo hoo! It was such a special day as a family. Jeff's sister came in on Thursday night, Jeff was off Friday and we all went to the final treatment together. Logan loved the great play area they have set up for kids, and we were all there to witness the ringing of the gong to celebrate the end of the 8 week ordeal!

We love you Papa!

After treatment, we headed out for lunch and then hit up some fun at the Rodeo. Thankfully, this was the Friday before Spring Break, so we were not only blessed with great weather, but a small crowd and short lines for everything Logan could have wanted to see and do!

Taking the tram from the parking lot.
(A little windy, but we were just happy to see the sun!)

Watching the livestock show

Petting zoo
He held on a conversation with the pot-belly!

Pony ride
Tractor Fun
Grana and Papa
Now, this is one big tire!

And then came the CARNIVAL!
This was a lot of fun because it was the first time Logan was actually able to ride on most of the rides and really participate. He wasn't scared one bit and really stuck with his whole "I can do it myself" which is a phase we're having a lot of fun with these days! (a bit of sarcasm for sure!)

Like here, he climbed the stairs to the top of this slide, all by himself!
And then his skinny little self came flipping down!
He ended at the bottom and the first words were,
"I want to go again!"

Riding the cars

His first "flying ride" with Aunt Kelley
And they went pretty high

Roller coaster with Daddy

Watching the pig races with mommy.
These were quite hilarious!
Cheering for pig #2

What a great way to take in the rodeo... celebrating a special day with family!

Go Texan Day

This post is a little late, but a few weeks ago, when the rodeo kicked off in Houston, Logan's preschool celebrated with "Go Texan Day." The kids got to dress as cowboys and they put on a little stick horse parade for guests!

The girl in the pink hat has a thing for Logan... when I was walking him back to class after the parade, she said, very boldly, "Logan, you're a cute cowboy!"

All smiles!

Andrew, Damon and Logan
Having some fun!

His buddy (and neighbor) Damon

Buddy Noah
(how cute is he?)

Later that day they had a real pony come for pictures, but mommy and Ryan didn't stay that long.

Seven Months

Yesterday Ryan turned 7 months old!

Each month that passes he changes so much! He still loves many of the same things and he is still quite a big boy, but that "little boy" personality is really starting to shine through and it won't be long before he is getting around on his own!

At 7 months, he...
-rolls, all over the place
-most often sleeps on his tummy now
-sits up unassisted for long periods of time
(when he does fall over, he just starts rolling around the room
until he gets stuck and can't go any further)
-takes a morning and afternoon nap with a short evening nap
-can push himself backwards in the walker
-actually jumps in his jumperoo, instead of just hanging
-enjoys Praise Baby and Baby Signing Time videos
-rides in a big boy carseat now, no more infant carrier for us!

We went to the doctor last week (he came down with croup) and he weighed in at 24lbs 2oz! He is in ALL 18 month clothes now and I'm really looking forward to starting him in some spring clothes... though the hand-me-downs will mostly be clothes from Logan's 2nd summer! Crazy, I know!! I am very thankful to my friend Kim for lending me some boy clothes to make it through the end of winter with, so that I didn't have to buy clothes for only a few months use!

As Ryan is starting to desire certain toys and make his way around the room in seconds, I am already starting to see him crawling by next month's post! Now we'll just have to see if he can get all that weight off the ground and be strong enough to carry it where he wants to go! :-)

Friday Funnies

While I'm getting ready to get out of the house one morning, and giving Logan some orders...

L: Mommy, you're running me crazy.
M: Do you mean I'm driving you crazy?
L: No mommy, I don't drive, I run. I don't know how to drive, so I say you're "running" me crazy.

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Very sweet moment...

Before dinner last night, he walked around the table saying,

L: Mommy, I have to tell you something. I love God. (whisper)
Me: I love God too!
Logan: Grana, I have to tell you something. I love God. (whisper)
Grana: I love God too!

He went to each person, said it, and REQUIRED that you respond, "I love God too!"

Friday Funnies

Last week we had family pictures done... oh, if only I could really remember everything funny that Logan did and said during that hour! Well, at one point, the photographer said, "Let's lay Ryan right here on the ground..." and Logan responds:

"On the ground? Oh! Pants on da ground, pants on da ground, lookin like a fool with your pants on da ground!" Yes, then he continued with the song and danced around the grass!

At the end of the session, he was sure to be thankful:
"Thanks for taking my picture Miss Shannon!"

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Sometimes, trips to school in the morning bring on very deep conversations. Sometimes, I think they are going somewhere good and then....

L:Ya know mom, God is way up in Heaven watching me today and he is down here too.
M: Yep
L: How does he do it? Does he fly down here like in an airplane?
M: Oh, well, God is omnipresent. He can be everywhere all the time. He just IS, he doesn't have to fly.
L: He has a present for me? Oh, I wonder what he's going to bring me today!

Yeah, maybe he's a little young for 'omnipresent'

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In church last Sunday:
(Whispering)

L: Mommy, I have to be baptized to go to Heaven.
M: Oh, really.
L: Yes, so can we go up there and I'll be baptized?

So precious! At this time, I looked over to the youth section and realized just how quickly time is going to fly by and I'm going to be watching him in church, sitting with the youth group, and I'm going to remember these little church whispers!

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When Ryan has a poopy diaper, Jeff has a special way of letting me know... a way that Logan has now picked up on when it is just the three of us at home.

"Mommy, Ryan has a present for you!"

Gotta love the way my little man loves to copy his daddy!

Sneak Peeks!

We had our family portraits as well as Ryan's 6 month pictures done last Wednesday. Click here for just a few of the awesome shots! Isn't Shannon Fabulous??? We are SO pleased and can't wait to get the whole session on disc so I can start ordering prints! I'll be sure to post more when I get them all, but I wanted to share what we have been shown so far!


Thanks Colby for the reminder to post this!

Dentist!

A couple weeks ago we made our first trip to the Pediatric Dentist!

It was an experience, I'll tell you that. Logan did a very good job for having such little knowledge of what to expect and I'll admit, I didn't prepare him too much. My thinking was that I didn't want to make too big of a deal out of it, but in hindsight, I may have wanted to do some praciticing. Laying down to have his teeth brushed was NOT on his list of good ideas. I didn't get any pictures during the actual exam because I really didn't want to document that part, but all was well, his teeth looked great, and in the end, he LOVED Dr. Wheeler! He talks now very easily about wanting to go back and the fact that, "Dr.Wheeler says I need to drink water instead of juice."

Waiting for the dentist, reading a book to little brother.

Let me insert right here that I loved the whole process of this office. The dentist himself came out and sat in these blue chairs with us, talking to Logan and getting to know him before walking us back for the exam. Really, Logan was not afraid of him or any of the ladies one bit... it was just the laying down part that he wanted nothing to do with! :-)

Afterward, we did take a picture, all tears wiped away!


And what's the perfect treat after a successful dental visit?
A cookie at the mall followed by the playground!
Hey, when I was a kid, I got a Dairy Queen blizzard if there weren't any cavities, so what's the harm in one chocolate chip and m&m cookie???

Some Houston Fun

For those of you that don't know, Jeff's parents have been living in Houston for the last 5 weeks while Tommy is receiving treatment at MD Anderson. The great thing about this is that we have gotten to see a lot more of them than normal and Logan is LOVING it!

A couple weeks ago we went down for the day and did the Museum of Natural Science with them. Logan got to see TWO Imax movies, Bugs and Sharks.
He really enjoyed Sharks.
Bugs freaked him out a bit.

Showing off our beautiful glasses

Then he ate "Old McDonalds" french fries and chicken

We also got to do the Butterfly exhibit.
Lots of stairs and I had Ryan in the Bjorn!!

Checking out how the butterflies eat

Doing puzzles with Grana in the exhibit's play room


He also got to spend a night downtown with Grana and Papa and they took him to see Sesame Street Live. He really enjoyed himself and I know he felt very special to get to do something with just the two of them.

I'm ready... where's the show?
Having a good time
This boy loves him some diet coke! And it's a special treat!
Yummy snow cone, but not taking his eyes off the show!
Mommy was a little jealous... this looked really fun!


Their time here is flying by, and though that's a wonderful thing taking into consideration the reason why they are here, we're really looking forward to spending some more time with them as their visit wraps up. Right now, we may be lucky enough to share our home with them for two weeks in March and I think Logan is really hoping and praying that happens!! I just love how my boys both light up when they see them and I'm happy this time has gotten to be such a blessing for us under the circumstances!

One more thing

In the 6 month post, I forgot to mention that he is now taking a "big boy" bath!

First time in the bath seat

Um... what do I do with this?
(and "why is a duck blue?" is what Logan wants to know)

Oh, let's see how it tastes! (big surprise)

Sweetness, all fresh and clean!

Ryan LOVES bath time and after this first one in the big seat,
he slept 13 hours!!

SIX Months!!

Can you believe it? It's been 6 months since this...

Gracious me... how time flies!

Today, Ryan is 6 months old!

He has brought so much joy and love into our home in the last six months that I honestly cannot imagine what life would have been like had I not suffered through those dreadfully sick months of pregnancy. Really, looking at this smile makes it all worth it!

We went to his 6 month appointment on Monday and here are his stats:

Height: 27 1/2 in (90%)
Weight: 22lbs 14 oz (Off charts)
Head: 18 inches (95 %)

If you're keeping up with things, this means he is really starting to even out (even though the weight is still off the charts). I was surprised to find that he didn't weigh more, because this means he only gained 6 ounces in the last month! I guess it's about time things start to slow down-- the boy is wearing 18 month clothing!

The appointment went well. He didn't even cry during the shots. He flinched his eyes on the third and final and then cried a bit when I picked him up, but it was the easiest shot appt this momma has ever had to deal with. He is the best baby. When I talked to the dr about his sleep/wake patterns, she actually said he may be sleeping too much! Ok, now isn't that a problem all mommas would be happy to have? Yes, he does sleep a lot... 12 hours at night (yay!) and 3 good naps (and sometimes one short evening nap) a day. I'm not complaining, though I will start working on keeping him awake longer as the doctor suggested! :-)

He is eating quite well now. He eats oatmeal and a fruit at breakfast and cereal and a veggie at dinner. We are about to incorporate lunch, though he's usually sleeping while we are eating lunch, so that's going to be part of the "keeping him awake" longer thing I guess!

What's Ryan doing/enjoying at 6 months old?

-Rolling from back to tummy (but not wanting to roll back)
-His jumperoo (though he prefers to "hang" instead of jump)
-Grabbing his puppy's hair and tail
-Rattles (he loves them all!)
-Lots of chatting (just wish I knew what he was saying!)
-Sitting up (for about 30 sec to 1 minute at a time)
-Praise baby videos- He is mesmerized!!
-Giggling... this boy is quite ticklish!
-He still LOVES his mobile... instant soother in crunch time!

As well as everything listed on the 5 month post!



And what do I think his absolute favorite thing is?

His brother!!!

He giggles at him, follows him with his eyes all over the house and just stares at him every chance he gets. I'm sure it all has to do with how sweet and tender Logan is with him (see previous video posts) and it just touches my heart to watch it all! When I'm feeding Ryan and Logan comes in the room, the feeding stops and all attention goes to big brother! I just LOVE it!

Today we are going to get his 6 month pics taken as well as some family portraits. I'm so excited!

This weekend, we will celebrate the gift he is to us by dedicating him to our Lord and pledging to do our best to raise him as our God desires. I'm so excited to have family and friends around as we take this pledge with the Godparents we have chosen. We are so blessed!

We love you Ryan... this is a very special week for us!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Logan has really enjoyed this last week of exchanging valentines and opening little gifts along the way. My grandmother has this wonderful ability of always finding the holiday animals that dance and sing, and Logan just LOVES them. Well, this time we received two, one for each of the boys, and it's been a little loud around here. We've talked about banning these toys from our home, but seeing the joy on Logan's face when he gets one makes all the noise worth it I guess! :-)




This is from earlier this week. When I took out the Valentine's decor, last year's lion was packed away and the good news was, a year in the attic didn't stop it from working!
(sense the sarcasm?)

Yesterday, my dad took Logan to the Lowe's Build to Grow and Logan made me my Valentine's present. Logan loves going to these and was so proud to give me my surprise! So precious!

Somersaults and Push Ups

So with all the rolling Ryan's been doing, Logan wanted to show off his skills a bit.



So funny what a 3 year old may think a push up is, huh??

A little performer

Logan LOVES to sing. Here are some recent clips of him singing and sharing his love with his little brother!



This is the most recent song that the Bridge Kids performed at church. I just love it!



Some crib time with "brother." He just loves Ryan!



The words to the above song...
Climb, climb up sunshine mountain,
Heavenly breezes blow.
Climb, climb up sunshine mountain,
Faces all aglow.
Turn, turn from sin and doubting,
Look to God on high.
Climb, climb up sunshine mountain,
You and I.

This is one of his favorites from Grana!

Ready, Set, Roll!

We have ourselves a roller! From back to tummy, but very rarely from tummy to back. This is a new thing that he loves doing, but after a few minutes on the tummy he gets a little frustrated.

We had one tough night a few nights ago... he woke up grunting and crying and I'd go in there to find him on his stomach. He must have flipped in his sleep and when he woke up and couldn't get back on his back, he wasn't very happy. This happened a few times and then I decided to lay him so close to the bumper that rolling wouldn't be an option... we made it through the rest of the night after that! :-)



Since this video was taken, he's perfected it a bit. It's not so much work now!

We have his 6 month check up on Monday... oh, he's growing so fast!

Two houses

So the other day I was driving in the car with Logan and he starts to tell me about how God lives in Heaven. We get on the discussion that God can also live in our hearts.

L: But how can He live in two houses at once?
M: Well honey, He's God. God is everywhere and He can live in everyone's heart at the same time. That's just how awesome and powerful He is.

Fast forward two days...
We are at Tommy and Debra's and she is stretching her chest, where there is pain like a pulled muscle or some tension. Logan notices...

L: Oh Grana, that's where your heart is.
D: Yes Logan, that's where my heart is.
L: Jesus lives in your heart and He also lives way up there in Heaven (pointing up). He has two houses ya know.

Oh how I enjoy his literal sense and how he just "gets it" right now... so many questions to come in the future though! Isn't it neat how God calls us to have the faith of a child? Raising kids of my own, now I'm beginning to see why!