Welcome to the first Braydenese post! I only have one for now, but I was so excited that he said something blog-worthy that I couldn't resist publishing. I do have to preface this one with an explanation...sometimes when one of the boys is in my way and I need them to move, I tell them "beep beep."
1. (Nov.) - I'm getting ready for work in the bathroom, and Brayden is in there with me. Our bathroom is really small, and Brayden doesn't usually last very long in there with me before he wants out. I don't like to let him out because he usually goes into Logan's room right away and wakes him up. Today Brayden was trying to open the door to get out, but I had my foot blocking the door so he couldn't open it. He tries to push me out of the way and says, "Beep beep!"
Monday, November 21, 2011
Loganese Volume #7
1. When Logan sings the ABCs and gets to the last line, he says, "Next time you won't sing with me!"
2. (Aug.) - We are eating breakfast before I have to go to work. I ask Logan who's birthday is the next day. He answers, "Brayden's" then says to me, with a scowl on his face, "We already talked about that this morning!"
3. (Aug.) - We are at dinner with Todd's family. It's my turn to order for Logan, and Todd's mom asks Logan what he wants. He holds up his hand and says to us, "No, I'm good. I'm just drinking!"
4. (Sept.) - Logan started saying, "Me three!" instead of "Me, too!"
5. (Sept.) - Logan has also started saying "I'm just choking" instead of "I'm just joking."
6. (Sept.) - The boys are in the bathtub. Logan looks at the tag of one of the washcloths and says, "This one says Gerger (Gerber)." And it did! No idea how he knew that one!
7. (Sept.) - We are eating dinner and watching some Michigan something-or-other on ESPN while we eat. Logan looks at the TV and says, "Hey, that's Brady Hoke! He's my buddy."
8. (Sept.) - I am in the car with the boys after school one day running a few errands. I have the radio on channel 59 on Sirius/XM, which is called the Highway. The DJ at the time is a guy named Stormy Warren. Logan says to me, "Mommy, it's Stormy on the Highway."
9. (Nov.) - Logan is crying about something silly, so I tell him to stop crying. He says, "But my tears aren't gone yet!"
10. (Nov.) - I'm sitting on the arm of the chair in our living room checking something on the computer really quickly before I go to work one morning. Logan tells me that I shouldn't sit up there because I could fall. I tell him thanks for letting me know, and next time I won't sit up there. He replies, "Then I'll be so proud of you!"
11. (Nov.) - Logan is telling me about the holiday parade he went to with Todd's mom over the weekend. He's obsessed with seeing the "real" Santa and the reindeer. He brings me his toy deer from one of his Bass Pro Shops trucks and asks which deer it is. I realize he is asking which reindeer it is, so I tell him that's not a reindeer, it's just a deer. He says, "Maybe it's a snow deer."
12. (Nov.) - As Logan is eating breakfast one morning before I go to work, I'm packing my lunch and Logan asks what I'm doing. I tell him I'm packing my lunch, and he asks why they don't have food at my school. I tell him that they do, I just don't like what they are having on this particular day. So he says to me, "But Mommy, you have to try it!"
2. (Aug.) - We are eating breakfast before I have to go to work. I ask Logan who's birthday is the next day. He answers, "Brayden's" then says to me, with a scowl on his face, "We already talked about that this morning!"
3. (Aug.) - We are at dinner with Todd's family. It's my turn to order for Logan, and Todd's mom asks Logan what he wants. He holds up his hand and says to us, "No, I'm good. I'm just drinking!"
4. (Sept.) - Logan started saying, "Me three!" instead of "Me, too!"
5. (Sept.) - Logan has also started saying "I'm just choking" instead of "I'm just joking."
6. (Sept.) - The boys are in the bathtub. Logan looks at the tag of one of the washcloths and says, "This one says Gerger (Gerber)." And it did! No idea how he knew that one!
7. (Sept.) - We are eating dinner and watching some Michigan something-or-other on ESPN while we eat. Logan looks at the TV and says, "Hey, that's Brady Hoke! He's my buddy."
8. (Sept.) - I am in the car with the boys after school one day running a few errands. I have the radio on channel 59 on Sirius/XM, which is called the Highway. The DJ at the time is a guy named Stormy Warren. Logan says to me, "Mommy, it's Stormy on the Highway."
9. (Nov.) - Logan is crying about something silly, so I tell him to stop crying. He says, "But my tears aren't gone yet!"
10. (Nov.) - I'm sitting on the arm of the chair in our living room checking something on the computer really quickly before I go to work one morning. Logan tells me that I shouldn't sit up there because I could fall. I tell him thanks for letting me know, and next time I won't sit up there. He replies, "Then I'll be so proud of you!"
11. (Nov.) - Logan is telling me about the holiday parade he went to with Todd's mom over the weekend. He's obsessed with seeing the "real" Santa and the reindeer. He brings me his toy deer from one of his Bass Pro Shops trucks and asks which deer it is. I realize he is asking which reindeer it is, so I tell him that's not a reindeer, it's just a deer. He says, "Maybe it's a snow deer."
12. (Nov.) - As Logan is eating breakfast one morning before I go to work, I'm packing my lunch and Logan asks what I'm doing. I tell him I'm packing my lunch, and he asks why they don't have food at my school. I tell him that they do, I just don't like what they are having on this particular day. So he says to me, "But Mommy, you have to try it!"
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Halloween Festivities
This year the boys got to wear their costumes three times. I was super excited about this because I LOVE Brayden's costume this year. It had been Logan's two years ago, and I thought it was adorable then. So I was really glad we were able to use it again.
Last weekend we headed out to my school for our parent organization's Trunk or Treat event. This is a really cute idea if you haven't heard of it - people decorate the trunks of their cars, and then the kids roam around the parking lot and trick-or-treat at each car. We had a good time. We only stayed about an hour, but I got to see some of my co-workers and their little trick-or-treaters as well as several of my students. Here are the boys ready to go!
On Sunday, Rossford had its annual Halloween parade. This day had made me a little anxious for about a week before because the parade was at 2:00, which is right in the middle of nap time. I knew we wouldn't be able to come home and nap afterward because then it would be too close to bedtime and the boys wouldn't be able to fall asleep. I decided I would put Logan down early, skip Brayden's morning nap, and put him down at the same time as Logan. I was sure that some part of this plan would fail miserably, but it worked out perfectly! The boys slept from about 11:30-1:30, and then we got up and went over to Nana and Papa's for the parade. Logan surprisingly remembered a lot of details about the parade from last year, so he was pretty excited. (Notice his change in costume from Trunk or Treat - he refused to wear the monkey that day, so we resurrected last year's UPS driver for the day. The monkey is this year's official costume.) Brayden, of course, had no idea what was going on but he really liked watching the fire trucks, listening to the band and the floats with music, and watching all of the people handing out candy. Logan got quite a collection of candy - a LOT of Tootsie Rolls, but they both seemed to have a really good time. My favorite part? The boys were so exhausted from all the excitement that they were both in bed by 7:30!
Last weekend we headed out to my school for our parent organization's Trunk or Treat event. This is a really cute idea if you haven't heard of it - people decorate the trunks of their cars, and then the kids roam around the parking lot and trick-or-treat at each car. We had a good time. We only stayed about an hour, but I got to see some of my co-workers and their little trick-or-treaters as well as several of my students. Here are the boys ready to go!
On Sunday, Rossford had its annual Halloween parade. This day had made me a little anxious for about a week before because the parade was at 2:00, which is right in the middle of nap time. I knew we wouldn't be able to come home and nap afterward because then it would be too close to bedtime and the boys wouldn't be able to fall asleep. I decided I would put Logan down early, skip Brayden's morning nap, and put him down at the same time as Logan. I was sure that some part of this plan would fail miserably, but it worked out perfectly! The boys slept from about 11:30-1:30, and then we got up and went over to Nana and Papa's for the parade. Logan surprisingly remembered a lot of details about the parade from last year, so he was pretty excited. (Notice his change in costume from Trunk or Treat - he refused to wear the monkey that day, so we resurrected last year's UPS driver for the day. The monkey is this year's official costume.) Brayden, of course, had no idea what was going on but he really liked watching the fire trucks, listening to the band and the floats with music, and watching all of the people handing out candy. Logan got quite a collection of candy - a LOT of Tootsie Rolls, but they both seemed to have a really good time. My favorite part? The boys were so exhausted from all the excitement that they were both in bed by 7:30!
Halloween night was somewhat of a whirlwind. I don't normally get home from work until about 4:15, and we had to eat, get to Nana and Papa's, and get changed all before 6:00 for trick or treating. I knew I didn't want to take the boys out for more than a half hour or so because all three of us weren't feeling that well, and I knew Brayden would need to get to bed on time. We attempted our annual photo in Nana's front yard with her pumpkins, but with two energetic boys on the move, it wasn't the easiest task (see our attempts below). Uncle Troy and Stacey went with the four of us. I had the boys in the wagon, but it didn't last all that long because it was annoying to have to get them out at every house. Eventually Logan just walked and Brayden started skipping houses because I knew he didn't need the candy anyway. Logan was hilarious, trying to negotiate with the people handing out candy to get a few more pieces or to choose what he got. He would tell them he needed another piece for Daddy or Uncle Troy. It was embarrassing, but luckily most people were good sports and just laughed. After about a half hour, Logan decided he had to go potty, which made for a perfect end to our trick or treating event. We changed into pajamas at Nana and Papa's, then headed home right around 7 to put the boys in bed. They had a lot of fun, and ended up with quite a stash of candy, which Todd and I are really enjoying :)
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Brayden is 14 Months!
It's been a while since I've done a monthly post about my littlest guy, but I've been pretty busy and...well...exhausted. We've had a lot of growing up going on in our house these days - on both boys' parts, and we're all pretty worn out.
I don't even know where to begin Brayden's update. So much has changed! This little man is full-out running around the house now, chasing his older brother and the cat. He has a temper that is unmatched, I believe, and for this reason, I'm slightly terrified of what future tantrums will amount to. Most of the time, however, this little booger is SO happy. He is constantly smiling, chattering, and playing. He ADORES Logan, and wants to do absolutely everything his older brother does. Watching Logan's little shadow is quite amusing, especially when Logan gets to the point where he has had enough. Brayden already knows how to push his brother's buttons...boy are we going to have our hands full in the years to come!
He's still a pretty great eater. He eats a much bigger variety than Logan ever did. He's using a fork pretty independently, too, and gets mad when I try to do it for him. He loves juice (though he doesn't get it all that often), Cheerios, green beans, bananas, and cheese. He knows where each individual snack is kept, and will go to that particular cabinet or the fridge and point (and cry or whine) when he wants something to eat or drink. His belly shows that he is well-fed, and I've started calling him "Buddha Belly."
Sleep is still a struggle, and I have a feeling it will be until we get him into a big boy bed sometime next summer. We're at the point where sometimes two long naps during the day is too much, and on those nights he'll sleep for a while and then wake up for a couple of hours during the night. He wants nothing but Mommy when he wakes up at night, so it's been pretty rough on me. I've tried letting him cry it out, but he's made it to an hour and a half of tears (!) before I gave in. He'll settle down if I go in his room and sit in the rocker, but starts screaming as soon as I try to leave. The alternative has been (shame on me) to put him in bed with me. It is the option that I like the least, but the only option that allows both of us to actually get some sleep. It doesn't happen every day, and I don't think he's quite ready to drop one of his naps yet, but it's coming.
Probably my favorite new development is talking. What a chatterbox this little guy is! He babbles all day long, and has learned so many new words in the past few weeks. Of course, like most babies, I'm pretty much the only one who can understand what he's saying, but I'm just so excited that he is finally able to communicate his thoughts and wants. I'm going to attempt a list of the words he can manage, but I know I'll forget some. Here we go: Mama, Dada, Bubba, Papa, Nana, nice (what he says when he pets Sophie), ball, cup, milk, more, nana (banana), fry, cookie, book, read, uh-oh, nose, toes, pee pee, poop, no, sock, shoe, car, boat, night-night, bye-bye, baby, fish, cold, stop, backpack, map, SpongeBob, and some blabber that sounds a lot like Look at that!, I did it!, and What's that? He also knows a few body parts - nose, belly, toes, pee pee, and hair, and some animal noises - dog, pig, lion, monkey, and cat.
He goes up and down the stairs like a pro, loves to dig in the litter box (yuck) and splash in the toilet. He loves to put on our shoes and steal Logan's love-love. He takes every book off the bookcase shelves in the family room every. single. day. He hits, he kicks, he pushes, and he bites - he's definitely a boy and he's a feisty one (wonder where he gets that from?)! He is just plain TROUBLE, but we have a hard time getting upset with him because he's just so smiley and cute all the time. He is most definitely our little goofball. He loves to laugh, and most of the time we find ourselves laughing right along with him. He's my cuddly baby, so he's always stealing hugs and kisses and snuggles.
It's hard to believe there are no more babies in my house! I not-so-secretly love it, and I'm having so much fun watching both boys grow up right before my eyes. Bring on the toddler!
Logan is THREE!
For starters, he is a GREAT big brother. He plays with Brayden, and is extremely protective of him. At the same time, though, they fight like anyone might expect brothers to fight. Logan is possessive of his toys and doesn't like when Brayden is playing with something that belongs to him. Of course, it's perfectly okay for him to play with Brayden's toys though :) He has a temper that can compete with that of his brother, but in the end Brayden's will always win. Logan is a three year old, so with that comes temper tantrums for a variety of silly reasons. He spends quite a bit of time on our bottom step in time-out, but that consequence isn't very consistent depending on who's watching the boys, so it's not as effective as I'd like it to be.
Logan is a somewhat picky eater. We often find ourselves fighting with him to finish a meal. He goes without dessert more often than not (though it's not offered every night either). I get really annoyed when I have to feed him to get him to eat. He just has so many more important things to do than to sit down at the table and eat, I guess. His current favorites are pierogies, spaghetti-o's, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He still loves to drink milk. He asks for Cheerios and orange juice every night before bed. He's such a creature of habit, just like his mommy.
Our biggest accomplishment lately has been potty training! I'm so proud to announce that this little guy is officially trained! I had started trying to get him trained at the beginning of the summer when I was off work, hoping that he would definitely be done by the time I went back to school and Todd's dad wouldn't have to deal with it. We had no luck throughout the summer, and I was pretty discouraged. Then, one weekend in September I decided we would try big boy underwear just for a day to see what happened. We had one accident that morning, while shopping at Target. I explained that we wouldn't be able to stop at the library after we finished shopping because we had to go home and change his pants. He was pretty disappointed, and has only had a handful of accidents since then. We had a period of a few weeks with poop accidents, but he's since gotten the hang of that too, and we've been accident free for about three weeks or so (knock on wood). I'm so proud of my little man!
TV has, unfortunately, become a huge part of Logan's life lately, and he will surely let you know if you are interfering with one of his shows! Among his favorites are Dora, Bubble Guppies, Team Umizoomi (my personal favorite), Backyardigans, Olivia, and Blue's Clues. I'm not really crazy about Olivia or Blue's Clues, but they are all that's one during the hour between Brayden's bedtime and Logan's bedtime, so he watches them. I guess it could be worse.
I'm starting to teach Logan how to spell his name, and he has the first three letters down. He usually says L-O-G-M. He can recognize a lot of the letters of the alphabet, but not all yet. He is starting to recognize numbers too. He knows several shapes and all of his colors. His vocabulary is ridiculous, and I often find myself asking, "Where did he learn that word?" Papa does a great job baby-sitting, and I know Logan is learning a lot from him. For that, I am so grateful. The three of them (Papa, Logan, and Brayden) are three of a kind and it's so great to see such a great relationship blossoming between them.
I feel so lucky to have two wonderful little boys. I don't always feel like I deserve it, but I'm definitely counting my blessings these days!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Milford Memories
The past two days have been difficult for me - more difficult than I ever would have imagined. Yesterday my parents loaded a moving truck full of their belongings and left our Milford home forever. Today they turned over the keys to that house and officially gave it away.
Fourteen years ago when we moved into that house, I was furious. I hated the house, and I hated everything about Milford, Ohio because it wasn't what I knew and it certainly wasn't where I wanted to be. Our move from Cary, North Carolina to Milford, Ohio took place during my junior year of high school, and it was absolutely the most difficult thing I've ever had to endure.
I realize now that the move to that house had a huge part in making me who I am today. Had my family stayed in North Carolina like we all wanted to, my life would be drastically different, and I'm sure I wouldn't even recognize myself now. Without that move, I never would have attended Miami University. I never would have met my husband, and we never would have created the two beautiful boys that I now love more than anything in the world.
Ultimately, I am thankful for that move. I'm thankful that I got to spend so many years calling that house "home." My parents are moving to Columbus, which I am happy about. It's closer than Milford (Cincinnati), and now I can visit my parents and my sister all in one place. I'm excited about this new chapter in my parents' lives. But with the change comes a flood of memories - memories that have brought me to tears more than a few times in the past few days. Memories that I ache to hold onto. For myself more than anyone else, I'm making a list of those memories. They aren't ranked in any particular order, just the order that they come to mind.
1. This is the house in which I announced to my family that Logan was going to be a big brother (Christmas 2009).
2. This is the house in which my sister and I hosted Dawson's Creek parties every Wednesday night for our friends in high school.
3. This is the house in which my parents finally let us have a trampoline (our consolation prize for the move), and we spent hours on it with our friends.
4. This is the house in which my mom stayed up and waited for me to come home - no matter how late and no matter how old I got.
5. This is the house in which I attended prom (May 1999), graduated from high school (May 1999), and graduated from college (May 2003).
6. This is the house in which I lined my bedroom walls with "Got Milk?" ads, but realized I would never have more than Kayla or Renee.
7. This is the house in which I spent countless hours studying for AP Calc with Jenny and for AP Bio. To this day, I still have no idea why...
8. This is the house in which 4 month old Logan stayed up all night, wide awake, and my mom stayed up with him so I could get some sleep (January 2009). (Thanks Mom!)
9. This is the house in which I went from being a stubborn teenager with an attitude to a stubborn adult with slightly less of an attitude.
10. This is the house that I called "home" when I needed a break from college life.
11. This is the house in which my sister and I, freezing to death from the harshness of a looming Ohio winter, spent moving day at Pizza Hut, just to stay warm (November 1997).
12. This was the house in which I realized that my sister was my best friend, and that my parents were not the enemy. This was the house in which I realized that my family meant more to me than anything else.
I have grown to love that house, and I think the hardest part of leaving it was never getting to say goodbye (which I know sounds dumb). I left the end of my childhood in that house. My parents will never have another house that I could (at some point) call mine, too. From now on, their house will be their house and never, ever our house. The circle of experiences I've had since that day at Pizza Hut in November 1997 has come to a close, and perfectly.
Here's to new memories...and being able to write a similar post about my house sooner than later! :)
Fourteen years ago when we moved into that house, I was furious. I hated the house, and I hated everything about Milford, Ohio because it wasn't what I knew and it certainly wasn't where I wanted to be. Our move from Cary, North Carolina to Milford, Ohio took place during my junior year of high school, and it was absolutely the most difficult thing I've ever had to endure.
I realize now that the move to that house had a huge part in making me who I am today. Had my family stayed in North Carolina like we all wanted to, my life would be drastically different, and I'm sure I wouldn't even recognize myself now. Without that move, I never would have attended Miami University. I never would have met my husband, and we never would have created the two beautiful boys that I now love more than anything in the world.
Ultimately, I am thankful for that move. I'm thankful that I got to spend so many years calling that house "home." My parents are moving to Columbus, which I am happy about. It's closer than Milford (Cincinnati), and now I can visit my parents and my sister all in one place. I'm excited about this new chapter in my parents' lives. But with the change comes a flood of memories - memories that have brought me to tears more than a few times in the past few days. Memories that I ache to hold onto. For myself more than anyone else, I'm making a list of those memories. They aren't ranked in any particular order, just the order that they come to mind.
1. This is the house in which I announced to my family that Logan was going to be a big brother (Christmas 2009).
2. This is the house in which my sister and I hosted Dawson's Creek parties every Wednesday night for our friends in high school.
3. This is the house in which my parents finally let us have a trampoline (our consolation prize for the move), and we spent hours on it with our friends.
4. This is the house in which my mom stayed up and waited for me to come home - no matter how late and no matter how old I got.
5. This is the house in which I attended prom (May 1999), graduated from high school (May 1999), and graduated from college (May 2003).
6. This is the house in which I lined my bedroom walls with "Got Milk?" ads, but realized I would never have more than Kayla or Renee.
7. This is the house in which I spent countless hours studying for AP Calc with Jenny and for AP Bio. To this day, I still have no idea why...
8. This is the house in which 4 month old Logan stayed up all night, wide awake, and my mom stayed up with him so I could get some sleep (January 2009). (Thanks Mom!)
9. This is the house in which I went from being a stubborn teenager with an attitude to a stubborn adult with slightly less of an attitude.
10. This is the house that I called "home" when I needed a break from college life.
11. This is the house in which my sister and I, freezing to death from the harshness of a looming Ohio winter, spent moving day at Pizza Hut, just to stay warm (November 1997).
12. This was the house in which I realized that my sister was my best friend, and that my parents were not the enemy. This was the house in which I realized that my family meant more to me than anything else.
I have grown to love that house, and I think the hardest part of leaving it was never getting to say goodbye (which I know sounds dumb). I left the end of my childhood in that house. My parents will never have another house that I could (at some point) call mine, too. From now on, their house will be their house and never, ever our house. The circle of experiences I've had since that day at Pizza Hut in November 1997 has come to a close, and perfectly.
Here's to new memories...and being able to write a similar post about my house sooner than later! :)
Friday, August 26, 2011
A Year in Pictures
My little boy is one today!
Let's take a look back at his first year.
One year ago today!
One day old
One week old
One month old
Two months old
3 months old
4 months old
5 months old
6 months old
7 months old
8 months old
9 months old
10 months old
11 months old
One year old!
Happy birthday buddy - this has been the best year ever!!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Fan Day at U of M
Today we took the kids up to Ann Arbor for Michigan's Fan Day. I'll admit, I really didn't want to go at first. I knew the kids naps would be seriously compromised, and I just wasn't really all that into seeing the players up close. However, after spending the day up there (meltdown free!) and seeing how excited Todd and the boys were, it made me really glad we all went. We also took Todd's mom with us, which was a big help having extra hands to chase one very excited little boy!
We left around 11:00 to head up to Ann Arbor. We ate lunch at a great little restaurant called The Pizza House. Their pizza was delicous - Todd and I ate an entire large pizza ourselves (Logan had one piece)!
After lunch we headed to the Big House.
We weren't sure if we were going to be able to stand in line for any autographs or pictures with specific players because the lines can be pretty long. We were right - the lines were ridiculously long! We walked around the stadium for a bit - Todd's mom hadn't been there since Todd was little, so she was really interested in seeing the stadium, and of course, words can't express how excited Logan was!
I borrowed this Ergo carrier from my friend Ashley, and I'm so glad I did! I loved using it, and Brayden seemed to really like it too. I'm thinking of buying one now, but I can't figure out how I would get Brayden in it if it was just me and the kiddos (Ashley, maybe you can help me out with this?).
At one point while walking around, we ran into the cheerleaders. Of course we had to get a picture with them!
Once the lines opened up for autographs, they also started letting people on the field. Logan went to Fan Day with Todd last year (I didn't go because I was 9 months pregnant), and this was his favorite part. He couldn't wait to go again. He kept talking to us about how he was going to play football with Shoelace - so cute :)
We got to meet Dave Brandon, the athletic director for the U of M.
Logan shook his hand :)
The line for Brady Hoke's autograph was insanely long, so we couldn't get our picture with him, but we did get close enough on the field to at least get a picture of him.
I love this family picture!
This is my favorite picture of the day!
Logan kicking a field goal!
And striking his Heisman pose!
By about 2:30 we had had enough, so we stopped quickly at the M Den to get Todd a t-shirt. We were hoping to get Logan a new jersey for this year, but they didn't have his size. Then we grabbed some ice cream and headed home. Luckily, both boys fell asleep in the car pretty quickly and had nice little naps on the way home. All in all, a fun day together!
Go Blue! Let's hope it's a great season!