Logan: 18 Months

On February 9, Logan turned 18 months old. I can hardly believe it. It seems like every day he is doing or learning something new. 

This little one is full of love and cuddles. He gives the sweetest hugs whenever we ask for them, and he freely blows kisses, which is pretty cute (should have gotten a photo of that). 

Poor little boy. He did not like standing on the crate. I think it was because he wasn't sure how to get down, which I find funny because he will climb on just about anything. But he doesn't always know how to get down. He can climb up in our back yard fort now.

Just in the last couple of weeks, we've heard some words (other than "dada") from Logan. He has begun to repeat more and more things that we ask him to repeat. I kind of can't wait to hear his voice talking to me. It's pretty cute so far.

Logan is Ethan's greatest fan. He loves to be with him and squeals with delight whenever Ethan takes his hand and leads him off to play. It is absolutely precious. 

I love that last photo because it shows his mouth, nose, and eyelashes as I often see them. Our little baby is no longer a little baby, but what a joy to watch him grow.

18 Month Stats:

Height: 33 inches (75-80%)
Weight: 24 pounds, 3 ounces (25-30%)

Batter Up!

I have no idea what possessed Ethan to stand on the slide while trying to hit the baseball that Casey was pitching to him. No idea at all. Well, that's not true...I have an idea that it's Ethan being a 3.5 year old. And that's one of the things I love about kids. Doing something simply because the idea occurred to you. Might as well. He actually hit a few balls.

Little Vacuumers

The other day, while I was on a short phone call, the boys got into some packing styrofoam and made a huge mess. It was styrofoam sheets that they had taken and broken up into a thousand tiny, tiny white pieces that stick to everything because of static. They had fun, but it looked like it had snowed in our front entry area. 

So, I got out two often-used small vacuum cleaners and gave one to each of the boys. First of all, it is a rule in our house that if you make a mess, you clean it up (or at least help clean it up). Secondly, these types of vacuums are essential if you have kids. Breaking out our "big" vacuum every time there is a mess like this is just not something I want to do. Thirdly, I think the boys thought they had won the lottery...they absolutely loved vacuuming. Over the hum of the vacuums, I heard many squeals of delight. So, I let them vacuum and I got out my camera to take photos. All in all, not a bad situation. Especially since they went way beyond the initial "mess" area and vacuumed several rooms!

Friday Favorites

There's no other reason to call this post "Friday Favorites" other than today is Friday. Which is pretty great. Here are a few things that are favorites of mine right now:

1 | 2 | 3

1. The Food Network Magazine February Issue...all about Chocolate! What's not to love?

2. Downton Abbey on PBS. Please tell me you're watching this show already. If not, jump on the bandwagon now. It's excellent. My father-in-law (and mother-in-law too) insisted that I watch the show. They let me borrow their season 1 DVD last fall....and I am totally hooked! Maggie Smith is perfect. This is Masterpiece at it's best.

3. New York City. This is a favorite right now because I'm planning our trip there this spring! Just me and Casey. Cannot wait. The last time we went on vacation was when I was pregnant with Logan and we went to Florida. This time, we're going to be a bit more busy as opposed to laying on the beach, but we are both pumped about it! The last time I was in NYC was over 10 years ago. It will be fun to go back with Casey, who has never really been (except for a very short...as in a few hours...layover on our way to the Dominican Republic for a mission trip in college.)

In Defense of Valentines Day

Photo by Summer Photography

Valentines Day gets a bad rap in my opinion. Many will say that it is a commercial holiday, therefore they feel no need to participate...blah, blah, blah. It's true. It sort of is a commercial holiday. People (men) are made to feel obligated to spend ludicrous amounts of money just because someone decided that we'd celebrate love on February 14. And when you put it that way, I totally agree...I can do without that. I actually used to be on the side of Valentines Day haters. 

Then, somewhere along the way, I saw it in a new light. Something changed. Because now, I see Valentines Day not as an obligation, but as an opportunity. Our Valentines Day celebrations rarely, if ever, involve roses, expensive dinners, or even gifts. Sometimes we go out. But we always cook a special dinner at home, which has become a fun tradition. 

Whatever we decide to do (or not do), the point is...it's great to have a day that reminds us to do special things for each other. I guess you could make the argument that we should do these things regularly anyway and we don't need a commercial holiday to make us do it. Ok, maybe. But I'll just speak for us....it's hard to remember (or make time) to do the special things. I can't speak for all couples with kids, but I sense that we may not be alone in that situation. And while we work hard to make time to reconnect and have regular date nights, I think a specific holiday that gives us another excuse to do special things for each other is pretty great.

And of course, it's a fun holiday to celebrate with kiddos too. And an excuse to eat chocolate. Not that I really need an excuse to eat chocolate, but I'll take one! Go Valentines Day!

Brushing Teeth

I mentioned in my last post that Logan likes to brush his teeth in the bath tub. That's true. But he really just likes to brush his teeth in general. Although, at this point, I think it may be a stretch to call it "brushing" his teeth. There may be some of that going on, but mostly, I think he's just enjoying the taste of the tiny bit of toothpaste and the feel of the toothbrush on his gums. Right now he only has 6 teeth anyway (4 on top, 2 on bottom). But also, this little one just likes to copy what we all do, so he feels really special when he brushes his teeth. Sweet boy.

Bubbly Bath

Ethan begs for "bubbly" baths (as he calls them) all the time. Every once in a while I indulge him. They are fun. I think this particular bath took place on a cold and very wet day during which I did not let the boys go outside to play. So, we started bath time early and spent an extra-long time having fun in there.

Can I just say that I love this kid? I mean, just look at his smile. Melts me every time. He loves the bubbles.

And this one. He steals my heart too. Especially with that mischievous twinkle that is always in his big brown eyes. (He likes brushing his teeth in the bath.)

Logan is still undecided on his feelings for the bubbles. One moment, he and the bubbles are friends...

The next moment, he hates them...

And then a moment later, he's back to liking them again. And spreading them all over his body. (Those photos were taken just seconds apart.)

Thumb-Body Loves You

If you need a quick and easy Valentines card...give this one a try. It's not fancy, but it's sweet. And it is especially fun for kids. Both of my boys loved putting their thumb prints on the cards. I took photos of Ethan doing his thumb prints all by himself (he's done it at preschool many times), but there are no photos of Logan doing it because I had that little boy in a vice grip to keep his busy hands from wandering while they had red ink on them.

Ethan's face completely lit up when he saw me transforming his thumb print into a little "thumb-body." I sent one of these cards along with prints of the Valentines photos of the boys to the grandparents. (They have already received the cards and prints, which is why I can go ahead and post about them!)

If you want to use my card template, you can download it by clicking on the image below.

Andes Mint Cookies

I love mint and chocolate together, and I love Andes Mints. So, when I saw Andes Mint Baking Chips at the grocery store, I picked up a bag and knew I would use them somehow. Since I'm pretty much in love with cookies, I ended up using them in a minty twist on chocolate chip cookies. They turned out great! You can find the recipe on my book club's recipe blog.