Hello Summer

*Since I posted my Monday meme a day early, I'm posting Tuesday's a half day early!Since I last posted on Thursday, May 27th, I had my first day with Logan of the week since I'd been sick as of the previous Saturday. The good news was that he continued to be "the terrific twos," the bad news was that I am not my best self when I am sick, so I had no tolerance. I tried to make the best of it - we went for a 45-minute walk around the neighborhood that Thurs, but temps were in the 90s (summer is definitely here) so I'm worried it's not going to be as nice (cool) of a summer as last year because my walk was not enjoyable. The heat/humidity just makes me feel "blah."

The evenings at least were cooler - one day I took Logan to the park for over an hour after picking him up at Babysitter's, and another night Joe took him to the school playground for a good amount of time. I haven't bought Logan a swingset because I like that the parks/playgrounds get us to leave our house.

This summer is different from last summer as far as Logan doesn't like our backyard as much. I have such nice memories of last summer: sitting on my deck with either a book or the laptop while Logan ran around happily. This summer he only wants to play in the front yard which is much hotter - and for me it's harder work because I have to stay right by his side because I don't want him running into the street. But, I always do it because some days being a stay at home mom will feel like a job. :p However, one day last week I was just so not in the mood to go in the front yard so I said firmly, "I'm the Mama, and today it's either the backyard or inside." He protested for about a minute and then took the lid off his sandbox and happily played for over a half an hour. Hmmm, that wasn't that hard! There you go, Logan, it only took me until you were twenty-five-and-a-half months old to tell you "no" for my own selfish reason. :p

On Friday, May 28th, Logan and I met the guy who lives in my old house because I picked up a baby shower invitation from a girl I went to high school with (he told me on facebook that it was delivered to my old house - but forgot to mention it was two months ago so the shower was passed). Afterward, I took Logan to a park by the apartment where I lived when Joe & I first moved to Omaha in 2003. I'd taken Logan there one other time and he'd enjoyed it, but this time we could only stay fifteen minutes because the sun was so strong.

At home he helped me make a pizza (the day before helped make my first pot roast) and both days took 4-hr naps which were nice since I didn't feel I had improved health-wise any days that week which made his grogginess harder for me (as I said last month, nearly every day when he wakes up from his nap he whines for a half an hour). So, I used my tactic from last June (when Logan was at his whiniest) and told him that Mommy was going upstairs and when he was done whining I'd come back down. I ran to my room, shut the door, and layed on the floor - and then my mom called and saved the day! She said that she & my stepdad wouldn't mind watching Logan for the weekend.

Originally, the three of us had planned to go back to Iowa since it was Memorial Day weekend. We have not gone back "for no reason" since Logan was born two years ago! There has always been an event, and so we usually just have time to see family and no friends. However, even Joe wasn't 100% recovered from his virus like he'd hoped, so we decided to save our socializing trip for another time. But Logan could still go. . . :-)

We met my mom & stepdad at our halfway point at 10 am on Saturday, May 29th. When Joe and I returned to Omaha we went out for lunch to The Summer Kitchen Cafe where we hadn't been for awhile so I'd missed my tuna melt!

On our way home we decided to swing by the movie theater to see movie options/times for that night - and noticed Sex and the City-2 was playing in five minutes! The parking lot was almost empty but I remembered from two years ago when I went with friends we had to buy tickets in advance because theaters all over were completely full. So, Joe & I decided to make it a date! (Joe used to watch the show with me and liked the first movie after I bought it on DVD.) My only complaint was that they covered too many topics so they didn't have time to go deeply into any of them. Therefore, I liked the first movie better, but I think this way there will be a part three! :-)

Joe joked that they used my idea - I won't give it away for those who haven't seen the movie - but there's a part where they decide to do something different in their marriage - but aren't sure if it's okay because it's not "the traditional way." However, it's something I wrote about in March that I plan to do in the future. Hmmm, so maybe it will be the new traditional marriage :p

For supper that night we had planned to try a Mexican restaurant near where we live, but got there a half an hour before opening so we went to Margarita's instead. We hadn't been in awhile (since we keep going to Roja when we're in the mood for Mexican) and enjoyed a yummy meal.

On Sunday, May 30th both Joe and I both felt 100% recovered!!!!! It was so wonderful to have energy and be in a good mood and feel productive again! I had completely taken a break from my "workout & eat healthy plan" and it has since been hard to get motivated again. :( I am trying not to give up since I only had 6 lbs to go before my goal weight - but I haven't weighed myself lately because I'm worried I've already gained back ALL of the 16 lbs I lost since January! At least that's the way it looks from the video of myself I posted here on Saturday. :p I hope I will find my motivation again this week.

We met my parents at 7:30 pm Monday, May 31st to pick up Logan. He had been asking about them all week (begging to go to their house) so he had a great time (and of course slept until 10 and 11 am in the mornings for them)!Tuesday, June 1st I was taking a shower in the morning and when I got out, Logan had the phone to his ear. I could hear the automated message saying "please hang up," etc. so I unplugged the phone (something I used to do, but it had been several months since Logan messed with our landlines so I'd stopped). I was worried that he'd called someone (like 911) - but about 15 min. later my stepdad called and was like, "Is everything okay?" I responded, "Yes. . .why?" He said that he'd called my house and at first thought the call got cut off but then heard breathing so he said, "Logan, is that you?" I guess Logan made a sound and so my stepdad was like, "Where's your mom?" Logan said, "Wa-wa!" My stepdad didn't realize that's his word for "water" (Logan says it whenever he's referring to swimming, bath, or showers). So my stepdad was like, "Is your mom okay?" Logan said more firmly, "Wa-wa!" My stepdad said, "Can you go get her?" Logan, frustrated at this time that my stepdad wasn't catching on, shouted "WA WA!" and hung up the phone! I cracked up laughing. . .and was glad he was the one who called and not someone else :p

That night there was golf-ball-sized hail and tornado warnings so Joe didn't golf with his league as he usually does.

Logan went to Babysitter's on Wednesday & Thursday (June 2nd and 3rd) rather than Tuesday and Wednesday because I had an appt. with our builder on Thurs (we'd been getting water in our basement when it rains due to the house settling - but hopefully it's fixed now) as well as our first oil change for the vehicle we bought in Jan.

On Friday, June 4th I had my first hour-and-a-half massage which was heaven (I kept falling asleep - ugh!) and then we went out for Chinese (Wednesday I'd spent the day reading cover-to-cover the book I mentioned I'd bought in my post More Tidbits. It was okay. . .my least fav of E.G's five novels, but it'd be impossible for every book to be as fantastic as her others so I'm still a fan!)

Saturday, June 5th we went to a surprise birthday party for Brooke who had turned 30 the day before. :-) The party was at 2 pm (Logan's nap is usually at 1), but I had thought I'd be able to put Logan down early. Not the case. When he fell asleep on the ride home I thought he'd continue sleeping at home since he usually still does when that happens. Nope. Those 15 minutes were all he took of his nap that entire day and he went to bed at his normal time of 8 pm.

Sunday, June 6th Joe had to work. Logan wanted to ride his Scut (a Christmas gift from Joe's sister), but is still too small. On Monday, June 7th Logan and I were going to go to the zoo with Brooke & Kaelyn but with rain in the forecast for the entire day we decided to postpone the zoo to Friday. (However, it didn't end up raining at all so Logan and I enjoyed the perfect temp that afternoon in our backyard - it took a couple of minutes but I talked him into playing back there again!) I forgot to mention last time we went to the zoo I was hit on. Or at least a guy walking by me stopped, looked me up and down, and said "How YOU doin'?" That was my comedy for the day.

On a sad note, a different friend of mine found out her mother has uterine cancer and had to have surgery on Monday. Please pray that it didn't spread and that now she will be fine!!!!

I'll end with some notes that I forgot to put in my updates a couple of weeks ago:

For the past month Logan has started a habit of touching his top lip as a comfort thing. If you just glance at him you might think he's picking his nose, LOL, but we've noticed he does it when he's being introspective. . .my mother-in-law said she can tell it's calming to him.

Speaking of his mouth - at some point his second bottom molar came in! I have no idea when, but I was brushing his teeth last week and saw that both of them are fully in. So only two more to go and he's done with teething forever!

He says the "This Little Pig" nursery rhyme and it sounds adorable. At the end he shouts, "weee weeee weeee HOME!"

The house behind us has been for sale for the past three months. We hope we get nice neighbors. Aside from the woman who took her son trick or treating to our house in 2008, we've never spoken to the people who live there (they are a military family who moved in a week or two after we did in 2007), but shortly after Logan was born my dogs were barking outside and their neighbor came over to tell me he couldn't mow the lawn because my dogs were too loud. When Joe went to the backyard to get them, the guy who is now moving clapped. Thus why we haven't gone out of our way to become friends. The woman is a hair stylist so she has a salon in her house.

The other day Logan figured out how to try and escape from his carseat. Not good. I've heard too many stories of toddlers getting out of their carseats and flying out of the windows in an accident.

Logan has now stopped the typical butt-up-in-the-air way babies sleep. Since he was four months old he always immediately rolled to sleep on his tummy, but now often sleeps on his back again (and has been loving his pillow)!

Lately his thing is to yell, "Where are you?" whenever he looks for something (when he calls Cosmo in from outside he says "Cosmo!!!! Where are you?")

Ever since Logan was a year-and-a-half old when I ask, "Do you know what?" He answers, "I love you" in the sweetest voice!!!! My dad used to do this with me when I was a little girl and so I started it with Logan after he turned a year old.

When he wears jeans he stands around with his hands in his pockets which makes us laugh.

I find him sometimes playing in the full-length mirror which I used to do when I was a little girl so it's fun to watch him - peeking behind the mirror, making funny faces, etc.

He still says "ahh" (refreshing) after drinking sometimes, and puts his hands behind his head to "kick back" on a chair when he's relaxing.

During his entire life when I'm dressing him I've asked, "Where's your arm?" when putting on his shirt - he started responding to this when he was still an infant so it's neat to see him continue to do so, as I realize his brain remembers the routine from birth!

Since he was a year-and-a-half old Logan will say "mmm" out of the blue because Joe said it once back then and Logan imitated him and started laughing so Joe pretended to punch Logan in the stomach. So, ever since then when Logan wants to play that game with his dad he will say "mmm" to get Joe to punch him in the stomach. It's cute. :-) He's still a mama's boy, but I can tell they're going to get along great in life and be buds :-)

Ever since Logan was an infant, he's had a few of Joe's old childhood toys to play with which he has enjoyed. My mom had given me a box of mine as well but it'd been in the basement until a couple of months ago and then one day Logan found it. . .but he wasn't impressed with My Little Ponies. :p

As of the last week of May (when he went to Babysitter's three days that week since I was sick), he says "mine" again. He'd only said it during one week back in the fall which I'd written on my blog - but that had been it. However, all of a sudden he's showing possessive signs for the first time! Only, since he still calls himself "baby" it sounds more like he's saying "my baby" when referring to something of his, haha!

His babysitter jokes that he's the most "regular" kid she's ever had. It's true - there's only been a couple of weeks in his entire life where he didn't go poop at the exact same time every single day. :p

Also the past month he has been saying "there" a lot. Everything is either "over there," "in there," "up there," etc.

I can't remember if I've already written here that ever since last fall when he sees the ISU or Chicago Bears logo he knows they mean "football." This summer we plan to introduce him to baseball by taking him to our very first College World Series game here in Omaha!

This final paragraph doesn't have to do with Logan - but I wanted to say that I'm really upset by the big oil spill last month :( I have cried tears over the poor animals being affected. I had thought after the last spill, lessons had been learned. This can't happen again! I thought by now it would have at least been stopped. I pray that they are somehow able to lessen the severity. . .until then I can't bear to watch the news.

On a happier note, stay tuned for Friday's post to find out what dessert I made while Logan was gone Memorial Day weekend (yes, I purposely made a treat while he was away so that I wouldn't have to sneak bites - admit it, Mothers, we all do that, LOL)!!!!