It's Football Season 9.26.09

He was so ready to play.
Proud parents!

Yes, Tommy is the one with his hands on his hips! :-)

Brady and Anne looking on as Tommy fights to the death.

Get him Tommy! Get him!!!

Today I was lucky enough to attend Tommy's PeeWee football game and let me tell ya, I really rather hope that Logan shows no interest in football. YIKES!!!! Tommy was fantastic and I had more laughs on the sidelines with Anne and Darrick than I could have asked for, but people, we're talking tackle football here and these kids are still so teeny. I was scared out of my mind for them. Also, those darn coaches....one kept hollering, "GO LOW! GRAB THEIR LEGS! THEY CAN"T RUN WITHOUT LEGS!!!!" I mean seriously here. Having said that, I did have a blast and so appreciate the invite from my dear friends! Thanks Darrick and Anne. It was good times! Life is good.

Best Laid Plans 9.23.09

Chocolate for Craig and my powdered sugar one for Loganberry.
Hey Logs, you got a little somethin' right there....

What can we say? They were good donuts. :-)

Karen and I had a plan. It was a great plan. I got off work early for this plan. We dressed the boys special for this plan. Calls were made. Caravans were in the works. And.......we were foiled again. So, what happens when the best laid plans go down hill.....DONUTS HAPPEN! That's what happens baby! Life is good.

A New Member of the Family 9.22.09

Pretty darn sweet, hun?
My wonderful dog loving in-laws (that's right, even though I'm divorced they will forever be my family), just helped rescue an abandoned dog. Here he is...meet Beau!!! Life is good.

Welcome Brett 9.20.09

Pinwheels for me, pasta salad for Linda, raspberry lemonade for Karen!!!
My co-host and I

The man of the hour with his mommy!

Mom got her turn with Brett as well...so cute!

Logan and Craig kickin' it outside!

When my BFF :-) had her second son this summer, I knew I wanted to host a party honoring the birth of this precious little boy. So, my dear friend Linda and I put our little noggin's together and threw a bash for little Brett today. It was so much fun. We had it at my place and went with a John Deere theme (it seemed very fitting for this little guy). I think the party was a hit. Kids played, grown-up's visited and ate, Brett got passed around, advice was shared, predicitons were made, gifts were opened, and smiles were aplenty. Thanks for helping me host Linda and thanks to everyone else for coming! Life is good little Brett, you're gonna love it!!! :-)

The Ice Caves 9.13.09

The hike took us over a little pond with some fish in it.
The hikers.

How cheesy is that?! :-)

A very cool stream.

We made it!!!

Logan and I began our Grandparents Day by baking some delicious brownies for all the grandparents in our lives. Then we loaded up our gifts and ourselves and headed out. Our first stop was Starbucks (of course). Then we swung by Grandma Claire's to bring her a piping hot mocha, some pictures, brownies and handprints. We visited for awhile and then it was off to my folks place where we delivered more pictures and brownies and handprints. Then we all loaded up and headed to meet Jeff, Kim, and Shane for a hike. We couldn't have asked for a better day for it. It's a two mile hike, very easy, that leads to these fantastic ice caves! Logan was in heaven! I swear he ran most of the way, that is when he wasn't being a t-rex! It was simply wonderful. Thanks family, for helping to make the Grandparents Day so fantastic! Life is good!

Ice Caves Part Two

We weren't "technically" suppose to climb on the ice...oops!
Grandpa and Grandma

Shaneo, Auntie Kim, and Uncle Jeff

Logan spent most of the hike being a t-rex! :-)

Happy Grandparents Day, Grandpa!!!

Ice Caves Part Three

Grandpa and Logan looking for puddles in the ice.
Look at that beautiful Grandma.

I just love this pic.

My boy and I. :-)

The scenery was breathtaking.

So perhaps I went a little overboard, but it was such a beautiful day and such a great time...I swear my camera took on a life of it's own! Thanks Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Jeff, Auntie Kim, and Shaneo for making this Grandparents Day the best one yet! Logan is one lucky little boy. Life is good with a family as amazing as ours.

Grandparents 9.13.09

Logan's Nana and Grandparent were out of town on this Grandparents Day, so Logan and I made them a little video to wish them well. They sure got a kick out of it. Thanks Nana and Grandpa for being such amazing grandparents. Life is good.

First Day of Preschool 9.8.09

Gulp....here he goes! Good luck Loganberry. I love you so much little man. Life is so good.

Farming 9.7.09

Today we went to my folks and had a great visit and did a little farming. Well, let's be frank, we actually just got to reap the benefits of my mom's farming/gardening. We came home with potatoes, onions, corn, and flowers. Logan and Shane had a blast digging everything up. Thanks Mom!! Life is good!

Kelly's Shower 9.6.09

Logan amusing himself.
Let them eat cake!

Me, Kelly, and Alysia.

My dear friend Kelly, who I've known for over 20 years (holy crap!) had a baby shower today. This is her first and she and Jonas found out they were having a boy. Kelly lives very far away but was home for her brother's wedding so her mom threw together a baby shower for all of us "back home" that miss her and otherwise wouldn't have gotten a chance to see her and her cute little basketball belly. Logan came with and was actually quite a good sport. I had brought my bag of tricks, but for the most part he enjoyed hiding under the table and "quietly" pretending he was a t-rex, and playing with the balloons and ,of course, eating the cake. The shower was on the waterfront, so afterward we went for a nice stroll and watched all the boats coming in and out of the harbor. It was a great afternoon. Congratulation Kelly! Life is good.

Preschool Orientation 9.3.09

Logan approximately 1.2 minutes after having arrived.
How cute it that?

Get out!!!! I'm in love.

Logan's reaction to having to leave school...I'm taking that as a good sign.

Preschool.

Today I missed a very important meeting (determining whether or not my district was going on strike or not) to take my *gulp* almost 4 year old to preschool orientation. Oh. My. God. I fell in love on site. First of all, his preschool is in a local Lutheran church that we are familiar with and it's about 2 minutes (not exaggerating here people) from his daycare. His teacher was at the door to greet us with big smiles and open arms. After our introductions, she lead us to his classroom, where *gasp* he had a cubby with his name on it!!!!!! Seriously, parenting heaven here! He also had a spot at the table with his name, and a spot on the rug with his name. Posters around the room labeling colors and numbers, and all sorts of educational goodies that are long gone by the time the kids get to me at the high school level. More importantly, Logan was immediately at home. No fear. No hesitation. He just went right for the toys and played quietly while I got to know his teacher. I think I'm her favorite! ;-) It probably didn't hurt that Starbucks had screwed up my order before we got there and I ended up with an extra pumpkin spice latte which I proceeded to bestow upon Mrs. V. (HEY! You may call it sucking up, but as a fellow teacher, I certainly wouldn't mind more parents "sucking up"!) :-) Anyway, Logan was actually so enamored with school, that he had a bit of a break down when it was time to go. Thank goodness I was able to convince him that he would be back the following week. Life is so good.

Bubble Gun 9.2.09

So I did it...I was that sucker you saw at the fair buying her kid a bubble gun. Yeah, well, judge me all you want, but it provided a good five minutes of fun before it broke. $5. 5 minutes. Seems about right! :-) Life is good.

Fun at the Fair 9.1.09

If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now...I LOVE FAIRS!!!! I love the energy, the excitement, the smells (well, most of them, that is), the rides, the animals, the vendors, (I mean where else can I buy a new car, sign up for insurance for that new car, load up a new outdoor firepit in that new car, pick out a new license plate frame for my new ride, all while having my knives sharpened and my palm read?), and, of course, the food!!! Logan and I had missed the first three fairs of the season, so I was bound and determined to get him to this one. Mom came with us and with free tickets from Karen (thanks again lady), we were off to the races. 3 and 1/2 hours later we were headed home a bit poorer, a bubble wand and bubble gun richer, exhausted, holding warm scones. Mmmmm, life is goooooood.