Logan's Day

Ever since deer season started and Robert would take his bow out back for a quiet walk in the woods just to see what's out there, Logan has been looking out our kitchen window for deer.
Today, after going out to visit a friend, Logan and I were driving down the hill to our house when 4 deer came out of the woods on the driver's side of the car, walked across the street and went into the woods on the other side. They were in no hurry and Logan and I stopped to wait for them, Logan speechless as he watched. Once they were safely on the other side we drove home and Logan got out of the car and started calling for the deer. He spent the next 1/2 hour looking into the woods for them. He wanted to go back down the street where we had seen them, but I convinced him they were on our side of the road and would be in the woods behind our house.
After realizing the deer weren't coming back, he found another fun activity to fill his afternoon - for literally the next hour. I initially made this video to show Robert, who is out of town in Utah, and blogging it was the only way I know to download it onto the computer in a way for him to see. Now you all get to enjoy the simple life and joys of a two year old. I enjoyed the time as well, sitting out in the driveway in the beautiful weather we are having today, watching Logan and reading.

On the Downward Side to 40

Happy Birthday to me!
Last Sunday (21st) was my birthday. I will say that I turned 36!
Birthdays never really bother me, but I wasn't really getting excited about this one as it approached. All I could think about was I'm heading on to 40!
Honesty, I still feel abut 28, so I guess that is good. It is usually my children getting older that reminds me that I'm getting older as well.
But as it was my birthday I used it as an excuse to bake! I love to bake, but need a chance to share the calories (these desserts were loaded!). I guess anyone would say that a Wednesday is a great reason to bake and share calories, if they're invited.
I remember living in our apartment in Houston was great. I could bake cookies and other yummies all the time and there were multiple families we were good friends with that lived in our complex who got to share the calories - often!
But I digress off my birthday - still not the favorite topic of conversation.
I baked over the course of Saturday and Sunday and had some friends over Sunday evening to help eat my birthday desserts.
I made a traditional cake, so we could put a candle in and the kids would have something "normal" - buttermilk chocolate cake, a creme brulee pie, a margarita pie (no alcohol of course) - a limeade based filling with pretzel crust, and carmelitos.

Logan, who was a bit nervous about birthday singing at his birthday party, enjoy singing for me and tried to help blow out the candle but Jake beat him to it (he didn't want to blow out his candle after he was sung to - see post 8/14).

In the week leading up to my birthday, I was thinking about how it had been 18 years since I graduated from High School at age 18. A cool even division in two parts of my life: growing up and finishing HS and then college, getting married, etc. As I thought of where I have been and where I am now, I realized how grateful I am for my life. I have no regrets and love where I am and everything that has gotten me here. I have a great husband, wonderful children that I've been fortunate to be an at-home mom for, I love my house and living in Georgia, and am excited for what the next 36 years (you know, doubling from now) will bring.
OK, way to much sentiment - I must be getting old!

Watermelon - can't get enough

Last weekend, we went to a friends house to watch a football game and eat. Although they don't really like watermelon, they got one for everyone else.
Logan LOVES watermelon!
I usually cut it up, put it in a bowl and have him eat it with a fork. This time I made the mistake of letting him eat a slice.
Now he will eat it no other way.
Our friends had us take the leftover watermelon home. It was finished very quickly.
Each time Logan wanted a piece I would have to send him outside . . .


I would have to catch him at the end before he eats the rind too . . .


and knew more laundry was in my future.

From the mind of a 5 year old

Jake made some funny comments the other day that I wanted to share:

On the way home from church Robert was discussing looking for a job in Hong Kong or Korea were he could make a starting salary of $200,000/year. Alyssa thought it would be cool to go there, until I told her it would be until she was done with High School. Jake, very concerned, said "we're going where? I just want to go home!"
- Robert is not looking into moving overseas!

Also, yesterday was my birthday, I'll post pictures soon. When we put one candle on the cake (don't want to burn the house down with the actual number of candles needed for my age), Jake asked "who is turning one?"! Natalie said it was just because I was one year older.

Soccer Games Begin

Soccer games began on Saturday! All three, within 2 hours (meaning I missed most of Natalie's game because I was at Jake's - Alyssa was with Natalie at her game).
Starting at 8:45am, it was still cool, cloudy and misty - even some misty rain at Alyssa's game at 10am. The sun came out on our way home and it got hot and humid. So, an early morning, but much better watching weather.

Jake's first game (I think the first ever for everyone on his team) was great - as all first ever soccer games (or any sport) are. As the first three teammates went out to start the game, Jake turned to me and said, "it's going to be hard to play with just one ball." At practice, of course, they each have their own ball. They also practice on only half a field, with one goal. One of the difficult things to overcome was kicking it into our own goal! I kept telling Jake, before he went in, "you kick it into THAT goal" - pointing to the one down field. I asked if they were going to switch sides at half time (enough goal confusion - we scored about three goals for the other team) - they didn't!

Jake, after taking a few minutes to get into the game and stop waving at me, did great. He scored two goals and made a great assisting pass.
Another team member had the black stickers to put under your eyes and Jake wore them the rest of the day. He was very excited to keep the sun from glaring in his eyes (did I mention the cloudy, misty morning?).

Robert took Jake from his game right to a birthday party and I took Logan over to watch the end of Natalie's game and then Alyssa'a (on the same field! yea!) When I got there Alyssa told me about the great break away and down field run Natalie made to score the team's first goal of their 4-0 win. Robert and I will have to take turns, this season, so each of us can see at least one of Natalie's and Jake's games - their games are always at the same time at different fields across the street from each other.


Alyssa played most of her game on defense and had some great plays in keeping the ball away from her goal. She got to play a bit of offense at the end and hopes to play a bit more.
Logan and I were great spectators for the games. I cheered, Logan ate and played. 10 minutes before Alyssa's game was over he wanted to go home. By the time I started packing up the chairs, he was crying to stay. We are looking forward to a great, fun season for everyone!

Facebook made me Happy

I don't spend much time on facebook, but in writing a friend of mine I noticed on her facebook was a good friend of mine from High School. I was so excited!
Patti and I became friends in Junior High but lost contact after we graduated from High School and went our different ways. I invited her to my facebook and after she accepted, I got to see how she was doing. I love how her life has turned out for her. She is singing, touring and has three albums out!
I remember listening to her play the piano. She could play by ear and could play anything she heard, after some tinkering around with finding notes. I remember listening to Duran Duran with her and watching their music videos at her house.
She was, and still is, an amazing artist and has had her work shown in a gallery.
We are definitely two different people who are in two very different places and I love the fact that each of us is exactly who we should be and where we should be.
I spent a bit of the morning googling her and watching interviews she has done and a music video of one of her songs.
I had the best happiest feeling inside that morning - thanks facebook!

School Project

OK, I know that is the most boring title for a blog post ever, but I couldn't think of anything else - I think that means I need to take a nap today and get my brain functioning better!

Anyway, Natalie had a project on Greece to do for the unit they had been working on at school.
She decided to dress up!
After getting some accessories and material, trying to trouble shoot my broken sewing machine, using my friend's sewing machine and having Natalie cut down the generic leaf garland to look like olive leaves . . . we still had to figure out how to get stick straight blond hair to look like those pictures of ancient Greek women. After some initial ideas, that did NOT work once we tried it on the actual hair, we ended up with this . . . I think it turned out quite well, especially considering my great lack of hair styling ability! (the pictures were also taken after school, the hair was a bit more put together at the beginning of the day)
She thought it was great and now we have a Halloween costume as well. Bonus!