Logan's 2nd Birthday!

On Saturday, January 17, 2009 we held Logan's birthday party at Snapperz. I have posted on this place previously. It is a huge building with themed inflatables, 4-story climbing area, trampoline, toddler area, etc. The place is great for not only children but adults too. When we realized we would have about 50 people in attendance we realized we needed somewhere big to accomdate them so this was the place! I can't rave enough on this place and how awesome the staff were! If anyone out there has a party coming up you should really look into this place.

http://www.snapperzfun.com/Main.aspx?Page=default

All Logan's family and friends showed up and we had Elmo cake, pizza, playtime and gifts. It was such a wonderful time. The best part was watching all the kids on the trampoline...and the kids included me, Heather and Megan :) I showed off my mad skillz by doing front and back flips in sequence.

On Logan's actual birthday, January 20, 2009 we kept it pretty low key. He was still a little exhausted from the long weekend. When Brian got home we took Logan to play at the mall playground and eat at Chick-fil-A. He played until he was absolutely so tired he couldn't really walk straight. He decided to start spinning in circles and when he stopped he crashed his head into the slide. I grabbed him up and there it was...a huge knot in the middle of his forehead...time to go home. We sat his little cake in front of him so that he could just dig in. Well, it's kinda hard to just dig in if mom forgot to thaw the cake! Hey, I'm still new to all this :) As he sat there it started to thaw a little so he finally got to dig in a little. Definitely a memorable moment!

Happy Birthday Logan! Mommy and Daddy Love You So Very Much!

December 2008

We went to get our Christmas tree at the normal place...Season's Gardens. It is a landscaping company across from our housing edition.

My brother, Aaron turned 26 on December 2nd. So, since he is still such a big kid we met him and his girlfriend, Heather, at Chuch E Cheese. We ate pizza, played games, and took lots of pictures. I got the most tickets and got Aaron a Chuck E Cheese birthday doll that we all signed for him. We all really felt like a kid again :) We love you Aaron...Happy Birthday!

Brian and I took Logan to Disney on Ice. We really planned on being there for maybe the first part and he'd be ready to leave. But we couldn't believe it...he sat thru the entire thing! As soon as the show started he was just staring and then he would sing and dance. At intermission we shared an ice cream and then headed back to the show. The only part he was bored in was the prince/princess dances....he's all boy. For me, I loved this part because it was all the "couples" that I had grown up with as a little girl. Brian was laughing at me...he's also all boy :)

Heather and Aaron brought pizza one night during the week and we had our gift exchange with her since she would be with her family for Christmas. Logan really likes Heather and loves to do her hair. He also like to point out Aarons "moley."

We went to Chicago for the weekend before Christmas to spend it with Brian's side of the family. Brian's mom, dad, sister, Brandon, Erik, Courtney and Boppa were there. We ate appetizers, sat down for a nice dinner, opened gifts and stayed up late talking. The amount of gifts for Logan was insane. When we left we barely fit everything into my Jeep. Some of the things he got was a radio flyer wagon, giant radio flyer horse, Elmo Live, books, and so on.

For Christmas this year we had it at our house. I turned the front room into a Whoville with lots of colored lights and decorations. This was really fun and different for me b/c for the rest of the house I use white, silver, and blues to decorate. The decorations all turned out great and Logan seemed to enjoy all the colors.

He wasn't too fond of Santa though. We took him to see Santa at Reynolds farm and he actually sat next to him but was continuing to hold my arm the whole time. Santa started saying Elmo and that got Logan a little interested but he was much happier when I took him away.

My mom, dad, and brothers came to spend the night on Christmas Eve. We did our normal tradition of going to see lights, eating appetizers and opening sibling gifts. I also had a gift for everyone...matching sleepy pants. This way we could all match when we woke up on Christmas morning. Yes I know I'm a dork :)
On Christmas morning we videotaped Logan's waking up...he wasn't very cheery at first but perked up once he got going. We then tore into the gifts...my brothers and I still rip them open like when we were young. Logan was obviously tired of opening gifts because he stopped opening them and said "done." Once done opening, we ate the casserole my mom made and played with our new gifts. Around 1 p.m. Tonya, Eric and Nick came over and I fixed a mid-day dinner for everyone: chicken cordon bleu, roasted potatoes, ceaser salad, and appetizers. Once everyone left, Alex hung around for a little bit and Brian and I opened our gifts to each other. We got Logan to open a couple more, but then we went ahead and opened his too. What a Christmas! It was all I could've hoped for.

We got to have one more Christmas celebration with my grandma & grandpa Cummins....Logan's great-grandparents. They got him a Thomas the Train bike and much needed helmet and knee pads :)

Brian turned 30 on December 31. The night before I had Aaron, Heather, Tonya, and Alex over for a small get together to celebrate the big day. Then for his actual birthday we decided to keep Logan with us and spend the evening as a family rather then getting a babysitter. We went to Qdoba for breakfast...Brian's fav...and then had a late dinner at the Kona Grill in Carmel. Once home and Logan was put to bed, he didn't even come close to staying up until midnight, we watched the ball drop on television. Another family night together that we will always remember.

November 2008

By now, Logan has really gotten to know his extended family. We have made sure to see the Peterson family in Chicago at least once a month. They have been coming to spend the weekend with us or we have been going there. Logan has also spent weekends with his Papaw and Nana Shepard. He loves to point everyone out in the pictures around our house and is finally starting to say a couple words on the phone when they call...rather then just sitting there listening.

We've been taking him with us to workout at the YMCA but he's not too fond of the children's watch area yet. He cries when we drop him off, but then as soon as we walk away he's fine. He gets really excited when we pick him up and we also get to see him playing with other children...which is always a joy. In February we are starting music lessons there, so I really think that the more we go and do activities there, he will like it a little more.

Logan has a tent that he was given to him by his Papaw and Nana and he loves it. He gets into and rolls all over the place. Well, I found a tunnel that attaches to it and he has a great time crawling thru it, only problem is that it takes up the whole living room. I'm really considering making the office into a playroom for all his larger toys.



For Thanksgiving we went to my parents house in Richmond, Indiana. It was weird to have it there because they have moved from the house we have lived in since I was a freshmen in high school....so about 15 years. Wow, I won't be putting any age information again. Anyways, the whole family was there and it was so exciting to spend our first Holiday with Logan. We have a very relaxed atmosphere at Thanksgiving. First we stand in a circle and say what we are thankful for, next my dad says a prayer and we start eating around 1:30. Football is on the television all day...we are a big Cowboys family...except Brian is a Bears fan. They are fighting on what Logan will be :) Afterwards we'll play games and just hang out. Then later on everyone usually starts munching again. The day couldn't be any better.

The day after Thanksgiving my mom and I got up at 4 am and went shopping. We always talked about doing it, but this year we finally did. So, for hours we shopped at several different stores and got some good deals, but mainly we just had fun spending quality time alone together.

October 2008

October was a busy month for us. Logan has really come a long way and we are enjoying spending time at home together and lots of outings with friends.

We had our first play date at the Indy zoo with Jessica, Quinn, Marsha and her two girls. It was very fun watching Logan interact with children around his age. He's still a little behind but not much. V is Logan's age, about 18 months, but she has an older sister and so she is a little monkey. She follows right along with the older children and can usually keep up. Logan was getting better as the day went on and so I think it's going to be great for him to hang around with the other children.

The following week, we all went to a place called Snapperz. It is a huge building with open area filled with bounce houses, slides, 4-story climbing area that reminded me of chutes and ladders, and toddler areas. It was another great day with our new friends.

Jessica and Quinn met us at the A+ gymnastics another week and we had a blast! The whole area and all the equipment is available to the children and adults. We ran, jumped and hung from all types of gymnastic items, like the pit filled with foam squares, the rings, and spring floors. It was a great workout and Logan was tired for the night.

We headed down to Louisville, KY because I had a conference to go to on Sunday. So, we made a mini-vaca out of it. On Saturday we met with the Orr family. They are the couple that we became very close to during the adoption b/c they adopted from the same town and one boy from the same orphanage as Logan. We first went to their home and Logan got to play with their boys for a bit. Then we all went to a petting zoo and pumpkin patch. All the boys did very well and it was great for pictures to have all of us together!

For Halloween, Logan was a dragon. Funny story about the costume...when I bought it, it was just a little tight, but the only size left. So, he was so adorable in it I just went ahead and got it since he wouldn't prob grow that much in a month. OK, I was wrong about that....when it came time to wear the costume I had to cut the bottoms of the feet out so that he could walk. Otherwise, he fell on the floor and couldn't get back up...which was absolutely hilarious to both of us. I was laughing so hard that I was crying and he was just rolling around on the floor laughing too. But, it all worked out once the feet were cut out and you couldn't tell, so it was still really cute on him. My mom, dad, aaron, and Tonya all came over to go with us Trick-or-Treating. We had a great time and he got lots of candy...for us...we wouldn't want him to ruin his teeth :)