SEVEN!

 Logan and me about 5 years ago.  I love this funny little guy!

 Alex and Logan after we brought Logan home from the hospital.  Alex wasn't too sure about him at first.

 Logan--3 months old.

 My Logan Ogan Badogan!

 Jacob is holding Logan in the nursery at the hospital after he was born.  Alex was with his grandparents watching through the window and waving to his daddy.  He was 15 months old.

 Logan is a mama's boy--he'll even tell you that.  Ha.

Logan after finding Alex's unattended pudding cup.  See that smile?  This kid is always so funny!

Logan and Jacob at Kamp's 1910 cafe. 

Today, Logan turns 7.  I can't believe it.  Time is just speeding by.  Every year it seems to go by faster. I remember the day I took the pregnancy test and it was positive. I remember looking down at Alex who was crawling across the floor and thinking, "Jacob is going to be so mad!"  I left the pregnancy test in the bathroom and just waited for him to go in there and see it.  He came back out and said, "You're pregnant?"  I said, "Yes."  He smiled and said, "Good.  I like kids."  Logan was our only baby who ever really got chunky.  He was happy-go-lucky and just so funny.  It has  been so fun watching him grow over the years. He has this big heart and always wants to help anyone he can help. When he sees others hurting he cries. He is curious about everything and will ask 5 million questions.  He's just an amazing kid and I am so blessed to be his mother!

Happy birthday, Bubby!  We love you!

Time To Be Thankful

I read a blog yesterday in which the blogger had listed several things she was thankful for.  As I read each item she had taken the time to not only list, but think about, I realized that we, as humans, have a bad habit of taking things for granted.  She listed things I, myself, am guilty of taking for granted.  It served as an amazing reminder that we all have so much to be thankful for.

I was reminded today by my 6-year-old that we are to be thankful for even the smallest thing (even toys). I had big plans for today and they all just kind of fell apart and slowly I felt the bad attitude start creeping in.  So, I'm going to follow Mary's lead and post a few things today that I am thankful for.  Looking at all that is going on in the world right now it seems that it may be time to stop and take a look at all the blessings in our lives.

I am thankful for:

My children's smiles and the sound of their laughter.

Medicine that heals my children's illnesses and makes them feel better.

Little hugs from little arms (even the snotty ones).

A husband who is only a text away with advice and encouragement when the vehicle refuses to start.

My 6-year-old son reminding me to be thankful for even the little things.

Five minutes to myself (even if it means locking myself in the bathroom with a magazine and hiding behind the shower curtain).

The birds that gather outside our window and entertain my toddler.

Chocolate!

The honesty of good friends.

Jokes told by an 8-year-old.

The strawberry plant that refused to die last year and is back this year (as beautiful as ever).

Forgiveness

Kissing my kids good night and tucking them in each and every night.

Blogs written by friends and acquaintances reminding us that we have so much to be thankful for!

Light in a world filled with darkness.


What are YOU thankful for today?

Germ Factories

Yes, they are here.  They have been here for centuries and they are still thriving among us.  Germ Factories. My husband and I often joke that we are raising germ factories.  I watch my children share everything, which makes sharing germs a simple process.  Sadly, they don't even realize they are doing it!  Every time Logan is ill he asks, "What do germs look like?"  Like every other question Logan has, we turned to the internet for answers.  We looked at pictures of germs while Logan wrinkled up his cute, little, freckled nose in disgust. I reminded him that these little nasties are why his father and I are constantly telling them to wash their hands.

Living with children is always an adventure and when they are ill the adventure is taken to new heights. Eating dinner as a family becomes a test in how well you can guard your food from the toddler who is hacking all over it.  You wipe a nose only to have to repeat the process every few minutes.  Alex, who is 8, finally looked at me yesterday and said, "Why do you keep wiping it?  It does no good.  It just keeps coming."  Well, this is true.  I thought about it for a minute and then I said, "Well, I do laundry every day and it never ends.  There is always dirty laundry to wash. Do you think it does no good to do laundry since there is always dirty laundry waiting to be washed?"  He sat for a minute and then said, "No, because if you didn't do laundry we'd all be naked."  I explained that if I didn't wipe Kaitlyn's nose she would wipe it herself.  I asked if he knew how a 1-year-old would wipe her nose. His face wrinkled in bitter anticipation as he awaited my answer. I said, "She would wipe it on the furniture, on my shoulder, on her arm, and on you!  "Oh, gross!" was his response. He then left the room and reappeared a few seconds later with a fresh tissue.  "Here, mom. Wipe her nose!"

As parents with young kids we anticipate illness.  It's part of childhood to not only catch everything but to also pass it along to your siblings and friends. My children have been ill this year more so than usual, but they always bounce back.  I am so thankful for the amazing doctors we have (specialists and otherwise) and for medicine to help my gremlins feel better when they are ill.  I am thankful for all of my friends and family who offer to help out and constantly surround me with encouragement when I have sick children.

With every round of antibiotics we send the germs screaming in fear as they try to get away.  The factories fall apart with a loud crash and our children begin to feel  better. Eventually, more germs will take their place and they will rebuild and the process starts all over again.  My mother-in-law once said that the goal of a parent is to get your child to adulthood alive.  I think we're doing a pretty good job. ;)

Childhood Apraxia Walk

We are gearing up to register for the Childhood Apraxia walk this year in Dallas, Texas.  Alex is always asking to stay in a motel.  We have talked about going down and spending the night in a motel and making a weekend of it.  We will all receive this year's themed shirts and Alex, our little guest of honor, will receive a special gift.

While this is all exciting in and of itself, there is a bigger picture here.  Childhood Apraxia is still very new.  They are learning more and more about it each and every day.  Alex has both Apraxia of Speech and Apraxia of Limb.  Basically, Alex knows what he wants to say and do, but his brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements needed to form words or perform a task.

Oftentimes Alex feels trapped between two worlds.  He requires therapies and is pulled out of class quite often for help with speech, occupational therapy, math, reading and other skills/subjects. Alex has told me on more than one occasion that he feels like he doesn't belong with the "normal" kids and he doesn't belong with the special needs kids.  Logan comes home, pulls out his homework, and does it with no help in about 10 minutes.  This frustrates Alex.  Alex requires a lot of help with homework and some nights it takes us close to an hour to help him finish his homework, work on his speech practices, and his reading assignments.  He does get overwhelmed and he does get frustrated at times--who wouldn't in his position?  He is such an awesome kid, though.  Most days he shrugs his shoulders as if to say, "It is what it is, no use getting upset about it.  This is me!"

The bigger picture in attending this year's Childhood Apraxia walk is not only to help raise money for research of Apraxia, but it will also help my sweet Alex see that there are other children out there just like him.  Some days I know he feels like he is the only one, but this will help him see that he isn't.  He can meet other children with Apraxia.  We can meet families with children who have Apraxia.  I think this is going to be a really good thing, and if we can stretch it out into a fun weekend, well, I know Alex would love that! ;)

Don't Point and Laugh, Just Laugh!

"Stop it!"

"No, you stop it!"

This is when I sigh, stop what I'm doing and walk back to the boys' room and I say the so classy parent line, "You both stop it.  Now."

They are on the floor wrestling with each other, fighting about something.  These two have started fighting about pajamas and snacks.  I'm pretty sure one of these days I'm going to catch them fighting about oxygen. Just wait.  I'll keep you posted.

"What is going on?"  I ask.

They both start trying to tell me, this leads to yelling as they try and talk over each other. I hold up one hand and shout, "Hey!" They immediately grow quiet.  Logan seems more upset than Alex so I say, "Logan, what is going on?" He says, "Big brother is putting his foot on the TV and I don't like it and I keep asking for him to stop and he just keeps doing it and . . . "

I could feel my eyes growing wide as I waited for him to take a breath, pause to end a sentence, something.  No such luck, so I held my hand up again and said, "So, you guys are fighting because he is putting his foot on the TV and it's bothering you?"  Logan nodded. I looked at Alex and said, "Please, stop irritating your brother just to irritate him."  He said, "Okay" in a disappointed tone.

As I turned to leave Logan said, "He pointed at me and laughed at me too."  I sat down on Alex's trunk and asked Logan to come sit on my lap.  I asked him why he was getting upset so easily and he said, "I don't want big brother to point at me and laugh. It's not nice to point at people."  I said, "You have to learn to ignore him.  Is there anything you'd like to tell him?"  He said, "Yes." He turned to Alex and said, "Big brother it isn't nice to point at people and laugh.  Don't point and laugh, big brother.  Just laugh."  I said, "So, it's okay if he laughs?"  Logan said, "Yes, if I do something silly I can laugh with him, but when he points it means he's laughing at me and that's mean."

So, remember, don't point and laugh, just laugh.  Words of wisdom from a 6-year-old. ;)