A day in the life...7/7/15

I took the kiddos to Legoland Discovery Center today. We went ahead and got an annual pass the first time we went, and it has more than paid for itself! There was a huge line of people waiting to get in when we got there, but we got to go in through the back way ahead of everyone else. The boys got to ride a couple rides and we visited a few favorite exhibits before the crowds descended. Then we headed outside to enjoy Pirate Beach.

I also finished knitting this today. It's a pattern I've never tried before, and it was a bit weird to follow. I think I'll try it again with larger needles and see if it turns out better.

In other news, Gehrig used the word "literally" correctly in a sentence. That's my avid reader. ;)

More adventures coming tomorrow...

Here we go again...

I've decided to take a Facebook break so I'm going to try to keep the old blog updated with what the kiddos are up to. I'll possibly be posting about the realities of motherhood also, but I'll keep it mainly about the kiddos. To start off, here's Lexi singing "If you're happy and you know it, shout hooray!" 

http://s861.photobucket.com/user/revolekim32/media/C92DCD21-9FBE-46BB-8472-3B421AB78AB5_zpsdtit1xwm.mp4.html

She's 13 months old today and has finally started pulling up. She's discovered a whole new world of stuff to get into.

Stay tuned for quotes, pictures, and videos.

Ten Things Grosser than Cloth Diapering

If you know me, you know I'm pretty die-hard about cloth diapering. It's pretty much the best thing ever. I've extolled the merits of it so many times that I've almost gotten tired of hearing them (almost). I know one of the main reasons a lot of people don't even consider using cloth is because they think it's disgusting. Well, as I was cleaning my 5- and 3-year-old boys' bathroom this morning, I was thinking about how much LESS gross it was when they were in diapers (CLOTH diapers!). And then I started thinking about all the things I've done as a parent--and that all parents will do at one point or another--that are grosser than cloth diapering. I managed to come up with ten, just off the top of my head. I'm sure there are many more. 


1. Potty training--the bane of my existence and the grossest thing I've ever done. So much poop and pee. EVERYWHERE. ALL THE TIME. And don't even get me started on emptying and cleaning the little potties. EW. I don't know about your kids, but it takes mine FOREVER to potty train. It is definitely grosser than cloth diapering, and guess what. Every parent has to do it!

2. Cleaning a little boy's bathroom--I don't know how it is with little girls, but I can tell you. Little boys are gross. Their bathroom is pretty much just a pee-coated room with polka-dots of poop. I am thankful every day that we have two bathrooms so they can have their own, and I don't have to share with them.

3. Diaper blow-outs--I used disposables with my oldest son until he was one, and I dealt with plenty of diaper blow-outs. You know, the ones where you have to strip them down naked and clean poop out of their armpits? Definitely grosser than cloth because you RARELY (if ever) have to deal with blow-outs in cloth diapers.

4. The sippy cup of milk you forgot about in the car--We've all done this. I have a strict no milk in the car rule, but it gets broken. And then a few weeks later, we start noticing a funky smell in the car. Then it starts smelling like something died. Finally we dig and dig and find that lovely, dripping sippy cup (because you can't find one that doesn't drip) with the solid glob of milk in it. We wash our diapers, but that sucker gets thrown in the trash.

5. Cleaning up puke--This was the part of parenting I dreaded the most. I've done it so many times now, but it's still nasty.

6. Being puked on--Does this need any explanation? 

7. Emptying a diaper genie--The good thing about cloth diapers is when my babies poop, the poop gets immediately dumped into the toilet and flushed away and the empty diaper goes into the water-proof, smell-proof wetbag. With disposable diapers, the poop goes into a sealed container and just sits there. Until you empty the container. That's a lovely smell, isn't it?

8. Cleaning poop out of the bathtub--All three of my babies have done it so I'm willing to bet pretty much every other baby has too. I would rather clean a little boys' bathroom than clean poop out of a bathtub.

9.  Cleaning out the backseat of your car--I'm pretty sure when you have kids, you could clean your backseat out every other day (which we don't) and still find gross, molding, smooshed food under their carseats. There's the old lollipops stuck like superglue to the seat, the rock-hard, fuzzy chicken nuggets, and that sippy cup of milk, of course.

10. Taking kids into a public bathroom--Public bathrooms gross me out. I really hate taking my inquisitive 3-year-old who likes to lick everything into them. I can't tell you how many times I've been washing my hands or his hands and looked down to see him happily licking the sink. 

Basically my point is: if you're a parent, you deal in the disgusting. There's no avoiding. Diapers are gross, but cloth diapers are no grosser than other stuff you have to deal with. If the grossness is the only thing standing in your way, maybe you should consider giving cloth a chance.

The Story Behind the Picture

This is one of my favorite pictures. It's a very young Mike pretending to kiss a very young, oblivious me (with horrible hair). This was taken my sophomore year, and there's just so much story behind it. I'd had a huge crush on Mike all year, but I knew he wasn't interested in me (other than flirting with me to annoy my brother). My brother was directing "Freaky Friday" for his dramatic productions class, and to my delight, he'd asked Mike to be one of the cops in the scene with the crazy phone conversation (you know which one I'm talking about). Mike has an amazing sense of comedic timing, and from the first rehearsal, nobody could keep from laughing during that scene. The whole play was just awesome and hilarious. Unfortunately, Mike missed a rehearsal (or two), and my brother was already annoyed at him so he found someone else to do the part.
I brought a disposable camera to one of the first rehearsals and took pictures with everyone there. My friend Ryan snapped this picture, and neither he nor Mike let on that Mike was doing anything other than sitting beside me, smiling at the camera (a feat that I now know he is incapable of accomplishing). Except afterwards Mike said (in what I now know as normal Mike-paranoia), "Hey, don't show that picture to anyone. I could get socialed for it." I was surprised and delighted when I got my film developed. 
We drifted apart after this and barely spoke for a couple years. But then we started hanging out again, and eventually started dating. Now, more than ten years later, we're getting ready to celebrate our seventh wedding anniversary. Looking at this picture, I still remember the flutters I would get in my stomach every time I saw him. And now I get even bigger flutters when I think about the fact that he is all mine forever and always. How in the world did I get lucky enough to end up with the coolest, funniest guy I've ever met? 

10 Reasons I Breastfeed

Disclaimer: I never thought I'd be a breastfeeding activist, but I have come to feel passionately about it. I know there are mothers who are unable to breastfeed for one reason or another, and that most certainly does not make you a bad mother! I just think people should not discount breastfeeding because it's weird or gross. I don't think it should even be considered "crunchy"--it should be the norm! And here's why:

1. Breast is best. This isn't a "slogan" to advance some agenda. It's not an opinion. It's not a bunch of women advocating their right to let their boobs hang out. It's a fact. Breastmilk is absolutely and utterly amazing--we don't even know all the amazing aspects of it. God Himself gave mommies the ability to feed their babies exactly what the babies need. Breastmilk prevents cancer. Breastmilk prevents sickness. Breastmilk can help heal sick babies. Breastmilk changes as a baby grows to adjust to the baby's digestive needs. There is no real substitute for breastmilk. Breast is best.

2. The bond you achieve by nursing your baby is like no other. I don't think anyone who hasn't breastfed a baby will understand this bond. That feeling you get when your baby is born and you see him for the first time? I get that feeling all over again every time I nurse. 

3. I am horrible at packing a diaper bag. I *always* forget something (just ask my husband). Half the time I forget to bring the kids something to drink. I always forget snacks. Imagine what kind of pickle we'd be in if we were out for the day and I'd forgotten milk for the baby. Thankfully I don't have to worry about that so I can concentrate on making sure there are actually wipes *in* the diaper bag and not on the table beside it.

4. I have no clue how much my baby eats. 5 oz? 6 oz? 8 oz? I would not know how much to put in a bottle for her. But my body knows exactly how much she needs. We both know when it's time for her to eat, and if she decides she needs to eat a little early, that's fine too. She gets what she needs without eating too much or too little.

5. Breastmilk makes babies smarter. It's a fact. And why wouldn't you want to give your kids that extra advantage?

6. I believe babies need that special snuggle time with Mommy. It makes me sad to see babies holding their own bottles--that's not how God intended for babies to eat! They're supposed to be snuggled up to their mommies getting security and comfort as well as nourishment. There is no more content sound in the world than the sound a nursing baby makes--kind of a half-sigh, half-hum. It relaxes you just to hear it.

7. The memories of nursing your baby will stay with you for the rest of your life. Every time I see a picture of a baby nursing, his little fist holding onto his mommy's shirt, I think of nursing my own sweet babies, their chubby little dimpled hands tugging on my shirt or my hair. I know other nursing mommies have the same experience. I think that's why we like to share pictures so much. :)

8. It's free.

9. When it's time for my baby to eat, she is all mine. No matter what is going on or who is holding her, I'm the only one who can feed her. I have an excuse to be selfish.

10. Breastfeeding empowers you as a mother. You are confident that you are doing what is best for your baby. You don't worry as much about your baby getting sick because you know that your antibodies will fight for her. Making milk truly is a God-given superpower.

My Quotable Kids part 2

June 3, 2011
- My day just got a hundred times better when Gehrig said, "Thank you for the wishus dinner, Mommy. You're the best cooker ever."  ~ Liz

June 5, 2011
- Liz: "Did Logan rip your book?" Gehrig: "Yeah. He's being a bad zample."

June 17, 2011
- "Logan, Mommy and me are here with you, don't be afraid. We are here." ~ the song Gehrig made up in the car on the way home from the mall. 

June 27, 2011
- Gehrig: "Can you read this to me?" Liz: "Not right now. You can read it to yourself." Gehrig: "I don't know how. I'm just a little boy who doesn't know how."

July 10, 2011
- Liz: "Are you stealing my french fries?" Gehrig: "No, you're sharing with me."

July 12, 2011
- Gehrig: "Why do I always like to watch Fireman Sam?" Liz: "I don't know. Why do you always like to watch Fireman Sam?" Gehrig: "Because I don't hate it."

July 20, 2011
- Gehrig just came and said, "Mommy, someone sent me a message!" I said, "What did it say?" He answered, "It said, 'Go and tell people about Jesus.'" Hm...I wonder who sent him that message!  

August 11, 2011
Gehrig recorded himself saying, "I wuv you, Wogan" on Logan's toy phone, and I told Logan, "You sure have a sweet bubba." Gehrig said, "I AM a sweet bubba. You're right."

September 5, 2011
Logan just grabbed the toy Gehrig was playing with and took off running. I told him to give it back, and he looked at me and jabbered something before turning and running again. Gehrig said, "Did you just tell Mommy no?" 

September 9, 2011
In the car this evening Gehrig informed me that he doesn't ask questions to drive me crazy, he's just asking them so he can learn. And then he told me to turn off my turn signal because it was 'noying him.

September 23, 2011
Gehrig: Mommy, I'm Gehrig the power ranger.
Me: Okay.
Gehrig: Mo-mmy! I'm Gehrig the power ranger.
Me: Okay.
Gehrig: MOMMY! I said I'm Gehrig the power ranger.
Me: Okay, I heard you. You don't need to tell me five times.
Gehrig: You mean three times.

September 28, 2011
Gehrig: Does firemans pick their noses?
Me: Ew, no.
Gehrig: So, Mommy, here's the question. Do I want to be a fireman or do I want to be a picker?

October 8, 2011
I was listening to "Lead Me" (I think that's the name of that song), and Gehrig said, "Why is he hungry for lunch? Is this a lunch song?"

October 11, 2011
Gehrig is playing Cubbies and told me to take a whistle out of the treasure box. He then told me, "Don't blow the whistle here; you can blow it in the car or at home." Hm. :-\

October 14, 2011
Gehrig's verse for Cubbies this week is "He made everything beautiful." We've been working on it for a couple days, and I thought he had it memorized. This evening I asked him what his verse was, and he said, "God made pretty stuff."

October 15, 2011
Gehrig and Logan were playing in their room, and I heard a thump and muffled crying from Logan. I yelled, "What are you doing, Gehrig?" And he took off running down the hall, yelling, "I did nuffin'!" Uh-huh.

October 19, 2011
Gehrig and Logan rolled around in the grass yesterday so their allergies are going crazy today (praying Logan doesn't have trouble breathing tonight!). When we got to church tonight, Gehrig said, "Maybe my teacher will like Mr. Snotty Nose."

November 6, 2011
I'm waiting in the car with the boys while Mike is in 7-11. Gehrig just said, "I wonder what he's getting. Cupcakes? Pumpkins? A nose picking machine?"

November 7, 2011
We were at Dollar Tree this evening, and the door to the loading dock was open. Gehrig saw it and said, "Hey, look! An old-fashioned garage!" I seriously have no idea where he gets this stuff.

November 8, 2011
Gehrig: "Why are we going to Wal-Mart?"
Me: "Because we need some flour."
Gehrig: "Can we get roses?"

November 9, 2011
Our conversation while making pizza this evening:
Me: You need to spread the sauce around a little more.
Gehrig: Duh.
Me: Aren't you a little young to be saying "duh"?
Gehrig: Yes. Yes, I am.

November 10, 2011
I almost forgot about the sweetest part of my day--as I was getting ready to leave for work this morning and was telling everyone bye, Logan came running over to me and said, "Want some!" I leaned down and said, "What do you want some of?" And he gave me a kiss. ♥

November 16, 2011
"I want to be a real Chinese when I grow up, okay Mommy?" ~Gehrig

November 18, 2011
I heard a big thump in the boys' bedroom, and I yelled, "Logan, what are you doing?" Logan yelled back, "Nussin'!" *sigh*

November 29, 2011
Okay, seriously, I don't think normal three-year-olds are this good at being annoying. It must be genetic. The conversation I just had with Gehrig:
Gehrig: I'm hungry!
Me: What do you want? A cookie?
Gehrig: NO! I don't want a cookie!! I want a cookie!

December 15, 2011
Gehrig and I were playing Batman and bad guy, and Gehrig made Batman fly away from the bad guy (a snake).
Me (bad guy): You got away this time, but I'll get you next time, Batman!
Gehrig (Batman): Will you be nice next time?
Me: No! I'm going to get you!
Gehrig: But I don't like to be dead!

December 16, 2011
Gehrig is watching an old Christmas cartoon and church bells were ringing on it. Gehrig said, "Are the bells saying 'Glory to God'?"

December 25, 2011
I ♥ the stage Logan is at right now--he's learning so fast and repeating everything we say. And he remembers everything! Today at lunch, Mike stole a piece of Logan's ham, and Logan said, "Mike!"

January 6, 2012
This morning when I gave the boys their cereal, Logan looked at his and sadly said, "pancakes." Gehrig said, "aw, Logan, it's okay. You can pretend it's pancakes."

January 6, 2012
Me: don't push the bucket, Gehrig. 
Gehrig: don't push the bucket is my middle name, momma.

January 17, 2012
Played outside with the boys and took a walk in the sunshine. Now we're finishing up dinner, and I'm listening to Logan tell his tater tot "3, 5, 6, stop it!"

January 24, 2012
I think Logan's psychic. He just out of the blue said "Bwess you." to Mike. Mike said, "Thank you." They did it a couple more times. Two seconds later, Mike sneezed. And Logan said, "Bwess you."

January 25, 2012
Gehrig is watching Go Diego Go and they were talking about an animal being in trouble. Logan said, "Trouble. Obey!" :)

February 3, 2012
Logan is sticking pretzels in a firetruck and driving it around the living room. His running commentary is, "Pitzels. Peace-you! Bye! Luh-you! Peace-you! Luh-you! Pitzels. Ohhh nooo! Pitzels crash! Mumin'!" Translated into English that's: "Pretzels! Me too! Bye! Love you! Me too! Love you! Pretzels. Ohhh nooo! Pretzels crash! Comin'!" He's the most awesome baby ever.

February 7, 2012
I just heard Logan walking down the hall saying, "Do this. I say so."

February 8, 2012
We're having turkey and cheese wraps for dinner, and Logan is busily taking his apart and arranging it on the table, saying, "Oh! Picture! Oh! Picture!" I said, "What are you doing, Logie?" And he said, "Make. Picture." He's at such a cute age! Prepare yourself for constant Logan status updates. :)

February 9, 2012
Gehrig: Can I have a chocolate cookie?
Me: Hm.
Gehrig: Would that be a yes or a no?
I love how my kids talk! :)

February 11, 2012
"mommy, I don't know how a lollipop could catch fire in the frigerator. I was thinking about that." -Gehrig

February 16, 2012
"Mommy, will the jello catch on fire if I turn the light off?" ~ Gehrig


February 22, 2012
Gehrig is sleeping on the couch, and Logan was sitting on the trunk saying, "I luh you, Bubba. I luh you. I luh you, Bubba."

February 24, 2012
Logan woke up in a contrary mood this morning. He's disagreeing with Super Why about which letters are which. They say, "It's an S!" and he says, "No. M."

March 7, 2012
The boys have this toy microwave and one of the things it says is, "Bacon's ready!" A little while ago, our smoke detector beeped three times (still don't know why) and Logan came running out of his room yelling, "Bacon's ready! Bacon's ready!"

March 20, 2012
Logan was sitting on the floor, pulling videos out of their cases.
Me: Logan...
Logan (very innocently): Nuffing. Nuffing.

March 26, 2012
I have no clue what Logan is talking about: "Uh...cups...uh...chicken....uh...bananas. Oink. Oink." All this while looking out the window. Strange kid.

March 26, 2012
Whenever Gehrig tells me "no" or throws a fit about something, I tell him to go to bed. Logan was trying to steal Gehrig's breakfast and Gehrig kept telling him, "No!" and Logan kept saying, "Go bed! Go bed!"

March 28, 2012
My sweet baby is sitting at the table, eating a poptart, and singing, "Moo moo moo, quack quack, e-i-e-o. Moo moo moo, quack quack, e-i-e-o, farm." He seems to be all better. Yay!

April 6, 2012
Logan was crawling around the floor saying, "Woof, woof." Then he looked up at me and said, "I a horsey."

April 9, 2012
I've got a stopped-up head and a runny nose today, and every time I blow my nose, Logan says all impressed, "Dood dob, mama!"

April 11, 2012
Gehrig was biting his lightsaber, and Logan kept grabbing it and yelling, "Out of your mouth!" (something he obviously hears a lot) I thought he was trying to be helpful until he managed to get the lightsaber away from Gehrig and said, "Let me try!" and stuck it in his mouth. :-\

April 16, 2012
Gehrig is flipping through Netflix, trying to find Power Rangers, and poor Logan is saying, "How 'bout Cow? How 'bout show? How 'bout car? How 'bout Barney? How 'bout Fire Sam?"

April 18, 2012
Logan is just constantly talking about random things. I brought him to bed with me this morning, and he just lay there talking. "That too many toys, Mommy. Go Target morrow. Wake up, Daddy! Daddy sweepin'. Shhh. Go Target."

April 25, 2012
While changing Logan's diaper:
Me: Oh Logan, you're stinky again.
Logan: 'Course I'm stinky.
I think it may be time to invest in a diaper sprayer.

April 30, 2012
Logan (very pitifully): Mommy, hurt.
Me: What hurts, buddy?
Logan: Turtle bite you.
Well, that was random. Now to figure out what "turtle" means and if it really did bite him.

May 1, 2012
*sigh* I think we may have another tough one to potty train on our hands.
Logan: Go stinky, Daddy.
Mike: You need to go stinky?
Logan: No, went stinky. WENT stinky, Daddy.
Mike: You wanna go stinky in the potty?
Logan: No, go stinky in my PANTS, Daddy. In my PANTS.

May 9, 2012
When I told the boys we wouldn't be picking up Mike from work tonight (we usually pick him up, he drives us home and then back to work), Logan started screaming and Gehrig said, "But how will he get home?" I said, "Someone else will drive him." He said, "But we're his family; we should drive him."

May 13, 2012
I thought I heard Logan say, "Fingers in my nose." And I looked to see that yes, that is indeed what he said. :\

May 15, 2012
Our neighbor's back yard is so flooded, there are ducks in it. Logan was standing at the kitchen door yelling, "Quack-quacks, that's yucky!"

May 16, 2012
"Sometimes I talk loud to my pancakes, but sometimes I talk soft like this....and I'm just thinkin', but Jesus can hear me when I'm thinkin'. And so can my pancakes." --Gehrig

May 19, 2012
Me: are you a piggy, Logan?
Logan: no! I the penguin!
Gehrig: are you a piggy, Logan?
Logan: no! I the horsey!

May 20, 2012
"Tra-formers, Mommy. Robots i' the skies, Mommy." --Logan

June 1, 2012
Me: Hey, big boy, you're two!
Logan: Nooo. I number one, Mommy.

June 6, 2012
Logan: Pa-si-cal?
Me: What?
Logan: Pa-si-cal?
Me: Popsicle?
Logan: Okay, Mommy.

June 6, 2012
Me: who was messing with these no-nos?
Gehrig: I think it was Logan...or me. I didn't see who did it.

June 11, 2012
"If the bees sting me really bad, it'll take away all my tough, and I'll never be tough again." - Gehrig

June 23, 2012
"I pee-, I pah-,....I peed-ed." ~ Logan, experimenting with past tense apparently.

July 6, 2012
Logan: *licking the front of the dishwasher*
Me: Logan, stop licking that. 
Logan: Okay, mommy. *takes one step over and starts licking the cabinet*
This crazy kid.

July 17, 2012
A conversation with Logan over the Morton salt girl:
Logan: He's taking a shower, Mommy.
Me: Who's taking a shower?
Logan: I SAID HE's taking a shower.
Me: I know, but who are you talking about? That little girl?
Logan: NO! He's not a little girl.
Me: Well, I don't know who you're talking about then.
Logan: He's not takin' a shower. It's raining. He's a little girl and it's rainin', Mommy.
*sigh* He apparently gets his daddy's argumentative attitude. :\ But at least no one will ever tell him what to think!

July 18, 2012
Me: Logan, do you want some chocolate cereal for breakfast?
Logan: No! I want chocolate mashed potatoes!

July 25, 2012
Logan *grabbing one of his Geotrax trains*: I'm gonna play with nuthin'!
Me: What?
Gehrig: Oh, I didn't know what that train's name is so I named it Nuthin'.

August 26, 2012
Logan just took a drink of Mike's Dr. Pepper and then said, "What do I think I'm doing, Mommy?"

August 29, 2012
Crazy conversations in the car on the way to get Mike after church ending with Logan asking me to sing the "Days of the week" song and then singing along but instead of singing the right words, he sang, "I reeeaaally wanna ride in a rocket ship!"

September 13, 2012
"3-2-1-2! I good at counting, Mommy!" ~ Logan

September 14, 2012
The other day on Disney Junior they were showing the parade at Disney World, and Logan was yelling out the characters as they passed. I made the mistake of asking him if he wanted to go there. Since then, he's been asking to go see Doc McStuffins, Stuffy, and Chilly. Every time we leave the house, he gets all excited and says we're going to see Doc. Today he also asked to go see "Special Oso." I told him, "I don't know here Special Agent Oso lives." Gehrig yelled from the other room, "Special Agent Oso lives in North Carolina!"

October 1, 2012
Me: WHY do you have to drive me crazy?
Gehrig: Because everyone sins.

October 3, 2012
"I be a cowboy! I gonna ride a cow!" ~ Logan

November 13, 2012
Logan's decided he really likes Super Why. He's been running around the house saying, "I'm a super hero! With the power to breathe!"

November 27, 2012
I was changing Katie Rose's diaper in the boys' room this afternoon, and, as she is wont to do, she rather noisily filled her newly changed diaper. Gehrig looked up from his legos and said, "Wow. Did her toes fall off?"

November 28, 2012
On the way home from church I was reminded how much Gehrig is like me and how much Logan is like Mike. Gehrig told me in great detail what they did in Cubbies--I was amazed at the details he remembered! I asked Logan what they learned in Puggles and he said, "God made....the water. No. Not really. God made....hey! There's Burger King!"

November 29, 2012
"Do they have TVs in Heaven so I can play all my games? If they don't, I can just take my Gameboy because I can carry it." ~ Gehrig

December 16, 2012
"My pants fell down! I'm walking around like a daddy!" ~ Logan (I guess Mike should start wearing pants more often)

December 19, 2012
Logan just came into the living room wearing a brown junior ranger hat and Woody (from Toy Story) boots, humming the Indiana Jones song, and announced, "Look! I'm wearing Indiana Jones dancing shoes!....I mean, dancing BOOTS."

January 12, 2013
"Can I have the fireman with the helmet and the sword who's not a fireman?" ~ Logan

January 26, 2013
Gehrig: I've never had hot chocolate before. What does it taste like?
Logan: It tastes like snot!

January 28, 2013
Logan playing with two Lego guys:
"Hey, you pinched my nose!"
"Silly, we don't have noses."

February 1, 2013
Me: It's Friday, boys!
Logan: No, Mommy, it's Jan-u-ary.
Me: Well, actually it's February.
Logan: Yeah, Mommy, it's Fan-u-ary.
Me: No, Feb-ru-ary.
Logan: No, Mommy, Larry the cucumber.

February 1, 2013
Logan: Mommy, something hurts.
Me: What hurts?
Logan: My shirt is.
Me: Your shirt?
Logan: Yeah. When Gehrig stepped on me.

February 3, 2013
Logan just came into the living room wearing a Darth Vader mask. He laughed and said to me, "Hi Princess Leia, I'm not real."

February 11, 2013
Me: Logan, why are you biting your arm?
Logan: I'm biting my arm to get the snot off.
Sometimes I just wish I hadn't asked...

February 19, 2013
Gehrig and Logan were playing "pirate Veggietales" while I was folding clothes in the other room. I heard Gehrig hit Logan with his "sword" (a lightsaber) and Logan started crying.
Gehrig: Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!
Logan (now calm): Gehrig, did you hit me in the head or the face?
Gehrig: It was an accident!
Logan: Ohhh. Okay.

February 24, 2013
Mike: What do you want to tell God, Logan?
Logan: I want to tell Him for the firefighters.
Mike: You want to tell Him thank you for the firefighters?
Logan: Yeah. Thank you, God, for the firefighters!
Mike: You wanna tell God you want to be a firefighter?
Logan: No, no, no, Daddy, I don't want to be a firefighter!
Mike: Well, what do you want to be?
Logan: Nothing!

February 25, 2013
"Queen Mala-Dala, I am your father, Genebal Brievous." --Logan (apparently he's re-writing Star Wars)

March 1, 2013
More random weird quotes from my children: "Stinky is *not* a sandcastle, Mommy." - Logan (I'm very glad we made that distinction!)
"If I was a candle that couldn't get burned by another candle, I would eat that candle." ~Gehrig apparently thinks my vanilla candle smells good.

March 2, 2013
Logan's scared of the vacuum cleaner and tonight I found out why when he randomly asked me, "Can the vacuum cleaner not pop your head off?"

March 5, 2013
Oh yeah, I forgot what Gehrig said yesterday. He has to be the sweetest, smartest 4-year-old there ever was. After we did the tour of the Capitol Building and Mike pointed out some other stuff to him, later on that afternoon he said, "Mommy, all that important stuff we saw today, it's not as more important as God, is it? God's more important."

March 13, 2013
Me: Gehrig, stop arguing and just listen to me.
Gehrig: I *am* listening to you. Now what were you saying again?

March 24, 2013
Gehrig: Mommy, they spelled Logan's name wrong on his paper. They spelled it S-I-
Me: No, that says "Sing Hosanna."
Logan: Yeah, my name is Sing Hosanna.

March 26, 2013
"Let's sing the donut song! DO-NUT! DO-NUT! DO-NUT!" -Logan

The Beauty of Rules

This is pretty much a completely random post, but I'm thinking of it at the moment so I'm writing it. Although our oldest child is only four (five next month!), Mike and I have already talked a few times about where we would like our kids to go to college (and yes, they are going to college). We have somewhat differing views, and it won't really be our decision anyway. Plus we really don't know yet what each kid will need when they're ready to go to college. Mike tends to lean more towards less conservative colleges, while I would like the kids locked up tight with as many rules as possible. 
Thinking back to my college days in a school with ridiculously strict rules, I don't regret anything about going there (although before I started my freshman year, I would have chosen a few other places if it had been left up to me--thank goodness it wasn't!). When you're one of 4,000 other people living with the rules, you don't really think about what a restricted life it is--or at least I didn't. I chose to dwell on the other aspects--having my friends right down the hall whenever I wanted to hang out, going to classes I loved (and ones I hated), meeting new people, making my own decisions for the first time, but still being able to call Mom and Dad if I felt like the decision was too big or I was out of money. That's what I remember when I think of college.
And when I do take time to think of the rules, I see the beauty in them. When Mike and I first started hanging out, we couldn't even touch, let alone kiss for the first few months. But let me tell you, when he "accidentally" (but completely on purpose) brushed his arm against mine, my heart would drop into my stomach. And when we were finally able to kiss after months of dating, wow....the thought of that first kiss still takes my breath away. I would rather have that than memories of meaningless kisses with meaningless guys, or not near as meaningful a kiss with the most meaningful guy. 
You can choose to dwell on the negative side of strict rules, but I see the beauty in them. And I would not mind at all if my kids want to go to the strictest school there is.