Logan-gator

This is Logan! He is so cute right now - totally smiling and cooing all the time. He is a very happy baby and such a heartbreaker! He starts daycare next Tuesday. One minute I'm relieved and glad because I need to be able to concentrate on what I am doing at home with my law firm. On the other hand, I am fighting that motherly urge to hold on. And since I don't know if he is our last baby there is a little part of me that keeps creeping up saying "this could be the last baby you have at home and now you are sending him away". I try to keep that tucked away for only my super emotional freak outs!! He is growing so fast and I know that he is going to out of that infant car seat in no time. And then I will be back to being stuck at home with an infant that can't sit up but can't be in the carryer. I'm sure some ingenius idea will pop into my head and the problem will be solved.....can't keep a cooped up mom with three little ones stuck at home in the winter! I'm sure we'll be investing in a baby backpack or frontpack or something!

In other news, we went to an indoor playground this past weekend in Prior Lake called Playworks. This is the same place that Lauren went on her fieldtrip with the daycare at the end of last summer. It was crazy and I'm glad I didn't know about it before I let her go because I would have been doubly freaked out. The kids had so much fun and it was safe but the climbing structure was SO tall! Since I have no perception when it comes to distance or height I asked Brian and he guestimated it was about 40 feet high (the highest part). This part was a tower of sorts with a big long twisty slide coming down. I watched Brian take Lauren and Josh up to the top (it was a series of "steps" - picture getting out of a car through the car window about 50 times!). He had a funny look on his face and I couldn't tell if he was just getting annoyed because he had to keep hoisting Josh up these 3 foot tall "steps" or what. They came down the slide and all was well. Then Brian sat with Logan and I climbed in the structure to play with the kids. Lauren led me over to these "steps" and the tower. I started going up only because she was way ahead and I was worried about her. I got about 3 "steps" to the top and started to have an internal panic attack! I do not like heights and it turns out I'm a little big closterphobic! I regained control of myself ONLY because Lauren was waiting for me and I couldn't leave my 3 year old up on the top of this thing. I got to the top and was on total autopilot. I don't remember what I said to Lauren, only feeling like I needed to get out of there NOW but the only way out was down the enclosed twisty turny 40 foot high slide - YIKES! I sat down with Lauren on my lap, held on tight and almost crapped my pants on the way down! It went so unbelievably fast! And staticy - I felt like I was going to spontaneously combust!

The kids had so much fun and Brian and I got to watch Lauren help Josh up these "steps," which made us both feel so proud of her. He couldn't quite hoist himselft up so there she was, standing behind him trying to grab his leg and pull him up or push on his bottom to help him up. It was pretty hilarious because he's only a couple of pounds lighter than she is, so there's really no way that she can lift him! She was so encouraging to him, though, saying, "Joshy, you can do it! Come on let's go!" She was trying very hard to show him how to get up there, but he just doesn't have any flexibility what-so-ever! It was heartwarming to watch her care for her little brother.....made us feel as though we are doing something right through all of this!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all! I know it is a couple of days late...it's just been so busy around here. We really had a good Christmas. We stayed at our house this year. We decided that with three very small children we did not want to travel and it was important to us that our kids wake up to Santa coming to their own house. But I have to say that it was a bit lonely. Christmas eve really felt like just another day... without all the craziness of running around and the kids all wild. Lauren and Josh were not wild at all and remained pretty calm Christmas Day as well. We missed the five o'clock church service as Lauren and Logan were both sleeping (and there is NO WAY I'm waking either of those two for ANYTHING if it can be helped!) So, we ate some dinner and opened presents and went to church at 9pm. We knew this could get interesting with Josh as he is an 8pm SHARP bedtime kind of guy. But we brought his nuk so he wouldn't be SO loud and gave it a try. Logan slept the entire time. Josh sat on my lap trying to go to sleep but apparently my lap isn't big enough for him to get comfy on anymore. Lauren spent a lot of the time paging through the hymnal and announcing everytime the pastor said the words "Mary", "Joseph" or "Jesus". There were a couple of tense moments when the etch-a-sketch was not being shared and tempers started to rise...with all of us : ) But we made it through the entire service with our three small children. It felt like Christmas! I know this is something that will take some getting used to and we both wish that we lived in the same town as family so that we could be with them and come home to sleep. And who knows....maybe next Christmas we'll be in Cancun! Yeah, right......everyone who has met my husband is laughing at that last phrase right now!

The kids got some really great presents from relatives near and far. They love EVERYTHING! There has been minimal fighting and lots of playing and exploring. It is fabulous! Thank you!

My parents came to our house on Christmas morning for brunch and to give the kids their gifts, which was really great. We enjoyed our brunch and the kids didn't get too wild. That was nice.

Even though it was a little lonely with no extended family around on Christmas eve, it was very relaxing. And it was really good for us to be able to spend that time with the kids without the hustle and bustle that the holdays bring. It was calm, we talked about the birth of baby Jesus a lot and why we celebrate Christmas and really just enjoyed our kids. It was so great to see them on Christmas morning because this was their first year really understanding the whole gift and Santa thing. They were excited, which was super exciting for us!

So, from our family to yours, we hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Josh's Stats

We had Joshua's 2-year check-up earlier this week. He doesn't turn 2 until January 4th, but we got in early. Here are his stats:

Weight: 33.2lbs
Height: 3' 2"

He's a big boy! We knew he was big and pretty much the same size as Lauren, but this just confirmed it! Can anyone say football player? As long as it's for the Packers and not the Vikings, right Brian?!

The Hanson Christmas

Movie time

Kelcey, Karen and Lauren

Uncle Denny, Aunt Dana, Aunt Karen, my dad Smiley

We were down in Austin this past weekend for the Hanson Christmas party. We had a really good time and it was nice to see my aunts, uncles and cousins, and their kids, too! We had super yummy food and then played dirty bingo, as we do every year. This year Lauren was into it, but was a little bit naughty as she sat next to Grandma - she kept trying to open her present before the game was over. Josh just threw a ball all over the room and chased it and Logan ate and slept. A good time was had by all!

SANTA!

Christmas 2008

We went to see Santa today at the Mall of America. My dad really wanted a picture of the kids with Santa, so he agreed to come up and help bring all three kids to the mall to get the picture. The kids did really good, considering their ages and the amount of stimulation at the Mall of America. Josh had a couple of meltdowns and Lauren was aggravating him (and me) just for fun. Logan was pretty easy to please - he's been very sleepy since his shots yesterday. Lauren ran right up to Santa and plopped in his lap. This is a far cry from her first Santa picture two years ago (see below). Josh ran up to Santa, gave him a hug and then ran back to the stroller and sat down! We were able to convince him to sit next to Santa - I think only because Lauren was so into the whole thing! All in all, the outing was a success!

Christmas 2006

14.8!

Logan with Bumpa Smiley this past weekend

We had Logan's two-month check-up this morning and he is 14 pounds, 8 ounces!!! BIG BOY! I don't think that he seems as big as Josh did, and Josh was REALLY big, but Logan is obviously not having any problems in the eating department! He's 2 feet long and looks perfectly healthy, his doctor said! He was all smiles and coos until the shots came......he did okay. He screamed and cried which we expected, but he calmed quickly in mommy's arms afterward. He's fast asleep now, trying to repress the memory of the pain, I'm sure.

Neighborhood Christmas Party

We hosted a neighborhood Christmas party on Saturday night and boy was it fun! It started out as a kids Christmas party, but I think the adults enjoyed it as well - I know I did! We started by having the kids cut out Christmas cookies, baking them and then decorating them. They had a blast! In between, before and after there were foam Christmas trees to decorate with glitter glue and ornament stickers. We ate some dinner - pizza, pineapple, chips, etc. Then watched Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas show and The Polar Express. The adults had some good conversations and munched on all the goodies that everyone brought. The kids were wild, everything was a mess and it was SO loud - it was a perfect party!! It turned out great and I can't wait for next year - I know what changes to make!! Here are some pictures of the kids with the cookies.

Sleep!

Logan has been trying to sleep through the night! We put him down between 10 and 11pm and this morning he woke up to eat at 6:30am!!! YAY!! However, he was up at 3am off and on for about an hour and the nuk saved the day - or night! Do not understand this kid when it comes to noise. On Tuesdays and Thursdays when Lauren and Josh are at daycare, Logan REFUSES to sleep - of course, this is when mommy actually needs to be a lawyer, so it's not so great that he whines and cries the whole day. The second Lauren and Josh come in, Logan is OUT -sleeping like the sweet baby he is. So, obviously he likes the noise to be able to sleep, right? Then WHY is it that when the furnace kicks on in the night to simply blow air into his room, THIS wakes him?! He's a mystery......

This is the conversation I am listening to right now:
L: Shhhhhhh
J: No
L: Shhhhhhh
J: No
L: Shhhhhhh
J: No

You get the idea! It could go on for hours this way...

The Best That I Can....

Frustrated. Tired. Overwhelmed. Defeated. Emotional. Exhausted.

These are some of the words that describe how I feel at this exact moment. I am so tired of disappointing what feels like everyone in the whole world. Right now my life is chaos. It is controlled chaos, but chaos just the same. And none of my clothes fit - that really sucks.

So, to everyone out there with some sort of expectation of me at the moment - I'm doing the best that I can. So...

• I am not going to get the birthday cards out on time. It doesn't mean that I don't remember the birthdays.
• I am not going to get the thank you cards out on time. It doesn't mean that I'm not appreciative.
• I am not going to make the phone calls that I should to check in with those I love. It doesn't mean that I don't want to, just by the time there is a moment to breathe it is 10pm.

I'm doing the best I can. Please be patient with me. Thanks.

Lauren's Discipline Strategy

I overheard Lauren "disciplining" Joshua yesterday and I must say I was cracking up! Josh was sitting on the basement steps and Lauren was standing on a step below facing him. She had her finger a-wavin' at him and was speaking in a very harsh voice. But, ironically, he was laughing....I guess he knew she was pretending with him. Here's what she said:

You in trouble, Joshy.
You be naughty.
I cannot believe you did that.
I so disappointed in you. (which I've said to her maybe twice in her three years)
You not coming to my Izzy's birthday.
That's not okay and that hurt my feelings.
And you do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about.

Wouldn't it be nice if disciplining could always end in the hokey pokey?!