mister personality

Logan has developed quite the personality in the past couple of weeks, but especially since his surgery. No more drunken sailor walk - yay!! The words are flying out of him like no one's business and he's become so much more imaginative and creative. It's amazing to watch! I've heard him say: cat, car, train tracks, Joshy, Lauren (wauwen), Dixie Sue, stop, no, excuse me, thank you, please, my "b" (blankie). The other night he also said his first full sentence: I waaaant myyyyy daaaddddyyyyy. Any yes, the extra letters are in there for emphasis, not as some new weird texting thing that them there kids are doing now-a-days. He was wailing, but I could still make out the words! And it's not surprising he would say that sentence first - he's heard it enough from his sister and brother!!

We are so very happy that we can notice notable improvement in Logan since his surgery. It does make me feel bad that his world was obviously so muffled before. Poor little guy! But we are only looking forward now!

How long do you think before HE starts the back-talk???!?!!!

thoughts from joshua

For Mother's Day, Josh's teachers recorded some thoughts he had about me. I had to laugh really hard when I read them!! Here are the highlights:

What does mommy do at her job? She works out (Really? I think I've gone running once in his lifetime!!! Daddy is the one who works out....)

Mommy is good years old. (Thank you Joshy-boy!!)

Mommy's favorite food is: Chicken Pot Pie (So I do really like homemade chicken pot pie, however, our friendly little three-year old neighbor randomly calls people chicken pot pie and I think this is where this is coming from. You can only imagine the conversation: "hey you!" "What?" "Chicken pot pie." Random and hilarious all at the same time.)

My mommy does many nice things for me, like: We work out (Again, what????)

So funny and so very sweet!! I love it and it has put a smile on my face everytime I read it!!

logan's surgery

Logan is out of surgery and home. He had his ear tubes replaced, his adenoids removed, his hernia repaired, and an orchiopexy. Everything went great! He is still groggy from the anesthesia and the pain meds that he was given, but he is doing wonderfully. We're going to take it easy for a few days and get plenty of rest!

is he serious?

This is our neighbor, Brenton. Brenton and his wife Stephanie are fabulous neighbors and our families have grown very close over the last couple of years. Brenton has a sense of humor where I have a hard time telling if he is being serious or not. So, I made him these signs so that when we are all hanging out, he wouldn't constantly have to be telling us (or rather me) if he was being serious. However, I think that the signs got turned into swords by the kids and then eventually got chewed on by Dixie, so I'll have to come up with something new for Brenton....

shoe strings

Lauren's first shoe tie on her daddy's shoes

the best mother's day weekend

I simply had the BEST Mother's day weekend. On Friday, a dear friend of mine, Jana and I stayed at the Hilton in Minneapolis. I have known Jana since middle school and she was my college roommate. The Hilton was offering a Macy's Mother's Day special and us mom's decided that was just what we needed - some mom time together! We went to Minneapolis and had the best time! We have not had the opportunity to spend time together really since our kids have been born, at least not like this and it was so fabulous!! We went out to eat at the Rock Bottom Brewery and then went dancing. It was F-U-N!! We ordered pizza at 3am and it felt just like it did back in college. However, in college we did that Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. I think my body is still recovering from last Friday night! But it was so worth it! We laughed, we vented, we sought advice, we listened, we relaxed and we had a blast. And for me, it just felt good to be Megan - not mom, not wife, not lawyer, not community member, not problem-solver, not any other role. Just me. All of those roles make me who I am, however, "I" was my focus on Friday and I don't remember the last time that happened. Me and my friend. And that was all I needed.

I'm thinking we should make it a semi-annual event......like a half-Mother's day the second weekend in November.

On Saturday, it was so good to see Brian and the kids and they surprised me with roses! : ) I missed them even though I enjoyed my "me" time. After dinner, I turned on the Mama Mia soundtrack and the three kids danced their little hearts out! It was so great to see them all three dancing together and Logan's squealy laughter as Lauren and Josh grabbed his hands and they all turned around in a circle only to fall down. And then repeat. And repeat again and again for about an hour! It was so fun and it brought tears to my eyes thinking about what gifts they are. Through all the poopy diapers, vomit, runny noses, back-talk, crying, disciplining and constant repeating, that moment watching my three children dancing together and having a grand old time is what makes all the other stuff so worth it!

On Sunday my parents came up for brunch. It was so good to see them and be with my mom on Mother's Day. My mom and I exchanged hanging flower baskets - neither one of us knowing that's what the other had gotten and mine is beautiful! I love it! Hopefully I can keep it alive. I don't have a great track records of keeping plants alive. We enjoyed brunch and then just spent time together. Then Lauren and I were off to Stars on Ice at the Excel Center in St. Paul. Lauren's only concern was that she would have to get on the ice. I assured her that she would not have to ice skate. Can you tell she looooves skating?! We arrived and her eyes were as big as saucers looking at all the lights and hearing all the sounds. The show started and the man sitting directly behind me was really into the show as he would loudly shout out after each high jump and other accomplishment. This would send Lauren's head whipping around and every time she would say, "Mommy, why is that man yelling at the skaters?" This happened about twenty times. She told me later that it scared her that he was yelling like that. Understandable - it was definately startling. Jana, her mom and her daugher were also at the show so we met up with them during the intermission. Lauren and Makenna became fast friends and were sitting together about three rows in front of us. Jana and I watched them dance and giggle. It was so funny! On the way home, Lauren said to me, "Makenna is my best friend and we like to dance."

Like mothers, like daughters....

A very special thank you to my wonderful husband who took on the first overnight alone with the kids. Thank you for unequivocally telling me to go, have fun and that you and the kids would be fine. You were and I never doubted it for a second!

anx·i·e·ty

I've been feeling very anxious lately. My heart has been racing, my breath has been short and my chest feels as though there is a hundred pound weight on it. It lasts for a few minutes and then is gone. Then I think about something else that is on my "plate" and it starts up again. Last Tuesday seemed to be the peak. Brian talked with me for a long time trying to put my mind at ease about all that is on it and it worked - I felt so much better! But then I was in a meeting and out of nowhere a migraine hit. I had to go home, sick to my stomach, lie down and relax. It couldn't be done. I had to get my kids from school and luckily they understood that mommy needed to lay on the couch with ice packs on her head, so they quietly watched Scooby-Doo. It worked and my headache was pretty much gone in an hour or so. Strange. After admitting that my problem was that I was unable to hand over my concerns to God and let Him shoulder the burden. I need to remind myself that I am not in control of this life. Yes, I make decisions that direct where I want to be - I am not a passive participant in my own life. However, I can't worry about "what if's" and I need to remember that there is a grand scheme of life that I am not privy to. That's very hard for a type-A personality, like myself. So, Tuesday night I went to bed with a headache and anxiety. When I woke up Wednesday morning I felt lighter. That's the only word I can use to describe it.

Lighter.

I have a sneaky suspicion that there was a lot of praying going on for me and that those prayers and my own were answered. I was able to hand my worries over to God and haven't thought much about those particular concerns since.

My friend sent me a verse that I have read over and over since early last week:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

I think that most of my anxiety revolves around Lauren starting kindergarten. There are other stressors including my job and managing the house stuff, but a lot of it is knowing she will be off to school in the fall. It really revolves around control and trust. I can't control things when she's at school. I don't want to control her, I just want to make sure she is safe and that is where the trust factor comes in. I don't need to control her environment if I trust her teachers and trust that He will watch over her. She's my baby and that's a hard pill to swallow. I am not a parent who hands over the responsibility of protecting my children to someone else.....to ANYONE else. That is my job. How to reconcile the fact that she IS going to kindergarten and then first grade and so on with this intense maternal instinct of protection is the question. And this maternal instinct only kicks into overdrive when hearing stories of horrendous acts done to small children by people that were trusted by the child's parents. Not that these horrible things solely happen in schools, but just generally speaking.

Did our parents worry like this? Or is it because the "times" are so different now?

I was talking with a friend about this very subject and she mentioned that she had been to a conference and one of the topics was relating childhood obesity to the fact that kids aren't encouraged or allowed to just go play outside anymore. Parents would prefer their children be inside where they can watch the them and know they are safe. I hear that! However, there is a balance. Finding that balance is the hard part.

Thanks for listening and any advice is always appreciated! I will likely be "venting" about this particular subject a lot in the next few months : )

boyfriends, smoyfriends

Lauren has a boyfriend. Or two, depending on which day you ask her. Her main boyfriend is a neighbor boy whom she goes to preschool with. And Sunday school, soccer, gymnastics and who she has consistently referred to as her "favorite guy." My neighbor just told me a very funny story that I must share. Apparently, Lauren was talking with my neighbor's father, also known as Poppa in the neighborhood. Poppa drives his car down the cul-de-sac and always has treats for the kids, so naturally they love him! Yesterday Poppa came by for a visit and my neighbors weren't home so Lauren was chatting with Poppa. Here's how the conversation went (the abridged version to protect boredom and identities):

Lauren: I have a boyfriend.
Poppa: You do?
Lauren: Yep, and I'm going to marry him someday.
Poppa: Really?
Lauren: He was going to marry someone else but then she called him a dirty name.
Poppa: Well, what was the name?
Lauren (looking around to make sure no one can hear): She said he was stinky.