More progress done on our yard

Grandpa was over every day this week working hard on getting our backyard finished before it gets too cold. And boy did he do a lot of work!! The retaining wall and the steps are completely finished! They look so good and make our backyard seem so much bigger!

Mark is outside right now burning all of the branches and roots that are scattered around the backyard. In between his bonfires, he's also busy using his "goon spoon" (as he calls it), to shovel the mountain of dirt into the retaining walls. After everything is leveled out, we just have to lay some sodd and then we're done until the spring, when we will then build the two decks.

As I write this, Logan is sitting happily in his swing, just sucking away at his fingers. He is becoming quite the little thumb sucker... that is, when he can find his thumb. (He often pokes his eyes or scratches his face in the process.) These last couple of nights he has gone 7 hour stretches. Hopefully this continues!! (Knock on wood!) He is just so cute right now!! I couldn't resist snapping a picture of him.

Logan's Story

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2 Months

Logan is two months old today! Despite it being very busy, this last month did not go as quickly as the first month. But still, I can not believe my baby is already two months old! And boy has he changed a lot in these last 30 days.

He is becoming a lot more aware of his surroundings and is always looking around checking things out. Last week we went and got him a new toy to play in, and he loves it! He'll lay there for hours staring and cooing at all the bright colors.

Speaking of cooing... Logan is ALWAYS talking! Unless he is sleeping, he will always be telling you something!! Whether it be happy cooing, frustrated squaks, angry screaming, crying or yes, even farting.. he is always making noise!!

And man has he GROWN!! He is soooooo big!! I haven't had him weighed since his last appointment (at which he was already 12 pounds) but he is quite the little chubby bunny! His legs and arms have little rolls - he's like a shar pei!

We're still only going 3-4 hours between feedings. We've had the occasional 5-7 break at night, but those are very few and far between. He seems to have outgrown his cholicy stage though! (Knock on wood!) I have eliminated dairy products from my diet and that seems to have made a HUGE difference!! The only time Logan gets cranky now is when he's tired, and thats an easy fix. He goes down to sleep sooooo well. All you have to do is wrap him tight and turn on his mobile and he's a goner!

And here are just a few more pictures of Logan, ones I couldn't resist adding:

This is Logan in his "marshmellow suit" the other day when it was cold and snowing and we wanted to take Dukie for a walk.

Just a silly picture because Logan is a silly boy:

This is Logan's last fauxhawk. His hair is too long now that when you try to put it up, the ends curl over!! And, I know in some of these pictures his hair looks red, but it really isn't!!! It's just very light brown!

How to be a MegaStar!

Mark and I are now officially Mega Stars! Last night we went to the Blue Man Group concert at the Corral and were instructed in the fine art of being rock legends. We learnt everything from the head bob, to raising the roof, to trashing hotel rooms. Neither of us had ever seen the Blue Man Group, so we didn't really know what to expect... it was AWESOME! We had such a great time! They are so talented and really funny! I would definately reccommend going if you ever get the chance!! Thank-you Mom and Dad for such a great early birthday present for Mark and for watching Logan so we could enjoy the night without worrying about him!!

Summer's End Mini Golf Tournament

Yesterday was our 2nd Annual Summer's End Mini Golf Tournament. We couldnt have asked for a nicer day either!! The weather was so nice and there were no bugs on the course! This year was also so much fun, not only because I didn't make a complete fool out of my self (last year I shot an embarrassing 121.. this year I improved a TON and shot a 90 - still not good enough to win the ladies' side of the tournament (Auntie Betty won with a 77), but atleast I wasn't dead last!!) but it was so much fun because I got to golf with Lindsay and Kelly.. my two favoritest people!! Mark golfed with Jon, Justin Hanson and his girlfriend Michelle. Last year Mark won with a 72. This year he shot a 71 and was hoping to take home the trophy again... however, Curt Brandsma, Mark's arc nemesis, stole it from him by shooting a 68. Too bad Mark.... next year.

After the tournament we all (about 45 of us) headed back to my parent's house for a potluck and fire. There was WAY too much yummy food - including ollibollen!!

Thank you Mom Wiens for babysitting Logan so we could enjoy such a great afternooon!!

Vermont 2007

Early, early Thursday morning we (Logan, mom, Aunt Nancy and I) left Calgary at 1:10am to fly standby with WestJet to Montreal. I was so worried Logan was going to be a bad flyer... but he did so well! He slept the entire flight! We arrived in Montreal around 8:30am and from there we rented a car and made the two hour drive to Uncle Ray and Auntie Donna's house in Ferrisburgh, Vermont. (Thankfully we managed to make it there without getting lost!)

We got to the Brandses around noon on Thursday, settled in and caught up with Auntie Donna. That afternoon we went shopping to T.J. Max, (which is like a Winners). Logan was very spoiled there getting two very cute new outfits and three sleepers. On the way home we stopped and saw Auntie Donna's new boxer puppies. They are still too little to take home yet, but they are sooooo cute! I wanted to steal one and hide it in my suitcase! That night we had dinner back at the Brandses and called it an early night as we were all pretty tired from the trip.

Friday was a VERY hot day with the temperature being between 90-95 degrees!! So we spent the day out on Lake Champlain in Uncle Ray & Auntie Donna's boat. I was very tempted to jump in and go swimming, but Logan was an unhappy camper. He really didn't like his life jacket very much.

Saturday Uncle Ray & Auntie Donna took us on a driving tour of Vermont. We drove through the mountains and saw all the beautiful scenerey (though we were there too early for the leaves to be changing color) we stopped in Cold Hollow for some Apple Cider and in Stow for lunch. On the way home from Stow we blew a tire on the interstate. A state trooper pulled over to help Uncle Ray change the tire... good thing too, because once the tire was changed, we discovered our battery had died! So another state trooper had to come out and give us a boost.

Sunday we went to church with the Brandses and spent the day relaxing (aka reading Harry Potter). Jamie spoiled Logan rotten by holding him the whole week. It didnt matter if he was sleeping or screaming, she always wanted to hold him. She was such a great help all week! I should have tried to steal her and hide HER in my suitcase!

We went and spent more money on Monday when we went into Burlington to go shopping. Mark must have paid off Logan pretty good because he screamed bloody murder the entire time we were at the mall! Needless to say it wasnt a very productive shopping trip for me (though I did manage to buy Mark and I each a shirt at Aeropostale).

Tuesday we woke up early to say goodbye to Rachel, Ryan and Jamie before they left for school. We then went to Uncle Ray's barn to see the cows being milked. There were five baby calfs born that morning, so we got to see them too. We then left there house around 11:30am to make the drive back across the border into Montreal.

Our flight home was VERY empty. Again, Logan slept the whole time. He is going to be an expert flyer by the time I am done my mat leave (LAX in October, HNL in January, and I hope to go back to Auntie Donna's in the Spring - but this time bringing Mark with me!!) Good thing Logan's passport came in the mail today!!!!

Logan is having a hard time adjusting back to normal life. He wants to be held all the time and is not used to sleeping in his crib. He'll fall asleep for five minutes and then wake up crying... he is so tired but keeps putting up a fight as he does not want to sleep in his bed. I'm tempted to set up my pack and play and let him sleep in there... but I know that won't do me any good in the long run... so these next couple of days will be pretty rough, but hopefully we will soon be back on schedule. I don't know how much constant crying I can take!

September Long 2007

On Friday Mark, Logan, Duke and I packed up the trailer and headed out to Justin Rider's cabin for the long weekend, something Mark and I have been doing for the last couple of years. This year it was quite different being there with a baby, but we still had a lot of fun hanging out with Justin & Jessiya, Louis & Niki, Eric & Kasey, Jesse, Curtis and Leanne.

The weather was pretty decent (about 20-25 degrees every day) so we spent most of each day at the beach playing volleyball and riding the seadoos (which is how Justin proposed to Jessiya... CONGRATS you guys!!). Logan did pretty well all weekend; he did have his normal 7pm screamfests and oddly enough kept asking for beer all weekend (JESSE!!!) but, other than those few oddities, he slept well and was once again showered with attention from all his "uncles" and "aunties". Duke behaved himself as well, although he was tied up outside most of the time.

Here are just a few pictures from the weekend.... I'll put the rest of them on facebook if you want to see them. Overall it was an algebraic, mathematical way to end the summer. RHOMBUS!