Chalk Talk & Play
Today Jaxon and Logan played happily in our front yard. Jaxon received a gift of sidewalk chalk a couple Christmases ago (thanks Auntie Kindell and Uncle D) and loves playing with it. Apparently, so does Logan. However, Logan acts as a human chalkboard eraser as he crawls across the driveway to add his own personal touches to Jaxon's art work. :) Lovely.



Oh yeah, Jaxon is writing his own name now too! So proud of him. Now, if only he can tell me what color it is! FPS!

Firehouse Field trip

Last month Jaxon's preschool took a field trip to the local fire station. For the school, "local" means in their school parking lot which is a plus. Somehow I got roped into chaperoning the class along with a few other moms. Against my better judgement I agreed since the field trip happened to take place during Logan's nap time. Alas, I couldn't resist the opportunity to hang with cute fire fighters so I relented.

After walking a group of 12, 4 year-olds through the school, across the parking lot, and around the corner we arrived in the very crowded entry of the fire station. The group was broken up into two and we toured the living quarters and offices first and then got to see their kitchen and living room area. Finally they took us outside to see one of the ladder trucks, with the ladder up and soaring into the sky. The kids were in awe. After a demonstration of the fire fighters' gear and how they put it on. We got to listen to him talk to us through their ventilator (note: does not sound like Darth Vadar, despite what you may think).



Finally the kids were allowed to crawl through the fire truck where they could sit in the seats. Jaxon took his sweet time and hung out in the truck. Perhaps he was waiting for a call to come in so he could ride with them. They all received "Junior Fire Fighter" stickers and we called it a day.

Logan did his best to ruin the tour with his screams and cries of exhaustion ( I knew it!!) and I had to take him outside at one point because he was so loud.

Captain Dale said we could stop by anytime and even bring a group of kids by should we ever have a Fire Fighter Birthday party - yeah!!

Logan Monster Wreaks Havoc!!

See pictures below for evidence that The Logan Monster exists and creates destruction wherever he goes!! Keep an eye out for this cute, yet troublesome creature. He stands approximately 2.5 feet high and weighs in at 24 lbs. He has chubby cheeks and curly dark hair. Sometimes answers to the name "Beebo", "Logan", or "Logo". Can be found eating frequently and likes to make loud shrieking noises. Beware!!



Yes, this was my dear Amaryllis plant that a past co-worker gave me as a "Thank You" present years ago before kids. It bloomed quite a bit in its time but sadly, we had to give it a flower funeral today thanks to Logan's help.

Laguna Beach in January!


Mid-January in Southern California brought us unseasonably warm weather...I'm talking mid-eighties. I know, I know...weird huh? Especially since most of the eastern U.S. was digging itself out of 12 feet of snow or trying to thaw the sheet of ice that was cutting the power to a million people or something like that. Anyway, we live in the one weird place in the U.S. that gets summer-like conditions during the middle of winter.

Anyhow, on Saturday I announce to Zak that I want to do something "fun" (read, not going to the grocery store, Target, Best Buy, or the local geek game shop). He suggested going to the beach for the morning. I eagerly agreed and suggested our favorite beach in Laguna Beach which has ample parking, few crowds, and a nice gentle sloping beach with minimal surf. We loaded up the car, grabbed the kids and headed over the hill to go behind the Orange Curtain.

We arrived to find a prime parking spot and no one on the beach except for a few people walking their dogs, taking pictures, and even one man painting.

Later we encountered a hippie, tree-hugging, whale-kissing couple that was walking down the beach picking up trash. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty close to a tree-hugger/whale-kisser myself and despise seeing trash on the beach and in our oceans but the part that killed Zak and I was the shirt that the woman was wearing. It read like a dictionary definition and it was for the word "Liberal". Now, if any of you know Zak, you know that he is pretty darn conservative and this almost sent him over the edge. There were words to describe "liberal" like, tolerant, accepting of new ideas, broad-minded....all I could see was Obama's face, cause you know he's going to save us and the world! :) HA!

Back to our trip...Logan enjoyed digging his way to the other side of the earth and flung sand all over himself and got it in every imaginable crevice. Jaxon enjoyed running in and out with the waves and building sand castles. Logan, we found out doesn't enjoy cold water in the slightest and is very much a tropical water baby....that's my boy! We enjoyed ourselves and the beautiful January weather for a couple of hours and then packed up for lunch at a local taco joint before heading home.

Action Jaxon Rides Space Mountain!

Yesterday the four of us visited Disneyland/CA Adventure and rode some old favorites and enjoyed some new rides as well. The weather was perfect except for the Santa Ana winds gusting and the crowds were few.

Jaxon is finally over 40 inches tall and was able to partake in all of the rides at Disneyland except for Indiana Jones (why does this ride have a height requirement?). Zak convinced him he wanted to ride "space ships" that went really fast after our ride on the Rocket Ships that spin around and around. Jaxon was hesitant at first but then seemed to warm to the idea as long as Zak rode with him. So...off they went. Mommy and Logan obtained a Child Swap Pass. For those that are unfamiliar with this pass, it allows a parent to ride after waiting in the regular line and the stand-by parent gets to enter through the handicap access and pretty much just jump right on the ride. It's a sweet deal. Also, the pass is good for two people!

Jaxon and Daddy came out with cries that it was "cool" and "I like the space ship ride!" However, he resisted riding again with me so we postponed the ride until later in the day when he happily agreed to ride with me. He seemed to like it but gripped my hand like nobody's business. :) At least he didn't come out crying and screaming....

The rest of the day we took a ride on the Monorail, which always seems to be closed when we are there. Logan happily stood on the seat and took in the view as it whizzed passed us.

We also rode on the Mark Twain steamboat which Jaxon and Logan loved as well. It was a nice break for Daddy and I since Logan loves to walk all over the place these days and since we were on a boat, he was contained for a bit, while being able to look through the railing and laugh at the ducks that swam passed us.

The rest of the day was the old stand-bys; Pirates, Winnie the Poop (I mean, Pooh), Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, the Teacups, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, The Jungle Cruise, and several others at CA Adventure.

Overall, the day was a success despite Logan's screams of protest while waiting in the few lines we encountered, Daddy's cold, and my bout of allergies thanks to the crazy winds in this area. We really couldn't have asked for a nicer visit. Thanks to Uncle Kevin for signing us in using his magical employee pass.

First Haircut for Logan

Last Friday I took Logan for his first haircut...I had been delaying the inevitable since I was in love with his long curly hair so much. However, the kid had bangs that were hanging in his eyes and most people who saw him said, "Oh, what a cute little girl! How old is she?" So, I finally gave in and took him to the local hair salon - a Fantastic Sams to have them trim, not chop off all his hair. :)

Logan, being the cooperative toddler that he is (NOT) cried the entire time and tried to free himself from my grasp. After a few minutes we had trimmed his front, sides, and a teeny bit from the back. It was a successful first haircut and although Logan wasn't thrilled about it, I hope to avoid the comments about him being a girl now.

Before Haircut (note: happy!!)



After Haircut (note: unhappiness)

Logan gives "the bird" to the bird

This week we have come to the realization that Logan is very particular about his meat selections. Twice now, I've fixed chicken in a sauce and he refuses to eat it, instead jabbing his finger violently into the pieces and squishing them, as if to say, "I don't see any breading, therefore, you are getting the bird!" One night he ate nothing but bread, oranges, and rice (that's my good Japanese kid).

Logan is a pretty black and white kid to begin with so it comes as no surprise to us that he will only eat the following meat selections:

ground beef
ground turkey
chicken nuggets/strips/dinosaur shapes
sausage
hotdogs
salami
pepperoni
processed meats of any type (which he really shouldn't be consuming, but he likes it!)

We are unsure why breading on chicken makes a difference to him, but it does and we're hoping he'll grow out of this phase quickly and broaden his horizons. But, for now he remains stubborn and steadfast about meat. We are mildly amused by it all.