One is NOT the Lonliest Number

Logan, is one. One year old. One awesome kid.

This kind of occasion calls for a party!
Well, two parties, actually because that's just the way we like things around here.
(Note to unnamed cousin - you will see that Logan has taken to wearing clothes again while spending time in his "special place" - we hope you choose to go this route as well.)


Jono played the part of the typical jealous older brother very convincingly.
Here is Logan on the new Buzz Lightyear couch.

Here is Logan off the new Buzz Lightyear couch.

Here is Logan surrounded by adoring fans. He should definitely feel loved.

Here's the happy kid with frosting on his face. He also ate a big chunk out of his candle before we noticed. Guess he can't tell the difference between my frosting and a giant piece of wax. Hm.


Working away to assemble the new picnic table.

Testing out it's durability by sitting on top of it. Yep, it's satisfactory.

Out of the infant stage and into the toddler. Fun times behind, fun times ahead.

On a more serious note, we spent the days before and after Logan's birthday at the dr. He was having a cough with breathing issues (in that he couldn't very well.) We've been giving him steroids and breathing treatments and the consensus is that he has a little bit of an asthma problem. He is also not gaining weight very well (oh, that I could say the same!), and the two issues together caused enough concern for the dr. to recommend he be tested for cystic fibrosis, just to be safe. He tested negative (phew!) but the one sleepless night I spent thinking of how different things would be if we found out he did have it gave me only the smallest taste of what some parents must go through. To the friends we have who deal with these kind of medical issues all of the time, thank you for all you do, and you are awesome.

Speaking Kiddish

Here are some of the funny things our kids have said lately. Sometimes I want to follow them around with tape recorders because I want to remember everything hilarious that they say. Well, at least I'll remember these.

Jonathan, when trying to describe our trip to the mall last weekend referred to it as "The Big Wal-mart." Obviously, we don't go to the mall much, but we do go to Wal-mart A LOT.
When he's mad at me lately he yells, "Go to your room!" which, honestly, I would love to do.
He was also very mad at me when he woke up the other morning and Jef was gone to work. He didn't believe me when I told him his dad was gone and yelled, "Mom, you bring him back, RIGHT NOW!"

Hannah was kissing the washcloth in the bathtub last night. Then she apologized to it. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were Luke." Condolences to all other hopeful candidates, but Hannah is determined to marry our neighbor Luke when she grows up. We just hope she saves all real kissing for many years down the road. She has also informed us quite honestly that she is crazy in her primary class on Sundays and tells her teacher her name is "Poopy Johnson Nacho." This is her made up name that she constantly uses and I have no idea where it came from.

Taylor, in all seriousness informed me that he would rather play wii with his Dad because he "likes more of a challenge." He also started singing along with his ipod in his wonderful opera voice. My very favorite is to hear the lyrics that the kids come up with for some of the songs they like. For example, Hannah thought "Eye of the Tiger" was "I have the tiger," but Jane thought it was "I am the tiger." My very favorite misheard lyric of all time came from Taylor long ago when he sang "I am a child of God with parents kind OF dear." So true, my boy, so true.

Jane was sick at church last week so I took her home early. After we had changed into more comfortable clothes she wanted to play and watch movies. "Shouldn't you be resting," I asked, "I thought you were sick?" "Mom, I'm sorry I lied." was her reply.
She still shows no remorse when caught eating any kind of food off of the floor as well as certain items from her nasal cavities. When called out she simply shrugs and says, "What? It was good."

Logan can't really talk much, but I'm sure he'd have a lot to tell you if he could. He did climb into the bathroom cupboard naked after his bath tonight and that was pretty funny. It's his favorite place to hang out these days, but only after he throws everything out of it first.

April showers bring...snow?

So, it snowed over Spring Break again this year. I think the problem with spring break is the name. If the school district called it "Random Break in April" or "No school for a week, just for the heck of it," I might have lower expectations. But when I think "Spring break," I picture sunny skies and swimming at a beach or something. Well, we may not have gone somewhere really warm, but we had a really good spring break, nonetheless. And there were even a few nice days once the snow melted.

Visits with family, a late-over with neighborhood friends, Happy Meals and the McDonald's playground, lots of wii and movies and books, kite flying, sidewalk painting in a windstorm, a ward breakfast, even a little sunshine here and there. Best of all, Jef took a day off work on Friday, and we got some yard work done and went swimming at the Legacy center (a feat which I would never have attempted without him there, and which the children LOVED.)

We also had a great Easter/Conference weekend last weekend and got to see all four grandparents and a good chunk of Aunts, Uncles, and cousins in the same day. We are proud to report that after several meltdowns last year, this year we survived 3 family Easter Egg hunts with minimal fighting and no tears - we avoided all non-family egg hunts all together. The Easter Bunny was kind enough to drop a little note to the kids asking them not to fight, which may have also helped our cause. The said bunny brought the kids each a swimming suit and a book. Last year they each got a little toy, and I was worried that they might be disappointed, but they actually all seemed to love their presents and even seemed excited about their books. Sometimes the stars align.

Other stuff that's happened recently (it sounds like we do all kinds of fun stuff, but it's really just because I never blog anymore and then try to cram everything in one post):
Jef celebrated his birthday. Jane had her much anticipated 1st grade program - she's been practicing the songs and dances for weeks now. Taylor had his 3rd grade biography fair - he was Dr. Suess. Jane had strep throat and between that and spring break has only gone to school one day so far in April. Logan is somewhere between taking a few steps and really walking all over - he has also reached the important milestone of being tall enough to reach the toilet water. Jonathan bolted about 300 times in sacrament meeting yesterday and surpassed his record of making it just out the door before we caught him and got all the way to our car. (Hey, it's hard to run in a skirt, and he is very, very fast.)

And speaking of cars, we got a new one. I'll let Jef write the eulogy for the Expedition since, in truth, I don't miss it nearly as much as he does. After a year of owning it, I started having minivan withdrawals, and we traded it in for a Sienna, which I love. Those of you who suggested this in the first place are probably rolling your eyes at our slowness to see the light. But we did have some good times with the Expedition and it's swing-opening back doors (and Jef's truck has the dings to prove it.) It did have a lot more leg and shoulder room, but we traded a little squishiness in the back seat for ease of loading kids (thankfully, some our kids are finally moving past the carseat phase - someday we may even get to let one sit in the front seat.) My favorite feature of the new car is the gap between the middle seats and the back row that allows the kids to get back there without having to fold any seats down! Jef is really, really missing the truck engine, but he has been very graceful about the fact that his wife's dream car is a minivan. In the meantime, he is hoping that someday we can upgrade his old pickup for something a little more to his taste.

Well, that's all I have to say now, here are a few pics:

The kids on Easter morning with their new books and swimwear

Logan, very happy about his new bunny.

Dying Eggs

I threw this one in because it's pre-hair cut. If you will notice in the bunny picture, he later got a buzz.

Theodor Suess Geisel

They will do anything to take a nap in our bed - even get along!

On her way to the first-grade program. Her class did the Mexican Hat Dance