Happy 4th Birthday, Logan!

I cannot believe our "baby boy" is four years old.  Four seems to be a true segue  from oblivious and unconcerned toddler to curious and imaginative child.  The conversations have become far more detailed over the past year.  For example, Logan knows we are going to the beach in a few weeks.  He understands the sand, surf, wind, distance, but he is concerned that T-Rex will eat us.  When asked why, Logan confidently explained that T-Rex normally eats fire ants and coyotes, but since the beach does not have either, he would eat us or (at least) Winston.  This was not a conversation we were expecting or prepared to continue last year.

We were fortunate to have family and friends come to our house to celebrate Logan's birthday.  Logan basically wanted a "flying objects" theme.  Depending on the day we asked about his party, he wanted a rocket, airplane, Star Wars, jet plane, kaboom plane, or spaceship party.  We decided anything that flew (and was not bird) was fair game.  So, we had stomp rockets, paper gliders, an airplane seesaw, a rocket piñata filled with jet planes, Star Wars fruit snacks, and astronaut ice cream.  He loved every minute of it.  We also ask him the same questions each year (below)...He is definitely consistent.

What is your favorite color?

Green

What is your favorite food?

Egg taco with bacon

What is your favorite toy?

All of my planes and my air craft carrier

Who is your best friend?

Andres and Austin

What is your favorite thing to do?

Play with my jets, Play with my bow and arrow

What is your favorite game to play?

Star Wars

What do you want to do when you grow up?

Be a Pilot and check all the landing gears

What are you most thankful for?

I am thankful for Mimi and Granny.  I am thankful for God.  I am thankful for mommy and daddy.  And I am thankful for when planes get fixed after they crash.

What is the best thing that happened to you this year?  Moving to the big school.

What do you like about being 4?

I like knowing that a coyote or an alligator won’t eat me. 

Easter

We spent Easter weekend down in New Orleans with family and friends.  The kids had an absolute blast with egg hunting and cousin playing.  We ate way too much food but we did at least walk/run the Crescent City Classic on Saturday morning.  

The only part I would not repeat is attending mass at noon on Easter Sunday as Catherine was not able to participate.  I will leave it at that!  Fortunately, we were able to attend mass with extended family which was a treat.

Tea time with Lulu (her newest rabbit)

Counting the loot

Pre-birthday celebration for Logan with Star Wars plates

Brian, Bridget and Debbie

Pre-race warm ups  around the dome

Bunny shirts that were custom made by a friend and too cute for words

Nola Bound

Last weekend we made the last minute decision to travel to Nola to visit with multiple family members who were pretty sick.  My cousin was in CCU for 5 nights with life threatening conditions.  (I am glad to report that she is doing better.)  We left Thursday after Logan's speech class around 11am.

It was the longest and hardest drive EVER.  The hard part was that it was just me and the kids for the drive down.  Thankfully Brian flew in early Saturday and did drive back with us.

Just a few things I encountered on my drive down:

• Chick-fil-a in Lafayette was CLOSED for remodeling (and no it was not a Sunday) -  Huge let down for all of us.
• Witnessed a wreck while driving at 70 mph - a suburban was in the slow lane and decided to switch lanes and smashed into a ford pick up truck.  They skidded down the road a bit, not hitting anyone else, and finally got over to the emergency lane.  It freaked me out.  My pulse was probably at a 100 bpm.
• Witnessed an 18 wheeler tire blow out-  The noise is quite scary followed by the actual debris that comes belting at your car.  
• Witnessed a turtle getting rolled over-   I was exiting the interstate and saw a little turtle crossing the road.  I swerved and did not hit him. The car behind me did.  

Despite the drive down, which was very hard for this momma, our overall visit in NOLA was good.  We got to visit with my parents, Brian's parents, cousins, and many other family members.  We also attended my nephew's 3rd Birthday Party at the Audubon Zoo and it was a lot of fun.

Chilling in Baton Rouge

Michael's Birthday Party at the Zoo

It is hard to get everyone looking

Happy patient at urgent care- double ear infection but she did not mind b/c she got a sucker 

The animal stamps from the party bag were trouble for the car ride home

Texas Welcome Center

And the Texas Star!

"I need my Santa Bag!"

"I need my Santa Bag!" Is the insistent cry we hear from our sweet Cat on various occasions- waking up, going out, sitting in her car seat. She carries this bag EVERYWHERE. What is it, you ask? Well, it's a rather simple craft red felt bag with a handle and the face of Santa. It's just the size for a little girl's purse.

Her teacher, Mrs. Christina gave them as Christmas gifts to Cat and her classmates at St. Rose. The Santa Bag has been our little girl's one indispensable fashion accessory. She has ignored many other purses, including a yellow zipper purse from Mexico (thanks Grannie) and other little bags. 

It is Santa Bag and nothing else.  When missing, Brian and I recognize that one of us needs to locate the bag before morning or else morning will not be so pleasant.  Since it is carried exclusively and everywhere, SB has seen some wear and tear. All manner of objects, including pencils, expensive jewelry and watches, old credit cards, store receipts, an unwrapped, half eaten granola bar, and Grannie's iPhone have resided therein.  In fact, It could be condemned by the Board of Health because of the bits and pieces of food items of undetermined age it carries. 

Current Contents as of 3/27/14

My mom tells me that Cat's fascination with her SB reminds her of my own bag obsessions when I was just two years old.  

Easter Early 80s

I suppose it serves a function in the growth cycle- acting as a security blanket and giving her a chance to roll model. But I think Cat just thinks of it as a valuable companion to be with her almost everywhere.

.

Mardi Gras 2014

We had a fun visit to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. We generally go the first weekend as it is less crowded and easier with young kids, but this year we went down for the main weekend.  We lucked out and got beautiful weather with the exception of our drive down, which was fine, because the kids are always better behaved at the onset of a trip!

I had a fun time celebrating Brian's grandmother's 88th birthday. We all met at Commander's Palace and ate delicious food and shared many stories.  Each year in life is a blessing and I can only hope to be as energetic and spirited as Mi Mi Kuhn is at 88 years old.

As for actually parading, we only made it to the day parades on Saturday.  Logan and Catherine were both a bit afraid of the loud noises but warmed up to them quicker this year than in prior years.  We watch the parades from my sister in law's family house and it is a perfect spot!  Logan adores his partner in crime and cousin, Michael.  Catherine had so much fun she literally fell asleep outside in the middle of the parade.

A toilet plunger and a sword were among the top catches for the day

LOVE this photo

She is completely passed out

Mardi Gras 2014 is in the books, now moving on to Lent.

This and That

Logan and Catherine are in a very cute phase right now. They are each other's #1 playmate.  I am enjoying it 100% as I know it probably will not last forever.  They play hide and go seek.  They play bad guys and good guys. They pretend to be students in mom's yoga class.

They play in laundry hampers.

They play with any and all boxes.  Boxes are transformed into submarines, cars, trains, cranes, and hot air balloons.  I got a box recently from Land of Nod and it actually had a blimp printed on it.  Logan became the pilot of the blimp and played for hours.  He wanted to know why blimps were not printed on every box ever made.

They play red chef/blue chef and cook Brian and I all sorts of delicious items.  

They really are adorable playmates.  Some of the conversations they have make Brian and I laugh like we are children ourselves which is truly a wonderful thing!

Tractors, Tractors, and more Tractors

The only thing constant is change. I love that saying because I find it to be quite true.  We moved to Oak Forest three years ago.  It is a nice neighborhood with lots of trees, central location, and ranch style homes from the 50's.  We bought a renovated home that used to be 4 bedrooms but the "flippers" made it three.  I love that because our generation can't possibly have bedrooms as small as they were back then.

In the three years we have lived here, I have seen SO MANY houses get torn down.  They don't mess around in Texas.  When the demolition company shows up at the lot, it only takes two and half days to demolish and remove all the rubbish.  This includes breaking up and removing the cement slabs as well.  It's serious business.  The current trend is to tear down and have a 4,000 square ft "brand new" house.  I have more of a preserve and restore perspective when it comes to houses.

This has been lots of fun for Logan and Catherine as they get to see tractors, cement trucks, and city trucks.  On Saturday the tear downs officially made it to our block and the house across from us was demolished.  The kids were in total focus mode.  Then Logan asked me if our house was going to be torn down.  It broke my heart because I could see he was truly worried.  I did the best I could to assure him that was clearly not going to happen but I could tell he was still a bit unsure.  How can you blame him as he sees two to three tear downs on a daily basis.