Zoe - the wonder puppy

Today, a new addition came to the Little Flachman household. A little black addition.

Zoe, the wonder puppy!

She was originally called "Wiggles" but that was too long for us to say. So we have renamed her Zoe. She's supposedly black lab/mastiff mix. She's going to be a big dog. And she already eats like one. We gave her like 1.5 cups of food, which she ate and started going over to Bug's bowl. At which point she was reprimanded by both us and Bug.

She's really good with Logan, just sits there while he puts his hands in her mouth, and grabs her lips, and grabs her loose puppy skin. She's also good with Bug. Tonight, we went out to the backyard and the two dogs just chased each other around the yard. Bug actually hid behind the shed for a few minutes until Zoe got curious, and he darted after her. Hilarious! I've seen Bug run faster, but I think he's taking it easy on the little one.

In some ways though, she's alot like Sam. She likes to sit RIGHT in front of you, and she follows you wherever you go. Which is why right now I think she's very glad I've finally decided to do a little blogging, instead of running around the house like I was doing five minutes ago. She's got a really laid back personality, so that's good.

We're really excited to have her. Next stop - puppy preschool!

Nicknames

We've had some cute nicknames for Logan in the few months he's been around. There was Squeaky (because when he would start to cry, he'd squeak), Logoly, the Logster, Projectile Pooper, and the list goes on.

However, tonight Shane came up with the best one yet.

Reachy, grabby alien thingy with tentacles.

This is due to the fact that Logan has started reaching for and grabbing anything you're holding, looking at, placed somewhere a few years ago that may be within arms reach (and arms reach includes falling over on his nose to reach it).

Think this one might stick!!

Fun times with Daddy

Logan is Daddy's little boy. Daddy sings him silly songs, sits him within reach of his Pepsi, and gives lots of tickles and kisses.

Shane makes up sweet little ditties that are rather catchy. This one is his answer to Pattycake, Pattycake, baker's man...it'll be in your head ALL DAY.

Here Logan is stealing a sip of Shane's Pepsi (looks like he has the fabled Callicott, or actually, Adams, tongue). This was a few days after he stole a sip of Mountain Dew while we were stopping on the road at Taco Bell. Mmmm, caffeine...

Wii Fit!

We just got a Wii Fit. And it's hilarious. Here are some pictures and videos.

Shane - shaking his groove thang...actually, he's hulahooping.

Daddy tries to help Logan learn to shake his groove thang. And though Logan is very good at impersonating Elvis when you help him stand, he can't do it on command yet. But with some help, he made it on the top ten board with 8 hula hoop spins!

Logan's First Boy Scout Campout

Memorial Day weekend was a memorable one. Logan went on his first Boy Scout Campout! Of course, it was my first Boy Scout Campout as well (and Shane's...he was in CAP as a kid).

We hauled the boat up to Inks Lake, northeast of Austin. Shane was trying to teach the boys how to wakeboard or ski. Of course, they all wanted to wakeboard, because, let's face it, it's much cooler. He had two kiddos get up (and one sister that was there), and one kid who has size 17 feet (couldn't even fit in the adjustable skis!). Of course, Shane is an excellent teacher, really positive and patient.

We are definitely blessed that Logan is a chill baby. He did great on the 5 hour drive and did swimmingly all weekend long, even in the 100F heat! He had one meltdown for about 30+ minutes, but other than that was a pretty happy and easy baby the whole time. We went for a short hike - Logan on "Graceful"'s chest. Yes, surprisingly both Logan and I are still alive to talk about our little excursion through the prickly pears and wildflowers.

Logan got to go swimming not only in Inks Lake, but floated for almost half an hour at "Devils Waterhole" while Daddy was out teaching the Boy Scouts the ropes (ski ropes that is). But he also got to take a nap on the boat and go out with the big boys. And he got to sleep on Miss Shelby many times. We were so glad she was there this weekend!

Logan has become such a "rolly" baby, that he was all over his section of the tent. Good thing that the flaps weren't open, or he would have been at the camp stove by the end of the night.

We made it home at 1am on Monday morning. Thank goodness Shane was driving! It was a great weekend all around.

Logan - getting bigger

Here's evidence that Logan is getting bigger - he can almost reach the dangling toys on his carseat. He tried really hard yesterday to grab one, and while we were shopping at Walmart, he caught one. Then, of course, he cried from frustration. Don't know if he was frustrated that he couldn't pull it down or that he couldn't let go. Or maybe it's just because it was naptime.

He also has been flipping over to his tummy to sleep at night. He's been sleeping on his side for months (little legs come up, and then "timber" he goes over...maybe he'll be a lumberjack... maybe he could live in the North Woods with the Mallofs...*grin*), but now, he's sleeping on his tummy. Which is all well and good until he wakes up in the middle of the night and realizes his Nukky is gone. That is not happy - for either of us. So, he's started sleeping with the puppy that Auntie Jamie gave him. This give him something to hold on to, instead of pulling out his Nukky. It's just the right size for little fingers!

SWA HOU MX Fun Day

Okay, so this was last week, but I've been busy...

SWA HOU MX had a Fun Day in Bacliff on Saturday. Happily, the weather cooperated. It was cool and didn't rain...an anomaly for the Houston area this time of year. Shane brought his Little Brother, William Chambers, with us. Of course, he was not so excited about the 4 inflatables that were there as the little kids were. But he had fun playing volleyball (I actually joined in! Super fun!), three-leg racing with Shane (they fell down halfway thru), and sack racing.

Logan had fun getting to meet everyone, and see people he's met before. I didn't get it on film, but he really enjoyed playing (also known as grabbing) Oscar (aka. Mocha Bear, Daddy-O, LAX)'s goatee. I guess that was a strange sensation, since Shane is normally clean shaven (except for his "mountain man" look on the weekends...you know, 4 day stubble).

Anyway, it was a good time! Hopefully, we'll have on next year!

Suds and Smiles

Logan got to take a bath with Daddy the other day. Super fun! Bug was slightly jealous, as he's Shane's dog (and he loves the water, and there were bubbles, a special yummy treat). Anyway, Shane and Logan had fun splashing around. Logan loves to flap his little arms and make little splashes in the water. This resulted in lots of toothless smiles.

Logan has finally discovered his toes in the last week, and has decided that their proper place is in his mouth. Tasty! This is cute when he's on land, but this boy is bound and determined to get these little suckers in his mouth whenever possible, so he was sucking on his toes in the bathtub. Kind of impedes the whole floating thing, but who needs to float when Daddy is holding you up?

Speaking of funny things, thought I'd post this super cute picture of my sweet husband. He had some "work done"... so the right side of his mouth was numbed. The left side could smile, but the other side was in a perpetual state of relaxation (a muscle vacation?). Actually, I think Shane was just trying to be like Sylvester Stallone (cue the "Eye of the Tiger" music). Although in some ways, he looks like a pirate, "Argh, matey!"

Toes in the water

Today was Logan's second time at the beach, but the first time to go with Bug. Both boys had a great time, even though the surf was rough (red flag day). We went to The Spot for lunch, which is a very dog friendly place. The tables outside have hooks for leashes, and there's a doggie trough around the corner. Plus two or three of the employees came over to say "Hi" to Bug (now those are some brave people, petting a 100 pound strange dog!).

Shane and I didn't bring Bug's diaper, er doggie, bag...so we didn't have water or a towel for him. But he loved playing in the water anyway. He chased the seagulls (and stalked them...hilarious), ran out in the waves, and just generally had a grand old time.

Logan enjoyed "bouncing" over the waves...the sound of the splat his feet made as they hit the water made him laugh. That and having Bug shake himself off on him. He was giggling up a storm. Thank goodness he likes the water! And as you can hear in the video, I have learned not to squat in the water when the waves are coming in...it makes for a rather embarrassing experience.

On the water

Saturday (May 10) was Logan's third time on the boat, and second time to go swimming (the first was Friday). What fun!! He loves to "kick, kick, kick" (which is very similar to "run, run, run"). He even doesn't mind being dunked underwater by Daddy. But the swimming tired him out so much, that he got a good nap in on the floor of the boat while Mama and Daddy wakeboarded (and boy are they sore now!).



Logan is ready to go!!



Logan and Mama



Nap time on the boat after a morning of swimming.


Of course, the reason for swimming on Saturday was not so fun. Mama clumsily (who, "Graceful"?) batted Daddy's wedding band into Dickinson Bayou on Friday. After much searching that day, nothing could be found, so they decided to go again the next day. So Saturday, the three of us set out to seek the elusive ring. Daddy brought along his snorkel, mask, and weight belts. The water is so murky (don't know if this is common for brackish waters), that you can only see about two inches in front of you, and about a square foot around you. Nice way to go "treasure hunting". Anyway, Daddy remembered where the ring was lost, and after about 20 minutes of searching, came up saying, "well, I guess I shouldn't give this to Mama". The ring was back on his finger! No longer could he live the single life! PTL we found it!



Daddy and Logan - Daddy is showing off his recovered wedding band.