Thumbsucker

Our little girl has found her thumb. She seems to enjoy it more than her pacifiers, probably because it doesn't fall out as easily. Not good! As a former thumbsucker myself, I know what an incredibly hard habit it is to break (eleven years, socks on hands, and lots of bribes from Mom).

Old Lady Hair

In this picture you can see Kayleigh's "Old Lady Hair". The tips are dark and the roots are very blond. Logan's hair changed from brown to blond, just not as drastically!

Out on the boat

We went out on the boat today with our friends Khris and Tyler Norwood. Tyler is a natural at pretty much all things in the water, a serious fish. So he did the trick skis, the wakeskate, and the wakeboard while we were out. And of course, he was doing jumps on the all. Please note, that this was the first time he'd been out since last year, and last year was the first time he'd gotten up. Pretty impressive! Khris, being the proud daddy that he is, loves to watch Ty do all this. He basically got no sleep today so he could go to the San Bernard with us and watch Tyler go.



Our kids had a good time, too. After skiing and wakeboarding upriver, we went downriver to the Gulf. We beached the boat down at the mouth of the river (a few hundred meters from the Intercoastal Waterway). Here are some other boats that were around us.




Logan enjoyed the beach, especially since he could touch the sandy bottom under the water. Usually, he's in over his head. He liked throwing sand, sticks, and hermit crabs (which he thought were rocks). He also tried to take off after a dog that I was foolish enough to point out.




When we got back in the boat, Daddy accidentally dumped half the bread on the bottom of the boat. So Daddy and Logan thought it would be great to eat some of it, and the rest they would just throw out into the water. But, we were going about 30mph, so the wind would catch the bread and hurl it somewhere. One hit Khris, some went flying off the sides, some flew into the windshield. And Logan thought it all was hilarious. Cheap entertainment!



I think this is funny - there's a ranch on the river. The San Bernard is brackish water, but this ranch is pretty close to the gulf, so it's almost ocean salty. But there were cows, and some were even eating the sea grass. Just weird.



Kayleigh enjoyed hanging out under the console. She slept most of the day, but she got a little hot near the end, and that did NOT make her happy. It took a few minutes to calm her down. Before that though, when we beached the boat, we did take her out into the water. She must be a fish - she loved it, after the initial shock wore off (colder than her bathwater). This was the first time she'd been in water that wasn't in the bathtub.


So, Kayleigh, did you have fun today?

Healthy kids

We went to the doctor for Logan's 18 month visit and Kayleigh's 2 month visit. Yeah, it was a mad house - both of them in diapers, the nurse carrying Logan to the "weigh station", Logan trying to undo all the paper on the examination table, Logan trying to escape from the room, Logan writing on the brand new door with a pen (you can't see it, thank goodness!), Kayleigh going nuts when the doctor examined her (but to his credit, he calmed her down afterwards), Kayleigh going nuts when she got her shots, Logan falling off the examination table while trying to get down and busting his lip (he cried longer about that than the shot!).

What a day! I feel like I've earned bonbons and a bath!

Anyway, Kayleigh is now 23.75 inches (83%) and 12lbs 2 oz (63%). She has spots of eczema on her arms and legs. I'm using some pretty "powerful" lotion on them, and they seem to be getting better, but Dr. Quillin said if they start oozing he'll put her on steroids. I told him about her crying while breastfeeding in the evening. He said it maybe some colic or some reflux. If it spreads out over the day then he'll give us some Zantac. Interesting - baby heartburn. Maybe that's why Logan went on a boobie strike!

Logan is almost 3 ft! He's 33 inches (66%) and 25 lbs (35%). Uncle Doug would be proud - his head is bigger in percentile than his height or weight. The huge cranium lives on! Considering though, that last time we were in at 15 months, Logan was about 28% in both height and weight, I think he's hit a growth spurt! And according to the checklist, he's not autistic, he just is OCD (seriously, all his big trucks are lined up on the windowsill - at least they're not all facing the same way!).

Bless the nurses who put up with us today and helped us out. Bless the little boy in the waiting room who let Logan play with his new toy truck. Bless Dr. Quillin for being so patient with all of us! And thank you God for blessing us with two healthy kids!

Isn't she cute?

We went for a Father's Day photoshoot on Monday morning. The pictures turned out pretty good. But then, what do you expect when you have such gorgeous models?!


Kayleigh took some pictures in my old pooh bear outfits. Must have been one of my mom's favorites, because she kept it for me for almost 30 years (she was probably getting antsy since I didn't have the first kid until I was 29). Anyway, we're still cute - though I had much bigger thighs than she does!


This is one of my favorite pictures. Sweet Daddy and sweet girl!

Closet cleaning

Check this out! We finally went through our clothes, and look at this PILE! No more tapered jeans for Shane! No more work clothes for Karen!

And after all this, our closet still seems crowded.

Feeding the dogs

Our dogs love popcorn. Logan loves our dogs. Logan loves to feed our dogs popcorn. Feeding the dogs popcorn is very funny when you're a toddler.

Veggies vs. Ice Cream

Yesterday, Shane and I were eating our dinner about an hour after Logan ate his (Logan is like his daddy - feed him when he's hungry, or pay the consequences of whining). He stole two carrots off Shane's plate and was in the process of chewing one when Daddy brought out two ice cream bars. As I unwrapped mine, I told Logan that he could have some as soon as he finished what was in his mouth. Logan looked at me, opened his mouth, and let all the small orange pieces fall out of his mouth.

He'd finished what was in his mouth!

Little Polka Dot

Our friends the Norwoods gave Kayleigh this cute outfit. Then one of our friends at church gave us the bows (because she said girls need bows, and she was out shopping and thought of Kayleigh). Isn't she just the cutest?

Father's Day

We had a good Father's Day: Daddy accidentally slept through church, Daddy and Logan went for a "swim" in our backyard pool, Daddy took the kids to Sears, Daddy got pizza for dinner.

It's funny to think that last year, there was only one kid for Shane to be Daddy to.


This year, Daddy had his arms full of lovin'.


Shane is such a good Daddy. He and Logan are buddies - Logan wants to do everything Shane does. He helps Logan say his prayers and reads Bible stories to him. And Shane is good at walking little Kayleigh (who cannot sit still unless she's asleep). He even makes time for me! We actually curled up and watched a movie last night - most of the time together, though Logan did get out of bed and join us for a while.

Happy Father's Day, Good Lookin'!

The Little Mermaid

Daddy and Grandma put up a mural in Kayleigh's room after she was born. She loves to lay on her changing table and look at the coral and fish. Seriously, she can be screaming her head off and then when she lays down on the table, she quiets down. She is like a mermaid, just hanging out under the sea!

Here's the littlest mermaid fast asleep. She does have water friends in bed with her, a fairy penguin from Australia and a shark. The pink dog, well, maybe it likes to play in the ocean?

Funny guy

Logan is a funny guy. Besides trying to eat your toes and making growling noises when he butts heads with you, he also sleeps with his legs off his bed. Should be comfortable, it's a Serta...

He also enjoys making funny faces when he eats.

He also chases the dogs around the house and climbs on top of Zoe (bless that dog, she's truly patient with him). What a funny boy!

My new dryer

I just got my new tripod dryer in the mail!

I'm so excited about it! Now, I can hang up diapers and let them sun dry. This should kill some of the smell, since I think some of that just comes from being damp much of the time.



The diapers are almost as colorful as the crape myrtle and oleander.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go "stuff" diapers!

Hanging with Daddy

While I was fixing dinner the other night, Shane took both kids into the living room to watch a "Baby Faith" video (basically a Christian "Baby Einstein" video, and the only show Logan will actually sit and watch). Logan likes to watch "God Made the Animals"; he'll actually wave hello and "bye-bye" to them. And of course, he claps when he sees any balls (yes, he's definitely a boy).

Anyway, Shane had just gotten his new poodle chair (for better gaming - he can sit closer to the TV without moving the entire couch, which he does at least once a month), and while we were at Walmart, we bought a similar chair for Logan. So they sat in their chairs and shared a bag of Kettle Korn. Of course, the dogs were very attentive...hope of a lost kernel springs eternal in the hearts of puppies.

Going to the movies

We took the kids to the movies tonight to see Pixar's "Up" in 3D. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Kayleigh, after having a nice meal, went to sleep, but Logan stayed awake for almost all of the movie. He didn't keep his 3D glasses on, but he was pointing and giggling through much of the movie. He also enjoyed the popcorn and Starbursts we all shared.


We went to the 8pm showing, so we thought he'd fall asleep halfway through the movie. Not so! Logan was having such a good time, he didn't crawl into Daddy's lap until about three quarters of the way through the movie. Then, he fell asleep for the last ten minutes. As Daddy was carrying him out to the car, he said Logan was so asleep, he was like a wet noodle.

Logan had a great time at the movies. We'll have to take him again.

Smiley girl

Kayleigh already seems to have a happy disposition (don't get me wrong, her cry is much louder than Logan's, but I think she has to be heard over all the noise). Anyway, I'll talk to her on her changing table or in the time out chair, and she smiles, coos, and is actually pretty attentive. Two weeks ago, when Logan, Kayleigh, and I were sitting on the day bed in the playroom, Kayleigh giggled. She's got a sense of humor already!

We had a great "discussion" today, when the dogs weren't trying to lick her. You can't tell from these pictures, but she has "old lady" roots. Her hair at the root is almost white blonde, but the older hair is brown.

When she doesn't have a Nukky in her mouth, she tries to suck her fist. I'm just hoping she doesn't find her thumb and become a thumbsucker like her mom (it's a hard habit to break, believe me!).

That's my sweet, smiley girl!

Swimming at the pool

This year, we got passes to our neighborhood pool. On Tuesday, we took Logan (and Kayleigh) to the pool. He seemed to do okay, but liked to hold on to Daddy. He was fascinated with the cold water jet, and we thought it was a great idea - pump some cold water into the pool so it won't be 90F.

Kayleigh didn't get to go in the pool - think we'll wait for the end of the swim season (October?) to put her in the pool. She seems to enjoy the water a bit more than Logan did at this age. She'll sit in the bath for a long time whereas Logan was "dip in and get out" at 2 months.

Future chemist

Logan has gotten into pouring liquid from one cup into another container. In this case it was from his glass into Daddy's glass. Good thing they were drinking the same thing! (Note: to pour the contents of one cup to another, one must have one's mouth open)

Last week, Logan helped me fill up the ice chest for the boat. I would fill a large blue cup with ice and he would dump it in the gray ice chest. Now, whenever I fill up my blue cup with water to drink, he wants it so he can dump it in the ice chest. He's trying to be a helper!

Visiting the Big Flachmans

While we were in the DFW area, we got a chance to visit with Shane's brother and his family. Due to Mikell's crazy in-flux schedule as a dispatcher with SWA, this was a rare and nice treat. We always have a great time when we're with them. Logan wasn't quite sure what to do with these older boys around - at church most of the kids are less than a year older than he is, not 3 years older. So he almost seemed in awe of the twins. Here, the boys eat breakfast - cheesy eggs (on the stove, what a treat!) and grapes (apparently, a Flachman boy favorite).

Monday afternoon, we went out to Jenn's parents' house and saw the horses. Logan got to ride Scout, the pony. This is western riding, so Logan was holding on to the horn on the saddle, don't think the reins would do anything for him right now!

Before he rode though, Logan got to know Scout a little. Jayden, the biggest cousin, was great at looking after Logan, and helped him pet Scout correctly.


Rusty, Mikell and Jennifer's horse, was not in the mood to behave when we were there. But Logan still enjoyed watching him be worked.

Kayleigh was not quite old enough to ride, so she and Daddy hung out in the shade for a while. Maybe next year!


After Shane got on Rusty for a ride, Logan got up with Daddy and Uncle Mikell led them around.

When we were done with the horses, Mikell grilled out some great burgers at their house. While the grill was fired up, the boys played on the battery powered ATV. Jayden was nice enough to take Logan for a ride. Good times!

We sure packed a lot into the 36 hours we were gone from our house! I don't think the dogs even had time to miss us.

Visiting Papa

This weekend, we went up to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area to visit Papa and the Big Flachmans (Mikell actually had a day off on Monday!).

Happily, Papa was in good spirits when we saw him on both Sunday evening and Monday afternoon. He was up, coherent, and even barked at Logan. He loved holding Kayleigh and held her a lot longer than I was anticipating.

Both kids were a big hit at the nursing home. Kayleigh ooh'd and aah'd over for her crop of hair. Logan was just Mr. Congeniality and played with all the wheelchair brakes, tried to push a few of the residents, went visiting in other rooms besides Papa's, and flirted with the nurses behind the nurses' station. I don't know if a candy store could have been much worse! Someone was always running after Mr. Man.

Logan liked sharing his crackers with Papa. On Sunday, the nurse gave him a pack of saltines. Here he is feeding a piece to Papa. The next day, when Papa was out in the common area eating lunch, Logan shared his peanut butter and cheese cracker sandwiches with Papa. The fruit and yogurt that Papa didn't want from his lunch, Logan gladly confiscated.

And of course, kisses for Papa were in order!

We finally got to meet Miss Lola, who is a gem of a woman. I hope I'm as spry as she is at 91! She reminded me of Uncle James Hart - in the now and interested in what is going on with you. Anyway, Shane was teasing Papa about getting her flowers, and Papa gave him his sideways, "Hush, hush". Apparently, he hasn't done that yet!

As we were leaving on Monday, after visiting with Papa over an hour, he told Shane that he was proud of our family. That's my sweet Papa.

Sweet Daddy

While Logan and I go to the gym, Daddy "watches" Kayleigh. Usually, she falls asleep in her swing, but on Friday she was fussing, so her sweet Daddy got up and took her to bed with him. For a while she laid on his chest, but apparently she likes snuggling up beside him better. I found them like this when we came home, just sleeping and cuddling.

A brother's love

Logan loves his little sister. Today, after I had finished nursing her, we were sitting on the couch and Logan tries to grab Kayleigh from me. Funny, he had one hand on her side and the other behind her neck - at least he's trying to be safe! He held her for 10 minutes or so.

Kayleigh kept loosing her Nukky, so Logan tried to put them back in (he was never the instigator of the lost Nukky, oh no).

Then it was nap time, and Logan wanted Kayleigh to sleep with him. Both of them are "tornado" sleepers (sort of like their Daddy) - you know, the bed looks like a tornado hit when they're finished sleeping in it.

After dinner, Logan wanted to hold Kayleigh again. Here's a sweet picture of my cuddle bunnies.

Logan's broom

You know, most kids have their teddy bears or some other stuffed toy. Or perhaps, a Thomas the Train.

My sweet boy has a broom.

No kidding, he took it to nap with him yesterday. I tried to take it from him so it wouldn't bonk him in the head while he slept, but that was not going to happen. So when he woke up, he climbed out of his bed and came into the living room, dragging his trusty broom behind him.

Just hope he doesn't upgrade to a vacuum. Don't think there's enough space in his bed!