Another Summer First

On Friday, Logan and I took our first trip of the season up to Rockome Gardens. They are having some funky hours this season, so it has been more difficult for us to get there. We had fun playing on the playground, checking out the museum, looking (but not riding) at the trains, eating in the restaurant, and just having a nice, peaceful afternoon. While it is one of my favorite places to go during the summer with Logan, I do wish they had a bit more to do. I remember when there was a lot more "stuff": the pop bottle houses, rope making, the shop in the barn that had the really cool fountain and harp, the tour of the Amish home. They have fixed the place up pretty well...a lot of the things have fresh coats of paint, and last summer the model trains were up and running (VERY exciting for Logan).

Anyway, it was a great day. Here's some pictures of our trip!

I finally got him to sit in the big chair!

Hunger and heat made for some funny pics. This is when we decided to grab lunch.

We walked down a road to see this ol' train.

I'm really thankful for my timer.

All aboard for fun!

Summer Pics

Over the past week or so I've had a couple of friends tell me about taking pictures, or having pictures taken, at a cute little park in town. So, of course I had to venture over there. Logan did amazing. He was pretty smiley and best of all, a good listener. He also looks incredibly old in these...I think that's because of his summer 'do.

Ramblings of a Five Year Old

Logan's preschool scrapbook is full of some pretty funny things....here's some of my favorites.

My Pet Dinosaur
If I could have a dinosaur for a pet, this is the kind I would get-T Rex.
I would name my dinosaur-Sharp Claws
I would teach my dinosaur to-eat
I would keep my dinosaur-at the museum
I would feed my dinosaur-grass
It would be fun to have a pet dinosaur because-they are tall and small.
The hardest part of having a pet dinosaur would be-some would be big and some would be small.


Happy/Sad
I am happy when-I see fire engines.
I am sad when-my mom puts me to bed.

Good-bye preschool/hello kindergarten
I liked preschool because-Kael and I can watch fireworks.
Kindergarten will be fun because I will learn-cars.

School's Out For Summer

I cannot believe that school is out for the summer! This year went by sooo fast! Maybe that's because it was Logan's first official school year. Maybe it's because there were NO snow days and they are getting out earlier. Either way, it went by incredibly fast. It seems like just yesterday we were touring Logan's preschool classroom, and here we are now, getting ready to say good-bye.

It was a great year. We could not have asked for a better school experience. His teachers were fantastic. He made lots of new friends. He learned A LOT. And now, he's going to kindergarten.

I remember waking up super early his first day of school. He was asleep on the air mattress next to our bed. I looked at him and just cried and cried and cried. How was my baby old enough to be going off to preschool? How was I going to handle dropping him off with people I had barely met? And, how was he going to do in a new place with unfamiliar faces?

Logan's first day of preschool.

Logan's first day of preschoo, when I dropped him off. Isn't the face hilarious!

It turned out I had nothing to worry about. I didn't shed a tear when I dropped him off that morning. His teacher took our picture, and then she took him off to play since he was being a little hesitant (but no tears). I got in the car thinking that was just a bit too easy. So of course, his favorite song at the time, "Mean," by Taylor Swift came home. Ok...so I did tear up. But he had a great day and brought home a lovely handprint craft.

Our rocky spot in the school year came at the end of the first nine weeks when his teacher expressed her concerns involving his speech, and suggested having him screened. I was angry. I was angry because he had been screened at age 3 and I expressed my own concerns with his speech and they blew me off. And I was angry at myself for not pursuing it more when I felt he had a problem. I was also really shocked when she said he wasn't writing his name at all. He had done it at home, so I was floored that he wasn't doing it at school. I left that first conference feeling beat. Feeling that I had failed somewhere along the line.

But...things got better. They always do. Logan qualified for speech services and spent the rest of the school year going once a week for help. It's made a difference, and I'm anxious to see if he will need it next year. He, finally, started writing his name after winter break, after I told the teachers it was ok to push him a little harder. We are really going to hit the printing hard over the summer.

He has rocked at learning site words (a list of around 35). He also started sounding out words. I think we may be able to read some (very) short stories by the end of summer. He has also really gotten into his Leapster and some Super Why games on the iPod, so those have really helped him in reading and phonics skills. I've been amazed at the things he has came home and told me. He loves having Bible stories read to him, and entertains us with his version of prayers. I've heard in and the rest of his class have done excellent during Mass, and his behavior in church with us has improved.

Last night was his Preschool Good-Bye program. I'm so glad that they did not do a mini graduation. As cute as little caps and gowns are, I don't think I could have handled it. I got teary when I noticed all their names up in the kindergarten wall. The program was short and sweet and not......mushy. He got a certificate and then we went out to dinner at a place of his choosing....Steak n Shake.

Preschool Good-Bye

Today was supposed have been his last day as a preschooler, but he woke up a little ill this morning and I kept him home. I went to the school later in the morning to pick up his "stuff," and in the bag was his progress report (pretty much all 3s!) and a red binder. I wondered all year what they were doing with those binders. They made a scrapbook! There was the picture Miss Tracy took on the first day of school, pictures from field trips and parties, drawings, writing...all kinds of things I will treasure forever. The last picture was a picture of him in front of the school sign, similar to the picture I took of him the first day of school. The page read "Kindergarten Here I Come!"  I cried. Not because of kindergarten, but because I was so happy that his teacher got this picture, because we didn't get to do that picture today.

How Logan spent the last day of school.

While today isn't last day of school I envisioned, I am determined to make this a summer to remember with my little man. Time goes by way to quickly, and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon.

Kindergarten here I come! (sorry, it's a picture of a picture). You can't tell from this pic, but his first and last day of school he wore turtle shirts!

I. Was. Running!

Last week Matt and I started Couch to 5k. For those of you unfamiliar with C25k, it is a program designed to get you up (I'm assuming from the couch lol) and running. By the end of it, you should be able to run a 5k (3.1 miles). This brillant idea came to us when I was browsing on Pinterest (on a fouton, not a couch) and found the instructions for what you are to do each day. Then, I scrolled a bit farther down the page and found that there is an app (of course, of course there's an app for that) that tracks your progress. Sweeeeet. So, we decided to do it.

Now, Matt has been hitting the gym pretty hard for the past 10 months or so...and he has lost the weight to show for it. Me? Not so much. I HATE to exercise. I don't like machines, I don't have any desire to take a class of any kind, I'm definately NOT a runner,  and that whole just getting there...ughhhh. I don't want to. Throw in my screwed up knees/hips/back/neck...I don't have time to hurt all day.

But, I know I need to do SOMETHING. I'm not active. I'm at my heaviest (aside from pregnancy...let's not discuss that lol). I can admit that I put on weight. I can admit that I haven't done anything to take it off.  I haven't wanted to. I don't believe it was an accident that I stumbled along those posts.

So...Monday was our first day. It wasn't bad, but it showed me how 1) out of shape I am, and 2) a few things I need to do. First off, the shin splints were killer right off. I had to walk most of my jogs. But, I knew my shoes weren't "right," and I had been warned shoes would make a difference. Second, I got hot waaay too fast. I have no clue how Matt can jog in sweats. On the upside, my knee felt great and I wasn't really sore at all.

For Wednesday I was prepared: I had shoes designed for running. I dressed in cooler clothes (located the shorts...SCORE!), I stretched more.  And I was able to run more. I felt good enough afterwards to just walk the track a few laps.

Friday wasn't good...at least not as good as Wednesday. I woke up hurting (not related to running) and probably shouldn't have went. But, I did. And I paid for it. I had to walk a fair amount again.  Not as much as the first day, but definately more than the second.

Baby steps...baby steps. I have to remind myself that I am really starting at zero. The last time I REALLY ran was college. Now, I only run if 1) my child is in harm/has been harmed or 2) I see a snake in the yard.  I'm going to repeat Week 1, because I know I'm not ready to step up. Last week was big learning experience. I hope this week is better!

**************UPDATE**********************************************************

This is my second week of running, but I've only ran once so far (Monday). Monday was really good, and I only walked about 30 seconds of my allotted running time. I'm on a good MWF schedule, but Wednesday my "bad" knee was cramped up and stiff and I decided not to push it. I wasn't really in pain, just some discomfort. I think I slept with it bent all night. It worked out, because I needed to do my volunteer work at the school-reshelving library books :o) I feel better today (Thursday), but 1) didn't want to risk it and 2) I really like my MWF schedule ;o) So...here's hoping Friday is ago!

The next twist...bringing Logan to the Y with me/us!

Our Spring "Firsts"

Last week Logan and I took our first trip of the season to Scovil Zoo. It was kind of a short visit as it started to get windy and thunder. So...off to Target we went ;o)

Logan loves turtles!

Gang of turtles

Goat Boy

A nice picture before the peacock when nuts behind me.

Yesterday we took a trip to Lincoln Log Cabins. It's not the most happening place during the week, but it is a great spot for pictures, which was my main reason for going.

Aww...baby!

This is the second time I have gotten a good pic in front of this wagon.

Working on his strut.

The face is hilarious.

Love the hand in the pocket! If only he would just look at me.

As if running to beat the timer isn't enough of a challenge, he decides to cover his ears when it goes off.

Old barns are fun!

The Last MOPS

This past Monday was our last MOPS meeting. I don't mean last as in in-of-the-year. I mean LAST. That's right...the group I have been a part of for the past five years is coming to an end. A lot of factors played into the final decision of this being the last year. It was almost "the last" year last year. But, it is time. Maybe, after a year, it will pick up again. Maybe it's time for the group to take up residence at another church. Maybe it will start again in the neighboring town. I don't know what will happen. What I do know, is that it has been a great ride and I'm sorry to see it end. It's one year shy of my "graduation year," as Logan will be in kindergarten next year.

My MOPS story begins almost six years ago. Logan was around 9 months old and I was sitting at a wedding reception. My friend, JoAnna, who was there with her young son, started telling me about the MOPS group she was involved with...I believe they were in another state at the time.

"You've got to find a MOPS group," she said.

I said ok. Later that week I found the mops.org website and read up about the group. I typed in my zip code. And lo and behold, Mattoon had a chapter! But, since it was summer and the group was not meeting, the idea went to the back of my mind, until a month or so later at Bagelfest. We were walking around and saw a big tent for nursing mothers and diaper changing. It was sponsored by the MOPS group. I went over and picked up a lot of infomation and spoke to a lovely lady, who I would later know as Michele...and my friend. I went on to contact the coordiator of the group via myspace (I know...who uses myspace now?!?!). That is how I first met Tracy. Oh, Tracy...it's so nice to have someone who knows all too well what it's like to be married to a nerd :o)

I went to the first meeting in September 2007. I was pretty nervous. I knew no one, except Tracy, and I only knew her from myspace. The first meeting wasn't bad, but they played games. I don't like games. They make me nervous. The game thing was actually something when I considered when I thought about going to future meetings. I spent that first year meeting lots of moms at all different stages. I decided to join the steering team for the following year.

And I've been on steering all but that first year. I started off in Creative Activities, then did two years of Publicity. Yup. The journalist failed miserably at that one. My newsletter turned out to be a waste of time and I stopped doing it. But, coming full circle, I just finished another year doing Creative Activities. I loved it, and thanks to Pinterest, it was rather easy to come up with activities.

But, being on steering is draining. Especially after four years. I know there's members who have done it much, much longer, but four is enough for me. Last year was particularly stressful because I decided to do Teen MOPS as well. It's a wonderful ministry, but it takes the right person to do that, and it just wasn't for me. Throw in the problems Matt was having at his old job, getting the new job...it was a rough year and the two previous years finally caught up with me. I would get at the church around 5 to set up. Logan was with me. I'd attempt to set up with the child acted like a lunatic. Then Matt would come to pick him up after he got in from work. Then, the meeting (two hours). Finally...clean-up. Some nights I wouldn't get home until well beyond 9 p.m. It was exhausting.

So...if I was  THAT drained, why did I do it this year? Your guess is as good as mine ;o) I'm stubborn. I wanted to do Creative Activities because I was good at that. I gave up Teen MOPS, so I thought that this year would be better. And it was. To a degree. I started to question myself early on while planning for the year, but I also knew that, with the small steering team we had, I couldn't bail. That's not me. So, while the year wasn't quite as hectic, personally, it was kind of a fiasco. Here's why: Monday's are Matt's first night back to work. So, in order for me to get to the church to set up, he would have to get up about an hour earlier to watch Logan. (I aas never comfortable leaving him with the arranged childcare). I would get to the church and set up. Nothing fancy. Go thru the meeting. And then bail like a mad-woman because Matt had to get ready and head to work. I could no longer help clean-up (wipe down tables, put away decorations, clean up crafts/activities, dishes). This bugged me because I know how much extra hands can make that whole process faster. I knew quickly into the year that this HAD to be my last year on steering. I didn't know at the time it would be the last year period.

Am I sad it's over? Of course. I had some amazing times over the past five years. I've met some wonderful women who I am honored to have as friends. I've learned a lot about myself. I've learned how to be a better mom. But, there's been horrible times as well. One of our Teen MOPS moms lost her baby to SIDS. I will never forget his sweet face or holding him in his little Santa suit at the Christmas party. Nothing, absolutely nothing prepares you do deal with something like that.

I can't imagine what my life would have been like the past five years without MOPS. While I am thankful for some time off right now, I don't know how I will feel come Septemeber, when I suddenly have no place to go on Monday nights. It will be strange. But it will be ok, no matter what happens. Life is changing, and this is just one of those changes.

A Year of Being Cheesey

Today marks the one year anniversary of Matt working at Kraft. It's amazing what a difference a year makes!

The biggest change the new job brought to our family was that Matt would be working nights. I worried about this a lot at first. Not so much for myself, but for Logan. I worried (I still worry at times) about if  L is getting enough "Daddy time." For the most part, I think we all handled the transition well. Matt has worked nights before, so it wasn't a huge adjustment to him. The biggest problem, which we are still struggling with to a degree, is that it really effected Logan's sleep. My child who once had no problem going to bed on his own now insists that one of us (AKA Mom) stay with him and "read on her e-reader" until he falls asleep. It took us awhile to figure out where this new behavior was coming from, but finally he told us that he was afraid that Mommy left the house too. However, with the double whammy of him having to be at school by 8:30 a.m., we haven't been able to really fix the problem. His sleep is more important to me than my one hour of  free time in the evening, and it's more important to me that he sleeps, not so much where he sleeps. There's been a lot of nights of  him sleeping in my bed (I got tired of tripping over his air mattress that we used at the beginning). It's not ideal, and it's not perfect, but I hope we can work to getting him back on track over the summer months.

The whole family schedule has had to change. Supper time is later, which makes the rest of the night later, which has been more of impact on Logan. His bathtime is a little later, his bedtime a little later. Fortunately he has adjusted well to this. I know it's odd that he is staying up a bit later when he has to get up earlier, but it's worked for us. And nope...he does not nap.  Laundry has been a challenge because I used to fold laundry in our room...kind of hard when someone is sleeping. I've resorted to doing that part in Logan's room and it has worked well for the past month or so. I don't do dishes after supper anymore, I just do them the next day. I hate washing dishes (no dishwasher), so I really have to push myself to not let them pile up.
Another big change...a much happier Matt! It's safe to say that when he would come home from IP, it was like walking on egg shells around him. He was just so beaten down. Sometimes it was just best not to even talk to him ;o) It was very hard seeing him like that, and I knew that there was absolutely nothing I could do to fix it, except pray really hard that he found another job, and fast! Pretty much as soon as he got the call that he had been hired at Kraft, he was a new Matt.

It's been a good year for our family. It hasn't always been easy, and we've had to make some changes, but it's working for us.