Ice Cream and Pumpkins

Fall is now here and is in full force.... The days are getting colder and shorter, and we are gearing up for Logan's 2nd Birthday and Halloween.  I can't believe that our little man is almost two!!  He's such a nut. He pretty much never stops talking, and has the funniest little personality.  He loves to sing songs and tell jokes, and PLAY!  Oh boy, he never stops moving.  My grandparents came up for a visit this weekend and brought the cutest slide/playhouse, which Logan has completely fallen in love with.  He is always on that thing...and it wears him out!  Hooray!!! I'll post pictures of it next week.  He had so much fun with them, and asked for them forever after they left.  They also took us out to Olive Garden (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!)

For our Friday night date we bought pumpkins and ice cream..... :)

At first Logan wasn't too sure about the "gross seeds" in the pumpkin, but after watching mom and dad do it, he dug right in.  And then threw all the seeds off our balcony because he was "feeding the birdies."

Our pumpkins!  I'm really going to miss this warmish fall weather!  (notice Logan's  full on cheesy smile in all the pictures....)

Our pumpkins!  The owl is mine, Ry did the mummy, and Logan's is the silly face.  Ry's so turned out the coolest....


Check back here next week for updates on Logan's "Monster Party" and Halloween!

September

Here is a little of what we have been up to this month:

We got family pictures done by the incredibly talented Calista Howes.  We spent a couple hours at Wheeler Farm, and Logan actually did really great, as long as we stopped and looked at the farm animals every few minutes. :)

I can't get enough of Logan's cheesy smile....

Yep, love the cheese.

Logan's favorite place to be.

Our almost two year old!

:)

Our family!

We also went to Ely for Danny's mission farewell...The picture is of the yummy fruit pizza we had there.   I can't believe that he has been out for almost 3 weeks now!  We are so proud of him, and Logan loves writing him letters.... Thankfully,  Danny is really good at writing back, since Logan checks the mail every day for more Danny letters. :)

Packing peanuts :)

We went down to Provo for the game on Friday ( and what a game it was!), and we got a picture of Logan in front of the jungle gym that we used to try and shake him out on when he was refusing to be born.  ;)

BYU put in a really cool stream with lots of little waterfalls around South Campus.    Logan loved throwing rocks into it.   I love little boys. 

My guys

At the JFSB.  As soon as Logan saw the fountain he stripped off his shoes and socks and tried to jump in.

This picture pretty much sums up both of their personalities.... 

Logan at the Y

Logan did so great at the game!  We didn't have to take him out once, and he chanted "Go BYU!" throughout most of the game, which everyone around us loved.  He fell asleep on my lap during the last quarter... so he missed our amazing touchdown in the last 16 seconds, but he woke up to watch everyone storm the field.  Go Cougars!!

Go BYU!!


Logan's ABC's

The Terrible... Ones?

September?!  Where the heck did August go?  This past month just flew by... and Logan just keeps getting older.  I can not believe that next month my sweet little man will be TWO!  This past month has been full of fun, new "Logan-milestones" that make my heart swell with love, and my body ache from exhaustion....

Here, Logan has taken more inspiration from the book discussed in my last post.  This particular page states, "I love you on your very best...and very worst of days."  Which was what this particular day was... a worst.  After a crazy morning, and getting lost while driving in SL, I put Logan down for a nap that he refused to take.  About twenty minutes in I suddenly heard him giggling about "poop."  Horrified, I remembered that I had taken his shorts off before laying him down...never a good idea, since seeing his diaper reminds him that he knows how to take it off.  As I opened his door I was assaulted by the pungent smell of Logan poop... more specifically, a pile of poop which Logan was standing in, had drug his stuffed animals and blankets through, and painted his crib and nearby walls with.   After cleaning him up, I tackled the room.  While I was distracted, Logan took this opportunity to rip off his new diaper, and pee in his truck.  And on his piano.  After finally cleaning everything, I brought Logan upstairs and put on a movie.  As I was washing sheets, a garbage pail was emptied onto my living room floor, his belly was covered in marker, and the above art work was created.  Which, by the way is in crayon...anyone know how to get that off?  Needless to say, by the time Ryley got home I was back to my one child philosophy again....

My family came to visit us last weekend to do some last minute shopping with Dan before he ships out to Mexico City, and to watch Logan for us while we ran our half marathon.  On Friday we got to hang out with Cammi and Aydan at the Zoo, which made Logie the happiest little man EVER.  He sure loves his Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunts and Uncles!

Friday night Ry and I headed off to Logan, UT... ironically my very first night away from my sweet Logan man.  I had all these plans to take tons of pictures, but we had to be at the finish line by 5am.. and all photo plans were forgotten in the half-asleep rush.  The Half went surprisingly well.. I had a goal to make it in under 2 hours, and at mile 11 I had 25 minutes to make that goal.  I had been doing about 8-9 minute miles, and I was feeling pretty good, so I figured I had plenty of time.  And then my stupid hip gave out.... I knew I should have doped up on painkillers.  Anyways, I pretty much limped my way across the finish line at 2 hours and 4 minutes.  I'm pretty bummed about not finishing when I wanted to, but now have a reason to do another one! :)  Ry did great and was my crutch for the last 2 miles... Neither of us could really move on Sunday, but we are pretty much healed now....

Cam and Ayd on the Zoofari Express

My silly man

A couple weeks ago I became addicted to Pinterest.  I saw this cool artwork there, and decided to do it for Family Home Evening.  You basically hot glue crayons to a canvas and blow-dry them.  Logan was so proud... and here comes the progression of what we fondly call the "Logan cheese"

Hehe.  I sure love this kid!

On Sunday we took a drive up to Silver Lake, and tried to take a picture similar to our one from last year at this time.... Logan has grown SOOO much!  It was a nice hike, and Logan had fun playing with sticks.  As I watched Logan hit things with sticks, I lovingly took Ryley's hand... only to find that he was holding a stick too.  I love my boys. :) 

My silly guys "exploring" the forest

My little engineer.  He loves to take things apart, and then put them back together..

Logan with Uncle Danny's Duck Tape.  In Church today he was being a major booger in sacrament, so I took him to the RS room for a timeout.  If he wont stay in sacrament then the rule is that he has to sit in a chair in RS and be reverent.  I brought him into the room, sat him down, and explained to him why we were there.  Logan looked at me for a moment, flashed a smile, and said, "Be right back!" as he slid off his chair to escape.  Such a tricky man... and he is only one!  At home when he is being naughty and I ask him if he wants a timeout, he now always responds with an enthusiastic little, "Yep!"  And whenever he doesn't want something he never says "no".... always, "nope!" in a way that leaves no room for discussion.  Am I dreading the teenage years?  Just a bit.

Quick Update:

Ryley keeps busy with his studies, and Logan won't be left out.  He likes to study his alphabet while Ry studies his drugs. :)

For Family Home Evening last week we did this really neat activity that I saw somewhere... here is the aftermath.

And here are the finished projects!  The first is Logan's creation, the rest are what are hanging on my wall....I bought canvases at Michaels while they were on sale, and we each picked a color and an object from nature to paint with.  I chose flowers, Ry chose a branch with leaves, and Logan chose a pinecone and a stick.  

Logan showing them off

All that hard work wore the kid out! :)  He likes to mimic his daddy's snoring.

Here they are on my wall... I plan on doing this every couple of years.  Yeah for cheap, fun art that brings the family together! :)

Whenever we read this story Logan insists on having a paper bag over his head...

This is the story...

And this is why he needs the paper bag.  We never make it past this page without him running into the kitchen and grabbing a bag from the closet.  :)

My cute boy.  Today, after needing a "snack" before bedtime,  he pulled me out onto the deck and started dancing.  It didn't take me too long to figure out that he was dancing to the sound of the crickets.  He then pulled me in and made me dance with him.  I love this little sweetheart!



On Saturday we were invited to one of Ry's classmates houses for Persian food.  Their family is from the middle east somewhere, and their house is absolutely gorgeous.  Kind of like a palace in the middle of this humid, foresty area of slc that I didn't know existed.  Anyways, much to my surprise, the food was amazing!!!   So stinking yummy, and not spicy at all.  I will definitely be looking up some Persian recipes soon. :)

August

Here are some quick updates on what we have been up to:

Four years ago, on the 4th, I was sealed to my best friend for time and all eternity in the Portland, OR temple.   These past four years have been the best in my life, with each one getting better and better!  Ryley is my rock, my prince charming on a white horse, my forever.  He is my sweetheart, and I can't even remember what life was like without him in it.  I am so incredibly blessed to be able to call him my husband, and know without a doubt that Logan could not have a better father.  Ry works so hard at medical school, and yet still manages to spend enough time with Logan and I so that we don't feel neglected.  He fills me with joy, and makes life so absolutely beautiful and complete.  Words will never be able to adequately express how extremely grateful I am that he woke me up in the library five years ago. :)

Last weekend we were able to spend time with family down in Saint George.   It was so great to see my grandpa, aunts and uncles and cousins!  We also had the chance to go through the temple with Danny.  It was nice to spend time with him before he embarks on his adventure to Mexico City!

Uncle Aydan and Logan the fish at the pool in Saint George.

The future Elder Poulsen. :)

My cute family on the temple grounds.

Grandpa and Grandma Beckwith with Danny

The six siblings... Aydan was so done with pictures. :)

We love our playgroup!  It is so nice to hang out with the other wives of the med students in Ry's class.  We have a running group, and get together for play groups throughout the week.  Here Logan is with cute Sadie and a gorilla.

Logan and his buddies, Taylor and Sadie.

Logan doing his "pull-ups" for his "strong muscles!"

While pushing the stroller, I looked down and noticed little outstretched hands from each stroller.  Sweet little Sadie was trying to share her goldfish with Logan... we ended up having to push our strollers closer together so they wouldn't fall out. :)

Happy Logan on the Merry-go-round. 

My roommate from my freshman year in college got married this past week, and here we are at her reception.  I accidentally left the camera in the car, so we only managed to get a few shots right before we left. 

:)

Logan and Daddy at our Bishop's pool.  

This silly man insisted on wearing these goggles almost the whole time, even though he couldn't see with them on.   It was quite funny watching him try to pick things up off the ground. :)

Our little swimmer

Here is our cheesy man smiling at breakfast.  He now insists on bringing his stuffed animals up to the table with him, and refuses to eat until they have been fed.  Here monkey and doggy are being treated to shredded wheats.... which Logan ended up eating anyways. 

Sundays always throw us off, since church starts right during nap time.  And no nap = a very naughty Logan.  Probably the most disruptive child in our entire ward.  Today I started something new though... if he can't sit quietly in Sacrament, then he gets to come to the Relief Society room with me, where he isn't allowed to get out of his chair.  Also, there are no stories or drawings or toys in the RS room... hopefully very soon he will just be content to sit on our bench in Sacrament!  Here he is grumpily watching Tarzan with me. :)




New Logan Milestones:

Grew out of all his shoes, and now actually fits into 24 month clothing
Peed in his potty for a second time today (woohoo!!)
Loves to play hide and seek
Usually gets colors right (finally!)
Always asks, "Mommy lay down for just two minutes?"  every time I lay him down in his crib
Can now climb to the top of the bannister (which scares me to death, and I have no ideas on how to solve this other than NEVER taking my eyes off of him while in the living room)
Says prayers
Will repeat scriptures after us for Family Scripture Time
Survived eating massive amounts of Desitin
Rubbed said Desitin all over my floors and couches (which, 3 weeks later, still won't come out)
And can now completely undress himself, which means a constantly naked baby and lots of poop on my floor.

Yeah for toddlers!