logan and otto love

Seventeen More Days

2010-06-08T18:49:00.000-07:00

Logan at the Hilltop- June 2010

I cannot believe another year has gone by so fast. Logan will turn two on the 26th. We are going to Florida to help celebrate Angela and Tyler's big day and to take the Bear to his first trip to Disney. Everyone morning Logan says "We see Mickey and Minnie soon Momma."

Speaking of years going by, Matt and will be finishing up our school year soon- nine more days to be exact (including Saturday and Sunday). For me, the year went by surprisingly quick; I think it felt longer for Matt. It was a busy year for Matt- he took his last grad. class and completed his practicum. In May, he finally received his Masters. Logan, Otto and I are so proud of him.

Logan and Matt on Matt's long awaited day

Going back to the Bear- Logan is growing into a delightful boy. He is so smart. I stop keeping track of his words because he is talking all the time. His vocabulary is amazing for a child his age. He knows all the parts of the body, animal noises, the ABC's and can count to twenty. Logan can also identify several superhero and their catch phrases. Logan has wonderful manners- please and thank you. He LOVES to read. We read every night and now he wants to "read" to us. His favorite story to read is Rikki Tikki Tavi, by Rudyard Kippling. "Oh there is Rikki Tikki and the birdies. "Oh no Rikki Tikki, snake!" He is going to move onto the Toddler Two / Preschool Room in the Fall. I cannot believe it. Logan current obession is Buzz Lightyear. Matt and I are thinking about taking him to see Toy Story Three- his first movie at a theater. In fact Logan knows that Buzz says "To infinity and beyond." Logan is an awesome eater- he eats what we eat and loves tofu, sushi (cooked), blackberries, and hummus. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful little man in our lives.

Well- two little men, Otto- our resident DIVA pug is doing great!

Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime- Logan's new favorite book.

2010-01-20T16:10:00.001-08:00

Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea

My rating: 5 of 5 stars Logan and I love this book- in fact we are reading every night before we go to bed (in addition to one other book- of course). Dinosaur is so brave- with its mighty roar- it can conquer almost anything. Well- maybe not bedtime.... View all my reviews >>

Mom and Dad weekend Gate Away

2010-01-18T17:42:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Matt and I went away to the Cape to celebrate our anniversary (three years January 27th). Nanny, Logan, and Otto had a blast together while Daddy and Mommy got some alone adult time. Matt and I stayed at the Cape Codder in Hyannis. It was a wonderful resort- very family friendly (they have activities for the kiddos, a wave pool, and two seperate game rooms)- however, I do not think I will go back when it is just Matt and myself. There was also a spa on site and an hot tube. We got there Saturday night, got settle in our room and had a quick dinner at the Hearth and Kettle (in the hotel).

My Prime Rib (it was quite yummy)

Matt post burger

After dinner we soaked in the hot tub then off to bed.

The next morning we order room service for breakfast. Very indulgent but totally worth it. Speaking of indulgent, after breakfast we got a couple massage at the spa. Very reflexing and for Matt, long overdue. In fact- the massage therapist said Matt had muscles of steel. After the massage, Matt and I had lunch then went to the Cape Cod Mall. We walked around and window shopped. We spent some time at Barnes and Noble (and used our educator discount). Then we went to the movies to see Sherlock Holmes. The movie was very good- it was a wonderful interpretation of the characters of Holmes and Watson. After the movie, Matt and I wanted to go get local seafood but all of the local restaurants were close for the season. We went back to the mall and ate at Not Your Average Joe's.

Matt with his favorite- French Onion Soup. I commented that it looked good and the waitress said it was and I should ask for a taste- YAY RIGHT.

We got home Sunday morning- after all the snow was dumped on the North Shore (the Cape and the South Shore only got hit with rain). We showered Logan with the presents we got him (we finally saw a Blue's Clue doll in the hotel gift shop, plus I found half off Melissa and Doug puzzles at Marshall's so I got him an ABC puzzle seeing how Otto chewed his other one). And even though they had a wonderful time with Nanny- I think both the boys were glad to see us). We spent the rest of the day reconnecting (we watched Up together). The Bear really sleep too hot this weekend so he went down at six. Back to the real world tomorrow.

Cranky Pants Logan

2010-01-13T18:14:00.001-08:00

Today Logan was cranky. I think he was just tired from last night swim class (he usually goes to bed an hour later on Tuesdays). We all have cranky days Bear. Dadda and I will always be there to snuggle and cuddle with you (and to watch DJ).

Hearts- Momma

Logan's toddler book

2010-01-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

I read on my Circle of Mom's page on Facebook about using a Blog to document your baby's first few years like a baby book. I think it is an awesome idea (this blog was intending to be a family update forum but I think I am more than likely to update if it's intended more for Logan to look at when he is older). Although he is no longer a baby but a toddler- this will be more like a toddler book. and although Otto is growing out of his puppy stage- this could be a coming of dog tale for him.

What is new with Logan-

He is 18 months now
He was using the potty early last month but is losing interest. Matt and I do not want to push him so we ask if he wants to use the potty and if he says "no" then its a no
He is trying to run a little (it is pretty cute because he is bow legged)
Saying so much everyday and he is starting to put more than two to three words together

He is so cute

a much needed update

2009-07-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

and i promise i will still update next time...
where to begin

dmb this year- awesome- need i say more. his set was amazing; our seats were the best! we sat on the new roof section and could see EVERYTHING. getting into fenway and leaving fenway was not as bad as i anticipated. added bonus- less hippies, slightly more yay-dudes- and tons of hipsters.

end of the school year- THANK GOD. having the extra monies from elt was nice but matt and i were done by mid may. yes, we are planning to stay with the programs at our respected schools for the 2009-2010 school year. yes, i do like the money but i also love the extra time with the students- i was able to accomplish more with them with the extra 15 minutes a week.

the family bed- has one less member in it. no, we did not sell otto to the gypsies. logan started sleeping the whole night in his crib around late may, early june. he is back to sleeping 12-14 hours a night. we are working on his nap routine. other logan milestones- he exclusively eats "real" food (he eats whatever we eat and he is an excellent eater), he drinks out of a sippy (no more bottles), says about 15 words, and is starting to walk.

and- logan turned one on june 26th. we had three parties for him, which sounds excessive, however, if we had one big party at a hall, it would have costed us twice as much. logan love having extra b-day cake (he is matt's son after all).

next week we are in philly (our 1st family vacation). also- we are on #86 of the afi movie list (platoon).

DAVE

2009-05-28T18:23:00.001-07:00

tomorrow night- at fenway- me and matt (sorry, matt and me).

kris allen

2009-05-19T17:56:00.001-07:00

blow it tonight. his performance on the last song, hands down, the worst of any finalist ever to perform. ever. if i was him- i would just give the title to adam. even simon was giving him pity.

28

2009-05-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

guess who is going to be 28 tomorrow? moi! i still cannot shake this awful uri and my birthday pedi was sub-par but i'm quite excited about this birthday. rumor is i have a couple of surprises in store and dinner at the century house with my two favorite men. *squeals*

i am not the only one that has a birthday in may- otto pants turned two this month. unfortunately matt was still in the hospital for his b-day so we have yet to celebrate it.

ugghh- this illness has gotten me beat.

in other randomness- matt and i got a plot in the salem community garden plot this year. yummy fresh veggies are in our future.

the family bed

2009-04-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

the post entry says it all- logan is no longer sleeping in his crib. yes, the gorgeous, expensive crib with it's very comfortable memory foam mattress (which was also expensive) has gone loganless the past three weeks. logan is sleeping with us (with the exception of thursday when he sleeps in my mother's bed because he is definitely not sleeping in the pack in play).

despite my sassy tone, i admit i actually love sleeping with logan. our days are so full, i feel that we do not have enough time to bond. it is blissfully to snuggle close to my baby- and now he is becoming a little boy. it is the perfect end to our day. a lot of people are frowning upon matt and myself for allowing logan to sleep with us; however, one of my coworkers made a valid point: there will be a point where children do not want to be with their parents and we should make the most of the time we have when they want to be with us. while i hope logan will always want to hang with his folks (haha- yay right), i want quality logan time.

Our Weekend

2009-03-02T14:32:00.001-08:00

Friday- I picked up Logan; Matt had an after school get together. Mom took Logan and me to Stellio's. Mmmmmm pot roast. When I got home and we put Logan to bed, Matt and I watch "Do the Right Thing," I manged to stay awake through the whole thing- Matt lasted half way.

Saturday- Matt and Logan were up around 7:15- did their Saturday morning thang. I got up around 7:30 and did my Saturday morning thang (which is not as fun- cleaning). Left around 12:30 to go to Babies-r-Us and Wyatt's b-day party. Managed to get out of the house in pretty good time. Logan had his first taste of frosting at the party- he reached out and grabbed frosting off of Matt's plate. Logan and I were pretty tired after the party so we took a nap- big mistake... Logan wanted to party for a bit during the night. Matt finished "Do the Right Thing" while we napped.

Sunday- SNOW. We read a lot. We played Logan games. I did a ton of laundry. We both got word the school was cancelled for Monday. I made delicious Chocolate, Gooey Cookies (thanks Paula Deen)! Matt made Chicken, Limes, and Scallions with Sweet Carrot Rice (yum). CELEBRITY APPRENTICE!

Monday- SNOW. Tried to win U2 private session passes from FNX- no luck. Gave Logan his Dr. Seuss's Birthday gift which he seems to like. Clean.

Now- I'm getting us ready for tomorrow. Matt is making Pompdora Soup for din din and Logan and Otto are playing. It's all good.

Do the Right Thing

2009-03-01T06:08:00.000-08:00

Ok so Kate wants me to blog about some of the AFI movies we are watching. Over the past 2 nights we watched Do the Right Thing, a movie by Spike Lee about Harlem. It was a series of stories about various neighborhood characters and the stories all converged at the end. The movie had a humorous tone through much of the movie but became a serious commentary on race relations at the end. The movie had no true protagonists or antagonists but presented a multifaceted view of a complex neighborhood. I liked the movie and would recommend it.

an AFI rant

2009-02-20T21:29:00.000-08:00

We are on #97 of AFI's list which is Blade Runner. How is it so far? Well let us put it to you this way, we are only half way through the movie and have no clue what is going on because it is sooooo boring.

BOO AFI and Blade Runnerright now.

Christian Bale

2009-02-18T18:36:00.000-08:00

NO- he is not a member of our household but I personally think his meltdown several weeks was hilarious. Even better- Big Jim, the afternoon DJ on FNX posted this on the FNX web site: it's Bale's meltdown set to techno-beats. It is FREAKIN' hilarious!

Bale's Meltdown Beats

Tubs-ahoy!

2009-01-25T13:05:00.000-08:00

Because he is so stinkin' cute and I am his mama!

AFI movies: #99 Toy Story

2009-01-25T13:02:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love Toy Story? It has toys, the voice talents of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, and music by Randy Newman. If you do not like this movie, you must be a terrorist!

AFI movies: 100- Ben-Hur

2009-01-18T14:19:00.000-08:00

Matt and I are on a quest- we are going to watch all the AFI top 100 movies in reverse order. All of them! In the exactly reverse order. Regardless if we have watched the movie before- we will watch it again. The first one on the list is Ben Hur. Ben-Hur is actually one of my favorite movies (I actually own it) but this was Matt's 1st time watching it. It took us two days to watch it because Ben-Hur is hella long and Doe the Ho dropped by last night and Doe is not the Ben-Hur type. After finishing the movie earlier this afternoon, Matt and discuss why it was on the list and our general thoughts on the movie. Matt thought the movie was a little indulgent- besides being a little too long, was it necessary to have an overture and an entran'te? But I think that adds to the charm of the movie- Ben-Huris the last movie of an era of films that became epics. part of the epic movie is the grandiose scores and length. The effects of the movie were totally cutting edge for its time and the acting- phenomenal. When you think about it- the only other movie besides Ben-Hur to win eleven Oscars is Titanic and none of those Oscars were for acting.

our next film in this series is Toy Story.

are you jealous

2009-01-11T05:46:00.001-08:00

*logan slept until 8! and actual stayed in his crib, talking and cooing to himself until 8:45.

*matt and i woke up to the biography of meatloaf on a&e.

*despite the the snow- otto was accident free last night.

the french revolution

2009-01-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

last week i spent the most pleasant day just watching the french revolution documentary on the history channel. not exactly the most scholarly piece of work but it brought up pleasant memories of the marie antoinette and louis XVI, as well as the october days and robespierre. tonight gabe came over and we talked about the revolutions nuances- the abolition of christianity and the christian calendar, the declaration of the rights of man, and how for fives years after the revolution france was a black hole with no leadership. it simply was a delicious night. the way to my heart- talking about political upheaval.

nye pics

2009-01-01T18:37:00.000-08:00

matt and i actually went out for nye this year. this was the 1st time we have ever been out as a couple for new years. jess and jim invited us to a party that jess's brother knew about. we got to dress up and look sophisticated but do not be fooled by a smart clothes- we party until 12:01 then headed out (because we are OLD). the party was a good time and it was nice to spend it with some of our best friends. it also was a nice night out for us- logan spent the night with his nanny.

it's christmas, not xmas

2008-12-28T18:58:00.000-08:00

write out the full name of the holiday- you lazy sobs!

we had an excellent holiday. it was logan's 1st christmas and otto's 2nd and no- the boys were not spoiled...too much... ok- they were- we cannot believe all the stuff logan and (even) otto received. thank you everyone that helped make their holiday a little more special. matt and i are planning a night out for new years eve, so we decided to keep the gifts to each other light. matt received the following:

the dark knight on dvd
the marvel chronicles
bacon flavored floss
the new rivers cuomo's album
a gift certificate to harrison's

and i received the following:

30 rock season two
grey's anatomy season one (which is going to be exchanged for gossip girls seeing how i already have grey's)
tales of the beedle bard
helping hand's lotion from lush

if i were to list what logan received- i would be here all night but just some quick highlights

ball pit
tickle me cookie monster
crawling mat
superman pj's
a randy moss jersey
a walker
a big boy car seat

and of course we cannot forget about the ock

harley davidson collar
puparoni
a new sweatshirt
a portable water bowl

as usually, matt and i did christmas eve with his side and christmas day with my side. we took tons of pictures of our boys which are posted on my facebook. of course we posted some hightlights:

BS

2008-12-23T19:27:00.000-08:00

sallie mae just made my list... again!

so one of the things i am all about is paying everything in time- usually a week ahead of schedule. the only exception is my student loans which i do three days before it is due. now 6 months ago, i completely fuzzed out and paid the day of. well, that day i got a call from sallie mae stating that i was overdue on my payment. i politely but firmly stated that i did pay today, that i pay on time all the time since consolidating with sallie mae, and that i just had a baby a week before and that i was anticipating his arrival this early. ok whatever, until today. i go online to make my december payment, i get a message that my payment is about to be overdue and i better pay it or face serious consequences.

to sallie mae-

during this tough economic times, do you think it be who of you to go after loyal customers who pay on time or those who have yet to make a payment in over 18 months?!?

i am going to come out and say it

2008-12-21T15:21:00.000-08:00

but i do not like michael phelps. he just looks so...dumb. and he is everywhere. winning all those medals in beijing was impressive, however; he can barely string a sentence together. and should we glorify a man in a speedo?

an almost independent eater

2008-12-20T11:10:00.000-08:00

logan tried feeding himself via bottle today. he managed a good minute before he pulled the nipple out of his mouth and got formula all over his face.

snow dave

2008-12-19T16:52:00.000-08:00

because of the incoming storm- matt had no school and i only had a half day (yes matt you had off today but which one of us will get out of school sooner in june). before the snow hit- i was able to get one of matt's last gifts as well as the new dmb cd (which has an awesome cover of peter gabriel's sledgehammer) for myself. when i got home- i had a little lunch and then logan and i took a little nap. the nap was cut short because matt just had to tell us that dmb's live at piedmont was on. i'm glad we got up because it turns out logan LOVES dave. he was rocking to the beat and throwing his arms in the air. and i swear he was trying to sing along with eh hee. my son- a future dmb tailgater!

impulse buy update

2008-12-18T17:33:00.000-08:00

strike that- the best impulse buy- chocolate cover joe joes. go out and buy them! i dare you.

logan 1.) has cut his 1st tooth :), 2.) has had nasty diarrhea. poor bear. he is feeling better though, maybe it was the time spent with his dada and big bro otto.

best impulse buy ever

2008-12-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

peppermint dark chocolate truffles from trader joes. $4.99- absolutely yum- and i am not even a chocolate person.

welcome mia

2008-12-09T18:21:00.000-08:00

Logan and Otto have a new cousin. My goddaughter- Mia Angel was born today at 11:51. She 5 lbs. 15 oz., 18 1.2 inches long. She looks a lot like Courtney and she makes the cutest noises. BABIES!!!

major props

2008-12-08T18:11:00.000-08:00

i just wanted to say- gossip girl was sooooo good tonight! just when i thought lily and rufus were going to be together... i do not think i can wait until january 5th to see new episodes. please- if you see matt, drop hints that i want gossip girl season one on dvd.

also- send good wishes this way, i'm getting my last observation for this year. ehhhhhhh...

sky high

2008-12-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

i hate it but matt loves it! so while he's watching it- i am going to read my books that i just got to review from nrmls. admit it- you are all jealous of me but not matt.