Logan is 2 years old!

Yesterday was Logan's second birthday.  I think he had a really great day.  In the morning, we told him happy birthday a lot.  He helped me pick out some things for the party at the grocery store and helped me cook (and sample) the cupcakes.  We were trying to clean up for the party and I left a door open and he found his birthday present.  I told him we had to wait and there was a lot of tears, but we finally gathered everyone together and he opened family presents.  From us, he got a plane and a Thomas book.  From Grandma and Grandpa, he got a Thomas T-shirt and some Thomas books.  From Great Grandma and Great Grandpa, he got a train.  He wanted to take everything with him, but I let him bring the plane and wear his Thomas shirt.  In fact, he would like to wear the Thomas shirt continuously, but I did manage to get him into Sunday clothes today.  We had soccer games - ate at Bojangles in between since it was the last soccer game (Logan already recognizes this place, even though it was only our second time).  We also bought some Halloween decorations for next year and on the way to the second soccer game, Logan feel asleep, so he slept through almost the whole game.  Yay!  We got home about 5 minutes before his party.

The party was fun.  I think Logan loved it.  Our playset was just installed and thankfully the weather was great, so a whole passel of kids just played on the playset, our climbing dome, and in the sandbox, and soccer and just running around.  We cooked up too many hot dogs and brats and had chips and water and fruit.  Then, we sang and had cupcakes.  Logan was a little mystified / mesmerized by the candles and a friend helped blow them out.  He got three presents - a big ball & a little plane, some ABC puzzles, and a Chugginton DVD (which we watched this morning so I could take a shower).  We had a lot of friends there - our neighbors, the Jones and their two kids, the Harris' and their three kids, the McCarlies and their three kids, the Arriagadas and their three kids, and the Howards and their two kids.  Logan seemed to have a ball.

He seems to understand that he is two now.  If you ask how old he is, he will tell you two and hold us his two pointer fingers.  And whenever we asked whose birthday it is, he would say "Me".  I said no more nursing when he turned two and he was a little sad, but got over it and accepted it (yay!).  I also told him two year olds start using the potty - we'll see about that one.

Otherwise, Logan is just adorable and trouble - basically the definition of a 2 year old.  He LOVES cars and trains and is always carrying at least one.  Usually multiple.  He sleeps with them now, too.  He leaves them at Play Date each week, though Seth has been culling through the collection and bringing home ours.  Logan loves books with cars and trains and planes and anything that moves and wants to hear them over and over.  He loves to play trains and can start to build some tracks himself.  He loves for me to build a Trio race track and loves to play with our big track.  He is even starting to kind of like to watch cars or trucks on TV, though honestly he is still not really interested in TV at all.  He also loves ball and enjoys throwing things.  Everything.  He loves our new swing set.  He likes the swings - the first time I put him on and pushed him, he fell right off, but he has done great since then and I have remembered to push more gently.  He can even go up the rock wall with a little help with placement.

This last month, Logan has been all about me.  He won't go to nursery anymore.  He had one bad day at Play date when I was teaching.  Some child was inconsolable, and I guess Logan got upset and started crying till he threw up (gotta love my kids), so Katsu picked him up.  He ended up having loads of fun at Katsu's work, but now he doesn't want to go to Nursery anymore.  He cries when we bring it up or when Sacrament meeting ends.  I would just go with him, but Seth won't go to Sunbeams, either, so I end up going to Primary and then Logan ends up falling asleep or whatever ...  And we are good friends with the nursery leader and he likes her and will talk to her, but as soon as you  mention Nursery, he will just say "No."  He is basically attached to my hip.  However, yesterday at soccer, he seemed to want Katsu and I think he is sad when Katsu is not with us for bishopric things, so I am hoping that Logan will be going through a Katsu phase shortly.

Logan is starting to talk a lot more.  He has a lot of words now, but still doesn't use a whole bunch of sentences.  He is pretty funny to listen to.  Whenever we are stopped at a red light, he just yells out "Go.  Go. Go."  I wish buddy.  He said couscous a week or so ago which was SO cute.

Logan is a super eater.  He can eat SO much!  I am curious to see what they say at his doctor appt tomorrow, because that kid had an appetite and will eat almost anything.  He even steals broccoli off other people's plates.

Logan mainly follows me around all day with cars or planes or trains or trucks and watches what I am doing.  He is pretty helpful.  He usually puts his shoes away and brings his plate to the sink and tries to put things away.

Logan loved trick or treating.  He loved Halloween.  He would say "treat" all the time and LOVED the trunk or treat and trick or treating.  On Halloween, I had to work in the afternoon, so I took the boys over to katsu's work.  Logan through we were going trick or treating

Fun Things This Month

• Lots and lots of soccer games and practices.  Logan is a good sport and likes to kick around a ball, too.
• Friends over to play several times.
• Logan went over to a friend's house one day so I could substitute teach a lecture.  He got sad when he went outside because he recognized our neighborhood and wanted me. He just kept saying Mommy.
• Trunk or treating at ECU.  There was a kid dressed up as the Hulk, complete with a mask, and Logan was TERRIFIED.  Generally, masks really scared him on Halloween.
• Trunk or treat at church.  Logan loved it.

• Day trip to New Bern -- we went to the Firefighters museum (the kids favorite thing of the day), the birthplace of Pepsi (kids not interested at all), the Cow Cafe for lunch (everything decorated in cows and a kids play room, plus pop corn and ice cream - i.e., kid paradise), and then walked around the city and went and walked through the grounds of Tryon Palace.  The kids did a lot of walking, but were excited to try to find all the bears that were painted differently around town.
• Fall Festival at Andrew's school.  Logan got to do a few of the free games and really had fun, even though he was exhausted.
• Our new playset.  Logan loved watching them install it and then starting crying as soon as they were done because he wanted to run out and play on it.
• Birthday!