The Dear Diaries

for now

2012-03-07T21:34:00.002-05:00

just some phone pictures for now.

I have TONS of pictures on the camera, but this will do for tonight.

Logan LOVES this hat.

Sometimes he pulls it over his eyes in the car

and then takes a nap.

Stuck his fruit strip on his forehead... why?

Because he's a boy.

That'll be the answer to a lot of questions in the future,

I can just feel it.

Keegan LOVES to sleep covered in his blanket.

He's managed to get it over his face a few times.

(just like his Aunt Bear)

But we compromise and this is how I let him sleep.

So I can sleep too.

Josh tackled a pinterest project for me...

it came out awesome!!

Logan helped put it up ;)

and get it ready.

We've been enjoying the warm winter.

Logan asks for walks all the time.

more projects on the way means

LOTS of trips to Lowes/Home Depot.

we also have to have 2 carts now...

one for cute boys & the other for project stuff.

I always choose the boy cart. ;)

What's so funny?

2012-02-19T21:10:00.004-05:00

What makes Logan laugh?

his favorite guy in the whole world

baby playtime

2012-02-19T21:04:00.004-05:00

Keegan's asleep time GREATLY out-numbers his awake time. So when he is awake, we try to take advantage of getting in some "play time." Okay, Keegan just lays there but his eyes are open at least. ;)

tummy time

holding his hand

proud big brother!

playing outside...

2012-02-15T21:33:00.003-05:00

This past weekend - it snowed. Less than an inch on the ground, but snow is snow - especially this winter which has been super lame. We're still waiting for our big snowstorm. Anyway, Logan was happy to go play in the snow for the first time. And looked very cute doing so. :)

itty bitty footprints

And then 3 days later - it was warm enough to play without a big jacket. Seriously, where is the big snowstorm?? Logan got this new golf set from Aunt Beth and LOVES it. He's been playing "dolf" inside up until today, when the club turned into a bat and got very close to Keegan's head. Soooo... Josh took Logan outside to play "dolf." We also have a really funny video of Logan golfing I need to upload - sometime. Hopefully.

looking like a pro

And then it was time to come in...

And Logan was not so happy with us.

Not happy at all.

playing inside...

2012-02-15T21:19:00.002-05:00

playing cars

lots of vroom-vrooming over Daddy's legs

love my boys

Keegan got into a little ball inside the boppy

BIG smile :)

It's like they're related or something...

2012-02-10T19:15:00.000-05:00

Which boy is which?

What makes me smile :)

2012-02-10T19:11:00.002-05:00

sleepy smiles after some good milk :)

goofy smiles after a good cookie :)

friends

2012-02-10T18:56:00.004-05:00

Once upon a time, Jamie and Emma had these baby boys...

Then they blinked.

Now they have these BIG boys.

AND these new babies - one of each this time.

Jamie's new sweet baby girl Abby Rae was born just 5 days after Keegan - but weighs like 2 pounds less. He'll protect her from the big boys.

baby love

2012-02-07T18:22:00.004-05:00

We seriously can't get enough of this little man! Josh and I are almost fighting over who's turn it is to hold him. Seriously! Keegan is very good at snuggling and is making the cutest little faces. He looks A LOT like Logan as a newborn - Keegan's extra pound on Logan's birthweight is all in those chubby cheeks! And those cheeks are just begging for kisses... which we happily provide. :)

Keegan's slightly jaundice - just enough to earn extra sunbathing time

(a great prep for the beach this summer)

doesn't this picture seem backwards? haha

big brother watching over his baby

non-stop kisses!

Introducing...

2012-02-03T13:47:00.000-05:00

Keegan Chase Dear

born Tuesday January 31, 2012

at 5:44 P.M.

8 lbs 3 oz

21 and 1/4 inches

delivering "Superman"

2012-02-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

I'm going to try and write this all now.

While both boys are sleeping and I still (somewhat) remember all the details. :)

So we had an induction scheduled for Tuesday 1/31/12 early in the morning. Dr decided he was ready enough, I was definitely ready enough, he was starting to cause some other problems, and there was the whole "how big will he be?" issue since I'd been measuring 2 weeks ahead for the last 2 months. So when Dr. Cooper offered the induction, I gladly accepted and offered to name the baby Cooper in her honor. Tuesday morning everything was going well. I was progressing kind of slow but still progressing. The first epidural didn't work, so they took it out and RE-DID it. Awful process but the second one was WONDERFUL! I went from 3 cm to 10 cm in a little less than 3 hours. In half a push (seriously, half) a tiny little hand and forearm came out to high-five Dr. Cooper. No joke. We've had a few laughs - Superman baby, climbing his way out, trying to dive... either way, he wasn't allowed to come out that way. So Dr. Cooper pushed his arm back in (seriously) and told me to keep my legs closed while they prepped the OR. (All I could imagine is this little baby climbing out of me whether the Dr's liked it or not!) I also was not too happy about having to have a c-section, but I realized it's better for me to have surgery than this little baby boy needing surgery for a broken shoulder, collar bone, clavicle - who knows! The c-section wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I had to wait to hold him but only until they wheeled me to the recovery room. And we've been together ever since! He had great Apgar scores and has been a very happy Superman baby. His arm and fingers were swollen but that went down the first night and are now itty-bitty like the rest of him. My c-section recovery has been pretty good too. I'm sore (obviously) and tired (obviously) but came home without any prescriptions. Occasionally taking some motrin and trying to remember all the things I'm not allowed to do (hold Logan, pick things up off the floor, drive...)

We are LOVING our Keegan and are so glad he came to join our family!

you can see his swollen arm here

big brother presents!

Brothers :)

2012-02-03T13:33:00.006-05:00

Logan has done really well with Keegan's arrival. I was expecting him to either be super jealous or ignore him completely. And we've actually had to make sure Logan isn't "playing" with Keegan without us. He asks to hold him, and the entire time gives him kisses and hugs and points to his nose and hair. It's really adorable to see Logan's big smile. And Keegan doesn't seem to mind Logan's noise yet. Logan has brought Keegan a few of his toys and places them directly on his face. Niiiiice. Today, he threw the ball at Josh (who was holding Keegan) it bounced off of Keegan's head who didn't even flinch. Welcome to the family, kiddo.

our pale toddler (Josh's genes) with our tan baby (Emma's genes)

ahh, brotherly love

going in for a kiss

2012-01-25T20:49:00.004-05:00

We're on the final baby countdown. Less than 2 weeks til our due date! (Thank goodness!)

Our house is ready for baby - car seat out of storage, pack and play set up, clothes & blankets washed, even bought some diapers... We're almost positive we decided on a name. And just in case he's waiting on me to catch up on blogging - I posted Christmas pictures. The next blog WILL be a baby announcement.

I just hope it's in the next month.

phone pictures

2012-01-25T20:24:00.003-05:00

Logan took advantage of all the boxes around during the move :)

helping Dad put together new furniture

swiffer boy

looking so old "reading" a book

Logan got tub letters for Christmas & Josh left me a message :)

Josh has re-finished 2 dressers since we've moved - my little handyman

Christmas 2011

2012-01-25T19:59:00.006-05:00

A month later... I think it's about time I post Christmas pictures. (Hey, we've been a lil busy here lately and blogging took a back seat!) But here we go...

Logan's Christmas tree hunting outfit...

Gramps' boy

Christmas tree 2011

the stockings were hung

(LOVED having a fireplace this year for our stockings!)

Josh's annual gingerbread house

Christmas Morning

Logan jumped out of Josh's arms once he saw the presents!

he was WAY into unwrapping this time! so fun!!

with Mommom & Poppop on Christmas day

long overdue

2011-12-12T10:01:00.003-05:00

Logan left me a "note" reminding me that I have some cleaning to do...

BUT instead I'll do a little bit of an update in an attempt to catch on this blog!

The month of November for each Dear:

Logan is into EVERYTHING! He definitely keeps us on our toes. He likes to climb and act like he's a lot bigger than he really is. Logan loves anything with wheels. He knows that cars say beep beep, trucks say vroom, and trash trucks say BOOM! Some of his new "tricks" - he knows where his nose, ears, mouth, hair & belly are (and tries to say them), he knows what noises some animals make (cow, dog, pig, chicken, snake), and lately he's picked up on the Christmas tree & that Santa says ho ho ho! This weekend at breakfast, a big old biker dude with a long white beard and big ol' belly was sitting a few tables down. Logan looked over and waved & then a few seconds later, looked back at him and said "ho ho!" (Not surprisingly, I almost peed my pants!) Luckily the biker dude thought it was cute too & we made a new friend. Logan had his 15 month appt & is doing very well. He's still a peanut (25th %tile for weight & 50th %tile for height) but he's still growing and gaining. We're definitely in love with our little man & remind him everyday how stinkin cute he really is!

Josh is almost at his one year out of the academy mark. Crazy how fast it has gone! He LOVES his job and now has a take home car which is FABULOUS for everyone. Josh has been busy with little home projects since we've moved into our new house. Currently, he's working on redoing a dresser for the boys room. He's quite the handyman :)

I am now in the single digits of baby countdown. 8 weeks and 1 day... not that I'm counting. ;) This baby growing business is tough somedays, definitely tiring. Packing, moving, unpacking and getting ready for Christmas have helped pass the time! Baby boy is getting bigger everyday & still has no handle. The joke is we're hoping he comes out with a "Hello, my name is ____" sticker. What are the odds?

Oh yea, some other HUGE news for November. We totally bought a house! And moved into it. :) I'm planning to take pictures of each room for our far-away friends to see. But I feel like the rooms need to be clean first. So, who knows when that post will actually happen.

Here is the best picture we got from a very LONG photo shoot...

George & The Man

2011-11-01T08:15:00.003-04:00

Josh's Jack-o-Lantern

(it survived Mischief Night in our ghetto neighborhood...

Josh's patrol car wasn't as lucky - egged!!)

little man wasn't so sure about pumpkin guts

Curious George & The Man with the Yellow Hat

Josh was to quick to realize that without his hat, he was just The Man ;)

cute monkey butt :)

Logan was a big hit trick or treating with Gramps...

he would reach into the candy bowl and pick up one, put it back, over & over again...

I think next year will be a different story :)

Happy Halloween!!

Milburn's Orchard!

2011-10-11T20:16:00.005-04:00

We took a trip to Milburn's Orchards today and had a great time! And because it's such a small world - the Maynerich's decided to be at Milburn's today too! :) It was nice to catch up with Loni and Jesse and Logan enjoyed following the "big kids" around.

Logan walked up this huge hill like a champ!

Only fell flat on his face once (coming downhill!) ;)

the best part of Milburn's...

Apple Cider donuts!! :)

he definitely played hard

pictures

2011-10-11T20:05:00.002-04:00

Pictures from September...

looking handsome for church & relaxin on the couch

enjoying a snack (only eating the lemon inside the cookies)

Logan says "cheese" when he sees the camera now...

yields lots of pictures like this!

doing tricks on his police motorcycle

I love when Logan sits down with a book

(a few minutes of stationary-Logan is always helpful!)

tried to get a picture of his first black eye -

I see many more in our future

looking under the door?

taking a nap?

planking?

not only did he figure out how to flush the toilet...

but he learned all about toilet paper too

teaser

2011-10-11T08:33:00.003-04:00

So I have a few pictures that I need to get off of the camera to do a real update. But I have these 2 pictures on my phone that I thought I'd share as a teaser until I get around to actually updating... :)

Logan (finally) got upgraded to his big boy car seat...

(we need to take the infant seat out - at least for a few months)

a quick visit to Lowes last week turned out to be a trip to

Disneyland for Logan (and Josh)

he 'vroom-ed' the entire store & even makes it sound like he's shifting...

people in the store were cracking up!

good thing he likes Lowes - I see many trips there in the near future ;)

snips and snails, and puppy dog tails

2011-09-14T19:46:00.004-04:00

Josh informed me that I haven't updated the blog on our "results" from the ultrasound. (He was there, but just in case he forgot...)

It's a BOY!

And we are so excited! Everything on the ultrasound looked great and our baby boy was very cooperative. :)

Now he just needs a name.

and baby makes 4!

2011-09-08T22:28:00.003-04:00

I'm pretty sure most of our blog readers know that we are expecting ... wait, Josh isn't pregnant. I am.

baby Dear 2.0 coming February 2012!

But I wanted to let everyone know, we have our half-baked baby ultrasound on Monday September 12th ( as in ... 4 days!!) & we will hopefully find out if we have a little brother or little sister on the way. I honestly have no clue, not even a guess ... so feel free to leave your guesses. And I'll try to post Monday night with some results & pictures :)

one year old!

2011-09-08T22:04:00.003-04:00

Remember this baby??

Well now he's this little boy!!

Logan had his 1 year well-visit and goes next week for his "birthday presents" from the doctor - 3 shots this month & 2 next month. The gift that keeps on giving. ;) He weighed in at 20 lbs 4 oz (15th percentile) & was 30 inches long (75th percentile). So he's starting to grow more like his Daddy. He has a crazy personality. Logan loves to be silly & makes himself laugh now too. He is very good at climbing, runs all the time, & has this dance/moon walk that he does showing off his backwards walking skills. Logan likes to throw balls, kick balls, hit balls (on the floor), and now can dunk them in his basketball hoop. Daddy's in heaven with a mini-Allstar! :) I like that he's talking more and more. His doctor said he likes to hear 3 words by 15 months and asked us if Logan says anything yet... Logan repeated all of his words for the Doctor: dad, mom, poppop, more, done, outside, ball, dog, push, what's that (that blends together), me, hi, belly, buh-bye, & vroom. Pretty sure Logan was trying to convince the Doctor he could skip the 15-month appt & the shots that go with it. He's been completely off formula & bottles for about a month. (So happy to be done washing bottles & buying formula!!) Logan eats everything, still preferring fruits & meats over breads. He is also sleeping wonderfully!! He goes down about 7:30 PM and wakes up around 7 AM ready to go! Okay, he really wakes up around 6:30 AM but I don't get him until 7 AM. Maybe one day he'll figure it out and just sleep til 7??

Anyway, we definitely love our little man!

Happy Birthday Logan Ryan!!!

1st birthday party! :)

2011-09-08T21:30:00.008-04:00

It happened. My baby boy turned one. And so far, we like him as a one year-old too :)

he wasn't a HUGE fan of the cake...

more of an ice cream guy :)

but he DID like the presents!

clothes from Aunt Judy & Uncle Dave :)

unwrapping...

a farm from Granddaddy & Grand-Debbie

books and blocks from Aunt Lauren :)

a phone & bond from Mommom & Poppop :)

Phillies gear from Aunt K & Uncle D :)

Phillies bear from Jack & Aubrey :)

puzzles, Police rocker & clothes from Meme & Gramps :)

books from Uncle Ry & Aunt Meg :)

sports center from Mommy & Daddy :)

playing with ball popper from Aunt Judy :)

playing with Norah

and Aunt Bear

and snuggling Aunt Lauren

playing with my Dad

2011-09-08T20:55:00.002-04:00

It's no secret that Logan loves his Daddy...

he's just so much fun to climb on...

and squish...

and snuggle...

yup, pretty sure he loves his Daddy :)

catching up (again)

2011-08-18T20:32:00.001-04:00

These phone pictures are seriously from a month & 1/2 ago... been slacking a little lately. I also had no idea we had so many readers disappointed in my lack of posting. I'll try to do better from now on.

Logan likes to talk on the phone...

and the spoon? Everything is a phone to him.

He picks it up & says "hi dad" clear as can be.

(It's funny because I never really call Josh on the phone when he's working - maybe Logan is telling me I should.)

We had a sick baby for a lot of the month of July & beginning of August.

This one day if I stood still long enough, he would just lay on my foot.

here was his medicine pile... he received at least one dose of each of these a day!

It was no fun - but he is feeling much better now and life is good :)

in daddy's boots

2011-08-18T20:22:00.002-04:00

One night as Josh was getting ready for work, he left his boots where Logan could get them and I watched him try to put them on. With some help, he was so happy to stand up but didn't do so well walking.

and of course, grabbed Josh's phone & said, "hi dad"

this kid is too cute - at least we think so :)

splash splash

2011-08-18T20:12:00.004-04:00

These pictures are from our 2nd beach vacation. We enjoyed time at the beach with the Grants/ Winns/ McCalls, boardwalk trips, a visit to Jungle Jim's water park, time with family, and playing outside on Logan's favorite deck. I'm ready to go back.

the 1 ft pool was perfect for Logan

splashing the water on the table...

State Fair

2011-08-18T20:03:00.002-04:00

We went to the DE State Fair at the end of July. Our visit included the petting zoo, lots of exhibits, yummy food, and people watching... crazy fair-goers. Whew.

This picture pretty much summed-up Logan's feeling about the animals.

"I'm not quite sure about this Mom"

He asked us "dog?" for every animal... apparently goats, kangaroos, giraffes, and llamas all look like dogs to Logan. (really random petting zoo, right?)

He did like the crazy German juggler tho...

he clapped when everyone else clapped and smiled the whole time!

vacation #1 of the summer

2011-07-15T15:12:00.007-04:00

Okay, it wasn't really a vacation. Josh worked Monday night and Tuesday night but we stayed at the beach house Sunday to Friday so I think that counts as a vacation! We had a great time! Logan is definitely all boy and keeps us on our toes. He's a real walker now so that actually made some things easier since he is Mr Independent. I should have broken this up into separate blogs but... it's easier this way! :)

Logan rode the Merry-go-Round for the first time!

He sort of liked it - we were glad it only cost us 60cents! :)

Enjoying some Nicolas pizza!

a beach trip! Logan had a little trouble walking on the sand.

(Josh did too - see below)

but loved to stand in the water and splash!

Seagulls! He was crawling so fast after them! And he kept copying the annoying sound as he chased them! People around us were cracking up!

Josh sprained his ankle on Sunday night (playing basketball). He had to sit the desk at work and answer obnoxious "my grandma won't let me go out tonight" calls. His Sergeant told him "you're getting older and can't play with high school kids anymore." Ouch!

passed out after a day at the beach

riding the slide at the Ferry park!

when did he get big enough to play in a playground??

my red-head summer boy!

Logan loved to look at the fountains in the pond off the deck!

we have too many pictures of the back of him now that he's walking...

makes it MUCH more difficult

walking!!?!?

2011-06-29T09:44:00.001-04:00

Excuse me sir, have you been drinking?

Not a very good, or long, video of his walking skills. He's more stable now. But I love how shaky he was and the adorable fall. :)

life these days... :)

2011-06-23T19:51:00.004-04:00

riding home from the beach - snuggling Mickey Mouse

cooling off after a nice summer day? haha

making himself at home at the beach house

I think Josh enjoyed this more than Logan did

(they did the big stairs first)

sleeping like his Daddy - one foot sticking out of the blanket - ALWAYS!

Logan's 2 favorite things: Busy Baby book and remotes

book worm

2011-06-14T17:36:00.002-04:00

Logan loves to get books off the bookshelf.

He'll sit down and look at a few pages or

just use the book to slide along the floor.

His favorite book is called Busy Baby - no wonder! ;)

I love how he has to stand on his tippy-toes to reach.

(just like his mama)

9 months old!

2011-06-12T15:31:00.000-04:00

Well it happened, our baby boy turned 9 months old! I don't know why but 9 months sounds SO old! (I know it's really not...) Maybe because he's acting more and more like a little boy instead of a baby. This morning he was pushing the train around the room playing and looked so big!!

Logan had his 9 month well visit this past week and he continues to amaze us with his fast metabolism! He weighed 19 lbs 1 oz (25th percentile) and is 28.5 inches tall (50th percentile). On the way there Josh and I were both guessing his weight and were surprised that he hadn't gained that much. He eats EVERYTHING and ALL THE TIME! This seems like a fitting picture for his 9 month post... it's his favorite thing to do!

He has some new tricks as a big bad 9 month old too... he's a professional crawler and has mastered walking around the house using furniture, legs, and toys to help him. We're pretty sure a He's Walking! post is right around the corner. Logan claps ALL the time - at everything. Life is more fun when you just stop what you're doing to clap! Really, you should try it! He also had started trying to repeat us - we've gotten a few cup, ut-oh, yay, and hi attempts in addition to pretty clear his da-da, ma-ma, pop-pop, and hey! Logan will gives kisses and high-fives sometimes and lately has been waving hi to people AFTER the walk away. (Maybe he's saying bye!) And he has 2 bottom teeth & 2 more coming in on top! I think that's all the new stuff for Grandmas nationwide. :)

water baby!

2011-06-12T15:19:00.004-04:00

The baby pool experience did not go well but the big pool was a hit! He loves it! The other day he kicked in his floaty for like 45 minutes straight! (Slept pretty well that night too!!) But he also likes swimming with his daddy! He kicks and splashes and occasionally stops for a drink ;)

And remember the baby that hated grass?

Logan also has more bathtubs than ever really necessary but it's always nice to switch it up. Josh finally blew this one up and Logan had lots of fun in his own bubble bath! He's since learned to climb out of it... so...

how big is Logan?? so big!

lately...

2011-06-12T15:07:00.003-04:00

Logan wearing his baseball outfit from Grandma -

Josh says he looks more like a manager since his belly sticks out.

Sitting watching Aunt Bear graduate from high school!

and dancing at the after-party!

breaking through the gate

After his first swimming attempt... not good!

It was a baby pool though - apparently he only likes big pools!

Logan w/ Lizzie

first bites of ice cream sandwhich :)

ready for more!

party day

2011-05-15T21:19:00.002-04:00

Today we had 2 first communion parties to attend! Lucky the twins decided to throw a joint party - or that would have been 3! ;)

Abby LOVED hanging out with Logan.

I'm pretty sure he liked her too :)

Friday the 13th

2011-05-15T21:05:00.003-04:00

We had a very GOOD Friday the 13th :) First we went and signed paperwork to buy our car - no pictures... same car - just a new registration. :) And then we went and helped Erin get ready for prom. She looked beautiful and said she had fun! :)

I tried to convince her to take Logan as her date -

Josh and I could have gone on our own date... but she declined.

Josh tried (AGAIN) to get Logan to like the grass.

no luck

he does like looking out the window

and blowing raspberries on the glass :)

and then we went to Ben's lacrosse game

watching the game

way past bedtime :)

life these days :)

2011-05-15T20:50:00.003-04:00

Life has been very busy lately. Logan is very busy. And fast! It seems like he is flying from one side of the room to the other. He walks along the couch, toy box, and book case and is starting to climb stairs! Oh fun. ;)

first spaghetti meal :)

baby in a box

2011-05-09T20:02:00.002-04:00

Sometimes Josh gets tired of chasing Logan around... so this morning he stuck him in a canvas bin. At first Logan was okay with it - but after a while he wanted out! :)

(We enjoyed the few minutes of still-Logan)

Here's his cheeseball smile... but you can see his two little teeth! :)

helping dad

2011-05-09T19:52:00.002-04:00

Because Mr. Logan is now into EVERYTHING we made a trip to get some baby gates.

I got some cute pictures of Logan helping his Daddy. ;)

doesn't he look like a grown-up standing like that?

mickey!

2011-05-09T19:48:00.002-04:00

Every once in a while, we'll watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on TV. (Very helpful during the nebulizer treatments!!) Anyway... Logan always gets excited when he sees Mickey. But we were really impressed when he recognized him on a snack package! But not so surprised he loved the pineapple snacks - he eats everything! Here's the video - we thought it was pretty cute!

keeps getting bigger!

2011-05-02T13:35:00.002-04:00

Logan finally decided to start crawling. All of a sudden it clicked. No more scooting on his butt or sliding backwards - he was on his hands and knees and on the move! Silly boy that he is, he also decided to get his first tooth the same weekend... make that 2 bottom teeth! Anyway, there's been a lot of crawling and whining in our house - with the occasional wave hello and tarzan yell! (Our neighbors must be so glad we're home!)

*sorry he's just in a onsie... we were still catching up from Utah laundry.

tarzan!

2011-05-01T20:33:00.003-04:00

More videos to come (youtube must be having a lazy Sunday or something)...

Logan has found his voice - and our house just got a WHOLE lot louder!

Blue Rocks game

2011-05-01T19:58:00.002-04:00

Logan went to his first baseball game. Sadly it wasn't the Phillies - instead it was the Blue Rocks. You know, the team with more mascots than players? Anyway... Logan was a happy boy the whole time and liked the clapping, birds flying around, and occasionally would look at the field!

"oh come on, bad call!"

a busy week!

2011-05-01T19:49:00.003-04:00

We definitely have had a busy week and are looking forward to a normal week coming up! Monday after Easter, we flew to Utah to meet Grandma Nancy and to see Kristi get married!!! It was a really busy and quick visit but so much fun! Logan had his first flight and second and third and fourth! The first 3 were so great... and the last well sucked. He was way tired of being held and wanted to get down and play. But overall he did great. All of our flights were first class (thanks again Gramps!) so it'll be a whole new experience flying coach with him... less room, more people, and a stranger in the row. I told Josh - I'm never flying coach again! (Yea right.)

he loved looking out the window!

Logan decided he didn't like the pack and play in Utah... so he got to sleep with us. Or maybe he figured out that we wouldn't let him cry in the pack and play very long and worked the system... either way he LOVED getting to snuggle with us. And we loved listening to him giggle in his sleep!

More Utah pictures to come... as soon as we get them from Nancy and Annie (and Kristi's photographer)!

first Easter

2011-04-29T19:42:00.003-04:00

Logan had a great first Easter! He wasn't very good at the egg hunt, maybe next year ;) He wore an adorable outfit for our warm and sunny day! He received lots of gifts from many different Easter Bunnies ... pajamas, a crawl ball, puffs, a walker, outfits, bath toys, a giraffe bank, Phillies binkies, and new brakes for our car. ;) Such a lucky boy!!

he looks SO little when he stands with Cliff

Easter eggs!! :)

Ben shared all of his eggs with Logan.

(He quickly found a Reese Egg and tried to eat it... further proof that he belongs to us!)

sick baby :(

2011-04-19T20:17:00.005-04:00

Logan has had a cold off and on for a few weeks. Just a head cold that helped us go through 3 boxes of tissues in about 4 weeks. Saturday night he woke up coughing and breathing really funny and I immediately thought it was croup. He went back to sleep and I called his pediatrician in the morning. Since it was Sunday and the office was closed, they suggested we go into AI Children's Hospital. Josh and I got showered and were ready to go. Then Logan was happy, not coughing and didn't even have his cold. So Josh made pancakes, no - seriously. We weren't going and he was hungry so... why not. Who wants to be the mom that takes her baby to the HOSPITAL for a cold? Not me! But after talking to a few people they suggested we still take him. Around noon he was getting the steroid for croup and we were headed home. Glad we took him. He's still coughing a little, but not as bad as before. And he's still a happy boy and sleeping and eating well.

They made him wear a little gown and hospital band.

It was a little big. :)

The pictures are blurry because he is now moving ALL the time.

first park trip!

2011-04-18T17:13:00.004-04:00

the first of many trips to the park for this little boy...

at first he held on tight & looked a little unsure

but a few minutes later he was kicking his legs and ready for more!!

then to the slide!

ready for more!

love those happy cheeks!

so big!

& to prove I was there & show off his big boy stroller :)

so big!

2011-04-14T18:51:00.003-04:00

Not sure what happened to my baby boy... he's getting way big - way fast!

now he plays with big boys toys... loves this train set!

taking the animals off & on and pressing the music buttons

STANDING! doesn't he look so big!?

finding a toy like a big boy!

not quite used to big-boy falls yet tho!

playing w/ Peyton!

2011-04-14T18:42:00.002-04:00

We watched Peyton for a few hours on Monday morning

and the boys had lots of fun playing!

Peyton is 3 months older than Logan...

although Logan thinks he can do everything Peyton does.

Peyton showed us everything in our house that was NOT baby-proof. So helpful ;)

pictures

2011-04-14T18:23:00.005-04:00

pictures of the little man from March & April

saying hi to Reese (and looking very handsome)

Logan LOVES Josh's badge...

as soon as he sees Josh dressed for work -

he doesn't take his eyes off the badge!

the buttons are shiny too but not as cool as the badge

peeking under the table

wearing new jammies from Aunt Judy

Easter Bunny

2011-04-14T11:08:00.003-04:00

he LOVED the Easter Bunny

and still loves to see the picture on our fridge!

new phone pictures...

2011-04-12T08:27:00.004-04:00

Logan is ALMOST big enough to jump in Peyton's stationary jumper!

bucket head!

(I put it on his head, and he kept playing like it wasn't even there!)

we've had a few grumpy (sick) days

he's still cute when he's sad

found the other baby in the bathtub!

a few dr appts days too...

ready for take-off?

playing w/ Daddy :)

<3 my boys

tricky puffs

2011-04-02T21:03:00.002-04:00

Don't you hate when you're eating something and all of a sudden you realize it's missing?

And you're sure you did not get it into your mouth?

And then you realize it's stuck on your face?

Doesn't that happen to everyone?!?!

Or just Logan?

opening day

2011-04-01T13:24:00.000-04:00

its a big deal at our house.

hanging out :)

2011-03-27T20:08:00.003-04:00

These pictures are from... like a month ago. I forgot that Jamie had sent them to me. Anyway, we were hanging out with the girls while all the guys went golfing. Jamie got some pretty cute pictures of our little man that I wanted to share. Thanks Aunt Jamie!

catching up with Annie

"Don't worry Mom, I know how this works!"

aquarium

2011-03-20T17:39:00.006-04:00

We gave Erin a trip to the aquarium for Christmas... and were a little late in taking her. We went on March 18th... along with all of the other daycare centers in New Jersey. Seriously - kids in diapers walking around with "chaperones". It was nuts! Anyway...

Logan w/ his Aunt Bear

saying hi to Gramps

checking out the fishies...

Josh touching the sting ray...

Logan would have jumped in...

sometimes... Logan looks JUST like his Daddy

but most of the time he looks like Uncle Conor - minus the beard and tattoos.

6 months old!

2011-03-20T17:38:00.003-04:00

Logan turned 6 months old on March 7th! He had his 6 month well visit and weighed 16 lbs 6 oz and 26 inches. He dropped to the 25th percentile for weight but stayed in the 50th for height. And don't worry, his head is still in the 75th! :) Sometimes he eats 3 meals a day, sometimes just 2. He's a snacker with his bottles so we sometimes skip lunch to make sure he drinks those bottles! Anyway, he's now added mango, blueberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, yogurt and puffs to his diet in addition to all of the stage 2 foods. He likes it all. Like everything. We let him lick a lemon at dinner a few weeks ago, and... nothing. He went back for more. Didn't even make a face. Oh well! He's also sleeping like a champ now - and life is good! :)

Josh bought him a Mickey Mouse ball for his half-birthday...

it rolls a little too quick for him now... but we're pretty sure he'll be going after it very soon!

new tricks

2011-03-20T17:37:00.006-04:00

As a big, bad 6 month old Logan has decided to learn some new tricks!

he'll get on his knees sometimes... but not crawling yet.

he can scoot backwards and in circles though... and our living room isn't very big - so that usually will result in new toys anyway. :)

he will lunge from a sitting position onto whatever toy he wants... this time it was the toy table

finally figured out the johnny jump-up...

we read books a lot and he picked up on the whole 'turn the page' thing... so cute!

The Lost Month

2011-03-20T17:30:00.005-04:00

Sometimes, Josh and I aren't very good at taking pictures with the camera. Our cell phones usually are closer and easier to get to in a particularly cute moment. This happened for about a month. There are no pictures on the camera from Feb 18 - March 18. So this "lost month" will just be phone pictures... and really random ones at that. :)

Logan passed out post-bottle...

catching a nap on Bre's couch after playing with Peyton

such a big boy!

eating in his new high chair!

tubby time!

snuggled in the carseat

found a foot rest during play time :)

kisses for Dad

cutest baby on the beach

2011-02-19T09:05:00.000-05:00

Since it was so nice yesterday and Josh was off - our little family packed up and headed to the beach! We brought Aunt Bear and met up with the Cliff. The boardwalk was beautiful and Logan got to ride in his stroller like a big boy! What happened to my baby??

looking so cool

loved the sand!

he didn't even try to eat it! yay!

nice soft landing

he liked the crashing waves too!

I see many summer trips to the beach in our future.

And that is totally fine with this mama! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-16T19:40:00.000-05:00

Can you feel the love?

Well, can you taste it????

checking out his cards...

(yes they are Christmas jammies - but they're red and white!)

yummy

you can take the mama out of the preschool,

but you can't take the preschool out of the mama...

we love our little lovebug!

the boys and the princess

2011-02-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

Last week we had some friends over! Ethan, Hailey and Peyton came to play with Logan. Jamie and Bre came to play with Emma. (All the Daddies were at work.) We had so much fun! There was lots of playing, snacking, and nap-skipping! Jamie got some really cute pictures of the boys!

It's Ethan!!

This is Logan's new face... haha.

Josh taught him to say uh-buh and they are now a beat-boxing duo.

phone pictures

2011-02-16T10:23:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of our baby boy from my phone over the past few weeks :)

Logan learned how to rock the glider - haha

He sleeps on his belly with his butt in the air - SO CUTE!

Daddy picked out his church clothes :)

Happy boy!

Got a little thirsty in the tub...

playing and eating

2011-01-28T20:28:00.001-05:00

Those would be Logan's favorite things... playing.

And eating... any and everything!

a handsome bald baby

see the orange ball by the shovel... guess who threw it there? No joke!

when do we sign up for t-ball?

dressed up for church

he grabbed both of our fingers and put them in his mouth :)

leaning back to see Josh and smiling at him

And eating...

oh eating...

first bite of carrots - yuck!

but by the end - all smiles

first bite of green beans - gag!

NEXT time we tried green beans - loved it!

sweet potatoes were a hit from the beginning

(further proof that he belongs to us)

my boys in blue

2011-01-28T20:00:00.000-05:00

Logan dressed in his snowsuit for one of the storms (who can keep them all straight)...

we walked outside for a minute, Josh made him taste the snow, I got cold, and we came back in. But he looked really cute!

Josh is now allowed to wear his uniform to and from work...

he has to wear a coat over it still... baby steps, ya know?

Life as we know it...

2011-01-18T10:27:00.000-05:00

Well, life has been fabulous in the Dear family lately! We're all moved in to our new house, Josh is LOVING work and I LOVE having him home! And we both LOVE how much fun Logan is getting! Here are some recent pictures of our happy boy!

hanging out on the couch

nice shiny bald spot and a cute butt

loving on his mama

tummy time is exhausting

Logan found his toes!

and learned to pull his socks off...

playing at his table...

w/ his daddy :)

Logan added oatmeal to his favorite foods list...

we're thinking it's going to be a long list

happy boy in the morning

sitting all by himself!

Four Months!

2011-01-12T11:23:00.000-05:00

Logan had his 4-month well visit on Friday but that turned into another sick visit. So received his shots on Monday at a check-up appointment. Anyway... he weighed in at 14 lbs and 4 oz (not bad for the holidays) ;) and is almost 24 inches long! He is still steady measuring right on the 50th percentile curve. Logan did not enjoy his shots, he cried and cried and gave the nurse a dirty look afterwards. Haha

this is his monthly photo on Mommom's couch... not so good

playing on his tummy!

getting closer to sitting solo

he gives lots of kisses... especially after I rescue him from his car seat or crib...

thank you thank you thank you!

his exersaucer is his favorite spot

he can spin himself around to different toys now too...

loves his daddy!

cute butt :)

he giggles a lot... especially at Josh

and he talk even more than he giggles...

play date :)

2011-01-08T22:07:00.000-05:00

what a difference 4 months makes!

Jamie and JD came over to see our new house last night! It was so much fun! The boys played together - well next to each other at least. And Hailey gave everyone manicures and make-up while hiding french fries throughout my living room. {found some more today Jamie} :) Here are some pictures of the boys.

this might be my favorite picture!

Ethan LOVES something and Logan looks TERRIFIED... lol

Hailey tried to show the boys how to do tummy time

he thinks he's big

2011-01-08T21:56:00.001-05:00

Logan likes to sit up (nosy like his mama) and can sit supported pretty well. Today we sat him on the couch and he kept pushing himself forward off the pillows so we grabbed the camera. (It made me so nervous, Josh and I were both just waiting for him to land on the floor - we caught him tho) ;)

sometimes he ends up like this :)

found the camera cord :)

2011-01-08T21:46:00.001-05:00

Here are some random pictures from the camera (not very many, it was dead for awhile). ;)

enjoying a lunch date w/ Dad...

also for Christmas, Logan got his first cold... but in true "go big or go home" attitude, he decided why stop with baby's first cold and skipped right to bronchiolitis. so among Logan's Christmas gifts we're including the nebulizer machine. the first few treatments were no fun (for either of us) but now he seems to enjoy it and tries to eat the mask the whole time. haha

Jamie has a similar picture of Ethan on her blog who ALSO has bronchiolitis, but the boys haven't been together in over a month so it's just another sign they are destined to be friends ;)

there is a big smile under this mask... he's too funny

Logan tried on Josh's cold weather hat for work...

Christmas recap...

2011-01-08T21:39:00.001-05:00

Logan had a great first Christmas! We spent lots of time with family and friends, ate great food and got some new toys and clothes! We didn't go overboard with gifts - but everyone else did. Logan loves his new rattles, play table, door jumper, bath toys, and boxes of Jackson's old toys! I love his new onsies, socks, outfits and carseat blanket. :)

in his Christmas bib from Aunt Kacy

snuggling w/ Shannon...

the littlest reindear :)

phone pictures

2010-12-30T15:43:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the quality of these pictures - they're all from my phone. (The camera cord is MIA - if you stole it, give it back. Thanks.)

Logan is getting so big! He likes to play in his doorway jumper... not jumping yet.

But he LOVES to stand so this works perfectly :)

He decided to hang there and chew on his toys - no hands!

He gave us a big smile after rolling over!

Logan looks so little... or Josh's head looks big.

Either way - he's a happy boy!

Josh's first day (well night) of work!

Logan started eating cereal.

Just like Dad - he likes to eat. :)

This is his new favorite toy... he smacks the buttons when the music stops.

It's so funny! We LOVE our baby boy!

getting ready for Christmas

2010-12-23T20:10:00.000-05:00

We've been enjoying Josh's vacation week very much! It's been fun getting ready for Christmas and enjoying Logan. He likes to play now - in his exersaucer and with his toys. I'll try and get a picture of him in his doorway jumper up soon. Here are just a few pre-Christmas pictures to share :)

family picture

we decorated Logan (and got sparkles EVERYWHERE!)

Christmas card picture

Logan met Santa and even Santa said,

"well someone is teething"

Logan left his mark - a big wet one!

we got a big smile too!

(notice Santa holding Logan's hands down - out of his mouth!)

Merry almost Christmas!

Graduation Day!

2010-12-20T21:40:00.000-05:00

Friday, December 17, 2010... was a very good day. It was Josh's graduation from the Police Academy and it meant no more Monday morning "goodbye and I'll see you Friday"... no more! Woohoo!

Here are some pictures to summarize the ceremony.

marching in...

the whole 82nd/73rd class...

(they sat like this the ENTIRE 2 hours! it was intense and they were sore)

same position...

Josh received an award from his Captain because he

"exemplified the divisions in the academy's core values"

(honesty, integrity, courage, loyalty, attitude, discipline, and service)

waiting to be pinned...

my Dad pinned his badge...

oh, Josh cracked a smile! :)

getting congratulations from the Colonel of the State Police

Josh says this is when he was looking for me... or maybe Logan...

taking the Oath of Office... he's our new president, er wait... new Trooper

more Graduation pictures...

2010-12-20T21:35:00.000-05:00

Logan was a very good boy during the ceremony -

we didn't have to even get up and walk around during the 2 hour ceremony!

"is it over yet Mom?"

he didn't like the clapping and slept with his hand covering his face...

looking for Daddy...

our family picture after the ceremony...

Trooper Dad... I mean, Trooper Dear

the class plaque at the Academy...

after the ceremony we went back to the Academy for Josh to pack up...

and a diaper change

Logan sitting on his Daddy's bed...

smiling for his Daddy

he REALLY likes his Daddy :)

Josh's first Donut as a Police Officer ;-)

(Kacy and I made this for Josh's celebration dinner!)

Catching up...

2010-12-13T08:48:00.000-05:00

I'm a little behind in my blogging...

so here are a few pictures to share until I can really update!

The cutest member of our moving company - sleeping on the job.

Logan was happy to snuggle his Daddy on Friday night!

Big yawn!

Logan's cute new shoes! Thanks Meme!

He looked so handsome for church! And so big!

Tummy Time drop-out

2010-11-30T13:51:00.000-05:00

Logan doesn't like tummy time and has figured out how to get out of it. Slacker.

The Dear Diaries

for now

What's so funny?

baby playtime

playing outside...

playing inside...

It's like they're related or something...

What makes me smile :)

friends

baby love

Introducing...

delivering "Superman"

Brothers :)

next post

phone pictures

Christmas 2011

long overdue

George & The Man

Milburn's Orchard!

pictures

teaser

snips and snails, and puppy dog tails

and baby makes 4!

one year old!

1st birthday party! :)

playing with my Dad

catching up (again)

in daddy's boots

splash splash

State Fair

vacation #1 of the summer

walking!!?!?

life these days... :)

book worm

9 months old!

water baby!

lately...

party day

Friday the 13th

life these days :)

baby in a box

helping dad

mickey!

keeps getting bigger!

tarzan!

Blue Rocks game

a busy week!

first Easter

sick baby :(

first park trip!

so big!

playing w/ Peyton!

pictures

Easter Bunny

new phone pictures...

tricky puffs

opening day

hanging out :)

aquarium

6 months old!

new tricks

The Lost Month

cutest baby on the beach

Happy Valentine's Day!

the boys and the princess

phone pictures

playing and eating

my boys in blue

Life as we know it...

Four Months!

play date :)

he thinks he's big

found the camera cord :)

Christmas recap...

phone pictures

getting ready for Christmas

Graduation Day!

more Graduation pictures...

Catching up...

Tummy Time drop-out