So long, Monroe Avenue

In May 2007, Brian and I bought our first home.  It was a great house in midtown Memphis, and we just loved it at first sight.  It had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and we felt it would be a great starter home and had room to grow.  It was definitely all of that and more!  We loved the convenience of midtown and the charm of our renovated home built in the 1940's.

After Logan was born, we felt like we were being overrun with baby toys, swings, and bouncy seats. Once he became a toddler, the toys just got bigger! This spring, we decided to put our house on the market to see what would happen.  About three months later, we had a sales contract.  It was bittersweet because we loved the home, but we felt it was time to move on to something else.  Our Monroe house is where Brian and I started our family, and we will never forget the fun times we had there!

Shortly after we put a contract on a house in Germantown, but we chose to back out after the inspection. After panicking and worrying that we might not find a place to live, some friends from college commented on a facebook post that they had just closed on a rental property.  So for now we are living in a small rental home in East Memphis short-term and have put a lot of our items in storage.  Brian and I both agree that we love the small home and being so close together, at least for the short time we will be here. Logan also seems to have adjusted quickly to the move.  What I thought would be a stressful time of cramming too much stuff into a small space with only one full bathroom has been a nice reminder that it does not matter where you live- just who you are with!  We are truly blessed.

Logan's 2 Year Check-Up

Last week, Logan had his 2-year old check-up, and Dr. Siegel said he is doing great! We know that he is, but it is always reassuring to hear from your doctor that he is growing and developing like he should.  Dr. S was impressed with Logan's vocabulary as well as his enjoyment of a variety of healthy foods!

Logan's weight was 36 pounds, and his height was 39 inches. Both of these are way off the growth charts for his age, especially his height! Dr. Siegel had them remeasure his height because he had grown so much since his 18 month check-up, but they were right the first time. My theory is they did not measure him properly at his 18 month check-up, but it is hard to tell. Either way, we have one tall boy! I have heard that the old wives tale for predicting adult height is to take the height at age 2 and double it. If that is the case, my sweet Logan will be 6 feet, 6 inches tall! I will be surprised if he makes it to that tall, but if he continues growing like he is now I am sure he will be at least as tall as his Daddy (6'3").  When he gets taller than me (5'6"), I will have to have him sit down in a chair when I need to have a serious conversation with him!  

Since I hate to post without a picture, here is Logan enjoying a chocolate donut (a rare treat) for breakfast.  He does not like to get his hands dirty, so he chose to just put his face into the donut instead. He is a cutie even covered in chocolate!

Baby Graham is Here!

I am a very proud aunt- my nephew Graham Michael Cousar is here!  My sister Holly and her husband Jason welcomed Graham on July 12, and he weighed 8 lbs., 2 oz. and was 21 1/4 inches long.  He is a big, healthy boy!  Graham, we cannot wait to watch you grow up!

Such a beautiful baby boy!

The proud parents

Logan meeting Graham for the first time. Logan was really sweet and gentle with him, and we hope it lasts!  Graham looks like he just came from the salon with his full head of natural blonde highlighted hair!

Proud Aunt Destin

Proud Uncle Brian

Logan being "quiet" while Graham is sleeping!

Sweet Logan is 2!

Logan as a newborn. I thought he was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen, and I still do!

Logan on his 1st Birthday. To say he loved the cake would certainly be an understatement.

Now he is 2!

My sweet boy turned 2 on July 8!  My baby is growing up so fast.  He is talking up a storm, and I love listening to what he has to say!

We originally did not plan to have a party because we knew we would have just returned from California, we sold our house and have to be out by July 27, and Holly was expecting Baby Graham any day (more to come on that!).  But, at the last minute I decided I could not let the day go by without celebrating!  A few emails and text messages later, we had a party.  Logan had a great time and enjoyed playing with the other kiddos!

He was trying to figure out why everyone was singing!

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

He loved the cake again this year, too!

He had some help from Kaylie, Jack Wilson, and Laney opening presents

Wow, a helicopter!

Laney checking out his loot!

The markers were a hit!

Logan pulling Luke in his wagon.  Luke turned one the day before!

Logan is still very active, and his favorite activities include running and screaming (happy screaming!), and running and screaming.  He certainly has his share of toddler tantrums, too, but that is expected from an energetic two-year old.  He is saying short sentences and adds more words to his vocabulary everyday.  He picks up on everything we say and will often repeat it later.  When we were in California, he took to ordering his own drinks- "I want some water, please." When they brought him water, he would then say, "I want some milk, please."  Oh well, at least he used his manners!  He is very polite and often says please and thank you unprompted.

We have his two year check-up next week, but Logan still appears to be very tall for his age.  My estimate is that he weighs 36 pounds and is about 3 feet tall.  We will see how close I am next week!  He is wearing 3T and 4T clothes, size 8 shoes, and a size 6 diaper.  He often wants to "potty" but he does not actually go.  My plan is not to try until I think he is absolutely ready!  However, size 6 diapers are the largest you can buy at regular stores so let's hope he does not outgrow them before he is ready to potty train!  He still eats a variety of foods, but he is picky at times.  Sometimes he will not eat anything on his plate while other times he eats everything.  He prefers fruit and veggies to meat, and his favorite things to eat is a "butter sandwich" or a "Dada Sandwich" which is peanut butter and jelly!

Logan is such a joy to be around.  He loves to run, play outside, watch his "movie" (Leap Frog Letter Factory), and read books.  Once he finds a book he likes, he wants me to read it at least 10 times in a row.  He is very loving and gives us "tight" hugs and kisses quite frequently!  He also loves "calling the kitty," jumping on his bed, pointing at airplanes flying in the sky, blowing bubbles, his cousin Kaylie "Kay, Kay," vacumming (oh, how he loves this!), and rocking before bedtime.  He is such a sweetheart, and we just love being his parents!

Californian Vacation!

In late June, we headed out west to California!  The trip was prompted by my friend Jodi's wedding in Lodi, CA on June 30.  Jodi and I attended graduate school at UT Knoxville together, and we have remained close ever since. I knew I did not want to miss her wedding, and it was a great excuse to plan a long vacation with our in-laws. 

We started our 10-day trip with a week in San Francisco. We had a great time and got to see a lot of the city sights, including Alcatrez Island, Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, Chinatown, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the list goes on.  We rented a flat in Nob Hill for the week, and it happened to have a cable car stop right outside the front door. It was very convenient for getting around the city!  While Memphis was experiencing a heat wave with temperatures breaking 100 each day, we enjoyed perfect, sunny weather with highs in the 60's.

At the Memphis Airport ready to get this trip started! Much to our surprise, Logan was really good on all of the flights. We did not think he could sit still that long! While I won't say he sat "still," he did not ever cry or cause too much trouble.  He may have climbed over the seats two dozen times switching laps, but other than that he was very good!

 Logan and me at Fisherman's Wharf

 The three of us at the Wharf- such beautiful views!

 My wonderful in-laws

Logan leading the way

A foggy view of the Golden Gate Bridge  

The awesome view from the bay window in our flat. At home, Logan spends time jumping on his bed after baths. In San Francisco, this is where he chose to jump. We spent lots of time here after baths and otherwise! 

Logan and me after one of our many rides on the cable car

Brian enjoying some awesome Vietnamese food.

The San Francisco Bay. We actually found some grass! 

Logan loving Ghiradelli Square 

The three of us on the cable car 

Navigating San Francisco 

My sweet, happy boy 

You cannot do a post about San Francisco without showing the Golden Gate Bridge! Here was one of our pictures. 

Date night with the hubby. We went to First Crush in Union Square. So yummy!

From San Francisco, we headed to Lodi, CA for the weekend.  Lodi is in the wine country near Stockton.  It was a beautiful drive, and we enjoyed our weekend there. It was a much slower pace than San Francisco, and we enjoyed it after a busy week!  The wedding was at a vineyard and was absolutely beautiful. Here are some pictures from the wedding:

The beatiful bride, Jodi Middleton Kennedy, and me!

Jodi & David's first dance

Brian and me

Upon Jodi's insistence, Logan joined us in time for the reception!

All dressed up for the wedding!

Ha! They had a photo booth and Logan loved playing with the props.

He was one happy boy. He got to play with the "girls" and run around outside.

Having a ball!

We ended up spending the last night back in San Francisco near the airport to catch an early flight. Before heading to the hotel we spent an afternoon in Half Moon Bay, CA, which is on the coast just outside of San Francisco. It was so cool we needed jackets!

Logan was very upset that the sand was on his feet. He kept saying, "Dirty!" 

My sweet boy.

We had an awesome time and made many memories! Logan's memories from the trip that he still talks about are riding the elevator (we rode dozens), taking a shower (the flat had a huge walk-in shower), and riding the bus (cable car).  If you ever take a toddler to San Francisco, I strongly recommend bringing a jogging stroller. Those hills are pretty tough with an umbrella stroller!