Summer Lovin'

If you ask Caitlyn what she wants to be when she grows up, she'll tell you she doesn't really want to grow up and "I jus' wanna be a kid. That's it." But if you watch her throughout the day, the kid is going to be a veterinarian. She is constantly trying to get the dogs to do what she wants them to do. I can't count the number of times we go a few hours without seeing Milton and find him trapped in a room by Caitlyn. She says he wants to play with her, my guess is that if Milton could talk, he might tell you something different.

The love isn't solely gifted to Milton. Oliver gets his fair share too. He is just bigger, so he escapes more play dates. One play date he has not successfully managed to dodge is "playtime in the pool." And by dodge I mean he gets wet, but he still protests it.

She loves to play with her brother and sister too. Reagan is often found being pushed in Caitlyn's baby stroller. It's become such a daily routine that Reagan now thinks that's the stroller we should always take for her. Ironically, Caitlyn speaks to Reagan in much the same tone she speaks to the dogs. And occasionally we find Reagan trapped in a room pounding on the door to be let out of one of Caitlyn's play dates.

For the 4th of July we took the play dates to San Diego for fireworks. The kids loved it. We were on the grass next to the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier that is now a Navel museum. They played for about two hours before it got dark and then were mesmerized by the fireworks. It was an impressive display. My favorite part of the day was watching the three of them on the blanket staring into the sky. It made me stop and think about how much I have to be grateful for.

Lets hear it for the boy

In the craziness of life, I sometimes forget how funny Logan really is and how fast he is growing. He is this little man now with a profound sense of logic and a remarkable sense of humor. Last weekend when we went to Arizona the portable DVD player for the car broke because somebody broke it, and by broke I mean they touched the lens of the laser in the DVD. Yes the lens that says "do not touch," well somebody touched, even though nobody confessed, and everybody stayed quite.

Well that little broken DVD player turned out to be quite a blessing. Among the many games we played in the car, one was making up a joke to see if anyone would laugh. Because I don't know any jokes, I deferred to Mary Poppins and the uncle in the movie that tells all the jokes. However, Logan really went for it. We were cracking up at the randomness of the kid's jokes. Occasionally after he would try one out, there would be a lull of silence and he would say "yeah, wait, that wasn't funny" which of course would crack us all up.

The jokes didn't end in the car. When we got out to go to lunch, we scored and got a free meal at Chili's because they were getting ready to open and were training their new waiters. With that free meal came a free dessert. The kids were in heaven. I am not convinced that Logan will not grow up to be a chef or food critic. Because everything was free, he took it upon himself to try everything. When dessert came it was a piece of cheesecake. That's my favorite dessert of all time. But because I am living this new "healthy lifestyle" I didn't elbow my way into the feeding frenzy. When the dust settled and the forks were put down, Logan wiped his mouth and said, "You guys can share the rest if you want." This is what was to be shared...

Many of you may be thinking, "There's nothing left," but if you look very closely at the top of the plate, there are two bites left. Apparently one for me, and one for Nathan. Oh he is my kid!

Logan has also found a new appreciation for music and dancing. For the last day of school, two second grade classes did a hip hop dance at the student assembly. It was quite entertaining. I still occasionally see Logan walking around the house busting out the moves from that dance while he sings along to a song playing on the ipod. Like I said, he is a constant source of entertainment.

Traditions

There are traditions in every family. Some are great, like the candy cakes I got as a kid for my birthday. But there are those that make you wonder every year why the tradition is continued, much like canned cranberries at Thanksgiving. Well one of the many traditions in our house is the annual medical emergency the last week of school. This is the tradition of the start of summer for us. It began three years ago when Logan got in a rock fight (I know right?) with one of the neighbor kids. It ended with Logan getting five stitches in his forehead and two in his nose. Last year Logan got chicken pox the last week of school. This year, it was Caitlyn and Reagan's turn. Caitlyn was playing with a neighbor kid (yes apparently we live on the "wrong" side of the tracks) and he dumped her out of the power wheels resulting in a mild concussion for Caitlyn. This concussion was coupled with a high fever virus that has been sneaking around town. Well never does just one child get sick, no that would be far to easy to navigate as parents. Reagan was the one tag teamed by the virus this time. However, the fever for her was far more severe. She went from having a temperature of 100.3 to 105.4 in a matter of 45 minutes. As a result, she had a fever seizure lasting 15 minutes. We rushed her to the hospital only to find out that this is a "common" childhood ailment and that she should stop having them when she is about six years old. She does however have a 60% chance of having another one next time she gets sick. So yes, date night has officially been by in large squashed for Nathan and I until she turns six. We are so grateful she is fine and that the seizures have no long term effects or links to Grand Mal seizures, epilepsy, learning deficiencies, delays, or autism. And as evidenced by her comedic table side manner, she is just fine. Much like I would love to stop buying the can of cranberries every Thanksgiving, I would love to end this little medical tradition of ours. I have decided that next year all three kids will be placed in a bubble the Sunday before the last week of school. Anyone know where I can pick up a few of those? Maybe Target has them.