Party In the House

Literally.  Last weekend we threw both Lincoln and Logan a big Lego themed birthday party at our house.  I had been planning this party for months so we were excited that it had finally come.  We've decided that while the boys are young, we'll have a birthday party for them every other year and do something as a family on the off year.
Parties are a lot of work but I have to admit that I really love planning them. Since Lincoln is so into Legos right now, and Logan loves whatever Lincoln does, it made for an easy choice of theme. The problem with Lego parties is that there isn't a lot of pre-made Lego party things that you can buy so I ended up making a lot of it. We had about 40 people here and everyone seemed to have a good time.  It was a mix of friends from church, tennis, neighbors, work and family. We played Lego themed games, had lunch, sang Happy Birthday and opened presents.  Everything went according to plan and the boys had a ton of fun.  Lincoln said several times, "this is the best birthday party ever!"  That is what makes it all worth it.

The Save the date (I removed our last name for privacy)

The invitations (again, I removed some info for privacy)

The thank you cards

I made the gift bags to look like Lego bricks. 

I started making the crayons for the gift bags months ago.  I got the idea off of some blogs but most of them made mini-figure crayons so I thought this would be a fun twist - especially since most of the kids at the party were younger. I bought new crayons, sorted them out by color, took off the wrapper, melted them down in the microwave and used a Lego brick ice tray to form them.  

 

Inside each gift bag was a Lego Club Magazine, Lego brick crayons, Lego edible bricks that you can actually build with and a Lego mini gift set (the little kids got Playdough instead of the Lego set.)

  

To me it's the little details that count.  I saw this on a blog and used the idea. Lego soap.

 I made the boys their own cake and added a few cupcakes as well.  They were just white cake, with confetti frosting filling, buttercream icing and rolled fondant. Lincoln wanted a green brick and I picked blue for Logan. I thought it would be cute for them to have the corresponding brick for their age, i.e. Lincoln's has 4 dots and Logan's has 2. 

I loved how the subway art turned out. I blocked out their last name for blogging purposes but it really fit the theme well and was cute on the table next to their cakes. 

 

Yoda, the Lego head and a container of Duplos served as the center piece for our food table.

I made Lego bricks out of colored paper and hung them on the walls.  I know our boys love balloons and they always add life to a birthday party so we had about 50+ around the house.

Logan's goal for the entire day seemed to be to get as much cake, cupcakes and candy as possible.

Papa Tutu and cousin Sadie

 

Grandma Tutu played with the boys while we got things ready in the morning.

 Ricky and Aunt Carol

 Uncle Lee (and Carol) stayed most of the day with us to visit and have dinner with us. 

 Michaela, Jared and their niece Heidi came for the party. 

 Doug, Lisa, Dylan and Sadie

Ryan and Saige

The first game was a Lego relay. 

Lincoln and Dylan running their bricks in a spoon to the bucket.  

We played pin the dot on the brick. 

 

Abbie, Joey and Lincoln looking for the Lego brick with a black dot on the bottom so they could get a prize. 

 

The table was covered in Duplos and each child picked a brick to see if they had the winning Lego.

After lunch we sang "Happy Birthday" and it was time for cake!

Lincoln blew his candles out on his own and I got to help Logan with his.

 It was a fairly cold day but the kids all loved playing outside and eating together. 

Cousin Erica came from Tucson with her family. 

 Lincoln and Logan both got some really fun presents.   

 Lincoln was so excited and animated when opening his presents, unfortunately Logan was to the end of his rope. 

Logan was off for a nap and we decided it was best that he opened his presents after his nap - when he would be a little happier. 

 After the party and later that afternoon when Logan woke up we did round two of presents.  Logan was much more interested and happy this time. 

He played with the little Lego guy and tried to make him talk.

 

Logan got some fun Duplo sets...

and super cute clothes. 

 

I'm not sure if Ricky or Lincoln liked this movie better, either way it was fun to watch. 

That night Tutus took us to dinner at TGIF and then we came back to the house to hang out, visit some more and so the boys could play with all of their new toys.

Daddy helped Lincoln build this X-wing.

 

Thanks to everyone who called, sent cards and sent texts on their birthdays.  Lincoln got pretty good at talking on the phone.  At one point he was holding the phone with his ear and shoulder and using his hands to play with his Legos. 

Bottom line is that parties are always a lot of work, time and money but they are also a lot of fun!  We were so happy to share that day with those who came and missed those who couldn't be here.  Logan is a little young to remember but I think special memories were created for the boys (especially Lincoln) that they will have for years to come.  Happy Birthday to my sweet boys.  I love you!

Conversations With Lincoln

Lincoln recently has been doing this coughing noise that scares me. It makes me think he's choking. It's this sort of raspy gag cough. He thinks it's funny. This was our conversation a few weeks ago...

Me: "Lincoln, don't cough like that. It will mess up your voice and throat."
Lincoln: "You mean if I do that it will make me talk a different language? I don't want to talk a different language."
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As mentioned in previous posts, Lincoln likes youtube.  He watches all of the Star Wars things people put out there.  Ricky has over heard Lincoln say this a few times and I'm sure he's picked it up from youtube.

Lincoln: "New from Lego Star Wars.  Each set sold separately."
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Earlier tonight the boys were chasing each other around the island in the kitchen.  After a few laps Lincoln crashed landed on the carpet.  Logan followed suit - making sure he was very close to Lincoln. Logan's leg ended up on Lincoln and Lincoln immediately responded by saying, "get off off of me Casey Stoner." I chimed in, "if Logan is Casey Stoner then who are you?"  He quickly replied, "Ben Spies Lorenzo."

(Casey Stoner, Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo are MotoGP riders.  Spies and Lorenzo are on a team together and Spies is our favorite.  Lincoln thinks if he combines Spies and Lorenzo he will be the fastest of them all - he may be right.  Too bad that wouldn't work in real life.)

Guess What I Have?

Costochondritis (kos-toe-KHON-dri-tis) is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone (sternum). It causes sharp pain in the costosternal joint — where your ribs and breastbone are joined by rubbery cartilage. Pain caused by costochondritis may mimic that of a heart attack or other heart conditions. Your doctor might refer to costochondritis by other names, including chest wall pain, costosternal syndrome and costosternal chondrodynia. Most cases of costochondritis have no apparent cause. In these cases, treatment focuses on easing your pain while you wait for costochondritis to improve on its own.

So, leave it to me to have something weird like this happen to me.  I didn't even know I had joints in my chest.  I guess if I sat down and thought about it I would've figured it out but instead I went to the doctor last week because I had a crazy pain in my chest that stopped me in my tracks and unfortunately brought me to tears. I didn't think it was my heart but figured I should probably get it checked out. Sure enough, after an EKG the my heart looked good and it was just Costochondritis.

It started a couple weeks ago and then got progressively worse.  Long story short, the doctor said it's inflamed and I need to take a week off from tennis. Since I was playing 5 days a week (it started at Nationals when I played 4-6 hours a day) it didn't have enough down time to heal itself. So, no tennis for me this week.  It's been almost a week since I went in and it's still hurting so hopefully I will see some relief soon!

Logan Turns 2

Last week Logan turned 2! For one week I have a 2 and a 3 year old - kinda fun. He is growing so quickly...I know I say that a lot but it's so true.  Logan is such a sweet boy but I think the terrible two's are creeping in.  I don't understand why that has to happen but we are at that phase in life.
Here are a few things about Logan:

• Height: 35.2 inches (69%)
• Weight: 28 pounds (49%)
• Head: 48.5 cm (44%)
• BMI: 15.88 (29%)
• It's very possible the he could be left handed.  He eats often with his left hand.  He throws just as good left handed (maybe even better) than he does with his right.  We'll have to wait and see!
• Nickname from Mommy:  Bubba and Sweet pea
• Nickname from Daddy: Logos.
• He is a great eater.  He out eats his brother most of the time.  Some of his favorites are chicken fries, bananas, cereal, fruit snacks, graham crackers and pasta. He's not really fond of cheese or vegetables but were working on it. Without a doubt this kid loves sugar.  He still has a soy milk bottle a couple times a day, including one in the morning between 3:00 - 6:00 am.
• He loves music.  Logan has incredible rhythm, is captivated and calmed by good music and has the cutest dance moves a two year old could have. Those hips can move!
• Even though Logan appears to be shy he really is quite social.  He isn't afraid of the bigger kids and will jump into a group easily. Having said that, he is quite close to mom and dad and willing to give kisses (especially butterfly kisses) and cuddle. 
• He wears 3T tops and 2T bottoms.  Logan does not like wearing shoes. He will put on his Crocs if he's walking but he will take off any socks or shoes he has on once he's in the car or at home. 
• Logan has a serious attachment to his white blankly - well, it used to be white.  We've tried to kick the habit but it's not worth the fight at this point.  He loves it.  It will be in his hands when he's home 95% of the time. 
• We have a little chatter box.  He loves to talk.  He's at the stage of putting several words together.  His pronunciation of words is quite good for his age. He loves to read and do puzzles but really isn't into toys, other than the Legos that Lincoln builds for him.
• Outside is Logan's favorite place to be.  He can't get enough of it. On walk, in the yard, even driving, he just loves to be out and about. 
• TV has really kept Logan's attention until recently.  He'll now watch about 10 minutes at a time, especially if Lincoln is watching with him.  His favorite shows are Mickey Mouse Club House, Chugginton and Little Einsteins. 
• Logan's teeth are adorable.  In October he went to the dentist for the first time and got a thumbs up from Dr. Jane.  No cavities, teeth are all in, including the back 2 year molars he just cut. He's is now the official poster boy for the new Baby Banana Sharky Toothbrush.  
• Our bedtime routine is an easy one because once we lay him down he is almost immediately silent and goes to sleep quite quickly.  He sleeps from about 7:30 pm - 6:30 am with a two hour nap during the day. He's now sleeping in a big boy day bed and has only fallen out a couple o times but that was within the first week that we transitioned him.
• I'm constantly amazed by how cute and lovable Logan is.  He has such a fun personality and he already has a great sense of humor. Logan idolizes Lincoln and looks up to him.  He wants to be around him every minute that they're home together.  The boys are just at the point that they're stating to wrestle and play together and it's definitely fun to watch.  The quote in our house..."Brothers are Best Friends."  I truly hope it stays that way.  

Here are a few pictures from the last month or so.

Sass and sarcasm.

Thank goodness for the pillows but I think he's mastered staying in bed. 

He loves his school and doing all of the activities they have for him. 

 There's the blanket!

He made friends with this little Lego guy and when I can into the room he was making him talk. Adorable.

Logan, we love you and we knew you were the key to completing our family. You bring joy, happiness, frustration, laughter, adventure, danger, sweetness and love to our family.  We love you dearly! Happy birthday sweet boy! 

Happy Halloween!

The days are warm (not burning hot) and the evenings are cool...fall is finally here and it's Halloween!  We've had a very busy weekend with three Halloween parties and we'll be trick-or-treating tonight! 

My subway art. 

 We went with a Star Wars theme this year - My little Clone Trooper and Ewok! 

They both wore their costumes proudly and thought they were pretty special - and they are!

Logan did a fun ghost project at school. The picture above is him making the ghost below.

 
Lincoln's festive fall pumpkin collage he made at school.

National Tennis Tournament

My 3.0 tennis team made it to the USTA National Tennis Tournament, held in Tucson, AZ last weekend. We went into this tournament undefeated but we knew the competition would be much better than what we've encountered in other matches. My personal goal was to win one match.  If I could do that I would feel like it was a good experience. This team has had a lot of drama throughout the season.  We lost a lot of our team throughout the season due to the controversy leaving us with only 9 players - much less than what the other teams have.
We were in the toughest bracket, having to play four teams verses the other brackets that had three.  We also had back to back matches on Saturday.  On Friday morning I played #1 singles against the Northern division and won 6-3, 6-3. On Friday afternoon I played #1 doubles with Deb against the Southern team and unfortunately we lost in a very close third set tie breaker.  We lost the first set 1-6, won 7-5 in the second and lost 7-10 in the tie breaker. We fought hard and Deb was playing with an ankle injury so we were pretty bummed that we were so close and lost. Southern went on to win the title.
Saturday morning I played a doubles match with Trina against the Caribbean.  We lost 1-6, 3-6.  We weren't originally scheduled to play together during this match but we went with it.  Trina and I played well but there were just a lot of distractions and I don't think we played our game but it was fun to play with Trina. We had about 45 minutes in between our two matches that day and I ended up playing a singles match for the afternoon. I was pretty tired and it was a really hot day.  I wasn't thrilled about my serve.  It had been off a little all day Saturday.  I ended up with some really good points but ultimately lost it in a second set tie breaker 2-6, 6-7. I was so close to pushing it to a third set tie break but couldn't make it happen.  Some of those missed shots have haunted me a little since the tournament but I can say it as a really good experience.
Ricky had never seen me play tennis competitively before so it was special for me to have him there and cheer me on.  Thanks to Reed, Sandi and Nat would took the boys during the matches so that Ricky could come watch.  It was fun to have everyone there to help support me in this tournament.  Having gone in undefeated it was hard to have my first losses at a National Tournament but overall it was a very good experience. I got my one win and considering everything that was going on I think I played fairly well and I'm proud that we got got to that level.

Our team pictures before match #2. 

My closest friends on the team; Angie, Lisa and Trina. 

 Ricky caught a few good action shots while he was there. I only have pictures from the two matches that he got to watch. This was my afternoon doubles match against Southern on day 1. 

We don't have set partners on the team because we're such a small team and have had a lot change. I played with Deb for this match. Normally I make funny faces when I play so it was nice to see a picture of me actually smiling on the court. 

  My serve was exactly what I wanted it to be for day one.  Unfortunately I struggled a bit with it on day two but was still able to pull out a few aces so I guess I can't complain too much!

 These action shots are from my last match of the weekend.  A singles match.  Ricky was so sweet and supportive and watched from a court away so that I wouldn't be nervous - and so he could stay in the shade because by this time it was ridiculously hot!

Marco Simoncelli #58

January 20, 1987 - October 23, 2011

The Honda family is mourning the loss of one its rising stars, the 

charismatic Italian Marco Simoncelli, who lost his life in a racing

accident in today's Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang.

The race was stopped immediately with the red flag and Simoncelli was transported by ambulance to the circuit medical centre where the medical staff worked to resuscitate him. Despite their efforts, Marco sadly succumbed to his injuries at 4:56pm local time.

Everyone involved in MotoGP extends its deepest condolences to Marco’s family, friends and team at this tragic loss.

Simoncelli was one of the sport's rising stars, a charismatic 24-year-old who rode with his heart. He was as passionate on the track as he was off, and sometimes that got him in trouble. His was an aggressive style that didn't always suit the venue, but he was maturing as a rider. This season he earned his first two MotoGP podiums and his first two MotoGP pole positions. Only a week ago, he finished a career best second in MotoGP race at the Australian Grand Prix, taking the runner-up spot to Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC212V) with a brilliant last lap pass of Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V).

Photos from that day show Simoncelli standing out on the podium, which he also did in life. It wasn't just because he was one of the taller riders in MotoGP, and it wasn't just for the blossoming, bushy hair that paid homage to guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, but it was because of his outsized personality and his passion for winning.

The Honda Motor Company family would like to express its sincere condolences to the family of Marco Simoncelli, his team owner Fausto Gresini, his team, his legion of friends, and his thousands of fans throughout the world. He will be missed.

Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso says, "In these circumstances, words don't seem to be appropriate. I think of Marco's family and all the people dear to him, in particular his father and mother. I also have a child and what happened today is the hardest situation you can imagine. I watched the images and I'm shocked. In a race you fight and push hard and disaster is often around the corner. Marco was a strong rider and he always pushed hard. We raced together since we were kids. I saw him always pushing to the maximum, he crashed many times, but without major injuries, he was seemed invincible. What happened today seems impossible."

I was about 20 feet away from him at IMS MotGP race - picture above. I believe in life after death but it's hard to believe that someone can just be taken so suddenly...just gone. Tough day for MotoGP. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.