Yesterday was Logan’s big birthday.  We were preparing to start the day with his first basketball game of the season.  First we had breakfast in the morning as per usual, and the boys had a chance to play some games before we headed out.  I forgot to offer a snack before we left the house and Logan did not want one during the drive.  When we arrived the gym, Logan was excited to be in the game, but he seemed to have low energy.  He ran back and forth with the teams, however he was not really trying too hard.  He guarded his opponents sometimes and attempted one basket.  He did not really try to rebound and was not ready for the ball when it came close to him.  Another time when he had the procession of the ball, he dribbled a little and passed on to his teammate when he had the opportunity.  I was thinking that he passed on too quickly and too far from the basket, but this teammate is apparently  a great player and made the three pointer.  It was a nice play!  After the game, Logan enjoyed a snack with his teammates quickly and we were on our way.

    In the afternoon was what both boys had been looking forward to for awhile.  We had previously asked Logan how he wanted to celebrate his birthday and he wanted a small gathering with his buddies Rohan, Colton, Brennen, Kollin and Noah.  We initially decided to have a playdate in the house, but later we added on the miniature golf as Logan loves it too.  We arrived at the golfland before our meeting time, and we got stressed out since it was very crowded.  We had never been there on the weekends and we ended up parking on the street with a bit of walking to go inside.  We were worried how our guests would find parking and if they would arrive on time, and we were nervous with the wait time at the holes.  Colton was the first to arrive, then Rohan was next .  We decided to let the kids played in the arcade while we waited for the others.  Brennen joined the group then.  The kids had a blast playing the arcade games but I was not a huge fan as it was loud and the games were a bit violent.  So at 15-20 minutes after the meeting time, we decided to move out to miniature golf, and that was when Kollin and Noah came in just in time.  By then, fortunately, there was no more waiting at the first hole.

      It was a bit hectic initially figuring how we should play the game while some kids had started hitting without instruction.  Stuart had to leave the group as he needed to put away all the presents from the guests.  I tried to take charge and I wanted to avoid anyone getting hit by the clubs or balls.  But basically after the first two holes, we got the routine down.  The boys somehow got in a line nicely waiting for their turns.  Logan lead us at each hole and he seriously did a great job.  He seemed to be the one who had the most experience and he made great hits.  It was good to have Logan lead and show the group how the hit should go with each hole.  Colton was second and Rohan was third.  Connor was the fourth and he did an amazing job following the crowd.  He was content and fit in with the big kids very well.  I helped him the first few holes then he requested to hit on his own.  We just had to help him get set up with a club and he gently hit the ball well.  He was pleased with his tee off most of the times that he would just go pick up the ball and bring to near the hole area to drop off and hit again.  I thought it was cute and was totally fine with what Connor was doing so he would not fall behind too much.  He was also very polite and waited for his turns too.  Then it was Brennen, Kollin and Noah’s turns.  The entire course went quite smoothly with no major issues.  We did not keep scores and the adults did not end up playing but they helped picked up a few water balls.  The kids had fun and even did their best trying to make the volcano holes too.  We made it through the last hole and the kids had a blast.  We stopped for a snack and said goodbye to Colton, then the party moved on to our house.

    Stuart dropped us home then went out to pick up the pizzas and drinks.  Our guests arrived at the house and the kids started playing in the yard.  The water guns Stuart bought for all the boys were a hit as well as our new climbing dome.  The kids ran around in the yard shooting water at each other and had such a blast.  Connor played with the big kids well and held himself up quite well.  The boys also enjoyed shooting guns with Brennen’s older sisters too.  Once the kids seemed to be slightly wild, we had them stop for pizza and fruits, and they all had a great appetite.  Afterward they resumed playing until we stopped them later again for cake and pictures.  It was funny how Brennen put his arm over Logan to take picture and Connor thought that was cute so he started putting his arm on Logan and later on Rohan too.  Logan smiled shyly when everyone sang to him.  After eating cake and after playing some more, we had to put an end to the water guns as it was getting cooler.  All the kids then moved on to play on the dome structure.  Our guests started to go home after 7pm and Connor enjoyed giving them the goodie bags.  After cleaning up quickly, Logan was excited to open all the presents he received.  He even played and put together one of his gifts while he drank his milk too.

    Logan definitely had a great time on his birthday.  Playing miniature golf, playing with water guns, eating pizza and having ice cream cake are all of Logan’s favorites and he was happy to do them all on one day.   Here is the photo album of his celebration.

     Stuart and I both have been very busy with work lately and therefore it feels kinda hectic to take days off for the boys.  I took Thursday off and Stuart took today off.  The grandparents spent another morning with us yesterday, then they were en route to go home.  The boys were sad to say bye to them; Connor told us a few times “I miss grandma and grandpa very much”.

    Stuart and I did similar things with the boys on our days off.  We played at home then headed to the swimming lesson in the late morning.  Both days the boys did similar.  Logan followed the instructions to some extent and did his best with the usual hesitation.  Connor for some reasons declined to do anything for the first half of the class on both days, and just sat on the step watching Logan with the instructor.  The last 10 minutes or so he then warmed up and agreed to do some activities.  Overall I think the only thing the boys learned from this week class was climbing out of the pool effectively.  We still have lots of work to do with them during the summer.

   In the afternoons on both days, we took the boys to do some shopping for Logan’s upcoming birthday gathering.  Logan and Connor these days play well with each other, but they can get quite hyper together.  They were a little handful at the store while trying to shop for things but we managed to get things done.  After this weekend, the boys will be returning to some routine for the summer; Logan will be starting summer camps while Connor will be going to summer school.

     I spent an afternoon with Logan yesterday with a busy schedule.  We started with his annual doctor visit at 3:45pm.  We played “I Spy” on the drive over but Logan felt asleep just a couple of minutes before our arrival.  Since it was close to the appointment time, I had to wake him up once we parked.  After checking in, Logan helped me answer his health questionnaires and he followed the nurse instruction to get his vitals.  Logan was nice to the doctor and doing what he was told for the physical exam.  Everything checked out well.  His growth is very steady, staying on the curve.  The doctor and I talked about Logan’s vision, and she helped us book an appointment to see a pediatric optometrist in July.  The doctor also removed his old inhalers on file, so his previous asthma condition is no longer on his health record.  We then said goodbye to the doctor and were on our way.

Weight: 47.8 lb (65 percentile)

Height: 47.5 inch (85 percentile)

BP:  91/39

    I took Logan to order a cake for his upcoming birthday.  Logan fell asleep in the car again so I gave him an extra 10 minutes to rejuvenate.  When we were at the store, he was happy to pick the design and the favors, and he was more excited when I agreed to have ice cream treat together.  We shared a bowl and we both enjoyed our favorite ice cream, chocolate!  Then we headed over to the first practice of his second basketball league season.

    Logan seemed excited when we arrived to the gym; he said hi to the coach and grabbed a ball to start shooting.  The team did some warm up and some drills.  Logan looked quite comfortable following and doing what he was told.  Stuart arrived with the grandparents and Connor to watch the last 15 minutes of the practice.  Logan noticed their arrival but continued paying attention to the coach.  The team had quite a bit of work out during the hour.  Afterward, we all went out for dinner, and Logan ate the entire kid meal quite quickly.

    I had to work today so it was Stuart’s turn to be in charge.  They hung out in the morning until the swim class.  According to Stuart, Connor did fine, following the instruction and even jumping into the water (while holding the instructors hand).  But Logan did not do as well, not wanting to do too much including jumping and the teacher was not insistent enough in Stuarts opinion.  Afterward Grandma prepared lunch for everyone, then it was time for Connor to nap.  Stuart managed to sneak in a few minutes of sleeping with Connor too, as well as an episode of Game of Thrones.  Logan played a couple of board games with Grandma and had some Tablet time too.  Since Logan did not do well at the lesson, Stuart decided to take Logan back to the pool in the afternoon.  Logan did try the swimming drills with Stuart and redeemed himself a little bit.  Connor stayed home and spent the afternoon playing with the grandparents.

    When I returned home, the boys were excited to see me and they gave me lots of hugs and kisses.  Connor could not wait to tell me “I played two very very hard games.  I played chess and battleship.  I won a game and grandpa did not win”.  Stuart had started on the barbeque, and I helped finishing up with dinner preps.  We had a nice dinner afterward.  Grandma and Grandpa read to the boys to wrap up another day.

Pictures from today, courtesy of Grandma.

    Since the boys are off this week, I signed them up for a one-week lesson at the cabana club which started today.  We did not have big expectation of these classes but just wanted the boys to have more exposure to swimming.  The boys did not seem to mind the idea of having swimming lessons again.  Stuart had to work today, so the grandparents and I walked the boys over before their class time.  The communication from the cabana club has not been very good, so we did not know what to expect.  Once we walked in, I saw a roster on the window.  I learned the name of the instructor and that the boys are two of the three kids in this beginning lesson.  In the pool, there were several small groups of lessons going on at the same time.  They were different levels of skills and all the instruction seemed quite professional.   After the preceding class ended, the boys and I walked up to the instructor to introduce them and the boys just walked down the steps as instructed without hesitation.  The third person never showed up, so it was a class for just the two of them today.

    The instructor talked with the boys.  I could hear both of them sometimes expressed that they could not or did not want to do something, but the instructor nicely persuaded them and they ended up following his lead.  He had them putting their faces in the water and trying to blow bubbles.  He took them out to the middle of pool with a board and had them kick their legs.  Overall the boys looked more comfortable in the water just in this 30 minutes.  We will see how they will do after this week of lessons.

    Both dads in the house wanted an easy day, so we decided to stay home today to play.  Unfortunately we had a bathroom issue; Stuart had to spend part of his Father’s Day searching for a tool and later fixing the toilet.  He eventually gave up looking for the tool, so he and I were going to make a trip to Home Depot, to also purchase some playground mulch.  Logan was happy to stay back to play chess with Grandpa and Connor was playing Chutes and Ladders with Grandma.  But last minute, Connor changed his mind and came with us to the store.  While we were out, Logan finished the game with Grandpa and played a couple of other games with Grandma too.

     After naptime, we took grandparents to visit the cabana club.  The weather was cooler, so it was slightly chilly in the water.  Connor was still enjoying sliding down from the side of the pool into the water; he did it a multiple times.  Logan had fun playing with a water shooter toy, and he was still clingy to Stuart as is his usual self.  We stayed in the water less than half an hour.  We dried up and had a snack, then we headed home.  Everyone was watching the World Cup until dinner was ready.  After eating, the boys played with grandparents and read their bedtime books with them too.  After they all went to bed, Stuart continued to watch other World Cup games to wrap up his Father’s Day.

     I also spent part of the day thinking about my dad.  I can’t believe that it had been a year since we all visited New Mexico last year to celebrate Father’s Day with him and that it was the last time we saw him.  I miss him.