logan's fourth birthday!

i know it is so cliche, but it is also so true. time flies and it enters a whole new phase of warp speed when you become a parent. 

because somehow 4 years have flown by and this tiny little baby 

has turned into...

this big FOUR year old boy! 

and mostly i can't believe it, even though life before logan seems so long ago and far away. a couple of days after logan's birthday we sat and looked at pictures of him from the hospital when he was born and right after he came home. it was definitely bittersweet. mostly sweet of course, but still tinged with a bit of sadness of how quickly time passes and moments are gone forever. i am so grateful for this little boy. he is [usually] sweet, happy and thoughtful. he is curious, imaginative and has the most incredible memory. when he gets into something (at the moment it's transformers) he totally embraces it (reminds me of his dad) and it is fun to see. he is a wonderful brother and adores (and is adored by) his sister. i love how the older he has gotten the more snuggly he has become. i love how he snuggles into me when we read together. his birth will forever be extra special because it was when i became a mother, something i had looked forward to for a long time. and i am especially grateful for how forgiving he is as we attempt to figure out this parenting thing with him as our "guinea pig." 

as i mentioned, logan is enamored with transformers right now and requested a transformers party. this is by far the most under-decorated party i have ever thrown for my kids. of course i know they don't care, but i really enjoy doing it. but it just didn't happen this time and that's ok. 

 logan requested donuts and i was more than happy to oblige (no sadness that i didn't have to bake). we made it into a "donut cake" and served regular and chocolate milk (2 of logan's favorites).

 you'll notice a major transformers theme among the presents. he was spoiled and was a very happy boy with all his new toys.

 that is pete's bum in the picture on the left in case you were wondering :)but it was too sweet of a picture not to include!

collin snuggling with grandpa gg

the highlight of the party was definitely when optimus prime showed up (it more than made up for my lack of decorations). dave found instructions online for building an optimus prime costume out of cardboard and he spent many late nights leading up to the party working on it (it really was incredible). and i would suspect logan's reaction made it was all worth it! he still talks about how optimus prime came to his birthday party.

super dad!

 another highlight of the party was that chef hendricksen, dave's old boss, came to the party. he and logan are buds and logan specifically asked if he could invite chef to come. so he made an invitation and he and dave personally delivered it to chef at the culinary school. it was so sweet of chef to come and definitely made logan so happy!

 rolling down the hill in my parent's backyard. it brought back fun childhood memories for me!

 blurry, but i love the big smile on his face.

 and emma preferred to scoot down on her bum (much like logan did when he was younger)

 the kids tackling kari. she was a good sport

 especially when they were choking her (by the look on her face)

 checking out all the loot when we got home. logan wasn't the only one excited about all the new toys (ahem, dave)! 

 to celebrate logan's actual birthday we went mini golfing. it seemed only appropriate since we discovered his obsession with it during our family reunion. even though by the end we were all hot and sweaty, it was a total success!

the birthday boy even got a (legitimate) hole in one! it was amazing!

 dinner at chick-fil-a (the birthday boy's request)

we love you logan! we're so glad you were born into our family!!

four year old stats:
32.3 pounds (or 32.8, i can't read the nurse's handwriting) - 25% (he and emma basically weigh the same right now! ha!)
40.5 inches - 50%