Dinner Guest

It was quite an ordeal having Puppy over for dinner last night. First he wanted to sit on a stool next to Hogan, but that didn't work. Then, he wanted sit in the booster seat on the stool next to Hogan, but that wasn't right either. Finally, we all agreed that Puppy could sit with Hogan in the high chair. Puppy got to eat peanut butter and oranges. Hogan was a little confused that Puppy couldn't chew and swallow food, so then I had to intervene with chewing sounds and magically make the food disappear so it seemed like Puppy was really eating. He really was such a demanding guest. Word on the street is that Duck is coming to dinner. I hope he's much easier going than his furry pal Puppy.

Oven

After Hogan emptied out all the pots and pans he discovered a snug hiding place. This spot proved a perfect hangout while I cooked dinner. If I had thought of this sooner I could have saved some money on a crib!

Taste in Music

Hogan seems to have the same taste in music as his father. I'm not sure what they were listening to, but it inspired laughs, dancing, and some deep thinking!

Seating Arrangement

The seating arrangement on the couch struck me as funny tonight. Hogan wanted to sit on his puppy's lap while holding Mr. Duck. Quite a threesome!

First Day

Today was Hogan's first day at his school. I think he liked it. This morning when I told him where he was going he remembered that Mrs. Mary Beth has a puppy and that she is nice.
When I went to pick him up he was sitting at the table with all of his toddler friends eating lunch. He looked like such a big boy being all civilized and well-behaved. He got a good report and even had a craft to bring home. Below is a picture of the bird nest he made today at school.
Mary Beth did say that he was a Mt. Everest climber. She says all the toddlers climb, but for Hogan there seems to be no obstacles too big for him. I can't say that I'm surprised. It just seems that that is how he tackles life!

Happy Adoption Day

Last year on August 25 (6 months after Hogan's arrival at our house), Hogan's adoption became final. That was the day that we went to court and his name officially became Hogan Lon Manning and Troy and I were legally named the parents of him. We decided that yearly we would celebrate this day, this happy adoption day. It's a day to be thankful for our family, to tell the story of Hogan's birth and how he came to us, and to remember his birthmother who gave us such an incredible and priceless gift. It took a lot of pieces fitting together just right for Hogan to come to us and we feel like the luckiest parents in the world!

This past weekend we did all of Hogan's favorite things in honor of his adoption. He woke up and found a brand new set of blocks ready for him to stack and demolish. We visited to the park to feed the ducks (who ignored us), slide, climb, and swing. When we returned from the park his Oma and Opa were at our house busy putting together his brand new shopping cart. Then Tia and Tarlo came bearing GOOD NEWS and gifts for Hogan. Next, we had a lovely lunch of hotdogs, chips, and fruit and we finished the day by going to the train museum in Dallas. It was a fun day and Hogan is still talking about it. He woke up from his nap yesterday and told Troy all about the loud choo choo trains and the two puppies he saw at the museum.

Back Float

Throughout swimming lessons Hogan resisted the back float. In fact, he would cry and wriggle anytime he was on his back. He hated it! But something I've learned about Hogan is that he's a thinker and an experimenter. As adventurous as he is, there are times when he's cautious. If something is new he'll often adamantly steer clear. Afterwards, though, the wheels start turning. He begins to watch other kids when they do it. He starts experimenting on his own. And then one day he gets it. The following is an approximation of our conversation yesterday afternoon. "Mommy! Hair" To which I replied, "Yes, you put your hair in the water." "Mommy! Hair!" "Yes, Hogan you can put your hair in the water. Wow!" "Mommy! Hair!" "Yeah Hogan! You can put your hair in the water." "Mommy!....I think you get the picture. So- several weeks after swimming lessons he's decided it's okay to be on your back in the water.l

Silence

Silence can be great. When I'm the first one to wake up in the morning and have some time to read the paper and check my email- a silent house is calming. When Troy and I hike in silence with only the sound of leaves rustling to interrupt our thoughts- that's peaceful. BUT when you're in the house with a toddler and all of a sudden they're out of your sight and things become eerily quiet. That's SCARY!!!!

This is what happened today. And once it struck me that I hadn't heard a little voice for awhile, I became CSI mom and went investigating. I followed the toilet paper trail to find my silent, but busy culprit examining and flinging all of my stationary down on the floor.

Caught! and sentenced to 18 years of hugs and kisses- with no possibility of parole!

Sunglasses

If you live in Texas you've got to master the art of wearing shades. As you can see- Hogan is progressively improving his look. Hair helps alot!

Heat

Summer is definitely here in Texas. We don't always have a bucket of water to dip our heads into, but shaved ice works pretty well too.

Family Dinner

One of the great perks of having Tami back in Dallas is that we can resume our weekly family dinners. This is something we did when she lived here before- pre-Hogan. So now he gets to be part of this fun family ritual. This week we went to Dallas to eat at Tia's. She had cooked up some yummy brisket fajitas and in addition to the delicious home-cooked meal, she had "hoganized" her house and bought him a few toys to play with. One of the toys was a stuffed Elmo that you'll notice escaped from Tia's house. On the way home Hogan kept Elmo crooked in his arm, feeding him cheese and crackers. Hogan still loves trains and puppies, but he's managed to add a place in his heart for this red, furry creature.

Hogan's Way

Every preschool teacher, every toddler mom knows of the activity "painting with water". This is where you give your child a paintbrush and let them paint everything with water. It's wet, but there are no stains, no mess, and water dries. At our house this is how painting with water went. I gave Hogan the paintbrushes. He was interested, but more so in throwing them into the bushes for me to fish out than acutally painting with them. Once rid of those bothersome paintbrushes, in went his spongy balls. This actually turned out to be a fun twist on painting with water. He dipped the balls in the water, threw them on the sidewalk and as the balls rolled they left watery trails. He did this for several minutes, dipping balls, throwing them and watching them roll down the sidewalk. After a little bit, the heat just became too stifling and his head went into the water. Wa-Lah! you've got Hogan's version of painting with water. I have to say it was much more fun and active than using those silly paintbrushes.

Aquarium...

Our plan was to go to Fair Park Aquarium, but it just wasn't all that fun. The aquariums were too high for Hogan to see the fish so he ended up running down the aisles and climbing on the rails. I don't blame him. Luckily, being a toddler is more about process than destination and he had a grand ol' time playing outside the aquarium. We probably spent 15 minutes in the aquarium and 30 minutes playing outside. Thank goodness our overall plan was to see Tia or else this trip would have been a big bust.