Happy Birthday Logan!

This past weekend we celebrated Logan's 11th birthday!  We had a weekend filled with fun!

Bright and early Saturday morning Logan opened up his gifts from u s.  Without question, his favorite gift this year is this...

Yep, it's an air rifle...same one his dad had as a kid. ;-)

After opening gifts and eating some yummy monkey bread, we were off to our first football game of the season.  Logan is playing flag football in the North Polk Football League this year and Saturday was his first game of the season!  And for this football lovin' family, there's no doubt that we loved every minute of it!

That's Logan right there in the center in the red shorts...yep, that's his wrestling stance. ;-)

We spent the afternoon and evening at the Iowa State Football game in Ames.  Since it was his birthday, Logan brought his best buddy, Sam, along to the game.  We tailgated for a few hours, ate some delicious Cyclone cake balls from our new favorite bakery...Three Chicks Bakery ...that just happens to be down the street from our new digs.  Then, we capped the night off with a nice Cyclone victory and a sleepover.

Logan and Sam getting ready to go on the field to greet the players before the game

The following day we hosted Logan's family birthday party here at our house.  We had a house full and had a lot of fun!  More football on the TV, beautiful weather to enjoy, great conversation, and a few gifts for the birthday boy...oh yeah, and some cake! YUM!

Happy 11th Birthday, Logan!

To finish up celebrating the boy who made me a 'Momma', I thought I'd list just a few of the things (in no particular order) that I love about Logan ~ 11 to be exact...

1. Hey Mom... Each night after I kiss him goodnight and tuck him in, just as I'm about to leave his room, Logan says, "Hey Mom..."  Sometimes, he wants to tell me something about his day, sometimes he wants to ask what we're doing the next day, sometimes I'm pretty sure he's just stalling because he's not ready to go to bed for the night.  No matter what the reason, I love that "Hey Mom".

2. Rally's the troops...Logan is quickly becoming an expert at rallying the troops.  And, by troops, I mean, his 2 brothers and sister.  Often I have a few things I need to finish up in the house before I'm ready to go and Logan is always good about sensing this and keeping everyone else moving in the right direction...and, for the most part, he's kind about it. :-)

3. Likes to be on time... a boy after my own heart ~ he likes to be early or on time!

4. Responsible...He is pretty responsible for a new 11 year old which makes life a little easier around here.

5. Has his daddy's head for math, science...As if it wasn't enough that he is Cory's look alike, he also got Cory's brain for math, science, and problem solving, in general.  He loves to learn!

6. Easy going...His feathers don't get ruffled too easily.  He's got his dad's laid back, easy nature.

7. Loves to entertain little ones and is really good at it...I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that he's pretty good at entertaining little ones since he's got three younger siblings.  He seems to be drawn to little ones (and they to him).  He loves to make them laugh and entertain them with funny faces and antics.  I'm certain that in another year or so, he'll make a great babysitter for some of our friends kids.

8. He loves a challenge...Logan gives his all when it comes to sports, music, or school ~ especially when presented with a challenge.  He has a fierce competitive streak, but is also able to keep it in check enough to always show good sportsmanship.

9. Musician & Singer...He's a pretty talented musician and singer.  I feel like I can say that about him as his mom and not feel like I'm being boastful because not an ounce of that talent came from me!  There is not a single person out there that wants to hear this chic sing, trust me on this!  Logan really enjoys playing the piano and has really taken off in lessons in the last year.  He just started band at school and is loving learning how to play the bells.

10. Obsession with football ...When fall rolls around, Logan's obsession starts.  He loves all things football.  He would talk football 24-7 if someone will listen and if no one will listen, he can be found with my phone in  hand checking his Fantasy Football team's stats and/or planning who he and his dad should draft onto their team next.

11.  Loves to read...This is an understatement!  The boy LOVES to read.  It is nothing short of a crisis when Logan finishes his latest book and doesn't have a new one to read.  Remember what I just said about him being easy going...not so much when he's momentarily without a book to read.

As I look back over that list, I can see that there are so many more things that I love about this 11 year old boy...and not enough space here to share all of it.  In the last couple of years, we have really started to get a glimpse of the person he's becoming.  And, although, we've enjoyed every stage of him so far, we are really excited to see what the next few years bring.

Happy Birthday, Logan!!