Logan's 29th

*I'm trying to get caught up in the next few days with blog posts so I can get to the exciting news -- baby #3's arrival. :)


We had a fun time celebrating Logan's birthday on December 7th. We were able to surprise him at work with balloons and donuts.

The kids (mainly Hudson) had the grand idea for weeks to have a Minion birthday party for daddy. They got so excited about throwing this party, so we went to Target and grabbed a few party supplies (notice the tablecloth and plates). Logan likes sticking with tradition for his birthday -- he had a shrimp dinner and funfetti cake. It was a great day celebrating our guy (his last birthday before the BIG 3-0)! We sure love him and are so grateful for all he does for our little family! 

 

Ben Folds and TOFW

With my parents in town for a few days after Halloween, Logan and I snuck out for a mid-week date night. We were able to get tickets to see Ben Folds and the Y music ensemble. It was such a great concert. 

Video: Ben Folds LIVE!

A few days later, I traveled to Atlanta with some of my friends from church. We attended Time Out for Women (TOFW). It was so inspiring and such a great weekend filled with inspiration, girl talk, and late nights. I loved every minute of it! 

A picture with Sandra Turley (she played Cosette on Broadway)

A picture with John Bytheway (best-selling author and speaker)

Love these girls!

It was so so fun getting to see these Korth girls for a bit! 

We stopped at Stone Mountain before we headed back to Charlotte. 

This place was awesome! Can't wait to bring my kids here one day. 

Graduated

Logan graduated beginning of May. We are so proud of him! He worked so hard to get into the Master of Science Analytics program at NC State and completed it in a short (but intense) 10 months. The program is amazing; this year it had a 100% employment rate after graduation (most students averaged 13 job interviews and 3 offers). Logan was lucky to have a few competitive job offers that we considered, but ultimately we decided to move to Charlotte so he could work for a consulting firm. It was a good choice! He is enjoying his job and the city is great too (more about that later in another post).

Here are a few pictures from graduation day. Big thanks to his family for joining us!

Logan's practicum group. 

He worked with this group on a big data project for United Airlines. They did a great job and went to Chicago to present their project to the company. 

Logan's mom and Amelia were there too, but grammy volunteered to change an explosive diaper (bless her). 

I love my little family!

 one of my favorites from the day - daddy with his (little) biggest fans

Logan left right after graduation to run a Tough Mudder in Texas with a good friend from his mission. It was his graduation present. He had a blast. I don't know how you can call being covered in mud and getting electrocuted a blast, but that's what he did and loved it. (Thank you for the pictures, Allison!)

John and Logan about to run the race

My little sister, Amanda, also graduated (the day before our big move to Charlotte). She graduated from VCU with her bachelor's in Exercise Science. It's been a month now from graduation, and she has already found herself a job as a rehab specialist. I am so proud of her! The kids and I were able to drive up to Richmond, VA to be there for her special graduation day. (We left Logan to clean and pack up our moving truck. He did a great job - thanks Log!) 

Blurry, but I love this picture of Hud with his Aunt Mans

Moving

Logan is two weeks away from graduation, and has already accepted a job as a consultant (after 10+ interviews and 4 job offers). Seriously. His graduate program is remarkable.

We are moving to Charlotte, NC (about 2 1/2 hours from Raleigh). All of the job offers were enticing, but this particular position was the best choice for our family and a great opportunity for Logan's career. We just couldn't pass it up. In the beginning, we steered far from any consultant positions because of the heavy traveling required (not ideal for our young family). However, this consultant firm is a great fit. It requires little to no travel since all of it is within Charlotte (he'll be consulting with major banks in the area), and the hours aren't horrible (about 40 - 50 hours a week depending on his job load).

Plus, Charlotte is just a cool city - we really liked it when we went to visit and Logan's cousin and her family live in the area! We move the middle of May, and will be living in uptown for the first year or two. Logan can walk to work from our new place - score! We figure the kids are young enough, so we want to experience "city life" while we have the chance. We are sad to leave Raleigh (especially our friends), but feel so blessed and excited about this new phase in our lives! Who wants to visit us in Charlotte?

 Uptown Charlotte

 Football training at Freedom Park

Second cousins (Parker and Hudson) at the coolest library in Uptown

Master(s) in the House

We had quite a few things to celebrate this month. Namely, the fact that Logan got into the highly competitive Master's in Analytics program at NC State University right here in Raleigh. Last year, he was wait-listed. They said if there was any movement, he would get a shot. Unfortunately, it didn't happen so we waited another year. Logan continued working and gaining experience. He took classes, took on data projects for work, and honed his skills to prepare to re-apply. And, the second time around? HE GOT IN!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so proud of him! He totally wanted this, and worked so hard to reach his goal. He starts in June. It's a 10 month intensive master's program - about 50-60 hours a week. He'll get SAS certified, gain valuable insights into data mining, and have lots of career placement opportunities.

The program has a 97% career placement; most graduates get 2+ job interviews and/or job offers. It's only open to 80 students a year, and there were so many applicants this time around. We feel so blessed that Logan was given this opportunity, and it helps that Logan is very ready to start the program! He is thrilled, and I am too.

Looks like we will be having two masters in the house (I recently completed everything for my Master's degree) come April 2014. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but we're always up for some friendly competition around here. :)

 Officially part of the Wolfpack. NC State style. Not Twilight style. 

Date night eating at The Pit - super great, classic BBQ place in downtown Raleigh. 

What a great time celebrating V-Day, finally getting my Master's degree, and Logan getting into graduate school! 

favorite parent

I am slowly losing the favorite parent battle. Want proof? Read on.....

Logan can multi-task. I can't.  

 Logan can sleep and cuddle at the same time. I can't. 

 Logan lets H lead the way. I don't. 

 Logan carried H through the dinosaur trail.
I wanted to, but he preferred his dad - I wonder why?!

Logan can read the same book over and over. I can't. 

Logan lets H hold Frodo, the frog. I don't. 

Guess I need to brush up on a few things if I want to be the favorite. 

But favorite or not, I know this kiddo loves me because he knocked on our front door yesterday (after grocery shopping with dad) and this is what I saw:

My heart melted.  

Love him and his dad. My favorite boys ever. 

NC Festival

Spent a whopping $20 on fried oreos, homemade black raspberry ice cream, mechanical bull riding, and the "Round Up." There was even a small petting area with all sorts of livestock. 

Quite the bargain, if you ask me.

Favorite memory? 

Being impressed by my husband and his bull riding skills, of course!

Can every Friday night be that fun? 

A Birthday to Celebrate

Logan is another year older, wiser, cuter, and more fun (not "funner"). 

His birthday was last week (December 7). 

He is officially getting old since he reached the quarter of a century mark. 

We celebrated with shrimp scampi for dinner, confetti cake, ice cream, and presents.

We love you, Logan/Daddy. Happy Birthday!

BYU Graduate

Look what came in the mail the other day....

So, I guess, that makes it official! Logan is a BYU graduate - a semester early too! I am so proud of him! Unfortunately, we were not in Provo long enough to get the fancy cap and gown to watch him walk across the stage. I really wanted to see him do that, but of course husband did not care. He says the diploma is all that matters - and yes, how true! 

Congrats to you, hubby :) You rock! 

P.S. Logan is home from his training trip and had his first "real" week on the job.
He did great! 

Reason #92342857

for why my husband is amazing...

He PASSED the Series 7 exam (on his first try, too)!!! 

He got a 87% which is incredible since the average score is 73%. This exam is a requirement to be a Financial Advisor for Edward Jones and Logan rocked it :) He spent the last month studying and it definitely paid off! He has one more exam to take in two weeks - then off he goes for a week of training in St. Louis, MO.

And, yes, he did all this while helping me take care of our little guy....

Way to go, husband :)  

new look

 Logan got a haircut (done by yours truly) and new glasses.

He's all set to graduate and start a new job in a few weeks, and boy does he look goooooood!

The end.