Spanish

On the drive home...

"Momma, I had water at school...agua."

"You did? Is that how you say water in Spanish?"

"Yes, Momma."

Cozy!

On weekdays it's hit or miss in the morning. Some days we have to wake Landon up, others he wakes up on his own. He loves getting cozy in our bed with his milk and movie. (Which makes it very easy for us to get ready right next door in the bathroom.)

I don't think he could be any cuter.

Bye-bye baby boy

Well, it’s official, for the first time last night, as I said “Goodnight, baby” to Landon he told me that he wasn’t a baby, he’s a big boy. Sad, but true. I agreed with him, but reminded him that he’ll always be my baby (and then I launched into singing the Mariah Carey song of the same name before he told me “No singing, momma.” Sigh.)

The conversation made me think about just how much he’s grown (and grown out of) over the past few weeks, including:

• Binky free! That’s right, no more binkies. He was down to only using them at nap and bed time, but one night I simply told him that we’d lost them. He was a little sad and concerned, but rarely asks for them. When he does, we remind him that they’re lost and he just nods.
• No more highchair! We really liked the highchair, because it contained him during meals and it was much easier to clean a tray rather than the whole table. We decided it was time for his booster seat, which he uses at other people’s houses and in the camper. He’s done really well, which isn’t a surprise, because he sits at the table while at school. He is also using normal plastic cups with meals. No spills yet, but he does like to dip his fingers and food into the milk.
• Potty training! It’s just around the corner. Landon has had a potty at home for several months, and sits on the one at school all the time. He’s even gone pee into them a few times. He actually prefers sitting on the regular toilet with a kid seat on it. Several of the kids in his class are potty training and I can feel that it’s almost our turn. One of the other moms recommended the 3 Day Potty Training eBook. Honestly, I read it and it stressed me out a little. I think I need to mentally prepare myself before I throw out all his diapers and buy him underwear. I also need to take a few days off work to do that, so I’ll have to check out the calendar.
• Crib! Landon is still in his crib, simply because he’s comfortable in it and he’s never tried to climb out. He physically could, but just doesn’t, which is super. We have been checking out a few beds and bedding sets, and will probably transition him into a big boy bed this fall.

All of these changes make me so proud and happy, but I wish time would SLOW DOWN. How did my baby boy go from this to this so soon?

On a hilarious side note, Landon's teacher emailed me to let me know that one of Landon's classmates was being naughty, so L grabbed the play phone and told the little boy "I'm gonna call your momma." Ha! Only my child.

Steamboat Rock State Park

We spent July 4-7 camping at Steamboat Rock State Park in Eastern Washington, near Electric City and the Grand Coulee Dam. It took us about five hours to get there, which felt like a quick jaunt since we have driven 10+ hours to Boise twice in the last four months. The campsite was clean and spacious and the scenery was exquisite—I swear you could drop someone off there and they wouldn’t know they were in Washington state. The rock formations and canyons were gorgeous—especially during sunrise and sunsets.

Landon had a blast and was really excited to ride in daddy’s truck and sleep in the camper. (We’ve taken him on other camping trips, but he was too young to remember much.)

It was hot, hot and even hotter during our stay. What can I say? We are from the Puget Sound region and 90 degrees plus (at 9 a.m.) is a little too much for us (thank God for shade and A/C in our camper). The mosquitos were out of control too, and it was a challenge (to say the least) to keep the three of us in sunscreen and bug spray for four days. We were successful in keeping Landon comfortable, but Jim went home with a sunburn and we both looked like we were the main dish at a dinner buffet for the mosquito population.

The lake was clear and refreshing, but, alas, the beach park was a mile walk from our campsite. We took an early morning walk the first day, but that was a long way for Landon’s little legs and it is a pain to take the camper off the truck—especially so because we moved to a different campsite after the first two nights due to availability. However, we needed to find a place to swim…when it’s 95 degrees, you need to be in water.

Luckily, we found a secluded little cove that we made ours for the four days. It was sandy and partially shaded, which made it even better. Landon wanted nothing to do with the floats that we brought, except to sternly remind you that they, in fact, belonged to him when anyone attempted to use them. (I’ve never heard the words “No, that’s mine” so many times in one day.)

The water was really shallow, and Landon proved to be more daring than I expected. After he got over the little shocks of cold water on his body, he swiftly walked out farther and farther with us until the water was up to his little chin—then he wanted to be picked up (“Pick-a-up-me”). He also enjoyed splashing and being splashed.

Thank God for the portable DVD player. When it was time to dry off and escape from the sun and insects, we had snack time in the camper and enjoyed a few of our Pixar favorites (it was Cars this trip). In the past, we have brought a Pack-n-Play for Landon to sleep in. Now that he’s the size of a three-year-old, that wasn’t going to work. We folded the dinette down into a bed and brought his pillow and bedding from home to make him comfortable. He was so exhausted the first night that he laid down without a peep. Naptimes and bedtimes went remarkably well the entire trip—with the small exception of Landon rolling off the dinette bed in the middle of the night. Luckily, he slid down on top of the body pillow that was there to keep him in the bed, and there were only a few tears of shock, not pain.

Jim taught Landon how to roast a marshmallow and a lover of the S’more was born (who can resist a S'more?). We also learned just how much Landon loves watermelon. He ate three plates of it the first night and we had to ration it for the rest of the trip.

Overall, we had a great trip and it was nice to spend uninterrupted time with our little family of three (the dogs stayed home with Grandma Terry—thanks mom!). I loved watching Jim teach Landon new things and seeing how observant he is. He really appreciates being outside and it’s amazing to watch him drink everything in and watch the questions form on his little face before he asks them. I can’t believe how quickly Landon is growing and, although it’s totally cliché, I truly fall more in love with him every day.

We are looking forward to more summer fun and adventurous rendezvous.

A two-year-old's world

One of my daily conversations with Landon on our drive home (past a wooded ravine):


L: "There's a wolf down there?"
M: "No, there's no wolf down there."
L: "There's a shark down there?"
M: "No, there's no shark down there."
L: "There's a barracuda down there?"
M: "No, there's no barracuda down there."
L: "Sigh."


He's scared and obsessed with these creatures at the same time, so I try to minimize his fears. The wolf obsession started with a book at school. He's got a great imagination. I love this kid!

Summer, soccer and sunshine (hopefully!)

Time has just flown by since Mother’s Day and I’m having a hard time remembering what we’ve been doing…I know we’re busy, because our house is a mess and we’re always on the go!

Let’s see…we took another trip to Boise over Memorial Day Weekend to visit Jim’s grandpa and extended family. His grandpa moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility, so it made it much easier to visit and spend time with him. The weather was less than impressive, but Landon had a great time with his little cousin and playing with the dogs and chickens in Donna and Randi’s big backyard.


Jim and I have been trying to have more date nights and recently enjoyed a nice evening at a comedy show in Tacoma and at happy hour at C.I. Shenanigan’s on Ruston Way. A big “thank you” to my mom for hanging with Landon so we could enjoy some couple time.


I’ve made more of an effort to spend time with friends and have enjoyed two nice dinners with nothing but girl-talk. Fun, fun, fun!


Landon is thriving in school and impresses us every day with his speaking ability and keen memory. We recently went garage-saleing and purchased a Cars Memory Game. Landon knows all of the characters and finds the matches so quickly that we have a hard time keeping up. He loves animals and knows the names of all your standard farm animals—including their noises. There is a donkey that lives in the pasture next door to us, and Landon finds it very amusing when he starts making his “hee-haw” noises.


Taking after his momma, Landon is a movie junkie. His current favorites are Cars and Finding Nemo. We have a portable DVD player (a Godsend on those long drives to Boise) that we turn on in the morning when we’re getting ready and at night while we’re making dinner. Landon loves to tell us what’s happening in the movies, and can always quickly point out the “bad guy.” “Momma, he’s mean!”


Landon just started a Mommy/Daddy and Me tot soccer class. It meets every Monday for eight weeks. Last night was the first class and he had a lot of fun. (Getting him to put on his shin guards and sock—not so fun.) There are two little girls and one boy in the class, ages 2-3. Landon is the youngest, but was the best listener. I think school really helps focus his attention, because as soon as Coach Allison blew the whistle, he was right there listening for directions. The first activity was to point out colors and then kick the ball over to the corresponding flag. He had the colors down, and had no problem finding the right flag, but he wanted to run while carrying the ball. Oh well! He had fun and we got to spend time together as a family. I think Landon’s favorite part was on the slide after class. Ha!


We are gearing up for a family camping trip to Eastern Washington over the Fourth of July. It will be so nice to get away, and we’re hoping for some sun. It’s been way to cold and wet this “summer” and we want to swim!


Here are some of my favorite pictures so far…(the green thing is a ball that broke…why not make a hat?)

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day with my boys. I was treated to a delicious breakfast, hand made gifts from Landon and a gorgeous house plant and cards from Jim. The morning was relaxing and then we ran errands and my mom came over to visit. She got me a gift card for a pedicure—score! The weather was stunning and it was a great day!

"I like to move it, move it..."

I've been doing Zumba for the past month and I'm in love! Besides being a great workout, it's a lot of fun and reminds me of younger days. I've been taking classes at night at Sprinker Recreation Center with a great group of women who range in age and ability, which makes it that much more interesting.

I have a lot more energy and am starting to see my waistline shrink, which is a very welcome addition.

If you haven't tried Zumba, I highly recommend it!

Easter Weekend 2012

We had a fabulous Easter weekend. The festivities kicked off on Thursday with Landon’s class Easter party and egg hunt. I love being able to help out in his classroom and to experience all of the little celebrations. That night we went to Jim’s dad’s house for dinner and to see our piggies. We are paying for them to raise one so we can have the meat. Landon is getting pretty attached to them, so we’ll have to come up with a way to explain their disappearance…this is the third time they have raised pigs, and the meat is so fresh and unprocessed—you can really taste a difference.

I took Friday off, and Landon and I hung out in the morning. I took myself on a date in the afternoon—finally seeing Hunger Games and getting a mani/pedi (and a Starbucks!). Grandma Taylor sent Landon a special box of Easter stuff from Virginia, which he loved! We went to visit my mom at her new house that night and then I headed to Zumba, which I love, love, love. Dancing doesn’t even feel like working out, and it brings me back to my high school Dance Team days (and all of the time Misty and I spent out at clubs—ha!).

On Saturday, we took a family trip to Northwest Trek, which is only about 25 minutes from our house. Landon loved walking all of the trails and looking at all of the animals. He is especially interested in wolves right now, thanks to a book in his class. His most common saying nowadays is “the wolf did it.” We attempted to ride the tram, but it was too close to lunch/nap time, so we hopped off before it was too late. We didn’t want to risk an unhappy two-year-old on an hour-long tram ride. After our picnic lunch we walked around some more and then headed home.

That afternoon we colored eggs and had a BBQ. We also got a lot of yard work and house cleaning done.

Landon is fighting a cold, so he slept in on Easter—much to our pleasant surprise! He really liked his basket, especially the chocolate. Jim’s dad dropped off some Easter treats, and we did a short egg hunt in the front yard. Once Landon discovered the stickers and money in the eggs the hunt was over. He really likes putting money in his piggy bank, so we had fun doing that. We spent the rest of the day eating (homemade quiche and strawberries for breakfast and yummy ribs and steak for dinner) watching movies (the Easter bunny left Landon The Lion King) and just hanging out. What a great weekend!

I'm so grateful for our many blessings, including wonderful family and friends. Thank you, God!

Sentences

Landon is becoming quite the little conversationalist. He's putting together sentences and never ceases to make us laugh. This morning when I went into his room to get him up, he promptly began telling me all about "Kevin," the bird from the movie UP.

We're working on "please" and "thank you," and he's doing really well. One of the sweetest things is when I give him something and—unprompted—he says "Thank you, Momma." Melts my heart!

Landon also has a really good memory—sometimes it's too good. It doesn't work to tell him we can do something later or on another day...he'll remember and hold us accountable.

This weekend we decorated the house for Easter. Nothing major—just an egg wreath on the front door; a basket of pretty speckled eggs and fluffy chicks for the dining room table and some festive gel clings for the sliding glass door. We have some for almost every season and they're only $1 at Target. Landon calls them "stickers" and loves standing on a chair to help me put them up and take them down. He's very proud of his work. Makes me smile!

I'm loving this stage and we're having so much fun with our little boy.