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.

Landon had his 2-year checkup yesterday and he couldn't be healthier! Our little man is 36 pounds (95th percentile); 36.5 inches (95th percentile) and his head circumference is 19 3/4 inches (90th percentile). His iron levels were great, and he was a trooper getting his Hep A vaccination. This is his "cheese" face!

Happy Birthday to My Boys!

March 7 marked Jim's 31st birthday and March 17 (St. Paddy's Day) brought Landon's 2nd birthday. Both days were filled with fun and memories.

Happy Birthday, love!

Jim
We both had to work that day—which is never fun on your birthday—but we picked up Thai takeout and had a fun dinner at home. I picked up a yummy ice cream cake from Cold Stone and we spent the evening relaxing and catching up on our TV shows.

Happy Birthday, Landon James!

Landon
Sesame Street came to the Taylor house—along with several guests. Jim's mom flew out from Virginia and his aunt and cousin drove over from Idaho. It was nice to finally be in a house that can accommodate so many overnight guests. Landon had a great time with his family, especially his little cousin Mackenzie, who he lovingly referred to as "baby."

On the big day we managed to cram 40+ people into our house for pulled pork sandwiches, beverages and of course—cake and ice cream. Landon had a fabulous day and it was wonderful to be surrounded by so many people who love him. (It was also the first time since our wedding that all of our parents have been together in the same house—everyone was on their best behavior.)

Pictures...

Celebrating seven years

Jim and I have been married for SEVEN YEARS. It's been a wonderful journey and I am so lucky to be married to my best friend. Our life is crazy and busy and I wouldn't want to share it with anyone else.

Love is in the air

We had a wonderful family Valentine's Day. It was simple, inexpensive and just perfect. This morning we exchanged cards and Jim got me chocolates and a People Magazine. Landon had a party at school, and we made sugar cookies and put together gift bags for all of his little friends with fruit snacks and granola bars.

He was a lucky little guy too. He came home with a bag full of loot, and made Jim and I a special hand print project.

Jim got off early and made us dinner and then we played until bedtime. So much fun.

The last month has been a whirlwind. We had a major snow and ice storm that shut down schools for four days; I started taking weekly classes to become accredited in public relations; I'm getting ready to leave Landon for the first time for a short trip to Reno with the Seivert girls and work is really busy. Phew!

Now for the pictures...