Through the eyes of a child

Christmas....so much preparation, shopping, planning, decorating, wrapping. The days would have normally gone by in such a whirlwind. But for this instant, Christmas morning, we attempted to stop time. "Freeze, don't let Landon get any bigger, remember this moment. Look at his smile, his amazement and confusion at once. His tiny hands opening his presents, not concerned about what is inside, just wanting to play with the paper." Scot and I waited and planned for this morning, just the three of us! Capturing Christmas in Landon's innocent eyes was our gift. He is such a sweet child, he opens presents carefully and meticulously. Sure, he got overwhelmed when he realized Toys R Us had now become our living room, but he kept his cool and gave each toy, one at a time his attention.

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone had a beautful holiday!

LANDON-PALOOZA

LANDON-PALOOZA 2008

At 8:41 am Landon was officially 1 year old. We started his celebration with his favorite breakfast, banana pancakes topped with fresh whipped cream.

At 12:00 pm, LANDON-PALOOZA began!! I am actually at a loss for words to describe the generosity of our wonderful family and friends...not just for gifts, but for your company, and your love! The weather was cool and everyone gathered inside chatting, mingling, and the kids playing. Landon had a wonderful time visiting with everyone and soaking up the love!! His Happy Birthday song was sung perfectly and he made calculating movements as to what he should do with his cake. Luckily, he didn't eat too much of it, mostly just smearing it on his face. The birthday boy battled with his first allergic reaction to who knows what!!! After a quick run to the pharmacy for Benadryl (thank you Shawna!), the party went on. Following a little down time, Landon dove into his gifts, excited to see his new toys.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day for our son! Thank you to everyone for all you have done for us and for celebrating this special birthday! We love you all!

All I want for Christmas...I already have!

The lights are hung, the trees are decorated, Santa has been visited (he sure shocked the heck out of Landon), and preparations are under way for Landon's 1st birthday tomorrow. This time of year is very special to us, as we are reminded of the amazing story of Landon....our angel! There are times when we are at a true loss of words to describe how at 1st look at him, he melted our hearts and with each milestone he meets we see our little baby growing so fast into a precious and lively little boy with an adorable sense of humor.

We hope to make this time of year, every year, overly special for him. He is our one true Christmas, birthday, and shooting star wish that came true. Landon has his own Christmas tree that is already filled with decorations he was gifted. He is so gentle with is ornaments and crawls to his tree to adore his lights.

Landon spent the afternoon celebrating his friend, Beckett's, 1st birthday. Hopefully he was taking notes on what to expect with all the people, the singing, candle blowing, and cake eating. It is such a delight to watch Landon interact with other people and he loves to play with Beckett.

Tomorrow, December 14th, is his big day to turn one. Irregardless of the fact, that he won't remember the day when he gets older, we have still planned a wonderful party to celebrate him. Scot and I have prepared some surprises for him that will hopefully create a snapshot of this wonderful milestone birthday.

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happiness."

This month has been a blur. Where has the year and the time gone? We find our lives so busy and hectic with just our simple daily activities, but Scot and I have always made time to separate our thoughts from work, bills, and any recent drama to truly appreciate life....which in our case, is each other, Landon, and all of our family. We have become so increasingly thankful for one another and everyone that surrounds us. We have incorporated many traditions into our home and we get so excited when Landon is now joining all of them. Our Thanksgiving this year was Landon's first feast!! Scot's grandmother, from Wisconsin, came to visit and to meet her 1st great-grandchild. Our day was filled with so much laughter and great food, we were ready to do it again the following day.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

So easy to love....we cherish every moment with him and we so thankful he is our son!!!

Social Calendar

These days our social life revolves around Landon's social calendar! Yep, he is a busy boy and making lots of new friends. Friday he had his 1st play date with Beckett, a day his mom and I have been trying to organize since their birth. Landon and Beckett are 1 day apart and each traveling at their own speed. Landon was definitely getting tips from Beckett on walking and Landon was eager to show Beckett his appreciation of food.

After Landon's PLAY date (and I accentuate play because they are two busy boys) and no nap, we headed off to Johnny Rockets for burgers and grilled cheese.

Saturday, was Landon's friend Sydney's 1st birthday! It was a fun filled afternoon of more play time and more firsts to add to his baby book. Landon received his first kiss from his new friend Paige. Should Mom be worried that my son is a flirt? Landon had his 1st taste of cake and Landon quickly said "YUMMMM!" He's getting prepared for his birthday cake next month.

Trick or Treat!!!

We enjoyed having a family day and getting ready for a busy night of candy collecting.

Landon got an official haircut, not a quick trim by Mom. He was calm, cool, and collected during his trim and looked very debonair with his sleek style!

After a quick stop for gelato, his treat for being so brave during his haircut, we headed home to get costume ready! Landon dressed as a doctor, which was a great opposite to Scot being the patient on crutches.

He was a hit in the neighborhood, getting lots of attention and candy for Mom and Dad to snack on. Scot was quite the dedicated Dad, crutching along for our son's 1st trick or treating.

Once we exhausted our neighbor's candy bowls we headed home. Landon discovered the wonderful smelling bowl of candy near the front door for trick or treaters. He took it upon himself to take every piece out and survey it...smelling, licking, swishing it between his fingers. Hope the kids in neighborhood don't mind gently used candy!

Happy Halloween everyone!!

Taking care of Dad!

Scot's home and healing!!! His surgery went well and we were relieved to see some familiar faces in the Surgicenter and they took excellent care of him!

Once home, Scot battled with pain and a fever. Today is the 1st day he feels better and can move around independently. Landon was surprised to see his big, strong Dad moving slow on his crutches, but loves to try and play with his CPM machine. It's a slow recovery but Scot is braving through it and keeping his spirits up!

Providing range of motion exercises to his Dad's toes....such a helper!!

Life in the Z house

Scot's having his knee surgery tomorrow morning, so Landon and I took the day to getting ready to take care of our patient. We spent the morning shopping and stocking up on all of Scot's favorite treats and snacks. Landon dove into an art project and made a "Get Well Soon" picture, that is now hanging on the refrigerator. Landon and his Dad are inseparable when they are together, it will be an adjustment for Landon not to have his Daddy playing chase and running around after him....the crutches will definitely be slowing Scot down.

After our busy morning, we headed off to the park for swinging, sliding, and sand playing.

Boys will be boys!!

Landon had a play date at the Railroad Park this afternoon with his new friend Michael. Whew....I don't know who got more tired, the Moms or the boys. Landon and Michael got to know one another by going through the other's diaper bag.

Once it was settled that each bag carried similar items (Cheerios, bottles, diapers, etc.) it was on to eating grass and dirt, and of course Landon looking for all the muddy areas to crawl through. The boys became completely mesmerized by the train whistle....an attention grabber I need to buy for home! We took the boys on the train, carousel, and played on the playground. Forget about eating lunch, they were too interested in their surroundings.

"Don't look at the camera, my mom is taking ANOTHER picture."

"I'll crawl over the bridge, if you do."

"Weeeeeee!"

Family Photos!

I'm not going to lie to you.....this family loves the camera!! We had a photography session at Schnepf Farms on Saturday. We enjoyed picking out pumpkins in the pumpkin patch, walking through the corn field, and enjoying the foods. Here's a sneak peak of our photos!!

Jimmy, thank you for the beautiful photography!! You always have a magnificent way of capturing us enjoying life!! We love you!