Stop Right There!

Landon turning 18 months last week was a real "wow" factor for me. Can't we just stay right there? He is just becoming such a big boy and seems to be growing out of the baby phase, I'm thrilled he still loves to give cuddles when he wakes up. He is at a constant steady jog, so capturing him in a great photo has become increasingly more difficult. Here's a little update on our little man.

Landon has started this "dress up" stage, absolutely hilarious. Yesterday he refused to wear any other shoes than his cowboy boots. He insisted on wearing them to his gym class. Luckily, there was enough distraction for me to get them off before his class began....but his gave everyone a good "oohh and ahh" at how adorable he is, arriving in his baggy shorts and boots.

Headband vs. sweatband vs. toddler Village People?

Yes, that would be my elastic headband that added the perfect top off accessory to his "I'd Rather be Naked" t-shirt.

He is totally into drawing, more specifically he loves to use coloring pencils or pens. He gets very serious when his paper and pencils come out. He gets into the artist position, talking to the paper, and very carefully makes his masterpiece.

Landon has made friends with a few specific stuffed animals, he has become increasingly attached to them and wants to take them on all his travels around the house, in the car, in his highchair, and tries to out them in the bathtub. If he is not carrying one or all of them, he's dragging it behind him by the arm or Mom carries them for him. Oh, don't forget his tiny blue lovey -blanket that he has been carrying with him too.

Just waking up this morning and his 3 stuffed friends are by his side.

He has 3 good friends from The Little Gym, well 4, if you count his teacher, Miss Rachel, that he absolutely adores. His interactions with other toddlers has expanded immensely. He is understanding how to pretend with toys, developing the concept of sharing, and really knows who he likes to hang with. His new class has several other kids, but Landon and his 3 friends stick to their group. Can cliques start this early? Scot and I invited his friends and their parents over for a BBQ and Landon was thrilled to have his friends at his house, showing off all his toys.

Lan is teaching Cash and Brody how to drive.

The park is always a big hit. Gets a little stressful for Mom and Dad, because Big L thinks he is a big kid and insists on going down the 12 foot slide at max velocity. We hold our breath and he giggles!!

Sliding with Dad and swinging with Grandpa...the father-son trio (Scot and his Dad are 2 big kids at heart).

Landon is growing, learning, and moving at super charged speed! His mischievous smile makes our heart melt and his big, belly giggles fill the room with excitement. We just can't enough of him!!!

To You, My Love...

To you, my love, my soul mate, and my best friend. Having you as my husband, by my side and holding my hand, through all of life's stepping stones, has been the greatest 8 years of marriage and the best 15 year gift. You have given me the life and love I have always imagined, you have captured my dreams and created them our reality. Thank you for being you....my one true love!

Eight years has come and gone and it feels like a matter of seconds when I look back. Life is passing by soooo incredibly fast, but I have loved every second of it and look forward to seeing the the rest unfold. We celebrated our anniversary at Jazz in the Garden at the Desert Botanical Garden. Absolutely amazing and I highly recommend this event for anyone looking for a romantic date. Gorgeous scenery, ideal weather, throw in some smooth live music, a delicious bottle of wine and the evening was perfect!

Summer has arrived!!

Sure the heat has made its debut, but the summer fun and festivities have now arrived. Our week overflowed with great times, usually brought by summers. Scot and I have great memories of being out of school, hangin' by the pool with friends, and BBQ's. Landon is at such a great age and loving interacting with kids at all ages....quite the social butterfly. Oh, to be a kid again!!! It is such a joy to watch the amazement of life in a child's eyes.

Just a few shots of our week, enjoying all the great aspects this season has to offer. Hope everyone has a great summer and stays cool!!!

Check them out...

Here's the link to our Maui photos: http://www.pictage.com/635266
Compliments to Mike Adrian with Mango Tree Photography!

Aloha!

Six days in paradise went by in a blink!! Sadly, we had to return to the mainland and back to the norm. Ugh. This vacation was AMAZING! I'll set the stage of where our trip to paradise began....our resort was stunning, the ocean views breathtaking, our suite had to be specifically designed for our toddler, because he could run laps in the room over and over and over and surely, didn't tire. We arrived on Mother's Day, what a spectacular treat to watch a Maui sunset with my boys.

Landon is at a perfect age to enjoy Maui. Acres of grass and beach were at his disposal for running and playing, which he did nothing short of. We were quite the proud parents, as everyone at the resort knew us by our adorable Landon. He made his presence known with his loud, contagious, belly laughs, passing out winks to the ladies and knuckle pounds to the guys, feeding and chasing the birds, playing at the pool, occupying the beach shower so no one else could get in, running to the lobby fountains, and our favorite, Landon calling security in the elevator! He is such a character with an amazing personality! He definitely loves to vaca, just like Mom and Dad!

But, let me clarify, the adults had such a blast and feel so relaxed. First on our agendas, spa treatments, followed by lounging at the pool with a Maui mojito or other tropical beverage at hand. How did we manage to lounge by the pool with a 17 month old, you ask? Our pool was set with huge areas of grassy hills, Landon was quick to ditch us to play, but stay within a few feet so he could sip on his coconut smoothies and nibble on Mahi Mahi and fries. We enjoyed the beach, body surfed or just walked along the surf. We got our exercise fetching water for sand castles or running after Landon into the ocean. OHHHH, what a life! I had previously researched and hired a photographer in Maui for family photos on the beach. Can't wait to see them...stayed tuned when the link is ready, I will post it for viewing.

So, we're back...tan, fat, and happy!!!

What have we been up to?

Whew! Days are going by in a blur and quite frankly, getting on the computer usually is put on the back burner. In my effort to keep our blog updated, here's a little taste of the past few days.

Landon's friend, Brody celebrated his birthday with the most substantial petting zoo I've experienced. The amount and types of animals drew a crowd within the park and admission should have been charged. I absolutely fell in love with a tiny, baby pig. Scot and Landon vetoed that as our new pet!

Landon is eye-ing the petting zoo, like it's a snake pit!


He wasn't too thrilled with all the animals. That would be a llama leg he is poking!


Trains are more Landon's style. Forget the petting zoo, he could ride the train all day!


My boys!

Our recent efforts have been to look for cooler, indoor activities from our afternoons of sweltering heat. We braved the home-made play dough craft, which looked like vomit, but tasted quite delicious!

I took Landon to get his first library card. The library was a great activity for him....he loved roaming the rows and picking out books for Mom to lug around. He, of course, had to try sitting in each chair and table, before finding a comfy spot on the floor to flip through some book pages. Good thing libraries don't require "library voices", because explaining that to my 16 month old would be challenging!!

The the temperature being a few degrees cooler today, we ventured to the park....

Such a boy!! Landon loves to carry around sticks he finds to poke at things and if it's big enough, he'll use it as his "walking stick".

Tomorrow's agenda.....play date!!!!

Livin' Life in the Sunshine, with a Beautiful Skye!

Playdate, playdate, playdate.....Landon's social calendar keeps us busy. Landon and his sweet, friend Skye met this afternoon at the park for some social time. Sure, for the beginning half of our park trip these two ran in the opposite directions, trying to see everything they could. Eventually their little legs needed some R&R and Skye's mom, Amelia, and I were able to keep them within viewing distance. Throw some snacks, bubbles, and cell phones in the mix, and Landon and Skye were content with each other and learning to "trade". I absolutely love this time, watching Landon learn to play and interact with other kids his age. You can see they have their own set of toddler rules and communication.
I don't think these two could be any cuter!!!!

I wonder what they are talking about!?


Learning the rules to "trading".


We're outta here!!

Easter Saturday

An Easter Saturday filled to the brim with goodies, presents, and...birthday cake?

Poor Z family, Mom has to work on Easter Sunday, so Saturday was packed full of fun!! The Easter bunny did us a favor and delivered Landon's basket early for him to enjoy and hid the eggs for him to find. Just what he wanted, golf clubs, a book, and his favorite candy, jelly beans.


"Frantically searching for the eggs."


"Found it."

The rain didn't hold Landon back from being a party animal at his friend, Cash's 1st birthday party. Cowboy hats, pony rides, and enough playtime with kids to fill a month....Landon had a ball!!


"Gorgeous cowboy!"


"Amazing we could snatch him up for 5 seconds to snap a photo."


"Sky box seat to watch Cash blow out his candle."

Wishing you joy and peace at Easter and always!
I'll leave you with this video.....

Monkey See, Monkey Do....

"Monkey see, monkey do" or should I say "toddler see, toddler do". The mommy motto of our play date today with Miss Mandy and Isabel. Lil Isabel and Landon are near the same age and boy-oh-boy it shows.....these two are quite compatible (or show her mommy and I think so). Quick reader's digest version of our day: Boy meets girl. Girl likes boy. Boy more interested in sand, sticks, and dirt, than pretty girl (wheww! So not ready for the day when Landon finds another woman to take my place). Needless to say, our play date was a BLAST!!! These two played until their hearts were content and their little legs were exhausted. Train and carousel riding, sand playing, blowing the train whistle, and play ground tromping. But what was the most intriguing? Picking up sticks, chasing birds, toddling to the pay phone, investigating the fire hydrant, and poking at the electrical box!! Kids! Everything else is so much more interesting than what we want them to play with.

We had such a awesome afternoon with sweet Isabel and her mom! Can't wait to venture out again!