We Will Never Forget…..

We will never forget the men and women who risk their lives each day for us with selfless bravery. We will never forget the people who lost their precious lives or  families missing loved ones.   We will never forget the tear stained faces of grieving families and never know their agony.  We will never forget to pray for them.  We will never forget the blessing bestowed upon us. WE WILL NEVER FORGET TO SAY “THANK YOU”.

Homemade

My first sewing adventure: beach towel pillows for Landon’s bed.  Wanting to learn to sew, my wonderful and patient mom, brought over her sewing machine and we went to work.  I got a tutorial on the machine, tools, and proper terminology.  I discovered my great-grandmother was a master sewer and the ladies in her day held “Sewing Bees”, where the women of the community got together to sew and discuss men.  Sewing with my mom was a wonderful and hilarious bonding session; a definite must for us to keep doing together!! 

Not bad, for my first attempt!   Landon leapt into bed, that night, insisting he sleep on all his “hotel pillows”.  The beach towels give his bed a cute little cabana feel and goes perfect in his room!

Hurry up and be Fall, already!!!

105 degrees outside but my house is gearing up for the cooler season!!  Crafts and decorations for Halloween have begun….it’s never to early to celebrate!  Each year we complain that our Halloween decorations are being put away too soon.  So why not enjoy this season a little longer by decorating now, I say.

35 Days and Counting

Our countdown to Disneyland is on!!  I made Landon a “chain link calendar” and each night he tears off a link cheering that it is almost time to visit the Magical Kingdom!!

 

Uncle Ants and Aunt Kori

The one and only, Uncle Ants and Aunt Kori, have arrived…….

 

Leading up to their visit, we have been so excited!! The morning of their arrival, Landon was singing and dancing, “Uncle Ants and Kori are coming!”.  As soon he saw his teacher at school he was saying, ”I haaave to tell you something.  My Uncle Ants and Aunt Kori are coming!!”  So its no surprise that when they arrived to pick him up from school yesterday, Landon was on Cloud 9, spending every moment of his day near them!!

Treasured family moments of our first day with them!!!

Meet Jack

A perfect example of Landon’s multi-dimensional imagination.  His school art project of naming the members of his immediate family included “Jack”. With a few questions to Landon on who was in his picture and a quick email to his teacher, we have come to the conclusion that we might have an imaginary friend.  Landon taught us that he plays with Jack at school, at home, and at Home Depot, and he doesn't know where Jack lives.  New to this subject I started doing some research and found it so fascinating and dispelled some myths related to the topic.  Children that have imaginary friends, tend to have an extrovert personality, being sociable and taking multiple friends. They can easily play in fantasy or role playing for extended periods of time and can instantly change their play in creative ways to explore many facets.  They also know that their imaginary friends are pretend without an adult pointing out the obvious. 

Landon’s teacher did a follow up with me this week, stating she noticed the other students making up members of their family to copy their peers on the following days after this project on Tuesday.  Whether Jack is present on not, we just love learning about Landon growth, personality, and thoughts.  He is certainly not linear, he is incredibly creative, thoughtful, hilarious, and kind!!

Thoughts of a 3 1/2 year old…

What’s your favorite color?  “Yellow” (this changes weekly)

What is your favorite body part?  “eyes”

Would you rather eat crab legs or shrimp? “crab”

What is your favorite food?  “chicken nuggets with strawberry sauce” What??

What do you what to be when you grow up?  “hmmmm, Superman”

Would you rather swim or play on the playground?  “playground”

Do you like to swing or slide?  “slide and go on the the bridge and slide down the fire pole”

What is your favorite number?  “7”

What is your favorite TV show? “Baby Einsteins” aka Little Einsteins (this changes daily)

Just can’t get enough of him and I love to pick his brain!!

Some Like it Hot!!

Landon has a palate for spicy foods, just like his mom and dad!!  Tapatio goes on every bite of his breakfast burritos and Mexican foods.  He loves hot salsa and whenever there is a hot pepper near, he wants a taste!!

This morning's breakfast!!

The school bell has rung….

Our family excitement has been in full effect these last few days leading up to Landon’s first day of preschool.  We having been talking, preparing, and shopping for this big day!  I woke up early this morning to prepare a big breakfast, eggs in a hole, bacon, and fruit smoothies and to pack Landon’s lunch. 

Day one, the parents get to come in to class, but the subsequent days we will be dropping him off at the highly orchestrated drop off zone.  Arriving to school, we were greeted by his teachers, Mrs. Francis and Ms. Maxwell (who has a British accent, that I love), after a quick greeting, a small gift for the deserving teachers that we brought, Landon was off playing and meeting each kid in his class!!  It was reassuring and exciting to see him ready to start, but of course tugged at our heart strings, as once again, another leap of independence flaunts. 

He was exhausted when I picked him up.  No doubt his senses were overloaded and this is the first day in weeks that he has napped!!   His first day was wonderful.  Landon filled me in on '”an angry boy that knocked over the castle” and never needing to use the bathroom……ohhh, the stories that we will hear!!  His class folder was filled with the day’s take home crafts, this being one of them.

My Kissing Hand

Its’ my first day of school

And I’m thinking of you.

I made these precious handprints

So you will think of me too.

Its’ my first day of school

And “The Kissing Hand” is what we read.

It’s about a raccoon

Who did just as his parents said.

Like the raccoons first day at school

I was scared and a little shy.

But because of what you said

I was brave and I got by.

All through the year

I’ll make more things for you.

So as I change and as I learn

You can witness my growth too!

Scot and I found a little humor in the vending machine by the Cafe……how how times have changed.  We remember Dr. Pepper and Doritos in our school’s vending machines, not Pellegrino and snacks labeled “no hydrogenated oils, “organic”, etc.  Clearly, this is a change for the better.  Love that they are promoting healthier eating habits!!

Jambo

My friend, Kristia, and I took our kiddos to Jambo.  What is Jambo, you ask?  It’s a jungle themed indoor  amusement park for kids.  This place offers hours upon hours of excitement.  It was a perfect escape from the heat and something new to do.  The Children’s Museum was our favorite default outing, next to The Quarters splash pad, however, even being out at the splash pad is just too hot.  Needless to say Jambo will now be added on our list of outings!

The flying swings were a hit with Landon right off the bat.  Miss Ella enjoyed the spinning for a few rounds, then she wanted off.  This may have spoiled it for her, because she was not too eager to ride on anything else.

The flying elephants.  It amazes me that he can spin and spin and not get dizzy.  I was dizzy just watching!

 The train ride reminded me of Willy Wonka….so colorful and magical looking.

Ready, set, bowl!

Gearing up for laser tag.  This was Landon’s favorite activity!! I went in to watch, (was a little hesitant to send him into the dark room with some older kids and expect good results) they geared me up with a vest and laser gun too.   He had a blast ducking behind walls, running after the boys shooting his laser gun.  The room was small and not as dark as I envisioned, and the kids (and myself) had a blast!!

Mini golf was NOT a hole in one!  Ella and Lan putted everywhere, not excited to learn how to play.  This photo captures the best scene of them.  Landon is attempting to dislodge his ball and Ella is putting around him.  

Climbing up into the spider web maze!!

Stopping for a little lunch break.  FYI, should you decide to venture to Jambo avoid the pizza!  Sweet Ella was determined to never smile for me!!

Ella’s favorite….skee ball! 

Thanks for a great afternoon girls!!!

The fun never ends……

Playdate after playdate, from one fun activity to the next!  There isn't one day that has gone by that we felt bored or cooped up in the house, we are always on the go.  I forgot to post this last week, swimming and snow cones with the Paoletti’s.  Absolutely fun way to watch the afternoon set!!!

 

Water wars….Karen hiding behind Hayden!!

Alyssa prepares all the snow cones.

Yum!!

Having a little heart to heart conversation with Hayden.  Landon just adores him!!

Summertime yum and tumble

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chef  Landon has been embarking on culinary skills and eating his way through his Little Chefs class.  Little Chefs has been his favorite summer class, from making a fruit rainbow (pictured as a before and after), homemade pizza, and worms in dirt, to name a few of their menu items.  Landon continues to love love love cooking!  Being in this class spills over more and more to his creativity in our kitchen, making is own creations with sandwiches and mixing bizarre concoctions from the pantry and frig.   Little Chefs has now prompted us to enroll him into further cooking classes.  Watch out Food Network, he comes the next Food Network Star or Iron Chef!!

Ruff and tumble, hop and skip, roll and run……tumbling class has been KINDA fun.  Pictures are scarce, as there is only a small window to view class.  Initially Landon was into tumbling, enjoying all the activity, fun music, and kids.  However, whenever I would peek though the window to catch a glimpse, the boys were always sitting on the sidelines looking bored, but Landon still reported he was having a great time.  That great time was short lived, when last week, Ms. Suzie, his teacher, had a major freak out, running out of class, and shouting, “Jacob threw up!!” . As Jacob’s mom ran to retrieve him, the kids in the class looked shell shocked and Landon’s face was near tears.  Ms. Suzie exclaimed to the parents that Jacob’s mom needed to clean the puke up, she just can’t handle it.  What the heck was with the rudeness, I don’t know…..as if the poor child puking was worst sight she had seen and was blaming the vomiting incident on the the puzzled face parents, as to why she was melting down.  I offered to help Jacob’s embarrassed  mom clean up the vomit, but she reported she was a nurse as well, and wasn’t bothered by the tiny amount of puke on the floor.  As class ended, Landon announced to me he is not going back to tumbling, his teacher is mean and she was mean to kid that got sick!  I certainly didn’t witness the vomiting incident and Ms. Suzie’s initial response to poor Jacob. However, seeing her in the aftermath leads me to believe she did not respond with calm empathy.  Whether you can handle a little vomit or not, I certainly will listen to Landon’s request to not make him endure returning to his awful teacher when this time was to be enjoyed.  So we move on to other exciting activities!!!

How old are you again?.

Scenes from yesterday and today that force to me to say, “Please stay my little baby forever”

Casually hanging on the couch playing Bistro Chef on the droid.

I’m in the shower and I hear, “I’m going to get a strawberry, Mom.  I’ll be real careful.” (There’s my cue to see what he is up to.)  I hop out of the shower, hear the phone ringing, the refrigerator door open, strawberries out, and Landon walking over to answer the phone.  As he sees me, he hands me the phone, “here you go, Mom”, steps up to  the counter on his stool and proceeds slicing his berries.

Too top it off, his hilarious one-liners (“Gimme some sugar, sugar!”, “Sock it to me.”),  maturing vernacular (“Mom, I’m freakin’ out”) and now adding a “your mom” joke is over to top hilarious hearing it come out of your mouth with the voice of innocence!!

Seriously, kid, you need to stay little forever……all these little independent, self sufficient tasks remind me you are growing up waaaaaay to fast!

Not too close…

Scot put on a small firework display for us this evening.  As the drizzle of the rain subsided, we headed out to the patio. Landon was feeling slightly hesitant to view the colorful, firey light display, so he decided to stay inside to view the fireworks from the patio doors.  As we lit the first one, we turned to see Landon’s reaction……he went and got his binoculars to appreciate each detail of the fireworks that were a mere 6 feet ahead of him!!  Hilarious!!

 Cheers to a sparkling 4th of July!!

Landon the Science Kid

Arizona Science Center, hands on, eye opening fun…..My girlfriend Lindsey and I took our boys to enjoy the educational fun the center had to offer. Landon had a blast exploring the ins and outs of each exhibit and acknowledging his toddler science comprehension.   His ability to understand and conceptionalize the weather, heart surgery, and stomach exhibit was astounding.  Certainly, there were many aspects of the center that are intended for older children or that we were overall disappointing (the maze exhibit), but Landon has come into the age were his little brain is so intrigued and cooperative to grasp onto each detail……a entirely new level of learning!

Can you see the stars?

Keeping his on me (Landon’s eye through the telescope camera).

Discovering rock variations

Landon’s FAVORITE……volcanoes!!  He reassured me, “Don’t worry Mom, this volcano is just pretend.”

 

Carson and Landon wheelchair racing.

Sliding down the giant stomach that gave the boys belly laughs as it burps, gurgles, and farts!!

BFF’s.  In Landon’s words, “Carson’s my best friend, he’s my favorite.”  So sweet!!