Birthday Boy

 

Our little man is turning two TOMORROW! How did this happen?? We love him and have been blessed by his quirky personality and sweetness.

He was about 33 weeks…adorable smushy face!

 

Minutes after his birth, he weighed 9lbs, 12oz! Landon and I both nearly died but I’m so glad we had a fast-acting doctor and nurses that saved us both.

 

One month old and ready to dance to the music.

 

Two months and happy about it.

 

At three months he was already humming and singing.

 

  Four months. Drooling + bald never looked so cute.

 

Ready for church at five months.

 

Growing into his hands at six months.

 

Seven months ride ‘em cowboy baby.

 

Happiest going outside at eight months.

 

At nine months playing in the leaves.

 

Ten months and already handsome as can be.

 

Christmas time, he’s eleven months old.

 

Landon’s birthday – one year old!

 

    Landon at 13 months at the dentist’s office; he enjoyed the visit and had great dental hygiene :)

 

 14 months and active as can be, pictured here with neighbor.

 

At 15 months, Landon could give the “angry face”, pictured here as well as the “silly face” and the “sad face”. He was angry there was no more Eggplant Parmesan for him to eat.

 

He’s still 15 months in this picture but I had to put up this picture of him enjoying basketball. He’s a natural.

 

Landon at 16 months with Grandpa Doyle and Great Grandma June and Grandma Carole. Landon and Great Grandma June share the same birthday, January 27th.

 

He changed so much from 16 months to 17 months!

 

18 months reading out of the Book of Mormon, or pretending to :)

 

Landon at 19 months on the rocking horse. My younger brother Aaron and I have a similar picture:

       

 

20 months old, but probably what he’s going to look like when he’s 40.

 

21 months old and as sweet as can be.

 

22 months old with his second cousin Kimball. Friends!

 

Still a jokester at snack time. 23 months old.

 

Almost 2 years old!

 

Landon, I love being your mom and you manage to make me burst out laughing every day. You are intelligent, independent, and you know what you want. I love that you will snuggle up to me on occasion. I love that you sometimes call a plane in the sky a bird. I love how you help me fold laundry by strewing it all over the house. I love the many signs you know in sign language that help me understand you. I love that you call jello “jeh-whoa”. I love your artistic nature in painting and drawing. I appreciate the tender hugs you give me after you bite me or pull my hair. Thank you for being such a wonderful son and teaching me all I ever wanted to know about parenting. You are so special.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!

Love,

Mom

Snow Days

 

There haven’t been many snow days in Provo this winter. I am 99% thrilled about this because I’m one of the Arizona girls that prefers the melt-the-skin-off-your-body type of heat.

The 1% of me that likes snow days is because I get to see my little man dressed up like this:

Have a wonderful snow day!

Emily

Giving

 

There is something magical in the air around Christmas time that urges me to create, sew, and craft. I made almost all of the gifts I gave this year, and this not only saved money but helped me feel good about the things I gave because I spent my precious time on them. To me, that makes a gift extra special.

Here they are, in no particular order:

Hooded towel for Landon. This was easy and much needed, since he has grown out of his other baby towels. The hood keeps the towel on him when he’s streaking around the house after a bath. I got the tutorial here.

 

Ok, I couldn’t help adding this picture to this post. He is such a gift. That is Nutella, one of Landon’s favorite treats.

 

I gave my dear friend this scarf for Christmas. It took me two days to finish it, probably about 3-4 hours per day. I love the scallops although it didn’t turn out quite like the picture. I got the free pattern at the lion house yarn website here.

 

This felt-flowered belt went to Ryan’s younger sister Janine for Christmas and I made his other sister Jessica one like it with pink, blue, and cream. The turned out cute and were fun to make. Here’s the tutorial for that: bloom belt.

 

I made Ryan and Landon matching bow ties for Christmas and also made three others for his brothers. They were a hit and they were super easy to do. I need to sew Landon’s down a bit so it doesn’t get skewed like in this picture when he’s trying to rip it off. This is the easiest tutorial for bow ties that I have found and I made Landon’s a inch short although in retrospect, I should have gone down two inches because it looks a bit clownish: bow ties.

 

Ryan and I made these together. Ryan sanded the edges after I spray painted the blocks black. Then we modpodged the saying that I designed onto the wood and hot glued the candle to the top. I love the that the words convey what Christmas is really about and encourages us to follow Christ’s light. We gave these to close family and friends.

 

I did make some Jello playdoh as well as some green Gak for Ryan’s siblings and Landon but I didn’t take any pictures of them.

Hope you can find some gift-giving ideas for your loved ones from my creations this month!

Emily

The Most Wonderful Time of Year

 

December…it really is one of the most wonderful times of the year. The presents don’t make it wonderful, although they are nice. The loads of super sweet and delicious treats don’t make it wonderful. What makes December most wonderful for me is thinking about our Savior Jesus Christ more intently. Learning more about His life and how He continues to guide me and support me. Thinking of His humble birth, as a Prince of Peace, born in a stable with cattle and sheep. These things brighten my year with peace and hope and encourage me to become a kinder, more loving person. That is why December is the most wonderful time of year.

People asked me all December long if Landon was excited for Christmas. “No,” I would reply, “He has no idea what Christmas is yet.” However, I think he knows more than I understand. Almost every time we pass a picture of Jesus, Landon exclaims in his toddler voice, “Jesus!”. And after we conclude a prayer in “the name of Jesus Christ”, Landon will say, “Amen!”. Many would call this learning from repetition, but Landon has called Jesus by name since he could speak.

So perhaps Landon does know more than I give him credit for about Christmas, at least why we truly celebrate it. Jesus Christ was born for us to die for us. Each one of us desperately needs Him since we don’t quite measure up to perfection, although we try. Without Him, we would be swamped in our sins and we would be unable to live in heaven with God after this life. I love Jesus Christ and know He is my brother and my savior. If you want to know more about the church I attend, you can contact me through a comment or you can go to the website for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My life has been changed for the better by being a member of this church.

We snapped a few pictures this December, of course!

At our ward Christmas party. Landon wouldn’t go near Santa’s lap!

 

Army ball with Ryan’s Army Reserve Unit in Park City.

 

We had an amazing time dancing together and the crowd voted us the best dancing couple! Ry looks so handsome in his uniform :)

 

Ryan’s youngest brother made this car for Landon and pushed him all over the house in it. This was probably Landon’s favorite gift! A license plate, rearview mirror, and driver’s license were even provided. Thank you Jonathan!

 

Check out the windshield – genius.

 

My first time skiing – a gift from Ryan and me to Ryan and me!

 

We went with one of Ryan’s friends, Walt Carmona and he was a very helpful teacher. My legs were jello after this!

 

At a friend’s wedding reception. Ry wouldn’t stop with the funny faces!

 

I made Ry’s bowtie. I just fall in love with Ryan more every day.       

 

I loved spending extra time with Ryan during his school break…I wish some things didn’t have to end!

Thanks for reading,

Emily

Busy Baby

 

I have found some intriguing ideas on Pinterest lately. If you don’t know what Pinterest is, let me sum it up for you: it is AMAZING! To be more specific, it is a conglomeration of the best ideas on the internet and you can pin those ideas to your virtual board to pull up when you need them. Lately, I have been scoping out good ideas to keep Landon occupied while I do dishes or general cleaning.

These are a few ideas I have found that Landon has really enjoyed:

Dollar store finger paints + a bathtub + a diapered baby = a happy baby for a whole hour!

 

Dollar store pipe cleaners + kitchen colander = baby/daddy bonding time. Just stick the pipe cleaners in the little holes of the colander and this will improve your baby’s eye/hand coordination and keep him busy until he decides to do this:

Toddlers are tons of fun!

Emily

Goodbyes

 

I am behind, again! The end of November, our good friend “Uncle” Michael ate one last dinner with us before he returned to his home in North Korea. Michael had been in Provo for about three months and Ryan had the opportunity to tutor him in English while he was here working for Hyundai.

We had fun experiences with Michael. Here are some pictures with him at our last dinner together in Provo:

Ryan and Michael, great friends.

 

  We gave him a Book of Mormon in Korean and he was so excited to read it!

 

Landon is already a pro with chopsticks.

 

  Happy after dinner.

 

We hope to meet Michael again and his wife someday in Korea. Thank you Michael, for sharing your kind nature and good deeds with us!

Emily