Spring

Let's face it, I'm horrible at blogging...it's been a few months. We've been so busy with school, family, and life in general!

Here's a review:

Landon did this:

So I had to buy a new one after the plumber couldn't fix the problem :(

We've been to the zoo a few times, went on an Easter egg hunt, splashed in the irrigation at a friend's house, went swimming, enjoyed having my gorgeous niece Reganne come visit us from Oregon, gone to the farmer's market, and had quality family time.

 Easter

 Gardening and Home Improvement

 I got to go shooting and horseback riding with Aaron and his friends. It's been so long! I had a blast.

Reganne!

Visited Uncle Mike's twins - adorable babies. Landon begged to hold them and 

talked about them after we left. He even got Uncle Mike's baby boy to giggle and coo.

Landon's Home Schooling, Study, Cleaning, Dress-Up (Ninja Turtle), and cooking!

Now that school is almost finished for the summer, I can plan some more great activities to do with Landon. What do you like to do with younger children to keep them learning and occupied in the summer?

Happy May :)

Emily

LOVE

I'm a bit late but Landon and I had a fun Valentine's Day together. This is probably one of my favorite holidays (besides Thanksgiving, that day is my ULTIMATE holiday). Landon and I made cards for people we love:

We used his hands for other cards and they turned out super cute

At school, not one student brought me a valentine (not that I was expecting anything!) until my last class of the day. My second grade class fished out the valentines they liked the least and handed them to me on the way out the door. I got a Barbie valentine from a boy that had received it from a girl in his class, conversation hearts, pencils, and heart-shaped suckers. My students are awesome :)

Then Landon and I went to the park together on my bike for a little date.

He's been loving the swings lately

And he got his first kiss from my friend Bethany...

And I would say he's not very happy about it

He wanted to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day:

Love from Landon

Hope you're Valentine's was L-O-V-E-ly!

Emily

Soccer +

I noticed today that my blog has hit 7,777 page views as of today. Lucky number 7.

This little boy has been learning some new moves at his Itty Bitty Sports class at the YMCA. His first day was last Saturday and he was so natural at it that lots of the dads there were asking how old he is. I think he's pretty coordinated for a three year old and he followed the coach's directions very well.

And Landon attempting to kick the ball around the cone. He preferred to kick it over the cone.

The next day, Landon picked up RSV from who knows where and it has gotten worse and worse. When Aaron was a baby he had it too and had to be hospitalized for it. Landon's doctor told me if his fever spikes and he is complaining about his ears, he will probably need to be hospitalized.

We've been relying on natural cough syrup with bee propolis and lemon and also essential oils and he's been comfortable but still has a bad cough.

Before he got sick, this is what we have been up to...

Grandpa gave him this for his birthday

Adorable in his slouchy hat but people kept thinking he was a girl...

Coloring

Chores

Weapon storage on the baby gate

Landon should be wearing my gangster hat with a face like that

Have a beautiful day!

Emily

Superhero Birthday Party

The other day Landon woke up, showed me his muscles, and said, "Mommy, imma supa heewo". A superhero party it is, Landon.

I made the invitations with an app because I couldn't figure out how to use PhotoShop.

My mom and I worked on capes to hand out to the guests. This is what we came up with:

Except, it was with Batman and Superman symbols :)


We were going to have the party at the park but it was raining cats and dogs so we moved it to the church. When we got there, we found the Polynesian group practicing a dance. We grooved to the music the whole time and then they did a dance for Landon.

We were so glad that Trevor brought a bounce house for the party! If he hadn't, the kids would have be SO bored. He also did some balloon animals and hats and swords.

Got some air!

Boys dueling with their balloon swords

Balloon twisting pro 

We enjoyed having friends and family with us.

Joey

Michelle Coyle and her beautiful kids

Lupe and Kimberli

Mary Ann and Owen

Landon was concerned about Uncle Mike's new knee

Cute Cord with his awesome hat

Pretty Emily modeling a Batman cape

The whole crew

Flying Super Batman (bipolar)

Unky Junk

Jonas

We sang happy birthday to Landon and had cupcakes and pizza.

I didn't get pictures of everyone (not even my mom!)....but we all had a great time together!

One of my favorite moments was catching Landon dancing with the Samoans:

Superheroes unite!

Emily

Three Years Old

Happy Birthday to my little man. I can't imagine life without him. Today I've had mixed emotions about him growing up. I know there's nothing I can do about it! And I do want him to grow up into a worthy, happy, intelligent man. But I also want to keep him small and chubby. I know, it's so selfish. So I've decided to enjoy the time I have with him when he's little, now.

Landon is a comedian. He will retell funny stories and act out the facial expressions of people (or animals) who were involved in the amusing moment.

He's got a knack for turning the house upside down in a matter of minutes. Whirlwind of destruction. Hopefully that changes someday :)

He enjoys being tickled and tickling others.

Landon is a people person and he loves to make new friends. Usually when he meets new people, he puts his hand out to shake theirs and says, "Nice to meet you".

His favorite foods right now are mandarins, pasta, ramen, bread, bagels, french fries (I know, I know, not heart-healthy), popsicles, yogurt, bananas, and candy. Boo on the candy.

Fashion forward....he likes to look handsome and knows when he does. His rubber boots and newsboy hat are his favorite accessories.

One of my favorite things to watch Landon do is sing the theme songs to his favorite tv shows. He's got great pitch and loves music. And he loves dancing to music.

Top pictures from the year:

 I wrote this post about Landon on his birthday last year. He's grown so much!

We love you Landon,

Mommy

Trip to Texas

The beginning of January, we took a trip to Texas to see my grandparents and aunt and uncle. Landon was a peach in the car for most of the time, thanks to this:

Zoned.

We took Grandma June to get her hair done and it turned out gorgeous. She's such a lovely lady.

Pretty gals.

Uncle Don took Landon on a tractor! He was SO excited about that.

We celebrated Grandma's and Landon's birthday since their birthdays are the same day in January.

We're definitely related.

Family resemblance!

Aaron and I found this picture in grandma's house, and tried to replicate, but kinda failed!

Got to ride a four-wheeler, Aaron looked like Ichabod Crane on that thing. If you don't know who that is, check this out: Sleepy Hollow

We didn't get any pictures with Don and Kay and Grandpa Doyle or Grandma Margaret! :( We love them very much and had a wonderful time in Texas.

Thanks for reading,

Emily 

2013 Non-Resolutions and a Birthday

So I have mixed feelings about resolutions. I actually kind of hate them, because I make one and then I break it within months (sometimes weeks...ok even days). With that background, I'm going to talk about my goals for 2013.

1. Faith. I have a lot to learn from life and without faith I won't be able to handle the lessons. I'm hoping to learn to put my will in God's hands so that I can handle the challenges and trials that life comes with.

2. Love. My heart has always had a lot of love to give but this year I want to focus it on the people that really matter and who need it from me the most, like my little three-year old.

3. Health. I am aiming to exercise at least once a week (at least) in the gym. I chase Landon around and usually count that but I don't think it's enough to keep my heart healthy and I want to be around for a long time. So I will do it even though I don't like it :)

There are a few more goals I have but they're of a more personal nature.

Recently my friend has decided to start up her photography business and so Landon and I went to model for her. His 3rd birthday is coming up so it was perfect timing. She did a perfect job and captured Landon's quirks and facial expressions wonderfully. Check out her page here for more info.

Thanks for reading,

Emily