The Life & Times of an Ordinary Me

Quick! Someone Come Over! My House is Clean!!

2012-01-29T12:11:00.002-05:00

Right now, my entire home is clean and organized. You read that right. Well... minus a few places a guest wouldn't see..like the basement and my closet. I try to maintain the cleanliness of our house, but with 3 kids and tons going on, it's just not always easy to keep it neat and tidy. I hold on tight to the saying about making memories being more important than cleaning messes. That's the reasoning I give myself when I step on inexplicably pointy toys and sop up spilled chocolate milk with the discarded pajamas I found on the floor.

Really, it's our kids who are at fault. Clean spaces attract them like birds to a just washed car. They instinctively know how to make a mess of it in 60 seconds flat.

Brand new box of crayons? Box torn apart and half the crayons broken or with their wrappers ripped off. (That drives me nuts. I'm slightly OCD about the paper on crayons. They need to remain intact.)

Newly reorganized cabinet for the kids cups/plates/bowls and Landon wants the green cup all the way in the back.

200 matchbox cars put into storage boxes and placed lovingly on shelves. Owen decides he needs a car, but can't remember which one- dumps both boxes on the floor.

Eliana, bless her little heart, she's into everything now too and enjoys putting everything in her path, into her mouth. My new pastime is finding objects to pick up before she reaches them. It's her favorite game. That, and throwing food from her highchair.

Anyway, back to my clean house. The dining room table has been cleared of all the school work, receipts and random mail. Landon's desk drawer is neat and tidy. Beds made. No dishes in the sink and the dishwasher is clean. (Which means the kids will be getting their lunch on paper towels today.) Remote controls for the TV, DVD player and cable box are lined up according to size. I even have flowers in a vase sitting prettily in the middle of the now clean dining room table.

I am pleased with myself as I look around, hands on hips, giving a little nod, like Mary Poppins after she magics a room clean. Now I have to leave with the kids, so that the house remains this way.

How to Never Do Laundry Again and other useful DIYs

2012-01-26T10:50:00.002-05:00

I find that if you ponder aloud in front of a 4 year old, you will be have a wealth of interesting ideas advised to you from said 4 year old.

For instance, Advice on Laundry:
"Just throw it all out Mommy, and buy new clothes every week. That way you don't have to wash them."

How to Properly Clean Washable Marker Drawings off a Wall:
"I just lick my hand and use that, Mommy. Comes right off!"

Making a Variety of Light, Healthy Meals:
"Mommy, marshmallows are light. See? Very light. That means they're healthy. Just like lettuce...and lettuce."

DIY Bookcases:
"But if you put books in cases, how do you open them? I think you just leave them in a pile next to the bed. I like putting my cup on top of them. See? Like a table."

Being a Big Brother and Fighting:
"Mom, being the big brother and being a nice brother are different things. I can do both! But not always at the same time. Make Owen be good instead. He's too little to be big."

Understanding Your Baby's Needs:
"You have to talk like a baby, Mommy. Ellie doesn't speak English yet. Or port-chew-geese. Try saying: lala blahgah, smoogullygoo. It means....No, no, yucky spoon."

Why Hand Washing is Important:
"If you don't wash your hands, your food will taste like boogers."

How to Style One's Hair:
"No, I don't want to take a hair cut! I like my hair fluffy! We can put gel in it to make it look better."

Suitable Pillows for a Toddler:
"Owen's head is big, Mommy. He needs a big pillow."

Where to Store Tooth Brushes:
"Leave them in the sink. The water from people washing their hands will keep them clean. "

The Perfect Bedtime:
"When you are so tired you can't stand up anymore, it's time to go to bed. If you got to bed when you can still stand up, the bed is boring."

Listening to Teachers at School:
"If you don't listen, you might not hear something good. Like when the teacher says you can do something and you just there because you didn't hear it. Or when she says; 'Don't wipe your nose with your sleeve.' That's important too."

How to Cross a Street:
"You look both ways, and then yell at the cars that don't stop."

How to Settle a Fight between Friends:
"Give her some fruit snacks. She likes those and she'll forget about the game."

The Reasoning Behind Throwing Stuff:
"Arms do those things on their own. I didn't tell them to."

Things I've said Today

2012-01-10T16:44:00.002-05:00

"Please don't try to put that banana up your nose."

"Please stop pretending to be a slug, spitting on the floor to make 'slime' is not OK."

"Owen, honey, while I agree your feet are cute, I do not want them in my coffee."

"Stop making your brother be the stop sign."

"Ellie is a baby, she isn't ordering food from you because she doesn't know how."

"Please stop licking the mirror."

"Please stop licking your brother."

"Please don't lick me."

"Pretend you have no tongue and can't lick anything."

"Shoes don't taste good."

"Don't forget to flush." followed quickly by "NO NO DON'T FLUSH!"

"Yes, bath toys float, no they aren't allowed in the toilet."

"You liked peanut butter and jelly 3 days ago!"

"Please be gentle with the cat."

"See! Of course the cat ran away!"

"Fruit snacks don't count as lunch."

"Did you just tell me my muffins tasted like rocks?!"

"I love you too. But it's still not OK to put play dough down my shirt."

"No jumping on the bed please."

"No jumping on the chairs please."

"No jumping on couch please."

"Go jump on the bed."

"Very nice job wiping your hands, Owen!"

"Owen, your hands are clean now."

"Owen..Honey, please stop using the wipes."

"Where are the wipes?"

"What the....? Is this... chocolate?" :::takes a sniff:: "Oh thank God."

Why I haven't posted on my blog in so long

2012-01-05T19:48:00.002-05:00

Here's my day:
Wake up, get coffee going while making a bottle for Eliana, and breakfast for the boys.
Ellie goes in her high chair to have her bottle.
Mix creamer into my coffee, stir.
Pick up the bottle that had been chucked across the room.
Change Owen's diaper then ask him to eat his breakfast.
On the way to throw diaper out in the garbage, take first (and only) hot sip of coffee.
Find clothes for Owen and Ellie and grab socks for the outfit Landon picked out for himself. Come downstairs to find Owen has been feeding the cat his waffle.
Cat throws up waffle.
Clean up waffle.
Owen wants another waffle.
Change Ellie's diaper, and put clean clothes on her.
Let her crawl around the living room while the floor is still clear of matchbox cars and puzzle pieces.
Put cold coffee into microwave to heat up.
Landon has finished his breakfast, and is getting himself dressed.
Doesn't like the socks I picked out, goes to room and picks identical socks.
Realize I never hit start on the microwave.
Hit start.
Accidentally step on cat's tail.
Feed Eliana her babyfood with one hand,
Check facebook and email with other.
Stop because I can't find Owen.
Find Owen in the bathroom brushing his teeth, while sitting in the sink.
Change his clothes.
Eliana is now upset that I left her to get Owen.
Finish feeding her while saying "Owen stop kicking your brother" and "Landon brush your teeth and put your shoes on."
Change out of my pajamas.
Find Landon sitting at the bottom of the stairs puting his shoes on with his tooth brush is in his mouth.
Laugh.
Remember coffee.
Take a sip. It's cold again.
Back into the microwave. Make sure to put extra time so it'll stay warm longer.
Get Owen's socks and shoes on, and grab the jackets for the boys.
Grab my coffee out of the microwave and take a sip. Burn my tongue.
Silently curse.
Pour coffee into travel mug.
Bring mug and diaper bag to the car.
Turn the car on.
Back into the house to find Owen has taken off his shoes.
Landon puts his coat, gloves, and hat on. Stands by the door and remembers he has to go to the bathroom.
Owen has his shoes on again, and jacket on.
Put Owen in the car first, then Ellie.
Get Landon in the car.
Lock the front door, get in the car.
Drive Landon to school. Check facebook and email on my phone while waiting for our turn at drop-off.
Try drinking coffee-not too hot, gulp it down.
Back home in less than 12 minutes.
Take Owen and Ellie out of the car.
Owen and Ellie both need diaper changes.
Owen decides to break dance while I change his diaper.
Eliana crawls all the way under a chair and freaks out because she's stuck.
Step on cat's tail again.
Get Ellie out from under chair, calm her down.
Turn to find Owen is naked. 10 seconds, I swear.
Feed cat because he looks like he might kill me in my sleep if I accidentally step on his tail again. Time for Eliana's nap.
Get all the way to her crib before remembering I forgot her pacifier downstairs.
Back down the stairs.
Pacifier.
Back up the stairs.
Put Eliana in her crib.
Back down stairs.
Owen is putting together a puzzle that has 10 pieces. There are 4308954343 puzzle pieces on the floor.
Give Owen his snack and I grab some breakfast for myself.
Check the internet for news and stuff.
Play hide and go seek with Owen hiding everytime, in the same spot everytime.
Finally get him to let me hide. Hide in bathroom with light off. Owen can't find me.
For a brief second think about letting him search for a few minutes.
Jump out excitedly thinking it'll make him laugh.
He cries.
Calm him down.
Read the same 5 page book 14 times. Try to change words, Owen gets angry. Read book again. Clean up toys.
Eliana wakes up exactly one hour after falling asleep.
Bring her downstairs, change diaper, strap her into her car seat and hand her her bottle.
Get Owen's shoes and jacket on.
Get my jacket on.
Step outside to turn car on.
Forgot shoes.
Put shoes on.
Get kids in the car. Drive to Landon's school, pick him up, and back home again in 20 minutes. Get everyone out of the car.
Make lunch while the kids all watch Rio for the 800th time.
Get scolded for singing the movie soundtrack.
Pry kids away from couch to eat lunch.
Feed Ellie her babyfood.
Get hungry. Throw left over dinner in microwave.
Change Owen's diaper, find his pacifier and lovey, put him in his bed for his nap.
Come back downstairs to find Ellie has spit up and is playing with it.
Silently curse.
Clean up Ellie, the highchair and the wall (how did it get there?)
See Landon starting to fall asleep on the couch.
Act as silly and loud as possible to wake him up because if he naps, he'll be up until 11pm.
Ellie is in her jumperoo.
Happy Baby.
2 minutes and 27 seconds later.
Screaming baby.
Pick her up.
Happy Baby.
Landon falls asleep again.
Turn on the wii and challenge Landon to a game of his choice.
He chooses a one player game.
Watch him play while teaching Eliana the fine art of "Patty Cake" and Peek-a-boo.
Make her laugh so hard she spits up on me.
Go change my shirt.
Find Owen standing at his bedroom door..naked.
Grab his clothing, and discarded diaper, bring him downstairs where he decides to play "run away from Mommy, while screaming."
Runs directly into dining room table.
Cries.
Calm him down. Turn to find Landon playing very nicely with his sister.
Pause to remember the moment.
Then remember cameras were invented.
Find camera.
Moment gone.
Put camera on dining room table.
Get snacks for the boys.
Time for Eliana's nap.
Come back downstairs to find Owen sitting on the dining room table taking self-portraits with my camera.
Step on cat's tail while getting Owen off the table.
Time to bring out the playdough. Boys play nicely, sharing the playdough.
Pause to remember the moment.
Oh yea, camera.
Take picture just as Landon sneezes and Owen smushes playdough into carpet.
Spend next 5 minutes picking playdough out of carpet.
Give Owen a coloring book and new crayons.
Have Landon work with me on his letters and numbers and do a few pages of a workbook.
Give him stickers for a job well done.
Give Owen stickers because he didn't color on the wall.
Clean up the toys.
Ellie wakes up.
Bring her downstairs, give her a bottle.
Start making dinner.
Let kids play wii while I cook.
Break up several arguments over who's turn it is and the proper way to use the wii remote.
Get Ellie out of her high chair.
Can't find bottle.
Anywhere.
Put Ellie on the floor and get her a bunch of toys to occupy her.
She crawls away immediately to find a car to stick in her mouth.
Return to cooking dinner.
Pinterest and facebook. (so many ideas!)
Dinner is ready.
Have Landon set the table.
Portion out everyone's plates. Call kids to the table.
Husband isn't home yet.
Feed Eliana her dinner while kids eat.
Start the bath and get towels, pajamas and diapers all ready while kids clean up their toys.
Bring kids up for the bath.
Give all three a bath.
Bath over.
My arms and face are wet from the splashing.
Get Ellie out of the bath while helping Owen out.
Get Ellie dressed while Owen enjoys his naked run around his bedroom.
Get Owen dressed.
Landon changes his mind about the pajamas and changes them.
Bring the kids downstairs to play for a few more minutes and spend time with Pete who has just arrived home after working a very long day.
Heat up his dinner.
Heat up my dinner.
Owen and Landon brush teeth.
Take Owen up to bed.
Give Eliana her last bottle.
Eat dinner.
Put Eliana to bed.
Put on pajamas.
Look at kitchen and decide to leave dishes for tomorrow morning.
Exhausted.
Read facebook, email and news stories. News makes me angry. Find a funny website.
Laugh.
Try repeatedly to get Landon to go to bed.
Check the internet again for breaking news and answer my notifications on facebook.
Landon stays up until 11pm because he "can't sleep."
Take shower.
Finally fall asleep at 11:45pm.
Owen wakes up at 11:52 for a hug.
Go back to sleep.
Wake up at 3:05 am to go to the bathroom.
Get scared by cat jumping out of the shower.
Can't fall back asleep until 4:45am.
Wake up and do it again.

My Ellie Belly.

2011-12-16T14:26:00.002-05:00

It's been awhile, and I definitely need to make a major update but here are 2 adorable pictures of my Eliana.

my boys

2011-02-23T16:45:00.002-05:00

another picture

2010-12-31T18:31:00.001-05:00

Photos for Christmas

2010-12-22T15:50:00.001-05:00

holiday cards

2010-11-10T10:04:00.001-05:00

Here is a sneak peek of our holiday photo shoot yesterday. loved every single picture it was so hard to choose!

I'm so overdue with this blog

2010-10-30T08:53:00.003-04:00

I have to apologize to my 3 readers for never updating this blog. I will get back to doing it soon, I promise! anyway here are some new pictures of my boys.

Halloween

2010-10-29T09:18:00.001-04:00

a bunch of new pictures

2010-06-21T09:53:00.003-04:00

ok not all of them are new, but well.. I haven't updated in a long time so they're "new" on here :)

a lovely necklace

2010-04-20T10:17:00.001-04:00

Etsy: Bella Mia Bows and Things!

New pics!

2010-03-26T08:58:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to my Wonderful Husband

2010-02-16T11:23:00.001-05:00

I know.. I know.. I'm terribly behind..

2010-02-12T23:30:00.001-05:00

Here's some more pictures!

my boys

2010-01-12T20:50:00.001-05:00

more pictures

2010-01-09T10:53:00.001-05:00

MORE pictures of my boys

2009-12-29T16:30:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-26T09:16:00.003-05:00

I'm such a slacker

2009-12-07T22:30:00.006-05:00

Please forgive my lack of updates. I've been very busy with the two kids. I feel great and it's easy to juggle the wants/needs of both Landon and Owen, but by the time I sit down to check my email, I'm just too tired to remember to update my blog. So I have a bunch of pictures to put up. This week Owen has begun to smile. It is such a wnderful thing to see, He has this one dimple and his whole face just lights up when he smiles. At his 1st month appt two weeks ago he was 9lbs 11oz and 21.5 inches long. Landon is absolutely the best big brother. He wants to help, and knows his boundaries. He'll give Owen a pacifier when he cries, or kisses on the forehead or hands. He'll shake rattles for Owen and talks to him. It makes me so happy to see Landon as a big brother. Coming up in January will be Owen's baptism which we've decided to make strictly a family affair. I promise to be better about putting up pictures and updating my blog!

Santa was a big hit with Landon. We went to picture people for Christmas pictures and since the place was empty the store Santa spent a good half hour playing with and watching Landon while I ordered pictures. It was really cute.

Owen James

2009-10-28T15:45:00.003-04:00

New pics

2009-10-26T20:28:00.001-04:00

Our new little addition

2009-10-25T20:05:00.002-04:00

Owen James was born friday, October 23, 2009 at 3:04am weighing 7lbs 3oz and 20 inches long.

He's beautiful and healthy and very, very loved. Landon is a wonderful big brother and loves helping.

Our family of 4 feels blessed.

Maternity Pictures

2009-10-06T15:35:00.001-04:00

Landon the Dragon

2009-09-29T11:21:00.001-04:00

More pictures

2009-07-21T12:17:00.001-04:00

Pictures

2009-07-19T22:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday Landon!

2009-07-16T18:16:00.003-04:00

Today, my wonderful, smart, sweet, funny boy is two years old. These past two years have gone by so fast. I know everyone says that, but it's really true. In 3 more months Landon is going to be a big brother. I'll write more later but we're very busy here at the moment tryin to get things together for Landon's birthday party.

Happy Birthday Landon. Mommy and Daddy love you with all our hearts.

Which would you chose?

2009-06-29T12:45:00.002-04:00

These are ideas for Landon's birthday cake. It will be printed directly onto the cake using edible ink. I'm not doing this myself, it's being done by Wegmans. So which do you like best?

The one without writing would have Happy Birthday Landon written by the cake decorator.

New picture of Landon

2009-06-20T08:42:00.002-04:00

It was taken yesterday. I'll be adding some more pictures from this photo session a little later today.

5 months pregnant

2009-06-10T08:31:00.001-04:00

16 weeks pregnant and Happy Anniversary

2009-05-21T17:56:00.002-04:00

Pete and I have been married for three years today and I am so thankful to have such a wonderful, loving husband, who occasionally leaves his dirty socks on the floor. Love you.

Here is picture taken last night of Landon and me.

The Mis-Pronounciation of the name Sylvester

2009-05-01T11:20:00.001-04:00

Landon's pronounciation of the name Sylvester comes out Bastard. tehee, too funny.

Back from Brazil!

2009-04-28T16:03:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful time. Seeing my family always makes me happy but getting to show them all how much Landon as grown in the last year was great. Oh, and we got to announce my pregnancy to them all while there, THAT, was really great. We enjoyed beautiful weather, tons of good food and many trips to the beach. Landon can now count to 10 in Portuguese, and says a few words like, Bom Dia - good morning, Boa Noite - good night, Oi - hi, Tchau - goodbye, Suco - Juice, Tia/Tio - aunt/uncle, and I think I'm missing one... His sentences picked up a lot while we were there too. He now has 5 and 6 words phrases. My Grandfather loves playing with Landon, (though he got tired quickly) and Landon loved him. Landon pretty much loved everyone. He played with my cousin Lia a lot, made all of my aunts and uncles sit on the floor and play cars with him. He waved and made friends all over Ipanema, the Beach and the air planes. Lucky us, on te way to Brazil there was an open seat next to us, so Landon and I were able to lay down. On the way home there were 2 seats open next to us, so we all got to stretch out a bit. Landon slept great on both flights.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T08:26:00.002-04:00

I hope you all have a wonderful day! We're leaving for Brazil tomorrow night so we'll see everyone in two weeks!!

I have News!!

2009-03-27T08:31:00.002-04:00

Want to know the best thing about this picture?

There's 4 people in it!!

Yup! That's right, Landon's going to be a big brother!

I'm due Nov. 3 2009

Landon counting

2009-03-20T18:58:00.000-04:00

The Picture People Addict Returns

2009-03-09T18:18:00.003-04:00

This weekend Pete's sister Rosanna and her husband Adam came to visit us. Landon calls them "RoRo" and "Uncle" We had a great time with them. We pretty much just hung out. We took them to get pictures taken. Some came out better then others, here's a sneak peak at them. Landon wasn't really in the mood for pictures and did something he rarely does during picture sessions. He cried. But the photographer was good and got some decent shots. Here you go.

Sooo.. Do You Think Landon Likes His New Ball?

2009-03-04T19:25:00.003-05:00

Can someone please explain to him that it's hard to sleep on a ball.

Blizzard '09

2009-03-02T19:11:00.002-05:00

Today we woke up to about 6 inches of snow. Landon of course wanted to go outside barefoot and without pants, but I was able to coax him into his snowsuit, hat, boots and gloves before letting him run wild in the white powder. He had a great time. I also took a picture tonigth after a very long and warm bath, that I think you'll like too.

It's March..and snowing

2009-03-01T09:07:00.003-05:00

Welcome to March everyone! I woke up to snow this morning. Normally we drive up to Scotch Plains every Sunday for church, but with the snow and bad roads we opted to stay home today. Landon and I will be hanging out watching movies and relaxing. And hoping for spring. I'm done with this cold weather stuff. Landon is such a sweet kid. He amazes me everyday.

He loves to give hugs and cuddle with us and will give us kisses if we ask.
He loves to pretend sneeze.
He loves to dance around and play hide and seek.
He loves oranges and asks for them by name.
He can watch Winnie the Pooh's Heffalump movie all day, everyday if I let him.
His favorite animal is a monkey, followed closely by cats, dogs and pigs.
He sounds so cute saying pig. He says "peee-g" and when asked what sound pigs make he say "coink coink." Too cute.
He loves rice, yogurt, jello and french fries (though not all at the same time.)
If we go to a restaurant he'll ask for "f-ies" and "app-oh je-u-ce"
He's a coloring pro, though he likes to taste the crayons while he colors.
He doesn't like his hands or face to be very dirty and will say "Mommy mess" when he wants to be cleaned up.
He tells me when he wants to go "Night night" and will say "Goodbye Mommy" when I kiss him goodnight.
He still wants to sleep with us instead of his own bed, but we're working on that.
He's my little man and I love him so much.

Counting to 10

2009-02-24T12:38:00.005-05:00

Well, Landon can now officially count to 10. I'm still trying to capture it on film, but it's pretty cool. He leaves out the numbers 5 and 7 but everything else is in order. He will line things up and point to one at a time counting out loud. He is so proud of himself when he makes it all the way to 10. Landon loves to talk. He has new words everyday and lately he's been using his words to describe everything. He'll tell us when he wants to sleep, when and what he wants to eat and drink and uses "yum, yuck and eww" to describe food. He's been using his play kitchen a lot more and imitating things I do. Today he pulled up a stool and stood on it to be able to reach a shelf.

Landon and Sylvester have become great friends. Landon feeds "Meow" waffles and Sylvester allows Landon to hug him. They are often found hanging out together.

Landon's new words this week include: rain, grapes, cook, couch and his sentences include "Mommy, Daddy is here, " "Pants on please" "I get Ami" "I broke it" and more but those are the ones I remember right now.

New Blog Layout!

2009-02-19T11:58:00.004-05:00

you like?

New Pictures and Pete's birthday

2009-02-16T19:46:00.004-05:00

Well my husband turned 31 today. Landon and I went to Picture People with my Dad and brother to get some pictures taken for Pete as a gift. These are my favorites. Also the one of me and Landon was a spontaneous thing. I was trying to get Landn to lay down on his stomach in front of the Happy Birthday sign and he immitated me and then started inching forward until he put his nose up to mine and gave me a kiss. the photographer snapped a picture and it ended up SO cute.

Last night my Dad, brother, Pete, Landon and I went to Bonefish Grille for dinner. It was great ad Landon loved the fries. There was a waitress there that kept coming over to tell us how cute Landon was. She even offered babysitting services. He was so well-behaved and sat in a booster seat in the booth with us.

This morning Landon and I made breakfast in bed for Pete. Landon helped me make chocolate croissants and I took a few pictures. When we went to take the food up to Pete, Landon said "Daddy, here food! Eggs!" and then while Pete was eating Landon would say "Good boy Daddy!" after Pete would take a bite. Too funny. He also hand fed Pete some of the scrambled eggs. All in all it was a great family day.

Choo Choo

2009-02-13T19:35:00.000-05:00

How Landon stays in shape

2009-02-10T19:02:00.001-05:00

Think, think, think!

2009-02-03T17:43:00.003-05:00

"Think, think, think" is what Landon says while tapping his forehead with his fingers. It's too cute and his newest thing.

He also said "Oh, no the ball Mommy" yesterday. Full sentence! Landon also makes sure all of his stuffed animals are in bed with him now and knows when one is missing. He has to have Pablo, Elmo, Ducky, and two doggies, plus his "milk" (which is really just water in a sippy cup) I think he uses all of those as excuses to stay up an extra few minutes. But his "Think, think, think" is just too cute. He even furrows his brow and looks likes he trying very hard to think of something.

First 3 word sentence!!

2009-01-30T09:29:00.001-05:00

"Mommy, stuck book"

Ok so it's not a complete sentence but you get the idea. A book was stuck in the bottom of one of his toy bins and he brought the bin to me and said "Mommy, stuck book" so that I would get it out for him. I even got a thank you afterward. My smart boy.

18 month stats

2009-01-19T13:57:00.002-05:00

My little man is 23 1/2lbs and 32 inches tall. The doctor said he is perfect and above average with vocabulary! Landon got 3 shots and did super well, only crying for a second and even said bye bye to the nurse. Landon learned how to say Doctor (he says Dot-er) today as well, though he would only say it when the doctor was NOT in the room. (figures)

Landon is 18 months old today!

2009-01-16T09:04:00.002-05:00

I can't believe how fast that went! I'll take a picture of Landon later today and post it, but for now I'll just update you on the goings on of one very wonderful 18 month old. Landon has many words now. I wouldn't even be able to list them all. It's well over 50. His sentences are still 2 words phrases or three word groups. for example: "oh no momma" "help momma, stuck!" "juice peas (please)" "night, night Elmo" He also uses his words to communicate his wants and needs. If he wants to watch a movie, Landon will say "moomee (movie)" and then I'll ask him which one and he'll tell me which one using phrases from each movie. Like "Twinkle, twinkle (for Baby Einstein)" "Yeti, Pablo (for a specific Backyardigans episode)" and "Choo, choo (for a train movie.)" He'll ask for a drink or food, and tell specifically what he wants: apple juice, blues (blueberries), banas (bananas), egg, bread, cookie, and so on.

He's been giving us trouble at night time, not wanting to sleep in his bed, so I have to lay down (picture me on a toddler bed) with him until he falls asleep. Nap time he's great, no problems what-so-ever, so we're working on trying to figure out what the night time difference is.

He also loves to color on walls, press buttons on the DVD player, shut my laptop when I'm using it, and dump all of his toys on the ground just for fun. (I'm writing this down because years from now when he has kids of his own and he complains they made a mess I can prove he did the same thing.)

Landon is a little comedian. He'll do stuff on purpose to make us laugh, like putting a box on his head and walking around saying "wow!" Or he'll try to tickle us, or just be silly. He laughs when we laugh. He also does funny things with out knowing. Like when a friend gave him a toy, he told her "thank you, bye bye" and turned around and left. He tries to tickle our cat much to their dismay.

He loves Elmo and the Backyardigans and is a huge fan of music of all kinds. He loves to cuddle and give big hugs. When he hears something that is off in the distance, he'll put his hand up to his ear, and say in a whisper "What's that?" It's very cute. When Landon wants us to pay attention to something he'll actually turn our heads to face the direction of what it is.
He can name people in photos, his favorite to name are Uncle Adam, Uncle Frank "Uncle" and my grandfather "Vovo" He also loves to talk about his Pop Pop, PamPa (grampa), Vawvaw, (spelled Vovo, but with an accent over the o's) Aunt RoRo, and his friends Brooke, Alex (he says Al-EC) and Amelie (he calls her Ami.) He has a few more friends that he'll repeat if I say it first like Jordan (he says Jo-dan) and Hayden (he says Hey-DAN).

Landon can count to 10, He will say 1,2,3,6,8,10 while leaving out the rest.
There is so much more that I wish I could write but it would fill up 3 pages and well who would want to read that?! So I'll wrap up with the fact that Landon is a wonderful kid who loves to try my patience and ignore my rules, but he makes me laugh, loves his bath, wants to help me cook dinner and play with his friends. He's perfect. Happy 18 months Landon!

New pics from the photoshop queen (self-proclaimed)

2009-01-09T20:23:00.006-05:00

We went to picture people today and got some photos done for Valentine's Day. Here are the ones I brought home.

Then I took the photo card, and cropped and photoshopped it and here's how it came out. What do you think? Not bad considering the original size of the card is 4x8 with the photo in it obviously smaller than that.

Why children should never be unattended while coloring.

2009-01-07T18:50:00.004-05:00

This is what I get for going to the bathroom.

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T17:50:00.002-05:00

Wishing everyone a wonderful new year filled with much happiness and blessings!

Christmas was a blast!

2008-12-29T10:35:00.004-05:00

Landon had a great time and really enjoyed opening his presents this year. He received a ton of great gifts, including a learning kitchen, elmo live (from me and Pete), drum set, vtech laptop, little people airplane, little people zoo, elmo guitar, a wooden tool box set, a train set, cars, stuffed animals, a really awesome backpack with wheels, little tykes tug boat, clothing and more. He's in love with his new toys, which is great because I put away a bunch of his older toys that were just taking up space. I said goodbye to my living room as I began to assemble and open all the packages of toys. Pete and are going to start turning the basement into a playroom, it might take awhile, but once it's done Landon will have a huge room to put all of his toys. I received some wonderful presents, gift cards, books including a giant cookbook, pajamas, kitchen towels, cranium (a game) and some other stuff that is escaping me now. Pete received some great presents too, clothing, guitar strap, ties, a travel mug with Landon's picture on it and other wonderful gifts. We also received a gift card for the cheesecake factory that I can't wait to use! Christmas was great. Here some pictures from my camera. I'm waiting for more pictures from my dad and Pete's mom.

First Hair Cut!!

2008-12-20T19:05:00.003-05:00

My little boy was so brave. He sat still, eat his lolipop and didn't make a peep when the lady was cutting his hair. The only time he looked a little nervous was when she cut around his ears. He looks so grown up now. I will miss his little curls. But he definitely needed a hair cut.

Before:

After:

Landon showing off (3rd post of today!)

2008-12-18T09:19:00.000-05:00

Landon Amusing himself with a cup and a spoon.

2008-12-18T07:17:00.000-05:00

Christmas is coming!

2008-12-18T06:49:00.006-05:00

This is my favorite time of year. I absolutely love to give presents. I love seeing when a really great gift makes the person light up with happiness. Or when my dad says "Oh wow!" Which he only does when he really loves something. Our Christmas tree has tons of presents stuffed under it. Christmas Eve we'll be at my parents house and then we'll drive early Christmas morning to visit Pete's family in upstate NY. My only regret this time of year is not being rich. If I was rich everyone would be getting bigger and better presents, but alas.. I have yet to win the lottery. Landon has some major new words and some of his old words are now pronounced perfectly. "Milk" for example is now said perfectly with effort made to include the "k." it's very cute. Other words include: help, cookie, cake, more, egg, please, dedos (fingers in portuguese), down, play, Alex (pronounced al-EC), NO, yes, stuck, twinkle, reach, paper, pull, sock, box, bag, hat, wet, cold, wait, shoes, MINE and others I can't think of at 6 in the morning. One cute story from this week was Landon trying to climb up onto the coffee table and got stuck. So he says "help! help!" I go and get him down and he says "No! Up!" Because he wanted me to help him ONTO the coffee table not off of it! Silly boy.

Landon has been saying short sentences too. Like: "More milk." "Hi Dada" "Goodbye Ami" (his friend Amelie) "Food please" "Night night Mama" "Go meow go!" (he calls our cats Meow, eow- for Rio and Cat all dependng on his mood) It's super cute.

Here are some new pictures of Landon. Enjoy!

Landon, Landon, Landon and Dan.

2008-12-08T14:01:00.008-05:00

Here are some new pictures. Landon has been keeping us very busy. Drumming, playing the Piano, and just being an amazing kid. Love him. So much. Also I've added a photo of my brother which I love. He's handsome and single ladies!! (He's 23!)

Some new pictures and a hmmm moment.

2008-12-04T20:13:00.003-05:00

Here are two cute pictures of Landon. The hmm.. moment is the picture of Landon watching tv. I went to the bathroom and came back to find that Landon had climbed onto the coffee table and was watching tv as closely as he could without being inside the tv. hmm.... not good for his eyes my Dad would say. So I snapped the pic and pulled him off the table. hmmm i wonder what will happen if I leave the room again.. I bet I'd find tell-tale finger prints on the screen! Check out the curls on my kid!

Snowsuits are cute

2008-12-02T11:43:00.002-05:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend Pete and I took Landon up to see the in-laws. Landon had a great time playing in the 1/2 inch of snow. I bundled him up in the whole snowsuit, including snow boots and gloves, snow pants and a heavy jancket.. all for that 1/2 inch of snow. Landon fell a lot. I think snow suits may take a little more coordination....

Way back wednesday!

2008-11-26T06:50:00.002-05:00

These were taken last year on 11/24 we took Landon to see Santa that day. We sat him in the car toy at a toy store in the mall, he loved it. Landon was 4 months old at the time! Boy how much he's grown!

4 MOLARS!

2008-11-21T17:56:00.002-05:00

ah HA! that's why he's been having trouble sleeping and not wanting to eat. Landon has 4 molars that just popped through! holy teeth!!

Hi, My name is Erica and I'm a picture people addict.

2008-11-20T07:36:00.003-05:00

Yup. MORE pictures from picture people. If you give them a toy for toys for tots, they'll give you 2 free 8x10 photos!! So what did I do? I brought in a toy and got more pictures taken of Landon. We also went to see Santa. Landon did OK, but refused to smile. Still cute. Here are some pictures from yesterday.

Official Big Boy Notice

2008-11-17T17:45:00.004-05:00

Landon has decided that cribs are for babies, and he, apparently, is no longer a baby. He climbed out of his crib twice on Saturday. I found him straddling the crib like a horse, screaming because he was scared he was going to fall. I caught him right before he did. So for his nap, I got him so tired he feel asleep on the couch, then I brought him upstairs and he slept the remainder of his nap in his toddler bed. Then Saturday night we got him super tired and Pete was able to tuck him into his toddler bed and he slept all night! Sunday he took his nap and slept all night on his toddler bed. The only thing was we had to ease him into it by getting him super tired before putting him into bed, otherwise he'd get right off the bed and run into our room. But today I was able to put him down for his nap, kind of sleepy but still awake, sing his sleepy song, and tell him it was time to go "night night" and he put himself to sleep. He did get out of his bed once to grab an extra pillow, but he got right back into bed and slept great. We'll see if he easily goes down tonight too. Fingers crossed!! Today we purchased a video monitor so that we can keep an eye on him while he's alone in his room. (Landon had a fun time laughing at mommy who was "in" the TV) All in all it was a great transition and now my baby has officially announced his big boy-ness.

::sniff sniff:: Is it OK to cry?

When good Ideas go wrong

2008-11-15T09:19:00.002-05:00

So the idea of a stuffed animal, that's also a pillow and a blanket is great!! But... a turkey, this close to thanksgiving? With a red blanket flowing like blood out the butt?? Hmmmmm...

Veterans Day

2008-11-11T07:01:00.003-05:00

This is my brother Dan. In this picture he's teaching Landon how to play the drums. My brother was born on July 23, 1985. He's younger than me by 2 years and 3 months. We had a wonderful childhood, doing things most children never get to do. We have dual citizenships and started traveling very young. We both have passports in which we were not sitting up yet and had to be held up by Mom. We speak two languages, and have family living in two of the most beautiful countries of the world. We both have wonderful memories of going fishing with our parents, (Dan even got a hook stuck in Dad's head) our special school clothes shopping trips with Mom, and Christmas morning wearing matching footed pajamas. My brother used to be dragged out of bed at 4:30am on school days just so I could go to figure skating lessons at 5am. We fought a lot. We played a lot. We have a very strong sibling bond. When I put Landon to sleep each night we sing a song/prayer that names our friends and family and asks the Lord to Bless them. Dan's name is in that prayer. Obviously, right? Well... yea... but for a long time that song was sung with a very very strong prayer said for Dan. You see for those who don't know, my brother Dan is a marine. He signed up for the service once he turned 17. During his senior year of high school he went to training exercises. At 18 he went off to boot camp. He was stationed in Hawaii. He served in Iraq. He came home. My 23 year old brother is a veteran. Our whole family is so very proud of him. I am so very proud of him. Landon will grow up knowing that his Uncle Dan served and fought for our country. Landon will be so very proud of him too.

We are very blessed. Dan came home, safe and sound. Many others have not. Many more have intense injuries. Please say a prayer for all of our troops. Please continue to support them and THANK THEM EVERY CHANCE YOU GET. On the street, in the supermarket, at the bank, anywhere. If you see a member of the military, thank them for their service to our country. It's the least we can do for all they have done.

Christmas in November

2008-11-09T10:06:00.003-05:00

So if you are a friend or family member who was on my list last year (plus a few additions) you can pick up your gift. Just kidding... they're not wrapped yet!! But ALL of the gifts are bought. I was so good this year. I hit all the mall early and dragged Landon to store after store 1 day last week and yesterday, and now we are done!! Wahoo!!! Speaking of done. Landon's Christmas pictures are done too. She took a few cute pictures, but the rest were so, so. I'm posting the so-so ones and leaving the couple that I love out, so that the few of you who read this blog and get Christmas Cards from us will be surprised. Oh.. and I already put in the order for the cards. They'll be here sometime this week. Yay! Here's your preview!!

I'm so proud!

2008-11-05T06:38:00.004-05:00

Landon helped me vote yesterday. He pushed the button for Obama and helped make history. I am so excited for the future. I am so happy that we can share this with Landon. Obama has changed the future, and he's only just begun. I truly believe that in Landon's lifetime he'll see a nation where men and women are equally judged not by religion, race, sexual orientation, or income, but by their character, work ethic and courage. Where salaries are awarded equally to men and women in the same job. Where gay couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples. Where people will no longer see color in the faces of their peers but on their hands as they work side by side to rebuild communities and paint a brighter, more united country. I am so proud to be a first generation American.

The right man won.

Your Vote Counts

2008-11-04T06:27:00.001-05:00

Obama or McCain.. heck even Nader. Just get off your lazy butt and go

VOTE !

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:17:00.005-04:00

Today was a great day. Landon had a fabulous time. We first visted Pete at work to show Landon off in his costume. He was a big hit!!

Then we went trick or treating at the freehold mall and had a wonderful time with our friends.

Then we came home, took some pictures with Landon's girlfriend and her mom. The girlfriend was a butterfly.

Then Landon kept watch for trick or treaters and handed out candy with me (while having some himself.) He had a great time saying byebye to the kids who came by our house and looking out the front door. It was wonderful.

Hope you all had a great day too!!

Obama vs McCain. funny!!

2008-10-30T08:01:00.002-04:00

my kid can jump!

2008-10-23T20:21:00.003-04:00

I have to write it down somewhere and since the closest writing instrument was my laptop here it is. Landon bent his knees and fully jumped off the ground and landed back on his feet. Today is the first time he did it successfully! He's very very proud!! He's also saying "eee-ow, eee-ow" for a cat sound. soo cute

15 month check-up

2008-10-22T06:55:00.003-04:00

The Dr. said Landon is perfect. He's long and lean at 22.5 lbs and 31 3/4 inches tall. Landon received two shots. The flu vaccine and the chicken pox vaccine. He cried for half a second for each of them and that was it. Landon was also slated to receive the MMR vaccine, but we chose to hold off on it until Landon's 2 year appointment. There a number of reason we did this. Pete and I agree that giving Landon 3 shots for 6 diseases is just too much for a small child on one day. We also decided that since we have 2 members of our family that are somewhere on the autistic spectrum, it is a better idea for us to wait until after the elusive 18 month point where most children's disorders become more pronounced. Pete and I don't necessarily believe that the MMR has anything to do with autism, but we don't want there to be any question of what caused it if Landon does end up with some form of autism or learning disorder. At this point we (including the Dr.) agree tat Landon shows no signs of any type of learning disorder. In fact the Dr. told us that Landon's verbal abilities are above the norm for his age. His gross/fine motor skills are "perfect" according to the doctor. Anyway it was a good visit and we go back in January for his 18 month appt. Here's a picture taken of Landon a few weeks ago that I never uploaded.

Halloween picture people!

2008-10-19T21:24:00.002-04:00

Meet the "Joe" we all really care about

2008-10-17T08:17:00.005-04:00

With all McCain's talk about Joe the Plumber, I'd like to introduce you to the "Joe" that best represents the Moms of the USA.

Meet Joe:

Poor Joe. He lives in a very tiny house.

He can barely afford furniture. Look at his tiny couch.

He can't afford his mortgage because he doesn't have a job right now. What will Obama or McCain do to help him? Obama says Joe might be able to take $10,000 out of his retirement fund without penalty to help him pay his bills. Like groceries.

Joe needs to be able to take Blue to the Doctor for check ups, but he's doesn't have health insurance.

Under Obama's plan Joe would get health insurance through the government and it would cover all of his family. McCain wants to give Americans a $5,000 refundable tax credit. I don't think that will be enough to cover all of Joe's dependents.

Not to mention the rights Joe and Steve should have as a same-sex partnership. I mean Joe shouldn't be the only one responsible. And I'm sure Steve wants to help. But the government won't let them have equal rights to their brood. Obama and Biden want them to have that right. I'm not sure about McCain but Palin sure doesn't want them to.

Then Joe needs to think about schooling for Blue. College isn't going to be cheap. Ask Steve. He's been away at college for 5 years. Blue is just starting out, she's been in kindergarten for 10 years now. Talk about a failing school system. McCain wants to have an across the board spending freeze. How are the school systems who depend on the supplemental funding going to be able to run their special need programs and after school initiatives?

Don't you think Blue and Magenta should have the right to choose what to do with their puppies if they want to have them when they get older? Maybe Magenta isn't ready or able to take care of puppies. Maybe the puppies are the result of something sinister happening in the back allies behind the general store. McCain doesn't want her to have the choice.

And don't get me started on Blue's foreign Policy experience. She scadoos all over the world!! Can Palin say that? Heck Blue can see china from a picture frame in the living room! Joe wants to be able to provide Blue and the rest of the family with everything they need to be happy and healthy. Joe wants to know his stocks and bonds are safe.

Poor Joe. I hope he remembers to vote November 4th.

ok people. this is a joke! please remember that!! of course I know Steve and Joe aren't gay. And yes Joe is not a real person and that the actor probably makes more money.

I'm an Obama Mama

2008-10-15T19:46:00.004-04:00

And check out my Obama Baby!

His shirt says "I'm a little Hope-opotamus. Obama 2008"

Don't forget to watch the debate tonight!

Light a Candle Tonight

2008-10-15T11:13:00.003-04:00

A wave of light around the world may only go a small way to brightening the darkness and silence of babyloss...both as an individual experience and as a taboo subject. But it is a beginning. May the light illuminate and honour, and if it is bright enough, foster discussion, research and prevention, empathy, and support for those who grieve.

Join us. And spread the word. We may be medusas, turning polite conversation to stone, but only while our stories and our losses remain in darkness.

Pumpkin Picking!

2008-10-14T06:56:00.011-04:00

We went pumpkin picking over the weekend at a farm in upstate NY. They had a "petting zoo" too. I use quotes because well.. the "petting zoo" was really... well.... 2 cows and a goat. Not much of a "zoo" but Landon saw the cow from a distance and ran over to it yelling "BOO! BOO!" (His way of saying moo) he then waved and said "Hi cow!" and loved every second of watching that cow eat and poop. We went through the fields trying to find the most perfect pumpkin. Uncle Adam was the one who found it. Landon had a great time visiting the family while we were up there. He also loved playing in the leaves and trying to rake them up. After Landon fell asleep we all got together and played Imaginiff and several members of the family (whom shall remain nameless... ) got drunk. All in all it was a great weekend. Here are some pictures... enjoy!

Holy Crow! It's Steve from Blue's Clues!!

2008-10-09T14:08:00.000-04:00

New pictures!!

2008-10-07T23:02:00.002-04:00

My little boy is getting so big. Here are two pictures from today. I'm loving my camera.

nothing new

2008-10-06T11:25:00.002-04:00

So I really ave nothing new to post about today. Landon is singing now... he can sing "Gotta Go, Gotta Go" which is from a potty song that they sing on Blue's Clues, "Backpack, Backpack" from Dora the Explorer and "Wow, Wow, Wubsy" which is from another Noggin show... It's very cute to hear, especially when he mixes all three together into one song.. it goes something like this..

"Got go, got go, wow wow, got go batpack batpack wow!"

It's a really lovely tune. I'll have to try to catch it on video.

Landon's visitor

2008-10-02T20:02:00.002-04:00

Landon sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night or doesn't fall asleep right away and will babble for awhile. Lately he's been talking and then listening and then talking again. if i go in to check on him he'll point to the rocking chair across the room for him. in the morning and at nap time too. at first i though he wanted to sit in the rocking chair, so i would let him walk over to it and then I'd sit him in it. but he'd shake his head and get down. yesterday i went to get him from his crib and we were walking down the stairs and Landon started pointing and waving behind me, so i stopped on the stairs and turned to see what he was looking at.

There was nothing there so i asked him "Landon who do you see?" and he turned to the wall of pictures and put his finger directly on a picture of my grandmother. it's a picture of the last time i saw my grandmother, and it's the only picture of her I have up. my mother and I are also in the picture, but Landon pointed at my grandmother and then kept taping his finger on her. so now i know, it's my grandma. I'm so glad she visits him. I knew she would have loved a great-grandchild. she never even got to meet pete...

New Picture of me and a baby!

2008-10-01T23:40:00.003-04:00

Kaelyn was born August 14th to a childhood friend of mine. I went to visit her at her mom's house this past weekend. She absolutely beautiful. She weighs in right now at about 8.5 lbs, which is what Landon weighed when he was about a week old. So holding her was bittersweet for me. I so miss having a tiny baby in my arms! Landon like meeting his new friend too, though he didn't seem to like sharing mommy with her!!

Are you ready?

2008-10-01T23:12:00.000-04:00

this is a political post

2008-10-01T11:24:00.010-04:00

OK. Normally I don't go into political views on here because, well not everyone agrees with my view of the world and I want this to be more of a place for me to keep updates on Landon and my life. BUT. I have to comment, because well, I just can NOT hold it in anymore. I don't want Landon to grow up thinking his Mommy didn't care about his future. Trust me, this election is going to change his future. So here goes. I hate Bush. I hate, hate, hate that man. He is the reason my brother has scars on his face, and probably more in his heart. He is the reason why countries in Europe aren't pouring money into our stock market anymore which is part of the reason we're in a recession (and don't kid yourself, we really are in a recession, heading quickly toward a great depression). He's the reason why America is a laughing stock to many countries.

BUT he's no longer our biggest problem.

Palin is. Please, please, please, if you haven't been keeping up with the debates, or interviews, you need to watch this video. If McCain becomes president, this woman will be one single heartbeat away from the presidency. We can NOT afford that. I'm so so so glad that the candidates all do interviews. It's easy to read from a script and memorize a speech. It's not easy to bullshit when you don't know the questions beforehand. Thank G-d for that. She doesn't answer any question directly and her words are not only jumbled and nonsensical, they are also dangerous.

She has no idea what her statements mean to other countries. In fact: She didn't get a passport until last year. That scares the heck out of me. She has never seen what the outside world even looks like, let alone the palatable distaste some of those countries have for us. When asked what experience she has with foreign affairs she cited Alaska's proximity to Russia. Seriously, because you can see Russia from Alaska she thinks it gives her experience in foreign affairs. Well if that's all you need I should run for president. I have more stamps in my passports than she has brain cells in her pretty little head. Yes that's harsh, but heck it's how she portrays herself. There's nothing else I can go on, and since I'm an average, middle class woman, owner of a modest home, 2 pets, and the primary care giver to my son, I can say with all certainty, that I am NOT alone in my thinking.

I want everyone to vote. However, I urge everyone to do one thing before they set foot in a voting booth. Research, research, research. Don't just vote for whoever because of a singular speech you heard snipits of. Watch the debates, read the articles and check out youtube for the videos or interviews you've missed.

McCain might have a chance at becoming president... if only he dismisses Palin before the election takes place. I for one, will be voting for Obama. At least he can hold on intelligent conversation and answer questions in an interview without sounding like...like...well Bush.

**I should add that I'm not super happy with Joe Biden either, but at least he hasn't had a trainwreck of an interview yet.

Pictures Old and New

2008-09-27T21:48:00.003-04:00

I took some pictures of Landon this month that I didn't get to upload until now. Here they are, so enjoy!

Also check these out, they are pictures of my parents when I was a little girl and before I was born. They are pictures of pictures because I am too lazy to scan them right now. I will get around to it tomorrow. But I couldn't wait to show them to you! Also my father and I have started a project of putting together our family tree, it was great going through our history tonight!!

good bye summer, hello fall

2008-09-25T08:46:00.013-04:00

Well my friends, the summer has ended. I wake up cold, I turned on the heat and my son is wearing pants and long sleeves some days. It's sad to see the summer end. This summer included birtday parties for all of Landon's friends, 4 of which were first birthdays. It is amazing how much things can change in one year. Landon went from a squirming adorable lump of a baby to a toddler who runs, dances, makes us laugh and talks up a storm. I look back at pictures from when Landon first met his friends last year, when I first met some new friends too. I've grown quite attached to those friends, Landon has too. Landon made some new friends this summer too. He points at pictures of all of them and waves hi and good night to each of them. It was a wonderful summer, but it was way, way too short. Landon is growing so much and I feel like I need more hours in the day to soak him up, to memorize every little thing. It's hard to remember what it was like to hold him as a newborn now that he weighs 16 lbs more then the day he was born. I want to hold on to every precious second. Yes, the summer was way too short.

It's cold, but fall is a great time of year for me. It means the start of the holiday season. This year will be even more important because Landon will be a willing participant of the festivities instead of a happy drooling baby who has no idea what's going on. He will say trick or treat at Halloween (though it sounds like tic-teet right now,) he will open his own presents this Christmas and say thank you for his gifts. He will enjoy his first snow and get to feel it's texture in his hands. He'll get to pick leaves to save in a book. He'll get to pick apples at a farm and carry his own little pumpkin. He'll get to taste pumpkin pie and apple pie and gingerbread cookies. He'll get to pick out presents for his friends too. He'll see Santa again this year, and we'll get to enjoy his reaction to him, good or bad. He'll also be in for a special treat. He gets to see Mommy throw a party when Bush leaves office. But that's neither here nor there. All that matter is it's a time for celebrating and seeing everything through my child's eyes. It's a blessing. So even though I'm sad about the summer ending, I'm excited for everything that's ahead of us.

Since I haven't done it in a long time, I'm going to update you on all the things Landon is doing now. It's more for my own recollection in the years too come than anything else, but I know some of you are interested too! So here goes...Landon can:

Physical:

first steps the day before he turned 9 months

walking across the room 10 months

walking forward, sideways and backwards with ease 11 months

lifts, carries or pulls items behind him without stumbling 11.5 months

running, dancing and stomping feet 12 months

height about 31 inches and 24lbs

shoe size 5.5

clothing size 12-18 months

climbs up and down stair cases using hands and feet (no knees)

Walks up and down steps in front of buildings/houses using hand rails

Can kick and throw a ball.

is learning to jump

brushes his own teeth

prefers to hold our hands and walk around stores instead of being in stoller or cart

cognitive:

plays instruments correctly (bangs on drum, shakes bells, strums guitar, presses keys of piano)

puts lego blocks together

tries to lock/unlock doors by using a key (places it correctly into the key hole)

understands commands and will follow them.

can answer questions to simple questions (are you hungry? milk or juice? nap time? want to play outside? want a cookie? want to color? ready for a bath? and more)

knows and will point to the following body parts when asked: nose, hair, eyes, ears, belly button, feet, fingers, hands, mouth.

waves and says hi and bye at appropriate times.

tries to put on socks, followed by shoes

can take off all clothing items by himself -(diapers included much to my dismay)

sings along with songs and will freeze, blow a kiss, clap or stomp feet if the song says to.

tries to resolve his own problems (removing lids, picking up messes, turning on a toy that was off, putting together puzzles)

uses fork and spoon correctly

has set crib routine: sing good night song, lay down, hug duck (stuffed animal,) raises arms for blanket to be places over him and then put arms down over blanket, music turned on, light off.

points, waits his turn and shares his toys

fast learner, only needs to be shown something once to understand how to do it

wants praise (example: hit a note of the piano and claps, shows us a cow and says "cow, moo!" and then claps)

stomps feet and claps hands when asked to.

emotional:

throws tantrums

wants and gives hugs, kisses and pats on the back as reassurance

shows concern for friends, will try to give hugs or pats on the back if another child is crying

gets sad when Pete or I leave the house

tries to be funny (making funny faces, silly noises, blowing raspberries on our bellies)

has different ways to show excitement, happiness, saddness, frustration, anger, crankiness. (not just crying, but actually communicating)

shows apprehension around new adults

wants to sit with us at the table and be involved in the conversation

speech/language abilities:

babbles in sentence form, waits for an anwser and continues

tells us what he wants

learns new words quickly

knows animals and what sounds they make (cow - moo, monkey - oo oo ah ah, dog - woff)

says the following words:

food, cat, dog, please, thank you, cheese, leite (milk), juice, feet, eye, nose, momma, daddy, pete, come, go, play, duck, ball, bowl, cup, spoon, hi, bye, night night, bath, cow, moo, amelie, pop pop, vovo (grandma), grandma, grandpa, bubble, apple, cookie, pooh (for bears), shoe, book, fish, color, peekaboo, yes, no, stop, blue, Dan, up, done, hat

I think that's everything!

I'm back!

2008-09-20T10:36:00.003-04:00

jeez almost 3 weeks without the internet!! well at least i've managed to read 10 books and started writing one too. There really isnt much to do without the internet while Landon naps and after he's in bed for the night. I can't imagine ow people kept busy before the internet. ;) i have about a thousand things to do today, but later tonight i'll update with pictures and stories.

darn internet

2008-09-13T09:36:00.001-04:00

sorry all, my internet has been down for almost a week.. i'm dying here. i'll be back up and running later today...

check this out!

2008-08-29T16:58:00.002-04:00

momma findings reviewed one of my products that i sell on etsy! yay me!

New Photos

2008-08-27T11:15:00.006-04:00

Smarty Pants

2008-08-24T14:41:00.004-04:00

So my son melted my heart today. I work Sunday and Monday mornings from 4-9am at a bakery. When I got home my son ran toward me and flung his arms around me screaming "Momma, Momma!" After I get home I usually take a nap and today was no different. Pete stays home for a few hours before heading off to work, so I can get an hour or two of sleep. Landon went down for morning nap about 30 minutes after me. I woke up around 1:30 because I heard him stirring in his crib (3 hour nap for me and 2.5 for him!) . So I went to get him and brought him into my bed to snuggle. Well I figured he'd lay still for about 3 minutes before wanting to go play. So I put my arm over him in a hug and he wrapped his arms around me. Whenever I tried to move he would pull me closer and he was just cuddling really sweetly with me. This went on for 20 minutes! Then I said "OK honey, do you want to go play?" and he nodded his head and downstairs we went. We had lunch, (chicken nuggets which he tried to eat with a fork...35% successfully) He drank his milk and then handed me his empty sippy, so that I could refill his cup. After his second cup of milk, he let out a satisfied "ahhhh" and sat next to me on the couch to watch some Blue's Clues.

Someone on TV said the word "nose" and Landon immediately pointed to my nose. He's done this before, he knows where certain body parts are: nose, belly button, feet and his *piupiu* (the word we use for penis.) We've been practicing others but those are the only ones he would point to on command. Well, today I asked were his eyes where and he pointed to his, then mine! I followed up wit a "great job!" and asked him where his ears, mouth, hair, hands and knees where and he pointed to all of them on me and him!! My little smarty pants! He's 13.5 months old! He amazes me more with every day. Yesterday I asked him what a cow sounded like and he said "MOOO!"

Now here's where it gets interesting.. I introduced Landon to his potty. I bought it yesterday. (with a 20% off coupon) Now don't go ape shit on me. I'm not going to force him to potty train him at 13 months. I'm just letting him see how big people use potties and that he can too, when he's ready. So today I put it in the bathroom and took off his diaper, and this whiz kid...pun intended.. sat down on the potty!! He didn't pee or anything, but he sat! I couldn't believe it! I guess he's been paying attention! Smarty Pants!

**UPDATE!**

I put the potty in the bath tub, got Landon naked and put him in the bath tub and turned the water on, he sat down on the potty and the water splashed his feet and he peed. He would have peed either way (he normally does,) but this was good timing. So I poured the pee into the toilet and let Landon flush and say bye bye to the pee. It's a fluke but it was hilarious!

i'm a blog slacker

2008-08-22T18:18:00.005-04:00

sorry, i've been super busy lately and well my blog took back burner, but not to worry, my readers (all 8 of you..) i'll be back tonight with a fantastic blog. meanwhile, please stare at this picture of my son, taken today.

The last 3 people to comment

2008-08-08T23:51:00.008-04:00

will get to test drive my new products for free. It will be a package of 3 items, geared toward children. You can comment as many times as you'd like but not in a row. (meaning there must be someone else's comment in between each of your comments.) You can only win one package, so if there is a double winner, the next commenter up will get a package. good luck and here's a sneak peak of one of the items!

I swear i'm going to make money on this...

2008-08-08T09:27:00.003-04:00

I've been working on a few things... i can't explain yet because as much as i love all of you, i don't want you stealing my ideas! but once i have them up and running in my store i'll give my blog readers a chance to check everything out and get a huge discount. they are all kids/baby related things though...

Way Back When-sday!

2008-08-06T08:24:00.003-04:00

May 21, 2006

May 21, 2007

May 21, 2008

And the winners are.....

2008-08-05T18:43:00.001-04:00

Congrats ladies! email me at sweetpea2419 at hotmail.com to claim your prize!!

Videos, how I love thee...

2008-08-02T22:27:00.002-04:00

This one is Landon speaking what he assumes is understandable english. But he does manage to hold the phone to his ear and answer his Grandpa! Too funny.

This is from a dear friend of mine. She sent a thank you for the thank you card I sent her for Landon's birthday gifts. got that? anyway these are her two gorgeous girls.