Please Help!

I have been itching to paint and decorate Landon's bedroom lately. We never got around to actually decorating his room before he was born. I guess part of me put it off because I didn't know what I wanted to do and I also didn't want to have a nursery. I wanted a room for him to grow into. We were blessed with fantastic furniture and bedding from his grandparents but now I am ready to paint and add wall decor. I want to give him a fun room he will have fun playing in.

So let me cut to the chase. I found the cutest toddler bedding at Target today. I am absolutely in love with it. I think I can do so much with the colors, however daddy doesn't like it. He said and I quote "It is giving me a headache". Is it really that busy? I didn't think it was "too many colors". In fact that was the reason I liked it.

I am taking a poll. Please let me know what you think and hopefully everyone will agree with me and together we can convince Adam that it is awesome and will be the perfect start to creating Landon an amazing bedroom.

Yakety Yak!

I believe I have mentioned before about how verbal Landon has become. In the past few weeks I am beginning to actually understand him. It is amazing how his grunts and whines are turning into real words now.

Landon is now able to communicate the following words:

Daddy (Dada)
Mommy (Mama)
Yes
No
More
Doggie
Thank You
Juice

And that is to just name a few. Please keep in mind that it is still in Landon's language but I can make it out enough to know that is what he is saying. I don't know how much a toddler is supposed to be able to say at One but no matter what I am impressed.

Mommy's Little Monkey

Halloween is just around the corner and I couldn't be more excited to dress Landon up in his costume. Last night we did a dress rehearsal and it went a lot better than last year. I have to make a few alterations because naturally my little monkey is too small for it to fit perfectly. I think with a little Velcro we will be all set for Sunday.

Is it just me or is Landon the cutest darn monkey you have ever seen?

Serious Face

I am a huge Grey's Anatomy fan and anyone who watches the show knows that the word "seriously" is used often. I have also adapted the word into my everyday vocabulary because of the show. The word is to be used whenever something so unbelievable happens that you have to confirm with whoever is in earshot that it "seriously" did. I prefer to say the word alone with an exclamation mark. I feel it has more dramatic affect that way.

The point of this post is show you what I think Landon's "Seriously!" face is. In my opinion Landon is thinking "I am trying to play with my toys over here mom, Seriously!"

Story Time!

We have created a reading monster. Landon has discovered a new love for books. Over the past few weeks Landon has been implementing the bedtime story rule. Every night he goes to his bookshelf, picks out the story of his choice (usually "Fox and Socks"), and then climbs into one of our laps for the story. I love reading to him and seeing his reactions. I don't know if he is reacting to the voices I use when I read to him or if he actually understands the story and is responding to it. I also love that he will point at the words and pictures as I read. Sometimes if I am lucky he will "read" me the story.



Reading our favorite "Fox and Socks"



I love the belly, hehe



I tried to get a photo of him "reading" the story.



Finished Product

The patio is finally finished. It was actually finished about two weeks ago but I am a little behind on my blogging. We still need to purchase outdoor furniture and accessories but we are EXTREMELY happy with the outcome of the patio. I can't wait to start enjoying it full time this spring.

Exhibit A

I know most of you do not have the pleasure of seeing Landon every day so you may not believe me when I tell you that he is a part time comedian. So I am starting to collect my evidence and today I present you with Exhibit 'A'.

It is an ongoing debate in our house where Landon gets his "weird" from but either way I am sure glad he has it. I am not lying when I say he does something absolutely hilarious every day. There is never a dull moment with him around.

Kindermusik

Today I went to Landon's Kindermusik class. It was so much fun! He had such a good time. I love watching him play with his friends. It is such a comfort knowing that when I am at work he is cared for and having a blast.

Yummy Yogurt!

I have started to relinquish control. The past few weeks we have been letting Landon use silver ware to eat his food. The utensils magically turn into drumsticks by the end of dinner but he is slowly getting the hang of it. He is at the point now where he wants to do it himself. We don't mind as long as we don't have anything to do for the next three hours or so. It can be a little time consuming since he has only figured out to dip his spoon and not scoop it yet.

Here are some photos I took of him a few nights ago finishing up his yogurt. You will notice the container is empty. We were simply practicing at this point.

Patio: Day 2 and 3

Tomorrow our patio will finally be complete. All that is left is for the guys to seal the patio and finish laying the gravel.

Before I show you the final product here are a few photos from the second and third day of work. The pictures below are from last Wednesday and Saturday.

Savannah inspecting the new patio.

Trim under the back door

A Small Step for Landon

Landon is finally starting to show promise of getting his walk on. It is really exciting. He is managing a few steps and then falling to his knees. I was completely overjoyed when he took his first few steps into my arms. It was incredible! I was so proud of him!

Last night we attempted to get him on video. He wasn't being very cooperative since it was nearing bedtime but we did catch a few steps on camera. Adam and I are convinced he thinks this is a game.

Best Buds

I always knew that with time Savannah and Landon would become best friends. It was inevitable. I didn't realize however that there would be bribery involved. It didn't take long for Savannah to realize Landon had a soft spot for her especially when it came to sharing his chicken nuggets. It just so happens that Savannah LOVES chicken nuggets. We caught a couple videos over the weekend of their bonding. It is definitely a bad habit that has formed but it is almost too darn cute to stop it.

Falling in love with Fall!

Fall has always been my favorite season. I love the colors that represent the season (orange, maroon, gold, red, etc...) and the crisp cool air. The fall also means that the holidays are around the corner and that is ultimately my favorite time of year.

Another reason I love fall is because I can start decorating my home in all of those fantastic colors I mentioned earlier. Every year I make a new wreath for our front door but this year I am going to add a few more things on my list to create. I guess I have been bitten by the crafting bug because I can't wait to start all of these projects. Landon and I are going to have fun shopping for all of the supplies this weekend.

Here are few inspirational pictures I found. There are some many creative people out there. It is really amazing the ideas that I have discovered in my searches. I can't wait to get started! I will be sure to post photos of our finished projects.

Backyard - Day One: Operation Cement Pond

I can't believe how much the guys got done last Saturday. In one day they managed to turn our backyard into a cement pond. I can't wait to see what it looks like when the stone is down. We are hoping that by the end of the weekend we will have nice enough weather that they will get to it.

Backyard - Before Photos

Picture this: Crisp fall air, star lit sky, fire pit going, and a drink in your hand.

Sounds amazing, doesn't it? It does to us so we decided to get a patio put in our back yard. We teetered back and forth between a patio or a deck and after much debate the patio won out in the end.

I was hoping by now I would be able to show you the before and after photos but the weather has been against us. In the past week and a half they have only been able to get in one full day.

Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's Off to Work I Go!

All good things must come to end. I am heading back to the office full time. Tomorrow will be the first Tuesday I have worked in the office in over a year. My boss was gracious enough to give me the opportunity to work from home the first year of Landon's life. It was a gift that most moms do not get to receive and I will be forever grateful. We have made so many memories and I will treasure them always.

Of course I am sad that I will not get to spend three days at home with Landon anymore but I know that he will be in great hands at Little Treasure's Daycare. He will be with one of his surrogate families where he will play and learn and be with his friends.

With that said - Landon I love you and this past year has been the best year of my life. You are a complete joy and your dad and I could not be more proud of you. Enjoy your special time with your friends and I will be waiting to hear about how much fun you had and what all you learned.

Landon and I at 3 months

Landon - Last day at Home

Always an Adventure

We have declared Saturday's as "Family Fun Day" in our house. From now on every Saturday we will set out for an adventure together with the primary goal of having a good time.

Today we opted for a little shopping (my idea) and then head down to the park. I looked it up online and found there was one in our neighborhood. Unfortunately the map was a little mis-leading because we never found it. We walked around our whole neighborhood and it wasn't where the map said it would be. We did manage to get a few cute pictures of Landon holding Savannah's leash as we were walking. He is such a big helper.

When we finally made it home we decided to look at the map one more time and head out again but in the car this time. We drove out of our neighborhood and worked our way to the street behind our whole subdivision. No luck! Finally I suggested we just go to the school down the street and let him play there. Wouldn't you know - there was the park. Unbelievable! After all that driving around it was five minutes down the street the whole time. I had no idea that there was a park beside the school. At least now we know for the next time.

Landon had a lot of fun. I think he enjoyed the swing the most. Obviously he is still too small to go down the slide or climb the equipment by himself. I do think once he is able to he will love it.