One Happy Family

Nov & Dec Photos

2012-01-18T10:25:00.011-07:00

Lounging on the couch with lil miss after our first visit to the ward since Halle's arrival!

One month old on Dec 7th... you can see the difference below, I think she's grown!
Just a couple of days old...

Visiting Santa at Bass Pro shop... I spent a lot of time and money trying to get the kids outfits perfect! I love having a lil girl to dress up!

He loves her so much! Seriously he is really good with her (with the occasional eye poke and head thump!)

Lots of fun at Bass Pro with our friends the Hoskins!

I love these 2! Halle definitely resembles her papa!

Just burping a baby and checkin' my facebook!

Anthony catching another sunday nap while Landon watches a choo choo movie

A little tummy time for our big strong girl!
And then the moving craziness began... we took a couple of trailer fulls a few nights in a row...

Can you see Anthony up in our attic???

Everyone hanging out in the couchless living room!

Dane teasing Landon as he shared his bahama bucks with him! (This is in our new place)

Dec & Jan Photos

2012-01-16T10:55:00.026-07:00

Finally in California... watching Nemo and playing connect 4 with grandpa

Eating cereal on the kitchen floor :)

Happy Halle snoozin in her carseat!

First run down the gunny sac slide!

Sister race! I'm the slow poke in the back!

Boys race- Pete smoked em! Mustve been his perfect form!

Obviously Landon loved the train ride!

I love Landon's huge smile in this picture!
Grandneice Avery helping my mom play the piano at the Christmas Eve party

Papa & Halle

Great Grandma with her ?th great grandchild... she has so many it will take some time to figure out what number she is! Halle loved spending time with her :)

A view of the singing room

Our family... and Landon's wide open mouth!

She is so sweet!

Christmas Pie at the Jensen After Party!

Christmas pie in action!
Then sparkler fun

Christmas Morning before anyone was up :)

Our family after church (and Halle's blessing)

Halle started giving us huge smiles on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! I think she looks like her Aunt Ju-Ju in this picture

Grandma and Halle in the dress Grandma made (about 30 years ago!)

Opening gifts

He had gleam in his eyes and a huge grin on his face for all of his gifts!

Christmas morning brunch

Chillin'

He loves to hold her lil hands :)

Later on that week at the zoo... this is what Landon's face looks like when he says "Cheese!"

Following Landon as he ran the entire time at the zoo!

The seals were his favorite- he loves his Granpa so much!

Bonfire with our family and our friends! It was such a fun night!!!

Landon liked whacking the pinata!

Post pinata busting group photo!

We didnt have a bat- so my dad made one! Then used it as a cane afterwards ;)

Someone had to do it!

Uncle Pete pretending to be a "choo choo" - Landon loved it!

Sorting and trading goodies... Pete looking up at something mesmerizing!

Dane imitating Landon's finger sucking

Gocart rides! I think I want one!

Digging in the dirt. He spent hours each day doing this!

Sleeping in Grandma's bed

Dad playing with Anthony's new toy- a pellet gun!

So happy to play in his new rooms with his trains!

December and a lil january

2012-01-06T12:50:00.002-07:00

This is long winded- Decemeber was crazy! I will post photos later.

We were blessed with a wild month of december. We started by getting our condo listed. 2011 was a crazy year for our housing situation... we are excited to finally be moving forward now. Once it was on the market real estate agents started calling right away. I showed the place 4 times in just a few days and we got 2 offers right away! I was so excited since once we submitted an offer to the bank, no one else has wanted to see it (and I don't have to clean like crazy while my kids cry, just trying to make the place look presentable!) We also had 2 visitors this month! First my cousin Ivan Petrich came to stay with us while he interviewed at AT Still's DO school. We had so much fun with him! We stayed up late talking, ate at Joes BBQ, took him to see the lights at the Mesa Temple and jsut hung out (him and Landon had a lot of fun playing together and sharing a room). We loved having him and hope he'll get to move here to AZ! Next funtivity was going to see Santa at Bass Pro Shop! Landon loves that place and was semi ok with sitting on santa's lap. We also went to see the Sirrine Train garden... so to say that Landon loved it would be an understatement... he was running/dancing all over the place. It was a great workout for me because I just followed him as he followed trains around the park... it was so fun to watch the delight in his eyes. He was sooooo upset when we had to leave. We also discovered that Halle has some serious colic. Screaming for over 3 hours one night sent us to the doctors (I assumed it was colic but I wanted to make sure) nothing was wrong with her so the doctor talked to me about eliminating dairy, tomato, gassy veggies & beans and caffeine. I love cold cereal and milk for breakfast so this news really cramped my style... but helping my daugter not scream in pain is very worth it! And since I have quite a bit of weight to lose it is also helping with that! No pizza, icecream, chocolate... my favorite things that happen to be fattening arent allowed so it is a great diet! And luckily my strict eating is really helping Halle :) Our next visitor this month was my brother Dane. He came just in time to help us move... poor guy! It was a crazy time to come and we didn't plan it that way but we had the opportunity to move earlier than we had planned and we jumped at the chance (especially since condo living has really gotten old lately). So Dane was a great sport and helped us soooo much! We also made time to have fun by watching netflix, having a picnic at the park, eating at cheba hut and just do a lot of hanging out. We loved having Dane here (Landon especially since Uncle Dane loved sharing treats with him)! On tuesday Anthony was able to leave work around 3pm so we hit the road and were blessed with a great journey. The kids were awesome! Halle slept 6 hours straight on the 10 hour journey so that helped a lot. We were so happy to arrive safe and sound to my parents.

I love being at my parents house. All my cares are gone and I just spend time with my family. Landon has so much fun on their ten acres. Tractor rides, playing in the dirt, chasing the meows (cats), etc! Grandpa also introduced Landon to fresh cracked pecans from their trees and he chowed down on them! He was also a good helper with Grandpa would load him into the wagon and go get oranges for orange juice. The days from when we arrived to christmas are sorta a blur. I did some christmas shopping (by myself- heavenly... well except for the super crowded stores), Also Anthony and I were able to shop just the two of us for our kiddos- it was like a little date! Lots of fun. Dane locked his keys in his car so we went to rescue him and his girlfriend Brittany one day. My poor mother was really sick for a few of the days- poor mama had extremely low sodium. I had a little chocolate and Halle didn't seem to mind it, so then I ate a LOT of chocolate the entire trip!

On friday night (christmas eve eve)we made some plans with all my immediate family and it was a lot of fun. First we all met at PCH subs for dinner. Julie and Lisa are regulars at this place and the owner who was working that night was cracking us up. He took a group picture of all of us for their wall and when Pete didn't want to look at the camera, the old owner guy used a few curse words and got Pete to smile for the camera- it was hilarious! After dinner we went to a carnival in old towne clovis and it was so fun! Mainly because of the gunny sac slide- we had races! Landon also loved riding the little train they had set up. Halle got to hang out with Aunt Ally in the warm car- so nice of her to watch her! Afterwards we attempted to drive through candy cane lane, but the line of cars was crazy so we decided to skip it.

Christmas eve we went to Costco (my favorite place) which was not too crowded surprisingly. We printed photos, looked at tvs, ate hot dogs, etc. Later that night we had a fantastic party at Aunt Becky and Uncle Paul's house. Great food- fun cousins- music and singing (my sweet mom had two great neices helping her play the piano with her). We also played some parlor games together (and some watched "elf" in the other room). Then it was back to my parents for the "after party". Lisa and Pete came up with some awesome games! First as a game where you roll dice and once you get doubles you attempt to open a present using butter knives (while both of your hands are in socks!) before the next person rolls doubles. It was soooo fun! Very fast paced and funny... Anthony sliced my mom's tablecloth he was so intent on opening a gift! Inside the gifts were candy bars and some cash! Then we had a christmas pie. One present with a bunch of strings coming out of it. Everyone got one string and those who were able to answer christmas trivia correctly were able to get another. Then we all pulled at the same time to see what we won! More goodies and cash! Pete and Lisa were beyond generous is showing us with fun and gifts! Then it was off to bed so Santa Claus could come...

Sunday morning church was at 9am so once we were up we had to get everyone ready. Halle was given a name and a blessing at church today. As I dressed her that morning in the blessing dress my mom made for my sisters and me, I felt like I was looking in the mirror at myself 28 years ago. Families are incredible. Anyways back to the blessing. It was beautiful (My Aunt Donna told me later that evening, that as soon as Anthony picked up Halle she felt the spirit so strong and she started to cry. She told me that Halle is a very special person- I am so glad she shared this with me :)). After Anthony came down he told me that Halle had blew out and needs to be changed! I asked if she was just farting and he said no way (later all my family in the circle confirmed the loud noises coming out of Halle the whole time- my dad thought it may have come across the microphone!). Sure enough the dress had been hit! (but a little Shout fixed it right up). The rest of the sacrament was good. My sisters Lisa and Julie sang "Ave Maria" a capella and it was incredible. I am not the only person who was blown away. It was so beautiful. The rest of the program I missed because Landon was so naughty. So I just took him into the empty nursery and let him play (its Christmas... why not!?!?!). After sacrament we came home and put the kids back in their christmas pjs and had some breakfast. Then we eventually started opening gifts. Of course Landon was beyond spoiled with so many great gifts. He loves all of his new toys! My favorite moment was when we had just opened a gift and quietly said "lightening mcqueen" as he peered into the packaging to see a CARS chair (which he loves lounging in- go uncle pete!). We opened more gifts and had a lovely time and ate a yummy breakfast. Then we enjoyed naps, and a huge feast for dinner (ham, turkey and all the fixins) That night we went down to Great Grandma's house and it was bursting at the seams... tons of aunts, uncles, cousins and great grandkids- it was a zoo! I had so much fun seeing my cousins. It was a fun family filled day! (I just remembered something special that happened at Great Grandma's house. Halle's second cousin Davis wanted to hold her (he's 4) so I sat he next to me and let him hold her on his lap and he was so quiet and gentle and just gazed at her for a long long time. He was so sweet and truly enjoyed seeing her- perhaps he remembers her from heaven.

Monday morning Anthony left for home (my dad offered to take us back so the kids and I could stay another week- yay!). After Anthony left, we went outside and Landon played in the dirt with some of his new toys. He was in heaven and played outside for hours! That night we went to my sister's new place in Friant to eat leftovers and play Just Dance 3- very fun! Pete danced to some 80's song about going to the mall, Julie dance to a regatone song called "BOOM!" and Lisa and I did "Dynamite"- so hilarious! We also took a walk around their neighborhood to look at christmas lights. Tuesday we walked down the street and played with cousins- then went to see the Muppet Movie. Landon was cranky and so was Halle so luckily Julie and my Mom were able to help me out. Landon ended up taking a nap in Julie's lap and I tried to keep Halle happy and quiet... it was exhausting. So that night I laid low. Wednesday my Dad took all of us to the Zoo and that was really fun- but Landon was much more interested in the construction machinery (they are building a new exhibit in the zoo) and the sand pit than the animals! He did like the tiger, elephants and seals though. Then later that evening our good friends Sammy and Sarah Gonzalez came over with their kiddos. Landon had so much fun playing and we had a great time visiting. We had a fire pit outside with was a lot of fun- we roasted hot dogs and marshmellows and talked for hours (while my parents watched all the kiddos inside :)). Thanks mom and dad! Thursday we ran to costco to get a few things and had lunch with the Buckleys and Julie, Sarah Gonzalez and Cheyenne Balderama. Chey was going to basic training in just a few days so I was so happy I got to see her!

Friday I was really tired and really didn't do much- and then when naptime came and went with no kids sleeping I had a lil mommy meltdown. Both kids are sleeping with me and night so I really don't rest well... so I really rely on an afternoon nap so when it doesnt happen- I feel awful! It was definitely a blah day.

Saturday was much better! During the day I went to the store with my mom and ran into a highschool friend which is always fun! Then we went to an early dinner at Tsing Tao for some delicious chinese food. Landon was ALL OVER the place, but it was ok. The food was worth it! Afterwards we tried to go out for dessert but everything was closed! I was fine with it, because as soon as I got home Landon and I went to bed (around 8pm) and Halle hung out with Grandpa until 1am! Halle rang in the new year while I slept through it!! I was really missing Anthony on that night. Although it is very normal of us to do nothing (and not stay up) on new years eve, it was lonesome to not celebrate a holiday with my love by my side.

Sunday the first day of the new year I was still really tired so Halle and I stayed home and Landon went with Grandma and Grandpa to church. My mom stayed to help in nursery and she told me later how they played musical chairs and when the music would stop Landon continued to run and run in circles! He is so funny and energetic! We had a delicious dinner and skyed with Anthony. Then afterwards Pete and Lisa set up a Pinata outside for all of us. It was a big heavy thomas the train pinata. We let Landon try first, then we all took hits. Jon Hendrix made the final blow spilling the contents. Seriously I have never seen such an amazing assortment in one pinata! Full size candy bars, packs of gum, corn nuts, cookies, crackers, etc! We all made out like Bandits. Of course Dane had the fullest bag ;). I was soooo bummed Anthony missed out on it.

Monday, our last full day in my hometown, we tried to cram everything in. My dad watched Landon for me (they played outside in the dirt most of the time) while Lisa, Julie and I (and Halle) went to lunch at dog house grille-as usual it was delicious! And it was so fun to hang out all together as sisters. After running a few errands together we stopped at Sees Candy for dessert- we decided to share a half pound box- we all picked our favorites :) That afternoon we walked down the street and Landon played in the forest with his second cousins while I talked with my cousin Angela. Then we were able to drop by the Petrich's and visited with them! It was a very fun afternoon! Then later that night we had dinner with the sister missionaries (which was really nice- they are both so sweet and shared an excellent message with us), and late that evening Lisa and I danced to the Michael Jackson Experience on Wii (thriller, beat it!) and did some zumba. It was so fun!

Tuesday morning we made our way homeward. My Dad drove us the entire way and was so patient the entire time (especially since Halle ate every 2 hours the entire day). With plenty of long stops, we did not arrive until about midnight. It was so nice to finally be home, and discover a clean, unpacked house. Anthony is so good to us! My Dad was able to stay 2 days with us with was so nice. One night we took him to Joes Farm Grille for dinner and Dad got to play with Anthony's new pellet gun in the backyard.

We had such a great vacation and we so thankful to spend time with our family. I'm also happy I was able to bring home 3 large bags of oranges and 2 jars of homemade pomegranite jelly!

One month brain dump!

2011-11-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

Well it did not take long for our "Halle Berry Jelly Bean" to steal all of our hearts! I mean look at that face! She looks a lil bit gansta in the photo below!
We returned home from the hospital Tuesday night as a complete family with Landoman. So far he liked his sister a lot! They even went to the park together on Thursday with Daddy (while I stayed home and continued a sobbing fest since lil baby's umbilical was accidently ripped out and her belly button was oozing! Doctor said it was nothing to worry about but I just felt terrible! and the typical post partum hormones weren't helping me much!). Here she is before her big debut at the park:

The rest of the week involved lots of napping, feeding, diaper changing, healing, vomit clean-up (oh joy- the stomach bug hit landon!) and visits from family. And a wedding! Anthony's dad married a great lady (but lil miss and I missed it). Oh the week also included picking a name! After a lot of thought we finally made our decision when Halle was 4 days old :)

Friday night my parents came into town- they stayed for 10 days and it was so nice! Friday night Landon was sick again- all night long. He puked on almost every floor in our house (so getting our carpets cleaned 2 weeks ago wasn't our best idea!) Then late saturday night Anthony and I both got the stomach bug- we really needed my parents help that day and were so thankful for all that they did for us. Seriously all I did was feed the baby and sleep. Upon reflection, I think our family experienced every bodily fluid imaginable that week! Whew- so glad that is behind us. But we also had a lot of fun with my parents (eating out at cracker barrel and charlestons, watching tv together, sewing an apron (my parents bought me a sewing machine!), seeing Breaking Dawn (just my mom and I - the boys didn't want to see it... so strange! ;) Actually Anthony knew we wanted to go so he made all the arrangements- he is the best!)).
Halle's first doctor's appt- 9lbs at one week old! (the following week at 2 weeks old she was 10 pounds!)

Just a few days old... oh she is so sweet!
Playing with Grandpa
Watching "melmo" with brother
So stylin'!
You can see the ring of blood around her left eye in this photo- she had it from birth and it is completely gone now that she is 4 weeks old.
Landon eating snacks and loungin on the kitchen floor

I love this photo! So sweet!

My mom bought Landon two little blue truck books and he just LOVES them!!! I read them both to him, multiple times a day!
The scene right before my parents had to leave- Anthony looking at the route they plan to take.

Landon eating my mom's super walnut (and a little bit of chocolate chip) cookies. He liked them a lot!
This photo is just missing Lunden and my parents would be with all of their grandkiddos!

After my parents left I had one solid day on my own with 2 kids. It was fine- didn't need to go anywhere so we laid low. Then it was the 4 day Thanksgiving break. We had 2 dinners- wed night and thursday. Wednesday night was extremely fun at Alan's family dinner- Landon played in the bounce houses and with all the scooters, balls, etc. Anthony entertained everyone by flying his rc airplane. And Halle was the star of the show being so cute and little and new to the world- I don't think I held her at all that night!!!

Thanksgiving was delightful- we loved the relaxing day and time with family. We also spent time getting our home ready to "show" since it was going on the market soon. The month of november was very busy for our family and I think December will be the same (especially since I'll be showing the house as of Dec 1). We feel very blessed this thanksgiving to have so much bounty in our lives- especially for our sweet baby girl :)

Newborn Photos

2011-11-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness... taking this photos of Halle at 5 days old was not easy! It took over 3 hours and I felt like I had to constantly nurse her to keep her asleep... but the results were so worth it! Thank you Shannon!

Memory

2011-11-13T18:50:00.007-07:00

I wish there was a way I could remember better...but with pregnancy and taking care of children- my brain is gone! I also wish there was a way to record events and thoughts/feelings without actually writing or typing... because I "write" really good blog and journal entries in my head as I do things that require my hands. And when I do have free time I usually choose to sleep! So alas I miss out on recording things that are important to me.

On thursday around 3pm, I was realizing that Halle had been a part of our family for almost 100 hours. I was also reflecting on her birth and how difficult and painful it was for me. At the time I was doubting myself and my choice in going through all of it. And now I would gladly do it all again (including being pregnant all summer!) to have her in my life for just these 100 hours. Her presence is a huge blessing and I feel so grateful that I get to be her mother. She is already smiling (both with her eyes open and shut) and she laughs in her sleep all the time! It is so darling!

So speaking of her birth- here is my version (warning- it's gonna be long):
Around 3am Monday morning, after hearing Landon cry out, I went to his room . He wanted to snuggle so I carried him into the livingroom to sleep on the couch with me. As I walked into the living room I felt like I had peed my pants. But I had never peed that much on accident... so for the next hour and a half I tried to figure out if my water had broke or I had lost all control of my bladder. Around 4:30am I was convinced it was indeed my water, so I told Anthony and he looked it up on his smartphone so we knew for sure what was happening. And his smartphone also confirmed that my water had broke (there's an app for that! hahaha jk). Anyways it was raining and I really didn't want to go into full on labor at home, so we called Grandpa Alan to stay at home with Landon while we went to the hospital. (Once Landon woke up he and grandpa ate honeycomb and had a grand ole time hanging out before getting dropped off at cousin's house). Anyways we got to the hospital and they confirmed that my water had indeed broke, so I was admitted. At around 9am I was started on pitosin since my contractions had not started and it had been 6 hours since my water had broke. We watched tv and made good use of the time relaxing (my mother in law Patti was there and my sister in law Tina also came eventually - so we had ourselves a little party!) Around 11:30/12- the contractions came on and got very strong, very quickly. I told the nurse I wanted an epidural. The contractions then got really strong. All I could do was coach myself through each one. I would just focus on the one contraction and pray for strength between contractions. Then my nurse broke the news that the anesthesiologist was in an emergency situation and that she would be on her way but it may be awhile. I was crushed but I couldn't focus on that. I just kept praying that she would come as soon as possible. After what seemed like forever she came- I really have no idea how long it took- I actually felt like I was all alone in the room- I could not focus on anything but the contractions and the little bit of rest I was having inbetween. The epidural went in (not without a few painful contractions) and life again was good. (Anthony afterwards was telling me how huge the needle was! Thanks luv for not telling me that at the moment:)) Finally the pain was gone and I was soooooo relieved. (I again realize at this point that all-natural aka no pain meds during labor and delivery is NOT for me!). I instantly went into transition and went from a 7 to a 10 in just 30 minutes. I was shaking so bad!!! The nursed checked me and said I was ready to push. The doctor came and we pushed a few times but I was a little out of sync with it. Then the doctor was needed in another room and I told her I was fine with waiting (she said 10 minutes). The 10 minutes turned into 40 and in that time I started to have this weird pain in my right leg. It started to really hurt! We figured it was the baby on a nerve so we tried to adjust my position but the pain just got worse and worse... and then I could tell my epidural was wearing off. So I told the nurse and anethesiologist came soon before it got too painful. As soon as I felt "good" again (and luckily the strange leg pain was better) we started pushing. Strangely, I also got extremely hungry at this point too. I wanted to get her out asap so I could eat and before the epidural wore off again. Luckily with pushing, this time I was getting it! And this time I could feel everything (but pain) so once she was emerging I did not want to stop pushing. I wanted her out! And luckily she was out very quickly. I was soooooo relieved. My beautiful girl was here and I didn't have to labor anymore. It honestly took me a few moments to relax and recover from the labor to really appreciate the little angel on my chest.

My baby kept lifting her head and looking at me. It was so precious! I did skin to skin with her for over an hour (and my sister in law Sarah who came right after she was born, fed me crackers and peanut butter becuase I was famished), then I tried breastfeeding...and she took right to it! It was so awesome! (breastfeeding was a struggle for me and Landon so it was a relief this time around). After that Anthony finally got a turn holding his daughter. And eventually she was weighed and measured. It was so nice to not be in a rush at all.

The recovery from this pregnancy was much easier. I wasn't nearly as sore as with landon - since I probably only pushed for a half hour (with landon it was over 2 hours!) I felt so good that when I saw Landon the next day I picked him up...which was a bad idea since then I started to feel more sore... didn't think that maybe picking up something that's 30lbs after giving birth wasn't a good idea! Hahaha! The rest of our hospital stay was really nice.

We decided this time around to limit visitors and it was a really good decision. The hospital is a place to heal, not entertain. We did have Landon come and my sister in law Missy and her kids over and it was so fun! The little twins were in love with their baby cousin! It was also during this time that the records dept told us we did not have to pick a name before we left the hospital so we packed it up and left Tuesday evening to sleep at home in our own beds. (The billing dept also told us how much we would owe if we left that day, or chose to stay another night... another great reason to leave! I will save the $400 (this is the 20% coinsurance) for a nice hotel in scottsdale... not the hospital :))

A rose by any other name...

2011-11-12T16:26:00.001-07:00

Giving a person a name has never been an easy decision for us. This new person will have their name their entire life! It's not just a "baby" name. So with both of our children, we waited until we met them to name them. And with our daughter- we waited until she was 4 days old. She was born on Monday and the records dept gave us until Friday before they said they would send her paperwork in. At the hospital we narrowed down our list to about 10 names... then at home we used the whiteboard in our kitchen to narrow it down more. We got down to 2 names and Anthony told me that he liked both of them and that it was my decision! So on Thursday night (yes we waited until THE last minute) as I cared for our daughter I debated over the names all night... the pros and cons, etc. But I kept going back to one and so the next morning when Anthony woke up, I told him, "I think her name is Halle" and he said that was great! So relieved to finally pick a name- it had been stressing me out!

So Halle Genevieve it is! And she is a complete delight. She is so sweet and just does a lot of sleeping and eating... and also has times when she is very alert and enjoys just watching all of us. She only gets upset when she is overly hungry, being bathed or having her diaper changed. Having her in our home is such a blessing. I have already observed her laughing in her sleep- and smiling at me with her eyes open and shut. I love her soft velvetly skin and her long fingers and toes...newborns are so special! I can't believe that days ago she was inside me! Childbirth is such a miracle. We are full of gratitude for our lil Halle girl :)

P.S. Halle's name is pronounced like the actress Halle Berry (Alley with an H in front of it). Also we chose Genevieve after Anthony's grandma Genevieve "Jenny" Carpenter. She passed away this past year and we found out we were expecting a girl on her birthday June 10.

And then there were FOUR!!!

2011-11-09T10:48:00.030-07:00

Well,The Mackelprang Family has welcomed another little jem into our lives!

40 weeks of pregnacy began feeling a little overwelming the last few weeks for the both of us. So at our last doctors appt I came up with the brilliant plan to spif the doctor 20 bucks to break Robyn's water. After running this by my co-workers they commented that 20 bucks really wasn't that much money to a doctor & that it might be more of a insult, than a spif. So during the appointment, which I attended, we set a date for Monday the 7th @ 11:00am for the induction. We both felt really good about this desicion, and began getting things lined up. It was great, we had the weekend to prep the house, run errands etc & get ready for her arrival.
Monday morning came sooner then I'd thought. Robyn woke me up around 4:30 saying that she thought her water broke. I guess Landon woke up in the middle of the night and she moved him to the family room couch, and thats when she noticed. Well Robyn had packed all her & the baby's things weeks ago so all we had to do was call Grandma & Grandpa to come over and watch Landon. The call was made and my mom answered the phone knowing exactly what was going on. Moments later Alan arrived and we took off to the hospital. Thankfully we weren't in active labor or progressing too quickly because rain was coming down hard & the weather wouldn't have permitted a high speed run to the hospital! Once we reached the hospital Robyn was moved right into triage, and then to the delivery room.

To our suprise the hospital had cable & we both caught up on our long since gone cable shows. Of course I couldn't watch the manly shows because Robyn was the one in pain. So there was a lot of "Cake Boss", "Say yes to the dress" type things on. Thank goodness we got out before friday because "19 kids and counting" was coming on. Robyn's in love with the Duggers, but I feel the total opposite, prego or not I won't be watching them!

The day progressed quickly for us. We had great nursing staff. My mom & sister Tina kept us company and played a great roll during the delivery. With Robyn quickly progressing the epidural was ordered and not a minute too late. Robyn worked through strong contraction after contraction for 45 minutes before the doctor was ready to set the epidural. Holy cow the needle they used!!!! I hate blood & guts when it has to do with my family! (but watching it on TV is fine). The needle was like a 44 ouncer straw! Once the pain meds started rolling, Robyn was able to rest and prepare herself for the delivery. Soon enough the contractions ramped up and we began pushing and counting breaths in & out.

From first push to last I think maybe a half hour passed til the little one was born. The nurse allowed Robyn & baby to go straight to skin to skin for two hours which they both really loved (baby girl also nursed and took right too it!). This meant I didn't get to hold the baby for two hours though. As soon as the baby went to Robyns chest she began lifting her head. She was checking out her mom for sure! All those voices she'd heard for so long were getting faces, except for Landon!

This is one picture we wish we would have taken with Landon's delivery staff. Wendy was the nurse & Doctor Mayes delivered both of our children. Couldn't have asked for better medical & family around during the delivery. Well Gloria was missing, we wish she could have been there!

This little girl was very excited to see her new surroundings. Here eyes were wide open, scanning the room and taking every thing in!

Of course happy mom & baby together, and FINALLY I got a turn! After I got done holding the baby, she was weighed and measured. 8 pounds 13 ounces, 21.25 inches long! She's longer & weighs more then Landon did when he was born.
Our baby was given her first bath later on monday evening. As you can see she hated it! Screamed the whole time! I grew up with some sisters that didn't like to shower, so I understand.

Tuesday morning I picked up Landon so he could meet his sister for the first time. I like this pictures because you can see the fear in her eyes! Who's this big kid coming after me!!! Fortunatly Landon did very well. Both Robyn & I just keep saying be soft and be gentle, and he listened well.
There was a couple times Landon took a couple pretty long looks at her binkie. I think he kind of remembered it, but wasn't really sure. He was a great help & very cute while helping!

Our two little angels!

Tuesday night after finding out that the records dept would let us go with out a name we packed up, watched our two parenting movies and took off! Of course the baby was all dressed up in her new clothes for her first car ride.

So off to the races we go! Life I'm sure is going to be harder, but oh so much sweeter with a little girl present! We still are with out a name, so any suggestions are more then welcome. The records dept has given us til friday.

Lately

2011-11-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

Friday evening Landon was resting his head on baby sister (aka my belly) as he watched his choo choo movie- since I was wearing the same shirt from over 2 years ago (not becuase orange is that fashionable now (or then!)- it's just what fits!) I had anthony snap a picture to show how much he's grown:

Ah this little guy is so much fun! And he is very much enjoying playing with sister's carseat before she gets here!

Saturday night we had Landon tag along for date night- it will probably be our last outing as a family of 3. He went to town on the Texas Roadhouse peanuts and rolls as usual. He even loves chewing on their peanut shells! Grandpa and Grandma Hardy joined us so that was a goodtime. Afterwards we took him to the park to play and he and Daddy had a great time running around. It was nice to spend some good one-on-one time with lil man. To top the evening off we dropped by the Talley's for a visit- we always love hanging out with them!

Sunday has been a day full of rest and preparation. We also had to take advantage of the nice weather and play outside. Landon played with his cars in the rocks and dirt- and also drove his RC truck- he loves crashing it into things!

Then before church it was picture time- too bad we don't have a tri-pod so we could get a picture all together!

(39 weeks and 5 days!!!)

Landon and Anthony- if you look closely you'll notice they have matching shoes!!!

Grandma and Grandpa Hardy brought dinner over for all of us tonight- meatloaf, potatos and corn! The rest of the day was getting ready for our upcoming hospital stay... packing, cleaning, etc! I think we are ready for baby girl to come!

Simply Great

2011-11-04T10:09:00.002-07:00

Wednesday we enjoyed a great day. We met up with Papa at the Mesa Riverview park and played, fed geese and pigeons and ate Taco Bell. And the weather? Well sitting in the shade I was actually cold!!! It was awesome!!! Then Landon and I stopped by Target and he was very well behaved... I was even able to pick out some jeans and a hoodie for him. Then at home we both took long, restful naps and it was glorious! When Anthony got home we made dinner together- homemade burgers with grilled onions... seriously soooo good! That night we also decided to look one more time for our infant carseat insert and bottle parts in our attic. And I FINALLY FOUND THEM!!! I was soooo excited because this was probably the 5th time I've looked for them. Anthony also organized a bunch of stuff and now our attic looks so tidy. And Landon- he was playing with the baby swing and all his toys we have stored up in the attic- he was also having a great time. It was seriously such a lovely day!

Then around 10:30pm I started having strong contractions about every 6 minutes. Then after a few hours they got more painful but were about 10 minutes apart. I tried to sleep but I couldn't and I wasn't sure what to do. I took 2 baths and then was able to eventually fall asleep. It was a strange night becuase I was so convinced that I was going into labor and that my baby's birthday was going to be Nov 3... this pregnancy and labor and delivery stuff can be pretty frustrating! Especially, because since then, I haven't really had any contractions! What?!?!

So in essence, I am thankful we were blessed with such a great day on Wednesday and that I was able to look to that when I felt to tired and frustrated on Thursday :) That's life!

Halloween Time

2011-11-01T08:08:00.031-07:00

This Halloween we lived it up as usual. Personally by the actual Halloween night I was worn out! But we couldn't let another fun holiday night's festivities pass us by! So this is what we did the last couple days:

Thursday night we watched the Office. This is the one show we watch consistantly each week- but without Steve Carell it's not as good. Such a bummer!

Friday night we met up with our friend the Allens and joined them at their ward trunk or treat. When we arrived we got Landon's wings out and to our utter amazement he actually wore them without a fuss! (earlier he absolutely refused to put them on... maybe he knew he'd get some candy out of the deal!)

Seriously- these 2 guys are so handsome!

Doug and Linken- the mario brothers! Only later that night did I notice that his mustache was real! Well- just Doug's!

Nikki and I sat and talked about the boys took our boys out to play all the fun halloween games. We loved just sitting and talking! But when the actual trunk or treat started I had to follow along becuase it was so fun to see Landon in action. All he could say was "tweet"- so cute!

After the festivities we went to the allen's to hang out and Landon loved all of Linken's toys! This ballpit was so cool!

Saturday morning we got our carpets cleaned (needed really badly since we eat most of our meals in the living room since we don't have a dining room!). Since the carpets were wet for a few hours we decided to take Landon to a nearby pumpkin patch and it was so fun! They were so many fun activities and the weather was perfect!!! Along with a lil petting zoo there was a fun corn maze:

And a bounce house! Landon spent most of his time in there- he was in heaven! I am already planning that his next birthday party will include a bouncehouse!

They had this cool train/tractor ride that Landon was so excited for:

But afterwards we realized that he wasn't really enjoying himself...

at all!!! I think he would've been fine it we had gone with him... look at that face! It made we want to laugh and cry all at the same time!

He loved these big tires- he just sat there and enjoyed scooping dirt inside fo them:

Oh yeah- I am going to need to remove my shoes for this:

Then the baseball toss game...

And the pony ride. He wanted nothing to do with this but we made him do it... thinking he'd like it eventually. But no

Then it was time for the hayride. Papa turned on elmo music videos for entertainment while we waited:

When we arrived at the pumpkin patch we posed Lando and he was so excited to bite this pumpkin... so not like him to pick up a vegetable and voluntarily put it in his mouth!!!

The last photo at the pumpkin patch:

Afterwards we went to Ned's for sub sandwiches- soooo delicious! Then it was naptime! That night we had our ward trunk or treat. Landon was liking this business of getting treats just for dressing up!

He had a lot of fun and spent a lot of time in the dirt and laying on the asphalt... so he was filthy!!!

Sunday we took a break from Halloween festivities which was kinda nice. We went to church, took naps and then had family over for dinner- Anthony made amazing grilled marinated chicken! Then we skyped with family.

Monday I planned to get Landon dressed in his costume and take him to Anthony's work but I was so exhausted still from the weekend so he watched a movie on the computer while I slept on the couch. Then I took another nap when he did! It was a good thing becuase that night we had a lot of fun and were out late!

Our first stop was trick or treating to one of our neighbors (who reminded us that we needed to stop by- since last year we didn't and they had bought treats specifically for Landon!) This year they gave him candy and a little toy tractor- so sweet of them!

Then we went to the neighborhood where Anthony grew up- our friends the Hoskins joined us- Landon loves "Ree Ree" and "K"

We walked around trick or treating for over 2 hours! I got a great workout!!! Landon was so fun to watch- he was in heaven running around getting candy with his favorite friends. It seriously was such a fun time watching him enjoy the holiday. Landon got a ton of candy and we loved visiting with so many friends. Everyone loved our costumes. I felt so done with wearing my hospital get up - I just prayed I wouldn't go into labor that night so I would have a break from wearing the gown/wrist bands/iv etc!

The waiting game

2011-10-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Landon can wait for sister... he's rediscovered his old carseat and loves playing in it!

I'm sure all of you veteran mothers (who have had more than 1 child) know what I'm talking about. With Landon I had no labor systems until 14 hours into the induction process (at 40 weeks and 4 days) so this time around when I began have strong cramping, the feeling of a dropped baby, contractions and dialation (at 37 weeks) I thought I would be having her very soon! But as of today (at 38 and a half weeks) she is still very content to stay put and I am not so sure when she will decide to arrive. And I believe that's how it is going to be with every pregnancy. No one knows when a baby will decide to be born- and it will probably be different each time. So in the meantime I am trying to be ready at a moments notice, but also trying to live life as if she wont be here for another 2 weeks.

I also think this is a good time to focus on Landon and being a mother to just one child. I'm sure I will soon think "what did I do with all of my extra time when I had just one child to care for?"... so for now I am enjoying every minute of it.

So this is what we've been up to:

First and foremost- Landon has fell in love with Elmo! Mainly his music videos with Adam Sandler, Will.I.Am and Jason Mraz... he loves watching them on our computer ;)

Thursday we walked the mall at Superstition springs- Landon loved stopping by the puppy store and playing in the play area. It was a fun night out!

Friday night we got a babysitter for Landon and Anthony and I went to a halloween party dressed as a OB doc and his laboring patient (a couple people pointed to my stomach and asked "is that real?" oh yes- very real!). We had a great time meeting new people, seeing lots of friends and eating great food.

Our friends dressed up the same as us! We love this couple!

Saturday I took Landon to an adorable car themed birthday party- then we all took long naps- then it was date night. After dropping Landon off at his friends house, we drove to Chandler mall to walk. We got a couple laps in, then stopped at the bookstore and looked for baby names from a bunch of babyname books. It was really fun and we added 2 names to our list. Then my favorite part of the date- we picked up some cheesecake from the cheesecake factory! Seriously I was in heaven and at this moment I continue to think about how delicious it was (and how I want more!!!). I chose Chocolate Raspberry Truffle and Anthony got Banana. - after we picked up Landon we all shared them- Landon loved mine but hated Anthony's!

Sunday church service was excellent, then after church we all nappped then we ate a delicious crock pot roast complete with gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, rolls and brocolli. I haven't made a roast in a very long time so that was a fun treat! We had Patti and Alan and Eric and Deanna (who announced their engagement!)- so it was a lot of fun visiting with them. Then we skyped with our california family for over an hour- one of my favorite activities of the week!

Monday Landon and I met up with friends at the park and it was so nice to be outside! We stayed for over 2 hours and we all had a lot of fun. After naps it was laundry, cleaning, etc until Daddy got home. While I finished dinner Anthony took Landon out to the green belt to fly his RC plane- they have so much fun doing that together (and about 3 other neighborhood kids who joined them loved it too!). After eating dinner- Anthony and I made carmel corn while Landon colored in his high chair. It was seriously such a simple fun activity to do as a family. We made the popcorn over the stove in a big pot- then when it was all popped we realized we didn't have a big enough bowl so we mixed the carmel and popcorn in 3 bowls and our crockpot! After finishing it, we walked 2 baggies of it to families in our ward. The evening was perfect for a walk- such a lovely night!

Tuesday was a lazy day. We stayed in for most of the day (laundry, cleaning, playing, movie watching, etc) except for one excursion to the grocery store...

Sweet Lando resting his head on my belly/baby sister

Wednesday we attended storytime at the library - then had lunch with Anthony and Grandpa Tony at Costco! I love costco lunch!

After lunch Landon was not tired so we walked to the park. The weather was breezy and cool and just perfect. Around 5pm it started to sprinkle but Lando and I did not mind it at all!

Thursday Anthony took Landon to work in the morning while I went to my OB appt. Landon was so excited to go to "papa work". He did great and was very well behaved. Then I took him to the park to meet up with friends and we played for over 2 hours- the kids had so much fun together and all the moms did too! After dinner that night we got dessert at Dairy Queen becuase a colleage of Anthony's said that put her into labor... we enjoyed our treats while sitting outside the temple visitors center. Landon ran around squealing the whole time!

Side note- I did not believe the Dairy Queen labor inducing qualities... but all night I was pretty sick so I can see why it may work for some people. But its not worth it to me! I will avoid DQ for awhile now. I will just walk to see if I can help things along! But I'm learning that no matter what people say or believe- a baby comes when they are ready... and no one knows when that will be... so in the meantime we will wait :) I know she'll be worth it!

She'll be coming 'round the mountain....

2011-10-20T08:09:00.004-07:00

The last week has brought so many labor symptons that I have come to realize that I probably won't make it to my due date with my little miss. As someone told me recently "she'll be coming 'round the mountain" soon! And once again I am in awe that I am blessed to be a mother again. With that is the worry and wondering about when labor will really come, what it will be like this time around, will I remember how to take care of a baby, what will it be like to care for 2 children, etc???

But I will just need to take things one at a time. So today I am enjoying the present. Feeling the baby roll around inside has been a delight! The doctor said she sounds very happy and she also enjoyed watching her roll around as I was examined yesterday. I am so excited to meet her! My only concern is that she does not have a name... so hopefully once she arrives Anthony and I will both be able to decide on a name for lil miss that suits her. Landon has been such a good boy and gets very excited whenever he sees a baby... hopefully that will be the case when there is a baby in our house soon!

So that is the latest... we'll let you know when lil miss decides to show up outside the womb :)

The best weather!

2011-10-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

This last week was utterly amazing... becuase the weather was perfect! Every day and evening was spent outside- we loved it! And I loved that for once in many months I was not sweating or hot at all! Halelujah!!!!!!!! 70 degree weather you are welcome to stay forever!!!

Monday night we had family night with the Talley's and the kids and grown-ups all had so much fun together! It's fun to do family night with other families. All the lesson was - was a game of ring around the rosies! :)

Tuesday we went to the park during the day- for over 2 hours! I got a little sunburned...

Wednesday morning we were at the park again! Then at night we went on an evening walk and saw the Lovell's and got to pop over to Tanner and Crystal's to meet 5 day old Cadence! It was such a fun night.

Thursday we met up with friends at Mesa Riverview park to play and feed the ducks.

Landon never wants to keep his shoes on... oh well!

The kids had a ball feeding the ducks! It was so cute! But Landon was more interested in eating the chips than feeding them to the ducks :)

Friday morning we went on a walk in the neighborhood and one of my friends called to say they were going to the park- so we met them there. Landon was in park heaven this week. Seriously he has really missed playing outside! (but in this heat, and being so pregnant I just can't handle it). Friday night we actually stayed in and watched "Rio" which was so cute! Landon even watched most of it.

Saturday Anthony had driver's school to go to - so I decided that since the weather was so nice we'd head to McCormick Railroad Park for the morning. We hadn't been since May for Landon's bday party so it was a nice outing for us. And when we got there I realized it was Rail Fair- a huge event with a ton of model trains set up and free museum admission and bounce houses! Landon was in Heaven. I was so sad Anthony was not with us becuase it was just so fun to see Landon's face light up with joy!

I think we stayed at this train table for at least 20 minutes... he was fascinated!

Then we took a train ride... Landon is saying "cheese" in this picture!

Then it was back to the models. They had so many cool set-ups! One table had a bunch of buttons and switches the kids could press to make the trains go and different things move on the table.
Landon is saying "Buzz!" becuase there was a woody and buzz train car that went around the table- he LOVED it!

So my one mistake that day was not packing a lunch.... so when I got hungry it was hard to pull Landon away from the tables. So when I ordered my food in the little general store there was a wooden thomas the train table set up in the corner where Landon played with other kids. He played for a little while, then I tried to get him to come outside so we could eat and he threw an absolute fit. The icecream and soda I tried to share with him would not suffice... he ran back in the store and I ran after him- with my arms full of food... this time I just sat in the corner and ate the over priced blah food while he continued to play happily. After I finished another child grabbed what he thought was "his" train and he started screaming... so it was then that I looked quite pitiful as a very pregnant woman carrying my 2 year old across the park as he wailed. I knew he was just tired and overstimulated. After he was buckled in I gave him some bites of the icecream and that somewhat helped- but about 10 minutes into our drive home, this was him:

Of course when we got home he woke up and was still very mad. So I fed him lunch and let him watch "Choo Choos" for 30 minutes to relax- which when I turned it off for naptime he flipped out again! This is not how Landon usually acts! But I knew he was tired so off to bed he went and he woke up from his nap a few hours later much happier :) It was honestly as awesome morning- it's just so easy to let the bad behavior overshadow the good sometimes. Once Anthony was home, I went to goodwill to get my 50% off day on... so fun! It got 2 darling things for baby girl- books for Landon and a maternity shirt for me :) Then that night we went on a date and ate Tia Rosas- yum! It was a great week and weekend!!!

Big Pumpkin!

2011-10-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today I am 35 weeks pregnant. I can't believe it- and then I can! With Landon we did a fishbowl belly painting and with this baby I wasn't sure what to do... so since it is now "Halloween" time- we decided on a girly Jack-O-Lantern. I think Anthony did an awesome job!

Landon did really well while Anthony painted- so in the end we gave him his own brush and let him "help". It was a fun night!

General Conference Oct 2011

2011-10-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

General Conference weekend is always so wonderful and this weekend's was no exception. I loved the messages. Saturday morning we were able to watch the broadcast on our computer while Landon watched a movie in the living room. Then we went swimming as a family and it was almost too chilly to get in! Here I am in all my 34.5 weeks of glory! I actually love this swimsuit- it makes me feel cute even when I am quite large :)

Landon loves to climb out of the pool and jump into Papa's arms!

I LOVE Landon's smile in this photo- he is so darling!

The afternoon session Landon napped so Anthony were again able to watch the entire session. Then we did some stuff around the house and as Anthony left to meet his Dad for priesthood session, Landon and I drove to Chick-Fil-A to meet up with Missy and the girls for dinner. We had a great time- the kids loved playing together! Afterwards I went to JoAnns to buy fabric flower supplies (I must say- I am getting a little OBSESSED with bows and flowers for lil miss!). Then Anthony called to say that he and his Dad would be going to Madda's for dinner- so we decided to meet up with them. It was packed and crazy and Landon was tired so the fun was short-lived :)

Sunday morning we did omelets at "Aunt Nina's" house- and they were really good! Landon loved playing at Grandma's for that session of conference. Then for the afternoon session we returned home so Landon could nap (and both Anthony and I dozed off for the last 2 talks!!!). The evening was a relaxing one and I just felt so grateful to have such a pleasant weekend together as a family. I feel so blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are so lucky to have so many great apostles and a modern-day prophet to look to for guidance in these troubling times.

Reading on the pot

2011-09-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

Potty training Landon has been quite low on our totem pole... he's not that interested and since everyone says to wait until your child is ready- we just go with the flow. When we think to have him sit on the potty in the morning- he is usually happy to do so! Especially when Daddy gave him a toy catalog to look at while doing so:

Look at that smile! He just melts my heart :)

10!

2011-09-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

Diesel 10 is one of Landon's favorite trains- but having no luck finding one at a store- Daddy ordered it and it finally arrived in the mail :)

He loves his new train (he calls him 10!) -good thing Landon has a Daddy that loves to spoil him!

Treasure

2011-09-27T22:04:00.000-07:00

I struck gold when in 2005 my Dad found me a used 2001 gold saturn. The price was right for my college budget and it turned out to be an extremely reliable car. My Dad picked it up in California- drove it to Utah to pick me up- then we drove all the way to Atlanta Georgia in it! It ran great and was a perfect car for me while interned for the summer. One day that summer I was running errands with a co-worker of mine named Becky (She is one of the most fun-loving, silly people I have ever met- and I believe she was over 50 years old at the time!) As we drove along in my car, I dropped something down between the seat and the center console. As I reached down to grab whatever it was that I dropped- I felt something strange... so I grabbed it and pulled it up and Becky and I were both in shock to see me holding a condom! Then we both started laughing and Becky (knowing my strong morals) said "Now, I KNOW that isn't yours!!!!" Although the car was supposedly cleaned out by the previous owner- they must've forgetten to check that area of the car! After that experience I never imagined I'd find anything else as interesting.... until this week.

The stereo buttons had began to not work, so when a totaled saturn from came into Anthony's shop he was able to swap out the stereo for a working one! As he pulled it out - something dropped out... another treasure:

This photo! It has been in my car for over 6 years and we never knew it!!! So the question is - who are these girls? Did one of them own my car? Are they daughter or girlfriends of the previous owner? Hahahaha the picture is just hilarious! And when was it taken? It looks early nineties.... Oh my goodness- the treasures that this car has had. And who knows... there may be more! We'll just have to wait and see :)

Fun Weekend!

2011-09-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

Actually it was a very fun week! Monday night we had FHE with our friends the Brisoleras (and we got to see their new home!), Tuesday we ate out at Red Robin and got a free burger for Anthony's Bday (Landon and Anthony enjoying their drinks!)
(and afterwards went shopping for new maternity tops for me- running low on things to cover this belly!), Wednesday we met with a real estate agent (ok not the most exciting of events!), Thursday we watched the Office Season premier with our friends the Homers- always a good time! On Friday we dropped off donuts at Anthony's work- then that night I took Anthony to Jester'z. Neither of us had been and it was a lot of fun! We laughed and laughed and then got bahama bucks for dessert! Then we picked up lil man from the our friends house :)

Saturday morning Anthony and Landon hit up Liberty Market for his free birthday breakfast and I was told to be ready to go at 8:45am. My mother-in-law picked me up and we went to Crackers and Co where close friends and family were waiting to surprise me with a baby shower! It was so sweet of them- I loved it so much!!!
Cupcakes and Cake-pops!
Close up of the cake pops :)
One of the games was baby name ideas- that was fun!

And celebrity baby name game!

Tina, Missy and Patti- my wonderful in-laws!

Baby Kate, Leanne, Jamie and Me (we were all roommates before I got married)

Patti, Lisa and Carly (Landon loves Lisa's daughters Kaylee and Avery and he love's Carly's daughter Mady- oh so many girlfriends so little time!!!)

After an amazing breakfast (eggs benedict!)- I opened so many lovely gifts! I was overwhelmed with darling outfits, headbands and bows and a very handy car seat cover!

Me with my sister in law Sarah (one of the master minds behind the shower!)

My dear friend Christy- who is 40 weeks and 6 days in this photo! She is such a trooper :)

It was such a lovely morning! I had such a great time being with so many people that I love! Afterwards I came home and cleaned up while Anthony and Landon were at the mall running a couple errands. At naptime all 3 of us slept! Landon has been sick so we all needed the rest! After naps we decided to hit up another joint for a free bday meal- Joe's BBQ!

Anthony got an incredible rootbeer float. We were stuffed after lunch so we went outside to the outdoor splash area for Landon to play. He wanted nothing to do with the splash area- but was quite into the fountain.

After this we went to the superstition springs mall- I told Anthony we were going to buyhis bday present. Of course after a stop at the play area, we walked down to Buckle and I told him I was going to buy him a new pair of jeans. He likes his new jeans but got really sick of trying on so many pairs (he's a guy- so he usually does not try anything on! Hahaha). Landon was running all over the store entertaining the workers (hiding in the clothing racks, rolling his cars along the floor, crawling in and out of Anthony's dressing room, etc!). Afterwards we went and bought a lemonaid and I saw an old co-worker I hadn't seen in 5 years- it was fun to reconnect! We drove home and Anthony gave Landon a bath while I ran to the grocery store. We finished the night with one pink cupcake (from the baby shower) with one candle to make one wish! (We were all so full still that the 3 of us sharing one cupcake was enough!) Then we watched old office episodes while my cinnamon swirl bread baked :)

Sunday morning I made french toast and took a nap- I had too much fun yesterday! Then church(we went to a missionary homecoming for a close friend and Grandpa Tony was there too- so that was fun!), more naps and dinner at Patti & Alans- then we had Anthony's bday cake- a homemade icecream cake. It turned out pretty good! We ended the night by skyping with my mom (I showed her all the darling things I got from the shower). Honestly it was such a delightful weekend. We loved it :)

Figuring it out...

2011-09-15T16:21:00.000-07:00

There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm. ~Willa Cather

My goodness- it has been an interesting 9 months... and I am not talking about this pregnancy. In January, after realizing we could be qualified for a home loan, we started shopping for houses. After spending many hours on the computer looking at homes, going with our realtor to look at a ton of homes, putting offers in on one short sale home, and half dozen foreclosed homes, changing realtors, etc.... in August we found a home we really liked and submitted an offer that was actually accepted! We were so excited because the house is great! Only 7 years old, 2150 sf, granite countertops in the kitchen, and best of all a backyard (and all for about $50 more a month than we pay on our 1000 sf condo!) So we entered a contract and wired our earnest money. But I was worried.... we had heard so many different opinions about what we should/could do with our condo. Rent, short sale or foreclose (I wish we could just sell it! I hate this housing market!)? I had already talked to many different people about our options- but I still felt unsure. I remember one sunday feeling so uneasy about it all! So we got serious and we set up a meeting with an attorney. Best $200 we could've spent! He opened our eyes to our options and the reality of what can happen, all legal ramifications, etc. After meeting with him I hardly slept that night becuase I was so earnestly praying and searching for what we should do! After studying many great scriptures and praying for guidance I was prompted that either of the 2 options we chose were good choices (both have pros and cons and will take work- but both will work out for us). So the next morning I spoke to Anthony and we agreed to continue with the purchase of the home and planned to rent our condo. We got the home inspected- found out that the termite and roof issues would not be too difficult or expensive to repair. Then the home was appraised for the exact price we offered on it. And then there was the flood....

Yes a flood! On Sep 11, our realtor told us that he'd just been informed that the house flooded! The next day Anthony went to see the damage. It was bad. The entire downstairs had flooded about 5 inches up every wall. All the carpet was soaked, the kitchen cabinets were warped, the vinyl was all pulled up, the paint was peeling and the baseboarded were destroyed. Oh and the electricity was shut off (since the house had just been appraised the power was shut off (a normal procedure I guess) so all the fans and dehumidifiers they had set up weren't helping much- especially since it was over 100 degrees outside- hello mold!!!!). The bank said they would be fixing everything and would give us a game plan of when all repairs would be done. We started looking through our paperwork to see what could be done. In the meantime we had listed our condo for rent and even at losing $115 a month on it- we had NO BITES! This made us nervous. Yes you can deduct your loses from taxes- but only a percentage... (I have also been speaking to a CPA and he helped me understand the tax side of things also!!!)

So we tried to decide if we really wanted to buy a flooded house (and down the road try and sell a house that had been flooded)- that also may have mold growing in it... and drain our savings account to cover our condo (even in the event that we had a good renter that paid each month and didn't trash the place!!!).

So after another night of studying, praying and pleading we came to a decision to back out. And again we both felt so peaceful. The scriptures truly help us in our hour of need. I am so thankful for the gospel. It is wonderful and so vital!

Through this experience, I have learned that if you are in a similar situation- fork over the money and see a real estate attorney (you will hear different theories from all sorts of people - but go to someone that is a professional). Also talk to a CPA- there are many tax considerations to be aware of. And pray and study (and fast if you aren't pregnant) - you will need the guidance.

So what are we doing now??? We are going to hang tight and have a baby in a few weeks... and that is all that matters :) We'll figure out our housing situation eventually

Camp Out!

2011-09-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

We eagerly awaited our upcoming campout with grandpa Alan and grandma Patti. Anthony wanted to get a new tent and with an unexpected bonus- we bought this beauty: It filled up our entire living room! The coolest thing about this tent is that the poles are attached and it takes less than 60 seconds to put it up! So awesome.

Landon loved running in and out of it once it was set up and then decided to take a little rest with papa inside.

Cute lil bebe!

Friday night we headed up the hill. It was misting and we so enjoyed watching the temperature drop from 100 degrees to about 70! Ah so nice to get out of the heat! Our neighbor Amare joined us and he was so polite and helpful the entire time (especially with Landon!). When we arrived in camp we set up our tent and then broke out the glowsticks and air cannon. The kids loved watching them fly high in the sky- then race to pick them all up. We also had smores and campfire banana splits- yum!

That night once we were all nestled in our beds- it started to sprinkle. The weather actually got cold! It felt so nice to be cold! Everyone in our tent slept great- except me. I'm pretty sure I had to pee every hour and once I got back in bed it took me a long time to actually fall asleep everytime! Needless to say I felt pretty crappy the rest of the weekend....

Anyways back to the fun stuff. Saturday morning we woke up nice and early and enjoyed hot chocolate around the fire. After an amazing breakfast Anthony took Landon on a little dirt bike ride:

As you can see- he had mixed feelings about it!

He actually preferred exploring- he would walk and walk - pick up sticks and rocks- climb on stuff- he had a great time!

And he loved playing in the dirt!!!

Playing with his girl cousins!

Danica and Landon- they are about 6 months apart in age- and so cute together!

After playing in the dirt for a long time, Grandma and Grandpa took us on a hike to the watering hole. I honestly didn't think it was going to be much of a hike at all- but it was a workout! Luckily Phil and Alan helped me out when Landon got too tired to walk (Anthony was riding the dirt bike with Amare). The watering hole was fun! The kids loved throwing rocks in! Plus Grandpa and Grandma pulled out oreo cookies and doritos for the kids to munch on- they loved that! Afterwards we made our trek down and the kids played some more while Phil, Anthony and Amare went to shoot guns- they guys had a ton of fun doing that! Then it was time to drive home. It was a very fun camp-out! (But you won't be seeing me camp again until well after this baby arrives :))!

If you give a kid some koolaid

2011-09-06T15:47:00.004-07:00

If you give a kid some koolaid- they can get a joker grin that lasts all day...
And koolaid stains that run down their bellies!

Oh and these stains are after he had just been bathed. Yes he had a bath right before he ate lunch because that morning since it was only 91 degrees outside we decided to go play at the park. It was not that bad at first and Landon did not mind at all! He loved playing in the sand as usual:

But after playing and running and eating and laying in the sand- he was a sweaty sandy mess!

So a bath was necessary before he got in bed. And then we ate lunch, and then I gave him some koolaid in a cup and there he was again in need of another bath :)

Oh in other news- Landon got his first bonefide goose egg today- the picture does not do it justice! And I had no idea he had hit his head that hard (he fell into the side of a chair while running around at the library story time) but luckily after crying for about 20 seconds he was back to his happy self!

Seriously I adore this kid. He has such a sweet and happy disposition (plus he is very well behaved, takes awesome naps and sleeps all night long!). I am enjoying this while it lasts becuase in a few weeks I'll have a newborn in the mix and our sleep will all be suffering for a while :) All good things!

Staycation

2011-08-29T08:51:00.004-07:00

This weekend we had the opportunity to stay at Wildhorse Pass Resort for quite a good deal- so we decided to take a little "Arizona staycation". After we arrived and got settled on Friday night, I was of course hungry so we decided to go visit the western town Rawhide and eat at their steakhouse. Of course we had to look around first! Rawhide is set up just like a ole western town. Saloons & General stores line the gravel covered main street. As quiet as it was this friday night, they still had people in full western get up walking up and down the street greeting you, making small talk, all in charactor. This is one of the many items we saw that were photo worthy, and of coarse we had to get a photo in this Electric chair :) Then we visited a booth that had free bandanas and sheriff badges. We were so surprised when Landon actually kept the bandana on his head! Our little gang banger cow boy. We think the only reason he kept it on was he thought he was Buz Lightyear. He kept touching his bandana and saying buzz!

Just like the cowboys wear it...right?!?!?

Rawhide has alot of little attractions. The nice thing is if you want spend the whole day there you can buy all day passes and ride and see everything for one price. Here's Landon waiting out front of the ticket counter playing in the dirt.

Our first stop was the petting zoo... He loved it! All the animals were pretty young and really used to being around humans. The goat in the picture below kept coming up behind Landon and nibbling on his bandana.

Several times Landon would pick up that animal feed and try to feed it to the animals.

This baby calf didn't have a worry in this world. When Landon first sat down next to him almost poked him in the nostral.

I'm sure they don't allow this, but Landon got to sit on the pony while no one was looking!

He loved this darling calf!

Second stop was the steam train. The driver was really nice and let both Anthony and I go with Landon (even though we only had a ticket for one of us) since there was no one there that night! The trainride was well worth the price and quite comical. And of course Landon LOVED it!

Driving by the ole' jail

After walking up and down the dusty main street we decided to grab a bite to eat, and get out of the heat. Everyday this week has been in the high 100's with a state issued heat advisory. So we took shelter at the steakhouse. I'd heard from coworkers that the rattlesnake at this steakhouse was excellent, but upon walking in they had a sigh displayed stating that the snakes were hiding, and thus they were out! Bummer! I can't say I would have got it if they had it, but maybe a appetizers worth. Who knows, I guess it tastes like chicken.

Landon loved his sprite & for the most part stayed very content walking back and forth between us in our booth. During dinner we were entertanied by a live band, a black guy dressed up in total drag clothing (we weren't sure if that was a stage act or not, so we steered clear of him ). This placed seemed to draw everyone in for there birthdays. The poor live band sang the Happy Birthday song every ten minutes it seemed. The dinner was ok, Robyn got a monsterous hamburger, I got a filet and Landon got chicken strips and fries. By the time dinner was wrapping up it was time to get Lando into bed. So we called the shuttle and they came and picked us up.

I'm sure the lady shuttle driver knew the road like the back of her hand, but dang she drove like a bat out of you know where. Poor Lando, first ride in a bus with out a carseat. He was getting tossed and turned and thrown all over.

Saturday morning Landon started his day watching a choo choo movie on our large and fluffy bed accompanied by Mothers Oatmeal frosted cookies! It's vacation you can do that kinda stuff.... RIGHT?

Then we hit the pool. The slide was the first part of our morning... Landon had mixed feelings about it!

The rest of the time we just followed Landon around and watch him enjoy the water- he loved the beach entry- easy to run into:

And fall into!

After swimming for most of the morning we got cleaned up and drove to "our" house (the house we are in a contract on...hoping to buy) for our home inspection. After about an hour going over broken & damaged house things Landon was a little tired... and bored, so he decided to begin picking the texture off a section of the staircase!

Here's a quick look into " Our soon to be, hopefully it goes through house" We've learned in our almost year long search that looking for a new home isn't as glorious as it was once made out to be. We really love this home and feel it would be a smart move for us at this time in our lives. We'll still be keeping our condo in Mesa and would love to rent it out to some newly wedd or small family, so let us know if you know of anyone looking! "We give you good deal!!!"

We had Chick Fil A for lunch- always a good place to eat... Landon loved playing even though he was just in his diaper and t-shirt (his shorts got leaked on!) In the same parking lot theres a Potato Barn store (knock off Pottery Barn) so we wandered through looking for a kitchen table. Thats something we haven't owned yet in our four years of marriage! Kind of weird, but its worked so far without having one.

We got back to the hotel and Anthony went to visit our buddy Doug (who was working at a conference at the resort- aka our hook-up for the cheap room) and Landon and I napped. That evening I was craving some Cracker Barrel pancakes so we dropped Anthony off at Firebird Raceway while Landon and I went on a little dinner date. After eating, we met up with Anthony to watch the "drifting show"

What is drifting you ask? Its pretty much driving a car through a twisted track full of turns, as fast as you can, while peeling out causing large clouds of white smoke. The above picture is an example. It was very loud, hot and there was a lot of dust and tire debri in the air- oh and the smell of burning tires, brakes and gasoline and overheating engines... I'm sure we stunk bad afterwards!

Anthony's buddy Chris was there racing and he took Anthony for a couple rides. Of course I wasn't thrilled with this, but after watching everyone else survive and knowing how much fun he would have, I said ok. He got in with his buddy and put on his helmet: Chris's car is a late 90's Nissan 240SX. Stock they came with a small 4 cylinder engine. This of course isn't the case with Chris's car. That wimpy 4 cylinder became a paper weight after it was pulled out and replaced with a hopped up corvette engine. The 240 SX is now a 570SX. 570 meaning the horsepower the engine has!

(oh yeah- he's in the car with a demon painted on the side...lovely!)

Mama and Landon waiting for Daddy's turn to go on the track:

And off he goes!

And Anthony survived and had SO MUCH FUN! So glad he was able to have this opportunity. Landon and I watched and then Landon got bored and just played in the dirt... funny kid just loves dirt !

Here's a couple videos I recorded while Robyn and Landon were at dinner. The last video was one of my three rides with Chris. Unfortunatly it was dark and the video didn't turn out to great, but I now hove record that I've drifted. In the last video going into the second turn we slid off the road! Listen for the sound of the rocks hitting the underside of the car.

When we got back to the hotel we all got cleaned up. Scrab a dub, dub two boys in the "shower".

Ah I love these boys.

Sunday morning we packed up and hit the road so we'd have plenty of time to get home in time for church. The staycation was very nice! A well needed break - but one that didn't require that much driving :)

Another free meal

2011-08-20T12:50:00.002-07:00

So we did it again- got dressed up just for free food! Chick Fil A did a "action hero night" where if you dressed up as your favorite hero you got a free meal! So we decided to go. Last minute Anthony wasnt able to swing it, but Lando and I were able to meet up with the Johnstons so that was fun. Landon wore his batman pajama top (with cape!) and I wore a shirt that Anthony got a six flags that also has a cape and happened to fit my belly- woohoo! We had a good time visiting and as usual Landon LOVED playing in the play area with all the other super heros :) Enjoying some sprite!

Sweet baby Dallin!

Aunt Missy & Lando

Lando and Mama

Sanger or Bust (Part 3)

2011-08-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

After our usual sunday activites of church, naps and a delicious dinner, Anthony was really excited to let Landon go play in the irrigation. So he played we all sat outside and watched (again I can't get over how nice the weather was when we were there!!!)

We had a good time watching him play in the mud and water! My dad served us amazing homemade vanilla icecream while we watched.

Time to clean up!

Landon loved playing with the hose and running around the lawn in his birthday suit!

We wasn't afraid to crawl after "julio" the cat....

"Here kitty, kitty!"

We had a great evening enjoying the cool weather together with family.

Monday morning after eating the famous gloria pancakes, we hit the road. The drive home went great. There was only one time where I had to go pee and there was nothing in sight! Luckily I was able to put "mind over bladder" and survive until we found the next rest stop. Speaking of rest stops they were all so nice, clean and well maintained. That was until I really needed a nice one with a changing table and that rest stop was disgusting! So I tried the change landon's diaper as he stood up next to the car... but as soon as the hot wind hit his bum he instantly started peeing- all over his shorts and into his sandals! He was crying and we were trying to strip everything and clean up all the poop... ah it was a site! I am sure the other people in the parking lot were laughing! We made it home after being on the road for 11 hours... so glad we won't be making that drive again for quite a few months! Next time we go we'll have 2 kids! Oh goodness- hopefully our daughter will be as good of a traveler as Lando-man.

Landon taking his nap in the car- with a redvine stuck in his mouth (licorice provided lots of entertainment for Landon while we were on the road).

Sanger or Bust (Part 2)

2011-08-07T18:30:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning we woke and got to work! With the baby shower happening at the house we had quite a bit to do. All the men set off to do manly stuff- shoot guns! They had a lot of fun doing that together. Landon was at the house with all the ladies and he was very grumpy: Luckily once the shower started a bunch of his second cousins came over and that cheered him up. Kynzlee and Macee used to live in Arizona and it was so cute becuase I think Landon recognized them. As soon as Kynzlee walked in the door he came over and gave her a big hug! And he was very excited to see Macee:

He liked playing with her necklace- the kids also all went to see my mom's tiny kitties- then played in the bedroom together:

Once Anthony got home with the boys from shooting- he helped entertain the kiddos- I married a good man!

My baby shower started at 11am, and it was so fun!

We had a great turn-out- the house was packed with family and friends!

My sisters did such a great job of decorating!

Among a variety of salads and chicken salad sandwiches - we had some awesome desserts! Munchies and Costco chocolate cake were my favorites!

Julie and Lisa had us play some really clever games! One was called "The Story of Robyn's Labor"- it was hilarious. Everyone was given a sheet that had things like "verb" "number" "location" and they were all asked to fill in the blanks- then Julie read my labor story and asked different people for answers- everyone's favorite answer was that I was dialated to "30"! Hahaha. Jill one a prize for that one.

Friends and Family filling out their game cards

My mom holding her great nephew- Donny (named after her dad Donald).

Cousins- I have a ton and they are the best!!!

A view of the party- it was honestly so fun!

Another game we played was we asked everyone to come up with a baby name for our little girl- Samantha one since her name meant good luck (but it was a bizarre name!) then the other game was a "what's in your purse" scavenger hunt. My Aunt Marcia won- she had everything in her bag!!!

Then I opened so many lovely presents. Everyone was so generous- I felt so loved and excited to dress this little girl up in just a few months!

After our guests left, Julie and Lisa helped me organize the gifts and then they started to have a little fun with the bows, head bands and tutu's I got:

Hahahaha! I could hardly take these pictures because I was laughing so hard!

Then it was naptime! For me and Landon!!! I was so glad I got some rest before we had to head to my reunion. Landon had been cranky all day so I apologized to my parents before we left them with our little monster. They didn't seem to be worried.

My reunion was SO MUCH FUN! I am so glad I went. I got to see so many great friends and it was so nice to reconnect!

Jessica, Heidi, Cheyenne & Sarah doing a hula hoop contest- Jess killed them!

Sarah, me and Chey- we all played volleyball together freshman year and have been close friends ever since!

Todd, Jessica, Me & Anthony

Class of 2001- 10 years later. They were a ton of people there- but I missed seeing some friends that I had hoped to see! Hopefully they'll be there for the 20 year reunion :)

When we got home a little after 10:30pm, Landon was wide awake playing with Grandma and Grandpa. He was playing and laughing and having a grand ole time! He had been swimming and playing with cousins all night! My parents said he cried for about 10 seconds after we left, then he was totally happy the rest of the night! Hahaha lil party animal! He was having a good time being spoiled by his grandma and grandpa!

Sanger or Bust (Part 1)

2011-08-05T21:50:00.003-07:00

The weekend finally arrived that we have been planning for many months- our trip out to California! The drive was 11 hours but it honestly flew by! We were so blessed with a very content lil toddler. We stopped every hour (yes every hour) so I wouldn't be at risk for blood clots since I have quite a bit of it running through me these days. On one of our many stops to strech our legs- Landon and his baby doll Buzz!
When we pulled in around 10pm, we were so happy to see our family!

Friday morning we hung out at the house and Landon got to meet the teeny tiny kittens- he was so cute with them!
Then Daddy let Landon take the prius (our rental car) for a spin around my parents property-- He loved that!

Then we drove to a park so Landon could play. We had to take advantage of the PERFECT weather! Ah it was so awesome! After playing we went to Costco for lunch and ran into quite a few friends there. Then did a little shopping before Nap time :) After that we all went out to dinner to celebrate Dane's 24th birthday! We had a delicious dinner! And it ended with a riveting birthday song by the restaurant staff- Dane said he thought he got away without getting sung to...and then they came a singin'! Haha well he did get an sundae out of it!
Sippin' his soda - hanging out with Uncle Johnny and Aunt Ally

Julie, Grandma, Grandpa and Papa

Dane, Ally, Johnny & Landon

Getting sung to!
Reaping the rewards of being the birthday boy!

Snack Time

2011-08-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

Landon wanted a snack one evening so we gave him some wheat thins and raisens to eat in the kitchen. Anthony and I were talking in our bedroom and we saw landon relaxing on the floor enjoying his snack.

We happen to think he is pretty cute!

CupCake Wars!

2011-08-02T23:47:00.002-07:00

So, many moons ago (ok about 3 years ago) I worked for this awesome lady named Shaun at the Phoenix Chamber. She not only was a marketing director, but she also worked with her husband at their small business Urban Cookies (which makes delightful cookies!!!). Fast forward to now and we got to celebrate their business' 5 year anniversary with them. The invitation said that there was a big announcement/surprise, so we were excited to go. At the event Anthony and I were able to visit with so many of my old coworkers and it was so fun to reconnect! Then after a few speeches by Shaun and Brady - we had a viewing party to watch Brady compete with his co-worker Sal on Food Network's Cupcake Wars! They started doing cupcakes about 2 years ago after their son Oliver was born so they branded their cupcakes Ollie Cakes. Watching the show was so fun/exciting/and stressful! We watched as one after another competer was eliminated and we eagerly anticipated how it all would end. We were so excited that Ollie Cake's won! Afterwards we congratulated them as they shared their award winning cupcakes with everyone! Delicious!

This is our very excited to be eating so many delicious cupcakes expression(s)! It was such a fun night! By the way- we are eating these cupcakes. Go by their phoenix shop and try them (and their cookies!)

New Toy Day

2011-08-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

So Landon and I had a rough day back in June. He is a very picky eater so Anthony and I decided to enforce the "If you don't eat your dinner, you'll be eating it for breakfast" method. That day is one we all want to forget. It was awful- the result was that Landon refused to eat all day and I was close to an emotional breakdown. So we realized that method is not for us and that we will go about helping him with food choices in other ways (still working on this). Anyways the following day I wanted to make sure we had a LOT of fun together, so I decided to go redeem some coupons for free CARS 2 toys. Needless to say Landon was extremely happy. So happy he held on tight to them even at Daddy's office where there are a bunch of cars he likes to play with.
Even when he was eating- he would not put them down- so I spoon fed him for lunch! Some may say I was spoiling him that day, and they would be right!

I am so thankful that I have such a great son. Every child has issues and Landon's is picky eating- and he's not alone in it. I'm so glad he has forgiven Anthony and I for the many parenting mistakes we make along the way. He is a trooper and we love him dearly.

7 Days of Fun

2011-07-27T19:06:00.029-07:00

We had company for an entire week and we loved it! On tuesday night my parents rolled in from driving all the way from Arkansas. They have been on an almost 3 week long roadtrip and decided to come visit us on their way home. We loved having them! I made a meal of meatloaf, brocolli and potatoes and for dessert we drove over to Mesa Frozen Yogurt so my mom could get her fix. She loves that place! Anthony had actually had a very stressful day at work so the timing was perfect to have fun with family that night.

The next day Mom & Dad joined landon and I for our swim lesson- they had fun watching even though it was very hot! Then we met up with Anthony for lunch at Sweetcakes. Landon sat on grandpa's lap and played with his beard- I think he liked it's scruffy feel because he kept petting it- so cute! After a delish lunch we all relaxed/napped (except Dad- he hit up Bass Pro Shop and was gone for at least 3 hours there!!!). That night we were all too hot to cook anything so we decided to let Cafe Rio do the cooking- so good! Dad helped Anthony go get canoes while my mom helped me with getting Landon to bed. Around 11pm Julie and Jon arrived! They had traveled from california and had stopped in phoenix to see a Diamondbacks game at 7pm.

Thursday morning my parents hit the road so they could continue on their journey home. A very close friend of our family, Judy Cook, passed away and they wanted to be home in time to help out with the funeral. Judy was such an amazing person and I have no doubt she is a lovely angel in heaven. Landon and I went to swim lesson, then the rest of the day was all about final preparations for the canoe trip. We got everything ready and dropped Landon off a little after 5pm. I was very nervous about it, but Landon didn't seem to care that we were leaving him at his cousin's house so that helped me not feel bad. Our drive up the mountain was uneventful- other than laughing a lot and enjoying each other's company. We rolled into our campsite around 11pm and I was sooo tired. We set up our tent and hit the sack. Unfortunately I could not sleep because I was so hot. After tossing, turning, drinking tons of water, I finally had the idea to get my t-shirt wet and that did the trick! Ah, finally cool.
We woke up to this:
The beautiful colorado! We ate a delicious breakfast with tony, sherry, jon and julie, then re-organized our gear to ensure we didn't take anything that wasn't needed on the river. Then we headed to the dock and unloaded everything. I say we loosely- I did little unloading :)

Us with all of our gear- waiting for our haulback. A little later a ranger came over and told us we were actually in the wrong spot so the men got to row the canoes up stream a bit:

Jon & Anthony did a great job moving all 3 loaded canoes!

And I sat and watched!

When our boat finally came- everything was loaded up and we hit the river going upstream. Our ride was about an hour and our guide was a really cool guy.

Sherry & Tony on the other boat going up

Then we reached the glen canyon dam- just behind it is Lake Powell!

Did I mention it was over 100 degrees?!?! So we had to cover up a lot to keep from getting burned...

I looked pretty stylish the entire trip...

After a bathroom break (we took many of these during the trip)- we hit the river and enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL scenery! After a while we found a camping spot and set everything up. The boys grabbed an anchor and spent some times fishing:

Julie and I got an idea to try and canoe over to the boys a little later but the current had picked up and all we ended up doing was getting pushed downstream! So we rowed our hardest and made it back up to camp. It was so funny that we just could not cross the river!

I was a little hot and a lil tired... but so thankful for some shade!

Jon frying up his catch!

Anthony's first catch- he was so happy to finally have some luck!

Then he and Tony felt like bathing in 47 degree water so we all laughed and took pictures of the great feat! Seriously I do not know how they got in! Sooooo cold!

And after our dinner- it was s'more time! It was quite breezy so we just cooked them over our campstove!

At night the stars were amazing! We all slept really great until about 2AM when we woke up to gunfire- yes gunfire. The dorks camping near us decided that would be a great time to get their 22 and have target practice with bats! My oh my I had no idea the extent of stupidity that people can go to! So we were ALL awake about an hour until they finally decided to stop.

The view from our tent saturday morning- gorgeous!

Our campsite on Saturday morning- not too shabby eh?!

The boys got started early on their fishin'!

After a delicious breakfast of cinnamon swirl french toast, sausage, eggs and OJ- we loaded our canoes and hot the river once again.

I love this picture because you can see how clear the water is! We'd seriously see fish below us and have the boys throw their lines in!

Our canoes were quite full! So glad they still floated!

Canoeing down the river! It was so pleasant- the current was similar to a lazy river in most places so we hardly paddled! There were a few times where we had to paddle pretty hard to get to a beach or bathroom- but they were few and far between.

We stopped to see some petroglyphs. My mom would've loved getting to see them!

And we found a great sand bar- perfect for fishing off of!
We also got a good picture together- oh my I wish I would've coordinated my outfit a bit better. My brother in law Jon kept teasing me that I looked like "Prospector Robyn" with my long sleeve plaid shirt and my "beer" belly sticking out! Hahahaha

It was nice to relax on this sandbar:

Afterwards we found an awesome beach for eating lunch- we shared it with 3 tour boats of people!!! So we had some good people watching for entertainment. One boat had a bunch of europeans and one guy kept grabbing Jon's fish on the line from the canoe and pretended to be eating it so his wife could take pictures! Oh and there was the girl that didn't have a swim suit on so she just swam in her underwear and bra!

On down the river- I am pointing to the peak about horseshoe bend- you can see tiny people on top looking down.

We kept canoeing (and I kept dipping my shirt in the ice cold water- then putting it on to stay cool) and took the occasional snack break (hostess cupcakes!!!).

Anthony fished all along the way and had a lot of lot! We just released everything he caught since he's not a huge fish fan.

The rest of the canoe ride went well. As we left the canyon we had to do more paddling just to make sure we stayed straight and weren't run into the sides of the river. We arrived at Lee's Ferry around 5pm and loaded our canoes up.

Anthony worked really hard the entire time! He was so sweet to always help me out since I was hot and tired pretty much the entire trip. I really appreciated his helping me out and making sure I was doing ok.

We had planned to camp again at Lee's Ferry but it was 5pm and over 100 degrees- so Anthony said "I am turning in my man-card, I want to sleep in a hotel!" We all could not agree more! So we hit the road to flagstaff:

We all looked a bit gritty!

When we pulled into Flagstaff is was about 75 degrees- ah! We checked in and showered- then planned to meet up and go to get some dinner but I was tooooo tired! I seriously could not function so I ate some crackers and went to bed!

Sunday morning after an amazingly delicious breakfast at cracker barrel we hit the road. We had a great drive into Mesa and picked up Landon. I was so happy to see him! He was happy to see us too- so much that he did not want to nap! So he played with our company while I took a nap (and Anthony and Jon got to watch a few episodes of Swamp People!). That night we had dinner at Patti & Alans - then Landon had some wet and wild fun with Anthony while he rinsed out the canoes- Landon loved getting totally soaked from the hose. It was darling!

Monday morning Julie, Jon, Landon and I drove over to Chandler Mall. Down East Outfitters, kid's playplace, puppy store and disney store were our stops. In awe of all the CARS toys at the Disneystore. He had a huge meltdown when we left the store empty handed- poor fella had huge tears in his eyes!

Then it was off to Cheba Hut to meet Anthony for lunch. Julie & Jon loved the toasted subs and munchies! We went home and Landon was not interested in napping again so we all went swimming and had a really fun time. We played with our toypedo and rings- and had a few swim contests.

Then we all did a workout together that Jon made up- it was really good! Landon even joined in the fun- it was really cute. After working out we dropped Landon off with Aunt Nina and the four of us hit up LoLo's! It was delicious as usual and very filling! We got some corn bread this time and it was sooo good! Probably the best I have ever had!

Cheers! Julie chose grape and Jon got red koolaid

Anthony with his koolaid and me with my lemonaid!

Anthony peering in from the bathroom!

Julie & Jon were very full after dinner!

Anthony and I trying to show how full we were- but we just kept laughing!

It was a very fun night.

Tuesday morning our company left. I was kinda down the rest of the day. But Landon did take a really good nap (which means I did too!) so that was very nice- I think it helped that he was back in his bed instead of in a pack-in-play in our room.

It was a great 7 days!!!

23 Weeks

2011-07-17T19:55:00.001-07:00

Well 23 weeks and 5 days... but who's counting?!?!?

The past week

2011-07-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

A little recap of the last week. Friday night we went to Katelyn Ray's super fun birthday party- what made it fun? Swimming in an awesome pool with a slide! Plus hanging out with friends, watching Landon hit his first pinata and eating cake that got red frosting all over his face!

The next morning we drove up to Prescott for Carly & Matt's wedding. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect- so happy for them! That night we decided to take Landon to Cars 2. He loved the popcorn!

He liked the movie, but not enough to sit still- he was ALL OVER THE PLACE! No more movies for him for a while I think...

Later that week we went swimming and Landon decided that Daddy's cell phone wanted to swim too... so it drown. Now Anthony gets to use an old phone and beeps loudly with every button push. We've been laughing about it ever since! That night Landon also pooped in the bathtub! Hahaha this kid!

Thursday we had our friend Drew over for dinner and He and Anthony got to watch Swamp People together- Anthony loved hanging out with his old roommate :)

Friday night the weather was nice enough to play outside- so we took Landon to the park and he was in heaven! He misses playing outside so bad! He just doesn't understand that when it's over 100 degrees the playground equipment is just too hot! Later that night he woke up a lot with a dry cough that would not go away. Anthony and I helped him out and when the cough died down, Landon was wide awake. So I was up for him for about 2 hours - and finally got him to bed around 5am- only to get up at 6:30am to head to the lake. Yes I was not super excited to go to the lake at the time, but when we got there we had a great time with our friends the Albrights:

Landon & Anthony- both took turns being captain

Anthony & Curt with all the kiddos (except Piper)

Mom & Lando

He loves swimming in the lake!

Landon trying out the EZ Ski

He got the hang of it!

On the banana

Anthony caught a fish!

Showing it to the kids

Teasing Jacks!

The lake trip was great- we swam and swam and had a good time relaxing. I wish I could've wakeboarded but that will have to wait til post-baby. All in all it was a great day.

Free Meal!

2011-07-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

I will do almost anything for free food- so to merely resemble a cow is way worth it to get some delicious chick-fil-a food! Even Anthony dressed up (even putting 3 black spots on your shirt will get you a free meal)! Lando & Anthony before entering the mad house. It was crazy inside! Lots of people donning black and white, waiting to get their free lunch!

We ran into our good friend Lindsey Talley and her kiddos- and she snapped this family photo of us!

Lando did not want to wait in line! So I ordered our food while Anthony took Lando back to the playplace.

We actually got a great table right in the corner next to the play area- so we ate our meal in peace and and Landon would come back and forth to get a bite between playing.

Getting a swig of sprite! This lil guy is just too cute!

So we did it, our 2nd annual "dress like a cow day" at chick-fil-a- I'm excited to do it again next year! I think it will be fun dressing up a little girl!

4th of July Fun- past and present!

2011-07-05T21:26:00.003-07:00

We have discovered that Landon's enjoyment for the 4th of July festivities has stayed the same, gotten worse and/or gotten better with time.

2010- loved the misters!

2011- still LOVES the misters!

2010- no feelings either way with the monster truck
2011- not happy to take his picture with the monster truck! He did like looking at it and kept saying "Whoa!"
2010- he loved the gun!
2011- not in the mood to be held or have a picture taken!
2010- terrified of the fireworks!

2011- Loved the fireworks - he kept saying "Mo Hot!" (there were a few loud ones that freaked him out but he loved them for the most part)

Another fun thing Landon really enjoyed this year was all the water fun! He even loved the nasty brown water puddled on the street!
Landon lounging and Savannah in the background wondering why he's laying like that!
Got to see some cool birds! Landon wasn't impressed this year...
And the bigger the bird got, the less he liked it!
More water fun- Papa had to take him down so they both got to cool off!

Landon loved walking up and down this water tunnel- he had so much fun getting wet.
We found a old firetruck that he loved getting to sit in

And we stopped for ice cream- the cute Brisolera Family we get to hang out with every 4th of July!

Yummm mint chip!

The night was really fun. We arrived to the festivities around 6:30pm and it was 9:30pm before we knew it! The time flew! We liked walking around looking at all the cars and taking in the sites. We stopped at Circle K on the way in for fountain drinks and that is probably the only way I survived the heat- it was a very hot night! We had a great time and are so grateful we got to attend such a fun and free event celebrating our country's independence!

Night out with the Girls

2011-06-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

Me, Jessica, Sumerae, Stacey & Ashley

Oh my goodness... for Ashley's birthday this year, she planned a stupendous celebration- a night out- with just girls! It was SO fun! Seriously I was in heaven. Good thing Anthony is a great sport- we had just gotten back from California the day before and the next night I was off again with this fun bunch! We ate a really yummy dinner at Salty Seniorita, then drove to our suite in scottsdale. We talked, went to the pool, then talked and talked and talked....until about 4am. I was shocked! I haven't stayed up that late in a llllooooonnnnggg time. It was sooo fun! And the funny thing, we all woke up around 7:30am! I guess since we are all moms we are not programmed to sleep in anymore! Haha! After a great breakfast at the hotel, we were off to scottsdale mall for shopping. When we got home I was in need of a nap!

It was a great night- thanks girls (and Anthony!)!

Lil Dune Buggy!

2011-06-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

Anthony drove home a surprise for Landon!
No he didn't buy it- the shop owns it and he was taking it for a test drive before it gets sold.

Anthony took Landon for a spin around our parking lot- he loved it!

It was only about 109 degrees that afternoon- but Papa didn't mind. Anything for his little man.

Going, going, back, back...

2011-06-27T13:41:00.033-07:00

You know that song? Where they refer to California as Cali? I hate the name "cali" for california. Not sure why, maybe just because it sounds snooty... anyways Landon and I got to go back to California for the first time in 2011! And we had the opportunity to fly which was amazing! A 10 hour drive turns into 1 1/2 hour flight- awesome! Especially since Landon loves movies and was totally entertained by watching "Toy Story" during the flight. Oh and eating a sucker, or two or three... and peanut m&ms for the last 10 minutes before landing! We arrived and everyone said we brought the hot weather with us- it was very hot and humid! As we walked to the baggage area Landon started to run once he saw Grandma Gloria...then about 30 feet away from he stopped cold and hid in my legs- it was so funny! He warmed up to Grandma eventually. We drove home and Landon settled right in:

Watching a movie with Grandpa- in his own recliner! And we watched for Lisa (or Landon knows her as Lu-Lu) to come home from work- this is the photo I got of her as soon as she got out of her car!

We had a fun time visiting with everyone and I stayed up late having fun with my family.

The next day, wednesday, after going on a walk down the street (which was so refreshing since I didn't have to worry about walking by myself which is something I am always concerned about in my neighborhood) Anyways after walking we decided to go visit great grandma down the road (which Landon loved because he got to play on her organ!). We also saw our cousin Sandy and her kiddos. Then it was back home to take naps. I joined in too! After nap we went to my cousin Angelas because she had a huge inflatable slide for all the cousins to play all. The kids that were playing on it were quite a bit older and there was a pretty deep pool at the end of the slide so I was worried about Landon using it and luckily he was scared of it so he was content playing with toys. It was so fun visiting with my cousins! Afterwards we headed back to grandma's for baths and some reading:

Lisa and Dane trying to keep cool. Lisa using a soda to do the trick and Dane ditching his shirt!

My mom made an amazing potato bar for dinner- look at all those toppings!!!

Afterwards Landon danced on grandpa's shoulders. He was swaying side to side to the music from the movie that was playing.

Thursday morning, Mom, Landon, Me and Diesel the dog went for a walk. It was lovely, except when Diesel would get tangled up in the leash! He's a puppy so it's to be expected. After our walk we came back and decided to go visit Aunt Donna's house. Her house always is fun to visit because there are lots of animals and my Aunt is so fun to talk to!

My aunt's new puppy- so darling! She looked like a baby seal.

Landon loved the swing- he was so content just to swing and swing and swing...but I was dying of heat so we had to peal him away from it eventually.

My uncle Leon has many manias. His current ones are training pack goats and raising crawdads in aquaponds. So interesting!

After visiting for quite awhile we headed back to get Landon down for his nap. Once he was set my sister Julie came to pick me up while my Mom watched Landon! We had a lot of fun! We went shopping! I rarely go shopping without Landon and if I don't have him I'm usually alone so it was so nice to go with another girl. We went to Target and I looked for a swimsuit. I was impressed with their maternity selection! Julie and I got a call that Lisa could take a lunch break so we put our stuff on hold and met up with Lisa at PCH subs. Julie found a premier parking spot:

We named it "Mega Spot"- seriously there is no chance of a door ding in this parking spot!

The subs were really good and we loved getting to eat lunch together. It was a cool little lunch place!

After lunch we met up with our brother Dane and then headed to the bowling alley at Fresno State. Julie is on a summer bowling league that was short a person so Dane and I got to fill in! He bowled the first and thrid game and I bowled the middle. Oh before I forget, on the drive there we saw a billboard for an upcoming concert by K-Ci & JoJo... do you remember them? When we saw it we were trying to remember what they sang, and then it came to us and we all starting singing "All my life"- ah it was hilarious!

Julie showing her "spare" sign!

The game that I bowled I used an 8 lb ball (didn't really want to pull anything) and I did great! I actually got a turkey!!! See my score below (I'm Joh).

Bowling was a lot of fun! We all got a free scoop of icecream too- not bad! Afterwards my mom came into town with Landon and we all went to our friend's artshow. Landon loved running around the studio so that made it difficult for me to actually look at any of it (since some was at ground level aka within landon's reach!).

Lil guy totally knows he's running his mama ragged!

He was mesmerized by my friend's "bebe"

Me & Sarah- old buddies from high school! Loved playing volleyball and going to church activities with this girl!

After the show we hit up Farmer Boys- a tradition. Landon was all over the place! He also played peekaboo with the people waiting in the drive-thru (who we could see sitting from our booth). This one car of girls were laughing as they watched Landon hide from them, then pop up and have a huge grin on his face!

When we got home, Diesel was so happy to see us- he tried to get in the car!

Friday morning Landon was content just to enjoy the great outdoors- aka the dirt!

After playing we drove to Target so I could pick up my swimsuit before it would be taken off hold. Landon was not really amused with the shopping experience so Aunt Ju-Ju tried to make it more fun for him.

Careening down the aisles! After shopping we headed to the airport to see my cousin Conrad return from his mission. It was so fun seeing him (and another elder) just return! Afterwards we all went to Home Towne Buffet- another tradition that my grandma takes everyone out to lunch the day a missionary (his grandson) comes home. This was during the time Landon is usually napping so he was not on his best behavior. Grandpa tried to amuse him with an icecream cone:

But he preferred making messes to keep him occupied...oh well

After lunch Landon was able to take a good long nap and when he was all cleaned up from his bath he hung out with his Uncle Dane.

That night we played "Just Dance" and had SO MUCH FUN! We were up until 11pm dancing and laughing... I love my mom and my sisters!

Lisa & Julie dancing to "Rasputin"

Saturday morning I woke up with a strong craving... Sanger Donuts- they are the best! So we drove out and picked up some for our family. But Landon did not want to wait!

He dove right in! My mom chose a maple bar first and so did I! No wonder we are related- we both have great taste!

Landon saying "cheese" after demolishing his donut.

Afterwards we drove to Storyland in Rotary park- it was a lot of fun, but very hot!

Above is a collage of some of what can be done at storytime. Landon just wanted to play on the stairs and slides of "The Old Woman who lived in a Shoe" but we made him move along so we could see everything. He loved inserting the magic key into the boxes so he could hear each story.

Julie & Dane checking our the "house made of straw" that was blown down!

Noah's Ark

Ok another cool thing about storyland is that it is really old. So old that they probably don't have to comply with a lot of safety standards so there were tons of super fast and semi dangerous slides at the park. Landon loved them!

Check out this behemouth! I was really worried about Landon flying off this one so we had 4 adults posted at different spots to keep him safe!

They also had a digger toy which Lando was a bit too small for

And a merri-go-round- so fun! We all loved spinning on this!

This is just an example of what we all did- follow Landon around. He was all over the place so it was nice that I had so many people to help me!

ON the hot train ride... it wasn't really worth it. Should've just gone to our car and got the AC started. Seriously I was dieing! As soon as we got in the car I started to feel better, but was still very hot, so we went right to Taco Bell and got water, a big pepsi and some food- that cold pepsi did the trick! So thankful for that!

After Landon's (and my) nap he helped Grandpa fix his recliner. He loved playing with the cordless drills and big flashlight:

That night Uncle Pete was home for the evening (he works all week in the mountains at the Boy Scout camp) so we all went to McDonalds for dinner so we could all visit and Landon could play. Uncle Johnny came too which was fun. Landon would take one bite, then run back into the playplace. The other kids in there were a bunch of sweet little boys that helped Landon out when he needed it- so nice of them!

The next morning Landon woke up at 4am! This is what he looked like:

Wide awake! I assumed he just hadn't eaten enough for dinner so I fed him and thought he'd go back to sleep but no sir, so he watched a movie and I dozed on the couch. We woke up just in time to get to church for sunday school. Landon was wired but on the drive to church he fell fast asleep.
He slept on the floor in sunday school for about 30 minutes, then he was awake and excited for nursery. Getting to be in nursery with his 2 great aunts is always a treat!

After church it was more naps, lunch, and playing outside once the evening came. Landon did some drawing on Lisa's old artboard:

Great Grandma Severin and Julie

Mom and Jon

Diesel, Dane and Landon
We put up the teepee my mom got for Landon- he loved it! We also taught him how to make "indian" noises by patting his mouth as he said "ah". It was very cute.

Our father's day meal was spectacular. Amazing ribs, rice pilaf, salad, rolls, and best darn chocolate cake... and it definitely was! After dinner we skyped with Anthony and Landon snuck another taste of the cake:

Then he decided just to go for it!

After a few bites and all of us laughing, I brough him over to the computer so he could show Daddy his face

The aftermath!!!

We had a very fun sunday all together!

Monday morning we started the day with another long walk. Then we walked down the street and visited with more cousins which was very nice. Landon loved playing on all the fun outside toys they have! It was hot so I just watched from inside! Then later when Landon was down for his nap Julie came to pick me up and we went shopping for her interview outfit. We also got to go see Lisa's new house which was really cool! I'm so excited for her and Pete to be buying a really cool house (with a pool!).

My mom came to meet us later and we all went to Chick Fil A- then swimming at Julie's mother-in-law's complex. It felt so good to swim!

Tuesday we met up with my cousin Samantha and her kiddos at Wild Water Adventure Park. I worked there many summers ago so it was fun to reminsce. The park is super cool and I wish I had had my waterproof cover for the camera because Lando had so much fun in the water.

Taking a capri sun break- look at the park in the background- the kiddie area is amazing!
At the kiddie area Landon and Liam always wanted to play on different things so Samantha and I were hardly together. So at one point I carried Landon over to another part of the kiddie area where they were. As I stepped into the water I completely slipped and went down on my back. Luckily I held on tight to Landon and he did not get hurt and neither did I! I am so thankful I fell on my back in more than a foot of water, so me and the baby were fine too! Whew- that could've ended way worse!

We also went to the wave pool and Landon loved that too! He called the waves speed bumps!

Samantha, Landon and Me (you can see Samantha's kids Liam and Eva in the background).
Landon was spent after a little over 2 hours at the park- great nap that day!

It was so hot that day that after naps, we decided to go swimming again- this time over at our good friend Sandy Cusack's place. Dane took Landon down the slide and at first he wasn't too excited:

But afterwards he was all smiles and wanted to do it over and over again!

Ah, I love that smile! Lando sure loves his uncle Dane.

We had a great evening all swimming together.
Wednesday morning we met up with my dear friend Cheyenne. Landon loved yogurtland- and was running all over the place:

Cheyenne & Me

We had a really good visit and enjoyed some awesome frozen yogurt! Afterwards we stopped by See's candy to get some treats and a box of peanut brittle for Anthony

Lando was as happy as a kid in a candy store!

After naps it was time for my favorite tradition- Dog House Grille! Unfortunately it was extremely crowded and pretty hot in the restaurant. Next time I need to remember that it is always better to eat there at lunchtime instead of dinner.

Julie, Jon, Great Grandma and Mom

My mom and dad had to help me a lot at the restaurant. Landon was kinda being a pill. He was only happy when I let him drink pepsi... yikes! So we ate and got out of there. We made one stop on the way home to get thrifty icecream gallons! Then it was playtime.

Landon played outside in the water with Grandpa

And later he played inside in the water!

Then we all played Just Dance- so much fun again!

My mom dancing and my grandma who would sometimes follow along in the background.

The next morning I packed everything up and we had my mom's famous pancakes with all sorts of toppings. Delicious as usual! Then Finding Nemo was watched before we had to head to the airport:

At the airport my bag checked in at 47 pounds and Landon at 30 pounds!
Landon loved seeing the big trees in the airport. Sometime we'll have to take him to the real redwood grove where I used to live in Wishon, CA.
Our flight home was very uneventful, thankfully! We hit some airpockets as we descended into phoenix and a child behind us let out a little scream. I looked at Landon and asked "Did we just hit a speedbump?"- the people around us thought that was funny :). As we rode the escalator down to baggage claim we saw Anthony walked out of the elevator. I whistled at him but he didn't hear me. So I called out his name and he turned around and Landon and I were both so happy to see him. We loved our trip and the only thing that would've made it better was if he could've come with us.

Father's Day a week early this year

2011-06-13T08:03:00.005-07:00

Dad, you're someone to look up to no matter how tall I've grown. ~Author Unknown

Since Landon and I would be in California for Father's Day this year, we celebrated with Anthony the sunday before. Homemade cinnamon swirl bread french toast, sausage and orange juice- yummy! And Anthony loved his gifts- I think his favorite was his coin sorter (for when we cash in our change jar! Which we've been doing lately to start paying the deductible for our baby girl!) We all had a great time celebrating Anthony that day.

Girl Time

2011-06-11T13:22:00.007-07:00

Well it finally happened- our 2nd trimester ultrasound. The one where (if you choose to) you find out the gender of your baby. When I was pregnant with Landon the night before the ultrasound I acted like it was Christmas Eve! I could hardly sleep and had trouble not thinking about what was going to happen the next morning. And this pregnancy was exactly the same! I had no gut feeling either way what the gender of the baby would be, so all night I dreamt about going to the ultrasound and when I'd wake up I'd wonder, what if it's a girl? Then I'd go over the pros and cons if that would be the case (silly cons like maybe landon and her wouldn't get along as well if he instead had a brother) and then I'd wonder, what if it's a boy - then I'd go over the pros and cons... again silly cons like (maybe they will fight over all the manly toys ALL the time!). So I didn't sleep well Thursday night.

When the morning finally came, I was very excited and anxious. We were going to the same place we had been to when we found out we'd miscarried last december. I tried to push that out of my mind and just focus on positive thoughts. The ultrasound technician was great and she did a wonderful job of showing us our lil baby. For the most part everything looks great and she looked over the baby's "parts" for quite a while before she told us that we are expecting a girl. Tears instantly came to my eyes. "Wow Landon is going to have a sister!" "Wow I'm used to having a boy, I wonder what a little girl will be like?!" I had so many emotions at that time. I was shocked. Even though I really had no idea what gender was growing inside me, I guess I just figured we'd have another boy since that's what we had before. Honestly I feel sooo excited and overwhelmed at the prospect of having a girl! I guess I feel the same as I did when I was pregnant with Landon. It's just a surreal feeling that you are going to be a parent and be responsible for this little person's life. It is such an honor and I am very grateful to add another addition to our lives. Landon has brought us so much more joy than we could have imagined and I look forward to lil miss' arrival in the fall (when it's finally cool again!!!).

Cute lil profile

She's saluting her uncle Dustin!

Feet!

Legs crossed at the ankles- this is a Landon pose!

Afterwards we ate at TC Eggingtons to celebrate. It was an incredible breakfast- I got eggs benedict and they did not disappoint! Anthony was also very happy with his omelet. We enjoyed calling and texting our family about the big news.

Wii had a great day!

2011-05-31T22:21:00.003-07:00

I know I have spelling errors a lot in my posts- but the wii was intentional, we'll get to that soon.

Our great day began with Holly and Emery coming over! They hung out with Lando while I went to get my blood drawn and when I returned we walked down the street to the park and let the boys play and eat their snacks. Holly and I had a great time talking and catching up with each other. We love playing with friends!

Around noon our friends had to leave becuase they also observe a 1pm naptime. After Landon's nap, it was off to my friends'/visiting teachers' home. Ashley and Debbie are related and live in the same house- plus their house is full of fun kids and cool toys so we were happy to head their direction that afternoon. The three of us ladies talked and the kids played- we all had a grand time! I love those ladies and their families. We stayed until about 6pm- we were just having so much fun!

When we finally got home, Anthony had just beat us. I said hi, then noticed quite a few boxes in our living room... Anthony bought us a wii and all the accessories needed- plus... wii sports, mario cart and....... JUST DANCE! I absolutely love this game and was just telling my friends Ashley and Debbie about it... and low and behold I come home 10 minutes later and it's at our house!!! Anthony is so good at surprising us! We played mario cart all together- Landon loved steering! We also set up netflix which is awesome- especially for all the instant streaming like a bazillion Thomas the Train movies- ah love it!

It's day's like this that I need to pull out of my memory when the crappy days are happening (you know the ones where everyones sick or theres nothing to do, or your child is throwing tantrums all day etc). Ah what a great day!
Our nephews playing the wii a few days later

For the Love of a Long Weekend!

2011-05-28T13:05:00.001-07:00

Ah, nothing like a 3 day weekend...except maybe a 4 or 5 or 6 day one! Anyways our fun began Thursday night. We were heading out to Saguaro lake! So I had to see how Landon's life jacket was fitting him. I was surprised to find that it fit him better than it did last year. He's really slimmed down since he's on the go all the time! And this time he likes to wear it! He seriously wouldn't let me take it off him :)
We had a really nice time on the lake. All the boys (but lando) waterskiied and Landon and I swam in the lake which was a lot of fun. He loved jumping off the side of the boat to me. The water was very cold at first but it felt really nice after awhile. It was a nice boat outing.

The next day Anthony got off work early and we were able to head up the mountain to Pinetop. The commute went great. Landon picked out some teddy grahams at the gas station and we'd had him some whenever he said "Mo Snack!"- actually we'd ask him to ask nicely, then he'd say "Peas"- it was so cute. That entertained him for about an hour. We stopped in Payson to eat and stretch, then continued our drive up to Pinetop (Landon watched Toy Story the rest of the way there- and he was comfy- we looked back once and he had his hands behind his head and his legs in indian style). One other fun thing was that I was SURE I felt the baby move for the first time. That was fun to focus on while we drove up. We arrived around 7pm at this cute cabin:
It was a very nice place. We were invited to the cabin by Anthony's Dad's girlfriend Sherry. They were all already there (her 4 kids were with her). We were so happy to get invited so we could ditch the valley for a while. We were in need of an excursion. That night we ate a great meal and just visited. That night Landon slept with us - which is never a good thing - I wish I could've took a picture of us. Anthony and I on each end of the bed and Landon sleeping sideways between us! silly kid- we were both pretty tired that next morning. But it didn't seem to phase Landon!
After a great meal of waffles and eggs, Landon enjoyed exploring the many patios outside. It was so nice to get to be outside and not feel cooked! Ah loved the 70 degree weather!
We decided to all go to a craft fair & car show in Show Low that morning. Anthony got tired of waiting for everyone....

When we arrived Landon was very excited. It was difficult to put his sunscreen on him becuase he did not want to sit still.

As usual the car show was really cool. The hard part this time was that Landon did not understand that we couldn't touch the cars- it was a constant struggle keeping him off cars.

Anthony with one of his dream cars
After looking at all the cars, we bought a big bag of kettlecorn and walked over to see the Apache Helicopter. The pilots were there and told us all about it and how it was difficult to fly it there since it had been so windy. They were really cool guys.

The men of the trip next to the chopper
There were other cool military things to see. Landon loved this big "car" and the servicemen let him get up and sit in it. So nice of them!

After we saw everything we could, Anthony and I decided we better take little man back to the cabin for lunch and a nap. The rest of the crew went to snowflake to see a tractor pull and a pit bull pull... they said it was cool. Then we all met up at the family fun center- everyone was excited to drive the go-carts.

Poor landon, he wishes so bad he was big enough to go on the carts!

Anthony lapping Tony- poor Tony- his car was way underpowered! They had a good time though!

Landon watching Daddy and Grandpa. And drinking pepsi- this was the only way to keep him in one place! Without it he would run back and forth from the arcade to the go carts- it was wearing me out!

This was the arcade game he loved to watch- it had a "thomas" in it!

Afterwards we had dinner and homemade icecream at the cabin- so delicious! We made the famous Joe Maskovich chocolate chocolate icecream and I was relieved when it turned out really good. Then everyone watched "Tangled" much to Anthony's demise :)

Sunday we woke up and got ready for church. We were too late to go to the 9am meeting, so we had 2 hours to kill before the 11am one, so we decided to go visit Woodland Lake Park. Landon loved the playground- and everyone did too.

We also walked down to the lake to feed the ducks- it was sooo windy! On the walk down a gust of wind almost knocked Landon down! The ducks were fighting the white capped water so they weren't to interested in eating the tortilla chips and bread we brought them. We tried to get our windblown hair back in order when we arrived at church. The meeting was fantastic. All the talks were so inspiring- so glad we went. After church it was lunch, naps, then movies (I had wanted to do a little hike, but it was just too windy! So windy that it sounded like a freeway was outside the cabin!).

Watching "cars". Sherry had some of her family over for dinner and that was really fun. They were all so nice. We had a great meal together, played some games and that night Landon slept in his pack-n-play so Anthony and I got some decent rest :)

Monday morning all we did was pack-up, clean and leave! We were concerned about traffic and it was not bad at all luckily!

A little collage of the fun we had

When we got home Landon and I both took long naps while Anthony did all the laundry- what a great guy I married!

That evening we planned to go out to eat with Tina and Christian to Texas Roadhouse, so I opened up Landon's diaper bag to make sure I had everything I needed- and a black spider jumped out! I screamed, then killed it as fast as I could with a container of goldfish crackers. Anthony laughed at how fast I moved! I could not let that thing get loose in our house! I am just relieved it didn't get out while we were in the car! Afterwards I felt like I pulled a muscle in my side!

Anyways dinner was delicious and a great way to end our long, fun weekend.

Big Boy Bed

2011-05-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

Well I thought I had missed out on the flu...but I was wrong. It hit me about a week after my boys got it. So sunday I was out of commission and Daddy was in charge. His first order of business, setting up Landon's toddler rail on his crib. 4 screws out, then in and voila- a whole new bed!
Landon loves that he can now get in and out!

And I think he really likes his new freedom! Love that smile!

Playing with one of his many cars

He now enjoys getting up on his bed and playing with his toys while laying down. And the surprising thing is that he actually stays in bed! Whew... So glad I don't have to lift him into his crib anymore, my stomach has started to get in the way. And I'm so glad he's stayed in bed at night and during naps...so far that is! Knock on wood :)

The big 0-2!

2011-05-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

Landon's second birthday was not off to a good start. Anthony went into Lando's room to find him laying in a crib full of diarhea and vomit... poor baby! So we tag-teamed and got Landon changed out of his clothes and into a bath, and his bed stripped and sheets and blankets in the wash. After the bath, Daddy snuggled with him as they watched Cars. Poor kiddo would not eat or drink anything all day. He just watched the movie cars over and over again (3 times that day!) and he slept:

Daddy wasn't feeling too good either, so he came home from work a few hours later. So we all had a relaxing afternoon full of naps. Daddy also went and picked up a special birthday cake for Landon.

Isn't it cute! Way to go Basha's bakery!

Later that evening we had a virtual birthday party with Grandma and Grandpa Jensen. We lit the candles and sang songs to Landon. Unfortunately Landon was not in the mood for cake or blowing out candles. But we made the most of it.

Grandma and Grandpa on the screen taking part in the festivities. Landon had a taste of frosting but wanted nothing to do with the rest of it (and I don't blame him)- so we boxed up the cake and set it aside for another day.

I cannot believe my baby is 2! I remember the day he was born like it was just yesterday. He is still such a sweet baby. I still call him "baby" and I'm sure when I'm in public places people wonder why I call my big toddler a baby- but he's my baby until the next one comes along. He is such a delight and we are so thankful he is part of our family.

2nd Birthday Party Express!

2011-05-15T15:27:00.009-07:00

After doing Anthony's big surprise party last fall, my love for throwing parties has continued to grow! So Landon's party turned into a big "to-do". First we had to figure out a location and since he is very much into Thomas the Train, we chose this fun railroad park in Scottsdale. Then I had to get the invitations done!

Thanks to photoshop and some free online clipart- I made it pretty much exactly how I envisioned it. I had fun creating them.

So the days before the party arrived and I was running around getting everything done. I had a really hard time finding the right blue colored tableclothes - but in the end, ynot rentals saved the day! I packed a box full of all neccessary supplies (tape, scissors, piping bags, etc) and was out the door by 7am on Saturday morning to claim a shady spot at the park. I lucked out and we were able to set-up right where I hoped! We were right next to the western town and had 2 huge picnic tables to use. Nice!

I set up this sign and another one that said welcome on another tree- that just happened to be in perfect symmetry with each other- I loved that!

Setting up the garland (recycled from Anthony's party)

I had soooo much fun making this cupcake stand and the toppers!

The treat table in all of it's glory... it's crazy how much I stressed out this!

It got a lil windy...

And thankfully since the party was in the morning it wasn't too hot and the frosting did not melt!

I swore I took more pictures of the decor- but they can't be found. The two other picnic tables had balloon bouqets and crayons and thomas the train coloring pages for the kids to color if they wanted a break from the playground.

Landon leaning over the edge! I don't think this playground was designed for kids as young as him! Luckily no accidents so all was well!

Our first guests- Ollie and Shaun. Poor Oliver was just recovering from a broken femur! He's just a couple months older than Landon and already breaking major bones!!!

Landon loved coloring at his party. He's so deep in thought in this photo.

Playing with his bff Mady Moo!

Bryant, Mady, Lando and Ethan

Kaylee! We love this lil girl and her family

Grandpa, Danika and Grandma

Landon loves to push around anything with wheels (shopping carts, strollers, skateboards) so he was really enjoying getting to push his buddy Linken.

Leonardo came and he's grown sooo much since we've seen him. He was so cute in his monkey backpack! He loved playing with the balloons that were attached to him.

We sang Happy Birthday to Landon and he was just not very excited about it for some reason.

But eating a cupcake always makes for a happy boy!

After enjoying the food- we all started taking train rides. Landon did not want to wait in line- he was soooo excited to ride the train! And at the end, you better believe he was so mad he had to get off.

Anthony's coworkers and their families

Our friends Jen and Lindsey with their kids

Us on the train with Bryant (love his expression!), Ethan, Uncle Brad, Uncle Phil, Grandpa and Danika.

Aunt Missy and Brooke and Brenna

The rest of the time there was lots of playing and visiting with friends and family. We had a HUGE turnout and it was so fun! We really appreciate everyone who came.

Landon loved playing in the sand...I'm not too fond of his throwing sand...

Oh and eating sand, seriously he loves to eat sand! Yuck- silly kid

Then we started to open presents. As soon as Landon opened the first present he was so excited to get tonka toys! And after that he pretty much wanted nothing to do with opening any more.

So I had the kids help me open the other presents and coaxed Landon into helping me open a few of them. Landon got so many nice gifts- he loves them all!

After that, the party guests started to leave. It was almost noon so it was time for lunch and naps! We got a lot of help cleaning up and loading the cars- and just in time- it was starting to get pretty hot.

Once everything was loaded we decided that although we were tired and hot, we had to go check out the new model train building. So we walked over- Landon had a great view on the way:

He loved getting to see the full-size steam engine

Inside the model train building it was nice and air conditioned- felt awesome! And Landon was in love! He wanted to watch the trains for so long!

Here he is pointing to train that ran on a suspended track that was pulling a bunch of the CARS characters (mater, lightening, etc). He loved that!

He could've watched for hours- he just wished he could reach the trains and play with them!

After a while we decided we had better go. We drove home and unloaded everything while Landon slept in his carseat.

Look at him, totally konked out! That was until I unbuckled him. His eyes shot open and he exclaimed "Car!" He wanted to play with his new toy. And that's what he did ALL afternoon. He did not sleep again until that evening - he was too busy playing! He honestly could not wipe the smile off his face. It was soooo cute! I could tell he was very excited about all of his new toys!

Cooking up some dinner with his play kitchen

Playing with the balloons that were clipped to his diaper

Ok- get them off!

Riding his motorcylce- fast!

This picture is actually from the night before his party. We let him pick out a present and he chose this wheelbarrel. He loves it! In this photo he got sidetracked by the Thomas underwear- maybe that will be the next thing we need to buy him...after we get him a potty...but we probably have a little while before that :)

All in all Landon's birthday bash was just wonderful. We had a lot of fun and most importantly Landon had a blast playing with so many of his friends and family.

I'm also so glad we celebrated a few days before his birthday, becuase on his actual birthday had the flu :(. More on that to come...

Take your family to work day AND have a water war with the neighbors day...

2011-05-13T14:06:00.010-07:00

Thursday was a fu-un day! First I was needed to fill in at the shop in the morning last minute, so Landon got to come along too! He did really good- he loves playing with the model cars in Daddy's office, then we set him up in an office chair and let him watch cars on our portable dvd player. He loved that!

Looking for candy in Daddy's drawer! He would also pick up the phone- hold it up to his ear and say "Hi!"- ok he's hired!

The morning went really smoothly- and then we drove home- and Landon was out! Working a half day can be exhausting!

So after a long afternoon nap and once Anthony got home from work, I had to go run some errands in preparation for Landon's party this weekend. When I got back from my errands I discovered Anthony and Landon outside with the neighbor kids having a huge water war! Israel and Isaiah brought little squirt guns for everyone- but Anthony brought his own!

He would place a cup of water in the air cannon and blast the kids with it- they LOVED it! It was so fun watching - and playing with them.

Landon loved it too! He was drinking water from the squirt gun and loved getting water poured on top of him by Amaree.
And I too got very wet. The little boys showed no mercy to me! But it was all in the name of good, clean, wet, fun!

And then the night ended with watching the newest season of "The Office" - a great way to end a great day!

Mothering Sunday

2011-05-11T11:38:00.007-07:00

I did a little research on Mother's day - and I found out it used to be called Mothering Sunday instead of Mother's day- I prefer Mothering Sunday. It is more applicable since there are many great women that are not mothers- but deserve to be honored too since they are "mothering" to many babies, children, adolescents, adults and seniors.

So onto this years festivities. Landon wanted to woke me up extra early to say "Happy Mother's Day" or not... he just wanted to watch a "choo, choo" movie. So I slept on the couch while thomas the train played on our tv. Then when Anthony got up, I got back in bed to catch somemore good quality zzzzzz's. When I woke up, Landon came to give me some loves! It was so cute. He was touching my ears and laying his face on my face (cheek to cheek!). It was darling! Then we ate breakfast- waffles!!! The best waffles are made with golden malted flour!

And then Anthony & Landon gave me a sweet gift- sees and a gift certificate for a manicure & pedicure! Oh I was so excited for both of those! I already know I'll be redeeming that gift certificate right before we go out of town for my 10 year high school reunion this summer!

I unwrapped the box and let Landon pick one out. It was so cute- he grabbed the biggest chocolate and put the entire piece in his mouth! It was way too big so I fished it out and made him take some normal bites of it. And he wanted more after that, so I gave him one and told him to go share with Papa.... and he just went over and layed on the floor to savor the chocolately goodness:

Then Daddy teased him and asked why he wasn't sharing....Landon just giggled and shoved the rest of it in his mouth!

May I have some more???

The rest of the morning consisted of gathering stuff for Relief Society, Sunday School (where are callings are) and getting ready for church. Church was really good- everything but Landon's behavior in sacrament meeting- he was all over the place! After church we took long naps- then it was off to Grandma Patti's for a special Mother's Day meal:

Loading up the car

The meal was great- hot dogs and chicken (marinated in speedy sauce from New York)- watermelon, pasta salad, and apple pie ala mode! Landon refused to eat any of it so he had to do a little time out in Grandma's room... and he was kinda sticker for most of the night. It was exhausting. All he wanted to do was play out side and ride this little car all over the cul-de-sac. We hung out until a little after 7, then went home and we all went to bed (I think it's kinda ironic that on Mother's day I was worn out from being a mom!)! I planned to skype with my family since it's what we always love to do on Sundays AND it was Mother's day- but we were all too tired. :( I did talk to my Mom so that was nice. She told me she got a Kindle (which is perfect for my book-loving mother!) and that the entire family (that lives nearby) went to my Grandma's for a Mother's Day celebration that night. That was probably 4 of my Grandma's daughters-20+ grandchildren and 30+ great grandchildren- I bet it was a wild party! Wish we could've been there!

side note- just like last year, I wanted to get a photo of me and my child on Mother's Day- but once again the day was too busy and by the time I thought of it I was looking too worn out for a photo! Next year I just have to do it!

We're cool like that

2011-05-07T22:10:00.003-07:00

Ok- if you know us we aren't that cool. Cool in the sense of super uber cool - We just are cool becuase we watch PBS. In reality we watch PBS becuase they have the best shows (when all you have is antenna tv) on saturday afternoons... shows like "This Old House", "Primal Grill", "Cooks Country" etc. So this week we watched "Check Please Arizona"- a show that highlights 3 arizona restaurants. One restaurant that caught our attention was Cornish Pasty CO. And since we didn't have any plans for our date night we decided to check it out. When we arrived the restaurant had a "cool" vibe. Every employee had tattoos and or gages in their ears and were dressed very eclectic. Comparitively we felt very blah and normal (which is no big deal). But anyways the food was really good! Pasty is a cornish (somewhere in England) food that was made back in the day for tin miners. It's kinda like a calzone- but much better (the crust is flaky and lite and the contents are not dry at all)! Anthony got the steak and cheese one, and I got the chicken pest0 (and a cup of their cream of tomato soup which was also awesome!). We loved the food- go check it out! Afterwards we went to Goodwill to check out the 50% off sale, but there wasn't anything good- so we went off to circle-k to rent Megamind. And it was really good! Very funny movie! I recommend it.

Oh and a little out of order- some other fun things we did this week was go on a bike ride at Tempe Towne Lake (We are luckily to have a cool step-father-in-law that let us borrow his truck so we could easily haul our bikes). Landon as usual loved going for a ride! The weather was nice and cool at 8pm. We also watched "The Office" with our friends the Thompsons, which is always a good time. And we got to go to the doctor and hear our baby's heartbeat- such a great thing to hear! Landon and I also got to go play at a splash pad... at first he really didn't care for it- but he eventually got into it:
And we played at the Mall playplace:

I did have shoes on him...he just refused to keep them on! Needless to say his feet were black!

What a great week!

Easter Fun

2011-04-26T14:26:00.013-07:00

We were really excited about Easter this year. (Well I'm always excited for holidays!) but the main reason was that Landon would "get it" this year and go after the eggs like crazy. That was sorta the case. Sunday morning we had Grandpa Tony over for breakfast. We had amazing waffles, eggs and bacon plus orange juice. Then we did an egg hunt in our house: And Landon loved it! He picked them up and put them in the basket!
Then he lifted up the blanket covering his basket- he was so excited!

New sand toys, a cars coloring book, candy, bubbles, etc!
He loves his new sand truck!
And of course the candy! He even shared some with Grandpa! Anthony also looked for his basket and found it quickly. I on the other hand looked and looked- it was making Anthony laugh. I had to get many clues before I found it- high above the kitchen cupboards behind a plant! It was full of yummy treats :)

After breakfast Landon "helped" me with dishes. He loves bubbles!

Keeping mama company while she washes the dishes!

Then it was off to church. The meetings were great! Then home to make homemade rolls (which turned out great- I was so excited!), then to dinner at Grandma Pattis and Grandpa Alan's. The meal was fantastic. Then we did an egg hunt for the kiddos. Landon wanted NOTHING to do with it! He just wanted to ride the little car around the sidewalks and over on the neighbors driveway.
After a little while we coaxed him to pick a few up- and he promptly put them in the back of his car instead of the basket :)
After all the grandkids got all the eggs (I think we had got a whopping 8-9!) Anthony informed his mom and Alan that they had an egg to look for. A golden egg. They looked and found the glittery egg (that Anthony had made) and discovered it's contents- cash for them to use for date night! They were not expecting that, and were very excited about it.
Grandkiddos with their grandparents!
Our family easter sunday.
Going on a ride- Landon LOVES bike rides :)
Little man really enjoyed his tootsie pop- until he got to the center- he wanted nothing to do with it after that.

Afterwards it was off to home to skype with my family in California. They had a very fun easter too- my mom hosted a passover meal, then did the egg hunt of all egg hunts. My siblings and their spouses got muddy to get great eggs filled with money, candy or coupons for prizes! We need to come out for easter sometime (but my siblings dont want us too since that will increase the competition!!!) We'll have to see about that!

Changing the World

2011-04-23T23:15:00.007-07:00

By changing cloth diapers... Ok a little history. I NEVER thought I would cloth diaper. But I went to a presentation at the little mom's group Landon and I attended over a year ago and a woman talked all about cloth diapering and it caught my attention. Cloth diapering saves you money and lots of it (how could that not catch my attention)- and it's easy, saves the environment, etc! So we slowing integrated cloth diapers when Landon was about 10 months old and found out which kind worked best for us. Landon is a fuzzibunz kid and loves choosing which color diaper he'd like to wear when it's time for a change (his choice is always blue!).

So my cloth diaper lady hosted an event this morning at Kiwanas park to promote cloth diapering and take part in a guiness world record. All around the world, people changed a cloth diaper at 9am. Landon and I participated and it was a lot of fun. We got to hang out with Aunt Missy and cousin Dallin, plus we ran into a couple other friends we weren't expecting to see.
Wandering around Kiwanas park- Landon was all over the place!!! It kept me very busy!

The world record diaper change- our color choice- lime green!

Cloth diaper cousins- I LOVE Dallin's huge smile peeking out from his binkie! So adorable. Landon was just so annoyed that he had to sit still for a picture.

And the best part of the event- free stuff! I was very excited about getting a goodie bag- and was so surprised that I won a raffle prize too- a free diaper! And the kicker- it's bright pink!!! Maybe its a sign that our next baby will be a girl! Regardless Landon will wear once in a while I'm sure.

He's never worn this color before! But you know what they say, "real men wear pink!"

So if you have any interest in cloth diapers- feel free to ask me any questions. I love cloth diapering and want to share it with others- I just wish I had known about it sooner :)

A few of Landon's favorite things

2011-04-22T15:49:00.002-07:00

Along with cars, trucks, tractors, and choo-choos, Landon has other loves these days: Candy- and all other sugary objects (kool-aid, ice cream, etc)

He also LOVES water- he loves to drink it, play in it- sit in it, etc. I put him on the counter to rinse his dusty feet off and he got right into the sink and had a wonderful time playing around.

He loves water so much that he wants to sit in any water he can find. While we were finishing the end of the biggest loser, Landon wandered off- and we found him here:

Sitting in the toilet! Maybe it's time for potty training?!?!?!

Ok- stop taking pictures and get me out of here! (He was a little wedged in!)

And you see now how he got in- he put his stool next to the potty and stepped in! All laughing aside, I am so relieved that he was ok! He could've drown, fell and cracked his head open on the counter, etc! Luckily we just found him happily splashing in the toilet bowl!

And now Landon loves stickers! These are the only ones we have and he just loves putting them on his body, on the walls, on toys, books, etc!

And landon loves his stool- it provides him so much access to things around the house. He loves carrying it around to get to things he previously couldn't reach, like the lock on the front door!

And a few of Landon's favorite words:

And lastly, Landon's newest love: The Speedbump or "spee bahp!"

What a Week! April 4-10th!

2011-04-10T21:03:00.007-07:00

It has been quite a week. Full of so many emotions- and here's why: Anthony's office admin had to leave town for 4 days, so I worked 4 days in a row in the shop- since having Landon I haven't work that many days in a row. It was very stressful and exhausting for me. Arranging babysitters, getting everything packed up and actually getting to work on time are not easy! Luckily Landon hardly ever cries when I leave him so at least I don't have to deal with that! Plus at the end of each day, I'd pick Landon up, we'd eat dinner and then I'd pretty much go straight to bed. I am 9 weeks pregnant so I have no energy! And then the cycle begins again the next day- wow I am so grateful I do not have to work full-time. Especially since I am pregnant. I also started cramping this week so I had go into the doctor earlier than planned- on the morning of our wedding anniversary- April 7. I was so anxious and nervous and bummed that Anthony couldn't be there with me! But he had to stay at work since they were short staffed. When the doctor finally came in, the first thing she did was an ultrasound. And there on the screen was a little baby- moving its arms and legs! It even rolled around and I could see the little heart beating. I was sooooo relieved and instantly starting crying. I was so grateful that the baby was doing good. And it was super cool becuase the baby actually looked like a baby- its incredible how quickly they develop. The rest of the appointment went well and I was back to work a little later (at work Anthony's boss referred to the baby as the "Bambino"- I think my brother in law Jon will love that nickname for his nephew or neice!). I kept thinking of the baby the whole day. I also was thinking of our friends the Gunnels whose little 3 year old was in major heart surgery today. My heart just ached for their family. I also found out today that my sweet little neice who lives in Kansas was in the hospital too. I worry so much about my sweet neice- she is so fragile. I really long to meet her- hopefully soon. She is Landon's only cousin on my side of the family- they need to meet and we need some pictures of them together! Ugh can you see why I was just an emotional wreck this week!?!?!? So as soon as the day ends at work- we get Landon- then Aunt "Nina" comes over with her boyfriend Christian to watch Landon so we can go out to eat for our anniversary. I was really tired and just wanted to go to sleep, but I am really glad we went. We ate at a great restaurant called Firebirds in chandler. The food was great and it was really nice to relax and enjoy each other's company. Plus we got dessert for free and it was amazing! Big Daddy Chocolate Cake- yummy! The next day I was soooo happy it was Friday. The last day I had to go to work and be away from my son. The day went very smoothly luckily. And that night we laid low as a family AKA I went to bed at 7pm and Daddy and Landon played the rest of the night:). Saturday we did the usual errands, then were able to go to our dear friend Mady's birthday party- it was peter pan themed so we dressed Landon up as a lost boy. He looked so cute!
Searching for gold treasure

Eating fishies with papa

playing with the fooseball table

Not too interested in taking a group picture!

Then it was date night- we had the perfect date- a redbox movie and snickers icecream bars- perfect! Sunday we found out that Anthony's grandma Jenny had passed away. She had been in hospice for a long time so we weren't shocked- but it's still sad. Luckily she lived a long good life. I was also able to talk to my Brother David and get an update on Lunden. She now has a feeding tube and is doing much better. It was good to talk to David and hear about Lunden and the other happenings going on in their lives. So there you have it- our week full of happiness (our wedding anniversary, our new baby) and sadness (our neice and dear friend in the hospital and Anthony's grandma passing away). So glad the week is now over :)

Skinny Dipping on Sunday

2011-04-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

It's true- we let Landon break the sabbath...right after watching the morning session of general conference! Grandpa Alan had taken him and his cousins out to put their feet in the pool. Little did grandpa know that Landon is an "all or nothing" kind of kid, so as soon as he put his feet in, he scooched to the edge and sat down in the water! So we took off his diaper and shirt and let him roam about in the kiddie area of the pool. He loved it! His cousins did not want to miss out, so off came their clothes and they waded along with Lando. Then they started splashing and we all got a little more wet than we planned to! We also had other activities to keep our kiddo entertained.

Driving around the living room

Trying out new hairstyles

It was a grat conference weekend!

Date Night X 3!

2011-03-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

We are part of a babysitting group with 3 other families so every month we have one saturday night when we watch the kiddos, then the other 3 are our date nights! Unfortunately since all the kids are young, it's inevitable that the kids get sick so sometimes it has to be canceled, or if Landon is sick we can't drop him off. But the last 3 saturdays we have been able to drop Landon off and it has been AWESOME! We've had so much fun spending one on one time together and after the 3 hours we are so eager to be back with our lil boy. So here's a recap of our 3 dates: 3/12/11 :We headed down to Mary Coyle's icecream shop in phoenix. Their menu online stated that they also served food so we planned to eat and get dessert, but when we arrived they only served icecream. So we each picked out a sundae. Mint Chip- my favorite! So heath-bar inspired brownie sundae

I can explain the 2 bowl of sauce- The menu said my sundae came with hot fudge...but the first bowl was just full of cold hershey syrup...hhhmmm that is not the same as hot fudge! So I asked for another bowl of HOT fudge- that was much better.

We finished off our icecream pretty good- we were hungry!

Honestly it wasn't that amazing- I prefer Thrifty icecream and probably won't go back. Afterwards our tummys were full...of icecream no less... so we took our glow in the dark frizbee and flashlight to Tempe Beach Park to play catch. It was so fun! We were running all over the place after the frizbee. We had a lot of fun!

3/19/11 Tonight we decided to use a giftcard from Christmas to the Bamboo Club- and we ate like royalty. SUCH good food- but afterwards we were stuffed again, so we decided to walk around at the McDonalds carshow in scottsdale. It felt so good to walk- and Anthony found a new dream car:

The owner let him sit in it! He may have a new mania now!

3/26/11 Since we were kinda sick of having super stuffed tummys on date night, this night we spent the entire 3 hours at As You Wish- we had a great time creating our masterpieces!

When Landon see's the car Anthony drives to work, he always says "Papa Car"- so Anthony made this creation in honor of that phrase.

And I LOVE icecream so I made my own ice cream bowl...

We like to date our pieces and put the initials of who we are with on the bottom.

Our finished masterpieces