Big Brother

Landon loves to help take care of his little brother Brody.  He will get me diapers, binkies, bottles, or whatever I need.  This morning however, he took his brothering skills to the next level.  I heard Landon talking on Brody's monitor and thought wow - he's really loud today, but then realized he wasn't being loud  -he was in Brody's crib!  I just watched him for a few minutes and was so proud to hear him sing, give him kisses, and do patty cake!  I had to rush upstairs though when Landon successfully takes off Brody's diaper and says, "Now doesn't that feel better!"  Thank God there was no #2 going on in there! 

First report card

Landon just recently finished the school year at Kids First.  Despite getting kicked out of his first class and getting lost in the gym, he had a great year.  His teacher Miss Tammy was so sweet and the perfect fit for Landon.  He brought home a progress report that had a long checklist of preschool skills that he had either achieved or was still working on.  He did great on his gross motor skills, speaking abilities, and knowledge of shapes, colors, letters; but apparently he needs a little work in the art department (scissors, glue, threading beads, etc.)  The exact note said he needs to learn to use the materials properly...which was not a surprise when I picked him up at his church classroom and he had blue glue stick all over his forehead and nose!  Also following directions seems to be an ongoing challenge for my little man.

Here is a picture of Miss Tammy and Landon and the note attached to his progress report...

A roller skate...

Landon got these skates for his birthday, and he was so excited but also a little confused by the packaging.  When he opened them up he goes - "A roller skate!!"  Later when we got home he asked me, "Mommy, how do I skate with one roller skate?  Do you think you could please get me another one, so I can have two?"

Landon is 3!

It's hard to believe that this little guy is now 3 years old!  The time has flown by and my sweet, crazy little Landon is still the joy-bringer he has always been.  Always full of adventure, it seemed fitting that he wanted to have a Diego adventure party for his birthday.

Despite the weather scare, we were able to have a great time at the party at Glik Park in Edwardsville. Landon and his friends were given backpacks and binoculars to go on an adventure.  We got to feed fish, rescue animals, and capture bugs.   Three is such a fun, creative age and the kids had a blast!

The little ones - Luke, Brody, and Harper have an adventure in their strollers...

Landon got lots of awesome gifts for his birthday, but he was especially excited about his big boy bike.

The birthday boy is worn out after all that fun!

The Good Stuff

Well, my last post shared how Landon can be a bit of a stinker at times, but there are also so many moments when he just melts my heart.  Here are some of his recent sweeter moments...

Mr. Social -  Me: Landon who do you want to invite to your birthday party?  L: Delaney, Tyler, Claire, Koen, Trent, and BROOODY!!  Me: Anyone else?  L: Everyone.  Me:  Everyone from bible study? L:  No everyone in the whole world.  (Guess I should have made some more invitations.)  Josh asked him later who was coming to his party and with outstretched arms he responds, Everybody!

Mini Missionary - We were at the park and Landon was swinging with some other children.  He began singing, rather loudly I'll add, My God is Mighty to Save - He is mighty to save! Forever, author of salvation, he rose and conquered the grave..Jesus conquered the grave!  One of the moms was impressed and commented that he must be paying attention in Sunday school.  I even got in a great conversation about Christ and what a blessing Metro community church is to our family.  Way to go Landon! 
- One night Josh was talking really loud and Landon told him, "Daddy, shhh, Jesus was in the quiet!"

Ego Booster - Landon has been turning into a little gentlemen.  He has been opening doors, helping me stand up, and now showering me with compliments.  He often tells me mom your shirt is cute, and my favorite mommy you look so pretty.  He even told me I was an angel and gave me a huge hug!  Gotta love it!

Where does he learn this stuff?!?

One of the biggest lessons I have learned so far as a parent is that kids have a mind of their own.  Josh and I (from what we've been told) were great kids, rarely got into trouble, etc.  I just assumed Landon and Brody would turn out the same way.  Well, so far Landon is an amazing kid with so much love and personality, but I often find myself asking questions like where does he learn this stuff?  Is this normal?  Will I ever be able to let him play unsupervised for longer than 10 min?!?  Here are some examples of what I mean - mind you these all happened in the last week:


- Flinging yogurt with a spoon at a little girl in his class (one whom he often speaks fondly of)....I'd like to hope he was offering a free facial?
- Eating a handful ants he found on the ground
- Mood swings!  As I walk in his room and tell him good morning, he throws a shoe across the room and yells, NO!  It's not a good morning! After my good morning time-out to him, I get a big hug and he tells me it's a great morning!
- Taking a truck through his peanut butter and jelly and smearing pb all over the table,  "Hey mom, my truck got stuck in the mud!"
- Attempting to give his monkey a swirlie
- I hear him sarcastically saying,  "Mom, come here and see this fabulous mess!"  He has dumped several cupfuls of water out of the tub in the time it takes me to grab his towel.
- Pretending a pvc pipe is a fire hose and sticking it in an exhaust pipe on Josh's truck


Well, I'm sure there are more, but I too tired from diffusing these antics to remember.  He wears me OUT, but at least he keeps life interesting :)  I still think he must take after his father....

My little chipmunk!

I was organizing some stuff in the basement and came across these billy bob teeth.  Landon decided to model them.  I think he looks adorable even despite the crazy teeth!

It's all in the bag!

I was getting ready to leave and could not find Landon.  I had just heard him in the kitchen, so I knew he couldn't have gotten too far.  All of a sudden he pops out of my green reusable bag - "Hi Mommy!"  I was shocked that he fit all the way in!

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Josh loves to throw everything away, so I impressed at his creativity in reusing some items from shipped packages for an army base.  Landon and him enjoying the recycled fun...

Bathtub Art

I am not a huge fan of painting at our house.  It takes longer to set up and clean, than for Landon to actually paint.  Nevertheless, Landon has been bugging me to paint lately, so I let him "paint" the bathtub with shaving cream.  This kept him entertained for much longer and was way easier to clean up - making us both happy!

Hats..

Apparently hats have been popular around here the last few days.


The cowboy look...

The Golfer/British look