Attachment

There is a bit of a "blankie" obsession going on in our house. Especially since "the Daddy" was gone for the last few weeks...
While I tried to sneak the beloved blanket in "for a bath," Landon realized it was missing and was very concerned.

Every couple of minutes we had to run out and check the laundry to make sure that blankie was all right.
Still in there.
And there he is with his wet blanket.

Impatience

This is what happens when we don't want to wait to have sunscreen rubbed in.

Zombie Landon.
At least he didn't get sunburned. :)

Ode to Dora.

Even if it's bath time...
There will be no objections...
And you better believe that we are watching 6 inches from the TV screen.

Target {in pictures}

This is what my shopping experience looks like.
Uh-oh.

After yelling every object he saw as loud as he could he found these...
Sweet!
Did his best to get the lid off.
Then begged me to do it. Of course, the only way to distract him from ingesting 800 cheese puffs was to ride the carousel.

Unfortunately he wasn't too thrilled that it was out of order.
Wait a minute...
Tow Trucks! Bulldozers!


Oh yeah.

Very into the steering wheel.
He calls this the "loader."


"Hey baby." He was checking out the three year old with the pig tails.
Time to go...
After he begged and begged to go back to the loaders I said, "Landon we're going to go home."

Major emotional blow. (apparently)
He was processing it.NO Mom!! I want to ride the loader.
But it's cool...I'll just eat my shoe lace.

And sing really loud.

Swimming in the hot tub.

Landon gives me this face more often than I would like...


Who likes swimming in a hot tub? This one does.

Best Friends {picnic}

There is nothing better than having a good friend to pass the time with, especially if you are a stay-at-home mom to a young child. Lucky for me one of my bff's happens to be my sis-in-law, Annie. Her daughter Andie and Landon are nine months apart and to say that they love each other would be an understatement. They are obsessed with each other.

Hello there Andie.

"Andie" is the first word he utters when he wakes up from a nap and he wants to be hanging out with Andie every second that he can. He gives Andie all his tractors and "loaders" (as he now calls them), throws balls at her head, and gives her his half-chewed food just because he loves her so much.

Today we decided that we would have a little lunch picnic on the front lawn. The weather was perfect and the kids loved it. A nice way to mix up the usual routine.

Yay for bffs. :)

I was just thinking...

Bath time is so much better when it's a party.

Whoa!

We are in a "whoa" phase right now. Experiencing the world along side a toddler who is experiencing everything for the first time is an unusually special treat.

Every time L sees an airplane, bird, puppy he is so excited that a) it exists b) he knows what it is and c) he can say the name. I can see a true sense of pride emerging in Landon as a result of knowing he can communicate. Sure, every mom is proud of the expressed nouns and verbs, but it's the toddler usage of interjections that really keeps me entertained.
Landon, 12 months, pic by Aaron Draper.

It makes sense that a kid would say, "wh-o-a" (all drawn out in amazement) when he sees an airplane for the first time.Or even when he rides is first amusement park ride. (I took this at one of our favorite San Jose spots, Happy Hallow).

The "whoa's" are getting a little more extensive now. For example:
Hil: "Landon, here's a carrot."
Landon: "Oh! Whoa!!!! carrot."

Upon arriving at our car in the parking lot at the grocery store. Landon recognizes the car and with arms flailing exclaims, "OH yeah! WHOA!!!! car."


Exploring the Target toy section.
Landon: "Whoa!!!!! Helmet."

He even uses it after identifying objects.
As I'm handing him some string cheese.
Landon, "Cheese. Whoa!"

And this was all just today before nap time.
He does mimic pretty much everything Rod and I say and do these days. This whole "whoa" usage along with the accompanying excitement before identifying everything has me thinking. I must say "whoa" A LOT.

It's nice to have some of that excitement about seeing random everyday-life-objects rub off on me. What's changed in me since becoming a mom is, now I'm always so pumped when I pass a semi-truck or when I spot a tractor in a field. I get to point it out to Landon and experience his excitement about seeing it for the first time.
And yes, amidst trying to deal with the hoopla and responsibility of being a parent, it's nice to stop and marvel at the airplanes.

18 months

My little boy is 18 months old. Which is sad because I remember when he used to look like this.
(Oh my--doesn't this pic just make you laugh out loud? Ah....)And that seemed like it was yesterday. Well, it was last year.
It's amazing how much they change (insert more cliche expressions, etc). But it's true.


On with the 18 month update. It's all about the tractors, trucks, balls, and puppies (which it has been about now for a while). His newest thing is apple juice. He'll wake up in the middle of the night and yell, with what I swear is the same decibel level as an adult and with perfect diction, "Apple JUUUUICE!" (fyi apple juice is really like flavored water). At which point, Rod and I grumble about who's turn it is to get out of bed and pacify our 18 MONTH OLD!!!...(shouldn't this have stopped by now?) He loves juice, fruit snacks, and pirate's booty. (must have gotten that from his dad...;)I wish he loved broccoli, whole wheat, and asparagus--maybe in time...

His new favorite sport is golf. I got him these $2 plastic golf clubs from target and he whacks every ball in sight. He's even learning how to hold and swing the club with 2 hands. He also loves to watch golf on TV with his dad (how boring...I know---I've also taught him how to get really excited for Oprah--he cheers and sits on my lap in the beginning and then 5 minutes into it begs for Dora the Explorer). He also loves it when he gets to go to the course with Grandpa, Aaron, and Rod.
I wonder what he thinks about.

L just came out of his Elmo phase, which is kind of sad, because I love Elmo. Now its all about Dora the Explorer. He says "Dah-wa" like she's Asian instead of Latin. He repeats any word you say to him and is now starting to string words together in sentences.
"We did it."
"What is it?"
"All done."
"Thank you."
"I want that."
"pay gahpf" (play golf)
"Hold you"
etc...

I am loving this phase, he is a lot of fun and becoming so independent. He's also starting to learn right from wrong, so he knows he's in trouble if he hits mommy in the face with his golf club---so we aren't fighting those battles as much as we used to because he hates time out (even if its only for 20 seconds).
He's also very expressive with his face. AND (best part) he loves to give hugs and kisses now. So I love that.
Lucky to be this little one's mama. I love you Landon and I'm grateful everyday!