A Few New Things!

Well needless to say Landon is just growing like a weed!!! He learns and does so many new things that I have a hard time keeping up. He has 4 already (top front two and bottom front two). The top right front came through on Friday. So 5 total with 3 more coming in. No wonder we aren't getting any sleep around here!! We are back to being up 2 to 3 times a night and then usually up in the morning between 5-6am. I'm dragging!!!

He also is going to be mobile very soon! Kind of scary! Last Wednesday he would pull himself up on the couch and then let go and stand a few seconds before setting himself down. Now he is standing for 10-15 seconds at a time. The kid has great balance!!

Lately he has been saying "Mama" but it seems like its only when hes sad or tired!

Dylan had a busy weekend! Saturday morning he had basketball at the YMCA, which he is still really enjoying. Then Shauna came and picked him up to spend the night. Boy did they have plans!!! They went to a birthday party, Brendon's grandparents were in town and they had a wedding reception to go to. I'm sure he slept well! Sunday they went to church and Dylan got to see his friends in nursery. Then Sunday afternoon we went over to pick up Dylan and have dinner. We missed him terribly but it was a nice "break"!

I started back to school this week! I was only able to get into one class but at least its a start and hopefully Ill have a better registration date for the Spring semester. So far so good on the class! It's online which is much easier for me to do. I can do my work early in the morning when just Landon and I are up or I can do it at night after the kids are in bed.

We don't really have many plans for the rest of the week. Just some stuff around the house. I finished Dylan's room and did a little in Landon's room.

Sunday we are going to the circus and Dylan is really excited! Every morning he keeps asking "Can we go to the circus now?" Last week I was telling him in 1 week we can go. So now I'm telling him 4 days or 5 days and he says "No!! In 1 week!"

Dylan's school will be starting in just another couple of weeks and I think he is getting anxious! He will be so excited to start and I think it will be really good for him!

Look Who's 8 Months Old!!!

Look how big he's getting!

(He has a carrot in his hand from Dylan's kitchen!)

Dylan needed to have his picture taken too!

Weekend!

Well we really haven't been up to much around here other that just hanging out and working around the house!

Brendon has been working on a crib idea that has turned out really nice! I will post pictures soon when he finishes.

Saturday morning Dylan had basketball and the YMCA. We missed the first two classes, one because he was sick and the other because we were camping. He had such a good time. He loved basketball much better than Tball. I'm guessing in part because they had a good coach that kept all the kids occupied at one time. He'll have one more class and then I think he's back to soccer or floor hockey. Although I'm not sure about 10 3-4 year olds running around with hockey sticks but maybe I'm wrong!

We also took my grandma with us to Dylan's basketball and then her and I worked out butts off in the backyard tearing out all the overgrown stuff and dead stuff that I'm sure has been here for years!

I also have gotten the itch to start working inside the house and doing some things. It has started with the kids rooms. Well Dylan's first. We got a twin bed for him and got rid of the queen he was sleeping on since that took up most of his room. We finally took down the pink curtains! He got a couple new bookshelves and a dresser. The rooms are hard to do only because they are block walls and it really feels like a dorm room or something. So I'm trying to warm them up and make them feel a little more lived in. We got Dylan some dinosaur bedding he picked out on EBay so hopefully that is here soon! I also bought new ceiling fans so the days of a white and gold fan are gone!

I don't have any pictures of before but here is what it looks like currently. I'm in the middle of moving everything!

I also am sort of working on Landon's room at the same time. I am going to take down his changing table and put up a bookshelf and a new dresser and move some toys from the living room into his room and Dylan's.

We are just starting to do a ton of things in the house and I'm so excited! I'm hoping to rearrange the back room maybe update the bathroom a little and who knows from there!!!

Camping Trip

Well actually we had a bad start and by the end of the weekend we were having a really good time!

So we left Thursday morning to go camping with Brendon's parents for their ward camp out. We headed for the hills outside of Truckee. We had heard there was a chance it might rain "a little" but this is August!!! C'monnn! Well about half way up the hill near Blue Canyon it was definitely raining. We get to the campsite and it is raining the whole time. Brendon and I just looked at each other not knowing whether to get out and try to set up the tent or sit in the car and hope that rain stops. We decided since it was just sprinkling to get out and set everything up. Let me just add that none of us had actual shoes. We brought sandals and flip flops. We also only had one sweatshirt a piece and no jackets!

By the time we got everything set up Brendon and I were soaked to the bone. I got in the tent to start blowing up the air mattress and getting the bedding set out and there is puddles everywhere in the tent. Obviously our tent isn't waterproof? We tried using plastic garbage bags and sticking them to the outside over the seams where the water was leaking in. Not much help! By this point we were all frustrated and wet and cold and ready to just turn around and go home. Well we decided to leave about 8pm and go see if we could find a hotel to stay the night (both kids and I were just getting over colds). We drive into Truckee and didn't see anything other than little inns and bed and breakfast spots. So Brendon said that we would go into Tahoe City, mind you this is another 30-45 mins. We knew there was a hotel there because Brendon and I had stayed in it before. We finally get there and get checked in and showers and dry clothes and warmed up and I think everyone passed out!

Friday morning we woke up early. Looking out the window it looked pretty clear! We decided to stop by Squaw Valley and see if we could take Dylan up on the gondola to the top of the mountain. Of course we were there at 9am and the first ride didn't start until 10:40am. No way we were waiting that long! So we convinced him that going back to the campsite was going to be more fun. After driving an hour back to the campsite it was now cloudy, windy and cold. Dylan played with his friends from nursery and had a pretty good time throwing rocks into the water. I went over to the car to get something out and just happened to glance down at our tires! Our two front tires were completely bald, wires sticking out and everything!!! So scary since we were just driving 60 miles an hour down a two lane road! Just a week before Brendon had put air in them and they were fine! Brendon and his dad put a spare on one and used the jack for the other and off they went to Reno to get two new tires.

Several hours and two grumpy guys later they made it back. They had gone to a tire place and were told since our tires are some special low profile racing tire that they were going to be close to $400! No point in buying two brand new expensive tires if our alignment is off and will ruin these on the way down the hill to home. The guy suggested he go to a used tire place. They were able to find them and have them mounted for about $100. When they got back they still had to put them on the car but that wasn't too bad!

Saturday was beautiful and of course the day we were coming home. We had breakfast and were going to go out on the lake! It was warm and so nice out. We took down our campsite and parked by the lake for the rest of the day. We left about 3 in the afternoon and both kids snored the whole way home! I don't think we could have been any happier to be home!

Other than the rough start we had a good time! Although I don't think I got any pictures except a few in Squaw Valley! Don't mind the goofy faces!

I Can't Keep Up With Him!!!

Landon is just going crazy on what hes up to lately! His top right tooth is just about through. He is crawling. He is pulling himself up standing on everything! He's climbing everything. He is standing in his crib to where we lowered the mattress all the way down. He is just all over the place and is definitely mobile now!

When you get big you get to play trains with your brother!

On another note, Dylan picked up a cold somewhere. Who knows since we don't ever go anywhere. So Saturday morning about 3 am he woke up saying his ear hurt. He was up most of the night after that. I called the Dr and got him in and we also took Landon in since he was picking up the cold and had a terrible cough.

Dylan ended up with an ear infection and is taking Omnicef. (We may have had some issues with Amoxicillan when he had his surgery). Landon on the other hand still has this lingering cough that's been around a month at least. The Dr wanted to start him on a nebulizer giving him Albuterol and Pulmicort because he thinks he has asthma. I honestly don't think that's what it is but we took everything anyways. There is no real diagnosis for asthma, its mostly just an educated guess from what the Dr told me and that makes me hesitate to give my little 7 month old steroids. Its not like hes struggling to breathe or having trouble breathing or anything like that. Its just a lingering dry cough. He coughs a couple times at night and some during the day. So I have a little research to do before we start any of that unless something drastically changes.

And this last one is too cute! This is what happens when you bite your mommy when shes feeding you! You get a big sippy cup of formula! Doesn't he look thrilled?

Getting Bigger!

Well Landon just thinks he is big stuff!

Last Thursday the 23rd Landon got another tooth! This time it was the top left front tooth and it looks like the right one isn't far behind.

Then today at my Grandma's he decided to climb the stairs from the garage to the house (with me trailing behind of course!). Then when we got home he decided to pull himself from sitting to standing while holding on the couch. When did my baby get so big?!?!?!

Giveaway

One of my blogger friends Jenna is having a giveaway on her site:
http://www.jennasjourneyblog.blogspot.com/

She's giving away YoBaby Yogurt which is something we have just started giving Landon and he loves it!

Anyways go check out her blog (She's one of my favorites!) and enter the giveaway!

Stuck!

Mommy I think Im stuck!!!

Starting School!

Well we finally got Dylan signed up for school! He will be going part time in the mornings 5 days a week. The school is just around the corner from our house. I'm really excited for him and so far he seems pretty excited. He needs the interaction from the kids so badly!

Although he did tell Grandma Babe that he couldn't go to school until he got a cell phone because he needed to make sure that he could call us if he needed to!

Landons Dr's Appt

Well Landon did have a 6 month checkup scheduled for the end of July (even though it would be a month late then!!) but he woke up today with a crusty eye and a cough so we decided to take him in now.

He has his first ear infection and an eye infection as well! Poor little thing! No wonder he was so whiny and clingy the last few days. Giving him the Amoxicillan is just loads of fun *insert sarcasm here*!

He also got his 6 month check up at the same time so we didn't have to go back at the end of the month. He got the last of his shots until 12 months and his last Rotovirus oral vaccine as well.

I hope he gets better soon!

New Things

Landon is growing like a weed and just doing a ton of new things all the time! In the last day or so he has been sitting up by himself, balancing himself when hes sitting so he doesn't fall over, he is scooting like a little inch worm along the floor to get to where he wants to go and he is waving to people. I'm just amazed that they all happen at one time!

Fourth of July in Vegas

This is the second year we have been in Las Vegas for 4th of July. This year we went down for Drew's (Brendon's Brother) new baby, Taryn's blessing. I absolutely dread the drive. It's about 9 hrs and that's without having to stop with the kids every couple of hours. They actually did really well. Dylan rode with Randy and Shauna the whole way down. And I think we only stopped with Landon a few times.

It was nice to finally get there and get checked into the hotel and settled. We swam in the pool a lot, Dylan played with his cousins and we went to the Mandalay Bay Aquarium. We actually had a really nice, relaxing time. Here are some pictures from the trip!

Family Picture at the Aquarium

Landon and Mommy

Landon sitting up!

Trying to get a decent picture of the boys!

So cute!

Watching a movie together! One of my favorites!

6 months old and some Teeth!!!

Well Landon is finally getting teeth! After months of drooling and teething they finally have come through. On Wednesday 6/17 he had the left front bottom tooth come in and then two days later on 6/19 he had the right front bottom tooth come in.

Here is an all in one picture! It shows his two teeth, it was taken on his 6 month birthday and it also shows his new trick! Rocking back and forth on all fours! He's getting so big, so fast! I cant believe its been half a year and now we are on the countdown to his first birthday.

Dylan's Surgery

Well Dylan finally had his surgery a few days ago!!! I would have written this sooner but Dylan has been a sick little boy.

I'm so happy its over with. He really didn't have any idea about what was going on other than he had an appointment with the Dr to look at his throat and fix it so he could breathe better and didn't snore.

We got there bright and early at 6am to check in. Finally the time came and they called Dylan back. He was so big and brave! He kissed me and gave me a hug and off he went with his bag full of things to keep him busy. Brendon went back with him and I stayed out with Landon.

I brought the stroller and Landon and I walked for a while until I saw Brendon come out, which meant that Dylan had been taken back for surgery. It was over finally and Brendon got to go back to see Dylan. I thought that they would be right out so I went out to the car to feed Landon so he wouldn't cry on the way home and was ready to move the car over to pick them up. I waited and waited and waited and finally Dylan and Brendon came out with the nurse. Dylan was just sobbing. I'm assuming because he was drowsy and not feeling well. But he was most upset that the nurse had put a band aid on his foot where they had to put the IV in.

I was so happy that it was over with and we were home and just glad to be done with the whole thing. Dylan had some issues with the antibiotic and pain medication. He couldn't keep anything down really for the first few days and finally after I called the Dr he said to stop everything unless Dylan wanted to take the pain medication. Dylan seemed to do really well after stopping the Amoxicillan so that may be something to watch in the future. He may have an allergy to it or it may have been because of his empty stomach.

Anyways the difference in his breathing was amazing!!!!! We were told it would be a few month before we noticed a difference because of the swelling. We noticed the second he was at home sleeping in his own bed! Now sometimes we go in and check on him because his breathing is quite compared to what it used to be.

All in all I'm so happy that we decided to go through with it. He is doing so much better and I think it was a really good decision.

This picture was taken a few days after his surgery. Don't mind the orange mustache! At least he was drinking something!

Food

Well Landon is working on baby food lately and he really isnt that into it. He's starving and always trying to eat our food but he really isnt happy with baby food.

So far he has tried peas, sweet potatoes, pears and applesauce. Although he has been eating rice cereal and apples which seems to be his favorite besides the pears.

"Hi Mom! What are we doing?"

"No not that stuff again!"

"Ick!!! See I told you I didnt like that stuff!"

"That's it!! Im done!"

Great Great Great Great Grandfather

Since Dylan and Grandma Babe are two peas in a pod, we are over there quite often. For anyone that knows my Grandma she is addicted to pictures! They are everywhere. In her eyes there is no such thing as too many pictures.

So in her bathroom there is a picture of my Grandpa sitting on a little bench. Since he passed away before Dylan was born, Dylan of course never met him. He has really picked up on who he is in the pictures and calls him his Great Great Great Great Grandfather. Not Grandpa and not just Great Grandpa it is Great Great Great Great Grandfather. It really is cute.

And something my Grandma and I were talking about the other day. I'm not sure if Dylan knows it or not and I think he is too little to bring it up. But I don't think he knows that my Grandpa has passed away or not and I just don't have the heart to ask him. He just knows he isn't around and that there are lots of pictures of him.

It's really too bad and sort of upsetting that Grandpa and Dylan didn't get to meet because they definitely have similar personalities and Grandpa would have thought that Dylan was something else!!!! They would have been the best of friends!

There's a Turtle in the Backyard

A couple of weeks ago Dylan got a new (to him) sandbox from his Auntie Holly. It was in great condition. It was left at her new house she bought and it was filled with purple Moonsand!!! That stuff is the worst stuff ever. There honestly is nothing worse. Anyways after she unloaded my Dad brought it over for us.

We finally got it set up and filled with sand in the backyard. Dylan loves it! Although in these pictures I think he had just gotten out of the pool so just imagine sitting in a turtle full of sand in a wet swimsuit. Makes me cringe just thinking about it!!!

I can Spell my Name!!!

Dylan has finally picked up how to spell his name. Today he told anybody and everybody who would listen to him that he knew how to spell his name and then he would spell it for them. I'm so proud!!!!

We also tried rice cereal and apples with Landon today and he loved them! I think this could be a new favorite!

Timeout!

There is nothing that makes you feel worse than putting your kid on timeout for 3 minutes and going in to tell him he can come out and he's sleeping all tucked in with his flashlight!

Sleeping Anywhere!

It seems as though my kids can sleep anywhere! Since Landon was born Dylan has started sleeping like a log. Nothing wakes this kid up!

The other day Dylan was playing on the floor with Landon and they were watching a show together. When I look back over the couch, this is what I saw.

Then about 5 minutes later Brendon was holding Landon and heres what happened!


Crazy kids! I wish I could just fall asleep anywhere, anytime!

Storm

Well last night we had an absolutely insane lightning storm. There was a ton of rain but it came and went really quickly.

I also noticed last night that Dylan's "new fish" died, but didn't have the heart to tell him. We had him a total of a week!! Anyways Brendon being the good Daddy that he is decided to go out and get Dylan a new fish at the closest 24 hour Walmart.

I gave him sort of sketchy directions, like maybe telling him the wrong exit to take, and he ended up driving past the exit twice and having to drive over the Yolo Causeway twice which means the wind was blowing about 60 mph as the lightning and rain went crazy.

He did finally make it home after his cell phone died and I couldn't call him anymore with fish in hand!

Ughh The Joys of Parenthood!

There is nothing worse than having to tell your three year old that their pet has died. Dylan has has this same fish since he was 3 months old. I know it was only a fish but I thought we could get away without Dylan noticing for a while. I'm sure I should have just come out and told him but I didn't know how!

Tonight as I was cleaning the kitchen, Dylan came in and asked if he could feed his fish. I'm sure I just had this dumb look on my face because I hadn't really thought about what I was going to tell him. As I hesitated even longer Dylan gave me his mad face and said "Where is my fish??!! I want to feed my fish!!!" Still I hesitated and the only thing I could think in my head was to not say he died or that he was dead. So I started off by saying "He got sick." I just got the blank stare from Dylan. Of course he didn't know what that meant. So the only other thing I could think of was to say "He got sick and he is in heaven with Jesus." There is nothing worse than seeing his little eyes well up with tears and his little lip turn down. He just burst into tears.

I picked him up and held him for a little bit because he was still crying. He turned to me and said "I'm so sad that my fish died. I'm really mad at Jesus." What the heck do I say?!?!?! I just told him that I knew he was sad and it was okay to be mad about it. I kept trying to tell him that he was sick and he's all better now.

After snuggling a little while on my lap he was better I think. He hasn't mentioned anything else about it and is sleeping now.

How did I get stuck with the job telling him about his fish?!?!?! Isn't that a Daddy job???

Sticks

Just a quick story......today I was leaving my Grandma's house to take Kirstin back to school and I was leaving Dylan there. As I started to back out of the driveway Dylan came running out of the garage and knocked on the window. I told him to hurry up because I was going to be late. He handed me a little stick and said "Here Mommy, just so you know I always love you!"

Sooooo sweet! (of course I saved the stick and its still sitting in the diaper bag!)

T-Ball

So after soccer Dylan has started T-Ball at the YMCA. He definitely doesn't like it as much as soccer but he still is having fun. His couch isn't as great either. He focuses too much on one kid when there are 10 other 3 and 4 yr olds running around bored!! Anyways besides that he is having a really good time!

For some reason I only got two pictures and they aren't that great. But trust me he can hit the ball really far!!!

I think we are taking a break for July since Dylan will be having his surgery at the end of June and might miss a class or two. I think in August is Basketball or Indoor Soccer so we will have to see.

Folsom Lake

Brendon's parents decided to take the Sea-Doo's out for the first time this year and we met them out at the lake.

Dylan's been out to the lake quite a few times but this was Landon's first trip. We decided to hang out in the shade!

Dylan actually rode on the Sea-Doo's which he hadn't been really interested in doing in the past couple of years.

First Time in the Pool

Of course the day we bought the pool was 100+ degrees and ever since its been windy and cold. Today was the first day that it was warm enough for Landon to get in and this actually was his first time in any pool ever!



He of course loved it and is definately a water baby!

Look Who's 5 Months Old!!!

Guess who's 5 months old today???

Look what we got!

Well today was Dylan's last soccer class at the YMCA. He had such a great time with the other kids and really loved his coach! Next up is T-Ball!

Today before soccer, Brendon and I decided that we were going to get a pool. Im not talking about a little blow up pool. We were going for the real thing, or as close as you can get, not digging up the backyard.

After calling around we finally found the one we wanted. 12 Feet by 3.5 Feet Deep! Big enough for all of us to get in and cool off, but also shallow enough for Dylan to stand and have the water below his head. Here is a picture of Dylan helping us set it up!

Bodega Bay

We went on our first camping trip of the summer this weekend! We has such a good time playing in the sand and digging holes.

Although there was a little boy, not naming name or anything who still had a little timeout!

Lots of News!

This is just a quick update on the latest around here that I wanted to get down before I forget!

It's only taken 3 1/2 years but Dylan is finally falling asleep in his OWN bed and STAYING there all night!!!! We tried a sticker chart before about 7 or 8 months ago and he just wasn't that interested in it. So once we got settled here and Landon got here we decided to try again. This time he is all for it. We bribed him slightly with a new movie (Mickey's Big Splash) if he went a whole week staying in his bed. The next big goal is to sleep in his bed a whole month and fill up his chart and if he does he gets a new bed with whatever sheets he wants. Right now he is using our old queen size bed with our old sheet set. Not too exciting for a three year old! Anyways he is doing so well that he will be getting the new bed in no time!

Landon has also decided to follow in his older brothers footsteps and has been sleeping through the night as well. He goes to bed anywhere between 7-9pm and sleeps until 6am. I'm so so happy and hope that it continues.

Landon has been rolling over from his back to his tummy for quite a while now and he has just started rolling from his tummy to his back. He's going to be crawling in no time and then we are in BIG trouble!

We are leaving to go camping at Bodega Bay tomorrow so I will have a large post with a ton of pictures when we get back.

One last thing before I forget! Dylan got a Happy Meal the other day after his ENT appointment and it came with a Kidz Bop CD. I think its number 6. Anyways the first song on it is Beautiful Girls. Dylan loves it!! He has even learned the words and sings along in the car!

Mother's Day

Brendon, Dylan and Landon got me a beautiful mirror to hang in the dining room. I'm also going to put up a couple of their pictures that we just got done at JCPennys next to it. I of course didn't take any pictures at all but will take some when I get the pictures and the mirror hung up.

We spent most of the day at my parents house just hanging out and having a good time! We got Brendon's Mom, My Mom and My Grandma each a pretty potted plant and a nice card. Then we ate dinner at my parents and it was great as usual. Dylan and Tyler had a good time playing together. Dylan was worn out by the time we got home.

Dylan's ENT Appt and Landon Tries Cereal

Another busy Friday over here!

Dylan has his appointment with the ENT about setting a surgery date for his tonsils and adenoids. I was a nervous wreck even though I knew this was just a consultation. I was even sort of queasy! I'm lame, I know! Anyways the doctor said that they are pretty large but that isn't just the only reason to take them out. He said if there were times when he was sleeping that he had 8-10 seconds were he hesitated taking breaths that it was time they come out. I'm not sure on the exact length of time that he has trouble breathing but I know there is sometimes at night when Brendon and I get nervous and want to nudge him or wake him up to get him to take another breath. Definitely unnerving! Anyways we decided to go ahead with the surgery and now we are just waiting for a call back with the date. I think this is going to be Brendon's deal! I'm not sure I can handle my baby having surgery. I'm sure Ill be there somewhere but I don't want to be passed out on the floor!

Landon tried cereal this morning. I wont say much about it and let the pictures speak for themselves. But I will say his eyes were watering and he would shudder before I even got the spoon to his mouth!

All ready to go!

I don't think so Mom!

Ugh! What are you doing?!?!?!

Okay I'm DONE Mom!

Workin' At The Carwash!

We finally decided that it was time to wash the car. I think the rain is done for the year! Although I'm sure now that we washed it, it's going to rain again!

Wake Up!!!!

This is what I wake up to at 6am in the morning! Needless to say I think he's a morning person!

Busy Day

Today was a busy busy day! I did remember to take some pictures though!

First, Landon had his 4 month appointment. He was 16lbs 4oz and 26 1/4" long. He's come a long way from the little boy who wasn't gaining any weight. He did get a couple of shots and did fine. I did give in and let him have the oral rotovirus vaccine again this time because the Dr stated that rotovirus is way way worse then just the residual affects of the vaccine. Landon did have stomach issues again this time but nothing like last time. We also have been given the go ahead for starting cereal. The Dr basically left it up to us as to when to start. Anywhere between 4-6 months. He also said that just because Dylan has issues with the rice cereal doesn't mean that Landon will, which is good news. Maybe within the next week or so we'll start it. He goes back in 2 months for his 6 month appointment on July 27th. He also has another hip appointment on August 4th, just as a follow up and to get another set of X-rays done.

Dylan started soccer today and the YMCA. It's a Monday night class with other 3 & 4 year old kids. He has been so excited for this for a week or two now. He got new "soccer" shorts and a new pair of tennis shoes. Dylan loves his new coach, Coach Marteen. Dylan just calls him Coach! He is very good with the kids and oh so patient. There was probably 10-12 kids out there. Mostly they just learned about dribbling the ball, stopping the ball and kicking. They did stretching and warm ups like duck, duck, goose. Dylan also has a "Best Friend" now. His name is Drew and he was really shy and crying and didn't really want to play or even be there and Dylan took right to him. By the end of practice they were buddies and Drew was doing everything with Dylan. Drew's mom was so excited and at the end of practice she told me "We made progress!!!"

Here's some of the pictures I took.

Warming Up!

Water break!

Dribbling Through the Cones!

Shooting a goal!