Adventures of a New Mommy

Not a baby anymore...

2010-12-10T03:57:00.001-08:00

With Landon recently turning two, it makes me realize how fast time really does fly. He's not a baby anymore, even though I've recently been telling him that he will always be my baby. Sweet Landon, here are some things about you to remember now that you are 2!

- You are such a talker! You are so verbal, and we are so impressed with how much you say and how we can carry on full conversations with you! It's so fun!

- You LOVE to eat! Fortunately, you are not picky like your Mommy, and you will eat anything I put in front of you. I hope it continues throughout your childhood that you like to try new things and love to eat!

- Your favorite food is hot dogs of course, and you told us at Thanksgiving that's what you wanted Santa Claus to bring you for Christmas! Every meal you ask for a hot dog, even though you know Mommy will laugh and say no! You really love raisins and apples right now, too!
- You still love Elmo and Mickey Mouse the most. You also like Thomas the Train and Handy Manny (who you call "Hammy Hammy").
- You are still very domestic! You have always loved sweeping and vaccuuming, and you love to play with kitchens! You got a play kitchen for your birthday, and you've already spent hours "making" us pizza and hamburgers. You love to watch me cook and sample whatever is on the counter!
- As much as you love to pretend to clean, you are also ALL BOY! You love your Home Depot tool bench, weed eater, leaf blower, and Handy Manny tools. One of your favorite things to do is to "help" Daddy or Papa in the yards.
- With Mommy and Daddy having a very busy fall, you have spent many nights lately with Mimi and Papa. There is nothing you love more! You say, "Bye bye Mommy!" as soon as get there. You love staying at their house and having so much fun with them! - Lately, you are very interested in cows since we pass so many pastures on the way home. You are very curious about cows and you've been learning what they eat, how and where they sleep, and what colors they can be. You think it's so funny that they sleep standing up!- You love all the Christmas decorations, and you've been soooo good about not messing with anything you shouldn't! You always remind me to turn on the lights around the house. You like Santa, and you even sat in his lap like a big boy! (He did have candy...)
- You love to color, but even more than that you LOVE to paint!!! Grandma got you a cool easel for your birthday, and you love to draw and paint up in your playroom. When we asked you what you wanted from Santa you always said, "colors and paint!" Sometimes you also replied, "Hot dogs and pizza!"
- You have so many friends, and you love to play with them all! I think Sutton is your best friend, and you two get soooo excited when you see each other! It makes for a wild time! You also love to play with Kaylee, Cade, Jackson, Haley, Ayla, Davis, and so many more! You have stopped pulling hair for the most part (thank goodness!), and you're getting great at sharing and being a friend. It's so fun to watch you with your friends!
- You are in the 2 year old room now at church! It's so amazing to see you already learning about Jesus, and we love the little crafts you bring home. I know I will want to keep them all! You told me after your first day in there, "God give us food". LOVE it!

You are such a sweet, smart little two year old, and we are so blessed! I love getting to spend each day with you and watch you learn more everyday. You are like a sponge, soaking it all in! (We've got to start monitoring the tv shows we watch!) I keep saying that I love this age, and I want to make time stop. You are so much fun to be around, and you light up the room with your fun energy. When you tell us "sweet dreams" or "I wuv you!" it makes my heart melt. I can't ever get enough. We love you sweet Landon! Happy 2nd birthday!!!!

Landon is TWO!!!

2010-12-05T13:49:00.001-08:00

Landon is TWO! I cannot believe that two years have gone by since our precious boy arrived! We had a very fun Elmo themed birthday party to celebrate a few days before the actual birthday! Here's some pics from the exciting day!

Above is the Elmo cake that I made! It stressed me out, but turned out great! I also made some Elmo and Cookie Monster cookies. There was hardly any left of either, so they must've been yummy!

Of course, Big Bird and Elmo came to the party, too!

My fabulous friend, Barbara, let us borrow all the adorable activities she made for a Sesame Street day!

Of course there was jumping going on! Here's Landon jumping with Addison and Lola Cate!
When it was time to open presents, Uncle Steven brought out his gift to Landon, a play kitchen! After that, we had a really hard time getting Landon to pay attention to any other presents! He loves his new kitchen A LOT! He's very domestic, and Sutton enjoyed playing with it, too!

Here's the large pile of presents that Landon ignored in favor of the kitchen!
We got his attention with this leaf blower from Mimi and Papa! (He got a weed eater too from Abby and Karra that he loves!)

He loves his Elmo kitchen set from Addison!

And he LOVES his Home Depot tool bench from Mimi and Papa! (So do Sutton and Collin!) See, he's domestic AND manly!
Landon is so excited to ride his Hot Wheels from Aunt Heather!

Everyone had a great time and left with a fun goody bag from Elmo!

Happy birthday, Landon!!!!! What a fun little boy you are!

Catching up...

2010-11-21T12:10:00.000-08:00

I've been terrible about blogging lately, so here's a quick update! We have had a great Fall so far! The weather has been beautiful, and we've enjoyed all of the fall festivities! Here's some pics of our Fall:

Daddy finished Landon's playset!

We went to the Amigos for Christ festival and rode the train with Kaylee! (AFC is the organization that Kris went to Nicaragua with in July)

Eating yummy cookies at our Halloween playgroup!

Look what Landon made with his handprints!

At the Vine's Fall Festival riding with Daddy on the hayride!

Riding the hayride with Grandma and Mimi!

He loved the parachutes at the Fall Festival more than anything!

Playing the Lollipop Tree!

At the Pumpkin Patch sharing secrets with Daddy!

Sweet boy!

On Halloween, we rode the hayride around Uncle James' neighborhood with a bunch of our friends! (Notice Kris with Landon's lightup safety sword. He had more fun with it than Landon!)

Our little elephant with Superman Tristan and Mickey Mouse Cade!

Isn't he the cutest elephant you've ever seen???

Now we're into November, which means birthday parties for us! So many friends have fall birthdays! Here's Landon at Anna Kate's birthday party riding a pony for the first time. He loved it!
We also went to Addison's birthday party where Landon had a ball painting a piggy bank!
Next up....Landon's birthday!!!

Sesame Street Live!

2010-10-04T12:41:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, Landon and I went with some friends to Sesame Street Live! Since we had to go ALL THE WAY DOWNTOWN, we decided to smush in one car. Landon and I were in the 3rd row, Baby Carly, Kaylee, and Sutton in the middle row, and Elizabeth and Melissa up front. Here we are going downtown: Little Man was excited the whole morning and he was enthralled watching the show! However, he wanted to go down the steps and go to the stage to see Elmo! He didn't understand that we had to stay on our row!

All of our favorite characters singing and dancing!!!

The star- ELMO!!!!

Our seats were right beside this space that was gated in- perfect for 3 toddlers to roam around and watch the show!
"Here, Kaylee, have a pretzel!"

It was hard to get them to look at the camera with all that action going on! Melissa and Kaylee in her new Abby Cadabby shirt!

Why do we even try to get them to look at the camera???

Elmo's World!!!! (And of course, Mr. Noodle!)

So excited!!!!

Someone passed out right before the end! So much excitement in one day!!!
Landon insisted on holding Elizabeth's hand on the way back from the show and pizza! As if she doesn't have her hands full enough!
What a fun day! I hope Landon is still into Sesame Street again next year, so we can go again!

Game Ranch with playgroup!

2010-09-13T11:51:00.001-07:00

We had a blast recently when we went to the Yellow River Game Ranch with our playgroup! Landon and Kaylee had fun riding together in the car too. Here they are, ready to go! (Luckily, watching Elmo distracted them from the long car ride)

If you've never been, the deer come right up to as soon as you hit the trail. As soon as we got there, an aggressive buck poked Landon in the eye with his antler as I was trying to shoo him off of us. Landon wailed for a few minutes, and his eye was red the rest of the day, but he recovered quickly and had a blast. Enjoy all these pics of Landon and his friends with the animals!

He thought this chicken was so funny! I wish you could see how hard he is laughing!

The best part about going in to feed the bunnies was that Landon started sneaking bites of the carrots! Busted!

Sutton and Landon walking down the trail together...So cute!

Playing on the porch and waiting for lunch!

Playground time after a quick lunch! I'm surprised they had any energy left!

Enjoying suckers on the way home! We succeeded in keeping them awake the whole way home so that we could still have our free time while they napped!

We were beat, dirty, and wore out when we got home! It's lots of fun, and I'm glad Landon loves animals so much (even after meeting the mean ol' buck!)

1st plane ride!

2010-09-09T12:57:00.001-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend, Mimi and Papa flew us all out to Biloxi for a weekend of fun and relaxing! Landon got to take his first ever airplane ride! He LOVES airplanes, and he was very excited to see all the planes. I think he would stay in the airport parking lot all day and watch the planes if he could.

Here he is looking out the window waiting for our turn to board the airplane. The excitement is building!

We made it on the plane! Let's go!

Already wanting to bounce around and sit on everyone's lap

Looking out the window with Mommy (and we did this for quite a while...it took forever to take off)
And yep, as we're taking off (finally) guess who fell asleep? He missed the takeoff completely!

He slept for most of the short flight, and Landon did get to see the clouds. I *think* he understood that we were up in the sky, but who knows?

On the way back, he got to peek in the cockpit! The pilots asked him if he wanted to press a button, and he said yes. But as soon as one of them went to pick him up, he freaked! He decided that he wanted to stay with Mommy instead!

Landon fell asleep again on the way home, but he was not happy when he woke up and didn't know where he was! At least it was when we were getting off the plane that he decided to be unhappy! He still loves airplanes, and maybe one day he'll get to go in one again!

Landon's "Loves"

2010-07-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

A snippet of what Landon loves! He cracks me up!

Camp Kidzu!

2010-07-18T18:58:00.001-07:00

The Vine held it's 1st ever Vacation Bible School last week, Camp Kidzu! There were over 80 children, and everyone had a blast! It was so great to see kids of all ages worshiping, learning about Jesus, and having a wonderful week! While all the kids 2 and older learned new fun songs and danced...(see Addison in the middle?)

And made crafts, had cool snacks, and played games...

I had the pleasure of watching the babies and 1 year olds of the volunteers! A few other gals and I had 7 children from the ages of 3 months to 19 months. Here's sweet Cooper (he has the most squeezable legs!):

Cade had to be banished to timeout a few times for biting :( He definitely didn't mind jumping around the crib!

A bunch of our kiddos having a snack!

Poor Elizabeth loves to fight her naps! She was afraid she might miss something!

Landon, our oldest kiddo, enjoying the fresh air
We took the kids out for a wagon ride every day! Victory and Landon were always ready!
Even the babies got to ride in the wagons!
Three blue-eyed amigos: Victory, Cade, and LandoneThe sun really caught their blue eyes!

Jackson, Cade, and Victory on a cruise... (yes, it looks like Cade is going in for a shoulder bite. He did get him later this ride!)
Goofing around

Watching all the kids perform at Family Night
All week Landon waved to Pirate Jake, but when it was time to take a picture with him, Landon was NOT happy! I guess pirate toys are not in our immediate future...
We had such a great week, and I'm already looking forward to next year's Camp Kidzu adventures! I can't believe that Landon will be in the 2 year old class then! He has so much fun in store!

Weekend at Mimi's!

2010-06-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

We recently went on a cruise with Margo, Duke, James, and Liz. While the adults were away and playing, Landon spent his long weekend with Mimi and Papa. Papa was out of town for most of the weekend, so Mimi didn't have to share her precious Landon. Ha! They had a busy weekend full of fun, including a trip to the Yellow River Game Ranch, the pool, Chick-fil-A, and the mall. Here's some pics from their fun weekend:

I think Landon wore Mimi out! But they sure did have a blast!

18 Months Old...

2010-06-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Oh. My. Goodness. I cannot believe my sweet Landon is already 1 1/2. Where has the time gone? In honor of this birthday (I celebrate every milestone!), here are some tidbits about you at 18 months:

Things you LOVE:

- being outside

- following Daddy around and "helping" with the yardwork

- riding on the lawnmower

- playing with friends, Mommy and Daddy, everyone

- riding the train and carousel at the mall (especially with your BFF, Sutton)

- dancing to the "hot dog" song on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

- eating (enough said)

- jumping in bouncy houses

- riding in the wagon

- dogs

- bubbles

- spoons

- ice cream

- balloons

- brooms, vacuums

- water, playing in water

- helicopters, trains, tractors, cars, trucks, airplanes (get the drift?)

- pulling hair

- tossing your food on the ground

I do not particularly like the last two!

Things you do NOT LOVE so much:

- diaper rash
- Dr. Phil (you literally cry and run away when his show comes on!)
- the doctor's office (again, enough said)
- the church nursery (you're getting much better, but you still cry when I leave you there)
- getting in trouble with Mommy or Daddy
That's pretty much it!

You are such a sweet boy! You blow kisses to everyone and hug them too. You love to play with your friends, and it's so fun to watch you being so social! You're growing so fast, and everyone comments on how you don't look like a baby anymore but a little boy. You're saying new words everyday, and it's adorable! Even though you love to test Daddy and I, it's fun watching you learn about your surroundings and what you can and can't do. You shake your head yes and no, and I love communicating with you. When you're proud of yourself, you'll grin and clap your hands. You love to run around the corner and say, "Boo!" to whoever is there.

18 months already! You'll be 2 before we know it! I cherish each and every day with you. You always start our mornings out with a smile and end it with a sweet kiss at bedtime. You truly make our world a brighter place, and I don't know what I'd do without you. Happy 18 month birthday, Landon! We love you!

Beach Trip!

2010-05-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

Landon had a blast at the beach! He loved the sand, and to Mommy's delight he did not eat it! Landon spent the mornings with us at the beach, then he would nap after lunch and hang out with Mimi and Papa. My rule: Always go on vacation with the grandparents! It's much more of a vacation that way! Here's some of the highlights!

Show me your muscles!

The beautiful manta rays that were swimming right by the shore (Beautiful, but yes, I was scared!)
Landon and Papa with Tucker and Dave

Mimi and Landon in their matching britches!

Landon talking "parrot" to the huge parrots
Daddy and Uncle James love getting their pic taken!

Daddy, Uncle Steven, and James at our nightly hangout spot, Tootsies

Yep, he even wants to sweep on Vacation at Margaritaville!

All the boys!

We love Mimi and Papa for taking us on vacation!!!

Cruising the beach with Uncle James

We're already ready for the beach next year! Landon will have to make do with a sand table instead of the whole beach!

Spring Pics!

2010-05-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for a while to show off these pics, but I was using them as a present for Mother's Day for Mimi and Grandma and for Grandpa's birthday. We had a great time with our photographer, Tammy! She did an amazing job, and it was VERY affordable! (Visit her at www.tammysphotgraphicmemories.blogspot.com)

This is when we knew the photo shoot was OVER!

He's quite the spoiled model, and when he's tired of posing, he's tired of posing! But he was ready to swing and play on the playground!

Troublemaker!

2010-05-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

Landon keeps me on my toes on a minute by minute basis! Oh my goodness, I don't know how people have children so close together AND keep their sanity! If I had another one right now, I'd be headed for the looney bin! Here's a little list of some of the crazy things Landon has done just within the past week:

- threw RED pasta on the floor and the cushioned kitchen chairs (still scrubbing it!)

- ate some of a candle (vanilla flavored if you're wondering)

- took off and threw one of his shoes at Kroger when I wasn't looking. We went aisle by aisle til we finally found it in the frozen veggie aisle (blame the spinach!!). I was NOT leaving without our Nikes!

- refused to sit in the bathtub (granted, his hiney hurt from the diaper rash), fell, and gave himself a bruise over his right eye

- ate sand at the park (ew ew ew!)

- spit out french toast stick and smeared it in the carpet

- threw his snack cup in Old Navy (a sweet child saw it and alerted her mommy)

- played in the toliet water at Stacey's

- unrolled toilet paper in Mommy's bathroom

- grabbed Mommy's coke and spilled it on the floor

- set the DVR to record random shows

- and don't forget the hair pulling (watch out Addison, though it is getting better!), hitting Mommy, and throwing whatever is in sight when he's angry

We're in the full throws of the toddler stages, and I pray all the time for patience. What cracks me up (and melts my heart) is how whenever he gets in trouble and cries, he only wants to hug me. Alas, how can I be mad at this face???

Here are a few more pics from the past few weeks...

The Kennedy and Jones men posing for a photo op in their blue checkered Polo shirts! Aren't they handsome?

Landon and one of his BFF's, Sutton at the park

One of the girlfriends, Ayla, and Landon at the park (yes, we like the park!)

Eating lunch with buds Henry and Aaron

Jumping in our bouncy with Addison (she doesn't let the hairpuller out of her sight for a second!)

With Mimi at Snellville Days!

Big Boy Eater!

2010-04-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

One of Landon's favorite "toys" in his fun, little world is a spoon. He loves to carry one around, and he's gotten picky about his spoons too lately. Instead of being content with one of his plastic child spoons, he'd rather have one of Mommy's silver spoons. It's bigger and makes more sound when you bang it on something!
Landon has long been a holder of the spoon while eating a meal. However, for the first time ever last night, Landon reached a new milestone with his spoon. Landon dipped his spoon in his oh so tasty Gerber chicken meal, got some noodles and peas, raised it to his mouth, and he...took...a...BITE! I was so excited, and I started cheering and clapping! Of course he loves getting praised, so he did it again and again. It was quite a momentous occasion, yet it made me a little sad because it's one more thing that he's learning to do independently. I'm so proud of my little boy! (This pic was taken after I moved the Gerber tray away. It was empty, and Landon wanted to throw it on the ground. Not cool.)

If you missed this pic on Facebook, this is what it looks like when Landon eats lasagna WITHOUT a spoon or fork. Clearly, he loves it! Maybe we'll be trying it soon with a utensil!

Easter Fun!

2010-04-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

We've been so busy lately with Easter activities. It's such a fun time of the year! Landon has taken part in three Egg Hunts, and of course he was spoiled by the Easter Bunny (aka Mommy, Mimi, and Grandma)! Here's some highlights from our fun:

Easter Egg Hunt at the Vine- getting ready for first Egg Hunt!

So many eggs, little time!

Helping Kaylee put some eggs in her basket (always the flirt!)

Flirting some more with gal pal, Ayla

I don't know how long I'll be able to toss him in the air!

Church playgroup Egg Hunt at our house

Hanging with Papa on their new deck!

Uncle Steven, Cousin Hayden and her daddy, Chris

Hunting eggs with Mimi at their annual hunt

He's got this egg hunting thing down to a T!

Opening his grill from Mimi and Papa (everyone needs an Easter grill, right?)

The Easter Bunny visits Mimi and Papa's house too! (The Elmo eggs were a big hit!)

Easter morning at the Vine

Handsome boy with his eggs

One of Landon's favorite places to be- on Daddy's shoulders!

Goofball with his picture pose

Getting tired of posing for pics!

The Easter Bunny brought Landon a water table!
Playing with a new toy from Grandma
Playing outside with Grandma and his Easter toys

Daddy had the bright idea of attaching Landon's wagon to the tractor! Landon LOVED it! (You know you're a redneck when...)

Having a great (wet!) time with the water table!

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

What I've learned about icing...

2010-03-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, excuse me for a moment, but this post is not about Landon. This past weekend, I learned so much about baking and icing that I just had to share. I'm involved in hosting 2 baby showers in April, so I got the bright idea that I wanted to make homemade icing for the cupcakes, just like Rebecca. You remember Rebecca, she made Landon's birthday cake and treats.

So yes, she's awesome at baking and decorating her creations. She sent me her icing recipe and here's what I now know:

1) You MUST use powdered sugar (2 pounds of it!), and NOT regular sugar. It's extremely nasty if you don't.

2) Powdered sugar goes flying everywhere when you use the mixer with it, even if you've got a huge bowl and other liquids are on top of it. (I'm still finding bits of pink icing in random spots of the kitchen)

3) It's wise to wear an apron when making icing.

4) If you don't have enough powdered sugar, you're out of luck. It WILL NOT become thicker no matter what you do. You will be left with oozing icing.

5) This oozing icing will not go in the cute little decorating bag without making a mess.

6) The cute little decorating bag is not so cute. It got very sticky, and the icing slithered out of the small decorating tube.

7) Oozy icing does not go on cupcakes and stay there. It slides right off and does not make a pretty design.

So I failed at my first attempt to make adorable pink cupcakes for the shower. I had to do the old fashioned smear the icing on with a knife. I was disturbed beyond words, but they did taste good! Everyone loved them! Especially this cute little red head:

For my next cupcake icing experience, Rebecca is physically going to help me! I'm down folks, but I'm not out! I will not give up! And while going through this icing mayhem, I had a bright idea. Rebecca should host one of our Mom's Night Out and show everyone how to decorate cookies, cupcakes, and cakes! Sweeeeeet!

Landon's Latest Adventures

2010-03-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

Landon and I stay super busy! We haven't had any one "Big event" lately, but a lot of activities going on. March is already looking to be slammed packed with fun stuff with 3 Easter Egg hunts planned, friends' birthday parties, and hopefully more outside time! He is so fun, and I keep saying, "This is my favorite age!" Uncle James calls Landon my little sidekick, and he really is. We do everything together, and I just love hanging out with my guy! Enjoy these pics from Landon's adventures!

Playdate with Ayla (Checkout Landon trying to do his open mouth funny face! Anytime a camera comes out...)

We had so much fun playing with Ayla, sharing snacks, and having lunch!

He LOVES the slide at Monkey Joe's! O got quite the workout going up and down with him a million times!

Daily event of "mopping" the floor for Mommy! (I swear, soon I'm going to wet it and put some soap on the floor!)

Playing at Cathy's house with our buds! (Ansley and part of Riley pictured)

Playing with gal pal, Macey! (She puts up with him trying to take out her bow just beautifully!)

Hanging with good buddy Cade at Cade's 1st birthday party (Their expressions are priceless)

Playing in the 2nd snow of 2010 (I think it's snowed more in GA in Landon's young life than it ever has in mine!)
Church playgroup at the mall (Sutton and Addison pictured)

He adores the mall carousel! (Good thing they have a frequent rider program...)

Playdate at our house with Ayla
Church playgroup at Imaginations at Play! (Sutton and Mommy pictured also)

He's learned how to grocery shop from the best! (I just don't see his coupon folder...)

Loving the large caterpillar! (Victory pictured on right)

More adventures coming soon! Thanks for checking in!

My son...the janitor

2010-02-15T18:23:00.000-08:00

Landon loves all of his toys. But there are some things he loves to play with that are not really his toys. For a while now, Landon has been obsessed with brooms, mops, and vacuums. If a waiter is sweeping the floor at a restaurant, or we pass the cleaning cart at the mall, this kid gets all excited. He reaches for the broom or mop and points to it. When we were on the cleaning aisle at Kroger the other day, Landon almost catapulted out of the buggy to reach all the nice, new, clean brooms and mops. It would have made his week had I brought them all home!

Since Landon loves all these cleaning tools sooooo much, Mimi bought him a kid broom for our house, and of course one for their house. Landon loves to sweep the floors and pretend to be Mommy. (After all, he ALWAYS sees me cleaning the floors with all the messes he makes!) He loves to follow me around when I'm sweeping or vacuuming.

If Landon could tell us right now what he wanted to be when he grows up, I have no doubt that he would say "a janitor". I will be proud of Landon in whatever he chooses to do, whether it's sweep floors at the White House or be the President in the White House. For now, I just wish he knew how to sweep it all up in a dust pan! He likes things to be clean, and I'm so proud!

Dear Mr. Sunshine...

2010-02-01T18:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. Sunshine,

I miss you so much! I wish so badly that you would come back and sit in the sky. I REALLY want to go outside and play, but it's always raining, or it's cold. Even on the days when you are in the sky, Mommy still won't let me stay outside long. She says it's "chilly", but I know I could handle it. I am tired of my nose running and seeing Mommy come at me with the tissue. I miss the days when we could play outside, not be cold, not to have to wear all these jackets and hats, and not have a runny nose. I have this really cool red wagon that I love to ride in. I also like to swing and I love when Mommy strolls me around. We need the sun to do those things! Please, please Mr. Sunshine, come back soon! I will be very good, I promise!

Love,

Landon

Remembering when Mr. Sunshine was in the sky...

Come back, Mr. Sunshine!

A Grandma's Love

2010-01-18T11:23:00.001-08:00

(Dec 25, 2009)

Sadly, we lost my beloved Grandma this weekend. Grandma was 91, and oh did she live a wonderful life! I was so blessed to be incredibly close with my Grandma. My parents were 21 when I was born, and I spent a lot of time over at my Grandma and PawPaw's house while my parents worked and had date nights. I spent many summers with them too when school was out. I have so many fond memories of doing things with them. Gardening, cooking, playing, we did it all.

I loved going with Grandma every week to get her hair done. Afterwards, we would always stop at Dairy Queen to get a blizzard. My Grandma had a HUGE sweet tooth, so of course I indulged her by agreeing to some ice cream! Everytime I went to Grandma's house (even if it was just for us to go eat dinner), there would be a small treat for me in "my drawer" of her dresser. Sometimes it was some stickers, or a yo-yo, or markers. I loved the anticipation of running back to the bedroom to see what she had gotten for me this time! She did the same thing for my brother years later. When she moved out of her house in Stone Mountain to come to Snellville, we found a huge bag of small toys and goodies that she had stashed away.

Even after Grandma lost a lot of her independence, I still loved visiting with her, and I will cherish all of our chats. Now that I have a child, I understand more this love that comes from grandparents. Nothing makes Landon's grandparents light up like seeing their grandson! I joke all the time that Mimi and Papa love Landon more than anyone else!

Landon is so blessed to have such a wonderful Grandma and Mimi. They already lavish him with the same love that Grandma gave me. Words cannot express how happy I am that he will have a close relationship with them. There's something about a Grandma's love...My grandma said to me recently that she always thought of me as her's, and yes, I was her's. She was my second Mom. Even though we were 60 years apart, I loved our bond. Was I the spoiled first grandchild? Probably. But I was definitely loved beyond my wildest dreams.

I can't wait until Landon is older and I can tell him all about his fantastic great-grandmother. I have so many stories to make him laugh and keep her memory alive. I can't wait for Landon to truly experience his grandparents' love for him. It's amazing, and I'm so blessed to have had it for so long!

Grandma, I will miss you so very much. Please hug Grandpa for me and enjoy all the ice cream you want!

Look who's walking!

2010-01-09T13:55:00.000-08:00

This was taken a little over a week ago, and he's getting better and better everyday! Don't worry, I've got my running shoes ready!

A VERY different New Year's Eve...

2009-12-31T11:18:00.000-08:00

Here's Landon this New Year's Eve! Look how happy! However, that was not the case last year...

Here is Landon last New Year's Eve...
Last New Year's Eve sweet little Landon was 5 weeks old and had what we thought was a bad cold. He was very lethargic and not his happy little self. When he woke with a fever during the night, I called the doctor's office first thing that morning. I knew that fevers+little babies=no good. However, I was not expecting to hear, "You need to bring him in right now." Ummm, ok. So we hopped in the car, and I was surprised when they took us right back. Let me back up to say that I honestly thought that Landon had a cold and they would give him some kind of antibiotic and send us on our merry way.

The next surprising thing we heard was, "You need to walk over to the hospital and have him admitted." WHAT???!!!???! I wish there would've been a video camera in that little room, cause you would've seen Kris and I's mouths drop to the floor. Needless to say, they ran all kinds of tests, including a spinal tap (which scared the pee out of me), to rule everything out. Apparently, it can be so many bad things when little babies spike fevers. He was finally diagnosed with RSV, and we were told he would be in the hospital at least 3 days.

Happy New Year to us, right? As a new mommy, I can tell you that being in the hospital with my helpless little baby was so very hard (and you know I shed some major tears). Kris and I prayed together many times over Landon, and we knew that God would take care of him and guide us to the right decisions for him. Luckily, Landon had a mild case of RSV, and we were able to get a room with a bed in it so that we could stay with him the whole time. Poor Landon had an IV in his head (less chance of him ripping it out) and a breathing tube around his face and nose. Kris and I took turns holding him 24/7 while he slept and tried to get better and received breathing treatments around the clock (Those are fun in the middle of the night!). It was also the worst sleep of our lives! Landon was on a breathing monitor that was sooooo sensitive, so anytime we moved, it BEEP BEEPED like crazy. It must've gone off every 5 minutes. Landon slept through it all!

We are so blessed that Landon turned out to be just fine, and that God was watching over us. I learned a lot about being a mommy in those few days. I also learned that I will give anything in the world to take away my child's pain, and I would gladly trade places with him when he's sick.

So this New Year's Eve is quite different. Landon woke up with no cold, no fever, and a whole year older. And he's definitely a lot happier! Once again, Landon won't be sleeping at our house for New Year's Eve, because he'll be sleeping over at Mimi and Papa's! Happy New Year and may your family be as blessed as ever in 2010!

It's almost Christmas!

2009-12-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

It's almost Christmas Day, and we're so excited! We've been very busy attending playdates, having family gatherings, and enjoying this fabulous time of the year! More to come later, but here's what a Christmas tree looks like in our house with a one-year-old on the loose! He's into EVERYthing!!!

Braselton Christmas Parade!

2009-12-11T14:44:00.000-08:00

I'm a wee bit behind on this, but recently we have the privelege of being a part of the annual Braselton Christmas Parade! There was a lot of people there, too! Our church had 2 floats in the parade. The elementary kids float was "Happy Birthday Jesus!" theme, and the younger kids' floatwas a manger scene. Here's the elementary kids' float:

And here's the wonderful manger scene! (Notice Joseph and Mary sitting in the stable with Baby Jesus, and our "Star" at the front!)

You have to have 3 wise men at the manger scene too!

The younger kids could dress as angels or stable animals, so of course we chose an animal! (I wanted to use Landon's Halloween costume, but apparently, monkeys were not at Jesus' birth!) We borrowed from the fabulous Jana, a chicken costume!
Trying to get a picture of the chicken, cow (Cade), and sheep (Jaxson)!

Landon posing with Jaxson and Tanner the sheep!

I love this blue-eyed chicken! We had so much fun at the parade! Our float won for Best in Show too! We can't wait for next year's parade!

One year ago today...

2009-11-24T13:47:00.002-08:00

One year ago today, my life was changed forever. I gave birth to Landon David Jones on November 24, 2008. I am still so surprised that this year has flown by before I even knew it. Here's Landon on the day of his birth:

And here's Landon today, on his birthday! He's one!

We celebrated this morning with birthday pancakes (stolen from the ultra-creative Rebecca Moon)!

We had a busy days visiting friends, getting pictures made, and having lunch with Papa. They even made him a birthday cinnamon pretzel at Mellow Mushroom, and he loved it! For dinner, Landon had a few of his favorite foods, goldfish, green beans, and spaghetti!

A letter to my one year old angel:

Dear Landon,

Your daddy and I waited for you for so long. After two years of hoping and praying for a baby, it was you that God chose for us. I imagined all the while I was pregnant of what you would look like, how you would act, and who you would become. I read all kinds of books, and I was sure I was ready for you. Nothing could've prepared me though for the immense amount of love I felt the instant you were born. You have changed my life and made me a better person. I strive everyday to be the best mommy I can to you, and I pray that I'm raising you in the way God desires. Motherhood is the greatest adventure, and I love waking up everyday, knowing I'm going to get to spend it with you!
You are so fun and charming to be around! You are always on the move, and proving to be "all boy" in everything you do. You love to be held and walked around, and sitting still is not your favorite thing to do! You love dogs, being outside, looking at books, playing, and of course, eating. You love every piece of food you've tried, and I love that you are (for now) a great eater! You love to make people smile by clapping your hands or doing "Touchdown"! You give great open mouth kisses, and you also show love by giving gentle headbutts, especially to your Papa. You sleep through the night, and I am thankful you've been doing that since you were 10 weeks old! Your favorite toys are the ones that you can press the buttons on, and you try to figure out how things work (just like your Daddy). You adore Elmo and Super Why the most, and a hurricane could come through here when they're on and you wouldn't care! You make us smile with all that you do. Even when you're fussy and not in a good mood, it's so hard not to see your cuteness! Everyone comments on that beautiful red hair and those gorgeous blue eyes. I melt when I look at you, and I am amazed everyday that I get the pleasure of being your mommy. You are our miracle, and I thank God everyday for giving you to us. This has been a fabulous year, and I know there will be so many more to come. We love you more than you'll ever know! Happy 1st birthday Landon!

Love, Mommy

Monkey's Birthday Party!!!

2009-11-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

We had Monkey's 1st birthday party last week! We had so much fun, and I can't believe he's about to be one! He didn't have too much of an idea what was going on, but that's ok! It was more a celebration for Kris and I because we made it through the first year! Yay!

In his adorable shirt that Tara A made for him! (Check out her blog!)
All the kids had a ball in the bouncy house! Landon did too after everyone left!

Yummy cookies! The fabulous Rebecca Moon makes wonderful desserts and cakes. I've been planning this monkey cake and treats with her since before Landon was born! She is awesome!

The HUGE cake! The monkey was 3D!!!

Monkey brownies and banana shaped rice krispy treats!

The SMASH cake!!!

12 Month Banner

Not too sure about the hat...

"Hey, what's that you've got there Mommy?"

"This feels funny..."
"Mmmm, this is pretty tasty!"

"Mom, are you sure this is ok???"

Touchdown!

"I have conquered the cake!"

YAY!!!!

Every little boy needs a red wagon! We love Aunt Heather, Aunt Dianne, and Uncle David!

I opened all of Landon's fabulous gifts! He got lots of clothes and cool toys! Meanwhile...

Landon just wanted to play in the tissue and wrapping paper! He had a ball! What a great day!

Get out the scissors!

2009-11-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

Landon had his first haircut this week! I knew it would go one of two ways- He'd either not care at all and be distracted by the bubbles and fun colors, or he would flip out. Guess which one happened? Look on to find out!

"Cool, I like this car!"

"Ok, got a little penguin cape on here. What now?"

"Hmmm, I like that squirt bottle. Wonder if she'll let me play with it?"

"Why is she spraying me with that bottle? Feels a little like rain."

"Why, Mommy, why? Why are you letting these people spray and cut me???"

"What did I do to deserve this?"

From the back
Side view

"I hope you're happy, Mommy."

Ahhh, at home eating a snack! All better! Landon survived his first haircut, and I'm sure there will be hundreds more with all that thick hair he inherited from Daddy and I. He looks like such a big boy! He loved trying his first lollipop at the end, so I'm thinking we'll start with that first next time!

Monkey's First Halloween!

2009-11-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

Monkey's first Halloween was great! Landon did good in his costume, and posed well for all of Mommy's pictures. It's a good thing he's young this year and doesn't care about trick or treating because it was pouring down rain! Enjoy all the pictures of this silly little monkey! Happy Halloween!

Yes, I use a plug in jack-o-lantern!

Mommy's little monkey

Posing with Mimi and Papa

Uncle James and Byrd dressed up too for Halloween! Above is Billy Mays and Murph the gangsta

Landon didn't know what to think of Uncle James!

My Lil Punkin

2009-10-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to a pumpkin patch! I really wanted some pictures of Landon and us playing with the pumpkins. He thought they were balls, and he wanted to move them. However, I think Landon was more enthralled with the wood chips than the pumpkins. Landon got a little pumpkin to bring home, too.

"Look closely on this one above and you can see my cute two bottom teeth!"

"What are these silly things?"

Fall Fun!

2009-10-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

We've been up to a lot here lately! We recently went down with our church to The Garden, a homeless shelter for women and children, and did a Fall Festival with their children. My fabulous friend Margo organized and arranged the entire event, and it was a huge success! All the kids had fun, and it was humbling to see these children and their home. We met some wonderful people, and we can't wait to go back and do more soon! Here's a few pics from the day:

Kris had an ear to ear smile on his face when he was driving the hayride tractor!

Of course, James had to have his fun too! They were like little kids with large (expensive) toys!
Cutie pies Landon and Ayla playing with the pumpkins before they all got painted!

My little punkin!

Red headed babies enjoying the fun!

Wheeeeeee! Addison loved the bouncy slide! He, he! James was messing around with Duke and Kris at the end! I wish you could see how white Duke's knuckles are!!!

New Kicks and Toilet Paper!

2009-10-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

I like shoes. But, I don't like paying a lot for them. I especially have not been excited about buying Landon new shoes and knowing that his feet will grow fast, and he won't wear them for long. Well, now we have quite the shoe collection. Below are some of the cute pairs that friends have passed down to us. Some for now, some for later...

And...here's my latest shoe deals! The brown pair below Mimi and I found for a steal at Payless for $10. They're so cute on him! I had a harder time finding a basic pair of tennis shoes that I a) liked, and b) were not expensive. I looked at probably 10 different stores and couldn't find what I wanted. I was partly being picky, but part of the problem also was that the cute, affordable tennis shoes started in a size 5, not 4 like we need.

Lo and behold, Babies R Us was our shoe haven ! Mimi was with me once again when we found these red and black (our fave colors) Nikes. They were originally $35 and marked on clearance to $20. I didn't want to spend more than $15, but $20 was going to have to be ok. Well, money luck was on our side cause they rang up $15 at the register!!! (Ahhh, I love deals...)

Here's Landon playing in his new shoes. He looks like such a big boy!

People aren't kidding when they say you can't turn your head for a second once your babies start moving. I put some laundry in the washer (does it ever end???), and this is what I came back to:

He was so excited that I had to take a picture before cleaning up and moving Landon back to his "real" toys. Another door that has to be shut now...*sigh*

Meeting cousin Caylee!

2009-10-02T11:15:00.001-07:00

Just recently, Landon and I finally got to meet little Caylee! Caylee is Kris' brother Kyle's little girl with his wonderful wife Sarah. We're so happy they got to come to Georgia from Colorado for a visit! We had lots of family time, and we even went to Mayfield Dairy (one of Braselton's biggest attractions!). Of course, I took tons of pictures!

It did not take long at all for Landon and Caylee to get to know each other! They were playing together and giving each other kisses before we knew it!

So this is what it would be like to have twins...

Grandma and her two sweet grandbabies!

Landon was so excited when he woke up and his new playmate was still here!

We went to have dinner at Grandpa's and really wanted to get a pic of Landon, Caylee, and Collin. (I guess they're 2nd cousins or something???) This is the best we got!

We thought it'd be easier to get a good pic of the three of them if we held them. Yeah....right!
The big Jones family! (Eric, Collin, and Kelly Rowe, Us, Grandpa, Sarah, Kyle, and Caylee Jones, Karrie, Aaron, and Sarah Day)

Trying to get a pic of Grandpa with his two grandbabies

The best we could get of Grandpa (aka Stanpa) and his 3 grandchildren! (Imagine that, Landon was tired of taking pics!)

When Caylee was here, it was like our own version of The Three Little Bears. Landon absolutley didn't mind having her here. He just kept looking at me, like "Who's that playing with my toys?" or here when it looked like he was thinking, "Hey, someone's taking a bath in my tub!"

Our little Bulldog fans!

The two mommies and their babes!

Who would have ever thought these two brothers would grow up and become fabulous daddies?
We loved our visit with the Colorado Jones' and can't wait to see them again!

Messy Monkey

2009-09-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Mealtime is getting REAL messy around here:

Doesn't look like he minds a bit, does he?

He might be a little vain...

2009-09-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

Landon loves to look at himself! He will sit and look at this little photo album of precious Landon pictures for 20 and 30 minutes at a time! (We all know how hard it is to find things to entertain babies for more than 5 minutes!) He just flips each and every page and looks at his adorable self with all the pictures that Mommy takes. "Ahhhh...who is this charming little boy? Oh, it's ME!"

Of course, Landon also likes to look at himself in the mirror! Anytime we pass a mirror now, he waves to himself! He loves to try and kiss himself in the mirror as well, like in the below pic. We all know he's a cutie pie, but all those compliments and cheek pinching might be going to his head! Ha ha!

Exploring and Ducks

2009-09-17T11:38:00.001-07:00

You've heard of Dora the Explorer, but have you seen Landon the Explorer? Holy cow! This kid is constantly on the move, and into EVERYTHING! I am constantly redirecting him and bringing him back to his toys, but he REALLY loves exploring our house! I recently followed him around the other day with my camera to show you all his explorations and favorite things in our house.

"Hmm, these white things are fun. They move and make fun sounds!"

"Hmmm, think I'll lift up this mat. What's under here? Oh, a cheerio!"
"Think I'll have a little snack here! Finders Keepers!"

"I can see myself in here! How can I get into this thing and see what Mommy and Daddy are always putting in here?"

"Oh yeah! I love pulling out all this stringy stuff from this fake tree! It makes a fun mess!"
"What, Mommy? Don'tcha want to play in the tree with me?"

"Maybe if I hide here under the table she won't see me. Oops, busted! I'll just have to go find some more rooms to explore!"

Everyday it's something new that Landon finds and wants to see. We have a million toys here to entice him, but who needs toys when there's a house to explore?

This past weekend, Landon went to spend the day and night with Mimi and Papa while Mommy and Daddy went to Athens for the big game. Go dawgs! They took him to the park, and Landon got to see ducks for the first time!

"What are these things??? They're eating my snacks!"

"I like feeding ducks and going to the park!"

"Whew! Going to the park wears me out!"

First game day!

2009-09-06T18:00:00.001-07:00

This was Landon's first "real" UGA gameday! There was a game a few days after he was born, but he was so little, and Mommy was too out of it to remember. His little outfit swallowed him! Here he was way back when:

We went to Uncle James' to watch the game with lots of friends, and even Grandpa. Landon had fun playing with Addison! They were so sweet together.

Then we walked up to the Walters' house to *try* and get a pic of the 4 boys. Someone had the brilliant idea of painting their chests, so we did. Landon DID NOT want to lay down and pose, so this is the best we got.
Even after getting dressed again, Landon was quite mad at Mommy and he took it out on poor Cade as they fought over a toy. (This redhead has quite a temper!) We'll try again soon to get a decent pic of the boys in their gameday gear!

Here's Landon with Uncle James, our host for the first game.

Landon posing in his adorable hat (which he doesn't mind!) with his Mommy and Daddy.
Saying "Goooooo Dawgs!" with Daddy

Homeboy hanging out and watching the game.

This is the outfit that Landon started his day in. However, Daddy didn't like it, so we changed. What do you think?

We were all so sad that the Dawgs lost, but there's a lot more games to play. Landon was so heartbroken over the loss that he decided to end the day by pooping in the bathtub. YUCK! It was so gross, and Mommy was quite upset. Ewwwwww! Maybe our next gameday will end on a happier note!

Beware- Landon doesn't share!

2009-08-31T11:26:00.001-07:00

Word to the wise: Landon does not know how to share (yet)! This past weekend, Landon and Hayden got together to do a little lunch and crawling. Sweet Hayden came over and wanted to see Landon's frog. She (very gently) took it from him, and Landon's bottom lip came out faster than you could imagine! We found out quickly what happens when you take something from Landon:

We enjoyed having lunch with Hayden, Elisha, Joy, Heather, Mimi, Aunt Patsy, and Aunt Dianne. (That's a mouthful of Thompsons there!) Ahh, here's a happier moment from the day. (It's a lot harder to get pics of them being still now!)

Landon has also figured out something new. While in his exersaucer, he pulls himself over to his Baby Einstein playmat on the floor. He then picks up the mat and spins around with it. He's so proud of himself too! It is so funny!

Another day...another crazy Monkey! He seriously does this at least once a day. He's too clever for words.

Uncle Steven came up too this weekend to spend the night. Landon had so much fun playing with him and making him laugh! Who would have ever known that Steven would be so great with babies!

BFF's and more fun

2009-08-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

Happy 9 month Birthday, Landon!

Landon LOVES Elmo! He smiles when he comes on tv, and he loves his Elmo toys. When I saw this supersize Elmo last week, I had to buy it! He's bigger than Landon! Landon loves to hug him and give him kisses. But since Elmo isn't real, Landon relies on...

His other BFF, Cade! Landon and Cade have been spending lots of quality time together at the Vine's new building. We've been up there a lot lately getting everything ready. The boys have been little troopers, and sweet Cade has spent many, many hours up there with his dedicated mommy!

Here's the Vine's new infant room! Landon will be in here until he turns 1 year old. It's so spacious and fun!

Another day of Landon and Cade hanging out while their mom's worked! They love this table in the 1 year old room! Landon hanging out in the new infant room on our first Sunday at the new Vine building! It was an AMAZING Sunday!

We went last week to see G.G. too. Landon's getting so big (and squirmy!), but he sat with her long enough for me to get this pic.

We also had lunch with Mimi and Papa, and Landon posed well for a picture! (Look, his shirt says "Daddy's Little Helper" with tools on it!)

More Trouble!!!

2009-08-16T18:54:00.001-07:00

Gone are the days when I can lay Landon on the floor and know that he won't go anywhere! He's rolling, crawling, and now pulling himself up! He's very attracted to Mommy's computer and so excited that he's figured out how to get to it now! Crazy little monkey!

I know that walking will be here soon....*sigh* (um, yes, my computer is on People.com, my guilty pleasure...)

This monkey is Trouble!

2009-08-10T11:34:00.000-07:00

Even when Landon was in the womb, he was a monkey, and that's now what I call him! Always moving around, always kicking. He is living up to his nickname! Landon is constantly in motion, whether it's crawling, kicking, or climbing.
When I take my morning shower, Landon sits in his bouncy seat and watches Sesame Street. However, if Elmo isn't on he will quickly lose interest. A few times lately when I get out of the shower, this is what I see:

Yep, even though he is buckled in, he tries to climb out!

His legs are twisted, hiney in the air, but all he can think about is getting out and crawling around. He's into EVERYTHING!

This little monkey never ceases to surprise me and make me laugh! He is a nut, and every minute with him is a joy!

Swimming with Cousin Hayden!

2009-08-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

Landon and I went to play with Hayden and Elisha and do some swimming! We had so much fun hanging out with them! (Remember, Hayden is one day older than Landon!) We tried so hard to get them to sit together and look at the camera. We failed, cause these two love to move! Gone are the days when they would lay on the floor and let us take a million pictures!

How adorable is Hayden? I just love her!

Ha ha! Checkin' each other out!

Now Elisha knows what it would feel like to have twins!

Birthday weekend!

2009-08-03T18:52:00.001-07:00

We kicked off our week of celebrating birthdays with Aiden's 4th birthday party (see previous post). That was only the beginning!

On Saturday, we started off by going to Mason's 1st birthday party! We can't believe that the little guy is one! Here he is exploring his yummy cake!

Landon hanging out with one of his favorite friends, Addison!

Margo and I with our precious babes!

Next, we headed over to Carley Walter's 2nd birthday party! She was so cute in her princess crown! Carley had to sit next to her best bud, Tanner. I love these 2 year olds!

Landon and Daddy goofing off! Landon was quite the little trooper during our birthday party day!

Last, but not least, we headed to Wy's 40th surprise birthday party! Of course, I forgot to take out my camera there, but we had a blast! We were all tired on Sunday, but we loved celebrating our friends' birthdays!

A New Buddy and Cute Pics

2009-07-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

Landon and I went this week to meet the newest member of the Ayers family, Tucker Melton! I grew up with Laura, and it is great to meet her little one. They're differences are big right now, but soon Landon and Tucker will be great buddies!

Crawling around at Mimi's!
Landon is all smiles in Mimi's highchair! Yum!
Landon and I stay busy running errands, visiting friends, swimming, and going to playdates. He's such a fun little guy, and I love his personality. Landon is crawling up a storm, and keeping Mommy on her toes.

Hangin at Monkey Joe's with Ayla for Aiden's birthday party!

Playing with Carley in the bouncy area. Carley loves to give Landon food and hugs!

Sweet boy having fun!

Chillin out at the pool

Summer will be ending before you know it, but we're having a blast!

BFF's, Girlfriends, and a New Ride!

2009-07-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

Busy week for Mr. Landon! Of course we had to take a pic of the Vine boys at the pool last week! Tristan+Jaxson+ Cade+Landon=so cute!

Chunky Monkey also grew out of his car seat, so it's time for a new one. Landon is now riding in style, and supporting his favorite team!
We went to the mall and met our friends to eat and play!
Abigail- 14 months, Landon- 7 months, Karra- 13 months

Playing in the kiddie play area- Doesn't it look like Landon's in the backseat?
Landon gazing at pretty Karra

Oh, we love summer!

Landon's Favorite Toy!

2009-07-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

Landon loves to play with the toys on his exersaucer. But, when he gets bored of them, it's time to race! Landon loves to "run" around and around. He goes even faster when we say, "Go, Landon, go!" It is so funny, and we just had to share what we get to see every day!

4th of July!

2009-07-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! We hung out with the Skalons, Sloans, and Melchers for July 4th. Landon modeled his red, white, and blue and his new bib to mark the occasion!

Check out the flag cookie cake I made!!!

Kris, Landon, Bart, and Anna Kate playing in the pool

Anna Kate and Landon chillin in their floats

Oh, those blue eyes!

Anna Kate, Addison (with Margo's help!), and Landon

Summer Fun!

2009-06-28T17:46:00.001-07:00

We've had a busy, hot summer so far! Landon and I are always out and about doing something. Landon is a great companion to run errands and go shopping with. We have playdates with lots of friends. We also go to the pool a lot with different friends. We're lucky to have so many friends invite us to their neighborhood pools! Of course we see all the grandparents and our sweet cousins too!

Most recently, we went to Tanner's 2nd birthday party. Check out Rebecca's blog to see the AMAZING cake and desserts she made. I can't wait to have her make Landon's birthday creations! While we were at the party, we lined up all the boys for a group photo. There's been a lot of boys born at the Vine lately! Jackson- 3 weeks, Tristan- 7 weeks, Cade- 4.5 months, Landon- 7 months

They stayed like that for 5 minutes and let us take a million pictures! They will be BFF's, and it will be so fun to show them this picture when they're older! (Look how big Landon is compared to the others!!!!)

One of my favorite two-year-olds, Tanner, at her Sesame Street party extravaganza!

We got together to play with Apryl, Karra, Barbara, and Abigail too! We can't wait to see them again soon!

At one of our many pool playdates! Landon and Macey hangin out!
Landon, Me, Jake, Tammy, Sam, Kelly, Stacey, Ansley, Macey, Cathy, and Caroline, Riley, and Kaden in front

And of course, we've been practicing sitting up!
Landon sits up for about 30 seconds on his own, and easily gets distracted by nearby toys! He will be crawling any day now (eek!), and he's already scooting across the floor faster than I can blink. 7 months old already!!!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

Landon and Daddy on November 24, 2008

Happy Father's Day! It's Kris' first official Father's Day! While we didn't do anything spectacular or fabulous, it's still a special day. I was a little worried about Kris and his parenting abilities before Landon arrived. He's never really been around babies, and he always refused to hold them in fear he might hurt them. However, from the moment Landon was born, Kris has been a wonderful daddy! He's helpful, supportive, and he loves to play with Landon. Kris always recognizes when Mommy needs a little break from feeding, changing, and playing too. I think the best thing a mom can hear from Daddy is, "What can I do to help?" and Kris asks this often. Kris is already a wonderful role model to Landon, and Landon lights up when he sees his Daddy! I shouldn't have been worried at all, because Kris is a magnificent daddy who Landon adores with all his heart (and Mommy does too!)!!

Landon and Daddy on June 21, 2009

Scootin' Around!

2009-06-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

Uh oh! Landon's newest nickname is Scooter! He's scooting all over the floors on his tummy, and he looks ready to crawl anyday. Look out world, cause as soon as he figures out how to get up on his knees, Landon's gone! Now Mommy has to finish baby proofing the house for this little guy on the go!

4 Years Ago Today...

2009-06-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

4 years ago today...

- I had blonde hair (thanks to a lot of money and highlights)
- I was thinner (metabolism and having a baby will do that to ya!)
- I lived in Grayson (and thought Braselton was out in the sticks)
- I was teaching 2nd grade
- I drove an Accord
- I spent a lot of money (on clothes, decorations, you name it)
- The Vine wasn't in our lives cause it hadn't started yet!
- I was about to meet some wonderful new friends in Braselton
- I didn't cut coupons every Sunday night
- I didn't have my sweet Landon
- My name was Jessica Kennedy
- I was wearing a beautiful white dress

But most importantly, 4 years ago today, I married Kris. I became Mrs. Jessica Jones. We met unexpectedly 7 years ago, and we both didn't expect to fall in love with each other. So many things have changed in 4 years except my love for Kris. It's only grown stronger through all the ups and downs life has tossed at us. Kris and I are both different people from when we were married. Our goals now include becoming closer to God and raising our children in a Christian home with us as the role models. I never thought we'd be where we are today, but I couldn't be happier with the decisions we've made together. He is my rock, and a true friend. 4 years ago today I married a wonderful man, and I know the best is yet to come!

A New Friend and Pool Fun!

2009-06-08T11:28:00.000-07:00

The newest member of the Vine arrived this past Thursday. We were so excited to get to meet little Jaxson Nicholas Moon this weekend. We had to try and get a photo since Cade Walters was visiting too! (We were only missing Tristan!)Landon (6 months), Cade (4 months), Jaxson (3 days old)

We also went to the pool this weekend, and Landon had a great time! He liked watching the water flow on the mushroom.

The pic below is so funny! Keep in mind that this is Landon after being at the pool for almost 3 hours and running on little naptime. This is the power of Uncle James making faces at Landon!

Green Beans and Saying Goodbye

2009-06-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Landon may not be my kid after all! He has loved all the baby foods we've tried so far, but one has stood out. Green beans! Very odd, considering I hate green beans with a passion. When I was growing up, Anjali's mom would tell me that I needed to eat the amount of green beans of my age. So if I was 7, I ate 7 green beans. I loved having dinner with my BFF, so I always agreed. I swear that I would toss a green bean in my mouth and swallow it down with almost an entire glass of milk to try and avoid the taste. It was torture! I dreading turning 8...So thanks Mrs. Khanna for my hatred of green beans! (However, Rebecca Moon has turned me on to the fried green beans at PF Changs. Weird, I think it's cause they're crunchy, not smushy!) Landon LOVES green beans! Here's how his face looked after every bite. I couldn't get it in fast enough!
Hopefully, this little boy will love vegetables a lot more than his mom does!

Sadly, last week we also had to say goodbye to some dear friends of ours. Nick, Laura, and Mason moved to Charleston this past week. We'll miss them a lot, but they'll do great in their new city! While the boys helped load the U-Haul, we took a few pics of the kids and mommys!

Melissa and Anna Kate (7 months), Addison (2 1/2 years), Me, Landon (6 months), Margo, Mason (10 months) and Laura

The gals one last time in Georgia...Can't wait to visit Charleston soon!

6 Months Old!

2009-05-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Landon is 6 months old! I can hardly believe it. That's half of a year already! I counted from Landon's birthday, and he's been alive for 182 days! It seems like just yesterday that he entered our lives, but then again I can't remember when Landon wasn't here. He changes so much everyday, and we love to watch him discover new things in his world. He makes me smile a hundred times a day, and there are not words to express the joy he brings to our lives. Happy Birthday Landon!

Below are his 6 month pictures. There were so many great ones to choose from!

Food Time!

2009-05-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

Landon started eating baby food this week. I don't think we're going to have any problems with him liking fruits and vegetables (or anything else he can get his paws on!)

Here's how he feels about sweet potatoes:

And here's what he thinks about bananas:
But all this food and trying new things wears a little guy out. After breakfast the other morning, I turned from washing his bowl to this:
It's true: Babies can sleep anywhere! Don't worry, after snapping this pic I carted him off to his crib for a much needed full belly nap.

Beach trip!

2009-05-18T17:15:00.001-07:00

Our beach trip was fabulous! Landon did wonderful in the car on the way down and back, thank goodness. Everyone loved hanging out with Landon and watching him enjoy his first trip to the beach.

Ready for the beach!

Landon chilling on the beach in his sundome.

Landon loved watching the waves and listening to everything around him.

Dave and Papa took Landon out to hit on some bikini babes

Landon and Dave playing video games

Papa took Landon walking around one night while we were waiting for our food. All of a sudden, they popped out of this window. It was so cute, and it reminded us of Sesame Street!

Landon and all the gals

Uncle Steven and the gals

Me, Jennifer, and Lisa

Landon loved playing in the pool!

One night, Landon was in a silly mood and everytime Mimi jumped up and down in front of him, he cracked up. We started calling her Jumping Mimi, and this is what Landon looked like every time he saw her. She makes him laugh like no one else!

Mother's Day Weekend

2009-05-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

How could I not have a good Mother's Day weekend with these cheeks to look at??? This is my first official Mother's Day, and it has been a great one. I am so appreciative to be a mother and so blessed to have Landon in my life. I honestly can't remember what life was like without him. He makes everyday a joy to wake up to, and we have so much fun everyday. Motherhood is quite a job, and it can be a hard one sometimes. However, it's the best job I've ever had. I don't always know what I'm doing, but that's okay. Kris and I heard on the radio the other day that stay at home moms would make around $122,000 a year if they were paid for all their duties. WOW! That money would be nice for sure, but I'm so happy to live on a budget and have this time with Landon. I'm so blessed to stay home with him and get to watch him change and grow. He's doing new stuff everyday, and I am so glad I don't have to miss a minute. I miss him when we're apart for just a little while. He is not just a miracle, but the light of my life.

We started out our weekend by going to visit G.G. in Snellville. Then we headed off to Gwinnett County's Relay for Life. I haven't missed a Relay in many years, and it's an event that is very near and dear to my heart. We had fun visiting my Pharr buddies and Mom's Suntrust friends! Did you ever think you'd see Scott Kennedy (aka Papa) wearing a Baby Bjorn? It was so cute! I love how grandparents oogle over their beloved grandkids! They love them to pieces!

On Saturday, we met Elisha, Hayden, Heather, Joy, and Kelli for lunch and of course to get Landon and Hayden together again. Remember, Hayden and Landon are about 23 hours apart. They're so cute, and Elisha and I love comparing them and watching them grow! Elisha is already a great mommy!

Kris asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day. My first response was "clothes" of course, but I thought about it and changed my mind. I wanted something special to remember my first Mother's Day. I decided that it would be nice to plant some more rose plants in our yard. Not only are knock-out roses the only plant that I don't kill, they're also a symbol of life. Landon is a gift of life to us that we waited a long time for. What better way to celebrate his life and my being a mother than to plant more life. I will love watching my roses grow, and I will always remember that we planted them on my first Mother's Day. Who knows- maybe it will become a tradition for us to plant every year on this day! Here's me with my two new rose bushes:

We saw all kinds of family on Sunday! After an awesome church service, we had lunch at the house with Grandma, and she loved her gifts from Landon.

Then Mimi and Uncle Steven came to visit and play. (Sorry, Steven, I didn't get any shots with you!)

Kris and I are so blessed to have wonderful mothers! Their love for us is so strong, and they would do anything for us. Now being a mom, I appreciate my mom even more. Even though things were very different when we were born (I mean, our moms had to walk to school in the snow uphill- both ways!), I can put myself in my mom's shoes now. I appreciate more all the sacrifices and love that all moms so unselfishly give. Kris and I love watching our moms with Landon. They love him more than words can say, and I'm so happy that Landon will be close to all his grandparents!
Later, we got a surprise visit from Grandpa, Aunt Marlynn, Uncle Ken, and Kris' grandma. So Landon got to meet his other great grandma. How lucky is Landon to have two sweet great grandmas? We're so excited they got to meet!

What a busy weekend we had! It sure was fun, and I will always remember my first Mother's Day. Coming soon... our beach trip!

Weekend Fun!

2009-05-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend with lots of new and fun things for Landon. Below is a picture of him in his new highchair. It's actually a seat that reclines and then becomes a booster seat later. (Thank you Kelly for the recommendation!) He loves sitting on the table and eating with us!

Landon also enjoyed his new slide and swingset that the Queen family passed down to us. We sat outside Friday afternoon for quite a while swinging in the shade. Thank you Queens!
I also bought Landon a swing that Kris installed inside our screened in back porch. Landon absolutely loves it, and we've already enjoyed several meals sitting outside while Landon swings. He loves being outside, and you can tell how relaxed he gets!
Saturday night we had some friends over to cookout. We were so excited to see Callen and Chris, who we don't see very often. Look how cute Callen and Landon are!

Since we had a couple of babies here, we had to try and get a cute picture. Well, it actually worked! I was so excited that all three looked at the camera! They really could be triplets, huh?

Ayla- 6 1/2 months, Landon- 5 months, Anna Kate- 6 months

We also celebrated Kris' dad's birthday on Sunday with him and Aunt Karrie. Landon loves hanging out with his family!

Landon and Grandpa (also known as Stanpa!)

Landon and Ayla's Parkdate and More...

2009-04-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we met Stacy, Aiden, and Ayla at the park to play and have lunch. The babes loved the swings, and they were both worn out. They were asleep before we got back to the car! Aiden was running around doing his big boy thing, so I didn't get any pics of him this time!
How adorable is little Ayla???

That night we went and celebrated Mimi's belated birthday. Landon loves him some Mimi!

We all know that Landon is already a ladies' man! He just had to have his picture taken with pretty little Macey when we went to Tammy's to play. He was just a smiling at her! He already knows how to flirt!

Big Steps for Mommy!

2009-04-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Landon's 5 month birthday on Friday, he went to spend the night with Mimi and Papa. Obviously, this was a big deal for me! I knew he would be safe, but I also knew I would miss him so much (and I was right)! I have very fond memories of spending the night with my Grandma and Pawpaw, and I want Landon to have those too. Landon had a blast with his Mimi and Papa! He was such a good boy, and he slept great for them. He played outside and laughed as Phoebe chased squirrels. We met Mimi to let Landon go home with her, and we tried to get him to pose in his very appropriate shirt. It says, "That's It! I'm Off to Grandma's!"

Meanwhile, we went back to a Gwinnett Braves game for some adult time with friends. We ran into a fellow Pharr teacher, Jennifer, and we met Chopper (again)!

It was a gorgeous night out, and we had fun! I couldn't wait to meet Mimi and Landon back at the mall on Saturday. We had lunch and shopped for Landon. Of course, Mimi spoiled him with all kinds of cool summer clothes! This boy is going to be stylin'! We laughed and posed Landon in some cute clothes. I survived Landon's first night out, and I'm sure there will be more to come!

Landon's first Braves Game!

2009-04-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

We took Landon to his first sporting event today! We went to an afternoon game of the new Gwinnett Braves. Landon was all ready in his new Braves outfit!

We got to meet Chopper and Landon stared at his enormous hands!

It was a beautiful day, and the field looks awesome! We're so honored to know the man in charge of making the field. The whole stadium is fantastic!

Landon and Uncle Steven watching the game

Trying on Uncle Steven's sunglasses!

Posing with Daddy after the game

All tuckered out and enjoying a snooze...
A family shot after the game- We can't wait to go back!

Rub-a-dub-dub

2009-04-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Landon got a new bathseat! He enjoys sitting up and kicking around in the water. It's fun to move to the real bathtub and get out some of our bathtoys! He's already a big waterbug, and I can't wait to get him into a pool to see if he likes it too.

Two Peas in a Pod

2009-04-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

Landon and I met Laura and Mason at the mall for lunch the other day. Landon loves the mall now because he can sit in the stroller like a big boy and see everything! I can't wait until they can crawl around and play together!

Landon- almost 5 months, Mason- 8 1/2 months

Easter Weekend!

2009-04-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy Easter weekend! Good Friday started out with our mommy group egg hunt here at our house. The weather put a damper (literally!) on our plans to hunt for eggs in the backyard. We went to Plan B, hunting for eggs in our playroom. We let the bigger kids go first, and then the little ones had their turn too. It was a WILD morning, but so much fun!

Landon had fun hanging out and watching everyone! (He took a great nap that afternoon!)

Above is Katelynn, our official egg hider! She was such a big help and a great sport! She also cracks me up!

Patiently waiting to go upstairs and grab some eggs!

How many eggs can I find???

Look at all my loot!

Yummy lunch!

Sweet gals munching on some good food!

So glad two of my favorite girls were out for Spring Break!

Saturday, we went to egg hunt #2 at Mimi and Papa's house. They've had an egg hunt in their backyard for as long as I can remember! Lots of kiddies came and had a great time! Landon was a little overwhelmed by it all, so he stayed back and watched from afar!

Landon loves Mimi's fun toys!

Of course, Mimi had a great Easter basket for Landon! He got a movie, little toys, some precious new bibs, and a book. Mimi also sent us home with some diapers and formula! She spoils us, but we're not complaining! She always has something for us, and I don't know what we'd do without her!

We had a yummy Easter Eve dinner at Chili's, and Landon was an angel. Uncle Steven had fun playing with Landon and carrying him around. (But he wouldn't put on the bunny ears!)
On Sunday, we got up bright and early to attend the Vine's special early service. Landon was great, and then we went to work in the nursery.

Landon played in the Bumbo seat and watched the other kiddos

Of course Stacy and I had to get a picture of our favorite redheads on Easter! Don't they look like a little old married couple already?

Our family of three on Easter day!

Landon hanging out with his buddy Cade, in his new bubble outfit.

Landon and Mommy waiting for Daddy to get home

Landon posing with his Easter basket

We had a wonderful Easter with our favorite little bunny!

Spring Break!

2009-04-10T10:48:00.001-07:00

It's Spring Break! While every day is like spring break for us, Landon and I were so excited that our teacher friends and their kiddos were out of school for the week! We had a VERY FUN lunch with Rebecca, Katelynn, and Tanner on Monday. I got a glimpse of what life will be like when Landon is a toddler. Tanner makes me laugh so hard!

On Thursday we had lunch and playtime with Barbara, Abigail, Apryl, and Karra. This time I got more of a glimpse of what life will be like when Landon crawls and walks! We have a lot to look forward to!

Here's the girls and Landon playing with Abigail's fun toys.

So we had to TRY and take a picture of the three babes...

Try again... (Karra kept wanting to push off of Landon!)
Ahhh, a decent shot!

Abigail- 11 months, Karra- 9 months, Landon- 4 months

Time to go home!

We can't wait until the summer when our teacher friends will be able to play more!

Springtime Fun!

2009-04-06T11:50:00.000-07:00

Here's Landon's Easter picture!Playing outside in the sunshine with Mimi and Papa!

Checking out Miss Phoebe

Look at my new shoes!

Hopefully, the April showers and chilly days will end soon and we can enjoy more time outside! Landon loves to go out and look at everything!

Our New Favorite Shirt

2009-04-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

I think this picture says it all...

And trying VERY hard to roll from back to tummy!

4 Month Checkup

2009-03-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

Landon had his 4 month checkup and shots this morning. The doctor said Landon is very healthy and growing right along. Landon is now a nice and chunky 16 pounds and 2 ounces. He's also 25 3/4 inches long.

Of course, Landon DID NOT like his shots! He survived though (and so did I!). This time he got Wile E. Coyote band-aids. He's a tough boy!

First Solid Food!

2009-03-25T13:22:00.001-07:00

Landon is now 4 months old! Can you believe it? To celebrate, we started Landon on cereal this week. As much as he loves to eat, I thought for sure he'd be all about eating some yummy solids. Just when I think I know him...He DID NOT like it the first time we tried! He was also tired and wanted his bottle, so that didn't help. His face was priceless and the small amount of cereal got everywhere in a matter of seconds!

So we tried again later that afternoon, and it went much better. A lot of the cereal still got everywhere but Landon's mouth, but he was more open to eating.
He got better and better at the spoon thing.
All clean with a full belly!

We're now on Day 3 of eating cereal, and he seems to like it more each time. He's starting to open his mouth when he sees the spoon and gobble it up. He'll be a pro at eating in no time!

Landon's baptism

2009-03-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a great day! Kris and I had Landon baptized at our church. It was very special to us to have our family there and all of our church family. So many of our close friends are at The Vine, so to have them standing there with us for Landon's baptism was incredible. All of these people will have a role in Landon's life as we teach him about Jesus and His love.Landon's middle name, David, is after our pastor, David. It was so great to have David baptize Landon! It means a lot to us.
Landon did a great job and put up with all of our picture taking!

Ella was also dedicated on Sunday. We have all loved Ella from the minute she was born, and she truly is a little miracle. We're so glad that she and Landon got to share this day together. Here's all the family! We celebrated with friends and family at lunch to finish off Landon's baptism day! We're so glad they could all come and share Landon's special day!

Fun times with Landon!

2009-03-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

Landon is really at a fun age! He smiles and laughs all the time. His legs are always moving, and it looks like he's riding a bike. Landon is always "talking" now and cooing up a storm. He laughs and talks to the tv, especially when Curious George and Super Why are on. He really notices people now. He follows Kris and I when we're walking around, and when we go to get him up we're greeted with big smiles!

Landon loves to ride around in the Baby Bjorn. He looks all around and kicks while I get some housework done. He's always drooling now, and we go through bibs like crazy. He also loves to look at himself in the mirror.

This week we got out some new toys for Landon. Here he is in his Jumperoo. He liked watching me cook and trying to bounce.

We got out Landon's exersaucer too. The seat spins around the table so that he can play with all the different things. His feet are no where near the ground yet, so we have to spin him for now. He stares and stares at all the toys.
We recently had our first poop explosion incident. It was up the back, out the sides of the diaper, all over the onesie and pants. YUCK! Kris wanted to cut off the onesie, but I voted against that. Luckily, we were able to pull it off down his legs and stretch the neck a little bit. It took forever to clean him off, and then Kris took on the task of washing out Landon's clothes in the sink. It was so gross, but we survived. Thank heavens we were home!Landon is very funny when he sleeps. He starts in one area of the bed and ends up in another area. I always put him on his elevated sleep positioner, but he slides right down and around. I was cracking up when I caught him napping the other day with his hands above his head. His Papa does that too!

Speaking of sleep, Landon still sleeps great at night. However, naptimes are a little more challenging. Most days he will cry for a bit before falling asleep. Then many times he tends to wake up easily, and sometimes he'll wake up after just a little while. Therefore, I am a nazi about being quiet during his naptime. I'm afraid that any little sound in the house is going to wake him. It's funny because when we're out of the house, Landon can sleep through anything. He snoozes right through the loud music at church!
I'm a quiet little mouse during naptime. I still keep his door cracked as he continues getting used to his room so I can peep at him. I turn the tv way down, whisper on the phone, and hate to cook anything in the nearby kitchen. In fact, the other day I needed to open some cans of peaches (for a yummy peach cobbler!), and I took the can opener across the house into our bathroom. I plugged it in there and opened my cans. I'll also go into our bathroom to open a coke can. I also won't run the dryer when his clothes are in it because of all the snaps on his onesies and bibs. Paranoid? Yes. Crazy? Maybe.
But I have learned this- NEVER WAKE A SLEEPING BABY! It doesn't matter who is coming over, what is happening, who wants to hold him. You don't wake him or you will pay for it later. So, I am a little mouse creeping around my own home. Soon I will start shutting his door and relying on the monitor. Until then, I am a prisoner in my own house because I want my child to sleep! Oh, the days of our lives!

More updates on our happy little one soon!

First St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

For Landon's first St. Patrick's Day we celebrated with our small group from church. Instead of our normal Bible study, we all brought food and enjoyed time talking together. We even had cornbeef and cabbage sandwiches!

Here's Landon in his bib that said "My 1st St. Patrick's Day!" (Look at that chin!)
Here's Landon above in his outfit from his fabulous Aunt Heather. Landon is never still so it was hard to get a good shot. Below the frog and shamrock on his thigh it said "Mommy's Lucky Charm"!
Here's my two favorite men, Kris and Landon, in their green!

Of course Landon had to get a picture with his Irish Uncle Murph!

Daddy, Landon, and Uncle James

Of course Stacy and I had to snap some pics of Ayla and Landon in their green outfits and bibs!

Look how big they're both getting! They were perfect for St. Pat's Day with their red hair and green outfits!

Landon and Hayden's cousin visit

2009-03-10T13:53:00.001-07:00

On Saturday we had a visit with some of our favorite cousins! Landon and I met Heather, Joy, Elisha, and little Hayden for lunch and playing. Landon pitched a fit when we got there, but after a snooze at Frontera he recovered and posed well for the million pictures we took. Here are some:

Here's Hayden! She and Landon were born one day apart, and Hayden weighed one ounce less than Landon. But you wouldn't know that now! She's growing so fast!

Landon and Hayden checking each other out after getting their diaper changed. We took a ton of pictures of them, but they didn't tire of the endless flashing!

I love this picture! It looks like Landon is thinking, "Don't you touch my ear girly!"

"Aunt" Elisha hanging with Landon

Landon and Hayden had fun looking at each other and getting passed around. Landon also loves his "Aunt" Heather! She has spoiled him and Hayden beyond belief! She brought them both adorable clothes to keep them sylish this spring and summer. She is so sweet! We can't wait until we can all meet up again and play with Landon and Hayden! They are so cute together!

Landon's 3 month pics

2009-03-06T15:07:00.001-08:00

I had Landon's 3 month pictures taken last week. Here are some of them:

Landon's Bat Cave

2009-03-06T13:23:00.000-08:00

Landon has been having trouble napping in his room. Kris and I think it's because his room is the brightest room in the house in the afternoon. So I went to Mimi (a fabulous woman with a needle!) and asked for help making curtains. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted, I just don't know how to sew! I also wanted to use the striped valances that I paid an arm and a leg for last summer. Here's what Mimi made for us:

When it's naptime, we close them and waaa-laaa! Landon's room is like a little bat cave when the lights are out! It's nice and dark and perfect for sleep! He's slept great in there the past few days at naptime. We're taking baby steps to getting Landon used to his room. Then when Mommy is ready to let go, Landon will sleep in his very own room at night! Landon got to see his G.G. again this week. It's been about a month, so he had grown a lot! Landon makes G.G. smile a lot!

We also went to see Grandma (Kris' mom) this week.

Landon got some love from his Grandma, and he got to meet Lacey for the first time!

Random act of kindness

2009-03-05T14:09:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday I was sitting here catching up on emails and trying to stay away from my new addiction of facebook. The doorbell rang, and I thought "Who's trying to sell us something now? Don't these people know we're on a budget?" With a big sigh, I got up and answered the door. A lady said, "I see you've already gotten your mail for today, so I thought I'd bring this to you." She left, and I shut the door. The envelope had only our street address on it. I opened it and a note and this picture were inside.

This is our home, and the note was from our new homeowner's president. Part of it said, "Thought you might like a picture of your house, in the midst of the falling snow, to enjoy and appreciate."

Well, then I felt like dirt! I ran out and caught her and told her how nice I thought that was. (We had a nice talk and she emailed me the picture as well.) I had told Kris that I wished we had gone out to the street and taken a picture. I was lazy and we stayed on the porch. This lady, who is a stranger to us, took the time out of her snowy day to take a picture of everyone's house in our neighborhood. Then she took the time to get them developed and deliver them to each house. How kind is that?

It's a simple thing, but I've been thinking about it all week. What a random act of kindness! It got me thinking that I need to perform more random acts of kindness myself, especially knowing how great this one made me feel. Isn't it great to know that there are still kind people out there?

Landon's first snow day!

2009-03-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

Today Landon saw his first snow! We thought it was a good time to take some pictures!

Even though Landon is too young to play in the snow, it seems like he already likes it. He loved staring at the falling snow and the bright white yard.

What a great day to stay inside and snuggle and chow on some taco soup!

At church this morning, we snapped a picture of Cade and Landon snoozing in their slings. The baby wearing club!

Look who found his thumb!

2009-03-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Landon found his hands and hasn't been able to keep them out of his mouth ever since. He's constantly sucking away at all his fingers and even his whole fist. I'll even wake in the middle of the night to a loud slurping sound! The past 2 days, Landon has found his thumb as the most fun finger to suck. Here's a picture of him doing it this morning and again after church.

I think we can tell the pacifier goodbye!

Small Successes Vol.1

2009-02-27T10:43:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine, Kate, writes about her small successes on her blog. It's an exercise that forces you to find triumphs in your daily life, no matter how big or small. Since I started staying home and left teaching, a lot of my days are the same and don't have a lot of "excitement". With teaching, it was easy to find successes every day. 2nd graders still love school and they lavish affection and compliments on their teacher. It's easy to feel good about yourself when you see that light go off in a child's head and you know they're getting it. Everyday with teaching is different and unpredictable. The successes are frequently there and they're obvious.

Being a stay at home mom is different. Yes, Landon is different everyday and does new things that always make me smile, but there's a lot of sameness to our days. That makes finding my successes harder, but I'm going to try...

1. Kris has had a cold for the past almost 2 weeks. I have warned him not to love on Landon (or me!) in fear that he'll get sick. One bout of RSV is all I can take with a baby! Thankfully, neither Landon nor I have gotten sick, and I think that's a big success!

2. Unfortunately, the sweet tooth that was created within me while I was pregnant has not disappeared. I have decided to embrace it and continue my weekly baking and trying new recipes. My goal has been to get away from the box and make things from scratch. I have *almost* perfected baking Rebecca's chocolate chip cookies and Melissa's peanut butter chocolate chip brownies. They are so yummy and at times I wish I never would've gotten my hands on those recipes! I'm working on more dinner recipes too, but the desserts are more fun!

3. Landon's 3 month pictures were today. I decided to use Target's Portrait Studio this time since we're on a budget and I liked their online deals. I was pretty happy with them, and I hope I like the quality of the pics once I pick them up. (I'll post pics when I get them.) The success here is that Landon did great! The stars were aligned and everything actually went how I wanted it to in my head. Even with the rain, we got there in plenty of time. I've discovered that no matter how much I want to be on time (and Kris is the same way), it's not always going to happen with a baby. I wanted Landon to wake up this morning around 7 and eat so that he would be hungry again right before our appointment and he did. I fed him and he was full and content the whole time we were trying to get him to pose and smile. I know he thought that the photographer and I were crazy!

4. Landon is still sleeping very well through the night, and I consider that a success! I don't think I really did anything, but I'm still proud!

This is a great and helpful exercise (thanks Kate!), and it reminds me that even though my days seem monotonous, there are little triumphs. It's good to focus on the positive and be proud of even the small things that we do. You should try it too!

Hangin with friends and family

2009-02-26T12:28:00.001-08:00

We've been busy, busy, busy lately visiting with friends and family! Landon's gotten many visits from his Mimi, Grandma, and Uncle Steven. We've gone to playdates, the mall, church, and Bible study and today Linda and Laura Ayers came to visit too. Here's Landon falling asleep in Mimi's arms.

This past Sunday Landon got to meet one of my oldest and dearest friends in the world, Tara. I've known Tara since we were in middle school. I was so excited for Landon to meet her! Tara was my roommate in college our freshman year at UGA (Russell Hall rocked!). It's crazy that so much time has passed and now there are babies around! It was wonderful to see Tara and catch up and of course share some laughs.
Tomorrow Landon is getting his 3 month pictures taken. Of course when I got him up this morning I saw a nice big scratch on his cheek from his never ending moving hands. I hope it looks better tomorrow!

SLEEP!!!

2009-02-19T14:47:00.001-08:00

Sleep! Just when I thought it was a thing of the past, sleep reentered my life! Kris and I are afraid that me blogging about this is going to jinx us, but for the past 9 nights, Landon has slept 8-9 hours! I am so excited! He'll usually wake up after 8 or 9 hours, eat, and go back to sleep for another hour or two. I hope we're on our way to sleeping 10-12 hour nights.

The above picture is Landon taking a nap for the very first time in his crib. Yep, I said first time and he's about 3 months. It's me that doesn't want to let go. He sleeps in our room in a pack-n-play at night still. I just love having him so close so I can see that he's ok. We're taking baby steps to him sleeping full time in his room. I'm a weakling like that...
Above is Landon cruising around the house in Daddy's arms. He loves to look around at everything and "fly" with Daddy.

This is how Landon and I look when he sleeps all night long!

Happy Valentine's Week!

2009-02-12T14:18:00.000-08:00

It's very hard to find Valentine's outfits for little boys! However, Mimi bought this for Landon and he certainly is our "hunk-a-burnin' love"! We went to Margo's for a Valentine's church playdate on Wednesday. The big kids made a craft and decorated yummy cookies. It was fun to get Landon and Ayla together for a photo in their Valentine gear. I think Landon is already trying to hold her hand!
Addison and Aiden join in the photo shoot. It's so hard to get kids to pose for pictures!

Landon and his favorite 2 year old!

Landon's fabulous Aunt Heather sent him this adorable (and manly!) bib for Valentine's Day. She is the sweetest!

We went to Stacey's for another playdate on Thursday, but of course I forgot to take pictures! It was fun for Landon to get to see all our friends, meet Macey, and see how much everyone has grown!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Landon's new friend

2009-02-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

Landon is a giant! Well, compared to his new friend he is. Landon got to meet little Cade Walters today, his newest buddy. It was so funny to see how big Landon looked next to Cade. They are 10 weeks apart and soon they'll be crawling around and playing together. We're so excited to meet the newest member of The Vine and Landon's newest friend!

Cute picture of the week

2009-02-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

We haven't been up to too much this week. The most exciting thing we did this week was go to Cluster Group on Tuesday. We haven't had group since the beginning of December, so it was great to get back to some good ol Bible study!

We're getting out more and more of Landon's toys as he grows. He seems to really like his Bumbo seat! He cracked me up the first time I put him in it. He looks like a little man.

And introducing...Landon's new cousin, Caylee Ryan Jones!

She is just a few weeks old and is so precious. Her stats were scarily close to Landon and she happens to look like him too (at least in all the pics I've seen). We're so happy that Landon and Sarah have another cousin on the Jones side!

Playdates and our 2 month checkup

2009-01-29T09:21:00.001-08:00

We've had a busy few days! On Wednesday, we went to a church playdate at Jana's house. Landon was boring and slept the whole time, so maybe at the next playdate he'll be awake and I can get some pics of him with the other kids. Carley did love peeking at Landon under his blanket. She kept checking on him to see if he was still sleeping. It was so cute!

Then we went to the mall to have lunch with Margo and Addison, Melissa and Anna Kate, and Laura and Mason. It was so fun to see how much all the kids have grown! Landon was happy and awake for this playdate. Addison LOVES Landon to pieces, and I think that she thinks he is her baby. She loves to watch him and talk to him. Here's Addison and Margo holding Landon and playing with him:

Here's Landon chilling out on Daddy's legs. He loves to hold his head up and look around at everything.

This morning we had our appointment for Landon's 2 month checkup and first round of shots. He looooved the baby Tylenol that he got to have this morning before we left. He tried to eat the dropper.

Landon had a great checkup! He now weighs 11 lbs 13 oz and he's 23 1/4 inches long. We think he's going to be tall like his daddy!

Here's Landon before he got his shots. Ahhh, he was so happy and content!

When Landon got that first shot, it was like he was screaming, "What the HECK was that????" Poor thing! His little face was so red. It was so sad. But luckily, he was asleep within minutes of leaving the parking lot!

He got some cool tough boy band-aids for his battle wounds. Hopefully, he won't remember the trauma for his next round of ammo!

The Vine's New Building

2009-01-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

On Sunday afternoon, Kris, Landon, and I went to the dedication of the Vine's new church building. It was so exciting to see our new home and be a part of it's first get together. Kris and I have been a part of the Vine since Day 1. We've never had a place of our own, and it can make things difficult. I know it will relieve a lot of stress, especially on our fearless Kidzu leader, Liz! It doesn't matter where we have church, but it sure will be nice to have a place of our own. Each week, countless volunteers make sure that there is a great place for us to worship. Many people showed up to pray over our new building and all the people that we will be able to reach out to in the future. We'll have an even bigger opportunity now to reach people in the Braselton area. It was awesome and I had chillbumps the whole time, and not just from the unheated building! How great is our God!

I couldn't help but think that this is one of the places where Landon will learn about Jesus! It's so exciting that we were there in the beginning to see this large open space. Next time we see it, it will be The Vine, an awesome place to worship on Sundays. I can't wait for Landon to grow in his love and knowledge of the Lord in this awesome place. We all wrote prayers and scripture on the concrete floor. Kris and I included 2 verses from our family.

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." Colossians 1:17-18

"You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." Ephesians 2:19-20

Jess the Daredevil

2009-01-27T16:17:00.000-08:00

Mom's Night Out for the ladies of The Vine was last night at Classy Nails and Tan in Braselton. Our pedicures felt wonderful! We had a great time having adult conversation and girl talk. I have loved getting to know so many moms at church and spending time with them. Of all the pedicures I've gotten, I've never gotten any color but red or pink. I decided to be a daredevil and go with this bright blue! No one will see my feet anyway during these cold months. Maybe in the spring I'll be even more of a daredevil and do this color again! I've learned quickly that as a mom you have to put aside time to pamper yourself and take a break from being a mommy. We deserve it! What do you do to pamper yourself?