Boys & Their Power Tools

Today Landon helped Sean build a bookshelf we bought for the front room. When I saw Sean with his power drill, I quickly grabbed Landon's and handed it to him. I said, "Landon, go help Daddy build the shelf!" and he ran into the room and quickly got to work. The best part: it kept him busy for a least 15-20mins, and he honestly didn't get in Sean's way! I kept pointing to parts of the shelf that needed to be "tightened" and Landon would come over, position his drill just right, then press until it made the "power" noise that it does. Absolutely adorable.

Happy Hollow Adventures

This morning we took Landon to Happy Hollow (a park, zoo, children's theme park place in San Jose). This is the first time he's been since he started walking, so for us, it was a totally new experience! (If you want to see pictures from Landon's FIRST trip to Happy Hollow, about a year ago, click here).

We first made our way through the zoo: we saw the jaguar, the meerkats, and some cute little monkeys. From there, we had a snack break, took some silly photos in the photobooth, then headed off to tackle the rides & huge jungle gym. We rounded out the visit with a trip to the petting zoo. Landon loved getting to feed the goats: he'd take one piece of food at a time, offer it to the goat, then giggle as he licked it off of his hand. I was so proud of him...he was excited, and not scared at all!

Landon had a blast! They'll be many more weekend adventures at Happy Hollow this year!

Valentine's Day Sweetness

Landon saying "Cheeeeeeeeese"

Guess Mama was being too loud!?

My sweet boy, ready for his first Valentine's Day at school.

"Hey Mr. DJ..."

My First Love & My Little Love

Sean, My First Love

I have loved Sean as long as I've known him. It was first a puppy-love, the kind only a 13 year old would understand. Regardless of my age and obvious immaturity, I knew (even way back then) that Sean was special, and that he made me feel special, and that we made a great team. Later, it grew to true love and led to the natural decision to spend our lives together as husband & wife. Today, as parents, our love has grown and strengthened in ways I could not have imagined. Our bond is about so much than just the 2 of us now: it is about our family, and our values, and our future. I love Sean. He is my first love, my favorite teammate, and the best Dad for our son.

Landon, My Little Love

From the moment he made his on-time debut into this world, Landon has made me smile. I could not have dreamed of a cooler, sweeter, smarter, more awesome son. He is pure sunshine to me, and brings me so much happiness. I am enjoying watching him grow, develop, and become a little man: full of personality, spunk, and sweetness! I am so proud to be his Mom, and totally-mega love him.

LRG: Living Up to His Name

Today we had Landon's regular check-up with his pediatrician. As always, we were eager to get him measured & to see his stats. We were especially eager this time, however, because whenever new people meet Landon they always ask, "How old is he?". To which we reply, "Sixteen months". We are almost always met with dropped jaws, gasps, or the common "Woah, he's a big boy for his age!" To which we reply, "Yep, he's a big kid!"

Let's just say our suspicions, and the wisdom of the crowd in and around San Jose are correct: Landon is a big boy!

Head Circumference: 49.9cm (100th percentile) 

Height: 33.5in (95th percentile)

Weight: 30lbs (100th percentile)

Super Bowl Party in Denver

"Man, this game is a nail biter!"

Last weekend, we flew to Denver to visit the Haleys (Jason, Julee, Chase, and Blake). They moved there from Santa Barbara a few years back, bought a beautiful house, and just put the finishing touches on a complete remodel of their basement (now known as Haley's Athletic Pub: a man-cave / bar / in home gym).

Landon had a blast playing with his buddy Chase (you may remember him from this shot)! And, Sean had a great time playing with his best friends too: James & JT flew in from Maine & Texas!

Where the girls at?
4 men, 3 boys, and 1 baby boy on the way (James & Lee are due in April) 

iPad entertainment

Lando...making himself at home at the Haley House

Coolest Basement Ever

Never seen an indoor bounce house. 

Gotcha!

Landon and some of the fellas, just watchin' the big game

Cheerin' on the Niners!

I love these guys.

My Little Seanie

Landon is growing & changing every day. More and more, I am seeing many of Sean's mannerisms, idiosyncrasies, and likes show up in Landon! A few examples...

1. Landon loves to dance. This little man cannot hear a beat without stopping, twisting, slapping his thighs, clapping his hands, and hoopin' and hollerin'. He dances in front of the TV, when I'm playing music in the kitchen, and in his car seat (my personal favorite).

2. Landon loves to throw stuff. And, this just in, he's learning how to catch! Here's a quick video clip of an indoor game of catch with Mama, with a necessary dance break, of course!

3. Landon now "kick kick kicks" a soccer ball. Sean was an amazing soccer player in his younger years, but I'm proud to help take credit for this one too! If Landon doesn't like soccer, I think our hearts will be broken...but that's for future Stace & Sean to deal with. For now, this little guy loves to 'kick kick kick' and even has a solid throw-in form in the making!

4. Landon loves to build stuff. I swear he's a little engineer in the making. He is really into his large lego blocks right now, and can build towers as tall as he is. He's displaying great patience, awesome hand-eye coordination, and improved motor skills.

5. Lastly, Landon likes order and putting things in their place. He knows that his sippy cup goes in the cup holder on his high chair tray. The other day, the top tray (with the cupholder) was dirty, so I fed him dinner on the main tray. You should have seen him: holding his sippy cup in both hands, examining the tray, looking for the cup holder slot. Eventually, he settled on putting the cup in the exact place on the tray where the cupholder would have been, but was definitely  not satisfied.