Happy Birthday, Landon!

Landon is ONE today!

photo courtesy of Allison Jean Photo (see the rest of Landon's photo shoot here)

This kid is so precious to us, and this past year has been a FUN one. We've loved seeing Landon go from just being a big baby {who "weighed HOW much"?!?} to a little boy with a lovable personality. And on top of that, he's just so stinking cute!

photo courtesy of Allison Jean Photo

So sweet boy, here's what you're up to at the one year mark:

You had a head start in the size department at birth (all 10 lbs 6 oz of you!), but now you're 31.5" tall (90%) and 21 lbs (30%). You eat like a champ, so you are apparently super active to be so skinny! You still have a massive head (off the charts at 19.25") though! You wear 12-18 month clothes and a size 3 diaper. 

You haven't had baby food in about two months, and you use your six teeth to eat whatever we're eating. Your favorites are bananas, applesauce peas, cheerios, cheese, and breads, but you're pretty good about eating whatever we give you. You love water and have also had some whole milk in your sippy cup. 

We made our (well, "my") breastfeeding goal, and you still nurse 3-4 times a day (when you wake up and then before both naps and bedtime). I love that snuggle time with you and am actually getting a little sad that it will be coming to an end soon.  

You sleep pretty well, taking two naps (9ish and 1ish) and sleeping at night from 7:30 at night to 7:00 in the morning. You love to sleep on your tummy in a quiet room after nursing/rocking to sleep. 

You're very observant! You watch everything your big sister does and just take it all in. You say "mama" and "dada" and know who each title belongs to. You also say "hi" but communicate mostly through the intonation of your squeals. Although you don't talk as much as Avery did when she was this age, what you lack in verbal communication, you make up for in your adventurous spirit! 

 

You climb on everything! I always have to watch you because you're always trying to climb in the bathtub if the bathroom door is left open. Speaking of bathtubs, you like to stand up in yours. It's a constant battle. You LOVE slides (both climbing up and whooshing down). You use furniture and hold our hands to cruise wherever you want to go, but you're afraid to take those steps all on your own just yet. 

You love playing with your big sister and laughing and wrestling with your daddy, but you're most content in your mommy's arms. The second I pick you up, your thumb goes straight in your mouth and your head goes on my shoulder. I will soak up every second of having a snuggly Mama's Boy because I know that you will soon be way too active and interested in other things to want me to hold you all the time.

Here's a look at Landon this year!

Thanks for bringing so many smiles and so much laughter to our family. We think you're pretty great and love you very much!

Nick and Brittany Say "I Do"

My little brother got married today! Nick and Brittany make the sweetest couple, and I'm excited to have a new sister! This weekend has totally worn me out, so I'll just give you a post in {mostly} pictures.

My handsome men enjoying some Babe's at the rehearsal dinner. Yes, Matt rocks a bowtie.

Our good friends Carlos and Kendra with three-DAY-old Camila!

Cade: "You are NOT a big girl." Avery: "But I AM!"

"Brothers don't shake hands; brothers gotta hug." Best man speech!

Maid of Honor Speech

Avery LOVED her Rangers dress and wedding jewelry from Brittany and Nick!

The adorable flower girl on the wedding day (with aforementioned Rangers dress)!

Cutest flower girl ever!

I told you she was the cutest!

Sisters!

Nick's surprise groom's cake. I can't believe my mom kept this a secret! It was SO Nick.

Hanging out with my handsome dude before the wedding. (Thanks, Alyssa, for watching him and Evie during the ceremony!)

Chelsea and Evelyn

Mommy :)

Allison and her man, Isaac

My brother Aaron with his gorgeous wife, Chelsea, and adorable Evelyn. Also, check out the brown box because they had the cutest reception set up, complete with a yummy boxed dinner (aka no waiting in line for food. Win!).

First dance

Brittany surprised Nick by singing Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am"

No words.

Mom and Nick dancin' to a little Nickel Creek.

Avery and her friends Hailey and Anne were hilarious to watch on the dance floor. Little girl giggles are the BEST.

I couldn't get a great picture, but Avery and Hailey were actually really good on the dance floor! They were twirling each other and for real dancing. The whole time.

Off they go!

Everything about the wedding was so them. They planned so many little details, and it all came together perfectly.

I got zero pictures of my dad tonight, but I would like to say that I blame him for the fact that I was an emotional mess during the ceremony. If you don't know my dad, he has a very dry sense of humor (which is, in fact, pretty hilarious) and is usually emotionally stoic. But our weddings bring out real, evident emotion in him and it just gets me. I mean, we know he loves us like crazy, but to actually see him get choked up about it makes me all sentimental.

Also, I was a little embarrassed at/panicked by Avery's beginning tantrum at the start of the ceremony. Fortunately, that was quickly averted by Brittany's aunt who got her to sit with her in a seat instead of trying to climb all over the stage-- eek. So, you know, lots of emotions.

We have such amazing family and friends. They are so special and sweet and drama-free and are willing to just jump in and help make things happen. I know that about them all the time, but big events tend to remind me just how much I appreciate the people close to us.

So Nick, good job. And Brittany, welcome to the family. Sorry we're a little weird.

Friday Five: Very.

1. I'm VERY relieved that we've found a (close to) perfect babysitter to use when we need a sitter and my parents can't watch our kids. We've had some youth girls from church babysit before, but it's impossible for me to choose just one because I'm paranoid of hurting anybody's feelings. So Amanda (a former student of ours) babysat for us last night while Matt and I went to a banquet, and she had Landon asleep and Avery in bed by 8:00. Y'all, that's a big deal. I can barely get them down by then when I have to do it by myself, and I have to do it a lot. Not that we need sitters that often, but the bad news is that she's only in town for the summer. Anyway, Avery loved her, Landon slept, and I would consider that a huge win.

2. We were at a banquet last night because my husband is a VERY amazing teacher! Each year the top 5% of the graduating class (25 students this year) chooses the teacher that had the greatest impact in their lives. The valedictorian of this year's class chose Matt to receive the Star Teacher Award, and I'm so proud of him.

Sorry about the picture, Matt. This was the only one I got. :)

3. I was getting VERY tired of eating/feeding cereal for breakfast, so this morning we went a little crazy, and I made...oatmeal. It was SO good though! And sadly, I don't think I've ever made homemade oatmeal, so I was glad that it turned out perfectly. We used this recipe from 100 Days of Real Food, but I tripled the recipe and used sugar instead of honey (we were out). The raisins were perfect in it! If you like oatmeal, you'll love this (super simple) recipe.

4. One of my VERY favorite things is watching my kids playing together. When my siblings and I were kids, my mom would always tell us (usually when we were fighting) that we would be good friends when we were older. I thought she was crazy. But as is the case with so many things, it turns out she was right. My siblings (and their significant others) are some of my very favorite people. So when I see Avery and Landon giggling together, it makes me smile. I hope they always love each other and have each others' backs.

5. This girl is VERY ready to be a flower girl in Nick and Brittany's wedding!  We're going to the rehearsal dinner tonight, and then tomorrow's the big day! Avery's been practicing, but I'm honestly nervous about how she's gonna do with lots of people watching her. Oh, and I don't know how she's gonna stand through the whole ceremony. You can bet I will be praying VERY hard that she doesn't disrupt the wedding too much. But yay for Brittany joining the family! We love her.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

We're THISCLOSE to summer!

This week was such a tease. Matt had in-service on Monday and was home by 1, and he had the day off on Tuesday (even though he went in for a short tech training).

Add the ever-increasing Texas heat to the mix, and it already feels like summer around here!

Zoo day with Grandma!

Who needs fancy water toys when you can sit in an ice chest?

Water fun comes cheap around here, folks.

Heston even came to join the fun from across the street!

Avery's last day of Mother's Day Out is today. Can you believe how much she's grown this year?!? I can't either.

Matt has off on Monday for Memorial Day and then just four more days until he's off for two months! Bring it, summer!

One Huge Update

Whew, we're on the tail end of a crazy weekend. I am SO glad that it's almost summer and that Matt will soon be home with us! Not that we'll even be home much, but we'll be together wherever we are.

Let's see, it's been over a week since I last blogged. Here's what you missed:


Choir Banquet: I was a good wife and went to Matt's choir banquet last Friday night. At least the food was good! It was also actually nice to get to see my husband for essentially the first time in a week. Even if it was while he DJ'd in front of a dance floor full of 15-year-olds.

Matt's Camping Trip: Matt left last Saturday morning for a testosterone-filled weekend, complete with guns, steak, and peeing on trees. The guys camped out for Nick's bachelor party, and they apparently had a great time. I'm just glad they came back alive, even if they did smell like they had been, well, camping for two days. And while they were gone, the girls got some fun time together since Chelsea came to stay with my mom.

Cousins!

Girl cousins :)

He's getting so BIG!

Grandma's girl :)

I'm glad my brothers pick such awesome chicks!

Mother's Day: We had lunch at my parents' and then Matt and I got to go on a real date to see The Avengers. Honestly, I didn't even want to see it, but I knew Matt would, and there wasn't another movie that looked much better. But it was good! Because we're still kind of lame, we went to Walmart afterward to go grocery shopping. It was the only place open at midnight. Yeah, there's a reason I don't shop there, and I'm reminded every time I do what that reason is. Yikes. But happy Mother's Day to me (and my awesome Mom and Mother-in-Law!).

Sewing: I had an excuse to do a little sewing when my neighbor Whitney requested a tag blanket for her little boy. I love the way it turned out! p.s. I wonder if Landon would still enjoy one or if he's too old. p.p.s. Look for these on my Etsy shop late summer/early fall!

New Phone: I mentioned in this post that I loved my new HTC Freestyle. I spoke too soon. I had it for less than a week before it gave me so many figurative headaches that I gave up. Seriously, it constantly froze, requiring the battery to be taken out and replaced (which was surprisingly really tricky), made me ear dial all the time (making random calls in the middle of a call), and had the shortest battery life I've ever seen. It was awful. So I called and made them send me a different phone. I got the Pantech Link II and am SO much happier with it. Yay for a phone that works.

Choir Concert/Athletic Banquet: Matt's spring choir concert fell on the same night as the athletic banquet for the school where I coach soccer, so I had to miss his show. I was so bummed. But I did steal borrow an outfit from Allison, who freaked out when she saw me because apparently I was actually dressed like a cool kid for the first time in my life. I had no idea that my sense of style was usually so bad.

Brittany's Shower: We threw a fun little lingerie shower for my future sister-in-law on Friday night. I think everybody had a good time, and it was great (albeit a little awkward considering the occasion) to see some of my former students and soccer players!

Brittany with her friends

Teacher Training: I don't talk about children's ministry too much on the bloggy, but I have the BEST volunteers in the entire world working in our children's ministry. They came up to the church for our annual training meeting on a Saturday, and they are the biggest encouragement. I couldn't ask for a better group of teachers for our kids.

Aaron's Recital: My brother is graduating from UNT with his master's in vocal performance, so he had his final performance on Saturday afternoon. He is SO talented, and his recital was amazing! I'm so proud of him! After the recital and reception, our family and Chelsea's family went to their house for a cookout. It made for a VERY long day, but it was a good one!

Nana and Landon

Matt and Daniel (Aaron's college roommate) taking on my dad in foosball

Avery loves playing washers

Photo courtesy of Avery

Aaron, the grillmaster!

Avery with her sweet Aunt Chelsea

L-R: Chelsea's grandparents, my parents, Avery, my grandmother, and Chelsea's mom

I had to include this picture to show you how good Matt is looking these days! He's lost so much weight by eating better and exercising, and I'm really proud of him.

Baby Shower: There was a baby shower today after church for my sweet friend Charity. She's having a little girl soon, and then she's joining her husband, Ndolembai, in Africa for awhile. They are such a cool family, and we're gonna miss them a lot!

Matt has a pretty chill work week, and Nick and Brittany's wedding is next weekend. Summer's around the corner!