The Adventures of Landon and Family

Is Pink the New Eye Color?

2009-12-02T07:09:00.004-06:00

Yes, you saw my title. I officially have pink eye for the third time in the last year. So gross. I don't even want to post a picture of it.

Last weekend we had so much fun attending Dana Segal and Steve Snyder's wedding. They got married at the Drury Chapel and it was beautiful. Steve grew up in the student ministry here at our church and met Dana while attending college. They have both been a great asset to the student ministry by leading, teaching, etc. My parents were in town, so Nate and I enjoyed a night out together for FREE! You really appreciate when you don't have to pay for babysitting. I only took two pictures at the reception. I know, I will get better at taking more pictures for the blog. I promise.

Here are some pictures of Landon we got taken by Alex Merrell. He was in our student ministry back in KC and now he is attending Southwest Baptist University and interning for Nate. He is such a talented photographer.

Back to the Blog

2009-11-30T14:03:00.004-06:00

Hello out there! Since it has basically been 6 months since I have blogged, I thought I would finally post an update.

Here is a rundown over the last 6 months of our lives:

*Landon started preschool for his second year and loves it. He does miss his old friends that started Kindergarten but has made new friends.

*After many appointments to and from Kansas City, MO, I am officially pregnant! I am 15 weeks along and out of the nausea stage. I am looking forward to finding out the sex of the baby on December 22nd. I selfishly scheduled my sonogram right before Christmas so that we could shop over Christmas break. We won't need much if it's a boy, but it's fun to get new things.

*Nate spoke at several different camps/retreats this summer/fall and has had a ton of fun doing that!

*Landon can officially ride his bike that Mrs. Kathy got him a while back. He has a ball being outside riding!

Stay tuned for pictures.

Pictures to Catch Up!

2009-06-20T21:37:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures to tell the story of what we have been up too! Hope you enjoy.

Landon and his good friend Savanna from preschool.

Bike Day at preschool. What a blast!

Mommy and Landon on the train at the zoo.

Mommy and Landon at Shalla's birthday party.

Daddy and Landon. We took a picture before his picture day at preschool.

Summer Begins

2009-06-13T22:09:00.003-05:00

We are off to a great 2009 summer. Landon is doing a month of summer school this month for three days a week. We are in St. Louis right now while Nate is on a mission trip. We will all be home tomorrow! I think I have gained 10 pounds since we have been at my parents house this week. My Dad is out of town so it is just us three. We have eaten out lunch and dinner everyday! My shorts are a little tight today. Gotta love being spoiled by Gigi.

Last weekend I had the honor of throwing my good friend Jerica a baby shower. She is having baby #2 and it's a girl! We both have boys the same age. She has decided to name the baby Addison Taylor. I think that is such an adorable name. She doesn't blog, so I can share the news. I don't have my cords to upload the pictures here with me in St. Louis, but will have to post pictures of the baby shower soon.

The highlight of our trip to St. Louis this week was seeing my bff Bonnie. Bonnie is 22 weeks pregnant with twins. A boy and a girl. She was admitted 10 days ago for having pre-term labor. After having a magnesium drip and a cerclage, she is doing much better. Yesterday evening I headed to the hospital for a night of popcorn and skipbo. After catching up on our days, the doctor came in and said she was being discharged from the hospital. So, instead of skipbo, I packed up all of her stuff that she had collected for 10 days. Pete (husband) was playing softball at the time. Pete arrived just in time to load the car. Bonnie will be on strict bedrest the rest of her pregnancy. Please be praying for this sweet couple. God is so good!

Bonnie and I at dinner a couple months ago.

Silver Dollar City

2009-04-06T17:41:00.005-05:00

Wow, do Monday's come too fast or what? I love to get back to my weekday routine but sometimes the weekends are too much fun. This past weekend we got to take Landon to Silver Dollar City for the first time. We have only lived in the area for about two years and hadn't been yet. I remember going as a kid, but it has sure changed. You still can't beat the famous ride called Fire in the Hole. :-) Landon was a little scared at first and after riding the roller coaster still didn't know what to say or do. I couldn't believe how fast a kids ride can go! Here are just a few pictures.

Landon and Nate in the second car

After it was over

Spring Break and Prayer

2009-03-22T20:45:00.003-05:00

Hello! Spring break is here for this household. As I picked Landon up for preschool on Thursday afternoon, I realized we started a ten day break from school. Wow, that is a very long time. I have gotten VERY spoiled in having my mornings to myself. I will have to say after three years, I deserve that now. Anyways, we are excited to see both sets of grandparents as well as Nate's brother's family. Nate will do some camp planning while we are in the great city of Hannibal.

I ask all of you that read this blog to start praying for one of my old college roommates Naomi and her family. You can read more by clicking on her name. Naomi has a great, strong, family. I knew Naomi's Mom and Dad in college and they are some sweet, sweet people. It has been a roller coaster for this family. Travis and Naomi adopted three girls from Liberia. As you see below, they are a fine looking bunch.

Rodeo Day

2009-03-12T21:16:00.003-05:00

Since we have entered in the preschool world, I have loved the themes that go along with the lesson plans. This week Landon was studying the letter "R" and it stood for rodeo. Mrs. Blankenship sent home a note for Landon to make a stick horse for rodeo week. Since I am not Mrs. Creative, we got in our cars and drove to Toys R Us to buy a stick horse. Since Grandma and Grandpa Bock were with us, they decided to actually buy the stick horse for Landon. Even better. Today was the last day of rodeo week and all the kids dressed up like cowboys or cowgirls. Landon was a "preppy cowboy."

Catch Up

2009-02-27T14:49:00.004-06:00

In about two hours we will be on our way to give Landon to my parents for the weekend. He is so excited! Many have asked me what we are going to do with our time alone this weekend? DEEP CLEAN! Doesn't that sound so fun? I am cleaning my house from top to bottom and doing those things I hardly ever do like dust the fans, blinds, etc. I am really looking forward to getting a lot of house work done. Nate and I will have date night Saturday night. I am not sure what we are doing yet, but it will be something fun. Also, we have a ton of DVR shows to catch up on. Thank goodness for DVR.

Here are a few random pictures of this past week.

Mommy and Landon

Landon's friend Sophia

Landon's friend Noah

Landon and Shalla

Preschool Adventures

2009-02-20T14:19:00.003-06:00

Landon has officially finished his first week of preschool. Many of you have asked how he did. The best word I can think of to describe how he did is....AWESOME! We were thrilled. We drive to his school and the teachers come and get him out of our car. The first day he wasn't sure about that. When he saw me get back into the car, he did freak out and cry. They said it took about five minutes and then he was fine. Same scenario for the second day as well. By the third day, his teachers told me that he didn't cry at all. At the end of the preschool session, the teachers walk all the kids out to the cars. It's so cute to see them all with their backpacks on and holding hands. Landon has been grinning from ear to ear everyday when he walks outside to my car. I love picking him up and seeing that he is so happy and loves his new routine. I told Nate I am really going to like my mornings four days a week. It has been very relaxing. Thank you to everybody that prayed for him and me.

Landon and his main teacher.

Landon on his first day of preschool.

Birthday Number Three

2009-02-16T22:26:00.003-06:00

Well, the time has come. He finally turned three years old. It's been a great birthday weekend. My parents came into town and spent it with the three of us. I didn't do a big party this year and it was really nice. :-) We started the day off my going to church and taking homemade red velvet cupcakes to Landon's Sunday School class. I have no idea why I made red velvet for ten 2 and 3 years old, but I did. The kids enjoyed them as well as the teachers. I knew I wanted something different than just your normal cake. Landon's first year I made a cake from scratch that was a truck construction theme. His second year I ordered basketball cupcakes from a local bakery here. So, I thought I would stick with the cupcake theme and do something different. They were amazing, thanks to good ole' Paula Deen. There is nothing like putting a pound of cream cheese along with four cups of powdered sugar and other things in the icing!

After church, we had chicken enchilada's here at the house and enjoyed napping on a Sunday afternoon. After naptime, we opened presents. Of course, Landon got many great presents. A new backpack, (the bigger one from Pottery Barn Kids), his first St. Louis Cardinals jersey, and many more things! After present time we headed to Old Chicago for dinner. It was great and we all ate too much. Did you know you can get four different kinds of french fries there? Wild.
After Old Chicago, we headed to jump mania for the evening which is Landon's favorite place to go. What a fun day it was in the life of Landon. Enjoy some of the pictures. Pray for Mommy tomorrow as she will be dropping off her three year old tomorrow at pre-school for the first time. WOW.

Stressed-Out Mommy

2009-02-09T14:32:00.003-06:00

What a day it has been! WOW! Have you ever had the case of the Monday's? I am sure having it today.

For those of you that don't know, a week from tomorrow my almost three year old will be starting pre-school Monday-Thursday mornings. My original thoughts on this were that I can go to the gym during the day by myself, I would get some "alone" time, and get caught up on the everyday things. Well, that isn't the case much anymore. I am in freak-out mode. I am not sure that is a word, but I am making it up if it isn't. To see your baby leave and go into a world I will never know is EXTREMELY hard! Even though he will be three years old, he is just a baby. Tear. I know he is ready and I am 50 percent ready. We have had the opportunity to visit his class several times for him to become familiar with his surroundings. The teachers and kids are wonderful. I couldn't ask for anything better for Landon. So, stay tuned for more "adventures" as we enter into this whole new world for Landon and his parents.

Praying for the Laxton Family

2009-02-02T19:29:00.007-06:00

***Update-Brett's surgery is complete after 10 hours. The doctors were very pleased. They did cut the auditory nerve but didn't have to touch the facial nerve! He is in ICU until this weekend sometime. Thank you for all your prayers for the Laxton family. Continue praying and I will keep everyone posted.

Please be in prayer for the Laxton family. Brett, Amy, Tyler, and Graham. Brett will be in surgery tomorrow (Tuesday) for about 6-7 hours for brain surgery. Brett has little tumors in his brain that are genetic. Brett will loose hearing in one ear and might have facial paralysis. Brett was part of the student ministry team at our past church in Kansas City. He is one of the most talented people I know. I will update as soon as I hear something.

Date Your Mate

2009-02-01T21:05:00.005-06:00

Why is it that the weekends always go so fast? When I worked full-time they went even faster. Now that I am a stay-at-home Mom the weekends have a little different meaning that just catching up on laundry, cleaning, and paying bills. I guard our weekend time because it's a time for all three of us together and a chance for Nate and I to have occasional date nights. On Friday night, we went to Bijan's for our good friend Josh's birthday. We have always wanted to go, so this was the perfect excuse. I really wish I would have taken a picture of our food, but I totally forgot. It was wonderful and we had a great time enjoying conversation without toddler boys crawling on us, jumping out of their seats, or wanting to play cars on the floors of the restaurant.

On Saturday, Nate had Youthquake all day. Youthquake is a student evangelistic event that takes place all day. They had about 1,200 students in attendance and lots of decisions for Christ. It makes it all worth it for Nate to be gone all day when you hear of those decisions.

Today (Sunday) was our normal Sunday routine. Wake up, eat breakfast, watch Curious George while Mommy gets ready for church, and then off to church. The last two weeks have been hard for Landon. Each week I have come to get him and he is crying. Is it possible for an almost three year old to be going through mommy withdrawls again? I think this is the third time we have been down this road. Bless his teachers hearts. They love and adore him and personally I think they give him extra attention. Too sweet.

Here are a few pictures of our date night with Josh and Jerica.

Landon didn't want Megan (the babysitter) to leave, so he put her coat on so she would stay.

Nate, Kari, Jerica, and Josh

Josh and Nate

Jerica and I

Home Sweet Home

2009-01-29T14:37:00.003-06:00

Today is day number three of being stuck inside. Although, we did make it out for a little bit yesterday. The main roads are pretty clear now so that is great news!

Jump Mania was calling Landon's name yesterday. We ventured out and had a great time. Landon has gotten to the place where he can do all of the inflatable slides and jump houses all by himself. It is actually pretty relaxing to just watch now. I was afraid of it being really crowded and knew over stimulation would take place, but to my surprise, it wasn't too crowded.

Last weekend one of Landon's friends turned three. We had a great birthday party to attend and didn't get too many pictures but I will show a few below. Declan was a premie. He was born at 25 weeks and barely weighed two pounds. He is a walking miracle. He does have some delays but is catching up quickly. Don't you love the blond, curly hair?

I am off to the gym to burn off all my snack food intake over the last three days. I know my body is going to pay for it in just a short little while. You gotta love Doritos though.

Ice and Snack Food

2009-01-27T18:19:00.003-06:00

It is Tuesday evening and we are iced in. Springfield probably has over an inch of ice by now. Schools were canceled for today and they have already been canceled for tomorrow. I LOVE staying home, but on days you want to get out, it gets very annoying that you can't. We called Jump Mania to see if they were open and of course they were closed. So then we decided to be okay with over-stimulation and see if Chuck E Cheese was open. Again, another place that was not open. So, we have been snuggled up and in our comfy clothes for the day. I did get a shower, so all is well. :-)

Nate has had strep throat so I am praying Landon and I stay free from that sickness. Not fun. He has been shut in the back bedroom for two days now and I finally started letting him come out to see us. :-) Plus, I was going crazy entertaining Landon by myself.

American Idol is on tonight. All is good. We have our snack food ready. We use the excuse to eat it because we are iced in. The gym will be calling our names tomorrow, that's for sure.

Oh, and for all those Jon and Kate Plus Eight watchers, wasn't their new house awesome? I am so happy for them! The space that they have is unreal!

Trying New Things

2009-01-20T13:51:00.001-06:00

I am finally updating my blog and am going to try and make it a point to do this more often. I have slacked in this department for a couple of months now. Stay tuned....

Happy New Year!

2008-12-27T14:46:00.001-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS!

Adventurous Days

2008-11-30T17:34:00.002-06:00

Can I just say we are tired of eating? Wow, we had amazing food this Thanksgiving. I think the best part of it was the desserts. Yum!

Landon has been adventurous these days. If it's not one thing he is into, it's another. There is no such thing as a "clean" house anymore. As soon as you get one area picked up, you are on to the next area of a mess. I guess boys will be boys, huh? You will see the "mess" I came into the other day. I told him to go get a pair of white socks and this is what I found when he never came back. They were flying in the air as I arrived in his room. He emptied his sock drawer so I took that time to organize his socks and take out the small ones.

He is finally in his big boy bed. (Pictures to come when I get all the pillows I have ordered.) I wasn't in any big hurry for this because it's like you are telling yourself he is no longer a "baby." Very sad day, but exciting at the same time. He is doing great. He doesn't get out until we arrive into his room. Can you believe it? It might change, but we are enjoying it now. His crib converted to a full size bed, so he is surrounded by all kinds of pillows. He looks so little in it now, but I know one day he will need that "big" bed.

A Little Bit of Everything

2008-10-22T22:21:00.005-05:00

It has been a while, hasn't it? We have been quite busy. It seems like we have had something going on every single night of the week here lately. Last weekend we were in St. Louis to attend a symposium at Washington University. It was great! Landon also got to see his grandparents while we were there. He is always so well-behaved for them. It makes us so happy. He minds better, sleeps better, and plays better when he is with his grandparents. Funny how that works out. My Mom keeps telling me that it's because I am the "law" and he knows it. :-) Here are a few pictures of him lately.

My friend Jerica.

Fall Decor

2008-10-06T20:48:00.003-05:00

Don't you just love the season of fall? It's so fun! I went last night to get a few decorations to decorate my front porch. I haven't arranged it yet, but you get the point. I am thinking I need another corn stalk and another mum. What do you think Mom?

Mom and I had a shopping weekend this past weekend. We got a lot of things for Christmas and Landon is now set on fall/winter clothes thanks to Grandma Gigi. :-) It's always fun to come home and put all the new cute, little toddler boy clothes away in the closet. Now, if his shoes would last all winter long, that would be wonderful! I didn't know a 2 1/2 year old could wear a size 10 1/2 wide shoe!

Getting Ready to Camp

2008-09-18T20:49:00.004-05:00

Recently, I (Nate) discovered a new place that I must go...Palo Duro Canyon. I was flying to Amarillo, Texas for a speaking engagement when I looked out the window of the airplane and to my surprise there it was! The second largest canyon in the United States (to all of you Texans out there, I guess you can't always have the biggest of everything)! I could hardly believe my eyes, there among all of the flat land was a big ditch!

After landing in Amarillo, I did my best to try to convince my friend Bradley to take me to the canyon but to no avail. So, I must go back!

For those of you who don't know this, I recently realized that I've not had any goals in my life for the past two years. So, I made up a few. Nothing to spiritual or anything. Just a few things I must do before I turn the big "4...0"! One of these goals is that I will hike the Grand Canyon from rim to river to rim (a total change in altitude of 10,000 feet with a bone jaring decent and an almost impossible climb back up!). I know is sounds awesome, right?

Since I'm not crazy, I realize that I might need to start a little smaller and work my way up to the Grand Canyon. This is where Palo Duro comes in. I can do the same hike in Palo Duro and only have a total altitude change of 6,000 feet. A good place to start.

So, Landon and I decided that we needed to spend sometime at Bass Pro Shop doing some research to see what we will need for such an endeavor. What you are about to see are the items that Landon picked out for himself to help Daddy on his "must do" hike.

Ok, so behind Landon is a big aquarium with some really big fish! Landon was fascinated by the giant "Catfish" that was swimming by just before the picture was taken. Nothing to buy here!

Next, we had to stop and pet the wildlife. This little white tail deer was very sweet. It's a shame that someday Landon will probably shoot it's mother (relax, the deer is already dead and it's mother is probably dead too)!

Ok, on to the shopping. Landon found the tent that he thought would be perfect! Mommy, Daddy and Landon could fit in here (except Mommy will never see a night in a tent)!

Next, Landon did a very thorough search of the sleeping bags. It gets cold in the canyon at night, so Daddy and I need warm sleeping bags!

Now, Landon's favorite part, the food! If I remember correctly I think he picked out "Fiesta Beans and Spanish Rice". I'm not sure that you would really want to eat that and then hike a canyon, but hey give the kid some credit for not picking the "Dried Beats".

Every good camper needs a place to sit. So, Landon picked out a seat that no one could ever swipe. It's camouflaged! As long as Landon knows where he put it, that is all that matters!

Last, Landon picked out his backpack to put all of this stuff in! He's got good taste in packs, unfortunately they don't make hiking packs in toddler sizes.

Landon and I had fun at Bass Pro Shop and we plan to go back soon! So stay tuned for more stories about us getting ready to go camping! Oh, send money too! We've got to pay for all this gear Landon is picking out!

Two Year Old Pictures

2008-09-01T16:12:00.004-05:00

Now that Landon is 2 1/2, I thought it would be a good idea to finally get his pictures taken. I wanted to wait until fall was here, but I thought that would be too close to three years old. He will have to show off his cute fall clothes later. We had an awesome photographer from our church come to our house and take a few "in action" shots. I didn't want your typical posed pictures. There are a lot of cute ones, but I will only post a few. Have a great Labor Day!

Promotion Sunday

2008-08-24T20:45:00.003-05:00

As early to late August approaches, all church people have heard the two words "Promotion Sunday." Today was promotion Sunday at our church. Landon would move upstairs to the bigger rooms with a little more structure to their church time. We had the opportunity to visit the room last week to get used to the idea. As any Mom would be, I was really nervous today. I wanted the transition to go smoothly with no tears and no clinging to the neck! Do you guys know what I am saying?? Also, I am teaching a new group of girls and really wanted to be on time for the dance-off Nate was making us do as he was introducing the new student ministry teachers for the 2008-2009 school year. Wow, that was a sight to see! I should have had my camera, but I didn't. I will have to report that Landon basically ran to his new room and didn't look back! I was thrilled. I left as quick as I could so he wouldn't even think of looking back for me. I got a small, small glimpse of what it will be like in a few months when he goes to pre-school. I don't think I am ready! Here he is looking mighty fine today.

Backpacks are the Best

2008-08-17T09:03:00.003-05:00

Recently, I have been searching for a cute backpack for Landon. He will be three years old in six months. (Did I just say three years old?? Oh my goodness.) He will be starting preschool when he turns three, so I wanted to start getting a few things. As I always start with pottery barn kids, I came across the Fairfax collection. They had a preschool backpack! Perfect! We received this package via UPS and it's darling. Landon loves it and wants to put it on all day. He loves stuffing his favorite books and trucks in it before we leave to go somewhere. It's the perfect size for anyone looking for a backpack. It will hold sippy cups, snacks, trucks, AND books! Enjoy the cute pictures!

Early Morning Talk

2008-08-08T06:44:00.003-05:00

As I am writing this, it is 6:30 in the morning. What am I doing up this early? Well, I drank too much caffeine yesterday, so that always makes me get up really early the next day. Weird, I know.

Landon does speech therapy once a week. He has his usual list of books that he wants Mrs. Donna to read to him, he always wants her bubbles, he is fasinated by the train she brings everytime, and loves digging in her bag for more toys. There is never a dull moment when she is here. He could care less about me when she is around. As soon as the doorbell rings, he runs to the door and basically attacks her! Not really, but it sounds good. Oh, and it never fails that he smells up the room when she is here. It's that time of the day if you know what I mean. Two weeks ago she tells me that she has a new job, BUT she is keeping Landon until he turns 3 if we can be flexible on the times she can come. Of course I can be flexible!! Landon has been with her since 18 months and I really don't want to get someone new. I am so thankful she loves Landon enough to keep him.

Mrs. Donna and Landon

The last couple of days Landon wants to wear this tiger backpack around the house during the day. I have no idea why, but he is fascinated with it. We have only had the thing forever, but I guess he has a new discovery for it. So, you might be seeing a lot of pictures with him and the backpack in the upcoming days.

The Last of the Summer

2008-08-03T15:12:00.005-05:00

Summer is finally coming to an end. In the student ministry world, it is the busiest time of the year. We just got done with student camp and then headed to St. Louis for a conference. We are home now for a while. Landon got to see both sets of grandparents. I still can't believe he is 2 1/2.

Student Camp was amazing! My parents were so sweet to watch Landon for us so I could be a part this year. It was held at Hannibal LaGrange College where Nate and I met. We even stayed (Nate and I) in my old college dorm room together! That was a little weird! We had some good worship led by the Andy Rhea band and a great speaker by the name of Mike Curry. He is known for his "silver mullet."

On the way home from our St. Louis trip, Nate and Landon got a little bored in the back seat. I always drive because I can't stand not too. Maybe it's a control thing...who knows. They had fun doing a photo shoot with themselves and Curious George.

Amy Calton and I at camp.

Megan and I at camp. AKA...Landon's babysitter.

Garrell and Nate at camp.

The photo shoot begins!

I love George!

Look how long my legs are!

Anniversary and St. Louis

2008-07-11T22:44:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Nate and I have been married 8 years. Really, where does the time go? We waited about 5 1/2 years before having Landon. Recently, I asked Nate what we did with our time before having Landon. He reminded me that I worked full-time, never cooked, went shopping A LOT, spent way too much money, and was always on the go with something. My, how the times really change. Landon is two years old now and I love staying home with him during the day. I wouldn't change this time for anything. I still don't cook though. I try too, but it's not something I really enjoy. At least I am honest. I don't spend a lot of money anymore and I don't really shop a lot anymore simply because it's really not worth taking a toddler that just wants out of the stroller. Parks, Chick-fil-A, and friend's houses are our new entertainment.

For our 8th anniversary we celebrated at Haruno's here in Springfield. It was yummy!

A couple of days after our anniversary, Landon and I headed to St. Louis to visit my family while Nate was leading a mission trip to Peru. We had a great time seeing old friends and celebrating the 4th of July. Nate is home safe and sound now. Thank goodness. It was an exciting trip, that's for sure.

Nate and I.

Nate and his dinner.

The restaurant!

Grandma and Landon at lunch.

Bonnie and I at dinner. (Best friend of almost 20 years!)

Splash Time

2008-07-03T15:08:00.003-05:00

Splash time is something all toddlers usually enjoy and the Mom's don't mind either because they usually get some sun! Landon has enjoyed the water a lot this year, but everytime we go it is almost too cold to play in. I didn't get a lot of pictures, but here are a few I will post. We are enjoying time in St. Louis this week while Nate is in Peru leading a trip. I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

Daddy´s in Peru

2008-07-02T14:56:00.004-05:00

So, Daddy is in Peru with students on a mission trip. But Mommy and I are having fun making memories. I would love to show you some pics of the memories we are making, but I cannot because Mommy does not have the right cables to upload them.

But rest assured, I am cuter than ever and I am learning all kinds of new sports! Like Golf! Daddy taught me before he left! You should see me play! I´m so cute!

Pics are coming soon!

This and That

2008-06-11T21:39:00.004-05:00

The warm weather has been keeping this family busy! We have started off the summer very busy as most families are! Nate has been to Destin, Florida and back and also to Tennessee and back! Landon and Mommy have been able to spend a lot of time together. My parents were able to come up last weekend and spend the weekend with Landon and I. It was great to see them.

Landon has enjoyed a new place here in Springfield. It's called Jump Mania. It's inflatable slides, jump houses, courses, etc. He loves it! I told them already that they need to develop a monthly pass for Moms. It just opened last weekend and we have been three times. It's very nice when you don't want to stand outside in 90 degree weather and sweat while you are just standing there. Plus, it's a great workout for me as I do it with him! Grandma even enjoyed doing one of the courses with Landon and I. Go Grandma! I don't think we have laughed that hard in a long time! Even Papa heard us laughing! :-)

I have also enjoyed some girl time with some friends! It's great to have that time away and laugh with good girlfriends and have a husband that let's me do fun things!! He is always willing to watch Landon and makes sure I have my "girl" time. What a great hubby!

Jen with her precious baby girl, Macy.

Shallina and I.

Landon and I.

Landon...isn't he a cutie?

Landon going down the slide at Jump Mania.

Landon giving Papa a kiss.

Jerica and I.

Livin' it Up

2008-05-18T14:50:00.004-05:00

Hello! This is actually Kari, not Nate. I won't be talking in "Gossip Girl" style in this post. Nate cracks me up.

Landon is doing great. The recovery from the adenoid and tonsil surgery is going so much better than I thought it would. He still is not eating very much, but is drinking Capri Sun's flavored water. I highly recommend that to parents of toddlers. Hopefully by the end of this week, we can get back to our normal routine. Mama is ready to get out of the house.

Here are a few pictures that I have taken recently.

Landon and Papa on the big, orange Kubota tractor.

Landon posing for the camera.

Landon with his new friend Noah.

A day at the park with Cami and Trevor.

Landon trying to find some good books before his surgery.

Landon after his surgery. He just wanted his Mommy and cell phone.

XOXO

2008-05-15T16:32:00.011-05:00

Kari and I (Nate) have been caught up in the drama that is Gossip Girl. We TiVo it so that we don't miss an episode! While it is laughable that I (Nate) am watching a teenage girl drama, I submit that I am actually proving how much I love my wife because I'd rather spend time with her (even watching Gossip Girl) than be away from her for another hour every Monday night.

With that being said, I've decided to do LA's blog with a Gossip Girl touch.

Good news for all you lower west siders, the past few weeks have been very busy for our little man! "L" has been shopping! He has a new hat and a new pair of sunglasses. Watch out ladies, you might just fall in love!

Spotted, "L" going down a slide! I hear the bigger the slide, the faster he moves to ride it! Check out the glasses! This little man means business!

This just in..."L" just got back from the hospital where he had his tonsils and adnoids taken out. Hard to believe that a hospital gown could look so cute!

(He was such a good boy even though his throat hurt and he was tired! )

Wreckless driving...even though it was the children's wing "L" stay away from driving while under the influence! (The children's wing had all kinds of fun stuff for little guys to do. Once Landon felt good enough, he got to play in the hallways. Here he is riding in a car with his IV machine right there with him! So cute!)

Uh oh..."N" has been in the hospital lately too. Don't laugh too hard but here is a picture of what happens when you have an allergic reaction to medication!

That's all for now...XOXO Gossip Girl.

Birthday Bash

2008-05-02T08:58:00.005-05:00

It has been a while, hasn't it? We have had a great month of April. I can't believe today is May 2nd. I have so many pictures to post about recent events. I will start with the two birthday parties Landon attended. His good friend Trevor turned 2 years old and his other good friend Shalla turned 3 years old. They both had wonderful parties and Landon had a blast!

Trevor's train cake that Cami made.

Cami and Trevor

Shalla's Daddy Brent and Landon.

Landon at the Shalla's carnival birthday party.

Shalla's cake. It was so delicious!

Hello!

Shalla and Shallina (Mom).

Two Year Check-Up

2008-04-07T22:29:00.003-05:00

Last week we had Landon's two year check-up. I was so thankful he didn't have to have any shots. It seems like the first year and a half of his life they were always sticking him for something. We weighed in at 32 pounds and the boy is 38 inches. That is 3 foot 2 inches people! He was way off the charts on height. WOW!

Here are just a few random facts from the past week:

*I cut my hair off. Seven inches to be exact.

*Today we enjoyed a walk/run with our friends Cami and Trevor. It was a beautiful day here today! The high was 73 degrees.

*My sister-in-law had her baby boy, Titus.

*Nate and I are leaving in two weeks for Destin, Florida.

Here are a few random pictures! Enjoy!

Landon enjoying something on T.V.

My new haircut that my mother will probably not like. :-)

Look how tall that boy is!

Easter Weekend

2008-03-24T21:05:00.005-05:00

Look what the Easter Bunny brought!

Landon doing the Easter egg hunt inside because it was too cold outside!

Finding the eggs.

Family pic on Easter Sunday.

Grandma, Papa, and Landon

Landon reading his new Duckie book.

Still reading!

Easter basket.

Playing Catch-Up

2008-03-21T13:59:00.003-05:00

These past couple of weeks have been crazy busy. I just don't know where the time has gone! It has been a fun couple of weeks. We have had a couple of nice, warm days to play outside. Landon is now unlocking doors and just letting himself outside as he pleases. Nate has installed door flaps this week, so that I wouldn't catch Landon outside playing in the garage. His other new thing is crawling up on the desk which sits pretty high, and typing on the computer like Mommy does. When it's really quiet in the house and I am not sure where Landon has ventured too, it's now the first place I check. He is something else. We have entered into being two years old! We have had a couple of fun nights out with some friends as well! It's always good to get away and be silly...as you you will see in the pictures.

Nate and Brent making balloon puppets at Texas Roadhouse. Brent is going to be the "clown" at his daughter's 3 year old carnival birthday party in a couple of weeks. He needs the practice.

The clown teaching Shallina how to make a balloon puppet.

Shallina and I.

Landon typing away to his Grandma.

Memory Lane

2008-03-15T15:11:00.002-05:00

Hello! I was looking on the computer at some old pictures. I thought I would post some of them. I have a couple things to write about, but I will get to that later. Enjoy the pics!

Daddy and Landon

Mommy and Landon

Cute Landon

First Haircut

Last Easter

The Last of the Birthday Fun

2008-02-28T21:25:00.004-06:00

I promise this will be the last post of Landon's 2nd birthday. There was just so much to talk about! In order to get Nate's side of the family together, my sister-in-law thought it would be a great idea to have a joint birthday party with our boys. The boys are 5 weeks apart so it works really well! We decided to meet in Columbia and do a party at Bonkers. This place was packed with kids and so much fun! We had two rooms for the whole family. It went really well. The boys were both in great moods after long car rides. Thank you Jesus! Enjoy these pictures.

Landon and Noah getting ready for the party.

Being entertained by Elmo balloons and plates.

ELMO cake!!

They are ready to dig into the cake. Landon is saying please in sign language and Noah is excited!

My sister-in-law and me.

Landon going through one of the many mazes.

Landon and Noah.

Getting ready to go down the slide!

The Day I Turned Two

2008-02-20T22:21:00.005-06:00

While Nate was skiing his heart out in Colorado, Landon and I packed our car and headed to St. Louis. Even though Nate wouldn't be there for his actual birthday, I still wanted to make it fun. On Friday, we headed to Chesterfield to enjoy some fantastic shopping. Oh, how I miss the shopping in St. Louis. After strolling through Target, we met up with my college friend and roommate. Shanen and I have been friends for about 13 years. I think that really makes us both so old! After a morning and early afternoon with Shanen and her son Gavin, we headed home for a well needed nap. Grandma told Landon that she would be home when he woke up and they would go to Toys R Us together and pick out a few things for his birthday. He enjoyed taking things off the shelves and handing them to her to put in the shopping cart. I have trained the little boy well. We ended the day with dinner at Talanya's. Papa bought us pizza and salad. Yum.

Here are some pics of the weekend!

Landon running around Chick-fil-A

Landon and Gavin

Shanen and I

Landon at Toys R Us

Can you tell he wants that school bus?

Grandma and Landon

Isn't that a sweet picture?

Sweet boy

Time to Celebrate the Big Number Two

2008-02-18T21:25:00.008-06:00

Since I am a horrible mother and haven't posted anything about my son's second birthday, I will attempt it now finally. Nate just got back from ski trip and is exhausted. Landon went to bed at 7:30 p.m this evening and I am about to fall asleep at 9:30 p.m. We are a lively bunch, aren't we?

Landon's second birthday went great. We had a basketball party with six of his friends. The cupcakes were from Beth's Bake Shoppe and were delicious! Grandma and Papa got to be a part of the party. They enjoyed watching Landon with all of his friends. We tried not to overdue ourselves this year. After a big party last year, we thought this would be fun for everyone. Enjoy the pics!

Cupcakes

Landon getting ready to eat his cupcake

Friends

Blowing Bubbles

More Bubbles

Josh, Cami, and Trevor

Shallina, Brent, Sophia, and Shalla

Ben, Hayden, Lily, and Baby Lincoln

Jennifer and Brett (Bobby was painting baby #2's room)

Chris, Robin, Alli, and Molly

Ice Storm Take Two

2008-02-12T20:20:00.000-06:00

Once again we are iced in. We got hit pretty hard with another ice storm. Thousands are without power. We are so thankful we haven't lost it. Today and yesterday have been extremely lazy days in this house. Nate's work even told their employees not to come in. It's been really nice to have him home. Here are some pictures around our house. Also, some pictures of us having fun at home!

Our house

Iced branches

Iced bush

Behind our house

Curious George bubble blower

Landon loves his bubbles!

His new interest, George

Sunday Madness

2008-02-03T13:20:00.000-06:00

Sunday mornings are such a crazy time at our house. Anyone that has kids and a husband on staff at a church can relate to this. I only have one and I really don't know how Moms of more than one do it. I have a friend that has four boys and her husband is also a student minister and she is always on time! She never looks stressed or anything. Keep in mind, she gets all of them ready, plus herself. I have to keep her in my mind on Sundays. I also have to remember good ole' Kate from Jon and Kate Plus 8.

I never seem to get up early enough to be able to get to the student service by 9:00. I teach 12th grade girls so I have to be on time, otherwise they are giving me a hard time. In good fun of course. Last Sunday was one of those mornings. Landon woke up at 6:45 a.m. that day and was crabby. His two year molars are making him that way. His gums are inflamed and red. It's such a painful sight. Here are a few pictures of Landon last Sunday morning. He wouldn't even smile for me. Did I mention he was cranky? His cute outfit makes up for it. In twelve more days, our toddler will be two years old. I just can't believe it.

What's up Mom?

Mom, I am so tired.

Mom, can I tell you a secret?

The Fabulous Four

2008-01-22T21:50:00.000-06:00

Since we have lived in our new hometown, we have been blessed with some great friends. We have enjoyed building relationships and are loving sharing life with them. My dear friend Cami planned an evening for some of us. We went to her parents house and enjoyed letting our kids run around a 7,000 square foot house. I think by the end of the night they might have seen every room. We had some yummy salad with Cami's awesome homemade dressing that had tons of garlic in it. I should really post the recipe but I am too lazy to go to my cabinet and get it. We finished off with some pizza. As we ate and ate, the guys finally retired to the basement for some very competitive games of ping pong. I wish I would have gotten some pictures of them, but the toddlers were keeping us chasing after them. I know we will have many more of these to come.

Cami chopping garlic with her special knife.

Our new friends Christopher and Amber.

All the kiddos.

Amber, Cami, me, Jackie, (Cami's student) and Shallina.

Family Times

2008-01-19T20:56:00.000-06:00

We are way behind in posting. I was looking through our photos and noticed we haven't even posted our after Christmas photos with my (Kari's) family. We had the privilege of spending the weekend with my grandparents after Christmas. The whole family was in town celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. It couldn't get any more special. They are the most committed, loyal, and loving people. I am so blessed to have them as grandparents.

Aren't they cute?

My uncle Bob, cousin Giada Bella, Daddy, and Landon. Landon loves giving her kisses.

Uncle Bob (Giada's Grandpa) and Giada

My cousin Sarah and I

The other uncle Bob, Alicia, Matt, Charissa, Jon, Dad, and Mom

While the whole family was in town we had a family portrait done. It was an experience. Getting eighteen adults and two toddlers looking at the camera is a challenge! Landon and Giada couldn't have been any better. In fact, they were perfect. We celebrated at Longhorn Steakhouse after the pictures. The Firecracker Chicken Wraps were calling our name.

Mrs. Speedy Gonzalez

2008-01-15T13:35:00.000-06:00

This is my Mommy! Most days I hang out with her playing, eating, and going on short drives around town. Mommy loves driving. In fact, she loves it so much that she drives even when Daddy is with us. I think it is fun riding with Mommy; we listen to music and go really fast!
Once in a while, Mommy will be driving and we will hit a bump in the road. Mommy will check her mirrors and say, "Was that a pothole?" and just keeps going! For some reason there is a decreasing population of squirrels, bunnies, and kitty cats in our neighborhood. I can't figure out why. Maybe they are all hibernating for the winter?

Like I said, I like riding in the car with Mommy! We listen to some loud music, go really fast, and hit potholes! What fun! I don't understand why Daddy gets so nervous when he is in the car.

This is Daddy on a normal evening drive. He must be really stressed from work or something. Loosen up, Daddy!

This is Daddy during one of our afternoon drives. We were having a great time listening to some tunes, going fast, and then Mommy hit another bump in the road....

...I guess Daddy needs to get a massage or something. He is way too tense!

My Second Christmas

2007-12-28T14:10:00.000-06:00

This was my second Christmas and I'm starting to get the hang of it! Mommy, Daddy and I opened our presents early (Decmeber 22nd) and had a lot of fun! Apparently, this is the latest that Mommy and Daddy have waited to open presents. I guess I am a good influence on them!

Here is Mommy and me! Isn't she just so beautiful?

Daddy gives the best hugs!

All in all, I got some pretty fun toys! Probably my favorite toy is my Radio Flyer wagon. Daddy has already taken me on a couple of rides around the basement. When he stops, I ask for more.

I hope you had a Merry Christmas! I sure did!

Parti Havarti (It's a cheese)

2007-12-18T22:42:00.000-06:00

My Daddy likes to party. So much so, that he instituted a week long holiday party at his office last week. I like to party too! I went to his party every day and ate anything I could get my hands on (especially Gardetto's)!

At the party they had a gingerbread house decorating contest and people could vote by placing money into the cup next to the house they liked best. The contest raised $131.08 for the 1 Mile mission trip that will take place in June 2008. Mommy and I tried to help Daddy win...we put a whole quarter in his cup!

This is Julie. She is Daddy's assistant and one of my favorite playmates! Every time I go to the office I peak my head around her door to see if she can come chase me down the hallway! This time she caught me, but I'll win next time!

Since it is the season for parties, Mommy and Daddy were Mary and Joseph for the MOPS Christmas party. I got to go too, but not as baby Jesus. I am to big to play the part of a baby.

The Christmas celebration ended with the whole Student Ministry staff going out for lunch at a nice restaurant in downtown Springfield. I didn't get to go (I was sleeping at home), maybe I will next year!

From the left, Julie, Mommy, Daddy, Brian and Erika.

I love to party and I love you!

Landon and Christmas Cheer

2007-12-11T00:03:00.000-06:00

Yes, he is sticking his hand down his pants! (That's his cute cousin in the background.)

Daddy and Landon opening presents.

Mommy and Landon opening presents.

We had our Christmas with Nate's side of the family this past weekend. We had a great time. After Landon getting sick on Friday, Nate and I got it on Sunday and then passed it on to the rest of the family. Thank goodness it was a 24 hour stomach bug. More pics to come!

New Shoes and Old Friends

2007-11-28T10:09:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I don't really mean "old" friends in the sense of their age...instead I mean "old" in regards to the length of time I've known them. Jim and Nancy came to see me, and we had much fun as well as some good Mexican food (ok, I ate a pb & j sandwich and milk, but it looked good)!

Over Thanksgiving, we traveled to KC to go to my cousin's first birthday party. Giada had a great party with lots of presents and people. She is a pretty little princess! Daddy was trying to make her laugh, but he is not that funny.

While we were in KC, Mommy and Daddy noticed my shoes were too little. I had Nike Shox that were size 7 medium. When my feet are actually size 8 wide! No wonder that my feet were turning red everytime I put on my Shox. Now I have some cool New Balance 900's (with Velcro)!

Now my feet don't hurt, and I'm extra fast! I'm a happy boy!

I'll talk more soon! Love ya!

Landon

Halloween is over.

2007-11-06T13:35:00.000-06:00

Just in case you didn't know, Halloween is over! So, we thought that you would want to see his costume! You will also see mommy's hands, daddy's hand, foot, and right cheek, as well as Brian and Erika (you might remember last year's Halloween post featured a pic of me with them too!).

Here is a picture of mommy keeping me standing still while showing off my cute costume! I am a dragon. A really cute dragon.

Here I am sporting my candy bag and my cell phone (all of the cool kids have one).

This is a pic of daddy and I walking up to a house to get some candy! Ok, so daddy will not give me any candy but I did get to look at it!

And..... as I promised...Brian, Erika, and me! I love Mr. Brian!

Not the "Halloween Blog" yet!

2007-10-31T13:56:00.000-05:00

Since this is not the "Halloween Blog" that you were expecting when you typed in Landon's blog, I will give you some assuarnce that we will update again in the next couple of days just so we can brag like everyone else about how great Landon did trick-or-treating, and how adorable he was in his _____ costume. You didn't think I'd give it away that easy did you?

So, what I've got for all you LA fan is a taste of his weekend in Memphis (and his visitors just before we left)!

First, "aunt" Kristin, Roddy, Kit kat, and Shane all came for a quick visit over her fall break! Here you can see how she has pulled most of the hair out of the top of her head in just a few minutes of playing with LA. Or, maybe we just took a bad picture of her and cut off the top of her head. I vote the first one!

Second, we went to Memphis, TN. Daddy was speaking at Bellevue Baptist Church to some of the students and while we visited our friends the Cowarts, we saw some sites!

Here we are in front of the duck pond as some historic hotel. Yes, there are actual ducks in the fountain year round and LA was more interested in chasing them than getting his picture taken.

I mean I can understand, sure, how often do you get to chase a duck?

Third, while we were seeing the sites of downtown Memphis and eating great BBQ, LA took the opportunity to get fresh with miss Jenny. He is truly a man-child. Such cunning good looks and sweetness that will make any girls heart melt.

Out of respect for his name sake (Andrew Triplett) miss Jenny's main squeeze, I'll tell you what really happened. Landon was getting tired and when he is tired he gets extra lovable! So, while daddy was pushing the stroller, LA just reached up and grabbed miss Jenny's hand. He didn't let go for a very long time. What a sweetie!

Mommy, Daddy, and LA had a great time in Memphis.

We also found out that Arkansas is a very friendly place to visit! What fun!

Until next time when we reveal LA's costume.....

Family Greetings

2007-10-15T21:37:00.001-05:00

To all of our friends and family......we miss you! Come see us soon!

I Love Elmo.

2007-10-13T21:17:00.000-05:00

Why is it that so many children love Elmo from Sesame Street? Landon loves Elmo! When he sees Elmo anywhere, he goes crazy! I was going to have him be Elmo for Halloween but I found a cuter costume of something else. I will save Elmo for next year. :-) Here are a few pictures of Landon enjoying Elmo.

Landon chillin' in the Elmo chair.

Landon with his Elmo slippers.

Elmo isn't in this picture, but he loves his Papa. :-)

My fun morning!

2007-10-09T10:07:00.000-05:00

Today, Daddy and I got up together and made Mommy breakfast! Ok, we really didn't make her breakfast, but we ate our own breakfast and then went downstairs to play and watch SportsCenter while mommy slept in.

While we were playing downstairs, I decided to climb up to the top of my picnic table and throw stuff off of it! Let me tell you, I got some pretty good air from some stuff. But the thing Daddy was most impressed with was the fact that I actually broke one of my wooden blocks. I broke a chunk of the wood right off!

Daddy set up a tent for me in the basement and it has a really cool tunnel for me to crawl through. I like to chase Daddy through the tunnel.

Wait a minute, before you get the image of Daddy trying to crawl through a tiny tunnel in your mind, let me clarify. Daddy doesn't actually go through the tunnel (he can't fit) I go through the tunnel to get Daddy. He just puts his head in the tunnel and taunts me until I crawl through and teach him a lesson or two about taunting a 19-month-old.

Daddy and I were having so much fun playing and watching SportsCenter that I pooped my pants. I don't know how much fun you have to have in order to poop your pants, but you better hope you don't have that much fun anytime soon!

So, we went upstairs to wake Mommy up because Daddy had to go to work!

The good old days!

2007-10-04T14:47:00.001-05:00

Have you ever thought about the good old days? I mean really thought about times past and what you wish you could re-live? I think that somewhere in the human experience there should be a reset button, even if it were like the 8 second reply button on my TiVo remote (you can re-live the last 8 seconds again).

Obviously, I would want more than 8 seconds! I'd love to re-live the day Kari and I met. I'd love to re-live the day I proposed to her! I'd love to re-live the day we found out that Landon was coming! I'd love to re-live the day he took his first steps too!

I think the greatest possibility to re-living these days (for me) is to not do anything differently, but to just savor the moments that I so fondly remember and cherish. It seems that we get way too caught up in life and forget to savor it!

I hope that today you will savor some special moments with your spouse, your children, and your Lord. I know I am!

The Ultimate Luchadore (wrestler)

2007-09-19T09:19:00.000-05:00

Ah, yes, the innocence of a little boy and his daddy wrestling on the floor is an image we all love to see!

It was an ordinary Tuesday morning. I (Nate) was getting ready to leave for work and Landon wanted to wrestle before I left. Having been issued a challenge, I could not deny him a match. As we began, everything seemed to be going my way.

But suddenly the tables had turned and I found myself underneath the man child as he began to do his worst to me. He came at me with a barrage of kisses and slobber moves with the occasional bit of laughter, just to throw me off my game. But I wasn't going to let him get the best of me! After all, he is only 19 months old; he can't possibly beat me at wrestling until he gets to be in his late teenage years or even his twenties!

And then it happened. Landon pulled the most devastating submission move ever known to man (you can imagine my pride as the father of such an amazing man child who figured out the way to beat an opponent over 8.4 times bigger than he is!).

Landon threw up in my mouth.

As I gasped for words, air, and the will to live, I cried out for help from Kari. All she could do was lay on the floor and laugh (laughing so hard that no sound was coming out of her mouth). She proved to be no help, so I had to submit. Landon had bested this old man. Thus, he earned the name "The Ultimate Luchadore."

Landon's Big Boy Room

2007-09-10T20:55:00.000-05:00

It's hard to see in these pictures, but I had the curtain made to fit his baseball themed room! It's navy blue with red and white stripes. Above Landon's crib is the baseball peg rack we got at Pottery Barn Kids.

The baskets have the space to write what they are for.

We found this awesome print of Joe DiMaggio sliding into third. It's hard to see with the glare on it. We got it framed at Hobby Lobby. The baseball lamp came from Pottery Barn Kids as well.

This is a baseball peg board that also came from Pottery Barn Kids.

I am still on the look for some cute baseball bedding for Landon's big boy bed. It's so fun!

Labor Day Fun

2007-09-07T18:03:00.000-05:00

Landon and Noah

Daddy and Landon at the mall

Hi Mommy!

Landon laughing at Grandma

My cousin Sarah and I

Splash Day

2007-08-15T21:35:00.000-05:00

The water feels so good!

I think I want to get in!

I do not like the sun in my eyes!

Landon LOVES Splash Time! Yesterday wasn't a very good day to take him though. He has some kind of virus right now. He has a fever and is very tired. Poor thing. He is drinking his milk and water though. As you can see in the last picture, he was ready to go home by the end. I ended up taking him to the doctor today and that's when I found all of this out. I wouldn't have taken him yesterday if I would have known. Poor little guy.

Summer Days

2007-08-10T22:19:00.000-05:00

This picture is of Kayla and Karryn. They are both former students of ours. Kayla is now in the "real world" and starting her masters. Karryn is now married and will graduate in December with her masters! We are really getting old!

Landon loves to ride on his police car. Don't you love that great smile of his?

Landon is obsessed with watering my flowers. Every time I put the watering can away, he goes and gets it back out and waters the flowers again. I guess it can't hurt during this hot and humid weather we are having!

Grandma and Grandpa Bock came for a visit this week also! We got so much progress done in Landon's new toddler room. Pictures of that to come! :-)

A Walk to Remember

2007-08-02T21:09:00.001-05:00

Hello! Landon is loving the outside these days. We got new landscaping so he is loving it when I go outside and water all the bushes and flowers. Here are a few pics of him outside.

We have been having so much fun lately. His latest thing is bringing books to me and climbing in my lap for story time. He loves everything about it! He is learning animal sounds. He hasn't tried saying them yet, but will with time.

All About My Big Boy

2007-07-21T16:16:00.000-05:00

Nate and Landon before the Springfield Cardinals game.

Landon and I on the carousel at Chesterfield Mall.

Landon with Papa on the big Kubota tractor.

Well, the family is finally back together. Nate was gone for a while to Peru. It is good to be home.

Landon has had so many things to talk about lately. The first picture is of him getting to go to the Springfield Cardinals game. First of all, let me just say that he was a good boy during the game. We were so proud of him. He was in his "red" to cheer them on. They ended up winning and we clapped a lot during that game.

The second picture is of us on the carousel at Chesterfield Mall. He had never been on one, so we thought he would enjoy it. As you can see the smile on his face, he enjoyed it. I think we might need to visit it again soon. :-)

The last picture is of him and Papa on the big, orange tractor. He loved to steer the wheel and pretend like he was driving. He also wanted to get down and try out all the pedals of course! Thank goodness Papa didn't let him.

Landon also had his first visit to the dentist this week. He is teething his molars pretty hard and we were a bit concerned because his gums had started to bleed. As the dentist looked in his little mouth, he stated that in the 14 years he has been a pediatric dentist, he has never seen a young toddler teeth as bad as he was teething. I thought to myself, "you aren't telling me anything I don't already know!" Anyways, Landon's gums are looking better everyday and we only have two more molars to go and then we are done until the second year molars! So, I guess he has 14 teeth total.

What a joy it is to be a Mom to a wonderful boy. We are seeing new things everyday from him. It's really incredible.

Fun-Filled Fabulous Day

2007-07-10T21:38:00.000-05:00

Shanen, (college roommate and great friend!) Gavin, me, and Landon.

Mommy and Landon.

Landon swinging at the park.

Going down the slide with Grandma and Papa.

Fascinated with the slide.

I've got new boots!

2007-06-29T08:48:00.001-05:00

Greetings all you out there in blogger land. This is Daddy taking a turn on LA's page! (Nate is telling the story not Kari.)

I'm sure that most of you will remember the old song that goes, "these boots are made for walking, and that's just what I'll do, and one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you." I guess it's not too old since Jessica Simpson recently re-did it, ANYWAY, Landon has some new boots.

I know what your thinking, "What is Nate doing getting boots for Landon? Has Springfield begun to turn Nate into a boot loving, chew spittin', John Deere hat wearing, sweet tea drinking, crazy man?" Rest assured that none of the aforementioned things have happened (except the sweet tea thing, I love that stuff! Oh and the John Deere hat thing, I've got my eye on one! Ok, I'll fess up, I've got my eye on a pair of boots too. But they are not cowboy boots they are "rock star" boots! Much cooler than cowboy).

What I'm trying to say is that Landon began walking this week! It was Tuesday afternoon when Mommy called me and said, "Come home right now! You've got to see this!" So I ran out the door of my office and got home in record time. As I walked in the door Kari was standing with LA holding his hand and as soon as he saw me he took off walking, on his own, to give me a big hug! (Ok, go ahead and say it. AWWWWWWW!) I've got to admit, my heart melted. Even now, I'm getting teary just thinking about it!

This is a big deal, but if you knew the entire story you'd see just how big of a deal this really is for me! I was suppose to be in Cleveland on a mission trip for Monday- Wednesday. However, when I went to the airport on Monday I couldn't get on a flight and then when I did, I couldn't get off the ground. My first flight was overbooked and I didn't get on it; my second flight I was #5 on stand by and they took the first 4; my third flight was delayed two hours, then I was the last on and that flight sat on the runway for almost an hour only to return to the gate because DFW was closed because of a storm. I never made it out of Springfield.

Who knows why God kept me in Springfield, but a really cool benefit was seeing Landon walk on the first day he put on his new boots. (Just to clarify, LA does not have boots Jenny, I am trying to tie the whole story together!)

30th Surprise Birthday Party

2007-06-11T13:17:00.000-05:00

Brenda, Michele, and Amanda (Brenda's eyes aren't normally closed in pics. :-))

Rachel and I

So my lovely husband WAS up to something for my 30th birthday. We got into KC and had dinner with our friends Kyle and Nikki. We ate some great mexican food! After dinner to make a long story short, there were about 30 people yelling surprise as I entered into the house of our friends Nick and Rachel. It was so neat to see everyone and have a great time with them! It probably was the best birthday since I had turned 16. :-)

Wedding Bliss

2007-05-20T16:20:00.000-05:00

Weddings are such a beautiful thing! We got to spend this past Saturday with our WHOLE family enjoying my cousins wedding. It was such a beautiful day! Landon did great during the wedding...he slept on Daddy's shoulder. Below are a couple of pictures from the beautiful day.

This week is an interesting week. I thought I would never see the day when I turned the BIG 30! They always say you don't feel as old as you are, and that is how I feel. Now, things have "shifted" but I hear that is normal. As Nate and I enter into our thirties, I sit back and think about what we thought when we were in our early twenties thinking of those people that were in their "thirties" and had kids. I remember thinking, wow, that is such a long way for us! Ha! Boy, I was wrong.

Our family

Alicia (cousin), Charissa (bride), Jon (groom), and Matt (cousin)

Grandma, Landon, and Papa

The Whole Family

Finally

2007-05-10T13:06:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally posted some recent pics of ouir little boy. Hope you enjoy!

Landon taking a bath at Grandma and Papa's

Trevor and Landon. Landon is saying more. I guess he wants more pictures taken of himself.

Cousin Giada Bella and Landon chillin' out.

Look at that cute little butt! (and big tummy!)

Better Late Than Never

2007-05-07T20:45:00.000-05:00

Nate and I at dinner in Destin, Florida

Well, I think my title says it all. I guess life happens and you don't get to update as much as you would like. Life has been real interesting since the last time I have posted. We have been to Destin, Florida for an incredible conference and back to Kansas City for a funeral. Please pray for the Myers family. Steve Myers died on Saturday, April 28th. Steve was 49 years old and was just short of 50 in about a month. Steve was driving home from work and had a massive heart attack and died. Steve was one of Nate's student workers as well as his sweet wife Kaydra. Steve was a very patient, loving, kind man. Their daughter Jenna and son Sean were in our student ministry in Kansas City. A memory I have of Steve is when he would be standing outside of the student area waiting so patiently for Kaydra to quit talking to everyone. Kaydra loves to talk and was always so sweet to the girls, but always the last to leave. Ha! I always loved talking to him because even though he was so quiet, everything that came out of his mouth was so wise. The funeral was an incredible time. I will never forget the bulletin. It stated, "In Celebration and Thanksgiving of Steve Myers." WOW!

Our time in Destin, Florida was incredible! Landon did wonderful with his Grandma and Papa! In fact, he did better for them than he does when he is home with us! Ha! It was great to get away for the week, but we sure missed our little toddler! Their is nothing like getting those great big hugs and very slobbery kisses from our little man.

We are finally back in our own home enjoying the very warm weather. Landon is developing more and more everyday. Everyday is a new, fun adventure in the life of a toddler. Today was so fun. We got up and went to get our oil changed which took forever, and then to the grocery store. Landon did so good that I rewarded him with chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-a! What a big boy. He ate those up so fast! I couldn't believe I was ordering a kids meal off the menu. It was at that moment I had to call my Mom and tell her that my little baby was growing up! OH MY GOODNESS!! I can't believe I have a 14 month old!! For all those thinking of leaving a comment about when the next one is coming....don't even ask. It's going to be a while! Ha!

Audra, me, and Tina

Amanda, Crystal, J.Jaye, and Paula

The beautiful ocean at Destin, Florida

Easter with a Bang

2007-04-15T16:09:00.000-05:00

As I read all of my friends blogs about how fun and eventful their Easter was and how cute all of their kids outfits were, I was laying in bed out of it. All I remember is telling Nate where Landon's adorable Easter outfit was and to make sure he wore it. Mono has taken over my body. I am feeling so much better. My energy level is not there yet, but is getting there slowly. I finally feel like eating and crave protein. I made Nate take me to the Outback Steakhouse for lunch today. I was craving the Outback special. I highly recommend that steak. I only ate half of it but it was so worth it! For me not to feel like eating....something is seriously wrong. I told Nate and my Mom that I was finally back down to my pre-pregnancy weight now. I tried on a couple pairs of pants that were still a little snug and now they fit! Perfect timing as we are heading to the beach in a week! Landon will be with Grandma and Papa for a week and am sure will have a ball!

Landon is 14 months old today. He is doing so many things like standing, saying "more" in sign language, giving high five's, crying hard when Daddy leaves for work, and figuring out how to do everything including climbing the stairs! He has 12 teeth now and continues to chew on everything. Here are a few pics over the past month. I need to get better about snapping pictures.

Landon in his Easter outfit

Stephanie, Landon, and Audrey

Papa, Landon, and Grandma

He is so talented!

Daddy and Landon!

2007-04-12T13:54:00.000-05:00

Two men...together...struggling to survive. This is a story about Landon and his Daddy when they were"mommyless!" Picture it, Landon and his Daddy sitting on the couch watching Star Trek Voyager. Their clothes covered in slobber and crumbs from Landon's lunch. Their shirts had crept upward trying to escape the building pressure that was eminating from the belly button region. Skin and hair peek through to see the room around them.

To the right, a large glass of sweet tea sits on the end table with beeds of condensation running down the side, without a coster in sight. There is a large pile of laundry in the corner that is only getting bigger. Across the floor lay several empty sippy cups mixed in with toys that have been left out. Empty pizza boxes and leftover chineese takeout clutter the coffee table. The room smells of old burp rags and dirty diapers.

Where is Mommy? How could she let this happen? Aren't her "mommy-sences" tingling!

Mommy is sick! I (Nate) took Mommy (Kari) to the doctor on Saturday afternoon only to find out that she has STREP & MONO! I (Nate) don't have mono or strep, so my response was "Who have you been kissing? Cause it ain't been me!" Immediately after saying that, I quickly abondoned that line of joking. I've come to realize that a sick Mommy doesn't find me very funny.

With Mommy out of commission Daddy and Landon have had to fend for themselves! So, Landon went to church with Daddy on Easter. Landon was quite the cutie!

Landon was truly in the Easter spirit that day. So much so, that just after this picture was taken he tried laying his own Easter Egg, only it came out all clumpy and smooshy. There was even some corn kernels and pineapple wedges in there! What an Egg! So, Daddy had to clean up Landon's little humpty dumpty!

Landon and his Daddy have had so much fun together while Mommy's been sick. In fact, Landon is so over Mommy that if Daddy is holding him and Mommy tries to hold him, Landon pushes Mommy away and smiles at his Daddy! That's my boy!

Here is Landon with his new Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars! He is enjoying them in his own way!

"Pray for my Mommy! Daddy is fun, but he can't compete with Mommy! She is my #1 lady!"

Long Time Ago

2007-04-04T20:47:00.000-05:00

First of all, I am so sorry for the long delay in posting. We are currently in St. Charles, MO this week. My Granny Foy passed away on Friday, March 30th. She was such a sweet, loving, caring, funny, entertaining, Granny. The funeral was Monday and things went well. Please pray for our family as we are all still dealing with her loss.
Landon has enjoyed spending this week with Daddy. They got the chance to go shopping this morning together and then lunch at Culvers. My Mom and I enjoyed our day at Chesterfield Mall and lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. We probably bought out the Gap, Baby Gap, Aeropostale, etc., but that's okay. I am on a mission to get some new spring/summer clothes. Since having a baby, things don't fit the same. I don't get it.....I weigh the same but my clothes fit somewhat different. I guess things shift as you get older as well. I didn't get to hit Banana Republic or White House Black Market yet, but I think Nate and I will tomorrow. He doesn't know that yet though. I think before we go, we might have to eat lunch at Chipotle. We are also in the market for a new diaper bag.

My son looks drunk here, but he really wasn't.

These are really shorts Landon is wearing. I think they might be a little big still. You can't see his shirt totally, but it says "I Dig my Mom."

Recent Events

2007-03-21T13:35:00.000-05:00

After church on Sunday

Mommy and Landon after church

My first time with gel in my hair

Family Pictures

I love my Mom

Hiking with Nature

2007-03-13T20:30:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard of the Nature Center in Springfield, MO? Well, I hadn't until I moved here. It's a very pretty place with all kinds of nature trails and an indoor nature showroom. When Landon gets older, it will be such a great place to take him.

Landon and I experienced the nature center in a way we hadn't anticipated. My friend Cami and I went there on Monday and decided to bring our lunches and sit outside. We let the boys babble in their strollers and eat away at grilled cheese sandwiches, cheerios, and puffs. As soon as they were through, we decided to begin our walk, or should I say "hike?" As we walked down the trail, we were pushing our strollers over a little bit of mulch and then would hit some pavement. No big deal, right? Well, as we proceeded on our way, we came to some "bumps" on the trail. Big, huge, rocks! Cami has a jogging stoller and I just have your basic Graco stroller. We were determined to get through this and to get back on the paved part of the trail. After going about a half of a mile on the "bumpy" trail, we couldn't go any further. Keep in mind all of these people passing by us and probably thinking to themselves..."are they for real???" As I got Trevor out of his stroller, I held him while Cami "pushed" her stroller to the bridge. Landon was just chilling in his stroller. As Cami arrived back to us, she got Landon out of his stroller and I walked with both boys on each hip to the bridge. Keep in mind, Cami is back there "pushing" my stroller. I think she will keep her jogging stroller and never use anything but that stroller. :-) Am I right Cami? After walking around three miles, we were both so tired and hot! I think we both got our workout for the day. I think we both slept well last night.

Landon and Trevor

Let's go!

Are you sure you want to go Landon?

Springtime

2007-03-11T15:06:00.000-05:00

We have been enjoying this awesome spring like weather. We went to the park yesterday as a family and had a ball! Landon laughed and kicked his feet in the stroller the whole time. It was like he had never been outside before or something. It was so cute!

As spring approaches, I am way too excited about getting out with our little guy. It will be so much fun to go on walks, play outside, swing, etc. He even has his own table and bench to play on outside! He got that for his birthday.

Our new neighbors have a pool and when we moved in, they welcomed us and reminded us that we could use their swimming pool anytime we wanted too. WOW! I can't wait for that! I already got Landon a cute pair of swimming trunks. I think I beat Grandma on this one!

The picture above is from this past week. Landon got a really high temperature and wasn't feeling well. We thought he had a virus, but now we think it was just from teething. He was not himself for about 24 hours. He wouldn't even eat his grilled cheese Mom made him.

New Adventures

2007-03-01T19:46:00.000-06:00

I think the toddler days are approaching. Landon is everywhere, into everything, and has something to say about all of it. Mr. Personality himself that is. I was doing my hair today with the famous "chi" and I almost dropped the thing on Landon's head as he is pulling the cord and trying to chew on it. Can we say we are still teething? Goodness, I thought teething had breaks. It seems that he hasn't really had a break from it yet. His first molars are slowly pushing through. I really think they are the size of a nickel! It's unbelievable how swollen his bottom gums are from them.

I went to Cami's house today so we could go and see their house they are building. It was absolutely gorgeous! It made me want to build a house again. I think I got the itch, but then I quit scratching because I remembered that I am stay-at-home Mom. I don't know if working one day a week qualifies for anything.

Then, off to T.J. Maxx for some baskets. I never knew how many toys a little boy could have. At least I am organized now and it looks good. :-)

After a busy and fun day, I made an awesome dinner I must say! It was grilled chicken with lime butter. It's out of the Southern Living easy weeknights cookbook. I highly recommend that to everyone. It's worth the money.

Trevor and Landon

Something Random

2007-02-28T12:56:00.000-06:00

Grandma, Baby Giada, and Sharon.

Sharon and me.

Cinda, Rachel, and I

Look at me!

Natalie and me.

Baby Giada and me. I think she is so pretty.

1st Birthday

2007-02-19T22:28:00.000-06:00

What a great weekend. I didn't know birthday parties for your children could be so much fun. Due to bad weather in KC, a lot of Landon's friends couldn't join us. We sure missed them, but understood. Landon did awesome eating the cake. He prefers chocolate over yellow cake. I really don't blame him though. It was so cute as he ate his cake. He couldn't get all the icing off of his fingers and got frustrated. What a hoot! I will try and post a video on here sometime soon of him doing this. Thank you to all who made Landon't first birthday party a blast. I couldn't have asked for a better party for my little boy. Enjoy the pictures.

Anticipating his first birthday cake.

The cake. Did I mention that is homemade icing?

Singing Happy Birthday.

Could I have another piece?

All done!

A Year Ago

2007-02-16T23:49:00.000-06:00

I can't believe a year ago I was in the hospital having a baby. What an amazing experience. As I read my friends blogs, I am reminded how great bringing a new little being into this world is a wonderful thing.

For those of you that don't know "my labor" story, I will tell you about it. I was due February 26th. We found out around 7 1/2 months that Landon was breech. For many of you that are pregnant or had children, the c-section word is not really what you want to hear. The doctor said we could try and turn the baby, but that it probably wouldn't work because he was very large. So, we chose not to try. My c-section was scheduled on February 22nd. We had all the plans ready for my Mom to come and stay with us. Well, Valentine's night we went to bed around 10:30 after eating a great meal at a local restaurant. About 1:30 a.m. I got up to go to the bathroom and I thought I had gone to the bathroom in my pants. I woke Nate up and told him to go feel my pants that were in the laundry basket. hahahah! TMI, huh? After going back to bed because I thought surely my water didn't just break, I tried going back to sleep. About an hour later, I had the "sensation" again. I knew this time that my water had broken. What an experience! I got up and told Nate that I think we needed to go to the hospital but that I was going to take a shower first and put on some make-up. About 3:30 a.m., we headed to St. Luke's on the plaza. They checked me and told me that I was dilated to a 3 and 100% e-faced. (whatever that means) As they prepared me for the surgical room, I started getting nervous. I couldn't believe I was having "major" surgery. The doctors and nurses were so patient and caring. After the numbing doctor numbed me, I started getting sick to my stomach. (I don't know how to spell the proper name for the doctor that numbs you.) They stuck an alcohol swab in my nose and sure enough that cured my nausea. As I felt some tugging on my stomach, I heard this loud cry and out came Landon Andrew Bock, 8 lbs, 9 ounces at 6:53 a.m on February 15, 2006! What a day to remember.

Laying in Mommy's arms

Can you see me?

Going home with Mom and Dad

Happy First Birthday Landon.

2007-02-15T21:35:00.000-06:00

What a great day we have had. Nate took the day off of work and we started the day off by waking up our precious son at 7:45 a.m with the Happy Birthday song. We wanted to wake him up a little earlier so that he would go down for his morning nap a little earlier. We then proceeded to make his breakfast. He had oatmeal and yogurt. I think it is his favorite meal of the day! After breakfast, we came downstairs and I gave him a new toy, but the water bottle was more interesting than anything else! He is obsessed with those for some reason. I have put one of those in the diaper bag because if he ever gets fussy, all I have to do is take out the bottle and he is happy! I proceeded to lay him down around 9:45 a.m. for his morning nap. He stood up, talked, and played for about 5 minutes and then he just laid down and went to sleep. How much better can that get? After about 1 hour and 50 minutes, we heard our sweet boy waking up with his dadadada words. As Nate went to get him, I prepared his lunch. Keep in mind we only had 20 minutes to feed him and dress him before we had to be at Cookie Cutters for his first haircut. As we walked in, another little boy about 3 years old was screaming at the top of his lungs. As we put Landon in an old fashion car, he just wanted to play with the steering wheel. Alissa was the girl who was cutting his hair. She was so good! She actually cut it very even and it looked awesome! It's amazing how they can do that when you have a ONE year old moving all around! After his haircut, we walked over to Qdoba and had some lunch. Qdoba doesn't even compare to Chipotle. Can we get a shout out from all those Chipotle lovers out there? :-) It was now about 2:00 p.m. as we headed to Branson, MO for some shopping. The Tanger outlet mall was very good to us. Needless to say, Landon didn't get very much. (yea right!) I think I need to do some investing in Baby Gap. After a couple hours of shopping, we headed to the Cantina Laredo at the Branson Landing for some dinner. Landon was such a good little boy! (He fell asleep in the car on the way there so we got to see more of Branson than I really wanted to see.) It was a great meal! The service and food was excellent. We couldn't have asked for a better day with our sweet baby boy. Thank you Jesus for allowing us to be parents to a precious boy that you created. How much better can it get?

Hunk of Burnin' Love

2007-02-14T13:24:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day.

Mommy's gift from Daddy. I think he wins the husband of the year award.

My Sweet Boy

2007-02-12T22:33:00.000-06:00

Let's walk together!

Mom, why do I have to pose for this funny picture?

I love you Mom.

I have been in here long enough!

Trevor and Landon

2007-02-07T21:52:00.000-06:00

As you can see, Landon has found his first friend here in Springfield, MO. His name is Trevor! He is 10 months old and such a great baby! Trevor's Mom's name is Cami and is very sweet. We have been able to get together and share many similiar stories! It's been fun to see the boys play together at our houses and at the church nursery. The Lord has blessed us, that's for sure.

One week until the big day! I am so excited for Landon's birthday party. We will reveal the details of the party after it is over, but here is the cake that I am making. http://www.todaysparent.com/article.jsp?content=20040210_165020_5796

Time for a haircut

2007-02-05T21:18:00.000-06:00

Well, I think the time has arrived. I have waited long enough. Landon is going to get his first haircut. As you can see by the picture in his bed at Grandma and Papa's house, his hair is not even. I try to wet it down, but nothing works anymore. We will keep you posted.

I have no butt

2007-01-29T20:37:00.000-06:00

This story is one of those stories that will be with Landon for the rest of his life. On Saturday night, Brian, Erika, Nate, Landon, and I decided to grab a bite to eat at Pasta Express. Landon was not sitting in his high chair yet because he was playing in the booth with Nate's hair and glasses. He loves to attack both of these things. Nate calls them kisses, but really he is just wanting something to chew on. :-) As the waitress delivers our drinks, Nate decides that it is time to put him in the high chair. As he rushes to pick him up, Landon's pants came sliding down (see picture below). The boy did not get his mother's figure, that's for sure. We have a hard time finding pants to stay on our little son's butt. While everyone laughed at the table, so did Landon! It was a priceless moment for our son. :-)

We are Family

2007-01-23T21:44:00.000-06:00

Isn't Landon so cute in this picture? I know I am biased because I am his mommy, but it's hard not to just eat him up sometimes! :-)

Today was a good day. I got together with another Mom and went to lunch. Her son is just about 6 weeks younger than Landon. He is such a great baby boy too. It was great to see them interact and play together.

Landon will be one years old in 23 days....but who is counting? The big party will be fun. So excited. More pictures to come......

Back to Reality

2007-01-20T21:53:00.000-06:00

This past week was very interesting, but fun. Landon and I were at my parents house for about 8 days. We got very spoiled by going out to eat, shopping, etc. Our power was out at our house for 6 days due to the horrible weather here in Springfield. After receiving a call from our neighbor that our power was on, we decided to head back to Springfield. We lost all of our food in our fridge and freezer. I am just so thankful it didn't smell!

We will be back to our routine on Monday. Landon is going to be a year next month. I just can hardly believe my 8 pound 9 ounce little boy is now 21 pounds! What a joy he has brought to our lives. He is a very happy baby that talks a lot, poops a lot, laughs a lot, and smiles a lot. He loves to play hide and seek, crawl around the whole room to get Daddy, follow Mommy into her bathroom while she is doing her hair and make-up, listen to music, (especially Rascal Flatts) give slobber kisses, listen to Grandma sing, dive for water bottles and computers, play with friends in the nursery, and loves to look at books. Everyday is a new adventure in the life of Landon Andrew. I am so thankful for the opportunity to stay home with my little boy. As I have my "moments," I am reminded how fortunate I am to be a Mommy.

Balls, Balls, Balls

2007-01-15T22:25:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to show you how I can put the balls in the ball popper myself. I like to go crawl to them and pick them up and put them back in all by myself. I also press the red lever down to make the balls pop up. It's so cool!

Why are you taking another picture of me Mom? My hair is all messed up. I still have bed head!

My Kansas City Friends

2007-01-12T15:06:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone. This is me with Mr. Rod and Mrs. Kathy! I got to see them over the holidays. They brought me some really neat presents. It was so fun to see them. We went out to eat at Trolley's with them in Springfield and then they came back to our house again! I wore my "ski ya later" shirt that Grandma got me just for Mr. Rod because he loves to ski. Maybe we can be "ski buddies" sometime. I don't think my Mom will let me though for a long, long time! If you read this Mr. Rod and Mrs. Kathy, know that I am missing you. Come see us again soon.

Peek-A-Boo with Great-Grandpa!

2007-01-09T21:37:00.000-06:00

Peek-A-Boo is so much fun especially when Great-Grandpa plays it with me. I got this sports toy for Christmas and it makes all kinds of noises. I love it, but I loved playing with Great-Grandpa even more!

I got to spend Christmas with my Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma this year. It was an incredible day. I was a little too active for Great-Grandma to hold me. I would have liked to give her many kisses and hugs.

I am feeling so much better. No more cough! I am back to eating like normal! Love you all!

What is that???

2007-01-03T21:57:00.000-06:00

I got this thing from Grandma and Papa for Christmas and I am not sure what it is. I don't know what I think about it either. It plays some weird song called the "Chicken Dance." It flaps its wings and wiggles all over the floor. I guess its suppose to act like a "chicken." I thought I liked it but then it kindof scared me! My Mom has played it several times at home and I think I am starting to get the hang of the "dance." Next time I see you, I might do it for you.

I am getting over a bad cold. My Mom told me I had croup. I hope to feel much better in a couple of days (sniff, sniff). It has been nice to be held by my Daddy and Mommy a lot. Pray that I feel better soon.

Love,
Landon

Merry Christmas everyone!

2006-12-26T15:21:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone of you had a great Christmas. Me and my family sure did! It was so much fun. I got so many new toys, clothes, and money! Here are a few pics of me opening my presents. I love wrapping paper. In fact, Mommy and Grandma went out shopping today in the crowds and got more of it for next year!! Stay tuned for more pictures to come of Christmas time.....

Friends!

2006-12-21T18:58:00.000-06:00

You are so pretty Jenny!
Nate and Kristin are here just to see me!!
I love Andrew!

Christmas Time!

2006-12-19T21:41:00.000-06:00

We had a great time celebrating Christmas as a family tonight!

We started the evening with dinner at a restaurant called Fish. It was awesome! It was mainly a seafood place, but they had other things as well. We have been "eyeballing" this restaurant for quite some time and decided to try it for our Christmas dinner. The atmosphere was a lot like the restaurants on the plaza in Kansas City. We got to meet the owner because Landon just attracts everyone! Actually, his "puffs" is what attracted the owner. He didn't know babies had finger foods like that! :-)
After being extremely full, we ran to Lowe's to get a few things and headed home for a fun filled evening of tearing up wrapping paper to see what was inside! Landon was so excited. He loves tearing up things. He loved his toys and we told him he had many more presents to open in the upcoming days! Nate got me a CD/DVD player for the kitchen. (see above picture) It is really cool! It hooks into the cabinets and has a mini TV screen so that you can watch TV or DVD's. It is very thin and doesn't take up a lot of space at all! I was excited. Stay tuned for many more pictures to come......we are having lots of visitors this week! :-)

Big Smiles!

2006-12-13T18:19:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a very long time. We have been so busy. Also, I got sick on Monday. It was my first sickness since I have been born. I had the stomach virus that is going around. Boy, it wasn't fun at all. Daddy held me and let me sleep in his arms. I was so glad. I am feeling better now. It was awful.

My new thing I like to do is crawl around in my crib and play! I love to do this when I get up from my naps. I am discovering new things when I do this. I am pulling up on my crib rails. Mommy and Daddy lowered it though so I can't get out. Darn it! Mommy will have to get a picture soon of me doing it. Mommy also needs to take more pictures of me. I haven't had to smile at the camera in a very long time, but I do love looking at myself in the mirrors. Oh what fun!

Love ya!

Weekend with Mommy and Daddy!

2006-12-04T21:30:00.000-06:00

What a fun weekend I had with Mommy and Daddy! It was the first full weekend to be in my new house. We had a ball! I got to see the Cowart family. They stayed the night with us on the way to KC. It was so fun to see them! Mommy forgot to get the camera out though so I can't show you a picture of us together. Then, I got to eat lunch with Kay and Debbie from Kansas City! Kay was Daddy's secretary at my old church. She loves me and I love her a lot! Then, they came over to see my room! It was a blast!

Mommy and I went to the mall together today. We got some more Christmas shopping done. We still don't know what to get Papa for Christmas. Maybe he will call us and tell us sometime soon. Mommy put some things on hold at the Baby Gap for me. Tomorrow is 10% Tuesday. I told Mommy that I didn't need anything else, but Mommy seems to think I do. I mean, how many outfits can I wear each day?

Fun times with Grandma and Papa!

2006-11-27T21:22:00.000-06:00

Hello there! I had such a good Thanksgiving. It was so good to see my family! This post goes out to Grandma and Papa. Thank you for letting me spend the week at your house before Thanksgiving. It was so much fun! My Mommy is looking for a crib toy like you guys have but she can't find one. I wish I had one here at home. :-) I miss running away from you Grandma when you start to change my diaper. I tried doing that to Mommy on my diaper changing table but I didn't get very far. My 8th tooth is about to push through this week so next time you see me, I will have a mouthful of teeth to show you. I can give you even harder kisses with that 8th tooth! Hee, hee. :-) Mommy says Christmas is going to be fun! Looking forward to seeing you then. Love you bunches and bunches.

It's all about family!

2006-11-23T21:53:00.000-06:00

I can't wait for Christmas!!!

2006-11-19T21:40:00.000-06:00

I can't wait until Christmas! How about you? Today was such a fun day! I woke up so happy and got to go to lunch with G'ma, Papa, Mommy, Daddy, Jerry, and Sharon! I had some yummy carrots! Then, I had a good afternoon nap in my bed at G'ma and Papa's. I had to get some rest for my Christmas pictures that I got taken tonight! It was so fun! This lady kept making goofy faces at me to make me laugh! The best one is when they put me in a present box. It was great! Here are three of the pictures I got taken. I have more but will wait to show you until later. See you all soon! :-)

2006-11-17T11:09:00.000-06:00

Hello! This is my friend Emily. We had fun playing together in Kansas City. She just had a little brother about 4 weeks ago. She loves putting my paci in my mouth for me when I get really loud!

I am still teething. My top gums are very puffy and swollen. Baby Oragel isn't really helping. I don't really like the teething tablets either. It's okay, I will get through all of it.

Daddy is speaking at a student event this weekend so I will really miss him. I am excited though because he is off the whole week of Thanksgiving. We are going to spend some quality time together.

If you are in Springfield anytime soon, come see me!
Love,
Landon

Home Sweet Home

2006-11-15T10:04:00.000-06:00

Landon wanted you all to see some pictures of our house here in Springfield. Here are a few! Landon is doing good. He just went for his nine month check-up and is 19 pounds, 9 ounces and 30 inches long. We can't believe it! He is doing great. Come and see us soon!