I just love this child.

I mean, LOOK AT HIS FACE. I want to gush him all day. 

Love.my.Landon.Boy.

 

Jazzercise

So, I Jazzercise. A friend gave me a trial pass for Christmas and then I officially joined in March. I've been going at 5:45 in the mornings and have really enjoyed it. I was kind of embarrassed about telling people at first because it seemed so 1985 to me, but then I realized that if this is the kind of exercise I like, then I should just get over myself and admit it! How's that for a pep talk!? I will never be a runner. I hate running. Hate it. But I was good at dancing once, so it makes sense that this works for me. I haven't seen a lot of difference in weight yet, mostly because I have a slight problem with baked goods, but I'm feeling stronger and love that it gets me out of bed so I can be ready before the boys wake up. This makes a HUGE difference in our days. Another bonus: I get to talk to other adults!

 

This summer there was an incentive program where if you and a partner attended a combined 70 classes in June and July you would get a beach towel. Ingrid van der Boon and I were partners, and at first I didn't care about winning the towel. But then we got so close and I really wanted to finish, so I started going every day. Then Brenda (the morning instructor) told me they were almost out of towels! I knew I would be so mad if I got so close and missed getting a towel by one class. So I became slightly obsessed, which was kind of embarrassing once I realized there were plenty of towels after all, but at any rate, Ingrid and I made our goal. I wanted to be able to go to our last class together for a team picture, but it didn't work out. So here I am in my 5:45 glory. I'm posing like this because Brenda told me I needed to be creative. Apparently this is all the creativity I can muster at this early hour.

Library Summer Reading Program

We LOVE our new library. Or, in Devin's words, "Our new library is so fun." We are so lucky to have this new building with so much room to grow and a place to have activities. This summer the library sponsored a summer reading program with story time for preschoolers in the morning. This was a huge blessing since regular library hours don't start until one o'clock. I'm not sure how things will work out once school starts, but Tuesdays were anxiously awaited in this house! (His picture was in a news article here, though they did get his name wrong. I downloaded his picture from there.) 

 

Devin did really great sitting on his "pad" and holding his "reading buddies," calling out answers to every question. We even brought some of the books home, as when we "ate the alphabet" after reading a book about all the foods that start with different letters of the alphabet. He loved to fill out his reading chart after every library book we read (he finished 27 books) and couldn't have been more excited for the program-ending pizza party. I love his little mind, and he continues to amaze me with his memory and reading comprehension.

Swimming in an actual pool.

We haven't used the pool as much as I had planned--mostly because I get all nervous about going with both kids and Landon's nap is right at the time the pool opens for the day--but we've been trying to go more at night. I really can't believe they're holding hands here. It's almost as if they like each other!

 

Last night Devin decided he wanted to go off the diving board, and tonight I was able to get some pictures. He wasn't scared at all. I thought for sure once he got up there he'd freak out, but I was happy to be proven wrong. He continues to be our little fish and asks all the time to swim without the floaties. 

 

 

Landon, on the other hand, is not quite sure about the water. He tolerates it but cares much more about watching the other kids jump off the diving board or the birds flying overhead. And if you even think about putting him on his back he screams really loud. He is getting better about jumping in and getting water on his face. Baby steps! 

Pioneer Day

We celebrated Pioneer Day on Saturday at the Comstocks' ranch. It was a hot, hot day. Thank goodness for water games! 

Landon showed up in style and was falling asleep on the horse by the end. He fell asleep before we'd even reached the paved road! 

Devin was in heaven; between the seemingly unlimited supply of Otter Pops and sprinkler fun with friends, he thoroughly enjoyed Pioneer Day. 

 

The icing on the cake was of course when he won the candy guessing game. He told me later that he was "so lucky to win all that candy." 

We will have no fireworks tonight, but we did share some pioneer stories, and Devin was very impressed. He's still a little perplexed about why they did what they did. Hopefully next year he'll understand more.

Some rambling about 16 months.

Landon Boy has really bumped up his signing abilities and thinks that doing them makes him the cutest ever. (They do.) He smiles big and scrunches his shoulders because he just knows how adorable you must think he is. The only problem: He thinks that by signing "please" he should receive his heart's desire at all times, and when I tell him "no" he signs more vigorously, much dismayed that his mad skills aren't working (dismayed=screaming tantrum). He can sign please, more, thank you, and food/eat. His language skills have not changed. He says "Devin" and "Daddy" over and over, but he still refuses to call me Mama. Despite that, he melts my heart and continues to give me slobbery kisses and head bumps. One day he licked me. A full-on lap up my face. He meant it completely as a sign of love. I'm sure.
 
He really likes to scream and copy his brother's many noises. He also continues to enjoy nonchalantly tormenting his brother. He relishes the moments he can make Devin cry/scream/whine just by sticking out one chubby finger. And, oh, those dimpled baby hands are getting into more and more trouble every day. He's entered "mess mode" and thinks the house is his to destroy explore. I made jam the other day and just as I began the step instructing me to stir and not stop stirring for 3 minutes, Landon learned to open the closet door. So in the time it took to stir jam, he had every block we own out and dumped onto the floor, which only added to the mess he'd already made that morning.


He's inquisitive and entertains himself a lot, but he always wants to be held when I'm making dinner. Whenever he hears "outside" (a word he can say, btw) he runs for his sandals. He's great at finding the matching pair. He desperately wishes the raspberry bushes were still producing, but he will settle for strawberries. And green tomatoes. Invariably he comes inside covered in dirt/mud and sidewalk chalk. He enjoys sucking on rocks and watching the many birds in our backyard. He screams and points at every one.

I cannot even tell you how much fun we're having with this child. I love his chubby face (and belly) and can't get enough of his high fives, kisses, and hugs. He's such a lover. I'm glad he's ours to keep.

We don't have a pool. But we do have a storage tub.

Backyard water fun is the best kind of fun. That's all I really have to say. Though I do feel the need to point out that I don't love Landon more, it just appears that way because every time I try to take Devin's picture he freaks out and runs away. He will regret these actions someday when he asks why I took no pictures of him as a 3-year-old.

Dinnertime Help

This picture is noteworthy because I'm not awesome at letting go and allowing Devin do more grown up things. He's an enthusiastic helper, so I need to let him help more.

Tantrum Boy

Oh, my. Landon Boy is an A+ tantrum thrower.

He really hates being told "no." And being disciplined. Or really doing anything other than what he wants to do. 

One example of many: Landon (Devin, too) has a tendency to start screaming for fun after dinner is over. Rich told him "no" and tapped his nose once--it wasn't even hard--and Landon just pouted out his lip, gave me the saddest look ever that seemed to say "I can't believe Daddy is mad at me," started crying, and pushed out two big crocodile tears. I'm guessing the two-year-old times with this one are going to be quite dramatic.

Fire Station Fun

I was able to arrange a tour of the fire station through a lady I go to Jazzercise with (yes, I Jazzercise). Ally joined us for the fun. "Firefighter Tony," as Devin calls him, was a wonderful tour guide and so patient. He let these two have free reign over the station and let them climb in and "drive" every truck and ambulance. 

 

 

 

 Devin was not so great at letting Ally drive; luckily she was all right being a passenger most of the time! These two are super cute together. Tony even took us for a ride on one of the fire trucks and then got out the hose and let the kids put out an imaginary fire. Devin wanted to know where the real fire was. Now he'll tell you that they didn't get to have a real fire because that would be dangerous! I thought the whole thing was pretty interesting, and Devin hasn't stopped talking about this adventure.

He wrote his name!

Today was one of those "proud Mommy" days. We were outside playing and decided to use the sidewalk chalk. Devin told me he wanted to write his name, and I asked him if he wanted me to draw "dots" so he could trace it (he's only done this twice, once at home and once at church). But he said, "No, I want to do it all by myself." And he did! 

I was so shocked when I saw him squat down and draw a "D" that my voice went up several octaves in surprise! He then came around the other side to finish the other letters, thus why the "D" is backward, and he did struggle getting the "v" to match up, but the smart little boy wrote his name all by himself! I kind of teared up. I attribute the fact that he used a capital "D" at the beginning and lowercase letters for the rest to his apparently photographic memory.

I was so mesmerized by his grown-up feat that I didn't notice what hand he used to write with, but later on I noticed he was drawing with his left. Interesting that the jury's still out on his dominant hand. He's always been fairly ambidextrous.

During the time Devin was growing up on me, Landon was eating chalk and wiping his hands all over his face. Yesterday was an awful, no good, horrible day, but today is a wonderful, amazing, wipe-the-chalk-dust-off-your-pants, kind of day.