Getting soooo big!

Landen continues to grow and amaze us with what he is picking up on. He is a wise man in a little body. He is very much a "Mama's boy" which I have to say that I love! (Daddy gets love too) He loves to play "out" and throws a huge fit when it is time to come in. His vocabulary continues to grow and become more and more humerous. He has what we call "Selective Vocabulary" because he says words that benefit him. This is where the wise part comes in =)
He totally has everyone around him wrapped around his finger. He blows kisses and gives them, smiles, cuddles and hugs to get what he wants. He is a little spoiled but we like to say he is just loved a lot.

To the beach!

In October we decided it was time to head to the beach. It was long overdue and we couldn't take it any longer. Erica, Doug and Isaac decided the same so we booked a flight and went to St. Pete beach FL. We were so excited to be taking Landen to the beach for the first time, but also a little apprehensive since he had never been on a plane before. Like always he surprised us and LOVED it. Nothing to worry about! The weather was wonderful....not a drop of rain and 80-90 everyday. Landen loved the pool, but was not completely sure of the ocean. He did great with Brandon, but wanted mommy to hold him so the waves wouldn't get him. I think it was a game! He took afternoon naps on the pool chairs and was in heaven. With the kids back in school, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The entire staff greeted him every morning, "Good morning baby Landen". He couldn't believe that they knew his name. He was quite the ham! Isaac did just as good. They were very funny interacting with each other. Isaac is quite the talker and Landen is more quiet, but on the trip Isaac taught Landen a thing or two. When we got home he decided it was time to talk and now he talks all day long. When it was time to come home we were all sad to hear that we were coming back to 40 degree weather. We had a blast and can't wait to go back!

Our baby boy is ONE!

This past year has gone way too fast. Our baby boy is ONE! We never thought we would make it to one (colic...fussy!) Now that we are at ONE....we are thinking we are never going to make it to TWO! haha. Landen continues to amaze us. He is VERY independent. Brandon keeps blaming that one on me! (I have no idea what he is talking about!)
He is walking everywhere. It is so funny to watch him waddle through the house and then turn on a dime when something catches his attention. He really enjoys crawling up the stairs to go to his room. He has learned to get through many of the barricades that mommy and daddy has set up for him in the house. He thinks it is quite funny when he is on the other side and has YOU pinned in the room.
His personality continues to come out. He does not like the words NO...NAP...and did I mention NO! All very normal, but so frustrating repeating myself a thousand times every day. Regardless, we wouldn't trade him for the world.
On his birthday, September 4th.....mommy, daddy and the birthday boy all went to breakfast together. He had part of a pancake, banana, chessey eggs and of course puffs! After breakfast we went to the zoo....Landen's favorite place. He loved seeing the baby elephant! We were actually at this exhibit when Landen was officially born a year ago...1:55 pm. Mommy had tears in her eyes and Landen looked at me like "It is just a baby elephant Mom!"
September 6th was Landen's birthday party at the Mt. Gilead State Park. We had so many friends and family there...it was wonderful. Landen didn't understand what all the fuss was about, but he didn't care.....he got cake! He did so good with everything! We were so proud of him! We are looking forward to the next year! Hopefully we bypass the terrible twos.

Will I walk or just run?!

Landen continues to be a busy boy. Every milestone is a different busy. He has mastered crawling and already bored with it. He puts his little head down while crawling to get to his destination faster. Very funny! He is pulling himself up to everything and then letting go....of course then he falls down. When we hold his hand to walk, he takes off trying to run. Never a good sign for the parents! We are trying to make wearing shoes fun for him since he will be walking soon....not going well. He hates shoes and tells us everytime we try. He is such a hillbilly.
He continues to be a great eater. He likes everything as long as it doesn't have a chunky texture to it. Chunky textures immediately get ejected. Everything you are eating he has to taste. Among his favorites are watermelon, bananas, and muffins.
We have been waiting so patiently for more teeth. We were pretty sure he was only born with two, however he decided to cut three at one time. They are coming down together which makes for a very annoyed little guy. He is constantly chewing on something. I hope they come through and then the rest wait until after we get home from vacation. We are very excited to be going on vacation. We have not been anywhere since I got pregnant. We went from 2-3 vacations a year to a baby and none. haha. Landen will be flying for the first time with his friend Isaac. The Hayes' and the Swartz's are going to the beach. Yeah!

Growing like a weed...

Landen is into everything. He is growing like a weed. He loves food. Anything you put in front of him, he will eat. Daddy even gave him a taste of BBQ sauce and GP- a taste of syrup. So much for mommy's strict no table food rule until one year old. Oh well...he is healthy and happy, what more could you ask for!?

He is so curious about how everything works. He is always trying to fix something. He loves to play in his Go-Around and is getting really good at it. It is even more fun when you try to run really fast and almost tip it over. He also tries to run in his walker. I think there is a trend here....probably will skip walking and go straight for running. This would not surprise us at all.

He has been growing increasingly bored of his toys and so we give him whatever we have at that moment. Some favorites are: plastic water bottles, cell phones, remote controls...anything that is different. We also try to keep him active. Recently we have taken him to the YMCA to swim...which he loves not only the water, but to watch other kids. Brandon took the week of our anniversary off, so we took Landen on a few day trips. We took him up to Kalahari, an indoor waterpark, which he loved. Of course we went to the zoo as well. He was fascinated by the aquarium. He is truly such a fun baby to watch grow and discover new things.

We are currently working on our top two teeth. What a chore! He gets a cold, fever, rash and cough for every tooth. This means mommy and daddy take turns sitting up with him in the chair so he can breathe. Whatever it takes to get a little sleep....right!?

We popped our first tooth!

Landen has been working very hard on popping his first tooth. He finally mastered it on Sunday, March 29th. He loves to play with it and pick at it. Of course....it is something new.

6 Months Old!

Landen has turned 6 months old and is soooo active. Mama and Daddy are having difficulty keeping up with him. He is discovering everything. He has to touch everything and see how it works. Everything that we have....he wants. He has started foods! Sweet potatoes were a huge hit for his first taste and actually likes peas! I don't know who this kid belongs to because Brandon and I both hate peas! I don't know too many kids that like the greens! Our boy just plain likes food. We haven't tried them all yet but are working on it. At this point he weighs 16 pounds 8 ounces and growing by the day. It is so fun watching him try new foods....of course all of it is on video! He is starting to sit by himself more and play with toys. He doesn't usually want much help.....very independent already. He recently discovered he has a tongue and a left ear. He likes to stick his tongue out at you and plays with his left ear when he is tired. He has played with his ear so much that I actually thought he had an ear ache because it was so red. Pediatrician smiled and said..."No ear ache, just found his ear." He is funny like that.