Mama

Landon now thinks he knows how to say "mama"....HILARIOUS! I could watch this video over and over again and never get over it. He cracks me up :)

Rock 'n Roll

Landon is trying so hard to crawl! He is so adorable to watch as he rolls himself over to his tummy, pushes his arms straight while he lifts his chest, gets up on his knees, and then rocks on all fours. He rocks so hard...almost like he's "revving" himself up, ready to take off at any time. Once in a while he takes things one step further and launches himself forward face first...hilarious :) I'm sure he'll be crawling in a week...and I'm completely unprepared. Nothing in our house is childproof...and I mean NOTHING! We have so much to do: gates at the top and bottom of stairs, outlets to plug, brick fireplace to cushion...*SIGH* so much more.

I was not prepared for how quickly he would be growing up. People told me this more often than I ever wanted to hear it, but I think it was impossible to understand until I experienced it. 6 months already. 6 MONTHS!! He has changed SO much in those 6 months, as have I. I have always known that I wanted to be a mother, and I was thrilled when I found out I was pregnant...but nothing prepared me for how much my heart would grow and change once he arrived. I have a hard time even remembering or imagining life before him, and I absolutely hate being away from him.

I love my job, but I struggle with the guilt I feel from leaving him home while I spend my time with other people's children. Thankfully we are blessed with incredible family members who are able to help watch him, so I have the reassurance of knowing that he's with people who love and adore him...but it does nothing but cause me to feel envious on top of guilty. After a long day at work, I'm absolutely exhausted, but I can't wait to get home and love on him. I thank God every day for allowing me to be a mom, and I just pray that I can be the kind of mom Landon is proud to have. Just looking at him makes me realize how blessed I truly am.

New Talent and New Shades

Landon has just acquired a new talent...spitting his paci. Now, I don't mean just spitting it out...I mean launching it--projectile paci! He seems to be deciding that he no longer wants to be attached to it (which I suppose is a great thing in the long run)...but rather than just refusing to take it or letting it fall from his mouth, he takes it from me and then spits it at me :) The first time I experienced it, I assumed it had just been an accident...why would my sweet little boy do such a thing, right? But now I've realized he knows exactly what he's doing. He's really growing up way too fast.

We also finally got to enjoy a long walk yesterday, since the weather decided to clear up and be beautiful. It was so sunny and gorgeous that I decided it was the perfect time for Landon to try out his new shades. I 100% expected him to hate them, try to take them off, (and perhaps throw them at me) but he didn't...In fact, he never even touched them the entire time. He looked sooo cute and got a lot of attention for them at the park from all the passers by. He just squealed and smiled back........What a stud :)

Vacation..??

I've been looking forward to this week since Christmas...It's my favorite week of the whole year since we don't have school... But it's especially great because most other people are still working :) I enjoy the fact that it's a break from work without the usual commitments that accompany holidays, and I like that I don't have to deal with the crowds of people that exist during other vacations. For weeks now I've been planning all of the things I wanted to get done around the house and all of the fun things Landon and I were going to enjoy together. We had planned many walks to the park, some visits to friends we don't see as often as we'd like, and maybe a trip to get our 6 month pictures taken. So...imagine our disappointment at the unremitting rain. Now, don't get me wrong--I LOVE the rain (and we all know we need it!), but there hasn't been a break...and it's not the best idea to traipse around town in the rain with a baby. To make matters worse, I have to spend much of my week grading papers and working on report cards...UGGHH. I hear we might have a couple of dry days ahead, so maybe we'll get to some of it after all. For now, I'll just enjoy that I get to stay home this week and catch all of the wonderful moments in Landon's life.

Landon Jump-up :)

Here are a few pics of Landon in his new favorite toy...the johnny jump-up. He has always preferred standing to sitting, so he absolutely loves this new toy. He bounces in it a little...mostly he just squeals as he spins himself around in circles and drools on himself. He gets so excited to see things from a new perspective.

Camp

Landon and Spencer both got to join my 6th graders and me at last week's science camp, and we had a blast. This was the only way I was going to make it for our annual trip to Alliance Redwoods in Occidental, CA. There was no way I was ready to spend 4 days without him...thankfully Spencer was able to take some vacation time and come along. He was such an amazing daddy and took great care of him while I was fulfilling all of my "teacher" duties. Landon was mesmerized by the huge trees and the sounds of all of the animals as we packed him along with us on our daily hikes up the mountain. I carried him facing outward for the first time so he could take in all of the sights. At one point I noticed he became quite still and when I listened to him closely, I heard snoring! We had to turn him around so he could lay against me, and then we continued the hike. (See above pic.) In between hikes and meals, he LOVED hanging out in the lodge by the warm fire. He was the center of attention at all times, which he loved of course. My kids asked about him every time he wasn't with me, and wanted to be near me every time he was. I have such a thoughtful and caring group of 6th graders this year and am so blessed to have been able to get to know them better. Of the 4 years I've gone on this trip, this was one of the most successful...and I'm so thankful to Spencer for coming and being such a great daddy so that I didn't have to miss out on a week of my boy's life :) Thanks, Babe.