The Winns

My Job As A Circus Performer

2012-02-10T07:26:00.005-07:00

Entertaining a toddler all day, every day can make you feel like a very exhausted circus performer. It's easy to get in a rut and perform the same "acts" over and over. So, another one of my New Year's resolutions was to have one new activity each day for Landon. Sometimes they are uber simple, others have a little more prep or clean-up involved. Some are a hit; some he's done in two minutes.

Toddler Activities this Week

Shaving Cream Paint: Added some food coloring to shaving cream and painted on foil. Landon hates anything messing so it was fun until he got a little on his fingers.
Masking Tape Car Track: My boy is obsessed with cars and trucks. We had fun chasing each other around the track with his cars.
Tent Time: Landon loves tents. Everyday he comes up to me and asks for one. We read in them, eat in them, watch Signing Time or Cars in them, etc...Pretty much everything becomes ten times more fun when done in a tent.
Ice Cube Play: This was a no-go. I froze some ice cubes with food coloring and dumped them out in a bowl with various tools to mix them around. We did this in the summer and he loved it. This time he was instantly turned off after he touched the blue ice cube and it stained his fingers.
Ball Throw: NEW FAVORITE. Landon actually came up with this one. He asked to go in his crib with all his balls and started throwing them out to me. I threw them back. This exchange lasted an hour. An hour. In toddler time that is absolutely shocking. And he's wanted to do this every day since, for at least half an hour.

Don't leave the masking tape more than a day or it was get really hard to take out of the carpet.

I just had to include these cute picts of Landon reading. He used to read all kinds of books. Now the only ones he'll pick up are books about cars and trucks. (Of course.) We've pretty much cleaned out the library of all theirs. :)

Bring on the Coupons!

2012-02-08T13:49:00.002-07:00

My name is Becca and I have a problem. I suck at following a budget. Now before you judge, it's not like I'm out buying everything that catches my eye. It's always the same thing. Food. Food is my downfall. We have to eat, right? And eating right can be expensive. And all those crazy coupon ladies just downright scare and intimidate me. And I don't have that kind of time. And Landon's a handful. And, and, and...

I was able to convince myself for a couple of years that couponing just "wasn't for me." But, my excuses were pathetic. Why pay more for something when you could pay less, or even *gasp* get it for free? So, one of my New Years resolutions was to learn how to stick to a budget and save money by using coupons.

I did a lot of research about how to get started and yada yada yada and was so excited that I'd be able to exercise my crafty side in putting together a coupon box. My coupon box alone makes couponing way more enticing. Details at the end of this post.

Next, I set a budget, told Scott to hide my debit and credit cards, converted to the envelope system, got my Sunday paper subscription, found a couponing site that I like (Savvy Sister Shops), and let the fun begin. I'm happy to report that on my first couponing trip to Walmart I got multiple items for free, paid under $0.50 for many others, and walked out of there with quite a bit of stuff for $17.70. I was so giddy with excitement! I can coupon! It's not too hard or time-consuming after all! Saving money is fun!

I must also share the couponing success behind my new kicks. I've been pumped for months waiting for the Toms ballet flats to come out. Well, they're finally here but with one slight downer - they're 80 bucks. 80 bucks! For one pair of shoes! Heck no, I would not spend that much on shoes. So, I've been eye-balling these red polka dot babies from Old Navy for a few weeks now. Saved a couple coupons and ended up only paying $5.27 for a $25 pair of shoes. Bring on the coupons!

Coupon Box
Materials

Rubbermaid container
Scrapbook paper (patterned and plain)
Labels

Directions

Measure and cut the patterned paper to fit in your box. Label each with your categories for coupons. Behind each divider put a folded piece of plain paper to act as an envelope to keep your coupons in.
My categories are: Baby, Baking, Batteries, Beverages, Bread, Candy, Canned, Crafts, Cereal, Cleaner, Clothing, Condiments, Dairy, Entertainment, Feminine, Frozen, Health Food, Hygiene, Jelly & Peanut Butter, Laundry, Meat, Office Supplies, Paper Products, Pasta, Produce, Restaurants, Salad Dressing, Sauces & Seasonings, Snacks, Expires Soon.

Saturday Morning Muffins

2012-02-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

Scott's been on the new diet for a month now and we're happy to report, it's working SO WELL. Yesterday we were talking about how much better he feels and how drastically his health has improved. It's absolutely amazing. I made some gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate cupcakes last night. (My first attempt at gluten-free baking!) While they tasted a little strange to me (being the first gluten-free baked food I'd tried), Scott said they were perfectly delish. He's totally used to not having gluten and doesn't miss it anymore.

But, boy do I miss baking with it! I used to bake so many pies, cookies, muffins, etc... that I had to limit myself to not starting a new batch of something until the old was eaten. One day this past week Scott was gone on a film shoot. I jumped on the chance to bake and not feel guilty by filling the house up with tempting smells of off-limit foods.

So, Landon and I feasted on blueberry muffins. Mmmmm MMM! This is the best blueberry muffin recipe; try it and see for yourself!

Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
To make crumb topping: Mix together brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter to form coarse crumbs, then sprinkle over muffins.
Bake about 18 minutes.

Christmas in Washington (Part 2)

2012-02-02T16:19:00.002-07:00

Holiday Highlights:

The Hands on Children's Museum. Such a cool place for kids. I used to volunteer there in middle school and totally forgot how neat it is! Why doesn't Utah have something like this?!
Christmas (x2). We loved being able to have Christmas with both our families this year. And Landon seriously had a ball chasing the cats around the house and under the tree. It was fun to span it out over a few days and collect a few new toys for Landon. :)
Christmas Lights. We went with Scott's family on a light cruise on Lake Coeur d'Alene. Sooo fun! They have an insanely long boardwalk and it was decked out with millions of lights. You cross the lake and arrive at the North Pole where Santa names off all the kids on his good list. Of course, Landon was one of them!
Riverfront Park. This is one of our favorite spots in Spokane. Carousal, giant wagon slide, ducks, ice skating. Not to mention, it's where Benny and Joon was filmed!

Christmas in Washington (Part 1)

2012-02-01T12:31:00.002-07:00

My new goal is to stop procrastinating all the things I've been putting off for weeks or even months and just DO them. #1: Post our stinkin' Christmas break pictures.

We drove (gasp!) to Washington for the holidays. 16 hours (without stops, snow in passes, or a toddler on board.) Thankfully Landon did heaps better than I thought he would and we made it in a couple days. We spent the first week with my family and (as pictured below) went to the apple cider mill, a tree farm, the park, and just enjoyed playing with the little guy. Landon loved the park behind my parents house. We were surprised to find that all the toys had been replaced with crazy new ones. We also went to a super fun children's museum but I'll need to get those photos off my camera...

Sweet Chili

2012-01-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

Nothing like steaming chili and a baked potato to get you through the winter. Only problem: I've never liked spicy chili and I swear every recipe I find is more and more spicy. Soooo, here she is: I've finally perfected my sweet chili recipe. Mmmm mmm! And it's fantastically simple too.

Sweet Chili
Ingredients

1/2 lb cooked ground turkey (or beef if you'd rather)
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can refried beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sprinkle of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-2 cans beef broth

Directions

Put everything in a slow cooker. Add the broth last, using more or less, depending on how thick or thin you like your chili. Simmer on low for 4 - 5 hours.
Or, if it's getting to be dinner time you can totally whip this up! Saute the onions and green pepper in a big pot with a tablespoon olive oil, on medium heat until soft. Add everything else to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

What's your favorite winter comfort food?

Escaping the TV Vortex

2012-01-21T13:33:00.002-07:00

Well, it's official. I finally showed Landon the movie, Cars, and life will never be the same again. I think we've probably watched it about 57 times. Strangely enough though, I'm even not sick of it yet. Of course he wants to watch it all the time, and to prevent a tantrum when I say, "no TV" I need to have some fun options. Fast. Soooooo, here are some of Landon's new favorite activities:

A Few Favorite Toddler Activities:

Pipe Cleaner Push: This is a Pringles can covered in scrapbook paper with holes in the lid. The pipe cleaners are all different sizes, with the sharp ends folded over and twisted around.

Texture Soup: We mix around oatmeal, rice, dried beans, etc... He loves working with the little teaspoon and tablespoon measures the best.

Cushion Obstacle Course: We made this today and it was so much fun. We also like to stack all the cushions up and make a mountain to climb.

Porcupine Play Dough: L just recently became interested in play dough. He used to hate touching it. I think sticking all the Popsicle sticks into is what really caught his interest in the dough.

Water Drop: Anything with water is a winner. I fill a bunch of small containers with water, give him coins, sponges, beads, etc... and let him at it. Even though I use a 9x13 pan to keep it all contained, we always end up with a nice wet floor.

The Phone: I really just needed a sixth picture so I stuck this one in. Thankfully Scott has an old ipod touch so every time I need to make a call, Landon can too. But, being the little tech saavy kid he is, he knows that it is not the same as the iphone and gets really frustrated when it won't do the same things the iphone will.

Humor U

2012-01-21T11:41:00.001-07:00

Thought I'd put up the posters I just finished, since well, one is just too dang cute not to share. (That's the one I can do whatever I want with, so by golly if I want to have my boy on it, I will.) And side note, the Humor U peeps always choose the photo location for the other and I just put it in the same generic poster outline. Anywho, enjoy. :)

A Deeper Look into Our Lives

2012-01-18T11:28:00.004-07:00

With the start of a New Year it seems like everyone is on a nice healthy kick. We're joining the ranks. As some of you may already know, Scott has very severe Ulcerative Colitis. UC is an autoimmune disease which causes ulcers in the lining of the colon. As you can imagine, this makes going to the bathroom a horribly painful process. There is no cure but there are different options for meds that can keep it under control and help people to go into periods of remission. Half of those with it have very mild symptoms. Others, have it so bad that the only option is to remove the colon.

Since being diagnosed five years ago, Scott has never really been in remission. He has tried one new medicine after another and finally, just after I got pregnant with Landon, he found a couple meds that helped. He was doing fairly well, BUT (and isn't there always a but?) one of the meds causes infertility and the other causes serious birth defects so the doctor advised us to not try to have kids while he was taking them. Well, that's all fine and dandy but Landon's not going to be an only child forever. So, this past summer Scott went off all his meds. As you can guess, his symptoms all came back with a vengeance. Alternate meds didn't do a darn thing to help. The doc was seriously talking to him about colon removal.

And at that point when things looked horrendous, the Lord stepped in. The people in our lives are not placed there by happenstance. I firmly believe this. Over the past few months Scott has become close friends with a guy he worked with. Then at this critical time, Scott finds out he has similar digestive issues, and two sisters with UC. He traveled the country, researching, talking to doctors, and finding new methods of treatment for it. By a combination of diet, probiotics, supplements, and kefir, he has been able to combat and reverse his digestive problems.

He had Scott come right over to his house (and in the meantime, went to the heath food store to buy Scott all the supplements, probiotics and things he would need.) He taught him how to make kefir, instructed him on diet restrictions (gluten free, dairy free, low sugar, steamed veggies) and sent him home with a car full of "goodies" including a nice freezer stash of organic, grass-fed, no hormones, all-natural beef.

This was a couple weeks ago and so far things are looking hopeful. We will be giving it a good three months to see...

"But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things with God hath prepared for them that love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

Ranch Dressing

2012-01-12T11:08:00.006-07:00

Yes, I will get around to posting about Christmas and New Years. The problem is, there are so many pictures and it's going to take forever and a half to go through them, edit, collage, and get them all spiffy for the blog. And on top of that, I'm in one of those moods where I've started a million projects around the house and I just keep thinking of more things I want to do as well. Like sewing white leggings for this crazy paint party I'm going to on Saturday. So, in the meantime, here is a nice, easy, {random} post.

Scott is now on a gluten and dairy free diet. (Mmm hmmm, someday I'll post the details about that big change.) In my search for new food options and substititues, I found this killer ranch recipe. Scott loves ranch. This tastes BETTER than store-bought. Dairy free! Sooooo easy! And I know, boooring picture. I was too lazy to cut up some celery and peppers to add to the photo, hence the handful of tomatoes.)

Ranch Dressing
Ingredients

1 cup Mayo
1/4 cup Dairy-Free "Buttermilk" (see recipe below)
1/2 tsp. dried Parsley (or 1 tsp. fresh)
1/2 tsp dried Chives (or 1 tsp. fresh)
1/2 tsp. dried Dill (or 1 tsp. fresh)
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp. Onion Powder
1/8 tsp. Sea Salt
1/8 tsp. Black Pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients except for the dairy-free buttermilk in a medium bowl.
Slowly whisk in the "buttermilk."
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Dairy-Free Buttermilk

Add 1 and 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice to a 1/4 measuring cup.
Add enough Dairy-Free Milk to bring the total amount of liquid to 1/4 cup (I use So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk. My personal dairy-free milk alternative.)
Stir and allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes, until milk curdles then it's ready to use!

Recipe credit: Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom

Back to Blogging... and an alleyway photo shoot

2012-01-07T13:51:00.003-07:00

I hate that bittersweet feeling you get after returning home from vacation. Although, being gone for a few weeks has made me realize how much I need blogging. My fingers have been itching to get back to plunking out posts. I've been going through withdrawals. Really. So, here begins our Christmas vaca in Washington...

First stop if you are ever in the Olympia area: Old School Pizzeria. I'm kicking myself now for not taking some food pictures for the blog. C'est la vie. At least we got some ridiculously adorable pictures of Landon outside the place. (If I don't say so myself.) He can be such a ham.

Landon Loves Christmas!

2011-12-24T21:17:00.001-07:00

18 Months

2011-12-14T09:53:00.001-07:00

Stats
Weight: 24.3 lbs (29th percentile)
Height: 32.8 in. (66th percentile)

Facts
Knows about 15 words, over 100 signs.
Can say, and sign one sentence: "Dada wake up."
Won't drink water unless I give it to him in a "big boy cup"
Goes to bed at 7pm. Wakes up at 5am.
Loves trains, cars, and trucks.
Favorite "toy" is my iphone.
Loves to color.
Carries his kitty around everywhere.
Loves to beat box.

Growing up way too fast.

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree (Ornament Crafts!)

2011-12-11T12:05:00.002-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I love Christmas?!?! Decorating the tree was so much fun with Landon's help. I made some cinnamon applesauce ornaments, and he thought they were cookies for him. I also started to make a popcorn chain and he decided to eat that too. Not sure what I was thinking, trying to put edible things that he likes on the tree.

Landon always makes sure the lights are on. I'll turn them off during the day, but sure enough, as soon as he notices, he'll plug them right back in. That's the spirit, dear.

As mentioned, I made a few ornaments to add to our tree. Here's what I did for the two pictured:

Orange Slices

Preheat oven to 225.
Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
Place the orange slices on the sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake for about 2 hours.
Hot glue a cinnamon stick to the top.
Poke an ornament hook into the orange and hang it on the tree!

Cinnamon Ornaments

Mix together about 1 1/2 cups applesauce, 2 cups cinnamon, and a tsp each of cloves, ginger, and allspice.
Roll out and cut into shapes with cookie cutters.
Use a straw to make a hole for hanging them.
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 150 degrees for 1 hour, then bake them directly on the oven rack for another hour and a half.
Let them cool before hanging. Enjoy the heavenly smell in your home. :)

Three Things I Will Never Understand

2011-12-09T13:56:00.001-07:00

1. The physics behind the IHOP pancake. No matter how much syrup you douse it with, it always needs more.

2. Why some people leave such ridiculously large gaps between their car and the one ahead, while waiting in traffic. Scoot. Up. Then maybe we can all make it through the short left turn light, and the cars won't be backed up to Timbuktu.

3. How despite the fact that I keep an obsessively, meticulously clean house, I still manage to loose things. Seriously?!

Let the Christmas Festivities Begin!

2011-12-05T09:07:00.004-07:00

I love love LOVE Christmastime! I'm one of those people who proudly plays Christmas music the day after Halloween. We got our tree the week before Thanksgiving. Why not make the most magical time of the year last a little longer?

The Perfect Tree
Since we were seriously the first people at Lowes to get a tree, we scored on a really nice one. There was one tree in the 3 - 5 foot section ($20) that was taller than Scott. (Obviously incorrectly marked.) Nice! While we were waiting for them to cut the bottom, Landon occupied us by putting his hands in his pockets then pulling them out. Over and over and over. He thought it was hilarious.

Christmas Lights
One night we had dinner over at the Riverwoods, and got to check out their sweet lights. Seriously, that outdoor mall is just covered. They are beautiful, but my phone pictures didn't do them justice so here's what you get...

The Grand America Hotel
Last year we had so much fun looking at all the gingerbread houses at the Grand America in Salt Lake. Naturally, I was stoked to go again. What did we find? One. ONE gingerbread house. Yes, it was huge. (We're talking the size of a small walk-in closet. But that's it?! It was basically just four walls with a stained candy door. Apparently all the bakers who normally contribute decided not to this year. How rude. Thankfully they had a piano and a new toy store that kept us entertained.

A few words about the pictures below...

The top right picture is looking up at a chandelier. (I was having a blast playing with Instagram on my phone.)
The framed monsters were moving. They looked so real - it was a total Harry Potter moment.
They had THE CUTEST pillows ever at the toy store.
Landon loves to stack, or line up anything.
After the hotel we went to the Gateway (outdoor mall in Salt Lake) and I found an Olympia Beer shirt at Urban Outfitters. I couldn't believe it!

The Park

2011-11-24T11:43:00.001-07:00

Landon and I seriously walked to the park every day throughout the summer. He became a pro at climbing up to the big slide and going down it all by himself. He still loved to swing too... that is, unless a stranger started to talking to him, in which case he would retreat into the swing like a turtle into his shell. (As seen in the first picture.) It's finally just too darn cold to keep going. Sad, snowy days ahead...

Carving Pumpkins

2011-11-24T11:19:00.002-07:00

Yes, this is a Halloweenish post... only a month late. (I've finally uploaded all the pictures from my phone.) Landon enjoyed carving pumpkins for all of 30 seconds. Then his hands got messy. Things got stressful. Everything when downhill from there. Gee, wonder where he gets that OCD from?

Fall

2011-11-24T10:57:00.002-07:00

Fall has always been my least favorite season. Yes, the red, orange, and yellow leaves are beautiful, but I can't stop thinking about how those leaves used to be green (and the weather warm!), and soon they will be gone altogether. Growing up in Washington is probably a big factor in why fall hasn't been appealing to me. The Pacific Northwest sure isn't known for deciduous trees, and when those few trees did shed their leaves, they quickly turned to wet mush. Well, if living in Utah has taught me nothing else, it has taught me to appreciate fall. Landon and I took quite a few walks out in the brisk, fresh air with the sun warming our backs, while stomping on all those crunchy leaves. If we ever get out of this dang place, it will truly be one thing I miss.

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Play Kitchen from Cardboard Boxes

2011-11-16T18:33:00.004-07:00

Landon's very own kitchen. He looooooooves it. :) And the best part? It didn't cost me ANYTHING.

It all started with Pinterest. I'm seriously obsessed. If you have yet to jump on that bandwagon, I advise you to wait no longer! I'll even put a link right here for you: Pinterest Home. Anyway, I've been finding some fun activities and DIY toys for toddlers on there. One idea was to make a play oven out of a cardboard box. Yes, that's all fine and dandy... if you can find a good box. Well, earlier this week, the fates were in my favor and low and behold, I stumbled upon some huge piles of GREAT boxes outside the back of Joanns. So, after two days of work... ta dah!

Play Kitchen from Cardboard Boxes
Materials:

Three boxes. (You need some extra cardboard to make shelves.)
Paint (Optional)
Bowl with rim
Pump dispenser thingy (I don't really know what you call these.)
Sponge (Cut up a couple squares)
4 CDs
Cardstock (varying colors)
5 small lids
Page protector
A couple Popsicle sticks
All the fun goodies to stock it with (food, pans, towel, etc...)

Instructions:

Build. Assemble the boxes. Cut off the smaller flaps on each box. One will then be left with two long flaps on each side for the fridge doors. On the other, go ahead and tape the long flaps shut.
Cut. On the completely taped box, trace and cut where you want to have oven and cabinet doors. (I cut a hole in my oven door for a window.)
Paint. If desired, paint the boxes. I happened to have some random white paint so I used that.
Add Handles. Attach all the door handles. I just used some yard, poked holes and tied it in.
Finish fridge. (Box #1) Measure and cut a few shelves for inside. (This is what the extra box is for.) Hot glue into place. Stock with fun things. (Empty milk jug, empty egg carton with Easter eggs, fruit, snacks, etc...) On the doors, I added some cut out alphabet letters, piece of Landon's art, and constructed a pen holder out of cardboard, cardstock, and hot glue. Be creative!
Finish Oven/Stove/Sink. (Box #2) Hot glue a page protector on the inside of the oven window. Cut a hole in the top for the sink; place the bowl inside. (My bowl is from a small rice cooker I don't use anymore.) Poke a hole for the spout and stick the dispenser pump in there. (Thankfully I never through away out empty lotion bottle so I had this one to use.) Glue down a piece of 12x12 cardstock for the stove base. Trace a CD on black paper four times; cut those circles out. Glue each to a CD and rub the top. (The CD imprint makes it look like a coil.) Glue those into place on the base cardstock. Trace some cardstock circles for each of the nobs. (Make them slightly bigger of course.) Glue the cardstock into place on the box. Poke a hole through the center of each. Hot glue yarn to the middle underside of each cap. String the yarn through the holes and tie on the back. (I added a little hot glue too.) You could just glue the caps to the box but this makes it so they can turn, which it seriously one of Landon's favorite parts. We happened to have an old towel hanger so I hot glued that to the side and added a towel. I also added some Popsicle stick reinforcements on the sides of the oven when the box was just taped together. Makes it a little more sturdy. Stock it with pans, bowls, cups, an empty cleaning bottle, rag, brush, sponges, etc...
Let the fun begin!

Introducing...

2011-11-08T11:45:00.001-07:00

Our new YouTube channel! I've been wanting to post videos of Landon forever but with our camera the process is way too complicated for me to do without Scott. So, now that I finally have an iphone, the video fun begins! Yipeeee!

Click here to see a super short but cute vid of Landon singing and dancing. (One of his favorite pastimes.)

Rock Climbing

2011-11-07T10:38:00.002-07:00

Last week I had to take a photo for the next Humor U Poster. Since Scott was still filming Fubalous, Landon came with. Of course this one was conveniently located up in the canyon; with a nice 10 minute hike to get there. And it would have been nice... had I not been running late and trying to wobble/jog up the trail with Landon struggling to get out of his carrier, only to find when I got there that the guy wouldn't arrive for another 30 minutes. Good. Grief. At least that meant I had some time for a Landon photo shoot:

And here's the poster to thank for the whole excursion:

The Halloween Party

2011-11-02T12:38:00.003-06:00

For Halloween weekend, Scott and I actually went to a party. Without Landon. This sort of thing happens once in a blue moon. It. Was. Awesome. The party was at the Ken's house. (The investor for Dr. Fubalous.) His home is AMAZING. Then factor in all the decorations, and you feel like you are in a little corner of Disneyland. You can see a little of the place from the picts, but they in no way do it justice. We had a blast eating food, dancing, and hanging out with friends. And before we left, we headed across the street to check out Ken's private park. There we found an uber nice fire pit stocked with marshmallows and roasting sticks. What a perfect end to the night!

Random side note: Flavor Flav is the one with the mask, in the picture on the bottom left.

Our Little Dough Boy

2011-11-01T10:32:00.003-06:00

I have a millions things to post in regards to Halloween but I'm sure Landon will wake up soon and I wanted to at least get his costume picts up. :)

Landon had SOOO much fun treat or treating! We couldn't have hoped for more perfect weather, so that make a big difference of course. Once he realized that he got to run up to each house, ring doorbells, AND pick out candy, he was in heaven! I was so proud of him for keeping his hat on the entire time too. And he was usually holding his spoon as well! :)

I used to be a hardcore sugar addict so I can't even begin to express how excited I am for Halloween to finally be a fun and candy-filled day again!

Pillsbury Dough Boy Hat
I couldn't find plain white pants or sweatshirts anywhere! So, I just used a pair of his sweatpants and a sweatshirt as a pattern and made some using white sweatshirt material. He also wore a white long sleeve shirt underneath, white socks, and white shoes. For the tie, I just cut a triangle out of fabric with the two sides that would tie in the front extra long. (So it wasn't a perfect triangle.) Tied the ends and viola!

Pillsbury Dough Boy Hat
Materials

White poster board
White tissue paper
Solid blue paper
Puff paint
Hot glue

Directions

Cut a strip of poster board about 5 inches wide and an inch longer than the circumference of your child's head. Glue the ends together. (I had extra fabric from the costume so I also lined the inside so it was soft.)
Overlap two pieces of tissue paper. Round them out and attach to the inside of the hat using tape. (I attached corners first, then middle sides and puffed it out as necessary.)
Write the "Pillsury" logo on with white puff paint on the blue paper. (I figured out about how much room I had, wrote it, let it dry, then traced a glass over it and cut out the circle.)
Attach logo to the front of the hat.

Growing

2011-10-17T20:29:00.002-06:00

One of the reminders I get every month or two that Landon is in fact growing... His feet just get bigger. And bigger. And bigger. I'm sad that his Toms don't fit any more, and that it's definitely not practical to get him another pair with wetter weather on the way. So, after going to four stores, Landon and I finally found these that fit all the qualifications I was looking for. Now if only my feet grew as much as his; I would have an excuse to get new shoes all the time too. But then I would have ginormous feet. Probably not worth it.

(And I know, this picture makes them look HUGE. They are size 6. I should have stuck one of Scott's shoes in the frame also. Oh well.)

A Day in the Life of Landon...

2011-10-14T11:53:00.003-06:00

Or in other words, a 16 month picture overload.

Explanations for pictures go left to right, top to bottom. Probably obvious, but I thought we'd clear up any confusion from the get go.

1. MAMA! Get me outta here!
2. Gotta grab a toy; cars are my fav right now.
3. Morning milk. mmmmm.
4. Poo Poo time. Sign potty so Mama knows.
5. Sign diaper change to let her know I'm done.
6. Grab a book and lay down so the deed can be done.
7. Right to work, checking my email.
8. Spy on that other boy in the mirror.
9. Back to business; phone calls.

1. Help Mama make breakfast.
2. Sign eat while munching on my favorite dish: cheesy hash browns.
3. Brush my teeth while balancing on a book. (I know, I'm so stinkin talented.)
4. Help clean up. (Sweet! Ma hasn't told me to get down yet!)
5. Work with my tools.
6. Drive around my cars.
7. Play with my containers and lids while Mama showers.
8. Take all the stuff from the counter and put it on the toilet (then back again) while Mama finishes getting ready.
9. Big hug for Clifford!
10. Wait, I don't want my other animals to be left out!
11. Read a book. (Sign help when I can't get it open.)

So there you have it. A typical Landon morning. This particular day we decided to go to the Provo Beach Resort and check out "Toddler Town." Good find for a place to go now that the weather is cooling down.

Later we went to Pumpkinland!! Last year Landon was too little to really enjoy it, but this time he had a blast! You can't really tell from these picts, but he is sooooo hard to photograph. Constantly moving, won't smile unless I'm making a complete idiot out of myself, etc... I'm just glad that out of the hundreds we took there were a few good ones!

He really enjoyed running around the cornmaze too. (And yes, I know I look retarded down there... I'm signing goat; which he signed back to me while saying ga ga.) I cannot tell you how much I love signing with him!!

Now, the bounce house at the end was another story. Thankfully there weren't any other kids in it, and I ending up going in with Landon. (One of the many perks to being the size of a 10 year old.) We jumped around. He laughed once. Then he wanted out. Fast.

Now, since I recorded what he could do at 15 months, I'm gonna jot down the new things he is able to do now...

Words:
Hi
Hello
Bye
Keys
Shoes (Keys and shoes both sound a lot like Jesus. He loves those 's' sounds.)
Light ('da' with sign)
Um (This his first response to every questions I ask him.)

Body Parts:
Shoulders
Fingers

Animal Sounds:
Cat
Pig
Monkey
Owl
Horse
Duck
Rubber Duck

Signs:
Light
Colors
Slide
Bread
Apple
Grapes
Cookie
Cat
Dog
Cow
Goat
Potty
Work
Sign (as in signing time)
Store
Library
Pillow
Car
Hot
Cold

Favorite Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Favorite Book: "10 Little Rubber Ducks" by Eric Carle

I'm sure there's more but I need to get to work on Landon's Halloween costume before he wakes up. Toodles.

Adult Truths

2011-09-27T11:42:00.001-06:00

I'm not usually into random "funny" fwd type emails but there was so much truth to this one, I just had to share...

1. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch three consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on step 5 as I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
6. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
7. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
8. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
9. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
10. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
11. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
12. I wish the GPS had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
13. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
14. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
15. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
16. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

Our Latest Adventures

2011-09-22T12:54:00.011-06:00

I have been looking forward to the Utah State Farm for quite a while now. For one reason or another, each year we're never able to go. And come to think of it, I haven't been to a decent fair since I was probably 10. And at that age, the fair is the happenin' place. So obviously, expectations were high. A couple weeks ago, when we attempted to drive to the fair, traffic was so horrendous that the GPS asked if we wanted to switch to pedestrian mode. Needless to say, we didn't make it to the fair that day.

So, this past Friday was the day. Yay!
Used up half our stash of cash on parking. Of course.
Greeted by the overpowering stench of livestock. Yummy.
Gave into pressure and wasted 5 bucks on a stupid game. Trickery.
Took Landon through the "Little Hands on the Farm" Exhibit. Tantrums.
Counted every penny in my purse to pay for the big slide ride for Landon and me. $0.10 short.
Searched the park for a dime. Nothing.
Finally got up the courage to look like an idiot, and ask someone for one. Score!
Walked to the slide thinking, at least this will be fun. Rain falls.
Find the slide closed due to moisture. Eff.
Treked back to the car. Soaked.

The day after the fair fiasco, we went to our very first college football game. (We're not sports peeps, ok?) We scored free tickets from a friend. It wasn't just any game either, it was the "Holy War" against the two state rivals. Great fun, until Landon was done, then it was time to go. At least were able to see half of it.

Side note: In the middle right picture below, Landon is signing more.
Side note #2: We got to see Jimmer talking to President Uchtdorf before the game. Hence the red arrow.

Lately, Landon's been getting really cuddly and I just love it. He's also been giving kisses on the cheek and lips when I ask for them. Sometimes he even surprises me and turns my face toward him to plant a kiss on it, all on his own accord. And when he gives hugs, he'll pats my back now too. Gosh, I love him.

15 Month Comparison

2011-09-13T16:16:00.003-06:00

When you see Landon and Scott together, their likeness is ridiculous. However, I think this baby picture comparison goes to show there might be a little of me in him after all... right?

Watermelons, Dinos, and Stamps! Oh My!

2011-09-04T09:55:00.003-06:00

As I've mentioned before, Landon just loves to help out. He tried with all his might to pick up this watermelon and carry it into the kitchen for me. No success. At least it made for a good seat.

Last weekend when we were racking our brains for a fun indoor activity, we decided on the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point. I was a little hesitant (having never been before) and thought Landon might not enjoy the exhibits because everything was already dead. (Our other option was the zoo.) Boy, was I wrong! There were so many cool things he could touch and play with. Scott and I loved reading all the fascinating information (and could have definitely stayed longer than two hours, but by then Landon was pooped).

They had a sweet Physics of Motion exhibit as well. After a little coxing, this ended up being Landon's favorite part. Such a fun outing!

One of my secret obsessions is stamps. If you're going to mail something, it deserves a cute stamp, right? I've been waiting all month for the post office to get these in, and finally they arrived! I get giddy just thinking about using them. I know, I'm a nerd.

This and That

2011-08-30T13:16:00.004-06:00

A while ago we were super pumped to go to a demolition derby at a local fair. What we didn't realize was that everyone else in a 50 mile radius was super pumped too - and bought their tickets ahead of time. So of course, it was already sold out when we got there. The ticket lady told us we could have just as much fun in the barn looking at the produce displays, lego train, and crafts made by 5 year-olds. Not true. We did have fun trying to see the show through the stands though.

Since this blog is where I record everything, I thought I should jot down what Landon can do at this age. (14.5 months) He has been learning so much lately and I just can't believe how quickly he picks things up. So right now, here's what he knows...

Words He Can Say:
Mama
Dada
Jesus (Yes, this was his first word after mama and dada. He has a book about Jesus that he just loves and while I was reading it to him about a month ago, he just blurted out, "Jesus!" He says it ALL the time now.)
Uh oh (Which was "uh uh" in the correct singsong way until just recently, now he makes a very round ooooh.)
yes
no

Body Parts: When I ask him, "Where is your ______?" he will identify the following:
Head
Nose
Mouth
Tongue
Belly
Toes
Ears
Eyes

Animal Sounds: When asked, he can tell me what sound each of these animals make.
Cow
Lion
Sheep
Bird

Signs: He is getting so good at signing! He will sign things that he wants now and it's so fun!
Milk
Water
Drink
Eat
Pear
More
All done
Wash hands
Brush teeth
Bath
Diaper change
Sleep
Mama
Dada
Baby
Bird
Ball
Book
Up
"Sh"
Help (He's recently started using this one a ton which is wonderful because instead of getting frustrated and throwing a fit when he can't get something to work, he will get me and sign help.)

So, on to other happenings... And yes, I know what you're thinking, not more garden pictures! Don't worry, I have some of Landon to spice it up a little. :) It's just that I can't resist taking pictures of those little baby veggies growing! Landon's got the whole routine down pat: Run to the hose, eat some dirt, turn the water on, eat more dirt, find the end of the hose the water is coming out of, take a quick bite of dirt, then water for mama. He is just so helpful.

One of Landon's favorite snacks these days is a nice juicy pear. He also likes to hang out with dad (even if Scott's working). This is a pict of him in the office, watching Scott. He finds the weirdest positions comfortable.

All of a sudden Landon has decided he LOVES TV. He'll go and turn the TV on and get really mad when I don't come help him get the dvd playing. I've tried showing him a variety of shows to see what he's most interested in but he will only watch two: Sesame Street (specifically, the 25th anniversary DVD we have that is full of songs) and Signing Time. I've tried sitting him on the couch (or the tp that happened to be there after a shopping trip) but he always ends up just standing and leaning on the ottoman.

Swim

2011-08-23T22:15:00.003-06:00

By Jack's Mannequin

You've gotta swim
Swim for your life
Swim for the music
That saves you
When you're not so sure you'll survive
You gotta swim
And swim when it hurts
The whole world is watching
You haven't come this far
To fall off the earth
The currents will pull you
Away from your love
Just keep your head above

I found a tidal wave
Begging to tear down the dawn
Memories like bullets
They fired at me from a gun
A crack in the armor
I swim for brighter days
Despite the absence of sun
Choking on salt water
I'm not giving in
I swim

You gotta swim
Through nights that won't end
Swim for your families
Your lovers your sisters
And brothers and friends
Yeah you've gotta swim
Through wars without cause
Swim for the lost politicians
Who don't see their greed as a flaw

The currents will pull us
Away from our love
Just keep your head above

I found a tidal wave
Begging to tear down the dawn
Memories like bullets
They fired at me from a gun
Cracking me open now
I swim for brighter days
Despite the absence of sun
Choking on salt water
I'm not giving in
Well I'm not giving in
I swim

You gotta swim
Swim in the dark
There's no shame in drifting
Feel the tide shifting and wait for the spark
Yeah you've gotta swim
Don't let yourself sink
Just find the horizon
I promise you it's not as far as you think
The currents will drag us away from our love
Just keep your head above
Just keep your head above
Swim

Tantrums

2011-08-12T21:42:00.001-06:00

Landon has become a pro at throwing tantrums. We're talking full blown screaming, flailing limbs, twisting torso tantrums. Today, the biggest one came when I put a stop to his mud bath in the garden. He was absolutely covered. I tried to pull off his muddy clothes and hose him down, but with the kicking and screaming, I just ending up covered in mud as well. Good grief. I'm also guaranteed to get a tantrum during every single diaper change. That boy would rather walk around in his poopy diaper all day that lay down for 5 seconds and let me change it. He's so silly.

Here's to Four Years

2011-07-29T07:58:00.005-06:00

On July 24, we celebrated a whopping 4 years of marriage. These 4 years seriously feel like 10, but that's probably because we've been together for almost 10 years. Those early years feel like a dream; things are just SO different now. 4 years, 3 states, 6 apartments, 1 baby, later... here we are. I've learned a lot. A lot about me, about Scott, and about life in general. So, here are my 4 bits of advice; nothing new, but I've found they are so true.

1. Do something for yourself. Whether it's blogging, gardening, or working out, when I've had just a little me time each day, I am so much better off.

2. Make time for each other. We're still working on this one. With a crazy career and a crazy child, sometimes it seems like this just isn't possible. Well, slowly, we've been able to spend more time just the two of us, and it does wonders for our relationship. A little hug, kiss, and Lindt truffle go a long way too. :)

3. Expand the family. Words can't describe how different life is when two become three. Even though it seems at times that Landon is vying for the most-challenging-child-on-the-planet-award, I love him to pieces and he is everything to me. He is teaching me so much, and every day I think about how thankful I am for him. I gotta say though, if one more person tells me their newborn is sleeping through the night, I think I'll have a hernia.

4. Stick together. You can plan how you'd like things to work out all you want, but in the end you just have to hold hands, take a deep breath, and step into the unknown together.

My New Passion

2011-07-22T14:57:00.004-06:00

I love gardening! One of the highlights of my week is spending time outside weeding and harvesting while Landon is napping. There is just something really relaxing and fulfilling about it all. These first three pictures were taken a couple months ago, soon after I had planted a bunch of new things. I can't believe how much everything has grown since then! My tomatoes plants are HUGE now and I have enough big onions to feed an army.

Ok, he's my total veggie list, and below are current pictures of some of them.

Lettuce/Spinach
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Carrots
Beets
Peas
Potatoes
Tomatoes/Cherry Tomatoes
Variety of Peppers
Corn
Cucumber
Acorn Squash
Summer Squash
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Zucchini
Basil
Oregano
Parsley
Pumpkins/Mini Pumpkins

And finally... some of the harvest!

A Weekend Away and a Favorite Lunch

2011-07-22T13:54:00.010-06:00

Last weekend we got to visit our old stomping grounds. Such fun! I gotta tell ya, I was really nervous about how Landon would do on the drive, sleeping at the hotel, getting babysat while Scott and I saw HARRY POTTER, etc... but he did so well! We got to hang out with all of Scott's fam while we were there, who also came down for the weekend.

We loved touring campus. Amazing how fast everything is changing and growing there. The Rexburg Temple is my favorite! Here's the little dude having a grand ol' time exploring it:

Landon loved jumping around (or more correctly diving headfirst) onto the bed and pillows at the hotel. He also enjoyed playing peekaboo under the covers. But, by far his favorite part of the new place was the powdered donuts for breakfast. :)

I so wish we had a fun (and free!) splash pad like this one! It took him a while to get used to it, but eventually Landon did have fun playing in the water.

Random collage picture #1: Have I even mentioned that sometimes I wish Landon was a girl? Ok ok, don't worry, I'm glad he's a boy but sometimes I just can't resist putting his hair in a ponytail or adding a headband. If I don't have a girl eventually, I will be so sad.

#2: The day after we got home from Rexburg, I sat Landon down for lunch and he was eating a little, but then his movements got slower and slower until... zzzzz. So funny. He NEVER falls asleep like that. Guess he was so used to sleeping like that in the car.

#3: The last picture in this random collage is of my favorite fast lunch.

Taco salad
Ingredients

Chicken
Black beans
Corn
Cilantro
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Avocado
Cheese
Chips
Mango peach salsa from Costco

That's My Boy

2011-07-19T07:56:00.004-06:00

He's 13 months old.
He has 7 teeth poking through.
He loves to go swimming.
He talks all day long in his own special language, we call "gobbledegook."
He loves to go up and down stairs, and always reaches out for the nearest person to help him.
He sleeps straight from about 8:30pm - 6:30am. Hallelujah!
He loves to dance, and always makes the most serious face when he does.
He eats so many blueberries I think he might turn into one.
He is mine and I love him.

Our Fourth and A Very Berry Cheesecake

2011-07-09T12:59:00.004-06:00

We had a blast over the Fourth of July weekend. Scott's sisters came down from BYU-I to join in the fun. We hit up Seven Peaks on Saturday. Landon had a ball in the kid zones and floating down the lazy river. Scott and I even got to go on some rides together! Although, when we did, we had a few issues... At the spit-out of one slide, Scott and I were going so fast that our tube went flying off onto the pavement. Ummm, I don't think that's supposed to happen. We also flipped upside down coming out of another slide. And, I just about died when we went on the crazy half-pipe thingy.

On Monday we went to the Provo Freedom Festival Parade (for the first time). Our favorite was the undertaker. What on earth? Of course we hit up all the booths afterward and enjoyed a delish funnel cake.

And what's the fourth without a BBQ and some scrumptious berry cheesecake?! It was definitely worth turning on the oven in the 100+ degree weather. THEN, (that's right, not over yet) Scott, Landon and I went up to Salt Lake to watch the Major League Soccer team play. Another first for us. (This was Landon's birthday present for Scott.) Landon did surprisingly well and slept through the second half and fireworks that followed. Exhausting, but fun day!

Very Berry Cheesecake
Ingredients

One graham cracker pie crust
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup strawberry jelly
1 cup whipped topping
Sliced fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries

Directions

For filling, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Fold in blueberries. Spoon into crust.
Bake at 350° for 10 minutes; cover edges with foil to prevent overbrowning. Bake 23-27 minutes longer or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate until chilled.
In a small bowl, beat jelly until smooth; spread over filling. Spread with whipped topping. Garnish with strawberries and additional blueberries if desired.

My New, Super Random Job

2011-07-09T12:03:00.004-06:00

Over the past seven years I've had a handful of different jobs. Let's review:

Hostess at South Pacific Chinese Restaurant
Ice Cream Scooper at Coldstone
Paper Scanner for a Mortgage Company
Hostess at Teton Grille
Telesurvey Person at Western Watts (Made it two weeks before getting out of there.)
Salesperson at Mervyns
TA for an El ED Physics Lab at BYU-I
Art Model (Yes, this was the all-time low. Sitting for 4 hours without moving while people painted my face.)
Art Department Secretary (Promoted! Thank goodness for good friends who can hook you up.)
3rd Grade Teacher
Craft Services for various film productions (The one who provides the food. I still do this on many of Scott's shoots.)

Geez, I forgot there were so many. So, I wasn't looking for a job but through a series of random events, I'm now the BYU Humor U Stand Up Comedy Group Designer. Could that be any more of a mouthful? I design their posters. I enjoy it. I can do it at home. And I get a few extra bucks. Niiiice! So far, it hasn't been too exciting though, because they are just continuing with a previous ad campaign. However, for the coming show they wanted a "generic 11x17 with a color background and show info." Voila!

What's the most random job you've had?

we were made, we were made for each other

2011-06-29T09:23:00.003-06:00

In honor of it being Scott's birthday tomorrow, I wanted to jot down a few reasons why I'm glad he was born.

1. He's my bestest friend and I love spending time with him. Our latest kick is watching Freaks and Geeks with a big bowl of Double Fudge Brownie ice cream after Landon goes to bed.
2. He's the greatest daddy ever. Landon and Scott play soccer together all the time now and it's just too cute.
3. He loves me even though I can be a handful at times. :)

With a Little Photoshop...

2011-06-24T20:52:00.001-06:00

I took this picture on the pier in Olympia, and with a little editing magic by Scott... voila. Don't you just love technology? And Washington? Mmmm hmmm.

A Long Nap for Landon Means it's Time to Post

2011-06-23T22:06:00.002-06:00

So I'm finally getting a chance to go through all our vaca pictures and will hopefully get them posted over the next few weeks... He we are at the airport... I love Landon's smile-for-the-camera-smile! And this was the first time he actually wanted to hold my hand when walking. Then when we arrived at Scott's parent's house, Landon zonked out. Obviously it was a very tiring trip for the little man.

Landon's First Birthday

2011-06-18T11:03:00.010-06:00

The Birthday Boy: He's one?! Oh my heavens. We went to WA and celebrated the big event while there. (We also did a bunch of other things, but this post alone has taken 2 hours, so the rest of the trip will have to wait.) Here comes picture overload...

The Circus Theme: I've never put together a cutsie party like this, but so glad I did! Tons of fun! Loved crafting all the little tags and banner. Got a lot of inspiration online. I love Hostess with the Mostess!

The Guests: The party was held in Spokane at the in-law's house. My fam came out from Olympia to join in the fun. Scott's grandmother was visiting because there was a graduating senior in the family so she got to be there too. And as a random side note, it was actually her birthday that day! In the first picture below, those are three of Scott's sisters on the left, and my younger brother and sister on the right.

The Game: I found this cute game idea online. I think it's actually a Koren tradition for first birthdays. Anyway, everyone cast their vote on what they thought Landon would be when he grows up: pilot, scholar, musician, filmmaker, or athlete. Each profession had a toy representing it that was put outside. (He had never seen these toys before.) Then we let Landon loose, and guess what he chose? Filmmaker! Only Scott, me, and Jen (Scott's oldest sis) picked this job. Atta boy!

The Cake: Scott's mom had a friend make this amazing cake. It turned out just perfect and the top was even dairy-free, chocolate-cherry for Landon. At first Landon was very disgusted by it but once he got a good bite he seemed to enjoy it... for a couple minutes at least.

Lollipop, Lollipop: What's a circus themed party without a giant swirly pop?! Although, Landon was more interested in chewing on the stick than licking the sugary treat.

The Gifts: Landon is getting better and better at opening gifts. And by this I mean, he started holding up each item for everyone to see. How thoughtful.

Happy birthday little man! We love you to pieces!

A Salad and A Oreo Chocolate Chip Brownie

2011-05-31T21:26:00.007-06:00

I try to eat healthy most of the time, but boy do I have a weak spot for sweet, sugary things.

I'm happy to report that all those greens and scallions are from my garden! Made for a scrumptious lunch that Scott and I absolutely loved. (And Scott is not usually a salad person so this is a big step, my friends.)

But sadly, I think we counteracted all that healthiness with this sinful treat I made. Oops. :) It's the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n' Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar! That's right folks, a chewy cookie layer on the bottom, Oreos stuffed in the middle, and a fudgy brownie layer on top. Oh. sweetness. overload.

Quick Salad
Ingredients

Romaine or red leaf lettuce
Black beans
Cooked chicken
Diced tomatoes
Shredded carrots
Shredded cheese
Croutons

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar
Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix
1/4 cup hot fudge topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly incorporate into the mixer until the flour is just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Top with a layer of Oreos.
Mix together brownie mix, adding an optional 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping to the mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15-25 minutes.
Brownies are down when a toothpick inserted 2″ from the edge comes out clean or with moist pieces clinging to it. Let cool completely before cutting.
To half this recipe for an 8×8 brownie mix, simply half the chocolate chip cookie dough ingredients. Enjoy!

You can find more insane recipes here, on Kevin and Amanda's Blog.

11 Months

2011-05-25T17:04:00.002-06:00

I'm a little late in getting Landon's '11 Month Post' up, but here we go...

Development:

He has a grand total of four teeth. (The fourth just barely poked through today.)
He can identify his nose and head. Also can squat and roar on command.
He is eating more types of food. Toast is a new fav.
He starts to dance as soon as he hears music.
He tests the limits more than ever. For example, he knows he shouldn't eat rocks and when we are in the garden I always look over to find him watching me while holding a rock up to his mouth. As soon as I spot him, he slowly goes to eat it. I stop him. Then two minutes later we repeat the whole process.

Cute Things He Does:

Style his hair. It's all about the hair these days. He will dip his fingers in a container of lotion, pureed food, anything that resembles hair gel and go straight to styling. Also loves to carry around my brush and use it.
Sweep. Loves to push around the broom (and his new push toy).
Cook. Pulls all the pans out of the cupboard, stirs with wooden spoons, covers with lids, you know, the works.
Throw things. He plays this game with himself where he will go around his room picking up random objects and spastically throwing them back down to the ground. He just goes in circles doing this over and over again with the same toys. Or, if I have a basket of clothes, he will ferociously empty it for me. And lastly, at restaurants, he likes to chuck anything I set in front of him to eat.
Wear his hat. I've got to get a picture of this but when he is in the car and I give him his hat, he always places it on his head. Of course, it isn't really on right so he kinda looks cone-headed, but I just love it.
Babble. Oh how I wish I knew what he was saying! He just goes on and on and it sounds like he is casting spells or speaking Arabic and he'll interject a chuckle here and there. So cute.

Not-so-cute Things He Does:

Wake up 1 - 2 times every night and up for good at 6. Will I ever get a complete night's sleep?
Throw tantrums. Seriously, they are bad news. Like, if Scott doesn't give him the cell phone fast enough. Or I close the dishwasher door before he can come and grab at all the dirty dishes. The list just goes on and on.
Bite me when nursing. Yep, happened a few days ago and now it's infected and it is so freakin painful. Oh, and who is the only one is our household without insurance? Mmmhmm, me. But don't worry Landon, I still love you.

Here's to 11 unforgettable months.

A Visit from Grandma

2011-05-24T18:59:00.012-06:00

This past week my mom came out to visit us (mostly Landon). So fun! Here were the adventures we had...

The Park: Thankfully, we took advantage of one of the few really nice day all week and went to the park. (Although we were so glad she brought all that Washington rain with her!) Watched some soccer and softball games. Landon enjoyed clapping and cheering for the teams.

Park City: When we found out mom had never been to Park City, we knew we had to go! Walked around downtown, checked out some art galleries (one had original sketches by Rembrandt, Picasso, and others), shopped around the outlet stores, and enjoyed some good food.

Utah Lake: Scott was scheduled to take some wedding photos at Utah Lake so we all went along for fun. (Been wanting to check it out for a while now.) Since it had been raining nonstop for days the lake was overflowing. Pretty cool. I also took mom to Tucanos since they have nothing like it back home. And, Landon did some cooking for us at the house. :)

Gardner Village: My fav!! I had never been here before but saw an ad for it and knew mom would love to check it out too. It's this super cute shopping center in West Jordan and all the stores are in old log cabins and houses. I really enjoyed reading the history of all the buildings. There were lots of unique shops, some kid-friendly, some not-so-much. My top picks were Alton's Sweet Shoppe and the Sassy Baby Store. I had so much fun snapping picts of the place, and as you can see, Landon thought he was just too cool to ride in the stroller.

Bonding Time: By the end of the week, L started warming up to Grandma. He would carry on conversations with her, "feed her" with his big wooden spoon, and even let her hold him for a few seconds. He was especially fond of her glasses.

Farm Country: I thought Landon might enjoy a visit to Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point. When we went, it happened to be "Sheep Days." Random. I can now say I've witnessed a sheep being sheered. Landon did pet the baby horse but was a little freaked out when it started licking his hand. Thankfully, in a few areas the smell of kettle corn overpowered the animal stench.

Car Show: While at the farm we saw a tons of tents, cars, people and heard some boppin music across the street. After further investigation we found a HUGE car show. We had a great time looking at the old, new, and unique cars, while gobbling up our kettle corn. (And I know this is a super random picture of us on the left but I really like it. Just us, being us. Makes me smile. And I guess mom thought it was more important to get the entire stroller in the picture than Scott's face. )

It was a fantastic week and we are so glad Grandma C came to visit!

The Life of the Party

2011-05-19T07:25:00.012-06:00

A few weeks ago we all went to a friend's reception that Scott was photographing. I enjoyed some delish food while Landon had a ball exploring the area and walking up to different groups of people. The only problem was, when anyone tried to talk to him he'd stop dead in his tracks and slowly start to lose it. Silly boy.

My Mumsie Day

2011-05-11T11:49:00.003-06:00

On the Saturday before Mother's Day, Scott took me out to dinner and the mall. Yes, what a sweetie to brave the weekend mall madness while I tried on shorts at a million stores. Then on Sunday I woke up to flowers and a clean house! (It was really out of hand.) But, my favorite Mother's Day gift was from Landon. It was a letter he wrote (with a little help from dad of course.) Since I don't really post about the sweet things Scott does, I just had to share:

Dear ma ma,

Ever since I was born 11 months ago you have been the most selfless person. You always drop everything to feed me, to bathe me, to dress me, to just make me laugh!

Sometimes I am poo poo and I whine lots, but you gotta know it's because I wanna be with you and close to you always. You make me feel safe and secure. You make me feel warm when I'm cold. You make me get lots of kisses too which isn't so bad in the end.

You are the best mommy a wee lad could ever have. You have taught me sooooo many things about life and my surroundings. You have taught me to be aware and explore. You help me be strong when I try new things. You teach me the gospel and help me learn about Jesus and Heavenly Father. You help me to feel close to them again.

I love you ma ma! Happy Mother's Day.

-Landon

Struttin His Stuff

2011-05-10T12:29:00.001-06:00

Unfortunately, I waited till beyond the last minute to order Landon's diapers online. Soooooo I was forced to run over to Babies R Us and get a small pack before the new box arrived. Just had to try the Huggies Jean Diapers, and of course do a little photo shoot as soon as we got home. :)

So Serious

2011-05-10T11:32:00.005-06:00

Landon has discovered a new activity. He likes to dump all the crayons out of the box, then put them back one by one. He did experiment with actually coloring, but that was definitely not as entertaining. This task requires a lot of concentration. Very serious.

Other activities he's into right now include opening and closing the dryer door, relocating things around the house (skillet, wipes, my keys, etc...) and sweeping the kitchen floor (seriously... pictures to come).

Little Helper

2011-05-07T06:39:00.006-06:00

Documentation of my first attempt gardening:

Seems to be going well, considering I really have no idea what I'm doing. Thus far, I've planted peas, potatoes, three types of lettuce, carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, and onions.

These pictures capture the last of Landon's sit-nicely-on-the-blanket-and-watch-mommy-garden days. Now he likes to walk around, pull all my plant labels out (then promptly break them in half), sit in the onion patch (right after I water) and of course, eat some dirt.

Spring!

2011-05-06T12:24:00.005-06:00

I think living in Idaho and Utah has taught me to really appreciate spring. It's just not green year-round here and when everything starts waking up, I legitimately freak out! I get so giddy when I see these blossoms pop up on the trees. (I'm sure Scott's really sick of me always saying, Oh look at that tree!) I love the sun, the fresh cut grass, and being outside to enjoy it all!

I should be sleeping but...

2011-04-25T23:57:00.002-06:00

I can't stop working on this new design! I've been inspired by my friend McCall's blog. She has such big beautiful pictures and it made me realize how teeny tiny mine were. Isn't that what everyone visits your blog to see anyway? Well after HOURS of figuring out all this html crap, I've FINALLY got this to show. There's still tons of work I'd like to do, but I just know I'm going to regret staying up this late as it is. Landon, will you pleeeeease sleep in tomorrow?

10 Months

2011-04-14T10:55:00.009-06:00

Well, another month has come and gone and little Landon is becoming more and more grown up. He walked for the first time a week ago and every day he gets better at it and wants to do it more. I love the look of his face when he is teetering along. So. Happy.

His front teeth are trying to poke through. Boy, have those things been causing grief.

Slowly, but surely he is getting better around strangers. I take him to storybook time at the library at least once a week and on Tuesday he even started flirting with a little girl next to us.

He LOVES to feed himself now. Bananas are a new fav. This also means the amount of mess he makes when eating has gotten exponentially worse.

He's such a good helper in the garden. Loves to sit on his blanket and laugh at me while I water the plants.

I love him.

One last thing. I came across this poem and just had to share...

I tried to teach my child with books;
He gave me only puzzled looks.
I tried to teach my child with words;
They passed him by often unheard.
Despairingly, I turned aside;
“How shall I teach this child,” I cried?
Into my hand he put the key,
“Come,” he said, “Play with me.”

Author Unknown

Beauty and the Beast

2011-04-06T07:15:00.008-06:00

It just amazes me how fast technology changes. I vaguely remember the first computer my family ever had. You know, one of those big bulky things that only played Pong. Or something like that.

Anyway, I got on a little Wikipedia kick (don't you just love Wikipedia?) and I found some interesting info and picts about Apple laptops. This is the "Macintosh Portable." Apple's first battery powered computer. It sold from 1989 - 1991. The ancientness of it reminds me of the movie Short Circuit.

Then came the PowerBook (1991 - 1999). Oh my goodness there is a palm rest before the keyboard. And a tracking ball? Quite revolutionary.
I'm sure you all remember these babies. So colorful. So clamshell. (1999 - 2006)

And that brings us to the current MacBook Pro. On the right is my old PC, bought in 2005. RIP dear beast of a computer.

We got this pict of Landon (very quickly, mind you) just to photoshop into a picture that Heather (Scott's sis) posted on Facebook.

The finished product:

Spoiled Indeed

2011-04-01T10:14:00.008-06:00

On my 24th birthday...

Landon let me sleep in till 6:45.

I woke up to colored post-it notes all over the house with silly and random expressions of love.

Scott cooked me a big ol breakfast with thick slices of french toast on actual french bread.

Landon surprised me with a new diaper bag. It is THE BEST diaper bag! All you mamas out there looking for the perfect one - this is it. Mine is the Emma (large size) and you can visit the Etsy seller's site here to check them out. Could double as a baby carrier?

Landon and I stuck our tongues out at each other for some giggles.

We headed north for a surprise visit to.... the ZOO! I had been wanting to go to Hogle Zoo FOREVER and thankfully it was a perfect day for it. Scott knows just how to make my day. :)

Landon loved looking at the animals (but mostly the other children).

This guy was HUGE.

We went to Red Robin for lunch and got my free Bonsai Burger and Mile High Mud Pie. YUM.

We also went across the street to the "This is the Place" Monument (since it happened to be right there.)

We got a free car wash and vacuum ($10 value!) and free cookie dough from Papa Murphys because it was my birthday.

We settled down at home (after an eventful and fun afternoon) for the unwrapping of gifts. Landon occupied himself at the AC vent. He kept running his hand up and down it and laughing at himself. As you can see, one of his newest things is pointing at everything.

AAAAANNNNNNNNND, Scott surprised me with this........

OH MY OMG. Don't worry, I'll post picts of my 6 year old tank of a laptop that is way past it's retirement. Landon, this is NOT YOUR TOY.

We ate some cake and my fav coconut hazelnut ice cream before bed.

Best. Birthday. Ever.

Color Explosion

2011-03-28T08:37:00.005-06:00

Holi (Festival of Colors): Sweet religious shindig celebrated by Hindus. Makes for amazing pictures.

New Discoveries

2011-03-26T10:43:00.006-06:00

Landon has discovered how delicious Cheerios are. (Finally!) He is just so cute when he feeds them to himself.
He has discovered how fun it is to play daddy's guitar (and hide things in it).

He has discovered that with the right amount of pressure, he can push the chair around the kitchen. (I know, we need to find him a walker of some sort.)

And he has discovered how fun it is to play with his tongue. :)

This is what I crave after spending an entire night throwing up.

2011-03-24T20:00:00.005-06:00

A couple nights ago I started feeling sick around 5:30pm. By 6:00 I was puking up everything I had ate that day and continued to do so every 10 minutes until 4:00am. And yes, the next day the one thing that sounded good were these babies: Circus Peanuts. I'm pretty sure there couldn't be anything worse for you. The article online where I found this picture said this about them:

"Off the top of your head, name one person that eats the Circus Peanuts candy – you can’t. Typically sold in generic white bags at Middle-American truck stops, these chalky banana clusters of orange sugar must know someone of substantial rank to remain on shelves today. It’s likely that the bags still in circulation are from the original 1800s batch and our grandparents are slowly plucking them one-by-one."

This makes me laugh. Now you can all name one person who does eat Circus Peanuts. And I know, you'd think I was prego or something. I AM NOT.

You've been out of the womb as long as you were in it?!

2011-03-13T16:06:00.008-06:00

I seriously can't believe Landon is three months away from being a year old!

New things he can do:
1. Wave hi.
2. Make the signs for diaper change, milk, and "all done." He will repeat the diaper change sign back to me when I do it, and just in the last week he has started doing it on his own. He gets really excited when I sign milk. He does "all done" all the time so I'm not sure he realizes yet what it means.
3. Say mama AND dada; although dada usually comes out as "uh duh."
4. Scream at the very tip top of his lungs. I was pretty sure he couldn't get any louder but he has definitely surpassed my expectations.
5. Become upset when I say no.
6. Stand on his own for 5 - 10 seconds.
7. Move his head side to side when I say, "shake it."
8. Eat his new favorite foods - apple cinnamon oatmeal, spinach and sweet potatoes.
9. Crawl up onto my lap and sit there. (When I'm down on the floor with him. I LOVE when he does this.)
10. Get into EVERYTHING.

Things we are still waiting for him to do:
1. Eat foods other than his perfectly pureed baby mush. (He hates any chunks and refuses to eat Cheerios or Puffs.)
2. Sleep through the night. (Please Landon can we meet this milestone soon...)

Stats:
18.96 lbs (24th percentile)
28 inches tall (41st percentile)
18 in head circumference (62nd percentile)

Here are a few of the many *cute* faces of Landon:

Feeding himself for the first time:

Totally unphased by the fact that I put his flatopotamus on his head:

Going into the crevice to retrieve his baby monitor to chew on:

Hanging out in the canyon while Daddy was shooting bridals:

Heading into Daddy's office to watch him work:

Looking out the window: (He can stand on our bed and hold the window ledge; great fun in the mornings.)

Putting up with crazy hairdos/cruising around the table and chairs:

Happy nine month b-day little man!

The Scare in the Stench

2011-03-12T08:10:00.004-07:00

Yes... I might possibly be a little Bones obsessed. If you know Bones, then you know what I'm referring too.

ANYWAY, last night Scott (while doped up on Ambien) woke me up, to help him figure out where a mysterious, horrendously nasty smell was coming from.

Point #1: Neither of us were all-together coherent.

So we searched the house, following our noses in a game of "hotter and colder" trying to figure out what was causing this horrible stench. However, we both have been sick for the past two weeks.

Point #2: Trying to smell with a stuffed-up and runny nose doesn't work well.

We finally narrowed it down to the kitchen or living room and started to freak out wondering if we had a gas leak and were going to die if we kept breathing it in. But, after thoroughly smelling out the mentioned areas we came to the conclusion that the smell must be coming from the running dishwasher.

Point #3: Trust your instincts (and nose) even if you are sick and not-all-there.

So we opened the windows, went to bed, and hoped that the smell would clear out. Turns out we didn't die in the night (thankfully) so this morning I did some detective work and found this in the bottom of the dishwasher:
It's a half burned away container for Landon's baby food. It was wedged underneath some metal ring in the bottom of the dishwasher that obviously gets hot enough to cook away plastic.

Moral of the story: Hand wash these containers.

Presenting...

2011-03-03T14:30:00.007-07:00

Scott's new website! Ta da! It's done! This has been in the works for almost a year now and... are you ready for this... I designed it! He has added new everything too, so go take a looksie.
ALSO presenting...
Some of you may have heard that Antoine Dodson called Scott this week. Yeah. THE Antoine Dodson. Here's the dealio with that:

Scott is creating/producing/filming/editing, etc... a web series called "Dr. Fubalous." The show is about a medical doctor, Dr. Fubalous, and his male nurse cohort (Papa Skwaught) who are both more concerned about their fantasy hip hop careers than their medical duties. Consequently they lack in their medical knowledge and help each other cover up the mistakes they make in the field. He plans to shoot six 5-8 min episodes constructed in a similar style to Flight of the Conchords with a music video built into each episode. Antoine Dodson has agreed to play the part of “Papa Skwaught.” Niiiiiiiiiiiice.

Beautiful Places

2011-02-28T07:54:00.009-07:00

Scott just finished editing a bunch of his pictures from his New Zealand trip back in October. Now I'm really dying to go...

Ok, seeing as how a trip to New Zealand isn't really possible right now, I will gladly settle for a little of this...
(Scott took these when we went to Washington last summer. The first three were taken on the ferry to Seattle.)

Caught in the Act

2011-02-25T14:26:00.005-07:00

While I made some wassail and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies this morning (yum!), Landon wandered off to occupy himself. I found him a while later looking for a good book to read. (At least he inherited something from me!) Speaking of good reads, anyone have a suggestion? Just finished Gatsby and still looking for a new book to start...

A Scrumptious Snack

2011-02-24T09:44:00.004-07:00

This past weekend we spent a chunk of time walking around Costco, dining on the many samples. Do you ever actually buy what you sample? We don't. BUT, this time I tried something so delicious I actually bought it: Mrs. Mays All Natural Trio Bars. I love snacking on bars but do you know how many are dairy-free? None. Not only are these Trio Bars dairy-free, they are preservative and additive-free AND they taste soooo good! Packed full of nuts, seeds, and fruit. Scott even likes them, so that should tell you something!

Garden Guru

2011-02-21T10:00:00.006-07:00

So I just found out our ward has a garden and you can get a 25 x 25 foot plot in it. Score! I have never gardened before but have always wanted to. Obviously I won't be planting any time soon but where do I even begin? What should I plant or not plant? I know I want tomatoes, snap peas, strawberries, squash, etc... but what supplies do I need? Ideas? Advice from you experts out there?

This and That

2011-02-18T06:50:00.014-07:00

The Latest...

A Fun Weekend: The weekend before Valentine's Day we took Landon out for a little fun on the town. We went bowling, which Scott and I really enjoyed, but Landon was not quite fond of. He didn't care for the noise but slowly toward the end was tolerating it better. Scott and I used to go bowling all the time in high school. At BYU-I we even took a bowling class together. So fun. Anyway, after bowling it was super sunny and warm outside (37 degrees), so we went to the park. Landon had a ball. He loved the swing!
Valentine's Day: We spent V-Day eating, eating, and eating some more. I surprised Scott with some festive, heart-shaped donuts from Krispy Kreme for breakfast. For lunch we all went to Olive Garden and finally used up a gift certificate (Thanks Heather!) that we had been saving. Landon did surprisingly well and sat nicely in the high chair for the whole meal. For dinner we had a Papa Murphys heart-shaped pizza and some chocolate-dipped strawberries (homemade!). And finally, Scott surprised me with my favorite chocolate hazelnut fudge ice cream (made with coconut milk). OK, maybe a little overboard on the food, but it was sooooooo good.

Landon wasn't really interested in getting a good picture in his V-day onesie from G & G Winn, but he was interested in the candy corn. (Look at those chunky legs!)

A Perfect Toy: One of Landon's all-time favorite toys is the Wii controller. He loves that darn thing. Its got a nice strap for holding, it blinks when you push the buttons, the squishy top is perfect for chewing. What more could a baby ask for? (Other "toys" Landon is fond of include our big orange plastic colander and my debit/credit cards.)

Bedtime: Every night before bed I read Landon, Goodnight Moon. He sits nicely (this is such a rare phenomenon), turns the pages, and interjects a squeal of approval/exciting here and there. The other night Scott read to him and I couldn't resist snapping some cute picts. Of course as soon as he heard the camera click he was instantly distracted from the book.

8 Months: It's amazing how many new things Landon can do each day. He is learning/changing/growing so fast. He has been cruising for a couple months now but is getting really good at it. Now he pulls himself up to stand on everything, even things with no grip (doors and walls), but is able to do it! Now that he is crawling, when he's finished playing with a toy he leaves and goes in search of another. Many times Landon will hear Scott talking in his office and wander in to say, hello. (Well, more accurately, to say mama.)

He is getting more and more picky about his food. Loves his sweet potatoes, butternut squash and pears. Everything else, especially veggies he won't eat very much of. I've tried making his food a little chunkier but he just spits it out. He finally tried a Mum cracker after watching me pretend to eat them for a few days, but once again, not a big fan. Just yesterday Scott got him to drink out of his sippy cup and you could tell Landon was pretty dang proud of himself.

When I go get Landon out of his crib after a nap he is always sitting up or standing. So weird to get used to! And usually he is crying and saying mamamama which makes it more sad/cute.

I had been wanting to do 6 month picts of Landon but as you can see, we were a few months late getting those done. I think we got a good mix of the many faces of Landon... (he did NOT want to go in that suitcase.)

Music: Landon (and I) love listening to music. Pandora is amazing. Some random songs that I'm into right now are...
1. Sleepyhead by Passion Pit
2. You and I by Ingrid Michaelson
3. Rhythm of Love by Plain White T's

Court Intruder

2011-02-12T10:19:00.006-07:00

Scott and Stephen Jones just finished their latest parody about BYU Basketball's star, Jimmer Fredette. They literally filmed this in a couple hours, then spend a few nights recording the song and editing the vid. It was uploaded late last night, and ESPN has already blogged about it here. Watch it, share it, love it.

Court Intruder

Teeth!

2011-02-08T17:25:00.006-07:00

Landon's two bottom teeth popped up overnight. I noticed the first on the same day he started crawling, and the second the day after. They are causing some serious grief. Poor guy.

Here are a few random pictures from the last couple days. I don't even remember Scott taking this, nor can I explain why my thumb is under his chin, but I love his serious expression.

This was right after a bath, sporting his missionary hairdo.

Laughin at his own jokes, or something like that.

He has finally figured out how to walk around his table. It is very amusing watching him walk in circles to play with all the toys.

The Grand Tour

2011-02-07T16:48:00.006-07:00

Come on in! Here's the tour of our new place...

We are the top right. Finally! After two years of living below people, it's about time we are the ones on top.
The madness before unpacking. Wish I had a before before picture. Two guys had been living in it for five years. The carpets were blue, really old and worn, and the walls were pretty much black from who knows what. It. was. so. dirty.
And after.
In the corner where the previous photo is taken is this storage closet. The left half is full of boxes and the right will be our pantry. Yay! A place to stock up on food!
The hallway. It is located to the left of the kitchen. (The wall on the left in this picture is the wall in the living room with the bookcase and painting of us.)
All the storage closets in the hallway!! Three! Love it! (This picture is taken from Landon's room.)
Bathroom (from hallway).
Landon's room. (In panoramic form, hence the weird warping.)
Our room.
Walk-in closet. Niiiiiiiiice.
Our bedroom has a door to the bathroom as well. Love how connected everything is.
And last but not least, Scott's office.
The end. We love love love our new place. Let's hope we don't have to move for a while...

We Have a Crawler!

2011-02-04T09:27:00.007-07:00

For a while there it seemed that Landon was not interested in crawling. He was perfectly happy standing and slowly walking along the couch. Not anymore! In the last few days he has been rocking back and forth in the crawling position, taking a step or two before collapsing, and then... just this morning he was goin to town! Legitimately crawling all over the place!!
He also LOVES to make this scrunch face now. He does it all the time, and always laughs afterward. His first attempt at making faces at mama?

A Few of My Favorite Things

2011-02-01T09:14:00.005-07:00

We are finally at the new pad and after moving in we had to go a whole week before the internet could get setup. I know, a week. It. was. torturous. However, it got me thinking about the other things in life that I couldn't live without. Here's what made the top 5 list:

1. Internet (obviously). Connect to people. Look up phone numbers. Find sweet stuff on KSL (Utah's Craig's List - way less creepy). Watch favorite TV shows. Find great recipes. Print coupons. Google random things. The possibilities are endless.

2. Landon's binky. He didn't start taking his binky until he was 6 months old. Good grief. However, now that he can (and enjoys) sucking it, life is sooooo much better for the both of us.
3. Magic Eraser. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm probably one of the most obsessively clean/organized people around. Like, we are talking OCD level. Cleaning is how I stay sane. It makes me happy. I love cleaning. Seriously. The Magic Eraser can take off the toughest of stains. I attacked our disgustingly dirty front door with it, and voila: now it's perfectly white.
4. Camera. I loooooooove taking pictures (mostly of Landon of course). But I know that in 50 years, when my memory is shot I will be so thankful for the thousands and thousands of pictures I take.
5. Books. Aside from cleaning, reading is one of my favorite pastimes. I used to love being crafty and scrapbooking but as of right now there is too little time for that and it's just too much work. So, I have been reading like crazy. I look forward to nursing Landon for that sole reason. I just finished rereading my all-time fav, The Giver.

Jumpin on the Bandwagon

2011-01-24T11:30:00.006-07:00

A friend of mine brought up a really good point on her blog. Most of what we post is the good, great, and fantastic things that are happening in our lives. This will obviously not give an accurate representation of what our lives are really like: usually mundane, uneventful, routine, etc... Someday I am going to actually get my blog published and when I do I want it to accurately portray my life. I'm going to try and be better about posting more than just the great adventures of the Winns, but hopefully not drown you in boredom at the same time. What a challenge! (Thanks Courtney for mentioning this on your blog!)
So, here are a few of the mundane things I go through each day...

Feeding Landon: This was his first try eating beets. I make all his baby food and this was the first time I've even bought beets. I'm pretty sure they are in my top 10 list of the most disgusting foods. I was thinking Landon would agree and make some cute scrunched up face when he tried them, but nope, he just wolfed them down with no expression at all. (As a side note, he usually is wearing clothes and a bib when I feed him but since beets stain I didn't want to take any chances.)Shopping: Going anywhere with Landon is such a production. First of all I have to strategically time my trip between nursing sessions and naps and that window is very small indeed, especially when you figure in driving time and the time it will take to actually do the shopping needed. I must make sure his diaper bag/my purse is stuffed with all the provisions necessary in case of poo-outs, boredom, sudden onsets of hunger, etc... And I have to know exactly what I need to get. No more dilly-dallying around, that's for sure. Ah, I remember when shopping used to be such a fun, relaxing pastime. 'Tis life.

All in a Day's Work

2011-01-21T13:03:00.004-07:00

Landon loves to help us get work done. He helps daddy by answering phone calls...

He helps mommy cook...

And he just loves "working" at his new table.... I've been wanting to get him one of these forever and I finally found someone on KSL selling one brand new for half what I would pay at the store. SCORE!

7 Months and Family Pictures

2011-01-13T08:51:00.012-07:00

Landon LOVES standing. He can pull himself up to that position now and it's all he ever wants to do. He also has become very expressive. He opens his mouth really wide and says na na na really loud when he is trying to get my attention. He also loves to "sing" with me. He is enjoying all the food I feed him. So far he has had rice cereal, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, avocado, and butternut squash. Loves them all. He also really likes sitting in the shopping cart like a big boy (rather than in his car seat). I'll have to get a picture because we have the cutest cart cover. Some things he doesn't like: the blender. Freaks him out every time. Same thing happens when Scott blows his nose. What a spook. Anyway, happy birthday little man!Sooooo I just realized I never posted our family pictures from way back in October. Here are a few of them:

Crinkles!

2011-01-11T08:10:00.014-07:00

Let me preface this post by explaining my history with sweet things... I love them. Any and all. However, when I was pregnant with Landon I decided to seriously cut back all candy and baked goodies. Once Landon was born I couldn't eat chocolate (has milk) so it's been a while since I've had any really scrumptious, chocolaty treats. Untilllllll I recently found the recipe for these bad boys.

Oh. my. goodness. You know when you find some sinfully delicious dessert but it's so sweet you can only have a few bites? Not the case with these chocolate crinkle cookies! I'm not kidding you, I can down that whole pan in 5 minutes and not feel one bit sick. It's a miracle. (And I'll refrain from mentioning how many pan-fulls I've eaten.) They are SO easy to make. Amazing right out of the oven. Still chewy the next day. Mmmmmmm. Anyway, go make them...

Crinkles
Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls. I like to use a number 50 size scoop. Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

I love my husband. I love that he works from home and I get to see so much of him. I love how ridiculously random he is. And I love that he is always looking for ways to help me take care of Landon. All in a day's work:

The Combo and the Change

2011-01-08T07:22:00.005-07:00

Sometimes Landon sucks on his thumb. Sometimes he sucks on his binky. Usually though, it's a combination of both. He is also very considerate and likes to share with mommy and daddy. He will suck suck suck on it, and then hold it up to my mouth so I can have a go as well. How thoughtful.
Just a couple of his many funny faces:

As for the change... no shocker here: we're moving AGAIN. We have lived in Utah two years now and this will be our fourth move. But, for the first time this is actually by choice. We've had enough of Mapleton, so we are headed up to Orem. (For those non-Utah folk, it's just 20 minutes north.) Although we hate hate HATE moving it will be worth it in the end... hopefully. The main thing is that with Scott working from home he really needs an office where he can shut himself up during the day and actually work. Landon cannot share a room with us because of his sleep training (yes, STILL working on that). Soooo, this three bedroom apartment will be great. It's also in the same area where Scott has most of his shoots so that will cut down on drive time considerably. Anyway, enough rambling, should be moving in the next few weeks. Yaaaaaay!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T15:08:00.005-07:00

For New Years weekend we took a jaunt up to Rexburg, ID to meet up with Scott's fam. It was really fun to hang out with everyone and so nice for them to see Landon but in Scott's words, "We are never going anywhere with Landon again." It was just REALLY hard having him off his normal schedule for naps and bedtime, not to mention the 5 hour drive there and back. Probably should have tried getting him to sleep in the pack and play sometime before the trip, then maybe he would have been more into it... oh well.

Today was Landon's 6 month appointment. Here are his stats:

16 lbs, 14 oz. (26th percentile - he has typically been in the 50th, so we are going to up the amount of solids he is on. He has actually only gained 1 lb in the last two months even though it sure feels like more. Our pediatrician said not to worry, he definitely hasn't been going hungry! He looks healthy and is doing well.)
27.5 in (73rd percentile)
17.25 in head circumference (40th percentile)

That's about it... happy New Year everyone!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-27T08:50:00.008-07:00

Christmas Eve:

After watching Elf and eating a big ol' feast, our little fam drove up to Salt Lake to see the lights on temple square. We arrived just in time to see the nativity program. There was a life-size nativity scene with narration of the Christmas story and added words by the prophet, President Monson. Even though it was freezing outside, I am so glad we saw it! Since having Landon, the story of Christ's birth has touched my heart like never before. How amazing that this innocent, little baby lying in a manger would grow to be the savior of all mankind. Shepherds and wise men came to worship him. The whole thing is just remarkable.
After the nativity scene the lights had still not come on. It was dark. We were getting worried... until at 5:30 exactly the whole square lit up. Oooohs, aaaahs, and little screams echoed across the block as countless lights came to life. It was beautiful.
Of course when we got home we left some cookies and milk for Santa and read The Night Before Christmas.
Christmas:

Landon was so excited for Christmas that he woke up at 2:30am and laid in his crib for two hours squealing. No crying, just legitimately happy squealing. Sooooo, Christmas at our house started around 5:30. We opened stockings and Santa gifts and then Landon was done so we all took a break (and a much needed nap!) then finished opening presents a little later. As expected, Landon loved the wrapping paper most and got spoiled rotten by his grandparents. We had such a nice rest of the day relaxing, snacking, playing with our new toys, and watching Inception. (Deviated a little from the usual tradition of It's a Wonderful Life.)
Unwrapping presents can be exhausting:
On Christmas Landon had his first bath sitting up:
Then got into some new comfy PJs:
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas as well!

A Visit to the North Pole

2010-12-19T08:08:00.005-07:00

Well, our little Santa Baby went to see Santa yesterday. It went just as I expected it would go...

Right before we left the house: (Landon: "I can't wait to see this so-called Santa!")
First millisecond after being placed in Santa's lap: ("Not too sure about this ma...")
Next millisecond: ("Get me outta here!")
And the following: ("Trying to tickle me will not help this situation or make me smile.")
So I step in: ("Much better but still don't like this dude. Period.")
After the Santa excursion we went to Tucanos Brazilian Grill for the first time. We waited for over an hour to be seated and were starting to consider going someplace else. However as anyone who has been there knows, it was TOTALLY worth it! For those who don't know why Tucanos is so special: There is an all you can eat buffet of side dishes you can help yourself to, then servers come around with 12 different types of meats (grilled on giant skewers) along with grilled veggies and pineapple (YUM!) for you to choose from. You just eat and eat and EAT. We pretty much couldn't move after we finished.

One thing I neglected to write about in the previous post of Winn family updates was Scott's trip to Nashville. He went to film a concert by the Cold War Kids at Jack White's studio. (Dude from the White Stripes.) He got to hang out with Jack in his never-before-seen-by-the-pubic lounge at the studio. Scott got some sweet concert and behind the scenes footage. Very cool!

Merry Merry Christmas!

6 Months Old and A Homemade Stocking

2010-12-17T07:38:00.015-07:00

I really can't believe our little guy is already 6 months old. Where has the time gone? He is growing and changing so fast! On December 1st he started to say ma ma ma ma ma. Still not really sure if he knows that's me but he says it nonetheless! Before it was na na na and blah blah blah. Seriously! He also has started squealing which is quite entertaining. He is perfecting his army crawl as well. He will pull his body a few inches, roll over, and repeat to move around. When I hold him in a standing position he always stands on his toes, waving his arms out to the sides - little ballerina?

The other night we were all sitting on the bed listening to Scott play guitar. Landon is so fascinated by the guitar! Anyway, Landon was laying on his tummy and I started rubbing his back and he just went totally limp, rested his head, spread out his arms and legs, and laid there for a half an hour while I scratched/massaged his little baby body. It was the cutest thing!

Landon is such a BOY. He loves computers (keyboards), phones, and Scott's camera. He particularly likes to "help" out when we are trying to do something on the computer. However, he does get a little rough and now my laptop is missing one of the arrow keys. (Let me clarify; I know where it is, it's just no longer attached to the keyboard.)

On Landon's half birthday we went to the Enchanted Gingerbread Forest at the Grand America in Salt Lake City. It was so cool!! It was around 7:30pm on a weekday so there was really no one there. Very quiet and peaceful with many beautiful lights and displays. Landon was in heaven! He was just babbling and giggling and having so so much fun!
Since Black Friday, I have been working here and there on Landon's stocking. I wasn't planning on making one but after unsuccessfully trying to find one I liked, I decided why not? So I went to Joanns and bought some fabric, a little snowman, and a hanging decoration with various Christmasy things on it. I cut those out and hand-stitched them to the front of the stocking, along with the letters of his name. For not following any pattern, and pretty much winging it as I went along, I think it turned out well! I forgot how much I LOVE doing crafty things!!

Homemade Stocking (Mini How-To)
Materials

Fabric (I used fleece in two colors)
Felt
Embroidery Floss
Decorations (Mine were cut out from a Christmas banner)
Old Stocking (Optional to use as a template)

Directions

Trace the old stocking leaving 1/4 in seam allowance.
Sew the top and bottom second color fabric to the stocking. (Mine is the white.) I made the top extra long so I could just fold it over on the inside.
Decorate the front however you wish! I cut his name out from green felt and hand stitched it on using doubled over embroidery floss. Then I cut out some Christmas icons (snowflake, santa, reindeer) from a Christmas banner. I hand-stitched these on just like the letters. I also bought a little snowman and sewed that on the middle.
Put right sides together and sew the stocking up.
Fill with Christmas goodies!

I'm Getting So Big!

2010-12-06T15:24:00.006-07:00

Not only can I do this really well now...

But I can also do this! (Ok, obviously I put him there and granted, he can only hold on for a few minutes before falling over, but still!)

Holidays and Happenings

2010-12-02T05:01:00.008-07:00

Lately we have been...

Lovin Landon: We recently switched his reflux medicine and have noticed such a big difference in him this past week. He is sooooo happy, curious, content, etc... all those good adjectives. He is slowly sleeping better as well which also helps my mood exponentially. :)

Filmin: (Duh!) Just yesterday Scott filmed a commercial for Body Mint; a company out of Hawaii. It was mostly outside and I was doing craft services (providing food) so our lil guy was there too, all bundled up and hangin with daddy and me. He was even in the commercial! Oh my goodness, can't wait to post the finished product so you can all see him - it is priceless!
Eatin and Movie Goin: Here is our Thanksgiving feast. Yummers! We had our meal at noonish then headed up to our favorite theater in West Jordan to see Harry Potter. At the last minute (AKA two days) before we saw the movie I decided to read the book (it has been years). I made it through everything that was in the movie and was so glad I read the book first. I had forgotten how AMAZING those books are. Now I need to dig through the storage to get my whole set and read them all. Oh, and of course the movie was fab and I can't wait for July. Landon was a perfect angel and slept through the whole thing!

Rearrangin and Decoratin: In order to fit a tree in our lil itby bitty apartment AND move Scott's "office" out of Landon's room (doesn't work too well to have him in there and Landon trying to nap at the same time) we rearranged our living room as pictured. (There used to be a sofa chair in the tree's place and we found that desk for 25 bucks on KSL - steal!)

Landon was sleeping when we decorated the tree, so when he woke up it was really fun to see how much he enjoyed looking at the new tree. He likes to sit on the floor and just observe. (Of course then he also tries to wiggle his way closer in order to touch it.)

Every year since I was born my grandparents on my mom's side would send me a Christmas ornament. They were from a series and were super uber cute. Anyway, my mom is now starting the same tradition with Landon. We couldn't find any series that we loved so we decided to do our own. His ornament theme is going to be movies! So, this year he got the one pictured below.
Happy Holidays!!!

Catching Up

2010-11-21T08:06:00.010-07:00

During the past few weeks Scott has been busy filming a feature. Thank goodness he only has a few days left. When he does these features it's 6 days a week, 6 - 10pm ish. Yuck. In the meantime, I have been busy sleep training Landon. We have made some improvements but still have a long way to go. He is finally sleeping in his crib for naps and bedtime. Score! He takes 3 naps; ranging anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours. He can also sleep for about 4 hours in a row at night. However, he still always wants to get up and play at 3:30am. ALWAYS.

I tried giving him some rice cereal a few weeks ago and he was totally uninterested. Today I thought I'd give it a try again and he loved it! Sooooo cute watching him figure out how to eat off a spoon! He is moving around a lot these days. Can roll over both ways really well. He also does this funny army crawl/inchworm sort of thing to get around. Although, he refuses to crawl on the floor unless I lay a blanket down. I don't blame him, our carpets are made of burlap.

He is getting much better at sitting up on his own. He can sit well when holding onto something, and for a few seconds unsupported. Today we took a walk to the mailbox and he was so fascinated by the snow. (Yes, it finally came, suppose this had to happen sooner or later.)

I am soooooooo excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas!! I have all my things ready to bake a big ol' dairy-free feast this week. And, we are planning on seeing Harry Potter. Yahoo! This is the first time we have missed the midnight showing, so I have just been dying to see it. And, what I'm most looking forward to is getting our tree! I have already decorated the house for Christmas and Landon and I rock out to Christmas music all day. Just missing that one key element!!

Let's see... other things I have been up to... cooking! Yesterday I actually made a pot roast. Despite the fact that I accidentally had it on the "keep warm" setting all day, then finally realized after church and promptly cranked it up to high, it still turned out really well! I also make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies like every 3 days. Seriously. I get all my recipes from Megan's blog. Sooooo delicious.

Here are some of the latest pictures of Landon. He is getting to be such a big boy! He is just over 5 months old, 16 lbs and 26 inches. He is in the 50th percentile for everything. Here is his uber adorable favorite sleeping position.
Sitting up with the support of his toy box.
His cute little All Blacks Rudgy shirt from NZ.
Sitting up without assistance - and long enough for me to actually get a picture!
All bundled up to go outside!
My grandparents went on a Disney cruise and brought back this outfit and bear for Landon. He loves his new friend, although usually tries to eat him.
5 months old picture. Landon LOVES listening to Scott play guitar. He just sits and watches so fascinated.
A week ago Scott and I spontaneously drove up to Park City. It was so fun because it was the first time it really felt like winter here; chilly, snow coming down, etc... We went in a Christmas store and I thought this was pretty cute:
Don't have many pictures of Landon with daddy. Of course out of the 30 I took all were either out of focus or Landon wasn't looking at the camera. Oh well.
I like this one because they are making similar faces (wasn't planned) and you can really see how much Landon looks like Scott.
Getting all bundled up!And finally, walking around in the Mei Tai. Landon had fun going in all the shops and galleries... for a little while at least. :)

Back Home

2010-11-05T14:18:00.008-06:00

Well, it was a great vaca but always feels so nice to be back in your own bed. :) And of course it was especially grand to finally see Scott too!!

In WA I had a lot of fun chillin with my fam. We watched the first and only season of Freaks and Geeks, which I have been wanting to watch for a while now. (Great show! It totally should have gotten picked up, but whatevs.) We also watched the movie, My Sister's Keeper. I looooooove this movie. It is super sad but so good. The music is amazing. Like, I cannot get over how great it is. There were a few days where the sun was actually shining so we walked around downtown, at the farmers market, and the park. We dressed up lil Landon for Halloween and gave out candy. (Although he fell asleep and we had a record low of 3 trick or treaters, it was still fun!) I also got to head down to Portland one of the days and catch up with a couple old friends which was so nice! Scott's fam came over from Spokane for a weekend and we all went to the Harry Potter Exhibit at the Pacific Science Center. It was so freaking sweet! It was all the actual props and costumes from the movies! So cool to see them in real life. And, surprisingly Landon did so well on the plane both times; I was so proud of him! Here's my hometown:
Scott enjoyed the rest of his time in NZ (of course!). He said the people are just so welcoming and kind that it feels like home there. In between concerts, he went caving, climbed some hills that were right out of LOTR, and a million other things that I can't remember right now because he told me all about them last night at midnight when his flight arrived. They are going back next year for sure and I can't wait to join them!
Today is Landon's offical first day of sleep training. We are working on our daytime routine first and getting him to take 3 naps in his crib. (Pure torture for both of us.) Nap #1: cried 30 minutes before faling asleep, nap #2: one hour, and nap #3: 20 minutes. I think when I go in to comfort or check on him it just makes it worse. Hopefully this helps though in the long run and he figures out that taking a nap for an hour is much nicer than crying for that time...

News from NZ

2010-10-25T12:09:00.001-06:00

We are in Hamilton now and most of our big traveling is finally over. We're pretty much between here and Auckland now which is only a couple hours away. We left Hastings this morning after a HUUUGE potluck breakfast and farewell party. The people in Hastings were soooo incredible and so kind to us. They just loved us like nothing else!!! Hastings was like 98% Mauri too so it was really crazy seeing so much of their lifestyle/traditions so close up!! I have so many things to show/teach you about them when i get back!! They did the Haka too for us right before we left. It was soooo scary because one minute they're loving and hugging us and then the next they're doing this ancient war cry and screaming in our faces! It was funny!

So i really wanna go bungy jumping but its $120!!! We stopped by the bungy jumping place on our way over today and it was soooo cool. It's in a super pretty area over a huge amazon type jungle and river. Its all natural and looks so pretty!!

When we got to Hamilton today we drove right past the temple! It is soooooo pretty, looks like Navou I think. Its soooo cool and up on a hill. I cant wait to get pics. We went straight to a section of church college where there were tooooooons of people waiting to greet us. When we arrived we were sung to and greeted and hugged and then we had a huge FEED (meal) like usual. Then right after dinner we went outside and played touch (rugby) with all the teen guys and got our butts kicked. Justin and Jacob had never played before so it was really fun. Luckily I remembered most of the rules but it just killed me! I couldnt play very long. Then right after that we had a practice with the band. It sounded soooooooo good and im actually really excited now to play with them!

Update from Scott

2010-10-22T10:22:00.007-06:00

Landers and I are enjoying our time in WA while Scott is having a blast in NZ. It's colder here than in Utah so I got the little man this hat.

I've got a couple emails from Scott so here are some of the things he has said about the trip so far:

Thursday:

New Zealand is absolutely gorgeous. I hope I have a chance to post some pics in the next couple days. We've been suuuuper busy ever since we arrived. We had an enormous group waiting for us at the airport. We got situated in the place we're staying and then started practicing. I had to learn a song to play with the other group right away. Oh, the place we're at is up on a hill overlooking a bay that opens into the ocean. It looks identical to a place in Washington up by Vancouver and all the islands. Super green and pretty cold. It actually rained a bunch today and I thought for a while I was in Washington.

We are 20 hours ahead of you. It is almost midnight here which would be 4 am for you. Anyways, everyone here is sooooooo insanely kind and generous and chill. So we have a pretty big show tomorrow, just so happens to be at the stake center. A lot of people from the area (members and non members) are expected to come. Even a lot of political leaders from the area. So we practiced all night. It's a pretty big/long show.

Anyways, I am EXHAUSTED, i can barely keep my eyes open. The flight was sooooo long and I couldn't really sleep in it. Tomorrow is a BIG BIG day. We have to get up at 5 am and go do the television show. It's the number one watched morning show in NZ!! Im playing two songs. Then we have rehearsals and the first show tomorrow night!

Later that night:

I just got back from the concert and I'm gonna head to bed! The concert went sooooo insanely well and it was so much fun! The place was filled and then some. Way more people came than I expected. Actually, you'll be happy to know that a bunch of people from the WETA production company came - they're the guys who made Lord of the Rings with Peter Jackson!!! Crazy eh!?!!?!?

Pumpkinland!

2010-10-17T06:06:00.007-06:00

Yesterday we took a trip to the local pumpkin patch. The weather was perfect! We got a million cute pictures of Landon. Here are a couple of my favs. (The rest are on Facebook.)

New Toys!

2010-10-16T04:39:00.006-06:00

Landon's Toy: (Although who knew adults could get so excited over baby toys!) This is his Rainforest Jumperoo. I found it used on KSL for half the price of a new one and I didn't have to wait for shipping! It's in perfect condition too! So, after washing everything, Landon took a go in it. For a while he just held onto one of the toys for dear life, then he finally let go and just sat curiously watching the blinking lights. I can't wait till he figures out he can jump in it! This thing is great - the seat rotates 360 degrees to easily reach the 5 toy stations with all kinds of spinning, noise-making toys. It's motion-activated so I can either have the lights and music going constantly, or they can be activated only if Landon touches certain toys. It has rainforest animals hanging down he can bat at, three different height settings, and it folds up. AWESOME.
My Toy: This is the Mei Tai that FINALLY arrived in the mail. (They are custom order, you can choose from hundreds of fabrics and around 10 different strap colors.) It's amazing! So comfortable and I love being able to have two hands again. :) I spent months researching and talking to people about babywearing. This is a great carrier and can be used all the way up to toddler age. He can also be worn on my back (although I haven't tried it yet). This is one of the most comfortable for baby and mom. (Some are not good for your back or for baby because of how he hangs.) You might not be able to tell but Landon is totally zonked out. He slept for over an hour in there while I got stuff done around the house.

Berry Banana Smoothie and Chicken Apple Salad

2010-10-14T22:47:00.008-06:00

Recently Scott and I have decided to eat better. Our inspiration has come from my good friend Megan and her amazing food blog. Her recipes are "naked" in that they don't have any preservatives, additives, or fillers of any kind. Because of this, they are really good for you, and also very tasty!

Berry Banana Smoothie (Blend the following)

Ingredients

1 ripe banana, cut into pieces
2 cups of frozen, mixed berries
1/2 cup crushed ice
1 container plain yogurt
1/4 cup agave or honey
Handful of spinach (You can't taste this - I swear!)

Chicken Apple Salad
Ingredients

Big handful of spinach
Small cooked chicken breast, diced
1 small apple, sliced
assorted veggies like carrots, peppers, green onions and mushrooms

Homemade Apple Vinaigrette: Whisk the following together:

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons apple juice
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon agave (or honey would work)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

*You will have leftover dressing

He's Rollin! And An Amazing Peach Pie!

2010-10-12T06:29:00.011-06:00

(Landon will be four months old tomorrow!!) As of the first of October, he has figured out how to roll over from his back to his tummy. He does it every time I lay him on his back. He's never trying to grab for anything, I think he just really likes to be on his tummy. He even does it while I am changing his diaper or clothes... which can make quite a mess, say, if he happens to pee right after rolling over and I don't have a diaper on him yet, and then decides to spit up all over the place too. Good photo opt though. :) I have a great video of him rolling over (along with some really painful ones where he is almost there but not quite and struggles FOR - EV - ER with no success) but I have no idea how to get it from Scott's weird camera format and huge file size to something I can put on the blog. Oh well, here are a few action shots:

Sometimes he gets a little stuck and isn't quite sure why:

In other news, Landon has discovered he loves jumping up and down, being thrown, and standing in front of the fan. Yesterday I went through all his clothes and found tons that now fit him. Here's the little shark bait in his new PJs:
Nothing says summer like peach pie and this recipe from Taste of Home is DELISH. (I have such a sweet tooth and because I can't eat chocolate, eggs, or dairy anymore thanks to Landon, it's sometimes difficult to find desserts I can eat.) After making this I found out Scott doesn't like cooked peaches sooooo I had to resort to eating it all myself. Darn :)
Peach Pie
Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 1/2 cups sliced peeled peaches
2 deep pie crusts
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

In a large bowl, combine sugars; add peaches and toss gently. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom pastry; trim even with edge. Set aside. Drain peaches, reserving juice. In a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt; gradually stir in reserved juice. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in lemon juice and butter. Gently fold in peaches. Pour into crust.
Roll out remaining pastry; make a lattice crust. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cover edges loosely with foil. Bake at 400° for 50-60 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Remove foil. Cool on a wire rack.

Snuggly Boy

2010-10-09T07:52:00.003-06:00

The other night Landon woke up around midnight. This is not unusual, however he usually goes back to sleep after eating. So, when he decided he would rather stay up and flail his arms and legs about, punching and kicking me in bed, I decided to scoot over so he couldn't reach me. I wasn't entirely thrilled about this nighttime party, so I let him do his thing while I tried to go back to sleep. Well, sure enough, in a matter of 5 minutes he had shimmied himself right up to me, grabbed a hold of my arm and then instantly went to sleep.

Who needs a stuffed animal to cuddle at night when you got mommy?

Halloween Costume Hunt

2010-10-05T07:53:00.004-06:00

Searching for the perfect costume led us to these fantastic five. (Although after going to Old Navy, I was really tempted to get some more!) We've decided on our fav, but which do you like best?

Bored?!

2010-09-30T16:45:00.006-06:00

No, I really wouldn't say that, but I can't think of the word for how I'm feeling right now. Landon is actually asleep somewhere other than my arms and I tried to nap as well but it's just not working. Soooooo I'm like, what the heck do I do? I can't remember the last time I didn't have a baby to hold onto and occupy, or feed, or change. I could hang a couple picts I have been wanting to for a while. Nope, scratch that, it will definitely wake Landon. I did learn some signs to teach Landon in a few weeks. Now I know them so there isn't much more to do there. I checked my email and various social networks. Nothing exciting there. I finally edited all the WA vaca picts for my mom. Check that off the to do list. I could go make dinner, but I'm sure it would wake him and right now I'm really enjoying the peace and quiet.

Ahhhh.... No screaming baby.

So.... what else is on my mind? Well, it's interesting how vivid your dreams are when you are woken up right in the middle of them. I had two weird ones last night. The first? Scott was dying of cancer and so incapacitated that someone had to hold him up while I tried to slow dance with him for the last time... (weird?!) The second, I was saving this other world or village or something from who knows what. I had to defeat all these guards, climb a volcano, get help from the natives, and eat my way through various dishes to find my new outfit to wear (it was really sparkly), but the President of the village was onto me so I had to be really sly. hahaha. Does this some vaguely familiar to anyone? Hunger games?

I loved the hunger games trilogy fyi. If you haven't read it, be sure to!

Oh, be looking for a cute post to come. I just bought Landon 5 Halloween costumes. I know, I know, but I wanted Scott to help me choose and he didn't have time to go out. Anyway, I'm going to return 4 of them, but not before getting picts of Landon in each of them!

Ok, Landon is like literally hopping out of his swing. Not sure what is goin on there... I think he is officially too big for it.

Netflix and Night Terrors

2010-09-25T04:15:00.006-06:00

Well, it's not quite 5am yet. Been up for an hour already. Landon likes to get up around this time. It also doesn't help that his little body has decided between 4 and 6am is poo time. We usually get at least 3 poos. Soooooooo even if I spend half an hour rocking him to sleep, he usually wakes up to another poo 15 minutes later.

Might as well get some blogging done in the meantime.

First thing on my mind (after the poo situation I suppose) is the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Scott and I saw this yesterday for our 8 year anniversary. (This is the anniversary of when we started dating. Geez. Still hard to believe it's been that long. Kinda feels like a weird surrealish dream when I think of all our memories of back in the day.) ANYWAY, we saw this movie at the dollar theater (thankfully Landon slept through most of it) and it was soooooo good! Like good enough that I would want to own. If you haven't seen it, make sure to!

On the topic of movies, I've gotten into this habit of seeking out really corny/horribly-made/hilarious-because-they're-so-bad movies on Netflix instant play. The best one:
Lost in Austen. FAVORITE! Must, must, must see - especially if you are a Pride and Prejudice fan. This is the most ridiculous film; I love it. This girl in modern times finds that her bathroom wall actually holds a door to the Pride and Prejudice world. She and Elizabeth Bennet switch places and that's only the beginning of this wild movie that twists the original story beyond belief.

Ok, enough on movies, time to talk about my boys.

Since he was about 2 months old, Landon has had about 6 episodes where he will wake up somewhere between 1/2 hour and 2 hours after being put to bed. He screams and cries till he is out of breath, doesn't open his eyes, shows absolutely no indication that he knows we are there, no amount of comforting, nursing. anything, will stop it. Finally, somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes later, he stops on his own and just goes right back to sleep. Sometimes he has even fallen asleep during the episode. He will be screaming bloody murder one second and the next, go completely limp and quiet, then the next second, back to screaming. He did this back and forth almost ten times in one episode, until finally staying asleep. When we took him to a doctor a few weeks ago, she said he was way too young for night terrors (which we thought it was), so it must be gas. We tried a probiotic. Well, here we are two weeks later, and it happens again. So, we saw a different doctor who said this is definitely night terrors. While it is very uncommon for young babies to get them (usually starts at toddler age if they do get them) it isn't unheard of. Sadly, there is nothing to do about it. :(

In happier news about Landon, I swear he gets more and more talkative every day. He laughs so much now and it is seriously the cutest thing ever.Scott just keeps getting piled with work. He is doing lots of commercials and music videos. One of the commercials he is doing is for a company in the UK that sells eco-friendly, reusable tampons. It's like a funnel. (?!?!) They are really popular in Europe and want to be more so here. As far as the music vids go, he just filmed a sweet one for Adam & Darcie, "Before it's Better." Coming up next is one for Benton Paul's song "Run." Love both songs!! Actually, Benton Paul has a ton of really good songs. Scott is also quite busy (and exhausted) from doing the P90X workout. That thing is insanely intense. He just finished the first week of thirteen. (Go Scott!)Aight, Landon fell back asleep, so that's where I'm off to as well.

Italy Here We Come!

2010-09-22T08:36:00.005-06:00

Well, hopefully...

As you all know, next month Scott will be in New Zealand touring with Justin Williams. Warner just informed them that they have two more international tours set up for this spring: Japan and Italy! I'm pretty much not taking no for an answer and making Scott take me and Landon (somehow) to Italy. So, yesterday Landon and I got our passports. It was really hard to get Landon to look at the camera long enough to get a pict AND to hold him up against the background so that Scott's hands weren't showing, but finally we were able to, and his baby mug shot is priceless.

Look What Came in the Mail Today!

2010-09-17T14:43:00.004-06:00

Hehehe, couldn't resist!

Happy 3 Month Birthday Landon!

2010-09-13T08:04:00.005-06:00

Our little man is 3 months old today! Here are some stats and other interesting facts about Landers:

- 13 lbs, 15 oz.
- 23.5 inches tall.
- Has uncommonly good head/neck control. Doctors, nurses, everyone comments on it.
- He prefers to stand rather than sit on my lap. He just refuses to bend his knees!- He has just started getting interested in grabbing and feeling things. Loves to scratch at the canvas tote his diapers are in.
- He is definitely a morning person. When he first wakes up he will actually sit in his bouncy chair for a while and I can get a few things done. Otherwise he is mommy's little barnacle.
- Sometimes he will sit still long enough to let me read a book to him.
- He loves to hold his hands together, like he is devising a plan or contemplating life.
- He's started "walking" but steps on his other foot most of the time. (So cute!)
- He still doesn't sleep well. Has to eat every 2 hours during the night and refuses to sleep anywhere but right next to me.
- Loves to watch TV.- Drools 24/7. Now when he talks it's all spit bubbles.
- Must be constantly moving around.
- Has grown out of so many clothes, but there are still many to grow into.- He has a ticklish spot around his neck. It is sooooo cute when he is immobilized and laughing from being tickled!
- He has the cutest smile ever!!

Adventures in Washington!

2010-09-07T15:11:00.009-06:00

During the last two weeks of August the three of us headed back home to Washington. We LOVE it there, and it was so good to be with family. We were really nervous about how Landon would do on the drive, so we decided to go through the night getting there. Thank goodness! Landon only woke up three times and was only fussy for about half an hour, otherwise he slept. We drove (well, more correctly Scott drive) from about 9 - 9.

We stayed in Spokane for the night, then headed over to Olympia. Scott photographed a wedding in Portland early the next day. (Our reason for going in the first place.) Then on Sunday we blessed lil Landon. So amazing. Here are the happy fams:
Next we had a few days in Oly. We decided to have some fun day trips. First, took picts in downtown Oly. Miss this place!!! (Notice the BEAUTIFUL cloudy weather! Such a nice break from this horrible dry heat in Utah.)
My bro and mom. They had a blast hanging with the lil guy!
Then we went to Poulsbo. Scott and I have decided we are going to live here. The goal is to be there by next summer... (probably not realistic, but hey, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.) It's a super cute Norwegian town. This is Landon climbing the same rock that Scott climbed when he visited with his fam years ago.
They have an AMAZING bakery full of scrumptious treats - here was Scott's choice.
To get home, we drove over to Bainbridge Island and took the ferry to Seattle. Best ferry ride I've ever been on! The skies were totally clear and we had the greatest view of Mt. Rainier!!!
And of Seattle:
On another day we drove to Long Beach. (Yes, it does claim to be the world's longest beach.) My mom decided to drive off the beaten path (in the mini van). We got a couple feet before getting completely stuck. The holes made by the tires don't look that bad but the front bumper was completely resting on the sand and we had to be towed out. (Thank goodness for nice beach people who know what they are doing!)
Landon had fun at the beach. I LOVE HIS FACE! It was so windy; definitely a new thing for him!
We also walked through here (don't worry, there was a path), in order to get to the sweet lighthouse in the next picture. We got there 2 min before the lighthouse closed so we didn't get to go up it, but still had fun seeing it. It was sooooo foggy!
We also went in a few stores in downtown Long Beach. Can you guess what I'm about to eat? Chocolate-covered bacon. I know what you are thinking. I thought that also, but the guy at the candy shop said it was good and everyone comes back for seconds so I thought, what the heck? I also made everyone else try it. :) It was actually not that bad, although I don't think I would eat it again.
After our visit in Olympia, we headed back to Spokane to spend some time with Scott's fam. His grandmother came to visit from Ontario, Canada so we got a four generation pict:
On our way home, we drove through the day in order to see some friends in Idaho Falls. NOT RECOMMENDED. Landon was done driving after a couple hours and we had lots more to go. We stopped at Rexburg because we were dying to visit our old stomping grounds. Campus looked so different with all the renovations they are making.
Landon looking at himself in the dance studio.
And that was that. Our loooong vacation.

Temple Trip, Two Months, Tongue, Tummy Time!

2010-08-17T09:25:00.009-06:00

Tongue twister! Anyway, here's the latest Winn Adventures...

Scott was photographing a wedding at the Bountiful Temple near sunset, so Landon and I came along to help. Landon had so much fun! This was really his first time being outside for an extended period of time and he was just so excited about it
But was wondering why dad STILL had that camera in his face...
Landon turned two months on August 13! Wow! Can't believe its already been two months. He can do so much now. He loves to talk to me, smile, roll to his side from his back, and the newest fav... (This was his idea of getting a good two-month-old picture.)
Smile Mr. Adorable!
And lastly, Landon loves having fun on his tum tum. (For a few minutes anyway.)
He has been doing better since I cut dairy out of my diet. I think he still has reflux though, so we'll see what the doc says Wednesday at his two-month appointment. We are headed to WA in just a couple days. LITTLE nervous for the LONG car ride (especially since it's the day after Landon gets all his shots), but VERY excited to see our families! Well, Landon has informed me my time blogging is up - he just let out a big poo while sitting on my lap...

After thought: I just remembered that today school starts. CRAZY?! I am so grateful that I can stay home with Landon! I can't imagine trying to teach and take care of him, and I just couldn't send him off to daycare all day long either. That's all.