Autumn's Days and Seasons

Busy Weekend

2010-10-05T12:34:00.001-07:00

Claire turned 3 and we went to her birthday party. She was so cute. It was a princess theme and no, Landon wasn't the only boy there. lol

Claire licked her entire cupcake clean then when Abby wasn't looking her cupcake got replaced with the already cleaned off one and she started in on Abby's! It was hysterical.

Then we hit the park. It's a place that Landon and I enjoy. I was toting around the Eat, Pray, Love book that I've been waiting to start whenever I have a free minute or two but haven't seemed to be able to do it, a bag of bread for the birds even though there were none that we saw when we first walked around, and my camera of course!

I wanted to get a picture of Landon next to these beautiful flowers and this is the shot I got. lol Apparently they smelt too good! lol Funny boy!

This bench captivated me. When it becomes cold people forget about these seats that are waiting to be used. The autumn leaves are falling and color is now filling the vast green that cover places like the park. Benches are forgotten when it's cold, rainy, and when the sunset gets earlier and earlier. I love old, forgotten things.

Then we made our way down to the water's edge and Landon spotted some geese. He took off toward them and I told him that if he ran he would scare away the ducks. So he started tip toeing toward them. It was so funny. I laughed out loud at his antics. They are neverending and I love it.

"Daddy here! YAY!"

2010-10-05T12:08:00.001-07:00

For months Landon and I have been praying for James to get home safely from his second tour in Iraq. So when it came to DAYS till he was back, Landon became extatic! He asked every morning and evening when we were going to the airport. Then the day arrived. I woke up before the sun was even up or coming up and Landon groggily woke up till my mom asked him while getting him dressed if he knew what today was... to which his eyes popped open and he sat up! "Today I get to see my daddy!" he practically yelled. lol When we showed up at the Seattle Airport, Tamara and Tyler were already there waiting. Landon played with Tyler till he heard me say that his dad's plane had landed. After that, when Tyler tried to get Landon to run around with him, Landon stayed rooted and said, "No I'm waiting for my dad." It was awsome to see them reunite after so long apart. Landon would not let go of his dad and I don't think James' smile could have gotten any wider.

So since we picked him up and spent some time together, Landon is always wanting to call his dad. But instead of me dialing the number, he wants to dial the phone number himself. So every time he calls his dad it takes a good 2-5 minutes to tell him all the numbers and make sure the number's correct before he pushes the call button. Then he proudly tells his dad that he dialed his number. He's such an independent boy with so much willpower and love inside. Last night he got out of bed after story time to tell me that we forgot to say bedtime prayers! I think that was my proudest moment of the day.

I love my spiderman loving, wanna watch Handy Mandy right out of dead sleep in the morning, "I'm gonna go fart in the dirty clothes" little man.

August and September

2010-10-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

These last two months have seemed to slip by and thankfully I took some pictures to capture what happened during that time otherwise I might not have remembered. lol Been trying to spend time with family and friends. Going to football games is something that I have always loved and eating sunflower seeds while watching the plays is something new to me, but I think it might be a staple soon. :) My nephew plays on the JV team in Finley and sometimes on the Varsity and so Landon and I make it out there when it's a home game to cheer him on. This last time though Landon tripped while walking (which is a normal almost daily thing with him when he's going to fast and not paying attention to what's in front of him or under him) and cut up his elbow... which I didn't realize till someone told me I had blood on my neck! hahaha Yay! Especially with wearing the white cardigan I had on. lol Well we got it cleaned up and uncle bought him a licorice rope! No wonder why Landon likes him so much! hahaha I love the atmosphere around football and if they made a football team in the Tri-Cities for women I would be one of the first to volunteer. *dreaming of my Powder Puff days* :) This is Shelby (1/2 head), April with Logan, Wendy and Me.

Landon is Jeff's "buddy" and he loves to hang around him. Jeff always seems to have something that Landon would LOVE to eat or play with. :) So they are always close together when in the same room. I love the patience that Jeff has and the fact that he likes to rough play with him sometimes too. Landon doesn't get that too much with me... the last time he rough played with me I got hurt and told him to just rough play with the guys like Uncle Tom, Uncle Leon or Jeff. :)

This would be the bruise that Landon got when we were running the park together in and out of these parking things. I was running with Landon behind me and all of a sudden I hear the intake of breath and a thunk... that was Landon's head hitting the pavement after he tripped. Poor dude. Then a couple of days afterwards he ended up hitting the bruise on the side of my sister's coffee table while running in the house! I swear I am going to get his eyes tested asap.

Leah (my sister and daycare lady) took the kids to the Benton County Fair. They had a blast and here are some pictures of their day. I wish I could do collages like others do for their blogs, but I don't have the program to do it. So hope you are patient with the long line of pictures to follow...

Landon had a blast and didn't want me to wash off his spongebob that night at bathtime. lol He was so tired and had so much fun with NaNa and Leah and the kids.

This is my nephew Drake who is the cutest little thing. He is the most laid back, cuddly, smiley baby I know. I love his hugs and smiles. He and I have this thing that any time he sees me he comes over and plays with my earrings and necklaces. :) Thankfully none have been torn out or broken.

Misty and her family came over to go school shopping before school started and here is my favorite picture from their visit. :)

Linzey's first day of 2nd Grade! :)

Linzey went hunting with Alex and her dad and they came back with A LOT of trophies! :) She had a blast and couldn't stop talking about it for days.

This is a picture that Landon took of me and that I really like. It's funny. People don't understand that Landon knows EXACTLY how to work my camera... better than some adults who have used it. He knows how to take a picture, zoom in/out, review the pictures and turn my camera on and off while remembering to take off/on the lens cap. He definitely has given me a run for my money some days, but I love seeing his work from his point of view.

Ocean Paradise

2010-10-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

The ocean has this calming effect on my attitude, my physical wellness, and my unvacationed self. I am so glad I was able to go to visit the ocean (however short it was) because it has a healing remedy. Maybe it's the combination of the seasalt in the air or the billion bits of sand on the shore that call to you or the neverending coast line that doesn't seem to end and is beautiful beyond description. We played in the sand, got splashed by unexpected waves while taking pictures, saw dead crabs, starfish, and lots of seaweed, and walked in the drizzle and rain that often times happens with the season this time of year. Even with the rain, Landon and I enjoyed every second the the coast to the point that there were MANY times that I had to drag Landon in to take a nap or because it was getting too cold and rainy. hahaha I love the ocean. I love it.

One of my favorite photos of Landon. It shows his determination to do what he puts his mind to. :) He is an amazing boy who has a kind hard, a pleasing attitude and the best smile that is contagious as all heck. I love him!

This is when it was so windy and he was turning in circles and laughing hysterically. When he turned toward the wind the umbrella would shut. Then he turned away from it and it would flap open and a bout of untamed laughter would erupt. I loved it. Music to my ears and definitely made my heart smile.

We had a blast and Landon was amazingly good. I bought Dominos and am addicted to it. It's a way for me to release my stress while using my puzzle solving skills while trying to kick someone's toosh (not always but I TRY!)! I find it funny because I can watch a movie while playing dominos and snacking on something as well as trying to get Landon to stay in bed after story time and my friend can ONLY play dominos. If he tries to do more than that I think his brain might errupt. I think that's why they call us Mom. :)

Fishing with PaPa

2010-08-26T10:17:00.001-07:00

The day after Landon's party we went fishing with Dad at a private fishing pond at his work on the outskirts of Moses Lake. But before we went fishing we stopped to pick up the hat dad had got for Landon to wear last time he was down here with them. So while he went to look for it, Landon, Grandma, and I went to look at the animals. The chickens were funny. Landon liked to see if he could pet them, but I was afraid they would peck at his fingers! Then there were goats, but they were sick and I didn't want Landon touching them. o_O

We get out to the fishing pond and Landon get a fish on the first cast of the day and within the first 5-10 minutes. He was so excited and I took a video of it. I am hoping it works out to post. This is Dad helping Landon while he reels the big fish in.

After Landon caught his fish, Dad told me I needed to and was expecting me to catch one next. Minutes after minutes went by and after casting, waiting, reeling continued I found that Landon was walking over to me. He then began to lecture me on how to fish. "You need to frow the fing out there and when a fish git it, spin it in real quick (showing me the motion)." I laughed and at the same time wanted to capture how cute he was. Then I asked him if he could catch me one and he took my pole for a while... 3 minutes and then told me he didn't think any fish were on that side of the pond. :) Cute little stink.

Landon and I with our fishing hats on. :)

After countless times of casting and reeling in because nothing was happening, I moved spots and right after I cast it out I got a bite! So this is me reeling it in. I haven't caught a fish since I was in high school I think or before that... so this was me being as gitty as a kid. :)

Dad was showing how big the fish was. Not to brag or anything, but he said that the fish I caught had to have been the biggest one he has ever seen come out of that pond.... what can I say? hahaha

So at the end of the day Landon and I both caught one fish a peice. We were both stoked and had a lot of fun while spending time with Dad and Ruth. I understand now why there is the sport of competitive fishing. It's a rush to reel the fish in and the feeling of catching it. I love fishing and could even say that I offered to gut the fish, but was told that one person needed to hold the freezer bag to put the fish in. So I'm not all glitz and glam, I like getting my hands dirty too... when others will let me! lol

The Big 4!

2010-08-26T09:55:00.001-07:00

We had Landon's 4th Birthday Party at the Howard Amon Park. It was fun. The kids went down to the Columbia River and played in the water. Then when everyone was there we lit the candles (or tried to due to the wind) and had some melted ice cream. :)

Then we opened presents. When his dad was here from Iraq he bought him a gift for his birthday because he knew he wasn't going to be there for it. This is the gift James got Landon. It was a LeapFrog Game Pad thing. And a Wall*E game. :) Landon has LOVED this gift since and frequently has shared it with his cousin, Linzey. They both have tons of fun and I like it because instead of playing Xbox or something mindnumbing. He's learning numbers, letters, colors, shapes, and much more. I don't mind him playing it really and enjoy helping him. He really does love it. Thank you James.

This is little Drake Linton. He is such a cutie and just got tubes put in his ears today. :( But I hear he's doing ok besides being a little whiney, but who wouldn't be after surgery so early in the morning? He is ALWAYS happy and smiling and loves to cuddle. But now he knows how to crawl and pull himself up to things and so he's moving pretty quickly these days. hahaha

Leah and I have always wanted to try out the zip-line swing at the park, but felt like idiots because we're adults and usually it's just kids going on it. So when there wasn't anyone there we snuck in and tried it out. Beau helped us by whipping us off the launch pad and well... it was a blast. Leah did it and we were both hooked. Now we want a seperate one for the adults so we don't have to wait so long in line. ;)

I didn't get a picture with Maria and Maxum before Mary left with them, but here is Landon with Beau and Linzey as we were packing up to leave the park. It was a HOT day and I was ready to go home to the air conditioning.

Then that night we went to PaPa's house and Grandma Ruth surprised Landon with a Thomas the Train train set! He was so amped up about it. He sat there right then and had Grandma Ruth take all the peices out and show him how to put it together while Dad and I worked on putting the batteries in the train. Now he, Linzey, Drake, and any other kid around the house at the time it gets pulled out is addicted to it. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Sawyer!

Landon also got a book from his Grandma and Grandpa Fullmer. It is a look, feel, slide, flip, spin book and he LOVES it. Every night he's asked for it. He loves to count the cupcakes, bubbles, carrots, etc. And always is so happy when he gets to flip or move something in the book. It has been a huge hit and I will post a pictures soon of us together reading it. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Fullmer!

4th of July Weekend Fun

2010-07-07T14:20:00.001-07:00

The fourth of July weekend was a blast! Hung out with friends and family and loved every minute of it! Went over to Beau's mom's house and the boys played together in the hammocks that were there. They had so much fun.

Landon actually took this picture of me and I was surprised when I was looking through the film. He actually did a good job! When little Beau was taking pictures I ended up with a lot of crotch and chest shots. It was funny. So this was Landon's best picture of the night.

They had little frogs that came out at night and the boys had a blast when they found one! So cute!

The boys chilling in front of the mini fireplace thing... loved this picture. :)

The night before the 4th and watching fireworks in the backyard... can you see how happy Landon was? He's smiling so big his eyes are closed shut!

Fruit Rollup Accident hahaha

Wheat field we were parked by for an hour and a half when we were on our way to Paloose Falls.

The stergion that most likely did the gentleman in... one was only an inch under the length of when he would have to throw it back in because it was too big. WOW!

The wife of the gentleman who blacked out while driving and she had to pull the vehicle into the field and get to the brake. She was SOOO glad we came by right about that time because we were seriously out in the middle of no where and she didn't have reception on her cell. So Beau called 911 and I chatted it up (and monitored) the gentleman. Gave them our phone numbers but haven't heard from them yet. It took the ambulance an hour and a half to get there! The sheriff took 30 minutes.

The boys when they were knocked out just before we made it to the Falls! Landon was even reading the christmas book that his Grandpa and Grandma Fullmer gave him. The cowboy book. I can't think of the name now, but the southern twisted Cinderella book. :)

Finally at the Falls and the boys immediately crawl up on the first thing they can and look over it at the water down below. I don't think I'll ever understand why boys have to climb on EVERYTHING or ANYTHING, but I will just have to accept it as unsolvable. lol

The falls were beautiful.

We passed by this railroad track right before we made it to the park/falls. So we walked up there so I could get a picture with my camera. I loved this!

I knight thee, Sir Stick! lol Sorry had to put what I was thinking because Landon would NOT put down the stick for this picture!

Boys knocked out again on the way home and when I looked around little Beau had not just one car seat belt on but 2! Funny boy! :)

Landon and Baby Drake! Blue eye knock outs!

Mom with the younger 3 daughters.

Playing cards with the kids. The memory game that she scratched the rules in so everyone got something. :) That's what Grandmas do right?!?!?!

The boys put a firecracker behind Leon as he was lighting fire crackers and they all thought it was funny! lol It was!

Linzey helping Landon with his sparkler! This was one of my favorite pictures of the night!

The absolutely amazing sunset that I DID NOT touch with editing. It was just too perfect that it didn't need any extra care. Beautiful. Makes you thankful for God's blessings and gifts to us.

The 4th was fun, beautiful, exciting, and made me grateful for the freedoms we enjoy and the chances we have to do what we want, when we want to, with those we choose to. I am very thankful to those who continue to serve this blessed country and thankful to those that died to make it free.
God Bless America.

Reunion in St. Louis :)

2010-06-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

I finally made a trip to St. Louis, Missouri where I spent 3 years in Junior High! It had been over 10 years since I've seen some of the friends and family I have over there. It was so good to go back and spend some time in my old places. :) But one thing I didn't remember the clearest was the humidity and how it intensifies the heat! lol I'll touch on that later.

I started out my visit touring St. Louis. There were two places I wanted to go: Union Station and the St. Louis Arch. I remember visiting those with my mom when we lived there once and never forgot either. So I wanted to revisit those places and take pictures and video to enjoy and show Leah and Mom when I got back to Washington.

First we stopped at Union Station and right when we got there they were finishing up making the fudge and cutting it, so we walked around for a while and looked at the different shops and art in the Station. Then we came back and things were just getting started on the next batch and the next "show" was starting. The gentleman who made the fudge was very interactive and loved to feed off the crowd that was ALWAYS around him when he makes fudge. He sang, chanted, yelled, and did some tricks. I am going to try to upload a video that I have of him entertaining us and doing some tricks that I remember as a girl. But to me this was awesome. I would have to say that now it's not as mesmerizing as when I was a little girl, but still memorable and entertaining.

This is the guy who was making the fudge and making us laugh.

Then we went a couple miles down to the arch! It was awesome. I wanted to go up it again because I remember when Mom, Leah and I did.

These are the TINY capsules that take you up. They fit 5 people, but if you're claustrophobic I don't think you could handle this. We had 4 people going up and it still felt too small.

In the Museum under the arch they had a history of the Cardinals and baseball in general. It was so cool to walk through and see the different styles of baseballs and how they have evolved into what they play with today. Plus to get the history of baseball and how it all came to be was very interesting and I have to say that I still have a soft spot for the Cardinals. ^_^

This was the arch at a distance. :) It was beautiful to walk up to. Definitely a masterpiece of work that will be here for decades and centuries to come.

This was the view of the Cardinal Stadium from the top of the arch! It was awesome to look down and see all these things!

I took a picture of the legs of the arch from the top. This was one of my favorite pictures actually. lol I really don't know why besides the fact that you couldn't SEE this with your own eyes because I had to tilt my camera over the observation window just right to get it. ;)

Then the wedding day was upon us and we headed out in a VERY hot day to attend Julie and Bruce's wedding! I went up and saw Julie but there was so much going on that I left and took Tenley (my cousin Angie's daughter) and she found 2 decoys (plastic ducks used for hunting purposes) and some frogs that she was getting very close to the water trying to catch.

Uncle Johnny and Julie coming down the isle. She was beautiful. Loved her hair and you could tell she was just beaming!
Finally Married! :)
I totally have to put a comment in there about how hot it was that day! lol
During the wedding as the Bishop was speaking, he had to stop and put down his book to grab his handkerchief out of his pocket and wipe his face! He was sweating so much that he couldn't read! I seriously thought that I was soaked but not from water... from sweat. It was miserably hot! But it was all worth it too! The wedding was beautiful, the bride and groom were awesomely dressed, and it was a great day! At least it wasn't raining which it was forcasted for!

Brother and sister, Angie and Bobbie with Tenley all enjoying some water because if you didn't know having it be 92 degrees with 89 percent humidity was miserable I don't think I've ever been so grateful for air conditioning! One thing that I didn't miss about Missouri was the humidity.
John and Barbie :)

Beautiful family! Uncle Danny and Aunt Gloria with Melody.

My Aunt Linda and Uncle Johnny (bride's parents) who looked awesome and were so good to see after 10 years since I've seen my Uncle and 6 years since I've seen Aunt Linda!

Then the family photos took place and it was so wonderful to see my Uncle Johnny and Aunt Linda still loving each other and young at heart still! They couldn't take their hands off each other! lol

Sisters (Angie, Julie, Jenny)

Angie's family: Tenley, Angie (with little one in oven), Ethan and Chris. Beautiful family.

On our way to the reception Angie and Chris stopped ahead of us and when I got out to see what was going on the kids were holding this turtle! Awesome! They moved it to the side of the road so it didn't get ran over, but I couldn't believe how cool it was to find that in the middle of the road... THAT doesn't happen every day in Washington! lol

We finally arrive at the reception and this is a picture of all the McCullen family that was there in attendance. In order from Left to Right: Aunt Marge, Uncle Tom, Uncle Johnny, Aunt Linda, Aunt Rosie, Aunt Joni, Aunt Gloria, Uncle Mike and Uncle Danny. The only ones missing were my mom and Uncle Phil! Hopefully we can all get together again next year!

Julie and Bruce cutting the wedding cake. I so wish I would have gotten this on video because the entire time they were cutting the cake, everyone was yelling at them to get the other first. So when they finally did feed each other the cake, at the last second they both stuffed it into the others face. It was hysterical. Julie and Bruce both got it up their nose and made for some very nice photos!
Making up is the best! :)

David's purple kicks that so fit his personality. He told me if he had to wear a tux for a wedding he at least had to have some comfortable converse to get him through it! lol

Ethan and I. He is no longer the little kid I knew! He is turning into a good young man with a heart of gold. I can still remember Angie pregnant at Aunt Linda's house on a visit there. Wow... time really does fly!

Julie's little Harley getting tired as the evening wore on. Cutie pie.

Then the dancing and fun began!

Gloria and Barbie doing the arm twist lol

Thriller!

Daddy & Daughter Dance

Couple's Pictures :)

Gloria and Danny
Joni and Mike

Marge and Tom
Chris and Angie
The day after Julie's wedding was Aunt Linda and Uncle Johnny's 40th year wedding anniversary. So after Julie toasted them, they danced to their wedding song. It is so good to see those that last through the times to make it and still be so much in love. It warms my heart. :)

This is my cousin David (with the purple converse) and his littlest one! I can't believe it!

Jenny caught the wedding bouquet!

Then we broke out our funny faces and laughed till we were running to the restroom... ok maybe that was just me running to the restroom! *sigh*

I had asked Jessi to take a picture with her husband, my cousin David, and she couldn't get him to turn around so she took a picture as he was! lol She was cracking me up! I loved her high spirited attitude. She was so much fun.

Yes this is Jessi and Angie. Angie=5 months and Jessi=0 lol But they are both HOT mamas!

The evening was a hoot and yes... this is how my family really is when we get together. Good thing we didn't play spoons because we would have had to replace the table I'm sure. ;)

I am so glad I went. I told Julie that I was coming because she came to my wedding in 2004 when we was like 7 and 1/2 months pregnant! So of course I could make it to hers! lol I had forgotten how much fun my family is and though it was intimidating a bit to meet the extended family that I haven't seen (and some I didn't remember) it was amazing how good my cousins meshed that night.

Melody, Angie, Barbie, and Aunt Gloria... You girls are the light of my trip. I had so much fun with you girls on the dance floor and I hope that we can do that again before long! No more 10 years between visits!

3 Year Olds are So Much Fun

2010-04-21T22:24:00.001-07:00

"Mary had a little lamb" turned into the never ending song. lol So many of the songs that Landon and I love the way that he has his own take on them. Sometimes songs get mixed together. :) Here is Landon singing Mary had a Little Lamb before I took him into daycare. He had been singing it or asking me to sing it to him all the way to daycare. So I asked him to sing it to him one more time before we went into the house.

Landon has also shot up like a bean pole! He's getting so big and I really find myself staring at him looking over the counter into the kitchen sink while putting his plate away, brushing his own teeth, and putting on his own seat belt, etc. I find that my baby is turning into my little boy. He can now do most things by himself. And at times I feel useless and at the same time so proud of him for learning so much and wanting to become independent.

Some things that Landon has done is he has learned to do his own seat belt and can sing his entire ABCs and even corrects other kids when they don't sing it right. Some funny and weird things that I find Landon doing is completely undressing to do business in the bathroom, sticking out his tongue when I'm supposed to be getting a kiss, and running on his tip toes at the duck pond because he's worried about stepping on poop. lol He loves his flip flops and tries to wear them everyday. He LOVES to pick up rolly pollies and (don't tell him) but I found a couple rolly pollies in the washer when I was switching laundry last summer. I guess he was trying to keep them, but we talked about keeping the bugs outside so they can go to sleep with their families. :) What a cutie though. He gets very upset if someone steps on these little critters. I love that he has a gentle heart.

Something exciting is that Landon was able to talk to his dad on Easter over Skype! Then again this Saturday. It's so cool to have him see his dad while talking to him and showing him things, singing him things, and being caught picking his nose! hahaha He had fun, but the attention span of a 3 year old is not the best so it was good for about the first 5 minutes then it was a little bit of a fight to keep him in the range of the camera and actually talking to his father instead of talking to the kids running around and the different things going on. Technology is such an awesome blessing in this case! I loved to see it and I know it was good for James to see his son. Landon sang him the ABCs and Mary Had a Little Lamb.

Landon is doing very well and though he's been fighting allergies as we all seem to be, he is growing and still a night owl and NOT a morning person! I guess it was meant to be when both this mom and dad are! lol I love trying to make him wake up with a smile though. Tickle him awake or kiss him until he laughs. Singing annoying morning songs will be waiting for his teenage years! Which is what I was plagued with. :)

I have come to realize lately that he is one child that needs some quality one on one time. Landon gets so funny when I've been gone or busy cleaning or whatever the case is and he sees me. He comes running up and hugs me and then gives me huge bear hugs. I don't think there's anything else as pleasant as that. *sigh and grin* My life is full with him in it.

Visit from a Friend

2010-02-25T15:12:00.000-08:00

My good friend from Missouri came to see me again. I picked Sean up at the airport at night and on the way home I stopped the car on the side of the highway and told him to get out... he thought I was crazy until I joined him outside the car looking up at the sky. He said, "This looks like a planetarium! I feel like I can reach out and touch the starts!" It was a BEAUTIFULLY clear and starry night. The stars were out by the millions and were absolutely gorgeous!

I was trying to think of activities we could do together while we were here and one was most definitely feeding the ducks at the Columbia Park along the Columbia River. When we went to WinCo to pick up bread, Sean's eyes popped when I grabbed two full loafs. Then they popped even more when we arrived at the park and saw all the birds that were there. There were just a few people there feeding the ducks when we arrived, but it was crowded when we finally ran out of bread (10 minutes). Sean found that he loved to throw an entire slice into the water without ripping it up into small pieces and watch the frenzy that happened as a result. It was fun to see him laugh as he watched the birds which included swans, ducks, geese, and lots of seagulls!

We had a fun time catching up and hanging out. Sean and I are good friends and it's been so nice to get to spend some time with him. We enjoyed going places together and going on double dates with my roommate and her boyfriend. On my birthday we went out to Olive Garden and then went and saw the movie, Avatar! Wow... if you haven't seen this movie I suggest you get up off your tush and go buy a ticket! It's SOOO worth it! I laughed and cried and kicked the seat in front of me. You walk out of that movie with so much more than you walked in with. For me it just emphasized the way we need to care for our world and know that's its the only world we have. Plus to treat others with respect and watch my greed and teach Landon to respect the things he has and those around him.

We stopped at the Multnomah Falls on our way to the concert in Portland. While walking up to the falls, Sean saw this tree that was COVERED in green moss. He hadn't seen moss like that so of course after he felt it I had to get a picture. Things like this don't happen in Missouri I guess. I am so glad to be living in Washington though.

Then there were the falls as always. It always leaves me in a sense of awe of how beautiful the Lord's creations are and how blessed we are to be able to witness and experience some of them.

I loved this picture I took of the lower falls draining into a stream from the large and famous falls. Just loved the look of it. Thought of blowing it up and putting it on canvas so that I can have something relaxing right above my bed or in my room to look at when I can't leave. Peaceful and beautiful.

We went to an Epica concert which is Symphonic Metal. Never in my life did would I have chosen to listen to this if I came by it, but it was something that Sean introduced me to. He has really loved this group and their complex and very deep lyrics and words. They are a metal band which I have never really been privy to, but they are good. I have enjoyed listening to Simone's vocals and have come to appreciate Mark's grunt. The music is amazing and very different than any other. I can honestly say that if Simone wasn't included in this group to help "Soften" the metal I don't think I would like it one bit. But because of her I am able to appreciate the other parts.

This was us meeting Simone from Epica. Sean has had a crush on Simone for a LONG time. hehehe and was sooo nervous to finally get to meet her in person. It was such a fun night and they played my favorite song "Sancta Terra" which I loved. I couldn't get over how beautiful Simone was with her blazing red hair and beautiful vocals. I'm just glad she shares her talent with all us car-rocking and head bopping dorks.

Sean's visit was wonderful and I enjoy the friendship we have and the common interests we have. I miss having Sean here to talk to and enjoy watching movies together. He will be missed!

These are some VERY cute pictures of Landon that I took on our way to Portland to drop Sean off at the airport. I looked back and I saw Landon reading his My First Book of Mormon board book and smiled.

I love my son. He is amazing and I can't imagine my life without him. I love his smiles, his heart, his laugh, and his hugs and kisses. He has such a tender heart and loves to make good choices. He plays well with everyone and does what he's told most of the time. He is very good at hugging people goodbye and helping mom carry things in from the car. He LOVES playing games and wrestling around with me. I love him so much and am so grateful for him. These pictures endear me to him even more.

2009 Christmas

2010-01-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

Again I know I have been late in my postings, but at least I'm doing them. :0)

The weekend before Christmas I went to Vancouver to see Kate and Mike and their kids. We went and had a blast. Korben and Landon played together so well and Logan was always on their heels or in the thick of the action. We went to Kate and Mike's ward Christmas party and first stopped in to see Santa!

Korben wouldn't go to sit on Santa's lap, but when we went back into the room to have the boys run around while Mike helped clean up, he had no qualms jumping in the chair and posing for the camera without the bearded Santa present. It had me laughing pretty hard.

This would be Mike wrangling up Logan after the 15th or so escape attempt. lol Logan has so much energy and I love how Kate stated it in her blog... Logan wants to escape where ever he is to get to.... who knows, but the other side is always greener for him. I didn't realize that she wasn't just elaborating this up, it is dead true. Logan loves to escape and who knows where he thinks he's going, but he aims to make it there. lol All I gotta say is Good Luck Mike and Kate!

This is Kate and Korben sitting together at the table waiting for them to say a prayer over the food. I love this picture because I was fiddling with my camera and finally found how to do black and white photos! So I took a testing shot and it was of Kate and Korben. Korben was enthralled with his WallE box game thing and Kate saw what I was up to and wanted! Kate's amazing. I love being around her!

I saw my college roommate there! She used to be Heidi Kidd, but now is Heidi Daniel! I was so glad to see her! She hasn't changed a bit in her demeanor. She is still as sweet, caring, kind, and lovable as ever! She has a family now too! Two little girls and a little boy. Heidi's husband is tall! But they make such a BEAUTIFUL family together! It was so good to sit and chat with her and catch up. I can't wait till I get to go down there again to see them! (and I didn't know till after I left that Landon had indeed placed stickers on my shirt... lol)

The day that we were leaving Kate and Mike's, I pushed my bed up against the wall so the kids could play on the floor of the guest bedroom/toy room. Well little did I know that the bed would actually be turned into a jungle gym toy for them. They climbed, jumped off, and rolled around on that thing for hours it seemed. It was so good to see those three little ones together playing and having fun. Landon is around so many women and girls that I love it when he is able to interact with boys close to his age to counteract all the girlishness he might get at our home.

This would be the boys playing all sorts of games and characters on the "put up bed" in the playroom. I never thought it was possible for a mattress to become the most popular toy in the toy room, but indeed it was. The boys didn't tire from it and I had to pry Landon away when it was time to leave and head home. Landon loved playing with Korben and Logan. "They's my best buds mom!" - Landon

Christmas was fun. It was relaxful for the most part and full of family and friends. I stayed home for Christmas and my family came up from Quincy to be at Leah's house on Christmas Eve to exchange Secret Santa gifts and to have Christmas dinner as a family. This is the first time that our family hasn't celebrated Christmas in Quincy! New traditions are happening. But it's not where you celebrate the holidays it's with whom your spend your holidays with. It was so much fun to see everyone together... even Jonathan came down from Job Corps. to be with us. Drake was only a couple weeks old and was fought over the entire time. lol

That night on Christmas Eve, Tiffany and I with our families got out sheets and towels and blankets to reenact the Nativity scene. My family had done this when I was about 5 or so.

I have pictures and video of that Christmas where my Grandpa Waggoner read from the scriptures as Leah and I were shepherds and Misty was Joseph, April was Mary, and Jenny was the Donkey that Mary rode on. We used Robes for outfits and hand towels for head coverings tied with string to keep them on. Mary wore a sheet tactfully wrapped around her and Jesus (the doll) was wrapped in a baby blanket. My dad and mom and Grandma sat off to the side and watched as Grandpa read from the scriptures. And when he told about Mary and Joseph traveling back to their place of birth, April, Misty, and Jenny entered from the hallway. April riding on Jenny's back with Misty helping to support her through the stifled giggles that inevitably happened. One thing that did happen that time that didn't this time was that Mary's sheet started coming undone during the reading. By the end of the reading, Mary was red-faced and calling for her mom to help her after part of it had fallen off. lol You see it was one of the best years of my Christmas memories.

So I decided to do it as a tradition. No matter if it was just Landon and I or others. Thankfully this year there were others. Tiffany was there and Nicole was supposed to be, but ended up staying with her dad that night... so we did a different scene the following day with her as Mary. But the night before it was Tiffany as Mary, Landon as Joseph, Landon's giraffe as Baby Jesus, and me as the Donkey. James read from the scriptures and Ashley conveniently was up in her room reading. Landon didn't like the fact that he had to stand by the donkey instead of riding on it with Mary, so he ended up jumping on too for the remainder of the reading as well as holding His Baby Jesus as he said. :0)

Then Christmas morning came and I had to wake Landon up! lol He was up late into the night and so was not a happy camper. But when I mentioned opening presents he was more than willing to come downstairs to join us. This year was the best for me. His dad gave him a Bumblebee Transformer which was automatically his favorite toy. He still hangs onto it and I find it in his clothes as I am doing laundry. Plus Landon's dad got to call and talk to him on Christmas, and so did Aunt Cami! It was fun to be able to talk to them both and I hadn't talk to Cami for so long that it was good to catch up. Back to presents...

Landon got a book from Grandma Fullmer. Last year he got The Fairy Godcow book which is like Cinderella with a Texas spin on it. This year he opened There's A Nightmare in My Closet! It's been a HIT! Landon asks me to read it every night before bed. He's now heard me read it so many times that he takes over on some pages to say what he knows is going to be read. It's so cute. Thank you Grandma Fullmer!

This is Tiffany and her two daughters Nicole (5) and Ashley Rae (17) on Christmas morning. She is my roommate and someone I look up to and a very good, dear friend of mine.

Landon got a face coloring set from Ashley Rae and so I volunteered to be his first model. He did a very good job as you can see. :0)

It was so much fun to watch Landon open his gifts and to have him sitting on my lap as he did so. This Christmas was so enjoyable. I realized that as I was getting stressed out with not being able to get Landon the amount of presents I had wanted, that it wasn't about presents. A girlfriend of mine said that she only gets her kids 3 gifts each because Jesus was given 3 gifts. I liked that thought and think that next year I will also make that a tradition.

This Christmas I was blessed with so many things. Some of the things that stand out in my mind is my ex-husband, James, and the friendship we are able to share now. My amazing in-laws families who still keep in touch with me. My family who still supports me and loves me though at times it's not easy. The amazing roommate I have who is more like a sister to me than a roommate. I am blessed with Landon and his amazing caring soul. He knows when I need a hug or kiss, he tries to scratch my back because he knows I like it. And he even says the dinner prayers when he is feeling confident and comfortable. I love him so much.

(Landon's new style of playing the piano that he thought of on Christmas Day. =) )

Baby Drake is Here! YAY!

2009-12-17T11:54:00.000-08:00

Drake Linton
December 12th, 2009
5:40 pm
7 pounds 4 ounces
19 1/2 inches long

We finally were greeted by baby Drake. We have been so excited to have him with us and he's the cutest little dude ever. He has long black hair with a tint of brown in it. He has long ski-like feet (reminds me of Landon when he was born) and LOVES bathtimes already. He is so stinkin cute too! Leah was really stressed out by the labor experience after the horrible time of having Linzey. But after Drake was out and things were settling down she said, "Man, if I knew it was that easy I could have a baby everyday!" That was until she started nursing! lol But Leah was a rockstar and definitely is a good momma to both Linzey and Drake now. Thomas couldn't be more proud. And Linzey is such a great big sister. She loves to hold baby Drake and help her mom with things around the house while he's nursing. She loves to hold his hands and talk to him too. Soon I'm sure she's gonna be reading him stories and drawing him pictures.

This nurse was MY FAVORITE! If I ever have children I am going to request her. She was so funny and made me laugh till I was tearing up. As she was giving Drake his first washcloth bath, Linzey was asking if she was rubbing him too hard. Thomas told Linzey that she does this all the time and that she knows what she's doing. She later replied, "Yeah I only beat my own kids." I think you might have had to be there to get the humor in that, but it was priceless. She was always there when we needed her and she had an amazingly humorous way about her that I fell in love with from the first time she came in.

Thomas was talking about how big his feet were and I had to agree. This photo does do it justice, but Drake's feet were long! I loved this picture. Daddy's hand next to his little boys newborn foot. I don't think he's going to be able to keep his hand bigger than his son's foot for long. Before you know it you're buying shoes that are bigger than your own. Man they grow up to fast huh!

This was the following morning. Landon and I were the last of the family to come and visit that morning. We made a late start and April was already working. Mom was there with Linzey and I was able to hold my new nephew! He is a doll and was so good. Landon kept trying to get too close to him... like an inch away from his face... as you can tell he's not used to having such little people around. :) He'll learn quick though how close is appropriate.

The proud NaNa!
This is grandbaby number 9!

Mom and I took the kids to the duck pond and it would seem that the ducks, geese, seagulls, and any other fowl in the 10 mile radius knew we were coming. We helped the kids on the hood of the car after they were being ganged up on by the feathered animals. Landon didn't like it at all... it was too cold out. My hands were frozen by the time I got back into the car.

Landon finally got his turn to hold baby Drake. He as so happy, but baby Drake didn't like it too much... maybe next time my dear! I think Landon's going to be a great big-brother some day... who knows how far into the future that might be! o_O Landon is so gentle though and curious that it makes me laugh to see the delight of even being able to watch Drake.

It was hysterical. We didn't see this picture of Drake's eyes popping out till after we took it. We all missed it in person, but found it on camera. It was so funny. And Thomas is a great dad and holds Drake just right. Like I said, he couldn't have been a prouder papa!

Here Thomas is with Baby Drake sleeping. Drake is supposed to be burping any time now, but he seems to have fallen asleep on the job. :) Thomas is SOOOO cute with Drake too. Talking to him, changing his diapers, and taking him around the house with him wherever he goes. It's so cute to see how the two of them bond already.

Drake, we are so glad you came to us safely and that we are able to be there to see you grow up. Try to stop falling asleep while eating and I hope that daddy learns to protect himself when changing your diaper... he's had too many surprise leaks lately. Oh... and know that we all love you to peices and will always be there for you. Listen to mom and dad and stay close to that place you just came from called heaven.

Love you Baby Drake!

A Sawyer-Style Thanksgiving

2009-12-17T10:53:00.000-08:00

When the Sawyer family gets together, it's nothing like other families. We don't have our typical quiet conversations where people keep from awkward or inappropriate subjects... our holiday gatherings involve food fights (which didn't happen this Thanksgiving thankfully), talking about body anatomies and sicknesses which would have some people covering their ears, a free-for-all buffet of food which is a crazefest, and slapping of arms when someone inevitably slips a bad word. But I have to tell you that I love our family gatherings. This was the first time in a LONG time that we have all been together. That is that five girls have gotten together with their families for Thanksgiving dinner. This year it was at NaNa's house in Quincy and Christmas will be at Leah's house in Pasco.

So of course because of this occasion we all had to be in the pictures which I insisted on. Who knows when we'll be getting together again? lol

From left to right it's Jennifer, Leah, Mom, and April in back with Me and Misty on the floor.

Now the reason for the boob squeezing shot. My mom went to Utah this year for a McCullen reunion with her sisters from Missouri. When they were together they had this picture where my mom reach across her sister and squeezed her other sister's boob... since that picture made it's debute I got together with Angie (my cousin) and we did the same shot. So it goes without saying that we would have to do it again with a familiy gathering... so this is what we got. :)

Leah was due on December 16th, even though she was going to be induced on the 12th if she hadn't had Baby Drake by then. Well flash forward, she has had him and that's my next blog, but here is Sam, Jenny's husband, letting us see his beer belly in comparison to Leah's prego belly. It was hysterical.

I was in Jiffy Car Wash visiting with my good friend Cheryl (who is amazing and an angel) and found this cup that had a big set of honkers on the front of it. I immediately thought of my sister, Misty. Misty had a size D chest since 5th grade and it's just grown since then, so this was HER gift. :)

Landon LOVES NaNa's ambulance. Anytime we hear sirens it's always followed by Landon saying, "That's my Nana mama!" lol He loves to explore the ambulance too... He's been around these since he was a few days old. He has loved them and I think it all began with knowing his Grandma works on it. He knows the difference between a fire truck and an ambulance. This smile was a forced one because he didn't know who to look at. :)

This Thanksgiving was a great one. Jonathan came down from Job Corps in Curlew and April, Leah, and I and our families were able to make it safely from Tri-Cities. So it was a great family gathering and hopefully we'll have another addition to our numbers this coming Christmas celebration.

I have to say that this Thanksgiving I am thankful for my son who is the core of my life and the reason I wake up smiling, for my family who has continued to support me and love me, for my friends who buoy me up on my bad slumps and make me laugh when I want to cry, for my faith which keeps me going and looking forward to the future, for chocolate which gives me enough of a boost to keep me going any given day, and I am so grateful for the armed forces and those individuals who put their lives on the line so that I can enjoy mine and relax without worry of bombings on our streets and dictators over our land. I am thankful for our freedoms and for those that forged this way of life for us back when the war with England was waged. Thank goodness they stood up then, and thank goodness we have men and women brave enough to stand up now. God bless them.

Utah Trip Babe!

2009-12-14T15:26:00.001-08:00

I went on a road trip down to Utah for Mary Kay Summit. I traveled with amazing ladies and love them more and more the more I am around them. They inspire me, pump me up, make me feel like a million bucks, have me laughing till my side is killing me and tears are welling up, and surprise me by their giving and totally outgoing personalities. I needed this trip. And I am so glad I was able to go on it. I had made arrangements to stay with my cousin, Angie while down there whom I haven't seen FOREVER! So this was a doubly meaningful trip.

Below would be the most amazing woman, Laura Francis, who blows my mind with how uninhibited she is by pressures in her life. She is also a single mom and has been doing Mary Kay a little longer than I have. She is the BOMB! Laura is a lot like me as we both burst out into song at random moments, love to laugh, and LOVE to have fun no matter where we are. On this trip Laura and I were NOT allowed to be in the same car together because the other car would most definitely fall asleep. So we were split the entire way there. :( But we got to get out and mingle at pit-stops and gas stations which was always enjoyable. Oh! And the one doing the peace out sign in the background is Cherrie! She is phenomenal! She is 20 years old and down at Summit she was THE #1 Queen of Sales which means she sold the most in our national area. She rocks too and definitely has it going on. Fun loving and quirky, she is a natural fit into our craziness. :)
These are all the ladies that carpooled down with us in our two vehicles. Mind you there were other car pools going on down, but this was ours. :) From Left to Right: Jessica, Laura, Cherri, and AnnMarie with me being a dork. :) I totally have to tell you that it wasn't until my 2nd 16 oz. Slurpee that I was told that those were NOT smoothies with fruit in them like I thought they were, they are pretty much sugar, ice shavings, and artificial flavoring. Yeah... I was flying on a sugar high the entire way down there. And then was completely turned off to Slurpee because I didn't know that it was pretty much sugar. And could see it sticking to my stomach and thighs. :)

When we got down to Utah and I stayed the first night at Jessica's Aunt's house. We didn't get in till like 3am or so. It was so late! But we crashed and slept in. I met up with Angie, my cousin, the following day and was SOOOO happy to see her. She has always been one that I have looked up to and enjoyed being around. My mom had just been down earlier that summer to stay with her and her sister's flew in from Missouri so it was a girls weekend there.

I loved hearing the stories from their stay. It's so easy to talk to Angie and she and her husband, Chris, give the best sound advice I've needed. :) They have 2 children: Ethan and Tinley. Their kids are absolutely amazing. Ethan is doing awesome in school and is taller than Angie or I! He has such a tender, caring heart and that was brought out at the end of our visit... which I'll tell you about below. Tinley is the sweetest girl with all the energy in the world. She is a dancer and loves to show you moves all the time that she learned in gymnastics.

I didn't know that Utah had another temple till Angie suggested we go see it. It's what my mom and her sisters did too! So we went and took TONS of pictures while enjoying and soaking in the beauty of the temple area. The day was brisk, a little breezy, but perfect otherwise. The Draper Temple is amazing and I loved the feeling that you get when you're on the temple grounds.

Then we went to view the spot where you can see all 5 temples in the same spot. Of course it was on the side of one of the mountains above the Draper Temple, but it was so much fun. This is me taking in the awesome view. We had so much fun this day. It was beautiful and sunny! But on the way home Angie told me that she wasn't feeling so hot. You see 2 of the neighbors in her neighborhood had gotten swine flu that week.... the one she is closest to because their kids are inseparable had just gotten her 1 year old son confirmed with swine flu the first night I stayed there. So when Angie told me this I realized that we had both been hiding the fact and ignoring not feeling well and had pushed ourselves because the other was there and acting too. So we went back to the house to drop kids off and head to the doctor's office to get tested for swine flu.

Both of us were running low grade fevers. And the doctor saw us and told us that they are not testing for swine flu and unless we were a high risk case, they would not treat us for it with the shot. So he sent us home and told us to lock ourselves away from others because we sounded like we had it with our symptoms, but would just have to wait it out. So home we went and we put our masks on which were EXTREMELY fashionable to clean and bleach the entire house up and down. She has a family there and didn't want the rest of her family to get Swine Flu if that was in fact what we had. So after that we clad ourselves in pjs and busted out the movies in her room on her bed. So my trip for Mary Kay became 3 days of sick bed enclosed cousin time. I couldn't have been happier being sick with anyone else. :)

Angie got me hooked on the new Pride and Prejudice which I have always had a slight dislike for because of growing up with the original 5+ hour one. All in all it was a wonderful weekend where I was able to bond with my cousin which I loved. I missed my son, but brought him back some surprises that he loved from my trip. :)

Transformers, Fairies, and Clowns

2009-12-14T14:58:00.000-08:00

Yes I know it's in December and almost Christmas, but I decided to post Halloween, even though I'm a few months behind.

I have to say that I was NOT in the mind or condition to go trick-or-treating with the kids. I had moved the entire night before Halloween and spent the entire morning and afternoon moving and getting things unpacked and organized. I don't know WHY we had to choose to move that weekend, but it was the only weekend we could and the last weekend in October, so we did. Thank goodness. I am NEVER moving twice in one month. My mind and body won't allow it anymore. lol

Landon and I went trick-or-treating with my family: Leah and Thomas with little Linzey; April and Leon with Dakota and Claire; and Ruth with Harry (the dog). It was so much fun. COLD, but fun! Landon was Bumblebee off of Transformers, Linzey was a fairy, Claire was a clown and Dakota was a multi-hair-colored rock star.

Landon was scared to go up to people's doors after being freaked out by a house that you had to go into this pitch black curtain covered area to get your treat. Uncle Leon showed Landon it wasn't that scary, but the rest of the night he was racing along with the other kids saying, "Trick or Treat!" followed by a "thank you!" :)

It was so much fun to watch him really enjoy Halloween and participate in it. Last Halloween I remember he didn't quite grasp the concept. But this Halloween he knew it was ALL about the candy and mom didn't let him keep his candy unless he said Thank You to each homeowner.

We were out about 3 hours going from door to door it seemed and were FREEZING by the end of it. We went back to Leah's and met up with Dad there after his meetings. It was fun and I'm looking forward to the next Halloween when I don't find myself mentally and physically exhausted and can enjoy the festivities of the nighttime.

Prayers and Ketchup

2009-12-14T14:28:00.000-08:00

Lately as I am trying to get Landon down for bed we go through the normal routine of saying prayers after brushing teeth and getting pajamas on but before we read books and lay together. So last night I realized we are going into a routine of sorts.

Landon is so hyper right before bed. I'm not sure if this happens to ALL boys or if it's just a Landon thing, but he seems to go onto a sugar high right when "bedtime" is mentioned. Jumping off things, walking funny up the stairs, on all fours being a dog, and tons of running, squealing, and laughing ensues right before bedtime. I have always had to strap on my "patient" belt and endure it as best I can, as I am WAY overdue for sleep most nights.

But I realized that there's another thing that happens as well....

Landon will be so busy-body when I kneel down to his bed and ask him to kneel too. He jumps, lays or sits on his bed and tells me he's too tired to, while at the same time squirming around everywhere. So instead of arguing (which I found doesn't work well) I started saying the prayer without him kneeling. Most of the time he would fall into place at my side and echo my every 1/2 sentence through the prayer. But there are times when he's still pretty head-strong and doesn't.

I realized that as soon as I ask for his father to be protected and brought home safe, I always feel him fall into place right next to me with arms folded, head bowed, eyes closed and kneeling reverently and thoughtfully. You see, he misses his dad to pieces and if he's not repeating me before this point of the bedtime prayer, he does immediately following that plea.

It's amazing what you can tell about children with their actions.

This last weekend my sister, Leah, had Baby Drake finally! And my mom has been down for the event. Drake was born on Saturday and we were all there in the waiting room. The kids did very well sitting in the little room with TV and toys and treats, but MAN did they need to get out and run around. So April and Leon treated us to Burger King after Drake's arrival and we had documented every moment in pictures or video when we were let into the room after the delivery. The kids ran off to play on the toys right when we stepped into the room and I enjoyed sitting back and supervising while we waited for the food. When the food came we all dug in SUPER hungry after hours of waiting and refereeing kids to not be mean to one another.

While we were digging in my mom ended up spilling ketchup on the front of her white sweater. This made Linzey (my niece) laugh hysterically as she pointed at NaNa's sweater! So before I know it my mom is laughing too... I look over wondering what was going on. She told me that when Landon saw that Linzey was laughing at NaNa for having ketchup on her shirt he took ketchup and was about to put it on his shirt so she didn't feel alone. My heart grew in that instance for the loving act of ketchup smearing.

I had to stop myself later that night and think of what happened that day. I am proud of Landon for caring about others and doing something to help them. I'm also glad I didn't have to get ketchup stains out of his shirt although it would have been worth it!

I am truly blessed with a wonderful, big-hearted little boy who continues to make me realize that giving of yourself gives you more joy than receiving. I hope as he continues to grow up that he will remember these little acts and know that Christmas time is about appreciating what we have been blessed with, that his heart will continue to grow with his body, and that he might know much very much I love and cherish him. I am amazed at some points and wonder if his heart isn't bigger than my own at these points. Landon definitely makes me view the world more closely through his childlike eyes.

I am the one who is blessed. I truly am.

Oregon Coast and Reunion

2009-10-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

The Oregon Coast... ahhh... nothing is like it.
It captivates you by doing nothing extraordinary than what it does day in and day out... but it's the other things that gets to you. The smell of the saltwater, the ocean lapping at your feet, the call of gulls around you, the crashing of the waves, the sand beneath your feet, and most important this trip was the sun beating down on you... warming you. It's amazing and I love the ocean. I love being able to relax and getting away from all the hussle and bussle of the normal day. I love being able to not have any plans making your day full of things to get checked off... instead you are able to do what you want, when you want, and if something doesn't go as planned, it doesn't matter. :)

Landon LOVED being on the beach. We didn't play in the water the first time we went out on the beach, but we did have fun building a castle, with a moat, and drawbridge! He was so good this trip and really loved playing on the ever-sandy coast. I love how he continually flicked sand everywhere so before I knew what hit me there was a shovel full down my shirt or in my hair. :) But that's the great thing about being there... it doesn't matter!

Yep! You guessed it! NAP TIME! :) I told him he couldn't have the camera anymore and then he plopped himself down just like this and stayed there for over 5 minutes till I went and picked him up. If this wasn't a sign that a nap was in order, I don't know what would have been... but before we could leave we were rolling with laughter at what happened below in the photos.

I had been watching this older couple walking along the beach together (because I've always wanted to grow old with someone and love seeing proof of two people being able to tolerate one another their whole lives to walk hand in hand, wrinkled and old *sigh*) and as they were walking the man stops and because the woman was looking down, she didn't notice he'd stopped till about 15 feet ahead... where she turned around and went back... by that time she'd noticed what had stopped her husband in the middle of their coasting on the beach... a scantily clad couple (woman specifically) had decided to strip down and enjoy the ocean as it should be enjoyed during the summer... o_O but the water was FREEZING and so I found myself staring too and watching the couple of course.

Instead of walking up to him and whacking him while telling him to stop eying the girl, she totally surprised me by standing by his side and staring too! hahaha... it had Sean and I laughing heartily!

Landon took the camera right before we left and took this photo... this is Sean and I. Sean is a dear dear friend... my best friend from the 8th grade. We met at Pattonville Heights while I lived in St. Louis, Missouri, in our Spanish class with Mr. Bimbo. He and I hit it off from there, but I moved away and we fell out of touch... over the next few years we kept tabs on one another and really enjoyed talking and laughing together over the phone. I stopped contact when I was going to be married, due to a misunderstanding (which was stupid in hindsight) and so we didn't contact each other for over 4 years. Then when I was divorced I found him on Facebook. We've been talking nonstop for almost a year now... seeing as November 3rd would be my 1 year anniversary for my D day.

He is my best friend. He knows everything about me... and the only thing that isn't in favor of us being in a relationship is he is not LDS. So we remain friends. And after a decade of not seeing one another, we decided to meet. I was planning a trip to the Oregon Coast, and when I told him and he said he wanted to come, we made the plans! He flew into Spokane and I picked him up, drove him to Quincy to see my family there, then onto Tri-Cities to have dinner with the other half of my family. It was a good (and long) day. We both crashed that night and then headed for the coast the following morning. We stayed 2 nights in Seaside and LOVED the weather we had! Last time I had gone to the Oregon Coast, Tiff and I were met with a blanket of thick fog and drizzly weather... not the makings for a gorgeous time at the beach! But we were in luck because the weather was perfect!

Landon was crazy when I took him to wade in the water. He kept stomping and getting my rolled-up jeans wet! Ugh... but the smile on his face and the twinkle in his eye soon smoothed over any irritation I felt. He's doll and I love him so much. I am so happy that he was able to have so much fun on the beach and enjoy the time together.

Landon serving me his special dinner of toasted football served on cheese and season mixture presented on a rare, vintage shovel! Om nom nom...

This is the sunsets we found ourselves enjoying. hmm... I miss it already!

Whenever I go anywhere I always take all the pictures and because I take those pictures, I am never in them and I don't get to have some of Landon and I interacting.... luckily Sean took the initiative to grab the camera an start taking shots. So I have him to thank for these awesome pictures.

But then I took over again and found that this was my favorite picture of the trip. I love it.

And you can't go without the self-portraits... those are a staple! :)

The trip was so much fun! Landon was very well behaved, which I was worried about coming back from his dad's just 2 nights before, but except for the tantrum in the sand... he did amazing. Sean and I were able to catch up and realize that we really do enjoy one anothers company and both have a love for the ocean... even though Sean thought I was crazy for wading in it... he followed my lead finally and got the full experience of the ocean by standing in it with his bare feet. :)

I miss my friend already and wanted to thank him for flying over to see me even after all this time.

Blankies

2009-10-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

I know this is a small thing, but it hit me pretty good... so I decided to share:

Landon has always had a blue blanket and a green blanket that is silky on one side and furry on the other... he has had these in his possession since before he was born. He loves the silky side of the blanket and LOVES to go to sleep with his blanket even though he can sleep without it, he does enjoy having it with him.

The other night after returning from his dad's not too long ago I was reading him a story when he stopped me mid-sentence and said, "Where's my blanket mom?!?!?" To which I told him I had just washed them and they were in the dryer. I got up and got one of them and went back to the bedroom.

The first thing that happened is he hugs his blanket against his little body and says so sincerely that it made me laugh and hug him, "I love you blankie!"

I guess we have a second generation in my family (me being the first) that loves the silky feeling of blankets... But I still smile and giggle when I think about how he said it. I've missed him and glad he's with me again.

Mr. Magoo in Action

2009-10-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

I have always called Landon, my son, Mr. Magoo from an early age. This was dawned because of his many, many, many close calls with accidents... and that's just the ones that were close... not the ones that he actually had. He is accident prone, just like me. But since he's come home from the few weeks he spend with his dad in Seattle, he's gone to great extremes.

Just to paint a picture I will tell you what happened 2 nights ago....

It was the first night back from the Oregon Coast (which will be blogged about this week), and I was getting Landon ready for bed. He seems to have a hour long burst of energy that is higher than normal since returning home from his dad's. I understand he's excited to be home and see me and be in his bedroom with his things... but it gets a little wearing when you are trying to read him books and he keeps jumping up and down on the bed at random intervals.... yeah.... like I was saying... *clears throat*

I had gone in and told Landon to lay down about 5-7 times and each time he was either on the other side of the room messing around on my bed with toys, or in the bathroom eating toothpaste, or writing on the dresser with a pen... yeah... just the kind of thing you want to catch your little boy doing when he's supposed to be the sweet sleeping little one that looks so peaceful, instead of the full of energy monster that can't sit still, let alone go to sleep!

So after going in there countless times I finally heard... nothing.
Didn't think that quiet could sound so good.... that was until I went into my bedroom.

I went in and got ready for bed, put out my clothes, and as I was pulling back the covers to my bed, I realized that there was something wet... NO! I thought to myself! He went to the bathroom twice before bedtime! Ugh! *scowl* but I found myself smelling the wet spot... and it wasn't pee.

Yeah... if the can of SPF 35 Coppertone Continuous Spray Sunscreen wasn't laying right next to Mr. Magoo I wouldn't have been able to figure out what that smell was. You guessed it!

Mr. Magoo had gone all out and decided my bed could use some Sunscreen protection. :)

As I had just found this out, my roommate and good friend, Tiffany, called me into the bathroom and pointed to something on the counter and asked, "What's this?!?!?" You see it was a black circle like thing drawn onto the counter in what appeared to be permanent marker. Black permanent marker on a white and gold counter top. Tiffany, being the best roommate and friend one could have, immediately put on her mommy cap and grabbed a rag with hairspray and dowsed the area in hairspray and scrubbed afterwards with the rag... repeating time and time again.

After the bathroom was cleaned up and satisfactory... I thought I would show her what other mischievous things Mr. Magoo had undertaken when sleep should have overcome him.

Lets just say we both had a good quiet, muffled giggle and after placing a towel under Mr. Magoo and I, I was finally able to retire for the night.

September Fun

2009-09-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, Yes I know... here are all the happenings in September! :)

Landon and I went to a Single's BBQ that also had a boat at hand for fun times... Landon really came to like this girl named Cassie while we were in the boat... he liked to sit on her lap and look at the girls who were wake boarding and knee boarding. It was so much fun. Landon was in charge of the flag at first, but after getting pulled over by the water patrol and told that we just had to move something he liked being on Cassie's lap the rest of the time. :)

This is Leah at the end of August, beginning of September. She is just 6 months and is looking so cute. Every time I see her belly I just want to go and feel it. I don't every time because she might freak out on me, but I do when I can. It's funny... since I have been pregnant, and heard a lot of women don't like their bellies touched I'm really hesitant to touch other woman's bellies. I don't want to offend them or get into their personal bubble. While I was prego I didn't mind anyone touching my big belly... it was fun actually...

Believe it or not, this is Leah at the end of September... she doesn't look like she's changed at all huh! :) I just caught her right when she got home from work and she had the same shirt on that's all. She is still cute as cute can be. Last night though she said that Drake was sitting on her pelvic bone and she was SOOOO uncomfortable. I felt so bad for her and offered a massage, but she just wanted to lay down to see if he would move into another position that didn't hurt as much. I have to say... there are some things I don't miss about pregnancies. lol

We were invited out to camp with Tiffany and her family. Landon and Nicole are best friends... actually Landon asks most everyday that I pick him up from Daycare if we're going to Nicole's house and when I tell him we're not, he tells me he loves Nicole and wants to play at her house. Awww... my little boy already has a best friend. :) I love it!

This would be me starting the fire and adding more wood. I was going to make a tee pee type thing with the wood and then light the newspaper underneath, but someone brought lighter fluid, so I cheated... hahaha... whatever works right!

This is Ashley Rae and Nicole... sisters... and awesome posers too. My camera disappeared while I was there at the campsite when I took Landon to the bathroom and these ended up on my camera by chance... who do you think could have borrowed it? lol

The happy little family. Tiffany with her girls. Something funny was going on and this was my favorite picture of the night.

Landon admiring his smore that I made... I really don't know what's wrong with me, but I've never liked smores. I think it's the marshmallows in it. I have never really like marshmallows... plain and simple they're disgusting to me. If I HAVE to eat one I will, but I can't stand their texture and how they taste... but I love to watch Landon get all gooed up with marshmallow while trying to devour his smore. Those times are precious and should be a part of childhood for everyone.

Roasting Smores...

This should tell you that Landon had HAD it with my camera shots by this point in the night. He was tired of looking my way and being blinded by the flash... but he is just so darn cute that I can't help myself... so this is when he was coming towards me telling me no more. :) Then right after this was taken I felt really bad because the flash really did hurt his eyes and partially blind him for a few seconds... so I put the camera up...

But you know it couldn't stay up all night... hehehe

We were invited to Brad and Nelda Asay's house. Brad works as a Funeral Director where I work and they just moved into their new home. So they had us over for dinner, swimming and fun. I went planning on getting in the pool, but I totally forgot to take off my mascara...

So I ended up with Raccoon eyes at the end of the night. Non-waterproof mascara + water = a MESS! hahaha Lesson is now learned and I won't be doing that again anytime soon.

On the upside, Landon had a BLAST with the other kids. He LOVED being in the pool and jumping off the steps to me, watching the rocket launch onto the neighbors roof, and eating the delicious ice cream dessert Nelda prepared. He loved getting to know Rob and Sonda's children and play with Nicole and Linzey too. At the end of the night the kids were exhausted from all the running around, exploring, playing, eating, swimming, and cheering.

Just this last weekend Corey and Sammy came over to hunt with Uncle Thomas during the Youth Hunt. Corey shot his first duck of the season... and Sammy showed Corey the ropes of how to cut the meat out, bag, and freeze it.

I had to come see Cheryl this early Monday Morning because I was going through withdraws of her happy attitude, her stories, and her chiding me for not updating my blog. She's awesome and I love this photo of her. She's beautiful and so caring and giving to others. Thanks Cheryl for the many things you have given me while I have known you. You are truly an amazing God-fearing woman and I am blessed to call you my friend. Keep your chin up with helping Jeremy through this rough time for his father who is in the hospital. You are a beam of happiness in a busy, fast paced business there. Remember that I love you! :)

Then I got a shock when Larry Bateman came in and asked me if I thought he had forgotten about me... a little confused I asked him what he meant... that's when it clicked. The Batemans and the Mueller's families have always helped each other out. So naturally when Larry's mom and dad passed away last year, I was able to help him with their services. During that time I came to love the long conversations we had where he told me about many different experiences he's had in his life and the stories about growing up in the Tri-Cities area when there wasn't anything here. I grew to really love our visits, but when the services were done we knew we wouldn't be able to see each other on a regular basis again... but he did mention that he was getting a Camaro that was custom built with everything he wanted in detail. He said he had just ordered it and paid for it and that it would be in sometime in August... little did I know that day that he came in that it was parked in the driveway! So this is Larry Bateman, one of the best men I know through my job. He even let me get in it and took a picture for me. Thank you Larry for the eye candy I was able to feast on for a few minutes and it was good to able to see you. Thanks for that laughs you caused by telling me about your wife taking the car to work and taking some of her coworkers out and wondering why everyone was staring at them... good times... good times...

I bought the kids some silly string things at the Dollar Store and they were having a blast with it. Landon couldn't hold the button down by himself, but Linzey knew just what to do. I seemed to have taken the brunt of the end of one of the cans and got all those fuzzies on me from Linzey's can. It was like Christmas morning for the kids though. Definitely something we'll have to do again! :)

Landon is now with his Dad and enjoying one-on-one time with him before James leaves to go to Iraq. During this time without him I have come to realize how much empathy I'm gaining for James having to go during times without seeing his son. I found myself bawling last night after getting off the phone with Landon who was eating pizza with Tyler (his dad's girlfriend's son) and have resorted to sleeping with his blanket at night. It's not the same, but it helps just a tiny bit. I can't wait to get him back on the 7th of October... 3 weeks without your little one is torture... especially when you're used to him being there, hanging with you everyday.

Quick Update

2009-09-24T14:52:00.000-07:00

Yes I am still alive and functioning... although it's hard not to get caught up in the memories of Landon and I while he's away spending one-on-one time with his dad for the next few weeks. I know I've been horrible about blogging, but I hope to turn a new leaf and really get to work! I just haven't been motivated to constantly deal with the PMS of uploading pictures. Apparently the Blogspot is just fine until you upload some pictures... so this will be a pic free blog! One of the VERY few! hahaha

Landon is amazing as always. I am really excited to be able to go do a Army Family Retreat with Landon in St. Louis in November to learn on some ways to help him cope during the time his dad will be in Iraq. I have noticed, for a while now, that when Landon goes a few months without seeing his dad, he starts to act out a little more up to a LOT more as the time gets longer. There are factors in this... the annoyance of his cousin Linzey who we live with (and is practically his sister in many ways) and the fact that he's never really set on a daily schedule of doing the same thing... but it does become noticeably worse. I was hoping to glean some information off a child therapist in our ward who was doing a Parenting Class, but I had to leave early due to a family emergency and didn't get to ask my questions... so this trip to Missouri is going to be awesome. I can't wait for it. Landon hasn't been in a plane since he was 4-5 months old! So it's going to be a fun time! :)

Landon loves his bike, loves juice, loves rolly pollies still!, and loves the new playground set Thomas just put up in the backyard. He is talking a LOT, but I'm trying to work with pronouncing his words correctly... so instead of saying, "Can You" he says, "Thank You!" But he's such a cutie that people just smile and laugh. My favorite is his trying to say "Gracias"... it comes out "Assis." hahaha Love it...

I am doing very well. Working full time at the funeral home which is boring as all heck one day and busy as all heck the next. I am also still doing Mary Kay and enjoying that so much. I love spending time with women getting to know them and teaching them tricks on shaving for the closest shave ever (which my sister said she didn't have her hair grow back till 2-3 days later!) and makeup looks that are customized for them. I am in the process of becoming a Master Make Up Artist and am super stoked about graduating as a Master Makeup Artist on November 19th! I still have a lot to do with my Portfolio and I'm still having a hard time identifying face shapes, but I hope to be going to the store and getting some practice in! I will post pictures soon of our classes and training... it's so much fun though. It's my job and I love it! I hope to be able to earn my car by my birthday! So I am working hard to get there!

My Dad went back into Detox and Rehab and has been sober 34 days! We couldn't be more proud of him. He took my grandma's death pretty hard, but decided he needed to change his life after a little intervention. Now he is more determined than ever to stay sober. I was able to go with Leah and April to see Dad this last Sunday and it was so nice to be able to learn about addictions and the effects of them, history of alcohol, and learn more about my dad along the way. We played horseshoes for the first time ever and my Dad beat us all. If you weren't on your team, you were NOT winning! Although it was all our first times and my Dad's second... I'm just saying... lol. I am so proud of you Dad and so happy that you're graduating today from Sunset Ranch. I love you Dad and know that I will be rooting for you through all this. Can't wait to see you once a week when you come into town. It's going to be nice to see you more often.

I can't wait for the fall weather to finally arrive... I know the first day of Fall was Tuesday, but I am still sweating when I go outside... so I can't wait to have to put on sweaters instead of wishing I could take off a few layers... or turn up the AC. I have already picked out Landon's Halloween costume. He's going to be Bumblebee off of Transformers. I am super excited too because last week Kate called me and invited me to carve pumpkins with them the weekend before Halloween. Of course I wanted to! The last time I carved pumpkins with them I was 5 months prego with Landon! So it's been long overdue. Plus Halloween lands on a weekend which means that I don't have to work! YIPEE!!! I can take Landon to the trunk-or-treat and then walk around our neighborhood to the people we know. I can't wait!

I hope you all are well and will be making my blog rounds to see what each of you have been up to. Again I apologize for not being diligent, and wanted to thank Cheryl for reminding me that this was something I needed to keep up on! :)

Landon Turns 3!

2009-08-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

So we took some pictures the day after Landon's party at the park and I loved the one where Landon's peeking around the corner. :) And if you're wondering Landon did put his flower on himself after seeing one of the older people do it. I just had to get a picture. hahaha... thank goodness he got some more boy toys and cars and such. I was getting worried about the purses, dresses, and necklaces! o_O

This is a combo of pictures of those who made it to the party and what happened there. My mom came over with Misty (pictured with the dog on her chest) from Quincy! Landon sang with my mom the Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam song. She would sing the verses and he would pipe in "BEAM!" or "SUN" when it came to the word. I got a video of it, but haven't found time to upload it, so that will be coming. :)

Mario Valencia and his kids came (Mary had to work). His kids are the boys with red hair, Mario Jr. "Bubba" and Maxum, and the little blonde haired beautiful girl, Mariah.

Then there were the Gillespie Family with Cheryl, Jeremy and their kids, Mykaela (spelling is always wrong), Derrick and Brittany. I worked with Cheryl at the car wash and she has become a very close and special friend to me. She and Jeremy are amazing together and they have to be to put up with her father who owns the car wash and is hard as nails and frustrating as all heck! Their kids are amazing too. Mykaela and Derrick are twins and so sweet and caring. Brittany is growing into a young woman and worked last summer and this summer at the car wash helping wipe down cars and cashiering.

There were SOOO many people that showed up:
Andrea Mendez, Fabian, Kyla and Mathias
Tiffany Plassaras, Ashley, and Nicole
Mario Valencia, Bubba, Maria, and Maxum
Cheryl and Jeremy Gillespie, Brittany, Mykaela and Derrick
April O'Neal, Leon, Autumn, Dakota, and Claire
Misty Gottschalk, Corey and Aby
Mom
of course, Leah and Thomas and Linzey
... and a good surprise was his dad came too!
James, his girlfriend Tamara and her boy, Tyler

James got Landon a Thomas the Train bike with training wheels as well as a Emergency Crew Toy/Truck/Vehicle set. Landon was super excited to see his dad and to have him be a part of the festivities. I am glad James was able to make it. I had told Landon for a while that his dad would be coming to his birthday party so it made my little guys night to see him show up and spend some time with him.

Landon had a blast opening presents and blowing out candles... although I have to admit that I completely forgot about the cake until after most of the friends had left and only a few family members remained. :( But to my surprise that was probably the best thing because one sheet of cake wouldn't have been able to feed all the people who came! So it was a blessing in disguise.

Mario brought the pinata last year and it was such a hit that I got one this year and stayed up till midnight filling that sucker up! Apparently it was too full because when the 2nd kid went at it, it fell off by where it was hanging by! So we reroped it and most of the kids were able to take a swing at it. It was a blast and the kids enjoyed the candy and money (thanks Jeremy!) that were inside.

This would be the infamous and best family. The Gillespies!
Cheryl is a doll. Jeremy is a big teddy bear, and their kids are amazing.

We finally got to the cake before long. :)
Landon tried to blow out the candles like 3 times before I picked it up and put it closer to him.
You know when you're spoon feeding your kids and you tell them to open up, that your mouth automatically does what you are wanting them to do? This was the case in the picture below. hahaha

This would be the next morning when Landon got up he brought this to me and wanted me to open it. It was the Transformer's costume I got him. He put it on and it was a 4-7 year size, but it was just a wee bit big on him. I'm glad I didn't talk myself out of getting it because of that. It was the last one and like I stated earlier... he needed something mocho to dress up in. He's such a cute little guy huh?!?!

The party was a success. I have NEVER had so many people attend a birthday party and I defintiely was greatful for the outpour of good wishes, comments, thoughts, and birthday singing that happened that day and on his actual birthday.

When someone would tell Landon, "Happy Birthday!" he would shout right back at them with just as much enthusiasm, "Happy Birthday to YOU!"
hahahaha He's so cute, smart, handsome, and filled with love.
Happy Birthday Landon. I hope to share many more birthdays with you sweetheart.

The Oregon Coast

2009-08-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

The last time I had traveled to the Oregon Coast was before we moved to Missouri the summer before I started my 5th grade year in Elementary School. We went with Karen Wells and her boys, Tyler and Nathan. My mom, April, Bubby, and Leah and I went with them in a camper on the back of a truck and a couple of cars to follow. We camped and saw lighthouses, jellyfish and starfish, caves, StoneHedge Tribute, and of course the amazing and vast ocean. I also got my first taste to the forest... a real forest that I played and camped in. It was fun and definitely memorable. I wish I had more photos to remind me of the sites and adventures, but I find myself at a loss.

So this last month I had an invitation from Tiffany to go with her and her daughter to the Oregon Coast for a weekend. I was immediately ready to say yes! To take a trip anywhere with Tiffany would be fun and memorable, but to return to a place that I hadn't seen or experienced in over a decade was priceless. So we made plans, reservations, arrangements, packed, and Friday finally came!

I have to give you a little background when it comes to Tiffany and I. We met while I first started working here at Mueller's Funeral Homes and we have slowly become more like sisters than anything else... best friends at heart some would call it. We have so much fun together. We are constantly meeting up to have play dates for the kids at the water park just less than a mile from Tiff's place (which is where I used to live before I moved in with Leah and Thomas) and Nicole and Landon have a BLAST when they are together while Tiffany and I enjoy one another's company, conversation and many laughs. She is an amazing Daughter of God and gives me the "Scripture of the Day" at work every morning. :) So as you can plainly see she is a lifesaver, belly-holding, blast of a friend. And we've known each other for a little over a year now.

We headed out and I took the wrong turn onto highway 82 right at the start of our trip. I quickly made an illegal U-turn known (at a cop's sitting spot) and we were back on the road... and in the right direction, might I add. :) That was about the most lost we were on that trip... and it wasn't really lost... just turned around. hahaha But that started our trip off!

We passed barges, cliffs, windmills, and trains along with many a semi and other vehicles. We made a few pit stops to go potty and that's to be expected traveling with a 5 year old and a almost 3 year old. :)

We finally made it to Kate and Mike's at around 10 at night. James was there and was able to enjoy seeing Landon for a bit before he had to go to his motel to report to drill in the morning. Kate and I stayed up getting her ready for the Young Woman's trip she was going on the following morning at the crack of dawn. Mike went to bed and you could tell he was beat. I stayed up helping Kate till about 12 or 12:30 and Kate was still up when I passed out on the couch with Landon falling asleep with me at the late hour. Kate was up at like 5:30 too! So I am not sure if she pulled an all-nighter or not... but she was a trooper and looked gorgeous as always in the morning ready for the long day activities planned for the young woman at Lincoln City, Oregon. Which happened to be the same place Tiff and I went to. After everything was packed into coolers in the morning and put into her vehicle she was off. Korben was playing the computer and Landon woke up soon afterwards and refused to go to sleep. So I started the day with a very sleep deprived son who was going to be overloading his senses later that day at the ocean beach.

We all got up and got ready. Mike made us some slamming sweet waffles that were homemade and homemade syrup too! I haven't been so spoiled in so long. It tasted great! Then we headed out after making a last potty stop in their bathroom before we hit the road. The traffic in Portland/Vancouver area was crazy and the highway down to Lincoln City felt like Seattle traffic! It was busy and crowded and clogged at points on the way down there. Tiff found later that we totally went out of our way with the directions we had and could have driven by the ocean the entire way down instead of fighting traffic on the freeway. But we got there in one piece and after checking into the hotel, getting the kids changed into cold weather clothes (the wind was really bad and it was foggy = humid and cold), we finally headed to the beach.

I was walking from parking the car after dropping the kids and Tiffany off and got a couple of balloon hats for the kids on my way to meet up with them. They loved them, but it was too windy to keep them on. So we anchored them to the basket of beach toys we had and were off.

The kids loved playing in the sand and learned that if they got to the sand right after the water went out that their castles and things stood better... so it was a race with the tides as they built and played. They watched the sea lions across the way and enjoyed running, sitting, building, and flicking sand. I vacuumed my car out and swear I pulled at least a full bucket of sand out of the carpet and seats with the shop vac! :) But it was worth it!

We wanted to get a picture first off (after getting the kids settled with their buckets and toys) of our feet in the Oregon Coast sandy beach... so we started to take them... but I wanted to have some of the ocean water in the picture too! So we went a little closer and got a good shot of the waves just going out.

Then before we knew it, a HUGE wave came our way while we were looking at our feet and about knocked us down by how hard it hit us! Then the rest of the night our pants were wet and sandy... I'll just say by the end of the day on the beach I was happy to change into some other clothes and my legs were about rubbed raw by the combo or sand and wet jeans. :)

Did I mention the water was cold??? This picture is priceless!

It's of Tiff touching the water with her feet for the first time. :)

We stayed in Lincoln City overnight and then the next morning, bright and early, we headed up the coast to Cape Town which had a ginormous rock a mile or so from the beach which was so captivating and mesmerizing at the same time. I don't know why being in the presence of this rock and ocean combination that was so pleasurable, but it was. I could have sat there on the beach doing absolutely nothing but watching the waves and surfers and of course the rock. The Ocean kind of has a tendency to put me into a trance-like state at times. Maybe this happens to more than just me, but I can just tell you from experience that it happens every time I go to the Ocean. Maybe it's the sand under my feet, the cool misty breeze that smells like salt water, and the constant crash and fall of the waves around you that seems to occupy all your senses at moments and just takes them over... who knows. But I am now addicted to the ocean's beach. I am addicted to the relaxing environment of people and kids playing in the sand with kites, buckets, balls, frisbees, and whatnot, the sound of seagulls sqwaking back and forth, the view of driftwood up and down the shore, the unmatched feeling of sand under your feet (and sometimes in your eyes when the wind blows just right), and the sea lions that you can see across the way. I am addicted to it all. I have found my favorite vacation spot now. I will be visiting it often. :)

Now back from my personal thoughts to our weekend. We went to Cape Town which is where they were holding a Surfing Competition. There were surfers all over the beach which was lined with vehicles that held occupants, boards, dogs, changes of clothes, and supplies for the participants of the competition. It was so cool to see the surfers out on and in the water.

I never knew that surfers could paddle around while atop their board like you see in those guys do in the Venice boats with the striped shirts and red ribboned hat. But they did! And it was so cool to watch. There were kids trying to surf really close to the shore with their parents out with them in the water of course...

and the most unusual sight was a HUGE mountain of sand that had a bunch of ants on it... that's what I thought at first, but then at a closer look it was a lot of people climbing up to be able to surf down! Surfing on sand! Who would have thought!?!?! But someone did and it looked like loads of fun. hahaha

After Cape Town, we traveled up the coast to Cape Mearse where the lighthouse was located. The kids were asleep and so I dropped Tiffany off with a camera in hand to see if you could see the lighthouse through the fog that was there on the coast the entire weekend we were there. Yes I was very upset at the fog! I wanted to see the miles and miles of water in front of me, but that was impossible the weekend we were there. So another time maybe. Anyways... she was gone a long time and I was in the car with the 2 napping kids reading the Oregon Coast map because I didn't have a book handy... when she came up, all out of breath, and said that you could see the lighthouse just fine! At that point the kids were already awake and so we all traveled down to the lighthouse. When we turned the corner to go to the lighthouse, I was expecting to see those tall lighthouses which are always in paintings... I was so wrong. This lighthouse was only 3 stories high (only looked like 2 though) and I was kinda of disappointed. But soon got over my expectations and decided to take in what I could while I could. I was able to see a lighthouse after all and that is special in itself. We went inside and waited for our turn to go up to the top of the lighthouse. Why wait? Because only 10-12 people could go up at a time because it was so small a space. I found that the lighthouse was built in the 1880-1900s and ran about 60 or 80 years (can you tell I was trying to keep a little boy from touching the panes in front of us as the gentleman was trying to fill us with the history of the lighthouse?) and when it was shut down the people just locked the doors to it and left for about 2 years. That's when the Parks and Forest Services found it and fixed it up. There were panes that were taken and never returned during those 2 years and since then they've been showing it to the public. It was fun to hear about the history of the lighthouse in which we stood at the top of.

We walked on back up the long walkway to another look out point and Nicole and Landon had a fun time running around and getting their energy out. They picked flowers, raced to see who was the fastest, and climbed trees. Of course we got pictures of it all and my favorites are the ones of Landon giving me a flower and looking for more to pick for me. :)

Then we began from that point the long drive home. We passed through Tillamook, but didn't stop because we were both so tired... we didn't get home till 9:45 or 10pm as it was. So I'm glad we didn't stop.

I almost forgot that we stopped at the Multnomah Falls. We didn't climb up to the bridge or even to the top, but we took some pictures and had a fun run around time with the kids to stretch our legs. It was so hot. The entire weekend was hot once you you left the coastal winds. The tempurature was 110 as a high one day in Pasco! So I'm glad we traded that for the coastal wind on one of the hottest days of the summer.The kids did really well on the trip other than some of the tantrums that Landon chose to have in the restaurant and lighthouse.

This week after the trip, whenever we get into the car Landon asks me, "We go to Nicole's house Mama!?" To which I inform him we aren't but mention we are going so he can play with Mathias or Maria. That isn't the end of it though... he always finishes his musings with "Me Love Nicole." I guess they are going to continue to be best friends, just like Tiffany and I are. :)

Happy Birthday Landon Man!

2009-08-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today is my Mr. Magoo's birthday!
He is THREE years old today!
I cannot tell you how happy and blessed I am to have this wonderful little boy in my life.

Landon was born August 5, 2006, weighing in at 7 lbs., 14 oz. He was full of love and smiles and laughs from the beginning and it's only gotten better with time. He loves to be outside and enjoys the water like he should live there. Some of my favorite times with Landon now are cuddling with him while he wakes up and when he goes to bed. Because I wake him up before he is ready to wake up in the mornings. I get up especially early to be able to cuddle with him and love on him. Then when he's up I tell him I love him and he says in his little boy voice that turns up at the end, "I love you too!" He is the sweetest and funniest little boy you'll meet.

He's gone through stages...

The NO! stage.
Landon started to tell me No for everything! No joke... I ask if he wants a drink of water after coming in from playing in the pool in the backyard and he says No... he got out of this stage pretty quickly when he learned if he said No he really wasn't going to get what he said No to!

The 'Why Mama?' stage.
There was about a month or just under a month where Landon would ask me why for everything and when I said anything! We would be going to Wal-Mart...
---
Landon: "Where we going Mama?"
Me: "To Wal-Mart."
Landon: "Why?"
Me: "To get some groceries and toilet paper."
Landon: "Why?"
Me: "Because we are out of toilet paper and we are running out of food at home."
Landon: "Why?"
Me: "Because we use toilet paper to go to the bathroom and we have used every roll in the house that we bought last time."
Landon: "Why?"
Me: "Because we need to be clean when we come from going to the bathroom."
Landon: "Why?"
Me: "Because we don't want to be dirty."
Landon: "Why?"
Me: "Why are you asking, 'Why?' so much?"
Landon: "I don't know!"
---
Seriously this happened ALL THE TIME!
At first I answered his every "why?" question with a logical answer and spend minutes going through all the possible boring answers to those multiplying Whys! Then when my patience was cut short, I started asking that ending question again and again. It stopped soon after... I think he realized he didn't really know why he was asking those "Why?" questions.

The sticking-his hand down his pants stage.
I don't think this one needs a explanation... but I'm pretty sure that every boy goes through it. o_O

The Money! stage (still there).

He is currently still in this stage where he has learned that money buys him things... so he wants it! I have started to pay him a penny a day for picking up his room. I figure this will evolve into weekly allowance when he gets older for doing chores... but seriously! I have one happy little boy who is willing to clean his room for a penny! That's awesome in my opinion! And he doesn't throw fits or tantrums anymore about having to do it. When I give him the penny he immediately puts it into his giraffe 'piggy' bank I got him on his last birthday. :)

The I Wipe Myself stage (still there).
If you have a solution or previous experience on this one please let me know. Landon has been potty trained for a while now and has started to wipe his own bottom before he calls me when he's done. So what ends up happening... yeah... you guessed it! Clogging the toilet happens every time! So I'm caught in this trap! I am excited he's wanting to wipe himself, but not excited about having to plunge the clogged toilet every time!

The Lay on the Ground stage (still there).
Landon has never been one to throw tantrums because that is one of my Pet Peeves. I hate it.
So Landon has found something else... when he doesn't get his way or is told to do something he doesn't want to do... he lays down on the ground and puts his face in his arms... Yep... that's it! This doesn't bother me... it's not into that Tantrum yelling/kicking pet peeve of mine. So it is how he expresses himself without me getting upset with him. I leave him alone and ignore it to the best of my ability and when he's done he gets up and comes and hugs my leg or does what he's been asked to do in the first place. So I guess you could call this his "cool down" thing. :)
I kinda like it.

While he's been 2 years old, he's learned to do a lot of things. Landon tells me every morning and every evening, as well as some points in between, that he loves me. Most of the time it's preceded with me telling him I love him... but there are times when it comes out of the blues from him. I remember the first time he said it by himself to me. I was so ecstatic and beaming with pride and love. I picked him up just held him. He has come to adore rolly pollys, worms, and caterpillars. If you're not familiar with these little rolly creatures I've included some pictures of them. :)

One thing that I've enjoyed is that Landon cuddles more now than he used to. He doesn't mind putting his head on my shoulder or giving me BIG hugs and just sitting there with me. He's received many bruises, scratches, rug burns, and scraps. He's been covered in bandaids, neosperin, and kisses. He loves to brush his own teeth and enjoys brushing my hair and putting 'pretties' in it. Landon still prefers my bed to his and is attached to a little, blue, silky and soft blanket... (which reminds me of my favorite blanket I drug around as a little girl) but not so attached that he can't go to sleep without it. He has told me that he LOVES: Rolly Pollys Tractors Nicole (play friend) Bubbles Zoey "ZoBo" (the dog) The Rain Watermelon Flip Flops and so many many more things... In the car he continually makes me laugh because we'll be driving and I'll be thinking about what I need to get done when I get home... when I finally tune into what he's saying (mind you it's as fast as he can get the words out!): "I love my NaNa. I love my MaMa. I love my DaDa. I love my Linzey. I love my Auntie. I love my Uncle. I love my ZoBo. I love my Mathias (boy at daycare). I love my... my... ME!" hahaha

Landon is just such a sweet boy. He loves everything and everyone. He loves to make sure he puts his Sunday Nursery drawings on the refridgerator and is getting more and more patient during sacrament meeting, which might have to do with the large volume of children we have in our ward. He loves to sing and dance. Anytime he hears music he starts dancing. Lately as all of you might have noticed he's into flashing peace signs and whatever hand signal comes out in the photo shots. He learned that from his nephew Nicolas on the Mother's Day Camping Trip and hasn't "forgotten" it yet. *Sigh* Oh well... hand signs or not, he's still so stinkin cute in my book.

Landon loves to play with all kids and I have been told by his daycare lady, Andrea, that he is the one that gets picked on all the time by Adrian and the rest of the kids because he doesn't fight back. He has such a soft heart and is so caring. I love that he knows when to mess around with mommy and uncle and when not to. He's very gentle with bugs, babies, and flowers. He picks flowers for me all the time. While we were in Oregon on the coast we were walking and he saw some dandelions and picked a huge handful of them for me... came walking over to me and deposited them in my lap with a huge grin and saying, "These flowers for you mommy!" Who could not adore that kind of smile is beyond me.

I am so blessed to have Landon in my life. He's truly the thing that keeps me running. And there are times that I want to pull my hair out because no matter how many times I tell him NOT to get out of bed, he reappears a few minutes later around the corner saying he needs to go potty or whatnot. But in the end I kiss him before he goes to sleep and realize that I'd rather be bald then live without him. He's been such a blessing in my life. Heavenly Father definitely knew I needed his tender, caring, fun-loving spirit in my life. And I thank him every day for my Mr. Magoo (aka Landon Man).

Happy 3rd Birthday Landon. Mommy loves you!

P.S. I know the fonts and stuff are off, but I tried 5 times to change it all to the same one and it didn't work... so I am not caring at this point. I really did try to make it look nice though. Never had blogspot do that to me though! Frustrating... *shrugs*

Looking Back...

2009-08-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

For a while now I have been meaning to go through my old pictures and scan them in so I can keep them on a backup CD in case something may happen. (You know how you start thinking about what you could loose if something like a fire/flood happens and it kicks your butt into gear for a while until it dwindles back down to laziness???) Well that's what has happened to me.

So this blog is a little blast into my childhood and growing up. I don't have all the pictures scanned yet and can't use Picassa because the only computer I use is my work computer to do blogs during my lunch hour or when I have done everything there is to do at work and am so bored I start to fall asleep. So I apologize for the non-use of those amazing picture boxes that can hold many pictures at a time and still look exceptionally cute.

Here goes...

My dad used to hook the sled up to the back of his truck and pull us on the sled in the field out behind out house in the wintertime. But when he wasn't wanting to do that much work, we settled for going down the drifts around our house. I remember my childhood being so much fun. I loved the summertime more than the winter because there was more to do outside then in!

This is Leah and I getting ready to go fishing with Dad I think... who knows... maybe this is how we dressed everyday and didn't know at the time that absolutely NOTHING matched. hahaha We used to go out quite a bit to fish with my dad. He would take us up to an Indian Reservation just south of Republic and we would fish there. It was fun and I remember Loving to gut fish and emptying mouse traps for my mom... I don't do it at all anymore. It totally grosses me out now. But it's funny to remember as a child enjoying (or not minding I should say) doing those things that adults don't tend to like to do.

Then there was the Christmas where we went to my Grandma and Grandpa Waggoner's house to spend Christmas and replayed the Christmas Story of Joseph and Mary traveling and Christ being born in the stable. Misty was Joseph, Jenny was the donkey, April was Mary, and Leah and I were shepards. My Grandpa Waggoner read from the Bible as we acted it out. It was fun and we even have video of it (including the sheet slipping off April and her being mortified!) so this was one of my favorite childhood memories looking back.
That same Christmas my Grandma Waggoner had taken the time to make a rhyme for each of the gifts to us grandkids. So before we opened the gift we tried to read her handwriting, but ended up handing it to her to read because we couldn't make out her cursive writing. I love those memories and times with family that you'll never forget.

Leah and I (yep... with me feeding my face) with our dad. I remember a story my mom remembers as well as my dad about Leah and breakfast. I guess that we were all sitting around the table having breakfast and my sister, Leah, started to complain that she didn't feel very well. My dad thought this was a ploy to leave the table and play so he told her to continue to eat. About 30 seconds later, my mom majically shows up right in the nick of time to place a bowl under Leah's chin and Leah puked up everything. My dad was dumbfounded. I guess it just goes to show that mom's know best about what their kids need. :) Funny story that has been retold many times at family gatherings... I don't know why it never gets old.

Birthday parties were the highlight of the year. We never did anything super expensive, but enjoyed doing a slumber party complete with breakfast in the morning and games outside in the yard. I have posted these pictures on my facebook and have come to find that many people that attended remember going to the Sawyer girls' house to Birthday Parties and looking forward to it. My mom definitely knew how to make things fun and exciting even on a small and minimal budget. She's always been great like that. She continues to amaze me.

Yes... My parents did allow us to run around naked outside. Why? I have no idea.
It's mortifying really and that's why I was always very careful of the pictures I took of Landon. I didn't want him to have the same eye rolling and blushing experiences as I have with these kind of photos from my childhood. Leah and I practically lived outside during the summer. We played in the ditch, dressed up our cats in doll clothes, played tag in the neighbors corn field, put on concerts off the neighbors backyard deck to the song, "I Saw the Sign... and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign. Nothing can ___ me up to get it into the life of you and I..." You singing it yet? hahaha We even had moves and outfits for our concerts too. My favorite times though were swimming in the ditch with neighbors and family. We would play there all afternoon. Now you get yelled at from the ditch riders to get out because there's pesticides in there, but it didn't seem to hurt us when we were young... or did it???

A few miscellaneous pictures of my older sister, Jenny holding me during Christmas and I think the other one is around Easter.

Before you know it I went from holding my baby sister, Leah... to holding Leah's baby girl, Linzey.

Then High School comes and hits you. I am so glad I don't have to EVER repeat those years again! They were fun, trying, hard, but mostly they were filled with good memories and learning experiences. First photo was me helping Trista when she was competing in Junior Miss. The other one was my good friends Alanna and Vanessa who did many a school drama play with me. :)

Fun times... fun times.

Expecting Again!.... (not me)

2009-07-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a day of personal reflection and nostalgia. My sister, Leah, called me yesterday after her ultrasound and announced that she was having a Boy! So my excitement was peaked because now I was able to drag out those boxes and boxes of clothes I had saved after Landon had outgrown them. For a while I thought they would NEVER get used again (*chuckles to oneself*) and that the boxes and containers were always going to take up room and continue with me through move after move. But yesterday I finally dug through my storage boxes to get one that had the infant clothes inside. As I sat and folded the clothes to make them look nicer for Leah to go through... I realized something surprising and a little disturbing. I don't remember Landon being that small. I know that I see him as a newborn in pictures and everything... but I don't remember holding his small little body in my arms and how it felt so fragile. I just don't remember him being able to fit into some of those newborn clothes! I don't know whether I'm suffering from loss of memory (which many woman and men have said happens when you have children) or whether I'm developing some form of premature Alzheimer's... but it's a little unnerving either way. You see I want to remember Landon that small. I am sure that I'll experience holding my nephew soon enough, but I want to remember holding my son. Maybe this is why women keep having children... I don't know. But as I realized this yesterday and felt a little bit of loss.

As I continued sorting I realized that some of the clothes he never wore... and others he wore time and time again. I even have those little shoes and can't imagine his size 10 foot... let alone big toe... fit into those anymore. So I was struck again by how quickly time goes by. It doesn't seem that Landon will be turning 3 years old next week. Instead it seems like he should still be in diapers (I'm not saying I wish for that stage again...) and giving me a gummy grin. Perhaps I'm in a "baby-hungry stage" due to all the tiny baby clothes and blankets and shoes I saw yesterday night as I was reminiscing... but to be honest I know that I am not going to have a baby anytime soon and that saddens me. I see my sister going through the stages of pregnancy and looked down the other day to realize that the "muffin top" (that my sister-in-law, Kimber, described in her blog) was NOT a little one growing inside me... but some extra toning that I need to do.

Leah (finally!) looks pregnant now... albeit barely for being 5 months along. Leah and Thomas have already named their little guy. I have to admit that when I heard the name I laughed (which I unintentionally hurt Thomas' feelings with)... but since then it's really grown on me and now I'm not sure I'd like any other name they might have chosen. This little man's name is going to be Drake (?Unknown Yet) Linton. Thomas picked it out (which is the cause of the hurt feelings) and it has to do with something hunting... a male duck of sorts or something. I am excited about this little guy coming into the world and being a part of his family at home for now. I am excited to be able to touch Leah's belly soon and feel Drake kicking and squirming. I am excited about the trip to the hospital and the hours in the delivery room. But most of all I'm excited about taking those first pictures of Drake and his mom and dad. To capture those moments so he can look back on them after he's older and see that day. I am excited to hold him and welcome him to a very new world he'll soon be aclimated to. To have a baby that newly born is like having something from heaven right in your arms. Makes me wish that babies could talk and tell us things they know and see.

The Surprised Thanks

2009-07-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

Today I was sitting at my desk and thinking about all the crap that's happened the last week... and yes this is only Tuesday... so yesterday felt like an entire week to me! It was SOOOO bad. It started on Sunday night when I got a call from the funeral director asking if I had scheduled someone for the viewing that night. Ugh! I hadn't and tried to call someone in, but to no avail. So Monday morning comes and I walk in to find the FD Manager folding folders. It dawns on me a couple of minutes later that he's doing this because I forgot to put the folders in jackets with bands around them! Then come to find out that the cap panel we ordered for the family didn't come in, the flowers got delivered across the street rather than to us, and the decedant's glasses couldn't be found.... so the situation went from bad to worse within minutes. And this is all happening as the service is right across the street from my place of work in an hour!

To say the least, I and the funeral director dropped the ball on many things. I was mortified that this had happened and I didn't see how I could have forgotten and slipped up on some of these things. So to say the least my Monday was horrible and it took everything for me not to sit and cry at my desk throughout the day.

I come into work today in a better mood because today couldn't be as bad as the day before. I also knew that I was going to see the Husband of the decedant today when he came in to pay his bill. I was worried that he would be mad (which he had EVERY right to be) and would yell at me or give me the silent treatment and make me feel more horrible and awkward than I already felt...

But what happened when he came in really touched me...

He came walking through the door and I smiled and greeted him. He laughed and pointed to my cinnimon rolls that a friend had given me on my desk (the other day he came in and cookies were on my desk) and he asked if that was the snack for the day. I replied that I always had something to eat at work and offered him some. He declined, but sat down and wrote out a check then was on his way in a few minutes time from walking in to walking out.

Little did I know that I would be seeing him about 10 minutes later as he walked back in with a container of Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies. He placed them on my desk and said this, which I hope to never forget, "Autumn. You are a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dark place. Thank you." Then he turned and left. I sat here and fought tears from falling, but they didn't listen. I was touched. Here was a man that had endured all my mistakes and was bringing me back something and thanking me. I didn't feel worthy of his praise to say the least. But I was grateful and touched all the same.

This has been a very fulfilling day and I hope that I don't forget it soon. There are days that I have a hard time in my job and the situations and people we serve, but now I have something special to recall when I hit those moments.

I want to thank you Mr. Kenning for your kind remarks and your act of gratitude. It really meant the world to me. God bless you and your family during this difficult time in your life. I pray for your comfort and happiness.

Waterpark Adventures

2009-07-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

My good friend, Tiffany, moved into the duplex I was living in after I moved into my sister's house. She is now located in the perfect spot during the summer. Why you ask? Because it's less than a half mile to the kids water park which is located next to the library. It has a rose demonstration garden which master gardeners care for and is amazingly beautiful and it's all around just the best place to bring kids and have them have fun while you sit and chat/catch up with a friend.

Although on this day I didn't expect to go to the water park as you can tell by Landon running around in his underwear instead of swimming trunks. :)

This is Landon's really good friend, Nicole. She's awesome and loves to play with Landon. They have all sorts of fun together finding rolly-pollies, playing on the swing, riding bikes, racing up and down the lawn, and playing at the water park together.

Landon was really weary about getting in the water at first because he's not been there since last year when he didn't like it one bit, but when he saw Nicole running back and forth through the water I think it caught on that if she's having so much fun getting wet that he would too. So off he went and we had to pull them out of there to go to the rose garden soaking wet... thank goodness I still had some dry clothes to put on him.

The rose garden is totally geared to kids too. It has scarecrows, boats, teacups that are plant pots, castles, a sand box, and pretty much everything you could think of. The kids have a Blast when we go there. They love to look at everything and of course to stop and smell the roses once in a while too after seeing their mommies doing it. :)

This would be me and Landon beside Tiffany and Nicole. This day was so much fun.
Then we moved to the goldfish pond...

Whenever Landon and Nicole get together it's hard to get a shot of both of them Looking at the camera and of Landon NOT making some sign or signal with his hands... but we did... along with those that were funny and unrehearsed.

All in all, it was fun. The kids were beat at the end of it and Landon fell asleep that night in record time. He crawled in bed and I went to get something and came back and he was out! hahaha, I guess that when little boys play hard, they crash hard too. :)

My BFF - Alanna

2009-06-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

So my best friend, Alanna (Anderson) Longhurst, has been griping about me having that old picture of us together on my blog. She doesn't like how she looks (which NONE of us do after we have just had kids) and so I told her I would replace it, but the picture that I have to replace it with doesn't have us with our kids... So I thought I would just add it to the blog as a new and better picture of the two of us.

Alanna is amazing. She took me in when I came back to Quincy after living in Missouri for 3 years and was my saving grace in a way. I didn't know anyone and had been gone for 3 year and so you can just imagine the lost feeling I had. She took me back without a bat of her eye and it was like I had never left. She is amazing and I remember her practicing her voice lessons. I used to hate her singing exercises because they were so LOUD and ANNOYING... but after I moved out of her house and we moved onto college and didn't see each other as much, I found myself missing those times and even her piercing voice lessons. :)

Alanna was the one who always made me laugh... even in the morning at 7am when we were just waking up. She would roll over to chat and immediately start laughing because my breath smelled so bad from the pickles I had ate the night previous that she couldn't stand to have me next to her and shoved me out of the bed! hahaha Or the time I went over to her house and used linen napkins for the first time... that night I had Alanna rolling because I used my napkin to wipe my runny nose and clean my plate off for dessert when I thought no one was looking. Those times were funny.

Or the time that she took me horseback riding right after I got back from St. Louis and planted a seed for the love of horses I now have. She sang the first country song I've ever heard (Tim McGraw's "She had BBQ Stains on her white T-Shirt. She was killing me in that mini-skirt. Skipping rocks on the river by the railroad tracks..." Do you know the one I'm talking about?) and now I'm hooked on country. She got me onto the Cross-Country Team and was there the first race I competed in when I got lost in the Leavenworth Forest.

Alanna has been there when I needed a friend to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, or vent my frustrations to. She took me out of my bubble of shyness and helped me become the woman I am today. She was there every Sunday at church with me growing up and we would take turns playing with one another's backs during Sacrament Meetings.

She is an amazing woman. She's a wife and mother now and I have to say she's on heck of an amazing lady. She is funny, articulate, passionate, hotter-than-snot when mad, patient, kind, always ready to give a piece of her mind or advise to you.... and I am really truly lucky to be able to call her my best friend. She inspires me to become better; and I love the fact that even when I know I have to do something, it's only when she vocalizes it to me that it really clicks. I miss her a ton since high school and we have lived at a distance from one another. She is down in Utah right now and might be moving to California soon and I'm here in good ol' Washington. But we find ways to see each other and "catch up" even though it doesn't seem like enough time in the day to do so.

I love you Alanna and want to thank you for all the years that you've been there for me and pushed me to do better or be something more. On more than one occasion you kept me on the straight and narrow, made me laugh when I wanted to cry, and have really given so much in friendship that I hope to have given back just a portion. Thank you for being strong and for being you no matter what the circumstance was. You're awesome!

Big Surprise to Me!

2009-06-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

I was over at my apartment in May cleaning out the last of my belongings to move into storage or my sister and brother-in-law's house (Leah and Thomas), when Thomas asks me if I saw anything in their bathroom when I went in there yesterday to curl my bangs. I told him that I hadn't. He then told me something that I was not expecting to hear and am so excited about.
Leah is pregnant.

I guess that when I went into the bathroom they had a couple of pregnancy tests there on the top of their toilet and Leah and Thomas were sure I'd seen them, but I didn't. They hadn't told anyone yet and weren't planning on telling the family for another 3 weeks (the first week of June) when Leah would be 3 months along. Her due date is December 16th and Thomas and Leah both hope it's going to be a boy... but will be happy if it's a girl too.

I was totally taken back, because for a long while Leah and Thomas have always been opposite on wanting to have another one. Leah would want one and Thomas wouldn't. Thomas would want one and Leah wouldn't. The latter one was true for these last few months. So when Thomas told me that they were expecting I was in shock. I was happy beyond belief. I just didn't see this coming. Thomas said when he found out he was laughing and jumping up and down.

**Warning**
This will be a very LONG, REFLECTIVE email.

You see I look at this as an opportunity for me to undo all the hurt I caused Leah when she had Linzey at 15. I will illustrate it so you know what exactly I mean when I say that... for all of those who don't know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I found out that Leah was pregnant when I was a Senior in High School. I was on the verge of turning 18 and remember it like yesterday when I heard the news from my mom. I was standing in Mr. Stagg's science classroom and after I was told the news from my mom, I remember not even able to make it off the phone without bawling. I turned to Mr. Stagg and told him I had to leave (not sure if he caught what I was trying to say) and ran out of the classroom. It was break between classes so the hallways were full of teens. I dashed to the nearest bathroom, and collapsed on the floor of the nearest open stall (as disgusting as that sounds I didn't care at the moment) and bawled... I didn't care that there were 5 other girls in the bathroom. I just was angry and hurt. Angry that my sister could go against everything she was raised to know was wrong and do it anyway. I was angry that she would do this to our mom. I was angry that I was the only one in the family that was actively attending church and waiting to have physical intimacy. I was just plain angry and hurt. Not even a minute after I had entered the bathroom, my best friend, Alanna, called my name and I let her in the stall. The other girls had exited the bathroom by this time. Alanna asked me what was wrong! I told her that my sister's test came back positive. She looked at me and I won't ever forget the horror on her face as she said, "She's tested positive for AIDS?!?!?!" I quickly informed her that it was NOT that, but being pregnant. To sum it up she composed me enough for me to wait outside the classroom as she got my items and checked me out of school and drove me to the park where we talked and ate lunch.

Now I will give you a brief synopsis of the following few months... I gave Leah and Thomas 2 complete weeks of silent treatment and couldn't even stand to be in the same room with them. That finally broke when I went off on her AND Thomas about being raised to know that what they did was wrong and letting them know I couldn't believe that they did it anyways. Then the following few months I was not a pleasure to live with when it came to my sister. I remember yelling at her (which we did before she was prego, but it intensified), telling her to take my clothes off that she had borrowed up to that point, and moving out of the house because I was the only one who didn't stay up all night because of not having to go to school in the morning.

Leah didn't allow anyone inside her delivery room besides my mom and her coach. So that left Jenny, Misty and I outside in the waiting area for hours waiting... and waiting... until the nurse told us Linzey was about to be born and we headed to the door of Leah's room. We were trying to peak in, but there was a curtain and with 3 of us it wasn't happening... until the nurse at the last minute pulled the curtain so we could see and then we all turned into blubbering idiots in the hallway when Linzey Jade Linton was born.

Just a little over a week later, I was in a car accident on my 18th birthday. I wasn't driving, but it totaled both vehicles and one of the guys in the other car ended up with a broken arm amongst other bruises and scraps resulting from the rollover and their car landing on its top. Ironically we were heading to get a snowboard from a ward member to borrow for me to go snowboarding the following day. I had never been before so I was so stoked for going and with some of my best friends. After the accident, besides a little soreness and bruises, I was still determined to go. And go I did. I had bruises on my bruises and found that I am not coordinated enough to have both my feet stuck to a board attempting to stand up, let alone glide down the hill without falling down. hahaha yeah... it whooped me pretty good. Haven't tried it since...

But back to the story... It was just a week or so after Leah had Linzey and I come romping into the house to grab something. Unbeknown to me, Leah was actually trying to breast-feed and was exposed as I came ambling into the house with 3 friends. So she is trying to throw a blanket over herself to be modest and let people know what she's doing because they want to see Linzey.

I moved back into the house soon afterwards and at night when I was awoken by tiny Linzey's constant cries, I remember thinking to myself, "Good! She deserves everything she gets for going and getting pregnant!" and then falling back to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I look back on those times and am truly horrified by my lack of compassion, empathy and service that I could have rendered or tried to render to my sister. I look now and realize that Leah was only 15! She wasn't even old enough to drive and yet she had a baby. The baby she had was extremely colicky and cried most every night all through the night. Linzey was also having a VERY hard time breastfeeding and Leah ended up having mastitis 3 times before she stopped breast feeding when Linzey was 9 months old. Leah also watched her nephew during the day to try to earn some money to buy the diapers and whatnot she needed. Thomas was up at Job Corps. in Curlew, which is up by the Canadian border, getting trained to be a carpenter so he could provide for his very new and young family. Leah had just a couple of close friends that came to see her. She stopped coming to church because she felt like she was being judged and talked about. And yet I continued to pester her and add to the things she had to bear.

It wasn't until I was in college that our relationship went from not being able to barely stand each other to friendship. And since then it's grown into being very close friends and sisters. I have apologized profusely for my treatment of my sister and brother-in-law. I am ashamed of how self-centered I was on top of my judgmental attitude.

So when I heard this news of them being pregnant again... I knew this was going to be different from last time. I find myself making sure that the dishwasher is loaded, counters wiped off, food put away, house picked up, clothes ready to be folded the minute I get to sit down, her bed made (if it's not already), more clothes in the washer/dryer, something heated up for her to eat, and the kids in pjs when she gets home from work, so that Leah can do whatever she wants... which usually tends to be fall asleep as we all sit down to watch tv as I fold clothes and visit.

I know that this pregnancy and beginning months will be different. When Leah is waking up during the night and finds herself wondering how she can do it... I will be there to tell her to go to sleep and let me take care of the little one for a few hours. Or when she can't stand the way the house is but doesn't have the energy to do what needs to be done, I will be the one helping to clean it as she naps.

I know I can't undo what has already been done, even though I wish I could.
I just have to be better this time.

I love my sister, Leah, very much. I look up to her as a woman, a wife, a sister, and a daughter I want to be more like. She is not just my sister now, she is my best friend. She is one that talks sense into me and picks me up on my worst days. She is always there for me and helps me to improve my self-image and find the best bargain items at value village. She has me eating better, exercising more, and going to bed sooner. She is even converting me to wheat bread instead of white. She inspires me to be a better person and sister. :o)

I am excited about this little one growing and joining us in December. I am excited about seeing Leah grow and change and soon have that pregnant glow. I am excited to be able to share my prego clothes (doesn't look like I'll be needing them anytime soon anyways! :)) and to have some words of advice for her along the way during those low days where you're feet swell and you just want to be normal again. I have some things that I didn't have last time... I have sympathy and experience now.

We Go Papa's House, Mama?

2009-06-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

Lately this has been my favorite picture of Landon. His smile and eyes and cuteness are all captured here in this photo while he waits for me to pick him up... hahaha

April came over while Dad was visiting and I had to take a picture.

Landon is in love with Dad's hat. You would think he has never seen one before... which actually now that I think about it... no one in the house wears hats. But we have family that does. Or maybe it's just because he loves the attention from Grandpa when he takes it off and puts it on his own head. Who knows. But it's funny to see him interact with my dad. Even though his head is big, it's not big enough to fit and fill out dad's hat.... you've got another few years to go there kiddo! :)

But back on topic... I was riding the the car one day and I was stopped mid-song by Landon.
He asks me, "Mama, we go Papa's house?"
To which I respond... "No, sweetie... we aren't going to Papa's this weekend."
to which he says, "Mama, I love my Papa. He good guy."
Then I smile and laugh to myself.

You see he's been on this whole kick with wanting to be with his Papa... and good guys vs. bad guys. Everyone is either a good guy or bad guy. If we walk by a person in the supermarket he points to them and says, "Mama! He bad guy!" To which I blush and apologize and steer the cart as quickly as I can away from the guy while telling Landon that most people he sees are good guys, there are just a few who are bad.

But how do you really explain to a 2 1/2 year old that he can't go around calling people "bad guys?" Have any of your kids out there gone through this phase? Please give me input if you have found yourself in this situation and what you did and what the results were.

Anyways... back on track again... We went to Papa's house the other weekend to spend the night with them and enjoy their company. Dad and Ruth were working on Saturday when we came and so Landon hung out at their mailbox while I locked up the car and we walked across the park and down a few blocks to Ruth's work at the Water District in Othello. I learned that week that if you give a child something specific you want them to do that they are glad to do it instead of something general. So while I was unloading the car, I told Landon to hold onto my leg and then when it came time to head out I told him to keep his hand on the mailbox... he listened perfectly! I was so happy because usually he darts around on the sidewalk and sometimes oversteps into the street and I am scared to death of him darting out into the street one day when a car is coming. So this was a huge moment of newly found technique for me.

We made it to Ruth's work and Landon was immediately fascinated by a few things. First the water fountain! I'm not sure if this is just with him or with other kids, but any time he passes or gets a glimpse of a water fountain he seems to be magnetically drawn to it. Especially in church on Sunday or at Wal-Mart's check out/bathroom area.

Anyways... Focus Autumn Focus!

After I got his attention off of the drinking fountain it turned to the picture of the cranes. He knows birds when he sees them in the sky... his uncle may have even taught him how to use a duck call this last hunting season... I'm not totally sure. But you get the gist of it. Landon is totally into birds of any sort and so he LOVED the picture and stuffed crane in the entry way of Grandma's work. He kept making gun noises like he was going to shoot them!

Then he finally saw Grandma who treated him to some candy from the candy dispenser!
Plus he got 2 quarters while he was there.
Lucky duck!

On our way home from seeing Grandma at work, I told Landon he could play on the toys at the playground because we were still waiting for Dad to get home. There were a ton of softball tournaments going on and lots of kids around, but that didn't stop me from taking a million photos as always!

Then after the playing wore down and I started to get tired, we headed home.
On the way Landon picked up a stick... and I was amazed with that stick.
The stick became a whip at first, whipping the dandelions in the grass;
then a horse to gallop him around,
then a sword to cut up trees (and my leg),
then an crutch to help him walk,
then a baton to help lead the band,
then a gun to shoot the birds flying from tree to tree,
and lastly (I think) was it being a spear that he threw into the tough ground with a huge grunt.
The imagination of a little boy astounds me.

We got back and after a nap, Landon went to work helping Papa build the above ground plant beds. He helped screw the wood together, take tools to Papa, and inspecting the work. But during the process as Papa was hammering the wood to be level, Landon covered his ears... the sound was a little much on him. :)

When Landon got bored with Papa, he helped Grandma Ruth play in the dirt with cars and Transformer toys. But after a while he resorted to the rake and shovel... who knew! hahaha

The next day we came home, but not before going to see Ruth at her church. It was a long service for the fact that it was right at Landon's nap time and Landon wasn't having any of it. So I found myself out in the hallway a lot.... but that's ok... I think I'll stick to our sacrament meetings on Sundays. Then he was knocked out in the car before we even left town. Poor kid wore himself out.

Quincy Weekend Fun

2009-06-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

Get ready for a LONG blog about the Quincy weekend almost 2 weeks ago.
A lot happened and that calls for a LONG blog with MANY pictures about what happened.

First we started out going to Verna Teeter's house because Trista (Lybbert) Teeter was in town from North Carolina because her sister, Dene' was married in the Columbia River Temple and doing a couple receptions. So I stopped right when I got into town to see her. And while we were there Landon found a raccoon hat that he loved. :)

Then I had to hit Trista up with a photo of her and I... we haven't seen each other in a couple of years and since then she has Samuel now and he's almost a year old! So we had some catching up to do! In the photo can you tell that she is tan and I'm albino? Maybe I need to move to North Carolina to be near the beach and work on this crazy, blinding whiteness I have going on here. hahaha

Then I needed to get a photo with Landon. He has overalls on and I think they are too small for them, but I didn't realize that until I saw him in these photos... so don't worry. I won't be showing him in them again. ;)

Trista's little girl, Brooklyn, loved playing with Landon on the swing. I was trying to get them together. The time they were together Landon was just barely born and I remember her holding him... boy time really does fly...

Then of course they start making faces and farting noises...
ok, let me correct that:
Landon was making farting noises.
He is really into making farting noises and I am annoyed as heck at times throughout the day when he'll not only just make the farting noises, back his little butt up to you and put it on your leg while making the appropriate noise for a 2 1/2 year old. I caught my brother-in-law, Thomas, doing it the other day and finally found the culprit of who had been teaching this horrible noise and motion of cocking their hip to the side as they walk while making the infamous fart noise. Thomas totally denied the allegations put against him. Then a couple of days later he told me that he found himself doing it and not realizing that he was even doing it....
so the shoe fit the crime it looked like. >.>

But then they high-tailed it to the kids pool outside when they caught sight of it! lol...

It was so funny. Brooklyn took off ALL of her clothes and then was told by her mom, Trista, to put her undies back on... but when she did they didn't go on like normal... as you can see. hahaha

Trista after a while helped her get them on correctly so she didn't walk all funny in them. :)

But that didn't stop them being so wet that they started to sag... she is such a doll and so good too! Then there's Trista and Brooklyn. Cute as can be!

I had to put this one on here... Brooklyn was hiding under the turtle cover of the sand box and when she started to come out I snapped this photo which makes her look like she's a turtle! hahaha Loved my timing!

Then it was off to Dene' and Kenny's reception at the church... they had a Hawaiian theme going on if you can't tell... and she and Kenny are so about being the Next Top Model!

Trista was the photographer with her umbrella light and camera at the ready! lol

Us dressed up for the occasion.

Then the roast began... but I couldn't take my eyes off of Dene' and Kenny for too long.
They were so happy it just couldn't be hidden... it was contagious!
I am so happy they met eachother and that they are married now. I know they will have an amazing life together because they both are amazing individuals.

I scared Trista with my camera shot of her! She wasn't used to being in the line of fire.

Then I jumped in the car with Kristina (Cox) Taylor to head to a baseball game in Ephrata.
We ended up sharing her Ipod earphones to listen to the songs and had fun as always when she is driving and we're chatting. I am now thinking that this looks a lot like the one picture I took of us making a trip home from BYU-Idaho together in 2004!

Later on Sunday we made it back to Kristina's house to celebrate her little boy, Parker, 1st Birthday with a family/friends party! Landon fell in love with this jeep. It was Taija's.

But when he finally got to drive it, guess what happened...
yeah... he went straight for the only tree he could find in the backyard. hahaha
I'm worried about him getting his learner's permit after this one! ;)

But once we pulled him back and put him on track he was off again with Taija hanging on for dear life! hahaha

This is Kristina's mom, LaDawn Reynolds. She is amazing and got me hooked onto Ruby Red Squirt from a can. She is so funny and really scared of mice. This weekend she had a mouse that was stuck under the drawer in the kitchen with a paw in the mouse trap and she waited until Kristina and I got it out... well I tried, but Kristina took over because she didn't think I was pinching the tongs too much... which she found out was harder than she thought. :)

And here is Kristina and I at her house. She got me hooked on Tootie Fruities too! hahaha
I think back and love the memories that encompass the last high school nights to horsebackriding, to hanging out in her entertainment room with friends, to driving around the country in search of a bonfire. I have really enjoyed the time that I have had with her.
She's amazing, just like her mom!

Landon on the swing out in back of Kristina's home.

These photos are how I think childhood should be. Fun and carefree.

Then he got an attitude with not wanting to eat and just wanting to play around...
He has the pouting face down pat!

Then it was cake time for Parker and cupcake time for the other kids.
Landon looks more like he's snarling than smiling here...

Then it was outside to play some more. He LOVES bikes and tractors.
Today on the way to daycare we passed some tractors that were tearing up the road and Landon pointed them out and told me what they were and then continued to say that he LOVED tractors. I couldn't have been more proud of my little boy!