Landon's "1st Words"

On May 16, 2009, during my weekly house cleaning, Landon called me into the living room because he wanted to show me something. Never knowing what to expect, I went in there and he had written his first word all by himself. He didn't even have any help spelling it. Take a look...
Ms. Hillary is the boys' babysitter (she had kept them two nights earlier in the week for Chris and me to go to the Sports Banquet at the Middle School). I think my little boy may have his first crush on the babysitter! Since then, he has been all about writing names of his whole family. He's got about half of his name memorized, but you have to spell out the rest. My little boy is growing up!

Why So Big?

While putting the boys pj's on them last night, Landon (really seriously) asked, "Why is Nixon's belly so big?" I said, "Well, baby, it just is. He likes to eat a lot." You should have seen the face he made when he replied, "Yep, he eats way too much!" I then informed him that his belly used to be big too when he was Nixon's age, to which he then replied, "Yeah, but I don't eat a lot now and that's why my belly isn't big anymore. I don't like it to be big!" Guess I better keep my belly hidden! I don't want any comments from Landon! Check out the side profile and tell me what you think!

Happy 6 Year Anniversary to Us!

Chris and I have been married for six years today. That's hard to believe! We've encountered many things, both good and bad, in those years. Here's a small list of reasons that I love my Pooky.

1. He plays with my hair when I have trouble falling asleep..or when I just want him to.
   
2. He loves me unconditionally, even when I have oily hair in the mornings.
   
3. He loves our little boys and plays baseball/wrestles with them even when he's been working all day and he's tired.
   
4. He helps me to calm down and not stress out when our boys are sick, or just about any other reason I have to always stress out.
   
5. He laughs at my stupid stories and/or jokes that no one else may get.
   
6. He always packs up the house completely by himself every single time we move..and that's been A LOT!
   
7. He knows when I need a break and he'll let me leave to treat myself with a pedicure, shopping trip, etc. and come back when I'm feeling better.
   
8. I can talk to him about anything!
   
9. He understands me.
   
10. He knows that when we travel, I have to get a snack every single stop and he usually knows what I want without me telling him.
    

Chris, I love you more than life itself. I don't know what I would've done without you in my life. You're definitely the half that makes me whole. I hope that we share MANY more years together. I love you!!

Ten Things Tuesday

1. I had a great Mother's Day..Chris let me go shopping by myself and I found two dresses.
2. Lunch with friends makes the day better. I love ya T!
3. Chris & I will be celebrating our 6 year wedding anniversary on Sunday! WOW!
4. I finally got the budget balanced at work...YAY ME!! Even though this only the second year I've actively participated, it was ten times harder to balance this year because of the economy.
5. Please pray for Paul Davis. If any of you remember my friend Amy, from Alabama that I've been friends with since sixth grade, it's her father-in-law. He found out he has Stage 3 Colon Cancer. Pray for God's will to be done and strength for the family.
6. I think Landon may have picked up Chris' fear of spiders. He woke up at 1:30 this morning screaming. After he ran down the stairs and climbed into bed with me, he told me a spider was crawling on his neck (just a dream). It was the funniest thing...not to him, but definitely to me!
7. Chris & I have set a goal to buy a house in late summer/early fall...that time can not come fast enough.
8. Landon informed Chris and me the other night that he didn't want a sister, but he'd like for me to have another little boy. He wants to name him "Nixon 2." After informing him that there couldn't be two Nixons and naming all my favorite boy names to which he replied were all "mean names," he decided he liked the name Batman for his next brother. (Disclaimer: I'm not pregnant, nor do I plan to be for about another year, so even though I may look like I've gained weight, please don't ask!)
9. Landon's teacher told me yesterday that Landon wouldn't do his drawing for the day b/c the paper told you to draw a picture of your favorite pet. She informed him that he could draw a picture of his grandparents pet, etc. He said, "Yeah, but they're not mine." Case closed. He was the only one who didn't draw!
10. Nixon seems to be on a biting spree. For those that are counting, he has bitten 4 kids in the past two weeks! He's going to get thrown out of another daycare!

Happy Mother's Day - Part 2

I think I succeeded in being a great mother today and the week leading up to Mother's Day. Not only did I let Landon get his finger stuck in the door at school on Thursday, I started Mother's Day off today by letting Nixon get his finger closed in the closet door of his room! At least I'm not partial to one child or another:) Anyway, I had a nurse at church look at it, just in case, and she said it would be fine...take a look for yourself. Of course it didn't help me feel any better that he was constantly pointing it at you and saying, "Ouchie, Ouchie." Ahhh, the joys of motherhood!

Happy Mother's Day

In honor of Mother's Day, I'd like to name some very important things my mom has taught me (in no particular order of importance!)

1. Put God first in everything in your life, including your paycheck! If you tithe/give like you're supposed to, he'll take care of the rest!


2. Always stand up for yourself and your family. If you don't, no one else will!


3. Always protect whoever/whatever is in the passenger seat when you have to slam on brakes. This can be done with one of those "right arm straight out across the passenger seat" kind of moves.


4. You can do anything you set your mind to, no matter how impossible it might seem.


5. Mom ALWAYS knows best!


6. Balance your checkbook to the penny every month.


7. "This too shall pass"


8. When it seems like everyone else is against you, moma's always on your side.


9. There's nothing wrong with a good cry, whether it's b/c of life, tv, or even a song!


10. A little bit of sunshine makes all your troubles seem a little less daunting.

To my mom, mother in-law and all my mom friends, Happy Mother's Day!! You're all very special to me and I wouldn't be the mom I am without the help and advice I've received from each of you! I love you!

Ten Things Tuesday

1. We had our 1st family vacation this weekend. We went to Myrtle Beach and had a blast!

2. I'm convinced Chris is the best husband ever. Not only did he surprise me with an early anniversary present, he stayed inside the hotel while the boys napped so that I could lay out and read my book. (my favorite thing to do at the beach!)

3. I'm reading "Bringing up Boys" by James Dobson. It's a really good book and I'd suggest it to anyone who works with little boys or has a little boy of their own.

4. Chris officially wrapped up the conference title this past week. In the 3 years he's been coaching in Johnston County, he has tied for Conference Champion once and been Conference Champion twice now!

5. Landon is going through a clingy phase, again! He doesn't want me to leave him in the mornings at school and it's really hard to leave a little boy who has his little chin quivering.

6. The budget is almost balanced at work..I'm good, what can I say:)

7. I wish that I had found Dave Ramsey and his Steps to Financial Peace a LONG time ago. But, I'm glad I found them before I got any older. If anyone is curious, just go to http://www.daveramsey.com/. You WON'T regret it!

8. I think Nixon is battling a stomach bug. He hasn't been eating as much and his stomach has been a little unsettled for the past 36 hours. Hopefully he'll get to stay at school all day today b/c I have a lot of catching up to do at work!

9. Sometimes I feel like I just don't know what I want to do in life. I crave a life where I can just be settled in one place and be happy, but I'm not sure that will ever happen for me. I always want to see what's around the corner. I still miss living in Greenville terribly, but I also would love to live at the beach. What's a girl to do?

10. All of Landon's friends are turning 4 recently, which means my baby boy is going to be 4 before long. That's a sad thought!