Landon

Landon Everette

Sweet first-born-baby-boy

Brother to Nixon & Lily

Stick to the rules,

Competitive as they get.

Compassionate,

Always looking out for others.

As OCD as they come,

Lover of all things baseball.

You're the best first born I could've asked for.

You were such a good baby, and still are a good boy.

You loved to sleep from Day 1.

You still do..if only Nixon would let you!

You stole my heart the day you were born,

and I'm honored that God chose me to be your Mom

I love you to the Moon & Back!

Ten Things Tuesday

1. I'm on my fourth week of working out and counting calories.  So far, I've only lost about 4 lbs, but I guess it's a work in progress.  I'm trying to be patient, but it's so hard when you're thinking about the end result (45 lbs.)
2. We've paid off four debts!  We're about to pay off the 5th one in February!  I can't tell you how happy this makes me!
3. Landon got to eat with the Principal and Vice Principal last week.  When I asked the reason, he replied, "Because I got ten 100's on my AR tests" (like it was no big deal).  He then proceeded to tell me that he was on his third sheet of 2nd grade sight words, even though he's only in 1st grade.  I'm a proud momma!
4. When I checked on Nixon before bed the other night, he had tucked his stuffed animals under his baby blanket at the end of his bed..it was the cutest thing ever!
5. Chris started working on finishing our bonus room this past weekend.  We're going to do the insulation a little at a time so it won't be such a hit to our budget.  Once the insulation is installed, we'll do the heating/air system and then the flooring, etc. 
6. Lily does her sign language constantly now.  I think it's the cutest thing I've ever seen and you can really tell when she's showing off!
7. I love my new Kindle Fire.  I just finished up my first book and it's so easy to read on it.  I don't think I'll ever go back to paper books.
8. I would LOVE to take the boys to see Fresh Beat Band.  Unfortunately, I found out about it too late and the show in Durham is sold out.  There's a show in Norfolk, VA which we're thinking about taking them to, but I'm not sure if I want to go that far to sit in the very back.
9. I have the best husband ever.  He's such a good Dad to our kids and he works hard to provide all the things we need AND want.  I couldn't have picked a better husband and father.  I love you pooky!
10. You'd think this would be an easy blog post since it's been a while, but I really had a hard time finding ten things to talk about! 

What I Learned in 2011

January - It's amazing how much you can love a little baby.  You don't think that you could love someone so tiny so much, but it's amazing how your heart grows every time you have a child.

February - We can survive anything if we're doing it together..we all had the flu, trying to keep all the germs away from a baby is no easy task!  We did make it through our flu/cold fog and we've all been much better since then!

March - Good friends are hard to find, but when you do, you'll know that you've found them.  We've made some really good friends since we moved to Johnston County, along with ones that we've had all along,  and I couldn't ask for a better support group whenever I need them.  I hope that they know I'm always just a phone call away.

April - Your life can change in an instant..Luckily, with Nixon, we just had a scare. But, there are families that deal with cancer everyday and I can't imagine how it must feel to know that there's nothing you can do to take away that pain from your baby.

May - There's no one more perfect for me than Chris.  We celebrated 8 years this month, 12 years total between dating and marriage and I love him more and more everyday.  He's such a good husband and father to our kids.  He works harder than any person I know so that we can have the things we want and need.  I couldn't ask for a better husband or daddy to our kids.

June - I could never be more proud of my little boy. We had Landon's Awards Day at school and I was one proud momma when I saw my little boy get so many awards.  I know it was only kindergarten, but it's amazing how much you can love one little person. 

July - The beach is much more fun when your kids get to the age where they can play independently.  Our boys are at the age where if you have toys to play with, they're pretty much good to go.  I had forgotten how much work it is to have a baby on the beach!  Luckily, she's a beach bum and mostly slept, but I was stressing the whole time if she would burn, etc. 

August - Sometimes you have to let things go..I just knew I was going to be running marathons after starting my running program, but my body had other plans.  I had to stop running all together.  I took a break, but I'm starting back after the New Year.

September - Thirty isn't so bad..I thought I would have a really hard time with my birthday, but I ended up embracing it and it wasn't so bad..although I will say that I feel like I'm falling apart since I've turned 30!

October - Missing Trick-or-Treating can be a tragedy when you're little.  This year it was pouring, but I couldn't stand the looks on my little boys faces, so off we went.  It's amazing how many kids were out in the pouring rain!  I guess other parents had that guilt too!  The boys had the best time and came home soaking wet!

November - Family traditions are so much fun!  It's crazy that even at a young age, my boys know there are just some things we're going to be doing when the Holidays come around.  I hope that they continue to enjoy it for a few years before they get to the ages where they think everything I want to do is boring! 

December - A year flies by when you have kids..I can't believe my Lily Goose is a year old already!  Also, it's never too late to get a plan together to pay off debt.  Chris & I finally reached that plan together and if all goes according to plan, we'll be debt free (including the house) in ten years!  We paid three items off in the month of December and I couldn't be more excited!

Here's to a Fabulous 2012!!

Christmas 2011

This year, I was looking so forward to Christmas. Our boys are just the right age and I was so excited!  A few days before Christmas, Lily got sick one night, but she was in the middle of a coughing fit, so we chalked it up to that.  Christmas Eve came.  We got ready, went to Chick-fil-a and let the kids play for a while.  Everyone was having such a good time.  Then, we went for our annual Christmas Eve Movie.  We decided to go see "Arthur Christmas."  As soon as we got seated, Lily actually went to sleep.  Just about that time, Landon leans over to me and tells me that his tummy feels really bad.  Chalking it up to too much sugar, we watched the movie.  As soon as we were walking out, Landon said he felt like he needed to throw up.  We headed to the bathroom, but he said he was fine.  We headed to the mall because I had to get a last minute gift.  We had also planned to start a new tradition at Build-a-Bear.  As soon as we got out of the vehicle, Landon let it rip.  Luckily, we were in the parking deck..gotta love being a Mom!  He said he felt better, so we went ahead and did our bears.  We made it home and after about five hours, he was asking what he was going to have for supper.  It was the craziest thing.  Unfortunately, Chris & I were not so lucky.  We both got sick right around bedtime.  Christmas morning, we were a pitiful sight.  Poor Nixon..he was the only one who didn't get sick and he was just running circles around us.  Of course, he does most days!  After opening the presents Christmas morning, we all took about a two and a half hour nap.  Well, except Nixon..who played right on through everyone sleeping.  After waking up, we all felt much better.  Chris & I still were exhausted and achy all over, but we decided we couldn't stay away from family on Christmas, so we headed back home.  It was definitely a Christmas that I'll never forget and I hope no one is sick on Christmas for quite a while!  It was no fun at all!!

 Landon was missing from our Christmas Eve picture because he was sick :(

Poor little buddy..opening presents wore him out!

Merry Christmas!

I've got to say..this year has been the best yet!  My boys, 6 & 4, are so excited for Christmas.  I think it rubs off on Lily too because she's been so excited lately!  I can't wait for tomorrow morning to see their little faces after Santa visits!  I hope that you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and remember the Real Reason for the Season!

Ten Things Tuesday

1. Christmas is only 5 days away!! Craziness!
2. Lily has learned how to snap..and she knows how to use it..she'll snap her fingers at me to get me to do what she wants..can we say spoiled??
3. Does anyone else get worried that they have left someone off of their Christmas list?  Every year, I get so worried that I've forgotten to buy someone something and it drives me crazy!
4. I've downloaded a couple apps to my iPhone for debt.  One is DebtPayoff Pro which I love but it keeps freezing when I try to see how much I've paid off and the second is Pay Off Debt, which I love, but it doesn't summarize my debts.  Either way, according to my debt snowball, we'll be completely out of debt (house and everything) in 10 years!!  Can we say excited??
5. Even with the Christmas holiday, we've managed to pay off two debts the month of December.  We're on a roll folks!
6. Landon is so excited to be on Christmas break.  Basically, he's excited to be able to play his DS non-stop!
7. January is not looking good..I'm starting a diet, workout routine and CPA Review..you might want to steer clear of me until I get a routine down!
8. I tried something new today..it's called "White Trash" and it is delicious!  I think I might try to make it tonight.  You can find the recipe here.
9. Nixon is growing up so fast.  I look at him lately and wonder where my little baby went.  Seems like just last week, he was a rambunctious little toddler and now he seems so grown!  Luckily, he still loves to cuddle like a little baby!
10. I've been thinking lately about all that my family has been blessed with.  We are extremely blessed with health, happiness and freedom to do what we please.  I couldn't be happier where I am in life right now (except maybe a little less debt, but we're working on that). 

I hope you all have a Very Merry Christmas and remember the Real Reason for the Season!

Growing Up

It's hard for me to believe that Landon is six years old already.  I'm starting to really notice differences that scream to me he's not my little baby anymore.  For instance, most nights when I tuck him in, he kisses me on the cheek instead of right in the smacker like he used to.  When I drop him off at school, he just runs along and doesn't even tell me goodbye.  When we go places (birthday parties, school functions, etc), he doesn't cling to my side anymore..he's off having fun on his own.  And the biggest thing is when I look at those baby pictures and realize that cute, pudgy baby face

is gone.  Instead I'm looking at a handsome young boy.  In one sense, I'd love to have him as my little baby forever..and then on the other hand, I'm ready for him to grow up and see what he becomes.  Chris & I talk about our kids all the time and what we think they will end up doing in their lives.  We pretty much agree that Landon will do something that involves a lot of attention to detail.  He's so OCD about EVERYTHING that we think he'll be an engineer, a surgeon, or maybe even a lawyer with his desire to argue with a wall!  Even though it is sad to see your baby grow up, it's also so fulfilling to know that you've given him the tools to feel confident and go out into the world and make something of himself.  And in the end, he told me that he would always be my baby (even when he's 100), so I'm okay with that!