Drama King.

We have recently discovered that Landan is following in his folks footsteps. He has quite the flair for drama. Kevin and Landan were playing golf which changed to swords which changed to shooting. As they were yelling Gabya! to each other, they came up with great dying scenes. Here's a picture and I can't figure out how to get the video to work.


On a side note, I've been pretty sick but unfortunately I still have to go to work. There are a bunch of nurses who are orienting from LPN to RN so they have been taken off the schedule. So we're always short. So our manager, in her infinite wisdom, decided to not accept ill calls. So half the unit is sick while being at work. And I'm doing nights right now. Not so fun.
Kevin finally got an offer from Maryland but he now has an interview in Austin. So we'll see how that goes. He's getting ready to take the CLP exam tomorrow (Certified Landscape Professional). Good luck to him! That's all with us.

Life and Adventures of a 2 year old.

While I was asleep after working last night, Landan had quite the interesting day today. First he woke up at 7:00 am. Early for him. Kevin got up and made him some cereal which he ate 1/4 of and promptly dumped on the floor. He followed this by playing with Kevin. At about 11 he decided he was hungry so he climbed up in his high chair. Kevin made him some bagel bites for lunch and Landan decided those belonged on the carpet. After Kevin cleaned this up, Landan started playing with his desk in the corner. Kevin was playing a video game when suddenly he smelled something that smelled like rubbing alcohol. He looked over to find Landan had sanitized the table, the floor, and the whole back of his pants with hand sanitizer. He then put Landan down for quiet time. When I went in to get him up after I woke up, I found him naked again. He had taken off his diaper and put it in the garbage...as well as half his toys. He also decided since he was naked he might as well pee on the floor. So, because it was a holiday we decided to go out to eat today. We went to Red Robin. We just happened to be sitting by a window which Landan apparently thought needed cleaning so he started licking it. Very attractive. It was big window by the way which opened to the entire mall. As I was talking to Dad on the phone tonight, I guess he was hungry so he kept following me around as I paced, and biting my butt. All I can say is, What in the world could be going through his head sometimes. And...I'm so glad I don't own these carpets, and they get cleaned for free.

Chocolate chip cookies

Congratulations to me. I have finally, in all my years of trying, made the perfect chocolate cookies. I have tried just about every recipe there is. My sister gave me a recipe that she swears is the best and i have followed it to the letter. They still come out gooey in the middle and dark on the outside. Not soft and chewy like they're supposed to. Well, this time I used a different type of pan and I didn't put as much chocolate chips in and they turned out perfect. Absoutely perfect. So Chiara, it lookes like your recipe was the best after all, especially if you use the right pan.

Battling Buddies.

Landan has found a new friend yesterday. It was really cute. He went outside to play since it was actually a nice day. It hasn't been nice for about a month. Anyway, so he found this toy light saber. This other kid outside also found a light saber. When Landan saw that he went over and they started to have a pretend fight. After they were told several times not to hit each other or other people, they had a lot of fun. They played for aobut 20 min. It was so nice to see him playing with another kid instead of insisting I have to play with him all the time.

Cell phone call.

Landan has a new toy that he is currently obsessed with. When Mike and Ashlyn got new phones, they gave Landan one of their old ones because he is obsessed with cell phones. Usually he's not that interested because he knows it's not the real thing. Lately, though, he's been playing with it nonstop. He keeps following me around whenever I'm on any phone (because I pace, in case you didn't know) and copying anything I"m saying while "talking" on his cell phone. Yesterday we were getting ready to pick Daddy up from school. I went in to change his diaper and here's our conversation:
Me: We need to change your diaper.
Landan: I have a phone call!
Me: You can talk on the phone while I change you.
Landan: Ok. (puts the phone to his ear) Hello? (pause)
How are you?
Oh you're great!
I have a question a you.
I changing my diaper.
Ok, bye Eppie.

Now, does this mean I call Eppie too much? Or is he just really smart and remembers what I say when i do?

Pretend bedtime.

We were playing a game today and Landan decided that I needed to pretend to go to sleep. It was so cute because he started doing his bedtime routine to me. I've been doing this for him for most of his life and it was just so sweet that he wanted to do it for me. I layed down on the couch and he covered me up and then he said:

"I rub you now. " He then proceeded to start rubbing my back and sing to me. He sang, "Teach me......Teach me.....Teach me......walking in the Light." After he sang this several times he sang, "A,B,C.....A,B,C,D.......A,B,C.....X,Y." Then I was supposed to wake up. It was so sweet.

The Stripper.

It has been a pretty regular day. I went and got my passport renewed so we can go on our cruise in May. We came home, Kevin went to work, and after lunch Landan went into his room for quiet time. He was playing quite nicely so I didn't get him out for about 2 hours. My mistake. He has a habit of putting all his toys and books in front of the door so it's hard to get it open when you want to get in his room. Today, there was something else in front of the door. After I got in I didnt' see anything wrong but there was a decided odor about the place. I went to go change his diaper and realized that although he had his pants on, both legs were in the same leg hole. He also had no diaper on. I looked around and found his diaper on the floor, messy side down with poop smeared all over the carpet right in front of the door, and all over his legs. Unfortunately not the first time this has happened. Yay for me, I get to clean up poopy carpet, again. Kids are so much fun.
This picture is from after I had gotten a new diaper on him. He thought the whole incident was soooo funny.

Daddy gone?

Wow! Have I slacked off. I've been feeling pretty tired lately trying to get over a cold. I guess I just forgot to update. Kevin has been gone all weekend. He went to Maryland for a job interview. He also spent some time with the guy he knows from the University of Maryland and toured their campus. He says it's beautiful out there. Now we just have to wait to see if they make an offer.
Landan's been having a hard time with Daddy being gone. He keeps asking me if Daddy's at school or work since those are the only two places Daddy goes. I told him he was in an airplane on Thurs. and he's been announcing it to everyone ever since. He also keeps saying he wants to go catch daddy in the airplane. When I informed him that we couldn't catch Daddy because airplanes are up in the sky and we're stuck to the ground, he started to cry. Poor kid. It's so hard being 2. Why can't gravity just go away so we can do whatever we want?

The Great Immitator.

One of the things that cracks me up about Landan is that he is a great immitator.
While I was writing the last blog he was playing with his toolbench and his preschool desk which are right next to each other. He was facing the tool bench and bumped the piano on the desk and said, "I'll be right with you piano. I just have to finish this." It was such an adultish thing to say and it's so funny coming from a tiny little boy. It cracks me up.

A good day.

We had a pretty good day today. Everyone was feeling a bit under the weather but we still had fun. I hate it when you can feel yourself getting a cold and you feel worse and worse as the day goes on. I especially hate it when I know I have to work for the next two days.

Kevin did his thing at school today and then spent some time home with us in between classes. He had a business conference thing this weekend and the main speaker is a bigwig in the Landscape department at the University of Maryland. Kevin talked to him extensively, so if we go to Maryland, Kevin has a contact for graduate school.

Landan was pretty good today. We played blocks, inside golf, we played with his preschool desk, and we pretended we were going into space. Not sure where he got that idea from but he wanted to play. I also came to realize that Landan has learned a particular way to manipulate me. I've never been particularly focused on the color of people's eyes and since brown are the most common I never noticed how cute they can be. But when Landan wants me to play with him, all has to do is look at me with his big brown eyes and I can't resist. He's so darn cute sometimes.

Super Bowl!!

Well, today was obviously the Super Bowl. And...while everyone else (namely Jonny, Mikie, Cassie, and Ashlyn) were here at my house enjoying the festivities, I was at work taking care of very cute babies and dealing with very trying parents. I tell ya, I love my job, but sometimes I wish it could just be about the babies and leave the paranoid, clingy, demanding parents out of the equation. So while everyone else was here enjoying appetizers, chips and dip, and Jonny's wonderful raspberry bars, I spent the day wishing I was here. At least I have tomorrow off. And I got home in time to eat some of Jonny's raspberry bars. Always a bonus.

Cartoons

Well, I now know what comes of watching cartoons. Kevin had something to do for school yesterday and I had to work so Landan went to a friend's house to play. When Kevin came to pick him up they were watcdhing cartoons (Bugs Bunny I think) When he got home he had to test out his newly acquired shooting skills but since he can't say things like kapow! or bang!, his gun says Gabya (pronounced ga-bye-ya). It was so cute. I have a vidoe of it which I will attach as soon as I figure out how. For now, here's some pictures.

Caught with his pants down.

Landan and I were spending a little quality time together outside today. Because it had snowed a little I put Landan's snow pants over his jeans to play in. We were busy making tracks in the snow outside in the quad when Landan says, "Mommy, my pants are falling off." I looked back and saw this.

My head hurts.

Chiara suggested that I write this story down because it's funny. I agree, it probably should be remembered. During one of Landan's marathon temper tantrums, he spent about 5 minutes of the hours he was in his room banging his head on the door. I was worried but Chiara (my sister) assured me that he would be fine as long as he didn't do it all the time. What was funny, was that he spent the rest of the day telling me his head hurt. He would randomly look up at me and say, (in a whining voice)"My head hurts."
Mommy: "That's because you banged it on the door."
Landan: "Yeah"
Mommy: "You shouldn't do that anymore, right?"
Landan: "yeah"
He hasn't hit his head on the door anymore. But now he will randomly look at me, (this is a week and a half later) and say "My head hurts because I hit the door." At least he can learn.

Kevin's impressive design.

This is a picture of a recent landscape design that Kevin made. The house is just a floorplan that came from a book. Kevin's boss was recruiting at the BYU Career Fair and Kevin had to make a fake landscape design for that, and also to be used at the Home and Garden show in March. Anyway, his boss was really impressed with this design and the coloring (it's difficult to tell because the picture is really small but the color is really good.). His design teacher came by and saw it and he was impressed too. It was really cool for Kevin to be recruiting students while he is still a student himself. We're so glad he found a major that he enjoys and is good at.

Potty time!

Well, we have made a breakthrough. Landan actually used the potty twice in a row today. He has done it twice before, once in a store and once in a gas station, but he wouldn't go at home. We got him a potty to use at home, but he never seemed interested in it. He usually likes to sit on the potty but he never wanted to sit on his potty. This time, he actually sat on it and went. Then we went again about 30 min. later. I was so excited. I just hope it continues. Now all we have to do is teach him to tell us when he has to go instead of me asking if he does. Wouldn't it be great if he could just learn to do it on his own? I know that's wishful thinking, but who can help it.