Your "Real" Name

If you ask Landon what his name his, his response is "You". If you ask him what is "real" name is, you will get "Landon" - a bit tricky for his preschool teachers.

Trick or Treat

I love Halloween in our neighborhood - all of the neighbors who are usually too busy with work, school, and after school activities, come out to play. The kids run down the street with such enthusiasm, so colorful in all of their amazing costumes. And the parents follow behind smiling and thinking back to when they used to trick or treat and realizing that the feeling of watching your own kid is almost better than going yourself.

Landon had a great time with his buddy, Michael and cousin, Luke - he especially liked running around with his flashlight and glow stick after dark. He really didn't care much for the trick-or-treating part. In fact, he was trying to give his candy back at each house we visited - I am sure that will change once he realizes the "value" of candy!

Compliment from a Stranger

Have you ever had one of those hectic days? Kids aren't napping as scheduled, one is teething and cries so much "they" have to come and get you while working out at the Y, the whining never stops and you have to take two cranky kids to the grocery store to buy the necessary supplies - diapers and juice. And while at the grocery store, you have one that wants to sit in the front of the cart (where your legs slide into the two holes) knowing full well that his baby brother has to sit in there because he can't be anywhere else, and he doesn't want to sit in the back but he wants to push his own mini-cart (I wonder if whoever invented those has kids of his/her own under the age of 2 1/2) and he runs into the backs of people's legs (very old people) who just nod and smile politely (and you know she is swearing under her breath), and you finally make it to the check out and your 2 1/2 half year old wants to hand the cashier EVERY item from you cart and throws a tantrum when you try to speed him up because the person behind you is sighing and looking at their watch. And you finally make it through the line, and are heading for the door with the baby in the front, groceries in the main part of the cart, and the 2 1/2 year old riding on the cart with his hands hanging from the handle, and a woman following you out says, "You are doing a great job with the two of them.", gives me a warm smile, and continues on her way. All of the tensions of the day seemed to fade away with that one (seemingly) small statement. Thank you stranger at the grocery store - I needed that compliment today.

Mystery Trail Walker Guy

Dear Mystery Trail Walker Guy:

I see you out walking EVERY day and I stopped you once to ask how far and you said seven miles every day. I just want to tell you how much of an inspiration you are to me walking in the rain, (snow if we have it), or shine. I see you walking while I run or drive, or even from the windows of the YMCA while I am struggling to motivate myself to workout. You walk when it is so humid that I feel like I am swimming in the air, and even on the days when it is very chilly and pouring down rain. The days I don't feel like taking a jog with my boys, I think of you and know that you are out there walking your heart out. Thank you for being such an inspiration to me.

Anonymous

Greenway hike

The weather has finally cooled down here so we ventured out for a hike this morning on the Greenway - one of the many in the Charlotte area. It was so pretty but very chilly. Landon had a great time but I think Chase would have rather been walking...next year, Chase. Some of the pics are a bit blurry - our camera was not on the correct setting...we figured it out by the end.

Happy Halloween!

We had our annual neighborhood Halloween party - Landon had so much fun this year with the games - there was a candy hunt, bowling, putting on the green, craft table, and a movie on a big screen once it got dark - it was so great! There was even a costume contest - the pregnant pirate won for the "most interesting" category. Chase could only watch this year, but next year he will be running around like a madman like all of the rest of the kids!

Y etiquette

I am a member of the YMCA but haven't really been going a ton since Chase was born but since it continues to rain, I needed an out today. So I packed up the boys and their bag of goodies and dropped them off at the child watch room. I am holding Chase and trying to figure out where to put him down - I am a huge germ-a-phobe so I ask if the bouncers get wiped down, "Oh sure...we use a disinfectant spray and wipe them after each kid." and I am looking at all three trying to figure out which one has less crumbs all over it - wiped down?

Once I have them dropped off and settled, I get myself onto the elliptical and am listening to my music, and this woman gets on the machine next me. And her cell phone rings...she carries on a casual conversation for about 5 minutes and then hangs up. Then a minute later, she calls another person and chats with that person for about 10 minutes...I hear all about someone named Drew and how much he works and blah, blah, blah... I guess I am a person who compartmentalizes...If you want to sweat, then come to the gym and workout, if you want to chat on your cell, do it without the entire cardio section of the gym involuntarily easedropping.

Drought

As some of you may have heard, we are experiencing a severe drought in the southeast. Some of the lakes around the Charlotte area are 9 feet below the usual water level. We have had to limit our water usage - the governor of NC is asking residents to cut their water usage by 50 percent as we have about 90 days of water left for the region - very scary. We are finally getting some rain, which is great but it doesn't seem that it will even put a dent into our much needed water supply. As is, we need 30 consistent days of rain to recover from this...does Seattle even get that much rain?

My Chickens

Cream fixes everything

I finally got two seconds to pee before having to feed Chase, change Landon, put Landon down for his nap, etc. when I hear crash...boom...bang...and then screaming/crying. The first was a big truck of Landon's falling down the stairs and the second...Landon's body. So, I am running out of the bathroom with pee trickling down my leg, concerned that Landon has broken some bone in his body and after careful inspection and wet pants (mine), he is okay. But he wanted ice for his lip and cream for his body - he said his body was "sore". He found a tube of vaseline by the changing table and after carefully applying the "cream" on his bottom, he seemed to be feeling much better. But a reminder to me that although he is 2 1/2, stairs are still the enemy.

Landon reading

Landon reading his first book

Pumpkin Portraits

One would think taking pics on your front porch would be easy but...I have child number one not looking because he is too intrigued with the pumpkins, and then I have rolly polly number two sitting on the step and grandma on the sidelines making sure Chase isn't falling over and giving him the occasional "push and hold" when necessary :) And we are trying to get them to look and smile at the same time! I think overall we did okay :)

Deep thoughts

It's funny how you spend half of your life growing up with your parents, then you move out, begin a family of your own, and your originally family seems to fade. Not because you love them less, but because with distance and experiences you just change. Other things in the "now" consume your life and you become less in touch with what your life used to be. I am beginning to realize that raising my own kids, I want to be a part of their lives forever not just from age 0-18. They don't know this yet, but post-college, I will be following them around the country (if I have to) to keep them (and their new families) within arms reach :)

"Tummy hurt bad"

One would think that a two year old is really too young to figure out a way to get out of doing things. i.e. The other night we were having dinner at Heather's house and he just wasn't into what we were eating so instead of saying he wasn't hungry he comes up with "tummy hurt bad"...until the cake was being served...

Today I was folding clothes and Landon usually loves helping me put clothes away in his room. He will take one item at a time, book as fast as he can down the hall, yell to make sure he is getting the item in the correct drawer, and then run back all out of breath. He can make up to ten trips in one laundry load. Today though his "tummy hurt bad".

Reeeeeeach

Chase is moving...not crawling...but rolling, all over the place these days. He rolls from one side of the room to the other. Today I found him with his entire body except for his head underneath the pack-n-play - he wasn't hurt, in fact he was having a great time... just trying to figure out his next move.

I wonder what is going on in his head when he is trying to reach for an object and he just can't quite get to it. He can't crawl but instead he half rolls to one side and then lunges back and turns at the same time to reach a block . The fact that already at this age, babies in general can problem solve and come up with some crazy move just so they can reach a block - genius really. Then Chase will get his little fingertips on the block but because it is only the tips, he ends up pushing it away, so the roll and lunge move starts all over again...

"Gramma" visit

When we asked "Gramma" Roemer if she wanted to babysit for a weekend so Andy and I could both attend a wedding in Atlanta, she agreed without hesitation. So we had our weekend away and left her with a 2 1/2 year old and a 6 month old and the morning we were leaving, she had them packed up and off to a place called Monkey Joe's before we even got on the road. I think she had more planned for them within a two day period than I normally do in a week! They had such a great time - I was thinking they would be wearing out Grandma but it was definitely the other way around!

Myrtle Beach video

This clip comes from our trip to Myrtle Beach over Labor Day weekend - I am experimenting with this video program. Enjoy!

Slave

I am realizing that along with wife, mother, housekeeper, secretary...I am the next generation slave...to my two year old. I realize that this is a phase that he is going through - and trying to remind him to use manners when asking for something every time can be exhausting too. But just as I am putting Landon to bed tonight, he says "tag...shirt...cut... (he hates tags on his clothes), read another book mommy...rub my back...now my belly...milk...done..." as he is handing me his milk cup to "do away" with it. This is in about a 15 minute segment. I can't even think of the rest of the day.

Chase is getting to be so much more interactive now too. I am noticing than when he gets really excited about something - his arms go straight and they shake. Today I put his little feet in the sandbox and he really couldn't have been happier - he kept rolling his feet and then stomping. I love this age when you realize how the small stuff does matter. Chase reminds me of that every day.

Our DC family tour

We mananged to see a few monuments while in Washington DC - all within walking distance - didn't want to even attempt the Metro with two kids and a double jogger. Landon really had a great time walking around - he would rather walk than ride at this age so the outdoor monuments were perfect for him.

He thought the steps on the Lincoln Memorial were great - even better than seeing Abe himself. But seeing the gigantic statue, with his enormous feet dangling there, was pretty neat too. In fact, he wanted to tickle them. He only got as far as touching the rope before a guard came to my rescue and scolded him in not such a nice way. He also loved the WWII Memorial and wanted to wash his hands in the fountains - how do you explain to a kid mezmorized by water and fountains that you can only look and not touch? Good thing he had his buddy, Declan, to distract him.