Owl be home for Christmas

Hmm. I was stretching a little bit for the post title there. Ha! But I wanted to get these pics up on the blog too. Which do you prefer... "serious owl", or "I realize this hat is a little goofy" owl?

(Hat was a gift from Amy and a favorite of little guy's. Loves it. Admires it from his changing table about 11 times a day!)

Roller Derby

A fun anniversary: Last year on December 6th, I gave Tony a onesie. And since he doesn't wear onesies and might otherwise think it was a weird gift, I also gave him my positive pregnancy test. I think it all became pretty clear at that moment... we were going to be parents!

Here's the same onesie, one year later!


Landon looks confused, to say the least!

And, do you want to know how Landon celebrated the anniversary? By ROLLING OVER - twice! Yep, he finally got his head and body going in the same direction and flipped from his stomach to his back.

Here's another picture of that cutie pie from the same day. Love his Sabie hat, don't you?

...But does he? Eh, jury's out on that one.

In other "nest" news, Tony beat the winter weather (by exactly 12 hours, I think!) by completing the siding and finishing of our garage a few weeks ago. He shingled, replaced and painted soffit and fascia, added new trim and a garage door, added a new window (not pictured in these photos), and a number of months ago added a service entrance door. (There was only one way in and out of the garage before, through the rickety wooden garage door. Obviously it couldn't be locked because there was no other way in, so Tony's tools were at significant risk of being stolen. The benefit of having a garage in the condition ours was in... no one would ever suspect there was anything of value in there!)

Here's our "before"

Actually, it's a "during", but this is the general pre-rehab condition

Then a few of the work in progress:

And, the finished product! (minus the light fixture... Tony had to get the appropriate screws for it, and now has to psych himself up to work outside again in the wintry weather!)

Wahoo! Another one off your list, Tony! We are REALLY getting down there now. And no one could possibly be more excited than you are. Except maybe this little guy. He wants to hang out with his dad!

The House That Built Me

You know that song by Miranda Lambert, "The House That Built Me"? I had that moment today. An awesome one with my mom that I don't think I'll ever forget. My very first home is currently on the market, and today the Realtor held an open house. We decided to go take a look - walk through the setting of my earliest childhood memories for the first time since we moved out 21 years ago. We didn't know how we'd feel about it, really.

Of course, because this is one of the best times of my life, I'm not feeling any of the sorrow or wistfulness that Miranda sings about. But I can completely relate to the desire to just catch a glimpse of your history; to for a minute, step back into the place where you started.  Here are the lyrics to her song (if you aren't familiar already):

I know they say you can’t go home again
I just had to come back one last time
Ma’am I know you don’t know me from Adam
But these handprints on the front steps are mine
Up those stairs in that little back bedroom
Is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar
I bet you didn’t know under that live oak
My favorite dog is buried in the yard

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could walk around I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

Mama cut out pictures of houses for years
From Better Homes and Gardens magazine
Plans were drawn and concrete poured
Nail by nail and board by board
Daddy gave life to mama’s dream

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could walk around in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

You leave home and you move on and you do the best you can
I got lost in this old world and forgot who I am
I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself

If I walk around I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

Now check this out: when mom and I pulled up to the house, I hauled Landon out of the backseat of the car and walked directly to the concrete patch below the front steps, and lo and behold, right where we left 'em....

ADJ and RTJ, 9.1.87.

Seeing it really did make my eyes a little misty; for some reason I can remember the exact day we did that. And in the years since, I've lived in another house in Moorhead, then Idaho Falls, then Missoula (5 homes there!) Alexandria, VA (2 houses there), and back to Fargo, where I'm in my third home since coming back. There is something so awesome about coming "home" to your very first house.

As mom and I walked through the property, it was obvious that most of the home had been updated (as it should have been... mom and dad had the house built 30 years ago!) but we're pretty certain the kitchen appliances are original, as was the bathroom light fixture, door hardware, laundry room flooring, stairway handrails, fireplace mantel, and all of the woodwork. We looked into the backyard where our swingset and sandbox had been, and discussed how it seemed so much bigger back then. It brought back the best memories. So glad we went, and so glad my mom was there to share it with me.

I want to say that the carpeting is no longer there, but the rest of the fireplace looks exactly like this! (Nice look, Ryan!)

Here I am with Grandpa in the living room of my first house.

And, just because it happens to be on my computer, this is how a baby sleeps when she has an older brother. (Pic also taken in our first house).



In other news, look at this cutie's newest achievements:

Learning to suck on his fingers, just like his daddy did as a little guy!

... And sitting in his Bumbo! (Thanks Katherine, I think he's going to really like it!)

Game Day Baby/Riverdance Baby

Aahahah! This video is so cute. Even though it was complely coincidental, I love that it looks like he's standing up and dancing! He's actually laying down in his pack-and-play... he doesn't even know how to walk yet : ).

On A Roll...

Can't stop sharing videos of this little dude! If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million. So I can keep these video posts short and sweet:

Isn't his voice so darling? Not so much if he were say, in high school, but since he's just a baby there's nothing sweeter.

Landon's Baptism Day

Landon was baptized during church on Sunday - it was an awesome day to welcome him into God's family! We were so lucky to have temps in the low 80s because we had lots of family members over after church for lunch (which turned in to 3 hours of visiting and soaking in the gorgeous fall day!)

Here are a few pics with Landon's sponsors:

 Sommer and Cory

Tina and Jason

And here are a few from our house after the service. See what I mean about the beautiful fall weather?!

 

 



There It Is!

Cuuuute. Check out this video of Landon grinning!

This was taken just a couple hours ago. Nice to finally catch some smiles on video!

Trying to Catch It!

Sheesh! Landon has been smilin' up a storm lately - most affectionately at the owl hat Amy bought him (thank you again, Ames... he LOVES it!), Blaire's "deluxe" baby toy, and a funny stuffed cow from Tony's boss and his wife. Here's a video of me TRYING to catch a hint of a smile. How is it that babies just shut it off when the camera comes out? He must be taking pointers from Sable.

He has been so much fun lately! It's really rewarding to see him respond to us. He smiles, coos, and has even laughed out loud a couple of times. Such a doll. So lucky he's ours! Not so lucky that he demands we bounce with him on an exercise ball 10 hours a day, but it makes us aware of all the things parents do for their littles, even when it's not that fun. (A huge amount of thanks to our parents - you guys are awesome!)

Speaking of dolls, here's a shot of Landon, Kathryn, and Owen with their dads, taken a couple weeks ago at a family dinner. Don't all of them look exactly like their fathers?

The weather has been amazing here the past week or so! I think we're supposed to reach a high of 85 degress today. Unreal. Lucky though, because this is a hint of what Tony's been working on now:

... but you can't see anything else until we reveal the "after". He's a hardworking man, that Tony.

2 Month Check-Up

Have I mentioned to you how much we love our pediatrician!? Dr. Hanson is the best. I actually kind of looked forward to Landon's 2 month appointment today because I knew we'd get to visit with her a bit! She so sweetly assures us every time we see her that Landon looks great and we're doing everything right... what new parents couldn't use that?

We found out today that Landon weighs 13 lbs and 3 oz. Compared to other babies born at 38 weeks gestation, that makes him a 95-96%ile baby! Whoa! He's also 22 inches long (4 inches taller than he was at birth), so about the 18%ile! Dr. Hanson reminded us that it's not indicative of his future stats, but it makes ya wonder a bit!

Other mamas know that the 2 month appointment marks the first of a huge number of vaccinations. So today, Landon received one oral vaccine and three shots in his chubby thighs! (See baby, your extra chub came in handy today!). Does it make us bad parents if we snuck a few pics during and after the immunizations?

Here he is with Dad before the appointment. (Yes, that's Tony... with his "hunting beard")

Look at that cute profile! Do you think his nose looks familiar?

 

Relaxin' on the exam table.

Owie. This was after 1 oral vaccine and 3 shots.

"Whaaaaaa? What did you guys DO to me!?"

A hug from Mom makes it all better.

Crayon band-aids. And a sad Daddy.

We're actually very proud of baby for taking this appointment like a champ. He's been dozing for most of the afternoon, and just now woke to eat and get a new diap. He did cry for a few minutes now too... I suppose his legs ache a bit. We'll see if a little infant Tylenol does the trick.

Landon Lately

...Been awhile, huh? Here are a few things Landon has been up to lately, for the sake of posting a few recent pics:

We went to dinner with Tina, Jason, and Kathryn two weekends ago; both babies were totally well behaved but boy, is dinner out different nowadays! Seven months ago, there would have just been 4 of us!

This was actually Tina's FIRST time holding Landon! She and Kathryn had been fighting off colds for a few weeks, so each time we got together she had to hold back. He loved it - see how comfy he is with her?

 Of course we think Landon is absolutely perfect, but he isn't the most photogenic little one yet! Kat has figured it all out though. What a sweetie.

Last weekend, one of my very best girlfriends came from Seattle to meet Landon and to hang out with Tony and me for a few days. It was awesome to have her here, and considering that Tony and I were both fighting off illnesses, she couldn't have been more helpful! I wish we could have been out and about a little more, but was reminded that being with Blaire will always be so easy and comfortable, no matter what we're doing. Here they are during their visit (I can't believe I only got a few pics on my camera!):

Sable hates to be in photos, unless we want a picture of Landon. Then she's all about it!

Blaire brought this totally deluxe baby toy for Landon when she came. He really started to pay attention to it one morning when she was in the shower, so I tried to take some video so she could see it herself. I didn't catch any of his smiles, but you can see that he's actually pretty amused! He doesn't just hand out smiles for free, you know...



This week Landon also borrowed a swing from his cousin Owen (and a  bouncy chair from Leighton, but no pics of that yet). He really liked that, too! Our living room looks kind of crazy right now... we have a TON of baby gear spread throughout it, but it is SO WORTH IT to know that we'll have a happy, content (and quite possibly over-stimulated) baby on our hands! Just don't expect a place to sit if you visit!

Can you see Landon's protective big sister in this pic?

I liked this one too - he dozed off while he was taking a look at his jittery bluebird! Aw, he's just so cute.



I honestly can't believe that we met our little guy over 8 weeks ago! We're both just in love with Landon and enjoy watching him grow... he seriously learns something new every day! What an awesome time in our lives. We are the luckiest.

Wedded Bliss!

This weekend, Tony and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Time is flying... I know I've said it a few times lately, but I'm surprised by it so often right now! I just cannot believe it was two years ago that we promised each other to love and stand by one another for the rest of our lives.

To me, marriage is about believing that the person standing next to you is one you can trust with your heart, your dreams, and your life. It's taking a leap of faith - and praying that this is the one time that you are the MOST right!

Happily, I truly believe that Tony is the perfect match for me. He has proven to be an anchor for our little family; willing to do more than his share of the work, and to offer 110% of himself in everything he does. Tony, I love you and am so proud to be your wife!

We went back to Fair Hills today, on our second anniversary, to reminisce a bit. We were so blessed to have had the gorgeous wedding weather we had two years ago - today was miserably rainy and windy!

Then...

...And now! (We couldn't even take baby out of the car for the pic like we had planned. It was just too rainy and gross).

Then...

...And now!

...And for good measure, a few of that darling baby. Here he is resting with Grandpa Tim at the lake.

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa H on Saturday afternoon...

Snuggling with Dad...

...and relaxin' in the tub with Grandma and Mom (Ha! He really does love the bath, despite the fact that he looks like he's trying to flag down some help!)

Hope you had a safe and wonderful Labor Day weekend!