2 Years Old!

Guess who's 2...yep, Landon! I can't believe that my teeny tiny, 6lb 14 oz baby is now a walking, talking, running, jumping, climbing 30 lb 2 year old! The last 2 years have been a whirlwind full of changes and fun. My parents were able to come out again for his birthday and we had a good time celebrating with family. Unfortunately, Landon was a bit under the weather all week, but seemed to be in a a great mood on his actual birthday. Since he has been obsessed with the movie "Toys" for awhile we decided to use that for our theme (after I had bought all the decorations, he suddenly got very into the movie "Cars"...but he still seemed to like the giant Buzz balloon and all the other characters that were around the house)!

Have I mentioned how crazy difficult it is to get a picture of him?!? Well, his birthday didn't prove to be any different. We couldn't even get pictures with the grandparents because he didn't want to be held long enough (he's such little stinker sometimes :)

We kept the party small but it was still fun and the perfect celebration for our two year old!

Yummy breakfast donut

Landon got some fun presents, lots of cars and some fun toys to play with outside:

Here's some of the things that he is up to these days:

* You are really beginning to use words to communicate your ideas and needs...you can combine words and are beginning to talk in sentences, you love to share what's in your head

* You repeat everything, which is good reminder for everyone who is around you :)

* You know most of your colors and shapes and are learning your ABC's and numbers
(the other day you actually shocked me and every letter or number I pointed to you were able to name without help)

* You LOVE to be read to and look at books

* You can complete simple board puzzles by yourself and seem to really enjoy figuring things out and how they go together or work

* You are a bit obsessed with cars and love to take some to bed or naps with you

* You love to wrestle, climb, jump, run, play and rough house...in other words you are definitely a 2-year old boy!

* Addie remains your best play mate...you just think she is the greatest and she lovingly puts up with your "torture"

* Although you have your meltdowns and "moments" you continue to have a joyful spirit that is full of life. You love to make us laugh and I think you have the best little sense of humor!

* You love to play in water (whether it is in the bath, pouring it in and out of cups, in the sink, etc.)

* You amaze us by how observant you are and by how much you pick up and learn just by watching

* You wear size 2T clothes and size 4 or 5 diapers

(You will sit on the potty every night after your bath, but have yet to actually GO potty :)

* You weighed 31 lbs (90th percentile), 36 1/4 inches tall (90th percentile) and 19 1/2 inches head circumference (75th percentile) at your 2 year check up

* You moved into a big boy bed about a week ago and the transition has been incredibly smooth!

We can't wait to see what an amazing big brother you will be!

What a precious gift you are from the Lord!!!

Here is a quick video of Landon opening up his gift from Uncle Barrett and Aunt Rhonda

They gave him an entire set of cars from the first "Cars" movie (he still plays with them everyday, takes them in his bath, takes 2 to bed every night and takes them whenever we leave the house...a big hit)!

San Diego - Beach Fun

I think all of liked the beach the best! We spent a long time running, walking and playing in the sand! It was a little cooler than we had hoped it would be, but Landon definitely didn't seem to mind!

The first night there, we took Landon down so he could see the ocean and sand for the first time!

Our hotel was actually on the bay and not the ocean, we definitely had more fun at the actual ocean!

Walking with mom on the beach

Running from the "waves"

Mesmerized by the water

On Saturday morning we walked down to the beach after breakfast and spent a couple hours enjoying the sand, waves and sun!

Landon and dad

Landon loved to run

and run

and run

and run!

Playing with sand (aka throwing) was also another hit!

Attempt at ANOTHER family picture!

Feet on the beach (Landon does actually have 2 feet :)

Helping mommy write in the sand

Overall, a GREAT family vacation!

It was fun to get away just the three of us, next family vacation we will be a family of 4!!!

San Diego - Balboa Park

On Saturday when we were in San Diego we decided to forgo the zoo (based on our experience at Sea World) and spend the morning at the beach and the afternoon at Balboa Park. We had a great time and Landon seemed to really enjoy the time we spent there. Even though he hardly smiles in pictures, he was loving the rides!

There was a cute butterfly/airplane ride for toddlers

Landon chose the blue butterfly!

Can't you tell how excited he is :)

Flying through the sky...

There was also an old fashioned carousel that Landon and Jared rode.

It was a really cute carousel!

Landon seemed mesmerized by the whole thing!

Finally, there was a train ride you could take that lasted about 3-4 minutes. This definitely got the most emotion out of Landon! He said "wow" so many times, pointing out the animal statues and trees!

Family picture time...at least mom and dad are looking at the camera!

Riding the Train

Fun on the Butterfly

Overall, Saturday was a great day! It was low-key and just what we need as a family!

San Diego Fun - Sea World

This past weekend we were able to take a fun family trip to San Diego. It was a QUICK trip and at times a little difficult with an almost 2 year old but overall we had a great time together as a family. Our hotel was right on the beach in Mission Bay! Landon was such a trooper dealing with lack of sleep, lots of travel and hours of sitting still. It was amazing to me that a 4 day trip required a pack n' play, carseat, stroller, diaper bag, 2 suitcases, and a laptop bag...I felt like we packed the whole house!

We got into town late Thursday afternoon and on Friday morning headed to Sea World. This was a day of "live and learn". We had a good time but made some bad decisions that caused Landon to have some major meltdowns (hot afternoon, no snacks, no milk, 40 minute nap in his stroller and lots of sitting/walking). A sleep deprived, overheated, starving, dehydrated child is never a good combination! He loved seeing fish and animals up close but didn't have much interest in sitting so long for the dolphin and Shamu shows!

Also, Landon is virtually impossible to get a picture of right now! He will not look at the camera if you want him too, so we got few pictures of him looking at us and even fewer family pictures!!!

Watching Shamu through the glass...our first stop of the day

Landon won't look at the camera for us but we got a cute couple pic!

Shamu doing an impromptu performance for us!

Waving goodbye

Fish tanks were a big hit!

Seriously, some of the fish were HUGE

Watching the sharks up-close

Sea lions were fun to watch, especially when people were feeding them fish

Looking at starfish in the tide pool

Smile with mommy and daddy...or not!

The Shamu show

It is quite amazing what they can train the whales to do!

(Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of the dolphin show, as that show was a bit of a disaster!)

The net and play area was a big hit!

It exhausted Jared going up and down and running around

Trying to get Landon to look at the camera, while Landon only wanted to go UP

Attempts at some family pictures....Take 1

Take 2

Fish tank fun, showing Landon's excitement!

Unfortunately it was a little dark, so you can only really hear him

I was accidentally recording when we first tried to get our family shots...

proof that Landon wanted none of it!

Another post to come showing our fun at the beach...stay tuned!!!