Landon's Security Binky

Landon has no need for a security blanket. But a "security binky"? Now, that's a whole different story. He will not fall asleep without having a hold of a binky.

Whether or not it is actually in his mouth doesn't really seem to matter.

Some Wonderful News

We found out last night that a couple in our neighborhood was placed with a brand new baby boy yesterday through LDS Family Services. They are going to be great parents and we are so excited for them! It made me think back and reflect on our adoption and how our lives have been so blessed and forever changed by our sweet baby boy. It also made me think about how many babies have been born in our ward recently. Our boys are in good company...we have had at least 8 baby boys born in our ward this year and there are several more on the way in the next few months.

Our Lady Bug is now a Pink Panther

That's right. It's soccer season again. Allie's team name was inspired by the very pink color of their uniforms. For the next month much of our after school time will be spent at the soccer complex. Allie now plays on the U8 level which is for 2nd and 3rd graders. It is much more competitive and a little less "innocent". I miss that a little bit. It is so much fun to watch little ones stumble around the field. Maybe we'll get to watch Landon learn in a couple of years? We know that he likes watching sports on TV with his Daddy. For now he is content to sit on the sidelines and snuggle with his Mom which makes me happy.

A Day of Firsts

It has been an exciting day at our home. The first day of school is always eagerly anticipated by all. Allie is excited to be going back to school and I am excited to be relieved of my duty to entertain her all day long. To go along with the first day of school we had many other firsts:

• For the FIRST time Allie came cheerfully to family scripture study and stayed upright and awake without any nagging from us.
• For the FIRST time Allie took a shower in under 10 minutes. That is practically a miracle. Yesterday I let her get ready at her own pace and she took a 43 minute shower.
  
• For the FIRST time in 3 months I went to the grocery store and didn't find any "surprise" items in the cart when I went to checkout.
  

The first day of school is sure exciting! It's not without a little anxiety though. Allie asked me at breakfast what it means to have butterflies in your stomach. I explained it to her and asked if she had butterflies in her tummy. She said "No" but a few minutes later declared that she had kangaroos in her stomach. Her fear seemed to disappear as the boys started showing up to walk her to the bus stop. This is kind of a funny ritual because the bus stop is a whopping 30 feet from our front door. The same group of boys has come to get her every school day for the last 2 years. Some serious competition has developed over the years. Last year we had boys showing up half an hour early to pick her up. This lead to a new rule that they had to wait until 8:35 to knock or ring the doorbell which they reluctantly obeyed. Landon and I joined the kids at the bus stop and as usual he was the center of attention.

Waiting for the bus.

The whole group waiting for the bus.

Fuzz

We have always gotten a kick out of Landon's hair. It is CRAZY...and we LOVE it! The other day I decided to try and put a little gel in his hair to see if I could get the back portion to lay down. It worked--until his hair dried and then it stood straight up on end like always. As it grows longer and thicker it attracts an unbelievable amount of attention. It seems like everyone who sees him feels an undeniable urge to run their hand over his head (even total strangers). I took a few snapshots attempting to get a good picture of his fuzz. The pictures just don't do it justice. Take a look.

An Early Morning Horseride

For Allie's Birthday this year we gave her a list of activities she could choose from. She chose to go on a horse ride with her Dad. They tried to go on her actual birthday but were unable to find someone else to go along with them. (I refused to let them go alone--and was labeled paranoid by a very confident horse riding duo.) Grandpa Swain was available to tag along on Saturday morning so that was when they ended up riding. Allie was finally able to try out her new buddy saddle and gave it a big thumbs up. They had a great time together.

What Do You Think?

Landon sure has a "thing" right now for gnawing on his hands. He has always had a fascination with putting anything and everything into his mouth. (We are bracing ourselves for the day he becomes mobile and able to grasp small objects.) The great debate at our house right now is whether or not he may be teething. Any guesses?

Celebrating Seven

Allie really enjoyed her Birthday today. She had a fun day filled with family and friends and some great gifts. We met up with some friends at Chuck E. Cheese's for lunch.

After lunch and games we headed to Color Me Mine. Allie chose to paint a dog. She is quite the little artist. I kept trying to give her pointers which she diplomatically and politely shot down. I should know by now not to get in her way when her creative juices are flowing.



Speaking of Allie's artistic nature, somehow we have gotten into the habit of letting her decorate all of the birthday cakes for our family. She takes this job very seriously...especially when it is her cake! This is the blank canvas I presented to her.

This is Landon taking his supervising job VERY seriously.



And finally, here is the finished masterpiece.

I think this is the best job she has ever done! Maybe we have Landon to thank?

Happy 7th Birthday Allie!

Allie is 7 years old. I can hardly believe it. I am overwhelmed by how quickly time goes. As I looked through our family pictures, I was amazed at just how much our sweet Allie has changed over the years. She started her life in such a fragile little body but there was never any doubt that she had a great big spirit. During the last seven years she has brought so much joy into our home. We love you Allie!

A Trip To the Zoo

On Saturday we took a trip to Hogle Zoo. It was a lot of fun! Eric was in charge of taking pictures and I didn't realize until we got home that the camera batteries had died very early on in the day. The kids had a great time! Allie had lots of fun playing with her new friend, Alex. They were both born on August 9, 2000 and have a lot in common which they pointed out to us several times throughout the day. Landon liked seeing the animals but even more than that, he liked playing with the girls. For some reason he was incredibly amused by Allie shaking a water bottle in front of him. He was laughing so hard that passersby were stopping to watch them play.


There aren't a lot of pictures but here are a couple of the kids for you to enjoy.

Friday Fieldtrip Fun

This week we had fun bowling at BYU. Allie did a great job and took 2nd place. I think it's a good thing we decided to use the bumpers.

Grins and Giggles

Landon loves to play! Especially when his sister is around. We can't get enough of his cute smile and funny little laugh.

The yellow lion in this video is one of his most treasured toys. We have discovered that he loves anything musical.