Superman or Cindy Lou Who~

Love~

A New Year~

The weather was so warm and beautiful on New Year's day we decided we just had to go to the beach. We actually hadn't been in about 3 months so we were long over due. Seems like we usually get to go once a month and I really feel like it's so good for us. There is just something about the air and water and the sound of the waves that gives me peace and clarity.

My handsome man. Been stuck with me now for almost 20 years.

Landen looooves the beach so much. As soon as we get there he gets busy playing in the sand.

Sometimes daddy takes him down to the water, but he is kind of scared of the waves. I don't blame him, the water is usually quite cold.

Landen is starting to understand that we are a family. He likes to go around the table at dinner and count us and say all our full names. I don't know how he knew, but he knew Jeff's name was Jeffrey, but he didn't know mine. No one calls me by my name very much. Jeff calls me honey most of the time. I don't think Jeff calls me Christine unless he's irritated with me, which of course is never! He also will say "Landen's house" when we come home. Last night I shouted upstairs that I was going to go to Trader Joe's and that he was going to stay with daddy. He shouted back, "Get some yogurt smoovies(smoothies)? I stay wif (with) my family." Ha! He also asked for cliff bars, of course.

Mikayla is now 5'4.5" and wears the same size shoe as me. She got 7 A's and one B on her report card. And she just got cast in our church's spring musical Fiddler on the Roof! It was a little cool at the beach so all she wanted to do was sit and read. She still loves reading!

"Mommy, I tan't fin my water squiter...do you know where it is?" Landen asked me that a couple days ago. Seriously, it's like a compound sentence. He's just getting so smart! He is also 36.5 inches tall and 32lbs. About the same as Mikayla was at this age.

Take a good long look at those golden curls. We chickened out and didn't get his hair cut over the holidays. But now that his hair goes below his nose I think it's going to get a trim this week. We also chickened out on potty training him. We were having such a nice break from school and activities we just never got around to it. He really is ready though. He has such an amazing memory we just need to go for it.

He and I went for lunch at an outdoor mall we haven't been to since July and after lunch we started walking toward some stores and he said, "Go find the choo choo train?!" I couldn't believe he remembered. He didn't even get to ride it last time and we were pretty far away from the actual train area. Blew me away!

Zach is now 5'1.5". He loves to play football with Jeff on the beach and play in the waves when it's not too cold. He is in Math League at school, he loves it and it is very easy for him. He is truly gifted in math. He is going to play baseball again this year and continues to do lego class after school. He was also elected class representative.

We kept saying how gross this watermelon rind was that someone left on the beach, but it ended up being a very beautiful picture.

These two have the most beautiful brown eyes! Three years ago this would have been a great blog header, now it just seems so incomplete.

That's much better! Never even knew we needed a Landen, but he makes our life so much richer. He definitely brings more love and happiness into our lives than we ever imagined.

He was so irritated with the sand on his hands he just kept asking to go home to wash them.

You can see the Channel Islands out there!

A great ending to a great day, and a perfect beginning to a new year.

December 26th~

The day after Christmas we celebrated with the Thiesens.

Landen helping grandma unwrap her presents.

Landen scaring grandma with the santa who lost his hat!

Landen was so excited for another day of presents!

Mikayla got an art kit and then painted for 2 days straight!

I'd like to say this kept Zach busy for 2 days straight, but he had it built in about 3 hours, maybe less, but he loved it!

Grandma Barb and Mikayla

~Sweet baby boy~

Star Wars Legos were the theme of the day for Zach. Really the theme of his whole Christmas, it's his favorite thing.

Landen got a Thomas the Train set and absolutely loved it. He plays with it everyday. Sometimes he even uses the pieces to make pretend smoothies.

Landen really loves his Grandpa Tim! I thought this was so precious.

We had a very blessed day with the Thiesens! After they left Jeff and Zach got to go see a Kings game and had a blast! Unfortunatley, that night the stomach flu finally caught up to me and Zach, but thankfully we were all done with our Christmas celebrations by then.

Our Little Rooster~

Christmas 2011~

Stockings loaded up! Unfortunately mostly with underwear.

Every year for as long as I can remember, Mikayla wakes up and goes into Zach's room and they sit and talk until we tell them it's time to go downstairs. This year Mikayla snuck upstairs without looking to go see Zach(her room is to the right of the stairs in this picture). Landen ended up sleeping in until 8:30! So they had to sit and talk a long time this year. Landen didn't have a clue what all the fuss was about but he quickly figured out it was present time and loved it.

He went right over to his puzzle and got busy. You can see he got a pillow case with a Busytown theme. I had it made for him because he just loves Busytown right now.

He looks so precious in his Thomas jammies.

He sat next to brobro and opened his presents which were mostly Busytown toys.

At one point I looked over and he was doing this. He just sat back, crossed his legs, and took it all in! Such a funny little guy!

He was seriously annoyed by all the tape. He kept saying, "Sticky Tape!" in this really annoyed voice. He also insisted on throwing all the wrapping paper on the floor as he opened his presents.

Another great stocking stuffer! Tooth brushes!

Mikayla loved her little coin purse all the way from Singapore!

Zach posing with his notebook.

Practicing with chopsticks.

Th aftermath.

We had a wonderful day and during our breakfast of cinnamon rolls Mikayla lost her last baby tooth! My baby girl is really growing up! The kids really enjoyed watching Landen this year as he was finally able to open presents and react to them. Zach spent all day riding his new Razor scooter and Mikayla and I watched the parade. I cooked corn and crab chowder and Jeff read his new cycling books. We are so thankful for each other and the sweet family time we had. We are most thankful for being able to celebrate Jesus' birth!

Christmas Eve~

We ended up going up to Bakersfield for Christmas eve day to celebrate Christmas with my family and to celebrate my nephew Austin's 17th birthday.

We have a tradition of putting candy canes on the tree in honor of someone who isn't with us. Landen had fun putting about 10 candy canes on the tree. I kept trying to get him to say Kelly while he was putting one on, but he kept looking around and saying "Where?" eveytime I said her name.=(

Jake and Landen~The two blondes!

The sweater Landen is wearing was Zachary's when he was 10 months old(crazy, right!?!). I love it so much I saved it and then last year it was in storage, so finally this year he wore it and it just fit. He only wore it for about an hour because it was like 70 degrees outside. Oh well, back in storage or maybe I should make a blanket out of it.(aka, pay someone else to do it)

RuthAnn putting the ornament on the tree that Kelly sent to us from Singapore.

Kelly also sent these fun, fake mustaches and we all had a blast wearing them. When Zach wears his Landen calls him Professor!?! He is too funny.

I really can't believe our little Austie Tommy is 17! I was at his birth and I am seriously in denial that he could be that old. Such a sweet, loving, handsome young man!

These two are seriously best buds! Can't believe they will both be turning 10 next month! They have the best time playing together!

These are the old toys Landen always drags out at Papa's house. He calls that old playskool barn his "garage" and parks all the cars in there.

Probably based on that he got the coolest present from my parents! A huge truck full of cars! When he opened it he was so happy and surprised and kept asking, "For me? For me?" It was the first present he opened and I think the whole idea of presents was new to him.

When we got home we were pretty tired but the kids got to open one small gift after we read the Christmas story from Luke. Landen got a busy town matching game, Zach got a watch from Mikayla, and Mikayla got a Claire's gift card from Zach.

Daddy got new jammies and I got perfume.

Landen played with his new truck all night!