Potty, Potty Cheekers

The day after we came home from vacation we started potty training. Landon had been showing signs that he was ready for a few weeks before, but I was NOT about to take him on an airplane or in the middle of no where trying to training him. He did amazing the first week and I thought we were home free. Exactly one week from the day we began, we went to a lake beach for about 3 hours. We came home and it's like he forgot everything. We were back to square one but have been doing well since then. It's now been a full week since then and he tells us when he has to go pretty much every time. Since he wont say potty, he basically tells me in different way, but does understand how to "say" potty in sign language- which is helpful. All in all, I don't think we're going back to diapers at this point. I've packed up the cloth diapers (feels amazing...) and it's summer so he's pretty much naked all day long anyways. He really loves his big boy undies and is super proud of himself so far. Today we've had ZERO accidents (that I know of) and we're half way through the day. Morning are the hardest, so fingers crossed!

Zion and Bryce Canyon

Besides the fact that Kyle and Landon got a stomach bug and were down for a day (the day it SNOWED)- all in all, this was an awesome vacation! Landon did so well and I cant believe he was willing to be in a carrier for hours on end. Better yet, I cant believe I tolerated carrying a 25 pound kid up MOUNTAINS- and there is no exaggerating in the statement. Hiking the Narrows in Zion (through the river) was by far one of the best things I've ever done. Too bad Kyle was sick the whole time. I will be going back to do all 13 miles one day..and I cant wait!

Strawberry pickin & Mother's day

Landon and Madeline went strawberry picking at a local farm. First we had to establish that you can only pick the red ones, then we had to realize that you cant eat all of them! Landon would put a whole strawberry in his mouth, chew and chew and then spit it all out because the green leafy top was still attached. Madeline had no problem eating the whole thing :)

I took some Mother's day photos- which I probably will every year. Some are in our backyard and some are on the UNC Campus

and a comparison from last year on Mother's day...he needs to stop growing!!

We had a really nice Mother's day. It was a nice. sunny, warm day- perfect for a picnic. We went to a park near our house and had lunch and played outside. Landon was just happy to not be traveling anymore! Only thing that would have made it better was if the Grandma's were here to share the day!

Hoppy Easter

We had many Easter celebrations and I've come to realize how spoiled this kid is!!
We ended up dying some eggs...well, I did anyways. No one wants a toddler around food coloring. At least I don't!! Wasn't sure how dying brown eggs would go, but I actually like the way they dye better than the white ones! They turn a nice deep rich color. I tried to get Landon to eat one and he made a face that looked like I was trying to feed him dirt.

We also has some other Easter crafts like this amazing little chick that Landon created during music class last week. He likes to poke him in the eyes. We also made these shaped pancakes on Saturday that had sprinkles in them. Of course, the dinosaur had to be used as well. And a little side note- the cookie cutters started to melt....so I guess I need to stick with medal ones or make them super thin next time. And the last photo is of our spider we named Charlotte. She made a web in our garden last week and all the pollen (which is EVERYWHERE) stuck to the web. It was pretty cool to see all the detail!

Landon had 3 Easter egg hunts! The first one was with Madeline and her friends Essie and Nash. We found a bunch of eggs in the backyard and then had a nice little play date lunch.

Next up was our own Easter hunt which I had to lock Bentley in the house for since he found all the eggs and broke them. At this point, Landon was kind of over the excitement of the eggs, so we basically did a quick walk to the front yard where his PILES of Easter gifts were. He didn't even veer for the chocolate because there was so much to look at it!

Lastly, we were invited to a large cook out/Easter egg hunt on Sunday by a class mate of Kyle's. We met a lot of nice people and Landon had fun mingling. We sat out of this Easter egg hunt- we already way too much stuff at home!!

And this week starts the madness (if it's wasn't already crazy) of finals. Kyle has a ton of tests in the next week and a half and then it's vacation time for a bit..like 8 days. We cant wait to spend some down time in some glorious mountains!!

Landon's Favs and another garden update

I thought it would be funny to take a photo of all the things Landon loves right now at 19 months and see how it changes. Below are his favorites, followed by a comprehensive list- so I don't forget :)

Food- Watermelon (any fruit, really), tomatoes, meatballs (with BBQ sauce), lemonade, chocolate, dipping anything
Books- Very busy spider, Benjamin's Book, Toby Snax, Dr Seuss ABC, the Who book
Toys- Stuffed armadillo, Zippy the zebra, stacking cups, crayons, letter magnets, legos, my phone (to watch videos of himself), bubble maker, watering cans, chalk
Things to do- drumming, "flipping" (somersault), attacking Bentley's tail, swinging, reading, anything outside, stalling bedtime, eating snacks, constant jibber jabber talking, un-organizing everything (most of all the dishwasher)

Misc update- Our Easter eggs melted in the rain...so there goes that idea. We painted a birdhouse that I got for $1. He loves it. We took a quick trip to a fair down the road a couple nights ago. I had to show Landon the Ferris wheel. He was in awe. Landon's dream scenario, large spinning lights right next to the moon! Landon also really excited about mowing the lawn. We now have a normal gas powered mower and he walks up and down the driveway watching us mow. He also loves taking tours of each brand at Lowes. He's a total boy- except that he hates dirty hands...weird kid.

Next, garden update! It's complete and has plants in the ground!! We ran out of room and didnt plant quite as many things I hoped for, but it will still be amazing. If all goes well- we're going to have tomatoes coming out of our ears.

And lastly, I'm hoping this video works, because Landon loves little animals and laughs at them...and it's cute :)

Easter Craft and Garden update

Landon and I spent the morning painting our Easter eggs today. I made salt dough eggs that we can hang outside in a tree. No one ever eats all those hard boiled eggs anyways- right? Yea- we'll probably end up making some of those too!

 Here's an update on the garden. The box has been built and is now completely painted (same color as the house trim). All I need to do is make probably four more trips to Lowes for dirt...

And just some fun pics hanging outside, having picnics and splashin' in the pool

It's been a while!

It's been a while since I posted- so I'll post about a few things!

Landon LOVES playing outside. I think he's going to be the type of kid where I have to make him eat dinner! Favorite outdoor activities are throwing the ball to Bentley, Bubbles, Sticks, and trying to climb the rock wall out back.

So this is as far as my garden has gotten. I have seedlings ready and just need to finish the raised beds. Apparently, it's safe to plant these in the start of April here...crazy!

Landon has his swing back...and he's is as obsessed as ever. I think he would sit in it all day. Maybe even sleep in it. Bentley likes to lay under him and demand attention

We found a great little park only a few miles from the house. It has a perfect size loop for Landon to walk. What's better then a couple BFF selfies :)

Confirmed, watermelon is still king of the fruits in Landon's book. Guess we need to start buying a whole watermelon when they aren't $8. Cant wait to see him eat a whole piece at one time!

This past weekend was Madeline's second birthday party. It was water related and I missed the memo. Landon had to borrow a pair of boots! We also went to the food truck rodeo downtown and they had live music playing. Landon danced in the street while eating a a crepe!

Hour a day

I am trying hard to carve away an hour a day for painting. Which means I'm ending up with about a painting a week from start to finish. I opened an Etsy shop (https://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahnelson8) and a Behance portfolio online. Behance is a major art portfolio website where you can follow other artists. A Twitter for artists, if you will. Beyond that, I'm not sure what I am going to do with all of these, but it's fun to see travel photos turn into paintings. Landon loves pointing out "Mama's paintings" all over the house. He has to point to every one that he can see, one after another. It might be wishful thinking, but he always takes my mineral powder brush for my face out of the bathroom and paints the wall. He's an artist in the making...for fun, not for money. I mean, come on :)

Correction ~ and a list of new words

Correction- it's 57 and sunny today, so I dont think we need to wait long for the snow to melt.

List of new words for Landon in the last 3 days:
Truck
Dog
Star
Picture
Snow
Ouch
Choo (as in Ah-choo- sneeze)

We're getting somewhere :)

Happy Valentine's Day....plus a snow storm

 Happy Valentine's Day ~ Landon

 

In other news, we had an ACTUAL snow storm this week and got 5" plus ice. Two days later and there are

still abandon cars everywhere and business are closed. Landon and I played outside the best we could but since it rained on top of the snow, it was difficult to walk when he broke through the surface. We had to resort in walking down the middle of the road. Looks like we have to make it another 2 days and it will be in the 60s and 70s. We might have 2 days left of winter here- literally. 

 

Hanging around

These two boys love each other! Landon is always cuddling with Bentley

Landon loves reading and has most things memorized in books now

 

 We had a "huge" storm and everything closed. I could still see the grass :)

Landon still isnt too sure what painting is all about, but it's fun to try something new of course