Jack Visits Santa, Performs at Daycare

Merry Christmas (Ella's first)! We're enjoying all the holiday preparations with the kids. Jack made his first visit to Santa, but was a little confused when we arrived at Bass Pro Shop. He said, "Mommy, this isn't the North Pole! This is the Fish Store!"

As we waited our turn, I pointed out the reindeer hanging out behind Santa. Jack promptly explained that they were dead ... no need to get so excited, Mommy!!! Jack did a wonderful job and let Santa know that he had been a good boy this year.


Wyatt and Ella stayed back at daycare. Wyatt can get a little physical in new or forced situations ... we figured Santa may hold it against him on Christmas morning, if Wyatt were to head-butt Mr. Claus at the "Fish Store." Wyatt can be one extreme or the other - the cuddliest teddy bear ... or a mean Mama Bear defending her cub! That being said, Wyatt really is the most easy-going of the bunch. Ella is cruising along the furniture and babbling as she nears her first birthday. She's eating table food like a champ! And, no one can resist her cute little ponytail sprouting from the top of her tiny head! Please check out the kids' latest pictures at www.dropshots.com/jlandon.

Before we headed off to visit Santa, Jack really shined in his Pre-K performance at daycare. Follow this link for a few clips from his debut ... what a ham! http://www.dropshots.com/jlandon#date/2010-12-17/14:35:02

Hi. My name is Jennifer ... and I'm a TERRIBLE Blogger !!!

Ugh! Okay ... so, I've discovered that I just don't have the time to blog. But, I will maintain this site for occasional updates ... as well as our link to our photo website that I do actually update regularly (because it's so quick and simple): http://www.dropshots.com/jlandon.

This link is at the top of our blog site (under our family picture) ... as well as in the right-hand side column.

As for updates (off the top of my head), Ella is turning nine-months-old this week and has just started crawling in the last week. She's a wiggle worm!!! Like the boys, she will be getting ear tubes at the end of this month.

Jack is doing great in Pre-K ... he has amazing memory! We've just gotten his Darth Vadar costume for Halloween, and he's been wearing the mask practically every night (that means he won't actually wear it when Halloween finally gets here!!!).

And Wyatt's still talking up a storm! Our favorite phrase right now is the way he says "Sorry!" to everything ... it's so dismissive! And, of course, he's still all about Dinosaurs! ROAR!!! It was the theme for his little birthday party. He just turned two-years-old at the end of August. Party pics are on the "Landon Family Pictures" website: http://www.dropshots.com/jlandon.

Tarballs and Little Else

It's been three years since we've had a beach vacation - so, it was the first real experience for Jack, Wyatt and Ella. We used to always vacation with my family at New Smyrna Beach, next to Daytona, on the Atlantic coast of Florida. This year, with my sister and her family now living in the Panhandle, we booked Destin (not realizing the Gulf oil spill debacle that soon came about). Heading down, we were concerned about the oil, but turns out the rainy weather is what kept us from the beach (and the pool for that matter = the water was freezing from the rain)!

We headed to the beach and pool on Day 1, which ended up being the only day of decent weather. Of course, I didn't take my camera ... figured we'd enjoy the experience and worry about catching it on camera next time around ... so, here are the only shots I have. None of us on the beach or at the pool! :(




L to R: My mom (Cindy), Jason with Wyatt, Jack, Jennifer with Ella, my sister (Jessica) and her husband (Giff) with their son (Hayden)

My 21-year-old brother, Jamie, and his friend also joined us. Poor things - I'm sure that was way too much kid-exposure for a college guy's idea of "vacation!" They were good sports, though, especially considering Wyatt practically had the show Dinosaur Train on a loop! Since Wyatt's still just starting to talk, his comments about his favorite TV show are pretty much limited to "ROAR!!!" ... which quickly became his nickname :)

Jack's come a long way in his swimming abilities since last summer ... donning arm floaties and jumping in off the side of the pool (even if his lips were turning blue!) So, we did have tarballs - most were the size of your pinky nail and weren't noticable ... Wyatt has a white UV shirt that is stained with dots of oil - it's his badge of honor ... better than some airbrushed t-shirt that says, "I survived the Gulf Oil Spill 2010!" :)

Everyone was happy to get back home (where, of course, it had been dry and sunny the whole time we were gone)! The kids caught up on some major sleep last weekend!!!! I can't tell you the last time they slept until 10 a.m. on a Saturday!!!!!

Picked up some impressive fireworks on the trip home ... on July 4th, after the first one went off, Wyatt was clawing the door to get back inside. He was so frightened ... I hated to laugh, but it was so darn cute! Jack soon joined Wyatt, complaining of the fireworks being "too loud." Yeah, right ... he was just as scared. :)

Lazy Summer Days

Enjoying the summer, but with three kiddos ages four and younger, Jason and I find it easier to stay home on the weekends (works better for nap schedules, meals, etc.). Plus, I don't know when I would do laundry and clean up otherwise ... with both of us working full-time and not having the shortest commutes, there's just no time!


Jack is the biggest talker!!!! Now that we've limited Wyatt's paci to bedtime only, he's really started talking - saying Mommy, Daddy, and lots of random things like "tree," "bird," and more. Wyatt also knows what sounds animals make :) Ella's now six-months-old and all about being mobile!!! She loves her Exersaucer - well, most of the time. Here, she's having a meltdown, but she's still so cute!!!

When Jack was born four years ago, Jason's sister, Heather, sent us a beautiful, blue hydrangea that had just a few blooms at the time. Check out how big (and still beautiful) it has become in our yard!!! Thank you, Heather! We're still enjoying it!

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

It's hard to find the time to update our blog, when I barely have time to log onto our laptop at home. I haven't checked my Hotmail email account in weeks (access to the site is blocked at my office).

Check out the gorgeous bouquet that Jason and the kids sent me for Mother's Day a couple of weeks ago! Beautiful!

We spent Mother's Day afternoon at Keith and Stacey's home (Jason's sister); for some unknown reason, Baby Ella absolutely lost her mind and cried the whole time (so, forget about any picture-taking)! Here's some shots of her on a better day. She's not quite rolling over yet, but she really gets up on that side and talks away. The daycare teachers call her "Mama." Ella gets so excited when they greet her in the mornings - she starts shaking her leg like a dog!!!

Wyatt is talking more ... clearly saying "apple," and "Grandpa." He's so cute sitting in the little cafeteria chairs at school. We moved him into a booster seat at the table at home ... just like Jack's. What a big boy!!! He's so loving. In the little newsletter at daycare, each class has a monthly update section where they make mention of each of the kids. His class section read, "Little Wyatt lets all the girls love on him!" He's always giving hugs! Cute! Cute!

Jack starts Pre-K this fall. I can't believe it! He's so in-charge. We've nicknamed him "Mall Cop." He gets on everyone's case and is always at his post - no matter where we are! Jack is all about an itinerary, always wanting to know what we're doing next. He loves Star Wars (specifically Darth Vader) and insists on watching the classic versions almost nightly. The other day, he kept asking for some Gorilla ice cream. We were so puzzled, and soon realized he's referring to Vanilla. Too funny!

"I See Grammy and Grandpa Making a Quilt for Me ..."

Jason's parents have been working for months and months, making quilts for each of the boys ... and they're now complete!!! The pattern's based on the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? They look amazing!

Grammy and Grandpa even personalized each quilt on the underside with their pictures and wording that mimics the book ... too cute! Thank you, Diana and Russ! They are precious, and Jack is so proud of his new bedding!!!

Let's Get It Started

Now that the Landon Litter has grown to three pups, it's about time we started blogging all the goings-on ... especially to keep the family and friends we don't see as often up-to-date. To take a page from my sister, Jessica, it's also a great way to track the kids' changes over the years - now, I'm wishing I'd started back when Jack was born four years ago!

I haven't blogged up until now, figuring I didn't have enough frequent, exciting outings or events to showcase ... but, I'm realizing that neither do most of the bloggers I'm reading! :) I certainly won't be making new posts every other day, but I hope to not let too much time go by in between updates!

I'm kicking off our family blog with pictures from a photo session we had at the house back on April 10 with Zach Porter. We're thrilled with what he's captured and look forward to several more sessions, ending with Ella's first birthday party in January 2011! Enjoy!

Wyatt, 19 months:

Jack, 4 years

Wyatt's "Fit" Face

Jack & Wyatt at play

Wyatt kept fleeing the scene ...

Jack in his "Forrest Gump" stance