Updates and Landon's Birthday

ARGH - I am so frustrated with slide.com - I had put together a whole slide show of Landon's birthday pictures and I had uploaded all the photos and entered captions. I accidentally clicked on one of the links on the page and when I went back, the whole slide show was GONE. It's not worth doing it again...it took too long :) So here is a link to my Facebook pictures if you are interested...click HERE.

Anyways, life here has been so busy!! We've had family in and out for most of the month - it's nice to have things back to "normal" :) I feel so behind though - my house is a mess and I need to go grocery shopping, but I just have absolutely no energy to do anything :) I can't wait to be completely out of the first trimester...which is very soon!! I am 12.5 weeks - YAY!! I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow - just a quick check-up, so hopefully all will go well. At my last check-up, the baby's heartbeat was 168 bpm. I've been sicker with this one, but it still hasn't been terrible, so I can't complain. I think the worst has been smells. I absolutely CANNOT handle looking at and smelling raw meats, ESPECIALLY chicken!! So it makes cooking very hard!! I am so thankful for a very patient husband who has been willing to help me out and who has not complained when I've served frozen dinners on night's that I couldn't handle cooking :)

Landon is such a joy. He is all over the place...I think he went from crawling to RUNNING!! He tires me out just watching him! He is learning so many new things and is beginning to "try" to talk. It's so fun!! He is still a long little peanut - he was in the 30th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for length at his last doctor's appointment. I think he walks all of his food off!! His favorite latest thing is when you say TOUCHDOWN, he will throw his two arms up in the air like the referees do on TV. It is hilarious!! He also LOVES to make lots of funny faces...he is quite the entertainer.

I can't believe that Christmas is just around the corner - this year has flown by! I was so excited to have gotten pretty much ALL of my Christmas shopping done on Black Friday. We just need to get a gift for Jason's dad, but otherwise, we are FINISHED!! Oh, and maybe a few more things for Landon if I find some good deals :) I have loved getting into the Christmas spirit this year. Since Landon was a newborn last year and we were adjusting to being new parents, I didn't really pull out all of my decorations and such. So this year has been fun putting lights up outside, decorating the inside, putting wreaths on the windows, etc. And it's snowing today - it's just so pretty outside!!

Well, I know this is short, but I really should be doing some cleaning. I don't even know where to begin, but I would feel better at least just getting SOMETHING done!! Anyways, so sorry for the long delay in posting...I know, I am terrible at this!! I really enjoy reading everyone else's blogs though :)

Have a great day!
~Taryn

Better late than never...

So I realized that I never posted Landon's Halloween pics (thanks for reminding me Jennifer!!!). I took SOOOO many pictures, but only put a few in a slideshow. He was a dinosaur for Halloween - he was so cute! We were in MA the weekend before Halloween and the local university was throwing a kids Halloween party, so we took Landon and his cousins. They took Landon's picture and it made it in the local paper :)

Anyways, here are pics of Landon in his Halloween costume:

We have an announcement...

Landon is going to be a big brother...SURPRISE!!!!!!! Yes, it is really true (I'm still in quite a bit of shock as this was a surprise to us too)!!! I am in my 10th week and due June 15th. We just had our second doctor's appointment last Thursday. I have a picture of the baby, but forgot to bring it downstairs to scan it into the computer, so I will post sometime later. Things are looking good - the baby's heartbeat was 168!!

We are very excited...I was very overwhelmed at first, but after the appointment on Thursday, I've been getting more excited. Landon and his little brother/sister will be 19 months apart. I want my kids to be close in age, I just wasn't expecting it to be that close.

I have to chuckle though because I believe God definitely has a sense of humor. Here it took us SO long to get pregnant with Landon and then with this one, it was so unexpected!!! I am very thankful that we did not have to go through the struggle of infertility again though - God is good!

Well, I want to keep this short - I am exhausted! Landon turned ONE yesterday and we had a fun party with family. I will post more about it later with pictures...I'm still worn out from yesterday. Plus we are all sick with colds, so it hasn't been very fun around here lately!

I'll be back within a few days with pics!

What's New

I truly wish that I were a more faithful blogger!! I love reading everyone else's blogs, yet I still can't seem to update mine regularly!! Oh well...I'll try to do better :)

I can't believe that it is mid-October already! Landon turned 11 months yesterday...AGH!!!! He is going to be ONE in less than a month!! My little baby is just growing up way too fast!! He is such a joy though...he is almost walking (I say "almost" because even though he can walk, he still likes to crawl). He has been such a sweetie lately!! I think he is understanding things more...like when we aren't pleased with something he does, or when he does something that's good. As sad as it is that he's growing so fast, I love to see him learn and discover things daily!!

We gave him his first hair cut a few weeks ago - that was rough!! My baby's "locks" are all gone!! It turned out really short, but it looks good and he really needed it. I wish I had gotten more pictures, but it's kinda hard when one of us is holding him and the other is cutting his hair...we didn't have any extra hands to take photos.

Today, I must part with my very first car...Genevieve - a silver 1999 Pontiac Grand Am SE. She has decided to die on us and leave us with only one car...which makes things difficult when Jason needs a car to go to work and I am out and about quite often. We knew this day was coming - we've had to have it in the shop almost every month this year and we are swimming in car repairs. Now the fuel pump needs to be replaced (which involves taking apart the entire car to install - $$$$) and we just don't have the money to keep putting into this old car. I am a bit frustrated though - the timing couldn't have been any worse, but I know that the Lord has an answer to everything. His ways are perfect and His timing is best. So tonight we will go trade in (whatever worth it has) and buy something else to get us around for the time being. We have found a car that we are interested in and we've been praying about it for a few days now. Since Tuesday, it dropped $1000 in price, so we are definitely considering it. It is a 2003 Oldsmobile Alero. Jason really likes it a lot!! While it may not be the best of cars, it will keep us off the streets :) :) And for that, I am thankful that we found the car.

Oh, and speaking of things breaking - our digital camera broke!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was at my brother's soccer game taking some pictures when suddenly the ball was kicked towards me and in an effort to keep it from hitting my face, I tried to stop it (with camera in hand) and the ball broke the zoom lens. It was going to cost us $100-$140 to have it fixed (not including parts)!! For that much, we were better off just buying a new camera. I really like it - it's fairly decent and I was able to get it on e-bay for a great price...thank you Lord!

It is very rainy today - one of those days you want to just stay in bed and read a good book!! Any of you other mommies of babies/toddlers out there know that it is IMPOSSIBLE for that...but it's a lovely thought!! Maybe I'll try to sneak in some relax time during Landon's nap!!

Well, I will post a few pics of Landon...this weekend we are going to go to the Pumpkin patch, so I'm hoping to get some cute pics!!

Have a great week!
~Taryn

Nothing like the great outdoors!

The weather has been beautiful this week and so we have spent a LOT of time outside. Landon absolutely loves to play outside - he is so much happier when he's out there playing :) He loves to play with Smokey, and surprisingly, Smokey likes to play with him too! I think they are going to be great buds :) Anyways, here are a few pictures of Landon playing outside (and some of Smokey too):

Tomorrow we are all going to Dorney Park (the three of us and my family). This will be Landon's first time at an amusement park. Of course, he's too small to go on any rides by himself, but hopefully he'll enjoy the carousel :) I will try to have pictures of our fun day tomorrow!

Well, the little one is waking up - mommy duty calls :)

Landon escapes Mommy Prison!

I have a very adventurous little boy - he's not walking yet, but he knows how to get around and get into everything!! Well, today he escaped from the house!!! Don't worry...I was watching him, taking pictures of it all!! It's such a BEAUTIFUL day here today soI have every window and door open in the house. Well, there is a rip in the screen door that leads out to the deck behind our house - I think Smokey put the rip there when he tried to get in the house one time. Landon discovered it today and thought that he would crawl through it and get outside...what a little stinker :) Here are some pictures of him leaving Mommy Prison :)

Next time I'll have to get it on videotape. He just LOVES the outdoors! Yes, he is only 10-months old and probably doesn't understand much, but he is so much happier when he is outside :) He's going to be just like his daddy!!

Well, just thought I'd share Landon's latest adventure!
~Taryn

Motherly Love

My friend Jennifer forwarded this to me (and also posted it in her blog) and I really enjoyed it so I thought I'd copy it in my blog. I am so thankful that God has blessed us with Landon - it is so incredible being a mommy! Many of you know the hard journey we faced with infertility...we never thought that we would ever be able to have children of our own and God was so gracious enough to provide us with our miracle. I am truly blessed and my prayers go out to my friends and others who are still travelling down the heart-breaking road of infertility. I pray that one day they can experience how amazing it is to hold your own child in your arms. OK, before I get choked up, here it is:

Motherly Love Is..............

...pretending that you're already full when your child wants the one cookie left in the box.

...wishing it was you with the stomach flu and not him.

...cluttering up your precious storage space with her baby clothes because you just can't bear to part with them.

...always having his favorite snack in your handbag (and your favorite photo of him tucked in there too).

...accepting the soggy half-eaten cookie she lovingly offers you(and eating it too)

...buying a box of cereal just to get the prize he so desperately wants.

...sitting through an entire Barney DVD because it's her favorite and she wants to share it with you.

...being driven crazy when he's with you, but missing him like crazy when he isn't.

...when, even after endless sleepless nights, continuous mounds of laundry and a house that looks like a toy store after a tornado, one little smile is all it takes to melt your heart.

...when the other child is always the one who started it.

...dealing with everything that comes your way without giving it a second thought, whether it's vomit, snot, or poo.

...happily replacing your favorite painting with that lovely dried macaroni collage he made just for you.

...Being a mother is the greatest gift I have ever been given

AMEN!!!!!

YANKEES GAME!!

Hello everyone - I just thought I'd post some pictures from Landon's first Yankees game. I wish I had taken more, but here are a few good ones:

It was a very nice day, but the sun was VERY hot and of course, we sat in direct sun all day! Landon got a free TY bear (as pictured above) - the first 14,000 kids all got one. Landon did very well the first few innings, but then he got very tired and it was so loud and hot that he had a difficult time sleeping. So gramma and I spent most of the game out in the hallways inside the stadium (where the concession stands are) and we walked and walked and walked with him :) We had a great time though! We had bleacher seats, but we were in the back row which was nice because Landon could play behind us. He loved standing and playing on the bleachers - they were just his height! It was a lot of fun, but we were all very exhausted when we came home :) For little sleep and not eating well, Landon was a very good boy! He loved it! We are looking forward to going again - but maybe to a night game next time :)

We are hoping to relax and get some things done around the house for the rest of today (we don't have church tonight) and we are looking forward to all being home tomorrow because of Labor Day!!

We hope you all enjoy your Labor Day weekend!
~Taryn

Where has the summer gone?

Hello all...if you are still out there :) I know I haven't updated our blog in a VERY LONG time! This summer has been C-R-A-Z-Y (that is an understatement). But it's been great...I can't believe we're almost into September though - that is just unbelievable!!

So where do I begin? Well, we've gotten to see lots of people this summer...my close friend Sarah and her fiancee Nate came out at the end of July for a visit. We had a big meal one evening with Nate, Shyla, and Jackson; Paul and Danielle; Nate and Sarah; and Jason, Landon and I. It was fun - Landon LOVED playing with Jackson!! Nana and Pops were also just here for a visit. It was nice for us to see them since we don't get to see them often. Landon had grown so much since we saw them last at the beginning of July. We went camping with my family a few weekends ago - that was a lot of fun! This weekend we are going to a Yankees game...it will be Landon's first Yankees game (his first baseball game too). In a few weeks we will be going to Dorney Park with my family. We may also be going up to MA for the 50th wedding anniversary of one of me relatives. We've also been very busy with different things going on in our church. But it's been a good summer!

Landon has really grown up in the past month. He is crawling EVERYWHERE and pulling himself up and getting into a LOT of things :) He can walk if you hold his hands; he'll even walk if you hold just one of his hands. But he's still a little unstable, so I think it will still be a few weeks before he's walking on his own. Plus, he LOVES to crawl...so I don't think he's in any rush to learn how to walk. He has recently added new babbles and words to his dictionary! He talks NON-STOP now :) It is just so fun to "listen" to him "talk" - he loves to carry on a conversation with you! He also likes to copy/mimick sounds that you make...if I cluck my tongue, he'll cluck his; if I smack my lips, he'll smack his; if I blow bubbles, he'll blow bubbles too! It's so fun...he's just at a really fun stage!!

My business with Southern Living is going pretty well. I didn't have many parties this summer, but partly due to the fact that we have been really busy. I've really enjoyed it though and it's been a great little "hobby" - plus, I just love their products, so I love the opportunity to add to my collection!!

We've had LOTS of babies born lately. My cousin Darcy and her husband Steve just welcomed their first little baby to the world - Liam Keene Riggs was born August 5. And two of my friends, Shyla and Ginny, just welcomed baby boys into the world! My sister-in-law is due in 2 months witha girl (she actually started labor last night...not good), Jason's cousin is due shortly after her with a boy, and my cousin's wife is due with a boy around that time too! A co-worker of mine is also due mid-October with a boy. LOTS of baby news (and lots of BOYS)...some of it makes me want to have another one :) I wouldn't mind having another baby, but just the thought of being pregnant again makes me want to cry! So we'll see...I guess we'll see what happens!

Here is a little slideshow with recent pics:

Well, that's it for now - Landon is sleeping and I have lots to do!! Hopefully I will be back to post again sooner than last time :)
~Taryn

We're back!

We're back from vacation...YAY!! It was nice to get away and see some family, but as always, there's no place like home! Landon did pretty well - he did NOT enjoy sleeping in his pack-n-play, but he absolutely LOVED having his cousins to play with!! We went to the family lakehouse at White's Pond, MA. It was VERY hot and only one room in the house was air-conditioned!! Needless to say, we spent a LOT of time in that room! Here are some pictures from our vacation:

The first picture is of Landon and his Pops; the second is of Landon taking a bath in the sink of the lakehouse; the third is a picture of Landon and his cousins Sasha and Sierra; the fourth is a picture of Landon watching alpacas at an Alpaca farm; the fifth is a picture of Landon and his cousin Sierra; the sixth is of Landon and his cousin Sasha.

Landon continues to grow like a weed! He now has two front lower teeth and he's cutting his upper teeth - we can see one almost about to poke through. He started crawling last Sunday, so he is all over the place now! It is SO cute to watch him crawl...he gets so excited and all you hear is the little pitter-patter of his hands :) He is just so much fun to watch!! In just a couple of weeks, he's going to be 9 months - AGH!! Where has the time gone?

We are enjoying our summer. Jason has been busy with our garden. It's done fairly well, so we're happy for that. We have lots of cucumbers and beans and peas right now. There are a gazillion tomatoes, but they are still green. We have green peppers that are looking very nice. And then there is the corn and the lettuce - but they aren't ready yet.

Well, I need to go - sorry for the quick update!
~Taryn