Fun at the Park

Today was a good day!

Brandon had to work this morning, so the kids and I just hung around the house.  Landon and Lylli cleaned their rooms (with my prompting of course) and then played upstairs (and destroyed their rooms all over again).  But hey, isn't that what rooms and toys are for?  I really need to remember that more often.

Once Brandon finished working, we took the kids to lunch at Fajita Jacks in Montgomery.  They both really wanted to go to Chuy's in The Woodlands, but we compromised on Mexican food that was closer.  The kids were great at the restaurant.  Landon ate three cheese enchiladas and an ice cream cone.  We think he must be going through a growth spurt because he never eats as much as he has eaten the last couple of days.  Lylli ate tons of rice, Landon's peas and carrot out of his rice (she will eat anything), and ice cream - of course. We laughed so hard because after she ate her belly button was sticking out just like mine did at nine months pregnant.  My baby sure does like to eat... I guess she comes by it honest.  Neither Brandon nor I have any aversion to food ;-).

After lunch, we rode into historic Montgomery to "cruse" the antique shops and look at houses.  The old Victorian we like is still for sale, but we haven't had any offers on our house (and we refuse to carry two house notes again).  I guess we will just have to wait and see.  There is a huge park in the historic neighborhood so we stopped and let the kids play.  They had a great time and so did we.  Those of you who grew up with Brandon may remember "Chicken Man".  That is when you swing as high as you can and the jump out of the swing while flapping your arms like you are flying.  Strange... I know!  Well, Brandon reenacted it for Landon and I got it all on video.  HILARIOUS!!!  I will have to post it later.  For now, here are a few pictures of the day.

As promised... Here is the "Chicken Man" video.

I am blessed!

It is after midnight and I should be in bed, but I feel the need to count my blessings before I turn in for the night.

The last few days have been trying to say the least.  Today when I picked up Landon he once again had not brought home his AR book and had changed his clip (only once mind you) for talking.  Well, I guess it could have been worse.  Instead of flipping out, as would be my normal response, I simply told him he would have to spend the weekend hanging out with me and Daddy instead of playing with his friends.  He spent the afternoon cleaning his room and looking for his cell phone (no luck on that search) - no TV.  He wasn't happy but didn't loose his cool.  BABY STEPS PEOPLE!

When Brandon got home from work we took the kids to Pizza Shack for dinner.  We sat by the kitchen and watched them toss the dough.  The kids thought it was pretty cool and they behaved wonderfully!  I had to document the moment =).  Check out the way Lylli eats pizza and how Landon is a ham.

Tonight was a good night!

As frustrated as I have been the last few days I have overlooked all that I have that is right.

• two healthy children... and that in itself is enough!
• a husband who loves me unconditionally, puts up with my craziness, and tries to give me anything and everything my heart desires (even though he wouldn't admit it)
• a great job with many friends who truly care about me

Thanks to my blogging friends for helping me remember my blessings!
Good night ;-)

No Idea What I am Doing

I sometimes wonder if I am the only parent that thinks "I have no idea what I am doing!"...

When I was pregnant with Landon I tried to do everything right. I played classical music in the car and in my classroom, I started eating vegetables, etc. I even remember telling my principal that I didn't care if he was cute as long as he was smart =). Well, as it turns out he's cute and smart - but I might be a little biased being his mother and all.

With the exception of a few sleepless nights early on, Landon was the perfect baby. He never fussed, smiled all of the time, slept through the night... I could not have asked for a better child. Now Lylli is a different story - poor thing has been opinionated since her first kick. She definitely gives us a run for our money. But that is a story for another day.

Anyway, I say all this so that you can appreciate my surprise at the difficulty of raising a school aged child. Ever since Landon started school at age 4 we have heard the same story, "Landon is such a sweet boy, but he talks too much and will not be still." Well duh! He IS a boy... and he is MY child!

Now in first grade with a new teacher and a new school, it is the same song and dance. "Landon does not complete his work because he is too busy talking." "Landon is in his own world when he is supposed to be doing..." (you fill in the blank). "Landon didn't turn in his work because he couldn't find it in his messy desk." And they go on and on...

I know this seems like a very petty thing to be frustrated about, and I know so many parents that have REAL problems with their kids. But this is driving me nuts! I absolutely don't know how to help him, then I get frustrated, and we all get angry. So what am I supposed to do!?!?!?

I probably never should have asked...
I have been advised to hug and kiss him, praise him more, show him I care... Does that mean I am deficient in this area? On the other hand, I have been told to use tough love - take away everything, don't let him play with his friends... Then I have been told I need to model better behavior myself - What does that even mean? So basically, him not sitting in his seat, him not staying on task, and his anger about me being upset about all this is because of something I have done wrong or left undone?

Wow - I have no idea what I am doing! I really need a "Parenting for Dummies" or some other how to book for this one =)

Landon's First Video

Landon has a friend named Ziggy who lives in Russia.  We were looking at his blog tonight and Landon started commenting on how big Ziggy has gotten since he saw him last.  I told him he should really tell Ziggy what he thought about his blog.  He asked if I would help him... so off we went to make Landon's first video comment.  My baby is growing up!  You can tell he was a little nervous, but it only took one take.

Who Knew?

Sunday we had family pictures made for Brandon's business website.  I had no idea how hard this would be!  Needless to say, we have never had family pictures made.  I now know why.  It proved absolutely impossible to get both kids, the wind, and sun to cooperate to get one decent picture.   Oh well, we had a good time at least.  Here are the best (and I use that term loosely) of about 50 we took.

 

So, which one should we choose?  I am  thinking a retake may be in order =)

 

The good news is, it seems the kids are more photogenic on their own.  

Here are a few more...

A Very Tired Lylli Pie

Today was a very long day for the kids. We got up and went to the new Downtown Market in Conroe. It was bitterly cold. Nevertheless, the kids used their charm to "con" a vendor out of frozen custard.

When the sun finally came out, we dropped the top on the car and rode to the Market Center in the Woodlands. The kids love riding in the new car. However, they are so close in the backseat that it is almost impossible to keep them from fighting. My mom and dad will remember the "he's toughing my shadow" fights of my childhood. Well it seems you reap what you sow.

After lunch at Jason's Deli, we stopped off at Lowes'. Brandon and I are remodelling my home office and wanted to check out some glass doors. Landon was fine with this excursion seeing as he wore his Heelys in anticipation of just such an event. Somehow Lylli convinced us that she didn't need to ride in the shopping cart and thus spent most of her time in Lowes sliding on the floor. When I told her she was going to ruin her tights, Brandon informed me that "that is why you should never put tights on a boy." Well, she definitely has a tom boy streak!

Overall, the kids were good. Minus the meltdown Lylli had on the way home. Apparently her shoe was coming off and she was not happy. On the advise of a friend, I broke out my phone and videoed her little tantrum. It seemed to lessen the duration of her fit and may have even embarrassed her a bit. Check out the video and tell me what you think.