Pictureka!

Our older kids love to play games. Whether it be simple card games like UNO or Old Maid or board games like Candyland, Clue Jr., Life, etc., they like it all. There is one game that they are particularly fond of. It is Pictureka! the Disney version. They are very good at it and beat me and Marie almost every time we play it. Maybe that is why they like it.

I swear Landon has the cards memorized. He can easily beat anyone he plays during the first round. With all the cards laid out on the ground it can be overwhelming to find such a small item on the cards. It is especially frustrating when Landon doesn't even try and sometimes is not even paying attention and still finds the item faster than you. Cailyn is just as equally good but I think Landon amazes me because he is 3 years younger than Cailyn yet is her equal. Plus it is fun to hear his little voice shout out "Pictureka!" when he finds the item.

What goes up, must come down.

We have lived in this home for a little over a year now. We love it and enjoy how much room we have compared to our previous home. The previous home was one story and 1843sq ft. This home is two story and 3842sq ft. Did you read the important part of those last two sentences? No, not the size difference. The fact that this house is two stories. With Cailyn and Landon we never had to worry about stairs when they were babies/toddlers. When we moved here, Owen and Jacob were just five months old. The stairs were a big fear for me and Marie. We installed some gates downstairs to keep the boys "contained" in the family room and kitchen area. It also kept them away from the stairs. We never found a suitable gate for upstairs so we used to keep the portable playpen parked right in front of the stairs at the top. Despite our efforts we have still had a tumble or two down the stairs. We have since stopped putting the playpen in the way upstairs. We don't really worry anymore because they are good about being carefull around the stairs. When they do go down the stairs they do just fine. We had to take some video of how they come down the stairs because this will only last so long. Soon enough they will grow up and walk down the stairs like anyone else. For now though we like how they slide down the stairs.

Silly Jacob

Jacob is so cute and so silly sometimes! Daddy pulled Jacob's shirt halfway off and Jacob didn't seem to mind it being there. He was being so cute with it on, running around his room and rubbing his little Buddha belly.And flashing the occasional gang signs. ;) Fo 'rizzle!

Crazy Hair

Cailyn LOVES crazy hair day at school. She always looks forward to it! This year we copied Aunt Meagan's crazy hairdo but put a spin on it with colored hair spray! She loved it. :)
I loved this pic of my two big kids. They are such great friends and love each other so much.
And they love being goofballs together! :)

Four

Landon woke up on his birthday to his favorite breakfast -- pancakes! Daddy made them special just for him -- a Mickey Mouse and a 4. He was so happy!
The next day we celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese with Papa who turned 50!

Landon requested a Jack Skellington cake. :)

We had lots of fun celebrating. I love Landon so much and love watching him grow up. He is so much fun and just loves life!!!

Landon time

The other day Landon was kinda having a sad day. So after Cailyn went to her friend's house to play and the boys went down for a nap, we had some Mommy/Landon time. First he wanted to put together puzzles and color pictures. Then we made some brownies from scratch. He LOVED pouring in the "chocolate power" (aka: cocoa powder) and he loved getting to lick the entire bowl by himself. He is such a funny kid and I enjoyed spending some one-on-one time with my sweet little guy! :)

Gardening

The kids & I spent Saturday planting a vegetable garden. They helped me plan, pick out plants & seeds and plant everything. They also really wanted to plant some flowers in our yard. I let them each pick out one type of flower and pick a spot in the yard for them. Landon picked out some yellow & red flowers. (Don't ya just love his moon boots?!)Cailyn picked out some dragon flowers (aka: snap dragons).
Hopefully the bunnies will leave our garden alone long enough for our seeds to grow so we can enjoy some tasty home-grown veggies! :)