Are you ready for the “Landon update?” This kid never ceases
to amaze me. He is ridiculously
inquisitive with a mind like a steel trap.
He asks a lot of questions and then remembers ALL the answers. My google search engine is on fire multiple
times a day because most of the time I don’t know the answer. He loves to be able to explain things to
anyone that will listen, so be prepared if he sits you down for a conversation,
you will be committed to a solid length of time.
Landon had an amazing first grade year.
Kindergarten was rough as most of the second
part of the year was spent at home on the computer.
Landon loves electronics so he had no trouble
getting on the computer, the difficult part was finding work that was
challenging for him.
He seemed to get
bored and distracted easily taking forever to complete his assignments.
First grade has been a bit of the same.
He loves his math especially and fortunately
for him it comes very easy.
He soared
through the first-grade material and has been doing math on a 2
nd/3
rd
grade level.
He absolutely loves to read
and reads to me each night and then reads a couple chapters on his own.
Great for him but I keep missing sections of
the book- ha ha.
He was invited to
attend an AIG camp this week and I am hopeful that he enjoys himself.
He is excited for next year and we have opted
to have them in different classrooms again so they can continue to grow as
individuals and not worry about a comparison to each other.
Landon definitely prefers his video games over his
sports.
He did play baseball this past
spring and he enjoyed himself and I saw improvement overall.
He struggled a bit though because the coach
was very much about winning and Landon just didn’t have the same attitude – he
wanted to have fun.
He absolutely loves
to roller skate and he literally flies around the neighborhood.
He has chosen to play soccer this Fall.
I don’t recall him enjoying soccer the last
time he played, but he seemed to have fun practicing with Riley and wants to
try it again.
Now he did take breakdancing this past year
and the recital was glorious! He was adorable up on stage and he loves to dance
around when given the opportunity.
His
biggest recent accomplishment is swimming.
We joined a local pool and the first couple times there Landon refused
to take off his life vest and also took 30 or more minutes to get “used to” the
water.
After more time at the pool and
some lessons, he now jumps right into the water without hesitation and is even
jumping off the diving board without his vest on.
He is able to swim short distances and has
gained so much confidence in himself – which in turn helps me to be more
comfortable with him in the water.
Landon continues to be a struggle with dinner.
He takes forever to eat his meals and is
unwilling to try anything new without encouragement (ie Minecraft time).
His current favorite food is macaroni and cheese,
but he will also eat chicken nuggets and pizza pretty easily.
His breakfast drink of choice is Pedaisure.
We started him drinking those daily over a
year ago when getting him to eat breakfast and get out the door in time for
school was a struggle.
The added bonus
is he has had very little episodes of reflux since we started this so I
consider it a win.
His second favorite
drink is my dark chocolate almond milk that I use for overnight oatmeal.
He doesn’t snack as much as Riley, but his
preferred snack is cheese-its or dry cereal.
As for TV his favorite show seems to be Pokemon lately or he still loves
to watch Bluey.
He told hem tonight is
favorite song is “Big love happens in the small moments” (actual title is “Big
Love, Small Moments”) and I absolutely love watching him sing this song.
He has made his own hand motions and it is
adorable.
Speaking of “adorable” that is
currently his favorite word and he uses it to describe just about everything
from babies to puppies to dragons.
Dragons are his current favorite animals and we have a dragon named “Airon”
that seems to go everywhere with us – along with a stuffed Pikachu.
Last night he wanted me to “battle” with his
dragons so I had to make up my own dragon powers and “attempt” to “fight” his
dragons, but there was no way I could beat that imagination.
He loves to make people laugh and attempts to make up his
own jokes.
He has an infectious smile with
one front tooth that seems to have been missing forever.
He has lost 5 teeth and his molars are yet
to grow in, but I see them coming.
Landon
has a huge heart.
As I mentioned about
Riley, she has a lot of anxiety and gets worried quickly.
She was worried yesterday about spending the
night with a friend and he reassured her several times that he would be with
her and then he went and got her comfort stuffies from her overnight bag and
handed them to her.
He likes to give me
back massages and asks to do them daily – which I will allow, even if they are
a little rough.
He likes to help Pat
with projects around the house – particularly if they involve building.
He still asks me to cuddle in the mornings
and sometimes just wants to cuddle before bed as well.
All in all, he has had a good year both developmentally and
socially. I think he has gained
confidence in himself and I have noticed he wants to play more with the neighborhood
kids now – he used to prefer to play by himself and tended to stay inside. He is still a tad socially awkward with the
boys, but considering they are mostly 5 years older than he it is challenging
for him to be on the same level. He
loves to meet new people when we are out and introduces himself to everyone and
will play with anyone. He especially
likes it when he can teach them something.
I am excited to see what second grade and the year to come brings for him.
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First day of first grade
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Dancing... always dancing
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Ocean!
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Helping with the playset
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Loves "his time" when Riley is in dance
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This is how he sleeps....
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Boy Scout Bridging Ceremony
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Happy Birthday!
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Giving a weather report
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Riley loves
hard and is unfortunately full of anxiety. I worked the Santa Shop at
school and when I came around to her classroom she wanted to buy a gift
for every single one of her classmates. She was worried about the one
friend that forgot his money and reminded me over and over again to
return the next day so he could buy something. In the end she ended up
picking out a toy for him and about 10 other people. She wants to be a
friend to everyone and does not understand why it is not always
reciprocated. She needs reassurance often of our schedule and what we
will be doing for the day. She wants to be involved in every
conversation and her current word of choice is "Seriously?". She says
"Thank you" for everything - which is a great quality to have. She
makes sure that Pat and I know our efforts are not unappreciated. She
was excited for every Christmas activity I had planned and we did a lot
of different things! I attempted an activity advent calendar and we did
something different almost every day of the month. They also asked for
toys for each other this year - which warmed my heart - other than the
fact that the toy Landon asked for - a Magic Mixie- was difficult to
find. I got super lucky and was able to get one for each of them with a
little help from my sister. 
Riley is getting
into a groove with her reading also and is starting to find books she
enjoys. Her favorite thing to do though is draw and no piece of paper
in the house is safe. I recently found her "dairy" and it was filled
with pictures and many phonetically spelled words. She loves animals
and any type of animal toy. She plays with Barbies and Rainbow High
dolls - especially the new additions from Christmas. She also wants to
wear make up though and have her nails done - if only I could get her to
brush her hair more willingly! She likes to play board games with the
family and make popcorn and watch movies together. She and Landon make
up games and stories together and I absolutely love watching their
imaginations. She recently filled out a survey so I know her favorite
movie is My Little Pony and she does not have a favorite song. Her
favorite food is mac n cheese - but not the same kind of mac n cheese
that Landon likes. She LOVES to ride her bike and we recently had to
upgrade her to a larger bike. She is doing Girl Scouts and Pom right
now. She started out doing softball and she will say that is her
favorite sport. She did okay, but she definitely has some room for
growth athletically. As a team cheerleader though, there is no one
better than her. She loves the roller coasters at Carowinds and only has
a few more inches before she can ride everything in the park - not sure
my stomach is going to be able to handle the anxiety of her on some of
those big ones! 
The kids were vaccinated in November and mom and dad have been vaccinated and boosted. We wanted everyone to stay healthy while still staying active. We wash our hands and wear our masks and keep ourselves as safe as possible while still having fun. We did ALL the things in December - rode the Polar Express, checked out the lights at Knights Stadium, walked through Christmastown, checked out the lights at the Botanical Garden, drove through the Speedway lights, Winterfest at Carowinds, laser light show, Christmas parades, seeing the trees in Belmont, and many other activities at home! In November, we went to the Renaissance Festival, visited Carowinds with my parents, and shopped on Black Friday/Small Business Saturday. October was Trick-or-treating, a visit to the aquarium, seeing the moon in Belmont, corn mazes and pumpkin patches, more Carowinds, and apple picking. September brought the kid's first plane ride when we went back to Illinois to visit family, soccer, softball, and school! In August we visited the ocean and took the kids on an adventure filled trip to Atlanta that included the zoo, the aquarium, and the Coke Museum. No wonder I feel so tired. :) 
