Landon aka "Buddy"

 

 

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.  

First day of first grade

 

Dancing... always dancing

Ocean!

Helping with the playset

Loves "his time" when Riley is in dance

This is how he sleeps....

Boy Scout Bridging Ceremony

Happy Birthday!

Giving a weather report

Riley aka "Squishy"

So – have you missed me? This is definitely the longest I have gone without an update and I will admit that there is no way I can catch up on the last 14 months.   I have seen so much growth and change in them I feel certain I will not cover it all, but as Riley says “I did my best.”  It feels like a whole new world these last few months and we have been working hard to get their lives back to normal and have some fun in the process. 

There are so many words I can use to describe Riley: kind-heated, care free, serious, brave, feisty, charming, gentle, adorable, helpful, thankful, energetic, joyous, stubborn, sensitive, and the list goes on and on.  She still likes to cuddle in the mornings, but now I fee like she is as long as me on the couch.  She jumps at the opportunity to help me with anything around the house.  She loves to share her things and wants everyone to be happy.  Tonight, at the pool, she let multiple little girls try on her mermaid tail – her current most prized possession and the ONLY thing she wanted for her birthday.  She laughs and smiles all the time – showing off the two teeth she lost just this week.  Her exclamation of frustration is “ah chicken biscuits” and I have literally no idea where it came from but it is here to stay.  She is brave and wants to ride all the roller coasters.  She pushes herself to try new things and go outside of her comfort zone – until it becomes too much.  She has a line that her anxiety has drawn in the sand that her mind will not let her cross, but (thankfully) she is much braver than I.  She gets nervous in crowds and I feel certain that Covid has played a part in this.  When she gets too overwhelmed, she holds my hand tight and will massage her little hand up and down my arm for comfort. Thankfully, it usually passes quickly when I am able to change her environment.

She made so much progress this year with her reading! She initially would get easily frustrated with herself and would refuse to continue, but with time and practice she loves to read and will even pick up books on her own.  You can often find her reading a book on the front porch.  Earlier this year we did notice that she was holding the books close to her face at times when she was reading and we scheduled an eye exam.  She was pretty excited to pick out her pink glasses after finding out her eye muscles were weak causing her eyes to have difficulty focusing.  With the help of the glasses, she may grow out of the need when her muscles are strengthened. Overall, we have been very lucky with both of them health wise.  Riley’s only emergency doctor visits have been to the dentist and I think she has lost a total of 7 teeth – 2 of those being in the last week. 

Riley loves playing sports.  She started with softball during this past spring season and she really enjoyed herself.  She earned a bit of a reputation due to her leaping throw as the catcher.  She has a little hop to her step every time she threw the ball and the crowd loved it.  She has asked to play softball again in the fall so we will see if she has made progress in her skills – we definitely need to work on her hitting.  She also played soccer this spring, so we were extra busy for a few weeks when the sports overlapped.  She still enjoys her dance classes and she puts her whole heart into it, but she doesn’t seem to enjoy it as much as she likes that activity of sports.  She was in an amazing Girl Scout Troop this year and earned herself about a million patches.  She sold a ton of cookies and went out of her comfort zone and even sold cookies at a stand set up outside the grocery store a few times. 

When she is at home, her favorite thing to do is to draw and design.  She likes to draw “fashion” and outfits and mermaids.  She puts together crafts and necklaces – both from kits and using her own imagination.  She plays with her Barbies and dolls and has a great imagination when it comes to her play.  She rotates her affection when it comes to her stuffed animals and will have a favorite of the day.  She likes to paint her fingernails and put on pretend make – up.  She likes to play family board games and make up her own games for us to play.  She and Landon create scavenger hunts for us to find objects around the house.  She does like to play video games – Animal Crossing and MineCraft seem to be the current favorites.  We got them an OSMO for Christmas and some new games for their birthday and she likes to play those games as well.  If playing outside, she loves to ride her bike and Pat has taken her on a few “mountain bike” rides in the past months.  She likes to draw outside with the sidewalk chalk and the neighbors have made comments on her art when out on their walks – she really is a pretty good artist.  She likes to sit outside on the back porch – especially when it is raining.  She might get that one from me, I like the sound of a light rain and find it relaxing.   She does not mind playing alone and will go up to her room and play with her toys by herself. 

There is still very little that she won’t eat.  She loves to eat steak and she will eat everything once.  Her favorites include cheese stuffed crust pizza, chicken nuggets, carrots and hummus, grapes, and flavor blasted goldfish.  She would snack all day long if we let her honestly.  She loves dessert, but doesn’t really like chocolate – she would rather have a rainbow sherbet or a sno-cone.  Her drink treat of choice is Sprite and she gets super excited when we allow it at a restaurant.  She mostly likes to drink water or juice, but did develop a taste for Gatorade during her sports.  My main goal is to limit the sugar and I am not always successful – ha ha. 

All in all, this past year has been a little hard for her due to her increased anxiety, but at the same time I have seen so much growth.  She has grown into her personality and it is so much fun having a conversation.  She has a memory like a trap and will recall things we talked about weeks ago.  She does repeat her questions a lot, but I know that is part of her anxiety and her need for reassurance.  She is a very sweet and kind little girl and I am excited to see what the next year brings for her. 

8th Birthday!

Snow! (Sort of)

Mermaid!

The infamous leap throw!

Last day of 1st grade!

Sliding Rock

 

Mommy and Me Paining Class

Dance Recital 2020