I just realized that Landon didn't get as much air time as his sister on this subject. In order to be fair I thought I'd post another short clip of Landon's other floor routine. Please read the previous post for the full story on our tumbling meet.
Landon was #1 today which meant he was the first of all the kids to do any routines. I remember being shy at his age and he hardly even acted nervous. I don't think my mom could have ever convinced me to do this. Great job Landon!!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Our First Tumbling Meet
Today was an exciting day in our family. Lauren and Landon competed in their very first tumbling meet. It was a "just for fun" meet with the other kids (3 and 4 year olds) in their weekly class. Each student presented their routine one at a time while the other kids and parents watched. It was extra special for the kids because Daddy got to come and see them perform. Lauren and Landon each completed a balance beam pass, a trampoline pass and two floor passes. The meet was complete with judges and score cards and participation ribbons were given to each child at the end.
While we are a long way from earning Olympic gold, I must say that this mommy is VERY proud. Lauren is typically shy during her weekly classes and often won't participate in some of the activities. She'd rather be by Mommy and is a bit nervous to venture out on her own. Well, today she amazed me!! She completed all four of the required passes with minimal assistance from her teacher. She likes the balance beam the best. Here is what is looked like.
Landon's tumbling participation, on the other hand, is oustanding. He loves every minute of his class and asks almost every day when he can go again. Landon has some difficulty with coordination (maybe because he's a boy?) but he is extremely persistent. He must have fallen off the balance beam at least 25 times during his routine today, but he never got frustrated or wanted to quit. He just kept getting back on and going forward until he was completely finished. Landon doesn't seem to have a favorite area but here is a sampling of one of his floor passes.
It's days like this that make me realize my babies are really growing up. I have mixed emotions about this as I'm sure that all mothers do. While I'll miss some of the baby things, I must admit that this bigger kid stuff is really great. I'm so proud of Lauren and Landon. Thanks to their teacher, CeLes for allowing them to participate in this great opportunity.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
We love sledding!!
The day after Christmas we went sledding with Jason's sister's family and Jason's parents. One thing that's lacking in south-central Idaho is a good sledding hill. We were excited for the adventure and the kids couldn't wait. Well, the hill we chose was humongous and I wasn't about to let my precious little ones brave it alone. So I proceeded to ride with them each time down the hill. The problem arose when I tried to climb up the very steep hill with our sled and a toddler in tow. You see, I'm getting older and I'm not in very good shape. Whew! Thanks to Grandpa Gordon, Uncle Mitch and Josh and Lucas for helping us all back up the hill. We had a REALLY fun time and can't wait to go again.
Here is Grandpa Gordon pulling Landon and baby Jacob (age 1) around in the sled. Baby Jacob is a big boy and weighs as much as 3-year-old Landon. When Jacob leaned back I thought Landon would fall out of the sled. But he held on and they both enjoyed the ride.
Here is Grandpa Gordon pulling Landon and baby Jacob (age 1) around in the sled. Baby Jacob is a big boy and weighs as much as 3-year-old Landon. When Jacob leaned back I thought Landon would fall out of the sled. But he held on and they both enjoyed the ride.
Nathan making a snow angel.
Lauren and Jason
After sledding we all went to Jason's parents' house for a pizza. Here are all 8 of Chris' grandkids enjoying their pizza. They range in age from 1 to 7 and have lots of fun together.
Family Christmas Fun
On Christmas Eve morning we went to Jason's sister's house. We had a yummy brunch and we all ate too much. We had a great time visiting together and it was fun to have Jason's brother-in-law back from Iraq with us. Welcome home Mitch!!
The kids were finally able to open a couple of presents from Grandma and Grandpa Crystal and their cousins. They LOVED their sleeping bags from Grandma and Grandpa.
Nathan put his to use later that day when he took a nap in it. He thought it seemed like the perfect place and he looked very comfy.
Christmas Eve night we went to Jason's parents' house. Once again we ate yummy food and enjoyed visiting together. We are blessed with a fabulous family and I can't think of a better place to spend the holidays. Family is truly what it's all about, isn't it?
On Christmas morning the kids slept in. It was so nice as we were up late being "Santa's helpers." After they awoke they didn't even remember that it was Christmas. We turned on a kids show for them while all of the adults took a few minutes to comb their hair and brush their teeth. When we were all ready I asked the kids if they thought Santa had come. They immediately headed for Mom and Dad's living room. They loved what Santa had brought and were so excited to see it all. Here are a few photos...
This is Landon with his new t-rex. Behind him is his new piano, complete with working microphone. 
Here is Nathan with his new tool bench and his pirate ship. I think he liked the cell phone that came with the bench the very best.
Here is princess Lauren in one of the many princess outfits that she now owns. She loves her magic wand and her princess shoes. She modeled each of the outfits for us throughout the day and made certain to check herself out in the mirror each time.
The kids were finally able to open a couple of presents from Grandma and Grandpa Crystal and their cousins. They LOVED their sleeping bags from Grandma and Grandpa.
Nathan put his to use later that day when he took a nap in it. He thought it seemed like the perfect place and he looked very comfy.
Christmas Eve night we went to Jason's parents' house. Once again we ate yummy food and enjoyed visiting together. We are blessed with a fabulous family and I can't think of a better place to spend the holidays. Family is truly what it's all about, isn't it?
On Christmas morning the kids slept in. It was so nice as we were up late being "Santa's helpers." After they awoke they didn't even remember that it was Christmas. We turned on a kids show for them while all of the adults took a few minutes to comb their hair and brush their teeth. When we were all ready I asked the kids if they thought Santa had come. They immediately headed for Mom and Dad's living room. They loved what Santa had brought and were so excited to see it all. Here are a few photos...
This is Landon with his new t-rex. Behind him is his new piano, complete with working microphone. Here is Nathan with his new tool bench and his pirate ship. I think he liked the cell phone that came with the bench the very best.
Here is princess Lauren in one of the many princess outfits that she now owns. She loves her magic wand and her princess shoes. She modeled each of the outfits for us throughout the day and made certain to check herself out in the mirror each time.Our Christmas was so much fun! My sister pointed out how good the kids were. There was no crying or fighting this year and they played nicely in the living room all day. We enjoyed being together and know that we are so blessed. We hope your Christmas was as filled with love as ours was. Thanks to Mom and Dad and Suzanne and Brent for being with us. We love you all!!
More Holiday Fun
Last year we found the best Christmas light display I have ever seen! It's at a private residence about 45 minutes from where we live. This year we decided to make the trip again to see this incredible show.
The house turned out beautifully and it stayed on our kitchen counter until, after a few days, all of the candy was missing. Thanks to Suzanne for giving us this fun idea to do with our kids. I think we'll do this every year.
We loaded the kids into the car and brought all their cold weather gear because it was a cold and windy night. Everyone was anxious to see the lights and to feed carrots to the real live camel.
This photo shows the kids enjoying the lights. Lauren really did like them, but in this photo she had just seen the "real" Santa Clause and she was worried we'd make her sit on his lap again.
We walked through the lights first and then stopped to see the camel. We didn't get to feed it carrots this year because they had a sign saying the camel was not feeling well. I have a feeling it has something to do with all of the candy canes that Santa was giving to the thousands of kids who had come to visit. After looking at the camel and explaining that we couldn't touch it we got back into the car and drove through the light display. We just couldn't get enough. If you live in south-central Idaho this is one Christmas tradition you don't want to miss!
Another fun project that we took on this year was to build a gingerbread house. My sister had a gingerbread house kit that she gave to us. She ate a few gum drops before she gave it to us but luckily we still had plenty. Whew!
Jason was the foreman on the project. He used the sticky icing to build the house and get it all set up. Nathan was a fabulous apprentice and watched his every move. 
The kids and I were the decorators. Lauren and Landon put TONS of candy on the house and the trees. Nathan put a few pieces of candy on and then ate the rest. (I think he takes after his mom.) Check out all of the candy that he has stored in his right cheek. 
The house turned out beautifully and it stayed on our kitchen counter until, after a few days, all of the candy was missing. Thanks to Suzanne for giving us this fun idea to do with our kids. I think we'll do this every year.
Our Christmas Season
This year Chistmas was so much fun for our family. While we busied ourselves with many holiday activities we tried to help our kids know of the true meaning of Christmas. I think (I hope) that if you asked them why we celebrate Christmas they could give you the correct answer-to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus.
We started December by putting up our Christmas tree. For the past two years our tree has had a baby gate surrounding it. This year I decided that the kids were old enough to understand "don't touch the Christmas tree." They helped put the decorations on and we put all of the fragile ones at the top. I knew I needed to take a picture of the tree as soon as it was finished because it may not look very good after a few days of them rearranging things or tipping the whole thing over. So here they are looking very proud.
I'm proud to report that we only had two broken ornaments and not once was the tree toppled. The ornaments were easily fixed with a little glue and all is well. We did not attempt to put presents under the tree as this would be way too much of a temptation. We'll try adding this feature next year and see how it goes.
Next we went to our local Festival of Trees. Jason coached the kids in advance and told them that Santa would likely be there to see them. He had them each practice asking Santa for what they wanted for Christmas.
Nathan was the first to approach or to be pushed to approach Santa. When Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas he said, "A peanut." Jason thought this was hilarious because it was just what he had told Nathan to tell Santa. After Nathan made his request we attempted to get him to sit on Santa's lap for a photo. Needless to say, Nathan wasn't really in to this idea. He had made his request and just wanted to get out of there. Poor Santa!!
Lauren was the next to approach Santa. She really wanted the candy cane that he offered but had no interest in getting any closer than she absolutely had to. She refused to speak when Santa asked what she wanted for Christmas. The photo op speaks for itself. Lauren had her candy cane and thought the rest of the show was completely ridiculous. I think this is so funny and so typical of Lauren.
The last little Weir to see Santa was our little social bug Landon. He didn't want to go first or second, but when his turn came he wanted to make the most of it. He walked right up and sat on Santa's lap. When asked what he wanted he very clearly stated, "A T- Rex!" As always, he smiled and posed perfectly for the camera.
Now for the rest of the t-rex story...
Landon had seen a t-rex at Target in the toy department. He was afraid of it at the time but then decided, after seeing commericials for it on television, that he had to have one. When Jason and I went to Target to get one we found out that it was not only sold out but that it was $129. This was a little steep for our budget. So we searched and searched to find another remote control t-rex that would suffice. There was none to be found in all of south-central Idaho.
Jason finally found something on the Internet. He thought it looked a little scary but it was remote control and it cost $30. We thought we were in business. The kicker was that it was just a few days before Christmas when he found it and he ended up paying $20 for expedited shipping. Oh well, parents do things like this to make their little ones happy sometimes, don't they?
Landon continued talking about the t-rex. Any time anyone asked him what he wanted for Christmas he always replied, "A t-rex." He was stuck on this toy and there was no changing his mind. Boy was I glad we had found one and that it was on it's way.
Well, the day came for us to leave to go my parents' house and the darn t-rex still hadn't arrived. I couldn't believe it!! My sister was leaving the next day and planned to stop by our house to see if the t-rex was waiting on our doorstep so she could bring it with her to my parents' house. It was Christmas eve day and the vendor had promised delivery before Christmas if we paid the extra shipping. My sister stopped by and there was no t-rex. The whole family was concerned about this silly toy at this point. Part of me was saying, "We don't always get what we want and it's a good lesson to teach your kids." The other part of me (the part that was going to win) was saying, "He's too young to learn this lesson! This is the first toy he's ever asked Santa for and I refuse to let him down!" If the t-rex didn't come I was headed to the store to find something that looked like a remote control t-rex.
So my sister ran a couple of errands, had lunch and came back by our house. Guess what??? The t-rex was there!!! Thank you, thank you Mr. UPS man!!! (Was it you Dan?)
The story ends like this...On Christmas morning the kids ran upstairs into my parents' living room. Landon was the first to enter. The first words uttered by any child came from Landon. He said, "My t-rex!" Then he ran straight to it.
What can I say? It made all of the headache and hassle worthwhile.
We started December by putting up our Christmas tree. For the past two years our tree has had a baby gate surrounding it. This year I decided that the kids were old enough to understand "don't touch the Christmas tree." They helped put the decorations on and we put all of the fragile ones at the top. I knew I needed to take a picture of the tree as soon as it was finished because it may not look very good after a few days of them rearranging things or tipping the whole thing over. So here they are looking very proud.
I'm proud to report that we only had two broken ornaments and not once was the tree toppled. The ornaments were easily fixed with a little glue and all is well. We did not attempt to put presents under the tree as this would be way too much of a temptation. We'll try adding this feature next year and see how it goes.Next we went to our local Festival of Trees. Jason coached the kids in advance and told them that Santa would likely be there to see them. He had them each practice asking Santa for what they wanted for Christmas.
Nathan was the first to approach or to be pushed to approach Santa. When Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas he said, "A peanut." Jason thought this was hilarious because it was just what he had told Nathan to tell Santa. After Nathan made his request we attempted to get him to sit on Santa's lap for a photo. Needless to say, Nathan wasn't really in to this idea. He had made his request and just wanted to get out of there. Poor Santa!!
Lauren was the next to approach Santa. She really wanted the candy cane that he offered but had no interest in getting any closer than she absolutely had to. She refused to speak when Santa asked what she wanted for Christmas. The photo op speaks for itself. Lauren had her candy cane and thought the rest of the show was completely ridiculous. I think this is so funny and so typical of Lauren.
The last little Weir to see Santa was our little social bug Landon. He didn't want to go first or second, but when his turn came he wanted to make the most of it. He walked right up and sat on Santa's lap. When asked what he wanted he very clearly stated, "A T- Rex!" As always, he smiled and posed perfectly for the camera. 
Now for the rest of the t-rex story...Landon had seen a t-rex at Target in the toy department. He was afraid of it at the time but then decided, after seeing commericials for it on television, that he had to have one. When Jason and I went to Target to get one we found out that it was not only sold out but that it was $129. This was a little steep for our budget. So we searched and searched to find another remote control t-rex that would suffice. There was none to be found in all of south-central Idaho.
Jason finally found something on the Internet. He thought it looked a little scary but it was remote control and it cost $30. We thought we were in business. The kicker was that it was just a few days before Christmas when he found it and he ended up paying $20 for expedited shipping. Oh well, parents do things like this to make their little ones happy sometimes, don't they?
Landon continued talking about the t-rex. Any time anyone asked him what he wanted for Christmas he always replied, "A t-rex." He was stuck on this toy and there was no changing his mind. Boy was I glad we had found one and that it was on it's way.
Well, the day came for us to leave to go my parents' house and the darn t-rex still hadn't arrived. I couldn't believe it!! My sister was leaving the next day and planned to stop by our house to see if the t-rex was waiting on our doorstep so she could bring it with her to my parents' house. It was Christmas eve day and the vendor had promised delivery before Christmas if we paid the extra shipping. My sister stopped by and there was no t-rex. The whole family was concerned about this silly toy at this point. Part of me was saying, "We don't always get what we want and it's a good lesson to teach your kids." The other part of me (the part that was going to win) was saying, "He's too young to learn this lesson! This is the first toy he's ever asked Santa for and I refuse to let him down!" If the t-rex didn't come I was headed to the store to find something that looked like a remote control t-rex.
So my sister ran a couple of errands, had lunch and came back by our house. Guess what??? The t-rex was there!!! Thank you, thank you Mr. UPS man!!! (Was it you Dan?)
The story ends like this...On Christmas morning the kids ran upstairs into my parents' living room. Landon was the first to enter. The first words uttered by any child came from Landon. He said, "My t-rex!" Then he ran straight to it.
What can I say? It made all of the headache and hassle worthwhile.
Jason's Birthday
About a month ago Jason had a birthday. The kids were so excited about it that they decided they would throw him a surprise party. They helped me wrap Jason's presents and the boys hid them in their room behind their locked door. We located party hats and balloons in our party supply box. We bought an ice cream birthday cake (Daddy's favorite) and waited for Jason to get home.
When Jason went to the bedroom to change his clothes after work the kids sprang into action. They ran to the boys' bedroom to retrieve the presents. Then they placed them carefully in the family room where the party was to take place. Then they quickly donned their hats, placed their balloons and waited for Jason to come out from the bedroom. They could hardly wait!!! As soon as he came out they yelled, "Surprise!!!" Jason acted as surprised as he could and the kids loved every minute of it.
The kids couldn't wait for Daddy to open his presents, so...
they did it for him!!! If I didn't actually know it was REALLY Jason's birthday I would have assumed it was Lauren, Landon and Nathan's birthday. Where is Jason's hat, anyway??
Next came the birthday cake. Can you guess who blew out the candles?? Well, actually Jason got to do the honors on this one. We all enjoyed cake and Landon made certain to eat around all of the chocolate ice cream as he thinks chocolate is yucky. I wish I had this problem...
When Jason went to the bedroom to change his clothes after work the kids sprang into action. They ran to the boys' bedroom to retrieve the presents. Then they placed them carefully in the family room where the party was to take place. Then they quickly donned their hats, placed their balloons and waited for Jason to come out from the bedroom. They could hardly wait!!! As soon as he came out they yelled, "Surprise!!!" Jason acted as surprised as he could and the kids loved every minute of it.
The kids couldn't wait for Daddy to open his presents, so...
they did it for him!!! If I didn't actually know it was REALLY Jason's birthday I would have assumed it was Lauren, Landon and Nathan's birthday. Where is Jason's hat, anyway??
Next came the birthday cake. Can you guess who blew out the candles?? Well, actually Jason got to do the honors on this one. We all enjoyed cake and Landon made certain to eat around all of the chocolate ice cream as he thinks chocolate is yucky. I wish I had this problem...
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