Failure Leads to Success

"Failure Leads to Success" is the classroom motto that we have adopted at my school with our kids who are not performing well and it seems to apply at our home as well with Landon recently. Poor guy has struggled with just about most "milestones" and has had to work extra hard to attain them. Not all things come easily to him and he just goes at a different and slower pace than other kids. But, once he gets something down, he is great at it. I think a lot of it is his personality too as he is a very cautious non-risk taker and is a perfectionist about things and gets mad at himself when it doesn't come instantly and easy. So, when he does "get" something we are so excited for him and praise him tons as he definitely responds to and needs the positive praise and reinforcement. For about a year now we have attempted to take off his training wheels on his bike as he should not be using them still. Each time he is scared and hesitant and comfortable with the wheels still being on. He does it for a few minutes with Jason guiding the back of the bike and as soon as it leans to one side he is afraid he is going to fall and tells us he is done. So we just let it go and didn't worry about it. Well, two of our neighbors have boys that are 4 and they have been riding their bikes without training wheels for a while now. He has been watching them and we have been talking it up. Jason also bent Landon's training wheels so they were high up and never really touched the ground for a few months now which helped with his balance. When Jason got home from his hunting trip on Sunday afternoon while the kids were playing outside we spontaneously decided to take the training wheels off. We suited him up with his new elbow and knee pads (we showed him how the pads would protect him so he felt more safe) and helmet and gave it a go. From the beginning he did SO good. Jason gave him a push off and then he never really even touched the bike or the seat like in previous attempts. Jason guided him a little during the turns but other than that Landon did it all by himself. After a few rounds down the street Landon was off totally on his own, even going all the way down to the culdesac and around and back at least 8 times. We were so excited and couldn't believe our eyes!!! Amazing to watch him pick it up on his own from the very beginning. And, the best part was that he was so proud of himself and never cried or whined once. He was like a different kid. We couldn't get him to stop riding either. I am so proud of him and went to bed that night on cloud 9! Oh, the fun things we can do now! Next up is riding his bike to school, with us walking/riding along side.





This was from the very beginning and he pretty much did it all on his own







You will notice little sister close by the whole time providing moral support and wanting to be part of the fun too!

Dirt Magnets

Jason was on a hunting trip all weekend so the kids spent the night with Nana on Friday and stayed with her all day Saturday. It's suffice to say that they had a great time. They spent most of the gorgeous day outside playing. What began as swinging and playing turned into a digging party to see who could get to China first. Landon found a tree root and decided to follow it's path by digging. The kids had a ball digging with shovels and Tonka trucks and just getting dirty and muddy. That afternoon cousins Barrett and Weston came over to partake in the event and they enjoyed every minute of it too. I stole these pictures from my sister-in-law as I was at home all day cleaning and satisfying my OCD complex. :) Thanks for the pictures, Julie!


Weston and Emerson. They could seriously pass as siblings!!! I am amazed at the resemblance.





Guess who was the only one that wanted to pose? Her 4 year pictures should be fun this year since she loves to have her pictures taken.




Yes, I do realize that she is not matching and is wearing a pajama top and regular pants. It hurts my eyes!!! :) But, she was having fun and what happens at the grandparent's house, stays at the grandparent's house, right?


Jason's 8 point buck he shot during the first hunt of the weekend on Friday evening after only hunting for an hour or two. He shot it at 150 yards. This one weighed a lot more and scored higher (113?) than last years buck. Maybe it's time for a deep freezer?? Still have some meat in the garage freezer from the last buck!

Slumber Par-tay!

Jason and I went to Pappas Steakhouse on Friday for our semi-annual dinner to celebrate my birthday. We go on my birthday and our anniversary every year. Jason gets gypped as his birthday is near our anniversary! :) We typically order the exact same thing and it is delish....house salad with avocado ranch dressing, prime ribeye, creamed spinach, wine/beer, and our dessert changes some of the time. This time around we got the Ooey Gooey Pecan Pie and other times we get the Key Lime Pie (which Jason hates and I LOVE) or Midnight Chocolate Cake. My mouth is watering again just thinking about it. This time around Jason tried two different types of beers that were very unique. He normally doesn't deviate from the typical American beer (Bud Light or Miller Light) but he was pleasantly surprised with these new two that he tried. After a long, enjoyable, and quiet dinner we came home, got in our pj's, and watched The Hangover II with very full tummies. It was a nice and relaxing evening. While we were out stuffing our faces the kids had a slumber party at my parents house. My parents took them home after school on Friday and then brought them back on Saturday afternoon. They had a blast as usual and of course behaved well over there....at home is another story! They did some Valentines crafts, made and decorated their usual themed sugar cookies, rode their big wheels outside, made homemade donuts, ate lunch outside, built roads with blocks, and played with Maggie. My dad said Emerson couldn't go five minutes without petting her (she is obsessed with all animals still) and Landon enjoyed running in the yard and having Maggie run after him and jump on him. As you can tell in the pictures again, Miss Priss likes to pose. Maybe she missed her calling in modeling? Toddlers and Tiaras? Ha ha! She does all of this posing all on her own.












One exhausted dog!!

Girly Girl

Emerson can be a girly girl dressing up, playing with her princesses and baby dolls one minute and then the next she can be a tomboy running around with the boys, picking up leaves and rocks, and getting covered in dirt and mud (she is always the first to find it and get covered in it!). She enjoys these girly girl moments when she is with "my Mommy" (what she calls me all the time now as she is attached to my hip) or with Grandma on Thursdays. Although, Landon is a willingly participant most of the time and does play the part with her. This past Thursday while I was at work Emerson had a tea party with Grandma using her tea set from when she was a little girl and she made "cookies" out of play dough. Emerson has a huge imagination and loves to pretend play so needless to say she had a great time. After the tea party she read books to Maggie...how sweet! Those pictures melt my heart as she is so gentle and kind to animals. After reading she decided to use Maggie as a pillow.

Food, Friends, and Fun

We have had a busy past few days filled with food, friends, and fun and of course tons of play time for the kids. The kids have spent a lot of time outside and have been enjoying time in the play garage. Last weekend we had a small get together at our house on Saturday during the Texans play-off game and the kids spent the entire time in the garage playing and jumping in the bounce house set up in the garage. I forgot to take pictures but Landon, Emerson, Brooke, and Hunter had a blast. The garage is perfect because we have it all set up where the kids can only go in the backyard, garage, or in the house. There is no way they can get anywhere else with how we had the house built and locks/gates done. Then this past weekend the kids had some more fun playing outside with their friends Logan and Bella next door. They basically go back and forth between our garage, our backyard, and their backyard trampoline. We set up the kids' new cardboard playhouse in the garage too for them to play in and decorate. They love playing house and helping to color it although Jason and I colored most of it ourselves yesterday while they played inside of it. They did give us some direction and guidance though! :) On Saturday we met my parents and brother for a delicious dinner at Goode Co. Seafood to celebrate my brother's birthday. Afterwards we went back to their house for cake, presents, play time, and of course their usual fun bath time. On Sunday we went to Glenn and Christy's house for another fun get together for the Texans play-off game. The kids as usual brought home 10 lbs. of sand/dirt. It even took 6 cutips to clean their ears out! :) But, as usual they had so much fun with Wyatt, Sean, Niki, and Lily playing outside in the dirt, leaves, sandbox, trampoline, tire swing, etc. They also ate their share of junk food and then put on a rock concert for all of the adults. Yikes! Thank goodness there was a door we could close! :) I am still sick to my stomach though at how the Texans lost. There is no reason why they should of not won that game as the Ravens scored 17 points on turnovers alone. Our defense was on fire. So frustrating! Oh well, there is always next year. Yesterday all of us were off of school/work so we spent the day hanging around the house. It was nice and low key. Jason picked up donuts for breakfast and the kids spent the day painting and stamping, playing the wii, watching Scooby Doo, playing outside, playing catch with the baseball (getting ready for the Spring season soon!), coloring the playhouse, and more. A nice family day! And, now it's back to reality....