Stages

I love watching babies discover things for the first time! They are so curious and exploratory. Landon is no exception. He is almost 6 months old and what a fun age it is! The other day I had him on the kitchen counter in his Bumbo seat while I was cooking spaghetti. I drained the noodles in the sink as I always do. As fast as the steam rose to the ceiling so did his little head and eyes. I smiled as I witnessed his first experience with rising gas.

He's anxious to do new things. For a while, he lay on his back and lifted his head. Up and down he went, like he was doing sit ups. (He's gonna have some great abs I tell ya!) So, I sat him up and a few weeks ago he learned to sit up on his own.

I think the dinosaur taught him this pose. If only he had a tail!

Lately, he wants to move! He gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth. He sometimes launches his body forward and plants his face in the ground. Ouch! Soon enough, he'll figure out this crawling thing and I'll be burning extra calories chasing him everywhere.
A plus for me, he's learned how to hold his bottle and feed himself. Yay! Hands free feeding! I am finding I can accomplish a whole lot more around the house now with so much extra time.

Today my little cutie even figured out how to style his golden hair. I was in another room for just a few minutes. When I returned he was sporting a faux hawk. I asked the boys what they had done to his hair. They assured me they had not touched it. Sure enough, Landon had created his own gel mixed of drool and spit up and spiked it with his tiny fingers. (Reminds me of the movie There's Something About Mary. Ha! Ha!) I must admit, my baby did a good job.
I am so happy to be home this year to watch all his "firsts". I look forward to the next stages of his life.

Love & Hate

Landon is seven weeks old and has gained 3 pounds since birth. But more than just weight, he's gained a greater sense of what he likes and dislikes. And though he can't talk, he communicates his feelings quite clearly.

HE HATES:SwingingRiding in his car seat

HE LOVES: Chillin' in the bath

Laying on the foor playing with toys

See what I mean?

Pool Rat

In Florida you never know what you might find swimming in your pool. A beetle? A frog? A bear? An alligator? Okay so we've had our share of beetles and frogs in our pool but nothing as grand as a bear or an alligator. But last week we encountered our most unusual and unwanted visitor yet...a rat!

When Travis excitedly yelled for me to come take a glimpse of what was swimming in our pool I expected to see another frog stretching his legs out under the water. So when I spotted a rat lapping the pool I was speechless (as was Tyler who was wide-eyed standing near the edge). What the heck was I to do with a rat?

Knowing that it was nearly time for Jeremy to come home from work, I snapped a picture of our guest and instantly sent it to him so he would be prepared to deal with it when he arrived. It didn't take him long to capture the wet rodent. The next day we set him free down the street and around the corner (far enough away from my house). I'm hoping that will be the last of our extraordinary visitors. Beetles and frogs are enough for me!

My Three Sons

Every time we bring a new baby home, it is welcomed an accepted. I remember when we brought Travis home from the hospital. Beforehand, I worried about Tyler feeling left out. But as soon as we placed Travis in his bassinet, Tyler took one peek and beamed at what he probably thought was a brand new toy. Even though Tyler was only one and a half, he did all he could to love and take care of his younger brother, feeding him, making him laugh, and dragging his cup and a gallon of milk across the floor to me so I could fill it up without having to wake the sleeping baby that was on my lap. There really was no jealously.

Well round 2 with baby Landon is the same. The older boys adore him! Travis is especially happy to be a big brother and care for his little brother. In fact, sometimes it is a bit obsessive. As soon as the baby wakes up, he notifies me to make sure I am at his baby brother's beckoning call. "Mom, Landon is waking up and you need to go take care of him NOW!" We won't have to worry about child neglect for even one second with our little deputy around! When Landon is crying, Travis offers his advice. One day he yelled to me from the computer room, "Mom, just rub his forehead! He likes that!" All I could do was smile and giggle. Really the baby wanted food, not just his head rubbed. Maybe I'll try that next time.

I seriously love that my boys love and care for each other. I am blessed to have these three sons.

Welcome Baby Boy

Our newest baby boy is here! Landon Trent Pope was born on June 16th at 2:14pm. He weighed 8lbs. 5oz. and was 21 inches long. He takes after both of our other boys. He seems to have Travis's mouth and chin and Tyler's eyes. We are so in love with him!

Landon was my quickest and easiest delivery yet. Third times a charm! My due date was actually June 24th. However, at a doctor's appointment a few weeks before, my doctor glanced at my records, clenched his chin and said, "You have big babies. We may want to think about inducing." I needed no convincing. Travis was 4 days early and weighed 9lbs. 9oz. so I had no doubt this baby boy would be plenty big and strong taken a week early...and he was.

The night before the induction, Jeremy and I discussed what we would name our baby boy... AGAIN! Since finding out it was a boy in January, he was set on the name Landon and I was set on Trenton/Trent. We both called my moving stomach our selected names. In the end, we still couldn't agree so we decided that we would flip a coin in the hospital the next day. Heads...Landon. Tails...Trent. Too bad it didn't work out that way.

When we got to the labor room that morning, I immediately went into the restroom to change into my gown. As I walked out I noticed the name "Landon" written on a large dry erase board. I looked at my husband who flashed his pearly whites at me. "I thought we were going to flip a coin," I said. "We still can," he laughed.

Finally our screaming baby boy was born. It was time to decide his name...so I thought. But before I could say a word, I heard the nurses saying, "Hi Landon. It's okay Landon." I glared at my husband and said, "Really? We named him?" "We can still flip a coin if you want," he said. But after seeing my proud husband's smile, I said, "That's okay. We can name him Landon but his middle name's Trent." My husband loves his boys and with it being Father's Day weekend it seemed fitting that this loving father choose his son's name. I love my little boy! Welcome to our crazy family Landon!

Growing Up

Tyler is growing up way too fast! This week he earned his Wolf badge in Scouts and celebrated his 9th birthday. Every night when I tuck him into bed I look at his radiant smile and just wonder how I got so lucky to have this sweet little boy in my life. He is a wonderful brother, always teaching Travis the new things he's learned. He has his father's patience and passion for Warcraft. He loves science almost as much as his Uncle Ben. He's quite the mathematician like his Grandpa Pope. I'm not sure what he inherited from me, besides his blonde hair and blue eyes, but I so enjoy watching him grow up. Happy Birthday Tyler Austin!

Little Jack

Our little first grader, Travis, got to participate in the Fairy Tale Bowl at our school this year. After vetoing several costume ideas, we finally agreed on Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk. Now you are probably thinking...what a creative idea! Yes, I thought it was very creative when I found it online too so I decided to imitate it. I think it turned out pretty cute. Of course, I had a cute boy as my subject so it really wasn't that hard.

The boys and I rummaged through Walmart searching for all the costume materials. When Tyler found out we were looking for girls' tights to use as the vines, he began snickering. Annoyed Travis asked, "Tyler, what are you laughing at?" Still giggling, Tyler pointed out the obvious, "You're getting girls' tights!" Travis fought back, "Well Tyler, that's not nice! How would you feel if you were looking for tights and I was laughing?" With an argument like that, it does not sound like we have a future lawyer in our midst. Oh well!

When we got home, I dyed the tights green then stuffed them with batting. I walked the little pair of legs into the computer room where Travis was playing. I danced the legs in front of him thinking it would make him laugh. Instead Travis stared at me and said, "Really mom?! Did you really have to use tights for my costume?" This statement reminded me of my brother Bryce.

My brother dressed as Superman for the Halloween parade in elementary school. My mom thought she had the perfect idea for the costume...he could wear his red underwear over his blue tights! Really mom? Really?! Naive, my brother paraded around the school, proud as could be, in his blue tights and red underwear. I swore I would NEVER embarrass my kids like that. Oops! What can I say? History tends to repeat itself.

Boy, Girl, or Tomboy?

In December when we told our boys we were having a baby, they were thrilled! They immediately began making predictions abut whether it would be a brother or sister. Travis, ready to document our guesses, grabbed a sheet of plain paper and a pencil. At the top of the paper he wrote these categories: Boy, Girl, Tomboy. Why yes! Why didn't I think of that? Travis recorded our votes on paper. We set it aside and waited.

Just a month later, the verdict was in...

It's another precious baby boy!

No need to wait and see if it is a Tomboy and rightfully so they have not mentioned it being a Tomgirl. They are excited to have a new little brother in June! We feel blessed to be able to "relive" the moments we shared with our other two little boys and create new memories with three fun-loving boys in the house!

Role Reversal

Sometimes this mom just doesn't feel very good, especially after a LONG day of teaching second graders. It just so happens that my class LOVES to talk. And sometimes this chatter causes me to return home with a horrible, unwanted headache. Lucky for me on this particular day, my own two sweet little boys were willing to take care of their mother. As we pulled into our drive that afternoon, Tyler hopped out of the van and said, "Mom, don't worry. You go inside and I will get the mail." That was just the beginning. Upon entering the house I announced, "Boys, you go play something quietly. Mommy has a headache so I'm going to lay down." Before I could get to my room, Travis yelled, "Wait!" His little legs ran as fast as they could into my bedroom. A few minutes later he came back and said, "Okay mom. Your bed is ready!" Confused, I entered my room and smiled. Lying there on my pillow was my heating pad, plugged in ready and warm, just as I usually arrange it. Of course I hugged my little boy and beamed. I am so thankful for these two wonderful growing boys who take care of their mommy. They are sure to make wonderful fathers and daddies some day. Don't you agree?

December Cheer

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY JESUS! Travis made this cute little sock baby Jesus in Primary at church. He chose a blue sock because it's his favorite color. Duh!

Tyler-8 and Travis-7
A few more years and they'll be taller than the tree!

Every Christmas Eve we read the Christmas story from the bible as a family. The boys' enjoy reenacting the story using the nativity figurines. We might need to buy a new set in a year or two. Let's just say the wise men could use some first aid.

Travis had a list a mile long for Christmas. Fortunately, Santa and his elves (a.k.a mom) chose his presents wisely. Here's my smilin' boy jammin' in his new robe. Guess I won't have to share my robe with him anymore.

Tyler never wants for much. One of the things he mentioned he would like for Christmas was an alarm clock. He admired it for a short while, then plugged it in the wall by his bed. Afterwhich he proudly proclaimed, "I set my alarm. Now I can wake up at 5am tomorrow." I'm starting to regret this gift just a little.

Snowman Family- Jeremy, Laura, Tyler, & Travis

Tyler, Travis, & Mommy huddled together in the 9 degree weather at the ICE exhibit at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando. The popular story "Twas the Night Before Christmas" was featured in ice! It was beautiful! The boys' favorite part was scooting down the chilly ice slide.

Until next December...

The Halloween Trick

Tyler as Mario, Travis the Ghostbuster, and Natalia the Mermaid

We nearly missed our trick or treating around the neighborhood this Halloween. As we pulled into the driveway after visiting a friend's house, Tyler announced he could not get out of the van because he was stuck. Annoyed at first, Jeremy and I yelled, "Tyler, hurry up! We don't have much time before the Alvarezes come over!" But with further investigation, it appeared his seatbelt had pulled a mean Halloween trick on him and he really couldn't get out. We pushed and pulled on the seatbelt which only squeezed Tyler more. Just as I was about to get the scissors and cut him out, Jeremy somersaulted Tyler around the seatbelt twice and he was freed! After a short lecture on how to properly wear a seatbelt, we met our friends and treated around the block. No more tricks were needed for the night.

A Sonic Blast

Our darling Travis turned 7 this October. There was no delay when I asked him what he wanted his party theme to be...SONIC the Hedgehog, of course. Why I asked, I don't know. To say that Travis loves Sonic would be an understatement. One day in the van Jeremy and I laughed when Travis said, "I don't understand why people call me Travis. My name is Sonic but everybody keeps calling me Travis." Strange that his birth certificate says "Travis" then too, huh?

The Sonic party began with some outdoor games. In this one, they had to pop each other's balloons to capture the rings (plastic bracelets) inside.

Our boy was spoiled with tons of wonderful gifts from his friends. Just look at that coy smile!

After swimming, hotdogs, and chips, the twenty or so kids headed back out to the yard to complete the "Sonic Obstacle Course" designed by Travis's very own creative, spontaneous dad. The course included jumping through doughnut shaped rafts, climbing the playground, going down the slide, and climbing the rock wall. The smiles on their faces was enough to convince us they were all having a BLAST!

Our guests each left with one of these handmade Sonic treat bags.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONIC POPE!