there's no place like home - part i

i was MORE then ecstatic to go home in april. for some reason [maybe justin being gone all the time? maybe the fact i don't have a lot of friends here? maybe because i hadn't had some time away from landon in over 2 months?] i was really burned out on carson and had lost my steam & good attitude. i was feeling very down so this trip could not come fast enough. saturday i enjoyed some girl time with holly [see last post] and had spent the evening with her and landon's girlfriend charlotte. it was hilarious. we walked through the door and she looked at him, he looked at her and started running towards her. charlotte stood still just staring at him and he ran to her....then right past her to her minnie mouse car. it was hilarious. it took them a few minutes to remember how to play together but it was like no time had passed. sunday was general conference [& my mom's biannual obligatory cinnamon rolls] which was amazing. my brother's family had come into town the week before and were leaving after the first session so landon just soaked in all the cousin time like a a kardashian to attention. the boys were so sweet, letting landon lead them where ever he wanted to go [and that was to the chicken coop- more on that later]. sweet anya just babied him, pushing him around in the stroller [which he loves]. it was the perfect balance. it was sad when he woke up to find them gone.

note the lacrosse stick in pic 1 - he's learning already!

the week we were home was scheduled down to a t. monday we had his 18 month appointment [which he took his shot like a champ and the dr even said he was really advanced for his age, esp since he can say over 50 words already] and some playtime with charlotte. i had decided that this trip i was going to make a quiet book for landon. my friend meghan had made one recently so she inspired me and gave me a lot of ideas [look for that post]. the first day we got to my moms, landon instantly ran out back to papa's tractor [he has real, big tractors but we also call his ride along lawn mower a tractor too]. while he was playing on it, my mom and i were in the kitchen chatting. well we hear an ear-splitting scream and run outside. landon was standing there, just screaming and crying. we couldn't figure out what was wrong until the rooster crowed again... and landon screamed even louder. he had been terrified by it's crow! i guess he never noticed it before. it was hilarious. the whole time [it lessened the more time we were there] he would cry when the rooster crowed but he still wanted to be outside in the chicken coop the whole time we were there. literally he would wake up and say 'chick! chick!'. we'd come home and he'd say 'chick! chick!'. he's obsessed. he would just want to go out there [and have me clutching him] and stare at the chickens. funny little guy.

note the justin beiber singing toothbrush in pic 4 - he was so scared at first but loved it after the initial shock

tuesday i got my hair did by my cousin julie [and despite what i said here, in what i think is my funniest post, i got myself some bangs. and don't hate them yet!] then had a fun birthday lunch/playgroup with my friends meghan, whitney and kim. landon was so smitten on taylor. he just gave her kisses [without my promptings] all the time. he loves her so much already! he was so spoiled during our time in vegas. my mom was giving him m&m's at every turn [he knows she keeps them in her purse so he was already rifling through it trying to find the bag]. my dad would give him chocolates and my brother would sneak him oreos. this kid ate so horribly his poop was like tar. but he is loved and sometimes it's ok to be spoiled. wednesday we had a playgroup with his old group, charlotte & haddie and a new friend braxton. and of course, he went for the pearls first-thing. such a darling princess.