The Friendly State

I wrote this down while we were in Lubbock at the end of last month - but never finished and posted it :)

A cowgirl to be?

Someone told me that Texas is 'the friendly state' and it seems to be so. Landon loves to talk to people, say hello, and make friends wherever we go. (For example, the lady we sat by in Costco this past week who he talked to for about 15 minutes - including a conversation about how he (and the ladies 3-year-old son) was going to go to heaven when he got really, really old and a several minutes long imaginary food fight...)

But, the people here in Lubbock have managed to overwhelm even Landon with their friendliness! :) I'm noticing that he has a bit of my independent streak in him as well. (When the checker at the grocery store helped move our cart over to an open line, Landon said "Um, actually we're fine. We don't need any help pulling." or when the bagger helped us out to our car and said "You must not be from around here - we hardly let anyone take their groceries out on their own", Landon, worriedly asked on the way home something like - "why don't they ever let anyone take their groceries all by their big selves?"

He's a lot more used to being the one to do the talking and having the other people just look at him in surprise, but here he is the one looking surprised at all of these people wanting to be his friend :)

"DaDa!"

Each day when Jordan gets off work, he comes inside and is instantly greeted with a "Dada!" from Ellie with her arms outstretched ready to be picked up, followed not a moment later by Landon's "Dada!" (Landon quickly learned that Daddy was unable to resist Ellie's plea for up!)

These days, Ellie loves ---

Still, to be up in our arms. To walk around and exlore things - always in boomerang style right back to mommy and daddy. She loves chasing Landon or getting chased (so long as she doesn't get caught), being outside, riding in the pack with Daddy, going for adventures, walking along the front sidewalk, putting on hats and shoes, singing songs with hand actions, being able to tell us what she wants (learning new words - more, done, up and down, car, ball, cracker), tickles, laughing, eating clementines or ice cream or chocolate , playing the piano (up on her tip-toes at the piano edge :), helping Landon clean up toys, climbing up the stairs (or climbing in general), sitting in just the right spot...

Sweet girl!

I really love pretending!

These days, Landon loves ---

Pretending, helping make dinner, making Ellie laugh, singing, making up rhymes and poems and songs, reading books, listening to stories 'the ones you make up in your mind', scootering, jumping, running & tumbling, jumping on the bed, listening to music (Strictly Ballroom lately :), thinking and figuring things out, showing off cool tricks, talking about things, eating treats, going for adventures, playing with his friends ("Josh is my friend, and Paul is my friend, and Joseph is my friend... but Jackson is my bestest bestest bestest friend!") telling stories "once upon a time, in a land far away, called Brazil..." playing and playing and playing - which means pretending and pretending and pretending :)

Welcome Spring!

Goodbye Winter

Welcome Spring!

So happy to have Spring here! We've been outside working in the yard, adventuring around town, blowing bubbles and playing ball, and loving the warmer days.

Jordan took this tree down yesterday --

It's been mostly dead for a while, but had only a couple of live branches to come back this year, so it was time to go. Our yard is still a bit of a disaster area today - it was a bigger job than we anticipated I guess.

A happy St. Patrick's day complete with a green eggs and ham dinner --

A beautiful sun-shiny Sunday today. :)

(and a beautiful little Ellie girl!)

"I've been to the dentist a thousand times, so I know the drill..."

That's Owl city :)

I was so brave at the dentist today!

So, in honor of that - here's a post all about my history of dentistry :)

With some pretty traumatic experiences when I was young, I was completely terrified of the dentist for a long, long time. All through high school, my nightly prayers always included a plea for my teeth to be strong and healthy so that I wouldn't have to go back (!!!)

But then, at the end of my senior year a member of my stake anonymously offered to pay for me to have braces. My part of the deal was to commit to

1) the pain of braces (and the pain was great, but certainly softened by the incredible gratitude I felt for such a wonderful gift)

2)the upkeep of my straight-to-be teeth (I'm still wearing those retainers every night) and

3) not seeking out who this kind person was (though, it did come about that I learned this by accident with a slip-up by the orthodontist:)

Unknown to my kind benefactor, it also meant I had to deal with my fear of the dentist. I finally gathered the courage to call and make an appointment for a check up myself and have the work done that I needed to (including having 8 teeth pulled!!! - 4 wisdom teeth, and 4 extra to make more room in my mouth) so that I could get braces.

When I had my first appointment with the dentist where I found that I had NO CAVITIES, I was so motivated that I continued to go every 6 months for a long time.

Then an assistant made the mistake of telling me "You take such great care of your teeth, you probably only need to come once a year" -- and that 1 year soon turned into 2, then 3 ---

So then I was scared all over again when I had to go this time.

But I was brave and I did okay - I used all of my great labor techniques while he drilled-- finding a focal point, focusing on my breathing, etc. :) and asked lots of questions, and had an unpleasant, but certainly non-terrifying time.

Phewph!

(Unfortunately, I have to go back in a few weeks for one more filling, but I'm just not-looking-forward-to-it which is a much better feeling than utterly-dreading it. )

I'm so grateful for that.

:)