I love this article...because I live like this a lot and I need to learn to enjoy this little man before he tells me to.
Raising Children by Anna Quindlen, Newsweek Columnist and Author"All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow but in disbelief.I take great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do and have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more than I like.Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth all by themselves. Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the unreliable haze of the past.Everything in all the books I once poured over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach., T. Berry Brazelton, Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, all grown obsolete. Along with Goodnight Moon, and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages, dust would rise like memories. What those books taught me, and finally what the women on the playground, and the well-meaning relations -- well what they taught me was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all.Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that it is an endless essay. No one knows anything.One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a stern voice and a timeout. One child is toilet trained at 3, his sibling at 2.When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed on his belly so that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome.To a new parent this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing. Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the research will follow.I remember 15 years ago pouring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts of infants: average, quiet, and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an 18-month old who did not walk. Was there something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged? Was I insane? Last year he went to China. Next year he goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too.Every part of raising children is humbling, too. Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the "Remember-When-Mom-Did " Hall of Fame. The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pick-up. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded, "What did you get wrong?" (She insisted I include that.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons. What was I thinking?But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1.And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and what was simply life. When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be. The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was sometimes over the top.And look how it all turned out. I wound up with the three people I like best in the world who have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity.That's what the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the experts. It just took me awhile to figure out who the experts were."
I will let you all know when the rest are up. Or you can check your website yourself...she always has some interesting stuff up :)
We had an AWESOME weekend for our favorite little niece's 3rd birthday party. It was warm and sunny on Saturday and we were lucky enough to enjoy spending the whole day outside. Landin even ventured out onto the grass without his shoes!!! We will turn him into a hillbilly. Happy Birthday Ava...thanks for letting us join in on your fun party!
We started our day off by celebrating the reason for Easter by going to church. We were dressed in our Sunday best and enjoyed another great Sunday at our favorite place to be. 
However, the night ended on not such a fun note for me. I got home that evening and came down with what I thought was the flu but ended up to be strep throat. So, I haven't seen Landin since Sunday evening and I am dying to get my hands on him now that I am not contagious. On another note, Adam is now sick! You know it is bad when he calls into work. He NEVER calls in sick! Please pray for our little family. We need to finally get better and pray that Landin is safe from all the germs and stays healthy.
The party was a huge success and Landin was exhausted! He made it about 5 miles before he fell asleep in the car and then took a 3 hour nap...his longest ever! He was very spoiled and came home with some great clothes, books, and summer toys. We can't wait to use everything.
We opened some more presents which included another truck (this boy loves trucks) and the coolest Four Wheeler Power Wheel (he was standing up on it trying to kick start it...such a boy), a farm set from Mom and Dad, and some much needed pjs from Great Grandma G. She also made him a "crayon roll" for vacation this summer...mommy was excited about this.
This was him all done...he at about 1 bite started choking on it and just wanted his milk.
Thank you family for filling our home with toys and love...literally! See you Saturday for Party #2!
Landin woke up a little early this morning (6 am...I usually pray for a 7am wake up call) and he was definitley not ready to wake up. He pretty muched whined the whole morning which I explained to him was not the way to start the day. Here he is whining for my camera and then drinking his bottle:
After about an hour nap (which Mommy also got...hey, we have a big day ahead of us) Landin woke up a lot happier and was playing with his toys. If he only new what was coming tonight :) I will post more photos of his parties later this week. 
