Choosy Dogs Choose.... and Eggsperiment!!

This post is mainly just to share some funny pictures and happenings in the world of the Feits! For those of you who have dogs and like to spoil them- you've probably done this yourself once or twice! At our house- the day the peanut butter jar is empty is the best day in the world for our Lexi Girl! I sometimes wish I could hear the thoughts going through her head each day I get down the good ol' Jif to make a sandwich or some toast. I think it might go something like this... "Go ahead honey-put another glob on that sandwich-one day closer to my day in glory!" or maybe " Holy Crap- quite scraping the jar, just go the grocery story for goodness sakes!" Either way, I know she waits patiently (most days) for the peanut butter to come to an end so she can have her day in heaven....

In Landon news- The other day Landon decided that he wanted to get eggs out of the fridge and carry them around the kitchen. For those of you who know Landon this was a dangerous idea if we wanted to keep our house in some kind of order. He already had an egg in his hand and REFUSED to give it to me. The more I tried to get it, the more jerked and waved those tiny hands with that very fragile egg. So- I got the whole carton from him and let him keep one egg- Then I called in Dad. (It was one of those battles I knew I needed to step away from if anyone was going to come out happy). As you can see from the pictures below- Daddy let Landon carry his egg all over the kitchen and told him to be very careful with it or it would break. Landon listened as best as he could, but eventually (as we all knew would happen) little Humpty Dumpty fell right out of Landon's hands and onto the floor and turned into a Science Expirament for Landon! He was quite interested in what happened to his egg and very concerned that he couldn't put it back together.... Since this day-the eggs have been moved to the top shelf of the fridge and Landon handles only plastic eggs when cooking at his Fisher Price Kitchen! :o)

December 23rd

Well since my school district decided to have us get out on the 22nd this year the 23rd was a very busy day for me. As you can imagine, trying to get a lot done with a two-year-old isn't always the easiest task, but I have to admit the day went really well.

Landon was up bright and early at 5:40am so we were more than ready to hit the road at 7:50. We decided that we would go visit Maw Maw at her job because they have a giant Christmas tree that they decorate every year and we thought Landon would love it.... her job also has escalators, so either way it would be a hit!

We didn't end up arriving until about 8:40 (its only about about a 10 minute drive) because me and my preggo brain forgot my wallet at home. :)

Landon loved the tree (and the escalators)! We visited a few of my mom's friends at work. As anticipated Landon hid in between my legs or under my mom's desk until he warmed up to everyone and was given a ball to throw up and down the hallways of the cubicles.... then he was full out Landon!

Can you find him?

Landon and his Maw Maw

After that we headed to the mall where Maw Maw and Landon rode the Choo Choo and we visited Santa. Maw Maw said that Landon waved at every person in the mall and wanted everyone to see him in the train. He asked Santa once again for a Boom Boom (gun for hunting). The Santa looked at me like I was the world's worst mom because my 2 year old knows what a gun is.... however, Santa doesn't know the family he comes from! He did promise Landon a Boom Boom as long as he went to bed early on Christmas Eve and was good for Mommy and Daddy....so it looks like Landon might get some coal instead! ;)

Riding the Choo Choo!

I did get a few things done and Nick ended up getting off early so the afternoon was a bit more productive! I had a great day making some wonderful memories with my Mom and Son. I am trying very hard to slow down and enjoy moments like these because I am starting realize that life moves way too fast. Landon will be in high school before I know it and the exciting things in life (escalators, mall choo choos, and Santas) won't always be exciting.

I hope everyone has a blessed holiday. Merry Christmas to you and your family! Enjoy every second of your celebrations!

Love,

The Feit Family

23 weeks

Well I figured it was about time to post one pregnancy picture on here for my relatives that aren't close enough to witness it themselves. We went to the doctor this past Tuesday and everything is looking great with Baby Boy. He is measuring normally at this point, but my Dr. told me that she will start monitoring him a little more closely starting at 30weeks. Her comment was-" Even though we know your body can handle it, I don't think we want it having to go through another 10 pounder!!" Words I was happy to hear!

Landon still hasn't come to terms with the idea of a new little one around. We are still hearing a lot of "NO Baby!" being yelled around the house. Hopefully once the little guy is here things will change a little bit. Landon has decided though that the new baby's name will be Ty. Ty is his best buddy's name at daycare! :) No matter how many options we give him he always goes back to Ty- so the baby might have a nickname already!

This pregnancy is going SO MUCH FASTER than it did with Landon.... and so much smoother! I can't complain one bit! Maybe this guy will be the calm one of the two! ;)

Graduation Part 2

THE GRADUATE!!!!

Well, it is official! Nick is now part of the alum at Illinois State University. He graduated yesterday with his degree in Agronomy and is ready to start his new job on tomorrow! Yay!

The majority of Nick's family came to show their support as Nick walked across the stage at Redbird Arena. His parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle, brother and sister-in-law, sister, and cousin were all there. Also in attendance were my parents and me! Thankfully Kyle (Alicia's husband) was able to save the day when our original babysitter came down with the flu and passed up the graduation to stay home with Landon!

After graduation Brenda hosted a family dinner at her house for all of the family to attend. At Nick's request we had deli meat sandwiches and all of his favorite appetizers. I think everyone enjoyed themselves and had a great time. I know Landon was on top of the world that both sides of his cousins were at the same house at the same time! He was in HEAVEN that Drew AND Hunter were both there to play with!

Overall it was a great day. Nick is very lucky to have such a supportive family who took time out of their busy lives to help him celebrate such a special moment in his life. Thank you to all of you who helpted to make it so wonderful!

We are proud of you Nicholas!

Landon and Daddy after graduation! Landon looks so proud of his Dad!

Nick and his Grandma and Grandpa Wilson

Nick with his parents

Nick and I- So proud of you!!!

Nick and his sister Alicia

Graduation

Well, the time has come for Nick to graduate from Illinois State University with his degree in Agronomy. Please don't ask me what this means... I know it has something to do with farming, seeds and helping farmers plan what they need to do to produce better crop yields. Other than that I am kind of clueless. I did learn a lot of scientific names of weeds and a few things about organic farming, but other than that.... hmmm..

What I do know is that my husband has worked his you know what off these past four years to earn this degree. I mean going back to school after serving in the Army for four years wasn't the easiest thing to do at 25 years old, but it has definitely been worth it to him.

After making such a huge committment to going back to school a lot changed in Nick's life in a short amount of time and it has never slowed him down or cracked his determination in finishing his degree. I can't imagine going to school full time.... while getting married, buying a house, having a baby, getting a dog and preparing for baby #2. Not to mention all the hours working with Feit Brothers Landscaping during all school breaks and even during school when snow storms left them needing extra workers.

I have watched him work late into the night so that he could be with Landon and I while we were home after school. I have watched him study for tests so long that he fell asleep with the book still in his lap. He has went to class after being up all night with a sick child- others in his position would have said the Heck with it and went back to bed. He has sacraficed so much of his free time to study and prepare himself so that he was always doing the best he could.

He is now 28, graduating on Saturday and starting a new job on Monday. In this economy that is almost unheard of, but a company loved him so much after meeting him at a job fair and after interviewing that they wanted him to start right away!

In short, I am SO EXTREMELY PROUD of my husband and very lucky to have such a determined and dedicated man in my life. Landon and his soon-to-be baby brother have one of the best role models to look up to. They are so lucky to have such a great Dad!

Pictures of graduation will be posted after Saturday (even though Nick will try to keep me from it!)

Landon Facts

Hello Friends! I hope you have been enjoying the blog. I am really enjoying documenting our life. I think it will be fun to go back and look at things years from now. I am also planning on making a paper copy of everything I write, that way the boys (so weird to say that instead of just Landon) will have something to look back on when they are much older. With that being said I am going to start doing random posts on Landon and the baby (once he is born) just so they know some fun facts about themselves as they were growing up.

Landon Facts at (almost) 2 years and 2 months

34.8 lbs

36 inches tall

*Can count to five somestimes - to three all of the time

*Knows the colors red, blue, green, purple, yellow, orange and pink

* Repeats the ABC's if we say them and sometimes fills in a letter before we can say it

*Favorite Toy: Choo Choos

*Favorite Movie: Toy Story (He LOVES Buzz!)

* Favorite Food: Pizza and popcorn

*Favorite Game: Hide and Seek- He loves having his Mom, Dad or Lexi (dog) find him

Landon loves to do all things "boy". He plays football with his dad and recently learned how to kick one so he can practice for future field goals he might get to kick. He also knows how to tackle Daddy which he calls an "Oh No". He likes trucks and to ride on tractors with his Pe Paw. This year he has gotten very interested in ducks and "boom booms" (guns). He asked Santa for one for Christmas. He loves looking at books with bugs, trucks, trains and other things that have to do with boys. He has been sleeping in his big boy bed for the past 6 weeks or so and is doing AWESOME at it! We just drink milk on the couch now, go to bed where Nick and I read to him and then tell him good night and walk out. :) Yay! He is not adjusting to the idea that he is going to have a brother soon. In fact, we often hear him yelling "No Baby" for no apparent reason- probably just practicing for when the time really comes!

Landon also loves being with his cousins Hunter and Drew. In fact, I sometimes feel sorry for them because they have him attached to their hip at every family function. His best friend at daycare is his buddy Ty. Ty gets to daycare a little before us each day and as soon as we walk in the door Landon looks for his shoes in the shoe bin to make sure he is there. If he doesn't see the shoes- he's not too happy! :)

We couldn't be happier with our little man. He is growing up so fast. It is absolutely crazy to think that he has been in our lives for over 2 years now. I can't imagine life without him though. I don't really know what I did when he wasn't here!

Enjoy a few pictures of our little guy.....

Enjoying a sucker while watching the 2011 4th of July Parade.

Jet skiing with Dad at the Lake of the Ozarks in June 2011.

Posing for a 2011 Halloween picture with Maw Maw and Paw Paw

Cheezin' it up with Mom- Fall of 2011

Third time is a charm....

We have come the find out that the third time really is a charm.... for the first time since Landon has been born we were able to get a picture with Santa Claus. The first year Landon was sick a couple of weekends and we weren't able to get him there, the second year was a COMPLETE disaster (see the picture below) and this year was great! Landon has really taken a liking to the Old Man in Red and was really excited to visit him this year.

We went to see Santa at Breakfast with Santa that the Chenoa Women's Club puts on every year. We met my Maw Maw (my mom), Hunter, Me Maw (Nick's Mom), Nathan, Erica and Sofie there. Landon hit the jackpot because not only did they serve do dos and nanas (donuts and bananas) but they had a ball toss, reindeer music walk and all kinds of prizes for the kids. When it was his turn he went up to Ho Ho (with a little nudge from Nick) and asked him for a Boom Boom for Christmas (toy gun- I think he has a little of the Powell side in his blood.)

After our visit with Santa we went out to Pe Paw and Me Maw's house for a Christmas party. Me Maw always has the kids over to make a Christmas craft and decorate sugar cookies. The kids had a lot of fun as you can see from the pictures. Landon really liked putting the sprinkles on his cookies. Then the cousins had a lot of fun playing on Pe Paw and Me Maw's big bed and watching a little bit of the Lion King!

Landon relaxing and getting ready for all of the activities.

Great Grandma Wilson and Lucy

Tis the Season..... Of Sickness!

Well the good luck in the Feit Family has ran out. Landon has been sick since Friday night and let me tell you having a sick 2 year old might possibly be the most challenging thing I've been through in my ENTIRE life! Two is a stage in which you can tell they don't feel well, but they don't know how to tell you what is wrong-besides saying "Ouch" at random parts of the day when nothing they are doing seems to coincide with the last time they said ouch. They are just stubborn enough that if they don't want to take a medicine, they won't- and no amount of bribing, coaxing or tricking will change it. (I have also found out that a two year old has the ability to hold medicine in his mouth and spit it out on the living room floor ten minutes later!)

Last night Nick and I tried for almost two hours to get Landon to take his much needed medicine. We did everything. We mixed it with juice, tried to force it in him, bribed him, talked to him about it, etc, etc. I even pulled out a special suprise I had waiting for Christmas.... A Buzz Lightyear Pezz Dispenser! I can't even explain how awesome Landon thinks these things are. He gets a "nummy" from a baseball one when he goes potty on the potty. :) The Buzz Lightyear was the most amazing thing he had seen in quite some time. He kept shouting "Buzz nummy! Buzz nummy!", while jumping up and down. In my head I was thinking... this is it. We have found our way to get the medicine down.

So I held out the Pezz dispenser and told Landon that as soon as he took his medicine (which I had in the other hand) that he could have a Buzz nummy. He immediately looked at me... very seriously and said, "No tank too, Mommy" (no thank you, mommy) and walked out the door.

At least I have a stubborn two year old that has manners.... it could be worse, right! :)

Please let me know if you have any suggestions for two year olds and medicine!

Sugar Cookie Debut

This weekend marked the annual Christmas Cookie Exchange with the Wilson/Feit/Dunahee/Cooper/Livezey Clan! Unfortunately our little man wasn't feeling top notch and had a slight fever so the two of us stayed home and enjoyed some Mommy and Landon time while Dad (Nick) respresented our family. Despite the setback I still needed to make 6 dozen cookies/treats to share with the rest of the family so off to the store I went!

This year I made my old faithful-go to dessert.. Oreo Balls! MMMM! Love them. I didn't get a picture of them by themselves but if you look close you can see them in one of the pictures. They aren't quite finished and still in the pan but you get the idea. For those of you who have never tried an Oreo Ball-they are delish. Here is the recipe:

1 package of regular oreos

1 8 oz package of cream cheese

1 package of white almond bark (coating for candy or fruit)

1 package of the chocolate candy coating

Crush all of the oreos in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin. Put the crushed oreos in a bowl with softened cream cheese and mix together (I have found it easiest to use my hands).

When it is mixed put the mixture in the fridge to cool. This makes it easier to form into balls. When cool form the mixture into about 30-36 balls (smaller than a golfball). Put them on a cookie sheet and stick them in the fridge or freezer to cool down again. While they are cooling melt your white almond bark -follow the directions on the package you bought. Some recommend microwaving and some want you to use a double broiler.

Once the white almond bark is melted dip your oreo balls in it (I have found using a fork is best so that the excess chocolate can drain easily). Once they have all been dipped you can melt the regular chocolate and use a fork to drizzle it over the top to make them pretty. Cool them in the fridge, break off excess chocolate and they are ready to go! Yummy

The other cookie I decided to try out were my Uncle Tom's famous sugar cookies. For as long as I can remember my Uncle has made these cookies at every Thanksgiving and Christmas gathering we have had. As a small child I would spend the night with my cousins and we would have a blast sitting at the kitchent table decorating Uncle Tom's cookies . We have all begged him for the recipe several times, but he has never given it to us... until last summer.

I was at my Parents' house and Uncle Tom and Aunt Claudia happened to be there. Out of the blue Uncle Tom said he had a suprise for me. He came back from his car with the pan he makes his cookies on, a rolling pin (the same kind he uses) made by a company years ago in his home state of Michigan that he found at an antique store (i believe), an old feed bag (used to roll the dough out on) AND the children's book that he found online and bought for me that contains the famous recipe! Yes, all those years we wanted to get our hands on this recipe and it came from a children's book! :)

(Please note: This is not the page that has the recipe-this only shows how to bake them and unless my Uncle okays it- I am not authorized to release the recipe or the name of this book! ;)

As you can all imagine I was super excited! I have been afraid to try to make them thinking they would never taste them same... until today. I decided it was time. :) So.... below you will see a few pictures of my sugar cookies made with all the utensils my Uncle Tom and Aunt Claudia found for me. :) If you guys read this- they turned out pretty good, not as good as yours, but okay for the first time around! Landon certainly enjoyed them!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Well, Thanksgiving weekend has came and went in a flash-which means.... Christmas is almost here!!! I can't believe how fast this year has went. It feels like I just started my new job a week ago and it has been four months. At the end of December we will be half way through the NEW school year. Time sure does fly when you have a two year old to keep you busy!

Anyway- this weekend was a lot of fun. Thursday we started off at MeMaw and PePaw's house for Thanksgiving Dinner at noon. Dinner was fabulous and the kids had a lot of fun together. I love seeing how they interact with one another and how their little personalities change and grow each time. Landon had his own little place setting at a picnic table in the middle of the dining room and he was very impressed. Unfortunately he had to eat dinner early and slept through the actual meal! :) Below are a few pictures of Thanksgiving for Nick's family:

After having Landon help serve pie to everyone we decided it was time to move on to our next meal of the day. Nick and I had both saved a little room despite how hard it was to resist anything at our first meal. At my parents' house we had a non-traditional meal for the day-ribeyes, baked potatoes with cheese sauce (Powell family favorite) and our last two packages of frozen corn that we did last year (it's going to be a long winter waiting for the sweet corn). Landon, Kayleigh and Hunter kept their Great Uncle Tom and Aunt Claudia busy serving them several different five course meals from the Fisher Price Kithen. We finished the night with some sugar cookies and sink baths- that we are pretty sure the kids will never get too old for!

Friday was Mom and I's annual shopping day.. I know we are crazy-but we do it for the fun of it. Neither of us ever has our heart set on anything spectacular-we just go to have fun! This year my good friend, Janet, joined us and I think we have turned her into one of us! We also went to a light parade in Pontiac with MeMaw and PePaw. Landon loved seeing "HoHo" at the end of the parade.

We finished the weekend off with some tree trimming. Landon had a lot of fun helping dad put the tree up and decorating while mom prepared all the ornaments. Lexie had a lot of fun grabbing the garland and trying to run for her life. We all got a few good laughs!

It's a Boy!!!!

Two days ago Nick and I went in to find out what our little baby is. This pregnancy has been 100% different than what i went through with Landon. I haven't been sick once, I have actually been able to RIDE in a car instead of drive it all the time, no foods have sounded awful to me and I have been sleeping as well as any pregnant woman can sleep. So naturally I was CONVINCED that we had a little girl on the way. By this point in the pregnancy I also think I had Nick convinced as well. :)

We went into the sonogram room and our tech asked us if we wanted to know and we told her we did so she immediately starting searching. The one thing about having boys is that when you see the goods on the screen-there's no mistaking it! Our tech was scanning my growing belly and all of a sudden (before she even stops the machine) I see our little boy.... I look at Nick and the look on his face also told me he had seen him too! Nick's face was absolutely priceless!

For those of you that are frequently around Landon you would agree with me in saying that he is a very "spirited" little boy. He definitely keeps us moving and on our toes. For those of you who might know Nick and his older brother Nathan (2 1/2 years older- same as our boys) I would also guess thier mother would say they were "spirited" as well!

So at this point I wish I could have jumped inside my husband's head. I'm almost sure I could see his childhood years flashing through his mind.... and I don't think they were the memories of Christmas morning, Easter egg hunts and watching movies together with a big bowl of popcorn! :)

Needless to say- we might have our hands full for the next few years, but we are definitely EXCITED! Two boys will be the best... the energy and excitement will never stop. They will keep us young at heart and laughing until we drop. I'm also very excited about how close in age they are. It will we an amazing experience to see them grow up together and (hopefully) become best friends like I see when I look at Nick and his brother Nathan. I think the bond between two siblings that close in age is something very special.

We now get to start preparing for this little guy. We have to rearrange some rooms, turn our office into a cozy little nursery and I get to look through all of Landon's baby clothes again. I'm so glad I don't have to part with them yet-I don't think I could have done it anyways. We have bought the baby one new shirt since we found out that it was going to be a He and we can't wait until he's here to wear it!

Boy or Girl?

Well the day has come.... tomorrow we find out if this little bean I've been growing is going to be a little brother or a little sister to big brother Landon. Nick and I went back and forth on deciding if we wanted to know. I was for waiting and having a suprise and Nick's comment was "We have technology, why not embrace it?" :)

I guess I just figured since we have all of the baby stuff---why do we need to know.

However, after noticing how Landon first responded to the idea of a baby- NOOOO BABY!- we decided it might be a good idea to find out so that we can prep him a little bit. Our appointment is at 3:20pm tomorrow and then we are having both of our parents down for dinner to share the big news (hopefully the baby cooperates and we have big news)!

Either way I will be happy. Boy or girl- this baby will make our little family feel complete!

Love to you you,

Ashleigh

Senior Pictures/Lauren

I was asked to take some senior pictures of Lauren early in the fall and these are just a few of my favorite ones. She was SOOOO wonderful to photograph! Beautiful eyes!