Since Landon has been so fearless around the pool we decided to put him into swim lessons. No, not the mommy and me lessons, but the "real" lessons. Private, one-on-one, 15 min, for 5 consecutive days lessons. It might seem a tad harsh considering he isn't even 2.5 yet, but hey we wanted our boy to be somewhat safe when near water. Well it paid off! Miss Kassy (swimtolive.com) was an amazing swim instructor and has taught our son to swim! No we don't mean just jump to you and momentum takes him swim, we mean full on kicking and getting somewhere swim. It's totally crazy. The first day he didn't cry or fuss at all. Days 2-4 he cried almost the whole time but was great and still did everything she asked him to do. The last lesson both of us were able to go watch and he only whined a bit at the beginning and was good the rest of the time. We are so proud of him! It's really neat because she also teaches them to float on their back to get a breath if they can't make the whole swim, then spin back around and swim to the edge. She is so patient and encouraging to the kids. We highly recommend her and can't wait for next summers lessons! Here are some pictures and video of Landon swimming.
Landon before lessons (notice how he is comfortable under water but sinks)
Landon one week after his last lesson (looks like Papa helps but doesn't actually touch him)
We get asked frequently how well Landon is adapting to his baby brother. We've been so blessed that we are able to respond "so well!" He has just been the greatest. We've had no jealousy issues, no aggression, nothing. We do know how this may change once Carter starts getting more active and playing with Landon's toys or the fact that Carter will probably be bigger than Landon one day, but as of now they are great together. Here are a few cute pictures of our sweet boys!
We've had a wonderful summer so far! We've been staying busy on the weekends between the craziness of our work week. We've been visiting with great friends and wonderful family. The boys are having a wonderful summer! San Luis Obispo: Auntie Elaine, Uncle Kevin, and the kids are home for the summer so what better way to meet up than our old stomping grounds! We headed to SLO for a long weekend along with Auntie Karin, Uncle Zach, and their kids. We stayed all together in Morro Bay at a beautiful vacation rental. It was a little nuts having 6 kids under 5 but we had a blast! We can't wait to do this again!
the boys with Aunt Margaret and Uncle Bo at Farmer's
Montana de Oro tidepools
Morro Bay
proud Daddy as Landon looks at birds
Elijah (4), Jacob (2), Landon (2), Georgia (5), Carter (2.5 months), August (2)
4th of July: It sure was a scorcher this year for the 4th! We still enjoyed ours. Great Grandma Hori, Uncle Bryan, Uncle Bo, Aunt Margaret, and Uncle Ryan came up from Southern California to join us. Landon enjoyed watching fireworks even though he was exhausted from such a busy day and being up way past his normal bed time.
Carter with Great Grandma Hori
Carter with Uncle Bryan
Landon and Carter watching Fireworks
Very lucky great-grandchildren
Lake: Landon has been having a great time playing in Papa's boat when it's at the house, but he finally got to go out on the lake. He had so much fun driving with Papa. The lake water had quite the bite to it compared to the warm pool he's used to swimming in. He even was a brave boy and went out on the tube with Mommy. Not bad for a 2 year old!
What a happy boy
Uncle Ryan and Uncle Bo
Relaxing with Mommy
nappnig on Daddy on the way back to the truck
Swimming: Since it has been so hot this year, we've spent a lot of time at the pool. Landon has become quite comfortable with the pool which scares the life out of John since he can't actually swim yet. Swim lessons are starting this week! He's been doing great at holding his breath and trying to swim although he still doesn't have quite the coordination to get him anywhere. At least he's having fun! Carter enjoys cooling off with us in the pool too!
Grandma and Grandpa Mac: Carter got to meet his Grandpa for the first time. Grandma and Grandpa were out visiting from Colorado. We had so much fun hanging out with them. Landon also had a blast hanging with his older cousin. The two of them play so well together.!
Landon, Grandpa, Morgan, Grandma, and Carter
having fun washing Papa's truck
coloring with his cousin
Carter is 3 Months: Our little man has turned 3 months. Crazy
how fast time has flown by. He's fitting in very well with our family
and has been a great addition. He continues to sleep very well (better
than his older brother most nights). We usually get about a 7-8 hour
stretch then another 4 hours. Sometimes we've even had better. He is
weighing 14 lbs 11 oz. We need to see how long he is still, but we will
do that soon. Carter seems to be our more serious baby, but when he
smiles it lights up his face. He's starting to giggle and is talking
more and more. He's such a little joy!
Landon our big boy: He is such a great big brother. When Carter is crying he will go up to him and say, "Shh, it's okay." What a sweet boy. He's talking so much more now and comprehending so much. Although at times we are still trying to figure out exactly what he is saying, he is speaking really clear and is such a big boy. At times he seems so much older so we have to remember during the more difficult times that he is still only 2. He's at such a fun age and we are having a great time watching him grow!
Yes we know, it's been awhile! The sad thing is, how much our new little guy has changed since the last time we posted. Here are some quick updates on what we've been up to this past month! Carter is 2 months! At 2 months he weighed in at 12 lbs 14 oz but is now well over 13 lbs. At his 6 week check he measured 24.5 in long. We have another big, strong boy in our hands. Carter is our very alert baby. He's having a tough time napping at the office because the second we put him down something catches his attention and he's awake again. He's starting to do a tad better allowing Nonni to actually get some work done. He is such a sweet heart though. His smile lights up his face and everyone around. He continues to look a lot like his Daddy (we love this) but is starting to take on more of Shani's coloring. We are thankful for this as John doesn't do too well in the sun :-)
Look at that smile!
Bath at Nonni and Papa's
Our little chunker
Landon continues to be fantastic with Carter. He loves giving him
kisses and helping out when he's crying. We hope this continues to
last!
Landon reading to Carter
Mama Brunch: One of Shani's friends was so sweet and threw her a brunch to welcome our baby Carter. Since we are set with most things since having another boy, she offered that people bring us meals that we can put in the freezer. This was such a great idea and has helped and will help us especially on nights that we are both working and don't have left overs. It was also great to have a little something to celebrate Shani and Carter.
Some good friends
Carter's first time int he pool/Landon loves swimming: According to the temp gauge in our car, last weekend hit 112! So we spent some good time in the pool. This was Carter's first time in the pool and he loved it. He seems to run on the warmer side so it helped being able to hold him in a much cooler environment. Landon was a bit timid of the pool the first couple times, but now has taken to it. He is actually a little too comfortable considering he doesn't know how to swim. He does enjoy wearing his water ring thankfully. We are trying to get him in the pool as much as possible to get him comfortable and are looking at getting him into swim lessons. John is nervous of Landon's "no fear" around the pool so we definitely need to teach him how to get to the side of the pool if he jumps in ASAP.
Carter's first swim
Landon's big smile
Shani's boys
Shani turns 30: We celebrated Shani's 30th birthday this week. Nonni and Papa threw her a surprise party on her birthday day (Thursday) She had no idea! John was even able to get off of work early to be there. We had so much fun hanging out with family and friends. Shani was pretty proud that they pulled it off because there had not been any clues of this at all!
Carter with Great-Grandpa Chuck (also his 94th birthday)
Landon, our soccer star: For whatever reason we haven't played many sports with Landon. Yes he can throw a ball (kind of correctly), can swing a bat (not well), and can kick a ball but we haven't really played sports. For Marcos and Gio birthday party they had it at the indoor soccer arena right near our house. Landon already had his team USA soccer get up that Shani bought him a year ago, now he had a great excuse to wear it. We didn't know how he would do since he hasn't really played around with a soccer ball Yes this is a shock considering how much Shani played, but John doesn't want him playing soccer since he wouldn't know how to coach. Shani refuses to coach soccer so that option is out. Anyway, we think he might be our little soccer star...or Shani hopes :-)
