Another Year Older and Wiser Too...

Happy Birthday, to YOU!

Making a wish...

I bet I know what he was wishing for...Landon's birthday was about a week and a half before his exam.  Do you think wishes he can pass?  Yes!

When he took the exam, he had 45 minutes left and was able to review everything.  This was a very good sign.  He felt really good about it.  Here's to hoping!

 I made Landon's favorite cake--Black Forest.  It's my own rendition.  No alcohol in this cake!

We feel really blessed.  It has been a great year!  I am grateful that Landon works really hard, but also takes time for his family.  I'm always amazed at how well he does considering the time we demand of him.  :)

We love you, Landon!

Landon's Birthday

To celebrate Landon's 31st birthday, we went with some friends to Texas de Brazil.  We waited until after Landon's exam was over to celebrate, but it was worth the wait.  The atmosphere and food were fantastic!  Texas de Brazil is a Brazilian BBQ where the waiters are constantly coming around offering you different types of meat  any where from chicken to lamb to filet mignon.  They also had a wonderful salad bar with a lot more than just salad (like shrimp).

There was even an aerialist whose job is to entertain the guests while retrieving wine bottles.  I wonder what the job description looks like:  must be able to swing through air upside down WITHOUT dropping expensive, glass objects.

After dinner, we took a stroll along the River Walk.  We had such an enjoyable time!

I made Landon my own version of Black Forest Cake (his favorite).   I used a chocolate ganache, cherry pie filling, and REAL whip cream.  The kids and I gave him a chest pad for his TKD class and a book called Stretching Scientifically.  It was a fun birthday, even if it was celebrated a week after the fact!

DIY: Toy Shelf

Since we moved Jonathan and Erik into the same room, their toys have been like a splinter:  bothersome and needing attention.  Landon and I liked the look of an Ikea shelf that our friends have for their kids' toys and wanted to get one like it.  However, there were two problems with this shelf: Ikea is a two hour drive from where we live, and the shelf is too tall for our kids to be able to access all the toys.  So Landon got it in his mind that he was going to build a shelf himself with the dimentions that we wanted.

It took part of two Saturdays to complete:  one to build it and another to paint.  It could have been accomplished in one Saturday if we hadn't had so many other things to do.

Of course the boys helped their Dad.  I don't know how he would he have done it without them.  Erik measured everything to make sure the dimensions were up to the correct specifications.

I didn't get pictures of Jonathan and his contribution to the shelf, but he took the level tool and made sure everything was level.  When the air bubble was not exactly in the middle, so you could hear him saying, "This is bad.  This is bad.  This is bad."  Then he felt compelled to come up with a reason that it wasn't perfect, and he let us know all about it.  The story he came up with was something about a ghost that was messing everything up.  

I had my doubts about the whole project, but I'm happy with how it turned out and very proud of Landon (and the boys, of course) for building it!  I love how things are some much more organized, there are no more toys in the boys' room, and there are still empty baskets for room to grow--not that we need anymore toys!

Five Down, Five to Go

On Friday, we found out that Landon passed his fifth actuarial test. Today we found out that his score was a 6 out of 10. Just high enough to pass! According to his co-workers, if you get anything higher than a six you studied too much. We are so happy that he passed on the first time. Congratulations Landon!

Landon Turns 30

Yesterday was Landon's thirtieth birthday.  

The boys were so excited to give him presents.

He got swim trunks, a hat, a shirt, flip flops, and a beach towel for our upcoming trip to Padre Island.

He also got a pair of gymnastic rings to do some new workouts on.  He's really excited about those.

We had a special dinner including steak and shrimp (his favorite) and Gooey Chocolate Cake.

He also had a great day at work.  He gave a presentation to his bosses', bosses', bosses' boss and did a really good job.  Then he got to go to a work party they were having to celebrate the completion of a certain project.  This party was at a place that had arcades.  He was alloted a certain amount on a card from the company to play games.  Can you believe it?  Legitimately playing arcade games during work?  What next!  They also brought a cake and sang, "Happy Birthday" to him.

This morning, Jonathan asked me where Daddy was.  He ALWAYS asks me this.  I think he secretly hopes that I'll say something like, "He's outside waiting for you to come play with him."  Anyway, I told him he was at work.  The next thing I know, Jonathan comes out dressed like this:

"Daddy" had come to distribute birthday presents!  It was cute.

We love you Landon. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

On The Big Screen

Jonathan in our foyer dressed for Fasching.

Watch this clip on YouTube.  It's totally Landon and Jonathan.  I'm sure Erik will join in as soon as he can walk and carry a sword.  He already  joins in the nightly fun in his own I'm-almost-a-big-boy way.

The Modern-day Classroom

Landon just received his grade for the Corporate Finance class he took online.  He scored an A+!

Way to go Landon! 

The crazy part is that he started the course in December, and the first quiz was scheduled for the same time we were going to be in Venice.  No worries though, my brilliant mathematician-husband nonchalantly decides that he'll find an Internet cafe and take the quiz there.  When we arrive, he easily finds a local cafe located walking distance from our hotel, takes the quiz, and happily returns to his wife, kids, and Italian pizza.

Within days, we are aboard the cruise ship.  The class is still running its course.  It has not stopped for our Christmas vacation.  So, in the middle of the Mediterranean,  aboard the cruise ship, my dear hubby turns in an assignment and takes another quiz in the ship's Internet lounge.  At night, he simultaneously studies and helps Erik fall asleep by walking him back and forth in the stroller--one hand guides the stroller while the other holds open the textbook.  

At the beginning of my lifetime, none of this was possible, and unimaginable to most. Funny, I almost can't remember life without the Internet.  Where will we be in another 32 years?

The Better to See You With

Yesterday Landon had PRK, the archaic form of lasik eye surgery. We were hoping that our former ward member, Matt Hammond, would be performing the surgery. He only does them on Mondays though, so we were assigned someone else.

Before the surgery, Landon was given the chance to take Valium to help relax him. He opted not to take it which I thought was pretty brave.

Today at the follow-up eye appointment, the doctor told Landon his vision was about 20/20. It's rare to have that good of vision so quickly. So besides some pain, and wearing sunglasses all of the time--a minor inconvenience--the surgery was well worth it!