The Landsberger 7

We're MOVING!

2009-11-17T14:40:00.000-06:00

Well WE aren't moving ... but our blog IS! I have really enjoyed the blogspot blog for the last year, but I've been experimenting with other platforms and have found one that really makes me happy. From now on, you can find us at:

www.lands7.wordpress.com

This blog will stay up and there is a link on the new one so you can always look back through the amazing memories of the last year.

You are going to LOVE how big and clear the pictures are ...

go on ...

click it ...

you know you want to ...

"BOO!" to you, too!

2009-10-30T08:45:00.000-05:00

Once again, under the cloak of darkness, the Great Pumpkin of Carl Junction bestowed upon us the gifts of the season ...

Not only does the Great Pumpkin have good taste in candy, she is incredibly creative and endlessly talented.

"THANK YOU" Miss Jennifer & The Wilsons

We love you!

I just wanted to say thanks to everybody who checks us out on this blog. October 21 was the one year anniversary of lands7.blogspot.com and I've loved sharing our goings-ons with all of you. Happy Halloween to everyone ~ have fun & be safe.

xoxo, Ann

Little Halloween on the Prarie

2009-10-29T13:59:00.000-05:00

Today was so much fun. We had our first preschool Halloween party. There was a quck parade around the playground and then we went inside for face painting, pin-the-nose-on-the pumpkin, and had a pumpkin relay. We sang songs and made a giant spider web with yarn. We got lots of candy, too! We love Halloween!

*Drew is Spiderman / Cameron is Hulk

Soccer Weekend in Kansas City

2009-10-27T22:42:00.001-05:00

This weekend Kayla, Becca Wilson, & I traveled to KC for the Missouri Mule Tournament.

We had a super fun time!

We did kooky hair stuff! (Specifically those are game-ready "Intimidation Buns" ~ they look pretty scary, huh?)

We did the YMCA at Joe's Crab Shack!

We got a cool Pink Panther balloon animal!

We went to the Wizards soccer game against DC United!

OH YHEA~ We played some AWESOME soccer, too!

I'm talking three shut-outs!

TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS!

GO PINK, GO!!!

Oh yhea ... and we got dirty ... REALLY DIRTY!!!

The tournament finals were cancelled on Sunday afternoon due to a huge storm that also shut down the KC Chiefs game across town, too.

What an amazing weekend for the team and for the girls and me! We had such a great time!

You can follow the girls at www.pinkpanthersoccer.com

Next tournament is Nov. 7-8 - Autumn Bash

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2009-10-27T18:43:00.002-05:00

The Bulldogs 3rd Grade/White finished the season 6- 2 with a big finish in the SuperBowl on Saturday, beating Lamar 36-14. Stephen had a great time and so did we. Look for Number 14 next year too ... we will definitely be back!

TGIF ... oh TG

2009-10-23T07:35:00.001-05:00

Those mornings when everybody is in such a good mood are so rare ~ too bad Kayla got out of the house before I could snap a shot of her, she looked gorgeous! I'll catch her after school. Tonight is the CertainTeed Company picnic at Route 66 Carousel Park ~ it's going to be cold, but we can't wait to ride those teacups!!! Have a great weekend & I hope your Friday morning has been as much fun as mine.

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch ~ Our First Field Trip!

2009-10-15T11:14:00.000-05:00

We had a great time at the Pumpkin Patch with Miss Pam and Miss Marcella today. It was chilly and muddy, but the boys loved the hay ride and picking thier own pumpkins.

An Exciting Weekend

2009-10-13T10:32:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Walt Wilson, Kayla got to meet Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger this weekend at a book signing for WalMart. Along with Katherine and Abigail, she also got to see Faith Hill introduce her new perfume.

Stephen lost a tooth - leaving a big gap right in the front. It was so loose it was literally hanging down like a fang for over a week! He's got two weeks to get rid of the other front tooth and one on the bottom and then it's off to the dentist who will surely want to yank them out! Wiggle, Stephen, wiggle!

Coming up:

Cameron & Drew - Pumpkin Patch Field Trip on Thursday

Bradley - Still working on his book order ... running out of time!

Stephen - Football in Joplin on Saturday

Kayla - 2 Soccer Scrimmages in Bella Vista, AR on Saturday

Landsberger Brothers Lawn Care

2009-10-07T11:30:00.000-05:00

Got weeds? We'll whack 'em.

Got flowers? We'll whack them too!!!

Bulldog Pride!

2009-10-02T09:03:00.001-05:00

Today is Carl Junction Homecoming

and

Bradley has got S.P.I.R.I.T.

Taylor Swift ~ Fearless Tour ~ September '09

2009-09-29T15:04:00.001-05:00

Jennifer Wilson and I took Kayla, Katherine, Rebecca, Katie, and Sydney to Tulsa, OK Sunday night to see Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler, and Gloriana. Lots of their school friends were there too! We had a FANTASTIC time! I combined everyone's pictures to make the video!

Picture Day on the Prairie

2009-09-24T12:06:00.001-05:00

Today was picture day at Little Preschool on the Prairie. The boys wore the shirts the Wilson crew gave them for their birthday, handmade by Miss Jennifer. The looked adorable. The photographer took their pictures alone and together. Proofs next week! I can't wait!

Number 14 in your Program, Number 1 in your Hearts!

2009-09-21T19:06:00.001-05:00

YES! That is Stephen out there ... #14! He is playing tackle football for the first time as a third grader and he loves it. He has practice two or three times/week and a game every Saturday morning at 10:00. Carl Junction 3rd graders have a Red Team and a White Team - we are on white. The first game was played after a very rainy Friday night, so the team got to play on the Missour Southern football field - HOW EXCITING! The Bulldogs White have lost two and won one with a socre of 32 - 8. We have two more away games and then we're done for the season.

Pink Panthers Rock!

2009-09-17T19:20:00.001-05:00

The Pink Panthers played back to back weenend tournaments in Broken Arrow, OK and Northwest Arkansas. They didn't place in either tournament, but they played hard and really gave it their best. The play got pretty aggressive at times, but Kayla did an amazing job as sweeper! She just has to stop "sweeping" with her backside! haha

Doing The Birthday Bounce!

2009-08-31T09:19:00.005-05:00

Our HOUSE OF BOUNCE birthday party was a huge success! Everyone had a hot, sweaty blast and jumped until they were totally exhuasted! Big kids, little kids, even some Dads were in on all the bouncy fun. The cupcakes were a big hit and everyone loved their cotton candy prizes at the end. I give this birthday party an A+!

My Babies Aren't Babies Anymore ...

2009-08-20T13:07:00.004-05:00

(sniffle, sniffle)

Today was the day ... the first day of PreSchool ~

Cameron & Andrew were raring to go as soon as they woke up. They were ready to leave at 7:30 and keeping them entertained until 8:30 was a task! They ran right in, said, "Good Morning, Miss Pam", and scattered off to play with their new friends. I got one wave and one high-five and hit the road for a few hours until it was time to pick them up. They were working with PlayDough when I got there and just having the best time! We met Dad for lunch and then headed back home. All in all, I'd say it was a huge success. They are already counting down to Tuesday when they go back.

First Day of School

2009-08-19T12:52:00.002-05:00

Everyone was so excited to get back to school today. Kayla was up and ready before my feet ever hit the floor this morning. Stephen and Bradley jumped right up and got dressed and were itching to get going. Stephen rode the bus, Kayla rode with Hannah, and Rob drove Bradley in for his first day (as required by the school). All in all, I say this morning was a mega-success ... I hope the enthusiasm they showed this morning continues all year!

But, NOBODY was as excited as the two that would have the house to themselves for the first time in three months!

One down - 179 to go ...

AND, PreSchool starts tomorrow :)

Time for School!

2009-08-11T19:14:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it is time for my BABIES to go to preschool. They are going to the same little school Bradley went to and will have the same teacher that Bradley had (and Stephen, too). Tonight was Open House and they just waltzed right in like they were the real deal. I hope that they are the same way next Thursday when I drop them off for the first time, since I know I will be a complete mess!

Check out their great backpacks Miss Jennifer made for them. She is the best!!!

Sixteen down ... Sixty to go

2009-08-07T11:48:00.002-05:00

A Night With The Jonas Brothers

2009-06-24T19:51:00.003-05:00

On Monday night, I had the pleasure (yes, the pleasure) of seeing The Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009 concert at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I admit that I had my doubts initially and that I considered myself more of a chaperone than an attendee as we twisted and turned through the streets of downtown Tulsa on a blistering afternoon with the heat index climbing to about 109 degrees.

Thanks to the miracle of GPS we arrived directly in front of the arena where I was more than happy to pay $20 to park. Did I mention the heat? The doors of the BOK Center were set to open at 5:30 pm so we sat in the coolness of the air conditioned car as we waited for the minutes to tick away. From the parking lot you cold see thousands of people waiting to be the first inside. I felt equally sorry for them and for myself – them because of the heat, for myself because of the combination of hairspray and something-or-other from Bath and Body Works that smelled a little like a pina colada colliding with a flower truck.

Then the roar went up. When I say roar, I mean earth-moving screams. One could only assume that the blessed hour had finally arrived. As no further primping was deemed necessary, we exited the blissful coolness of the car for the smothering heat of the Tulsa streets. Fortunately, we would not be bored as we awaited entrance, for the great marketing gods had bestowed upon us a magnificent t-shirt vendor who’s copious menu of overpriced items initiated much debate and wonderment. The black one? No, definitely the pink one. Do you like the blue one? Yhea, but it doesn’t have the tour dates on the back. Let’s get the pink one.

“Who’s next?”
“I’ll take the white one in small.”
Go figure.

Less than an hour later, we were comfortably inside with our complimentary Burger King apple slices. I had never received free snacks at a concert before so this made me very happy. As we entered through security, I was happy to see the big cardboard signs being confiscated. I don’t have a problem with the signs per se, but I despise having to sit behind someone who has one. There was also a sign with the “rules” which were short and sweet: Please don’t try to get on the stage; Please don’t record anything; Take lots and lots of pictures; Have lots and lots of fun. Easy enough, if you ask me.

Ever have one of those moments when you wish you could go back in time and change the entire direction of your life? I had one that night. On June 22, 2009 at approximately 6:34 pm, I realized that my mislaid destiny was to have been the person to invent glo-sticks … millions and millions of red, blue, and yellow glo-sticks on white nylon strings and embossed with those three little words every girl wants to hear … “The Jonas Brothers”. I fear that this revelation will now haunt me until the end of time.

As I pondered my imaginary glo-stick fortune, I was also doing some hard-core people watching. I don’t know why the number of Dads (in attendance) surprised me, as my Dad took me to my first concert – Rick Springfield. I remember that when we were leaving that night, my Dad looked my friend Christy and me and said, “Never trust a man wearing two different color shoes.” Words to live by, Dad.

I also realized that I was smack-dab in the middle of a hotbed of blog post ideas:

Hey Lady ~ Everybody Knows Your Purse Is a Fake
Seriously, Your 6 Year-Old Shouldn’t Be Wearing Pants that say JUICY
THAT COTTON CANDY IS HOW MUCH? Re: The Recession
What is the Perfect Toilets to Humans Ratio?
When Children Attack: You should jack that little sucker up

Thirty minutes doesn’t seem like a long time, but I was sharp after the two-hour Ipod festival on wheels and also began thinking about the future of the Jonas Brothers, or rather, their lack of future. The Disney machine hasn’t had much success with longevity of performing acts, a failure I place firmly in their hands. From Annette and Frankie to Britney and The Backstreet Boys to Hannah Montana and The Jonas Brothers, the Disney franchise is a blessing and a curse. Disney capitalizes on and negligently prolongs a single moment in time, a tiny blip in the life of those they promote and once the performer outgrows that small frame, they are of no further use to the corporation.

Ok … shut up, shut up … it’s starting.

Honor Society … who’s that?
OK, not bad. The look a little older than the JoBros and they do that speed guitar with up-and-down-jumping thing like Green Day. Three songs. In-and-out. Next.

Jordan Sparks … from American Idol
WOWZA! Very sexy in a short, strapless black dress and some stilettos and sings like an angel. I didn’t know any of the songs, but they all had a good beat and I could probably dance to them.

The Main Event
The fog rolled in. The scaffolding folded down onto the stage like a huge black spider. Men in harnesses shimmied into the rafters. Spotlights flashed about and funny JoBro videos played on the jumbotrons: with The (Burger) King on the road; Joe dancing to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”; the one where Joe hits Nick with the wiffle ball bat. Tens of thousands of young girls screamed as long and as loud as they could. Glo-sticks haughtily laughed at me from all directions. The music started.

I’ve been to a lot of concerts, good ones and bad ones, expensive I-just-made-a-down-payment-on-your-sea-plane ones and the kind you get to see for free for fighting the crowd at the fair on a sweaty Saturday night, but I have never felt the kind of electricity I felt when the giant spider awakened and rose into the rafters of the BOK Center on Monday night. It was inspiring. Days later, I’m still excited about it. Was it life changing? Probably not. But, was it perception changing? Hell yes.

The Jonas Brothers you see on the Disney Channel are not The Jonas Brothers you see in concert. On television, they are silly, goofy, lame, overly theatrical bozos with a handful of dreadful songs inextricably attached to some lucrative production contract. In concert, they are energetic, talented young performers whose understanding and execution of stagecraft made even their weakest songs seem like anthems. They worked a stage that was easily as wide as a soccer field, comprised of various platforms and pods and walkways for a full two hours, constantly in motion and with a look of enthusiasm and freedom that I have rarely seen on any performer’s face.

I was blown away by the technically masterful lighting and sound and a mechanized stage that made Tommy Lee’s tumbling drum chamber look like a cheap carnival trick. They performed with a four-piece brass section and two violinists, guitar players and drummers. They themselves played drums, guitars, piano, and I even think one of them played the ukulele at one point. Things came out of the ceiling and out of the floor, which spun around like a record at times and even turned into a trampoline on which some pretty good acrobatics were performed. Platforms rose twenty feet into the air and a huge crane arm equipped with big hoses, lifted out and carried two of them over the audience where they sprayed everyone with water before circling back. It was almost a full sensory attack … and I liked it.

I also liked the “Battlefield” duet in which Jordan Sparks rose out of the floor wearing a long flowing white dress and sang with Joe. I liked the little theatrical number in which a full rainstorm erupted on stage. I liked the end of the concert when everyone came back together and they all held hands and took a bow and thanked us for being there. I liked it! I really liked it!

I really liked it, but that doesn’t change the fact that The Jonas Brothers are the property of the spiraling Disney time machine deathtrap of image-laden backpacks and notepads, which capture them as children and not as the young men that they actually are. It’s only a matter of time before one of them gets all sexed up and does something, as most all teenagers do, that enrages the kiddie faction of their fandom, but when that happens, will they find appeal with an older and more similar peer group that has dismissed them as a dim-witted television kid act … it’s hard to predict, but I hope so.

I know that a lot of you won’t agree with me (hell, I’m surprised if anyone is still reading this) and I know some of you would like to “string them up and beat them until the candy comes out”, but for just one second, please humor me and just close your eyes. Just close your eyes, and now … imagine that … they’re white. Ooops … wrong show. I meant realize that they’re just kids living their dream and wearing purity rings and not getting into any real trouble yet, other than the occasional scuffle with Taylor Swift. The Mom in me is totally okay with that, 7 days a week. Bring it on, JoBros! Good Luck and Godspeed.

And you know, it could be worse … they could have a stupid semi-sexual name like Nickelodeon’s "The Naked Brothers Band" or more shockingly, "Morningwood". Seriously … “Morningwood”.

Happy Father's Day to our three Favorite Dads!

2009-06-21T17:21:00.002-05:00

Summertime ~

2009-06-21T16:47:00.003-05:00

This has been a busy summer. Stephen and Bradley are almost finished with summer school and baseball. Kayla has a few tournament games and she's done too. Good thing, as it's so hot here that it can't be healthy for kids to be playing that hard.

Bradley playing "pitcher" (behind the machine)

Stephen snags a double!
Cameron & Andrew like eating snacks at the ballpark!

Kayla and Sydney Harris pose with a super-cool birthday cake (made by me!) before Sydney's 13th Birthday Party!

In other news, I celebrated my birthday with the girls from the neighborhood at Red Onion on Friday and again all day Saturday with the family including a S'mores party at Janes and dinner out at Del Rio with Rob.

What more could a girl ask for :)

***

We also had a great Father's Day. Rob enjoyed using his new Shop Vac and putting laundry away! (haha) Now it's time for some big, juicy steaks and a few Coronas! This has been the best weekend :)

***

Also ~ tomorrow is Nanny's Birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANNY!!! Tomorrow also marks the date of the Jonas Brothers Concert in Tulsa! The girls are beside themselves with glee! Pictures to come ~

***

Sports Update!!!

2009-06-01T11:27:00.004-05:00

The Pink Panthers came in 2nd pace in the RayPec Spring Fling Soccer Tournament. Kayla had an awesome save - a huge header!!! That's my girl!!!

Stephen and Bradley started baseball Friday night. It's so nice having them on the same team this year. Much easier than chasing them all around the fields all night!!! Plus, Rob is helping coach, so that's terrific for both boys!

Stephen got a big hit into left for a double and made his way to third, but the third out came before he got home. He was kind of bummed out about that.

Bradley loved goofing off in the dugout with the other kids. He's a born entertainer!

Stephen played catcher the first two innings. He did a great job, but was unimpressed with the gear .... TOO HOT!!! There goes my chance of having the next Jason Varitek!

Lots more games to come! Stay tuned!!!

Guess Who's The BIG 4-0???

2009-05-28T08:23:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

We LOVE you so much!!!

When The Cat's Away ...

2009-05-24T16:22:00.002-05:00

We hijacked Jane's pool last night (while she was out of town) for a fun family swim! Everyone had such a great time. It was so wonderful to cool off after such a hot, humid afternoon of fence repair!!!

One Wild Evening!!!

2009-05-21T21:15:00.004-05:00

We sure know how to pack a lot into an afternoon ~ Kayla had soccer practice, Stephen performed as Leonardo DaVinci at school, and "Grandpa" Mike Carroll came over to show Bradley his favorite toy, Darth, a custom volkswagon he built himself. AND ~ we still had time for the ice cream man. What a great night!!!

Right now, everyone is fed, bathed, and tucked away in bed ... whew~

The Life and Times of Bradley

2009-05-16T14:31:00.004-05:00

Last night, Bradley pulled his first tooth. He's been insisting that he needed to lose one ever since Stephen lost his. Bradley has always known how to get exactly what he wants!!! Luckily for Nanny, she was on the phone with us when the tooth came out ... it was just like being here (just without the blood)!

He's so very proud of his gaping tooth hole!
Take a look a this monster ~
Bradley also created a robot from "recycled goods" at school this week. How creative is that kid? That robot looks cool and delicious!!!

The Best Gift Ever :)

2009-05-15T09:46:00.002-05:00

My precious baby girl made this for me for Mother's Day. Is she the very best daughter ever or what? I can't believe how much everyone has grown ... time just flies, doesn't it. It's a little late, but Happy Mother's Day to all you great Moms and daughters and sisters. Here's to you!

If you have trouble with the video you can go to it HERE!

Remember When ...

2009-05-09T15:16:00.004-05:00

May 2007

Goodbye, old friend.

~ Results of May 8, early morning storms: 110 mph straight line winds rolled the swingset some 20 yards through the fence and into the neighbors backyard.

We sure are sad to see her go.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHEN and HAYDEN !!!

2009-05-02T18:08:00.004-05:00

Stephen chose this new bike for his 8th birthday! Now he won't have to steal Bradley's! Hoooooooray!!!

Stephen and Hayden "The Lost Landsberger" Wilson share the same birthday (5/1), so we partied together this year.

The gang ate their cupcakes and we all headed out to Lazer City for a few rounds of laser tag. We had a blast!

Happy Birthday Boys ~ We love you both!!!

Since We Last Spoke ~

2009-04-29T11:29:00.002-05:00

Kayla has been a perfect big sister ...

Stephen got straight A's on his midterm report card ...

"Old Katie" and Kelsey came by for a visit ...

Cameron has been enjoying nature ...

and Bradley solved all of our military problems ...

It's been a good couple of weeks :)

xoxo

In Remembrance

2009-04-16T09:53:00.005-05:00

sunset fades to black

another year passes by

ending, beginning

***********************************************

Ross Abdallah Alameddine

Christopher James Bishop

Brian Bluhm

Ryan Clark

Austin Cloyd

Jocelyne Couture-Nowak

Daniel Perez Cueva

Kevin Granata

Matthew Gwaltney

Caitlin Hammaren

Jeremy Herbstritt

Rachael Hill

Emily Jane Hilscher

Jarrett Lane

Matthew La Porte

Henry Lee

Liviu Librescu

G.V. Loganathan

Partahi Lombantoruan

Lauren McCain

Daniel O'Neil

Juan Ortiz

Minal Panchal

Erin Peterson

Michael Pohle

Julia Pryde

Mary Read

Reema Samaha

Leslie Sherman

Maxine Turner

Nicole White

********************************************

Soccer Saturday !!!

2009-04-12T20:01:00.005-05:00

We were all excited to get back into our soccer routine this weekend. On Saturday, Stephen had his first game and Kayla played a scrimmage against a Joplin team. We lost both, but it was beautiful out (as opposed to today ~ super rainy and cold) so Brad, Cameron, & Drew had a blast running around in the sunshine.

Chicks Dig Scars ~ Stephen Grows Up

2009-04-07T19:10:00.004-05:00

Last week Stephen achieved two coming of age milestones ~ he lost his first tooth and held his first firearm. His first tooth finally fell out, just short of his 8th birthday. If you look closely, you can see the permanant tooth already in place behind the new gap. As for new weapons experience, he went for his first round of paintball. As you can tell from the picture below, he took quite a few hits to the lower right hip area. We just reminded him that, "chicks dig scars"!

From Paint Ball

Stephen Makes The Paper

2009-04-02T17:20:00.003-05:00

This week's Joplin Globe article by our neighbor Jane Drummond is all about our wonderful friend and fabulous librarian Janet Hackney. Stephen is her biggest fan and somehow made his way into the article. Read it here!

Janet has been one of my best buds for years and as the beloved librarian at the K-1 building in C.J., she has a huge fan base. We go out together, and I hear kids from a distance yell at their parents, “OH MY GOODNESS, there she is!! There is Miss Hackney!”

When my little neighbor boy, Stephen Landsberger, started kindergarten a few years back, you would have thought it was the Rolling Stones coming to my house to do a live concert, the excitement was so great that “she” was just next door. He would go home, get cleaned up and come over and look at her like she was the one who put the coolness in cool. You see, Janet is one of those educators who are in it for all the right reasons. She is 100 percent caring, nice and super fun. She has been at C.J. (following teaching several years at Joplin) for almost 10 years now, making kids excited about books.

We Survived Blizzard '09

2009-03-29T15:16:00.003-05:00

For days we were bombarded with reports about Winter Storm '09 ... 4-8 inches of snow, ice, days and days of rain ... temps bottoming out in the twenties ... they were sort-of right ...

Let me tell you this ~ Missouri is the only state I've ever been in where it can snow all day long and none of it sticks! I'm talking big, fat snowflakes that would have blanketed North Carolina for a week ... but here, only about .00001% of that snow stuck around. This morning there was the slightest bit of fluff along the mulch ... that's it!

Want to know how much it didN'T snow ... Kayla had a soccer game today ~ outside!

All I have to say is ~ BRING ON THE SPRING!!! I've had more than enough of Old Man Winter.

from the backyard (about a week ago)

Branson ~ Splash Country

2009-03-21T14:20:00.000-05:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Harmonia Axyridis

2009-03-16T14:49:00.005-05:00

A while ago, Nanny sent us a link to Cornell University's Lost Ladybug Project. Tody, Bradley found Harmonia axyridis, a multicolored Asian ladybug.

You can post pictures and information on your ladybugs at http://www.lostladybug.org/.

Hooray Bradley!!!

Keep up the good hunting!!!

Mother's Intuition or Friday the 13th Paranoia

2009-03-13T12:11:00.000-05:00

As I packed his lunch this morning, I got that sick feeling in my stomach.

Turkey and cheese on white, cheese crackers, Oreos, bottle of half frozen water, and gummies carefully packed in a heavy white sack with handles. I carefully wrote his name, his teacher’s name and his grade on the sack in red magic marker and drew a tiny black paw print at the top.

I dressed him in his Bulldog Pride t-shirt, jeans, and his new blue Converse sneakers, wrapped him carefully in his “big” coat and sent him out to the bus stop with the others.

Then I called him back. I kissed him some more. Five times, right on top of the head and told him that I loved him … again. I looked carefully at his face, admired his sweet smile and blue eyes.

“I gotta go, Mom!”

Five more kisses, on the hood of his jacket, for the sake of time. He ran to the end of the driveway, stopped, and then crossed over just in time to catch the bus. He didn’t wave goodbye.

I waited for the bus to pull away and then I closed the red door and said a little prayer.
He’s not dying or anything. He’s not even sick. He’s going on a field trip. A field trip to the Shriner’s Circus about 70 miles away in Springfield, but to me, today, it may as well be a trip to the moon.

I’ve got that feeling. That feeling that says this is a bad idea … that feeling that screams at me to intervene and protect … to press my hand to his forehead and tell him he has a fever and can’t go to school today, can't go on the trip.

I didn’t, though. I sent him on his way, excitement in tact. I don’t think I’m over-protective and I don’t get that knot in my gut a lot, but today it’s especially tight, pulling on all my organs at once.

Mother’s intuition or Friday the 13th paranoia?

Bring On The Spring!!!

2009-03-12T12:50:00.001-05:00

The Landsbergers are officially ready for spring. Enough of the cold!

Interview From The Loony Bin

2009-03-04T19:25:00.002-06:00

Really weird minds ... might want to know ...

1. What is something Nanny always says to you?
(Cameron) “Night, night, goodnight”

2. What makes Daddy happy?
(Stephen) “Chocolate pie”

3. What makes Stephen sad?
(Andrew) “Chocolate”

4. How does your Mommy make you laugh?
(Bradley) “Tickling my pits”

5. What was your Bobo like as a child?
(Cameron) “A Cheerleader”

6. How old is Trey?
(Andrew) “He’s choo-choo train”

7. How tall is your Daddy?
(Stephen) “4 Foot 5”

8. What is Kayla’s favorite thing to watch on TV?
(Cameron) “The Coco Show” aka ~ Dora The Explorer

9. What does your Daddy do when you're not around?
(Andrew) “Go to the store and get some Diegos and treats”

10. If your Grandpa Bob becomes famous, what will it be for?
(Bradley) “Because he’s a superstar”

11. What is Kayla’s favorite food?
(Andrew) “Mashed potatoes”

12. If your Daddy were a cartoon character, who would he be?
(Kayla) “The Hulk”

13. What do you and Nanny do together?
(Cameron) “Play how, how, how, how”

14. How are you and your Bobo the same?
(Stephen) “We both go to the bathroom”

15. What does your Mommy like most about your dad?
(Andrew) “Cameron, Andrew, and Stephen and Daddy”

Happy Birthday Bradley!!!

2009-02-22T14:49:00.001-06:00

6 Years Old!!!

Last Indoor Soccer Game for Pink Panthers

2009-02-21T19:46:00.004-06:00

Today was the Panther's last indoor game in Springdale, Arkansas. The girls tied the first game, but lost the second. This season has been a real adventure, as first seasons often are. The girls won one game, but learned a lot. Their understanding and skill has improved dramatically. I don't think they were expecting the dynamics of the game to change so much just because it moved inside.

Kayla insists that she loves indoor ... even more than outdoor. In the game they won, she even scored a goal! This was a great moment for her because she is a defender and never gets near the other team's goal during the regular outdoor season.

Next tournament ~ March 21 ... HERE!!! Hooray ~ our first tournament in Joplin!!!

AND ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BRADLEY!!! PICTURES TO COME AFTER HIS BIRTHDAY PARTY AT CHUCK E. CHEESE TOMORROW!!!

Flat Stanley Heads Back to North Carolina

2009-02-16T15:43:00.005-06:00

For most of the past week, we've had a special guest from Conover, North Carolina with us ... Flat Stanley. Flat Stanley is the main charaacter from a children's book of the same name and a fun project that lots of students participate in. Stanley travles via mail to various locations and records his experiences to share with his friends when he finally returns home. I posted a Flat Stanley story that included (now) President Obama here back in November.

Flat Stanley came to visit us from Conover, North Carolina. Morgan B. from Mrs. Brittain's Second Grade Class sent him out here to Carl Junction to visit with Stephen. Morgan was Stephen's best friend before we moved here. His grandmother was Stephen & Bradley's babysitter from the time they were little babies until we moved in 2006.

Since he's been here, Flat Stanley has been to Carl Junction Primary 2-3. He visited Mrs. Shorter and Mrs. Shaw's classroom where he was a big hit. He got to go to the front of the class to be introduced. While attending second grade in Missouri, he also attended the Valentine's Day party at school and a birthday party for Stephen's friend, Elizabeth, at the Flip Shop! He had milkshakes at Sonic and went to see The Praying Hands, a gigantic statue in Webb City, MO.

Flat Stanley has really enjoyed being in Missouri, the home state of one of our most famous presidents, Harry Truman. Harry Truman was the 33rd President of the United States and was from Lamar, Missouri - about one hour away from Stephen's house. Missouri is also the birthplace of Mark Twain, who wrote "Tom Sawyer". Both of these famous men were born in the Ozark region of Missouri. This is the southern part of the state that has many state parks and wonderful lakes famous for their beauty and great fishing. Flat Stanley was a true gentleman for his entire visit. We loved having him with us for a while, but he made us very homesick for Morgan and his family. We hope we can visit with them again this summer.

Tomorrow, Flat Stanley goes back into his envelope with his journal and a few pictures of his visit and will travel a thousand miles back to Lyle Creek Elementary School to share his trip with Morgan and Mrs. Brittain and the second grade class.

Good Luck, Flat Stanley!!! We'll miss you!!!

With much happiness,

Stephen Landsberger and the Landsberger Family

How Many Ways Are There To Eat A Sugar Cookie???

2009-02-12T19:28:00.004-06:00

The Licker

The Big Biter
The Nibbler
The Chocolate Oddball
The Plain Jane

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYBODY!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Times Are Tough All Over

2009-02-11T11:44:00.004-06:00

Hey Pals!

I know we're all worried about this economy. Job security, the stock market, living expenses ... times are tough for everyone right now. Here's one thing you can do to make life better for shelter animals without having to do anything but click your mouse. Click on the critters below and you'll go to The Animal Rescue Site. Once there, all you have to do is click on the big button at the top. Based on how many clicks they get, their corporate sponsors will donate money & supplies to help care for the many animals that have lost their homes.

Thanks for taking a minute to do this!!!

We Love You Bobo!!! Happy Birthday!!!

2009-02-06T10:00:00.007-06:00

Signs of Spring

2009-02-05T12:49:00.002-06:00

Cool, new shoes

Playing outside

Looking for a shady spot Could it be ... even just for a little while???

"Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh."

2009-01-31T17:18:00.003-06:00

~ W. H. Auden, "Notes on the Comic"

Just feeling grateful for wonderful children ...

SNOW DAY!!! With REAL SNOW!!!

2009-01-28T12:00:00.004-06:00

The Wilson Six: Bloggy Carnival

2009-01-26T18:39:00.003-06:00

The Wilson Six: Bloggy Carnival

Check in at the Wilson Six and leave a comment ~ it is SO easy ... you may become the next owner of a custom, monogrammed notepad!!! How Delicious!!!

Be sure to check out Jennifer's ETSY shop or JDesigns as well! Her work is AMAZING!!! I am a total fan!!!

The Politically Incorrect Landsberger Boys

2009-01-25T11:35:00.013-06:00

I know Miss America is supposedly passe and politically incorrect, but I absolutely LOVE it!!! We watch it every year and though I rarely pick a winner, I think Rob has either chosen the winner or the first runner up for, at the very least, the last ten years. Believe it or not, he chose Miss Georgia (first runner up) from his cell phone in WalMart last night (without even seeing her). It's become sort of a family thing as well. Last night when the show came on, Bradley insisted we call Trey because he watched it with us last year.

The talent competition was the biggest hit this year. It turns out Bradley is a huge fan of hula and tap dancing, but not operatic singing. Stephen, however, said of Miss Georgia, "I haven't heard anyone sing like that in years" (yes, all seven of them) and was truly amazed by Miss Tennessee's opera number. He was also delighted to see, "Clinton, from 'What Not To Wear'"!!! (Don't ask me how he knows Clinton ... I don't think I want to know).

Bradley did not like Miss New York's hairstyle at all, but liked her dress because it had a "ninja death star" applique. Stephen wasn't really into the gowns but seemed to greatly appreciate the swimsuit competition ... greatly! Isn't it terrific, I'm living with the Siskel & Ebert of the Pageant scene ... good Lord!!! ... but I swear, they were hilarious!!! It was a very fun night.

So, I just wanted to say to all you Miss America Haters ... you don't know nothing til you've watched it with my boys!!! They are available most weekends and holidays. Please check back for market value and current rental rates.

... And the next Mario Lopez is ....

hahahahah :)

All pictures from www.missamerica.com

The Wilson Six: Giveaway Link

2009-01-22T17:55:00.001-06:00

The Wilson Six: Giveaway

Follow this link on Jennifer's blog to sign up to win a Lowe's gift card. There are some cool comments on the post already!!! Good Luck!!!

Hooray!!!

Just When You Thought It Was Safe ...

2009-01-17T18:12:00.004-06:00

Would someone please turn my name in for the show Super Nanny or Nanny 911 or Kid Swap or I Think My Toddler Might Be A Drag Queen ... I could use the prize money ... seriously!!!

PS ~Kayla is NOT a happy camper!!! He was in HER makeup bag!!!

In case you could possibly be wondering ~ that IS Cameron, of course!!!

The Kayla Files ...

2009-01-12T21:28:00.004-06:00

If you didn't know ... taking pictures of oneself and friends in various states of hilarity is the new sleepover party game ... no Ouija boards or prank calls ... just a digital camera and a long arm.

Tonight I downloaded 156 pictures from Kayla's camera. Of those 138 were of the previously mentioned genre. Here are a few of the gems!!!

I guess it's a good thing they're all just so dang cute!!!

Fashion Alert!!! Red Lips Never Go Out Of Style!!!

2009-01-08T08:41:00.006-06:00

Cameron would also like to thank the makers of Crystal Light "To Go" for the entire packet of cherry limeade he consumed like a horrible, blood-red pixie stick!

OH! ... valtine

2009-01-06T18:37:00.007-06:00

THIS

PLUS THIS

EQUALS THIS

((( Cameron would like to let the makers of
Ovaltine know that he is a big fan. )))

CONGRATULATIONS Devine Family!!!

2009-01-04T10:14:00.008-06:00

One of Kayla's best friends, Hannah, got a very special gift this year ... a baby sister, Natilie! Congratulations to the whole Devine family. We couldn't be more thrilled for you all!

The first baby born in 2009 at St. John’s Regional Medical Center was Natilie Grace Devine. She was born at 4:43 a.m. to Tammy and Matt Devine, of Carl Junction. She weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces.
Tammy and Matt Devine said Natilie was a “surprise.” She is their fourth child.
“We thought we were all finished with our family, but God had other plans,” Tammy Devine said. “We feel blessed. We’ve been blessed four times.” Matt Devine said the new arrival has changed his perspective on things. “At the top of the list was the economy and Israel and Pakistan, and now that’s kind of faded into the background for me,” Devine said. (from the Joplin Globe)

You can read the Joplin Globe New Year Babies article here.

2009??? What Happened To 2008???

2009-01-01T19:18:00.006-06:00

Can you believe another year has flown by??? I sure can't. On the ninth of this month we will celebrate our 3 year (Carl Junction) anniversary! WOW ~ I just can't believe it!!!

When we moved here, the babies were 4 months old and looked like this:

Bradley still had Pebo,

Stephen went to preschool with the amazing Mrs. Pam,

and Kayla was only in the 4th grade.

Where did the time go?

Ho! Ho! Ho! and One More Surprise!!!

2008-12-26T21:38:00.002-06:00

We thought we were lucky enough just having Nanny here for Christmas this year, but you'll never guess who walked through the door yesterday afternoon??? TREY!!! What a terrific surprise!!! None of us knew he was coming to visit (though this is his usual holiday haunt) ... Bryn kept his secret beautifully!!!

Here's a little peek into the Landsberger7 & Gracie + Nanny and Super Surprise Trey Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas Family & Friends!!!

2008-12-24T20:56:00.003-06:00

Twas the night before Christmas

And all through this home

Steve & Brad were going nuts

And Norad said Santa was in Rome ...

Kayla is wired

And so are the twins

Nanny is exhausted

And Rob is out of grins.

I stole away a moment

To drop you a line

To Say Merry Christmas

and throw back some wine.

It's just not the same

For the boys without Trey

And we miss our sweet Bryn

And Baby Colton today.

Uncle Brian and Tammy

The girls, Mamaw too

and dancing Papa John ...

we miss you guys too!

Bobo and Sharon

Grandpa Bob and Jan

Maybe next year?

Wouldn't that be grand?

No presents are wrapped

There's much work to be done

So I'll have to get going

Morning will soon come ...

Then their faces will shine

When Santa's done his part

But right now I'm sending you ...

all the love in our hearts.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

With all our love!!!

Snow Days & Cookie Swaps ... What A Week!!!

2008-12-20T12:44:00.007-06:00

This week has been WILD!!! No school Monday - Wednesday ... finally back on Thursday & only half a day on Friday ... talk about living it up!!! On Tuesday & Wednesday, there was a lot of this:

On Thursday night, we held the first annual Landsberger Cookie Swap (and *next year ~ crazy Christmas Sweater) Party. It was loads of fun. All of the girls brought wonderful cookies and we had lots of great snacks. Becca Wilson won the "girl" doorprize ... a gingerbread house to decorate and Karen Degonni won the "mom" prize ... some cookie tools!!! Click the picture above to check out the Wilson-Six blog. Her snow days blog is called "3 Snow Days, 2 Glassees of Wine, & A Partridge in a Pear Tree

And just imagine ... all of this while Rob was on the east coast! ((pat on the back for me!!!)

ICE, ICE Baby ... Again ... With A Little Snow This Time

2008-12-16T11:27:00.003-06:00

More precip. last night ... another snow day ... no school today.

The temp is hovering in the teens and everyone is a wee bit anxious ... will we get to go outside? when will we get to go? Is it time to go out yet? How many more minutes? Now?

And so goes the day (I'm guessing).

Just wanted to update. Must go make more snacks and break up a fight.

XOXO,
Ann

ps ~ our computer is on the skids ... working on Bahar's laptop we borrowed last night ... so if updates are few and far between beyond this point, don't worry ... we're working on it!

ICE, ICE Baby!!!

2008-12-15T08:53:00.015-06:00

Today's a SNOW DAY!!! ... just without the snow!!! Ice only ... even on the inside of our storm door!!! ... yes, that is where Kayla wrote her name in the ice ... from INSIDE!!! It's not supposed to warm up past freezing until late tomorrow & the weather channel says snow/wintry mix tomorrow as well. EEEEK GADS!!! Then, up to 61 on Thursday??? I love Jim Cantore as much as the next girl, but whaaaa??? We have about a half inch of ice on various parts of the terrain here ... mostly on the driveway & road, but practically none on the grass (I don't much understand global warming, but this seems totally hinky to me). Yesterday afternoon at 2 o'clock it was 71 degrees and by 6 pm it was only about 25! How crazy is that!!! We've had winds from 20 - 50 mph for the last three days (lots of our neighbors have lost their siding) ... and now this ... but hey, ... nothing like a White Christmas. As for those staying home from school today ... so far, so good ... everyone is getting along and enjoying the long weekend. We'll have to wait and see how long that lasts. Robbie got off to work ... but said the roads were very slick ... he had to go super-slow.

OOPS!!! The door was blocked by the ice ... Kayla had to go out and scrape the ice off so Gracie could go out to potty!!! ... boy, this is one of those times, I'm glad I'm not a dog!!!

Update later ... pray for me!!! :) Ann

We're Right On Track!!!

2008-12-11T20:16:00.006-06:00

Jana Allison, our "Parent's As Teachers" teacher came to visit today to check on the little boys. Parents As Teachers is an awesome program here ... Jana has been coming to see the boys ever since we arrived in Missouri. In the beginning, she came once a month and that continued until they turned three this year. Now, we get 3 or 4 visits/year. The boys always look forward to her coming because she lets them do the most super-fun things. Not only does she do fun things to check on hearing, vision, language & motor skills, she also brings along giant tubs of rice, Moon Sand, and today ... making Trail Mix ... she has so many cool ideas for keeping up with their development.The lesson was about pouring, stirring, mixing, using spoons and scoops ... counting, colors ... I was totally amazed at how many things she could think of to teach them about using M&Ms, Goldfish, pretzels, & raisins. They had so, so much fun!!! Watching them was just as much fun for me. Jana was extremely pleased with all of their motor functioning and especially with their sharing and language. She loved it most when Andrew told Cameron to say "please" when he wanted Drew to give him some of his mix. It was hilarious!!! Twins are so much fun, everyday ... and today was no exception!!! Parents As Teachers is such an awesome program. My neighbor and dear, wonderful friend Jane also works for Parents As Teachers. You can read her column in the Joplin Globe here. This week's article is about saving money by making homemade Christmas gifts for your kids ... and believe me, that Parents As Teachers crowd knows how to have a good time ~ these are great ideas!!!

The Life & Times of Bradley

2008-12-10T17:47:00.000-06:00

Bradley wanted everyone to know that he's writing exclusively in hieroglyphics now.
Please address your Christmas gift cards accordingly.

Christmas Memories ... Gingerbread at The Grove Park Inn 2005

2008-12-07T13:56:00.025-06:00

One of my favorite recent Christmas memories is of a trip to The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC to see the gingerbread houses made for the Food Network Gingerbread Contest. The sheer splendor of The Grove Park is amazing enough but when you throw in an ounce of celebrity and enough gingerbread to feed all of Santa's elves ... you've got yourself an unrivaled holiday spectacular!!! And let me tell you ... it did not disappoint!!! We had an unforgettably wonderful time!!!

Getting there was a bit of a trick though ... Miss

Belinda had to sneak a "sick" day, the girls had to play hookie from school, the big boys skipped out on Mamaw, Sharon (Fairy Godmother of Charm & Beauty) & Trey stayed with the babies ... and we took off for the NC mountains.

Kayla, being a Food Network super-junkie was so, so excited to be going to the Gingerbread Contest ... she was almost trembling!

It all started with caroling and hot chocolate with the Grove Park Bear.

(Check out that cool purple suede purse ... NICE!!! Boy ... did I used to have style ??? and if so ??? what happened to it???)

We sang all the classics and everyone got a souvenir booklet of the songs to color and hang on the tree at home (we still have one!)

We toured around the grand hotel and stopped to check out the amazing view of Asheville ... the mountains are simply spectacular, but obviously, Stephen and Megan were the only ones impressed by the view!!!

We checked out the unbelievable gingerbread houses and even got to stop into the Food Network studio to watch some gingerbread houses being built. This was totally cool ... we couldn't believe we were right there while they were taping ... we didn't stay for the whole thing (some of us were a little "restless"), but we got to see a lot of it & it was so, so unforgettable!

This was one of the most super-fun things we've ever done and the memories (and thank goodness the pictures) will be with us for many, many years.

Friday Afternoon ... and all's well!

2008-12-05T13:18:00.004-06:00

I lived through my oral surgery (surprise! surprise!) and the healing has begun!!! I have to say that this gaping hole in my mouth feels better than the thump-thump-thump-throbbing of the compressed nerve though. Read all about my EXPERIENCE here!!!

Trey, Bryn & Baby Colton are traveling right now ... well, maybe they're home right now ... I am taking quite a bit of medication and can't really remember their schedule. Either way ... they are gone and we are very, very sad :(

TGIF!!!

They're Heeeee-rrre!!!

2008-12-03T12:24:00.005-06:00

Bryn, Colton, & Trey arrived yesterday around 3 o'clock. It has been a wonderful whirlwind ever since!!! Colton spent the night with Robbie & me; Kayla spent the night with Cameron & Drew; Trey spent the night with Stephen & Bradley; and Bryn got Kayla's super-comfy bed all to herself!!! A full night of uninterrupted sleep is priceless (believe me, I know!). We are all looking forward to our time together. Unfortunately & fortunately ... I'm having my bad tooth out and a bone graft (for my implant) tomorrow morning ... I'm hoping I will bounce back quickly ... don't want to waste any of our precious time together!!!

Wow ~ What A Week!!!

2008-11-30T18:57:00.018-06:00

Finally, it's Sunday night ... I've been dreaming about putting everyone to bed just so I can wake them all up in the morning for school!!!
Thanksgiving was wonderful ... sad because we had no "family" around to share the day with us, but the weather was great and we got a lot done in the garage (cleaning) and had an awesome meal ... our turkey was so big, it wouldn't even fit in the giant roaster (the biggest one that would fit in my oven!!!) We may not have had any of our east coast family, but we did get a few special visits from our very important midwest family ~ our "old" nanny, Katie, Susan's niece Jessica, and Susan's mom & dad (who we absolutely adore)!!!

On Friday morning, Bahar & I left at 4 am to go out for Black Friday ... we really didn't have a particular item we were trying to get, but we had so much fun! I did copy this idea for a tree topper from the Kohl's flyer (but I made it with stuff from Hobby Lobby & Big Lots because the candy canes at Kohl's were like 10 bucks a piece!) Rob couldn't stand being at home and left shortly after 6 to hit the stores we hadn't gotten to and then we met up at Home Depot (for a gorilla ladder ~ which will be great when Rob starts painting ... shhhhh! don't tell him ... I haven't told him yet!!!) and then we got some breakfast. Believe it or not, Bahar & I beat him back home. He had to stop for bathrobes ... the newest "thing" here at our house. Both big boys had to have one ... you can see Brad's in one of the pictures below. The good news is ~ I think the robes are taking the place of the night-night strings and our long, lost Pebo HOORAY!!!

Old Katie" came for a weekend visit, before she leaves this Sunday for Colorado ... working & training for a few months before trying out for the big league!!! Go Katie/Kaney ;) She, Brad, & Stephen went to see Madagascar II & loved it ... they ate so much popcorn that they didn't even want dinner!!!

Another super-fun thing about this weekend was decorating for Christmas ... the little boys were so totally into it this year & of course, Bradley & Stephen were "in charge"! We got a very, very special treat this morning when we got up to finish our work ~ it was snowing!!! Huge, wonderful flakes fell for hours & hours and gave everything a truly Christmas-y feel!!! We are so in the mood for Santa!!! Everything looks so good & we are really proud of our work ... especially because ...

We are expecting very special visitors tomorrow ~ Bryn, Baby Colton & Trey are coming to visit until Friday ... we are so totally excited!!! They won't get here until late tomorrow night, but I'm counting down the minutes until they arrive. This will be our very first chance to see the baby & we haven't seen Bryn since the summer. We are looking forward to seeing Trey, too ... and we haven't seen him since his visit here in August.

Kayla has been busy babysitting all weekend ... saving up for that iPod touch ... she's more than half way!!! I don't know who's more proud ... Kayla or her dad (for her steadfast thriftyness as of late!) ... although they did get into a large disagreement about Webkinz at the hardware store ... she thought she needed one and he thought she didn't. Funny, he asked her what her angle was when she suggested she'd go to the store with him ... dad's always seem to know, huh??? Mine always did ... that's for sure!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!!!

Much Love to You All!!!

Congratulations Austin & Laura!!!

2008-11-24T15:35:00.007-06:00

My dear, sweet Austin got engaged this weekend to his girlfriend of many years, Laura.

We wish them a lifetime of love and happiness!!!

Kayla, Austin & I ~ 2004

The Sunday Funnies ~ All Four of Them!!!

2008-11-23T20:59:00.005-06:00

Couldn't resist letting you in on our little Sunday morning secret ... the funnies, sale papers ... and Nachos!!! (Kayla missed out on the fun ~ she was at a sleepover.)

T G I F !!!

2008-11-21T09:02:00.009-06:00

Thank goodness it's Friday, but where did the week go??? Not only can't I believe we've blown through a whole week ... but it's the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving already!!! WOW!!! There's so much to do ... now ... to get ready for Christmas. Maybe we'll get started this weekend ... I think the Lands Dad is feeling the spirit ... he picked up some new deocrations last night and he even hinted at getting out all the FaLaLaLaLa. It's certainly cold enough here!!!

The kids had to bundle up this morning ... of course Bradley refused to wear a coat, but I was able to force him into a sweatshirt ... since his favorite was in the wash (Jacob's hand-me-down, Red Sox Champs) he agreed to wear one of Grandpa's "cool" sweatshirts, but refused to smile even a little ... imagine that.

Kayla and the little boys played and goofed off until her ride came ... right now they are coloring pictures with their new crayons (gotta love that discount bin at Big Lots) and I thought I'd knock out a quick update! Don't you love those footie pajamas!!! I will be so, so sad when these little boys outgrow them. Also ~ Kayla has updated her "do" ... a little more curl & swirl!!! She's the best!!!

Check back over the weekend ... if we get going on the Christmas fun ~ I'll be sure to keep you all in the know!!!

Happy Friday!!!

PS ~ I just want to show off a little ... show off this precious little angel ~ Colton Elliott Hamlett, a gorgeous gift to the world from Bryn & Jon. Is he perfect or what???

Loveable Labels ~ I LOVE Them!!!

2008-11-20T09:45:00.001-06:00

Loveable Labels are the most awesome thing I've found in a long time. They are sticky labels (no ironing) that you 'stick' onto the labels of your coats, hats, gloves, clothes ... anything you choose. They don't wash off and you can have anything printed on them ... your name, phone number, etc. They come in different sizes and there are specialty labels for the inside of shoes, for sippy cups and baby bottles (that won't wash off) ... lots of totally cool applications!!!

I just had to share ... I'm so happy with them!!! Check it out at: http://www.lovablelabels.ca/

Saturday Night Quickie

2008-11-15T22:11:00.026-06:00

This was our first soccer-free weekend in 3 months!!! It was nice to be off-schedule, but I sure did miss the fun. The high here today was around 37 ... bbbrrrrrrr!!! ... so I'm pretty glad we didn't have to spend any time outside. One of our favorite "honorary Landsberger"s spent the night ~ the super-fun-deluxe, Katie Wiele. Our morning began at a very early 5 am because I had to make these:

Bradley also got up with me at 5!!! WHAT??? Bradley ... the kid we dress while he's asleep before school every

day and then carry down the stairs to eat ... good grief!!! He was in a great mood though ... but his happy voice aroused the little boys ... and then Stephen. Everyone but the girls was up by quarter til 6!

Rob, Stephen, & I ran to Lowe's to get a light/fan for the bathroom, but when we got home and Rob started installing it, he realized the other one wasn't even broken ... just some sort of little glitch ... he unwired & wired it back and it works fine ... a good way to save $38.98.

While we were gone, Kayla & the little boys made cookies! Bradley was asleep from noon (when he got in trouble for 'pants-ing' his sister) until after 4 o'clock!!! Again, WHAT??? He got up in a great mood though and everyone played & played until it was time for bed.

Kayla went next door to babysit Cameron & Maddy. She loves that green stuff!!! ... And she's saving up to buy an IPod Touch. She wants to sell her IPod on ebay and use that money + what she earns babysitting and gets for Christmas to get the newest & coolest IPod ever!!!

Night, night.

Updating while waiting for Sis to get home. :) Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!!

Friday! Friday! Friday!!! Thank Goodness It's Friday!!!

2008-11-14T08:03:00.005-06:00

Showing some Bulldog Pride Today!!!

True Love!!! Kayla & Drewie

Cameron's Haircut

Cameron and Drew gave themselves a haircut this week. I had trimmed Stephen's hair over his ears because he was looking shaggy and left the clippers on a surface lower than 10 feet high ... pretty, huh?

Bradley wasn't mad ... he just wanted me to take a picture of his "Stink Eye"!!! What a stinker!

30% Off At Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic ~ 4 Day Coupon ~ Starts Today!!!

2008-11-13T08:05:00.007-06:00

I tried to email this to everyone on my list, but here's the coupon for everyone else!!! Five percent of the order will go to The Boys and Girls Club of America giving hope and opportunity to kids who need it most. If you can't get a clear copy ... and I can't figure out how to get it any more clear ... email me or leave me a comment and I will email you a copy of the original!!! Happy Shopping!!!

Monday Morning Follow Up ~

2008-11-10T11:15:00.010-06:00

The Panthers went on to win their first game on Sunday morning and then played the team they tied on Saturday morning in the Championship game Sunday afternoon (boy ... that sounds confusing). I was mistaken on the Yellow Card ... that was someone else ~ I thought Robbie was awfully calm when he told me that!

Anyway ... the Panthers came in second place and the family returned home around 6:00 last night. Brad & Kayla were sound asleep, but one of them managed to find a smile for me ... haha! My friend Jennifer took the team picture! She's totally terrific!!

We also had a wonderful surprise on Sunday! Katie & her mom stopped by for a little while as they were going to MSSU to the Senior Day soccer game! They boys were so excited to see her ... and me too! It's just always so sad when she has to leave. Katie (who's real name is Kaney ~ the boys just never seemed to catch on to that) has decided to turn down NC State grad school and is leaving in a few weeks to go to Colorado to work for a while before trying out for the national soccer team! We are so proud of her! Hooray!!!!!

Very cold again today ... overcast ... looks snowy even! Nothing much going on here ~ one spilled bag of Doritos and a clogged toilet ... same ol', same ol'. Have a great day!

Saturday Night Quickie

2008-11-08T20:04:00.019-06:00

The Pink Panthers tied their first game 0-0 and won the second game 2-0! GO PINK!!! Kayla has Bradley & her dad in KC cheering her & the team on to victory!!! "Old Katie" (our "old" wonderful nanny) even drove over from Kansas to watch the first game! The Panthers placed well in this tournament last year! Looking for a repeat! ... sidenote: Kayla did pull a yellowcard today for dropping an elbow. Hopefully tomorrow she will stay out of trouble!

I made a lovely coconut cake & a couple dozen cheesecake pops for a local private school (fundraiser) auction ... the cake went for $90 and the pops went for $80!!! WOWZA!!!

Stephen spent the afternoon raking leaves and then jumping in them with Amanda! This picture is from Amanda's birthday party 2 years ago ... they have changed so much!!!!

The little boys & I stayed inside, where it's warm. The high today was like 38 degrees!!! bbbrrrrrr!!!!!! We spent a lot of time building lego towers and painting with watercolors. That is an everyday favorite! It's supposed to make it to 50 degrees tomorrow ... but down to 25 tonight!!!

Happy Saturday!!

Gracie Is Very Thankful and Very Bad!

2008-11-06T08:51:00.011-06:00

Who can resist Thanksgiving food? Not me! And, it is EVERYWHERE! I couldn't wait any longer ... I had to have turkey and deli turkey would not do ... I wanted to slave over it, smell it for hours and hours, and culminate the beautiful sensory experience with my very favorite hot turkey sandwich loaded with stuffing, mashed potatos, and cranberry sauce. It's still a little early for the Thanksgiving "meal", but not too early for a small indulgence just to satisfy my holiday food addiction.

Everything was coming together right on time ... I got everything out and fixed Kayla a plate (before soccer practice). About that time, Dad got home with some groceries, so I scooted out to the garage to help him get the bags in. Are you sensing disaster?

Yes! Utter and complete disaster! It was our very own "A Christmas Story" moment. My very calm and laid back daughter walks out to the garage and asks, "Did you know Gracie has the turkey?" "WHAT????", I screamed. "I took it away from her", Kayla says, "but there's just a little left." "WHAT????", I'm screaming as I run back inside. I enter the kitchen to find the small, gnawed up remains of my succulent, delicious, little turkey breast. I could have just cried! I'm not a quitter though ... and with my ultimate turkey sandwich controlling my mind, I cut off all the sides ... sadly enough, not because the dog had eaten there, but just because there was dog hair all over it ... I considered washing the whole thing off in the sink, but decided against that. When I finally finished "cleaning" what was left of the turkey, I had enough to fit in the palm of my hand ... and I had to share it ... with Dad & Brad. Fortunately, Kayla left for soccer before she could eat hers, so the little boys split it. Bad dog, Gracie! Bad dog!!!! In case you're wondering, Gracie did not find any of it to be a very big deal ... not at all.

Today, I refuse to fix anything that takes longer or is more trouble than PopTarts. Cereal and microwave popcorn for everyone!

Something To Agree On ....

2008-11-05T09:49:00.002-06:00

We May Not All Agree on Politics, But We All Agree On "Flat Stanley" ~ The Original Uniter

Rest Well, Toot. You Did A Fine Job. We'll take it from here ...

2008-11-04T13:24:00.004-06:00

This was the post on one of my favorite blogs today ... margaretand helen (best friends for 60 years and counting)

My grandmother made the best cinnamon rolls. As much as I try, I cannot repeat her perfection. She never really understood why I wanted a different kind of life than the one she had, but that didn’t seem to matter. She still made me cinnamon rolls every week.
The best tribute we can give to Barack Obama right now (in addition to our vote) is to remember our Grandmothers and why we love them.
Please share your favorite Grandmother memory below.
(And if you didn’t like your Grandmother this is not the place to share. Go write those memories on that horrible Dr. Laura’s website. I read somewhere that she didn’t like her grandmother either.)
Rest well Toot. You did a fine job. We’ll take it from here. I mean it. Really.

I never thought I got along with my grandmother, but now I realize that she was a gift to me, an example of strength, and quite a bold, old broad. I have four sons ~ just like her. I love to cook ~ just like her. I can be an ornery devil ~ just like her. :) I just wanted to give Granny a "shout-out" today. Just like Obama's grandmother, Toot, I know she is busy keeping an eye on me today, too.

GO VOTE!

What Will We Do Now That Soccer is Over?

2008-11-03T11:05:00.002-06:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Kayla has one more tournament in Kansas City this weekend, but the boys are done. I'm not sure what we are supposed to do with our weekends now! It's nice to know that things will slow down a bit, but I absolutely adore watching them play ... and I have to say that I'm a little sad to see the season come to a close.

Trick-or-Treat!

2008-10-31T21:56:00.004-05:00

As usual, the Lands kids had more fun passing out candy than they did going door-to-door. The babies thought trick-or-treating was awesome but were happy to spend most of their time in the big stroller eating their loot! The boys were all Star Wars characters: Stephen - Darth Vader, Bradley- ObeWanKenobe (his teacher thought he had a Jesus costume at his school party on Thursday!), Cameron - Yoda, Drew - Chewbacca. Kayla & her pals (Anissa, Hannah, & Matt) were Ninja Turtles! A great time was had by all!

Report Cards & Parent/Teacher Conferences

2008-10-30T15:18:00.003-05:00

Today I had the wonderful experience of going to visit the kids' teachers. I found out that Bradley is quiet, sensitive, & reserved. I learned that Stephen is brilliant, social, & goes to the bathroom a lot. Kayla is a #9: conscientious student (in Jr. High you just get a formatted comment). Stephen & Kayla got straight A's & Bradley got all 4's. You couldn't ask for 3 more perfect students!! We are so proud of them!!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-29T17:01:00.002-05:00

The Week In Review!

2008-10-25T15:52:00.009-05:00

So I'm Not The Mom-Of-The-Week!

On Tuesday morning the little boys got into the van and locked the doors. When I grabbed the handle, it set off the alarm causing both babies to start to cry hysterically. I stood in the driveway, in my nightgown, attempting to scream over the car alarm and the cries of the boys how they could push the button to unlock the doors. Finally, the alarm shut off and for reasons unknown to me, I pulled the handle again ... yes, more deafening alarm and more screaming from the boys. Finally, one of them, I have no idea which one, pushed the lock up and I was able to get them out. Fortunately, I only woke up three of my neighbors and no one called the police.

On Wednesday, Bradley insisted that he was NOT going to participate in his class performance at the school assembly. He said he was just too nervous. Then he decided he wasn't even going to school - oh no ..., "yes you are", I said and quickly wrote a note to his teacher telling her of his woes. Since he wasn't going to sing, I surely wasn't going to haul the babies out in the pouring rain to go to the school. Needless to say, he sang, I wasn't there, and he thought that was hilarious! It was also an "early out" day ~ which is reminiscent of a tour of duty in Vietnam! Then, I almost forgot to pick Kayla up from dance practice ~ and when she called to tell me that she was done, Stephen was ... well ... taking care of some business and insisted that he could NOT! hurry. Waited, waited, waited ... left. Fortunately, I was able to get Allison D. to come over & stay with him until I got back.

On Thursday, I got Allison & Alexa to stay with the boys so I could go pick Kayla up at dance. She was 15 minutes late getting out ~ totally held up Jane's dinner plans.

On Friday, Kayla said to pick her up later, not earlier (per Thursday disaster) - got there at 4:37, she was one of only three waiting there ... if looks could kill, I wouldn't be writing this.

Of course that's not the only excitement we've experienced this week! So far, we've spilled an entire bottle of fingernail polish remover on the carpet; broken two bowls; dropped a cup of yogurt from about 6 feet (that makes a really big mess, in case you're wondering); run some bubble gum through the dryer ... well, you get the picture.

Somehow, it's Saturday, we've had three soccer games, everyone is happy & healthy and we're off to get some Halloween costumes and enjoy this beautiful day. It's funny that as parents we always take the credit for surviving our kids, but I gotta tell you ... this week, the kids survived me!

THIRSTY THURSDAY!!!!!

2008-10-23T07:14:00.005-05:00

There are lots of "Wednesday Blogs" out there ... "Wordless Wednesday"; "Works for me Wednesday" ... so now it's Thursday and I'm thinking of something a little more fun that making my own window cleaner (which is an awesome idea).

PEACH SANGRIA!

Equal parts White Zinfandel wine and Peach Schnapp (2 oz each or 8 oz each - that's up to you)- Half as much pineapple juice (if you use 2 oz each wine & schnapps - then use 1 oz juice)- Throw in a couple of maraschino cherries and a little of the cherry juice - Mix well & pour over crushed ice - top with a splash of Sprite

CHEERS!

We "Boo", Do You?

2008-10-21T14:08:00.003-05:00

Do you "Boo"? I had never heard of this super-fun Halloween tradition until we moved to the midwest ~ so I'm not sure if you guys back east are in on the fun!

This is our third year! On Sunday night, the doorbell rang. I went to answer, but no one was there ... only a wonderful bag of Halloween treats - popcorn balls and candy for the kids and a cutie-pie jack-o-lantern dishtowel for me. Inside the bag was a sign for our window (to mark us for other "Boo-ers" and the directions on how to continue the fun). When the Lands kids got up on Monday morning they were so excited ... it was like Christmas in October! Don't tell anybody, but Bradley had a popcorn ball for breakfast and I'm pretty sure Stephen had Skittles - is Halloween the best holiday or what? Now it's our turn to get in on the fun!

Tonight's the night! We will head out with our bags of treats to surprise our friends and neighbors. We really look forward to this tradition, especially the boys, but I think they just like the ringing the doorbell and running away part!

If you want to "Boo" your friends, you can go to my pal Jennifer's blog and get a copy of her "Boo" signs & directions at The Wilson Six. Get in on the fun ~ you'll love it!

Another Gorgeous October Weekend

2008-10-19T17:26:00.009-05:00

This weekend (10/18-19), Kayla played two games on Saturday and one game on Sunday - the Panthers lost all 3 games, but we were so proud of their play considering that two of their games were against #10 and #4 ranked OK teams. They put points on the board in two games and went down in one shutout. The little boys loved playing outside all day Saturday - they dug in the dirt and pushed bulldozers and little dumptrucks with their soccer friends, ate tons of snacks, and entertained all the moms & dads!

Stephen had a game Saturday morning (1 score) and Bradley had a game also (2 scores). Go Boys!!! They love to play!

Rob's CertainTeed company picnic was also Saturday and the big boys had a great afternoon with him at Carousel Park in Joplin.

Bradley Makes The Newspaper!

2008-10-18T08:57:00.000-05:00

Go to The Joplin Globe to read the whole article written by our neighbor, Jane.

Not long after the Landsbergers moved in, his mother, Anne, called and asked in a desperate and pleading voice if I would be OK with letting Bradley come over to trick or treat. She had tried to reason with him it wasn’t quite time, but Bradley had his mind set and nothing was going to stop him. (Did I mention it was June?) So, on a warm June day Bradley came over in his furry red Elmo costume, trick-or-treat pumpkin in hand. I had little prep time to get together some loot, but the kid seemed happy with a can of fruit cocktail and some old Pizza Hut mints covered with fuzz from the bottom of my purse. My girls thought he was so cute we had to take pictures, and he loved every minute of it.