Basketball Stud

Steps to the Perfect Lemonade Stand

Step #1: Make a sign.


Step #2: Wear your Gamecock jersey assuming that mostly Gamecock fans will come to your lemonade stand because you live in Columbia, SC, home of the GAMECOCKS!!!!


Step #3: Count your money and realize you've only made $3.00. Consider taking off your Gamecock jersey so as not to offend Clemson fans in the hopes that you'll sale more lemonade. But decide not to because you don't much care about offending Clemson fans.


Step #4: Call on your favorite superhero for help and, together, conquer that lemonade stand!

A Brand New Labor Day!

For a whole bunch of years, we've had the same Labor Day tradition:
1. Drive to Chapin Labor Day Festival.
2. Park a kajillion miles away and walk to parade.
3. Sit in 100 degree weather and tell the kids we're sorry they can't see anything because there are mounds of people in front of us.
4. Fight crowds to buy a burger.
5. Sit with whiny kids and threaten them that if they don't hurry up and eat we won't be able to pay $1,000 to slide down a huge blown up treehouse thing.
6. Walk a kajillion miles back to car sweating and miserable.
7. Go home and ask ourselves why we did that.


This year we decided to try something new. We headed to Flat Rock, NC to check out SkyTop Orchard. It was peaceful. It wasn't crowded. We wore sweaters! We went on a hayride and saw animals and ate apple doughnuts and drank apple cider and bought jalapeno pepper jelly! It was pure bliss and got me super excited about Fall!

In Landon's Words

Upon walking into a friend's house, Landon exclaimed,"Hey! Someone trashed your house!" Nope. It hadn't been trashed. It had just been "loved up". So, we had a little talk about that.


"Mommy, I have TWO bosses. One that's a person and one that's not a person. Mrs.Thompson is my boss because she's the principal of my school and God is the boss because he's God. Mommy, is God Mrs.Thompson's boss?"


Me: What do you like about your teacher?
Landon: What is there to like since she's a Clemson fan?


After getting off the school bus, Landon looked up at me with his big, blue eyes and said, "Mommy, I missed you today."

Oh, how I love him.

Kindergarten

Landon,

You woke up this morning with a big smile on your face. You put on your khaki shorts, a green and white striped polo shirt, and your brand new gray New Balance tennis shoes that look just like Daddy's. You asked for a waffle cut up with syrup on top. You brushed your teeth, giggled because some water got on your new shirt, then announced, "I finally get to go to school! It's an exciting day!"

Today feels weird because didn't I just give birth to you yesterday? Wasn't it yesterday that I first held you in my arms and thought, "This is the largest baby I've ever seen." Wasn't it yesterday that I fell in love with your Daddy times a billion because I saw him as a father for the first time? Didn't I just change your diaper for the first time yesterday and it was really black and gross and the nurse said not to worry?

But it wasn't yesterday. Because you're five. Five came here super fast. I'm not nervous or scared for you today. I'm not sad. I'm not worried. Because I know you. I know how much you love people and how easily you make friends. I know how much you love to talk and share what's on your mind. I know how cool you think it is that Mrs.Zeigler has a real life frog in her classroom and how that makes you giggle because you know that frogs are my biggest fear. I know how much you love books with real pictures and guess what! I saw a bunch of them in your classroom! I know how excited you are to play on the playground and to see what I packed in your lunchbox and to pass Benton in the hallway and maybe even see him in the cafeteria! I know how excited you are to ride the bus home from school each day and how cool you think it is that you won't get home until AFTER naptime and that you can't wait to see what snack I've put out for you on the kitchen table.

It's going to be a great year. I believe in you. You're going to make a difference in Mrs.Zeigler's class. You're going to love on your friends, learn loads, read loads, play loads, and laugh loads.

I could not be more proud to be your mommy! Happy Kindergarten year! I love you!

I love Mrs. Zeigler!

Landon's kindergarten teacher is Mrs.Zeigler. He's going to meet her tomorrow night for the first time and he is pumped!

Probably way too graphic....

Reagan has been having some issues so this morning I took her to the doctor. On the way, I prepared Landon that her private parts were bothering her and we needed to make sure everything was ok. I prepared him because he's like the best brother ever and he worries about her if she's sick.

Ok, so we get to the doctor's office. Life is good. Connor's being the man. Reagan and Landon are playing beautifully in the big waiting room. I'm thinking about how much I rock as a mom.

The waiting room door opens and out walks our sweet, reserved, extremely polite nurse.

Nurse: Reagan! Time to go!

Landon: HEY NURSE!! MY SISTER'S PENIS IS SICK!!!!!!!

A billion moms and dads and children look at me. Awesome.

Refractive Amblyopia

I think "Ambylopia" might be my new favorite word. It's fun to say out loud. It kind of reminds me of "amoeba" which I also think is a neat word. And amoeba makes me think of the word "blob". But "blob" definitely has nothing to do with Refractive Amblyopia. Refractive Amblyopia is what Landon was diagnosed with today. Along with Astygmatism.

Two weeks ago, Landon went for his 5-year well-visit and failed his vision test. We were referred to an opthamologist. Our original appointment was scheduled for July. However, waiting that long to be seen about his eyes (I think eyes are a pretty big deal, don't you?) was not ok with me. So, I chose to advocate really hard for Landon. His incredible pediatrician ended up pulling some strings and we were seen today.

I like to say "Refractive Amblyopia" but the other word for it is "lazy eye". I learned there are two types of lazy eyes. The kind that you can see (one eye looks different from the other eye) and the kind that you can't see (the kind that Landon has). So, by looking at Landon you can't tell anything is obstructing his vision. But there's actually a good bit going on.

The treatment plan is glasses and patches. He'll wear glasses from now until he chooses to wear contacts several years down the road. And he'll wear patches every day beginning today for 4 hours per day over his stronger eye for the next 3 years. This will force his weaker eye to build some muscles and work harder.

Landon thinks it's cool that he gets to wear a patch on his eye because pirates wear patches. Praise the Lord for pirates! He also thinks it's cool that he gets to wear glasses because the ones he picked out are blue and blue is his favorite color.

It was a big answer to prayer today that nothing more serious is going on and that his diagnosis will not require surgery.

Oh, and don't even get me started on how handsome he looks in his glasses.

Happy Birthday, Landon!

Five years ago today, I gave birth to my handsome little dude. My Landon. My Landoni-Maroni. My Lando-Commando. My baby. My LT. My first child.

I love everything that is unique, special and just so “Landon” about him.

1. 1. He weighed 10 lbs. 1 oz. when he was born. Only like 2% of babies born weigh more than 10 pounds.

2. 2. No one has any idea what color his hair is. All I know is it’s awesome. It’s kind of red and blonde and brown all at the same time and it kind of changes colors depending on the season, outfit, and lighting.

3. 3. He is the wittiest kid I’ve ever known. His one-liners are impressive.

4. 4. He loves his sister and brother to absolute pieces. He and Reagan are joined at the hip. He takes care of her, protects her, tickles her, sometimes pushes her down (I’m sure just to make her stronger J), tells her jokes, reads to her, pushes her in her swing, gets water for her, and helps her up the hard part of the playground at McDonald’s.

5. 5. He is fearless. I a little bit envy that about him. I’m scared of roller coasters. REALLY scared. Not Landon. He’ll ride anything.

6. 6. He loves his friends. He’s very loyal. Very sensitive to the needs of others. Very friendly.

7. 7. He loves Jesus. Big time. He asked Christ in his heart on July 23, 2009 and it is evident in his life.

8. 8. He is unpredictable. I feel like I know him a whole bunch but I also sometimes feel like I don’t know him at all. He continually surprises me. It’s hard to make general statements about Landon. Most of the time he’s super outgoing. Sometimes he’s shy. He’s often very opinionated. Sometimes he couldn’t care less. He keeps me on my toes!

9. H He talks about food more than anybody I’ve ever met. Food is on his mind constantly. He always wants to know when the next snack or meal is coming.

10. He thinks deeply and thoughtfully. He asks lots of questions that I’ve never thought of. He makes theories. He says, “I fink…” (“I think”) probably 50 times a day followed by really insightful comments.

11. He has the best smile. It lights up a room.

12. He adores his daddy. “Daddy Nights” are really special to him. Most people think Landon looks just like me but I definitely see some of Nathan in him. I love their special bond.

13. He has an amazing voice. It’s a little ridiculous how musically gifted he is. He loves rhythm, he loves lyrics, and he loves a catchy tune. It just comes so naturally to him. But he kind of likes to keep his talent to himself or at least within the four walls of our home or the four doors of my car.

Landon,

Hey, dude. Happy 5th Birthday! I love you. I am so glad I am your mommy. You make every single day fun and meaningful. God definitely knew what He was doing when He gave me you.

Love,

Mommy

Landon, Part 1,000,000

It feels like it, doesn't it? I hope I haven't bored you too much this week with my obsession with Landon's 5th birthday. Don't worry. This won't happen with every child at every birthday. There's just something about the 5th birthday that seems so big and special and monumental. Five seems to symbolize "boy" instead of "baby" or "toddler" or "preschooler". When I pick him up now his feet kind of go down to my ankles. He cares about what other people think. He's starting to eat a variety of foods. All of that just seems very big-boyish. Ok, on to the reason for this post....

This time 5 years ago, I was in labor. No, today is not Landon's birthday. Neither is tomorrow. I labored for FIFTY-TWO hours. So, this post is dedicated mainly to Landon in the hopes that one day he'll read it, then run to me with arms wide open and apologize for the pain he put me through. I'll hug him back but then request that he take me to Yamato Japanese Steakhouse to make up for my pain. He'll take me there, apologize some more, and then we'll be cool.

On April 2nd I began having contractions every 3-5 minutes. Nathan and I packed up the car and headed to the hospital. We got checked in, I put on my hospital gown, got attached to a million wires, saw the doctor, and found out I was not dilated. Not even a little bit. I got a shot to help with pain and was sent home.

The contractions continued all day on April 2nd. Every 3-5 minutes. My mom came into town and walked the neighborhood with me. We went to dinner that night and walked the mall. I bumped into my best friend, Heather, at the mall. We had a normal conversation. You know. "Hey, how's it going? I'm actually in labor right now. Can you buy me a milkshake?" I walked some more. That night around 8pm we went back to the hospital because my contractions were regular, closer, and I was in tremendous pain. We checked in, I was hooked up to loads of wires, and the doctor came in and checked me. No progress. Another shot and we were sent home. Again.

The next morning, April 3rd, I labored all day. I was absolutely miserable. Nathan's parents brought lunch to our house. They brought my absolute favorite meal, ESPECIALLY when I'm pregnant. 6 inch tuna sub from Subway with lettuce, cheese, pickles, oregano, and extra oil and vinegar. It was delicious. My grandparents stopped by on their way to the beach. That whole day (with the exception of the tuna sub) is kind of a blur to me because I was in so much pain. Around 8pm I told Nathan that I was one tough cookie but I could not take this pain anymore. Something was wrong. Why had I not dilated? We decided to go back to the hospital and I decided (without telling Nathan) that I was not leaving this time!!!

We got checked in. While getting hooked up to the millions of wires I informed the nurse that I better be dilated because I wasn't leaving. She checked me and said I was 1cm dilated so I could stay. (In hindsight, we think she lied about me being dilated. We think she was scared to send me home again because of what I might do to her.)

From that point on, things are pretty blurry for me. I remember getting an epidural and all of Nathan's family and my family popping in to say "hello". I remember Heather and Kevin coming in after I got an epidural so I was feeling really awesome but I made an awful face to pretend I was in a lot of pain. I remember the nurses giving me a drug to help me dilate more quickly and I remember the doctor breaking my water.

Finally, around 4:00am on April 4th, the pushing began! Ok, no one prepared me for that. Definitely the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life. I remember thinking, "How do women that don't exercise push out babies?" It took every muscle in my body to push that child out. For those of you who haven't pushed a baby out, just so you know, you do most of the pushing without a doctor in the room. The nurses deserve billions of dollars for all they do! So, around the time the doctor was supposed to come in the room, I was informed that he was called away to an emergency so a mid-wife would be delivering me. I think mid-wives are fantastic. I think there is a place for them. But the place for a midwife was not in my room and she realized that upon delivery. I won't go into details. But I needed a doctor. A lot of unexpected things happened at 4:25am on April 4th as I delivered my sweet Landon. For starters, my mom and husband about passed out and the nurses had to hand them each a wet washcloth. I really like to make fun of them for that. If you see either of them, please laugh and point a lot. Secondly, as soon as Landon came out the entire room gasped. He was massive. Nathan won't tell me all the details but I do know Landon was rushed over and given oxygen and taken for some tests. I am not a large person and I pushed out a 10 lb. 1 oz. child after 52 hours of labor. The mid-wife knew she did not have the skill-set to handle things from there (Let me just reiterate that I really did love her. I was just a rare case.) so she called in a doctor that helped take care of the damage that had been done. He told me my pain should decrease in 30 minutes. But my pain only increased. To the point where I was crying like a huge baby and maybe screaming a lot. Yep, Nathan just told me there was definitely a lot of screaming. (sidenote: If your name is Landon Trevett and you are reading this, this is the part where I really want the sympathy. This is the part where I want you to stop reading and make the reservations at Yamato.) The nurses could not figure out what was going on. My doctor was called back in and found that I had broken my tailbone. Did you read that, Landon? I broke a bone in my body delivering you! And then my life took a turn for the better. The morphine pump began. Ahhhh. Morphine. Lovely, lovely morphine. It made me talk really funny and not be able to hold things (like my newborn baby). Yep, Landon definitely fell out of my arms and my mom grabbed him for me.

And that's my labor/delivery story. After all of that, the doctors told me that labor is often longer with a bigger baby. Thanks, doc. I kind of figured.

Want to hear something sappy? My tailbone still gives me problems. It hurts to sit in the same spot for more than 30 minutes. And that has to happen a lot. But every time I feel that pain I'm reminded of the sweet giant I delivered on April 4, 2005 and it makes me smile. I absolutely can not wait to share with you my post on April 4th. Until then, have a lovely weekend!

Landon, Part 5

This is from October. Yes, you are growing up, Landon. I love you.

Landon, Part 4...Food and Recipes!

Landon cooks with me often. His absolute favorite thing to help me prepare is scrambled eggs. Here is our recipe for scrambled eggs:

2 eggs

Salt and pepper

A splash of milk (We use skim milk)

Cheddar cheese (enough to cancel out all the calories you save using skim milk)

Put loads of butter into a skillet.

Mix all the above ingredients. (To beat our eggs, we start by punching a fork through the egg yolks. It helps them mix more quickly and evenly.)

Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and scramble on low heat. (The lower heat, the better they will be. Put in the extra time....it will be worth it!)

Landon likes his scrambled eggs on toasted bread for an egg sandwich.

And here is one more bonus recipe for today. Landon invented this recipe about 3 weeks ago. I think it's disgusting because I dislike raisins very much. But he loves raisins. Enjoy!

Raisin Sandwich:

2 slices of banana

1 raisin

Put the raisins in between the slices of banana. And there you have it. A raisin sandwich.

Landon, Part 3

These Are a Few of Landon's Favorite Things:

(Imagine me singing that like Julie Andrews' "Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music really loudly and Landon rolling his eyes at me.)

Soccer

Baseball

Basketball

Amusement Park Rides

(Halfway through writing this blog, Blogger started acting up on me. If it were working, I would have also added pictures of Landon reading, working puzzles, and playing Gladiator with his Daddy.)

Landon, Part 2

Landon,

Daddy and I love you so much our hearts almost explode when we think about you.

There is never a dull moment when you're around.

You're just plain fun!

Landon, Part 1

This is Landon's last week being four years old. Next Sunday, April 4th, we'll have a little five-year-old on our hands. In honor of the coolest 4-year-old Trevett on the planet, my blog this week will be obsessed with him. I'm going to kick it off with pictures of each birthday. Enjoy!

Landon's birthday: April 4, 2005

4:25am

Party Theme: Praise God he's finally here!

Landon's 1st Birthday

Party Theme: One

Landon's 2nd Birthday

Party Theme: Soccer

Landon's 3rd Birthday

Party Theme: Cars

Landon's 4th Birthday

Party Theme: Sports (and firemen, too, I guess? When did he change into a

firefighter costume? I definitely don't remember that.)

While I was taking my Sunday nap......

....Landon rotated my tires. Yep. He's pretty awesome.

This Morning I Found......

We Play With Our Food

Lunch with kids is fun. Never a dull moment. I love their before and after expressions.