Landen turns 12!

 

Landen had his 12th birthday this week.  Here is a super blurry picture of him wearing atie and suitcoat and belt and dark socks and white shirt and khakis all at the same time!  It has probably been about 10 years since he's donned a tie, and you can see how excited he was about it all. 

 Here he is with his pumpkin bar birthday cake.  Funny, he got a bloody nose right as we were about to sing.  

 Craig gave Landen the gun he received for his 12 birthday from his Dad.  Rhyse was behind him as he was looking through the scope crying, "don't do it it Landen." 

Another gift Lan was excited about was his yo-yo from Capriel.  He ended up spending a good deal of the night frustrated because he couldn't figure it out, but has since been finding himself more successful and trying out the walk-the-dog and around the world.  We were all surprised when Craig stood up during our birthday party and revealed himself as a yo-yo master.  He makes the yo-yo fly so fast it sometimes hurts when it returns! 

Today Landen got the aaronic priesthood.  I felt the spirit and felt so grateful that his Dad was worthy to give it to him.  He is excited to enter young mens and had a great first time in deacon's quorum and young mens.  Landen makes friends easily and seems to get along with people (minus a teacher or two) easily.  He works very hard at is school and takes great care to do his best.  He even got locker decorated by a couple of girls this year on his birthday and got to go to lunch with his Dad and pick out his first non-clip on tie. 

Landen is a very good kid.  He loves music, and is always current on the latest songs, and is spending lots of time in the basement playing ping pong and up at the front door with the indoor bball hoop.  He just needs to be moving and playing with a ball almost constantly.  He adores Pepper and they are best friends.  He uses hair gel and is expert at his ski-jump doo.  He chews gum all the time.  He loves meat and carbs.  One thing I was impressed about lately with Landen is how resourseful he was about his bus ride home.  His appointed bus route is very long so at first he began getting off with the neighborhood kids a little early to cut through a canal road and save a little time.  Then he realized that he could get off even earlier and walk longer but quicker and arrive home sooner.  Then more recently he figured out how to switch buses altogether and determined the stop that would enable him to be home the soonest.  All this he did on his own.  Lan is still a rabid reader and the girls joke that he mostly reads about animals that are at war with each other:)  Landen is also growing up, and enjoys spending time laughing and being silly with Breck.  He just moved up to the silver team in swimming and is getting really strong.  The other night Breck and Tal were comparing biceps during scriptures and prayer and all of sudden Landen rips off his shirt so we could examine how ripped he is!  Landen is the best hugger and has a very tender heart.  He is itching to shoot something  and said tonight as he walked in the dark to shut the chickens in for the night (with his gun) that he wishes a cougar or at least a raccoon would jump out at him! 

We love you Landen!