19 Reasons

We love Landon!  His 19th birthday was last week and we missed him.  It's the first birthday he has had a way from home and I thought about him all day.  I thought about what I love about him and what a great young man he is.  As a birthday tribute to him, we came up with 19 things that we just love about Landon!!!

1.  Landon has a crazy sense of humor.  His whit is amazing and it has always been a little mature for his age.  When he was in first grade his teacher told me she just loved Landon because he would laugh at her jokes when none of the other first graders would.  He gets humor and can make a "funny" out of any normal everyday thing.

2.  Landon is loyal to his family.  He is supportive and loving.  He never complained about having to go to another brother or sister's event.  He was always happy to spend time with any family member.

3.  Landon loves food....I mean he really loves it.  He loves to try new foods and then analyze and critic them.  I have loved having awesome one on one lunch dates with Landon because he can appreciate the good stuff.  We have a grand time tasting funky creations and deciding if we ever want to eat   them again.

4.  Landon's calm demeanor is a great quality. He is pleasant and great to be around.  He just doesn't get worked up over things.

5.  Basketball is one of Landon's passions that I love about him.  He just lives for it.  He follows all the games and stats on his phone.  He knows all the players and has his favorites.  He also loves playing the game.  Thousands of shots were thrown in the family basketball hoop in the driveway.  Games with the neighbors and the brothers were played almost daily. 

6.  I love Landon's knowledge.   He just has a brain that has been packed full of absolute random junk and facts.  And he remembers this trivia and loves to share little tidbits of information.

7.  Landon is Mr. Technology.  He can fix any gadget or computer.  It amazes me that he just knows all the greatest and latest apps for my phone or how to repair some dumb thing I've done to the computer or the phone.  He's happy to share his skills and with a little prodding is always able to help when my old brain is dealing with what I think is an "unfixable" computer problem.

8.  From the time Landon was little he has loved to laugh.  He would just put his little head back and just laugh right down to his toes.  He still loves to laugh.  He can get everyone at the dinner table just laughing at the most random things.  He is able to find the funniest things to laugh at and loves to share it with all of us.

9.  Landon has a commitment to the gospel.  He has always had strong faith and a testimony.  He uses his priesthood to serve others and takes his church responsibilities very seriously. 

 

10.  He loves his dog. He takes such good care of his puppy and just adores him.  I didn't realize how much he did for Charlie until he headed off to college.  He had such a calmness when dealing with Charlie.  We all called him the "dog whisperer" because he would use calm, quiet whispering commands to teach and train Charlie.

11.  Landon is good, he really is.  A while ago Landon had an interview with the Stake President at his home.  After the interview the Stake President came out of his home and walked to my car in the driveway.  He said, "He's a good boy.  He's a really good one."  We did get a good one when Landon came to our family.  I have always known that he was a "good one".

12.  Patience is one of Landon's incredible qualities.  He can wait patiently for things that others would just go bonkers about.

13.  This next characteristic is kind of like patience, but a little different.  Landon just has this low-key whatever attitude.  If something doesn't go well or the way he wants it he can just brush it off and say whatever.  Nothing is a big deal and he is able to move forward.  The only time I really can think of when Landon got really angry was when he dropped his brand new laptop and cracked the outside of it.  And even then, he didn't rage....just a little disturbed.

14.  Landon is friends with everyone.  I have never met anyone who doesn't like Landon.  He's just a likable guy and he is very kind and tolerant of others.

15.  Landon has a funny relationship with his Papa Carroll.  Ever since he was little Landon and his Papa have shared little jokes with each other whenever they are together.  They also looked at books together and learned those crazy, trivial facts that no one really cares about.  They love gaining knowledge together.

 

16. Landon doesn't care what others think about him.  He has never been influenced by the world or his peers.  He has always just done his thing whether others though it was cool or not.  He makes good choices when others are heading down questionable paths.

17.  When I think of Landon I think of someone who sets a good example.  Because of his good choices and how he lives his life, he is a super example to others, especially his brothers and sister.  He's an example to me and his father as well.

18.  Landon is not competitive in our home.  He celebrates the successes of others and does the best that he can.  He doesn't feel the need to be better than a family member.  That attitude has helped him get along with his siblings, no matter what their successes are.

19.  Landon is a quiet leader and has a quiet confidence about him.  People follow him and are drawn to his confident, funny personality.  He's quiet, but once you get to know him....you just like him!

 

It wasn't hard to come up with 19 wonderful things about my son.  After coming up with this list and thinking of Landon and the great young man that he has become, I feel extremely blessed to be Landon's mother.  What a blessing he is in my life.  I love you, Landon!