A Fall Picnic

Bryce wanted to go on a picnic on Thursday. So after Daddy got home from work, Bryce and I went to the park for a special picnic. He had a great time!

Bryce was very animated for the camera and had a fun time trying different poses.

A New Tooth

Last week, Landon finally got another tooth. He is 14 months old and only has three teeth! I think he realizes that he has a new tooth because he is grinding it with his bottom two teeth.

More, Please

Landon was introduced to M & M s last week and he loves them! In this picture, John has a bag of M & M s in his hand. The boys sat right beside John until the bag was empty! There are very few things that wil keep both of them sitting still...M & M is one of them!

Playing Outside

Bryce played outside on Friday evening with his friends.

One of Bryce's favorite things to do is play outside with the "big boys." The older kids in our neighborhood are really good about playing with Bryce when they see him. They are also very generous and give Bryce a lot of the toys they have outgrown.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Bryce and Landon had a great time wearing costumes and trick or treating.

Bryce wanted Landon to be Spider Man too so we had two trick or treating Spider Men. Landon had a great time walking on the sidewalk and visiting all of the houses. He walked for a little while then went in his stroller and slept while Bryce continued to collect candy.

Landon kept his mask on long enough for us to take a picture then he took it off.

Bryce loved all of the blow up pumpkins and other Halloween decorations.

Bryce thought it was the "best day ever" because he received so much candy! He has a sweet tooth and couldn't wait to dig into the candy when we got home.

Pumpkin Carving

We searched for the perfect carving pumpkin yesterday. It was slim picking, but we eventually found one suitable for carving.

Yesterday was Bryce's first time carving a pumpkin and he loved it!

Bryce tried once to clean out the middle of the pumpkin and that was enough for him! He let Daddy do the rest of this job!

Landon enjoyed carving the pumpkin too!

Here is our finished product!

Coloring, Just Like Bryce

Bryce was coloring yesterday afternoon so, of course, Landon wanted to color too. It was a milestone for Landon because it was the first time he colored without trying to eat the crayons.

While Daddy Was Away....

John went to the Ohio State versus Penn State Football game on Saturday so Lynne and Jeff called and asked if we wanted company. We met for dinner at one of the kids' favorite restaurants.

Bryce and Landon had a great time eating dinner out with their cousins.

Later that evening, the kids snuggled on the couch together to watch "Over The Hedge."

Wild Wild West

Today was Wild Wild West day at Bryce's preschool. (Bryce is the back row wearing a black cowboy hat). The kids dressed as a cowboy/cowgirl, farmer or Indian and rode "horses" around the "corral." Bryce was a little overwhelmed by the crowd of parents in the audience but he wore a brave face! In this picture, Bryce is in the front row (left side).

Mowing With Daddy

One of Landon's favorite places to be is in the backpack snuggled against Mommy or Daddy. He especially loves being there when Daddy is mowing the lawn.

Afternoon Playtime

Landon does not like to play with baby toys; he only wants to play with his big brother's toys. Today, he was enjoying Bryce's extra long flat bed truck.

This is Landon's "I'm angry and frustrated" expression. He couldn't figure out how to play with a musical instrument (pictured in front of him) so he threw it, clenched his fists in anger and began to cry. What a temper!

Bryce gave his little brother lots of love this afternoon!

Pumpkin Painting

Bryce had a school project to decorate a paper pumpkin. After discussing how we were going decorate it, he decided to paint it. He thought we were talking about decorating a real pumpkin and he was extremely upset when I showed him a paper cut out. So before we started the school project, we had to paint the real one!

Bryce was very serious about his job of pumpkin painting!

Welcome, John!

Today was the end of a year long journey of faith into the Catholic Church for John. He proudly became a member of the Catholic religion at Mass this morning.

Here is John receiving the sacrament of confirmation from our priest, Father Louis.

John is receiving his first communion.

Before John could become Catholic, we needed to have our marriage blessed through the Catholic Church. We happily married eachother again this past Monday.

Field Trip At The Pumpkin Patch

Bryce went on a field trip today with his preschool class to Raab's Fruit Farm. He carefully selected the perfect pumpkin and pulled with all his might.

With a little assistance from Dad, Bryce successfully pulled his pumpkin from the ground. He was proud of his accomplishment and happily posed for a photograph with his new pumpkin.

Bryce picked two apples from the apple tree.

The highlight of Bryce's field trip was a hayride with all of his preschool friends.

Borders Book Store

I took the kids to Borders Books this afternoon. After being scolded by Bryce's pediatrician for not feeding him enough fruits and vegetables, I was desperate for a cookbook with kid friendly recipes that incorporate greens and fruits. I was hoping to buy "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld, a book loaded with recipes that "hide" fruit and vegetables.

Landon was very interested in looking at books, just like his big brother. Unfortunately, he was reading the books upside down!

Landon desperately cried for me to take him out of the stroller and allow him to explore. I took him out but he didn't do well with this freedom and immediately began climbing the shelves. After he began taking books off the shelves and throwing them on the floor, he was swiftly returned and strapped back into his stroller.

Happy Birthday Bryce

Happy Birthday Bryce! Bryce is now four years old and we celebrated the occassion with a birthday party at one of his favorite places, Tiny Tumblers. Bryce really enjoyed being sung to and he easily blew out the candles on his Dale Earnhardt, Jr. birthday cake.

Bryce's cousins joined him at Tiny Tumblers for his party.

This is the warm-up stretch before the tumbling began.

Landon had a terrific time at the party! He surprised us by participating in the activities and he kept up with the older kids much better than we expected.

Well Check Visit

On the morning of his birthday, Bryce visited the pediatrician's office for his four year well check visit. He grew nearly four inches and gained five pounds this past year! We knew he grew and thought maybe two inches so we were shocked when the nurse said almost four inches!

Bryce did really well cooperating with the nurse while she took his blood pressure. He said, "It looks just like the one in my doctor kit."

Bryce had his first hearing and vision test during the office visit.