We received a few inches of snow today. The boys were very excited to go outside and play!
Bryce pretended his dump truck was a snow plow and loaded it with snow.
Landon loved being outside!
John was able to play outside with the boys for a few minutes after he got home from work today.
Bryce invited the "big boys" to come over and play. They had fun sledding down our drive way together.
This is a very special train because Bryce's great grandfather made it. He was a talented carpenter who liked to make toy trains. The trains are normally displayed on a shelf in Bryce's room and we allow him to play with them once in a while.
The boys had a lot of extra energy to burn this evening so we bundled them up and John took them outside for a few minutes. Bryce ran a few laps in the yard, climbed on his swing set and then he was ready to come back inside.
Landon didn't go very far beyond our house. He had many layers of clothing on to keep warm and he physically had trouble moving. He was content standing and watching Bryce run.
We painted our kitchen this weekend and Bryce was the "assistant painter." He helped with taping and painting (I am being very kind by describing his assistance as helping).
Bryce copied our actions...if I was on top of the counter, he wanted to be there too!
We have no idea why, but Bryce loves eating sushi. The kid won't knowingly eat a fruit or vegetable, but he will eat sushi! It baffles us why he will eat that but not a vegetable!
Landon is using sign language to tell us he wants "more" of something. On this particular occassion, he wanted more cheese. He loves his soy cheese!
We took the boys to their first hockey game last night to see the Hershey Bears. They loved it! They made it through two periods, then got restless so we had to leave.
When we first got there, Bryce couldn't take his eyes off the ice. He especially loved Coco the mascot.
Landon did much better than we expected! I put him in the Baby Bjorn and he contently watched his surroundings. He would clap when the crowd clapped and he laughed when everyone cheered!
We surprised John today by visiting him at work and taking him out to lunch. It was the first time we visited him in the office so he was busy introducing his sons to all of his co-workers.
Landon enjoyed eating lunch at Pizza Hut. He was facinated by his cup of water.
Bryce entertained himself by coloring.
We visited today with my dear friend Alicia. Alicia lives in London but frequenly comes home to visit her family. We picked her up on our way to Bryce's preschool and she helped walk Bryce to his class. Bryce was upset when Alicia wasn't there to pick him up! Alicia is his special friend and he always loves playing with her during our visits. Alicia is always so good about paying attention to him and making him feel special!
Alicia, Landon and I took a walk together this morning during this unseasonably warm weather we are experiencing. I walked in a t-shirt in the beginning of January! We had a great time walking and catching up. Landon must have been soothed by our voices because he fell asleep not long after the walk began.
Bryce and Landon have been showing more of an interest in eachother. The other day, they really enjoyed sitting next to eachother in the cart during our monthly trip to Sam's Club. Bryce even helped Landon sample a few goodies along the way.
I often catch Bryce in the back seat of the car trying to hold Landon's hand. There is hope that they will be friends!
We took the kids to the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg today to visit the Science Center. We bought a family membership for the year so we are looking forward to many more trips there during 2008. This is a picture of one of the kids' favorite activites at the Science Center - it was also John's favorite!
Bryce had a great time touching everything and exploring!
Today was the last day for the Whitaker Center's train exhibit. The kids enjoyed being able to ride the train while listening to music from the "Polar Express" movie. "Polar Express" was a huge hit in our house during the holidays so Bryce knew all of the words to the song!
There were several O gauge train sets on display. We spent atleast an hour admiring them! Bryce would have watched the trains all day if we let him!
Landon had a great time today! It was the first time we went somewhere and didn't have to stop him from touching everything. He could touch anything and everything today!
Now that the holidays are over and the family is healthy again, we are back to our normal routine. The boys were not happy about waking up, getting dressed immediately, eating breakfast then leaving the house. There was no leasure time and they didin't like it! This picture perfectly describes how our morning went today! By the afternoon, they eased back into the routine and everyone was happy!
We went to Maryland today to visit cousins Hunter and Wyatt. We joined them at a fundraiser being held for their school at Pump It Up, a kids place featuring blow up machines. Bryce is pictured here going down one of the two big slides.
Bryce and Landon both enjoyed playing in this toy car.
Landon enjoyed the blow up machines just as much as Bryce did. In this picture, Aunt Lynne is playing with him.
As we expected, Landon was very busy climbing and tried hard to keep up with the big boys. Mommy was tired at the end of the day from running after him!
Landon's favorite Christmas gifts....a $4 battery operated toothbrush and a $2 Micky Mouse ball! It doesn't take much to please a one year-old!
Santa brought Bryce an apron and chef hat so Bryce was anxious to wear it in the kitchen this morning. He did a great job helping Mommy make omlets for breakfast.
On Christmas Eve, Bryce placed cookies and milk on the table next to the Christmas tree for Santa. He sampled a few of the cookies first, as you can see from the red and green icing on his mouth!
Bryce also left a few carrots on the front porch for Santa's reindeer to eat!
Bryce also left
We visited Rocky Ridge, a local park decorated with holiday lights and displays. Bryce and Landon enjoyed being there with their cousins and loved all of the bright lights.
The boys took a break from the lights and played on the playground.
Landon was very warm and cozy during our trip to Rocky Ridge. He was all bundled up didn't fuss much about being confined to the stroller.
The boys visited Santa on Friday for the second time this holiday season. Bryce reluctantly sat on his lap again and told him he wanted a Christmas tree truck and a reindeer truck.
Landon HATES visiting Santa! He again cried hysterically when we placed him on Santa's lap.
John recently fixed and enhanced one of his old laptops from work so that Bryce can use it to play computer games. We are shocked at how much he is enjoying it! He is quickly mastering how to use the mouse and is learning quite a bit from the educational games. He has very little interest in learning letters and numbers with Mom and Dad so we are thankful he is allowing us to teach him through the use of the computer.
Developmentally, Landon is at the stage where he wants to feed himself and sometimes refuses food unless he puts it in his mouth by himself. We are trying to embrace his independance while still being patient enough to clean up the mess he creates!
