Admiring The Lake

The park we visited today has a beautiful lake. The boys enjoyed looking at the water and watching the boats. We thought about renting a boat and going out in the water but decided that Landon was too young. We are looking forward to the day when we can all go on the water together!

Our First Hike

We went on our first family hike this afternoon. We didn't go very far but the kids still enjoyed it.

As you can tell by the look on Bryce's face, he was nervous to go into the woods. He called it a forest and asked us if we would see any bears or snakes. We told him "no" and hoped a snake would not sliver out of the bushes!

We held Landon during most of our hike. We gave him a few brief moments of freedom, but as expected, Landon tried to run off!

An Afternoon At The Park

We packed our lunch and spent a few hours at a local park this afternoon. We have never been at this park before so the kids enjoyed the new atmosphere.

Bryce walked along the wall so Landon decided he needed to do it too!

There were many cool things at this park to play on!

Landon was feeling brave and tried to climb this wall. He didn't make it very far.

Bryce loved walking on this part of the equipment.

Hangin' In The Van

The boys enjoy sitting in the back seat of the van when we pack to go out for the day. They think it is hysterical that they can look out at us while we load up the van. It's the little things that make them happy!

End of Season Soccer Party

Today was Bryce's end of season soccer party. He was so proud to receive a medal for finishing the season!!

Me Too!

John bought a slushy for Bryce this evening and, of course, Landon wanted some too! Bryce left the drink on the kitchen table and Landon got up on a chair and helped himself to a sip (or two). Landon needs to do everything Bryce does!

Brown's Orchard

We met Meghan and Mary Ellen this afternoon for lunch at Brown's Orchard.

Bryce really enjoyed talking to Meghan.

This is Landon right before he threw a piece of grass at Meghan! Is this a sign of what's to come with Landon? Needless to say, he needs a lot of redirection right now.

Piano Man

Landon loves playing the piano at Molly's house!

Preschool Recognition Sunday

Bryce's preschool had an event at their church called "Preschool Recognition Sunday." All of the preschool children sang songs during the service and listened as Pastor Bob read them a story. Bryce did a great job considering two years ago he cried during the entire event. He has come a long way in a few years!

Fun In The Back Yard

Bryce enjoyed playing in our back yard with Hunter, Wyatt, Andrew and Christian.

(Almost) All The Cousins

Almost all of the cousins were together playing. Cousin Megan is at college so she couldn't join us. They all LOVE being together!

Playing With Chris

Bryce and Landon thoroughly enjoyed playing with cousin Chris this past weekend. They wish he lived closer so they could play together more often!

Uncle Vince, Aunt Kathleen and Chris

Uncle Vince, Aunt Kathleen and cousin Chris were in town visiting this weekend. We enjoyed spending time with them and the boys especially enjoyed playing with their cousin.

Playing With Blocks

Landon had fun playing with blocks this evening.

Landon enjoyed it more when Bryce joined him in the fun! Landon observed what Bryce did with the blocks then tried to do it himself.

There's always time to stop playing and give hugs!

Silly Goose

Bryce loves making silly faces and telling jokes.

Temper, Temper

Landon is very good at throwing temper tantrums! This is a picture of a mild one, consistenting of just tears. A typical tantrum for Landon not only includes tears, but kicking, screaming, pounding fists and occasionally, a dive onto the floor! He gets an A+ for performance!

Central Market

We went to Central Market (farmer's market) this morning with Molly. Landon had a great time looking around and enjoyed a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.

Ice Cream Fresh From The Farm

While we were at the park, Bryce said he wanted to get ice cream. One of the other parents heard him say that and told us about a great place called Lapp Family Farm in Lancaster. They make their own ice cream and you can visit the farm while you eat. This place was a great discovery and we will definatly go back in the future.

Landon is still allergic to dairy products and can't eat ice cream. We tried to appease him by giving him a cone. He looked in his cone and with a confused look on his face he said, "Bite! Cream!" He is finally realizing that everyone else is eating ice cream and he isn't! The next time we take Bryce out for ice cream, we will have to buy a cone and fill it with our own soy ice cream.

While we were at the farm, we saw many people going into a building and sitting down. We walked in and realized they were milking the cows! It was awsome that we could sit and watch the cows being milked.

At first, the kids were apprehensive about being so close all of the big cows in the room. They felt more comfortable after we had been there for a few minutes, but not comfortable enough to let go of us! In this picture, Landon is holding on to me tighter than he ever has! It is the only time in recent memory that we weren't chasing Landon!

Longs Park

We had a great family day today. After soccer practice, we took the boys to Longs Park in Lancaster.

Bryce had so much fun riding his scooter around the pond. He is getting much better riding it and will hopefully be ready for a scooter with two wheels soon.

The boys enjoyed sitting in the gazebo watching the ducks.

Landon loved looking at the pond from this bridge. There were a lot of fish and ducks to keep his attention.

The boys had fun going down the sliding board together.

Soccer Practice

Bryce was full of energy at the beginning of soccer practice today.

About 10 minutes into the soccer game, Bryce's interest in the game began to fade. Most of the team is huddled around the ball in the middle of this picture. Bryce is the little boy on the far left staring at the ceiling!

Towards the end of the game, Bryce really lost focus! In this picture, everyone on the team is chasing the ball, except Bryce, who is making funny faces at the parents! Soccer at four years old is interesting!

Our New Car

Prior to having children, we purchased a Honda Accord, thinking it would be a great family car. Since then, we have learned how naive we were to think that an Accord would be big enough to travel comfortably with two children! John and I have been debating when to buy a bigger car and we finally did it! This week, we purchased a Toyota Sienna minivan! We aren't thrilled about driving a minivan, but it meets our needs and it was a practical choice. I think the boys love having their own seat and they enjoy the better view of outside.

Outside Playtime

Emily came over to play with the boys this afternoon. They spent the afternoon outside and had a great time together!

The kids enjoyed eating a snack (cereal) outside at the playset.

After they finished playing in the sandbox, they decided they wanted to play with sidewalk paint. They made beautiful creations in the driveway!

Emily took Landon for a ride in his car.

Bryce had fun with his water shooter until it was taken away from him for not following the rules! He wasn't allowed to squirt people, just things. He couldn't resist the temptation to squirt his brother, so Mommy had to take it away from him! (Yes, we encourage Bryce to call it a "water shooter" rather than "gun!").