We took the kids to the park this evening to play for a few hours. Landon was John's buddy and they went everywhere together, even the tunnels!
This was a huge step for Bryce to climb on the ropes. He walked the entire way across on the lowest level.
John decided to climb to the top of the ropes. Landon was fascinated that his Daddy was on the top!
Bryce had a lot of fun on the swings.
What a happy little guy!
Landon is so funny and full of energy in the mornings. This morning, he said, "I wash hands! I wash hands! Bryce's stool!" Translated, this means, "Mom, I want to wash my hands. I need Bryce's stool so I can reach the sink."
Landon took a moment away from washing to admire himself in the mirror. He is great entertainment in the morning while I get dressed.
Bryce spent a lot of time playing with PlayDoh this weekend. He was very creative and made an entire city incorporating the Playdoh as trash. We were confined to our house most of the weekend due to illness and rainy weather; Landon was getting over a respiratory cold, I had a stomach virus and it rained on Friday and Saturday. So, Bryce had quite a bit of time available for creative play. He couldn't have been happier!
Landon is beginning to love books just as much as Bryce. We enjoyed special reading time this evening while John and Bryce were at soccer practice. Landon loves when he gets one-on-one attention during book time.
It is a season of change for our family. After being blessed by working a very part-time schedule for the past five years, I have gone back to work full-time. When I had Bryce, John and I decided I would stay home with the kids and be the primary caregiver while our children were babies. My employer, Memorial Hospital, generously allowed me to continue working 12 hours a week to keep my feet in the door professionally. Now that Landon is no longer a baby, we decided it was time for me to begin working full-time again. Memorial has allowed me to begin working full-time in the same department and in the same position.
Bryce and Landon began going to daycare everyday in the beginning of September, two weeks before I was scheduled to return to work full-time. I wanted to give them (and me) a transition period. Bryce has done a great job and Stillmeadow is preparing him for kindergarten. Landon, on the other hand, is going through an adjustment period. We have had a few rough weeks with a lot of tears shed by everyone, except Bryce. Things are finally starting to improve for Landon and he is adjusting to his new life.
John and I are trying to make the most out of our evenings and weekends with the kids and spoil them with all of the love and attention we can possibly give them!
Our neighbor Molly came over to play with Bryce this afternoon. Molly is "all girl" and Bryce is "all boy." It was interesting to see them compromise to play together. They had a great time!
We went to Quiznos this afternoon for lunch. Bryce and Landon were such big boys sitting at the tall tables.
We had a "Movie Night" with the kids yesterday. We took them to Blockbuster and let them pick out a movie. Bryce selected the Bee movie.
We ordered pizza for dinner and set up a blanket in the living room for the kids to eat while watching the movie. What a special treat!
The kids started to get tired so they both went on the couch to snuggle with John. How cute!
Bryce had his first soccer game yesterday. He loved it! Bryce is the little boy on the far left (number 15). Our cousin Sam is also on the team. He is the boy in the middle.
The head coach was not at the game so John was out on the field with the kids. I think he had a better time at the game than Bryce! Landon was so upset about John being on the field during the game. He spent most of the game crying saying, "Hold me Daddy. Hold me Daddy."
Before the game started, I took Landon over to the playground. He enjoyed it...for only a few minutes!
Bryce and Landon enjoyed eating an ice pop while they played outside together this evening. They have been great buddies lately!
We went on a bike ride this afternoon with our friends, The Arnolds. The kids were so cute posing for a photo!
Group photo, minus Jeremy who took the photo.
Bryce enjoyed drinking his Gaterade after our 10 mile ride.
Landon had his two year well check visit at the pediatrician's office last week. As you can tell by the look on his face, he was not feeling well. On our way to the appointment, he threw up in the car. Yuck! As if that wasn't enough stress, Bryce got his leg stuck in our van door when we arrived in the parking lot. What an afternoon!!
Bryce was the lucky one to hold the "vomit container" at the pediatrician's office. He took his responsibility very seriously.
Bryce was happy that he wasn't the one being examined by the physician. He vividly remembers his last well check visit when he received a shot!
Landon is 2! Where have the last two years gone! I can remember vividly his first few days at home and how tiny he was compared to Bryce. Now he is walking, talking and desperately trying to keep up with his big brother!
The red icing on the cupcakes was lethal! We had to scrub hard to remove it from both boys' faces!
Wednesday was Bryce's first day of outdoor soccer practice. In this picture, you will notice John with the kids. Yes, he is one of the coaches...and he has absolutely no soccer experience! When I filled out the soccer league application, I indicated that I would volunteer. I assumed I would help coordinate schedules and snacks. Nope, they just wanted a coach. You can imagine our surprise when we recieved the team list and noticed John's name as an assistant coach. Thankfully, the head coach and other assistant are terrific!
Bryce was so excited to kick the ball! He is much happier about playing soccer outside as opposed to indoor soccer season.
Bryce in his soccer gear!
Tomorrow evening is Bryce's first day of outdoor soccer practice. To prepare for the big day, I put his new soccer cleats and shin guards on so he could get used to how they feel. He loved it! Hopefully he will enjoy soccer season!
As a mother of two boys, I have learned that it is VERY tough to keep boys out of water puddles. My kids gravitate to them and always try to jump in them quickly before Mom and Dad stop them. This evening, Landon found a puddle on the bottom of the sliding board. He jumped in it while I wasn't looking. Since he was already wet and muddy I allowed him to continue having fun splashing in the water.
Bryce and Landon love being in the kitchen with me, especially when they can clean dishes in the sink. Cousins Emily and Aaron recently passed on their play kitchen to us so the boys now enjoy kitchen play oustide. There was water in their kitchen sink from an entire day of rain on Saturday and they immediately began washing their dishes when we went outside to play yesterday. I had no idea they would enjoy it as much as they did!
John and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary today. For the second year in a row, we celebrated with a family night out.
We went out to dinner at a Hibachi/sushi restaurant. The kids loved their first hibachi experince.
Bryce really enjoyed eating sushi with chopsticks and he was captivated by the hibachi chef. Landon was a bit apprehensive watching the chef but I think he would love to eat there again.
We celebrated Landon's second birthday on Sunday.
Landon tried very hard to blow out his candles! We have been practicing for a few weeks, but he still needed assistance from his cousins!
Sunday was a perfect day for an outside party! The kids had a blast with water activities, especially the water balloons!
The slip 'n slide was a huge hit!
Our neighbor, Sarah, raked leaves yesterday and Landon had a great time playing in them!
Bryce decided he wanted to paint this afternoon. So, when I took Landon upstairs to change his clothes, Bryce got the paint and coloring books off the bookshelf. He then took my glass from the kitchen table and filled it up with water then began water painting. Landon quickly joined Bryce at the activity table so he could paint too.
Bryce painted for at least an hour this afternoon!
Landon didn't actually paint. He dipped his brush in the water and "painted" the lid to the paint bin. He then proceeded to pour the water on the lid. After he began painting his face and pouring water all over the coloring books, I cut him off from painting! Painting inside the house with a one year old is stressful!!!
