Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Play Date With Meghan

We met my girlfriend Mell and her daughter Meghan at the mall today. Landon's favorite part of the walk was being released from the stroller! He and Meghan enjoyed checking eachother out! When Meghan gets a little older, I am sure they will be best of buddies!

Roller Skating!

My employer sponsored a roller skating party last night so we decided to take the kids to see if they would enjoy skating. What a blast! They loved it more than we could have ever imagined!

Landon loved being on skates!

We held Landon's hand as he skated around the rink. I made a big mistake by wearning skates the first time we took Landon out. I fell on my rear trying to catch him as he fell! We then decided the safest option was to wear shoes on the rink.

Bryce was uncharastically independent on the skating rink. He wanted to skate by himself and when we tried to go with him, he said, "Stop following me! I want to be alone!" Our shy little boy is starting to break out of his shell!

Who knew roller skating would be so much fun!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Easter Egg Hunt

Bryce and Landon went to an Easter Egg Hunt in our neighborhood yesterday. They both had a great time despite the cold temperatures! Landon followed his big brother's lead and immediately began putting eggs in his basket. Bryce was more excited about the Egg Hunt than he had been in previous years. He ran off on his own and loved putting all of the eggs in his basket.
Landon had the same reaction to the Easter Bunny that he had to Santa Claus! I thought it would help him by having Bryce go with him, but it didin't.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Our Favorite Lunch Spot

The kids absolutely love eating lunch at Target and they beg to visit the snack bar each time we shop there. It is a big treat for them to eat at Target and watch all the cars in the parking lot! It doesn't take much to make them happy!

Bryce's First Soccer Game

Bryce had his first soccer game today and he did a great job! (FYI - We define "great" as following the group of kids chasing the soccer ball and not crying!) We were proud of Bryce for trying so hard! Athletics do not come naturally to Bryce so he needs to work extra hard to keep up with the other kids!

Landon had fun playing with our friend Katherine during the game.

The kids had fun giving the other team "high fives" after the game.

Another Beautiful Day

Thursday was another beautiful day so we went to the park again. It wasn't as warm as it was on Monday but it felt great to be outside playing again! The boys brought a few trucks to play with and they enjoyed scooping mulch with their shovels.

Landon enjoyed throwing the ball at the park.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Spring Fever

Today is a perfect spring like day! I took the kids to play at the park this morning so they could enjoy this terrific weather!

Bryce was very busy and independent at the park.

I needed a break from running after Landon so I put him in the swing so he would be confined! He has climbing on everything and ran away from me several times. He wore me out!

We met my friend Karen and her eight week-old son, Jackson, at the park today. It was Jackson's first trip to the park.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Playing Outside

Bryce played outside today while Landon took his afternoon nap. It has been a while since Bryce played outside and he enjoyed every second of it! His favorite part of the afternoon was having our neighbor Sarah chase him around the yard.

Fun In The Tub

Life has become much easier since we began giving the boys a bath together. Landon loves when he gets to take a bath with his big brother because he learns lots of new and exciting things to do in the tub.

Lunch With Molly and Wally

We went to church then out to lunch with Molly and Wally this morning. The boys enjoyed some special time with their grandparents.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Little Drummer Boy

Landon has been really excited about playing with the drum set lately. He gets the drum sticks and bangs them as hard as he can! Definately not a quiet activity!

Living Room Camp Out

The boys set up their Winnie the Pooh tent, put blankets and pillows inside and had a camp out in the living room. They had a lot of fun playing inside!

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Pasta Time!

This week, the boys have been spending a lot of time pretending to cook. Today I gave them uncooked spaghetti to play with. It was at least an hour of entertainment!

Landon and Bryce both loved playing with the rolling pin but they DID NOT enjoy sharing it with eachother.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

A Night Owl and An Early Riser

The unique differences between Bryce and Landon are becoming more evident each day. Bryce takes after me and likes to stay up late and sleep in. And, he is very grumpy in the morning! When he does wake up, he comes into our room, usually mutters the words "too bright" and crawls into our bed. He needs his adjustment time in the morning and is perfectly content being alone until he is ready to socialize.

Landon, on the other hand, is just like John. Early to bed and early to rise. He is rearing to go the second he wakes up! This morning, he moved his stool to the bathroom window and talked to everything outside (the birds, the neighbor's dog, the cars). Then he was on the go the rest of the morning!

What A Mess!!

We got a book shelf for Landon's room and he decided to help us unpack it. We knew he was sitting on the box and a minute later we realized that he started to tear apart all of the packaging. What a mess!!! John was able to laugh about it immediately, but it took me much longer to find it amusing!

Monday, February 25, 2008

Play Date With Alex

Bryce's preschool friend Alex came over to play this morning. They were very busy and had a great time playing together.

The boys enjoyed making shamrock cookies together.

Playing dress up was a highlight of the morning.

The boys enjoyed a mid morning snack together.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Playing Before Bedtime

The boys enjoyed special time with Daddy before they went to bed tonight.

Landon was busy before he went to bed. He didn't have time to sit and rest!

My First Soccer Practice

We have officially entered the world of team sports with our children! Today was Bryce's first day of soccer practice. He was very excited about being there because his friend Grant was there with him.

The kids practiced kicking the balls through the cones.

Stretching during warmup.

This was a familiar sight during soccer practice....Landon sneaking into the practice session! He desperately wanted to play soccer with the bigger kids! John and I eventually realized that we needed to take turns going into the hallway with Landon.

Another Snow Storm

Friday was a snow day here. We took the kids out in the evening to play; however, we only stayed out for about 10 minutes. It started to rain and we were all bitter cold! Landon loved pushing a broom around in the snow.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Monster Jam

John, Bryce, Mark, Lexi and Andrew went to see a "Monster Jam" truck show in Pittsburgh on Saturday. They sat in box seats and enjoyed all the food they could eat! Bryce especially enjoyed eating the endless bowl of fresh popped popcorn.

Bryce loves playing with toy monster trucks so it was a big thrill for him to see a live show.

Bryce enjoyed watching the motorcycles also.

Visiting Friends

We visited our friends Mark and Allison this weekend at their new home in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Bryce had a great time playing with Andrew and Lexi. He didn't want to leave!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Pop Pop

"Pop pop" is a frequently used word in our house lately. In fact, I would say it was said at least 50 times today. Pop pop really means lollipop, but lollipop is too hard for a 17 month-old boy to say. Landon would eat a lollipop several times a day if we allowed it. Throughout the day, he goes over to the cabinet where the lollipops are stored and he points, repeadetly saying, "pop pop, pop pop." Here is how a conversation went between Landon and I today: "Mama." "Yes, Landon." "Pop pop?" "No, Landon. You have already had two lollipops today. No more." "Ahhhhh. " (Landon gazes lovingly into my eyes and continues with...) "Mama." "Yes, Landon." "Pop Pop?" This conversation conintued through one or two more rounds until Landon realized he wasn't getting a lollipop. Then he threw his body on the floor, kicked his hands and legs and cried! I can only imagine what the tantrums will be like at age two when they are this intense already!