Emmy's 2 yr photos and a few of the family too

Right when school got out, we had Em's pictures taken and also got some of Landon and the family.  Matt works with a very talented photographer (who also happens to be a teacher!) and she met us at the Old Bag Factory in Goshen to snap some photos of us.  She did an excellent job running around after the kids.  I couldn't believe she got that many of the kids being still!  Her blog is amazing as well at baberredbarnphoto.blogspot.com

My favorite of Emmy

My favorite of Landon

We will definitely use Heather again.  We are so happy with the pictures, and I don't think the kids even knew we were there just to take pictures.  They had so much fun running around outside!

Cars 2

We took Landon to his first movie in a movie theater, "Cars 2".  He LOVES "Cars" and is always driving his Lightning McQueen around, so we thought this would be a great choice for his first movie theater experience.  We spent a few days beforehand talking about the theater and what to expect when he got there. Gma watched Emmy because we knew she wouldn't sit still that long.  Landon was such a trooper.  He loved the big "scream" and the popcorn.  I think he ate almost the whole container by himself.  He really enjoyed the movie and we really enjoyed watching him.  The movie wasn't as "little kid-friendly" as the first one, but I still liked it.

Father's Day 2011

Our family is so blessed to have a wonderful Father.  Matt is so wonderful with the kids.  He adores them and I know they share the same feelings.  Ever since Father's Day, Landon has been saying out of the blue, "I wuv you, Daddy."  It is so precious.  One day he even said, "I wuv Daddy the best, not Mommy."  Gotta love him! :)  We had a great day celebrating all of our Fathers.  We took the Dads to BW3's for supper and then came back here for a special surprise that the kids and I made. 

 I saw the idea on Jessica's pinterest page and decided to try it out.  Here's the link http://www.bakerella.com/fast-food-fun/  With 2 2 yr olds helping, I decided to just go with the sugar cookie french fries!  They did a great job helping and it was pretty easy, once I got the hang of it.

I got a kick looking through all of the pictures with the kids and the dads.  I had a hard time finding one where all three of the subjects looked nice! :)  Happy Father's Day!

1st time at the library and camping

Last Thursday, the kids had all kinds of new adventures.  We went to the library (or "eye-bay" as Em calls it!) for toddler story time.   They did a great job listening to the story and picking out their new books.  They even got to use markers for the first time (thankfully they were washable!!).  Every Thursday morning during the summer the kids get to go and make a craft, sing, listen to a story, and interact with other 2/3 yr olds.  How fun!!
After library, we took the kids to Chain O' Lakes to go camping.  They were super excited to get to sleep in a tent and use their new princess and Lightning sleeping bags!  They did absolutely wonderful.  They loved to be outside and in the tent.  They did great with the bug spray (gotta love those mosquitoes!) and sunscreen.  They even did a great job sleeping together in the tent while Mommy and Daddy talked with the Fryes and had pudgie pies with cherries and chocolate! :)  The only down-side were some very obnoxious neighbors who decided to shout, curse, and play music until about 3 am making sleep very difficult for all of us parents.  The kids slept wonderfully, not so for us.  So all of the adults were exhausted, but the kids were up and ready to go at 7 am! :)

Playing in the tent on Thursday when it rained

Miss Curious got her hand stuck! :)

All of the kids loved to swing!

  We didn't figure it would be hot enough on Friday to swim...but it definitely was!  Check out Em's diaper!

Looks like the perfect end to a camping trip

Our first trip to the zoo

We also got to experience the zoo for the first time. Karen and Dave were babysitting Gunnar and asked if we wanted to get together to go to Potowatomi Zoo with mom and dad Even though rain was forcasted, we took a chance and went to see the animals. It turned out really nice because the zoo wasn't crowded and it didn't rain at all! The kids loved the peacocks and hated the lions. "Too loud" they kept saying. And I don't blame them, you could hear the lions roar all over the park. It was so nice to spend some time with cousin Gunnar (and the adults too!).

They make have liked the coin collector better than the animals!

Taking a ride on the train

Papa B., Landon,  Emerson, Daddy, Gunnar, and Grandpa Dave

Mema, Landon, Emerson, Mommy, Gunnar, and Grandma Karen

Sporting Steak 'N Shake hats at the restaurant

Mother's Day 2011

Although these posts have been ready for a few weeks, our computer USB drives were not cooperating, so I couldn't upload any pictures.  After I went to mom and dad's to borrow their computer, here are some pictures...better late than never, I guess! :)

Yes, this is the best picture we could get! :)

I enjoyed celebrating Mother's Day with the kids this year.  Landon's starting to understand, so he'd say "Happy Mother's Day" to all of the ladies he saw (even Emerson!).  We got to celebrate as a family at Red Lobster and then on Sunday with the grandmas too.  The kids painted stepping stones (which I did not take a picture of :( ) and put their handprints in them for their grandmas.  I am so blessed to have 2 wonderful children that make me the happiest mom!  Although they can both be challenging at times, I couldn't imagine my life without their adorable giggles and funny faces.

Emmy is 2!

Our little girl is not so little any more.  On May 23rd, she turned 2!  We celebrated her on Saturday with a garden themed birthday party.  She keeps us on our toes but is quite a sweetheart.  She's really trying hard to say new words.  Some of my favorites are "I-I" for owies, "bai-et" for blanket, "down-day" for downstairs, and "Da-da-ee" for Daddy.  She's also learning to count, "un, oo, ee, our, ive, ick,ni, ten".  Here are a few pictures from her big day!

Emmy next to her birth tree.

Em and her lady bug cake

Blowing out her candles



"Cheese"  Gotta love black frosting!



Look at all those presents! :)



One of the treats for her guests were tatoos.  She loved the "ah-oos"

And I just thought this picture was cute, even though it's not from her party! :)

We are so thankful that God blessed us with this beautiful little girl and pray that she grows up to become a beautiful young woman some day!

April Birthdays and Easter weekend

We know 2 very special kids whose birthdays both happen to be in April (1 day apart) and we were blessed to be invited to celebrate their birthdays with them.  Grace turned 6 this month and Tyler was 4.  It's so wonderful to be a part of their lives and watch them grow and develop.

Grace in her new jeep taking Greyson for a ride.

Tyler trying out his new 4 wheeler.

We also had an egg hunt at their house.  The kids had a blast hunting the eggs and then finding out there was candy inside!

 We also dyed eggs with the kids for the first time.  We told them the eggs would get a bath and turn neat colors.  It was hard for them to wait for the eggs to be done.  Em wanted to touch the eggs and Landon wanted to use the handy egg dipper to move the eggs around.

They're proud of their eggs!

 We got to celebrate Easter with my parents on Saturday.  They had us over for dinner, an egg hunt (surprisingly it wasn't raining), and the kids got an Easter basket.

Egg hunt at Mema and Papa B.'s house

 Then it was Easter morning.  We decided to forgo the Sunrise Service this year and head to church a little early for pictures and the egg hunt.  Matt and Todd did a wonderful job with the kids during service while Cathy and I sang in the choir's Easter cantada.

You'll have to forgive the trash in the background!  Sometimes you just have to take pictures of moments like these.  When we walked into the fellowhip hall, Landon took Emmy's hand! :)

Our best family picture.  Landon wasn't too thrilled with the idea of getting his picture taken over and over!

 After church, we saw that the Easter Bunny left baskets at our house, so we opened those before heading over to Matt's parents for lunch, naps, the egg hunt, and more Easter baskets.

Happy Easter, everyone!  He is risen!  He is risen, indeed!!

Little Miss Ornery

And so as most of you know, Miss Em is very....for lack of a better word...curious!  She loves to have her hands in things, touching things, making a mess, etc.  Over the past few weeks, these are a few photos of her ornery self!

This is tootpaste she got out of Daddy's backpack, opened, and spread all over her face.

And this....well...yes it is what you think it is.  Besides being all over her face, legs, and hands, it was all over the crib rails, blankets, and stuffed animals.  Let's just say, she had a shower before trying to go back down for a nap!

We do love her dearly and I'm sure will look back and laugh, but for now, I'm pretty sure God is working with us on patience and perserverance! ;)