Cousin Fun!

Along with summer comes fun with our cousins! I think we have officially spent the past 72 hours together! On Thursday we went to the Philadelphia Zoo! How is it that taking 6 kids to the zoo is easier than 2? Oh, right...many eyes and hands to grab Ethan who is constantly on the move!

 Ethan's first camel ride! (yep, I cut off the camel's neck in the picture, haha)

 

 Leah and Elijah

 

Landon and Elijah on the carousel

 Me and my lil man! (getting too big!)

 

We couldn't leave without riding the zoo train!

At the new Kids zoo, they have a huge climbing play area that the kids loved!

 

We decided to try something we haven't tried yet with the kids- Swan paddleboats! They loved it!

 

Ethan's face cracks me up here!

Hannah and Michaiah

Elijah and Leah

Ethan loved petting the goats!

 

 

The next day we had all of our cousins over for a sleepover! In the morning, the kids woke up ready to put out the slip n' slide and baby pool before 9:30! It was a ton of fun until the slip n' slide popped! :) 

 

 

And, Ethan enjoyed swimming in their pool! He didn't want anyone to hold on to him, and kept saying "jump!" and "two, threeeeee!!!" so we would bring him over to the side so he could keep jumping in.

 

 

 

We are already looking forward to our next cousin play date and are very excited to be spending a week together at Sandy Cove in a couple weeks! I love seeing my boys and my cousins play together and develop that bond that I remember loving when I was little. :) Brings me back to when I was little, and puts a big smile on my face. It also really makes me appreciate how much my mom endured every summer in our pool- settling squabbles and trying to keep the peace during the hot summer days! 

 

 

Hershey Park Getaway

To say the month of April and May was a challenge for our family is an undertatement. On April 12th, we found out that Greg had two tumors that were likely cancerous that needed to be removed ASAP. He had the surgery on April 23rd, and we patiently waited (or not so patiently) for the pathology to confirm. Sure enough they had been. After a visit with the oncologist mid-May and a follow up appointment today, we found out that the protocol is close obsesrvation (tests and appointments every two months), and that no chemo or radiation is needed at this point. Praise God! After receiving that good news, we decided to take the kids to Hershey Park over Memorial Day weeekend for a little decompression time. We knew we were overdue for a little out of the ordinary family fun, and a short weekend away seemed to be just what the doctor would recommend...no pun intended.

Off we went with the car packed (JAM Packed!) for our 2 night stay in the Lancaster/Hershsey area. We stayed in a nearby Holiday Inn Express and were able to stay for free using our points earned from our 2010 Moscow Holiday Inn stay!

Boy "shot" after measuring Hershey Kiss for Landon and Hershey's Miniature for Ethan!

For the record, that has to be the only time Ethan has ever measured miniature! :)

 

Spinny rides with Daddy!

And, here is that smile that could melt me in a minute-

Landon is charming Miss Hershey Kiss!

I think Landon rode the cars at least 3 times! Definitely a favorite!

What boy doesn't like to drive a sport's car?

Mommy's turn on the spinny rides!

 

The airplanes were another favorite! ...I think he liked shooting the gun as much as flying!

Meeting Hershey! ...this picture was taken right before Ethan barrelled into Hershey for a big hug!

He shocked us all!

Please let these be the only motorcycles the boys ride on...ever. ;)

Ethan's face says it all... "Ummm...you think I can handle this?"

Flying a spaceship with Daddy! What a fun way to end the day!

 

 

The boys did great! We got into the park around 10 and stayed until 6. Not bad for being so young! After taking a short nap on our way back to the hotel, the boys seemed to be wired. We had a bit of a tough time getting them settled. Ethan learned how to get out of his pack and play, so I felt like I never really fully let myself fall into a deep sleep. Sure enough, I heard a beep around 2 AM, and sat up panicked to find Ethan walking around the hotel room, and playing with the air conditioner buttoms. Oy Vey!  After that, they both slept through the night, but it was definitely enough of a scare not allow myself to get a good night's rest. 

 

Before heading home the next day, we stopped at the Turkey Hill experience - more fun than I had expected!

 



 



It really squirts!  

Unlimited free samples of ice cream and tea!

Me: Look, Landon, You can be Ruiz!

Landon: Mom, it's not Ruiz. He has a black glove!

(only Landon would know the baseball players by their gloves!

...Greg confirmed this by the way- he was right!)

Shooting games

A ball pit!

Make your own Turkey Hill Ice Cream flavor commercial!

If only I had this on video- Greg had to rap! ...yes, rap! LOL!

 

 

 

After the Turkey Hill experience, we stopped for lunch on our way home at the Windmill Restaurant near Lancaster. It was a family tradition of Greg's, and we wanted to try it ourselves! It brought back a lot of memories for Greg, and the food was delicious! Corn Cream Soup, Roasted Turkey with Stuffing, and Apple Dumplings for dessert! YYYUUUMMM!

 

 



Fun Firsts

Spring has finally sprung, and the warm weather was a welcomed change this past week!

Landon is playing t-ball this year with Daddy as coach! To add to the fun- his best bud, Caden is also on his team, and Uncle Darren (Caden's dad) is also helping coach the Eagles! We could not have asked for a better arrangement! Last Saturday was Opening Day starting with a parade in the morning, folllowed by his first game just a few hours later. As you will see in the pictures to follow, this boy loves baseball! Just so you know...I've gotten my vocabulary adjusted by a certain 4 year old one too many times this week. "Mom, it's BASEBALL, not TBALL. And, "Mom, Landon is not my name. I have a new name." After a few minutes of me trying to guess his new name, and trying to get it out of him, he finally spilled the beans. His new name is Ryan Howard, folks. And, Caden is now Chase Utley. Little boys and their dreams. Gotta love it. :)

Here they are: Chase Utley and Ryan Howard

 

 

 

Ethan was such a happy trooper during the parade! No tears at all. Just happy to be outside (even though it was below 40), watching everyone around him! He is literally saying, "Cheese!" for the picture. :)

 

And, here is the Eagles team at the beginning of the parade route!

 

This is the best I could capture this moment...one of my favorite mommy memories to date. I was walking on a bike path which ran parallel to the parade route. The last Landon saw me, I was waiting for him at a corner a few minutes prior, waving and snapping pictures. As he continued walking, he must have thought I stayed where he had seen me last. He glanced over and saw me walking. I hear, "LOOK! It's my MOM! Look guys! MOOOOOMMMMMM!!!"

It was so cute and put the biggest smile on my face.

 

 

 

After heading home for a quick nap, we returned to the field for Landon's first ever t ball game. These are the moments...the firsts...that I seem to really REALLY enjoy. What made the moment even better was seeing Greg coach Landon. Seriously, these moments take me back. Back to 2009 when Greg and I spent our 9 year wedding anniversary in Disney. I remember holding back tears during one of the Mickey shows in front of Cinderella's castle as they closed with "When you wish upon a star." It makes me smile to think that God knew that just a year later, we would be starting a new chapter in our lives together. A chapter we both had dreamed of, and prayed so hard for.  Yep...these moments bring me back, and make the present THAT.MUCH.SWEETER.

 

First field experience - pitcher

 

First at bat!

 

First on base!

 

Landon began to look over during the game and see different family members there. At one point, he was up to bat, and yelling, "Mommom! Mommom!"  Another time, he was on 1st base, and called over to get Aunt Laura's attention to show her that he was wearing gloves...his favorite! My sister Laura is a dental hygeinist. Everytime we go to her to get our teeth cleaned, Landon leaves with a new pair of squishy gloves which he refuses to part with for a least 24 hours after. I don't know why, but he has had a glove "thing" which goes back to our first meetings in Russia. 

 

First run scored!

Ethan and Aunt Laura

 

 

Thank God for the many family we did have there. Ethan was on the go, wanting to run out on the field to join in the fun. He would catch site of Greg a number of times, and yell, DA! DAAADDD! What a fun game. There were a few moments when I was laughing so hard my cheeks hurt. There were a few kids who forgot they were running the bases and began fielding their teammates hits, rather than advancing to the next base. Then there were a few who ran to third instead of first. It is SO CUTE seeing the kids try to make sense of the game. 

Jackson boys!

 



 

 

Between church softball, t-ball, Awana, keeping up with my running, and our daily school routine, I am one extra tired mommy. There are under 10 weeks of school left (who's counting??), and I am really looking forward to a slower daily pace and more time to do things around the house and with my favorite 3 boys. :)  PS- can you tell I discovered PicMonkey? Hope you didn't mind my experimenting with different photo editing options! :)

 





Springtime Fun!

I can't believe it- another Easter has come and gone. Why does it feel like time keeps going faster and faster?

We took the kids to see the Easter bunny at the mall the week before Easter, and then went out to dinner. What a fun Friday night! As you can see, Ethan wasn't too crazy about sitting on the bunny's lap. Somehow we managed to get a photo of both boys looking at the camera. One out of sheer help, "Someone save me!" And the other thinking, "Smile for the picture, Ethan!" What a helpful big brother!

Here are a few more pictures of the fun we have been having lately!

Dying Easter Eggs with Mommom, Poppop, Aunt Jilly, Jackson, Uncle Chris,  Aunt Marrissa, Uncle Dave, & Aunt Laura!!

 

Jackson paused from dying his egg for a quick pose!

Oh...that face! I could just munch it non-stop!

 

 And, those cheeks! :) Love that smile!!

 

 

Landon was really good about being careful this year! ...just a few "drops" into the mugs!

Cousin fun in the ball pit!

We woke up on Easter morning to the sound of a pitter patter of feet running down the hall...followed closely by an exclaimed, "Mom! Dad! The Easter Bunny came to my house!"

 



Easter seems to be a good time for a family photo update!

Kisses for my daddy!

 

Couldn't be more excited to be an aunt again in a few months! :)

 

Sisters = Best Friends

 

Next up...Egg Hunt at Nana and Grandpop's! They hid 40 eggs for the boys to find! So happy the rain held off!

Who is this handsome boy looking for eggs?

 

 

hmmm.... 

Getting pretty good at this!

Time out for a candy break!

"I'm going to beat you to that egg, Aunt Sue!"

After Ethan purposely dumped his basket of eggs, Landon says, "It's okay, Ethan!"

 

 

Landon and Aunt Sue. :)

"CHEESE!!!"

Kisses for my brother!

 

 

 



We hope you had a wonderful Easter with your friends and family, celebrating our Risen Savior as well!