Photo Shoot- Ryan (1 year old), Ethan (3 years old)

We took the boys to Portrait Innovations today to have Ryan's 1 year and Ethan's 3 year photos done and to also get some photos of the boys together.  Overall I was pretty pleased with the outcome, though we learned that it is very difficult to get a great shot of both boys at the same time.  Ethan did a spectacular job listening to the photographer and following direction, but Ryan was all over the place! ;)  It was interesting how the difference in the boys' complexions was so evident in these photos.  Ethan favors me in his extreme paleness, and Ryan favors Dan with more of an orangey tone to his skin.  Here are the best shots of the boys together:

Some of Ryan's 1 year photos:

 

BIG blue eyes :)

Ethan's 3 year photos:

I 

I absolutely love this last one!

Dan's New Employer

The company Dan has worked for since he graduated from college has had significant financial problems, just recently emerging from an over 3 year period of bankruptcy.  During this time of difficulty for their company, Dan and several co-workers envisioned being able to make their own business and financial decisions so they decided to seriously pursue starting up their own company.  They invested many months learning the ins and outs of small business development.  They recently secured a substantial contract that allowed all four of these entrepreneurs to resign from their previous employer and set out on their own.  To celebrate, our friends Lori and Doug invited the founders of the new company to a wonderful dinner party.  We had great food, great conversation, and great fun!  The guys who comprise the new company are (from left to right): Doug, Neil, Dan, and Todd.  We are so very proud of all that they have already accomplished and pray that their new business venture is a huge success!

Tinker Toy Antics

Ryan is such a character.  He loves to do anything and everything that his big brother does.  I was a little nervous about allowing him to play with Ethan's tinker toys (lots of small pieces), but this silly boy ended up playing primarily with the box! 

Playdate with Ian and Reid

We had a great time getting together with our friends Sonia, Ian, and Reid today.  Ian is 2 months younger than Ethan, and Reid is 2 weeks older than Ryan, so the boys are extremely close in age and have a lot of fun playing together.  This is one of the first times that I've seen Ryan really interact with his playmate.  He and Reid had fun throwing balls, playing with cars, and exploring other toys.

Ethan and Ian had a blast playing with lots of different toys.  Here they are working on a Thomas the Train puzzle.

Uh oh!

It is a lot of fun to hear Ryan start saying various words or at least trying to mimic our speech.  Recently we've heard him saying "uh oh" very distinctly (and in appropriate circumstances).

Valentine's Day with Grandpa and Grandma G. and Uncle Mike

Luck runs in our family.  For whatever reason, we tend to win quite a few of the things that we sign up for (drawings, contests, etc.)  This Valentine's Day was no exception as Grandma G. won an entire meal from Kroger including a ham, several sides, sparkling grape juice, and also a $20 gift card to Olive Garden.  We enjoyed helping Grandma, Grandpa, and Mike eat up the winnings! :)

Ethan cuddling with Grandpa
Ryan cuddling with Grandma

Grandma bought a neat Valentine's Day storybook at Hallmark (one where you can record your voice reading each page) for Ethan and Ryan.  The boys love it!  How neat that Grandma can "read" them a story any time they'd like.

Valentine's Party at a Local Living History Museum

Ethan and his friends, Caelyn and Elise, really enjoyed a Valentine's Day Party today at a local living history museum.  They listened to a Valentine's Day story, discussed colors and each had a turn to stick different colored hearts on a special board, and enjoyed decorating (and eating, of course) a heart-shaped cookie with icing and candy.
At the end of the party, the kids learned a really fun dance to a catchy song and danced their hearts out (no pun intended).  They also snuck in a game of limbo.

All three of the kids had a blast! (And, no, their mom and I did not coordinate their outfits intentionally!)

Valentine's Day Puppet Show

Ethan and Ryan really enjoyed watching their first puppet show today with their friends Caelyn and Elise.  Since the puppet show was at a nature center, all of the characters were animals, and the puppeteer discussed facts about some of the animals prior to the show.  The "plot" of the show was really cute, and Ethan was mesmerized the entire time.  The really snowy and icy weather deterred a lot of people from coming, so it was nice that the show was not very crowded at all. 

The puppet show stage with the main characters: polar bear, snowy owl, and wolf

The show really kept Ethan and Caelyn's attention The kids got the opportunity to "meet" and hug the puppets after the show.  Ethan was thrilled that he got to hug the owl and polar bear.