Nolan Turns 6!

After much anticipation, this little man turned 6 years old on June 28th. We celebrated the big occasion by doing the one thing that he wanted to do most of all...go to SKYZONE!!

This boy loves to jump, climb and bounce on anything and everything in our home so this was a perfect place for him to spend his special day!

He got to share this playtime with his siblings too which made everyone very happy!

That afternoon we went swimming at the pool and came home just in time to open up some presents once Dad was home from work.

He loved his new LEGO sets, walkie-talkies, marble run, and remote control motorcycle!

We finished off the evening by eating dinner at his favorite restaurant, Golden Corral.

When your face ends up like this after a good meal, you know it's been a good birthday!

We sure do love our little Nolan man. He is still pretty small for his age which helps me to think he is younger than he really is. He had a great first year of school, but is filling up his summer days with lots of reading, LEGO building and swimming. Can't believe he is SIX!!

Brotherly Love

These two boys of mine can fight like there's no tomorrow, but they also can be the best of friends. When I saw this scene on the couch one day, I had to grab a photo to prove that they really do love each other.

They were looking at their "dream bedroom" on the iPad with their arms around each other. Landon did not like me taking a picture but Nolan didn't seem to mind!

Love these boys of mine and hope they continue to be the best of friends, when they aren't fighting and kicking each other of course!!

Activity Day Camp

Our ward had a fun "day camp" for the Activity Day girls last week and Abby was glad that they had planned one before she goes into Young Women's next year. They met for some hiking, swimming, crafts and a picnic at Greenbrier State Park on Tuesday and had a fun morning there.

On Wednesday they met at one of the leader's homes and did a service project, more crafts and card-making.

The last day was spent learning about fitness, hygiene, having a baking class and practicing some cake decorating skills.

They finished off the camp by making their on dinner to eat that night and roasting s'mores together.

Abby loved it and really enjoyed the experiences she got to share with the other girls!

Summer Adventures

We had a fun morning at the Discovery Station in Hagerstown this week. We get in free with our passes to the Philadelphia Museum of Science so it is fun to go every now and then and spend a few hours there.

Maylie enjoyed taking some flying lessons from big brother Nolan!

Landon spent most of the time that we were there working in the LEGO Robotics area. He finished an entire robot all by himself which earned him a special certificate!

This guy loves all things LEGOs and science so that project was perfect for him!

Hagerstown Cultural Trail

Last weekend we headed over to to the downtown area for the grand opening of the Hagerstown Cultural Trail. They had lots of activities set up in the parking lot at the start of the trail. 

Maylie and Abby enjoyed the sidewalk chalk.

Nolan and Landon enjoyed climbing to the top of this rock tower...

The trail is a nice stone pathway that connects the downtown area to City Park. There are photos and artwork all along the trail as well. After getting some balloon animals made, we took a picture in front of the "Mural of Unusual Size!"

One portion of the trail is called "Faces of Hagerstown" and includes lots of photos of people who live or work in the area. One of the young women in our ward had her photo chosen for this display and the kids are standing in front of her picture here. Kind of fun that we also know the two young women in the photo as well!

It was a hot afternoon, but we enjoyed taking part of this fun new trail in our city!

Last Baseball Game

Landon has had a great baseball season and has learned a lot this year. He struggled a bit with confidence at the beginning of the season but really improved during the course of the season. Base Hits had their last game on Thursday, June 15th and went out with another win over their rival team, Huntsberry!!

It is always sad when the season ends and it is time to say goodbye to all of these wonderful kids, coaches, and parents.

One last pep talk from their coach, Joe...

Great job on a fantastic season Base Hits!!

Even Nolan and Maylie got in on the final huddle!!

Afterwards, all the kids and players got ice cream, cupcakes and Gatorade. A great way to end the season!!

Black Eye

Last Sunday morning, all was quiet upstairs which should have been a warning to us all. When Maylie came downstairs, we discovered that she had given herself a "black eye."

When we asked her what she was doing, she told us "Putting on my makeup!"

You can tell from these pictures that she was tickled pink with the results.

Little Stinker!!

Sports Party

We held Landon's birthday party at the Maugansville Recreation Center on Saturday, June 10th. It was a great place for a bunch of boys to run around and get out all their energy.

It was a sports themed party. Here is Landon in front of the party favors...

And the "Concession stand" complete with water, "corn dogs" (really Twinkies with a stick), baseball cupcakes, chips, gum and Cracker Jack.

We had just enough time to set things up before kids started arriving. We ended up with about 20 kids and several parents who stayed to help manage the chaos. We had scooter races, Dodge Ball, Basketball, Baseball and Kickball all going on at some point. The little ones really enjoyed the scooters and the older kids loved Dodge Ball!

By the end of the party, we had a bunch of happy and sweaty kids!!

I call that a successful party!!