The World of Ethan and Brian

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T17:52:00.012-05:00

We had a great weekend, full of lots of fun! We spent Friday evening at Ethan's school for Fall Fun Fest, dressed up for a Halloween party, and gathered for cake to celebrate Sam's and Scott's birthdays. A great weekend for sure!

Ethan won for most original costume in the K-2 group!

More Summer Fun

2010-08-30T20:03:00.005-05:00

Train rides...

Camping at Lake George...

Backyard swimming...

Birthdays...

Summer Snapshots

2010-08-30T19:21:00.007-05:00

Costumes to pass time...

Birthdays...

Fireflies...

Swimming...

Ok, so I've been a total slacker this summer when it comes to this blog (That's what Mom said in not so many words) so her are some of our Summer 2010 adventures in a nutshell...

Aunt Sara's Birthday

2010-05-13T15:33:00.002-05:00

We had a great time celebrating Aunt Sara's birthday. Grandma's backyard was decorated with lights and all the party flair Aunt Sara brings. Good times were had by all (especially running through the sprinkler!)

Guy Time

2010-05-13T15:29:00.000-05:00

While Mommy was working, Daddy decided to take the guys and head to Dulles Airport to visit the museum. From what was reported, they had a great time.

Not So Springy!

2010-05-13T15:25:00.000-05:00

With all the beautiful weather we were having, one night we decided we'd pack up the bikes and head to the park with lunch the next day. Well, the weather wasn't quite cooperative, so we cut things short, but still got in a good bike ride and some fun on the playground.

It's a Boy!!

2010-01-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

Meet the latest addition to the Pretty Family. This is our new
puppy, Dexter. We brought him home Thursday and he seems
to be adjusting just fine. We've only had one night together
and his crate ended up in our bedroom because he started
barking like crazy when the living room lights went out. Hopefully
we'll conquer this before too long.

The Round Man Cometh!

2010-01-11T19:16:00.000-05:00

As usual, we had a great time over the Christmas holiday.

The boys enjoyed lots of gift-opening at home and at Grandma's.

A couple long days and a couple happy boys!

Annual Cookie Decorating '09

2009-12-31T20:42:00.000-05:00

We've made it an annual tradition to decorate cookies
with our friend and her two daughters, whom the boys adore!

This year's cookies included chocolate angels, snowmen,
wreaths, and bells.

I'd say we all had lots of fun!

Big Snow 2009

2009-12-31T20:37:00.000-05:00

The boys and Greta finally got their first taste of a decent, big snow.
They had lots of fun...until Brian's hands got cold and he opted for
the warmth of the indoors.

Christmas With Santa!

2009-12-16T16:52:00.000-05:00

Aunt Sara's work hosted Breakfast With Santa this year, which is a fundraiser for Children's Miracle Network. The boys had a great time visiting with Santa, decorating cookies and doing crafts. All for a good cause! Thanks Aunt Sara!!

The Call of Fall

2009-11-11T16:06:00.001-05:00

The boys enjoyed a little sidewalk painting while Mommy and Daddy did the yard winterizing this beautiful fall weekend. I actually had to have them take the hats off shortly after these pictures were taken because they were sweating so much. Yea, sweating in November, who woulda thought??

Leaves and Candy

2009-11-01T14:36:00.003-05:00

Mommy raked...

...and buried

Ethan, Brian and Grey grabbed plenty of loot!

Let The Games Begin!

2009-09-15T20:42:00.000-05:00

We ventured into our first of many school functions to come. Ethan joined his school's soccer team. Tonight was his first practice and he seemed to really enjoy it. Especially when his "girlfriend" Carleigh showed up. Go Coldbrook Cougars!

Happy Birthday Grey!

2009-09-08T19:50:00.000-05:00

We all gathered at Ann and Matt's house to celebrate Grey's 3rd birthday. The boys had fun running around the yard with balloons and chasing each other. And posing with Uncle Scott.

The dinosaur cake was also a big hit with all of the kids. Great times!

Ethan's First Day of School

2009-09-03T21:07:00.000-05:00

Mommy, Daddy, Grandma and Aunt Sara were all on hand to see Ethan off on his first day of school. I held it together pretty well until he stepped on that big bus. That was Ethan's biggest worry, riding the bus. He said it was a little scary the first couple days. Now he is talking about how "cool" it is.

Daddy left home when Ethan did and met him at school to see him get off the bus and go into school. Mommy missed that part because she had to get to school herself. :(

Fun in the Sun

2009-08-27T14:03:00.003-05:00

As summer winds down, Grey has been spending lots of time with us while his Mommy has been busy packing for their move across town. We've been having lots of fun, as evidenced by the photos.

Ethan is all about funny faces when the camera appears.

Amazing Nature

2009-08-12T10:36:00.000-05:00

We found this little creature on the way home from a walk the other day and the kids ran home to grab their bug house and net to retrieve it!

After looking at him through the mesh wall of the bug house for a while, we decided to set him free next to our pond. The boys had fun hunting from him for a little while, then he disappeared into the camouflaged praying mantis world.

Part 2

2009-08-09T22:06:00.000-05:00

On our way home, we stopped to visit Eric's younger sister and her family. The boys got to play with their cousins, Kyra and Sam. More good times.

Thousand Islands

2009-08-09T22:03:00.000-05:00

We camped with Eric's sister and her family (Jason, Kris and Quinn) this summer at Thousand Islands in New York. Jason and Kris have a boat so we spent time fishing and site-seeing on the St. Lawrence River. We all had a great time.

Summer Swimming

2009-08-09T21:55:00.000-05:00

This summer hasn't been a very warm one, so swimming has been kind of sparse. But it's been a summer of moving up... Sam, Brian and Grey all graduated from swim packs to arm floaties. It's so much fun to watch them swim together. Sam is the only one who doesn't mind getting his face wet. Hopefully next year will bring some jumping without fear of wet heads.

It's Independence Day!

2009-07-16T15:27:00.000-05:00

We celebrated The Fourth of July with Grandma and Grey this year. A cookout and some sparklers were the events of the evening. Not being night owls, the kids missed the fireworks.

Summer Fun

2009-07-16T15:18:00.000-05:00

Super Ethan and Super Brian enjoyed thier makeshift capes while riding their bikes.

Ethan using his water soaker to paddle the float...

and Greta trying to decide if she wants to get in or not.

Assateague 2009

2009-06-02T20:51:00.000-05:00

We took our 3rd annual camping trip to Assateague and this year The Hackers joined us.

The boys seemed to have a great time on the beach and watching the horses.

Ethan loved the water until one of the waves crashed into him.

And fishing is always a hit!

Dancin' Machine Part II

2009-04-19T19:47:00.004-05:00

As told before, Ethan is a little shy in the world of entertaining, so this surveillance video was shot through the kitchen window. Today Eric let Ethan play with a battery-powered radio. He drove around in his car playing dashboard drums and all. A little later Eric spied him jammin' to Ozzy Osbourne in the garage and I couldn't resist the video opportunity.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T13:23:00.000-05:00

We had a nice Easter weekend, full of egg hunts and ham. The boys participated in a few easter eggs hunts over the last few days, so we've had our fill of little chocolate eggs.

Daddys' lil helpers

2009-04-08T21:02:00.003-05:00

Ethan kept telling daddy it needed muffler bearings made of unobtanium, but I'm not quite sure. I asked for a second opinion and Brian just said "yep"! That's the last time I let them use my tools.

Already??

2009-03-27T21:23:00.000-05:00

This week we took Ethan for kindergarten registration. A couple days before, we were talking to Ethan about it and he said, "Uh, Mom...I'm not old enough yet. I'm not ready." Well, I'm not sure I'm ready either, but it's pretty exciting. We did some paperwork and Ethan's skills were evaluated. There was a school bus parked in the parking lot for the kids to tour. Ethan, Brian and Daddy had fun checking out the bus. Momma was imagining this scene 5 months from now...

Dancin' Machine

2009-02-27T16:19:00.003-05:00

Ethan is somewhat shy about his dancing abilities, so Eric did a hidden camera manuver to capture this priceless footage. (Well, we think it's priceless, anyway). At least we don't have to worry about him running off to NY to pursue a dancing career!

Just Humor Me!

2009-02-21T19:05:00.000-05:00

Ok, Mom I've got better things to do than pose for pictures!

Finger Painting

2009-02-21T19:02:00.000-05:00

Who says fingerpaints are just for fingers??

Pizza Pie!

2009-02-01T20:35:00.000-05:00

Ready...
Set...

Pizza time!!

Super Heros to the Rescue!

2009-02-01T20:30:00.000-05:00

Brian suited up in his Blue's Clues blanket and Ethan his Spiderman and they were ready to save the day. Never fear! The Pretty Boys are here!

The Pretty's

2008-12-30T21:40:00.001-05:00

Next, we headed east to New Jersey for Christmas celebration with Eric's family. We gathered at his sister Kim's house this year. Ethan and Brian had a great time playing with his cousins and it was nice to see everyone.

Gifts and More Gifts!

2008-12-30T21:35:00.000-05:00

We had a busy day of opening gifts at home then heading to Grandma's. The boys had so much fun opening and even more fun playing.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-30T21:30:00.000-05:00

Ethan and Brian in their new jammies, courtesy of Aunt Sara. It's traditional that she buys all of the boys new jammies for Christmas Eve. Ethan was so excited to get carrots for the reindeer and cookies for Santa, which apparently were a hit.

Cookie Time

2008-12-30T21:24:00.001-05:00

We had our second annual cookie decorating day with Aunt Sara and all the boys this year. Ethan and Brian's girlfriends joined us again also. Unfortunately, Grey had very little interest in the cookies. He much more preferred to spend his time playing with the boys' toys.

The Christmas Play

2008-12-30T20:52:00.000-05:00

Ethan had his first theatrical appearance in our church's Christmas play this year. He was a memeber of the angel choir. Considering he had the same expression on his face the whole way through, I'd say he's not quite ready for the spotlight.

Snow!

2008-12-17T21:38:00.000-05:00

We had a quick snow yesterday and Ethan decided to head out as it was getting dark. He didn't let the lack of sunlight deter him. I was able to capture him mid-angel, which was sweet. Brian wanted to join in on the action but only lasted about 10 min post-bundling before he had to go to the bathroom, then decided to stay inside. I remember those days!

Oh, Christmas Tree..

2008-12-17T21:30:00.000-05:00

We had fun decorating our tree, although it was a difficult task for a control freak like Momma! But we got through it and have a wonderful tree as a result.

Show Us Your Muscles!

2008-12-07T21:50:00.000-05:00

Ethan and Sam loved showing Aunt Sara their muscles. Ethan loves to be in front of the camera.

Chambersburg's First Snow

2008-12-07T21:26:00.000-05:00

It wasn't much, but the boys loved our first snow. Brian was so excited he was even rolling around in it. He quickly caught onto eating the snow. Ethan was a pretty good teacher.

Fall Photo Shoot

2008-12-07T21:19:00.000-05:00

We spent a few hours in Caledonia State Park taking some pictures of the kids. Unfortunately, Grey was feeling a bit under the weather so we had to do this photo shoot without him. The boys had a great time throwing rocks in the stream and running around.

2008-10-31T21:43:00.000-05:00

The whole gang was at Grandma's to trick or treat. Ethan's favorite girls, Ally and Kara, joined the boys this year.

Ethan had fun gathering his loot and Brian had fun testing his.
Then they all joined Aunt Sara for a group picture. Would be nice to get everyone looking, but ya gotta take what you can get and run with it.

The Great Pumpkin

2008-10-14T19:19:00.000-05:00

We made a trip to a local produce barn to get some pumpkins this year. Thi s place has some bunnies, donkeys and miniature horses. The boys (all 3 of them) seemed to enjoy themselves.

Sugar, Sugar, Sugar!

2008-09-02T21:26:00.000-05:00

Aunt Sara brought each of the boys a nice big lollipop from Ocean City last week. Don't worry, they only got to spend a little time with the new treat.

Summer Winding Down...

2008-09-02T21:09:00.000-05:00

We had a family get together to celebrate Labor Day on Sunday. It was nice to have all the little guys present. Apparently Brian needed a little break from his laboring. Sam was not convinced that making silly faces for the camera is fun. All in all it was a nice time.
.

Campng Trip

2008-07-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

We went camping at a local state park last weekend and the boys had a great time at the lake and surrounding woods. It was quite a hot weekend but we had a lot of fun.

BIke Ride

2008-07-24T20:50:00.000-05:00

Ethan decided to take a stroll on his training bike. Of course, he had to get all geared up. While I was retrieving Brian from the sidewalk, nature apparently called for Ethan. That's when I got the paparazzi shot of him exiting the bushes of our front yard!!

Fun Times For All

2008-06-16T21:07:00.001-05:00

We enjoyed our second annual camping trip to Assateague National Park, which included some clam digging and beach time. Joining us this year were Aunt Sara, Nate and Eric's sister Kris and her family. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to do it again!

Batter Up!

2008-05-26T19:56:00.000-05:00

Ethan's "Better Batter Baseball" was a big hit with everyone. He's got quite a swing.

Happy Birthday!

2008-05-26T19:47:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Ethan's birthday with a few of his favorites...

Presents...

Trains (thanks for the neat cake, Aunt Sara)...

Cake...

...and Ally!

The Slide

2008-05-23T21:25:00.000-05:00

ready...

set...

GO!

What Rain?

2008-05-23T21:18:00.000-05:00

Aunt Sara visited Mother's Day weekend. It was a bit rainy but Ethan still managed to show her how to make the most of it by riding his bike in the garage....

...and Brian fished just outside the garage, in the driveway.

A Day At The Park

2008-05-11T07:29:00.000-05:00

Ann and I took the boys to a local park where they played...and played...and played. They were quite the energizer bunnies. Ann and I enjoyed the park too, but I promised I wouldn't post the picture of her on the swing.

Underwear Under Where???

2008-04-07T20:11:00.000-05:00

Brian is still wearing diapers, but has some sort of attraction to underwear. As you can see, he loves to get Ethan's undies out of the clean laundry and wear them over his clothes. He brings them to me to put on then runs around the house, squealing with excitement. Oh, to be so easily amused.

Must Be Tubby Time!

2008-04-07T20:05:00.000-05:00

Our nightly ritual when Daddy is home is is "tickle time" on the bed, then head to the tub. Brian likes to occasionally sport the latest winter fashion.

All In the Family

2008-03-12T08:38:00.000-05:00

And we can't forget "Baby Grey"...

Eat More Olives!

2008-03-12T08:36:00.000-05:00

Perhaps a future in commercials??

Our New Swing Set

2008-03-12T08:31:00.001-05:00

We recently bought a second-hand swing set and it looks like all of my boys are enjoying it!

Yea! More Snow!

2008-01-19T10:52:00.000-05:00

Again, not a whole lot of snow, but enough to get bundled up, run around and make a dirty snowman. Hey, whatever works!

"Fat Guy On A Little Bike..."

2008-01-19T10:39:00.000-05:00

Can't you just hear that song in the background? I guess big boys don't outgrow toys.

A Litte Undecided

2008-01-17T13:45:00.000-05:00

Ethan is not so sure about his new skates or his new bike. He says he needs to wait until he is bigger. But he sure does love his Hot Wheels track and I think we can see who is going to be the little daredevil...oh, boy!

Our Trip Up North

2008-01-03T15:26:00.000-05:00

Ethan was happy to see his cousins, Kyra, the newest addition Emily and Sam. And Brian was having a blast with the strawberries.

Merry Christmas!

2008-01-03T15:23:00.000-05:00

We had Christmas at home, then at Grandma's then travelled to northern PA to celebrate with the other Pretty's.

Cookies For Santa!

2008-01-03T15:14:00.000-05:00

Poor Ethan....doesn't appreciate pretty little girls yet. Brian obviously does.

First Haircut!

2007-12-16T21:41:00.000-05:00

Before...

After! So handsome!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

2007-12-16T21:37:00.000-05:00

Grandma took Ethan and Sammy to Breakfast With Santa at Aunt Sara's hotel last weekend. Surprisingly, Ethan was quite interested. Sammy...not so much. Later in the day, they went to a garden shop to see some decorations, where they ran into Santa again! This time, Sammy was willing to get a little closer. All in all, I think Aunt Sara, Grandma and the boys enjoyed themselves.

Let It Snow!

2007-12-08T16:25:00.000-05:00

We had our first snow of the season...nothing like New York or Maine, but enough for the kids to get out and have some fun get nice and rosey.

Love Daddy's Hat!

2007-11-25T16:55:00.000-05:00

Brian sneaked into the closet and got Dadda's hat. He wore it for quite a while. Pretty darn cute!

Trick or Treat!

2007-11-02T21:25:00.001-05:00

We had a fun Halloween this year. I was afraid Ethan wouldn't be into it because he doesn't really like much attention, unless it's his choice. He was actually way into his costume and going door-to-door with Sam and Brian. Grey joined us later back at Grandma's. Brian was a trooper with his costume too.

Peek-A-Boo!

2007-10-28T10:35:00.000-05:00

Leaves, Leaves and More Leaves!

2007-10-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, so a nasty computer virus and a whole lotta aggravation later, we finally have some new pics for the blog. The trees in our front yard are usually the last ones on the street to turn and lose their leaves, but this year they were first. We were having some fun raking them and jumping in them. Ethan was pretending he was a baby dinosaur, hatching from his egg. He has a great imagination these days. So much fun!

Happy Birthday, Grey!!

2007-09-22T11:47:00.000-05:00

We all enjoyed ourselves at Grey's first birthday party. We had a picnic at Caledonia State Park and the kids loved playing on the playground equipment and walking a short path in the trees. Oh, and Grey totally dug his "Blue Puppy" cake that Aunt Sara made. Overall a great day.

Yummmm!!

2007-08-21T20:54:00.001-05:00

Who, us?!? No, we didn't just have chocolate ice cream cones!! Why would you think that???

Our Future Picasos

2007-08-21T20:48:00.000-05:00

Ethan enjoyed painting his trucks....

...and his brother....

Party Time!

2007-08-02T09:13:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Ann's 40th birthday last weekend. Just a couple pictures of the partygoers. They seemed to enjoy themselves.

2007-08-02T09:10:00.000-05:00

Ethan experienced his first county fair last week. He loved sitting on the displayed farm and construction equipment. That seemed to be the biggest hit. He rode some kiddie rides and daddy even took him on a "big boy" ride - not such a great idea - he hid his face and cried the whole time. Guess it was legit because daddy wasn't feeling so well when he exited either.

First Corn

2007-07-20T13:20:00.000-05:00

Brian's first corn on the cob proved successful. I'd say he enjoyed it.

Party Time!

2007-07-20T13:17:00.000-05:00

This was Ethan's first year for Bible school at our church. The theme was Avalanche Ranch and he was pretty hesitant to participate in the dancing, singing and "Yahoo"ing during music time. He did, however, like play time story time and crafts. By the final night he was pretending to lasso and saying "giddy up!". Now he wants to listen to his "bye bye school" music all the time and do the hand motions that we learned. These are a couple shots of him with his group and with my best friend's little girl, Alaina, who was in his group.

Play Ball!

2007-06-30T21:04:00.000-05:00

Brian got to play his version of wiffle ball before the big kids started.

Picnic Time!

2007-06-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was our annual Lesher family picnic. Aunt Sara organized the event (who else would do it?? ) and provided face painting. Eric jumped at the chance to "tattoo" Ethan and Ethan gladly reciprocated. I would say Ethan thoroughly enjoyed himself and was definitely a sleepy guy when it was over.

Time To Celebrate!

2007-06-19T21:15:00.000-05:00

We all had fun celebrating Brian's first birthday. We got to swim and had good food and yummy cake. Thank you for the puppy dog cake, Aunt Sara!

CAKE!!

2007-06-19T20:58:00.000-05:00

Brian was NOT happy about having the cake taken away from him, but quickly recovered when given a replacement piece.

Yummy!

2007-06-19T20:55:00.000-05:00

More Photos

2007-06-06T08:55:00.000-05:00

The Big 4-0!

2007-06-06T08:54:00.000-05:00

Eric's wish for his 40th birthday was to go camping, so on Wed we headed to Assateague National Park in Maryland. The wild horses were everywhere and dusk brought the deer out of hiding. Ethan was a little hesitant to sleep in the tent the first night, ordering all of the windows closed and total silence. I think the sound of the surf weirded him out a little. We enjoyed surf fishing (Momma caught the only one), roasting marshmallows, a bike ride around the island, clam digging and a trip to the Ocean City boardwalk. We had a really good time and we are already talking about where to go next.

Oh! And Baby Grey, Too!

2007-05-29T13:37:00.000-05:00

This was Grey's first venture into the pool. He appears to have loved it as much as Mommy had hoped he would. Next time, we'll coordinate naps so everyone is awake at the same time.

Our Very Own Water Baby!

2007-05-29T13:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm not sure if Brian likes the idea of getting in the water or just likes to cheese for the camera?!

The Pool Is Open!

2007-05-27T21:14:00.000-05:00

Well, it's officially pool season and today was the first day for ours. After lots of work to get the pool open (finally resulting in draining and refilling it because of debris that got under the cover, creating lots of green water and tons of pine needles on the bottom) we dove right in. Actually, the water was only 76 so it was one tip-toe after another to start. But soon we were in and living it up. Since it was Brian's first endeavor we weren't sure how he would take it. Once he adjusted to being in the float alone he was fine and enjoyed watching Ethan paddle
around. Ethan still isn't keen on getting water on his face, even in the tub, so we'll have to work on that.

Gorgeous Spring Day!

2007-05-21T12:29:00.000-05:00

It was such a nice day today that we took the opportunity to soak up some healthy sun this morning. We had to try out Ethan's new sidewalk paint from Aunt Sara, which was a hit. Brian was a good observer and we topped off the morning with a walk/ride around the block. Ethan still has a little trouble with any incline or dips in the path, but is much better at steering and pedaling his bike. Momma just has to lend a hand occasionally.

Happy Birthday to Ethan!

2007-05-19T20:18:00.000-05:00

Here are some highlights of Ethan's big day. Some of his favorites included -waffles with his Poppa (waffles AND Poppa both being favorites), his new Tow Mater truck, his big dump truck and his first fishing pole. We've actually had the fishing pole hidden for an upcoming camping trip, but I guess Daddy couldn't resist when those big blue eyes spied it in the garage! It was a fun-filled, busy day which ended with no protesting about going to bed.

Wash! Wash! Wash!

2007-05-16T07:20:00.000-05:00

Hey, Mom! I think you missed a spot!

Spring Has Sprung!

2007-05-01T13:57:00.000-05:00

I think Brian is taking in the fresh Spring air...it's been a long time coming.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub!

2007-05-01T13:55:00.000-05:00

Tubby time is usually a pretty enjoyable experience for these two-legged fish!

Our Pretty Boys

2007-04-10T13:35:00.000-05:00

Brian was baptized Easter Sunday. What good boys they were!
It was a really nice service, with lots of adoring fans swarming them
after church. We went to Grandma's house, where we had some good
lunch and did an indoor Easter egg hunt for Ethan since the weather
wasn't the greatest. He didn't know the difference and thought it was
pretty neat.

Where is That Bunny??

2007-04-10T07:39:00.000-05:00

Our three Easter boys at Grandma's house.

Get 'Em, Greta!

2007-03-19T08:22:00.000-05:00

Ok, see the squirrel, Greta? I think you can take him!

Hey! Out of the birdfeeder!!

Is It Morning Already???

2007-03-19T08:19:00.000-05:00

Before my first cup....

After my frist cup...

The Youngsters

2007-03-12T13:02:00.000-05:00

And we can't forget baby Grey! These two just kind of check out each other, biting each others' fingers, etc.