For our 2nd Birthday, Daddy took a 1/2 day off so we could all be together for the day.  It was a nice day weather-wise, so we decided to head over to Lancaster to go to the outlets.  We tried the relatively new Sonic drive in over there.  Mommy & Daddy were not overly impressed with the food.  When we told the server that it was their birthday, she brought out three ice creams for them.  We probably should have told her to just bring one for the three of them to share.  Daddy let them have as much as they wanted, but Daddy had to help them finish the one.  As Mommy & Daddy had milkshakes with the meal, neither one of us wanted to eat the other too ice creams so we ended up pitching them.

The outlets were nice.  We like the Carters outlet, as it is not too bad for the strollers inside and they always have a good selection.  Our big mistake was not taking the kids backpacks/leashes.  Jonathan wanted to be out of his stroller, so Mommy ended up letting him walk while she pushed his stroller around.  Throughout the day we eventually let each one have time out of the strollers while the other two were in the strollers.  In the stream that runs between two of the buildings, we saw two white geese in the water.  Till we headed back in that direction, they were both on the sidewalk outside the nearest store.  We wondered why, until the manager came out with some bread to feed them.  She said they will tap on the glass door with their bills if the manager does not notice them.  When she fed them, Anna thought it was the funniest thing she had seen all day.

For their party, we headed to Altoona/Martinsburg over the weekend and stayed at Grandma & Pappy's place.  Unlike last year where we had to wheel them in via their strollers, they were able to walk in while we held their hands.  Grandma & Pappy came out to greet us.  Anna was carrying her bunny in with her.  Grandma didn't realize that asking her about her bunny, which is Anna's comfort item, would make her upset.  So she did cry for a minute or two.  Mommy & Daddy were not surprised as Anna is still very cautious and uneasy about new situations or people she does not see often.  Jonathan and Lydia didn't know where they were, but they did seem curious.

Grandma & Pappy were willing to let us use their bedroom for the visit as we brought the three pack-n-plays, which take up a good bit of room.  We really appreciated that, and it worked out well.  When we tried to feed them dinner at Grandma & Pappy's, Lydia really refused to eat.  As we do not have them out for full days where they have to eat all their meals away from home, I'm sure Lydia wasn't used to it.  But as we went out for a bit in the early evening, Lydia decided to be hungry when Mommy & Daddy stopped to grab some pizza.  So Daddy gave her as much as she would eat.

We all enjoyed their party this year.  Last year the kids were very unsure of all the people that they rarely get to see, so Mommy & Daddy had to watch over them most of the time.  This year they almost immediately seemed to want to explore the room and play with anyone that would play with them.  Since we were using the Game Room in the complex, we did have to hide the chalk from the pool table since they wanted to eat it.  But once Uncle Bill started playing with a ping-pong ball with them they didn't really touch too much that they shouldn't after that.  Jonathan continues to be the ladies man.  It seemed like he gravitated towards the women more than the men in attendance.

Only twice that we recall did Lydia decide to get upset at the party.  Lydia is the only one that seems to cry at the top of her lungs when she is upset and/or throws a tantrum. 

Even though Anna is known for being shy, she seemed to really open up and have a good time.  But since they didn't really have their normal nap on the day of the party, Anna fell asleep in her chair in between having birthday cake and opening presents.

The kids received some really nice gifts.  Some toys for inside, some toys for outside, books, several outfits, and some money (As it is late and the complete list of gifts is down stairs, we're writing this from memory).  We plan to use their birthday money to pay for some kind of outdoor playset/swingset for them to play with in the back yard.  They like going outside, but haven't been able to get out there for about a week now due to rain and colder temperatures.

Thank You to everyone that was able to make it.  We enjoyed getting away from Manchester for a weekend and being able to see everyone.  Thankfully the kids seemed to sleep o.k. for being away from home (unlike last years vacation).  So maybe there is hope for a better vacation this year.

It will take a few more days before any of the pictures get loaded for everyone to see.  We took close to 250 pictures just from the weekend, and another 400 pictures from earlier in the month.  We may focus on the party weekend pictures, and then add the other photos for the month after that.