Birthday and Beach

A little update for the last two months: April brought with it Walton's third birthday! I cannot believe we have a three-year old now; he is really much more a little boy and each day brings with it new challanges and hilarity with him. His big birthday surprise was his first bicycle, which he is thrilled about! He has special places that he "parks" it around the house. May allowed us to get a much-needed family vacation at the beach in Florida. We stayed at a beach condo with our dear friends the Luciano's and their two boys, and it was a lot of fun! Walton and Anthony really hit it off, and were little buds most of the time. Harry was kind of the third wheel, but he was ok with that :) Both boys enjoyed the beach, even warming up to being in the ocean by the end of the trip. They also liked swimming in the pool. Bill and Mike were able to get in some guy time with a couple of golf trips, and Mandy and I some shopping and walking on the boardwalk. Sunshine and gorgeous weather every day - so thankful for the opportunity! Kindermusik and Bible study have come to a close, so we are now beginning our (hopefully!) more laid-back summer schedule, if only we can get the summer weather! Below are pics of birthday, beach, and around the house.

Christmas in March

Yes, I know it's March, but I found the Christmas pics! So, just thought I'd post a few to celebrate.

February's Read

For fun, I've chosen at least one nonfiction book to read each month. This month's is:

I Cannot Find Our Christmas Pics

I don't know where they are. And so I've been waiting to find them, but....I'm just going to move on now. So, here are a few fun pictures of late. And, a few quick updates: Walton has come through potty-training with flying colors. Harison is taking steps.

Fall Activities

Fall is in full swing here, with whispers of winter in the steadily dropping temps. We spend as much time as we can outside, but it has been unusually rainy this season, so we've had more days inside than I would have liked. Leaf color is peak, though many trees are bare now, their leaves crunching underfoot when we go for walks. In September the whole family went to a leadership conference in the Adirondacks, which was a lot of fun. We stayed in a beautiful conference center that was on a lake. My favorite of the trip was a huge stone fireplace in the lodge that was lit in the evening; I could have stayed there in front of that for a long time! After the conference, we took two days vacation at a castle turned B&B - much needed relaxation and rest as a family. Columbus Day we went to Bristol Mountain, a ski resort about 45 mins from our house. During the peak fall season, the resort runs the ski lift, and you can ride these to the top of the mountain and down again. To see the brilliant reds, oranges and yellows from this vantage point is breathtaking - not to mention just fun to sit in the lift (especially if you are Walton!) We've also done some applepicking, and I made applesauce for the first time the other day - a little too sweet, but still yummy. Now I can hardly believe that October is coming to a close and the holiday season is almost upon us!

Some pics of our fall activities - plus two thrown in just for fun!


Walton and Harison both thought this was fun game!

Walton now likes to help set the table!

Harison likes apples.

Loving the ski lift!


Fall leaf walk.

Harison's first ski lift ride.

Riding the ski lift at Bristol Mt.

Walking onto the balcony from our bedroom at the B&B.

Walton and I both loved the fireplace in our bedroom at the castle B&B!

Walton exhausted on his bunk at the conference center.

Summer Catch-up, or Ketchup, or Catsup

There is an old movie in which one of the characters says there are two kinds of people: those who spend their time writing about what they want to do, and those who don't have time to write because they are out doing them! I won't say that we have been doing everything that we dreamed of this summer, but we have been doing a lot! This has been a full summer with, as life goes, both fun and hard times. So, to catch you up: Walton is a busy almost 2.5 year old! He loves cars and tractors and trains, looking at books, music, and "helping" Mommy and Daddy in whatever household chore they are doing. He loves his little brother and is quick to mention that he wants Harison along in whatever he does. His biggest thing right now is asking for "baby cars?" (Harison to play cars with him). This is very entertaining, b/c Walton will drive his cars along this road mat that we have while making appropriate car sounds, while Harry sprawls himself in the middle of a road like a baby Kong and tries to put every car that Walton drives into his mouth! They also enjoy wrestling together, which is hysterical! Harry is going to be a real little bruiser, I think. As for Harison, he is sitting by himself, and yes folks - crawling. He easily goes wherever he wants to and can follow anybody now, which makes things like vaccuuming difficult for me. He idolizes his big brother, and no one can make Harison laugh like Walton. Just last week Harry cut his first tooth, and that has not been a fun time. Interesting how children in the same family can be different. Teething for Walton happened almost w/o notice - no fussing, etc. One day there wasn't a tooth and the next there was. Sadly, it has not been the case with Harry, and sleep and schedule has suffered for all this last week. Hopefully we are near the end of that, b/c we are exhausted! Still, he is a very fun baby and good natured. Bill taught a retreat at the beginning of this summer at a conference center, and that was fun as we all attended. We stayed in our own cottage right on the lake, and it was lovely - like our own little vacation home. Even though Bill was teaching, it was a relaxing time for all of us. Bill also put a new patio in our backyard, and we have so enjoyed having that addition. We had a nice visit with my parents later in the summer, and Grandad and Mimi watched the boys for a night so that Bill and I could celebrate our 7 year anniversary! We still like being married :) On a harder note, Bill had to go to MI about a month ago to help deal with a serious family issue, and though better, it will still take a while to resolve. He has also been dealing with a very difficult on-going situation at work, and continues to try to find a solution for that. It's been stressful for both of us. As for me, I am having fun being home with the boys, and trying to keep up with the eternity of laundry! I took a drawing class this summer, which was great fun and a wonderful creative outlet. With the beginning of Fall, my ladies' small group resumes, the boys started their Kindermusik class last week (lots of fun!), and the three of us are doing a community-wide Bible study. Harison is in the class with me (a class for mommies with babies, which is fun), and Walton is actually doing his own Bible study for toddlers. I almost cried when I dropped him off at his classroom and he walked right in w/o a backward glance. He brought home a craft, a lesson sheet, and a Bible-verse. So cute. So that's about it for the Bambach family right now. Gotta go put some clothes in the dryer! :)

The First Camping Trip

Our family of four took our first camping trip together last week. We stayed in a tiny cabin at a Niagara Falls KOA. It wasn't as rugged as tent camping (we're not that brave yet!), but it had no water or plumbing and only enough room for a double bed and bunks. Walton slept in the bunkbed, and with the exception of falling out once in the night, loved it! The cabin was in a secluded area and no one else was in any of the surrounding cabins, so we had the entire area to ourselves. Walton was going nonstop - in and out of the cabin, across the bridge, playing in the dirt or creek, roasting marshmallows and walking the dogs! He explored everything and "helped" with everything too - gathering firewood, stoking the fire, feeding the dogs and sweeping the cabin and surrounding grass. Harison had a great time whether swinging on the porch swing or dangling precariously over Niagara Falls from the Baby Bjorn (I told Bill to please not lean so far over the side without holding onto Harison!). As can be expected, though, sleep was brief, as we skipped naps the three days due to activities, and bedtimes were later than usual. Walton was also up at the crack of dawn laughing or singing his first song (Whole Wide World by Wreckless Eric! If you've seen the movie 'Stranger than Fiction' the song is featured in it.) Thankfully Bill and I could at least still lay in bed while he entertained us :) So here are a few pics from the trip: