Farm Fresh

If you haven't read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle or seen Food, Inc., I totally recommend either. While they can both be a little preachy, the main message is good: Eat Locally. This year, Bryce and I made a goal to eat both healthier and more conscientiously. It helps that a lot of our friends are doing the same and we've been able to get some tips.

We've been getting all of our meat from local M&B Meats, and I can totally vouch for it's deliciousness. This spring, I also signed us up for a farm CSA through Borski Farms, which lets you buy shares of their crops. Every week through October, we get to pick up a bunch of delicious local veggies. We've been eagerly awaiting our first week, and were not disappointed. This week it was:

LettucePeasand Herb StartsWe're super excited to try some new things and support local businesses. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy me some Mac n' Cheese when the opportunity arises, but this feels good. If you don't have quite enough time to garden or go to the Farmer's Market every week - this is definitely a good option!

Fun in the Sun

The weather has been so beautiful! It's been awesome to get outside and do some of our favorite things.

Like hiking! (Temple Quarry Trail)
This has to be one of my all-time favorite pictures of Bryce and Cole. So cute!
And swimming with Nana.Flying with Daddy!Nothing like a day at the pool and a good nose pickin'.2 years old going on 16....
And playing at the park with "The Cousins."
Something is amiss with this teeter-totter.Slidin' with Hayley.Discussing stick placement with Mitchell.Did I mention I like sliding?We had so much fun, we even got a trademark cheesy smile complete with squinty eyes. That's the mark of a good time!

To My Dad:

Dear Dad:
for telling the best jokes,
for all of your sound advice,
for jump-starting my car in the middle of an intersection,
for never complaining, no matter how hard it gets,
for teaching me how to be a hard worker,
for teaching me the value of a well-timed belch,
for being such an amazing Grandpa to my little boy,

Thank you.Have a wonderful Father's Day! We love you!

To Bryce:

When I asked Cole what he loved about Daddy, he had one thing to say:
"Awesun!"
That's right. Bryce is a pretty awesome Dad. He's also:
Patient
Fun-loving
A total smarty-pants
Easy-going
Thoughtful
And pretty dang handsome, if I do say so myself.

For Father's Day this year, Bryce picked out a new bike and trailer. We enjoyed the beautiful weather by taking it out for a spin.Happy Father's Day, Bryce!

Day 78

Going....Going....
Gone!It's official. The king is dead.

Now Entering the Terrible Twos

Temper tantrums
Whining
"NO!"
The maneuver I've termed "The Limp Bizkit."

It's come early. It's probably also the teeth, but we're definitely entering the Terrible Two phase. Cole is testing the limits and Mom is learning how far her patience can stretch.

Which sometimes isn't far.

I know that I've got it pretty easy most of the time, but try telling me that when I've got an armful of screaming, angry, struggling little boy.

It's hard to stay mad, though, when you catch gems like this:
Putting his own shoes on:"Reading" to his carefully arranged stuffed animals:
Enjoying his new slide.
Seriously. Can't stay mad.

So Long to the Big D

It's definitely been a crazy week for us Thomsens. For those of you who may not know, Bryce left his job at Disney, and this Monday started a new job at a company called Eat, Sleep, Play. It's a definite change for him - this company is much smaller, but he'll have a chance to do some higher level work on some more prominent projects.

I'm really proud of him for making this change. So many people complain about their jobs but never do anything about it. Bryce worked nights and weekends for almost FOUR MONTHS on Toy Story 3, which was just ridiculous. It was hard for him to leave Disney - he's been there 6 years - but this was an awesome opportunity.

And things are going well. He's already been working on some things this week for the new game, has gotten to know some of his coworkers, and is excited to join the company softball league.

So, for now, farewell to the big "D!"