Wow! That's a lot of Candles!

My very best friend and wonderful husband turned twenty-seven today. We both agree that twenty-seven seems very old. He told someone (Emily requested that I point out, she is not 'just someone', it was her we were on the phone with)... So Ty told Emily today, "We are twenty-seven"... Since my mouth was full when this happened, I'd like to take this opportunity to publicly (as public as this blog is) remind him that I am still twenty-six, so only one of us is old for a few more months.

Ty does so much for our family, and Bryce and I are so thankful to be a part of his life. We could not ask for a better friend, daddy, and partner in life. Happy Birthday Ty! We love you!

(Just so everyone knows, this is not my dad's normal, relaxed facial expression.)

Bryce's new cousin, Baby Taylor!

Baby Taylor finally arrived! 8 lbs. 12 oz. We had a great time visiting with her mommy and daddy. Taylor slept all but five minutes, she is so sweet and perfect, just like her parents.

Bryce, Uncle Michael, and Spencer (aka Noodle) had a great time sharing toys and cheerios. The squeaky toy that was used to keep Spencer's attention also proved very helpful in keeping Bryce's attention also.

Mommy Linda and Baby Taylor.

Bryce can't wait to play with her. We'll give her a few months ;o)

Happy Birthday Ty, Shane, and Renee!

Not many people have seen Bryce cry... It doesn't happen very often. Once again out of order, but this is Bryce, driving back home from our trip down south. He's so sad to leave, and so tired of being stuck in this car.

I am not sure how it always works out, but ever since we were dating, we somehow manage to be down visiting Ty's family right around his birthday. It works out really well since Renee's is on the 30th, Ty's is the 31st, and Shane's is only two weeks later. Everyone joins together at Grandma and Grandpa's house and we always have a great time!

The birthday kids!

Cousins, oh so lucky to have such wonderful, fun and good lookin' cousins!

I love this picture.

Don't let Evan's warm winter pj's fool you...

It was nice and hot while we were there. He's just a great kid who loves Buzz Lightyear!

These are Grandpa's "crazy eggs"... yummm, don't they look tasty?!

I realize there is a seven month age gap, but really, the difference in hair is staggering.

That's one good lookin' Grandma!

Do you even need to ask why I posted this picture?!

a. Grandpa is in it. b. it's hilarious. and c. it's hilarious!

That's a little better. At least we can see he has a neck.

Wouldn't that be sad?... A bald, neckless kid...

Ty found this helmet in one of the rooms upstairs... It had never been out of the box before, and in just one hour, it got plenty of good use and entertainment!

Bryce and Evan!

Grandma had hard-boiled eggs for us to decorate. She let me dye one, even though they were really for the kids. I have to say that it's perhaps the coolest egg I have ever dyed, and therefore, I want to show it off.

Easter Eggs are so fun!

My egg...

The Ever-so-Handsome 10 month old...

What a wonderful thing, to have beautiful weather and a yard full of grass to enjoy.

Blossoms gracing the peach tree... one less blossom after the picture was taken...

Being tossed by daddy...

...and sticks. What little boy doesn't love a good stick.

The past few months have literally flown by. We have been busy and happy and Bryce has made sure to keep things that way. Many have told us that when Bryce begins walking, he'll be into everything... Correction... this little boy does not need to know how to walk for him to be into everything. He can do pull-ups on the baby gate, and is crawling, scooting, walking (with a steady hand on something), falling, climbing over barriers, you name it! He's become fond of biting, unfortunately, and we are looking forward to the day when a light tap on the mouth and a look of disapproval will trigger a different reaction than an excited response, on his part.

He loves green beans and asparagus, but will gladly pass on the apples and apricots. Go figure. He enjoys walks and wrestling, tooting, laughing, flirting, and going to the library.

I am getting better at allowing him to feed himself. I know, I know it's important... I just hate the mess. I'll get over it eventually, especially since his newest trick is to WHACK food right out of the spoon. It's amazing and pretty funny when I think about it. He'll suddenly be bored with eating and out of no where, his hands will swing up and whack the food-dilled spoon away. He's got impressive aim too. If I persist and try getting him to eat a few more bites, he'll put his arms up to deflect the food, shielding his face. Maybe I'll try to get a picture sometime, to make sure he'll have an accurate visual when we tell him about it later on.

It's so neat for me to see how fast he's growing. I just look at him and know he came from some place very special. Just watching him sit, ponder and think about things is amazing to me. Ty and I both feel so blessed to have such a wonderful boy in our lives.

Ready, Set, Splash!

Here's our little man in the bath.

I really love some of these pictures and just wanted to share them.

Road Trip...

This past weekend Bryce and I were able to jump in a car with my parents and head down to Southern California for a mission "farewell". My cousin Bryce will be leaving to serve a mission in Florida and we were lucky enough to get to spend a little time with him before he departs. On the way down, we picked up Bryce's (our Bryce) cousin Sammy and spent a night at Grandmama's then to Ontario for the "farewell".

You can see from his face, Sammy is always a kick to have along. Bryce was especially grateful for the entertainment.

An extra bonus:
Bryce and I were able to meet up with Ty's parent's one evening... They met us near my relatives' house and we enjoyed yummy Wahoos, home of the best fish tacos ever!... Every chance we can get to see them, we'll take it!

Bryce - showing Grandma and Grandpa Carlson his tricks.

Front View:

The profile:

And the main reason for the trip: Soon to be, Elder Bryce Miller.

A family tradition, Aunt Donna (my mom) embroiders the missionary's name and mission onto a laundry bag. It's been all over the world and now is headed to Tallahassee, Florida.

My beautiful cousin Caitlin... between my cousins and all their friends, I think Bryce touched the floor for maybe ten minutes the entire weekend. What a lucky boy.

One more pic. with Big Bryce and Baby Bryce.

A lot of people asked me over the weekend if my Bryce was named after my cousin Bryce. In truth, Ty and I really just liked the name. It flowed the way we wanted with the middle name that was important to us. However, my cousin Bryce is the person that truly endeared me to the name. Bryce Miller is an outstanding guy whose kind example has influenced my life and so many others. He's a gentleman, a great athlete, driven, hard-working... everything I could ever hope for my little Bryce to become one day. I am so thankful Baby Bryce will have such a strong and wonderful person to look up to throughout his life.

Uncle Carl... Father of the Missionary... Three full-time missionaries actually... at this very moment. Do I even need to say any more about his character?

Aunt Kathy, Courtney, Bryce, Caitlin, Uncle Carl

Free Tickets!

We've never been season pass holders at Six Flags, but last Saturday we found ourselves with free tickets and lucky for us, our friends the Kuhles had them as well. The weather was gorgeous and we had a great day. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends to spend time with.

Mating Butterflies... Bryce handled the birds and the bees-talk quite well.

For anyone wondering...

Bryce and his girlfriend, he was so happy she came with us to the park.

A fabulous day!