I hate it, I love it, I hate it...

I really do hate these awful, pain inflicting things, and yet they are so helpful when your poor little one has Niagara Falls coming out their nose. Bryce hates the bulb... yet he too loves it... just never at the same time!Seconds after sucking his brains out, I let him loose and what is the first thing he goes for? The snot sucker. You would think after the torture he would want to be as far away from it as possible... what a weird kid.
Victory is so sweet!

Tissues weren't enough that day; hence the inspiration for this post.

I know, I know... Yuck!

Luckily he came to that same conclusion... Yuck... not just yuck... Gag-Me Yuck!

" Mmmm, delicious..."

The fun continues...

This past Saturday I learned the simple lesson... when you're at a theme park, don't try and get your kid to take a nap, he'll tucker-out all on his own, when he is good and ready. Hours into our fun day at Six Flags, I look down and Bryce is hunched over, staring at the ground, at least that's what I thought, before I realized he was out cold. It didn't last long, but at least he got a nap.I have to show-off my mad photo skills at the dolphin show. I would have taken a picture of Bryce's favorite part of the show, but I think the parents sitting in front of us would have been weirded-out by me taking snapshots of their son.

Jordan, Bryce and I had a great time watching the dolphins... and children!

I love this picture!

At the walrus exhibit they have bubbles in the wall so you can be "inside" with the walruses. Bryce liked the bubble quite a bit, and I think he thought the ginormous walrus was pretty neat too. And this is why little things are always so cute... Try to put a grown-up in this bubble, it just won't have the same effect.

Officially, Bryce's first amusement park ride... Spinning hot air balloons!

Here are a few other fun moments with our borrowed sisters:

(Kellie took this fabulous picture)

Picking up the girls from school...

Dance party to Shrek music!

These girls are the best! We had so much fun, and are so grateful they live only a hop, skip, and a jump away so we can continue to play and have fun with them!

They have the same facial expressions! Love it!

Thank you again Kellie and Jordan for staying with us!

Car Seat Bliss!

Bryce hates sitting in his car seat... unless given the chance to stand...

wow... the equivalent of an adult winning the lottery!

27 seconds into it, that's my favorite part!

Borrowed Sisters!

The past few days Bryce has been in Heaven. Some friends / neighbors took a much deserved trip and left their two youngest with us. The girls are so fun and helpful! Bryce is being held and entertained almost constantly. They are running him ragged, rather than the other way around. We've been spoiled to have such wonderful girls with us, and I have a feeling Bryce is going to be a little sad when they go home... lucky for us they live close by.
For now, we'll soak up every bit of fun we can get! Below is a game Ty taught them... blowing air in Bryce's face with a plastic bat. I'd feel bad for the kid, but then I realize, just because I wouldn't like the game, clearly he doesn't mind it one bit.

Bryce is not the kid to just sit in your lap... that is unless he is all tuckered-out.

Every morning we walk the girls to school. It's pretty cute to watch Kellie push, and Bryce insist on Jordan walking beside him, holding her hand.

That's it for now... surely more pictures to come!

He falls in sometimes...

Eleven Months!

I found out last week my Uncle Ladd never knew I had had a baby. And after finding out that he just found out, I realized I don't only have a baby, I have a nearly one-year-old baby! I love the big family I am a part of, but it's hard to get the word to everyone... but to Uncle Ladd... (though I am certain you'll never read this), I do apologize for my lack... actually, now that I think about it, I am certain my dad sent an email. Okay, guilt gone.

Moving on, this post is about Bryce, or rather, just a bunch of great pictures I got of him today. I wanted to get a good one for his 11-month post, and then of course I couldn't choose, even his backside is so dang cute! So here he is, 11 months after joining our family. We are so grateful and happy Heavenly Father chose us for him to come to.

Okay, if I had to choose a favorite, this would, hands down, be it. His face is classic!

His walk is more of an awkward run/stumble right now. So hilarious.

If he is holding something, and if he wasn't such a busy little guy, he can stand forever. This past week he has had a series of odd things he'll grip for hours, then he'll suddenly drop it and life goes on. Let's see... twice it has been a leaf, I am serious. He wilted that thing in his sweaty palm, clenching it for at least 3 hours. One day it was a washcloth and my cell phone. Same hand. Sometimes the phone would slip, but he'd pick it right back up. One day it was those nasty bubblegum eggs that come in the plastic carton around Easter. Don't worry, the plastic was taped up very well, I didn't just give him a choking hazard... but that thing kept him happy through three different stores that day. A tube of chap stick... it's different everyday.

He's become a growler. He makes all kinds of noises... I am thinking of how I might describe some of them, but I have decided I wouldn't do his noises justice.
With the noises come great faces as well.

He definitely knows the difference when he is on tile verses carpet. On the tile, he makes sure his falls are slow, almost thought-out, and careful.

One of my favorite things to watch. I confess I intentionally put things that might interest him right on the edge of a table, just to see him get on his cute little tippie-toes.

To celebrate, we shared a Fudge Bar.

Bryce is such a sweetheart. He still hates getting his diaper changed, but every day is fun and exciting. He's the best burping, tooting, laughing, and perfect boy in the whole world!

proud mama!

Bryce has been amazing me today. It really is amazing how quickly these little people grow and develop. The past couple weeks Bryce has been taking steps here and there, never more than five or six at a time. Then for a day or two he decided crawling was much more efficient. But today, he changed his mind again and before going into a crawl, he takes ten steps then plops down to continue the trip on all fours. So fun to watch!

Also, we've been trying to get this kid to wave, and until a few minutes ago, he has waved at someone or something a grand total of five times. But a few minutes ago he sat there in my lap, which is a rarity by itself, and waved at everything, for a solid five minutes. He waved at the fireplace, the television, the chair, me, his toys, the ball... and if an object was really lucky, he'd lift both arms and wave (hand folding twice... every time). I can't even describe how fun it was to watch him, my little boy waving. Had to blog about it.

New Wheels!

The weather has been beautiful the past few days and we've been enjoying time in Grandma's backyard. Luckily she still has a few toys around, and it's so fun Bryce is big enough for them. The car is actually perfect right now. His feet are just short enough that they don't drag the ground as I wheel him around. He rode contently for nearly 30 minutes as we drove around the yard and neighborhood. He also loves the tugboat... still learning the walking-ropes, his biggest struggle is getting in and out of it.

Front shot of the crab crawler.

I confess, I love it that he is now a crab crawler, b/c that's how I (tammy) crawled. I can already tell he has so much of Ty in him... so it kinda makes me happy when he exhibits a little of me.

Cute little booty!

Phase One.

Let the kitchen project finally begin! I have been so anxious for this day to arrive, and it is finally here. Okay, so my main responsibility to watching 'the kid', but someone has to, right?! The building and woodwork, will be taken care of by Ty and Dad. We've done our best to empty my dad's garage, the wood has been bought, unloaded, and Ty and my loving father began cutting last night. So exciting!!! I know it's going to take a very long time, but we are further today then we've been, well, ever! We moved into our home knowing the kitchen needed some TLC. Not some, I should say an entire makeover. Nearly 2 years ago I drew a picture of what I wanted it to look like, and real plans and measurements went from there. My wonderful husband spent several lunch hours inputting all those numbers into an excel file and waahlaah...we're officially ready to go. Beautiful kitchen, here we come! I am so grateful for such a hard-working husband, and for a loving and ever-so-talented father who is so giving of himself and his time. Thank you both. And mom, thank you too... for the many evenings we'll be eating your food while this project is underway.

Wood, melamine, and more wood.

Here they are, my three favorite men!

This project would not be possible without you dad. Thank you... a million times over. Love you.