Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Exactly one year ago today Bryce joined our family. This little boy makes life so wonderful! They pulled him up in Primary to sing to him with all the other birthday kids, and I teared up... He really is growing up too fast. It is so fun to watch him grow and learn new things. Fun new traits include: He holds one cheerio at a time and bites the cheerio in half. When he wants to be cuddled, he tucks his arms in so all of him is wrapped up in our arms. He remembers the drawer holding the new special little treasure mom said 'no' to... And goes back as soon as I am not looking. He giggles and laughs all the time, that is except when he's decided to throw a tantrum. That's hilarious! Bryce loves dirt and leaves, cameras and being thrown in the air. Favorite foods remain beans and rice, and almost anything sweet. He is an expert at climbing down a step, but can't quite figure out how to climb down two steps... He normally crawls down the first, thinks long and hard about how to take-on the second, then decides to climb back up. Bryce loves finding good places to keep his new found treasures, I have found my wallet, toothbrush, chap stick, Tupperware lids and occasionally the cell phone, in the oddest of places. We love our handsome little boy and are so very grateful he was sent to us!

I got a little carried away with pictures. At first I gave myself a limit of 20 pictures to show his first year of growth... But since I made the rule, I easily justified throwing it out. Plus, I always get nervous my computer will crash, and knowing I've got some of the best pictures on the blog gives me peace of mind. Some months are generously represented... here is our little man, still little, but not as little as one year ago today. We love you Bryce! Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!

Hour 1

3 days -ish

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Month 4

Month 5

Month 6

Month 7

Month 8

Month 9

Month 10

Month 11

Month 12

I know, I know... I take too many pictures! This post took forever just choosing between them all. It's just so hard having such a cute kid around!

My first Mother's Day!

Last year on Mother's day I was speaking in our local Single's branch, and I was just about to pop. I remember hoping I'd deliver sooner, and get out of speaking, but Bryce came six days later. I really felt different this Mother's day! Since I turned 18 I have been told to stand up in church and accept the gift they were handing out. I never minded getting a nice chocolate bar, but I always felt a little funny. This year, they passed out roses! It was so great. Not only fir my waste line, but I felt like I had earned it! I love being a mom, it's the best, and most exhausting thing I have ever experienced, and I am so grateful!

Mother's Day was great. Bryce came in that morning wearing my gift... a robe. Never been a robe person, until I had a kid... Getting up in the middle of the night, during the winter season... That's the worst! It's not so much the waking up from a good sleep to feed my baby, it's the getting out from under my warm cozy covers, just to be covered in goosebumps and feel the hairs on my legs growing as a result. Also, I have discovered robes are great when you have company staying in your home. Like when your kid wakes in the wee hours and the slight chance that one of your guests is up and about, avoiding an embarrassing interaction is reason enough to get yourself fully dressed... To sum that all up, I have quickly learned the practical benefits of having a robe handy. Thank you Bryce for my robe!

Ty gave me a step ladder! I haven't posted pictures of it yet, but phase two of the kitchen is complete! The boxes are finished. And when those boxes are in place, I will need a step ladder to reach those crazy tall shelves! I love practical gifts! I'll take practical over sentimental any day! (I speak for myself, not the general population of females dotting our planet.)

I love these two handsome men!

Dirt...

The kid loves it. I still can't figure out why he'll put a dirt clod in his mouth, but spits out fruits or veggies in chunk form (he'll eat them just fine if they are pureed). I really don't just sit and watch him eat dirt, I normally stop him. Today, I made an exception.

Out with the Old, in with the New!

Since he's been able to roll over, Bryce hates being tied down. This goes for diaper changing, and being put in his car seat. I am still trying to convince him during a diaper change, he need not be so dramatic. But with his car seat, I can't exactly blame him. Who likes to face the back seat of a car?!? So our 20 lbs. kid is officially a big boy, and so excited. All three of us are excited, it's so fun to see his cute, happy face as we drive.

Bryce has something he'd like to add:

"p,f,fdv dd,vmv iu e ./,xk, cx,c , ,c c n m dssdj"

If I am ever stung by a jellyfish, Bryce will come to my rescue!

Yesterday was a very busy day, that started off nice and slow. While Ty went over to my parents' to work on the kitchen, Bryce and I went on a nice long walk with a short detour to the park. After which he took a nap, then off to pick up Ty and head to Sacramento to look at potential Granite slabs for the kitchen.

A wonderfully hot day in Sacramento, I was grateful I was wearing shorts and flip flops, especially when there was an apparent leak in the roof of the granite warehouse, and my left foot got all wet. Or so I thought. Am I sounding dramatic enough for you? I feel this water pittering all over my foot, baffled as to where it is coming from. Bryce, who was on my hip at the time, had a fresh diaper so I didn't think he could be leaking... I decided to relocate.

About thirty minutes later, it happens to my right foot. With wheels quickly turning I am looking around to figure out where it is coming from this time... then I see it. Pee... Pouring out of Bryce's shorts. You'd think after years of daycare with my mom, and a year old (nearly) son, I would know how to change a diaper. So either it was me who somehow managed to diaper all but the essentials, or Bryce's man-parts figured out how to get themselves out of the diaper, and pee all over my feet. One boy moment down, countless more to go.