The races started on their bellies, but then they decided the rug burns weren't worth it. So we decided bottoms worked best, also making it so Bryce could play too. Thomas made sure Bryce made it down safely, over and over again. 
Our little man is loving the window! When it rains he likes to just stand there. I thought these pictures were really cute with a bit of his reflection showing too. We go on walks when we can, he loves being outside... And if he's inside, we do our best to keep his view curtain-free.
Just this past week, Bryce discovered the pots and pans. I give him spoons to bang inside them, but he'd rather bang them together. In this picture, he'd stood up to get another and when he sat down his booty got stuck and he got really frustrated when I sat on the floor laughing and taking pictures, before helping him get his booty un-stuck.
We love Bryce so much. His new trick for his ninth month of living: He now uses the couch, ottoman, chairs, whatever he can to walk from place to place. He is so much fun and we love, love, love having him around.
Happy Chinese New Year! I love, love the traditions and festivities surrounding Chinese New Year. Fireworks, red pockets, new clothes, oranges, lion dancing and parades... I hope I can help my children love it a little too by making it a tradition in our home. Obviously I can't do it all, and I wouldn't mind leaving some of the traditional foods out of it, but having a little bit of China in my life has blessed me so much and I would love it to bless my children too.
Ty wore a Tie that was made in China! And isn't Bryce fabulous in his clothes! He says,
And an honorable mention to the fact that it is also Valentine's Day.... my mom, the queen of aprons, made me an apron for this love-filled holiday!
I've seen children with an attachment to a blanket or a book, it's funny at times, sad when it's needed... Ty and I have made it a point to not encourage reliance on any particular toy, blanket or book, so we never find ourselves in a tragic situation when the "woobie" is not there to comfort. With that said... we have come to experience what it is like for a child to love a belonging so much, that it calms, excites, fascinates...you get the idea. "I love You Through and Through" by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak... Bryce loves this book. He can go to sleep without it, but he just loves this little book. Everyone who knows Bryce, knows he is a happy baby. But you oughta see him when we pull out this book. Every other book, when read to him, he is so antsy and squirmy, this one... he sits patiently, grinning ear to ear, cover to cover. 
Ty and I had free Southwest flights we had to use, so we basically flew as far as we could and hopped on a boat. We sailed on The Navigator ship of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and had a wonderful time. We were able to visit Labadee and Ocho Rios, and think cruising is a fabulous way to travel. I noticed one thing as we traveled home, I take a lot more pictures when Bryce is around...
Dinner time. A chance to eat great food and get all dressed up.
It's not very often we have a schmancy event to get all dressed up for, and since Ty already had a tux, we decided we'd go all out for the 'fancy evening'. I should also mention, Ty was really annoyed with himself that he forgot to do his hair this night. It really does make a difference, and I look like a 40 year old cradle robber. Oh well. 
Royal Caribbean has a great resort at Labadee, Haiti so we just layed on the beach, got a group together for beach volleyball and toured the resort. When we went to Jamaica, we went to the very popular and 'must do' Dunns River Falls. This was probably the highlight of our trip. I had a waterproof camera with pictures I have not yet developed, but here is a digital picture of a picture.
The name of this tree has escaped me at the moment, but the roots grow down in the ground, not up. Some other things we learned about Jamaica: Most people build their own homes and it takes 15-20 years... To borrow money from the bank, 18% is considered a good rate. The English planted the first fern in their rain forests and now they cover the rain forest floor. 
This is only one tree!
Every day our stateroom guy would make a different towel animal for us...
Two of the days were spent at see, but there is always plenty to do... volleyball/basketball courts, table tennis, eating, shuffle board, swimming, dodge ball, eating, rock climbing, ice skating, mini golf, eating, belly flop and sexy leg competitions, hot tubing, eating, shopping, dancing, and plenty of pool chairs to relax and read.
Ty and I had a brilliant time and part of that was knowing our little boy was well taken care of. Thank you mom and dad Biggs.