making memories

Our blog turns 2 today!

Two years ago today, I started this blog and made my first post. We started the blog as a way for family and friends to follow my pregnancy with Bryce and it has turned into the scrapbook of our lives. I absolutely love this way of capturing our memories. I have a friend who makes the most creative scrapbooks and I always wished I had the time and creativity to do such a thing. I think this blog allows me to do the same thing, but in a way I'm much more comfortable with. And I'm really excited that I have found a way to make my blog into a book. I have already gotten my book for 2008 and I hope to order my 2009 book soon!

little helper

Getting an early start on his yard work skills.

story time

Today was the last session of story time for the summer. I'm kind of bummed that they don't offer it in August (since it is still summer). Guess we will have to find something else to do. I'm looking into taking Bryce to a few classes at Romp n' Roll.

They do the parachute at the end of story time each week. Bryce enjoys watching all the other kids shake the parachute.

Here is a typical Bryce picture with his eyes wide open. He had fun letting the parachute go and getting under it.

Chase, Taylor and Bryce

(of course no one is looking, but I didn't even try because I know how it would have turned out!)

twenty-eight on the twenty-eighth

I have had a great birthday celebration this year and it's not over yet. Yesterday my Dad and Vivian came up for the day and took Bryce and me out to lunch. We had a nice visit and the food was delicious.

Two of my girlfriends took me to lunch today and gave me some really special gifts. I put my camera in my purse hoping to get a picture of us, but I forgot. We had a really great time! Thanks girls.

We did remember to pull out the camera tonight because birthday cake is always worth capturing. My parents came over and we ordered pizza. I really enjoyed relaxing at home rather than going out and entertaining Bryce and doing headstands trying to keep him happy while we wait for food and then eat it.

Jason's family is coming over Friday night for dessert and some more celebrating. I enjoy stretching a birthday over a few days. Thanks to everyone who made this birthday extra special.

17 months

It's that time again. Time to brag update you on our precious little man!

Bryce's vocabulary is growing everyday. He knows many words, can use his words to identify many pictures, objects, animals, etc. and he will attempt to repeat any words we ask (and some we don't ask him to, ha!). This week he has gotten a little more consistent with color recognition. Everything used to be red, but he is starting to correctly add orange, blue and maybe brown to his vocabulary. We have started working on shapes and he can identify a circle and a square. He can verbalize his wants and needs and he is great to have a conversation with. My favorite phrase right now is "push the button". He has trouble couting to 10 withough skipping a few numbers, but he does really well couting every other number if I start with 1.

He is still wearing size 3 diapers, but I'm planning on getting him the next size when we run out of the current diapers. He is mostly wearing 18 month sized clothes, but sometimes the pants are too big. He continues to be a picky eater, but he loves to drink chocolate milk. I think he has 10 teeth and he is working on another one. It's hard to get in that little mouth and look around especially since he sticks his tongue in the way when I ask to see his teeth.

The lens fogged up with the temperature change from the house to outside, but I had to use these last two shots because I thought they were so cute.

I think he looks like such a big boy in this picture.

a play date

We went on a play date with my friend Carrie and her kids Camryn and Dawson today. Of course I didn't think to get a picture of them and even if I did, I'm not sure they would have all three stood still long enough for a picture! They opened a new Children's Museum near us and it is a smaller version of the original. We had a great time.

Bryce enjoyed riding the whale thingy (what are those called?!?)

He colored a picture with markers.

He climbed

He even tried to pose for a picture, ha!

And he mopped. Do you think he will ever do that for me when I need him to?!

this and that

I've been going to the gym in the mornings, but today our routine was messed up by a furniture delivery. We ended up going this afternoon and it was so hot that I decided to go by the Sno Shack to get Bryce and myself a little treat!

Bryce very much enjoyed it and drank the last drops that were too melted to eat with the spoon!

I think he liked it!

I wish I had thought to take a before picture of our old house when we left, but I just never think of these things. Here is what the front yard currently looks like. We got news today that the water in the new well is clean and we are a go to abandon the old well and put the yard back together. I can't wait to see what "back together" means in 100 degree heat. We'll be growing dirt, not grass.

On a different note, my parents sold their house and the builders just broke ground on their new house this week. This first picture is from day 1. My parents are planning on living in our old house until it sells or until they move in December.

Here is a picture from day 4. If I listened correctly, I think this picture I took is my parent's actual unit. It was the only one that had brick laid yet!

water fun

Today Bryce and I joined MeMaw, Kelly and her kids on a trip to Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. I thought we were going to see the flowers, butterflies and play on kid equipment. Little did I know we were going to get wet! Luckily Kelly had an extra bathing suit for us when we got to her house!

Bryce wasn't in his regular clothes for long. He changed into his bathing suit as soon as we got to the children's gardens.

Here he is testing out the water. I had no idea he would like it as much as he did. It reminded me of the water hose and shower at Nags Head that he dreaded when it was time to rinse sand off. I just knew he wouldn't want to have anything to do with this spraying water. Boy was I wrong!

Loving every second of it!

Guess I can go ahead and get a sprinkler. I was holding off thinking it would be a waste of money.

Bryce could only convince Chase to come and play when the water was off.

Enjoying a snack after playing.

zoo

We spent the past week getting Bryce hyped about going to the zoo today. He talked about seeing animals at the zoo on Friday all week! Here he is ready to go!

He didn't stay in the stroller long. There was so much to see and he needed a better angle that the stroller couldn't provide. Before we got to the giraffes, we saw ducks, flamingos, lions, tigers, bears (oh my!), zebras and rhinos. Not much interaction for Bryce so I didn't include pictures.

Bryce did not want to have any part of feeding the giraffes. He kept saying "bye-bye giraffe", but we wouldn't leave because Jason was having so much fun!

Bryce was not fond of the giraffes and he was very startled when another giraffe snuck up on him and scared him!

This trip to the zoo was really more for Jason than for Bryce! Here are the boys feeding the birds.

Bryce gave it a try, but he dropped the stick as soon as the bird landed.

We were finally able to get him to pet a donkey.

Having a stare off.

This was the best picture we got after it took the lady 5 minutes to find the button to take the picture. I'm sure the other people on the ride were freaked out it had broken down and they were going to dangle over the wild animals all day!

Jason and Bryce got cleaned up in matching outfits for dinner tonight. Bryce enjoys the light (flashlight) on Jason's dresser and the balls (necklaces) on my dresser so we added them to the outfit. I couldn't stand it so we dropped the props for a real picture.

My boys!

new face

This is Bryce's new face he makes. Whenever he pushes a button on a toy and it makes noise, he looks up at me and makes this face. It's too cute. I'm not sure why the same noises on the same toys all of sudden get a different reaction, but none the less it makes for a cute expression and picture!