ice cream truck

The ice cream truck is a beach staple.  We have been lucky enough to catch it twice so far this week.  The first day was a sticky mess so I got smart the second day and stripped Bryce down.  Of course he still needed a second bath after the ice cream!

The boys got Batman the first day and Dora the second day.  Taylor sticks to the regular, smaller, less messy popsicles.  Bryce should take her lead!

Macy also enjoyed the ice cream treat.  She ALSO got a bath afterwards.

What a sticky yummy mess!

fun at the beach

We made it to the beach yesterday and had a perfect day today!  Bryce and Chase enjoyed digging a hole with PaPa.

They enjoy getting in the hole when they are done.

After dinner we went to a playground and had some play time. 

Bryce was amazing on the rock wall.  He gets it from his Mama!

He was very proud of himself!

We got frozen yogurt afterwards and then took Macy for a walk on the beach (the first time we have ever brought her along on a beach vacation).

VBS

I didn't document the week as well as I had hoped, but this will do.  Here are the crafts I planned for the kids in the Baby and Me class this week at VBS.

Day 1: we made an earth because God created the world.

Day 2: we made people because God made us.

Day 3: we painted whales for the story of Jonah.

Day 4: we made crosses because Jesus died for us.

Day 5: we made panda picture frames because that was the theme of the week.

I also had fun making snacks.  We just had trail mix the first night.  The second night we had panda cupcakes for the theme.  The third night we had fish rice krispie treats because I couldn't find a whale cookie cutter.  The fourth night I made crosses out of big pretzel rods and tied them together with a piece of a twizzler pull n' peel (forgot to take a picture).  The last night we had pudding cup sundaes to celebrate Jesus!

Tonight was the finale.  We had a big dinner and the kids performed on stage.  Unfortunately I had to stay with Bryce on stage so I wasn't able to get a picture of him signing and dancing.  Afterwards, the ice cream truck comes and the kids get free ice cream!

Bryce chose Sponge Bob.

It was good to the last bite! 

Bryce and his friends (Kathryn, Taylor, Chase, Bryce, Kaleb)

busy busy busy

I've been too busy for words.  I have tried to write this post three times, but I have too many words, ha!  We are in the midst of VBS (vacation bible school) and I have been planning, buying, and making stuff since Sunday.  Hopefully things will slow down by Thursday.  Of course by then, I will be doing laundry, packing, and grocery shopping for our beach trip next week.  I cannot wait to plop myself down in a chair on the beach and take a minute to breathe.  I'm hoping to do a VBS post later this week/weekend with pictures of all the fun crafts and snacks I have made.  I have to go to an all day math class for work tomorrow and then I'm done with my summer work obligations.  Tomorrow is Jason's birthday and I'm hoping to find a few minutes to make it special for him since it always gets over looked because of the hectic VBS schedule.  Luckily he is not obsessed with birthdays like I am, he he!  Maybe a picture of Bryce will appear later this week, but don't hold your breath.  I just wanted to pop in to let everyone know we're still here, just REALLY busy!   

a day at the river

We headed down to the river today for a William's family fun day!

Jason and Bryce went on a boat ride first thing!

I was surprised at how willingly Bryce went out into the water.  I guess he liked it because it was much calmer than the ocean.

He had fun playing in the sand.

He was fascinated by throwing the wet sand out into the water.

After Jason mastered the kayak (he tipped it the first time) I felt confident enough to let him take Bryce for a ride.

This time the boys just stayed in the shallow water where we could keep an eye on them!

This was the perfect way to start summer vacation!

bonfire

Thursday night we went to a bonfire and cookout with the middle and high school students from church to celebrate the last day of school.  The bonfire gave them an opportunity to burn their old books, papers, and notebooks that they may never need again.  I always kept my things after each school year! 

The people who hosted us had about 13 hunting dog puppies running around.  Bryce enjoyed petting them and even tried to hold one.

He tried hard to pick them up, but they were a little too heavy for him.

No night at a bonfire is complete without a ride on a tractor!

we love baseball

We've been missing our friends since our small group stopped meeting for the summer so we got together tonight for a baseball game.  Two of the couples couldn't make it, but Bryce was excited that his buddy Aiden came!

Typical "wide eyed" picture of Bryce.

Chase got a Nutzy batting helmet a while back and Bryce really wanted one.  We went to the souvenir shop after the game and Bryce and Aiden chose matching red helmets.  Oh to be a kid! 

an evening in the country

A co-worker of mine lives on a beautiful piece of property and she had been trying for some time to get us out there so Bryce could ride on the golf cart.  We made our trek out there on Sunday evening and we had a great time.

Bryce loved playing and dancing in the corn.

The view from the swing was just gorgeous.

At one point while we were riding around, Bryce asked what a certain noise was.  It was some animal and the only response I could come up with was nature.  It was nice to be out away from traffic and just listen to the sounds of the animals and the wind blowing through the trees.  We had a relaxing evening and a delicious dinner. 

pool party

Yesterday we went to a pool party to celebrate a friend's graduation from nursing school.

The boys enjoyed the water for a few minutes before the rain and storms hit.

They kept their heads dry during the rain, but got out with the storms!

Bryce enjoyed playing with his friend Charlie while we were there.

He loves to say, "CHEESE".

money

Bryce's piggy bank was getting full so we emptied it, counted the money, and rolled it to take to the bank.  Bryce really enjoyed helping.  He is pretty good at recognizing each coin.  He knows quarter right off the bat. He calls a dime, "diamond".  He needs a reminder to look at the color to determine which is the penny and the nickel is hit or miss.  He can't wait to trade in his money for a lollipop at the bank!

clothes



Bryce enjoys picking out his own clothes and pajamas.  He is obsessed with it and will let you know if he is not happy with what you pick out for him.  It all started with him picking out his pajamas, but now he insists on picking out his daily outfits.  Tonight he reaffirmed the fact that I think he is a genius.  He was looking through his drawer and said he wanted his gray baseball shirt.  I told him  he didn't have a gray baseball pajama shirt.  Then he gave me a more specific description and said he wanted his gray baseball shirt with the tiny purple buttons. With that description, I was able to dig out the pajamas you see in the picture from the bottom of the drawer.  He definitely knows what he wants!