Bryce's Program

Hey all! Bryce had his Christmas program at Temple Tots on Friday and did a great job! He looked very comfortable on stage! He kept telling us he was singing so loud and that he really did a good job. I was in a tough spot to take pictures and had Collin with me so luckily Nana had come too and brought her camera so you can check out more on her blog if you haven't already.
http://www.pattyarrick.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much Nana!!!

Okay, for those of you who have not seen this yet, I had to give out a little Christmas cheer! It is okay to laugh, get hysterical even, I do. I love these guys to pieces and right now they could not be more different. Bryce, we cannot convince that eating is important and Collin, we cannot fill him up. I decided yesterday that I am not buying anymore "first" jars of baby food. We have plowed right through to the second jars and mind you two of those at a time!!! I don't know what we are going to do. I hope he stays that way though. Bryce is very difficult when it comes to meal times! Anyway here Bryce at all of 33 pounds is trying to hold up his whopping 22 pound baby brother. Bryce loves Collin so much though, he loves to make him laugh and sing to him!

This is the yearly "picture in front of the tree" for 2008. The day we put up our tree Bryce ran for 4 hours without stopping he was so excited! He is so pumped for Christmas this year. I have never seen anything like it! He is obsessed with Santa Claus. I know that there are debates back and forth about kids and Santa but I watch Bryce's eyes and think that there are so many years for the tough stuff of life right now at 4 he believes in magic and I really can't take that from him! But he is so very excited!

Jennifer, here is a great one for you (I almost called you with this one the other night). Bryce along with several other TFC and Olympian children is going to be a sheep in the program at church and we have been talking it up forever. Dress rehearsal was Sunday night and I mistakenly thought "no problem" and focused my attention on my singing and "Baby Jesus" (Collin). To my surprise I looked back to find my little sheep not wanting to come up the aisle and then crying and disrupting the entire herd of sheep and shepherds. So, in swoops Mommy and takes him out to talk. When I asked what the problem was, the answer was so simple, "Mommy, I don't want the other kids to be sheep with me, because I like Nana", now if anyone understands this you are doing better than me. And then to get the sympathy vote, "I am just a little too nervous for this"! He went to the Christmas party downstairs and played games and ate with the other kids after this so I don't forsee the same problem next week for the actual program but seriously could he be more unpredictable?

One more, Bryce told Josh that they had birthday cake at the party and Josh said "who was it for buddy?" and Bryce answered, "it was for Jesus...but we ate it" Just to clear it up, Baby Jesus never showed up to eat that cake!

Interview with a preschooler

The other day I convince Bryce to let me interview him so, we could remember the things that he liked when he was 4 years old here is how that went...

What is your name? Well, it is really Incredible Hulk but my boy name is Bryce Greene

Age: "sor" (4)

When I grow up I will...do grown up stuss (stuff) like take a shower

Favorite food: sticks and cheese, celery but not bananas (guess what was for lunch)

Favorite drink: uh, hello, apple juice

Favorite thing about school: stopping at the grocery store and getting things we need for dinner [this has happened once] and saying our alphabet

When I get in trouble I feel...bad, really bad

What makes you happy? You [Mommy] being nice to me and Daddy sighting (fighting) me

Favorite thing to do at home: playing and finding Mighty Mac

Best friend: Andrew [Beckett]

Favorite place to go: the store...Walmart to look at something

Kids need...shoeboxes (guess he got into Operation Christmas Child) Hey, nobody gave me a shoebox

I love...new Indiana Jones guys and new Incredible Hulk huys

Favorite thing to do with Mommy: learning

Favorite the to do with Daddy: wrestle

Best part about Collin: sharing

Favorite book: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles books

Favorite Movie: Thomas, the one where Salty has the ocean cars with a shark and octopus and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Favorite place to eat: Bob Evans

Favorite thing to wear: Pajamas and Superheros shirt

Child like faith!

Bryce went through a time where he was almost afraid of praying, he acted very strange and freaked out by the whole thing. After bouncing this off of our Bible study group about a year ago, we decided that it wasn't that weird to be a little freaked out about talking to someone that you cannot see (the phone was weird for him at first too). Well, he has gotten better and we are saying prayers before he goes to bed every night. He still doesn't like that he has to be quiet that long but that is a whole other problem. Well, the other night when I was putting Bryce to bed we started in our usual routine, we talk about any prayer requests that he has and then I pray right next to him. I have been lately just asking if he wants to "say the words" when it is prayer time and he usually says no but this night he said "But Mommy, I don't know what to say." The teacher and mommy in me pounced on that, great time for a lesson. I told him that he had just gotten finished telling me a story and talking to God was no different than talking to Mommy or Daddy or anyone else and he could tell Him anything. He looked at me for a minute and said "okay, what do you want to pray about, Mommy?" I told him that I wanted to tell God how thankful I was that he had been a good boy that day. He thought just a second and this is what came out...
"Uh...Jesus? Sanks (thanks) for me going to the carnsel (carnival) and mommy is sanksul (thankful) I been a good boy today, Amen."
It was so sweet and cute and a reminder to me that there is no such thing as "prayer language" and God loves to have conversations with his children.
I told Bryce that God loved children and loved to hear them pray. He then asked if God only loved kids that were big enough to walk. I told him that God loved everyone and he said "even Collin?" Worried about his brother...I guess he still has some learning to do, but don't we all?

Operation Christmas Child

Okay, I know I have a crazy son! This is what he has been wearing to bed, my t-shirt. Josh was getting him ready for bed one night and he just wanted to wear underwear and a shirt so Josh asked him, "your shirt or one of mine?" To which Bryce responded "Mommy's"! So this is what I found for him and he has been wearing it for 3 nights now.


We decided that it would be good for Bryce to do an operation Christmas child box this year since he has no concept of anyone having anything different than the way he has it. He picked out items and I let him help me pack it and we printed off and filled out the "about me" sheet from the OCC website. While we were filling that out one of the prompts is "I love Jesus because..." and I didn't even know what to expect from him when I read that but he so sweetly replied, "because he gives me a happy heart" How cute is that?! Then we continued through the sheet and when it was all done, I told him that we were going to pray for our box and for the little boy that would get our box. When we were finished praying for it Bryce asked for the little boy's name that we were sending it too and I said I didn't know he said, "call his mommy afterwhile and ask her his name."


Later we were talking about how important our box was because besides the present this little boy was going to find out about Jesus through the people who were bringing him the box. I told Bryce that not everyone had churches to go to where they could learn about Jesus. He looked at me thought just a split second and said, "well, when we get him and he comes here, he can come to our church right Mommy?" I think he is slightly confused!







I know, he has nothing to do with the story but look how cute he is! Do you like the carrots on his shoulder? Yes, he is eating baby food now and the only problem we are having is that it is not fast enough for him! I can't move my arm to get the next bite in his mouth fast enough. His first go at it he ate an entire container of sweet potatoes!

This is my new favorite picture of Collin. He is much easier to take pictures of these days than his brother. When I put Collin somewhere, he stays! He did great last week with his 4 month shots, for the first two he looked the nurse straight in the face with this look that said "is that all you got?" and even for the last one when he cried it was just until I picked him up then he grinned at the nurse! I guess when you weigh 20 pound and 14 ounces (yes, that was what he weighed) you are tougher than most babies!

Superheros and Jack o lanterns!

Josh promised Bryce that this Halloween they could carve a pumpkin into a Jack O Lantern, so Bryce and Nana picked out a pumpkin at Walmart and this past Saturday since it was a "no work" day for Josh they got to work. Bryce could hardly wait to take off the "hat" but was soon disgusted by what he found inside! With all of his texture issues, I guessed this is what would happen but he would not let the "guts" near him.

This was his face when I asked what he thought of what was inside the pumpkin! I told him that some people take out the seeds and toast them and eat them. His response was "you and Daddy can but I am not"

They had a blast though and Bryce wanted to make sure his pumpkin looked "friendly" much to Daddy's frustration because "friendly" pumpkins have round eyes! They got it done though and we put a candle in it and every evening Josh or I have gone out to light the candle and Bryce doesn't realize this (he doesn't pay attention to life sometimes) so he thinks he has a magic pumpkin that turns on at night!!

Don't you love matching pajamas - less annoying than constant matching outfits but just as cute! They were both happy to be dressed as Batman, even though I am sure Collin had no idea what was going on! Josh put Collins pjs on him and told me that in the body they fit him really well but the sleeves and legs were a bit too long well, when I looked this morning, I had accidentally gotten him a 24 months in the pajamas! And they were not extremely big, he may catch Bryce soon!

One more thought for the day...we had another thing to add to our "list" the other night. Josh had to threaten to put Bryce in the corner if he did not quit "barking"! Oh the things you have to say as a parent!

"Woos, woos" - Bryce...translated "Woof, woof"

Just add it to the list!

I learned something today. The first day of school after the first sick day is a step backward! I left Bryce wailing at school today, not fun! He had some pooing problems for a few days and didn't go to school on Tuesday so we got all thrown off, and for a kid that is obsessed with things being the same as they were last time, not good! But we will make it over this bump too! God gives me the strength to make it through each day, and boy to I need it these days!
Josh and I have a mental list (and I have it on my Facebook profile) of things we never thought we would have to say as parents and another one to add to that came up last night. We were getting Bryce ready for bed and Josh noticed something on his neck. After a huge ordeal (I know, surely not with Bryce right?) of me holding his arms down and him screaming, the spot was removed. He looked Josh right in the face and said "Da - yee, you hurt me" and here it comes...Josh looked at him and said "if you wouldn't wipe boogers on your neck, that wouldn't happen" I got out of control laughing, seriously, would you think you would ever have to say that to anyone? Little boys!