Ditto

My oh my... is it really TWO weeks after the 4th of July?? I've only been working on this post for the past week...so yea it's been a little hectic. 

This summer is flying by and I'm pretty sure I can mostly blame my school work on that...and probably a little boy for the rest! Most of my evenings and Sunday afternoons/evenings are spent at the computer doing homework, quizzes or exams. Sometimes I have to sit outside with the laptop in hand while Bryce plays. I've even reactivated my Verizon wireless card so that I can work on school work at the lake...IF I have any spare time.  I know I'm about to drive Nic crazy. At least when I'm finished (in just a couple of weeks) I will be 6 hours closer to getting my Bachelor's degree with only 18 hours remaining! Depending on the availability of the courses I need in the Spring and Summer of next year, I could be finished by next Summer...BUT no later than next Fall!! I'm so close I can taste it! I'm strongly considering pursuing my Master's, but we'll see since the thought of having no school work to do sounds pretty wonderful at this point!

So let's rewind a little...

On my last post I said I was going to share some pictures from Memorial day...so here goes.

We had a lot of rain right around Easter, then right before Memorial Day. Of course it couldn't be a nice soft rain, it had to be excessive which caused Ft. Gibson to be up around 18 ft on Memorial Day Weekend. If we wanted to get to the boat dock, we had to take a paddle boat there.

Since the lake was so high it pretty much eliminated the boating activities, especially when you have a child who does not like to spend more time than he has to in his life jacket. We prefer to go to an area that we call an island, where it is extremely shallow and has a gravel bottom, since the lake was so high our little island was like Atlantis buried at the bottom of the ocean. 

Since the lake was out of the question I bought Bryce a little swimming pool to use at our camp. Bryce definitely made the best of it!

Bryce and a friend sharing their chair and chicken fries.

Of course we cannot forget that most of the camp ground was a disaster due to the tornado that went right through the middle of it.

Cousin Kell came up one day and continued working on his photography skills. 

Taking a nap wherever is comfortable. 

An almost family photo. 

 

Since then we've spent many weekends at the lake as we usually do in the summer. Bryce has adjusted to where he sleeps all night there just as if he was at home. He's really attached to his silky bear so we have one at the house and one at the lake. We also have a blanket made of the same material that he loves, but I haven't been able to find another one like it. Since this boy loves the outdoors, he's pretty content spending the weekends at the lake. He's even gotten somewhat of a tan, which makes his blond hair look even lighter. He's often called a towhead.

Despite all the rain in May, we've have very little rain since. The grass is as brown as if it were dormant. After the lake being so high on Memorial Day Weekend, it was nearly 2 feet below normal for the Fourth of July weekend. At least our island was definitely above water.

Bryce enjoyed the fireworks too!

Not only are we facing drought conditions to where many counties and towns are implementing mandatory water rationing, it has been extremely hot. So far this year we've had 15 days above 100 degrees, compared to the 14 we had last year and we're not even into the "Dog Day of Summer" yet!

Bryce continues to be brave, with the exception of deep water. Most of the summer he has preferred sitting in the water, but the past couple of weekends he has let me carry him into deeper water where I spin around with him. He even will take a few splashes to the face and give some back. We probably should have kept him in swim lessons over the winter, but we were just too busy. Now the next goal is to get him in the deeper water with a life jacket or a puddle jumper on so my nerves can relax a little.

His vocabulary is quickly expanding and he's starting to say names. The funniest is that he knows Daddy's name, so sometimes he says "Da", then sometimes he says "Nic". Currently his favorite words are "This" and "That". They seem to be used interchangeably when he's wanting something or wanting you to see something.

Here's just a few random photos. 

Helping out in the garden. 

Sampling the cookie dough.

His obsession with glasses. 

Finding new uses for his toys. 

Painting Mommy's toe nails..

and his!

He's so much fun!!!!!!

I have lots of catching up to do and lots of pictures to share...

First we'll begin with picture of Mommy au naturel and Bryce. Besides getting to spend the whole day with Bryce on the weekends, one of my favorite things is not wearing makeup all weekend.

 Since Friday was Bryce's 18 month check-up, I guess it would be appropriate to go ahead and share those stats along some new things Bryce has been doing lately. 

18 Month Check-up

Weight: 24 lb 10 oz (32 percentile)

Length: 31 inches (13 percentile)

Head: 49.5 cm (89 percentile)

Yep, aside from his head he's a small guy! I was surprised by the weight since our few remaining size 3 diapers were getting small on him. I guess because he's grown a little longer, that is what's making the size 3's seem much smaller. I do know that he feels a lot heavier than 25 lbs. He's not one of those children that likes to hang on to you, so when he's being carried it's  like carrying dead weight. I definitely know my arms should be a lot trimmer than they are!

 We've been learning where and what our body parts are. The ones he's gotten down are belly button, mouth, and ears. Sometimes you can get him to show you feet and nose. Then very rarely will he get eyes correct. His favorite is the belly button though, it's also one of his favorite words.

He's slowly picking up a few new words here and there. In the past few days he's started trying to repeat words and sounds that we are making, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time before his vocabulary broadens. Pretty much anything that is round and/or can be thrown is a ball. You can tell when he's about to throw something because he will say "ball" first. So far he has broken one plate, but other than that nothing else breakable has been thrown. We try really hard to see that breakable items do not make it in his hands, because when he gets a hold of something you hardly cannot get it out of his hands because of his strong grip.

 He's still a good eater...that is when he's not too distracted to eat. Right now he is loving Pop Tarts, another one of his favorite words, but he still will eat just about anything BESIDES mashed potatoes!! I know every kid but mine loves mashed potatoes. Bryce would rather have carrots or peas, which I suppose is a good thing.

This boy loves food but that also includes junk food, especially chocolate...I guess I should have expected that since the first time that I definitely KNEW it was him moving in my belly. It was right after I had eaten a chocolate pie of some sorts. I knew that baby was doing back flips in my belly! I think it's pretty easy to assume that he has a double dose of that since Nic and I both have a HUGE sweet tooth. He knows exactly where these snacks are stored so I have to continuously move them.

Which leads me to how great of a memory he has! Earlier we were going to Wal-Mart, and I let him walk to the car and climb in all by himself. As soon as he got in the car he started saying "ball". I told him there wasn't a ball in the car. He proved me wrong by reaching deep under the driver's seat and pulled out a ball! Also yesterday we went to his Mamo's, where despite not being there in a month, he knew exactly where his high chair was.  I've always had a pretty good memory which helps me tremendously in my school work and at work, so maybe he will stay that way as I have great ambitions for what he's going to be when he grows up! ; )

Hopefully he will not choose to be like Evel Knievel though. He's not afraid of anything yet that I have found. Daily he exhibits his dare devil side! I'm surprised we haven't had stitches or a broken bone yet. His favorite activity right now is trust falls. He climbs on something then falls expecting you to catch him. Then today we had his pool out full of water. I had my chair next to it so I could sit with my feet in it and he climbs on the chair and 'jumps' in his pool over and over.

 Before he was walking, he was climbing! These days he climbs in his high-chair, climbs into Mommy & Daddy's bed, thankfully does NOT climb out of his crib...yet, and climbs the shelves! How do you like my new decoration??

We've also gone through a couple of phases. There were a couple weeks straight in which Bryce did not want to take a bath. He would scream and cry the entire time I was bathing him. I tried everything I could think of: putting him in the bath with me, putting him in our big tub, having him take a shower...nothing worked. It was strange because he continued to like his pool and liked the lake. Then about a week ago he just decided that he was over it, and now gladly goes into the bathtub when I ask him if he's ready for bath. 

He also we went through a few days where he would fight me to put a diaper on! He even thought he could run from me on his four wheeler!

I thought he might be ready to potty train, so I bought a potty. Of course after I did that he hasn't fussed at me again when putting his diaper on.

He also tries to be a little helper. He attempts to assist with the laundry. He helps wash my hair when I'm in the bath, then hands me my towel when I get out. He also has taken over the responsibility of feeding the dog. Unfortunately much of the dog food ends up on the floor instead of the bowl.

Well I think that will be all for today. I'll try to post about our Memorial day later this week. Back to the grind tomorrow!

It's been a whirlwind...

The month of May has flown by. Unfortunately for Oklahoma and nearby Joplin, May brought a tornado season like nothing we've had in quite some time. I'll admit I'm one of those people that don't think my home will ever get hit by a tornado, but the storm that came through last Tuesday evening had me running for shelter. I don't know if the massive tornado that destroyed 30% of Joplin, MO was an eye opener or if I just get more worried because of my priority to protect my child.

As predicted Tuesday afternoon the 'perfect storm' was brewing with conditions ideal for a major tornado breakout. This time it truly hit close to home. The community I lived in up until my teenage years was hit. My grandmother and her sisters still live in the area and thankfully did not have any damage to their homes. The tornado did pass by closely to their home but destroyed several homes of families I grew up knowing. Oddly enough, I have a recurring dream from time to time of this area and in every dream it involves tornadoes. This may because it's the place where I have ever actually seen a tornado...who knows. 

The storms continued east as they always do. A wall cloud with visible circulation was expected to come right over my home so I loaded Bryce and Fara (the dog) and drove to the fire station where Nic was working. Not only was Nic there, but they also have a safe room there. The tornado did not touch down until about 10 miles east of my home, so we were in the clear. After the storm passed, I loaded Bryce back up and went back home and went to bed knowing we were safe and sound.

The next day I found out that a tornado touched down in the RV park where our RV was!! Thankfully no one was there camping but three RV's were destroyed and a few others had damage. Ours was moved about a foot and it twisted one of our scissor jacks. It may have a little bit of hail damage but other than that it is fine for us to continue to use it. I know I have seen tornado damage before, but I still get amazed at the damage that can be caused by a tornado. 

I'm sharing some photos below. Incredibly, some one across the lake caught a picture of the tornado as it went over our RV park.

As you enter the park. 

Fifth wheel flipped on it's side.

I took this photo to show the distance that this fifth wheel was slid from it's original position. 

Travel trailer completely obliterated.

Unfortunately from this tornado breakout, RVs and homes weren't the only losses. Families lost their loved ones, lives that can never be replaced. Our sympathies are with them all.

The first zoo trip.

The weather has been so up and down lately...which if you're from Oklahoma you'd come to expect it but we never get used to it.

A week ago on Saturday we managed to catch a perfect day to take Bryce and one of his little girlfriends on a chaperoned date for their first trip to the zoo. Since our wagon was at the lake we loaded up with Kenzie, her Mom Kristi and Kenzie's spacious wagon to enjoy a nice morning at the zoo before another cold front came through.

Our first stop once inside the zoo was to see some distant relatives. Daddy says it's Mommy's side of the family, but Mommy says it's Daddy's. Eitherway, there was a young chimp rolling around, playing and having a great time. I wish I would have caught him on video.

We made our way around, past the camel rides over to the children's zoo where Bryce and Kenzie were able to interact with some goats. Naturally Bryce called every animal a dog.

One of my favorite animals is the Kangaroo.

Then there are the cute little meerkats!

Bryce tried to get up close and personal with the penguins. I couldn't help but think of the movie "Happy Feet".

Then we have the King of the Jungle, who we could hear roaring from the parking lot. Of course he was quiet when we got around to see him.

Enjoying a snack as we pass the bears.

We decided to give the Mommy's a rest from pulling the wagon and took the train around the zoo.

One of the elephants has been at the zoo since the fifties. It's amazing to me that an animal can live that long and much longer.

The flamingos always bring great color to the zoo. Apparently the construction vehicles in the back ground do as well!

Later in the morning the sun decided to make an appearance. Even though Mommy forgot to grab her own sunglasses, she didn't forget to grab Bryce's.

The lonely giraffe.

I thought this was a cute picture of the rhinoceroses...if you can call anything about them cute!

And that concluded Bryce's first trip to the zoo. I was a little disappointed that a few exhibits were closed for construction, but I guess for improvements to be made they have to go through some phases of construction.

After we loaded back up in the car, we caught Bryce and Kenzie holding hands!! We thought it was so cute! I think I have a picture of them when they were very young and they were holding hands then too.

Then just a few miles down the road they crashed!



All in all, it was a great day!

The Easter post...a week late.

Thank goodness finals are this week, then maybe I can get caught up on a few things that have been neglected... like my precious blog, some housecleaning, and maybe a little baking...like some yummy snickerdoodle cookies!

This year it was a rainy Easter, so much so that we went from drought conditions to flooding!

Since Good Friday is one of our many Holidays at work, we headed down to the lake Thursday evening. When we got there, the Easter Bunny had delivered Bryce an early present. Since it couldn't fit in his Easter basket he thought we could go ahead and break it in at the lake.

Bryce got his very own 4-Wheeler! With a little practice he can now make it go all by himself. However, he just doesn't get the concept of turning it and watching where he goes.

Despite it being rainy on Thursday, it was a GORGEOUS Friday! We spent a little time on the dock fishing. 

Unfortunately Bryce isn't really keen on staying on the dock for an extended length of time, but I was able to catch a couple of fish including this nice crappie!

As I watch Bryce this year, it's hard to remember how helpless, dependant and immobile he was last year. It's a good thing this child LOVES to be outdoors. He even tries to help Daddy with the firewood.

Nic worked Easter Sunday so we had to come back home Saturday. Since it was raining we ended up coming home pretty early. Sunday morning the Easter Bunny delivered the rest of Bryce's Easter Basket. Since he had plenty of toys he received some candy filled eggs and a few books.

Later that morning we headed down to Norman to spend the afternoon with my Mom's side of the family. Since it was raining, thundering and lightening any Easter egg hunting was not going to happen. The kids still managed to enjoy themselves.

In watching Bryce interact with everyone, I can't help but realize how extremely lucky he is to have so many people that love him. Also he is lucky to have the opportunity to get to know all but one of his Great-Grandparents. When we are all together I try to get pictures of him with them since I don't have pictures with mine...which I believe is due to my great-grandparents not being alive when I was born, but I'm not 100% sure about that. I guess that's something I'll have to ask my Mom.

Below is Bryce grabbing my Grandpappy's feet. Also in this picture is my Grandma.

Back in the saddle again...

Wow, it's barely been a week and I'm creating another post...okay it was went I started this post on April 3rd but lo and behold it's now April 12th and I'm just now finishing it. I still cannot believe how fast time flies now that I have a child.  

I realize on my last post I kind of ended it abruptly. There was much more I could have shared, but I guess I wanted to make sure I published it before I got distracted and forgot about it...kind of like what happened to this post!

For one I forgot to share that Bryce was going to be starting part-time day care because Nic's Mom was going to be starting her seasonal job. A few weeks before he started, he and I went for a visit to checkout the facilities. When I couldn't get him to leave, I knew that was the place. So now he's gone for 3 weeks. Since the beginning, he barely fussed when we leave,  which surprises me since he's really bad about separation from me.

Also since my last post Bryce has not had a pacifier again! We have officially broke the binky habit and he continues to sleep all night! If I had known it was going to be this easy I would have done it sooner. Of course the weekend we got rid of the binky, was the weekend before he began daycare. I was relieved to find that no other child there had a pacifier. I was afraid our progress might get set back.

Now that I think about it he's been pretty easy to wean off of everything we wanted to wean him off of.  While we're reminiscing....we got out his infant carrier car seat the other day to let some of our friends borrow it until they could find the correct base for their infant carrier. Bryce crawled up in it like he missed it.

Some tid bits...

We're still waiting on that 12th tooth to break through. As fast as the others came in, I'm surprised it's taking this long.

Bryce has started saying his version of "Ready, Set, Go" but he only gets to "Set"...then he takes off running.


Now for the fun part...pictures!


Playing with his cousin Kell's Nerf Gun.

Brushing teeth in our new chair.

Visiting Daddy at the Fire Station.

Enjoying hot days in April

Licking the homemade whipped cream off the beaters.

Hopefully now that things are slowing down at work and I'm not going to be as mentally exhausted, maybe I can keep up better on the blog.