Family Time!

Not much to report this week...which is good considering that means we've had a healthy, normal week!

 

Sanding his pinewood derby car!

See...it's not "completely" parent done!

 Today was a really nice day!  So we spent a little time in the garage and outside playing!

Bryce and one of his new favorites...a baggie of cheerios.  Don't get between him and the bag!

Mason sorting his tools...Bryce looking on...

Thankfully everyone stayed healthy all week and it was pretty uneventful!  Bryce has his appetite back and we have been giving him 1/2 formula and 1/2 milk, which has been going well.  Before he got sick we tried switching to milk and he hated it!  In hindsight, I think it was due to him not feeling well.  So here we go again.  We've also stopped using pacifiers and he doesn't even seem to notice or care.  He's such a good, easy-going baby!  He does, however, suck on his fingers!  The third and fourth fingers on his left hand!

Mason's Marvels

• Last summer, I bought Mason a workbook that has practice pages for him to complete.  He has really been into them lately, doing his "homework" when Zane does his!  There is a page of stickers in the middle and he couldn't find it, so asked me to help him.  I showed him where they were, and when he realized there were actually two pages of stickers, he smiled and said, "Sweetness!"
• One night as we were eating supper, Bryce finished everything he had, so I was trying to show him how to say "more" in sign language.  He just kept smiling at me, but tried to show it.  Mason, the one sponge who soaks in everything, finished his corn, then looked at me and said, "Mom, more (showing me "more" in sign language!  I died laughing!



Bryce's Birthday Party!

We were glad to be healthy and back to our normal routines this week!  It's sure a lot of work to be gone from work!

 

This weekend we headed to Iowa for Bryce's birthday party with our family.  Everyone there has been sick or is sick so we knew it might be a slim crowd.  But no worries, they were still able to eat lots of food!  :o)

 

Bryce and his gifts

Blinking when it popped up!  He loves, loves, loves jack in the boxes!  In fact, ours broke we used it so much!

I get to pretend I'm driving!  Yay!

That darn tongue, always out!

Every Baker boy needs a 4-wheeler!

No engine sounds?  I'll make them myself!

Really getting into it!  And he could even make it go!

He didn't exactly like Corbyn trying to hitch a ride...

Elephant that shoots out balls...here he's blinking as he anticipates them coming out!

Putting a ball in...

Cake time!  Looking around as everyone sings...and wanting to touch that candle so bad!

 I don't really know if he actually touched the candle...or if everyone screaming "Oh!" when we thought he did made him cry...but this was the end for him.  He really disappointed on the smash cake...wanted NOTHING to do with it!  We tried!

Just get me out of here!

This makes it all better!

And as everyone ate cupcakes and ice cream...

Brent completed his hairy look with the infamous hat that Matt decided to get out and scare Bryce with!  Seriously!  He hated it!

In a couple of weeks, Zane will be competing in the Pinewood Derby.  Matt has been spending lots of time researching for this father/son parent project.  Just kidding!  But he really has spent a lot of time getting ready for this!  We headed to my mom and dad's on Sunday to use dad's band saw.  I went along to take pictures.

Measuring...precisely!

Cutting it out.

Matt let him cut!  Oh wait, it was a scrap piece...

Thanks to everyone who came to help Bryce celebrate his birthday!  He's a lucky little guy to have so many, near and far, that love him so much!

Cuddled in...ready to head south!  Mason lasted to the highway, Zane and Bryce not too much after that!

Sick House

What...a...week!  I guess it started well.  The weather last weekend was so nice!  We were able to spend some time outside!

 

Zane was "chopping" at the snow.  He wanted to get rid of it!

Bryce working on his driving skills

COOL Mason

Check out that new bike helmet...

Bicycle time

Riding over the snow

When I went to pick Bryce up from Jo's house on Monday, she was cleaning up the floor because he had just thrown up!  So I stayed home with him Tuesday.  He was super clingy, very tired, and just wanted to be held and cuddled most of the day.  No throw up, no fever, nothing.  I wanted to be sure he was okay, so I stayed home with him again on Wednesday.  He was in much better spirits and didn't get sick.  In the night, Zane woke up and started throwing up!  So Matt went in to work that night, from about 1:30-7:00 a.m., so he could stay home on Thursday.  I dropped Bryce off at Jo's house, and all was well, until about 20 minutes later when Jo called to tell me Bryce had thrown up again!  UGH!  So I called Matt and said he needed to go get him.  Poor Matt was ready to sleep, he'd been up all night working, and now he had two sick kids to watch!

Zane and Bryce both had good days that day.  Zane didn't get sick after the morning, and Bryce never did get sick again.  Still, we knew Bryce would need to stay home Friday.  So as soon as I got home from work, Matt headed in again.  Thursday night he worked from about 5:00-7:00 a.m.  Zane returned to school and Bryce stayed home with Matt.  It ended up that Jo was closed Friday because she got sick as well!

We spent a LOT of our time at home this week pushing Bryce around in this car, his birthday gift from Uncle Aaron and Aunt Michele!  He LOVES it!!!

Calling Daddy!

I am definitely ready for the sick germs to be out of here!  It was a long week!  We didn't do a whole lot this weekend, on purpose!  We were able to catch up on a little sleep and spend some good family time together!  We're very anxious to get back into our regular schedule and routine!

Happy Birthday Bryce!

I'm pretty delayed in my post this week...first because I couldn't get pictures to upload, at home or school, but finally today figured out a way around it, and second because we've had quite the unhealthy household this week!  More to come on that, but for now I'd like to focus on our ONE YEAR OLD!

 

To begin our week, we broke out one of our family Christmas gifts, a S'More maker!

 

Looking good!

They taste good too!

Mason opted for chocolate only...

And Bryce was more interested in a chicken nugget!

 

I guess you could say the illness started with me on New Year's Eve.  Matt spent the day at work while I was home with all 3 kids, unable to get out of bed for much other than feeding them and taking Bryce to the doctor.  It was awful.  We survived, but it wasn't my most stellar day as a parent!  Bryce had been coughing, snotting, and pulling at his ears, so I took him in to the doctor that day.  It ended up he was having so much drainage from his nose into his ears, that they were both infected.  So we left there with an antibiotic and nose drops.  Fun.  Third ear infection in 2 months.  Yuck.  Lucky for us he's still in good spirits when sick, so it wasn't terrible.  I just feel so bad when they're sick!

 

It was so hard for me to believe that he was turning one.  This year has gone so fast!  At our house it's become a tradition to wake up with balloons all over your floor on your birthday.  The boys helped me blow the balloons up and I put them in there...quietly...as he's a light sleeper...the night before.  Zane and Mason were excited to wake him up to see what he thought and tell him Happy Birthday...and Bryce was confused!

 



Happy Birthday Bryce!

What in the world is going on?

Still trying to figure it all out...

One year old!

With one of his new favorites...a baby!

And how else would one celebrate a one-year-old's birthday than by taking him out for pizza?  Ha!  Well pizza is one of Bryce's favorites, and Pizza Shoppe is one of our family's favorites, so we joined the two and went there for supper!  Usually Bryce sits very well waiting for everything, but since becoming mobile, he is a lot more interested in the "driving" game they have there...

I made it...now give me a turn!

What a big boy!

After pizza, we had some cupcakes that I brought along.  This was Bryce's first cupcake and I must say he is my child...he LOVED it!  He was really interested in the candle...and wanted to touch it.  Even though the photo looks like he touched it, I assure you he didn't!

Isn't this interesting...???

But I want to touch it!!!

Yum!

Where did it go Bryce?  Your tummy?  Oh!

And it wasn't long before we were back at the driving game...

Seriously...look at that face...tongue out, pushing buttons, and he's even making motor sounds!  It was too cute!

Hi mom!

What a wonderful addition Bryce has been to our family.  I wish I could slow down time, this is going way too quickly!  We're having so much fun watching another of our children reach all of the fun milestones.  But it's a little more sad this time as we know it's the last time for us.  Trying not to focus on that, but it's hard!

 

Thanks, Bryce, for being amazing.  For making us smile.  For the joy you bring to everyone around you.  We love you so much!!!