Happy Birthday Bryce!

Happy 9th Birthday Bryce

It is hard to believe that it has been 9 years since we welcomed Bryce into our family.  

From tiny to no so tiny any more.

Bryce enjoyed having 3 friends over for his birthday. 

The boys enjoyed eating Pizza for dinner, playing Mario Cart, and having Light Saber Battles. 

All tucked in to watch Miracle Dogs. Then they spent time telling Ghost stories and giggling before falling asleep for the night.

The fun party ended with chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. 

Bryce it has been fun to watch you grow into a young man. You entertain us with your amazing imagination. Continue to be creative as you grow into the man God wants you to be.

Polar Cubs

Derek, Bryce and Micah went to Polar Cubs on Feb. 11.  

The snow was missing but not the cold. 

Warming up around the fire and being entertained by wonderful camp staff. 

Boys play no matter the weather. A few things were different with no snow. Archery was added but no snow tubing on this day. Snow pants were important for warmth but came home all dusty.

Running on the frozen ground was easier on all the adults, but my understanding was the wind was really cold. Personally, I stayed at home with Matthew in the warmth of our house. The boys did have fun playing kick ball and other field games.

Matthew

Matthew has been making huge strides in school. He loves to find out what he will be doing each and everyday.  Typically, he reads to me, I read a chapter or two to him. Then, we work on his writing or math. Soon, he will start to join Bryce and Micah for science/geography as we start to explore South America. Matthew is an eager learner and loves to be able to read books. 

Matthew reading to Daddy in the afternoon.

Matthew retold me the story of Corduroy after reading it to me. He copied the first sentence and drew the picture. I wrote the remaining sentences of his retelling.

Christmas at Dakota City Heritage Village

This afternoon, we went back to 1900 to see how Christmas was celebrated. The boys were able to write letters to Santa, complete crafts, and enjoy simply decorated Christmas tress. 

We enjoyed this nativity scene before going into church to sing some Christmas Carols.

Hair was cut, checkers played, model trains watched, and ice cream enjoyed.

We had fun putting on old fashion coats to have a family picture taken.

Kneeling Before the King

(Not the greatest picture, but it was what you get when kids suprise you!)

Photographer in Training

Science Center of Iowa

We decided to take a mid-September vacation. Not wanting to go far, we decided to go visit our friends the Faust's in Iowa for a few days then head to Omaha, Nebraska.  On our way to the Faust's, we stopped at the Science Center of Iowa.  What a wonderful Science Museum, we did not schedule enough time to be there. There were so many hands on activities, they were not sure where to head to.

Bryce thought the Ball Wall was really cool. He would get a ball started then run from spot to spot to make the ball go where he wanted it to. When, he did succeed in making the ball go where he wanted he would jump up and down with joy.

We also watched a presentation on Crazy Chemistry. Bryce and Micah were each able to help with different experiments. It was fun to watch their faces and listen to their guesses as to what would happen.

We hope to be able to visit the Science Center of Iowa again. This time planning more time for the visit.