Halloween Treats.

Our Pumpkin!

Since we live in the on-campus family housing here at Purdue University, some of the single, undergraduate dorms hold a night of trick-or-treating for the families. You could almost literally go trick-or-treating every night the entire week at the different dorms. The first night we went, it took a little while to get Brycen warmed up to wearing his costume but it immediately became a big hit when he saw how much attention and candy it brought him. In his eyes, it was quite a magical suit really and he wanted to wear it non-stop the rest of the weekend :)

This costume turned out to be perfect. Brycen loved it, everyone else loved it, it's quality made and so it should be able to be used again over the years and it's warm! "Hat" and "gloves" included.

Shark attack!

Waiting to go on the elevators to go up to the dorms.

At first, Brycen wasn't sure what to make of the "trick-or-treating" idea. He had no problem accepting the candy but had trouble keeping up. He attempted to eat the candy as it was being given. Result: 9 suckers that were licked once, a Reese's cup that had one bite taken out of it, a box of Nerds missing 3 nerds, one skittle missing from the bag of Skittles, etc. He soon gave up (thank goodness!) and started putting the candy in his bucket like the other kids. I was tired of trying to keep track of all the open candy.

"Yes, I'll take one of those!"

On the second night, Brycen was a pro. He wanted to be the first one to knock on every single door (he didn't quite understand the concept that only certain doors were participating "the ones with a pumpkin on them") and then as soon as the door opened, both hands eagerly flew up in a cupping position. He couldn't quite say "trick-or-treat" but we tried to make sure that he said "please" and "thank you".

His game face, tongue out and all :)

Once he was so caught up in the process that he grabbed the candy, turned, and put it in the first candy bag he saw (usually Daddy was carrying his). Everyone thought it was so cute how he was sharing with the little girl whose bag it belonged to but once Brycen looked up and realized his mistake, he headed straight back to the candy supply to grab another and MADE SURE that it went into his. We also had some older boys in the group that were a bit annoying but Brycen didn't let it bother him. As soon as a door opened, Brycen some how always made his way to the front and never walked away empty-handed.

After trick-or-treating, we were in the lobby of the dorms and there were some students walking around; Brycen approached them expecting candy. It was funny. He's learning. Instead, he just got a lot of pictures taken of him. And with technology these days, it's crazy how word gets around because several students as we were walking out would say, "there's that adorable shark that I saw a picture of".

He wasn't sure what to make of all the picture taking.

Popcorn for the ride home. He LOVES popcorn.

Shark life is exhausting...

But not exhausting enough to pass on that! It's been years since I have seen a Pixy Stix!

One complaint that Bryce and I had about the way Brycen trick-or-treated this year is that we should've trained him better. He has a love for suckers these days and so when a lot of the students would let him pick his own candy out of their bowl saying "you can have as many as you can carry", Brycen would pass up on the Snickers, Milky Ways, 3 Musketeers, Cookies-N-Creme bars, fruit roll-ups, gummies, etc. and find his one treasured Dum-dum at the bottom of the bowl and act as though he won the lottery. It was so cute but once the sucker went into his bag and we went home, he would forget all about the candy (which is awesome and I would rather him not have it anyway) but it didn't leave much of a selection for us parents to choose from :)

We ended up giving most of his candy away at the Trunk-or-Treat at the church last night anyway. We didn't do the trick-or-treating this year for the candy, just the experience and to see what Brycen would make of it. We sure had a blast watching him. So fun. And it was towards the very end of trunk-or-treating last night that Brycen actually helped us give out his candy and he LOVED it (we were slightly worried that he would realize what we were doing and put up a fit)! And the other kids loved it too because Brycen would be generous and give them two or three pieces each.

Happy Halloween Weekend!

Stay tuned for trick-or-treating stories, he was hilarious!

Raisins have changed my life...

Well, first things first. After complaining about Brycen's 45 minute nap on Tuesday, it came back to bite me in the butt because yesterday he had NO nap. So...the fact that he is doing this, right now, and I'm able to sit here and write this...

Is beautiful, I don't care if it's for 10 minutes...after yesterday, it's a miracle and I think we should take a moment of silence.

Haha. Anyways, yes, Raisins.

And since this is coming from a Raisin hater, this is huge. So on Sunday, we had Raisins in Nursery as part of our snack. I was a little hesitant to give any to Brycen because he has had them a few times in the past and it usually results in them being chucked back at me. BUT this time...he loved them! He has become quite the social eater and will suddenly have a huge appetite for things he hates when he sees others, especially his friends, eating them. It suddenly becomes cool.

So, I braved going to the grocery store by myself yesterday because we needed things for dinner and I had decided that Brycen was going to have to sit in the cart. He hates the cart. But there was no way I was going to be able to chase him, restock what items he just sent flying off shelves, and somehow grocery shop. Luckily, Raisins were on the first aisle and so I broke the rules and opened the box (paid for them at the end) and started popping them in his mouth, hoping he would still have his new found love for them and stop trying to skydive out of the cart.

It worked. Beautifully, actually. He remained in the cart the entire time... as long as I filled his constant need for Raisins. Yay for loving a healthy snack! They are healthy, right? I figured they must be since I find them disgusting. Aren't they just dried up grapes?

Well, either way, I need to thank Raisins again today because they have literally changed our life. So, since Brycen didn't have a nap yesterday, he ended up going to bed at 7:30pm. It took 10 seconds (as opposed to 30 minutes, an hour sometimes...and 9pm lately). It was quite a treat and after the crazies he put me through, I sure deserved it. :) I was able to go running last night with a friend AND get to bed early!!

He then woke up at 8am this morning which was also perfect because we had enough time to make a fruit smoothie (yum!) and then go to aerobics ON TIME (this is huge for us!). And as much as I love aerobics, I typically don't go too often because Brycen spends the entire time at my feet wanting to be held. I can hold Brycen at home all I want, I don't need to drive 15 minutes each way to the church to do so...so anyways, yup, usually don't go but today they were having playgroup right after and I was determined to wear Brycen out so they he would nap! Well, thanks to Raisins, I got a full T-H-I-R-T-Y minutes (half of the class) without Brycen at my feet. As long as I kept his hands full of those delicious, beautiful raisins...he was in heaven and just watched the other kids run around. Yay!!

Eating his raisins, very into it if you couldn't tell :)

The other half of the class...not so much but that's okay because...I needed a break :) I'm not used to getting such a good workout! It was wonderful and I had fun carrying him off and on the rest of the time; his 30 pound weight gives me a different kind of workout, for sure.

And then...playgroup was awesome. Brycen loved it. It was a singing/dancing playgroup this week and Brycen just couldn't stop laughing as we sang, jumped, twirled, and ran with the others. We had a wonderful time.

Listening to instructions on what to do next.

Always interested in what the other kids are doing..

Saying goodbye to his good friend. She's two years older but is so kind to him!

They even held hands to the parking lot.

AND he was even awesome in the car ride to and from and then came home and requested his daily vitamins (a gummy) and a diaper change. haha. Ever since my friend gave us this awesome mat, Brycen can't get enough of diaper changes. Weird, I know, but no complaints here!

Purdue one side, BYU the other! We love it!

As soon as he goes (especially numero dos), he wants a new diaper AND he lays there until he has one on!

What a beautiful change that it from having to chase him and pin him down, hopefully before he decorates either the carpet or cat (it's happened, sick but kinda funny).

Man...What a wonderful day it has been! So many things to be grateful for...AND he's still napping!! One hour and counting!

Big Milestones!

It's official...

1. Brycen can get himself out of the bathtub. Kinda freaky. I just put him in and was gone 3.5 seconds to go dispose of his diaper in the diaper bail and I came back to this. He thought he was so cleaver too. So much for a bath. haha.

Today, I not only lost my last guaranteed area I could put my child and keep him there but my child has also lost interest in the bathtub (my guaranteed entertainment for him so I could actually get ready for the day). And instead, I get a naked boy on the loose. Oh boy, is right.

2. Bryce passed his oral qualifier today and is officially a PhD student (no having to just get his masters and drop out)!!!! Congrats to my two big boys today...they are growing up SO fast! :D

Long Day.

Negatives:

Brycen only took a 45 minute nap.

Thus...got sick of Mommy/ became grumpy earlier than usual.

Daddy was gone for 11.5 hours straight.

That combination will lead anyone to do this: While screaming at the top of their lungs and running in circles, of course.

HILARIOUS.

Brycen continued to do these several times, he loves to make people laugh and both Aunt Katie and I were dying. Anything that will temporarily distracted him from his grumpiness, works for me.

Positives:

We started the day by eating Brycen's favorite breakfast with some friends: Donuts!!

We played at our friend's house while eating homemade fruit smoothies.

We skyped with Aunt Katie who is in the Netherlands.

Daddy eventually did come home. Thank Goodness.

Upon Brycen's request...

And Mommy got to attend Girls Volleyball Night at the church. Haven't played in about 10 years and it showed, but it was fun.

Fall All Year-Round, Please!

Homemade caramel apples with Daddy.

LOVE his curls.

71 degrees at 9pm. Diaper and shoes will be all, thank you. And oh...an oven mitt. Some odd obsession with those.

"This way, Mommy!"

(He is usually in bed by now but a nap at 5pm will ruin that,.) Yes, I'm copying you, Jenn :)

Game night. We socialize once a week and love it.

Brycen likes our neighbor and I think it's perfect since he's going to marry her daughter one day, it's already been decided. :) And he's smart, already playing it cool with the ma-in-law.

Isn't she cute??

16 months apart seems like a lot now, but I think it will end up being perfect :)

Ahh...and DQ (another neighbor of ours), how we love you! Practically a FHE tradition...well, two weeks in a row and counting...:)

Notice: He's in his PJs. Went home and went straight to bed. When he said goodnight to Daddy: He grabbed Daddy's face in his hands, gave him a kiss on both cheeks and the forehead and then climbed into Mommy's arms and blew Daddy kisses and said while waving, "Nite nite. Love you!" And then right as we were about to step out of the room, he leaned for Daddy again and it turned out that he forgot to kiss Daddy on top of his head. :) Yup, he's a keeper.

The Day of Rest

Need I say more?

Gorgeous weather (high 70s with a gentle breeze--my idea of PERFECT!), family stroll, we love our Sundays.

Night Out, What a beautiful concept.

Date night with the hubby and no baby?? Rare indeed but amazing. Luckily, we have awesome friends that were willing to watch Brycen and since Brycen enjoys these particular friends, he waved us goodbye instead of crying when we left; I don't know about other mothers out there, but this sure helps me have a better peace of mind for the evening.

Brycen before we left.

Our friends have three little girls. Brycen gets to play with toys he has never seen before :).

And then my brother, Mike and his wife gave us an Applebees Gift Card when they came to come visit! So, cheap date without the baby? Even more amazing. 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, 1 dessert= $2.27 (before tip).

We were able to sit and enjoy one another and our dinner while watching a pretty intense football game (Wisconsin vs. Iowa) without the need to consistently protect our plates, the salt and pepper shakers, and all the menus from flying off the table.

And we even got to make a quick trip to this place for a few things, which is amazing in itself. First of all, quick trips usually never exist and Bryce and I were able to hold hands the entire time without having to chase down a little monster determined to clear off and redecorate the bottom shelf of every aisle we walk down.

Ahh, the simple joys these days. I think night outs now (without kids) are even better than the night outs we had before kids because we appreciate them so much more. Highly recommended for all those parents out there! Very healthy thing for a mawiage! :) Big thanks to those that made it happen!!

The funny thing though, as enjoyable as it was, I could never stop thinking of this little punk. We sure missed him.

Playing on the swings with Daddy earlier today.

Weekend Treat.

Daddy works long weeks so that he can spend the weekend with us. After Brycen only getting to see Daddy 30 minutes the entire day yesterday, spending 8 hours with him today was quite the treat. We LOVE the weekends. They are sacred in our household.

Tonight, we were able to do one of Brycen's favorite past times together as a family. So, on Brycen's floor lies a queen size memory foam mattress that we found on clearance one day at Wal-mart and have since used it for when guests come. Brycen has recently come fond of not only sleeping on the mattress but when not sleeping, laying on the mattress. If Brycen ever goes missing during the day, I can find him laying on the mattress.

When Daddy comes home in the evenings and Mommy is doing the last final preparations for dinner, Brycen and Daddy play in his room. Well, this week, he would take Daddy by the hand, lead him into his room, and they spend their time laying on the mattress. Just laying there. Not much else, it's kind of crazy how content Brycen is to just lay there. Bryce loves it, he says it is by far the easiest way to entertain Brycen these days. Brycen never has me do it with him except at naptime but tonight after grocery shopping, Brycen lead both Bryce and I by the hand and we laid on the mattress in his room. He instructed us where to lay, made sure sure we each had a pillow and that he was ALWAYS in the middle. And we had to be close (always touching Brycen) so we ended up spending a good thirty minutes eating our ice cream there, cuddling, and taking family photos. Brycen loved it.

Kisses for Mommy

Not a very flattering picture of me, but our blue eyes are kinda cool.

Brycen wouldn't let us be any farther apart then this. He takes family bonding time pretty seriously.

Happy Weekend!!

Slight Obsession..

If there's a container, Brycen HAS TO fill it.

He even creates his own containers.

He fills them up, dumps them out, fills them up again using the smaller ones to fill the bigger ones...VERY EXCITING...let me tell you. :)

He could literally do this for HOURS. When I am desperate to get things done, I NOW strip him down and put him in the sink.

Past..

(He would get soaked)

Present...

I can get the other half of the dishes done, dinner made, floor swept and vacuumed, toys picked up...it's AMAZING, until...I realize my kitchen is now flooded. And there is only so much flooding of the counters and floor I can tolerate before I go crazy...SO I am still looking for that perfect solution to keep Brycen occupied AND get things done...WITHOUT causing more work.

Suggestions?

He won't watch tv. I know that's a good thing..but sometimes...oh, sometimes, it does sound like the perfect solution.

Anywho, that's what I thought. No such thing exists but I'll keep looking and let you know my findings.

Until then...Brycen will continue to steal my cup of juice, my bowl of cereal, my water bottle, my contact case, the cookie pan... and either decide that the contents need a bath or dump them on the floor.

So not only am I working on finding the perfect solution, I'm learning to eat fast, drink fast, and distract fast. I don't get much done and yet I love every minute of it.

Oh, speaking of solvers...
Mom...just needed to reach one thing..
And in that two seconds...Brycen found his perfect solution.

Yup, he can now reach the magnets Mom placed high on purpose.

Gotta love him.