2007 Durham Christmas

Saturday we celebrated with Jason's side of the family for their annual Christmas party. I was running on 3 hours of sleep, but we all had a nice time. It is always great to see family and catch up on what everyone is up to. Once again, I lost the Durham quilt in the Chinese Christmas game that Nan Durham makes every year, but one of these years, I will get one!!

Here is a family picture. Jason never smiles for a picture, so I think it looks good!!

Christmas 2007

Bryce unwrapping some of his gifts



Today was a great day. It truly was in the Christmas spirit, and we were surrounded by family. I love that part of the holidays. Tomorrow the fun continues as we go and see Jason's side of the family. So our celebration is far from over.

Bryce made out like a bandit--to say the least. For the most part, his cache consisted primarily of trains, art supplies, and remote controlled cars, trucks, and machinery. His favorite of the latter being the remote controlled forklift he asked Santa for all along.

At 0030 last night, Bryce woke me up to inform me that he saw Santa's blinking sleigh lights flying over the house. He immediately went to sleep after that news bulletin. I had to put that in print, or I might forget it a few years down the line. He is so cute sometimes.

Here are a few pics from today.

Bryce and Jason checking out the Thomas and Percy Carnival set.

Bryce playing with his Darth Vader mini-laptop. This is a little too advanced for him right now, but he will be able to use it soon!!


Finally, here is Bryce holding Breckin at Nana's house. Bryce has his glasses on in this pic. I will post more of him in glasses soon--I have to make him stop smiling funny first.

Hands on

Breckin finally came home Tuesday and Bryce was finally able to meet his cousin. He was so excited to see him for the first time. Bryce was even more excited to HOLD him for the first time. Here are 2 pictures of the boys together at last.

Look alikes

Here is a comparison of Bryce and Breckin (in that order) as newborns. Can you tell they are cousins???!!! Yeah, I think so....

Apparently, Breckin was so comfortable he slept through his whole photo session! He should be home tomorrow. YEAH!!!!!! Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you all for everything.

Meeting Santa Claus

Saturday December 8th my Mom and Dad took Bryce to have breakfast with Santa Claus. As he gets older, he definately gets better at the picture taking with a fat, bearded man in a red suit. I don't know if that should worry me yet or not??
Anyway, here is that photo. I think Santa has weird eyes, but the photo is cute.

Out of the mouths of babes

Bryce's vocabulary is definitely expanding and I am quite impressed at his usage. We were driving Friday in the car, and I put on my sunglasses. I turned around when we were at a stop light and asked him how I looked. He paused from drinking from his straw, looked at me, and proceeded to tell me without skipping a beat, "Ridiculous". After which he calmly began drinking again--I on the other hand burst out laughing!! I can't believe the things that he is coming up with. He is soooo funny.
He has also become a super hero of sorts. He has POWER in him and he has to drink his special power water to keep the power in him. Funny that the "power water" comes from the sink in the downstairs bathroom. He is definitely interested in the super hero cartoons. His favorites being Superman, Batman, and the animated hero Krypto the super dog!!!

What's new??

You may be asking what is new with the Durham family?? Well, let me fill you in on everything since my last post.

On Thursday November 29th, my nephew Breckin Matthew Dorwart was brought into the world. His mom wasn't feeling so well, so he was only 34 1/2 weeks old, and he had a VERY rough start. I am happy to report though, that he is doing MUCH better. He is still in the NICU but was moved to the feeders/growers side and will hopefully be home in the next few weeks. For being early though, he was a big guy. He weighed 5 pounds 6.9 ounces and is 18 3/4 inches long.

Here's my brother Adam (Daddy)with Breckin.


Breckin with his cute little hat that his great grandmother made him. All of the tubes are out except the little feeding tube under the tape.


Bryce had his 6 month cardiology follow up last week. He is 41 inches tall and weighes 34 pounds. He was started on a pill medication instead of the liquid we have used since birth. I was IMPRESSED with how well he took it this past Monday. I thought for sure I would have to put it in pudding or something, but he said "I don't want my pill in pudding, Mom" He took it like a little champ!!!

His preschool does vision screenings, and his came back in October that he needed a professional eye exam. I just thought that Bryce got tired of the screen, and made up letters or something. Monday we had our eye appt, and it turns out there really is a problem. Bryce's left eye is not growing as quickly as his right. Basically, it means that if it continues to go uncorrected he will develop a "lazy eye" on the left. SO.......we went to pick out his glasses last night. He choose a really cute pair from the 7 or so pairs I picked out first. He kept picking adult sized glasses saying, "Mom, this will make my eye bigger." I tried to explain that it is the lens that makes the eye bigger, but he still hasn't quite gotten the idea. For now he seems excited about the glasses....we'll see what happens when they finally come in?!!?

We are getting ready for Christmas and his preschool is having a little program next Wednesday. I asked him last night what they were going to do and he said, "I can't tell you Mom. It is a secret." I asked Bryce why he told Nana then what we got her for Christmas because that was a secret too. His reply? "Well, she asked!"
He makes me laugh out loud sometimes. So..I guess I'll just have to wait and see what they do in their program. I'll be sure to take my camera and post some of the pics.

That's about all fow now. I'll post some pics soon--we have cookie baking that we are doing with my Mom this Tuesday and then his program on Wednesday. Everyone stay safe and warm until next time!

Picture Time

Here is Bryce's preschool picture from this year. I'm going to post it with last year's pic as well. I can't believe how much more mature he looks this year when compared to last year. It is amazing how much changes in a year with kids!!


October 2007


October 2006

Trick or Treat

Tonight was Trick or Treat in our neighborhood. It seems to get a little smaller each year, but there is still PLENTY of candy for Bryce. He had a great time. He only slipped once and said Merry Christmas, otherwise he remembered to say Trick or Treat, thank you, and then Happy Halloween for all the other houses.
Here he is in his Peter Pan costume.


LOOK......Never Never land is the second star to the right and straight on until morning

Peter Pan trying to fly--guess he ran out of pixie dust?!?!?


Argghhhhh...waiting to fight those pirates.

Durham family first OBX trip

Well we can now say that we have been to the Outer Banks. A great time was had by all. We rented an AMAZING beach house and shared it with 10 of our closest friends and family members. Surprisingly, we all got along. Well, I did want to smother Jason a few times, but what is new about that. We are NEVER together 24/7 so when we are on vacation, we both wear on each other's nerves. He went fishing frequently though, and he had a great time-and it gets him out of the house.
There was not as much to do as at Myrtle Beach, but it was a very relaxing vacation. We found some cool places/things that we are going to try next year for entertainment---YES, we are going back. The weather was about 10 degrees cooler than normal, so it was great. The ocean was rough though and we couldn't swim there until Friday, but our house had a pool and hot tub so it really didn't matter.


Bryce and Lucy watching TV.


Bryce's big fish that he caught


Bryce touching the starfish in the touch tank at the NC Aquarium


The water was a little rough. Here's Jason and Bryce unexpectedly getting pounded by a wave!


The entire group out for dinner at Fugi Steak and Sushi house. The artistic talent of these chefs while cooking on the hibachi is so cool to watch.

More WDW photos

Here is one more photo of my Mom and Bryce. As you can see, we had a great time!!!

We stayed at the All Star Sports. They are sitting in on of the O's on the football field.

This year at WDW ( and next year as a matter of fact) is the Year of a Million Dreams promotion. Bryce had a "dream moment". While we were riding the train back from Rafiki's Planet Watch, the one cast member asked Bryce if he liked trains. Well, of course Bryce does. She asked him if he would like to blow this train's whistle. He said YEA!!
Here's that picture and he got a little certificate with his name and co-engineer status for Rafiki's Planet Watch Train.

WDW Trip #2

My Peter Pan who will always be a little boy at heart.


We waited in line forever to see Ariel, but it was worth it. Look how happy Bryce is!!


Bryce with Cinderella.


Me, my Mom, and Bryce with Mickey Mouse at the Breakfastosaurus.


Bryce loved the kiss from Aurora--aka Sleeping Beauty!!

Well, we had another successful WDW trip last week. Bryce, my Mom, and I only went down from Monday August 27th through Thursday August 30th, but we had a fabulous time. We went to the Pirate and Princess Party and had a blast. There were more people there than I thought, but the ride lines were little to no wait at all. Bryce went as Peter Pan and he looked absolutely adorable in his costume.

We ate breakfast with Donald Duck at Donald's Breakfastosaurus. Goofy, Mickey, and Pluto were also there. Then we ate at Cinderella's Gala Feast, and Bryce really liked that too. He is such a ham for the princesses. When Prince Charming came around, he didn't even smile for the picture. However, when the princesses were there, Bryce was ALL smiles!

Bryce the Chef

WOW--I just looked and this is our 60th post. I never thought I would use it this much, but it is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family who live near and far!!
Bryce helped me with dinner today. He worked the buttons on the blender to mix up the tomatoes and then helped me fill the peppers. He did a GREAT job. Maybe he'll be a chef when he grows up!

The Next Peter Pan

When we visit WDW the end of this month, we are going to one of their special events--The Pirate and Princess Party. I decided that Bryce should dress up, so I asked him what he wanted to be--the pirate or the Peter Pan costume I saw. He choose Peter Pan with his dagger. Bryce looks so cute with the costume on and it fits great on him. We just have to take in the belt a bit, but otherwise it's like the costume was created with him in mind.

Staying Cool

Up until this point we have had a relatively mild summer. This past week though, the mercury has risen above the 95 degree mark and the humidity is along for the ride. Thankfully we have the pool to keep us cool!!
Yesterday, Jason and Bryce were staying cool while I took a few pictures.

Jason thought it would be funny to try and shoot me with the water cannon while I was taking pictures. I was not amused!!

Bryce is still learning to swim, but he loves to jump into his "red raft" and float around the pool.

Bryce shooting Jason with his Spiderman water cannon.
You can see our rubber ducky thermometer(bryce's pick) floating in the background.

Pittsburgh Children's Museum

Bryce loved it here when we went on Tuesday. This museum is huge and has 3 floors. The second flood is totally dedicated to toddlers and moms with small babies. We skipped that floor but did the 1st and 3rd floors. It was hard to get Bryce to leave; Especially since the last floor we visited was a water area. I didn't take my camera out because kids were playing with water everywhere. There were make your own fountain areas, fog machines, and Bryce's favorite was the huge water table where boats were tested and you could make them sink by creating whirlpools.

Bryce wouldn't stand by Clifford himself, so my brother Adam went with him to have his picture taken. This was the highlight of our trip for Bryce.

In the art room, my mom and Bryce pose in front of an exhibit that was made completely out of recycled materials. The kids could go in the back and make the penguins flippers flap, and there were microphones they could use to make the polar bear roar.
This is the huge real-life sized Clifford they had in his exhibit area. Bryce was so excited to be there that he wouldn't sit still for the picture.

Bryce sitting on the swing outside of the Mr Roger's neighborhood exhibit. Mr Roger's neighborhood was filmed in Pittsburgh, and the museum had all his puppets and Trolley on display.

Bryce climbing through an enclosed maze they had on display. Once he got 2 rows from the top, he was too short to climb any higher. He was disappointed, but I told him that next time he will be big enough.

We did go to an ice cream parlor that has existed since 1922 after the museum and it was really cool--a total transport through time. I forgot to take my camera in with us though.
If anyone is in need of ideas for a family fun time, I highly recommend the Children's Museum and zoo. We had a GREAT TIME!!!

Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium

This past Monday we traveled to Pittsburgh so that we could take Bryce to see Clifford the Big Red Dog at the Children's Museum. The museum has meet Clifford on Tuesdays, so we went to the zoo and aquarium Monday. Bryce loved seeing all the animals. The elephants were his favorite, but we couldn't see them too well. We also went thorough the monkey house and it STANK. Bryce held his nose the entire time, but we did get some good monkey shots!!!
Here, a young zoo helper was recording information on the Komodo dragon. He was right at the glass, and Bryce was checking him out.

One of those good monkey shots!

An authentic polar bear trap that the zoo actually used. Bryce looks like a dwarf inside it---Bryce is 40 inches tall.

They have a petting section. The visitors stay on the trail and if the animals want to be touched they will come to you. This deer was a human touch hog!!!

You could also "pet" the kangaroos in the same setup as the deer. This particular day, the kangaroos wanted NOTHING to do with humans.

Knoebel's

Today was my work picnic at Knoebel's Amusement Park. It is about a 2 hour drive from our house, but it is a really nice and family friendly park. We went there several times when I was small. It is so odd to go and do these things with my child when at one time I was the child. Everything that was so big back then, seems so small now. Anyway, Jason didn't want to go, so my mom, dad, and I took Bryce. He had a blast. Here are a few photos of his favorites ride from today.


Bryce first rode these hand cars at Strasburg and he loved them. He rode them at least 8 times today.

Bryce was ecstatic when he found out that they had kiddie bumper cars. He has wanted to ride them all season long at Hershey Park, but he is too small. Here, he is just the right size.

He's testing out his crane operating abilities by lifting and scooping stones.

Riding the little boats

Isn't it time to go home yet??