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??

Our latest addition

Well, we finally broke down and bought a pool. They came today and installed it. I LOVE IT! After the second water truck came and finished filling it, I went on in. It was a bit cool, but it felt good!! Bryce is on restrictions until tomorrow--because of his heart cath---but he got his feet wet.
Of course, it threatened to rain all day, and tonight it really let lose. At least the pool was up and full before it rained. However, we now have a moat of MUD! It is so disgusting. I told Jason that he needs to get that filled in ASAP!!! The pics were taken before it rained.

Bryce's Heart Cath

Bryce had his follow up heart cath yesterday. When they did his final surgery last May, they left a small hole (fenestration) in case the heart encountered some "high pressures". It was kind of like a built-in release valve. The cath was to check the hole and if it needed closing, to close it. Everything went GREAT. The hole was too small to close. It was so small that the doctor feels it will continue to close on it's own, and I couldn't be happier that he won't have something else foreign (there were going to patch it)in his body.
Here is a random picture of Bryce. I know most parents would cringe at this, but I swear they were only in for a minute--long enough to take a picture. He is a creative boy though!!!

Bryce learns to ride a bike

Yesterday, Jason, Bryce, my mom, dad, and I went to a local flea market. It used to be an old amusement park, and they sold it. The new owner will eventually restore some of the rides to working order, but for now it is only a flea market. They do have the full size train running though and of course we had to go for a ride on that. While there, we found a barely used bicycle with training wheels that was perfect for Bryce. He tried it out last night and didn't do to badly. He looks so darn cute on it. It is hard for me to believe that he is old enough to use a pedal bike, but he is 4. I am sure he will not need the training wheels in a short amount of time!! We'll see.......

The Circus

We went the end of May--I know I'm really far behind in my posts--to see the circus. Bryce loved it and I really like it. It has been a few years since I went, and I was very impressed by the acts and the performers
We went early, and you could walk around behind the Giant Center and see the animals up close--but not too personal.

Here's one of the elephants before the show

Bryce's huge smile. He LOVED the acrobats.

Here's Bryce wearing the hat that came with his cotton candy at home.

Labor Day Party Cancelled

Sorry to disappoint everyone, but we have decided to cancel our Labor Day party. Jason and I have made the final decision that we are not having any more children, so I am taking Bryce to WDW again this year. We are only going for a few days--we leave August 27 and come back August 30. Jason is not going, but my Mom agreed to go along with us on this trip. I am going to enjoy each age of Bryce and enjoy it to it's fullest!!! Bryce will make out on the deal, but I don't think he will care. Because we will be getting back so close to the party date, I won't have enough preparation time. SORRY EVERYONE!!

Labor Day Party

Just wanted to let you all know---not sure exactly which family/friends read this site frequently---but you are all invited to our yearly Labor Day cookout. It will be held Sunday Sept 2nd this year. All are invited and more details are to come, but just wanted to get the date out there so we could be penciled into calendars!!

WDW Day #7--Saturday April 21st

Today was bitter sweet. I was ready for the stress of vacation to end, but I always hate leaving WDW. Most of all, I hate the stress of the airports. We did get a full day at the Magic Kingdom in before we had to leave though. We started off the day by having brunch at the Crystal Palace with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. Bryce loved it, and by then he was used to seeing larger than life characters. We got a few really nice pictures of him with the characters--see below. This was my favorite meal, and the food was FANTASTIC.




Bryce's final birthday celebration (cupcake) at WDW

After that, we again rode Peter Pan. Then we did the Jungle Cruise--my first time as well--and it was really cute. Afterwards, I got a pineapple float at the stand nearby and it was the best float I have ever had. I WILL DEFINITELY STOP THERE AGAIN!!!! We had some pictures taken in front of the castle, and Bryce got to hold Tinkerbell---check out the photos below. It is really her.


We took a train ride around the whole park, did a few more rides, bought a few more things, and then headed back to the hotel to get the Disney Magical Express bus back to the airport. Our flight left at 2100 and we got back to HIA around 2305. It was a great flight, and great vacation, but I was glad to be home.
Now Bryce just asks, "Mom, when are we going back to WDW?"
My reply, "Soon, Bryce, soon!"