Coloring Easter Eggs

On Saturday, Alyce, Grams and I colored eggs for Easter at Grams' house. We were a little disappointed in the colors, but we still had lots of fun and the eggs turned out really pretty. Alyce's favorite part was putting the eggs in and out of the dye. She got to pick out a few wrappers to put on the eggs. The first one she chose was a pink wrapper with yellow suns on it. Then she picked out one with butterflies on it. Here are a few pictures.

Carousel At The Mall

Friday the family went to the local mall for some shopping and a trip to the food court. After dinner we walked through the center of the mall and Alyce noticed the double decker carousel. Of course we couldn't resist the opportunity to get Alyce up on a horse.

Once Alyce was up on a horse and strapped to the seat she grabbed the brass pole with a vice like grib. She didn't seem scared. I think she was just concentrating on keeping her balance because she couldn't rely upon her feet for support. Alyce was interested with everything on the carousel and not interested in mommy trying to take her picture.

Once we started moving Alyce really started to have some fun. She kept saying Wee! over and over again. I got Alyce to wave at Grams, Grandpa, and Mom a couple of times during our ride but once they were out of site her free hand was back on her horse.

Eventually the ride came to an end and Alyce was ok with getting off her horse. I think she was a big fan because later on when getting ready to go home she wanted to ride the carousel yet again. Sadly we had to say no to another ride, but Alyce seemed ok with that and we were spared of any tantrums or crying spells.

Alyce is 2!

Two years ago on this very day Alyce joined the world. Mom went into labor around 2:00 a.m. and Alyce was born just before noon on October 27 2006. Our lives from that point on have never been the same.

To celebrate this occasion we threw a party for our little girl. We invited all types of friends and family. Grandma, Grams & Grandpa, Gi Gi, Jeff & Liz, Trent Lisa & Shelby, Josh Tammy & Gideon, Aunt Jean, Aunt Sue, and Mommy's brother Scott were all in attendance. The party had already started when Alyce woke up from her nap and she was greeted by a room full of people. She handled the commotion well by snuggling next to Gi Gi until the cobwebs went away. Next Lisa got to hold Alyce on her hip while Shelby did some entertaining.

For dinner we had hot dogs and Grandma's Award Winning Chili. They must have been a big hit as there were only two hot dogs and half a bowl of chili left at the end of the night.

After dinner we opened presents and there were a lot of presents to be opened. Alyce received everything from wooden trains, clothes, push toys, crayons, kitchen supplies, and a new baby doll. The biggest present for Alyce was an appearance by her friend Gideon or Gid Gid as Alyce calls him. Alyce opened up a few presents but became frustrated when she couldn't get into any of the hermetically sealed packages.


The last major event of the night was the birthday cake. Looking at the video below it is obvious Alyce didn't really know what was going on other than the fact she new it was about her. Next year she won't need us to blow out her candle like we did this year. She was a big fan of the cake and ice cream. She ate almost all of it by herself; sharp contrast to last year where she didn't even take a bite.


Happy Birthday Big Girl!

Enjoy some of the pictures from the party.

Pumpkin Patch

On Saturday the whole family went to the pumpkin patch. This is Alyce's first experience with getting a pumpkin and I think she had a lot of fun. Mom, Alyce, and I were there and Grams, Grandpa, and Grandma also came along. The weather cooperated with us in that it wasn't raining however, it was unseasonably warm and we were a bit over dressed for the temperature.

The pumpkin farm was definitely geared towards kids. They had hay rides, kiddie train rides, and you could ride on a pony. There was a few different playgrounds with slides and swings and a long concrete tunnel. And tons of space for a little girl to explore the great big world.

Alyce had a very independent moment with the concrete tunnel. There wasn't any traffic control as to which side of the tunnel was the entrance and the exit so kids were going through both ways. The tunnel really only had room for single child going one way and would allow bidirectional traffic if the kids really squeezed. On Alyce's second trip through the tunnel she ended up in the middle of a kid traffic jam with probably 5 kids on either side of her in the tunnel. Alyce couldn't go any further but she couldn't back either. Normally I would pull her out of a stressful situation like that. This time however I couldn't get to her; she was on her own. She kept her cool moved around the kids the best she could and emerged on the other side none the worse for wear. I was very proud of my big girl.

Alyce also had her first ever pony ride. In her case she probably considered it a Moo ride as she calls both cows and horses the same thing. When Alyce first saw the ponies she was enamored. She walked right up to the fence and watched intently as the kids rode by. She started walking around the fence to find the entrance so she too could ride the ponies er Moos. Mom and I decided that she could probably handle riding an animal and me being able to hold onto her while walking next to the ponies sealed the deal. The ride was kind of expensive and short, but to see the look on her face as she got onto her black Moo made it all worth it.


After all of the events focusing on Alyce's pumpkin patch experience we finally got down to finding a pumpkin. Well Mom, Grams, and Grandma got down to finding a pumpkin. I was chasing Alyce all over creation making sure she didn't get run over by a tractor.


By noon we had seen it all and were ready to go. The temperature was taking its toll on everyone especially pregnant mommy. I think everyone had a great time. I know Alyce did and I know that I did. Next up I get to introduce Alyce to pumpkin carving.

Labor Day Weekend Part 2

Sunday we had a party at Gram's and Grandpa's to attend. This was a large family get together of all the people on Mom's side of the family. We enjoy big family parties because it gives Mom and I some time off. When with family who has kids you can always trust that they will stop your kid from doing bad things and that their kids will entertain yours. This time was no different. Alyce spent almost all of the day hanging out with the girls as there were are few/no boy children on that side of the family.

Monday we took a trip out to see Grandma for dinner. We had barbecue pork steaks, potatoes, bread, and brownies for dessert. Alyce was not very cooperative during dinner eating only one bite of meat and nothing else. Sadly when it came time for brownies we only allowed her one bite because she wouldn't eat her dinner. Parenting can be so cruel. After dinner Alyce played around with Bandit (the dog) while we cleaned up. Before you know it was 8:30 and time for us to go home to put Alyce down for bed and closing out our three day weekend.

Our Little Gymnast

The Olympics are over in Beijing but they are still alive and well in our home. For a while Alyce has been very interested in balance beams. She isn't doing any tricks or maneuvers on the beam. She simply walks from one end to the other then loops around to do it again.

At home she takes all of her cardboard blocks and lays them end to end to form a balance beam about 4"-5" wide and 10' long. She walks very gingerly down the line and rarely ever checks her balance or steps off.

On Sunday all the family was over at our house for a little get together. Alyce thought it was time to show off her balance skills and setup her beam. She walked up and down the line time and time again to the applause of all in attendance. Some video and pictures of the event will be added later. So check back in for those. Update: We have some new pictures




Monday Alyce and Mom went over to Gram's and Grandpa's house for dinner and Grandpa setup a quick beam out of a 2x4. It looks like Alyce's balance beam skills transfer from cardboard to something close to the real thing.

I'm not saying I am going to enter her into gymnastics classes anytime soon, but the cuteness is undeniable.

Alyce's First Fireworks Display

Last Thursday July 3rd Alyce had her first fireworks display. After dinner with our neighbors Jeff and Liz we packed up Alyce into the family Ford Freestyle and picked a spot to view the local fireworks display. We held onto our location for an hour and a half until the show started. Alyce and I played in the back of the car which folds down into a nice play area while mom relaxed and bought some snacks from the local supermarket. While waiting we decided to invite our neighbors Jeff and Liz plus Grams and Grandpa to the extravaganza as well. When it was all set to we had seven people in our little group. The fireworks display was top notch and it lasted around 20 minutes. Alyce wasn't scared of the fireworks and at times was more interested in the kids next to us than the show. The whole evening was a success and it was a great start to an Independence Day weekend.

Grams and Grandpa Time

On Saturday mom and I both went to the hospital to see our friend's new baby Gideon. He is a cutie and we hope that 30 years from now he and Alyce will get married (hey you never know).


While we were at the hospital Alyce was hanging out with Grams and Grandpa. Grams doesn't like being called Grandma because she thinks is sounds old. Even though she isn't "Grandma" she still gets the joy that comes with being one. Alyce spent most of the time playing in the water on their deck or watching animals on the deck. I know Alyce is having a good time at their house because whenever we drop her off for babysitting she is never sad to see us go and doesn't come running to us when we get back. Grams and Grandpa are going to be big help next weekend as we go on a mini vacation for 4 days. I can't wait!