Still need prayer!

I am posting this for 2 reasons.

1 - working with Bryce is very difficult sometimes and I still need prayer. He can be so easy -going and compliant one minute and so silly the next. Pray especially for his lack of control over his emotions. When he gets upset, he is REALLY upset!

2. Now, for the funny story:

A few days ago, Bryce got really upset over 2 different issues and so I was trying to be consistent and make sure I stuck to my decisions about his punishments. He continued to get really upset and accused me of loving his brothers more than him and then not even loving him at all. I tried to explain that his brothers do get disciplined, but generally have a fairly quick response to my correction, thus saving them from even more trouble. Then I said,

"Bryce, the Bible even says that if I love you, I WILL discipline you so that you will not continue do go down roads in your life that are dangerous!"

Through tears, he looks at me and says with attitude: "That has GOT to be a misprint!"

*photo by Wes Roberts

Be careful what you pray for....

I was REALLY discouraged (to the point of tears!) the other day about how VERY messy my house was...

Bryce looked at me and said,

"Well, you probably shouldn't have wished for boys!"

Deck the Halls 09

Thanks to my mom for letting us borrow a pre-lit space-saving tree!  The boys LOVED decorating and even now, Levi rearranges all the ornaments at the bottom of the tree to his liking...

Here is Daddy giving instructions and announcing that he is the official hook hanger.

Levi likes to hang as many on one branch as possible.

How to reach the high spots:

Ethan is almost 6!

We named our Elf Zart:

Job well done!

Cheesy mommy picture:

Story time :)

Conversation with Bryce

Conversation #1: Bryce with a neighbor friend who was spending the night:

"Bryce, you wanna ... mom... dad..... sleep........?"  (who knows what he wanted to do!)

(Looking at him very seriously,) "No, cause that would be disobeying."  

Conversation #2:  On the way home from school in the van:

"I am SO thankful that I get out of school at 12:30 instead of 3!  I would have like 3 more hours of school today!  And it's a christian school, so that's good. That is a long time for those kids to be under the influence."

"Under the influence of what, Bryce?"

"Sin!  You know, the kids who get to go to bible study on Wednesday nights, that's all they get.  Then they have to spend all those hours in school under the influence.  Why don't they go to a christian school?"

A day in the life with boys

My favorite Ben picture so far:

Levi and his night-nights:
"Tickle me, Daddy!"
UP HIGH is the theme of the day:
Like I said, sometimes up high is the only safe to play Legos!
Ethan loves to play Lego Batman
Bryce spends hours setting up people and animals~!
And last, but not least, one more UP HIGH picture for ya!

Football Champions!

I am so proud of Bryce and his team!  They are the Champions in their YMCA football league!

I was finally able to go to a game and Bryce did so well.

He started off the season not even trying and MAD every time he had to go to practice.

Then one day, he did really well, got some compliments, and decided to start playing HARD.  

I have seen him make a complete turn-around in his attitude and I am so proud.

Pictures are from BK's phone so they are a little fuzzy.

Funniest story in a while

Several years ago, I decided to teach my oldest boys my phone number in case of emergencies.  I think Ethan was 3 and Bryce was 5.  I was so surprised how quickly they learned it!  Well, a while ago, BK decided to change phone plans and decided that the best plan was for him to take my number and for a while I had to keep his old number.  So now, Bryce and Ethan both know DAD's number, not mine.  For some reason, this was fine with me, as long as they knew at least one number.

This fall, Bryce has been playing football at the YMCA that is less than a mile from our house.  It works out so well with our busy schedule.  I drop Bryce off for practice and then he calls his dad when it is time to pick him up.

Well, last night, BK was out of town and I wasn't sure when he would be back, so I told Bryce he would need to call me when practice was over.  I proceeded to pull out a little yellow sticky pad and quickly wrote my cell number down for him.  

"Mom, the last time you did this, I lost it!"

"Bryce, all you have to do is take this paper to the LADY at the FRONT DESK and tell her to please hold it for you so you can call your mom when practice is over."

"OK" (reluctantly) 

I folded up the the little yellow sticky note with my number on it and Bryce got out of the car and proceeded to walk straight up to his COACH, while I am watching, hand HIM the note and say, "My mom wanted me to give this to you."  

Oh. My. Gosh.  You should have seen the coaches face when he opened it up.  Mine was beet red.  

Ben's first sink bath

I just realized today that Benjamin could now take his baths in the kitchen sink, since he can sit up so well.  I was thinking, "I need to get one of those little seats that go in the tub because he could still fall over and he is too big for that baby tub now..."  Then it hit me - THE SINK!!  Of course Levi was so very interested in helping me bathe him.

I think he really liked it!

Note to self:  Lysol the edges and rinse BEFORE he takes his bath!

And of course, as soon as I came back from dressing Ben, this is what I found:

He is sitting up!

Repentance

I just had to take a moment at the end of a really LONG day and write what just happened with Bryce.  I had to move him out of the room with Levi (it just wasn't working!) and he got really upset and said "I hate you!  I wish I lived somewhere else."

I heard him, chose to remain calm and just told him that what he said hurt me and please get in bed.  

Well, a few minutes later, he came out of his room with tears in his eyes, and said, " I am sorry for being so disrespectful to you mom and for saying those things."  FINALLY!  a glimpse of some true repentance from him!  It was a wonderful moment and i didn't want to forget it. 

Bryce