My Best Friend

Bryce simply adores his big brother. He follows him around and imitates his every move (that is when he is not tackling him to the ground). Blake is a good brother and always asks Bryce to come play with him; and no matter what Bryce is doing, he drops everything to play with his big brother. For instance, Bryce loves to eat and has a great time digging into his own food; but when Blake suggests feeding him, he hops in the chair and opens wide.

While Blake was feeding Bryce he was saying, "Mmmm, isn't that Yummy in your tummy?" and
"Here it comes, son, open wide." Then he randomly asked him if he wanted to ride a rollercoaster and Bryce was quick to say "NO".

Later, Tim and I were video taping the kids goofing around and I asked Blake, "Who is your best friend?" and he answered "Tay Tay".
Then I asked Bryce, "Who is your best friend, Bryce?" Without hesitation, he said "Blakey".

And Mommy melted once again, that kid is GOOD!

Goofy Guys & Glue

Blake and Bryce still have a tremendous amount of energy and thank goodness they have each other to keep busy! Bryce is such a bully, he is always trying to tackle Blake. Although Blake thinks it is hilarious (and so do we) we try to teach Bryce that it is not nice to tackle and pin his big brother. Blake is trying to run away from Bully Boy . . .

but no such luck, he caught him and took him down once again
Here are the crazy monsters during in a tame moment
Bryce has been Mommy's boy the last few weeks. I mean he is seriously stuck to me like glue. Even while I get ready in the morning he gets his blankie and a sippy and lays at my feet. He only wants Mommy to change his diaper, get his drink, or get him dressed. He won't come down from his nap unless he can see Mommy and he even gets jealous if Blake hugs me or sits on my lap. He comes running with tears and says "That's MY MOMMY"! See, what did I tell you . . . GLUE!
Blake and Daddy, "Cool Dudes" as Blake would say.

Double Duty for the Dunnebacks

Leah and Chad are seeing double these days . . . they are PREGNANT WITH TWINS!!
Leah is feeling great, the babies look great by ultrasound and they are due August 20th. We are so excited for our friends and can't wait to meet the babies in late summer :)
CONGRATS LEAH & CHAD!!!!!

They are driving me NUTS!!

Attention, Attention: Somebody has taken my 2 boys and replaced them with 2 CRAZY MONSTERS!!!!!!!!! I am pretty sure their behavior is a side effect of being cooped up indoors due to freezing temperatures, but seriously they are nuts. They run circles around each other, me, and furniture; they climb up everything and jump off anything more than 6 inches off the ground; and they have even started speaking their own language. I think I am spinning out of control; it is so exhausting chasing after them and trying to keep them in line. The worst part is we are looking at almost 3 more months of winter weather, how will I survive with these rowdy boys? Reading books, painting and coloring only last for so long, they have a lot of energy to expend!

Kelpy Family

Great news . . . the Kelpy family has grown by 2 feet! Katherine Grace was born on the 19th and she is as cute as can be! Congratulations to Matt, Katja, and big brother Colin!!

Circus Suprise

Today we joined the Woolman family and their friends and took all the kids to the circus. We saw the animals, the acrobats, the clowns, and even went on a pony ride.

The Beamer family started the trend and then we all bought our kids

the overly priced light up swords :)

During intermission Blake, Bryce and Taylor loved the pony rides. Blake is front and center and you can see Bryce grinning on the far right of the picture.
Also during intermission Tim and I were complaining to each other about how much money we spent at the circus. When we added up our tickets, parking fee, swords for the kids, a snack and drink we had spent $100. It seemed ridiculous . . . that is until the sponsors of the circus announced they were choosing kids for a fantastic give away. Blake and Taylor were jumping up and down, waving their hands in the air when a man approached Blake and told him he just won a BIKE!!! A clown came and took Blake by the hand down to the circus ring and off he went without even looking at his parents! He stood there like a cool dude and spoke his name into the microphone clear as can be. I was so proud that he went out there like such a big boy and I am still in complete shock that he really won a bike!!

Here is he out on the circus floor, the little guy with a hat on and his hand in his pocket :()
And this is the bike he won!
After all that, I guess the $100 was completely worth it! It was so much fun to see Blake out there, the bike is just an added bonus. I also got some play time with my girl, Tay Tay, so it couldn't have been any better.

Baby Brunworth is here!!

Congratulations to our friends Ryan, Kristi, and big brothers Mason and Brady as they welcome the newest addition to their family, Baby Boy Logan. Logan was born on January 16th and when Ryan called with the happy news he said this was the easiest one yet . . . lucky for him Kristi agreed!
We cannot wait to get over to Norton Shores to meet him.

Brothers

Life with Blake and Bryce is colorful to say the least. Everyday they hug, they laugh, they play, they run, they tackle, and they fight. However, even if they are in the middle of a serious fight over a toy, when I say it's bed time they drop everything and give each other a big hug. That is what brothers do, right? They push each other to the limit, but at the end of the day they always have each others back.

I'm BIG

I have not had a new posting in a while because I was down and out with some type of virus. I had a 102 fever, chills, and body aches for 3 days. It was quite miserable, and now I am terrified that Blake and Bryce or Tim might get it. I woke up today feeling a little better, but still not the best. At least the end is in sight!
Meanwhile my baby boy Bryce has become a BIG BOY! Last weekend we made a transition to a big boy car seat (a booster type car seat that still has the 5 point harness until he is 40lbs) and we removed the railing from his crib to convert to a toddler bed. He absolutely loves it. He came out of his room after a nap in his big boy bed and was so proud, grinning ear to ear and he said "Hi Mom, I'm Big". Only once did we have a problem when we put him down for a nap he got out of bed and started playing with his airport in his room. I told him he had to go back to bed and he did . . . is this kid for real?? If you only knew the struggles I had with Blake staying in his bed and sleeping in general, I guess I deserve a kid like this the second time around!!
We do put a gate in the doorway to his room at night so he doesn't get up and wander down the stairs, but Bryce has a hard time understanding this. He woke up the first morning and yelled out "Daddy? I'm in jail?"
He has also become very interested in the potty. He can't stand when he his diaper is dirty or wet and he asks to sit on the potty every time he is changed. He has never actually done anything on the potty but it is definitely a step in the right direction. I cannot even imagine not having any kids in diapers!!!!!!!!

While taking a picture of Bryce in his big boy bed, Blake insisted he needed a picture in his bed, too, so there you see my two boys, growing up so fast.

Bryce has been helping out around the house while I'm not feeling well, he does a fine job with the vacuum.