Boy Talk

Just a few recent conversations with my boys that I dont' want to forget:
Max -- 2 and 1/2
He's only been talking for 4 months now, but he is making up for lost time.  He can count, sing his ABCs, sing many songs with hand motions, and he can count to ocho in Spanish! He is extremely vocal with his big brothers and holds his ground!
 He loves to ride his scooter and pedal on his tricycle when he's outside.  He plays trucks and trains non-stop when he's inside.  He has so much fun with toys :)
Bryce -- 6
He's a very tall kindergartner and when his class made flowers equal to their height, his was almost touching the sun!  He's a hungry growing boy that's for sure.  He has requested 2 sandwiches in his lunch, eats 2-3 eggs and 3 pieces of toast for breakfast, and seriously can't get enough salad!
He's also the best helper around and is often awarded the very prestigious household award called "Superstar Brother".   [A brother can be nominated by parent or a brother for be thoughtful, helpful, considerate, or sweet]. Bryce has received the most awards to date ;)
Blake -- 8
This sensitive 2nd grader has pulled through a bully situation even stronger and more confident than ever!  We are so proud of how he handled himself and the shining example he provided for the bully, their mutual friends, and his brothers.  After suffering a black eye and a bruised ego Blake prayed about the situation, prayed for the bully, and found strength to overcome his fears. 
His sweet nature may make him vulnerable to these types of kids, but he definitely knows how to handle it now! 
He truly wears his heart on his sleeve, as he watched the Dr. freeze off some skin cancer on my nose he came up to me after to say his heart hurts after watching the Dr. hurt his Mom :(.
He is also coming into his own and maturing quite a bit at the tender age of 8.  He asked at dinner the other night "Dad, let's pretend there is a bag of cheese balls in the cupboard right now.  If I asked for them how would you make the decision to say yes or no?"  After Tim explained the reasoning that goes into making such a decision, Blake says "Oh, so you are saying many things are considered when you make a decision like that".  Since then he has applied the principles to many decisions himself!
One other story for the memory book: I took the boys to their favorite restaurant, Bob Evans (no joke!) for dinner one night: Max ate 2 pieces of bacon, entire plateful of french toast, and my roll that came with my salad; Blake ate a huge amount to pancakes; and Bryce ate a plateful of french toast, 2 pieces of bacon, a side salad, and a roll . . .  and asked for more salad!