Braden's Bed

Braden had been climbing out of his bed a lot recently, so we thought we had better get the side of the crib off and make a big boy bed.  He was so excited. He tried to be in the middle of all the action. When it was finished, he immediately started jumping and then climbed into bed to "test" it out.

I know there are a lot of parents who seem to rush to get their little people out of the crib. Not me! He loves it, but it is taking some to get used to for me. He likes to sleep with the light on all of the sudden, and then he locks his bedroom door before Tyler can get in and go to sleep. That and for some reason he seems to be my night owl. He loves night time and while his bedtime is 8 p.m., we have had a lot of 10 p.m. nights. Hopefully this isn't what's to come later!

Tyler's 11th Birthday

Tyler decided to go and get another year older. We celebrated his 11th birthday by going to the straw maze in Archer. We let him bring his friend Lucas along. We all split into groups. Tyler and Lucas, McKenna and Kylie, and then Braden, Allen and I.  Kylie didn't want to go in a seperate group, but we thought it would be good for her and McKenna. After 15 minutes into the maze, Allen and I were feeling bad for having them go seperately. What bad parents we were, etc. After about 20 minutes into the maze, Allen and I found our way out and started talking with the owner. He told us the girls were the first to come out - after only 10 min into the maze, they waited for 5 min and then decided to go back in to help the boys out - who made their way back to the entrance, but not the exit. We thought that was really funny and the girls felt extremely good about themselves!

They all enjoyed their time in the maze, it wasn't crowded and it was still light enough to go through all the tunnels without a flashlight.  It was a fun activity for everyone except Braden who I think was bummed he had to be with the old folks.

After  the straw maze we came back home and had dinner (hot dogs and pasta salad - his choice), cake, ice cream and presents. So easy.

I can't believe Ty is 11. He is such a great kid and we are so proud of him. He is an awesome big brother - and Braden LOVES him to pieces. He is talented and smart and we are so grateful he is in our family!