Bryson Turns Two

**I am SO FAR BEHIND!!! One day- hopefully soon- I WILL catch up!**

Bryson's actual birthday was about a week after we had his party. So, we had to celebrate again!

That morning we had him sit in the recliner while Jason wheeled in his new tricycle. He was so nervous and excited! It was so funny to watch.

 I love. this. picture. There is something about the pure joy on that little face- doesn't get much better than that!

 And what is a birthday without getting to lick the batters of your birthday cake? Bryson REALLY loved this part of his birthday.

 That evening we had a few close friends over and grilled burgers. We set up the slip-n-slide and sand/water table. The kids had a blast playing in the water!

 Singing "Happy Birthday." B suddenly became very shy while we were singing, but couldn't stop smiling.

 Mmmmmm, cake!

The evening came to an end all too quickly and it was time for everyone to go home. Bryson was pooped after running around all evening! We are so thankful for this precious little boy that God has given us, and also for the friends who helped us celebrate him.  It has been an amazing two years!

Bryson's 2nd Birthday Bash!

When planning Bryson's birthday party this year, we decided to keep things a bit more low-key than last year.  We thought a pool party would be perfect! Especially since the pool that is by our house is specifically designed for toddlers. It has a beach-like entrance and Bryson is able to wade out into the water for probably thirty feet (or more) without any assistance. There is also a little slide that is just the right size for this age. So, once all the details were set, we sent out the invitations. I loved the way the invitations turned out, and how they set the mood of the party. Before we knew it, it was party time! My family came into town (my Mom, Dad, Matt, Shannon, and Amy) as well as Granny and our nephews Sheldon and Phillip. We had a great weekend hanging out and celebrating Bryson. Here are some a ton of pictures from the party:

In trying to keep things simple, I decided to make the cupcakes. They were so simple and turned out just the way I wanted them!

The Spread...

Party Favors!!!

Granny and Sheldon

Mia

PawPaw taking B down the slide (with Uncle Matt there to catch them- haha!).

The Happy Birthday Boy!

Shannon, Mom, Amy, Me

Stacey and her girls...

The Bocks

Lili

Mykah

Maddie

Leslie and Eden

Mykah, Mrs. Erin, Bryson

Bryson loved it when we sang Happy Birthday to him. He seemed to be very shy, and kept his hands in his mouth the whole time-- but the smile never left his face! Such a big boy!

Phillip, Me, Sheldon

The Browns

Sweet Friends

... and more sweet friends!

Opening gifts...

I cannot say enough about how great this party was! Having everyone meet at the pool, eat, swim, and then going home to a {somewhat} clean house for nap time was AMAZING. I think everyone, especially the birthday boy, had a great time. We want to say a huge thank-you to all of our sweet friends and family who braved the heat to help us celebrate our favorite little man.

I cannot believe he is already two!

sweet LITTLE blessings

Sunday we had a great day just spending time as a family. I am loving our time together these days. Bryson is talking more than I could have imagined at this point, and he keeps us laughing 99% of the time. These days are passing way too quickly, so I wanted to take just a minute to jot down some of the sweet little blessings that I have been reminded of in the hustle and bustle of my every day routine.

1) Long summer days and a boy {who is ALL boy} who would rather be outside than anywhere else.

 2) That same sweet boy who just celebrated his second birthday- and let me tell you- we celebrated him! That's what we do in this family.   :)

 3) My hubs won FIRST PLACE in a golf tournament yesterday. He was pumped {and even said that he needs an office so that he can hang his plaque up on the wall}!

 4) $4 flowers at HEB. Enough said.

 5) Talk about a blessing! I got a sweet card in the mail from one of my favorite friends with a gift card to one of my favorite daily stops- Chick-fil-A! She definitely knows the way to my heart! What a sweet {tea} surprise!

 6) And another surprise in the mail this week {this never happens- not sure why it is happening twice in one week??}. My sister sent me a cd full of encouraging Christian music. Have I mentioned that she is the best sister ever?? Seriously. Couldn't be any better. Blessing, blessing, blessing.

7) A boss that sends me a text telling me that I've done a good job and telling me to take part of a day off this week. It's so nice to be rewarded and acknowledged.

8) A childcare provider who sends home "today sheets" full of activities that Bryson has been doing during the day including sorting activities, sensory bin, counting activities, and reading lots of books. I don't even know what half of these things mean, but I know that he is being mentally challenged every day and I am thankful for that {along with a million other things about her!}.

9) Our home church and the sweet friends that are in the same season of life as me. I truly believe that God places certain people in your life at just the right time- and this situation has been no different. So thankful for the sweet girls surrounding and supporting me right now.

My life is by no means all roses {far from it!}. But, I do realize that I am blessed beyond blessed, and I think it's good to take time to jot these things down from time to time.

I am so thankful for all of these blessings!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

We started celebrating the fourth a little bit early this year. Grandma bought Bryson two July 4th shirts, and I made him one, so he had three shirts to wear. We wore them all week {might as well wear them while you can!}!

 They celebrated at Erin's too. Bryson made this really cute wind sock out of a tin can, paint, and ribbons. It is hanging on our back porch.  :)

 The morning of the 4th we met Stacey, Lili, and Eric for a parade in their neighborhood. We didn't know that WE were going to BE the parade! There was a lady with balloons and a man passing out little flags to the kids. We lead the way down the street to the park followed by a firetruck, ambulance, and police car. Simple but so much fun. Bryson loved the fire truck!

 Lili the Patriotic Princess!

 Watermelon is a must on July 4th!

 The firemen passed out hats and sticker badges. Bryson was in Heaven!

 And what is a good holiday without water balloons?

 Sitting in the firetruck!

 After the parade we ate lunch and Bryson napped for a while. Then we headed over to the MacDonald's for some grilling.

Eric and Bryson

 Annabel

 Maddie

 Lili

 For dessert I made a patriotic fruit tart...

 and patriotic rice krispie treats!

It was a great day.  :)

Happy 4th of July!