The Dark Knight Rises -- Halloween 2013

This Halloween, Jarom decided we needed a family movie theme, so he chose The Dark Knight Rises.  Bryson was Batman, I was Cat Woman, and Jarom was Bane.  We think our costumes looked pretty cool, though my pleather pants were WAY too tight for twenty weeks pregnant.  We went to the our local Harvest Festival earlier this month and took pictures in the pumpkin patch.  We've taken Bryson's picture in the pumpkin patch every October since he was born.  Last Saturday, we went to our ward's Halloween party and trunk or treat where our costumes and white chicken chili were well received.  On Halloween, I worked in Bryson's class in the morning and helped the kids make a spider snack (Oreos with pretzel legs and M&M eyes).  Then, Jarom and I saw the classes parade through the halls before we helped with Bryson's classroom Halloween party.  We finished the night trick or treating in Papa Randy's neighborhood and enjoyed showcasing our family costumes.

Boy or Girl? Bryson Finds Out the Gender of Baby #2

After a 17-week ultrasound confirmed the gender of baby number 2, Bryson lets us know what he thinks of the news. He also suggested names for a girl: Snowball and a boy: Tonian. I think we'll still be searching for different ones, though.

Boy or Girl? Bryson finds out... from Melissa G on Vimeo.

General Conference Activities

When planning to watch General Conference this weekend, I wondered how Jarom and I were going to get the most out of it.  So, I got some ideas from LDS.org, Pinterest, and a couple friends and took a trip to the dollar store in attempts of keeping Bryson busy with activities during all the talks.  Each activity had the photo of a prophet or apostle (or another speaker) and he had to do that activity while the person talked.  It worked great because I was able to listen to all the talks and Bryson loved all the activities and got some key points out of the talks too.   

Just in case you want to know, my ideas came from:
LDS.org (http://www.lds.org/general-conference/children)
Sugardoodle.net (Conference activities and "Conference baggies")
MomsHaveQuestionsToo Blog (http://www.momshavequestionstoo.com/general-conference-activities-egg-carton-beading-do-a-dot-apostle-pages/)
2Kidsandtired (http://2kidsandtiredconference.blogspot.com/2011/09/general-conference-activity-ideas.html)

Bryson is Our Number One

Bryson is our number one.  Here's his most recent school photo. (I think it's funny how they made him tilt his head and that when they said "say cheese," he made this face.  We'll be doing re-takes, but I thought this picture was kind of cute too).

Bryson is loving kindergarten in which he has tons of friends, is reading and writing more words, and learning more about ABC's and 123's.  He is also gaining experience when it comes to being a good friend ("I tell them they can't touch my glasses or push me, but I can be their friend.) and getting a hot lunch from school (something he found very traumatic at the beginning of the year after getting lost on his way to the cafeteria).   He is in the highest reading group (thanks to the reading we've done over the last year at home this past year) and is excelling in all subject areas.  Bryson enjoys going to P.E. loves art, and tries to pick a different "center" every day, though he favors the blocks and craft centers.  Bryson's after school time is taken up by vision therapy, with which he is doing very well in and if he has time, coloring and a video.  Bryson is one hard working boy and is definitely our number one.

AND HERE IS OUR NUMBER TWO, coming in March 2014:  

My official due date is March 17th (St. Patrick's Day).  I am sixteen weeks along now and wanted to wait to announce to make sure everything is OK with all the complications I've experienced.   Perinatologists and my OB are watching me very closely due to my high risk pregnancy factors (Tumid Lupus, a bicornuate and tipped uterus, an incompetent cervix, and a history of pre-term labor and birth with Bryson who was born at 35 weeks gestation).   That means more Ultrasounds (lucky us) and a possible cerclage (a cervical stitch) later on.  Doctors just started me on Progesterone treatments to help reduce my risk of pre-term labor, and so far, I'm feeling pretty good and doing well.  We are hoping that that trend continues.  We also recently found out that my younger sister, Monica, is expecting a baby around the same time.  We're excited for her and Bryan and are looking forward to our baby having a cousin the same age.  Bryson is hoping for a "baby sister," but we don't know the gender yet.  We'll find out in a few weeks.     Anyway, we're thrilled to be adding a new baby to our family and hope the rest of the pregnancy goes well.

Bryson's First Official 5K

Bryson ran his first official 5K this morning, meaning he had his own number and his own official time.  Today's Oktoberfest race was a more difficult course than the 5K he ran with me in July, and there was a brutal hill he had to climb up during the last mile, but he did great.  He ran between Grandma Jane and Aunt Molly the entire time.  He finished with Molly and then pulled Grandma Jane across the finish line.  A direct quote from earlier today:  "Grandma, What's wrong with you?  Can't you go faster?"  But they all did great, and Bryson finished in 48 minutes, 43 seconds.  Way to go Bryson!

First Day of Kindergarten

Today was Bryson's first day of all-day kindergarten. He has been looking forward to starting kindergarten all summer, and he had a hard time falling asleep last night because he was so excited for today.  This morning, Bryson was calm, cool, and collected and ready to be dropped off. I, on the other hand, was a little sad about letting my baby go all-day, but I know he's in good hands with his teacher, that he'll love school and learning, and that he'll be just fine.  The all-day schedule will take us both some getting used to, but once we do, I'm sure we'll both enjoy it.  

Bryson had a fun first day of school.  His highlights of the first day included: playing at the block center, watching a back to school video, eating a taco for lunch, and visiting the school library.   He "didn't like lining up SO many times," but he had a great first day of kindergarten.  Bryson is growing up!

Anniversary Hike

Jarom and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary last week.  It's hard to believe we've already been married nine years, and I'm looking forward to at least another ninety.  To celebrate earlier in the day, we took Bryson on a hike at O'Fallan Park.  It was a beautiful there and we enjoyed the scenery and the many deer we saw grazing along the path.  It was fun to have Bryson with us for the hike, and then we went out to dinner and a movie while Grandma Jane watched Bryson.  It was a nice way to celebrate nine years together.