Bryce Turns Two!

Two years ago this little guy was sent to bless our family:

A couple weeks ago we celebrated his second birthday.
Bryce is such a joy! He is cute and charming and happy and clever and altogether wonderful. He wakes up in the mornings chattering and singing to himself, then comes and cuddles with me in my bed. Though I don't like getting up early, I treasure my mornings with him. It's been so fun to watch his personality develop and see him develop his own tastes and preferences. He loves anything mechanical that moves and/or makes noise - helicopters, trains, boats, trash trucks, fire-trucks, boats, vacuums, tractors, lawn mowers...and did I mention boats?
We wanted to do something fun to celebrate his birthday, so we decided to go to the beach. It was a little cold when we arrived, but soon the clouds cleared out and the sun shone down. In typical Bryce fashion, he spent the first twenty minutes or so watching the other kids play while staying close to me. This was the first time we'd been to the beach in a long time, and when something is novel, Bryce generally watches for a while before joining in the fray. He's definitely not impulsive. Soon, however, he was playing in the sand and the water with all the rest.
On the evening of Bryce's birthday, we had an ice-cream cake (which Bryce LOVED - no surprise there, he loves "treats") and Bryce opened his presents. Aubree had a hard time understanding that Bryce no longer needed her help opening his gifts.

A tractor!

Grandma and Grandpa Winters sent down a whole box of goodies. One of Bryce's favorite things included therein is a book all about "machines." Every time we'd turn a page, Bryce would gasp, "Woe!" We still look through it at least once a day.

Bryce LOVES puzzles and he's really quite good at them. This new puzzle, however, was a bit confusing for him. It's a "chunky" puzzle, so the pieces don't fit flush with the board. He'd put the piece in the correct space, try to push it down, then say, "Nope" and set it aside.