B Boy's B-day

Not long ago, a friend pulled me aside, "I have to tell you, your Bryce is just so cute." 

I grinned in agreement.  She continued, "I know you struggle with him, but..." 

She stopped abruptly, evidently startled by the look of confusion on my face.  "I'm sorry," she back-pedaled, "I only said that because of what you told me a few months ago."

And then the conversation she was referring to came rushing back to me.  I remembered confiding that my darling Bryce taught me that I have a temper; that many of his behaviors and choices left me eager to bang my head against the nearest wall; that I felt like we were, way too often, at odds with each other.

And as the memory of that conversation came back, along with it came the realization that I didn't feel like that anymore.  My initial reaction to her statement had been to argue, "Bryce? I don't struggle with Bryce!"

I sincerely wish that I could take responsibility for this transformation, but the credit goes entirely to Bryce.  Over the last few months, so gradually that I evidently didn't even notice it, Bryce worked diligently and intentionally to make better choices.  "Mom," he occasionally confides, "I'm trying really, really hard."

"I know, Buddy," I respond, giving him a hug, "And I can really, really tell."  

He's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and we still have difficult moments, but if he were forced to stay this age and stage forever, I wouldn't mind a whit!

So, we welcomed his fifth birthday as an extra opportunity to celebrate a wonderful, loving boy who brings us incalculable joy.

We didn't do a friend party this year, choosing instead to spend time as a family doing things Bryce enjoys.  One of the things Bryce loves is trains, so last Saturday we trekked up to the Snoqualmie train museum.  We were a little disappointed that there wasn't a lot to see, but Bryce and Thane loved seeing the real trains and Bryce is eagerly anticipating his upcoming train ride.

On his actual birthday, Bryce spent the morning riding bikes/trikes with friends.  

When Mark got home from work, Bryce got to open his presents (Legos, and an alarm clock [not for the alarm part so much, just the clock part]), have his favorite dinner, and eat cake.  He said it was a great day.  Thank goodness for easy to please boys!

Bryce spends all year thinking about what kind of a birthday cake he wants.  This year was no exception, and he jumped from many different possibilities before finally settling on a "digger" cake.  "Let me get this straight," I asked, "you want me to make you a cake that looks messy?  THAT I can do!" 

In honor of his birthday, here are a few other things to remember about Byrce at five:

*My friend's comment about Bryce being "just so cute," was not an isolated incident.  We get those types of comments a lot, as well as comments about his smiles..."your son is smiling all the time," they tell us, "it just melts my heart."

We had one conversation with the primary music chorister from our last ward.  She told us, "When Bryce came to our primary, I would go home on Sundays and tell my husband, 'there is this one little boy who is just the cutest thing;  He's always smiling!' 

"Then we had the primary program," she continued, "and afterwards, my husband came up to me and said, 'there was this one little boy in the front, wearing a suit and singing and I couldn't stop looking at him, he was so cute.' I jumped up and down, 'That's him! That's the boy I've been telling you about!"

*For his part, Bryce says he "loooooves" primary.  He especially loves the cute girls in his class and makes it a point to sit next to them whenever possible.

*Back when things were "rough" with Bryce on a fairly regular basis, there were often nights when I'd go to put him to bed and we'd both be frustrated and angry and done.  One night in particular stands out in my mind.  

"Say your prayers!" I spat out.

"No!" he retorted, "you pray!"

My normal reaction would have been to insist that it's his prayer, so he needs to say it.  But this time, Heavenly Father softened my heart just enough to allow in the thought, "you pray, for him."

So I did.  I bowed my head and thanked Heavenly Father for the gift of such a precious son, and told him that we were having a hard time, but noted all the good qualities and kind things Bryce had done.  As I prayed I felt my anger melt away and soon Bryce's small hand slipped inside my folded ones, and when I said "Amen," he flung his arms around my neck, kissed my cheeks, and asked if he could "please say his own prayer now."

Occasionally, Bryce will still ask me to "pray for him" at night, and it's always such a special experience (though I did have to tell him it doesn't have to only be on "rough" days).

*Mark also has developed a special bedtime routine with Bryce: Once Bryce is tucked in, he always asks to "chat with Dad" (though lately, he'll sometimes deign to "chat" with me).  Both Bryce and Mark have the opportunity to choose any topic, and then they, well, chat about that topic.  Most of the time Bryce chooses scientific-type things, such as, "How do you build a road," or "What do you know about the moon," or more simply, "electricity," or "our bodies."

I've been amazed at his questions and also at how much information he retains from these short conversations.  He'll randomly start telling me all about astronauts or how blood goes through the body, and when I ask, "how do you know about that?" he casually shrugs, "chatting, just chatting."

*One Sunday morning as I was getting ready for church, Mark whispered urgently, "Erin, come here, you've got to see this!"

I snuck around the corner to see Bryce in Thane's room.  "You need to sit here," Bryce told Thane, "because I'm going to teach you."

Thane agreeably sat on his bed while Bryce proceeded to "teach" him all the things he'd learned in his chatting sessions.  When Thane lost interest and started wandering around the room, Bryce didn't miss a beat.  He kept explaining and questioning, until he was satisfied Thane also understood.

*Bryce's eagerness for learning and knowledge is so much fun!  We are almost halfway through the "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" book and he is flying through.  He has no problems at all reading the five or six sentence stories.  Surprisingly, his favorite part of his "lessons" is the writing component at the end.  

When we started this school year, fine motor skills were one of my primary concerns, but all of a sudden all Bryce wants to do is draw and color and write.  He's meticulous and focused.  

*One day he announced he wanted to "draw a picture for Dad."  After thinking for a moment, he declared, "I know what Dad will like!" and proceeded to spend an hour carefully drawing and coloring a picture of books on a bookshelf.  Smart kid!

I am so excited to do kindergarten with him in the Fall; I know he's going to love it!

*Eager to show off his burgeoning reading ability, Bryce asked Mark to "write words on the computer."  Mark pulled Bryce on his lap, and, in very large font, wrote words for him to sound out.  Pages and pages of successful word reading later, Mark typed B-R-Y-C-E.  After several frustrating attempts to sound it out, Bryce finally complained, "I don't know! It's just too hard!"

*Another day, we were drawing pictures of things that start with the letter "w."  "I know!" Bryce enthused, "weeding starts with W!"

"No, Bryce," I gently corrected, trying not to laugh, "Rrrrr-eading starts with R."

I kind of love his little lisps.

*Last Saturday Mark gave Bryce and Thane major haircuts.  Out of nowhere, Bryce started singing (to the tune of "She'll be coming 'round the mountain"), "They'll be time enough for balding when we're old..."

What Bryce Says About Bryce:

Favorite Color: Blue-ish Green

Favorite Candy: Peppermints

What he wants to be when he grows up: Train Driver

Where he wants to go on his mission: Italy (for the tortellini!)

Favorite Primary Song: "If the Savior Stood Beside Me"

Favorite Movie: Toy Story

Favorite Thing to Do: Draw

Favorite Food: Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli 

Best Friend: Aubree

Favorite Book: Flat Stanley

Favorite Toy: Legos and Geo Trax

What makes him happy: Making train tracks.

Favorite thing to do with Mom: Go to places, like the library

Favorite thing to do with Dad: Show him what I made with little Legos.

 Happy 5th Birthday, Bryce!