Bryce Turns Eleven

Bryce had a birthday at the end of March. Eleven didn't used to seem like a big birthday, but there will be some major events in his life before he turns twelve, including: our road trip, starting middle school, joining the Young Men's organization at church, and receiving the Aaronic Priesthood. All of a sudden, eleven seems like a very big deal!

Bryce is as kind and thoughtful as they come. Recently, a friend was watching my kids, and I received this text and picture: "Bryce asked if he could hold Annelise....while teaching Holly to play Dragonwood. Can he stay forever??" He really does love to help people.

Bryce is a noticer of details and a loyal friend. He gets along with just about everyone, but especially shines in one-on-one interactions. He loves everything engineering or technology related. In fact, the last two books he read were: "iPhone, the Lost Manual," and "iPad the Lost Manual!" Bryce is not impulsive; he likes to know exactly what he's getting into and what's expected of him before he begins anything.

Of course, he's also an 11 year old boy and can occasionally delight in harassing his siblings, be obnoxious, or drive me totally nutso, but mostly he's an absolute joy and a huge help. We loved taking a special opportunity to celebrate him.

Mark worked from home on Bryce's birthday, so Bryce didn't have to wait until the evening to open presents. He got his annual birthday CD (the CD's become ever more popular the older the kids get), a Lego Technic set, a Lego Technic Power Functions set, and a Boogie Board. His wish list was full of technology. Also, his birthday coincided with the receipt of a Lego EV3 Mindstorm robot from our Parent Partnership Program. That robot is not ours to keep, but we should have it for two years or so. Bryce is thrilled!!

His birthday fell on his Tuesday, so I didn't require him to do any school work. He came with me when I went to teach my Homes United class, and when Tallie found out it was his birthday, she immediately took him on a quick trip to Crown Doughnuts for his two free birthday doughnuts.

Cute Venna has a heart of giving similar to Bryce and Thane and insisted on putting together a birthday package for Bryce.

For his birthday dinner, Bryce wanted Au Jus sandwiches. Other birthday week meal requests included: hamburgers, broccoli-potato soup, homemade hamburger helper, and chicken-gnocchi soup.

Instead of cake, he wanted a Boston Creme Pie for his birthday dessert. It was definitely a sugar overload day.

It wasn't a birthday party year, but instead of going out to dinner with the family, Bryce asked if we could go ice skating with friends. 

This time around, I left Nellie playing with her friend Rosie, and traded for Rosie's older siblings, Ben and Holly. It was an excellent trade. Nellie and Rosie had a great time playing together, and Ben and Graham were the perfect buddies ice skating. I got them a seal to share, and they took turns pushing and riding around the rink.

Once they got their skating legs, the bigger kids enjoyed playing tag and other random games.

It was a fun birthday activity, and Bryce loved it. I will admit that I told my kids that none of them were allowed to break any bones while skating. Can you imagine how a broken leg would have impacted our upcoming trip?! No thank you!

An Interview with Bryce:

Favorite Color?: "Green, but not the really light green, more of a dark green."

Favorite Candy?:  "I have five: Hershey, M&Ms, Milky Way, Gummi Bears, and I can't remember my last one."

What do you want to be when you grow up?: "I want to work at Boston Dynamics.”

Where do you want to go on your mission?: "Wisconsin, because it's in the United States, and it's not too hot.."

Favorite Primary Song?: "'I Will Be What I Believe'."

Favorite Animal?: "Wombat."

Favorite Movie?: "'Incredibles 2.'"

Favorite Thing to Do?: "Play with the Dance's."

Favorite Food?: "Au Jus sandwiches."

Best Friends?: "Jordan."

Favorite Book?: "'Mr. Lemoncello's Library.'"

Favorite Toy?: "Lego Technic."

What makes you happy?: "Seeing friends."

Favorite thing to do with Mom?: "Play a game."

Favorite thing to do with Dad?: "Go on Father/Son Outings."

What do you do really well?: "Build with Legos and play piano."

What makes you laugh?: "That's a hard one. A joke???" 

Favorite Holiday?: "Christmas."

Favorite Sport?: "Soccer."

What’s the best time of day?: "3 pm, because we get to have snack, and our work is usually done, and I get to have free time."
What's your favorite day of the week?: "Saturday, because we get to have our soccer/basketball games and don't have to do very much work. I'm not trying to imply that I don't like working, but it is nice to have free time."

What are you afraid of?: "Scorpions and Boa Constrictors."

What do you like to do with your family?: "Play a board game, not a card game."

What do you love to learn about?: "Science and Apple watches."

What is your favorite class/subject?: “Science and art.”

Where do you like to go?: "Ice skating, bowling, my room.”

If you had one wish, what would it be?: "To have 80,000 wishes or infinity wishes."

What would you do if you had $1,000?: "Only $1,000?. I would buy Legos."

What is your favorite song?: "'I Built a Friend', by Alec Benjamin."

What's your favorite Super Hero?: "Flash."

What do you hope you can do before your next birthday?: "Get more Lego Technic."  

What are you looking forward to in the next year?: "Going to Co-op, our two-month road trip, and Christmas."