Who Needs More than One?

As a kid, I went to the Goshen Easter Egg Hunt every year. It was fun, it was exciting, and it was tradition. Wanting to pass the Easter Egg Hunt fun on to Brykn, I found a really fun Easter Egg Hunt at a private house just up the street from us. They do a really nice hunt with lots of great candy, a big breakfast, and the Easter Bunny even makes an appearance. When we got there, I coached and choached my little Brykn about picking up the eggs and putting them in his basket. He kept saying, "Okay, Mom." That was until it was time to actually put the eggs in the basket. Then, all he had to say was, "No, thanks." I tried and tried to get him to join in the fun and excitment of the other kids, but he really wasn't interested. Finally, I got him to gather one measily egg when he said, "That's good." At least he isn't stingy!

Easter day was so much fun too! Brykn didn't have any idea who the Easter Bunny was or what all the gifts were about, but he did know that he LOVED the "TREATS!!!" I don't think it was 10 minutes before every sucker in his basket had been opened, licked, and thrown down on the carpet. Brykn seemed to like his Easter gifts, but liked my gift from the Easter Bunny even better. Brandon bought me a fly fishing rod. Brykn, however, didn't know it was to fish--he thought it was a gun. He kept putting it to his eye and saying, "Pekew! Shoot it!"

An Egg to Dye For

Dying Easter Eggs was so fun this year! Brykn totally caught on. He loved every part of it. We had a few causalties and his hands were filthy, but it was worth every stain on the counter!

Luck of the Irish

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. Brykn really didn't know what it was, but he sure thought making cookies was fun. The down side was that he wanted to eat the cookies before they were baked. I think we started out with 2 dozen cookies and ended up with 18 baked ones. He just kept popping them in his mouth and saying, "Ummm...tookies!"

Country Kid

There is no doubt that Brykn is a country kid. He loves to be outside, is facinated with the barn, won't go anywhere without his boots, and wants to "rideahorse" every chance he can. Grandpa Hopes used to say that "there's nothing better than a country kid if a country kid is raised right." Well, I don't know about the raising right idea, but I've learned that kids come by their ways naturally.

I remember being in highschool and wanting nothing more than to live "in town." It was a pain for my dates to drive to Goshen to pick me up, it was a 25 minute drive home so I usually had to leave parties or social gatherings early to make it home by my curfew, and I felt like we lived 10 miles south of nowhere. It wasn't until I lived in the rat-race of Temecula, California that I understood why people love the country lifestyle--and that the country lifestyle was exactly what I wanted.

I am so glad that we live in the country and that my little Brykn will have the opportunity to growup as a country kid!

A Fine Fit

Awe, the notorious terrible twos. I haven't really given the terrible twos much thought, but at 21 months, it is evident we have hit them a titch early. And, wow, the drama! It's amazing how upset the smallest things can make a little boy! This picture was the second fit of the day. The first occurred this morning when we got out of the car at school. The bottom of Brykn's cowboy boots were dirty--the nerve of those boots! I tried to tell him that it didn't matter because he was just going to walk on them, but that didn't suffice. Instead, as soon as he was out of the car seat, the tears began a rolling and he feel to the ground. Yes, right there in the parking lot! While I wanted nothing more than to yank him off the ground, I kept my cool. I simply told him that when we was done crying and throwing his fit, he could let me know and we would go inside. He looked at me through those big tears and said, "Lay. Cry." I asked him if he wanted to lay there and cry and he very promptly told me yes. So, there he lay just a screaming. I'm sure the othere mothers who were taking their kids into school thought the child had been beaten. Finally, he got up off his belly and decided that playing with the kids sounded funner than crying in the parking log. Whew....

I'm not really sure what the second fit was all about. I know he was ticked at his 4-wheeler, but before I knew what was going on, he was laying on the ground again crying. I just walked out of his sight, watched, and snapped pictures. It wasn't too long before he was back arguing with the blasted 4-wheeler again. I think he inherited his father's temper! :)