God The Healer

Amaria just said, "Satan made everything bad. He even made the germs. God couldn't have made the germs because they call Him The Healer, so He couldn't have made the germs. He heals people from germs. That's why He is trying to heal Clayton, right now....because Clayton is my best friend & he is sick & he needs God to heal him from the evil germs Satan gave him."

I'm so thankful for such a precious girl with such a sweet heart.

Thanks for reading, & God bless!

Catching everyone up

Okay. I'm quite possibly the worst blogger ever. I can't believe it's been so long between updates. So sorry everyone. And, there has been some really good stories....I just have failed. So let's try to catch you up.

First off--this morning I was taking Amaria to school, & she has really become interested in math. So she asks, "What's 1 + 0?" So I hold up one finger, add zero fingers, & then asks her what the answer is. "Oh yeah! It's still 1. That's right--you don't invite zero to a party because he adds nothing."

We have really been blessed with Amaria's teacher & school, along with a book to help with her strong-willed personality. If you are a parent of a strong-willed child, I highly recommend "You Can't Make Me (but I can be persuaded)". Just simply understanding the way Amaria's mind works has not only helped us as parents at home, but the change in how we parent at home has completely changed her behavior at school. I can't say enough about this book or my wonderful customer who told me about it.

As far as her school goes, she had a rough start but has adjusted nicely. She is reading, doing simple math, spelling & writing words, etc. Heidi & I are just amazed at the progress she has made in such a short time frame. We always knew she was an extremely bright child, but seeing what she is capable of when placed in the right environment is so cool.

On the Cambree front....WOW! The girl is doing something new every single day. It's going to be hard to catch up on everything in the last two months, but I'll try my best.

She turned 10 months yesterday. She has her 2 bottom teeth in. She is standing on her own, & walking while holding onto something. Her vocabulary is insane. She has been saying, "Mama," "Dada," & "Nana" for a while now, but she has added some new words in the last week or so. I'm convinced that there is no cuter way to say "Bottle" or "Tickle" than the way Cambree says them. This morning, she was standing & fell on her bottom & quickly said, "Oh, Cambree!" I'm not sure she knew what she was saying, but it....was...awesome! She looks more & more like her momma every single day. I can't believe that my baby will be turning 1 year old in less than 2 months. My parents always said we grew up too fast & that time flies...I know what they meant.

Heidi & I are doing great but have been really busy. We are still teaching 2nd grade Sunday School, & we love all our kids. We generally have 14-16 kids every morning, with at least 75% of them being girls. I feel like I'm right at home. Haha!

In September we started leading a small group on Sunday evenings. We have 21 of us in there & we love our group. Two families in our group had babies in the last month & we are so blessed to be able to watch those little babies grow up as we grow in Christ. We are doing a study on the book "Church of the Irresistible Influence" & are excited about taking the wonderful story of Jesus Christ out to all of Pflugerville.

Heidi is also leading a MOPS (Mothers of Pre-schoolers) group at church. It keeps her extremely busy but she is enjoying every minute of it. She has so really wonderful ladies in her group & it's cool to hear all the stories.

We have been extremely busy, but we're loving every minute of it. Somehow during all that's going on, we've had the privilege of getting to hang out with some old friends that we haven't seen in quite some time. If you're ever out the Austin way, please let us know. We'd love to get together & see you.

Thanks for reading & God bless!

Sharks at the Beach

Amaria just asked me if sharks lived at the beach. I have to be very careful when I answer these questions because she is probably already 3-4 questions into this thing in her head. So I said, "No, sharks live in the ocean." She immediately comes back, "And where does the beach lead to?" I said "The land...or not? Maybe. The ocean." Her response was extremely classic. "You just answered your own question, Dad. The beach leads to the ocean, where sharks live...beware!"

Amaria Gone Wild

A few updates from the last week or so:

As many of you may have seen on Facebook, Heidi & I had a little disagreement with Amaria earlier this week. She was in between the couch & end table & we have told her multiple times not to go there. Heidi told her move. Amaria said, "No!" "Who has the authority here?" was Heidi's response to the defiant 5 year old. "God!" said Amaria. I absolutely lost it, but Heidi wins mom of the year. "WELL....who did God put on this Earth to be in charge of you?" Amaria moved!

Today Amaria decided to give her cat Whopper a bath. One slight problem. She dropped the cat in the bucket that Heidi was using to mop the floor. I'm not sure what kind of reaction Pine-Sol has with cat, but we may soon find out. The cat got a real bath courtesy of Heidi & he hasn't shown any signs of being sick...yet! When questioned about dropping the cat into the cleaning solution, she claimed she didn't know that it was anything other than water. No excuses--this little incident got her one month without any TV or movies. Nothing like starting the next stage of your life grounded.

Speaking of that next stage--it begins tomorrow for Amaria--her first day of kindergarten. I can't believe that she is already starting 'real' school. Last week Heidi & I had a chance to meet her teacher & last night, Amaria got her chance. She, of course, was shy when we first got there, but by the time we left she was already hamming it up. Tomorrow is definitely going to be a big day for all of us. Thankfully, Amaria is extremely excited--possibly to excited to sleep maybe (not good!). We are so thankful for the opportunity that God has given us to allow Amaria to attend school at Round Rock Christian Academy. I'm sure they'll been tons of updates throughout the year on Amaria & school. We pray that the majority of them are good/positive updates.

Thanks for reading & God bless!

Cambree Update

Okay, so last week she started crawling. Since then, her first tooth has broke through. She has stood while resting her hand on a foot stool. She has pulled herself up. 2nd tooth broke through. And she has stood up in her crib. We have one of those "Baby's 1st Year" Calendars & it seems like there is a sticker on every day for the month of August. It has been so long since Amaria was this age, that I had forgotten how fast all these things happen once they start. Gotta go...there she goes taking off again!

Thanks for reading & God bless!

Dinner with Amaria

Getting Amaria to eat is like pulling teeth....speaking of teeth, Cambree has her first tooth coming in. Poor Heidi didn't sleep at all last night.

Anyway, Amaria was wanting a cookie after supper tonight, but as always the stipulation was, "You have to eat a good supper." Well, of course, after 3-4 bites, she was full & wanted a cookie.

Me: "No, that's not happening. You hardly even ate."

Amaria: "OK....how many more bites do I have to eat?"

Me: "17"

Amaria: "OH NO WAY. That would never happen...it would be morning by the time I ate that much."

Laughter breaks out between Heidi & I. She knows she has us.

Amaria: "I would die sitting here at this table trying to eat that much."

A lot more laugher.

Amaria: "I would definitely be a grown up by the time I got done."

We have compromised & agreed on 10 more bites for a cookie. During the time it took me to type this, we have reached 1 bite. I'll update at midnight.

Thanks for reading & God bless!

And the fun begins....

Cambree is crawling....everywhere. Nothing less than a foot off the floor is safe & we are already having to lower her mattress in her crib. She has also started repeating & saying, "Da-da, Da-deeeee, Nana, kick, & ma-ma". She loves her voice & she shakes the walls when she lets out one of her joyous screams. We are so truly blessed. I think everyone who has ever met her says what a great, easy baby she is. For the parents sake, let's hope she stays that way.

We have also been granted the opportunity to get Amaria into a 5-day Kindergarten program @ Round Rock Christian Academy. She tested this week & thankfully, she was ahead of where she is supposed to be at this level. That's due to the hard work that her momma & the people at First Baptist Georgetown have put in with her over the years. We are so grateful for this opportunity that God has given us & we look forward to Amaria continuing her education in a Christian school.

Sorry for the long time between post but life has been hectic & boring all at the same time for the last month around here. Thanks for reading & God bless!

Dustin

Hand/Foot Lotion

So Amaria just got into some of Heidi's lotion. She squirted some on her hands & then went to Heidi & said, "What is this?"

"It's lotion."

"Can it be body lotion?"

"Yes!"

"Good, because I have mosquito bites," Amaria says, as she rubs it all over her arms. "Can it also be used as foot lotion?"

"Sure," Heidi says.

"Well, that's good, because I just dropped some in Daddy's shoe."

The Girls' Check-ups

So, today was a pretty big day for our girls. Cambree went in for her 6 month check-up, & Amaria for her 5 year check-up. (I don't know which is more amazing....that my baby is about to be 5, or that my newest one is already 6 months. Both just boggle my mind.)

Amaria continues to be built like her daddy--tall & all legs. She is 42 lbs. (which is in the 50%) & is 46 1/2 inches tall (greater than 97%).

Cambree has really started to put on the weight since we switched her over to formula. She is now 15 lb. 2 oz (45%) and is 26 3/4 inches tall (90%). Yes, we have tall girls.

Everything else checked out well on both girls. Cambree got her shots today & she has just started teething, so she is really fussy tonight. Other than that, we are all doing well.

Thanks for reading & God bless!

Camping With The Kids

So for Heidi's birthday/Memorial Day weekend, we decided to take the kids to Palo Duro Canyon for a little tent camping.

We drove up to Lubbock on Wednesday, stayed at Heidi's parent's place that night, & then went out to the canyon on Thursday morning. We spent Thursday afternoon setting up camp.

Thursday night was a full moon, so we went with the Park Ranger on a full moon hike. As we were meeting up for the hike, I saw (& caught) a horny toad. It was the first time any of us had ever seen one in the wild. We hiked out to a ridge overlooking the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River & watched the moon rise over the top of the canyon. It was absolutely amazing. Amaria had a wonderful time...except when we had to stop the hike to listen to the Ranger tell her stories. In Amaria's words, "Hiking is not standing around listening to someone talk."

We all slept great that night, although it did get a little cold. By 3:00 a.m., all 4 of us were piled onto our queen sized air mattress trying to stay warm.

Friday was a very full day. After cooking some breakfast, we headed into the town of Canyon (Home of West Texas A&M) & toured the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum. It was amazing how many different things were in there. We spent almost 4 hours there & didn't get to see everything. Amaria especially enjoyed the parts on the dinosaurs found in the Panhandle & all the Indian stuff...along with riding side saddle for a brief moment.

The scariest part was when she had to make a daring escape from an Allosaurus!

Heidi & I found the old cars & bikes really cool. Those dorks from American Pickers would've had an absolute blast in that section. I highly recommend going (& allowing yourself at least 6 hours) if you ever get the chance.

From there we proceeded north to Amarillo & the Cadillac Ranch. Using Amaria's favorite color--purple--we spray painted her & Cam's names' on a couple of cars. It was a short stay, but worth checking out.

Then it was time for a late lunch at the biggest tourist trap in the Panhandle--The Big Texan. We were able to watch a biker dude fail at eating the 72 oz. steak & take a few pictures in the big rocking chair, but we couldn't stay long...still so many other things to do.

We continued east out to Groom to see what is labeled as the 2nd largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere. I had seen pictures of the cross before, but they do NOT do it justice. I couldn't believe how big it was. We actually saw it from 10 miles away driving down I-40. It was an amazing sight & experience. After viewing all the different stations & taking lots of pictures, our day of traveling was done. We took some back roads on the way to the Park & got back just in time to cook some hamburgers for dinner & call it a night.

Saturday got started early, but, as we would soon learn, not early enough. We decided that Saturday was going to be a hiking day, & the best place to hike to inside the Palo Duro Canyon State Park is to the Lighthouse. It's a 3 mile trek out there, & of course, you still have to make it back. I knew Heidi & I could handle it, but I was a little concerned about Amaria walking that far without getting too tired....but my wife had all the faith in the world in each of us, & decided that was the trail to take. So I strapped on a backpack full of water, Gatorade, first aid kit, knives, snacks, etc. & Heidi strapped on Cambree in a baby backpack.

The hike out was unbelieveable--lots of cool sights & rock formations. Cambree was perfect & slept most of the way. Amaria fussed a little during the first half mile or so, but was good to go the rest of the way. After a couple of hours, we arrived at the Lighthouse.

It was well worth the trip. What an amazing structure that God has created. The hike back was a little tougher. We didn't get started early enough, & it was beginning to get hot on the way back. Cambree was still perfect, but Amaria was starting to get a little tired. I ended up carrying her on my shoulders for a mile on the return trip, but we all made it back in one piece & were all better off for it. That afternoon, Heidi's parents came up to hang out with us. We toured the Musuem inside the park, explored a "cave", & cooked some steaks for dinner.

Amaria decided that she wanted to hang out with her Nana & Grampy, so they took the girls back to Lubbock with them on Saturday night. (We all wouldn't know how fortunate we were to have the girls in Lubbock until the following morning.) That evening, Heidi & I took a short hike on a trail just down from our camp & added to the different wildlife we had seen on the trip when we came across a mule deer & a tarantula. Those, along with all the white tail & turkey, really added to the trip. It seemed like we were seeing some type of animal everywhere we turned.That was the fun part of the trip. The bad started on Sunday morning when we were loading up to head home. I don't want to dwell on the negative of what was an absolutely amazing trip, but to make a long story short--truck won't start, no cell phone signal in bottom of canyon, starter has gone out, tow truck driver in Canyon out of town til Tuesday, 4 wheel drive truck & a steep grade to get out of canyon makes it almost impossible to find a tow truck, truck gets towed to Amarillo, service center closed on Memorial Day, can't get starter on Tuesday, truck finally gets repaired on Wednesday morning....long day going from Lubbock to Amarillo back to Lubbock & then home to Pflugerville on Wednesday.

We really enjoyed our first tent camping experience with the girls, & we are already looking for the next place to go. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks for reading & God bless!

Amaria the Nazi

In the spirit of Seinfeld & The Soup Nazi, we constantly refer to Amaria & each other as some sort of Nazi. If I don't change a light bulb as soon as it goes out, Amaria is all over me--she has been dubbed the Light Nazi. If I wake up in the morning--even though I may still be laying in bed--but I haven't brushed my teeth, Amaria will let me know that I have bad breath--she has been dubbed the Toothbrush Nazi. And don't even try to wear something that doesn't match--Amaria The Fashion Nazi will let you know.

So we've been using this stuff for a while now & never really thought twice about it. But, she stores that kind of stuff in her mind forever. So today, on the way home from church, Amaria starts on Heidi about Heidi needing to get her haircut. After a few minutes of going back & forth on the need, or lack of a need, for a haircut, Heidi finally dubbed Amaria The Haircut Nazi.

Amaria's curiosity finally got the best of her. "What's a Nazi?" she firmly asked.

Heidi went through an explanation of how a Nazi is someone who is always trying to dictate different things & control people, usually without having any authority to do so, etc.

After the brief explanation, Amaria's response convinced us that she understood. "Yep, I'm a Nazi!"

I hope this story doesn't get retold by Amaria to anyone else. I can only imagine how she would tell it, but more importantly, I don't know how we're going to be able to explain this one!

Thanks for reading, & God bless!

Where does the time go?

Today, my baby (who is going to turn 5 next month), has her pre-school graduation. And Cambree is 5 months old today. It seems like just yesterday that we were welcoming our first child into this world & now she is going through her first ever graduation ceremony. We got Amarai's progress report for this semester of school last week & we are so proud of her & thankful for the educators at First Baptist Church--Georgetown.

On an adult note, Heidi & I have decided to get into Children's Ministry. We will be working with 2nd graders on Sundays beginning in the Fall, & I have also signed up through the church to join a mentor program with Pflugerville ISD. We are nervous about this new endeavor, but know that God will be there every step of the way to guide us. We have a training on Sat. at the church, so please keep us in your prayers as we venture down this new path.

Thanks for reading & God bless!

Movie Watching

Heidi just asked me if the Netflix had come in. I said it had & Amaria immediately asked if she could watch it. I explained to her that she couldn't because it was a 'grown-up' movie. She said, "I can't wait until I'm a grown up so I can watch that grown-up movie. What kind of movie it is?" "It's a movie about a battle," I explained. She then gives me a thumbs up & says, "Good choice." Sometimes I wonder if she is 4 or 14.

On the go...as always!

If we ever stop going, our girls are going to freak out. I don't think they know what it means just to hang out at the house. It's going to be hard to convince them we aren't gypsies once they learn the definition of gypsies.

Here is a run down of the last week or so:

Friday, 4/23--we load up the family & head out to Hallettsville for a short camping trip with great friends. We usually stay out there all weekend, but we had to leave early.

Sat, 4/24--tear up camp, but help boil 120 lbs. of crawfish before we have to leave. Leave H-ville at 3:00. Get home in time for Heidi & me to clean up, give instructions to babysitter, & hurry to downtown Austin for the Hillsong United concert.

Sun, 4/25--church on Sunday morning, small group on Sunday night.

Wed, 4/28--drive out to Conroe. I have a training early on Thurs. morning, so we use Wed. night as an opportunity to catch up with some friends.

Thurs, 4/29--training in Houston until 1:00, drive to CS for a short stop, & then on to P-ville. LONG day!

Fri, 4/30--spend that night at a block party with some great friends from church.

Sat, 5/1--get up early & drive to EC. Hang out with my dad for a while, but then it's time to head to Sugarland. We have a wedding to attend in Sugarland at 2:00. Reception follows, we get back to EC about 9:15 that night.

Sun, 5/2--stop off & see my grandma before we leave town. Head home because we have to get to cooking...ribs & brownies are needed in Georgetown that night. Around 4:30, we head up to Georgetown to watch a dozen people from church get baptized in the San Gabriel River.

Don't ask me when we'll stop, or even slow down for that matter. Life is truly too short & we've decided that we have to live it to the fullest now because tomorrow is never promised....& we are so blessed to have 2 girls who enjoy it as much as we do. This summer is going to be even crazier, but I can't wait. Life is good!

Thanks for reading, & God bless!!

Family Update

Things have been pretty crazy around the Bruce household lately. We took Cambree in last week for her 4 month visit. She is now 12.7 lbs (25%) & 25 1/2 inches (90%), so it looks like she is going to be built like her sister...tall & skinny. Her eyes have stayed blue so far but her hair has definitely lightened up. After 4 months of breast feeding, it seems like she is just not getting enough food during those feeding times to meet her needs, so Heidi has started to introduce formula & bottles. Cambree has taken to that well & is sleeping much better at night.

The 4 of us went on our first camping trip on Friday night. It was a great trial run as it was at a friend's ranch with a house on location--fortunately. I set up the tent on Friday afternoon & both girls absolutely loved it. I had Amaria's tent set up inside our big tent for her & Cambree's co-sleeper fit perfectly next to our air mattress. Both girls were sleeping great until about midnight when we got word of a tornado warning in the area until 4:00 am. We moved the girls & Heidi inside to the big house & I stayed up for a while to just watch the weather & see what it was going to do. Finally, around 2:30 or so, I was convinced that we weren't going to get anything too bad & went to crash in the tent. It held up to some pretty strong winds. I think we are ready for our big camping trip in May--a trip to the Palo Duro Canyon & Groom. It should be an interesting but fun trip.

Saturday, Heidi & I had an absolutely amazing experience. We attended the Hillsong United concert in Austin. (If you don't know Hillsong or any of their music, go youtube them). It was so cool to see so many people, from all ethnicities, & all different age groups, just completely sold out for the Lord. It really was a life-changing experience for both of us. I don't know when they'll be back in the states, but we have decided that we will go see them again when they get back on this side of the Earth.

Amaria is almost done with dance, & she couldn't be happier. She has endured through the class all year, but to say that she really doesn't like it would be an understatement. In an effort to find something fun for her to do, Heidi took her to a trial gymnastics class on Monday. AMARIA LOVED IT! She will be enrolling in gymnastics immediately. She is also signed up for swim classes this summer in an effort to fine tune the swimming skills she learned last summer.

I hope that catches you up on the family. I'll try to get back in the habit of posting more often, but sometimes life just gets in the way.

God bless & thanks for reading!

Do you like horns?

So Amaria just asked me, "Daddy, do you like horns?" I was thinking deer & big bucks, so without even thinking I said, "Of course!" I immediately got a very evil look. She said, "But you can't like horns." I was intrigued & confused all at the same time--"Why not?" "Because horns remind me of a certain team that wears orange & has a bull. Can you guess who it is?" I said, "AH....the longhorns...maybe I don't like horns after all." She finishes it up with, "Good, because horns remind me of the poor t-sips, & I sure would hate to quit talking to you if you like them." Laughter truly is the best medicine & that's why kids keep us so healthy.

God bless & thanks for reading!

Amaria in Rare Form

Yesterday was just one of those days for our eldest. She had her Spring Program at school last night & she was very excited about it. I had the luxury of dropping Amaria off in her classroom last night before the program, & amazingly enough, we were running early. We actually were the first ones to arrive. But, shortly after, her classmates started to file in. However, her teacher, had yet to arrive. Time for Amaria to take charge: She grabbed the book that they had used to learn about the letter X earlier in the day. She then instructed her classmates to sit on the rug at the front of the classroom as she stood in front of them. "Today, we are going to learn about the Letter X," she informs them. "But first, we need to know what day it is." So she grabs the finger pointer, turns to the calendar & proceeds to count the days on the calendar, stopping at 13. "Today is the 13th!" Fortunately, for all involved, Mrs. Doyle arrived as this was wrapping up.

The program went great, & Amaria sang & danced her heart out to Old McDonald. By the time we got home it was time for bed & everyone was running late, so I put Amaria to bed while Heidi fed Cambree. Amaria & I mutually agreed that we would both take part in her nightly prayers. I prayed first & then it was Amaria's turn:

"Dear God, please help me to be good in school & do what Mrs. Doyle says. And please take care of Kiki (our deceased dog) & Daddy's momma up in Heaven. And dear God, I can't wait to be with them in Heaven because it's going to be so cool. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!"

I told her how sweet her prayer was & then she says, "Daddy, I wish I was in Heaven." I explained that while it is going to be great to be in Heaven, we still have things that God wants us to do down here. And then she comes back with, "But Heaven is the greatest place EVER!"

It brings tears to my eyes to know that we are so blessed to have a little one who has such a great understanding of our Lord. I thank God every day for her & Cambree.

On that note...Cambree update. She has started to mock us. If we make an "aaaaahhhhhh" sound, she will repeat it. Same thing with an "ah, boo," sound. She is growing like a weed & it's really cool to see her progressing so rapidly. Heidi took the girls last week to have some pics taken in their Easter dresses. Hopefully, I can figure out how to post them soon. God bless & thanks for reading.

The Last Supper

So today was a good day for The Last Supper at our house, I guess. Amaria just came to me & said, "It's time for The Last Supper," & she handed me an apple juice box. Then she said, "This is Jesus' blood." Then she handed me a piece of bread & said, "Eat this. It's Jesus' body." I was amazed that she grasped all that, so I went to tell Heidi....only to find out that Heidi had already taken part in her own version of Amaria's Last Supper just minutes before.

I wish I could get that girl to listen to me like she listens in Sunday School & Bible Study.

Happy Easter

I think Amaria's school has done a great job of hammering home Easter & it's true meaning. She brought home a card today & on the inside was a cross. On the cross she drew a man & said that it was Jesus. She colored red on Jesus & said that it was his blood because he died on the cross. She also placed a Palm Tree sticker next to the cross & said that it was sent by God & that it was a prayer tree. So sweet!

Then she just brought me a monkey doll that she has along with a ribbon. She asked me to tie the ribbon around the monkey's belly because it was going to be a saddle & that the monkey was going to be a donkey for Jesus to ride because on Palm Sunday Jesus rode a donkey.

That you, Lord, for such a precious child who loves you so much!

Dinner is so much fun

So I decide to take the fam out for a nice dinner tonight...they have half price sushi at this Japanese place down the road. Whenever we go out to eat, especially with the car seat, we prefer a booth. It makes it easier to keep Amaria pinned in, & it keeps Cambree from being knocked off a chair or sitting out in the middle of the restaurant in one of those car seat holders. So Heidi & I decide to split forces...she takes Cambree & I take Amaria.

Well, we order Amaria some pan-fried gyoza & Heidi & I load up on a wide variety of sushi....a few pieces of which have caviar on them. Of course, me being the eat anything dad that I am, I ask Amaria if she would like to try the little black things. She agrees & goes on & on about how good it is. Then I tell her they're fish eggs. I thought she was going to hold her breath until she passed out, but then she calmly asks, "So are there baby fish inside?" I explain that there aren't & she continues to chow down on caviar.

But that wasn't even the best part. We are finishing up eating & Amaria slides all the way down the booth, up against the wall, as far away from me as she can. She then pats the seat & says, "Come sit over here, Daddy." So I slide on over, put my arm around her, & ask, "Yes?" She replies with the sweetest, most sincere eyes, "So how was your day at the office? I want to hear all about it!" Fortunately, for her, it was a good day! ;)

The Joys of Hand-washing

There really never is a dull moment around here...it's just a matter of me getting to a computer in time to blog it before I forget.

We just finished up eating dinner & Amaria was preparing to make a very important phone call. The process began with her washing her hands--with extremely warm (almost hot) water.

"My hands LLLLOOOVVVEEE the hot water. My blood loves it so much, it's dancing to the hotness."

Hands washed...important phone call coming up!

Back on Track

Just when you think you may not have the substance necessary to maintain a regular blog, Amaria comes through in the clutch.

Me (to Cambree): Hey, sweetie...you & I are going on a road trip later today?

Amaria: I wanna go.....wait....where are y'all going?

Me: To the bank.

Amaria: BORING!

And then she runs out of the room...only to return a matter of seconds later:

Amaria: Unless they are going to give me a lollipop!

Where to go?

So after a great start to the blogging process, I really hit a snag last week. Not wanting to blog just for the sake of blogging really left me without much to talk about. I had the time, & searched my mind, but it ended up being one of the most normal, uneventful weeks around this house in quite some time--which is really strange considering it was Amaria's Spring Break, so she was home all week.

One thing that we have been discussing is what to do for fun this summer. We don't have any big plans, but have a few ideas of little things to do. The problem is, I don't know if we are going to have time to squeeze all of them in. So, I am asking for your input/advice keeping in mind we are traveling with a 5 year old & a 6 month old. What are your experiences & recommendations on the following list:

1.) A trip down to Concan & maybe a little Frio floating. We have done this trip multiple times before, with some great friends & family--once back when Amaria was little. We had a blast every time. We haven't been recently, due to lack of water, more than anything, but would really love to go back.

2.) Schlitterbahn--When I was growing up, the family used to take a 2-3 day trip out to Schlitterbahn, rent a room right there at the resort, & play in the water non-stop. I'm thinking Cambree would be easy because she could ride with either Heidi or myself. Our big question is would Amaria be okay.

3.) Camping in the Palo Duro Canyon with a trip to Groom. I think this is definitely something we want to do. Amaria keeps wanting to go camping, & I don't know of a prettier place to go than up to Palo Duro--& when you throw in the trip to see the 2nd largest cross in the Western Hemisphere, I just don't see how we could top it.

4.) Sea World. With the Fun Pass, I think it's something we are going to do, it's just a matter of how many times. Amaria has been going to Sea World since she was 2, & I don't want to stop taking her there now. The big question on this is, would you give up one of the above for a trip to Sea World.

Your advice on this would be greatly appreciated, & if your family was planning some of the same trips, it may be a great opportunity for us to get together. Please let us know if y'all have the same plans.

Aggie basketball is over, so the week should be so much less stressful...make it a great one. God bless!!

The Art of 'Sciencing'

Well, the weather was too nice yesterday not to get out & enjoy it, so Amaria decided to take a walk. We quickly ended up in an empty field just outside of our neighborhood 'hunting for meat so we could survive'. After a while it was time to go home to get ready for our small group meeting yesterday evening, but Amaria wasn't ready to go. "But I'm not done sciencing....Sciencing is what I do when I don't want to go home & want you to think that I'm getting smarter."

Then today, Amaria informed her mother that she was burping Cambree wrong. You have to pat her back "top, top, bottom, bottom, middle, middle, middle." Thanks a lot, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

On the infant side, Cambree rolled over from her stomach to her back for the first time today. Our new camera was shipped on Sat. so hopefully we'll have some photos to add to this thing soon.

Thanks for reading & we love & miss all of y'all. God bless!

The Fun Never Ends....

Just a short one before we head out:

Cambree is laying in her Co-sleeper. Amaria walks over to her & says, "I want her to stand up." I reply, "That's probably not going to happen anytime soon." Immediately, she says, "But if we made her like a puppet she could stand up." I'm quickly beginning to realize, I'm in WAY over my head!!!

Quick follow-up....I just asked, "What do we have to do to make her like a puppet?" And the reply...."Make her into wood!"

Enjoy this beautiful day the Lord has made....let us rejoice & be glad in it!

Amaria the Multi-tasker

So we were spending a little time together this evening...Heidi & I watching Glenn Beck from earlier today, & Amaria making sure that her baby sister is having fun (which isn't hard to do when those two are spending time together).

Anyway...it was determined that Cambree needed a diaper change. Amaria proceeds to go & get 6 new diapers (I guess in case Cambree has multiple accidents during the diaper changing process) & then runs back to get some wipees. Amaria then begins to change Cambree's diaper under Heidi's close supervision.

All this time, Beck is educating us on this crazy gathering of American Nazis @ Madison Square Garden during 1939. In mid-diaper change, Amaria stops what she is doing, runs over to me & says, "Daddy, I have to warn you...THERE ARE NAZIS IN AMERICA!"

That led to a very indepth conversation about what Nazis are & why they are so bad. Never thought I would be explaining that to a 4 year old, but at the rate we are going as a society, it might be something that she may never learns in school!

And it begins...

So, every morning starts like this in the Bruce house: Sometime between 6:30-7:00 Amaria comes & crawls in bed with us. This quickly leads to her making repeated request for something to drink because she is "dying to thirst" (she is still working on starving to death & dying of thirst), & wanting to watch a show.

Well, this morning she had already quenched her thirst & was watching a show before school when Cambree started fussing. Heidi was getting herself some coffee & Amaria was laying in bed closest to Cams, so I asked her to try to give her the pacifier. She replys, "You do it. You are the parent. I'm just the big sister." As Bill Cosby would say, "Kids say the darndest things."

Have a great Wednesday everyone, & God bless!

Well, Here we go....

I finally have given in. There have just been too many "I thought I told you about that" instances in our lives recently, & quite frankly, I just can't keep up. I feel like life gets going so fast at times that so many of you are missing out on the little things that are going on in our lives. I don't know how else to keep everyone up to date on the things that are going on. That being said, I'll probably start doing this & quickly realize that we have nothing important to share. Haha!



My goal is to give everyone short little updates on a regular basis. The ADD in me finds it hard to read long letters, much less type them, & I think it would kind of defeat the purpose. If I save things up over a week or 2, the little things are what would probably be left out, & it's those things we really wish to share.



So, for starters....Cambree is growing like a weed. We took her in for her 2 month shots a couple of weeks back & she was over 11 lbs. & had grown 3 inches. Amaria seemed to get WAY too much joy out of watching her little sister get her first round of immunizations. It looked something like this:




Overall, the two are get along great. If anything, Amaria attempts to help too much at times, which is kind of hard to complain too much about. Cambree truly loves her big sister, & laughs at her on a regular basis. We are so blessed to have 2 healthy, happy girls in our lives.


Cambree fell asleep tonight, in her CoSleeper, all by herself. I think Heidi & I are getting really close to having our bed back to ourselves...what a great night that will be.

Heidi has started tutoring as of last week. It's just a couple of hours a week, but it really seems like something she will enjoy. She has always had a passion for educating & helping, & it is something that she is really good at. Her first 2 clients are a 4 year old working to get into a private school next year & an older woman taking a college algebra class...I'm not sure which one will be more of a challenge.


Well, this is a start. Hopefully I can get better at this as I go. Feel free to leave comments, make recommendations, etc. Thanks for reading, & God bless all of you.