The Latest on Bryn

Brynny currently has the award for "most mellow child." She's just so easy-going and easy to please. She loves to play with Addison, and has lately become a little more involved with Leah. In the past she'd mainly just try to stay out of Leah's way, but now she's taken to climbing in the crib with her, helping her find toys, and encouraging her to try saying new words, followed by copious amounts of praise.

She lives for birds, Wild Kratts, preschool day, Primary, and swimming lessons. Bryn is also very independent, and not much of a complainer. She's had to take iron supplements for a little while because she's anemic. That stuff is sick. It's like licking an iron gate. But she does it every time with no complaints. She's a better woman than her mother! Also, right now she is into figuring out what's "real" and what isn't. Like tv shows and movies and animals she's never seen before or places she's never been. Frequently she'll ask something like, "Mom, are bald eagles real?"

We made these strings of popcorn and cranberries around Christmas time to hang outside for the birds.

Halfway through broken arm #2, we took Bryn in to get a new cast, which we thought would not go over the elbow. We were all very excited about it. She even dreamed about it the night before. Surprise! They took the cast off, x-rayed, and put the exact same kind of cast back on. I was ticked. How many casts have we already paid for in the past year? But Bryn tried very hard to contain her disappointment and did so admirably. She picked glow-in-the-dark. Note to future self: glow in the dark casts would work better in the summer when they're not covered by a sleeve all day long. She toughed it out for a few more weeks, and we are now cast-free! Thank heavens! She's already got her next cast color chosen for future broken arms, though.

She still loves those chickens. When it's her turn to feed them and get the eggs she always gets really excited if there are lots of eggs and comments that, "We'll really need to have eggs and toast for breakfast tomorrow!" A chicken lover and an egg lover, that one.

A carousel ride with her stuffed cat, Cherry.

 Brynny loves coloring and cutting and all sorts of crafty things. She asked me to draw her a rhino one day, and I turned around and it was colored and cut out and she was very proud. She's a self-starter. We have a kids' animal magazine that gives instructions on how to draw a musk ox, and one afternoon I found her on the floor, surrounded by paper, putting the finishing touches on her very own drawing of a musk ox, complete with rainbow fur and landscape. I love it.

And swimming. The main reason Bryn was excited to turn four last July was because it meant she'd be old enough for swimming lessons. The child is fearless and LOVES going. Here she is in her cute little bird towel that Grandma made for her.

And we'll close with a Brynny quote from lunch a few days ago that made me chuckle.

"When you're trying to catch a tiger, you'd better really quick give him some ham."