Bryce turns twelve

Another year of Bryce. How is it possible that this is the last year until I have a teenager?! Bryce has matured so much this year, and he is transforming from a kid to a young man right before our eyes.

(View years past recaps here: four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten)

Bryce started middle school this year and transitioned seamlessly into the new routine. He loves PE class the most (is anyone surprised?) and has enjoyed playing all the different sports/activities with his classmates. He is excelling in all of his classes (A+ all around!) and does a good job keeping track of his homework and projects. He juggles the demands of his classes (like reading 3 different books simultaneously and somehow keeps them all straight) and is a model student according to his teachers. Bryce has made a few new friends and hasn't found an interest in girls yet (not rushing that one at all!!) He continued playing the viola and has really taken to music lately - a complete shock to us but we love that he is branching out, trying new things, finding joy in other activities, and discovering even more of his talents. With middle school also came the option to participate in school-sponsored sports. Bryce did cross country in the fall and plans to do track/field in the spring. Turns out Bryce is an excellent long-distance runner - he ran a sub-6:00 mile! We can't wait to see how he continues to thrive in school.

On the home front, Bryce is (dare I say) obsessed with all sorts of electronics - tv, computer, tablet, Switch, phone. We surprised him in August with his first phone after his first day of middle school. He has been handling the responsibility well and, while he sometimes wishes he had more freedom with this phone, he doesn't argue and respects the choice we made to give him a "locked down" phone for now. When he isn't chilling out, he can't stand sitting around so he will usually go outside and find someone and some sport to play. He has enjoyed the freedom to ride his bike to his friends' houses to hang out and is always responsible to come home on time. Bryce still doesn't enjoy board/card games very much but will usually comply with requests to play as a family. Each night Bryce will spend at last 15-20 minutes reading (even if we can't get him to branch out to new genres much yet) before going to bed or sometimes he will draw in his journal or architect books.

Traveling is still one of Bryce's favorite adventures. This year he went on his first cruise (a 4-day trip to the Bahamas) in February. He was smitten the whole time and loves every aspect of it. From the all-you-can-eat ice cream machine to the dedicated sports arena (basketball, pickleball, billiards, ropes course, shuffleboard, mini golf and more) to the time at the beach/ocean, Bryce loved it all and keeps asking when our next cruise can be taken. The Spring brought weekend trips to southern Oklahoma, northern Arkansas and Atlanta with his baseball team. Our Summer family trip was to Milwaukee and Minneapolis where we checked off stadiums #9 (Brewers) and #10 (Twins) on our MLB tour. We also went fishing on Lake Michigan, visited the Mall of America and checked out the sites of both cities. Bryce ended his travels for the year with a trip to the Mississippi coast for his cousin's wedding. He enjoyed spending time with his cousin Chase and playing in the awesome rental house for the weekend.

Of course, we couldn't talk about Bryce without talking about sports. He continues to excel & love baseball and has become his coach's go-to closing pitcher. He also hit his first inside-the-park-home-run this fall and is a rock star on the infield as well. In addition to baseball, Bryce played rec basketball and rec soccer again this year. It's fun to watch his mature on the field/court and find his voice/confidence.

Bryce, I am honored to have a front-row seat to watch you grow!