Announcement...

Clay has already beat me and put this up on facebook, but I wanted to wait until it was official!

I had my first appt. yesterday. I made Clay take the day off so he could come! I was trying to convince him to bring the kids with us but he didnt think that sounded too fun! So we had a friend in our neighborhood watch the boys and we headed out! Dr. Nickel came in and warned us that around 10 weeks you dont always hear the heartbeat so not to worry. Sure enough he tried to listen and nothing. I sure am glad he warned us or I would have been very worried! They dont do ultrasounds in their office but he wanted us to make an appt. at the other office for sometime this week to get in and check a few things. Dr. Nickels nurse tried calling but they were at lunch so she gave us the info and sent us on our way. Kind of unproductive but we quickly got lunch and on the way home I called and the office had a cancellation for that afternoon so we scheduled it and went to get the kids! Jack was not happy to see me and after talking to my friend she insisted that she keep the kids until after the ultrasound. So Clay and I headed back down to Tacoma and I had my ultrasound! And there is a cute little baby in there! She gave me the due date of July 11th! So I am now 10+ weeks! So after lots of driving and about 4 hours, we headed back to get the kids. Jack saw us coming up to the door and started crying! So glad our kids love us!!! So not only did our friend watch our kids all day, but she also made us dinner!! Beyond sweet! Thanks to her we had a stress free day! And we are all beyond excited for this new little baby to come!!

Christmas Projects and Zoo Lights...

We are getting excited for Christmas around here!! I have had a few holiday crafts on my to-do list and am so glad they are finally done!

First up was a Christmas wreath! I did this a little different than my Halloween one and love how it turned out!

And then there was the tree skirt. I had the materials sitting in my home forever. I had wanted to get it made before Clays work party at the beginning of December but that did not work out! It was a little daunting but I am glad I did it! I love how it turned out! I used a free Amy Butler pattern...a little complicated and wordy, but not too bad once I got going! Nothing like finishing 6 days before Christmas!!

My friend and I saw these on Pinterest and knew we needed to make them! I love how simple they are! 

Clay decided this was the year for outside lights! Simple and sweet, just how we like them!! 

Ok, this picture has nothing to do with Christmas. I just really love it! I was at Goodwill and found this amazing Star Wars sticker book (unused) for $1. Couldnt pass that up! The boys just sat and played with it forever! I tried to tell Jack that the stickers were supposed to go in the book, but he insisted he needed a separate paper. So now we have several loose papers floating around the house with millions of Star Wars stickers on them!!! 

Last night for Family Home Evening we decided to check out Zoo Lights at our local zoo. Definitely not worth the money we paid, but pretty cool! The boys seemed to enjoy it, although I am pretty sure Brodys favorite part was when we went into the Aquarium and looked at the fish and sharks. He could have stayed in there forever!!! We ended the night with an ice cream cone for Jack and 'tries' (fries) for Brody as our snack!!

Jacks Preschool Christmas Program...

Jack had his Christmas Program at preschool this past Thursday! I didnt even think to put him in something 'nicer'...all of the little girls had on their pretty Christmas dresses, oh well! He was beyond thrilled that dad and grandma and grandpa got to come!! He isnt the loudest of singers, but he knows his stuff and is usually right on pitch! It is fun for me to see them doing sign language too! I also love that most of the songs were centered around Christ since it is a church preschool! We all enjoyed it and treated ourselves to some hot chocolate afterwards!!

Pretty sure the boy on the right is Miles. Jack talks about him all the time! They were both Mario for Halloween too!

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I am trying to work on getting my camera out of 'Auto Mode' so I was testing it out on Clay and Brody.

Jack and his grandparents!!!

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Just a few videos. I took them on Clays phone...not great, but better than nothing! Since it is kind of hard to hear I am going to put the lyrics under the video (thankfully he came home with this cute activity/song book of all of the songs they sang)!

Come on ring those bells!

Light the Christmas tree!

Jesus is the King,

Born for you and me.

Come on ring those bells!

Everybody say,

'Jesus, we remember this is your birthday!'

I'm the happiest Christmas tree. Ho, Ho, Ho. Hee, Hee, Hee.

Someone came and they found me,

And took me home to be...

The happiest little Christmas tree. Ho, Ho, Ho. Hee, Hee, Hee.

Someone came and they chose me, to be their Christmas tree.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas!

Videos...

Just some random videos!

The first one is of Brody riding his bike. Jack was at school and we had walked down to get the mail. As we were coming back I started running backwards for him to follow me and he thought it was the funniest thing ever (which would explain why the video is so 'bumpy')! Love how it is the little things that get kids so excited!

I love to hear Brody say his own name! He doesnt say the 'R' and it isnt quite like 'body!' I cant say it the way he does but I love to hear him tell me his name!!

Apparently all of the videos I have are of Brody! He was watching the beginning of Star Wars (the boys new favorite thing to play) and he had the light saber and was doing a dance of sorts. Not sure the video does it justice and you cant see his face (he was pretty intense) but it was so funny to watch! Oh that kid!!

Finally got this one to post (had to go through YouTube so it looks a little different)! We took the kids to see the new Muppets video when it came out. I dont know that they liked it all that much but Clay will randomly start singing and Jack (and Brody) will join in! I have noticed that Jack has started putting his hands in front of his mouth (or just on his face) when he sings for people so it is hard to tell but the higher pitched singing is coming from him! Love Brody chiming in...such a contrast to Jack :).

The Decisions that Shaped 2011

This is amazing work done by the folks on my team at Razorfish. Well done.

So Random...

Lots of random things happening around these parts as we get ready for Christmas!!!

 Brody wears his Luigi hat around EVERYWHERE. I mean he wears it around the house, when we go out, even to bed. And Jack loves his Mario and the other day the boys came into the room like this!! I just love this picture!! Can you see Brodys huge smile?!

 On the 3rd of December we hosted a Christmas party for Clays team at work. It was lots of work, lots of fun, and the boys were the center of attention since no one else has kids. They loved that! I didnt get any pictures, but had to find Clays phone for this! Jack didnt want to miss a thing so he didnt want to go up to bed when it started to get late and you could tell he was tired. He laid down by my chair and closed his eyes and when people started making comments about him sleeping he assured them he was just 'thinking!' Silly kid!

 Last Saturday the Fife Police Department came through the neighborhood, accompanied by Santa, and they handed out Christmas gifts! They had a fire engine, police cars and other vehicles all decked out! Pretty cool! Brody was up in bed napping so he didnt get to see Santa, but Jack was very excited! He got a little school bus that both of the boys love!

 I honestly cant believe I am posting this picture. This was from our ward Christmas party. There was great food, a little program, followed by a visit from Santa and his elves. It would have been a great picture if I was standing differently. Oh well. Brody was so excited to see Santa come into the gym...he yelled for Santa and said, 'ho, ho, ho,' but was a little nervous to sit on his lap. But he was brave and there was no crying!

I happened to catch this the other day...Brody just relaxing on the couch!

Like Father, Like Son...

The day after Thanksgiving we got our Christmas decorations out, bought a Christmas tree (we are going artificial for the first time and I have to say, other than the smell of a fresh cut tree, I do not miss a fresh cut tree at all), hung lights, and did some yard work (well the boys did the yard work)! It was quite the productive day!

Brody was being very 'helpful' and wanted to be right in the middle of the work!! Jack was apparently ok just watching...he may have used the small rake lying on the ground next to him!

Thanksgiving...

We had a nice Thanksgiving with Clays family this year! Lots of good food, as always, and Santa (Grandpa Pratt) even made a quick appearance! Who knew?! We stuffed ourselves and just relaxed and enjoyed spending time with family. Jack ran around with his cousins and Brody followed Chase around trying to get the pool balls from him! My picture taking was sub-par as usual. We have much to be grateful for and feel so blessed! 

 Jack telling whispering to Santa what he wanted for Christmas!

 Not sure what this is, but it is a classic Jack expression!

 Brody didnt want to be too close to Santa at first...

 But he warmed up slowly...love how curious he was about his shoes!

 And then he wouldnt really leave Santa alone and kept touching him. Pretty cute if you ask me!

 Relaxing after his big lunch! Pretty sure he was watching Einsteins!

 A few family photo attempts...

 The kids were not being so cooperative...amazingly we got a few good ones though...thanks Cameron!

 We tried to get Brody to lay down and nap...I love this picture of him with Goofy and baby.

 Too bad he didnt actually ever sleep!

This is really a random post. But it is time for an update! Not a whole lot has been happening around these parts...school, work, play. Jack loves school and is so good about telling me what he does at school (ok, I have to prompt him a lot, but he is getting a lot better at remembering what he did that day)! Brody is definitely a little monster! His fits have reached a whole new level and the screaming is beyond awful. It sure is a good thing that he is so cute. He is getting so big. He wants to pick his own shoes (usually his brothers rain boots that are way too big on him), pick his own seat at the table (doesnt like sitting in his booster chair anymore), and be a 'big' boy now! He has started helping with prayers and is very good about folding his arms (even though he usually sneaks a bite or two in between). He is definitely talking a lot more and I just cant believe how big he is. He LOVES his 'juicy' as he calls it (Crystal Light...also loves OJ for breakfast, but I dont blame him)...throws a mean fit if you give him anything else but will eventually choke it down when he gets real thirsty! He has also learned how to play Angry Birds (probably from watching Jack)...isnt he too young for that?! If he finds my phone and I take it away from him...you guessed it, major fit! Our boys are fun and we love watching them learn and grow!

We are excited for the holidays and Jack has been learning all about the Pilgrims and Indians at school! (We also bought the holiday Charlie Brown movies and I have to say that the Thanksgiving one was very educational!!!) 

Clay has had to go out to NYC a few times in the last little while for work and so we have been lonely around here. He often has late work dinners and such so the kids dont always get to talk to him before bed so we took a picture one night to send to dad!!

Every morning without fail Jack comes upstairs after breakfast and insists that we do either Angry Bird 'sets' or Mario 'sets;' some kind of 'set' as he calls them! His little imagination is so fun to watch sometimes!!! He comes up with real elaborate 'sets!' His set of wooden blocks are so loved...best purchase EVER (thanks grandma and grandpa!!)!

The other night Clay had gotten himself a snack and made his way over to the couch because BYU was playing! The next thing you know, Brody is over there right next to his dad, and then shortly after Jack had to join them. They just sat, watched the game, and ate snacks! I thought it was really cute, my phone doesnt quite capture the moment :).

Oh my boys love to dance! So fun! I guess all kids love to move, but it sure is fun to turn on some music and see them go! I tend to put music on when we are upstairs playing. The other day Jack was playing and all of a sudden he said to me, 'see mom, I am a dance kid!' Priceless! Just a few of his 'moves!'

Halloween Festivities...

On Saturday morning we decided to carve/paint pumpkins. We thought it would be better for the kids if we did it in the morning rather than at night. For the most part it was, although Brody was not so happy. He pouted most of the time. Oh well. Clay decided to carve a red Angry Bird (that turned out real well) out of our big pumpkin and then the boys and I painted the two smaller ones we had.

*Side note - when we went to the pumpkin patch we came home with 3 pumpkins (1 big, 2 small). One day  I noticed that the smallest of the 3 (which we had out on our porch) was missing. At first I thought Brody had done something with it because he was always trying to pick up the pumpkins, but we never found it. Not sure why someone would steal our smallest pumpkin but it is still missing. Thankfully Jack came home last week with another pumpkin!!*

 Grump

 He waited until I had painted the pumpkin (in kind of nice stripes) to decide he wanted in on the action!

Jacks black pumpkin...stem and all :)

We turned on some Halloween music and Brody was loving it!!

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That afternoon we attempted some pictures of the boys in their costumes before heading down to Olympia for a family Halloween party! We also have some pictures of the final products of our pumpkins!

 The hats were big (pretty sure I bought adult sizes), so Brody especially had a hard time seeing with the hat on, but I think it made the costume that much cuter!!

 Love this shot of Brody :)

 Mario and the pumpkins!

 Oh this picture says so much!

 Nothing like the smell of pumpkin :)

Brotherly love :)

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That night we went down to Olympia for the Warren Family Halloween party. It was just us and Craig and Caries family but we had a good time! Lots of food, games, treats, and crafts!! We left stuffed and with some candy and prizes!!

This witch scared Jack so so much. He had a small panic attack when it was time to go out for the donut game because he didnt want to walk by it or be anywhere near it! He also wouldnt eat the witches fingers Becki made! Maybe he is just getting to that age?? Brody just stopped and stared in awe!!

Both of my boys cheated...I dont blame them...it is hard!

 But the donuts were pretty yummy :)

 Jack got to decorate his own cake...doesnt it look appetizing?! We really tried to leave it there but it wasnt to be...it made its way home with us! Brody kept sneaking the candy corn pumpkins (apparently a favorite of his)!!

 We played a version of spin the bottle...no kissing involved!!

And there were fun Halloween stories to be read!

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Clay decided at the last minute (seriously) to dress up for work on Monday. They were handing out some nice prizes to the best dressed so he went as a nerd. Not sure he will win anything, but he makes a pretty good nerd!

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 Monday morning, the kids and I headed over to a friends house for a fun Halloween party! More crafts, games, and good food!!

Brody instantly found the balloon :)

 Brody and Johnny pretty much played upstairs in the playroom the entire time!!

 Most of the kids...Pyper, Bailey, Damsel, Peyton, Jack, Addie, Mae.

 I got to wrap Jack up as a mummy for one of the games! He stood perfectly still and let me use the entire roll...he even made sure I wrapped his head up!

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After naps and dinner the Pedersens came over and we went trick or treating in our neighborhood! Jack and Addie were pretty cute to watch...they are pros! Brody and Johnny were a little slower than the older two but they knew exactly what to do and were not shy in the least! It was so cute to hear Brody say 'trick or treat' and 'Happy Halloween' at every house! There were some 'scarier' houses that Jack was real nervous about, but he was brave as long as someone went with him to the door! The weather was perfect, clear, and not too cold! After our fill of walking we headed back home to hand out some candy! Jack and Addie loved seeing the other kids costumes and handing out the candy!

 Brody was pretty possessive of his bucket. I could tell it was starting to get heavy but he wouldnt even think of letting me carry it for him!