VIP Day...

Yesterday was Jacks VIP day at preschool! Brody and I were able to go and spend the day with him at school and it was so much fun...Brody was his usual handful, but I dont think he caused too much trouble and the teachers were so nice to let him wander and be a kid!

When we got there Jack decorated his crown and then got to ring the bell when it was time to clean up the toys and start class. He got to be the 'helper' for the day and help with the calendar (day, month, year), weather, and use the special pointer! He handed out the kids names on strips of paper as they read each name and talked about what letter each started with! He also got to hold the flag while they did the pledge of allegiance! They even did a special cheer for him...too cute!

Then he got to introduce his family and talk about the poster board we made! We also showed them the 'puzzle' of his body we made that talked about some of his favorite things! Then Jack and I got to paint a wooden picture frame that will hold a picture of him with his VIP crown on! Brody managed to stick his hand in the red paint...menace!!!

Then it was time to play with toys and work on projects with the teachers! Jack got to ring the bell again when it was time to clean up and then they got to go play outside for a little bit since the weather was nice!

Then it was back inside for snack! Jack got to help put the cupcakes on each napkin while the kids were singing a song (they also celebrated his birthday since it was last Friday so we got to bring in a treat!). I think Jack really wanted to sing the song (he told me it was the number rock) because he kept looking over and getting distracted, plus he kept licking his fingers that got frosting on them and had to go wash his hands after about every cupcake! The kids sang happy birthday to him and he got to blow out a candle! I found this amazing recipe for red velvet cupcakes and thought since red is Jacks favorite color that would be perfect...however, when the kids were eating the red cupcakes I was thinking that was not such a great idea (lots of crumbs and red faces). The teachers probably thought I was dumb (even though they didnt say it)...haha...live and learn! But they were probably the best cupcakes I have had in a long time and I cant stop eating the leftovers!!

Once the kids were done with their snack and had their places cleaned up they got to go read books until Jack rang the bell one last time! Then they had a prayer (he goes to Immanuel Lutheran Preschool) and the day was over! It was such a fun day and I am so glad we got to go!

*Clay has been really busy at work lately and just wasnt able to get time off this week so he couldnt come. I felt bad because I could tell he really wanted to and was torn. And to make things worse, Jack woke up yesterday and started asking Clay if he was going to come to his VIP day. I think they were both sad, but we are glad daddy has a good job and love him! And Jack was excited to show him his crowns when he got home from work!

Jacks special poster!

Mrs. Brozick, Jack, Mrs. Papen

I love this picture of him sitting up front with Mrs. Papen...he looks so relaxed!

She gave the kids great one on one attention to work on using scissors and help finish their projects! I love him looking up at her in this picture!

Love the concentration on his face!

Yum!

Passing out the cupcakes

Brody was there too! Stuffing his face with cupcake...nice!

1. Jack wearing his special tag they made for him! 2. The sign that was on the door to the preschool...I forgot to get his picture in front of the door! 3. His birthday crown! 4. Birthday certificate. 5. His VIP crown! 6. VIP certificate. 7. The 'puzzle' we made of his body. It is hard to tell, but we cut it up into 4 sections. We started with his head and he told the kids his favorite story (The Value of Believing in Yourself: The Story of Louis Pasteur...this is one I had growing up and Jack LOVES it!) and his favorite song (The United States song). Then we put his arms up and told the kids his favorite toy (a steam engine he got for Christmas...he got to turn it on and show the class). Then with his torso he told them his favorite food (oatmeal with raisins). And finally, his legs were his favorite activity (gymnastics)! He also showed the kids a few of his favorite puzzles since that is his most favorite thing to do! Thanks Kelly for all of your wonderful ideas...I know I can always count on you!!!

4 year well check-up...

Jack had his 4 year well check-up with the doctor on Monday. One of the nice things about coming back to the same area we lived before is that we were able to get into the same pediatrician (that I loved)! The funny thing is that it wasnt until the end of the appointment that the doctor realized we had moved away and were back...he just thought we missed a year with Jack! After I explained our situation a little it came back to him, but I thought it was funny! It is almost like we never left ;).

We got to the office in good time and I was sitting filling out a questionnaire and the kids were playing and looking at the big fish tank. Or so I thought. The next thing I know Jack is getting into a shoving battle with another little kid (about his age) over a rocking chair. I went to step in and Jack was giving me attitude and making a scene. I sat him down on a big chair and he was just so upset. I didnt see what happened but Jack was not having it. He kept trying to go over to the chair and I knew that as long as the other boy was there we were going to have problems. I have honestly never been so embarrassed. When the nurse came to get the other little boy he called Jack an idiot as they were walking by. Yes the mother was there and yes she was talking to her son, but sometimes little kids just have a mind of their own. The problem is that Jack gets worked up so fast and there is nothing you can do...if you touch him it makes it worse. I have struggled so much with this and while we were waiting in the doctors office we came up with 'our plan' to help him clam down when he gets angry (count to ten slowly and then say stop...I had it the other way around but he really wanted to say stop last). We will see if it works!

Anyways, the appointment went well. Jack weighs 36.4 lbs (75%) and is 39.5 in tall (25-50%). This was the first time they had him take a hearing test and an eye test. It was so cute to watch him with the headphones on, raising his hand every time he heard a noise! And he did pass! He also did really well with his vision test and has 20/25 in his Right eye and 20/20 in his Left eye (which the doctor told me is better than they normally see at this age)! Overall he is a healthy boy! He doesnt like vegetables and tells me all the time that he doesnt eat them (he will eat peas most of the time) so the doctor told him a good rule is to always try 2 bites of his food and then decide if he likes it or not...amazing how well it works when someone else is telling your child!

He had to have 4 shots and about lost it. I had to hold down his arms and was literally leaning on him just to try and hold him down. He was hysterical and it took him awhile to calm down afterwords. So after some ice cream and Advil he was back to normal!

Happy Birthday Jack...

Jack turned 4 on Friday! I mean, how is that possible? We didnt have a party or anything, just kept it low key after the move! Addie came over to play in the afternoon and then we went to Red Robin for dinner to celebrate! It took so long to get in and get our food that we didnt have time for cake or to open his one present! Poor kid! But he did get ice cream and they sang to him at the restaurant! So its ok, right?!

Jack and Addie...how cute are they?!

Balloons and ice cream to finish off the fries he had for dinner...nice!

The gang!

This is Brodys 'new' thing...he has been walking around sticking out his tongue all the time lately!
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Saturday Jack woke up early and threw up several times in the morning. After he got everything out of his stomach he seemed to be feeling better so we headed out to run some errands and then came home for naps (which Jack happily took, which is rare). All those fries the night before were probably too much for him!

Then Clay took Jack to Best Buy and they picked out a game for the Wii! Clay said he can remember going to Toys R Us with his parents on his birthday to pick out some toys when he was younger, so we thought we would give it a try! Clay said he tried to convince him to get the Cars racing game but Jack insisted that he wanted Toy Story3. Unfortunately I think it is going to be a little harder for him (or me for that matter) to figure out so we will see how much use we get out of it! But he sure loves to watch Clay play it and was running around the house last night pretending to be Woody and Buzz so I guess it was a good gift!

This kid is obsessed with Mad Birds (aka Angry Birds) on the iTouch. He plays it any chance he gets and tells us about all of the different birds and what they do! He loves to tell us what level he is on and how many stars he earned for those levels. He wants us to draw mad birds for him and pretends he is playing mad birds with anything he can find. We have only had the free version (we are cheap like that) and so we decided that we could shell out the $0.99 to buy the full version! I think it was his favorite gift by far and that $0.99 was well spent!

We also sang happy birthday to him and had some cake (a day late), but again dropped the ball, because we didnt have any matches. So he had candles and we sang, there was just no fire! He played along though and pretended to blow them out! What a good boy!

Happy Birthday Jack! We love you!!

Movin' On Up...

We are starting to feel a little more settled, but I still feel like my mind is in a million different places. We are slowly getting organized and love all the room we have! Jack is still a little confused and thinks that all of the stuff in the house are his cousins, Jane and Clark, because we are renting their old house. He also often talks about when we go back to Indiana, but other than that he seems to be adjusting pretty well!

He got to start Sunbeams a few weeks ago and seems to really enjoy it! He is in the same class as his friend, Addie, who he used to play with all the time when we lived here a year and a half ago and it is so cute to watch them together!

He was also lucky enough to get in to preschool out here for the remainder of the year! I dont know who was more excited...him or me! Last week we stopped by to drop off some paperwork and we got to meet his new teacher and see the classroom! He wasnt shy and went right in to the room to look around! He started school today and was such a big boy! He again wasnt shy and just walked in and got to work! Addie happens to be in his preschool class as well and she was waiting outside to take him in and show him where to go! So cute! Other than the fact that I was 10 minutes late picking him up, he seemed to have a great time and his teacher, Miss Papen, said he did really well and is definitely ready for school! My boy is growing up!

He loves his red shirt he got! Always has the squinty eyes as of late!

Brotherly love!

Love this picture...Brody is saying 'cheese'!

Posing...

So hard to say goodbye...

I am already getting teary just starting this post. We have had such a great experience this past year and a half living with my parents. It was honestly something Clay and I never thought we would need to do, but we are beyond grateful for the experience. We are grateful that they were willing to put up with us for so long and support us as Clay took this needed journey!

Jack and Brody were beyond lucky to have grandma and grandpa around all the time to play with and get away with more than they should have! They will miss seeing grandpa make his shakes in the morning! They will miss grandma kissing their cheeks all the time! Jack will miss sitting on grandmas lap at the computer looking at Geo Trax! We will miss our routine trips to the Y as a group! I will miss getting to read all of the Mormon Times after my dad! We will miss all of the advice and support. We will miss getting to go to Target after the kids are in bed!

Thank you mom and dad for everything. We love you more than you know!

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Goodbye kisses :)

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We were also lucky enough to have Steve live with us for a while. We really were spoiled! Jack and Brody sure loved having their uncle Steve around! We loved playing with the water rocket he made! We loved playing Wii with someone who was really good! We loved enjoying the fruits of his labor with the garden he put in! We loved the extra playmate! Jack still talks about when we go back to Indiana and what he will do/tell uncle Steve! We love you uncle Steve!!!

Cousins goodbye...

We were so lucky to have Kelly and the kids come see us right after we got back from Washington (we took the red eye home...bad idea)!! It was a quick trip but we sure miss them already and are glad they were willing to make the drive over to see us one last time!!! It was so fun to live so close to them for a year and a half. You will all be greatly missed...not that we wont ever see you, but it will be sad to not see you as often!

Group shot: Dylan, Brody, Jack, Tyler, Brynn, Kate

Love this picture of them!

Brody gives open mouth kisses, always has and always will I am afraid! Here he is giving loves to baby Kate!

Helping Kate find her pacifier (or taking it out of her mouth)!

Goodbye hugs!

The smallest boys throwing fits at the same time...how precious!

Other Christmas Highlights...

Just a few highlights that dont have pictures to go with them and didnt make it into my other posts!

*Going to Fujiyama with Craig/Carie and their kids, and Chris, Madisyn, and Riley! Jack didnt like it too much, but Brody loved the guy who cooked our food right in front of us! He was laughing and clapping and was so excited!! It was pretty cute to watch (especially since our oldest son whined and covered his ears most of the night)!

*Dinner with some of the adults (thanks to Colleens parents, Mark and Julie, who were willing to watch Jack and Brody - along with Jane, Clark and Charlie!) at Ramblin Jacks. It is always fun to get out without kids for a night! Adults included: Clay and I, Chad and Colleen, Cameron and Virginia, and Chelsea!

*Nearly fainting in IKEA. Dont know what my problem is. We were sitting at a table eating lunch before heading off to get a few things for the new house! Well, I started to not feel so great and it just got worse. Clay tried to get me to drink something, which didnt sound possible at the time. I was so uncomfortable that I decided to try my luck at getting up and going to the bathroom, after all it was in sight. Well, thankfully there was also a couch in sight because as I stood up and started walking, the room got darker and darker. I made it to the couch before passing out but had to rest there for some time before meeting up with Clay. Jack kept me company as I drank some water. What a good boy! Oh man. Not a great time at IKEA!

*Heading over to Chris and Kellys house one night to say hi!

*Bonding with Cameron, Virginia and Chelsea! We got to stay at the lake house with them and it was so fun to stay up late after the boys were in bed and talk!!

Santas mistake...

My mom has the Berenstein Bears Christmas book, Santa Bear, and Jack had me read it to him over and over and over. In the story they go meet Santa and brother and sister bear give him their Christmas lists. So one day before Christmas Jack and I sat down and made a list for Santa. One of the things brother bear really wants is a dinosaur molding kit, so that was the first thing he asked for (where do you find one of those??). The second, a batman car (Clay had shown him one when we were in Target and they were both excited about it).

Well, Christmas came and went and Jack came up to me and asked why Santa didnt bring him his dinosaur molding kit or his batman car. I mean honestly, those should be easy to remember right? I guess not. Santa must have forgotten...goodness. Thankfully he had so many toys and is still young enough that we were able to explain that maybe Santa thought he would like these other toys better. After a couple of days he stopped asking.

Next year Santa is going to be more careful and stick to the list! Poor kid :).

Girls Day and Swiss Dinner...

The Monday after Christmas all of the girls got together and we learned how to make Zupha from Grandma Pratt and made watch bands with Kelly! It was fun to be with 'the girls' and I am so excited to be able to make the famous Zupha...so yummy!

One of my loaves (before it went in the oven)!

Meagan (Colleens sister) and Chelsea working on watch bands!

Carie choosing beads!

Kelly helping Jamie (Kelly and Caries sister)

Brody stayed with us girls and had fun wandering around, getting into trouble!

My finished band! I love it!
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Then on Tuesday night we had a Swiss dinner! Clays grandma Pratt is 100% Swiss and so we got to eat yummy swiss food (including the zupha we made) and after dinner she told us stories from her childhood! It was such a treat!

Grandpa and Grandma Pratt with Becki and Grant

Looking through grandma Pratts Book of Remembrance!

Brody loves to put things on his own head...it is a fun game for him. Apparently he thought baby Charlie would like the game too!

Snuggle time with aunt Chelsea!

Jane, Jack and Clark playing in the basement!