Thanks for Thanksgiving

(Josh's first Thanksgiving 2004)

Thanks for Thanksgiving, for turkey and pie.

(Andrew playing in the leaves 2007)
Thank you for fall and gold leaves floating by.

(Josh on the first day of preschool 2007)

Thank you for school-I love to feel smart!

(Andrew doing an art project...notice paint on face 2007)

Thank you for music and dancing and art.

(Josh swinging at the park 2005)

Thank you for play dates, for swings and for slides.

(Josh and Andrew playing with Daddy 2007)

Thank you for hopscotch and piggyback rides.

(Josh with Colby the dog at the Morris' 2005)

Thanks for sweet puppies and soft, furry cats.

(Luke with a cowboy hat 2008)

Thank you for dress-up, red shoes and big hats.

(Josh and Andrew playing in the rain 2007)

Thanks for umbrellas, for rain boots and puddles.

(Andrew and Mom at Uncle Ben's wedding 2006)

Thank you for Mommy and warm, cozy cuddles.

(Josh and Daddy playing in the snow 2007)

Thank you for Daddy and rides on a sled.

(Josh in his new bunk bed 2007)

Thank you for kisses and tucks into bed.

Thanks for the moon and the stars up above,

(Family after Luke's blessing 2008)

But MOST of all, thanks for the family I love!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

(text taken from Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes)

We had a wonderful thanksgiving with Aunt Kristin, Aunt Natalie, Uncle Chad and family, and Uncle Mike and family. Luke was sick all weekend with a fever. Finally the Monday after Thanksgiving we realized he had roseola. It's amazing how much happier he is now!

Go Cougs

Despite BYU's rough loss on Saturday, Josh loves and is obsessed with BYU. He likes to “play BYU football.” Josh will be BYU, and he tells Andrew to be the team ZYU. After arming themselves with football helmets (a.k.a. bicycle helmets), they pretend to have a football game. It's pretty funny! Then every piece of artwork that comes home from preschool these days has BYU on it somewhere. We train them young around here!

My 27 Favorite Things

In no particular order:

1. The Biggest Loser
2. My clothes hamper that's divided into three sections for easy sorting
3. Luke's chubby hands...especially the dimples where his knuckles should be
4. Banana cream pie shakes from Carl's Jr.
5. The fact that my new nephew will be most likely born today on my birthday
6. Pumpkin muffins for breakfast
7. Pedicures
8. Sisters and Grandma's who come to visit
9. The cell phone I'm getting Darrin for Christmas (this is big...Darrin's always been against them. He still is. It's a necessity now. I think.)
10. Apple Crisp
11. Simple and Delicious cooking magazine
12. P.F. Changs
13. Tulips
14. Cranberry Yankee Candles
15. Rachel Ray
16. The sleep sack I bought for Luke
17. Swiffer Sweeper Dry Cloths
18. 24 Hour Fitness gym membership and the 5 pounds I've lost since October
19. The new show Pushing Daisies
20. Watching Josh learn to hula hoop at gymnastics (Hilarious!!)
21. Scholastic book orders
22. My new bed...absolutely LOVE it!
23. Super Mario World
24. Josh Groban's Christmas CD
25. How Andrew uses the word 'stuffs.' ("Mom, carry my stuffs," "I need my stuffs")
26. Blogging...more the fact that I can keep a record of what goes on in our family...and then publish it into a book using blurb.com
27. The fact that Darrin and I are going on a hot date tonight, and I'm going to see Twilight with awesome friends tomorrow night.

There you have it. My 27 favorite things.

happy birthday to me.

Poor Guy.

(Don't worry I moved him when I finished taking the picture.)

Sneaky

Yesterday the boys were taking turns having 'quiet times' in their room. Andrew went up first, and I set the timer for thirty minutes and put it on the hall table by the front door. The phone rang...I can't even remember who it was, but I was only half paying attention to what Josh was up to. After awhile I realized that he kept running over to the timer and that Andrew had been up there for at least 45 minutes. I got off the phone, and it dawned on me what he'd been doing...he kept going to the timer and moving the time back so he wouldn't have to have a quiet time. Needless to say, he earned an extra long quiet time.

Luke is a free man.

isn't he cute?

It wasn't quite as hard as I imagined it to be.

Andrew

• Andrew is a sensitive, caring little boy. He's probably the most emotional of the three kids right now. He can also be a big tease and knows how to be the "perfect little brother" (Read: Knows how to push Josh's buttons!).

• Andrew loves to try new food. He always wants to try what Darrin and I are eating, and he'd rather eat "grown up food" than a PBJ or chicken nuggets. Because he likes to eat pretty much anything, I can't really think of anything that he absolutely loves. But if I were to ask him what we should have for dinner, he'd probably say meatballs. He really likes meatballs. He likes candy, fruit snacks and gum. I have noticed he doesn't like spaghetti very much.

• He likes and is pretty good at sports especially soccer. He has a pretty powerful kick...and he always kicks with his left foot. We have yet to figure out if he's left handed though.

• Andrew likes to play with his toys. He can often be found in his room or in the corner of the living room playing by himself.

• Andrew loves his daddy. Every morning when Darrin leaves for work, Andrew has to watch him drive away, and when Darrin returns, Andrew's usually the first and only person to jump into his arms and welcome him home!

• The other day I was not getting Andrew's lunch fast enough. In an effort to get me to hurry and with a look of all seriousness he firmly said, "If you don't get my lunch, I'm going to say 'stupid'." Stupid is a bad word at our house so that was strong threat. Believe me, I hurried.

• Yesterday after church I got Luke out of the car, shut the garage door and went in the house. Josh had gone upstairs to change his clothes, and I assumed Andrew was up there with him. After awhile I began to hear Andrew cry. My first thought was he's probably having a hard time getting his buttons undone. Just then the doorbell rang. It was Andrew. Sobbing on my porch. I scooped him up in my arms and gave him a kiss and told him I was sorry. I guess instead of coming inside, he went outside to look at the pumpkins on the porch. So I locked him outside. Oops!

We love you Andrew!

Topic being taught: "Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." --The Family:A Proclamation to the World

Overheard Conversation:
The kids were watching the commercials to the Saturday morning cartoons. Every so often one of the kids would say they wanted that toy for Christmas or for their birthday. A doll house commercial came on...

Andrew: "I want that doll house."

Josh: "You can't have that, it's for girls. You need more boy toys."

Andrew: "I'm not a girl yet."

Josh: "You are a boy all the time and that's the way it is."

Evaluation:
Josh--Satisfactory
Andrew--Needs improvement

Time to stop swaddling??

I think so.