Thanksgiving 2009

Last weekend we made the seven-hour drive to my parents' house in Oregon to spend Thanksgiving with my mom and dad, my sister Amy, and her baby, Jasper.
I was a little nervous about how the kids would fare on the long road trip, so I packed a few tricks up my sleeve: movies, treats, and surprises from the dollar store to keep the boys busy. They did great! They both watched a movie, Max took a long nap, and Hank really enjoyed watching and commenting about all the scenery (particularly every tractor, train, or emergency vehicle we passed along the way). The road trip was actually one of my favorite parts of the entire vacation because we really just got to be together and enjoy each others' company.

We spent Thursday morning cooking/baking up a storm. I always look forward to visiting my parents because my mom can make a mean dinner.

Aaron's mouth was watering and the sight of our feast.

As a tradition, each year, when the boys are finished glutting themselves and are recovering in front of a football game, all the girls get together to work on a craft. This year we made yummy French Pear Sauce and decorated the little jars for Christmas gifts.

So cute!

On Friday, my mom took Amy, Jasper, and I bazaar-ing and then we went out to lunch at a little bakery in Umpqua.

That afternoon, we went to the Wildlife Safari, this cool place near my parents' house where you basically drive through a zoo, except that all the animals are in a natural habitat and can literally come inches from your window. We all loved it.

I really had fun getting to spend a little time with my nephew, Jasper. I feel a little warm spot for that cute little guy.

Handsome cousins!

When we finally made it home, we were worried that we'd never be able to get Hank to go to bed because he'd been too busy playing all week and had successfully boycotted naptime entirely at Grandma's house. I guess Hank must have worn himself out with all his playing, because as soon as we got home, he just melted.

Silly Me

I don't know what I was thinking. I had this crazy idea that we could all be have our picture taken together as a family. I even fantasized that we could use this hypothetical picture for an upcoming Christmas card. Hahaha. Silly me. Us? A family picture? You mean everyone looking at the same place all at once? Ha!
This is the best we got. Out of the literally 100s of pictures we took, this is it. So, here are a few of the rejects that you won't be seeing in the Christmas card. Actually, these probably show a more true sense of our family than any picture-perfect posed photo anyways...

Believe it or Not...

...last weekend (before Thanksgiving, even) Aaron got all the Christmas lights up on our house! No, Aaron isn't just feeling the Christmas spirit a little early, he just decided the dreaded anual task would be a little less miserable if he got it out of the way early, before it gets rainy and dastardly cold outside. In any event--the lights are up! Hooray!

Soccer Season Finale

Last weekend Hank played his final soccer game of the season. We had such a blast the past few weekends, rooting Hank on, as he ran around the little indoor soccer court--aimlessly but happily. I'm excited for many more soccer seasons to come!

At the end of the game, Hank's coach presented him with a certificate, a giant sugar cookie, and a trophy!

Love you Hankie-boy!

Catch Up

I had to order a new power cord for my computer, so I've been offline for awhile....I'm back! We've been super busy and I finally have a chance to catch up on a few of our most recent happenings:
A few weeks ago, Hank's Nana Grover bought him a pair of "fireman boots." Hank LOVES them and wears them everywhere. He'd probably sleep in them if I let him.

It comes as no surprise then that Hank decided to wear his full fireman costume on our preschool fieldtrip to the firestation today, the fireman boots, the helmet, and the whole bit.

These boys are so funny because, I swear, they couldn't contain their excitement about visiting the firestation all month long. As soon as we get there, they clam up and get all nervous. I know Hank was loving every second, but you wouldn't know it from his expression--he was all business with a super serious look on his face the whole time. The firemen were awesome! We watched a short safety video and then they let us tour the station and climb all over the equipment and trucks. The kids had a blast:)

Max is finally getting a couple new teeth! His bottom teeth came in around 11 monhts and just this past week he is starting to cut three more on top. He doesn't let me get in to inspect his mouth, but I knew something was going on when I heard him make some little grinding noises in his mouth. I'm happy that he'll be able to chew some chunkier foods, but I'll miss that little baby face with two little teeth on the bottom:)

Most exciting of all, Max started taking steps last week!!! Hooray! Max thinks its hilarious to crawl up to this chair, and then let go. He just cracks himself up doing it over and over again. You can tell he thinks he's figured out a great trick and is very proud of himself. So far, he's taken 7 or 8 steps, but still not a full-fledged walker--yet.

pppddddDDDDDDDDD.....{DRUMROLL}

We got the good news on Friday that we are expecting a BOY!!! Yay for us! I remember a conversation that Aaron and I had together years ago, when we were discussing our future family-to-be, in which I jokingly told Aaron that I had always wanted to have my own team of little boys--I had no idea how true that would be! Three boys! When we found out the news, Aaron was already excited because he's got himself the perfect foursome (aka golfing buddies). We're so excited to welcome our little boy into our home and feel so thankful that Heavenly Father has entrusted us with one of his little missionaries, saved and prepared just for this special time and place. What great news! Now, let the name-game begin!.....

Trick-or-Treat

Last night was the big night that Hank has been waiting for weeks to finally come! Halloween! Unfortunately, Hank caught a nasty cough while he was trunk-or-treating the previous night, so he wasn't feeling his best. We had to wrestle him just to get him in his costume. Since I insisted that Hank bundle up, I layered him in his pjs, then his coat, then his costume. Hank complained that all the "strings were bugging" him from wearing so many layers. Once we finally got out the door and started trick-or-treating, Hank was back to his old self and had lots of fun collecting candy.
Mickey Mouse (our friend Cameron) and the two firemen. You can just see on thier faces how puzzled the kids are to be made to wear these crazy costumes.

When Hank knocked on one door, the neighbor answered wearing a scary mask. Hank just immediately turned on his heel and ran right back to me. I explained to him that lots of people like to wear scary costumes on Halloween but its all pretend and just for fun. Hank was definately more timid to knock on doors from that point on.

Hank and I make the perfect team because he likes all the fruity, chewy candy and leaves all the good stuff--the chocolate--for me! Honestly, with an entire bucket-ful of candy to choose from, the first thing Hank picks is dots! Who eats dots?!