Thanksgiving

This year we were at the Velasquez's house for Thanksgiving.  Before we got ready to leave Luke asked who was going to be there.  When I told him cousin Emerson would be there he said, "Can he walk yet?"  Poor Luke has had to wait so long for a cousin to play with and waiting for Emerson to grow up this past year was torture for sweet Luke.  Luckily for Luke, Emerson started walking on Thanksgiving.  A little Thanksgiving present for Lukers!  It was fun to see Luke and Brody finally interacting and having fun with a cousin.  They looked at books, played with toys, and growled at each other!   

When dinner was ready Luke was determined to sit by Uncle Max.  He thought it was pretty cool that he was allowed to use a knife for the first time.  Luke took it pretty serious...now we're all in trouble with Luke armed at the dinner table.  Brody refused to eat his sweet potatoes I had packed for his dinner, but he didn't turn down the regular mashed potatoes off my plate.  I thought this was so funny because at Luke's first Thanksgiving it was just the opposite.  Ate sweet potatoes and puked regular potatoes!  

After dinner we had a nice time just hanging out and watching football with the family as Lukers ran wild and Brody slept in my arms.  Words cannot express how thankful I am for Mark and these boys.  They mean so much to me and I don't know what I would do without them.  Mark does so much and works so hard for our family and these two little boys light up my life and bring me endless joy!  I have a very blessed life and I need to do better about remembering that all year long!

Jr. Dart

When I saw that there would be Jr. Darts basketball for three and four year olds I knew we had to sign Luke up.  I knew he would love it and that it would be pure entertainment for us!  When it comes to sports I am just happy that they're out there doing it and having a good time.  Mark on the other hand, takes it pretty serious.  He kept reminding Luke to focus and listen to his coaches.  I love this picture of Luke playing around with the ball and Mark trying to get him to focus.  

His first day, Luke was pretty nervous and not sure what to expect.  He kept coming over to me on the sideline to get a kiss or love.  By now he is a pro and has made a few friends. I am amazed how well he does at dribbling and shooting.  They received a basketball and t-shirt the first day which Luke thought was awesome.  He wants to take his basketball with him wherever we go.

Each practice they wear name tags so the other parents and coaches know their names.  One day Luke went over and asked for his name tag all by himself.  He came walking over to us and we knew right away there was something wrong.  There is a little boy there named Lucas and they had given him that name tag.  Luke marched right up to us and said, "Look, I don't have a c, a, or s in my name.  I tried telling her it was wrong."  Nothing gets by this little guy!  

I think Luke has really enjoyed going to basketball and hanging out with his dad.  It makes me excited to sign him up for more sports!

Dinosaur Park Field Trip

Luke had his first Preschool field trip.  They had been learning about the letter X in the word T-Rex so their field trip was at the Dinosaur Park.  It was fun to see Luke interact with his friends and classmates.   He has such a cute group of friends in his class.  I am so happy he is with kids he knows and likes.  He didn't even want to ride in our car up to the park.  Luke was sure he needed to ride with his friends.  This little guy is so independent and sure of himself!  

When they were playing at the playground I definitely saw a different side of Luke that I didn't know existed.  He was a little bossy with his friends and I couldn't believe how they just listened to him and did whatever he asked.  Luke was in the middle of the jungle gym and directing about three to four different children at a time.  Giving them different tasks such as, "go to that tree and catch all the alligators and bring them to me."  They would hurry off and return to report.  Obviously, we need to work on not being so bossy!

Brody and I were happy to tag along for the ride.  I just love this little baby and can't get enough of him.  Brods is always such a trooper and does great on our outings.  I love getting out and spending time with these boys!  

Seven Months

I can't believe how big Brody looks in this picture.  It makes me so sad that my baby is growing up.  I took this picture right after he got out of the tub so his hair wasn't laying flat as usual.  Brods is such a smiley baby.  You can always get him to smile or giggle at you.  However, he also has developed quite  a temper.   For example, if he is playing with something and you take it away he will scream and slap his hands in protest.  He doesn't give in so easily.  Brody has also starting clapping with his feet.  It is the funniest thing.  Whenever he's laying on his back he'll roll his little feet and clap them together like his hands.  We just love this little guy and can't get enough of him!

-Weighs 19 pounds

-Sleeps 11 hours at night

-Takes three 1 hour naps a day

-Still obsessed with his binky...now sucks is his own unique way

  -Eats four times a day...a jar of food and four ounces

-Zooms all over the house in his walker

-Will watch Baby Einstein anytime, anywhere

-Chews on anything that gets within reach

-Loves his knew chew toy Sophie

-Loves to be held and reaches out his arms to be picked up

-Eats a few finger foods

-Rolls all over the place and shows no interest in crawling
-Sits like a champ now
-Size three diapers
-Wears 6-12 month clothes

Trick-or-Treating

I have only taken Luke out trick-or-treating one time and that is because it was pouring rain and Mark volunteered to stay home and hand out candy.  Mark doesn't think it's a big deal to just leave the bucket of candy on the front porch and us both take the boys.  Every year I try and fight this and I just end up staying home.  This year I really wanted to go so I finally gave in and left the bucket of candy.  I love watching Luke run around and get so excited about seeing our neighbors and collecting candy.  

This year we went around the neighborhood with the Denny's and Rust's.  Luke had a blast going with friends and didn't want the night to end.  It was a really warm night so we didn't mind going to a few extra houses.  Brody was happy in his stroller and eventually fell asleep.  I love how he doesn't mind his parrot costume at all.  I think he actually likes it at times because he feels snug and warm!  

I always love how excited the kids get as they watch their buckets and bags slowly fill up with candy and treats!  Luke's favorite treat this year was a package of Cheetos.  This was the first treat to be eaten when we got home.  He was too excited to eat dinner before we left that night so he was relieved when he saw our neighbors serving Butter Beer and hot dogs!  He didn't even bother with a bun or condiments, just grabbed and dog and kept on walking.

When we got home the boys were both exhausted.  They had a snack, got in the tub, and fell right asleep!  It was a fun Halloween and I am so grateful I have these fun boys to share it with!

Jack-o-Lanterns

Since Mark was so busy at work this month I had to carve the pumpkins by myself with the boys.  Not the best experience, but we got it done!  Every year up until now Luke spent more time eating the pumpkins than cleaning them out.  This year was a totally different story.  Luke didn't even want to put his hand in the pumpkin.  I told him to cowboy up and just do it.  He agreed and got going.  I cleaned out the other pumpkins while he worked on his.  The entire time Brody was watching us in his Bumbo.  He was sure he was being left out and wanted to get in on the action.  

Luke first thought he wanted a witch pumpkin but then he remembered about Dracula and changed his mind.  I was happy because that was a much easier design to carve.  Luke thought it wasn't fair that I was the only one allowed to do the cutting.  Especially since the knives were just little and his size.  

We did quick and simple designs and I think they turned out pretty cute!  Sadly, it was an unusually warm Halloween and the pumpkins baked in the sun the next day.  Despite the slight shriveling they still looked spooky for Halloween night!

Trunk-or-Treat

Our ward trunk-or-treat is always a fun night!  In the past, we have done candy first and dinner last.  This year, they switched things up and decided to eat first.  Since Mark doesn't eat other people's food we hung out outside until dinner was done.  It was a little chilly that night so it's a good thing our little parrot was well insulated.  Our little neighbor wanted to push Brody around his stroller and he eventually fell asleep.  He missed out on most of the night, but he was happy!

Luke was all over the candy idea this year.  Which is funny since he doesn't even really eat candy.  Lukers will never pass up a cinnamon roll, cookie, or donut but candy is not his fav.  There were a lot of pirates this year and Luke teamed up with Taylor the Pirate and Jackson the Hawk.  As they went running off to trunk-or-treat Luke said to Taylor, "Okay Taylor we are gonna go alone and be the bravest pirates huh." They sure loaded up on candy and made sure not pass one trunk without getting candy first.  

When we got home Luke made the mistake of leaving his bucket by Brods.  Brody thought it was pretty cool and was thrilled when he figured out what was inside.  He chewed on all the candy and was in big trouble when Brother discovered what he had been doing.  We were even in trouble for not watching Brody better.  It's definitely a love hate relationship with these two munchkins!

Friend Halloween Party

We always look forward to our annual friend Halloween party.  This year had to be better than last year since half the party got sick the day of.  It was a fabulous time with great friends, costumes, and food!  The kids had a blast hanging out together and were just happy to be together.  Right before the party I had a brilliant idea to put a table and chairs in the garage for the kids to eat at.  Best idea I've ever had...the kids spent the majority of the night in the garage while we were able to actually have an adult conversation inside!  

I always try to have at least two activities planned to help entertain the kids.  This year we made putty monster jars...since it was a Monster Mash!  The kids enjoyed decorating their jars as monsters but I think their favorite part was just playing with their putty.  

The pinata is always entertainment for everyone involved.  It is so funny to watch the kids and how serious they take it.  This was the first year that Lukers totally understood the whole pinata thing and he had a blast.  He loved hitting the pumpkin and knew exactly what to do when the candy went flying!

The last of our partiers left just before midnight and Lukers was exhausted.  Brody had been asleep almost the entire party...thank heavens for the sound machine.  Mark put Luke in bed and he was asleep before we even left his room.  We always love getting together with our friends and can't wait for next year!  

Pumpkin Patch

Every year it seems like going to the pumpkin patch turns out to be such a bummer.  October is always busy for Mark so it's hard to find a free night to go.  We had tried a few weeknights and finally gave up and went on a Saturday night.  Since Luke had to wait so long he was beyond pumped to go ride a tractor.  That night we got over to Day Farms and they informed us it was a two hour wait.  Since it would be dark and too long for the boys to wait we headed on.  We drove over to Pack Farms in Farmington.  Mark and I had to do a pretty big sell on the idea of wagons instead of tractors.  

Once we got there Lukers was okay with the idea and couldn't wait to pull a wagon and find some pumpkins.  We had very little daylight so we had to pick fast.  The mosquitos were out and poor Brods was getting eaten alive.  As usual, Luke felt bad for the small rotten pumpkins and wanted to take them home.  Mark finally found us four pumpkins and we thought we were finished.  Luke wouldn't let us leave without going through the hay maze.  Since it was pitch black Brody and I waited in the car for Luke and Daddy to get lost in the maze.  

The next morning I looked at the pumpkins in the daylight and discovered that Mark had picked two rotten pumpkins.  I think we'll go to the grocery store to buy new ones!