Thanksgiving in Vegas

We drove to Las Vegas for the Thanksgiving break.  It was great to be home for the holidays and be at Grandpa and Grandma Gambles.  The boys were so excited.  This was one of Decker's favorite things to do.  Swing with Tommy.  Do you see Tommy hanging on at the top of the swing?

Leah hosted Thanksgiving dinner at her new home.  Freddi, Scott and Heather came.  Heather just got engaged so she brought her fiance Corey and his 2 daughters.  So excited for her! 
Michelle came over for a bit and made grandma's rolls with all the kids and I wanted to get pictures with my sisters before she left.  Such a show off!  ;)

Then everyone thought it would be a good idea to come out and take a group picture.  There were still a few missing from this photo

Like the matriarchs!  Such cute sisters!

Dad evaded the camera too!

Leah and her family...new addition due in May 2013.

Heather and her future family.  :)

We all sat down and played Switch.  this is a game I grew up playing with Grandma Lyon.  She taught me how to shuffle, deal and play cards.  We are passing on her legacy to our children.  :)

Alex has an exercise regime that he shared with us.  He puts this backpack on and drags these tires behind him as he sprints down the road. Of course we all had to try it.  Go mom, Go!

Isn't he just cute!!

Got a stowaway going for a ride.

Such a fun ride!  Eliott and Decker hitting the blacktop!

And there's the master, in perfect form!

Here's all the kids eating leftovers on Friday.  We went to the Lieds Kids Museum after lunch for the afternoon. Pictures to come...

Thank you for having us in Vegas for Thanksgiving.  We were so happy to be home with everyone!

Pumpkin Family Home Evening

Decker came home from school today talking about jack-o-lanterns.  He wanted to make one with a mean face.  So we had this beautiful pumpkin...from Grandma's Wood's front porch...

1.  Carve a lid.

 2.  Scoop out all the inards...

 3.  Choose the pattern and draw onto the pumpkin.

 4.  Take a picture with everyone...I liked this one, because you can see Cody pulling some tape out for me.

 5.  Carve out the spooky design.

 6.  Light it and put it on the front porch.

 7.  Take pictures on the front porch with pumpkin.

Can we ever get a picture with all 4 of with smiles?  It was a successful night!

Halloween practice...

 Decker and Cody both love to dress up in their costumes.  So today, Decker was Winnie the Pooh and Cody was Scooby Doo.  Both of these costumes we found at garage sales over the summer. ;)

 They are so sweet!  Cody loves to give hugs!

 Now it is Friday night....October 26th.  Decker's school had a Halloween party.  So the boys dressed up and we went as parents.  ;)  So now, Cody is Winnie the Pooh and Decker is Scooby Doo.

  Backdrop at the party.

 This is the Hulk and Scooby Doo.  The Hulk is Decker's friend, Sava.  When we got home, I told Decker that Sava was the Hulk.  He didn't believe me...so I showed him the pictures and explained his costume to him.  Then Decker decided he wanted to be the Hulk. He didn't want to be Batman on Saturday night for our Wards' Trunk or Treat.

 They had a bunch of different crafts for the kids to do.

 Here is the backdrop with the kids...

 I baked brownies from a recipe in my Deceptively Delicious cookbook.  It has spinach and carrot purees.  Cody ate two, Decker took one bite and didn't finish the rest...Mike finished Deckers, unknowingly.  It's probably not a recipe I will do again...I didn't love them or think they were "scrumptious" as Julia Seinfeld did.  So we took them to the school party tonight to share.
We played BINGO and won 2 games.  We went home with a black Halloween ball and a Lightning McQueen picture to color with markers.  What a fun night!  We think it's so cool that we get to go to Decker's school for activities.

Cody is 2! October 10, 2012

***He learned to say "no" and "mine"  He does not like to share!

***He can climb anything!

***When you ask him a question, he answers:  "Ummm...."

***After he had his 2 year check up, he's gone potty in the toilet about 2-3 times per day.  I feel like we've made progress and broken through an important door.  He knows what to do when he sits on the potty.  It's not just to play.  :)  YAY!!!  He pooped in the toilet for the first time on October 19th.

***Loves playing with balls. He has a great arm!

***Cody has some pretty mean temper tantrums.  You can't tell him what to do, he's  very stubborn.

***He likes to help me unload the dishwasher

***Decker and he both like the Avengers. Cody's favorite character is the HULK.  You ask him what the Hulk says and he says:  "HULK SMASH!"  

***He loves to hug you and will come up and say "Hug".  He likes to kiss and hug everyone before going to bed.  He also likes to get a drink every night before bed.

***He's very ticklish and when Mike tickles him, it makes him dive his head into Mike's shoulder."

***He likes to eat bubbles in the bathtub.

***He likes to "Dog Pile" on Decker.  He turns off the TV or lights if Decker is watching a movie.  It really irritates Decker.

***He's a fast runner and likes to Go Go Go!

***Sometimes he likes to use his whisper voice to answer questions.

***He has learned to climb out of his crib. So we've lowered the side rail.

***When you ask him how old he is, he crosses his fingers and says "Two"!

***His nursery leader shared this with me.  She said Cody is really quiet in class.  He watches a lot and focuses in on a child and then goes over and hugs the child.  The child may or may not reciprocate this hug.  ;)

***Cody loves to sing.  Often I use singing to distract him while changing a diaper or something that is displeasing for him.  His favorite songs to sing are Happy Birthday  ( We've been singing this one a lot in the last couple of months.) I am a Child of God and Spiderman.

His STATS:

Weight:  26 lbs 10 %

Height:  34 1/2 inches, 50%

Body Mass Index: 14.77  12%

We had an ELMO cake party for Cody.

Cody started out with a few finger swipes of the frosting which then got painted onto his face in the eye region...

He got a ball, a Mickey mouse phone, Lightning McQueen book, Memory game and Snowman texture book.

Mike decided to try on Decker's Batman mask at the party...

Happy Birthday Cody!

Holy Halloween, Batman!

Joker:  

"I have given a name to my pain, and it is Batman."  

"I'm only laughing on the outside.  My smile is just skin deep.   If you could see inside I'm really crying.  You might join me for a weep."  

"Tell me something, my friend. You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?" 

 Robin:  

"Holy nightmare!"

"Holy costumed party, that's the Penguin!"  
"Holy horseshoe!"  

"Holy Jumble, Where's the hope in the world now?"

"Holy marathon! I'm getting a stitch, Batman!"

Batman:  "What weighs six ounces, sits in a tree and is very dangerous?" Robin: "A sparrow with a machine gun!"   

"Holy heart failure Batman!"

"Holy Houdini!"

"Holy Davy Jones!"

"Holy Guadalcanal, Batman! What now?" 

"Holy levitation!"

"Holy flip-flop! What happened to justice?" 

"Holy chocolate éclair!" 

 Batman:  

"Some days, you just can't git rid of a bomb."  

"To the Batmobile!"  

"It's not who I am underneath but what I do that defines me."  

"I won't kill you but I don't have to save you." 

 "I made a promise on the grave of my parents that I would rid this city of the evil that took their lives. By day, I am Bruce Wayne, billionaire philanthropist. At night, criminals, a cowardly and superstitious lot, call me... Batman."

  Poison Ivy:  

"I am Nature's arm. Her spirit. Her will. Heck, I am Mother Nature, and the time has come for plants to take back the world so rightfully ours! 'cause it's not nice to fool with Mother Nature."

"It took God seven days to create paradise. Let's see if I can do better."

"They can bury me in the ground, as deep as they like. But I'll grow back. We always grow back. Don't we, baby?"

Robin:   "A poison kiss? You have some real issues with women, you know that? You just couldn't stand it that she was going to kiss me and not you, wasn't it? You couldn't stand it that she wanted me and not you!"

 Joker:
"As you can see I'm a lot happier."

Ward Party and Trunk or Treat party.  October 27th, 2012