Pizza Pizza!

Today for our ward playgroup we made pizza! McKay loved it. He wore his apron and after a little help spreading the dough, he did the rest on his own. He spread the sauce, cheese, pineapple, sausage, Italian squash and a few olives and mushrooms on his pizza. After it baked in the oven, we ate it! Several moms commented on how cute he looked with his little apron. He was so excited to make and eat pizza. It was a great activity.

While we were waiting for our turn, (we had to do two shifts since there were so many people there), McKay enjoyed running in the gym with the other kids and playing with the basketballs. After we ate our pizza, he played hide and seek with the 3 1/2-5 year old kids and had a blast counting and finding the other kids with whomever was 'it'. I'm glad they let him tag along and that he is comfortable playing with them.

Shame on me, I forgot my camera!

Bye Bye Pacifier

Friday night McKay left his beloved pacifiers for the pacifier fairy with a note telling the fairy to take his pacifiers to new little babies who need them, since he is too big for them now. He usually uses his blue 'pas', and I keep his two green pacifiers in the cupboard for when he wakes up at 2 am asking for his pas and/or when we can't find the blue one. He likes the green pas better than the blue one because it is softer. Had I thought about it, I would have just had him set out the blue one rather than pulling out the two green pacifiers too. He saw those and said 'baby one, me two'. He was willing to give up the blue one but not the two green pacifiers. He popped one green pas in his mouth and I told him it was okay to suck on it one last time. At that point, Jordan doubled over laughing (somewhat silently) at the situation. McKay finished sucking on that one and said 'baby two, me one'. We were getting closer!

We showed him some pictures of new babies and showed him how small they are and then talked about how many big kid things he can do. Finally, he surrendered the last pas, saying 'me no pas (shaking his head no), baby pas (nodding his head yes)'. We reminded him the pacifier fairy would bring him a surprise for his pas and he went to bed without his pas for the first time in his life.

He only asked once for a drink of water and when I went in there he said again, 'baby pas, me no pas'. And that is how it has been at each nap time or bedtime. He remembers he gave his pas to the new babies and goes to sleep. We are so proud of McKay! Our boy is growing up on us!

McKay was excited to see that the pacifier fairy left him some Magic Sand, the Brown Bear book collection, and some silly putty, which he played with off and on all day long. He's only used his pas to sleep and has kept it on his dresser the rest of the day for quite a while, which I think helped. He sure was cute trying to negotiate how many he was willing to give up and if we didn't feel it was 'time' to be done with the pas it sure would have been easy to let him keep it a little longer. Now he has 4 months until his little brother is born and I don't think (hope) he will be taking his brother's pas now, and yes, we are hoping for another pas baby!

McKay enjoying his surprises' with Daddy.

Bonus pictures:

McKay likes going to Trader Joes. They have good samples and he gets stickers and a balloon most of the time. It is hard to tell but he has stickers on each cheek, on top of his head in his hair, and on his chin, as well as the stickers you can see. They only stay on for a few minutes. For some reason, his hair is always the first place he puts stickers.

That's our boy!

The First Week of a New Year

So far this year:

• McKay has decided he doesn't need to sleep during nap time. Once McKay makes up his mind, we are finding it is difficult to change it. He did take a nap after church on Sunday though, when we told him if he slept he could have a cookie when he woke up. First thing he said when he woke up? Cookie! We are NOT giving up on naps yet!
  
• I have been doing menu's based around what is on sale at the store. I usually plan our meals around what is on sale but this time I am writing it down and making sure I have all the ingredients for what I plan to make. I am also making a special effort to make sure we have lots of fruit and vegetables at each meal (again... it is SO EASY to slack off on this one). I LOVE knowing what is for dinner ahead of time. Now if I can just keep it up all year...
• Jordan started off the year by working the first Saturday after we got back. That made my week of no naps longer but it is nice to have his Saturday for the year out of the way.
• Our church is at 9 am and we are surprised to say we love it! We came home, had dinner, took naps, had home evening and spent the evening together. Something about having church at 1 pm with a toddler has made us love 9 am. AND we were even early, something that was awfully hard to do with the 1 pm time. Hope we can keep that up all year too. :)
• I've started a list of meals we enjoy, categorized by main ingredients, for those times when I have NO IDEA what to make and nothing sounds good.
• I am definitely in the 'honeymoon' phase of pregnancy. My energy has returned for the most part and my belly is growing by the day (it seems anyway). Our boy is very active and I LOVE IT!
• McKay and I went to the library today and replenished our supply of books to read. We also went to the grocery store and since I only needed a couple of things, we just used a small basket. My helper held one handle and I held the other until it was too heavy and then we both held both handles. We used the self check-out and McKay insisted on bagging the groceries for me. It definitely would have been easier to use a cart but then we wouldn't have made several people smile at us throughout the store!
• I am trying to get as much as I can done now, before tax season hits in full force since I will only have a month after it ends before our baby is born. 4 months really isn't all that long when you think of it that way!
• After a couple of weeks of fighting with my new haircut, my hair will be curly for a while. It looks cute (or so people at church told me) I like it again!
• Jordan has basketball twice a week now that the church basketball tournament has started. He is also doing a 10k the first Saturday in February.
• McKay has been eating a ton. I think he must be going through a growth spurt. His nursery leaders even noticed he was eating a lot.
  
• It's gonna be a great year!

Happy Holidays

This year we were able to spend Christmas in Snowflake. My brother Chris flew to our house on December 16th, just after finishing his last final for the semester. We spent a day taking it easy and a day in San Francisco (somehow I don't have any pictures of SF). It was fun being in San Francisco when everything was decorated for the holidays. The tree at Pier 39 was enormous! I also confirmed my suspicion that I prefer to have Jordan do the driving in San Francisco. Especially at 5 pm on a Friday afternoon! McKay loved having 'ris' to play with and the two of them came up with lots of games. I enjoyed preparing dinner by myself and uninterrupted!

Saturday morning we packed the car and Chris, McKay and I headed for southern California. Jordan still had to work until Christmas Eve so we left him here. It was sad to have to leave him! We got to Palmdale just in time for a ward Christmas dinner in my Aunt Mary's ward where Chris also served as a missionary. We spent the next couple of days visiting people Chris served with on his mission. It was enjoyable to meet so many people who were so excited and surprised to see Chris. I went to the Spanish branch with him. 2 years of Spanish in high school helped me understand parts of what they were saying but not everything, especially the talks. One Spanish sister even wanted us to come to dinner - she has a daughter she thinks would be PERFECT for Chris! ;)

Monday morning we headed for Snowflake. I was still trying to figure out how to travel with a potty-trained boy who can't 'hold it' for very long as well as dealing with frequent potty stops for this pregnant mama so the drive took FOREVER! About an hour from Snowflake, McKay had had it. He was all smiles though once we got in the house to see everyone. When it was time to drive home on January 2nd, Jordan and I decided to drive straight through rather than stopping in southern California. We stopped twice. The first stop took 6 minutes (according to the GPS) and we just got gas and used the restroom. The second stop was in Kettleman city, pretty much the only place to stop between here and so cal and everyone else had the same idea so it took about an hour. Overall, the drive took 13 hours. McKay was a champ. The last 20 minutes he was upset but as soon as I took him out of his seat to go in the house, he was out cold on my shoulder. Poor kid! The only other thing that happened on our drive back was that just after Bakersfield, we hit a huge patch of dense fog. I think it is the thickest I have ever driven through. We were glad when it cleared up. The DVD player we purchased along with the lunch and snacks my Mom packed for us enabled us to make the drive in the time we did. McKay loved the cucumbers & banana she sent for him.

We didn't quite get to do everything we had planned for our visit (does that EVER work out?) but we did get to do a lot including the following:

• McKay loved getting to help decorate the Christmas tree. Our place is so small we don't have room for a big tree so I just set up a small tree on a table. It takes about 5 minutes to decorate. He enjoyed helping Chris with the lights and finding different decorations to put on 'his spot' of the tree. After he went to sleep, his spot got spread out. :)
• McKay liked having Dustin hold him. He'd put his chin on Dustin's shoulder until one of them was ready for a change. McKay got Dustin's name down right when we got there and anytime we went anywhere, he wanted to go back to 'Dustin's house', including for several days after we got back to California.
• We've discovered McKay loves to play games (YAY!!) 'Yasee' (Yahtzee) and Perudo were games we played a lot while we were there. He was constantly asking to play 'dice' and always had his own cup to shake along with the rest of us. He also enjoyed playing other games that were more for his age and the phrase 'my turn' was added to his vocabulary. Perudo is a game Aunt Mary gave the family for Christmas. Definitely one we'll have to add to our collection!
• Due to circumstances beyond our control, Jordan spent Christmas Eve at the Shereton in Phoenix. He enjoyed seeing the rim and beautiful snow covered mountains on his flight to Show Low Christmas morning. We were so happy when he arrived safely!
  
• The day after Christmas we had family pictures taken. We are excited to see how they turned out. We were also able to attend my cousin David's wedding reception.
  
• Jordan & I celebrated our 4th anniversary by staying a night at a resort in Scottsdale. On the way down, we stopped in Queen Creek at the house we bought with my parents in July so Jordan could see it. We had some great Mexican food and had some pretty awesome pancakes from US Egg. We enjoyed being together, just the two of us. We had been in Arizona long enough McKay didn't want to leave and was perfectly happy to wave 'bye bye' to us so he could stay at Nanna and Papas. When we came back we got a lot of 'hi mamas' and 'hi daddy's but not our usual big hug when we've been gone. We're glad he loves being with Nanna & Papas!
• Nanna took McKay sledding in Heber with his cousins. He wasn't too sure about going down by himself but with Nanna, he was fearless! We met them in Heber at Melinda & Devin's on our way back from the valley.
• Nanna gave McKay a haircut while we were gone. Probably the best haircut he'll get till we go back next year. :)
• I got a much needed haircut and a 1 hour massage Jordan gave me for Christmas. Jordan cashed in his Valentines day gift early and got his first 1 hour massage - and loved it!
• Jordan and I were able to do a session in the Snowflake Temple on New Year's Eve. Wonderful!
• Mom & Dad were in charge of the New Year's Eve party so they had it in the guest house. We had a lot of fun.
• McKay loved spending time with his cousins, aunts, and uncles and I loved that he was so comfortable with everyone and his surroundings that he wasn't constantly by my side.
  
• We played lots of games, watched a few movies, and made lots of memories. McKay loved seeing everyone and was quick to greet them with a cheerful 'hi'. He could even say every one's names, though Chantelle & David were a little harder to recognize.
  

McKay and Uncle Chris watching Brant open his Christmas presents Sunday morning at Aunt Mary's house.

McKay helping Nanna make cookies.

McKay playing a game with Chris on his computer.

Not to be outdone by his uncles or papa, McKay did a few pull ups too. Chris found it was easiest to put McKay on his shoulders and let him do his pull ups from there, complete with grunts and everything.

McKay helping Nanna Anna make labels for goodie plates.

I didn't notice until we had been decorating for a while that McKay was putting all his decorations in the same place!

Watching a show with Uncle David.

Sweeping the floor.

David, Chris, McKay & Papa playing in the Tee pee.

McKay wore them out with his running games. :)

Opening presents Christmas morning.

McKay was so happy to see Daddy and had a blast opening presents. Christmas gets more and more fun each year!

This Elmo shapes/mailbox toy from Nanna and Papa was a huge hit!

Yet ANOTHER train!

Playing Games
Cars, Thin Ice (check out the tongue - lotsa concentration going on there!) and Scooby-Doo dice

Hide & Seek or Gray Wolf. I think they started with one and moved to the other. I am sure it was a variation of the game since they were playing with a 5 year old, a 3 year old, and two 2 year-olds. No peeking here!
Somehow I only got Dustin's feet but all three uncles were playing with the kids.

We wanted to watch a new movie we'd gotten for Christmas but McKay had other plans. HE wanted to play 'yasee'. So we started Yahtzee, then the movie. The movie won his attention but the minute it was over, he was ready to play 'dice'!

Choo Choo!

Hey look! The chairs in the guest house are set up like a train for the New Years Eve party!

McKay, Kindsey, Kenton, and Kardon ready to watch Ice Age in the house. McKay sat on the couch and Kindsey sat right next to him soon followed by her brothers. There's room for one more! Any takers?? Thanks Dustin and Chantelle for taking care of them while we were at the New Years Eve party!

We enjoyed playing Mad Gab, eating delicious snacks, and doing a white elephant gift exchange. Aunt Sheila really scored this year with an unopened 2008 wolf calendar and a 2XL "Real Plumbers Pump Iron" t-shirt that could fit at least 2 of her in it. (click the collage to get the full effect.) I wonder where that gift came from??!? Maybe it will show up at next years exchange. :) Stewarts also got the fan that has been going around for 20+ years. I'm not sure how they got so lucky! We had a great time with lots of good laughs and memories made. Insert 'Oh my!' from Kimberly.

Things to Remember

McKay 'helping' me fix the Christmas lights.

McKay has started to really enjoy crafts. The top pictures are of a card he made to send to Grandpa & Grandma Moser on their mission. He made the snowman and nativity at preschool and the circles are his first encounter with markers, which he loved. In the middle picture, his nativity, baby Jesus, Joseph & Mary are making a train. Anything lined up is a train. Choo-choo!

He got a little distracted while putting the silverware away. Both are medicine dispensers.

He just couldn't make two trips to put away our socks. :)

McKay was cold and wanted me to wrap him in a blanket. I was fixing dinner so I wrapped him up and tucked it in so it would stay. He thought that was pretty neat and was very careful to not let it unwrap... for a while anyway!

12-15-09
When we were in Monterey for Thanksgiving, Jordan didn't realize how low the ceiling was and went to put McKay on his shoulders and hit his head on the ceiling. Now every time Jordan lifts him up, McKay points to the ceiling and says 'no head'! He didn't cry but he also hasn't forgotten!

12-12-09
We have an old pie pan from Frontier Pies we use for tater tots and fish sticks. One night when we were washing dishes, Jordan was washing and McKay and I were rinsing. I rejected the pie pan due to a spot I found on the pan. Now EVERY TIME we wash the pie pan McKay rejects the pan because of a spot (stain) on the old pan. We try to sneak it past him but it rarely works. This night we told HIM to clean it and gave him a scraper. He worked on it the rest of the time we were washing and was upset when we sneaked (or thought we did) it past him to finish up. This kid remembers everything!

12-08-09
McKay notices Christmas Trees (any decorated tree) wherever we go. He LOVES to put things under the tree.

We got the Christmas Classics this year so I told McKay that if he ate all his food for dinner, we could watch a surprise show. He was excited to watch a 'boo ow' (BOO! Show). After a couple of evenings it turned into 'ise ow' (surprise show) even after Jordan and I started calling it a Christmas show.

McKay likes to wear my slippers. We were playing and he kept saying 'my shoe' and I'd return with 'no MY shoe'. To seal the deal, he went and put my slippers in his drawer where we put his shoes. I remembered this when I went to find my slippers after he was in bed.

12-04-09
McKay's new favorite cold cereal is Lucky Charms. His previous favorite was Rice Crispy's. He also really likes Cinnamon Life. We have more cold cereal than usual around since I am pregnant!

12-2-09
Tonight we had a family group hug, then kisses, then "I Love You" whispered secrets, then nosey kisses. It is pretty tricky to get 3 noses together to rub!

12-1-09
We pulled up to Trader Joes and McKay said 'no yogurt, home'. Yes, we DO still have some of his yogurt at home but HOW did he know we were at the store where we buy his yogurt??