Biggest Loser

I can't help but brag a little about my husband. I hope this doesn't embarrass him too much. My family started a Biggest Loser type weight loss competition in October I believe. The goal was obviously to lose weight. You were awarded points for losing weight and exercising and we had occasional weekly challenges that gave you additional points. You would get negative points for gaining weight and for eating sweets. You also had to pay a monetary penalty for each sweet you had beyond a weekly free one.

We've done this competition several times. The first time was while Brendan and I were dating. It really helped me get in shape and lose my freshman 15 I was still hanging on to after college. We did it again shortly after we were married. We both participated but neither of us really were committed to it so we didn't do well.

Mom, Dad, Marianne, Joanna, Valerie, Liz, Brendan and I were competing this round. I was on a modified version since I'm pregnant. So my goal was to gain weight, but not more than I was supposed to during my pregnancy. I mainly wanted to participate to support Brendan and to be motivated to exercise regularly and to not eat sweets.

Brendan was the overall winner of the competition! He lost around 40 pounds in 3 months! He was really good about sticking to a diet and going to the gym regularly.

WAY TO GO SWEETIE! I'M PROUD OF YOU FOR BEING THE BIGGEST LOSER!

The family is thinking about starting the competition up again so I'm sure we'll be signing up again. We've both still got awhile to go before we reach our goal weights but we are excited to be more healthy, happy, and have more energy to chase after Hobbes.

Christmas

Christmas time was really fun with a 2 1/2 year old. He was able to appreciate everything so much more than last year. He really liked hearing and singing Christmas songs with Brendan and I. He loved the Christmas tree and decorations. He loved the presents and he loved reading books about baby Jesus. What a special time of year. I can tell it is going to be fun seeing Christmas through our children's eyes as they grow up.

Here is Hobbes at our Ward Christmas party with Santa. I'm so proud that both this year and last year he wasn't scared of Santa, even though other children his age are. When I was showing Hobbes these pictures he said it was "Hobbes and Jesus" not Hobbes and Santa. I guess he already knows that Jesus is the true reason for Christmas.

We spent Christmas Eve with Brendan's Dad, Shayne, and his sister, brother and half-brother (Christina, Ross and Grayson). We ate a delicious prime rib prepared by Brendan. Then we played the longest game of Uno I have ever played. I think we were playing for over 2 hours. At least we were all having fun while we were playing!

When bedtime came Hobbes wore his Christmas pajamas from Grandpa and Grandma Nash and then he had a tickling/wrestling match with Daddy. Here's a cute picture of them. We read a more age appropriate version of the Christmas story and then Hobbes was off to bed.

Here is Hobbes searching through his stocking on Christmas morning.

Here are the Mega Blocks that "Santa" brought Hobbes. Brendan did an amazing job of setting them up so he had a tall giraffe and some other kind of creature waiting to greet him on Christmas morning.

Here are two of his favorite presents by far: a race car and Thomas the Train.

After Christmas morning at our house we headed over to Grandpa and Grandma Nash's house. We had a fun day of visiting with family. I think Hobbes liked being the oldest cousin. He would boss the other kids around and delegate which toys they could play with, it any. We're working on helping him share more. Obviously, we still have much work to do.

Here are some pictures we tried to take of all 3 of the grandchildren on this side of the family. It's pretty hard to keep such small children still for even 30 seconds.

We spent Christmas with my family in Tillamook the week after Christmas. I forgot to take my camera so I don't have any pictures. Marianne was there with all her kids along with Joanna, Valerie and Liz. Hobbes really liked having older children there to chase him and play with. He really became attached to Marianne and Wesley's only son, Ammon. Hobbes just loved watching his every move and following him around. I'm glad our second child will be a boy, Hobbes is really going to enjoy having a younger brother to teach and play with.

Thanksgiving in Tillamook

This year we spent our first Thanksgiving ever in Tillamook. Brendan usually had to work in the past but he was able to get a few days off. He couldn't join us for the whole time because he still had to work one of the days, but it was fun to have him there with the family when it was possible. Joanna, Valerie and Liz drove down from Utah as well as my Aunt Dorothy and Uncle John as well as 6 of their children (along with 2 spouses, 2 children and a boyfriend). It was fun to have so much company. Unfortunately, I didn't snap any pictures of the actual feast or family all together. But here are a few pictures that map out some of the adventures we had.

When my parents first moved to Tillamook, my Dad enjoyed driving around on the logging trails in the hills above their home. He found this great lookout spot that he calls "The Top of the World". From the Top of the World you can see all of the Tillamook Valley and the bay. We usually take a trip up there when we are visiting. I remember the family taking Brendan up there when we were dating. It's a pretty awesome sight.

Here are Mom and Dad at the Top of the World with the valley, bay and Pacific Ocean behind them.


Here are Liz and Hobbes. I love that Hobbes is clinging onto Liz so tightly. They weren't close to the end at all.

One of the many beautiful views from the Top of the World.

After everyone left to head back to Utah Brendan and I began our search for the perfect Christmas tree. Dad and Mom have a Christmas tree farm they started several years ago. This was our first official Christmas tree. For the first few years of marriage we didn't worry about it since we didn't have space for a tree and we always spent Christmas at our families' houses. But last year we wanted to have one for Hobbes. We ended up wrapping Christmas lights around an indoor palm tree that our landlord left. It was nice to have a tree but it wasn't a real one.

So thanks to Mom and Dad for generously letting us have one of their trees. Here was the lucky winner. Dad said he needed to be thinned out anyways because he was blocking other trees around him.

Hobbes had fun running through the trees.

Here is the freshly cut tree.

We are really glad we had the tree this year. It was nice to have the smell in the house and to decorate it. We made a couple of popcorn garlands to hang on it. I caught Hobbes eating them a couple of days later. So we took them off and just stuck with our ornaments. This experience taught me that I need to water the tree a lot more than I thought as well. The tree lasted a few weeks but then dried up and the needles would fall off. So we'll try again next year and see if we had keep it alive and brilliantly green until Christmas Day!

Utah

Brendan, Hobbes and I went to Utah with my Mom and Dad to drop Liz of at BYU. We had a lot of fun. I got to show Brendan some of the BYU campus, we ate at Café Río and he met lots of my extended family that he hadn't met before.

Here he is in the Bean Museum learning about the bear necessities from the experts. On second thought, maybe these 3 bears aren't experts since they were caught and stuffed.

I saw this hippo head and thought, "what would my sister Valerie do?" Hence the silly pose.

While in Utah we were privileged to be with Valerie as she went through the Temple for the first time to receive her endowment. It was a very special experience and we're glad we were there to share in the Spirit with her.

I love this picture. We stayed at my cousins house during the trip and one morning I woke up to find Mom and Dad huddled around the TV playing Wheel of Fortune. It was so funny. I'm glad I got a picture of it before they realized I was there.

Sorry to all my Utah friends reading this. It was a very short trip and we didn't have any spare time to visit. I did think of you though and wished we could have visited you.

Zoo

This past Summer we also enjoyed our Zoo Membership passes. Hobbes absolutely LOVES the zoo. He loves seen the underwater exhibits. This first picture shows a seal that would swim circles around the tank and come up right next to the glass. All the children would squeal with excitement. It was very fun to watch.

Here's an failed attempt at getting a picture of me with Hobbes in front of the penguins. He obviously didn't have time to stop and take pictures. He just wanted to run around and see the animals.

Hobbes running into the African area.

He loved seeing the giraffe.

Here he is pointing out the giraffe to Daddy.

Looking at the lazy zebras with Dad.

Ultrasound Pictures

I know, I know, I'm super late in posting these considering the baby is due in 1 week. Oh well, better late than never, right?

Here is the baby's profile.

Here is his face. I think this shot is pretty freaky looking. It looks like it could be a scary Halloween mask or something.

Here is a picture of his right foot.

And here is the proof that he is a boy.

Fall Leaves

I couldn't help but post these pictures of Hobbes playing in the leaves. He was pretty good about helping rake them up and put them in our yard debris bin. However, once the bin was full he was all for jumping in the piles and dumping leave on his head and on the bushes. What a fun memory!

Halloween 2009

Here is my baby bump at the end of October. Almost 6 months along.


Here is a before shot of our pumpkin.

Hobbes had fun watching and trying to help Brendan carve the pumpkin. He even got his toy shovel out of his toy basket to help.

And here is the masterpiece. Way to go Brendan! He's so much more talented that I am. I would have butchered the pumpkin.

Hobbes was Batman for Halloween.

Brendan's Dad [Shayne], Brendan and I took Hobbes trick-or-treating around our church building neighborhood. He was too shy to say "trick-or-treat" (when he says it, it sounds like "pick-or-pete" or "pickled-feet") to strangers. He at least said "thank you" a few times.

Everytime he saw a house that had a jack-o-lantern outside he would say "trick-or-treat" and start walking up to the door. For weeks after Halloween if he ever saw a pumpkin he would want to go trick-or-treating at the house.

He caught on really quickly and loved the idea of getting tons of candy from people. Many people would just lower the bowl to his level and let him choose what item he wanted. That's when he would grab a handful (really only 2 or 3 candies). He seriously got more candy visiting 12 houses than I remember getting when I would visit 30 as a kid.

I am proud to say that it took Hobbes almost 3 months to finish off the candy. I must admit that Brendan and I both helped out with our share of it and I gave some of it away to my Primary class, but Hobbes did get the bulk of it.