Traditions

We have a Christmas Eve tradition where we all get new pj's and a new book. The kids love to spend then evening going through their new book with the family. This year Caden got a new Star Wars book and Trenton got the Guiness Book of World Records that he had been asking for the last 6 months! Dave go the book, I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski - Life, The Big Lebowski, and What Have You and I got the Vince Flynn book that I've been waiting to read.

Snow Much Fun!

We've had tons of snow. We probably have at least 18 inches in our yard right now. The boys have been having great fun playing in it as often as possible. Of course, that is followed by a cup of hot chocolate. Here are a few pictures of our recent snow adventures.

A Closer Look

Aren't ultra sound images amazing these days??? We had a 2nd ultra sound today and were lucky enough to get this 3D view of our little baby. Dave thinks she looks like Caden did when he was born. Check out those chubby cheeks and scowl on her face. After we finally got this picture she covered her face with her little hands and wouldn't let us see her again. I think she has an attitude already! They did confirm for a 2nd time that it is indeed a girl which put my mind at ease. Now I can officially wash all the pink items I have for her! Just 9-10 weeks left until we get to meet the newest member of our family.

It's been too long!

It's been way too long since I've posted to my blog! Sorry to both of you faithful viewers!
Anyhow, we've been busy but with nothing special.

Some of the recent highlights:

* Trenton participated in his first karate tournament! He won 1st and 4th place in his two events.
*Caden finished up his soccer year. He had an excellent season...scoring at least 4 goals per game.
* Trenton moved up to orange belt with black stripe in karate. Next time he will move to purple belt (February / March)
* Caden started karate. Watch out Trenton!
*Trenton decided to join basketball. This is his first real experience with the sport. His first game is Saturday!
*Marnie's belly keeps getting bigger and bigger.
* Dave has been working a lot and been very helpful around the house.
* We visited friends in CleElum for Thanksgiving.
* Marnie got up at 3:30 to do some Black Friday shopping.....CRAZY!!

Ultra Sound

Had an ultra sound today. Here is our baby's first picture!
Hope you can see the profile and baby's arm:-)
Well, I know we said we weren't going to find out if it was
a boy or girl BUT we cheated and took a peek. Scroll down if you
want to know the sex of the baby.

Here's what you've been waiting for!!!!!!!!

Here is the answer to everyone's question!
It's a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, and no making fun of my belly!!!!

Bad picture, but a great time!

On Sunday we went to the Maroon 5 concert at the White RiverAmphitheater in Auburn. We had such a great time! For those that don't know, I'm a huge Maroon 5 fan and was so excited to see them in concert. I've only seen a handful of bands play live so it was great to make them one of them. Counting Crows also played as well as a group called Augustana. All the groups were awesome and both Dave and I had a great time!

New Karate Student

Well, Caden is officially a karate student. He took his first class on Monday. This is a big year for him, he is starting kindergarten, karate and playing soccer all at the same time. Soccer only lasts through October but I can tell this new schedule is going to wear my little guy out. I know he' having fun, but he still gets a little cranky. Hopefully he will adjust soon to the new schedule.

Camping

We decided to go on a little overnight camping trip this past weekend. I bought Dave a tent a few years back. Dave didn't specify that he was hoping for a smaller tent, and I got about the biggest one I could find. Dave calls it the "King Dome."
The boys always have a great time camping. We camped at Deception Pass and it really was a very nice campground. My favorite part was the hot shower in the morning;-) We set up the tent, ate s'mores, and of course told scary stories. We don't go often, but when we do the boys really love it!

Back to School

First day of school! I used to love going back to school each fall. I see the same spark in Trenton's eyes whenever we get close to the beginning of September. He can hardly wait to get back to class and see all his friends. This year he is in 4th grade! He has a new teacher to the school. His teacher's name is Mr. Beach. Caden is also very excited about school this year. He is finally in Kindergarten. I'm not sure if he is more excited about school starting or the fact that he will get to ride the bus! Here are a few pictures from their first day of school. Caden's teacher is Miss Johnson. I think both kids will have a fun school year!

Expectations

We are excited to officially announce that we will be adding a new member to the Gray household! Yes, we are expecting a new baby in February 2009! We heard the heartbeat for the first time today. The boys claim to be excited but I can tell they aren't quite sure what to expect. It's a whole new adventure and we are really excited to see what February brings!

Wild Waves

Trenton is 9!! Can you believe it???? The day before his birthday he had his Nina and Grandpa here to have cake and celebrate his birthday. A couple of neighbors came over and they played in the bounce house, slid on the slip 'n slide, and sprayed each other with water guns.

As part of the ongoing celebration we also took the boys and one friend to Wild Waves for the day. It was the perfect day! The weather was wonderful, the park wasn't crowded and we spent all day playing in the water and on the park rides. Trenton rode the loop roller coaster all by himself. All the boys had fun and were wore out by the end of the day. Both Dave and I were exhausted by the end but it was fun to see the boys having so much fun. Enjoy some of the pictures!

Caden's Naughty Day

The other day Caden couldn't seem to keep himself under control. While brushing the cat, I noticed that he was missing a chunk of hair AND all of his whiskers had been clipped short. When confronted he blamed the mishap on our fish. Apparently they had decided that Obi needed a whisker trim. Later I noticed that he had also trimmed up a pair of his pants AND cut apart his brother's scarf. Of course, the scissors have been put away and a strict warning has been given about how and when to use scissors. Later that day after, playing with his friend, he came home with drawings all over his body! I couldn't believe he let someone write all over him. I have no idea who's idea it was but Caden seemed to think his new "tatoos" were cool. His naughtiness seemed to be leaking out all over the place that day. Anyhow, I hope this picture of Obi's whiskers is clear enough to see the damage.

Sorry, not sure why this picture keeps posting sideways! Guess we'll just call it an artistic photo!

1st Lost Tooth

Caden lost his first tooth! Well, technically, Daddy pulled it out. I couldn't believe that Caden was brave enough to let him try. First they tried to pull it out with floss but in the end he just grabbed and pulled. Caden didn't even know it was missing at first. He was so excited to wake up the next morning to find that the tooth fairy had left him $1.50! What an exciting day!

Slip 'N Slide

I know, I never post! Oh well.
Summer is definitely here and the boys cooled off while playing in the slip 'n slide. They had a great time!

The Big Day!

It's been FOREVER since I've posted to my blog! Sorry to all of you that ever check on my blog. I thought about going back and trying to post about things we've done over the past couple months that I haven't blogged, but quite honestly, I'm too LAZY. So I'm starting fresh with today's post.

My little baby had a graduation celebration today for preschool. All the kids looked so adorable. We just loved Caden's teachers this year and so it was a little sad to say goodbye. We are so pleased with how well Caden did and we just can't believe he is ready for kindergarten! What a big boy!

More Easter Moments

This picture was taken at an Easter party we went to the week before Easter. The boys had a great time. When Caden first saw the Easter Bunny he started crying and running across the lawn, scared silly! All the eggs he had collected were bouncing out of his bucket as he ran. Later he saw the bunny take off his "head" and some how that made it all better. I guess that is all it took for him to realize that the bunny was really a person and not a scary monster. He even sat with him for this picture.

Easter Memories

I hope all of you had a wonderful Easter. Ours was soggy but great! It's always fun to watch the kids hunting for eggs...brings back so many memories from my own youth! It's always great to get together with family and friends and celebrate the many things we all have to be thankful for.
I ate WAY to much delicious food that day. It happens every year! Everyone picks such great dishes to share with the group.
The kids all had a good time (I think.) We had about 250 Easter eggs for only 6 kids. Their buckets were overflowing! Eggs were everywhere! Time to start planning next years event....hopefully minus the rain!