Thankful

I love Thanksgiving! It really is one of my favorite holidays because it isn't commercialized and it makes me reflect on those things I am grateful for. Lately I've been really grateful for all the boys in my life and I decided instead of just a sweeping statement of gratitude I'd list a couple of reasons why I love these wonderful boys:
1. Shawn: I am grateful for Shawn because he cut 90 blocks on his Saturday wearing these huge gun earmuff things for Super Saturday. I am grateful for Shawn because if I EVER need him, he drops anything and comes home to help me. I am grateful for Shawn because he laughs at really silly things and it helps me lighten up! I am grateful for Shawn because he is humble, intelligent, kind, strong, and HOT!
2. Sam: I am grateful for Sammy boy because he is soooo smart! He is my little buddy and helps me out so much. I am grateful for Sam because he loves me even after I just put him in time-out or spanked him. I am grateful for Sam because he is our little guinea pig for parenting and he is such a good boy inspite of our lack of experience. I am grateful for Sam because he sings Twisted Sister and Run DMC instead of kid songs. I am grateful for Sam because his laugh is one of my favorite sounds.
3. Jack: I am grateful for Jack because he is HERE! I have been waiting for him for a really long time, and he doesn't disappoint. I am grateful for Jack because he lights up when he smiles, and smiles if I show up. I am grateful for Jack because he is such a good baby, eats well, sleeps well, and is content. I am grateful for Jack because he loves to cuddle.

Sorry that I indulged a little on this post, but I hope this gives you a chance to think about things you are grateful for, because if you are like me, there are so many things in my life that I am blessed to have. Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's a few photos to part with - Here's the boys at the BYU v. Utah game - I can only say the food and company helped sooth the ache of losing, there's always next year! We had thought of naming Jack, Max, now Shawn is happy we went with Jack instead. (Poor Max Hall!)

We are leaving to go to Denver for Thanksgiving and I was upstairs packing when Sam became really quiet. I decided a little too late to check on him, and this was what I found (Sam said he was making a flour sand castle!) Nice huh? My first reaction was to laugh (wait before you think that was a good response), but Sam thought that meant that he could continue playing in the flour and sent more flying. This led to me getting upset that he wasn't minding, and him crying because I yanked him off the counter - so he's a little red-eyed in the picture! What's the craziest prediciment that you have ever found your kids in?

Summers Sons' Saturday Soup

Go COUGARS - thats right its the B.I.G. game today BYU v. Utah. We'll be going over to our friends house with fellow BYU alum to watch and will be getting back to you on those results....
This week Sam had Mom's day at preschool and I was able to see all the fun things he does at school. He is such a smart boy and his teachers are so great. We talked about Native Americans and made a head dressed. They also asked them questions about us the day before, like our ages, weight, etc. Sam said that I was 38 and that I weighed 22 lbs. HE also said my favorite thing to do was "play with him all of the time!" I had a great time with Sam. He is such a good boy and is growing so fast!


Jack has found his fingers, especially his thumb and has really started chewing and sucking on them. He is such a good boy and loves to smile and coo at us. Sam and Jack are starting to interact, which is so fun to watch. !
Sam loves Jack (sometimes a little too much) and Jack loves being entertained by Sammy boy. I'm so lucky to have these two little boys in our home.


I attended the Twilight Movie premier Thursday night at midnight with a group of other crazy girls. It was hilarious to be in line (first in line mind you) all wearing Twilight t-shirts (mine was homemade - yes those are scrapbook stickers that kept falling off) with a bunch of teenage girls. Part of my was loving being there acting like a 16 year old screaming when the movie started, and the other part of me was thinking how tired my 25 year old self would be tomorrow taking care of my kids. The movie was really good and the Edward is growing on me, so I'm so glad I went and giggled with my bffs.

Surprise!

I love surprises (even though Sam explained to me today that surprise is only a word we use on Christmas)! Today I surprised Shawn with tickets to the Kansas City Chiefs football game for his birthday. Do you love Shawn's bag? So manly.
Sam went over to our friends the Janke's (THANK YOU!! Sam had a great time with the boys) and Jack, Shawn, and I headed south. Shawn figured it out about 10 minutes into the drive. It was so much fun and we had great seats and Jack was wonderful and was the star of our section.
Here's our heart attack on a plate, well not technically a plate rather a cardboard drink holder! YUM!

We had a blast! Thank you Jennifer and Joe again, and Go Chiefs!

Summers Sons' Saturday Soup

The Saturday Soup is turning into Sunday leftovers, but we've been able to have so many visitors these past two months, that it has been making it hard for me to keep up! I apologize in advance.

After having Jack it amazed me how much Sam suddenly grew up. He has been saying the funniest things lately and here's a little sampling of his recent stand-up show:
*We were talking about what we want to do when we grow up, and I told Sam that I wanted to be a mommy. He then asked me if I had any questions and the conversation went like this:
Megan: "You'll answer anything I ask you?"
Sam: "Sure"
Megan: "Okay, what do mommy's do?"
Sam: "They put boys into time-out!"
*He hates to blow his nose, wash his hands, and bathe, basically all things that are cleanly and sanitary. He had a big sneeze and I asked him if he needed a kleenex. Sam sniffed really hard, and said: "No (SNIFF) - I'll just put them (SNIFF) back to their home (SNIFF).
*He has been loving dressing up as a pirate as you've seen from several of the past posts. A few nights ago while saying his prayers he refused to put down his telescope and he had a "pirate prayer", one arm folded, the other holding the telescope up to his eye, and praying that he could find the buried treasure.

Jack is also getting so big and so much fun. He loves to smile and responds so good to our voices. He had his 2 month appointment on Thursday and here are his stats:
Weight: 10 lbs. 14 oz. - 45%
Height: 22 1/2 inches - 45%
He also got his shots that day and I really thought that it would be easier this time around. Well it wasn't. They stuck him and it took about 2 seconds for him to register that it hurt and then he cried. It was that sad cry, and even after it was over it took about 2 minutes for him (and me) to stop. It is the most agonizing thing in the world to hear your baby cry like that, and from here on out Shawn is officially in charge of vaccinations.

This weekend Shawn's mom and dad came out to see Jack and Sam, and we had a great time just hanging out and of course eating out! Yum! Thanks Julie and Kelly for the fun visit, we can't wait to see you two "Whasskly Whabbits" in a few weeks for Thanksgiving.

Summers Sons' Saturday Soup - Trick or Treat Style

Here in Iowa they seem to celebrate Halloween all week long, so we partied like it was 1999! Sam celebrated with his preschool class Thursday morning and brought home a bucketful of goodies.Then we went out Thursday night on Beggars Night (we still are baffeled as to why they have trick or treating the night before?) and Sam visited all the neighbors houses and again scored a stash of candy. Finally Friday night we bummed off the Raccoon River Wards' Trunk or Treat to show off the boys' cute costumes. Sam has really loved Halloween and dressing up, and has been dressing up in all sorts of costumes lately. This morning he came into my room carrying a load of costumes and he ended up with this! How cute is he? He even talks pirate lingo. It is great. Jack was a good sport as I literally had to squeeze him into his Woody costume (I made it to size a month ago). He looked so cute! We are trying to come down from our sugar high, and hope that we won't get a cavity from all the sweets. Happy Halloween to all . . .

Sooooo Busy, Soooo Fun!

Sorry for not keeping up with my weekly Summers Sons' Soup - but we have just been crazy busy and loving every minute of it. My roommate from BYU, Rebekah, came out to visit us this weekend - and we had such a great time. We showed her the heartland of Iowa and laughed and giggled! Thanks Bekah for making the trip, we loved having you! Here are some pictures of our adventures here in Iowa:

Living History Farms Halloween -
This was how I found Jack just before we loaded back into the car after we were done! How sad!

Howell's Pumpkin Patch - This is our last trip to Howell's and Sam has loved it every year, and every year we've taken a picture of him to see "how tall" he is.

As for the boys, they are also loving the company with the exception of being in their carseats more than they like.Bandaids have become Sam's new "comfort" lately - at first I loved this but lately he's been having a lot of owies on his face, and insists upon wearing a bandaid. People look at me like "Whose wierd child is this?"He also recieved a new pair of PJ's from Grandma! Loved them - Lightning McQueen is still the bomb!Sam put them on right away, telling me they would make him warm and cozy. He also tried to wear them to preschool today, but I convinced him it wouldn't be a great idea.

Jack has been smiling for about two weeks now, and I haven't been able to get a really good picture of him smiling - but here's my best attempt. He is such a happy boy and loves to be held and snuggled.


Both boys are destined to be BYU fans and we are starting early on their True Blue attire.
We carved pumpkins last night for FHE and came up with some good pumpkins - Shawn always outshines us with his creativity, and seriously spends 3-4 hours working on his. Guess which one is his?I promise to post our Halloween fun this weekend. We are so excited to show off Sam as Buzz Lightyear and Jack as his best buddy Woody!

One final note - I haven't posted where Shawn is going for his next year rotations for those of you who want to keep up to date with that - He'll be in Waterloo, IA (June); Minneapolis, MN (July); August not scheduled; Allentown, PA (September); SLC, Utah(Oct - Jan) That is all he has set right now! We are so proud of his hard work and can't believe we will be moving in less than a year. We've loved living here so it is bittersweet to be finishing up this chapter of our life!

Summers Sons' Saturday Soup - Late Edition

I apologize for the late edition, but we were so happy to have our family out here for Jack's blessing! My parents and all of my sisters came out to Iowa and we were able to see some sites we hadn't been to, and just enjoy each others company! Thank you family for your love and your support - we loved having you here. For those of our family who couldn't make it, we missed you and look forward to seeing you in a few weeks.Sam had Farmer Day at preschool on Thursday and he was excited to show off his boots and cowboy hat. His teachers thought he looked like Tim McGraw - he's so cute.

Jack weighed in this week at 11 lbs. and 21 1/2 inches - he is definetly packing on the pounds, and we're loving the pudge he's making. His blessing day was beautiful, and Shawn gave a wonderful blessing. We both are so grateful for Jack being in our family and realized again how lucky we are to have him in our lives.



My parents and I went to Winterset and visited John Wayne's birthplace and saw the Bridges of Madison county on Friday. On Saturday we went to the downtown farmer's market with Steph and Ledger and loved the breakfast burritos and got some apples and pies to take home - YUM!! We picked up Bobbi, Leah, Katie, & Penny Saturday night and enjoyed a fun filled day of Guitar Hero and Singstar on Sunday after the blessing. Thanks again for coming - we love you all and miss you already!