Easy as 1.2.3

What to do when you can't reach the sink?....
Step 1

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Step 3

I blogged a few entries earlier about the "hair down" practices at the Childs. Since Nash was always a part of this I figured that his brother Luke was helping him get his hair wet and down. Not the case! Since Nash could not reach the sink, he improvised. And what a gross improvision at that! Nash sticks his hands in the toilet water and uses that water to slick down the hair on his head. And to think I kiss that head! So sick. Another reason I am grateful for the at least once a week bathroom cleaning. I might want to think about doing it even more frequently. Either that or get the poor germy kid a step stool! As Joey says, he is giving himself a swirly!

Gray's Trick

Do 6 month olds have a sense of humor? Having Gray makes me answer that question with a big yes! Gray is so funny. He loves his blanket and loves to put his blanket over his face. Once the blanket is over his face, he throws his arms up and kicks his feet like crazy. At first we were really worried about him. A blanket covering a baby's face cannot be a good thing. But then we realized he was doing this on purpose. What a silly kid! We would just say "Graybees" and he would pull the blanket off his face revealing his huge smile. He is such a fun kid and just a joy to have in our family.

Unanswered Prayers

Yesterday as I was feeding Gray I turned on Oprah. She was doing an interview with Garth Brooks. He was talking about his song "Unanswered Prayers" and how they are doing a movie about the song. He then began to sing the song. My eyes filled with tears as I listened to the words. I was reminded of how I prayed many times that my life would turn out a certain way. I remember praying about a nonmember boyfriend and just hoping he would join the church so we could get married. At that moment I was so grateful for those unanswered prayers. I am overwhelmed with the love that my Heavenly Father has for me. He gave me Joey. He is the best husband and best friend I could ever have. He makes me laugh. He takes care of me and our four blessings. He is an example to me. He strengthens my testimony by his example. He helps me. He is so HOT! He loves me. He makes me better. I so grateful that those prayers about Joey are the ones that were answered. I could not imagine my life without him.

*THANKSGIVING*

It was the Childs year for Thanksgiving and it was such a nice day. Everyone arrived at 3pm and we were feasting by 3:30pm. The food turned out so good. After we sat down, Darolyne asked "Who wants to go around the table and say what we are thankful for?". As if on cue all the Childs boys said "No"! Not a surprise. After we cleaned up dinner we played some games. The first game was a know the lyrics game. It was so fun. Ryan performed just like the old days! Then we played a trivia game and singlets. It was so nice to be together as a family. I am so thankful for all of them!

Decorating the Tree

Christmas came early at the Childs! Joey, who is usually quite "scroogy" about Christmas decorations, bought new ornaments for the tree. He decided we could go with a red and silver theme and I must admit that I love it. Sort of the classy Christmas look! So Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, the Childs decorated their tree. It was quite the event. Luke and Harlee waited and waited for Joey to get the lights on so they could put the ornaments on the tree. The lights only went out a few times! Then it was time to decorate. Luke and Harlee would put the ornaments on as Nash would take them off. Gray just chilled on the floor trying to take it all in.

It was so fun to watch them get into it. I cannot believe how old they are getting. They are really starting to understand things and enjoy the holidays for more than just the gifts.

Little Helper

Nash loves to help clean. Joey was cleaning and vacuuming out the couch and Nash was by his side every step of the way. He even forgot to nap because he was so busy doing his chores. I just pray this helpful attitude continues on into his teenage years.
*Lately when Nash sees the camera he does his squishy smile and throws his head back. Too cute!

"Hair Down"

This is a phrase I probably hear at least five times a day from Luke. He is not the biggest fan of getting his hair done or "spiking it up" as he calls it. So every morning before I do his hair he makes sure his hair is completely slicked down. Then when he comes home from school he hurries to the bathroom. Turns the water on and wets his hair completely down. Not sure why he likes it this way? He did mention once that he hates his hair spiked up because it shows his freckles. Makes the person he inherited the freckles from feel a little bad! I have made him a promise that in the summer he can buzz his hair and thus it will be "down" on a daily basis.
*Today he got Harlee and Nash involved in the hair down process. Harlee's hair was slicked right down the middle and Nash kept wetting his hair. Then he would run to the mirror to pat it down in true Luke fashion. I asked Luke why such a serious face "I am trying to look cool" he replied.

The Smeller's the Feller

Harlee has always been our smeller! She loves to smell everything. If ever we get new soap she needs to smell it. She always smells my hairbrush and anything else she can get her nose on. If ever I borrow a shirt from Jenna, she knows. She can smell the familiar Prettyman scent and asks "Is that Jenna's shirt??" She has such a strong sense of smell and keeps us laughing with all of her "What's that smell like?" questions.
*Love that picture. How cute are her dimples??

Fourth Child

Gray is so the fourth child. I think that I had the camera out everyday, sometimes even twice a day, when Luke was a baby. It has become progressively less with each little one. So poor Gray does not have the blog appearances that the others did when they were his age. So today I decided to take a few pictures. How cute is he?? He is definitely the smiliest baby! If you just look at him he automatically opens his mouth as wide as he can. It is so hard to think of our family with out him. We love you so much Gray and feel so blessed to have you in our midst!

Someone else is in a big boy bed

Nash was not the only one who changed his sleeping accommodations, Gray moved to his big boy crib. No longer is he sleeping in the small pack and play in our room! I was a little nervous but we left his door open and had the monitor on. He did great! I must admit that it is so nice to get our room back to ourselves. What a big brave boy you are Gray!

PS- Nash slept through the night too in his new bed!

Big Boy Bed

Since Nash was "cribless" our whole vacation we decided to take the plunge and get Nash in a big boy bed. Before Gray was born, we bought bunk beds for Luke and Nash. He just seemed too little to put in a bed until now. Today is his first nap in the bed. I laid with him for just a few minutes and he was out. Let's hope he stays in there and let's hope this is the beginning of an easy transition. Good job Nash you Big Boy!