MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas!!!! Let me back up. Jon worked the 23rd and the 24th so it was just the three of us - Rylee, Brody and I for Christmas Eve. A friend sent out an email looking for Christmas traditions she could start with her family. That gave me some good ideas that we could start with our family. This year Rylee and I watched Dr. Suess's "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" and made a cake. After the cake cooled, we frosted it and turned off all the lights except for the Christmas tree lights. We sat around the Christmas tree and read the real Christmas story of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. We then sang "Silent Night" together. Rylee was so excited and said, "I know this song!" and belted it the best she could. We then stuck a candle in the middle of the cake, lit it and sang Happy Birthday reverently to Jesus. Rylee blew out the candle and licked the bottom. I cut the cake and we each had a piece. After eating our cake we called Jon at work to tell him we miss him and love him like always and off to bed we went.

That next morning we waited for Jon to get home so he could watch them open gifts. It was a wonderful relaxing time being home together after a long 2 months of killer work for the both of us.Thanks Rylee and Brody for enduring through this time!! I love that our family is back together!

STRIDER BIKE!

Jon new that the grandparents would be giving Rylee loads of presents for Christmas and he wanted our present to be special. He new with all the dolls and other girly items she so dearly loves, his present would get the look over once and be tossed aside. So he gave it to her early.At first she was timid and didn't know how to balance the bike. But day by day she is getting the hang of it. There are no peddles and you just "flinstone" it with your feet. Here is a link to a video, check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_lKGDdVVOo

Ice Skating!

Folsom has a seasonal ice skating rink. It is very small, just our size. We thought we'd give Rylee her first go at it.

"Coach lace me up!""Let's do this thing!""Crap, carry me!""Brody's turn!"Love the boys! Brody wanted to be out on the ice so badly he didn't care if his fingers would get sliced off. Thank goodness they didn't!It was such a great morning and too hot for jackets!

Brody

Brody fell, can you tell?Doesn't matter, he'll still smile for the camera!!!

Fire Rescue

Brody is big enough to fit into the Fire Rescue Jeep! Jon got them both helmets for Christmas and gave it to them early.Rylee likes driving the Jeep, but she loves driving the Jeep in CIRCLES. It makes me dizzy just watching her go around and around and around. As you can tell, Brody is not a big fan of the circles either.Here he is hanging on for DEAR LIFE!CRASH!! She thinks that's the best part!She is such a crack up!

Ugly Sweater Christmas Party

We lost, but Mauricio won! We were invited to the Torres' house for an Ugly Sweater Party.Jon and I both got our sweaters at Ross in the women's section and we matched. We had a good laugh through the check out line. The party was fun, but couldn't stay long as Jon had to work the next day and we had a long drive ahead of us.

Exercise!

It has been a while since I have worked out and this was much needed for some stress relief. LOVE Brody's new hat, thanks Jon!We went for a run in the bitter cold, well, cold for California 55 degress. It was a lot of fun spending a short period of time together out of doors! Thanks Jon for the inspiration.
Exercise, it's good for you!

Journey Through Bethlehem

Our Bishop really wanted to get away from the whole "Santa Claus" type Christmas and get back to the "true" meaning of Christmas. Our Ward Christmas Party was themed: Journey Through Bethlehem. Every member was asked to dress up in their best Bethlehem attire. Well, we represented the peasents of those days. Our outfits consisted of a sheet cut up and held together with pins. Rylee loves dress up anytime. Jon on the other hand, well let's just say, he was a good sport and thanked me later for forcing him to dress up. Hey, but aren't they cute!Here is the manger scene where we all gathered for dinner, Bethlehem style.We sat on the ground at very low tables in hopes we could catch a slight glimpse of what it might have been like back in those days. We still had our modern amenities but it surely got us in the right spirit.This was nothing short of a well planned, fabulous night. There was not a dry eye in the crowd and all the kids walked away with something. Each room had a different performance and before leaving the room, the group would sing a christmas song.
- Joseph and Mary
- The 3 Wisemen
- The Shepards- King Herod (not pictured and played by the Bishop)
- The Angels (not pictured)
The four of us had such a great time. It was wonderful to once again have the opportunity to remember what is most important during this Christmas season.