Christmas Day

Christmas Day this year was THE longest day ever. I was completely exhausted, and kicking myself for not taking the 26th off of work so I could recuperate. It started out with Nanny and Grandpa coming over in the morning to watch Ry open her presents. She was thrilled to get a "pink crawling baby" and we were thrilled it has an OFF switch. Next we went to Nanny and Grandpa's house for our traditional breakfast brunch. Unfortunately I got sick and had to sleep off a migraine. We next went to the Valente's home so Ry could do a gift exchange and receive her presents from Grandma Annette. Unfortunately Ry was not able to get in a power nap before we were off to my Uncle Bob's for Christmas dinner with the Wilkinson family. I was able to once again show off my video for my Grandma. We ended the night at my sister Heather's for a gift exchange between the cousins. By the time I got home I was ready for bed and Ry was not so pleasant after a long day without a nap. Christmas is my favorite time of year and I wish it lasted longer. I'm so thankful for all my friends and family and I look forward to another great year in 2010.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was spent at Nanny and Grandpa's house. It's a tradition that we read the story of Jesus's birth and act out the Nativity Scene with the grandchildren that are present. Ryley was chosen to play the part of Joseph since her boy cousin Braxten was not present. Berkleigh played the part of Mary and baby Hudson was the Angel Gabriel. I'm grateful I got the whole thing on video from our family destroying "Away in a Manger" and "Silent Night" with our awful voices to Ryley AKA Joseph taking baby Jesus from the manger and not sharing him with Mary (as is expected from a 2 1/2 year old). My Uncle Steve read a "Letter from Agnus" related to the 12 days of Christmas. It was very entertaining and had all of us laughing. Later in the evening, as is tradition, the grandchildren received pajamas from Nanny and Grandpa. Lastly we all watched video I had made for my Grandma Marge for Christmas.

Child Prodigy

Ry got an early Christmas present from Sun and Lissa, a Fisher Price digital camera. She loves it, which we knew she would since she is constantly taking pics with Momma Cole's camera. Just wanted to post a few of her first pics, so when she becomes a famous photographer, you saw her work here first. I love the one where she is taking a picture of me taking a picture.

Zoo Lights

Zoo lights were awesome as always. We tried fried S'mores this year. I think I could actually see and feel myself getting fatter while eating it, but it was DELICIOUS. Ry got to ride the carousel and chose the "baby tiger". No surprise there. Think she rides him every time we go to the zoo. FYI not a good idea to enter the reptile house with all your clothing layers on. I almost died from heat exhaustion. The stench did not help matters.

All I want for Christmas is ......

Well if you ask Ryley she immediately responds "A pink crawling baby and a computer". When asked why she needs a computer she states, "I need to check my email". Who says 2 1/2 year olds don't listen to everything we say? As far as the pink crawling baby is concerned, we gave Ry the Black Friday ads from the newspaper and had her browse through them. Of course she pointed to almost every item on every page but she has not forgotten about this "pink crawling baby". This was the first year we wrote letters to Santa with Ry and it was great. In addition to the 2 items above Ry asked for some bones and toys for her 2 dogs and a "brown baby" for her baby brother Easton (who is still in Mom's tummy). This is proof that she's learning diversity from her diverse family. As far as Christy and I are concerned, all we want for Christmas is some relaxation and peace before we have 2 little ones running around. Merry Christmas everyone!

Favorite Time of Year

September to December is my favorite time of year. I absolutely love Fall in Utah. The leaves are gorgeous and the weather is great. A little cold this year, but tolerable. The holidays are so much fun, beginning with Halloween and ending with New Year's Eve. Here is a great picture of the Fall colors in SLC.

Procrastination

I think I began to build this blog over a year ago but have never gotten around to posting anything. Better late than never.

Here's a brief update on our lives: We are currently living in West Jordan, UT. Ryley is 2 1/2 years old, going on 13 (attitude wise). Christy is pregnant with our second child, a boy, due on March 9, 2010. We are planning on naming him Easton. I'm still working at St. Mark's Hospital as a Physical Therapist. I've been there for 5 years and am still enjoying it. Christy quit teaching 2 years ago and worked for a video game company for a year before getting laid off due to the economy. She's been staying home with Ryley for the last year and is a great Mom. She manages to keep our home nice and look after a 2 year old, which is an amazing task if you ask me.

We still have our 2 labs Ky and Guinness. They are Ry's best friends. My brother Mike has been living with us since the beginning of November and things have been great. I'm pretty sure the dogs and Ryley prefer to hang out with him over Christy and I. As you can see from the picture above.