Playgroup at Bass Pro Shop

Our play group headed to Bass Pro Shop to enjoy the Christmas festivities for children. John Chris was off work, so he stayed home with Reed. It was great time for me and Ryland to be silly and have fun.

Ryland rode a reindeer on the carousel.
Ryland and his friends check out all the huge fish.

I thought this moment was so sweet. Ryland and Trent sitting on the rock watching the duck, until I saw them throwing bark at the poor duck.

No fear! Ryland climbed right up to pose for a picture with the big bear.

The store had a large setup of Christmas toys by Santa. Ryland was very interested in the train set.

I knew the fun was over when Ryland started getting a little fussy and rubbing his eyes. He wanted to pet the shark, but then he was too tired to actually reach out his arm.

Painters' tape is yummy!

John Chris and I are finishing up the re-painting of the kitchen cabinets, and we had a few little ones wanting to help. The painters' tape made both of them happy for a moment until Reed decided to chew on it. He was pretty upset when we took it away, so I am sure it is yummy!

Wrapped in warmth

Ryland was freezing after his bath, just absolutely freezing. Once again our little drama king needed immediate assistance. I wrapped him in a towel, then in my blanket, and his blanket for his head which was frozen. He laughed and giggled as I attended to his every dramatic need in a very dramatic fashion. I played along until he slacked off. I am just so glad I didn't have to ship our house to the hot dessert.

Family Photos 2011

Our family photos turned out so well. We once again used Natalie, and I am always so pleased with the results. I never would have imagined they would turn out, because it was almost unbearable. Both boys were not cooperating, and they took turns throwing fits. But I am left with gorgeous photos which completely make it all worth while. Our boys are getting so big, and I constantly count my blessings.

Ryland's Christmas Festival

We were so excited to attend the Christmas Festival at the boys' school. Ryland and his class would be performing, and this was the first time we would watch our boy in an audience. When we asked Ryland about the program, he would tell us he would be singing about baby Jesus in the manger. We noticed him singing and doing hand motions that corresponded with the song, so were excited to see the show. Ryland's class lined up on the stage to get ready to start.
Away in a Manger was the first song, and as they started singing, Ryland sang and participated in the choreographed hand motions. We were pleasantly surprised that he didn't get shy or embarrassed.

"lay down his sweet head"

The second performance was Jingle Bells complete with actual jingle bells.

Our little performer once again sang along and jingled his bells. He did a fantastic job, and we are very proud of him.

Reed thought the performance was awesome. He was proud of his brother too!

Cookies & Cocktails

The Pearsons hosted Cookies & Cocktails party with a cookie exchange. It was great to visit and check out their new kitchen. It looks awesome! Reed loved the bench seat that was just his height.
Ryland and the other kiddos had a blast decorating the snowflake and Christmas tree sugar cookies. Of course his favorite part was the sprinkles.

There were about 20 children at the party, so everywhere you turned you found kids playing. Ryland and Reed loved the mini retro kitchen.

This is Ryland's attempt to snap a picture of Morgan Leigh.

After the sugar cookies kicked in, the place to play was on the bean bags. Jumping from the ottoman to the bean bag was the entertainment finale. We knew it was time to wrap up before someone got hurt. It was a great way to spend the cold, rainy afternoon with friends.

Oh no!

Oh no, major tears! Ryland was trying to stop Reed from playing in the ficus tree pot when he realized the moss was stuck to his gloves. This led to a major melt down. He tried to pull it out, but it just got stuck to the other hand. Poor boy.

Christmas glasses

Nana gave all of us a pair of crazy Christmas glasses. When you wear them, all lights turn into stars. We all put on our shades to check our tree.
All the lights are stars! This is crazy cool.

John Chris and I had the great idea of driving through the neighborhood with the glasses on of course. We headed to Starbucks for a coffee and hot chocolate and then off to star gaze. It was a wonderful family outing to get us in the Christmas spirit.

One note - The glasses should come with a disclaimer about wearing them while driving. Hahaha! Crazy!

A fun place to play

The Christmas tree is up, and it is the coolest place to play. Both boys immediately crawled under the tree and started playing with the branches and light cords. John Chris and I knew the red tree would look dinky in the entry, but we just couldn't even begin thinking about finding a replacement. We talked about ways to keep the boys out of the tree and ornaments, and we decided to give the tree a little height. We added a wrought iron urn to the bottom, and all our troubles and worries were gone. The tree is now the perfect height, and the ornaments are safe from fast little hands.

Letters to Santa

We spent the evening writing letters to Santa and coloring the pictures. Ryland was really into this and looked through a Toys R Us magazine while we made a list. Reed was more interested in trying to eat the paper. Off to the North Pole they went!

Silhouette of Reed

A local toy store had silhouette artist, Cindi Rose, creating hand cut silhouettes. I made an appointment weeks in advance and paid the deposit to secure a spot. I was really excited about having a silhouette of Reed made. Reed cooperated like a champ and sat still for the whole 45 - 60 seconds.

While we sat for the artist, she talked and talked and talked. I realized very quickly that she was on something. Ryland stood there looking at her like he even knew she was not quite right. In fact several customers looked at her in disbelief. It was pretty hilarious, and she gave me plenty of advice on gifts (Gucci sunglasses), jewelry (people prefer a cross over a heart only because of guilt), and how to handle things in a classy way. Oh yeah, it was a hoot!

GCSML Christmas Party

The GCSML Christmas party was a great success. It started with a toy drop off for all the adopted angels. We filled a trailer with all sorts of toys, clothes, and other goodies for needy children. Ryland asked lots of questions as I unloaded our packages and the bike. He wanted to see the boy who we bought things for. I explained the best I could for a toddler, and I am hoping it makes an impression on him.

We then headed to the party, and guess who was there. Santa! We went ahead and jumped in line for a picture, so we could go play. I have been talking up taking a picture with Santa in hopes of Ryland not freaking out like last year. He was so cool about it. He climbed up in his lap and started telling him about the big potty and what he wanted. I am a little unsure of the goofy grin on his face, but whatever. Reed had just drifted off, so he was completely out of it. I love his expression. I am sure he was thinking - I went to sleep in the truck and woke up to this bearded fat guy and now I have to smile.

We had a great time at the party, and it was a wonderful way to enjoy time with friends while getting in the spirit. Merry Christmas!