Baby's First Christmas

Ryker Joseph

A Colorado Christmas

We celebrated an early Christmas with my parents since we were all going to be out of town on the actual day. The kids had done such a good job not touching the wrapped gifts under the tree (the two days I dared let them sit there), and I think they were surprised when they realized they were actually for them! Myles barely stopped to see what was inside the wrapping before moving onto the next one, and Sydney wanted to stop, open, and play with each toy before opening the next. This is so indicative of their personalities, Sydney is the careful one who takes forever to do most everything because of how tidy and inquisitive she can be, and Myles cannot slow down long enough to even realize what he is doing. Myles' favorite gifts from the evening were his Spiderman and Buzz action figures, Sydney is loving all of her new art/craft supplies, and I'm hoping they get good use out of their new bikes come summer!

Merry Christmas!

Zoo Lights

Last weekend we went to Zoo Lights at the Denver Zoo. It was a brisk Colorado evening, but we dressed in layers, stayed warm, and had fun. The kids really did enjoy it, although they were not in the mood for photos. I love the holiday season, but as a busy mom it could easily pass by without really taking the time to make memories. Breaking away from our to-do lists in order to make more room for family fun is what makes this time of year extra special for us. A glimpse into our evening...

Sweet Ryker slept the whole time.

My three little loves.

Silly Sydney

Sydney is at a stage where she has us chuckling on a daily basis with the things she says. A few I don't want to forget...

Fruit Snacks
I have mentioned before that Sydney has developed some sleeping issues since moving to our new house. We have now gotten her to the point where she will fall asleep on her own, without me laying next to her holding her hand, or sitting right outside the door (that was fun), but she still wakes up on a nightly basis and comes into our bed. In a moment of parenting genius-ness, I told her several weeks ago that if she stayed in her bed all night we could go to the store where she could pick out any fruit snacks she wanted. Fruit snacks are one of Sydney's favorite "special treats," but I had decided not to have any in the house until she followed through. For the first week or so I would bring it up at night, but then it didn't seem to be working at all, so I stopped talking about it. Sydney, however, would ask nightly, "Fruit snacks?" One night, while still lying in bed awake an hour after I had tucked her in, Sydney yelled out, "I don't even like fruit snacks, Mom!"

My Body
Sydney tends to be very opinionated about her clothing (among many other things), and in order to avoid battles over this we try to give her lots of choices, thus the reason she wore her Halloween cat costume to church a few weeks ago. We are also working on potty training with Sydney, so she is often running around bare-bottomed while at home. This morning, after rejecting all of the options for clothes I had given her, she said while running out of her room, "I just want to wear my body!"

Somebody Stinks
Last night we were driving past the water treatment plant in Golden, which does not smell good at all. Sydney called out from the back seat, "Myles pooped!" We laughed a bit and tried to explain why it smelled bad. Sydney kept on going, "Ryker pooped."  "Sydney pooped." "Doggy pooped." After each person she listed, we would tell her no, and she would go onto someone else. Finally, she concluded by saying, "Somebody stinks."

Eyeballs
And just this afternoon, Sydney was in the bathroom with me while I was giving Ryker a bath. She was playing with Gilby's contact case, held it in front of my face, and said very matter of factly, "Those are Daddy's eyeballs."

Oh, Sydney, there are so many other things you say and do that make me smile. You are such a joy.

A Christmas Weekend

We had a full day of Christmas activities last Saturday. We started the morning at the Mile High Down Syndrome Association's annual holiday party. We enjoyed brunch, music, a visit with Santa, and the opportunity to catch up with some friends. Because Gilby was busy with work obligations at the party, my parents came along to help me with the kids. I am so very thankful for my parents' involvement in our lives. Not only do our kids absolutely adore them, but they are a huge help to Gilby and I. The party was pretty hyper-stimulatory, and that coupled with the fact that Gilby was unavailable to hang out with us because of his responsibilities, made the morning somewhat difficult for Myles to manage. In situations like this, I cannot give him the attention he needs and care for the other kids, which makes it extremely helpful to have my parents with us.

 The best family photo we could get.  :/

Gilby played a few Christmas songs during the party and our kids were front and center at Daddy's feet. Sydney yelled at him the whole time to look at the candy canes she got from Santa.

After the party we headed up the mountains a bit for our annual Christmas tree hunt. Each year we buy a permit that allows us to search the forest and cut down our own tree. This year we searched in a sparse area and didn't really think out the logistics of hiking into the forest with three kids and having to return with three kids and two trees. After awhile of searching the close areas, Grandpa and Daddy ended up looking on their own while my mom and I watched Lion King in the van with the kids.

Daddy's boy.

All in all, it was a fun day, and helped to get us in the Christmas spirit. I cannot believe how fast it is approaching!

School Pictures

Being the super organized mom I am, I forgot about school pictures and sent Myles in a sweatshirt with a bit of bedhead going on. But who cares, because this boy and his smile are precious.

Daddy's Birthday

We celebrated Daddy's birthday tonight with two very excited kiddos. (He turned 29 again! I know, crazy, huh?)

Sydney helped me make the cake and put these "Happy Birthday" candles on top. I left the kitchen, and when I came back she was standing on a stool over the cake. I asked, "Whatcha doing, Sydney?" She replied, "I fixed it!" Needless to say, the candles did not originally read "Ha-ppy Birth-d-y-a-!"

Happy birthday to a wonderful husband and fantastic father. We love you!

It's hard being the littlest.

How many toys does a one month old need?

 Apparently his siblings think a whole lot!

Thankfully this sweet boy isn't very bothered by his crazy brother and sister.

Thanksgiving Weekend

We were lucky to have a lot of family visit us for the Thanksgiving holiday and meet Ryker at the same time. Gilby's brother Joe and his family, my sister Siri and her family, my brother Ben and his family, my grandparents, and my Uncle David and Tori were all in town. We hosted Thanksgiving and managed to fit 24 people for dinner, including 8 kids aged 4 and under. Someday I plan to actually use the "good china" that has been passed down to me, but this year there wasn't anything fancy. It was enough just to all be together. Minus some plumbing issues that required 2 visits from Roto Rooter over the weekend, we had a great visit. We spent time catching up with family, walked to the park a few times, headed to Red Rocks for an afternoon, and took a day trip to the Denver Zoo. Our kids had a fantastic time playing with their cousins, and we so appreciate everyone making the trip. In less words and more pictures, here is a glimpse into our weekend.

 Blowing bubbles with Uncle David.

Brothers

It's hard to get six cousins all 4 years and under organized and happy for pictures!

My fabulous grandparents.

We have much to be thankful for.