Will Santa ever come?

All Christmas eve day the kids tracked Santa on Noradsanta.org Since The west coast is one of the last places Santa visits they watched him travel the world! We took one last visit to Temple square lights and listened to the nativity story. 

And then the magic begins...

The kids opened their new jammies...

Hung their new ornaments

(James got a train ornament)

Then we read a couple stories and they nestled into bed.

While I had several more hours of work to do....

Dear Family & Friends,

Merry Christmas! We hope that this greeting has found you all enjoying the holiday season. Time continues to fly no matter how much I wish it would slow down a half a beat. There is always plenty going on, things to do, and people and places to see.

In May Ryan successfully finished his first year of medical school at the University of Utah. Over the summer he was invited back to be a counselor at Camp Hobe (A summer camp for children with cancer or siblings of children with cancer). He was able to serve with a couple good friends which made the experience even greater. He began the second year of school in August, which is simply more class and lectures, just more intense than the first year. Ryan continues to enjoy the challenge and is getting geared up to take the Step 1 board exams in June. This score will play a large part in the residency program that he will match with when he graduates in 2011. In July Ryan will begin his clinical rotations and the intensity will once again increase. He does find time to do other things, especially when the weather permits for a bike ride up Emigration Canyon.

Kaylie (41/2 yrs. old) finished her first year of preschool in May. She had a great time and her social skills improved. This year we are doing a preschool co-op with 3 other kids in the neighborhood. I was nervous about the work at first, but it has been wonderful! We have 2 girls and 2 boys in the group and they are learning a lot. Kaylie has been very excited as she has started to read and will jump at any chance she can to read to a listening audience. She is growing up so fast I am already getting sad about sending her to kindergarten next year.

What can I say about James (2 yrs. old)? He is all boy, lots of energy and usually sweet as can be. He loves to wrestle his dad, sister, and if he’s lucky his mom. After battling constant ear infections for several months James had tubes placed in his ear drum in February. It was the best thing we could have done. His speech immediately improved and has it continued to take off. He has since then had only 2 ear infections. We also confirmed his milk allergy. It appears to be something he will likely grow out of. Despite being my “sick boy” he is very happy, loves to play cars, trucks, trains, helicopters, and planes.

I am keeping busy with raising the kids and helping Ryan get through school. I am currently serving as the community president for our student housing neighborhood. Teaching preschool on my rotation has been an experience I am grateful to have chosen to do. I am also the primary president for our student ward. There will always be something to learn no matter how long I work with the children of the church. I have enjoyed working with the ladies of the Medical student Alliance. MSA is a group for medical student spouses. There are socials, activities for kids, interest groups, and service opportunities. I stay busy and always wish I could fit in several other things.

Our family had some big changes in the first half of the year when Eric, Ryan’s younger brother, left to serve an LDS mission in Athens, Greece. We hadn’t adjusted to his absence when JoAnn, Ryan’s mom, remarried. She married Ron Corbett from Brunswick, Georgia on June 7th. They met online, both had been widowed for a few years and are happy to have the love and companionship of one another.

The summer went quickly. We had a season pass to a local water park. We spent as much time as we could swimming with friends who also had passes, and getting our family to come a few times as well. Living on campus means there is always someone to play with. During the summer there were many late nights on the playground. One of the warm nights we drove down to Manti, UT where a play about the early saints if Church of Jesus Christ is done on the grounds surrounding the temple.

As the summer came to a close we went to Disney World with Maja, Faja, Hillary and Logan. We spent the week there and were lucky to spend a day at the parks with some friends that had recently moved there for residency! We had another big treat when Grandma Jo and Pappy came down from Georgia to spend a day at the Magic Kingdom with us! I am glad we took the kids to “little old” Disneyland in California last year or I think it might have been a little too much to take in. It really was too much excitement and fun!

The end of the year has been filled with activities and celebrations. We spent a week up in the mountains at a small resort that Ryan has grown up going to. It was a blast to spend time with just the four of us. We had a ton of snow and fun! We look forward to the new year with the memories and experiences it has to offer, and hope you do too.

May the true magic of Christmas bring you a holiday filled with peace, happiness and joy!

Love,

Ryan  Annette  Kaylie  &  James

Sledding in the mountains

We went sledding 3x's and had a blast every time

Group Shot

James and I had a cold so our eyes and nose ran like crazy but it didn't interfere with the fun!

My pretty girl was a down hill snow machine (Faja you might finally have a girl on the ski team!)

After a run down the hill! All smiles!

We went off the path a few times which meant that we ate powder... not enjoyable!

Whitewashed and still smiling... a little stunned but still smiling! 

My cute boy!

Coming soon more snow fun and SANTA!

East Canyon part 2

More pictures of our mountain getaway! We played and relaxed and James and I got sick. There were very few people up there all week so we felt like we had the place to ourselves. The resort worker said that the week following that encompassed Christmas was much busier. We were happy to of had the week all to ourselves. We didn't have to share the best sledding spot!

James loved the fireplace. Mommy's airways were severely irritated by it which probably lowered my immune system thereby making me susceptible to get this nasty cold!

Kaylie kept busy with crafts, games, and puzzles!

They both did mommy's make up after I did theirs!

Yep James got done up too! Sorry no black male pictures.

 

Cookie making was a hit. Kaylie's "Utah Cookie" was one of the favorites. she did it all herself including the the top lines to make it a true Ute logo!

One more batch of pictures to come... 

Mountain Getaway part 1

We have been enjoying the week up in the mountains at a small resort in the middle of nowhere. Really... we have no cell phone coverage! (but we do have internet weird) There has been a lot of lounging, movies, making cookies, sledding and James favorite... fires in the fireplace! Pictures are taking for ever to load on this network so they will have to wait. There will definitely be more to come!

Christ Centered Christmas

I found this cute blog today with great ideas for a Christ Centered Christmas. She has compiled different activities, FHE lessons, recipes and other fun things. She also welcomes people to submit Christ centered ideas to her and she will post them on her site! I put one of the ideas on the FHE Blog that I contribute to. Check it out!

Christ Centered Christmas Traditions

Preschool Thanksgiving Feast

Last wednesday our preschool group and neighborhood playgroup sponsored a Thanksgiving feast! It was quite the event in the end. Luckily everyone who came helped with the food the decorations, set up or take down. Most people helped with more than one aspect of the activity. I never got a good picture with the kids and their hats. I still have a girl and boy pilgrim hat for the kids to wear on Thanksgiving so I will be sure to get a picture of them then. 

At each place setting the kids got to color their own place mat with things that they are grateful for. 

A game of duck duck turkey!

The turkey was yummy. Isaac's Dad did a great job carving it (I can't take credit for it).

Ryan's determined to do a similar job on Thursday (Silly Boys)

Thank You so much to everyone who participated in the activity. 

You all are awesome!

Kaylie's Ups... and downs

A couple weeks ago High School Musical 3 came out in theaters Ryan and I took Kaylie and her friend to the opening night matinee. It was a packed and rowdy crowd. We had an awesome fun time!

and now for the bad news...

I can't believe I am even posting it. But even Kaylie knows that if there is big news then it goes on the blog!

A couple of weeks ago I went to floss Kaylie's teeth... which I don't do enough. and found that a fourth of one of her teeth was missing. We quickly went to the dentist and today she got a "baby" root canal and few fillings. We don't do horribly with brushing but we can always do better. She has also learned that it is her responsibility to make sure it gets done too. 

I hope everyone has enjoyed my very public display of ONE of my failures as a mother. It killed me to watch the root canal done and that constant reminder of her silver tooth is no comfort. I know I am being hard on myself and there are worse things in the world not to mention that genetics played a huge part in this story but still...

just a little more halloween

its for all the grandmas who are all so far away.....

The Trunk or Treat

The crazy amazing pumpkin carver. (Iphone pics aren't great)

Preschool moment

November is my month to teach for preschool. It has added more to my busy schedule but we are having a blast! I snapped this picture from our manners tea party today. How cute are they!

And yes James thinks he is part of the class. He does really well trying to do what the big kids do. 

Trick or Treating

On all hallows eve we went up to the  Grandma Joless house to trick or treat with Karston and his Skidmore cousins. We had some yummy dinner and then went out for some of the warmest trick or treating I have ever done. The warm weather meant everyone wanted to stay out a little longer which meant more candy! 

Halloween Party

A few weeks ago we attended the Bradshaw family Halloween party. Janelle and Mike were in town and were able to go with us! We had a great time. I forgot our camera so these are just a few pictures I ripped from other blogs. 

Our group picture in which everyone has an awkward face.

Ryan and I were "Cardiac arrest" I had handcuffs on with my heart costume and Ryan was a cop. Janelle was a butterfly and Mike was Rafael the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. 

My cute kids. Jasmine and Rajah the Tiger.

Grandma Jo & Pappy's Utah grandkids

Skyler is 6 and Ashton is 3

Mike & Lizzy on the "Hayless" Ride =)

Grandma Bradshaw and Kaylie picking pumpkins

Fire Station

Wednesday we had a preschool field trip. This months big trip was to the local fire station. We are lucky to live only a 15 minute walk away from our fire station. We had a great turn out with people from the neighborhood and ward joining us.

They showed us what a fireman looks like when they are fighting fires 

and saving people during a fire. 

We got to go in the fire truck where the fire fighters ride.

My little fire fighters

Our preschool group

(James shirt has a fire fighter suit on it. Way cute!)

The SLC fire station #10 Fire truck

Elizabeth came for a visit!

Janelle and Elizabeth came into town last monday for a visit. Kaylie James (& I) were so excited to hold Lizzy. We hadn't seen her since she was born 2 months ago. She has gotten bigger and even cuter. She was completely doted on all week. Mike came into town on friday. The poor guy hardly got to hold his little girl because her aunt and cousins were always hoggin' her. 

Kaylie was of course a little mother. A role that she is constantly perfecting by practicing on James.

Lizzy loved her cousins too... can't you tell? 

James... that boy is at a hard stage right now. One minute he is the sweetest cutest thing. His big brown eyes melting your heart. He has the cutest "motherese" voice when he wants to be sweet. And then... there is the ear piercing scream, body slamming, monster that comes out and you don't know what you are going to do. Luckily it seems that the monster only comes out when he frustrated the he can't communicate better or is unable to do something himself. This hopefully means that he will grow out of it as he matures. 

He was a great cousin to Lizzy always coming to give her a quick kiss on the head and a "I lu' you" and then he was on his way. We had a couple incidents but Lizzy will live to see another day. 

Come back soon!