Christmas

Uncle Travis and Auntie Ann came over for Christmas Eve and we played The Night Before Christmas game and the kids opened their pajamas.

 

Madison, Zachary, Ryleigh, Brynley and Bailey

Bailey came down with a head cold and fever the day before Christmas Eve and didn't do much but watch Curious George on the couch and sleep so I am surprised we got her to smile in this picture.

 

 Christmas morning the girls found Santa had brought them bikes!

 

Ryleigh got a plasma car or as she calls it, a wiggle bike

and Bailey got a "big bike."

After she got off her bike, she wanted nothing to do with her other presents because she still didn't feel well.  So she headed to the family room to watch Curious George while the rest of us opened our presents.

 Ryleigh on the other hand, was very excited to open gifts.

 

I apparently didn't get hardly any pictures opening gifts since I was dealing with a little sick one in the other room.

 

Later that morning, Ryleigh brought Bailey her gifts one by one and helped her open them.  I don't think she actually played with any of them until Sunday afternoon when she started feeling better.  We ended up taking her to the doctor Friday afternoon and she had a double ear infection. 

 
Christmas afternoon we headed over to Uncle Travis and Auntie Ann's for a yummy ham dinner and some fun with the Wii that Zach got from Santa.

 Ryleigh with her pile of gifts.  I think there are a few behind her bulletin board that you can't see.

 

I wanted to take the tree down on Friday but still hadn't taken Bailey's picture.  You can tell she was so excited about me making her sit there, not feeling well, while I took her picture. 

Sledding at the Park

After Ryleigh had so much fun playing in the snow with her tube, we decided to buy a few sleds and hope for some more snow.  The weekend before Christmas we got another snowfall.  After our ward Christmas breakfast we headed to the park with some great sledding hills.

 

We started on a long, not so steep hill and decided it wasn't fast enough.

 

So we headed to a shorter, steeper hill.  The girls got a ride over there.

 

I only had my phone with me to take pictures and the sun was so bright I couldn't really see the screen to see what I was taking a picture of.  So these didn't turn out the best.  I wish I would have zoomed in a lot more.

 

Dad and Bailey 

 

Ry had no problem dragging the sled back up the hill after coming down. 

 

I don't know how many times Ryleigh went down but it was way more than the rest of us. 

After Bailey had had enough of the sledding, her and Dad played in the snow. 

 

We can't wait for more snow!  We might have to head to the mountains one weekend.

Tree Decorating and the First Snow

Thanksgiving was later than normal this year so we didn't get to put up our tree until a week into December.  We bought it from one of the local tree lots that we go to every year.  It was late enough when we brought it home that all we did was put it in the stand and string the lights that night.

Everyone, including Lizzie, was right there helping Daddy out.

 

The next morning Ryleigh was very eager to get it decorated until she looked outside and saw that it had snowed.  The tree decorating would have to wait.

 

All bundled up ready to go at 8:00 in the morning when it was 18 degrees out.

 

 

Snow angel on the driveway

 

Trying to make a snowball...not the right kind of snow. 

 

 

Sand buckets work for building snow castles too.

 

 

And water tubes work in the snow. 

 

Bailey lasted out there a lot longer then she ever did last year, but not near as long as Ryleigh.  After Bailey went in the house, Ryleigh and I went over to the commons area at the front of the neighborhood to try out the hill there.  She had a blast!

After we came in and warmed up with some hot chocolate, we started decorating the tree.

Bailey took the job of giving everyone a hook for their ornaments.  Even if we didn't need one, she insisted we use one.

 

Ryleigh loves to be the one to put the star on top.