Rylie's Third First Christmas...Fort Smith

What a great holiday season this has been. We spent Christmas weekend at our uncle Garry's in Fort Smith.  Every year uncle Garry hosts either Thanksgiving or Christmas.  The holidays rotate each year. This year is was Christmas at Uncle G's. It was such a cozy, relaxing and happy weekend. Rylie did great and we love that she got to meet the rest of the family. She met her Great Grandma and Great Grandpa for the first time. How cool is that?! It was so awesome watching them interact. She met uncles and cousins and friends and had a great time. My mom, sister and Allan came too. We were there 3 nights and she was off her routine slightly but I think she did really well all things considered. When we got home Sunday all three of us took an hour nap and then she was up the rest of the evening. Talking a lot.  Boy was she telling us stories! I can only assume she was talking about all her new experiences from the weekend. It was.....so cute!

Thank you Uncle Garry for hosting another great holiday weekend! We always enjoy the family get-togethers at your house.

 

Merry Christmas!...

Our 2010 Christmas card...

Rylie's Second First Christmas...Tulsa

Rylie's second Christmas moments were here in Tulsa at our house. I had all the Christmas decorations strung throughout the house this year. The battery operated ones I even turned on and made them go. We also threw away much of the old Christmas stuff, I've held onto for too many years, and started some new Christmas memories and hopefully traditions.

This is my favorite ceramic Christmas decor purchase of the season. LOVE it! It's the platter we'll use for Santa's cookies and milk each year.  This little guy will be in our family and Christmas photo's for many many years to come.  :)  I eyed it while we were in Springdale the weekend before. Thank you Nana!

Rylie enjoyed playing with the paper. She seems very amused right now by her ability to crinkle up paper.

Yes, this evening really did become The Rylie Show. (What episode are we on now anyway?)   But isn't that what's so fun about Christmas...watching the little kids partake in the wonderment of it all? 

 Rylie trying lemon meringue pie for the first time...

Rylie's First First Christmas...Springdale

We knew we'd be having a couple of Christmases this year so we did our Christmas celebration throughout the entire month of December.  Christmas is a renewed and revamped holiday for me now that Rylie is in the picture. Although there have been moments...not long moments, but moments that I've thought i was pretty much Christmas'ed out.  Thank goodness those moments didn't last long. When I've got Rylie looking at me, it's a reassuring moment that reminds me that Christmas is still truly about more than just presents under a tree. Rylie is our awesome little miracle of life.  God's power and goodness just shines in her eyes. She is so precious.

Our first Christmas moments were at Nana and Pop's house in Springdale. We have made it a tradition over the past couple of years to go see the Christmas lights at the Square in Fayetteville. We eat dinner at Tim's Pizza and walk around the square.  It's always so beautiful. And always so cold. But always so enjoyable!