Going to See Santa

We made our annual trip to Bass Pro this past Saturday. I feel like a little bit of a poser going in there. I visit once a year and never buy anything but my Santa photos and maybe a snack. I guess that's better than nothing, but clearly the lack of camo in my closet is a dead giveaway that I do not belong.

Ryleigh PROMISED that she would sit on Santa's lap for a picture. I think we all know that two-year old promises don't carry much weight. And I think I've mentioned before that Ry talks a big game. We got close. She said, "hi, Santa." She gave him a high five. But when it came to photo time it was instant fear terror. Her whole body tensed, she started to cry and she clung to me so tightly that I just couldn't force her to do it.
So, this is what we got...

Yeah, yeah, I know I look a little TOO excited to see the jolly old elf. While Ryleigh may be smiling, her eyes seem to be saying, "get me the heck outta here!" Better luck next year. We ran into Ryleigh's classmate Cheyenne there. Ry was very eager to watch her get her picture taken. And to see if she was scared. For the record, Cheyenne kind of looked like a deer in headlights, but no struggle and no tears.

Ryleigh kept asking, "where is Santa's sleigh?" I told her it was parked on the roof. We asked Mrs. Claus for confirmation (frankly she was surprised - it seemed the logical place to me). So then Ryleigh wanted to see the sleigh. She's been asking a lot of questions about Santa. Too many questions. One example: "Am I going to be scared of Santa at our house?" Shes a little scared of the guy. I think the idea of him being in our house is giving her the creeps.

Since I got to be in the Santa picture, we needed to get a photo with daddy too. Ryleigh was a little more relaxed next to this snowman.

When we came out of the store it was cold and rainy. Because we're awesome parents, we had left Ry's coat in the car. As soon as we came outside she said, "it's cold!" Daddy gave her his coat and I gave her my scarf. That helped her stay warm and she just looked too darn cute!

Until next year, Bass Pro...

It's December!

Wow! Quite a whirlwind it's been...thus my serious lack of blogging. We went to Indiana for Thanksgiving. I have been super busy at work the last few weeks. And, oh yeah, it's almost Christmas. Add some shopping and cooking and parties...whew! I could really use a vacation (or a couple snow days.) Here are a few snapshots of  our December so far...

Ryleigh has become quite the volleyball fan. The Mizzou team was undefeated throughout the entire season and we made it to several games - including the first round of the NCAA tournament. Ron had contacted a friend in the Athletic Department who said she had a surprise for Ryleigh. It turned out to be an autographed volleyball! How cool!
Unfortunately, Mizzou had their first loss and got knocked out in the second round by none other than the Purdue Boilermakers. But they had a great season and have a lot to be proud of. And they have one of the cutest fans around.

She was so excited to get a "Tiger ball." She did ask why they wrote their names on it. 

I think the popcorn was her favorite part.

We got our tree and decorated it.

Ryleigh's daycare had a holiday party and program. Her class sang two songs. Well, the teachers sang two songs, while the kids played the bells, cried, or in Ryleigh's case stared at the crowd of parents with a somewhat shocked look on her face. When Jax started to cry she couldn't quite figure out if she wanted to join him or not. Luckily she decided not to cry.

We got some AWESOME new stockings this year. They are HUGE, so Santa has his work cut out for him.

Pretty!
Question: Where are you supposed to hang your stockings when you don't have a mantle?

Ryleigh got her wheels!! Fancy purple wheels. She still prefers to be on the floor where she has more access to her toys. When we had a demo chair this summer she tipped over. Twice. She still remembers and will not let us live it down (talk about parent guilt!). So it has taken some coaxing to convince her that she is safe and will not tip over in her new wheels. I'm really looking forward to getting her out and about - for now the stores are just too darn crowded for a newly independent wheelie.

We got a couple inches of snow last weekend and were able to try out Ryleigh's new "sleigh." I just pulled her from our house to the trail. Don't let that smile fool you, she wasn't the biggest fan. I think she felt a little unstable. And with the crust of ice that had formed over the snow it was a little crunchy. She kept telling me, "I don't like it. It's too loud." I'm pretty sure that was just her excuse. Hopefully we will get to give it another try.

Awesome animation effects!!

Just a few days ago we got Ry's new braces. These are KAFOs (Knee, Ankle, Foot Orthotics) They go all the way up to her hips and should help keep her legs in line for some pulling up, standing and maybe even walking. I was really worried about them inhibiting her movement when she is on the floor and crawling. But when we tried them out for the first time at home last night she was moving around like an old pro. That was a huge relief and very exciting. We have to keep trying them out for 30 minutes at a time and make sure they aren't giving her any pressure sores anywhere. So far, so good.

So, as you can see we have been quite busy. Our house is definitely looking pretty Christmasy. I haven't done a ton of shopping, but we are as ready as we are going to be. And we are really looking forward to a visit from all the Kentucky Rowes next weekend!!

Seriously, our tree looks awesome, even without special effects. :)

Have a happy Christmas!!