TREE HUNT AND SANTA

For years now, we have headed out West to cut down our own Christmas Tree. The Boy Scouts manage a forest of beautiful trees. For 5 bucks you can purchase a permit to cut down one pine tree. They often turn out to be of "Charlie Brown" variety, but for us, it's all about the hunt for the perfect tree for us!

 Scout always comes, and once we are far enough into the forest, we always let her off leash, shhh, don't tell on us....

 It was really windy this year, but not too cold and Ryder had a blast walking in the deep snow!

 Marty had a blast throwing him into the deep snow..

 Marty and Ryder took turns working the saw to cut down our lil tree.

 Payton was a trooper, chillin' in the back pack.

 But like everyone else, she couldn't wait to try walking in the deep snow too.

Here we are with our tree!!! It might not look like much, but to us, it's perfect!

 

Everyone helped decorate the tree....

Payton helped by eating the decorations.

 Ryder hung the candy canes.

 "I'm putting all the candy canes in a line, Mom."

Yep, he did and yep, they are still hanging just like this on our tree.

 Marty put the angel on top. He tried to lift Ryder up, but Ryder was sure Marty was gonna bonk his head on the ceiling so he panicked and refused to even try the angel.

I realize this is not the most flattering shot of our tree. I will take a better one. It really does look better than this...really.....

A few days after our tree got decorated, I took the kids to the Mall to see Santa.  Ryder was so excited, but I figured he'd be afraid of him since he seems to have this fear of people in costumes.  Before we left, I watched Ryder lay on the floor beside Scout and ask her what she wanted him to ask Santa for for her.  Awwww!
 

We got to the Mall early and were number 7 on the wait list.

 There was lots to play on and look at in the Santa waiting area.

 Finally, our big moment came and Ryder....refused to sit on Santa's knee (he was a little scared of him) but settled for sitting next to Santa in the end. He even smiled a little. :)

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and we are sooo excited!! Grampa and GG will be here to celebrate with us and this will be our first Christmas with Payton!!
Happy Holidays!!!!

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and may all your Christmas Wishes come true!!

POTTY MOUTH

So, I have a potty mouth. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's not really something I'm ashamed of either. I have always been pretty good about "filtering" the naughty words from my vocab when necessary. For example I never tell my students to "shut the @#$% up,"though, I'll admit, I've thought that more than once.  I've always known that eventually, I'd have to clean up my language around Ryder. I have always known that one day, he'd understand and start repeating me...that day has come. Ofcorse, I didn't realize it until it was too late. Until the "f-word" came out of his mouth.  I tried to conceal my shock, I tried not to react in a way that offered too much attention to the scenario and I tried not to laugh!  See, he used it in the right context, with the correct vocal expression and he used it exactly as I would have.  He was eating yogurt from one of those yogurt tubes. I had warned him to "pay attention or your going to end up with yogurt all over your shirt..." sure enough seconds later, he gave that tube a zealous squeeze and yogurt spurted out the top, all over his shirt. "Oops, Mommy, I spilled, " he said looking at me. I was exasperated, but I held it together, simply sighing, replying with, "Grrr, Ryder!!!!!!" Without skipping a beat he followed up my frustrate sigh with a  "for fucks sake!" I was stunned!! What??? Did he just say, "for fucks sake?" Yep, yep he did!!! I mean that is exactly what I say when I'm frustrated.  Apparently I say it a lot! I mean I say it enough that a two year old, not only knows my exact vocal expression, but he knows the exact type of situation that would call for such a phrase!  Oooops!!! (To be clear, I don't say this to Ryder when I am frustrated with him..or do I?? Oh my God! I don't even know anymore!! Ahhhh!)  All I know is that I need to clean up my language ASAP!!! 
Since the yogurt on the shirt incident, he's dropped the "for fucks sake" a few more times. Once in traffic when I was done yelling (cuss free words) at the truck in front of me, I heard a resounding "for fucks sake truck!" from the back seat!  Santa has decided he will not visit if Mommy and Ryder keep using that phrase!! 
I realized recently that when I am shocked or surprised, I have a nasty habit of saying, "shut the fuck up!" In an effort to keep my language a little more G-rated, I've begun replacing that phrase with, "shut the front door!" Ryder has caught on to that one and to hear him use it (so far always appropriately) is hilarious! Today, Payton pulled herself up on the steps (first time ever she's pulled herself to a stand) and I holler, "Guys! Look! Look at Payton she pulled herself up!!!" Ryder matter of factly says: Shut the front door! and starts jumping up and down, clapping!!! 
I see now just how impressionable these little cuties are and I am making it my New Year's resolution to clean up my potty mouth!! About time, eh, Mom???

DECEMBER 1-8

It’s December!!! Ok, so it has been for a week already, but finally I have a couple minutes to post some pics.

In keeping with tradition, we all put on our Santa hats, blasted Christmas tunes (especially my fav, Kenny and Dolly “Country Christmas”) and busted out the house decorations on Sunday (the first.) To be honest, the hats didn’t last long on Scout (she’s not a hat fan,) Payton did more eating of decorations than helping and Ryder eventually informed me that he was way to “busy playing play dough and monster trucks, Mom” to help. So Marty and I did most of the decorating. 

 Payton"helping"

 Wright Family Decorating Team!

I love the way our house looks now, like Christmas puked in our livingroom! Perfect!  Truthfully, I always thought I was going to be more of a Martha Stewart, hanging classy decorations that all match and follow a theme, but, it turns out, I'm not.  In realtiy, we hang everything we have (some cowboy decorations, some hockey decorations, some country theme decorations, some snowman theme, some santa theme) somewhere in the house and hang multicolor lights over all the windows. More “trailer trash” than Martha, I'll admit, but, it’s an eclectic representation of two worlds colliding (country girl, hockey playing city boy) and to us, to our home, this stuff just feels like Christmas! 

We've been enjoying coming down the stairs every morning, plugging in the Christmas lights, opening the Advent truck (Thank you, Grammy,) and playing Christmas music while eating breakfast...at least we enjoyed that for two days and then I got the flu! Tuesday night, I started puking and pooping and was prettty much down and out for three days! I'd love to say I layed in bed for three days recovering and resting, but with two small children, Mom's don't get to be sick and resting for three days. I did get one whole day of rest though. Marty pulled a long shift of Daddy duty so that I could sleep as much as I needed to Wednesday. Thank you, Marty!!!  Thursday, Marty had to get back to work, so I was back to being Mom. A tired, half sick, thankfully, not puking anymore, Mom.  Thursday night, Marty caught my flu bug so Friday, though I still wasn't quite 100% I was back in full on Mom mode! To make matters more miserable for my healthy (thank God, the kids didn't get our flu..yet) busy, two year old, we had settled into a DEEP FREEZE! Temperatures dipped below 30 degrees celcius often going below 40 with windchills! We were definitely stuck inside..well mostly. There were times when Ryder just couldn't play play dough and monster trucks anymore (who knew that it was possible for him to tire of that?) and he'd insist on going outside. 

I took these pics from the window (he lasted out there longer than I did.) After helping me shovel, he refused to come in, so I made him play in the back yard where I could keep an eye on him from the kitchen window.

To help pass the indoor times, we had to get creative and yes, we even had to watch a little more TV than normal. Lots of "Chuck Trucks" Youtube videos of Monster Trucks and trucks getting stuck, and we even rented the movie "Planes" off Itunes.

 Monster Truck ramps

 Monster Truck ramps with jumps

 

Wrestling

 Trucks and play dough and standing and stealing big brother's stuff....

playing...

 lots of finger walking...

 

Making a "wish list" letter/collage for Santa with Daddy.

 By Saturday, the weather was relenting a little bit and we were all tired of being house bound!  Marty still wasn't feeling 100% yet, but he was a trooper and drove us all to the mountains for dinner and the Santa Claus Parade. We bundled up and waited for Santa to arrive!  He did, at the very end of the parade in a sleigh pulled by two big grey horses.

Ryder didn't complain even once about the cold...until we got back in the van after the parade and his feet began to thaw....we tossed him a candy cane and his tears stopped instantly! Thank you, peppermint goodness! :)

 Payton was bundled to the max. I wore her in the carrier and once back in the van, I did a finger/toe check and not one was cold! She was probably the warmest of all of us!

 Biggest Santa ever!

 Today, there were horse drawn wagon rides offered at the golf course in our neighbourhood. It was still pretty chilly out there, but eager to get out of the house, we bundled up again and took in some free family fun!

 

It's amazing how a little sunshine and hot chocolate can make a cold day bearable!!  I do love December and all the fun Christmas activities! I also love that the cold doesn't stop them from happening, not here in Alberta anyway! :)

Another fun thing about this December has been Ryder's storytime advent. This is a new tradition that Auntie Dic started.  She mailed  Ryder 24 wrapped Winter/Christmas themed story books. One for each night of advent.  Every night in December, Ryder has unwrapped a book for us to read to him before bed.  The first book he unwrapped was a Winnie the Pooh book and for some reason, after that he expected every book he unwrapped to be a Winnie the Pooh book.  He always seems to be so surprised when he unwraps one and it isn't. He'll say, "this is not a Pinnie the Pooh book." Not sure why he calls him, Pinnie, but he does and it makes me laugh every time! 

It is snowing outside now, the long term forecast promises some warmer days and both Marty and I are finally over the flu. Things are looking up!  We are heading to bed eager to wake up healthy, rested and ready to spend the rest of December soaking up all the festive family fun we can find!

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and get a good playdough recipe to get you through the cold snaps!