Merry Christmas!

Love, 

Anna, Aimee, Nathan, & Ryan

Ryan at 16 Months

My Little Singers

Last night the girls got to perform in this amazing (sold-out!) concert hall:

The word that kept coming to mind was "Wow!"

It was pretty fabulous.  I was a "concert mom-helper" during the second show so I got to hear it twice.  Lucky me!  The choirs were angelic.  Absolutely beautiful...

Definitely worth all the effort.  After the concert the girls both said they were "for sure doing this next year!"

Good job, girlies...you were wonderful!

Fifteen Months

This little cutie is fifteen months.  He changes so much from month to month that I want to document his little milestones.  Ryan is experimenting with words, but says "ma-ma" almost constantly (I love it!)  He says "no" by making the "n" noise and shaking his head side to side; he's pretty good at communicating what he wants.  If he wants me to open something, he'll bring it to where I am and stand there patting me (or babbling) until I open it. 

My favorite is watching him dance.  He starts out with a little bounce, then starts getting into it with his arms, and then, when he's really feelin' in, breaks into this hilarious spin.  He holds his arms just so, ducks his head, and goes around and around until he falls.  Then he stand up and claps for himself and does it again!  It is pretty much the cutest thing ever.  We sit and watch him do it over and over, laughing like crazy.  And his favorite Wii game?  "Just Dance," of course!

Ryan likes playing with balls.  We'll play catch, and every time he throws it he says "ba!"  He loves playing hide and seek too.  He'll be hiding waiting for you to come find him, then jump out and say "boo!" 

My least favorite has got to be the climbing.  I am a nervous wreck!  He climbs on everything, and I have to watch him like a hawk.  I don't remember the girls climbing on things much at all, and I'm sure he climbs more than Nathan did.  No fear in this little boy.  Yikes!

When we ask him what a monkey says he'll go "Ah! Ah! Ah!" really high and squeaky.  Hilarious!  We're trying to teach him other animals, but he's really only interested in monkeys.  The fondness of climbing, perhaps?

I'm still in awe every day that we get to have this baby boy.  Lucky, lucky, lucky us.  He brings so much fun to our family....life just wouldn't be the same without him.  Happy "15" little Ry!  We love you! :)

The Big "Nine"

My little Aimee turned nine on me today...without even asking my permission!  Only one more year to go until we reach those double digits.  Crazy!  I have to say, though, that sometimes I can't believe she's only nine.  Aimee is so much like a mini-adult with her organization, ambition, and dedication, she could put some thirty-year-olds to shame. :)

We have a birthday tradition of playing the "_____" (insert name of birthday boy or girl) Game.  So, today it was the "Aimee" Game.  We went around and each took turns saying our favorite things about her.  Here are some of the highlights:

1. Aimee is smart.  Really smart.

2. She is so kind.  She has one of the sweetest hearts of anyone I know.  Aimee is always doing something nice to brighten someone's day or to make someone feel great.  She is very in-tune with those around her, and if someone feels bad, she finds a way to help.

3. When Aimee puts her mind to something, she follows through.  Example:  Saturday morning runs with Dad.  Even though she is tired and hurting after one mile, she keeps going and always runs a second.  Pretty good for an eight (now nine) year old!

4. Aimee is so fun to have around.  She says and does the craziest things sometimes, and is cracking us up daily.  She definitely lightens the mood around our house.  Our family just wouldn't be as the same without her!

5. One of my current favorites is when Aimee gets into "helpful" mode.  She can clean the house faster than the rest of the family put together.  It is AWESOME!  The other day I asked her to vacuum the family room.  Ryan was fussing, and when I turned to get him, Aimee was vacuumming the room with him on her hip.  I can barely do that!

6. Aimee is a fabulous talk writer.  She wrote a talk for primary last summer (all by herself!) and got to give it for the Sacrament Meeting Program a few weeks ago.  I was so impressed with her testimony.  And how great that she can get up in front of the entire congregation of 300 + people and give a talk!

We love our Aimee, and feel so blessed to have her in our family.  Daddy's running partner, Mommy's helper, Anna's best friend, Nathan's best playmate, and Ryan's fun babysitter.  Happy Birthday to our sweet, wonderful girl!

The Bet

 It all began a week or so ago when Scott challenged the girls to the "race of the year."  He's been making them run every Saturday morning for the past couple of months, and they were starting to get a little...hmmm...let's say annoyed with him.  So, for some motivation, he said he'd dress up for Halloween if they could beat him.  That was huge because I don't know many people who dislike wearing a costume more than Scott! 

The deal was the girls run two miles, Daddy runs three.  I was a little worried that Scott would have the advantage and mentioned that he might dress up no matter what the outcome since the girls were going to run their little hearts out trying to beat him.  He said "Nope, a deal's a deal."  Pretty confident... 

We carbo-loaded at dinner with some spaghetti to prep ourselves for the big race!

Everyone got up bright and early (even though it was pitch dark outside) at 6:15 a.m.  We didn't think it would be a great idea to run in the dark, however, so we waited until around 6:45 to start.  The girls drew a chalk starting line for us, and we all took our places.  Nathan was on his bike and Ryan in the jogging stroller.  I was hoping I could run two miles pushing that thing!)

Long story short, the girls did AWESOME!  They beat their Dad by about two minutes.  It was a fabulous finish....

Now...what to dress him up as....we had a Trunk-or-Treat to get ready for that evening...

Daddy will think twice before he makes a bet with these two again.  You'd think he'd have learned the dangers of gambling growing up in Wendover and all....

He got off pretty easy if you ask me.  I have the feeling they won't be as gracious on the real Halloween.

He and Nathan were awful cute dressed as "Supers"

The neighborhood girls:

And Ryan (the perfect costume for our "monkey boy" who climbs on everything) with his "Zookeeper" mommy.  I figured if Scott had to dress up, I might as well too.  (My tag reads "Head Zookeeper, Jones Family Zoo"...just keeping it real:)

We all had a fun night.  I thought that actually wearing a costume might change Scott's feelings about dressing up.  Not so!  When we got home, he was out of that costume faster than a speeding bullet. :)

Fourteen Months

In keeping with the monthly posts of our little Ryan, here is an update on how he spent his fourteenth month:

He was the most popular kid at the annual "Fall Run" at school.  He's pretty good at handling all that attention!  Those girls thought he was the cutest.  Too bad he can't give autographs!

Ryan loves playing with cars, sound effects and all.  It cracks me up how boys just naturally know how to play like boys.  Nathan was the same way....or maybe it's just because their dad is a car fanatic...

Ryan with his favorite "guys"....the Grinch and his dog, Max.  He carries them all over the house giving them hugs. 

He liked hanging out with those silly nerdy girls.  We thought maybe they could start up a band...."Ryan and the Nerdette's?"  Whenever he sees the pictures of them he just starts laughing.  So do I!

Here is his new look that he gives you if you do something he doesn't like:

Here he is telling me big stories:

Here he is just being plain cute:

And here he is looking like a big boy (a little too big!):

Love you, cute little Ry-ry.