December

Well, December brought a LOT more snow. We were worried that we weren't going to get a white Christmas because up until the week before Christmas, we hadn't gotten any snow, but a few days before the 25th, we got slammed with a blizzard and got TONS of snow! It was beautiful, but what a hassle to get around in!!

We took Brady to see santa at Bass Pro Shop. They have an awesome set up with games and crafts...and its all free. They even give you a picture for free...you can't get that at any of the malls these days!! Plus, this santa looked so much better than the mall santas with the fake beards. I was REALLY happy with the whole experience.

this is just my cell picture, not great.

Courtney and Josh were heading to Wisconsin to spend Christmas with his family and since we're on the way, they stopped for the night and we did our Christmas morning with them on Saturday morning. We left town on the 24th to spend Christmas with my family so it made sense to open our presents before the trip rather than lugging them across the country.

We kept up with Neilson traditions and served pigs in a blanket for breakfast. We also skyped with Ryan's parents so they could watch the gift opening and so we could watch them open our gifts. 

Brady pretty much opened everyone's gifts for them. He didn't care what was in them, he just wanted to rip that paper!

Brady got his first bike! He also got a basketball hoop and the Brady sized table and chairs you see to the right.  He also got clothes, coloring books, books, crayons, a stuffed kitty, and a few other toys. Spoiled little guy!

All in all, it was a great PRE Christmas celebration. We were so happy to be able to celebrate with Courtney and Josh before heading home to celebrate with my family.

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On the 24th, we flew in to San Francisco and made it home in time for my family's traditional Christmas Eve mexican feast. We had Tamales and tons of other great stuff from our favorite mexican restaurant, Juarez. Christmas Eve is my brother Jon's birthday, so we finished dinner off with some Texas Sheet cake (a family favorite) and ice cream.

The next morning my older brother and his family came over for breakfast and gifts. We had so much fun opening gifts, especially with the little kids! I'd say a crowd favorite was one of Ryan's gifts though.  We have amazon wish lists, so we usually don't get many "surprises" on Christmas morning, but my dad said "every boy needs a toy" so along with some of Ryan's wish list items, my parents got him a remote control helicopter. We all had so much fun flying that thing and of course, the kids got a huge kick out of it.

I didn't take my camera out at all on this trip, so these are all cell phone pics:

Brady was excited to open MORE gifts this day...of course he opened most everyone's gifts.

He had a nice game of catch after presents with uncle Kevin and Alice.

watching the helicopter

Later this day, Ryan and I snuck off to a movie and then after a delicious turkey dinner, we headed to Lodi to stay with Kevin, Vickie, and the girls so Ryan and Kevin could golf the next few mornings. While the guys golfed, Vickie and I took the kids to a children's museum. Brady had a blast exploring with his cousins.

That night Vickie pulled out the tarantula and Brady PET it!! He wasn't scared at all! Kevin had to hold his hand though, just to make sure he was gentle and didn't grab the spider.

We really had a great Christmas trip!! We headed home on Friday and had the weekend to unpack and relax, which is just what we needed!

On New Year's Eve, we went out for dinner (Wing Stop) and got Blizzards from Dairy Queen to enjoy at home. We watched movies and just enjoyed a quiet night IN. A perfect way to ring in the new year!!