Christmas 2012

Don't mind the date of this posting.  I realize that it's officially January 2013 but Christmas was only a week ago.  It's kind of like the 10-Second rule.

Christmas.  Christmas, Christmas, Christmas.  First I must say, it came and went faster than I remember any other Christmas coming and going.  I wonder how much of that is due to the preparation I put into purchasing gifts months and months in advance.  When the actual season arrived I didn't have a whole lot to think about.  Perhaps that actually detracted from it all?  Maybe I'll try the less-prepared route next year and see where it gets me.

Since Christmas was on a Tuesday this year, Tyson got Monday and Tuesday off.  To be sure we made the rounds to each of our families we started early at Tyson's mom's house.  We spent Sunday night there and woke Monday morning for a Christmas Eve Christmas morning.  It was just the beginning of our spoilage.  Seriously, our families take such good care of us.  Teryn got a Black & Decker toy chainsaw and he wasn't sure about it at first.  He would look at it for a second and then tuck it back with all the gifts while he played with other things and then he'd go back to check it out again.  (It didn't take long for him to figure out the fun of it though.  Now he's not afraid to cut Tyson's head and my shoulders off.  The funniest part is, he always puts his baseball cap on when he plays with it.  I don't know where he got that??  Check him out!) 


For Christmas Eve that night we had dinner and spent time at Tyson's uncle Bruce's house.  All of his children and their families were home and we had such a good time together.  I love their house and their family so much!  It was the perfect way to spend Christmas Eve. 

After partying with the family we got the boys home and in bed and I wrapped presents.  I hadn't wrapped them prior to that night because I figured it would be fun for Teryn to wake up to them Christmas morning and not have to wait to open them.  After opening presents at Grandma Michelle's the day before he was pretty excited to wake up and see some under his "tee." 

(Notice the duct tape that's holding our tree to the floor?  I learned after Ryder did this for the third time.....)

Teryn got a Vtech Text & Go and a set of construction equipment toys.  He LOVES tractors and all other kinds of machinery.  As Tyson was opening the toys Teryn kept saying, "Ohhh n-ness! Ohhh n-ness!"  (Meaning "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!"  That's my reaction to exciting things and he's apparently caught on very well.)  Ryder didn't understand the concept of unwrapping but he loved the ball he got.  Next year will be much more climactic with him =0)

(This picture depicts their personalities perfectly!  Ha!  Really, Teryn is happier than he looks but he doesn't like smiling for the camera.  Ryder's smile on the other hand is so stinking cute!)


Tyson got the Men In Black trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises to complete the trilogy, and I made him a big ol' cozy blanket.  There's nothin' worse than trying to cuddle in a small (or even average) blanket when you're as tall as he is, so it measures 7x9 feet.  We're in the process of buying a home with a full basement and he's already claimed that space for his "man cave" so I thought he needed something to start his collection of sports paraphernalia.  The blanket has blocks with the logos of 5 of his favorite teams; LA Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Utah Jazz, BYU, and U of U (bahumbug to those of you who think the last two shouldn't be included in the same piece of artwork). 



I was spoiled with one gift this year.  It requires a little explaining.  When Tyson and I were dating I gave him the general guidelines for what I wanted in a wedding ring.  I wanted a white gold band with a round solitaire and a wedding band.  He shopped on his own and he really did a good job but since the day he proposed I secretly wished my wedding band was different.  I loved the style with the tiny, tiny diamonds which I came to learn was called "pavè."  I didn't mention anything about it until this past year, around our 3rd anniversary.  I admitted that I didn't absolutely LOVE my ring and showed Tyson a picture of what a pavè band looks like.  He shook his head and laughed when he saw it and told me that he wanted to get a band like that in the first place but he didn't think I'd like it!  I don't know where he got that idea, but it was kind of funny to realize that both of us actually preferred the pavè look all along.  After that, every time he talked about making a big purchase I joked that he wasn't allowed to spend large amounts of money on himself until he bought me a new ring.  He always rolled his eyes and dropped the subject until just the past few months.  All of a sudden one day, he told me he wanted to buy my new ring for Christmas.  Again, I joked that he just wanted to get it over with so he could start buying everything else that he wants, but he genuinely told me that "I deserve it."  So lo and behold, the ring I've been waiting for.  I love it!  Thanks babe!

(Before and after)

After Christmas morning at our house we went to my parents' house for breakfast.  My mom always makes waffles with strawberry jam and whipped cream.  Mmmmm!  We opened more gifts and continued to get spoiled.  We stuck around while Ryder took his morning nap and after he woke we were on our way to Tyson's dad's house.  Really, if I even tried to list all of the gifts that we received from each of our families, you would be sick!  Let it suffice to say that we are beyond fortunate!  Thanks everyone!

We came home that night stuffed with delicious food and feeling warm and fuzzy from all the love we received.  We thought it was all over until the next morning when I logged on to Facebook.  I took a peek at the Roosevelt Yard Sale site and saw 2 pure bred black labs.  The litter had been listed for $300/puppy until Christmas Eve when the price was dropped to $150.  After Christmas the sellers just wanted to get rid of the last 2 so they were giving them away for FREE!  Yay howdy!  Tyson has wanted dogs so badly but we've never lived anywhere that allowed pets.  Our current landlords told us we could have a dog but it would have to stay chained up and we didn't want that.  With our current plans to buy a home and hopefully be moved in within the next few months, I wondered what would happen if we got puppies now that we could chain up/kennel on the back porch until we leave because then we have a fenced-in back yard at the new house that will be perfect for them.  I got a hold of the seller and asked a few questions.  When Tyson got home from work I showed him the picture and he was pretty much immediately sold.  He went and talked to our landlord who agreed with the idea and we were on our way to pick them up!  Their names are Durbin and Watson and they complete our family!  And I don't think I've ever seen Tyson so happy!


It was definitely a Christmas to remember!