Merry Christmas!!

So this year for Christmas we were lucky enough to be able to go to SLC to visit family. We spent the first week up at the Gathering Place at Ty's parents place in Eden. All of Ty's siblings and families were able to come so we had the entire Hollist clan there this year. Rilynne was loving all the cousins and everyone there to entertain her. For some of them it was the first time seeing Rilynne in person because not all the cousins were able to make it out to the sealing.

After that we headed to WJ to spend some time with my family. Rilynne was showered with gifts and attention from all her aunties and cousins. Unfortunately, while we were at my parents house Rilynne got the stomach flu and croup. Poor little girl was super sick. Thank heavens for children's tylenol and the instacare.

Here is Rilynne at my sister's house on Christmas morning. She didn't sleep well (either did we) and so I think she was kind of tired and wasn't sure what was going on. She got too distracted by her previous gifts and everyone else unwrapping presents. By the end I think I unwrapped the last 2 gifts after breakfast. I do love the little face that she's making though.

Here's the family at Temple Square. We all went down to see my parents at the Conference Center where they volunteer to give tours once a week. They gave us a really great tour and then we headed out in the 9 degree weather to see the lights. Rilynne did have a nice warm hat but she wouldn't wear it. Then she started sucking it so it ended up all wet anyway. I had to throw that in there so no one thought I was a bad mom for not having a warm hat on my child in freezing temps.

Look at Rilynne's face - she loves the camera and will usually strike a big smile when you say "cheese"

Here's a nice pic of Ty and Rilynne. I just love the lights and Temple Square.

Look at those eyes and eyelashes!!

Here we are at Michelle's house again. Rilynne is making her "oh no" face. I just think that's the cutest thing ever! She even says "oh no" when she is making the face. Super cute!

Rilynne LOVES dogs. I am afraid we might have to break down and get a dog in a few years for her. All night she followed Jack around. I bet he was tired of being poked in the eyes . . . poor dog.

While we were in UT Rilynne got her first hair cut. My mom just evened out spots. She had a lot of hair when she was born but parts rubbed off and so she had some really long parts. I think she looks a lot better. She didn't like to sit still for grandma though. She had big crocodile tears while she got her hair cut.

The other main event while in UT was that we were able to see the Mathews. Lisa introduced us to Rilynne's birth mom when they lived in OR. Lisa and Kurt are Rilynne's great birth aunt and uncle. Marcus is her second cousin. It was so GOOD to see them. I love it when we are able to spend time with Rilynne's birth family. The Mathews are great friends and we will always be indebted to them for helping us with our adoption of our sweet little girl! Love you guys!

November Wrap Up

I have been such a slacker on the blog. It has been a busy couple of months and I know I won't be able to blog about everything we've done so I will give just a quick update. November was a great month of firsts for us - first Thanksgiving, first time crawling, first time swimming, and the first time Rilynne has met her birth mom. Rilynne is growing up fast and she has decided she's not a baby anymore. She is crawling all over. My house is a wreck because everything is on shelves or counters out of Rilynne's reach. The first thing she does in the morning is go to her toy box and dumps everything out. Once everything is on the floor she is uninterested and crawls away. She is so busy and into everything!

Look at that smiley little face. She is such a happy lil' girl!

For Thanksgiving we met Lisa (sister-in-law) and her family in Bend, OR. We had a lot of fun. Rilynne loved crawling after Jack and trying to steal all his toys. Clara and Adian did a great job at entertaining Jack and Rilynne. Both Jack and Rilynne cut teeth while we were in Bend, which meant 2 babies with fevers and running noses. They both did well but Rilynne struggled sleeping, which meant Mom and Dad struggled sleeping as well. I think Rilynne was relieved to get back to her crib and out of her pack n' play. While in Bend we watched movies, played games, went swimming, played racquet ball and basketball, and of course ate a lot of yummy food. It was my kind of vacation.

Here is Jack and Rilynne hanging out in the morning still in the PJ's

Rilynne's first time swimming. The place was a bit steamy so my camera lens kept fogging up so the picture isn't real clear.

Rilynne playing with daddy's hat. Ty is hoping she grows up to be a Michigan fan.

We went downtown Bend for lunch. Rilynne didn't want her hair done so we left it as a fro and put a bow in it. I still think she looks cute!

Here is another picture of her fro. She has such soft hair but it's super curly.

The highlight of the month for us was having the opportunity to see Rilynne's birth mom. We haven't seen for since Rilynne was born. It was so great to see her! She is such a great girl! I can't believe how much Rilynne looks like her. I have pictures but for her birth mom's privacy I won't post them but I was so happy to be able to have pictures with both of them together. I think it will mean a lot to Rilynne when she's older. I am so grateful we were able to spend a few days with her. I look back at where our family was a year ago and the miracles that have come into our lives. Rilynne and her birth Mom are the brightest stars in our lives. I am humbled by the miracles that the Lord has blessed us with.

That in a nutshell was our November and we can't wait for Christmas! I hope Rilynne loves Christmas as much as I do!