The Next Andrea Bocelli (Or Something Like That)

Over the lifetime of this blog, I have written several posts about Payton and her preschool program adventures. Be it lifting up her dress, making binoculars with her hands, or falling backwards off the bleachers, Payton always kept us on the edge of our seats.

This year, it was Brady's turn. We attended his very first preschool Christmas program this morning. Let's just say that Brady really enjoyed himself. He sang (shouted) VERY LOUDLY...that's what the teachers told him to do after all, rang those bells (so intensely I was afraid they would fly out of his hand and into the third row of the pews), and did the hand motions (his personal favorite? The angel counting song of course!).

Here is a video of just a few of the songs...Brady is in the top left corner. He really gets going in the third verse of the Song 1. And sorry about the shaky video, I couldn't stop laughing.

Brady, it's MIGHTY Christmas, not ANGRY Christmas...Looks like an Uncle Mark/Uncle Brad/Opa in the making...If it involves numbers or counting, Brady's in. And of course, there was also a little of this...he told me he was tired. Wouldn't you be after all that shouting?!The bus ride back to school.And Brady's teacher, Mrs. Lewis. God bless her.

Chapter 2: The Christmas Tree Comes Home

Don't worry, this post could not possibly be as long as the previous one...

Here's what happened once we brought our Christmas tree home.

Some light winding and ornament hanging...
Do I look EXHAUSTED in this one or what?!
Some train set setting up...
And some much needed relaxation around our definitely-not-perfect-but-we-love-it 2010 Christmas tree.

Our Christmas Tree Cutting Adventure

On Saturday we embarked on our 6th annual trek up into the mountains to cut down our Christmas Tree. It was an adventure to say the least.

I have included two versions of our adventure below...1) the Cliff's Notes Version, and 2) the Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Version. Please choose and enjoy!

Version 1: On Saturday, our family went to the mountains and cut down our Christmas Tree. It was fun.
Payton's illustration of our day...essentially accurate except that our son remains in my belly!

Version 2:

After making the hour long drive up into the mountains, my parents, Mark & Abby, and Wes and I (along with all of our kiddos) found an uncrowded spot off a four wheel drive trail. We parked, geared up, and headed into the hills.

Before we started looking for our tree, we snapped a few family photos. Mark & Abby got at least one Christmas-card-worthy shot. Here's what we got before Payton decided it was not time to smile.
We decided to try again later, so the search for the "perfect" tree began. The children (and their fathers) had an excellent time hitting trees with sticks, climbing on rocks, and using non-power tools.


This lasted for approximately 30 minutes. After that, we heard Heator's cries echoing through the trees. The poor little guy was tired, hungry, and ready for his paci. So, Mark and Abby headed back to the car for a short break. (Wes and Heator...notice the presence of sunglasses on Wes's face...important later in the story :))
Shortly after that, we heard more cries echoing through the trees. No, this was not a small child, but my mom and dad yelling from about a mile away that they had found the perfect tree but lost the screw to their saw and were unable to cut it down. If they hiked to come and find us, they would never find their tree again.

That meant it was our turn to head back down to the car so we could get our saw and bring it up to my mom and dad. So, down and back up we went. We probably had a good half mile more to go when this is what we saw...
After searching the ground meticulously for the missing screw and attempting unsuccessfully to fix the saw with my mom's earring, my parents said that a ray of light burst through the clouds, revealing the sparkling missing screw. They fixed the saw and cut down their most excellent tree. A Christmas miracle indeed!
(I told you this was the long version of the story...) So, the Syers four resumed our search for this year's tree. It was at the point that the words "well, my day is ruined" were uttered by my husband. He had just realized that at some point over the last sixty minutes, he had lost his brand new sunglasses. Bummer. We searched the nearby area, but to no avail. Chalk it up to another item for Wes's Christmas list this year, and add in some not-so-nice comments about forgetting the whole day and just getting our tree from Home Depot. :)

But, we ultimately turned our attention back to the task at hand and found "the one." Brady had a great time helping his dad chop down the tree...

We FINALLY made it back to the car to warm up and enjoy some lunch. Mark, Abby, & Nolan had gone back up to find their tree as well. My mom and dad stayed back with napping Heath.
My dad and Wes decided to try one more time to find the missing glasses. (Wes, after all, had gone snorkeling in alligator-infested waters to search for my dad's missing glasses the last time we were in Cancun!).

It was at this point that we witnessed Christmas Miracle #2! As Wes and my dad emerged from the trees, there they were...white sunglasses sitting properly on Wes's face. They had found the glasses about half way up the path. Our day was not in fact ruined!

And that, as closure to our Christmas Tree Cutting Adventure, was a reason for everyone to smile :)

Gobble Fest Twenty-Ten

We had a wonderful day yesterday celebrating Thanksgiving. We headed over to my parents house around noon and started the festivities off with some family pictures/Christmas card hopefuls.

I'll just post one...I love that Cohen is palming Payton's head, and that my children love their aunts and uncles so much they want to stand by them for pictures. I will also add that one of the things I am most thankful for is such an awesome and supportive family, and that they all live close!
The cooks in the kitchen...
The whole crew sitting down for dinner...21 of us this year! Oma Bosch, my Mom and Dad, Sue, Dave, Mark, Abby, Nolan, Heath (who was only a few days old last Thanksgiving!), Brad, Jayne, Cohen, Gwen, Tim, Rylan, Grandma Inge, Tammy, Wes, Payton, Brady, and Me!
Before we ate, Payton read us the story of the first Thanksgiving. She read clearly and loudly. We were very proud of her!
Cohen's First Thanksgiving Meal (Rice Cereal...)
Enjoying the feast...
Not too good at posing these days!Attempting to swallow a brussel sprout without actually tasting it :)
And no Thanksgiving would be complete without Aunt Sue's annual turkey game! This year there was a heat for the kids and two for the adults. Brady won for the kids and Wes won for the adults.
Gwen did not :)
And to top off a wonderful, relaxing day, Payton helped Oma and Opa do the dishes without asking!
We are truly blessed. I am thankful for so many things, and a holiday that reminds us to stop and remember just how lucky we really are...

JUMP!

On Wednesday night, we took a family trip to Jump Street, the indoor trampoline park that just opened near our house. In an attempt to prevent early labor, I stuck to taking pictures and didn't jump. But, Wes, Payton, and Brady had a blast and got in quite a work out!

The main attraction...a football field sized area with trampolines covering the floors and the walls. Getting ready to have a hopping race...
Running, jumping, flopping, and flipping...Brady's favorite part was the trampoline dodge ball area of course.
And Payton's personal favorite? Racing her daddy, who as hard as he tried, could NOT beat his daughter in a running race. Blame it on gravity sucking Wes deep into the tramps and allowing Payton to glide effortlessly across the surface. Laws of physics or not, Payton found it glorious :)
Take that gravity.
What a fun (and sweaty) family night!