Merry Christmas - Week 4 / The Best Time of The Year

We hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas. We had a wonderful Christmas filled with a lot of activities and fun stuff. Sunday started us off with the Christmas program at church. Rylee and I joined the ward choir for the Christmas Program. Rylee worked really hard to learn the words of each song and followed right along with the music. They also wore their new Christmas dresses and shoes. They twirled everywhere we went and sent the sparkles flying. Dave & I were covered before church was over.

Christmas break is now in full swing. We had last minute shopping and baking to finish. Finally, Christmas Eve was here and we spent the day at home playing games, reading stories, watching movies. We decided to visit the St George Temple Visitors Center and see the lights to make the night complete. Just before we were to leave it started to snow. This is the first time since we moved here 14 years ago that we have had snow for Christmas.

Ryder loves Frosty. Each night he has to go and check on him and say hi.

Here the kids are enjoying the displays at the visitors center. It was still snowing and really cold outside so we spent most of our time watching the different movies and visiting with the missionaries.

The movie of the night was "A Christmas Story". The kids loved to see Ralph & his brother.

Christmas morning came and not so bright and early. The kids didn't wake up until 7:30 which really suprised me since Reganne couldn't fall asleep. She kept talking and asking guestions.

The perfect ending to the Christmas Hustle and Bustle. Too many presents, candy, games, movies. They finally crashed on our way to Mesquite for lunch. Here are my three Christmas Angels. To bad it only lasted for 1/2 hour and they were on the run again.

Best Present:

Rylee - Digital Camera

Reganne - Leap Frog Books

Ryder - Kit Kat Candy Bars & Yo Yo's

Merry Christmas - Week 3 / Snow & Friends

This is not what I had planned this week. Surprise!! we have snow. We received over 5 inches of snow in sunny St George. Yes, all of the schools were closed on Thursday. The school district doesn't have snow removal equipment or buses with snow tires. So they decided to be on the safe side and close up for the day. This was the first closure in ten years. Rylee was so excited to stay home and play in the snow. She also had lost a tooth and the tooth fairy came. She couldn't decide which to be excited about snow or money. The snow won out.

Dave took them outside to build a snowman and it is still out in front of our house today.

Rylee, Snow Girl, Reganne

Warming up by the fireplace

Santa & his helecopter

Saturday Santa was coming to the Boulevard by helecopter. The kids are all fascinated by any type of aircraft. So we had to go and see this. They loved it and again we waited in line to see Santa. Lucky for us we were only the 4th ones in line so it went very quickly. Each child sat on his lap, had their picture taken, and told him what they wanted. Ryder even walked right up to him until he saw the toys and changed his mind. Everyone around us was surprised he didn't cry. He sat very still and didn't move until they gave him his toy.


Our last stop of the day was out at Tuacahn to see the lights and ride the train with the Wheelers. It was so cold we had the kids bundled up in layers. Poor Ryder looked like the little boy from "A Christmas Story" he could barely move. The kids loved all of the decorations and the fire pit. Reganne discovered the bathrooms had hand warmers. So she had to go every 15 minutes and I would have to strip her down to go to the bathroom. She then would stand under the dryers and let them blow on her hands.

Jaycee, Ryder, Rylee, Dakota, Reganne

Ryder this week has been following me around with whatever I am doing. Dave left his shoes in the laundry room to dry. When I turned around Ryder was trying to put these on. He couldn't quite get both feet into them at the same time. He managed the one foot and started to giggle thinking he was so funny. I really love this age and their constant delight when they discover something new.

Gas update we paid $1.32 for gas yesterday at Costco. How much lower can it go???

2008 Waters Family Christmas Letters

What a busy year this has been and how quickly it has gone by. We have had a good year where everyone has been healthy.

Ryder: He is now 15 months and weights 17 pounds 13 ounces and is 29 inches long. He is walking and trying to run. He is a very happy baby and can usually be found by his giggle. He loves to play with his sisters and chase after them. He also loves to be outside and wants to wear his coat or jacket all of the time in hopes that someone will take him out.

Reganne: She is four years old and wants so bad to be 6 the same as Rylee. Reganne loves playing with her friends at day care, Rylee, and Ryder. She also loves to play outside and swing. She played soccer this year and her team was undefeated. She however decided that soccer really isn't for her. She loves being a Sunbeam and excited to move up to the CTRs. She loves to dance and twirl whenever she gets the chance.

Rylee: She is 6 1/2 years old and is an awesome big sister. She loves playing with both Reganne & Ryder. She is in the first grade and is learning to read. She is becoming a good reader but still loves to have Mom read to her instead. She is still taking Karate and now has her Orange Belt. She will be testing again real soon for her Blue Belt. She is very excited to be in the oldest class in Junior Primary. However, she is not excited to change classes. She really loves her teacher.

Dave is still working for Boulevard Home Furnishings as their Project Manager. It keeps him really busy along with his calling in Young Mens as the Teachers Advisor.

I am still working at SkyWest Airlines and very grateful for the flexibility they give me to be a mom. I also am now the Relief Society Chorister and the Ward Historian. These callings really don't require alot of attention and right now that is perfect for me.

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and we look forward to a great new year.

Merry Christmas: Week 2 / Favorites

As you can see this blog is over 2 days late. This is due to the snow storm we were privileged to enjoy on Saturday in Cedar City. We decided to try something new or hopefully start a new tradition by going to the Cedar City Light Parade. The weather was great during the day. Actually Dave was a little miffed because there wasn't any snow to play in. As the day wore on the clouds started rolling in and by 5:00 it started to lightly snow. By 6:00 there was at least 3 inches on the ground and more coming. Dave and the girls got out of the car to play until the parade arrived. Ryder was ticked off because he had to stay inside with Mom. The parade finally arrived and was over within 15 minutes. Sure glad stayed for that.... Lucky for us we weren't planning on going back to St George, but instead staying the night at the Abby Inn. There was now at least 5 inches on the ground and still coming down. We watched movies and played around the room. Finally, bed time all was quiet.

Ryder woke up screaming at 1:30. He was not going to go back to sleep. His tummy hurt and he wanted everyone to know it. So after an hour of this Dave decided we should go home now and maybe he would fall asleep. So at 2:35 we were packed and loaded into the car and on our way home. Now there are at least 8 inches of snow on the car. We made in home by 3:30 and everyone was in bed before 4:00. Ryder didn't even stir when we put him to bed and slept until 8:00. Reganne woke up as soon as I put her to bed and said she had a nightmare. She wouldn't sleep in her bed.

One thing we did in the hotel room in between movies was ask the girls about their favorite things. Then we all quessed about what Ryder's would be.

Rylee:
Color - Pink & Purple
Dinner - Pizza
Treat - Ice Cream
Movie - Kung Fu Panda
Stories - The Alphapets
Primary Song - Families Can be Together Forever
Family Trip - Lagoon

Reganne:
Color - Pink & Purple
Dinner - Noodles (Any Type)
Treat - Bubble Gum
Movie - Polar Express, Barbies Diamond Castle
Stories - Alphapets
Primary Song - I am A Child of God
Family Trip - Lagoon

Ryder:
Color - Blue & Green
Dinner - Noodles
Treat - Chocolate
Movie - None he doesn't sit still long enough or does he care.
Stories - Any thing that anyone will read to him.
Primary Song - I am A Child of God
Family Trip - Lagoon

I was amazed at some of their answers and at how similar they were. They are each so different and special. I am so lucky to be their Mom. Even though Reganne's new phrase is "You are not the boss of me" I quickly tell her that I am the boss of everyone in our house. Then she replies Not Dad!!! Then I have to admit she is right, but that we are both the boss of her. Then she will smile and walk off.

Merry Christmas Week 1 Traditions

Christmas our families favorite time of year. There are so many things to see and do. We have our family traditions and the kids really enjoy each one that we do. Last week was the Jubilee of Trees.

This week started the Dickens Festival. The girls know that this is where we see Father Christmas and have their picture taken. They colored a picture to enter the coloring contest. Then it was off to see Santa. Ryder wasn't to sure about him. I was surprised he didn't scream since this is his normal reaction to being set down. Instead he just looked around with a stone face. He did like the candy stick he gave me afterwards. The girls asked for digital cameras, Wall-e, and Tinkerbell Movies.

The Kids w/ Father Christmas

Rylee's class made Advent Chains with a different activity for each night until Christmas. Tuesday's activity was take your families picture by the Christmas Tree. As you can tell there aren't many smiles. Nobody wanted to pose and they couldn't agree on which tree to stand by. So we took pictures by both.

Saturday we were off to Cedar City to the Children's Storybook Parade. We had heard the weather was cold so we bundled everyone up. Much to our surprise it was in the high 40's and so the coats quickly came off. Ryder was top heavy and every time he stood up with this coat on he would fall over and hit his head. Reganne refused to wear her coat it was too much bother. Rylee was cold and she wore hers most of the time.

Then the parade started...

The joys of having a walking toddler. He didn't want to stay. He wanted to walk.

All of the kids around us discovered if they creeped out into the road they could give the characters high fives. So here they are out almost in the middle of main street. Touching and playing with the characters as they walked by.

Everyone was starving so we ate dinner in Cedar City and then drove home. They all fell asleep which made for a nice ride home.

Our final tradition of the week was family movie night. One girl picks the movie and the other picks the treat. Reganne picked Polar Express and Rylee picked Smores.

I am loving the eagerness and excitement that each child has for Christmas. We are always on the look out for new things to see and try. Hopefully start new traditions.

Happy Thanksgiving

We hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving Holiday. Ours was filled with food, family, friends, and rain. It rained all day. The drizzly cold and miserable rain. Lucky for us we have plenty of toys, games, and movies to entertain everyone while dinner was being cooked. We had our friends the Wheelers over for a combined dinner and it was delicious. The men deep fried the turkey and didn't burn the house down. As we had been warned over and over again.

For family night this week I asked everyone what they were thankful for. Here are their answers:

• Rylee: My Family
• Reganne: Juice
• Ryder: My bottle
• Dave: Country, house, family
• Lori: Healthy kids

Rylee & Reganne setting the Thanksgiving Table

The Kids
Jayce, Dakota, Ryder, Reganne, Rylee

The Food / Treats

Playing Inside / Busted for jumping on the bed.

The Jubilee of Trees 2008

I love the holiday season in St. George. Each week there is another holiday activity. Last Sunday kicked it off with the Jubilee of Trees. All of the pretty Christmas Trees all decorated and wonderful music from the choirs. It really starts the season out with a bang.

Decorating the Tree

The girls were so excited to put the Christmas Tree up and the lights on the outside. They have been helping Dave with each task. Dave soon tired out, but they talked him into putting the second tree up with all of the fun ornaments. He surprised them with turning it upside down and putting Grandpa Roy's train underneath.

The task now for the next month is keeping all of them out of the tree. The girls are just as bad as Ryder.

Gas update Costco yesterday $1.63.

We Are Walking....Sort Of.

Ryder is finally walking... sort of. He walks like Frankenstein with his arms in the air and not bending his legs. He will stand up and take off walking between the furniture or to chase after me. He goes about 15 to 20 steps then stops and claps for himself. He can stop and change directions. If he starts to fall he will bend over to catch himself. However, this is not fast enough for him. So he will drop and off he goes crawling. He also as figured out how to climb into boxes, baskets, and anything big enough to fit him. He emptied out his diapers and wipes and climbed in for a ride courtesy of Reganne. These two play really well together for short periods of time. Reganne loves to pick him and take him where she wants to play. Or in reverse to get him out of her stuff. She loves to push him around in the baskets or on his little fire truck.

This has been a really quiet week. There were the only 3 pictures I took. It was rather nice not be running around with our heads cut off.

Reganne finally had her speech evaluation with the school district. Her speach is in the average range and slightly below. They told me that this is nothing to be worried about and for us to continue to work with her by reading, singing, and talking. However, she will not qualify for the preschool program. She loved going to this preschool and was not happy when I told her that she wouldn't be coming back.

Gas here is finally under a 2 dollars. $1.77 to be exact. I felt like celebrating no more loans to fill up the gas tank each week.

We hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving.

Another Great Fall Day

This has been another busy week. Rylee had SEP Testing with Parent Teachers Conference. She is doing really well in school. Her teacher is really happy with her progress in reading and how well she interacts with the others in her class.

Little Valley Elementary planned a Walk-A-Thon / Fall Carnival for one of their teachers Mrs. Ivey. She was diagnosed earlier this year with a rare form of Blood Cancer. She is undergoing treatments right now and doing as well as can be expected. The kids were able to raise money for her by walking around the track. So Saturday morning at 10:00 am the walking started.

Rylee was so excited to participate. That on her lunch break instead of playing with the other kids she told us she walked around the track 3 times. So she knew she could go that far at least.

After lap one. Look at that smile.

Lap eight and Ryder decided he wanted to join her. He walked half way around until Dave finally picked him up.

She walked 8 laps. We thank all of our family who sponsored her. We are so proud of her and her eagerness to serve others.

After the walking came the carnival. The girls were so excited to play the games. When we asked them what they really wanted to do. They quickly replied ride the horse.

Big mistake in teaching Ryder how to drink from a straw. He loves to drink from our drinks and throws a fit if you take it away.

Next came soccer and it was the last game of the season. Reganne kicked off and she is pretty good with that part. She kicked the ball one other time, but it came right to her.

The game is over and high fives for everyone. The Heartbreakers were undefeated. They really had alot of fun together. Who knows about next year. Reganne says NO!! She wants to have a play date instead.

"The Heartbreakers"

Kavere, Kaylee, Reese, Madison, Reganne

The Familys

Reganne & her trophy

She was so excited to get the trophy, certificate, and goodie bag. She might just change her mind about soccer.

Just Another Week

We have survived just another busy week. The weather started out cold and wintery. It ended on a great fall day with the sun shinning and no wind. The best news gas is down to $2.37 @ Costco as of Friday.

Dave & I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. This year there was no big celebration this year. I don't think we are old enough to be married this long. Time has really flown bye.

Rylee was trying to see how many different color outfits she could wear at one time. It looks like 5 or she ran out of colors. She was dying for me to take her picture.



I never seem to have enough time to mop my kitchen floor. Ryder threw his sippy cup when he was finished and kool aid flew everywhere. Now I had to make time. So I left him in his chair with a sucker. When he was finished and I was cleaning under him. I set the mop beside him. He decided to help and was pushing the mop around his chair. I tried taking it back and he let out a loud scream. Then he would start again with the mop and give me this cute grin. We both finally finished mopping and I forgot how messy his chair gets. So after getting him down I had another mess to clean. I don't think I will ever have a totally clean floor anymore.


Reganne and soccer are not a match made in heaven. She keeps asking how much longer does she have to play in front of all the people. She does her own thing until asked to kick the ball. She loves to kick the ball. She took her ball behind the crowd and started kicking the ball around. She didn't want to go back to the game. She loves the snacks and the other girls. One more week and the season is over.

The day was so beautiful. We were in shirt sleeves enjoying the sun. Ryder wanted Daddy to hold him. He was not happy with the sippy cup, but finally gave in and drank it. He wanted a bottle and to go to bed. We are down to one maybe two bottles a day.

Here are the twin tornedos. Between these two and the messes they make. I think I am going crazy picking up after them. I am learning to wait until they are asleep and then clean up. Then it stays clean for awhile.

Dave was watching an 80's music count down on VH1. These two started to dance. The danced and walked around my kitchen for over a half hour. They both were giggling and having a great time. If Reganne stopped Ryder would let out a scream. She would start all over again. She was being so patient with him. Dave called this a Kodiak Moment and I agreed. I love it when they play together without the fighting.