Christmas 09'

What a fabulous Christmas this year! We had so much fun!

Christmas Eve in Richfield:
Breezy got to open the traditional gift of jammies!







We also got to tell Gary and Margaret that we are expecting again! Surprise! It was pretty funny.




Christmas Day:


Breezy found a camouflage stocking full of surprises that Santa left. She loved it! She thought it was fun to stick her hand in a sock and pull out a present.

Christmas in 801:

Unfortunately I didn't remember to take many pictures once again. We had a blast telling my family about our exciting news though. The entire trip was full of laughs and good times.

Uncle Randy was nice to let Brielle play with his mini remote control car.

It was so funny to watch her chase the little car everywhere. She couldn't figure out why she wasn't able to reach down and get it.


Then of course she would randomly stop running around like crazy for a much needed somersault! She's so funny!

Reading her new book with Grandma

Even more entertaining than her new toys from Santa? Our very own vacuum. She thinks that thing is just hilarious! She follows me around whenever I get it out, or she'll sit right in the vacuum path and just laugh. She loves to try to climb it while it's going.

So, back to my previous secret. . . . . I am 13 weeks along! Brielle and the new baby will be 20 months apart. It was a little bit of a surprise to us, but we are very excited and are really hoping that the trimester of sickness is nearing its end. We are thrilled that by July 1st we will have another sweet little addition to our family.

Guess What?

Hustle and Bustle

I love this time of year. I don't even mind how crazy busy December is because I love the excitement in the air. Every night there's something to look forward to like The Forgotten Carols, multiple work, ward, and family parties, or even just riding around looking at the lights . I love trying to find the perfect gift for someone and having the tree lit as I wrap the presents. I love singing Christmas songs to my daughter, and driving my husband crazy simply because he can't stand not knowing what the big present that he found with his name on it could be. I love the yummy homemade chocolates and the Christmas bows I get to put in Breezy's hair. I guess I love it all. Too bad I'm not too great at remembering my camera when we head out to all these fun events.

Here are a few pictures of a couple of the things we've been doing during this busy season:

Grandma and Grandpa Kyhl's annual Christmas Party:


Brielle really loves all of her grandparents but definitely has a special place in heart for Grandpa Jack. He and Grandma usually babysit Brielle once a week and Breezy has so much fun with them. They are so wonderful!


Sorry Natalie, Grandma made Brielle give Brooklyn kisses! I hope you're OK with that. Brooklyn looks so adorable!


When it was Brielle's turn to sit on Santa's lap, she wasn't sure whether she should cry or smile so we sort of got a grimace out of her. Better than screaming though! Santa gave her a baby doll that she carries around everywhere. She's constantly giving her kisses, then throwing her across the room so she can run to pick her back up. Funny girl!

Gingerbread Houses!

Richfield Light Parade!

We sat in chairs in the back of the truck on main street for the view. We ate hot dogs and had free hot chocolate and donuts so I think we were all happy!

Journal update:

Breezy has 16 teeth now. Her canines just cut through. Poor girl has been slobbering like crazy but she's handled it like a champ. She still takes 2 naps a day, which is wonderful because when she's awake, she doesn't stop for anything! She is constantly on the go. I had her at the grocery store the other day too close to her nap time. When I was at the check out, Brielle started fussing quite a bit so I asked her what was wrong and she looked at me with sad eyes and said, "Mama, Night Night". I said, "Oh you want to go night night?". She replied with, "Night night". Poor girl just wanted her crib. It was so cute though!

Welcome Baby Cayson!

The newest addition to the Rhodes family is this cute little guy! Cayson was born on Nov 28th. He is such a handsome little guy and is so sweet too.

Brielle loves her new cousin but we had to watch her very closely because she kept trying to play with him (which means hit him and climb on him and everything else that isn't soft!)


She loved giving him kisses and kept trying every chance she got!

Since we were up north we decided to check out the lights at Temple Square. This was definitely NOT Brielle's favorite experience. She HATES being bundled up. She refuses to sleep in a blanket at night, so to stuff her inside of sweaters, coats, scarves, and mittens is just traumatic. I kind of doubt she smiled the entire time we were there! She was quite fussy, so we didn't end up staying too long unfortunately.

We thought she would enjoy a ride on daddy's shoulders.

But instead she just threw her body back, completely exasperated.






My parents were true champs to stick around and continue trying (in vain) to get Brielle to smile for the camera! Unfortunately the pics we got of them with Breezy didn't turn out either.

Thanksgiving!
I realize I'm a little late to post about Thanksgiving, but we've been so busy. We had a wonderful time in St. George with part of my family. Nothing huge or fancy, but the food was delicious and the company was terrific. We laughed a ton and had so much fun!

Breezy's journal updates:

We took Brielle in for her one year doctors appointment on Dec 2nd. She still only weighs 18 lbs. What a tiny little girl. She's in the 100th percentile for height (32 1/2 in tall), but only the 12th for her weight. She's very tall and skinny. We've tried and tried to put a little meat on her bones but it just isn't working. She's off formula and moved on to whole milk, but even that isn't cutting it!

Brielle is such a busy girl! She doesn't stop for anything. She gets in to anything and everything she can. She definitely keeps us on our toes. She loves to do somersaults and walks around until she suddenly bends over and puts her head on the ground ready for me to help her flip over. Then she claps and giggles. It's so funny! She has such a contagious laugh! She also loves to play "Hide and Seek" or "I'm Gonna Getcha". She squeals and screams in delight.

Her vocabulary is also steadily growing. Her new favorite word is "pretty". Except it comes out sounding like "titty". She calls everything pretty from her toys to the Christmas tree.

When she knows she's not supposed to do something, she says "No No No" while doing it anyway. For example, she's constantly trying to climb in the tub all by herself all the while saying, "No No No". She loves bathtime.

Sign Language she's recently learned (besides what she already knows): Grandma, Grandpa, outside, drink, down, and we're still working on thank you along with many others. I can always tell when I've given her some food she really likes because she lets out an exaggerated "MMMMM", but only with the yummy food!

Man we sure love this little girl!

PS: I had so many people ask me where I got Breezy's sleep mask. You can get them online or at many baby / maternity boutiques. I'm still completely in love with it. It's the only thing that saves us at church!