Christmas Break

My goal for 2020 is to write on my blog every week (or almost). I am already behind by a couple weeks, so I am going to catch up this week and hopefully keep the momentum going! I will start with our adventures of Christmas Break (I'll write about Jay's birth in another post) and follow with the first of the year.

Christmas Break was a lot of fun! Matthew finished with his finals just before Oma left, so I was able to have him home without required school work for two weeks. Leading up to Christmas we made treats in the evening, including puppy chow, English toffee, and fudge. We had never made fudge or English toffee before, so we were very relieved when they turned out so well! These treats started with M's idea to make the first treat as our date night. The treats easily lasted through the break and beyond...I am still eating fudge.

Puppy Chow, with green and red sprinkles to make it more festive.

The trio making English Toffee

We loved Christmas! It was our first Christmas by ourselves, and only my second time not being home for Christmas. Our schedule on Christmas operated to Jay's schedule, meaning when Jay woke up for the day, we woke up. We took breaks to feed him, to feed ourselves, and squeezed all the Christmas activities in between. We went with the Bryce family traditional meals this year of French toast with buttermilk syrup for breakfast and ham with cheesy potatoes for dinner. We got several fun gifts, I've showcased some of the favorites.

Our slippers were our gift we opened on Christmas Eve.

Jay's Christmas outfit, the socks even jingle. So cute!!

Some of my favorite candies filled my stocking, yum!!

Probably Matthew's Favorite Gift.... HAHA, they entertained us all week.

We got homemade ladder ball from Nathan and Michela, summer fun can't come soon enough! 

M wearing most of his Christmas presents

I won these glasses at a Christmas party last year, Jay seemed to like them alright.

Christ's birth took an extra special meaning for us this year because we had Jay. He is a miracle baby, a large reason his name is Jay is because he fought through several scary times and still made it. I cannot imagine what Mary went through when she had Jesus. The Church released a new Nativity movie this year, and when M and I watched it in the hospital, it felt so much more real. There I was, surrounded with medical assistants, modern medicine, and giving birth was hard enough...and there was Mary, in a stable, among animals and no family, giving birth to the Savior of the world. WOW, truly what a woman. I am so grateful for her sacrifices to bring our Savior to the earth, and for the Savior who was born in the most humble of circumstances. Because of Him, I can be together forever with my family, I can return to my Heavenly Father, and live forever! 

M didn't take much of a break from his studying, and jumped right into test prep for the next CPA exam. He passed the first one with flying colors back in November, and is getting ready for the next one at the end of January. I am constantly amazed by his diligence and ability to study, learn, and do well on tests and everything related to school. He's a genius, and he's getting pretty good at being a dad while studying. He studied and watched Jay every day when I took a nap.

M & Jay studying together

We got some fun new games for Christmas, including Exploding Kittens, Rivals of Catan, and Monopoly Deal. We love playing games and we enjoyed playing any minute that we could.

Our first time playing Rivals of Catan, teaching Jay early.

We also celebrated our 2nd anniversary, and M outdid himself as he always does. I woke up from a nap, and he had prepared a slideshow, written lyrics for a song that he actually sang to me, bought me a dress...did I mention he wrote a song AND sang it to me. M is self-professed as not a singer, so this was a huge surprise and so much fun. I felt so loved, and truly this has been the best two years of my life thanks to him. We ordered takeout that night, and enjoyed our candlelight dinner while Jay was sleeping.

Matthew with the slideshow on the TV, music playing, and singing the song about our best two years. 

The song lyrics, edited to fit our life.

Candlelight dinner with sparkling goodness to drink.

Did I mention, that M still does all the dishes two years into marriage...incredible!

New Years was a fun party out at Aunt GayLynn and Uncle David's house. I am so disappointed in myself that I didn't get any pictures of our evening there. Aunt GayLynn made shrimp tacos, and Leese made some yummy guacamole. We played Quiddler, chatted, and had toasts at 10 PM, 11 PM, and 12 AM (none of us knew if we'd make it til midnight). One of the best parts about living in Utah is living near them.

2 Weeks Old - Jay

Now, 2020 has continued to be a year full of excitement. We've had to take Jay in multiple times a week for weight checks, and finally at 4 weeks he made it past birth weight! It's a miracle!! We've been working so hard and praying that he would be able to gain it back without having to supplement with formula, and we did it! Grandma Blaylock came to visit and help during M's first week back to school. It was so helpful to have her here. I got to take walks in the afternoons, and naps every day. Jay got totally spoiled with lots of cuddles, and we got spoiled with yummy food. Now, this week I am learning to mother without anyone around during the day while M's at school.

First date since Jay - so grateful Grandma Blaylock was able to watch him for us to quickly get out. 

M's last first day of school! He will soon be a master. 

Jay's tummy time at 1 month

This was the day we went to the doctor and found out Jay had passed birthweight and was gaining, it is a day to remember and cherish!

Too cute not to share

I am excited for what 2020 has to offer for our family! There will be big changes including going back to work, M graduating and passing CPA tests, moving states, finding  places to live, balancing parenthood with M starting full-time work in the fall, and much more. It's going to be great, as it already has been filled with tender mercies from our loving Father in Heaven.