Merry Christmas 2024

We started off Christmas break with new adventures to parks in Brighton. I have been missing experiencing new things and exploring the place I live, like I did every day in Germany. I loaded up the boys in the car, got our snacks and the stroller and headed to two new parks. We parked at one, walked to the other, played at that park, then walked back and played before coming home. The boys did awesome playing at both parks! They were confident in their climbing, tried new things, and were both so brave on big new slides. It was refreshing to walk around and see the city from a new perspective. The weather was perfect and I enjoyed talking with Klaire as we walked from place to place. That’s one thing I really missed in Germany, was being awake when the people I love are awake and being able to talk and visit with them while doing life. It was nice to know I wasn’t the only one I knew that was awake! 

Jay's Gingerbread house from school

Hugh running through the tunnel

Can you see both boys? 

The planet at this park was cool, although I don't really know how it's supposed to be played on.

Hugh being a big boy and climbing up to the big slide! 

If Hugh goes to bed with socks on his feet, he will almost always wake up with them on his hands. 

Jay, Me, and Hugh enjoying post nap cuddles. 

Friday night for date night, we made toffee. I had made the rest of the Christmas goodies for our treat plates earlier in the week but saved the toffee to do with Matthew. It’s been something we’ve been trying to perfect since we’ve been married. We make it every year and some years it’s turned out okay, sometimes good, and sometimes very bad. This year, we pretty much nailed it! One batch we cooked for a little too long, but the other batch was perfect, and both tasted delicious! And, one of the batches had a little spot of butter that didn’t dissolve which was minimal and easy to avoid eating. 

Saturday morning we spread our Christmas cheer by delivering our goodie plates. I made a couple gluten free only plates which were extra fun to deliver because gluten free people don’t often get goodie plates. We didn’t spent long visiting, but there were a lot of people we wanted to share the Christmas spirit with. The boys were super good during the visits and enjoyed going to the few doors we let them out for. Someday, they will love it! In the evening, we had our ward Christmas party. We sat by the Dahls, which made Jay and Hugh both very happy. They haven’t spent much time with Ben, but loved him and were excited Katie was there. Jay insisted on going up for the Primary portion of the little show and before the party, I told Matthew that was his job. Last year it was a major struggle. I had to hold Jay and wrestle him to stay in place on the stage for the one song the Primary did. Jay did amazing this year! Matthew waited with him in line as they read a long story and different primary kids came to the stage. He was the last kiddo who came and held the wreath and listened and watched all the kids on the stage. He stayed in the same spot, Matthew didn’t have to go with him, and it was beautiful to see the change. We helped clean up all the chairs and tables because Jay LOVES that part of all the parties. He knows how to fold the chairs up and takes them to where they need to be. When we finished, the line to see Santa was gone and we did our visit. The boys have been saying, “ho ho” everywhere we got and whenever we see a Santa, so I was surprised when we stepped into the room and Jay turned into a stone wall. It took all of our strength to even get him close to Santa and Hugh stayed close to Dad which was a safe option. We snapped a picture, got the goodies, and hit the road to go to bed. 

Hugh's becoming more demanding and opinionated, he insisted upon wearing the glasses and eating! 

Goody plates all ready to go!

Can you see Jay? He's toward the right side, turned backwards to watch all the kids

Me, Jay, Santa, Lincoln the elf, Matthew, and Hugh

Sunday was extra special because we got to got to Grandpa and Grandma’s house for a Blaylock Christmas party! The boys were so excited and couldn’t wait to get unbuckled and into the house when we arrived. The food was delicious, as always, and it was fun to see Mike and Jenna and Andrew and Jessica and their families. We don’t get together often enough! Jay had a bit of a hard time regulating his energy and keeping his physical contact down, which was hard. And, Hugh wouldn’t let go of me until the last 10 minutes we were there. We played Christmas Charades and did a live Nativity. Jay acted out one thing and so did Hugh, and we enjoyed watching the Nativity. Because Grandma and Grandpa went to Utah to help Aunt Ashley with a baby, they missed Jay’s birthday celebration and got to give him his present in front of all the cousins. Jay loved his remote control car and couldn’t contain the joy of seeing it move to the push of the buttons on the remote. He was very sweet and let several of the other cousins play with it too. He did request a “pimer” also known as timer to time their turns, which we convinced him he didn’t need and he could simply wait. We were all tired by the end of the evening and got home around 10. Jay somehow didn’t fall asleep until we were almost home, and like clockwork, he was up at 6 am the next morning. 

Happy Sunday, a red bowtie to celebrate the season!

Hugh in his Christmas get-up

With a little extra time before church, everyone got some wrestling in

Merry Christmas from the Blaylocks!

Emery, Cambrie, Mike, Grandpa, Jenna, and Kate

Brady, Caden, and Tanner were the wisemen! 

Jay and Grandpa and Grandma

Happy birthday to our little five year old! 

He was so excited to get his car working!

I couldn't quite capture the joy in the photos, but I tried! 

Emery, Jay, and Hugh

Hugh, admiring the singing Disney castle

Grandma, Matthew, Jay, and Hugh looking at Hugh's Mickey Mouse ears

Monday was our party day with the Merrills. They were out of school and it was the one day we’d be able to see them during the break. Matthew was supposed to have the day off, but one of the new clients he has was having some issues which needed to be resolved before the winter break. I was extra grateful for the company! The kids did well playing with each other and Jay was excited to have everyone there. During naps, I helped Kylee make a lasagna and then helped Katey sew Christmas jammies. We were a team, I pinned, she surged. I pinned, she surged some more. She pinned, and I stitched on my sewing machine. I felt like a little elf, set to work to get the jammies done by Christmas Eve. Katey is always finding ways to help me, it we nice to be able to return the favor and help get all five jammies almost done. By the time the Merrill’s left, Matthew had wrapped up work and we were so excited! Finally our holiday celebrations could begin! 

Hugh and Jay playing with new fun birthday toys

Christmas Eve was a remarkably productive day, thanks to Matthew being willing to jump in and take some of my to-do’s. I stayed home and got food prepped for dinner and for the cabin, while he and Jay ran to drop off a package and get a free cake. We were so excited about our free gluten-free bundt cake, lemon raspberry, and so delicious! The weather was nice enough I cut all the boys’ hair outside on the back porch while Matthew cleaned up leaves and the boys played well during Matthew’s haircut. Christmas Eve evening is always one of my most favorite days, it always felt like that’s when the magic begins. I set up a little Nativity Scavenger hunt for the boys and as Matthew read different scripture passages about Jesus’s birth, we would run and hunt for a little baggie with parts of the scene described in the scripture. Jay and Hugh were very excited to hunt for the bags and I hope they caught a little bit of the story of Jesus along the way. We let the boys open one gift and they both got new jammies and were so excited to put them on and go to bed! Win for us! Matthew read me the Anniversary story, which is a Blaylock tradition, and then we went to bed to wait for Santa to come. 

Hugh, Me, and Jay with our lemon raspberry bundt cake

Jay matched all of these puzzles and put them in a line, it was awesome! 

Hugh loves his pockets! 

Hugh, Jay, and I putting together the Nativity scene from the scavenger hunt

Opening Christmas PJ's

New pajamas are the best!

Christmas Day was full of excitement and energy! Jay could hardly stand waiting to open gifts. Hugh thought all of the candy was amazing enough, he didn’t need any presents, and we managed to sneak in breakfast between opening the boys stockings and then the rest of the presents. Jay got a little hand bike, called a cyclone, and Hugh got a scooter. Those two toys entertained the boys enough to keep the energy in check while they had to wait while Matthew and I opened our stockings. We used little helping hands for every gift, which made everything a little more exciting! My biggest gift was an electric scooter! It works just like the one we rented in Germany and I definitely rode around the neighborhood in my jammies trying it out. We had so much fun and caught the few moments of sunshine trying out our new toys outside. Grandma and Grandpa came to visit and we did an extra round of opening gifts with them. We wanted to save the gifts from them so they could see the boys open them. The boys were so excited about their basketball hoop and the four basketballs that came with it! We can’t wait to hang it up in the basement and let the fun begin. Matthew got an impact driver and bits, and I got a jacket, water bottle, and a beautiful sewing machine! I’ve been borrowing Grandma’s old sewing machine for a while and she gifted it to me this Christmas. I am so excited! Grandpa tried out our new scooter and then they headed home. It was a short visit, but we loved that they came to share a little bit of Christmas with us. Much of the afternoon, I spent packing for the cabin and trying to be sure we were ready to go with all the clothes and necessary things, including doing laundry. We enjoyed Christmas dinner together and watched the Nativity movie from the Church. We were tired by the end of the day, and also felt like it was an awesome Christmas! 

Hugh and Jay excited for all the presents

Jay got some new socks from Santa and wanted to put them on immediately

Hugh with his stocking and me

Hugh trying out his new hat and new scooter

Jay on his cyclone bike!

Hugh giving the cyclone a try

Matthew with his stocking and Hugh as a helper

Jay got to help me open my stocking

I love their excitement about everything!

Opening gifts

Little People park set

New socks for Dad!

Magnetic tiles have been a huge hit around here

Jay and Hugh both got a box

Playing and playing!

New socks for Hugh with balls on them!

Jay got a measuring tape

Walkie Talkies for Matthew!

And for everyone else...

Jay loves the walkie talkie too

Opening my scooter!

Jay was very excited!

First spin on the scooter

Hugh's first ride and Jay trailing behind on his bike

Matthew's turn, and Jay on the cyclone

Jay cycloning like a champ!

Hugh working on his scooter skills

Grandpa and Grandma watching gift opening 

Jay and Hugh got a basketball hoop from Grandpa and Grandma! 

New tools for Matthew!

Grandpa giving the scooter a spin, and Jay driving along on his cyclone.

Jay was very excited to put on his new sheets from Grandma and Grandpa!

Hugh's favorite gift...the basketball hoop! 

One thing we did this year was writing down something every day that was a gift for Jesus. Steph shared a template with me that had a simple place to write a persons’ name and if you served them, prayed for them, gave them time, or did something else. Or, you could use the little template and share something you were grateful for. We would do this each evening with the boys and read a scripture with a different name of Jesus. The boys loved it and it helped Matthew and I keep the true Spirit of CHRISTmas with us throughout the month. It helped me live a little more intentionally every day knowing I needed to have something to write on my gift for Jesus each night. 

December Doings & Jay's 5th Birthday

There is no rest for the weary, we got back from AZ and jumped back into real life. Wednesday morning, I had to report for jury duty and Jay was sick with a nasty cough so we couldn’t send him to school. So, instead of being able to use the arrangements I’d made for childcare for Hugh and for Jay to be at school, Matthew had to take the day off. Jury duty was an interesting experience. I didn’t get dismissed with the first group that didn’t even get selected for a case, and I didn’t get selected to be the first 12 in the juror chairs when we finally got called into the courtroom. Listening to everyone in the juror seats answer the questions was enough of an experience for me and when the judge dismissed three, and both sides of the case dismissed another three, I was grateful I didn’t have to fill a seat and could go home! I was home a little before noon and we went to get our car from Jack and Lindsay’s house while Matthew was already off work. It was nice to have a little break together and it was sad when Matthew had to work the rest of the day. In the evening, I had a combined Relief Society and Young Women night where we had a gift exchange of our favorite things. I got a snowman that lights up and Jay loves it! He’s taken it as a personal duty to turn the snowman on every morning as soon as he comes downstairs. In general, Jay and Hugh love all the Christmas decorations! They're so happy they are up and want the lights on first thing in the morning! 

Jay with the kids Nativity

Hugh admiring the tree

Hugh, rocking some Christmas glasses I won at a party forever ago

Jay remained sick enough the rest of the week that we didn’t feel like he should go to school. Lucky for me, the weather was nice and we were able to go for walks and play at the parks where there were no other kids. Katie Dahl joined us Friday morning for a couple hours of park play and gave me some helpful tips to get Jay to learn how to stop and how to resume play after he physically hurts someone. Katie was willing to climb up on the playground and stayed right with Jay when a few little kids came. Jay’s impulsiveness requires us to be very close when other kids are around so the extra hands were super helpful! 

Saturday we hoped to go up to the temple and I’d do initiatory and swap Matthew and he’d go. Unfortunately, Matthew started feeling really sick, so he wasn’t up for it. I took the boys for a walk in the morning, then we came home and Matthew took a short shift while I went to the temple. I missed my appointment, so I just had to walk in. I was grateful they fit me in and I got to do all five names that I brought with me. I love being in the temple and feeling the peace that resides there because it is God’s House. 

Sunday was another day of sickness for the boys. Matthew felt well enough for an hour to go to the Spanish branch and I went to our ward’s sacrament meeting. The boys and I had fun at the park for a little time Matthew was gone. There were some people who were coming home from the grocery store and parked right next to the park to unload. Jay was fascinated and watched intently. They said hello, and kept unloading, and then when Jay wouldn’t stop watching, the guy offered Jay a doughnut. He opened his brand new box of donuts, pulled one out for Jay and offered more to me and Hugh, which we declined. Jay was so happy and when I asked him to share with Hugh, he quickly tore it in half and ran it over to Hugh. They enjoyed their snack and we returned home so I could go to church. 

Jay eating his half of a donut

Hugh totally overjoyed with his part of the donut!

Jay’s enjoying Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy, and Hugh and I enjoy the hour playing in the lobby. Hugh’s cuteness wins over everyone there and he’s very patient as Jay plays with his therapists. We used to go into the sessions with Jay, but the therapists have been trying to take him on their own so it’s been a nice break for me. We’ve passed the first round of getting the CES waiver for Jay, so now it’s on for review by the State and they’ll determine whether we qualify for additional financial help for Jay based on his autism diagnosis. We’re praying the right things happen and we are grateful for the financial blessings we have had to pay for all the expenses this year! 

Our friends, the Bracy’s, are moving to Washington and they had a going away party at the Picklr’ on the 13th. Matthew and I really wanted to enjoy the night out and not worry about the boys running around the construction zone, so I asked Betty Jane to babysit. She did great, and I think she’d do it again if it worked again. It was her first time with both boys on her own, but she seemed unphased. We had an awesome evening eating food and playing pickleball. Amber and Brian Reiman are opening The Picklr’ at the end of December, but for our evening of playing, it was just friends. We taught another couple how to play and then played against Thomas Graham and Sean Self. Sean is a natural athlete, but had never played a real game. Thomas is 6’9 so his arms stretch the court and he’s quick handed. We had some great games and beat them 4-0. We pulled ourselves away from the courts to head home as soon as Jack got Oma from the airport. We arrived just a few minutes before they did and they grabbed Betty Jane and went home. 

December 14th, Jay turned 5 and we made the day as fun for him as possible! We started the day with swimming at the Longmont Rec Center, or as Jay calls it, Katey’s pool. The Merrill’s joined us and Jay lived his best life for two hours. He loved splashing, running around, going down the slides, and feeling the water. Hugh lived his worst life for those two hours and acted like we were torturing him and wouldn’t leave my arms. We had a Winnie roast at Jack’s house with everyone and Oma for lunch. It was a chilly day without the sunshine, but the fire made it bearable. I ate way too many s’mores and even tried a new version of roasting a small caramel with the mallow and then eating it on an apple. Delicious! We made it home for naptime, which we all needed. When Jay woke up and saw presents and a sign, he was so excited! Then, Oma, Jack, Roxy, and Allen all came over to join the party! I made cupcakes into the number five for the cake and we had pizza for dinner. Jay was so excited about his presents! Roxy and Allen added to the joy as he opened them and they played with him. He was so excited about his sweatsuit, he took off his clothes right then and changed. He didn’t take off the suit until bedtime, put it on in the morning, off for church, on right after, and even snuck on the jacket the next day before I could hide it in the laundry. He also loved his lite-brite and did really well sharing with the kids. Jay lit up as we sang to him and he attempted to blow out his candles. We relit many times to give him as many attempts as he wanted, and Roxy was more than happy to help. Jay couldn’t wait to eat the cake and I was happy a simple cake did the trick! Jay is the happiest kid and finds joy in the simplest things! He has a zest and a zeal for life that’s contagious. He’s quick to laugh and so quick to forgive. He is a good big brother, always watching out for Hugh. He sees the good in everyone around him and presses on courageously through a life that most certainly isn’t always easy for him. He tries new things every day, climbs playground equipment like a pro, and eats basically anything that is served for dinner. We love Jay! He brings so much joy and light to our family every day! 

Jay swinging, and Allen doing flips

Jay and Kylee

The crew gathering to cook and eat

Daddy helping Jay roast his hot dog

Jay is FIVE!!!

He was SOOO happy to be celebrating!

He also loved opening presents!

Jay and Allen

Jay, Allen, Roxy, and Hugh all gathering to help with the Lite-Brite

Jay helping Jay put on his new sweatsuit - Roxy was absolutely embarrassed about Jay's changing of clothes!

Jay and the legos!

Hugh, Jay, Allen, and Oma inspecting the legos

Oma playing Lite-Brite with Jay and Hugh

Hugh, Jay, Allen, Roxy, Jack and Oma! 

Matthew, Hugh, Jay and Me

Hugh and Jay with a few candles left to blow out

Jay tried so hard to blow them out, we let him try many times and helped as needed. 

Hugh and Jack reading a bedtime story

Jay, our favorite 5 year old! 

Sunday, I taught Sunday School. Matthew got to sit in with me and we did an example teaching lesson together which was really cool. I loved having him in there, I wish he was my team-teacher every week! In the evening, we got to attend a concert in Longmont where Kylee and Betty Jane performed with the band and orchestra at their stake center. It was a community concert and the youth did a great job! The music was beautiful and Jay and Hugh were thoroughly entertained by the cousins, aunts, uncles, and everyone else around us. Jay happily clapped and said, “Yay Betty” or “Yay Kylee” after every performance, which was sweet. 

Katey brought Oma to my house Monday morning after we had our therapy appointments and then we took her to the airport. We were grateful we got to play with her for about an hour or so before she had to leave. It was a treat to have her around for the weekend! We’re excited for when Papa retires and he can make those trips with Oma. 

Hugh and I got to go to Jay’s class Christmas Party on the last day of school before the break. He was much calmer in his room than he has been and he had his suitcase right behind his chair. The class made little Christmas trees and played a variety of games. It was sweet to see the three kiddos who came to sit by Jay when they were dismissed from the carpet. Jay loved to eat the Christmas tree more than decorating it and was very kind to share his candy decorations with Hugh. They made a gingerbread house earlier in the week and I could tell Jay knew more of what to do with the tree than he would have. After the party, we got all of our wiggles out with a long walk and delivering Christmas goodies to a couple of the sisters I minister to. 

Jay and Hugh are slowly learning how to play with each other and it's fun to watch! Sometimes they do well, other times not so much. My favorite time of every day is when Jay wakes up from naps and wants to cuddle, he's calm, warm, and happy and it's so comforting to me as his mom. 

Jay swinging with Hugh

Hugh giving Jay a ride in the block bucket

Our first experience with the kids coloring on each other. It was crayon and came off fairly well. 

Cuddles with Jay!

They were being quiet, which is often concerning, but this time they were just having the best time reading...it ended right after this picture was taken.

Hugh LOVES books and it's fun to see what he finds in each one. 

Hugh giving Jay a ride around the kitchen.

They did a good job taking turns, Jay now giving Hugh a ride

Our little pool is frozen and the boys like to walk around on it. Good practice for ice at the lake over Christmas Break.