Christmas Wrap-Up

Christmas was relaxing for us this year. We stayed home and started some of our own traditions. With the economy the way it is right now, it was a good year for Ryan not to be asking for time off, but next year, I'm crossing my fingers for Mexico!

Ryan worked most of Christmas Eve, and Trenton and I helped a resident with her fire alarm for a couple hours... But once Ryan got home, it was party time! We dressed Trenton up and took him to a children's mass at our local Catholic church. It was great to reflect on Christ on that special night and to return to our Notre Dame roots with a Catholic service. :) We hope to make a Christmastime mass a Nielsen family tradition for many, many years to come. Plus, everyone at mass just ate Trenton up!

On the way home we drove around looking at Christmas lights and even got caroled to from our car. Then we made peppermint ice cream (not as good as Sally's!) at home before the missionaries appeared unexpectedly. We spent the next couple of hours visiting with both the elders and sisters and doing everything we could to reach Christmas Island by phone. Finally we got through and arranged to have the missionaries come back over the next night to talk to their families. Ryan remembered what it was like trying to get through to Las Vegas while he was on his mission in Chile, and he was bound and determined that we would get a hold of our sweet missionaries' families. Thank goodness his persistence paid off!! We really enjoyed spending time with the missionaries over the holidays.

On Christmas morning, Trenton woke at about 7:15, so we came out to see what Santa had brought. Let me just say - Our families spoiled us big time! I think we got more gifts for not being with them than we would have had we been together! Thank you, everyone! Our gift to Trenton was a handful of Spanish story books, as I've been reading to him in Spanish every day.

After we opened our gifts, it was off to IHOP for pancakes! Then we went on a coastal drive before returning home to relax for the rest of the day.

Here's Trenton coming out on Christmas morning. I think he missed the excitement. :) Maybe next year...


And this is Trenton and I in our Christmas jammies. You can't tell, but his say "My First Christmas" on them. Thanks for sending these, Mom!


By the way, happy 101st post!