Ground Control to Major Tom...

As the sun sets over the culmination of consumer spending, Christmas is now behind us for another year. This year was great for us, we spent Christmas Eve in church, gave eachother practical, inexpensive gifts, and really enjoyed Ryley's twinkling eyes as she saw her new jungle gym/ball room on Christmas morning. That's what it was all about. The memories from this year will be of spending time with Jill's family, talking with nieces and nephews about reindeer tracks in the snow and where to find them, all of the scrumptious food (even though I started my workout program weeks ago), and Ryley putting her finger in Obi's bum...he got his Christmas goose! Now, reality sets in and school begins again. We have our baby boy due in April to look forward to, and maybe we'll find some pants for Obi for his protection from Ryley. We hope everyone had a great Christmas, and by that I don't mean the meaningless well wishes that don't require any thought beyond saying the words, I mean, we really hope everyone enjoyed the company of their loved ones (as time and circumstance allowed) and that everyone we know felt and perhaps pondered the true spirit of Christmas...and it brought you peace...even for one day.

Christmas PJ's...

One of the things that we all cling to and look forward to all year is family Christmas traditions. One that I remember and long for is the sweet smell of new polyester blend pajamas on Christmas Eve. Our family tradition was to open our pajama gift on Christmas Eve. Why did I enjoy that so much? What is it about the stiff tag in the back, the forgotten packaging needle sticking you in the leg, and the cool new checkered patterns that makes Christmas a little more special? Maybe we can liken it to starting new, taking on a fresh outlook and resolve for the coming year, putting on "new skin", and shedding the old. I've resolved to put on my "new pajamas" this year and have begun my intense "two-a-day" workouts, determined to shed my skin (literally). Jill still has a week to come up with hers... Ryley's resolve is to learn how to use a potty and be a big sister to the new boy. Hopefully you all can make a resolve this year, start now, today so that another day doesn't go by where you are without God's blessings.

Game Day

Tonight BYU is playing Oregon in the Las Vegas bowl, and then an hour later Gonzaga is playing Duke. It is a sports night for us!! So far BYU is up 17-0! Go Cougars!!
Well, I didn't make my nachos yesterday. That's okay. I'm sure we will make them sometime over the Christmas break.
Today Ryley and I went over to my sister Nicole's house and helped her and her kids decorate a gingerbread train. It turned out soooo cute. Ryley loved to eat the candy, and at one point I found at least 3 gumdrops in her mouth! Tonight she is really hyper, to say the least.
We got snow last night so I am hoping for a white Christmas. Although, I did see that it was supposed to be about 40 degrees on Monday. So, the snow will probably all be melted by then.

Exercise and Nachos

Scott and I are on a good work out schedule now that he has all this time off from school and that I am finally better from being sick. Scott has actually been working out twice a day. He is determined to be in "the best shape of his life" for volleyball this spring/summer. I am 100% behind him all the way. Of course, unlike me, he gains muscle after only 1 workout!! It is so not fair.
I usually work out every day when Ryley has been napping, but I was sick for about 3 weeks with a MASSIVE sinus infection and was unable to work out. If any of you have ever had a sinus infection you know how much it affects your head!! It was the worst. I was glad to have Scott here to help. Anyway, back to working out, I was working out this morning and watching "The View," my favorite talk show besides "Ellen," and Rosie says, "last night I got in my pj's and then we made nachos." I thought that sounded really good, so I will be making nachos this afternoon completely negating my workout this morining. What are the holidays for though, right?? In my family it was all about eating yummy food over the holidays. I love it and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Some things are better than others...

Today was an average day at the Zinn house. It's very cold out (about 18 degrees in the middle of the day) but Ryley and I went out anyway. I put her on the slide in our back yard and down she went! When she gets to the bottom, she just lays there, frozen, not sure what to do next. I then sat her on a big piece of smooth ice and slid her around the backyard...again she didn't know what to make of it. Christmas is definitely a time of the year that people , at the very least, think about kindness, and at the very most, they practice it. People seem a little nicer. As I went and visited a young couple from church this evening, I realized that the most important thing in life is our family and friends. Outward from that, it's how we treat people. When we die, that's all we have...no cars, laptops, money...nothing...except our family and memories. So, this Christmas season, Jill and I are trying hard to make some memories for ourselves, for Ryley.

Xmas plumpy

We've been spending a lot of time together as a family, which is nice for once. It's christmas break for school so I don't go back to until the beginning of January. We've all been trying to stay productive and fight the urge to shlep away the holiday watching Netflix movies and sipping eggnog by the gallon.

We put up minimal christmas lights outside for two reasons...snow on the roof....and it's tooo cooooold. The house is cozy and Jill does a great job of cooking all kinds of goodies. Sometimes I feel like those families on Edward Scissorhands....same houses...baking cookies....etc. etc. It's nice though. Ryley sure is enjoying all of the new things in the house like the christmas "tchlee" (tree) and the presents that she walks by all day as she eyes the fancy ribbons that grandma affixed to the presents she sent her.

Today we took a family outing to a children's science/play facility downtown and to lunch. When we let her go into the play area with the climbing apparatus's and puppet show items, her eyes lit up and she couldn't stay focused on one thing at a time. It was sensory overload for her I think, but she loved it.

Thank you Lisa and Suzie and grandma for the cards and gifts, we hope you all have a wonderfully peaceful Christmas this year.

The first of many...

Hi everyone. Scott, Jill and Ryley are settling in for the long winter here in the great Northwest. Scott's studying Visual Communications through Eastern Washington University. He'll be working in the advertising and design industry. This could mean designing blockbuster movie graphics or simply working in a design studio creating ad campaigns for any size company. That's it in a nutshell...

Jill has been fantastic lately, taking care of Ryley during the day. She takes her on "field trips" to the library, the park, aunt Nicole's house, or simply cuddles with her while they watch Blue's Clues. I'm very glad to come home after an 8-10 hour day of studying to be with them.

Ryley is now walking on her own. She'll take a tumble then get right back up and keep going. She is sooo proud of herself when she does. She's very aware of her surroundings, reads books on her own, and tells us via sign language when she's thirsty, and then "thank you" gesture. She's 16 months now and is anxiously awaiting her baby brother Kiraly (spelling is under consideration).