rees genre

Davin’s favorite song this season is “Stars Were Gleaming” from the Children’s Songbook and he sings it all the time, especially at bed time. “Silent Night” is a close second, followed by “Pop Goes the Weasel.” Fun times in the Rees household! We were all excited to see Christmas “brought” to our house. The boys were out of school the week leading up to Christmas and so I planned some adventures to keep them occupied, including a trip to visit friends in Winston-Salem and visit Old Salem. We also celebrated my birthday; Chris spoiled me by taking me to the new Mint Craft and Design museum and to George’s for dinner. It was a fun week but we were ready for Christmas to come. On Christmas Eve we made the traditional Rees family German dinner complete with bratwurst, red cabbage, and potato salad. We told the Christmas story through our own nativity, and then lit our German pyramid, told stories, and sang carols. The boys were excited about their costumes and had a great time being shep...

Chris and I have been a little cautious about pushing Santa on our kids. We have never taken the boys to the mall to sit on his lap (maybe it is the trauma of watching “The Christmas Story” too many times) and I don’t really emphasize the “naughty or nice” element because Davin can get anxious about things like that. Last year, Davin sat on Santa’s lap at a church party and decided it was a good thing to do; he told Santa that he wanted a bus and sure enough, he got a bus. This year he asked to visit Santa, so when we learned he was visiting a local specialty toy store, we decided that would be a good place to visit with him. Fortunately there wasn’t a line and so the boys had plenty of access to the jolly man. Rowan walked right up to Santa and sat on his lap without hesitation. He had a good conversation with him, “talking” non-stop while Santa patiently listened. Davin went next and recited a well-practiced list of things he wanted for Christmas. The boys had a great experience and ...

Davin’s school class put on a nativity production for their parents and Davin was one of the shepherds along with his friends Boden and Conner. He isn’t a huge fan of being in front of people and so he was a little shy during the actual production. However, I got to attend a private showing the next day and he did a great job! It was a fun experience for him and really helped him to understand the Christmas story better. He was so excited to be a shepherd again for our family nativity on Christmas Eve. Davin is having a great year at school. His teacher is doing a great job helping him to improve while making him part of the class, just one of the kids. He is making friends and he is learning a lot! Davin’s class was even happy to have Rowan join them for the day when we visited to watch the nativity performance.

Rowan turned three while we were with the Stevensons for Thanksgiving, so it seemed like a good excuse to have a party. We invited my cousin Kristi, her husband Josh, and their three girls Liezl, Quincy, and Ava to join us as well. We made pizza for everyone, watched a little of the BYU vs. Utah game, and the kids decorated cupcakes. All the kids received glow sticks and they used their sticks to put on shows for us. Rowan was spoiled with gifts and had such a great time that he keeps singing the “Happy Birthday” song. He hasn’t been that interested in singing songs until now, so it was such a fun surprise to hear him sing the birthday song. He is singing other songs now too!

We started our Thanksgiving celebration with school feasts at Davin and Rowan’s school. I was able to attend Rowan’s class feast and see all the Thanksgiving-themed art projects they have been working on. Davin had a great time at his feast too and came home proudly dressed in his handmade Native American garb. This year we were invited to spend Thanksgiving with my Uncle Kurt and Aunt Val’s family in Columbus, Ohio. My cousin Dallin was there and also my cousin Shellee, her husband Chris, and their two kids Deva and Nash. Tiffani and John met us there from DC, so we had a good crowd for a fun weekend. Davin and Rowan are about the same ages as Deva and Nash and they were great playmates. Shellee and I felt like we had a relaxing weekend because our kids would disappear to play and not request our attention for hours! We had a great time having Thanksgiving dinner together, going to the latest Harry Potter movie, playing games, and just hanging out together. We stayed for church on Sun...

My sweet sister Tiff is getting married this week! I had the privilege of going to the DC area where she lives to take Tiff and John’s engagement pictures and hang out with them for a weekend in November. It was fun to meet her roommates and hang out with the single crowd. I had a great time meeting her friends, going to her bridal shower, and getting to know John better. We are so excited for John to be part of our family!

It was the perfect storm for a family reunion: Chris’s grandparents were sealed in the San Antonio Temple, Uncle Bryan came home from his mission in Poland, and Grandpa Brigham turned sixty (well, it was close to his birthday at least). The Rees clan invaded Austin, TX, at the beginning of November to celebrate some pretty momentous times in their family history. We were so honored to attend Grandpa Nissen’s baptism in August 2009 and we were equally excited to attend Grandpa and Grandma’s temple sealing at the San Antonio Temple. The temple was exquisite, one of my favorite small temples, and being there with the family equaled the beauty of our surroundings. I am so grateful for eternal families! Davin and Rowan had a great time getting to know their Uncle Bryan again (it has been a couple of years which is practically an eternity if you are three). We are so happy he is home again! Of course they had a great time seeing their cousins Thomas, Paela, Aderyn, and Jonah again too! Fo...