Santa Claus is coming to town!

December was a fast and fun month!  Ryan enjoyed the holiday season and all that comes with it! 

We started out the holiday season by getting together with some friends for a holiday portrait party!  They did a great job - we had a nice visit, shared some good food and took some nice family pictures!

Here we are smiling for the camera!

And here's Ryan "hugging" his little sister!
Yup, it's a girl!  We're very excited!

Next on our list of holiday fun we had our LPA Christmas party!  We were very excited to catch up with our new friends and to celebrate the holidays!  

Here's Ryan all ready to go!

It was a great day of fun - there was lots of delicious food as usual and the turnout was fantastic.  Ryan got to see some friends that are just about his age and Scott and I enjoyed visiting with their parents.

The highlight of the party was Santa's arrival! 

Here is Santa arriving on his Fire Truck!  That was a big hit!

Next, Santa surprised all of the children by having a present for each and every one of them!  And he even took the time to sit down with everyone.  

Here's Ryan meeting Santa for the first time!

And here's Ryan and mommy enjoying their day!

Next on our list was Christmas shopping of course.  Scott and I braved it with Ryan in tow and he did GREAT!  We were able to get everything on our list - and then some of course.  And we all had a great time.  

Here's Ryan enjoying a break at the mall playground!

Our last stop before Christmas was a visit to see Santa!  This was Ryan's first time visiting Santa - he was really young last year.  We got to the North Pole nice and early ... we had a bit of a wait but we figured it easier to wait on the early side than be in a long line.  

Here we are waiting for Santa to arrive!  ... Ryan needed a power nap before his big moment ... or maybe he just couldn't handle the excitement!

And here we are with Santa!  Ryan loved him - we think Santa might have more nervous than Ryan!  He didn't really believe us when we told him that Ryan wouldn't be upset!  

And clearly he wasn't ...  :)

Before we knew it, Christmas morning had arrived!  

Up bright(?) and early and ready to see what Santa brought!

We had a wonderful Christmas morning together.  Scott and I made brunch and Ryan loved the goodies that Santa brought ... well, the paper and containers were a big hit!  Maybe next year we'll like the actual presents more :)

Opening a present with daddy ...

Enjoying a new toy under the tree!

After the holidays we spent some nice time together.  

Here's Ryan enjoying some of his new favorite activities!

We are cruising ALL around the house!  Clinging to anything and exploring everything!

Our new favorite snack ... Cheerios!

This is our favorite way to cruise around ... he's getting really fast!

And here we are helping daddy take down the Christmas tree!  Nice and easy this year with our artificial tree :)

We had a big day before the end of the year ... Ryan had his FIRST HAIRCUT!  True to form, Ryan thought it was a blast and had no anxiety whatsoever!  

The "Before" ... 

Doing our best to sit still ... good thing his stylist has quick hands!

Almost done!

A big boy!

What a year is has been!  2013 is sure to be a great year!

... on to the next adventure!