Christmas 2011

So I had to wait to do this post so that it would be registered as a 2012 post, that way at the end of the year when I click the "make a photobook" button, I will be able to just use all of 2012 posts and don't have to rely on my brain to remember to grab the Christmas post from 2011.  Because that would NEVER happen. Me remembering something, that is. Especially a year from now. I laugh at the mere suggestion. So here are the pics I took this Christmas season.

The fam makin cookies. Each year we all make cookies, and we take the activity VERY seriously. First, because some of them will given to Santa. Second, because we each pick the best ones for Santa. And of course you don't want to be a loser and not have a cookie picked!!

 Jacob made...um....what we decided to call the "Christmas Amoeba," because we just couldn't figure anything else out...

These were the final selections made for Santa. We each pick one, that is not our own, for Santa. So Santa gets several cookies. And the amount will only grow since boyfriends/husbands/
girlfriends/wife (gasp)  also get to join in the excitement. 

 My cookie I made for Jon. awwww. Abby also made a similar one for Tim Tebow. Yes, the NFL football player. She has decided to marry him. He doesn't know this yet, but that's ok since she is only 15 right now. And since Jon & I are 10 yrs apart, her mom & stepdad are 8 yrs apart, & Hallie & Josh are 11 yrs apart, Tebow and Abby totally fit into the family pattern that is developing.

Jon made the tree. And literally spent about 20 minutes on it. Even pulled out a toothpick to make a branch-like pattern. And the blue in it is supposed to make it look like a real tree, bc you know how they are kinda bluish/green? Yea. Goober. His painstaking/borderline OCD drawing tendencies make him the last person picked for Pictionary teams....the man is incapable of half-a**ing anything. The other cookie is Josh's. It is supposed to be a present with a bow.  We don't know why he put the bow in the corner like that. We laughed at him and decided it looked more like the flag of Sweden.  That's right. We laughed at him. I told you this was serious business.

Jacob has recently become obssessed with NFL teams. I blame this on Amanda, Zack, Kyler, Noah. If Kyler & Noah hadn't been obssessed with wearing NFL jerseys when they were little, if Zack & Amanda hadn't bought them for them, if Amanda hadn't sent me hand-me-downs (the nerve), then Jacob never would have rekindled the jersey wearing obssession. So, since Jon's fave team is the Steelers, I got Jacob a jersey and Jon a tshirt to open early.  I have always let Hallie & Abby open an early gift, and it is always new PJs. This started out as me torturing them-they would beg to open an early gift, I would say, sure here ya go, and then it would be PJs. Torturing kids is fun. But now they totally look forward to it bc I make it Victoria Secret PJs. Anyway, I try to make it something more interesting for Jacob, but at the same time not too exciting...thus continuing the torture tradition ;)  Jacob actually came up with the idea of painting his old Titans helmet to make it look like a Steelers one. Of course, he was going to do it with a Sharpie, so Jon jumped in on that one...

 Gingerbread house that Abby & I made. Sniff, sniff. Jacob used to love doing this, but this year he got bored. My baby is growing up...  :(

 Jacob and his friend Noah at the class party.

 Jacob and his friend Auden. Both of those boys live around the corner. Fantastic!

 The Christmas craft was to use icing and sprinkles, candy, etc to decorate an ice cream cone to make it look like a Christmas tree. Jacob made his look like a one-eyed monster. Naturally. All the kids kept coming over and saying, "That really does look like a monster! I want another cone!"

Playing a book swap game. Each kid brought in a wrapped book.  Then the room mom read the 'Twas the Night Before Christmas poem, but inserted a lot of "left" and "right" words in there. Each time they heard either word, they were supposed to pass the book in that direction. It was entertaining for us parents to watch. 

The inside of Jacob's desk. Yep, that's about right...

The Christmas Fluff Monster

 My dad has been wanting to get Jacob a remote control helicopter for a couple of years. But my mom kept telling him that Jacob wasn't old enough. In her defense, they all say something like "ages 10 & up" or something similar.  Anyway, this year she bought him one. My dad wasn't very happy with her ;)  But it was acutally randomly difficult to do...We couldn't figure it out so we waited for Hallie to bring Josh, an actual PILOT, so he could figure it out. And he did ;)

Hard to see, but there is a little blue spec to the right of Jacob, that is the helicopter attacking Jacob. 

Josh brought his Weimaraner over bc he was going to be gone all day and didn't want Abe cooped up for that long. It was just too crowded in the living room while we were opening presents for him to be in there too, and Gonzo was just being his annoying self. So they got to watch ;)

The next several pics are some of Jon's side of the family.  I usually don't include them in my blogs since none of them read it, but since I'm gonna make a photobook I have to be thorough from now on!!!

 This is Jon's brother's son, Reed. He is 15, just a few months younger than Kyler and Abby. Jacob ADORES him.

 Goofy nephew Stephen.

 The two Jons(Johns).  So, my Jon was once married to Pam. My Jon has a sister named Pam, who is married to this John.  My Jon has a sister named Donna. Brad was once married to a Donna. My Jon's exwife Pam is now married to a John.  Jessica (Michael's ex) is dating a John.  No, it isn't confusing at all. And no, I have never sent a bday card/text message to the wrong Pam, Donna, and/or John..never.

 Gonzo and Hallie's dog Henri fight/try to impregnate each other whenever they are near each other. Yes they are both boys.

 Jon's sister Pam, the one who is marred to John. Quiz later.

Brother-in-law Rodney. Only one of him. Thank God. hehe

 Brother-in-law Brad and Reed.

 Hallie and Stephen

 Abby and Stephen plaiyng BopIt. Very serious.

 This is Jon's sister Donna. Not to be confused with Brad's exwife Donna.

Jacob giving Grandmother a hug. 

So Hallie and I were inspired by Nicole.  Plus, Jon's mom is the type to never get rid of anything, even if it is a huge apocalyptic/type painting from the 70s.  Seriously, this painting that she had hanging in the living room reminded me of  New York, the day after the apocalypse. Very depressing. So I asked Hallie if I bought the supplies, could she please help me remedy this situation. We chose a Bible verse. Jon's mom loved it.

 

 Crying/reading the verse

Hanging above her TV where the apocalypse pic hung. I wish I had taken a before/after shot. I swear. it was depressing. 

Jacob got a Lego watch from his Grandmother. He was pumped. He wants it for school. I envision it lasting one day.

All my free Christmas Cards!!

Jon and Hallie took Jacob to Paint a Piece to make me something for Christmas. He made me a hot chocolate mug, with a place for my lips ;)   It says moma.

 Playing the new XBox Santa brought!!

 Santa brought a new Lego set. It was great to have something to work on while we waited for Hallie, Abby, Josh, Grammy, Grandfather to get there to open presents. Santa is so smart ;)

Santa forgot to eat his cookies.  Santa also snuck into our house sometime early November and took the Playstation 3 that Jacob NEVER looked at, in order to, ahem, sell it so that he could use the money to buy the XBox. In order to explain himself in a kid friendly way, Santa had Elvis, our Elf on the Shelf, write a letter...

Jacob saw this $7 shirt at Walmart the week before Christmas and BEGGED me for it. I did not buy it bc I saw that as the prime opportunity for the "it is almost Christmas/you don't need any clothes/there are kids all over the world getting nothing" lecture. But i did tell the story  to my carhops at work. One of them went out and bought it. And that's what makes Christmas awesome.

So this is another great story. Another one of our workers is engaged. She and her fiance live in a one bedroom apartment. Her fiance's bestfriend works at Target. Both guys are Star Wars fans. The best friend was at work when Target decided to throw this awesome 3D poster away. The best friend said, no way, not on my watch, and brought it home. His GF said, we do not have room for that monsterous thing in their one bedroom apartment. So he gave it to my emplyee's fiance, his best friend. Fiance brought it home, where upon my employee, his fiance said, no way, we do not have room for that monsterous thing (can't imagine why both girls were so against hanging this up in either their living room or bedroom???) and asked me if I wanted it. OF COURSE!!!! So, Santa left it out with all the other business and it is now hanging in Jacob's room.  Happy ending!!

The Santa stash. Please take time to notice the case of copy paper from Office Depot. Santa somehow knew that Moma was quite tired of trying to print something out, only to find there was no paper in the printer bc a certain little boy used it all to draw on...

When I was in highschool and carhopped, I had these antler headbands that I always wore at Christmas time.  For some reason, they have survived all these years. Each year I find them in a Christmas deco tub, and each year I repack them and put them away. This year I decided, enough. So I brought them to work and put them on the break table with a note that said, "take me." Of course I assumed the FEMALE carhops would take them. No. In fact, I don't think I ever came in and saw a female wearing them. Not once. Instead, for 2 weeks, each time I came in, a different MALE was wearing them.  The guys would actually switch off at the end of their shift and give them to the next person clocking in. It was hilarious.

Sorry that was so long! You probably had to take a break in the middle....