Mom and I hit up Kohl's last year after Christmas. I bought this on serious clearance and saved it for Jacob's stocking this year. Everyone loved it, and a battle to see who could get the most in a row was born. It is really cute, it even makes a cheering noise and lights up when you make a goal.
I spotted someone with one of these blankets a couple years ago, stalked that person and asked where she got it. Turns out the baseball team sells them every year as a fundraiser. Thus began my wait for when Jacob officially played for the Dragons. He started this past fall, and it turns out one of the kids on the team, who we have known for a while, has a brother on the high school baseball team. So I was happy I got to buy one from a mom/kid I knew. It's an awesome blanket. Like a giant comfy sweater, and IT'S MACHINE WASHABLE.
Ah, Cheffie. Again I decide to do something thinking it will be so cute and fun but not consider what a pain in the butt it will become down the road. Worst part is that I should have learned from doing Jacob's stupid elf. But he has outgrown it and that makes me sad. So I bought a knock-off Elf from Hobby Lobby for $3.95 (but he's actually better because his arms and legs bend). This was the first day.
The problem with doing a Cafeteria Elf (that's what I called him when kids asked why he looked different from their elves: "Because he isn't an elf on a shelf. He's the Elf in the Cafeteria") is that there aren't that many places to put him. I had to take into account that the stupid 4th and 5th graders would try to grab him if I put him down low, so that cut the possibilities down even more.
PLUS, I get there at 10:30, so kids were already in the building. I was terrified one of them would see me moving him, or taking him down with I left. But I managed to do pretty good, until......
I came up with this plan. I taped spork packages together to make a rope. And it fell. WHILE THE KINDERGARTNERS were in there. Of course it did. I was on the opposite side of the room and I heard a collective "OHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOO!" So I picked him up by the spork he was still holding onto, got a tray/gurney to put him on, and carried him to the nurse's office. Literally. They were all freaking out so I had to take him somewhere to get "looked at," and I couldn't just say I was going to take him to her but then not because what if one of the kids saw her later and asked about Cheffie and she showed that she didn't know what was going on??? The kindergartners are the second group to come into the cafeteria, so with every grade that came in after I literally had to get on a microphone and make an announcement explaining what had happened to poor Cheffie and where I had taken him. Oh, and assure them he would be fine.
Luckily Hallie was quite the accident prone child and I still have several finger splints from when she was CONSTANTLY jamming fingers in softball, volleyball, walking down the hall, etc.
He is zip-tied to the lights here on his return back from catastrophe, which just so happened to be the last day before break.
He brought lots of lights and strung them around the cafeteria.
It was actually pretty fun. It did cause a bit of a ruckus each day as the kids came in and desperately searched for him and would then one by one squeal/scream/yell that they had spotted him. But they were so cute. Even some of the teachers who had Elves in their classroom would get in on the whole thing and have their elves do weird things and leave notes stating "Cheffie made me do it" or "I didn't do it, Cheffie did."
Opening gifts at Mom's Christmas Eve. Michael's girlfriend came and brought her two, Gracie and Taylor. That is Gracie on the far left, and Taylor on the floor in the middle.
He was saying "Cheese."
Making cookies.
This was Jacob's napkin after he finished...
Every year Jacob manages to make one that is totally unrecognizable. We call it the Christmas Amoeba. He is modeling the 2015 Christmas Amoeba.
I had mentioned months ago that I wanted a bigger crock pot. And then promptly forgot all about it (probably because I cook about 4 times a year). Anyway, my mom actually remembered, which is a Christmas miracle in itself, and got it for me. I was so excited about it.
Maverick at the Enchanted Forest. Hallie said he kept saying, "Wow!"
I got stupidly behind this year with shopping. Aunt Debbie sent Jacob his Christmas gift when normal people are sending/wrapping gifts so this was the only thing under the tree for most of the month. Thank goodness Jacob is old enough not to stress not seeing gifts under the tree. Because I literally did not wrap one single item until December 23. While watching Maverick. So yea. I wasn't frantic at all.
Keith did a lot of traveling this year and picked up something for Jacob and Morgan from each place he went. He wrapped it all up and sent it to them for Christmas. It was a lot of fun.
Mom opening the gift he sent her.
He gave all of us this book, signed by the author. But none of us could exactly figure out why.... When Jacob called him later to say thanks, Keith asked him if we had found his picture in the book yet. Oh, duh. None of us thought about actually looking through the book... But how cool is this??!!
Our Sonic Christmas dinner.
