This isn't what you would see in a typical Christmas post, but we are not a typical family. Jacob got a Spiderman costume from a friend for his birthday and he liked it so much that I cleaned out the store at the after Halloween sales. He got 7 Halloween costumes and when he open the first one he ran up stairs to change. He came down dressed like this and though not 'normal' it is one of my favorite Christmas photos from this year.
Jacob had a great Christmas, he gave Catherine a cat mask, his dad some frango mints, and Aaron some Origami paper. He gave me some of my favorite conditioner, I haven't bought it in a few months because it is so dang expensive. My silly body decided to develop an allergy and now a can't use it. Oh how sad! Well at least I'm not pining for it anymore. Thanks Jakey!
Jacob also made this awesome wreath at school. He got out the package it was in and started to open it. I said, "Isn't that for the family." He said, "Yes, and I'm helping you open it!"
Jacob also received a dump truck he named Dumpy he talks about it in a very affectionate manner, its cute.
Sybil and Dick stopped by and we had fun opening gifts with them. I love this picture of them with Catherine. I really do think that if Sybil had another kid it would have been Catherine. They are like two peas in a pod.
My little Chef got this very cute chef's hat and apron from Grandma T. Most of those giving her gifts fed her passion for cooking with cupcake pans, cake mixes, cookbooks, and a neat cupcake holder. She is planning on making cupcakes tonight for Family Home Evening tomorrow. She also received the game Cadoo. It is a lot of fun.
This is Catherine helping to make sediment. We made a goody plate for Bob and he said his feelings wouldn't be hurt if some more of that "coconut stuff" showed up. After the cheesecake how could any request be denied. When I posted this picture I thought from the thumbnail view Catherine was making Layered Mexican Dip for an appetizer on Christmas. The thing is......... I invited Joe's family and all the adopted grandparents over for soup, snacks, and games. Well, Syb and Dick had to come an hour early because of other commitments, and then everyone arrived and that silly soup didn't make itself. So we all enjoyed the appetizers and yummy sandwiches that Grandma T brought. We had homemade bread from Donna and deserts from April and Sybil, so by the time the soup got made no one was hungry. I don't think anyone missed it with the amount of food we had and I fulfilled my goal of being stress free on Christmas. Grandma and Grandpa brought some soup home and we had leftovers the next day. Perfect.
Grandma Donna got Cora this doll and if you know Donna she couldn't help but to make a little quilt to go with it. Do you think Cora is happy?
The only problem is this doll came with a bottle. Every time you feed it and then take the bottle out of its mouth it cries and Cora gets VERY concerned. Needless to say we have 'lost' the bottle and everyone is happier for it! I told Joe in a year or two we can 'find' the bottle and see how she reacts, but for now the baby stress is just too much for her.
Cora mainly received clothes from us. She was so happy. She had to try each one on. Off goes the purple one on with the turquoise. In the end, the purple was her favorite. To give you an idea about how crazy she is for clothes, we were shopping and she was done with it. I needed a few more minutes so I took her to the toy section and gave her something to hold as we went through the store. She dropped it as we went past the little people clothes and grabbed a shirt. When she would accidentally drop the shirt she would say, "Pretty, pretty" until I got it for her. It bought me the time I needed and ended up being one of her gifts. Cora didn't give gifts other than hugs and smiles this year. She received books from Catherine and Jacob.
Aaron made cool origami mobiles for the girls and Jacob. (those are the Christmas lights hanging in the background, they kind of take away from the effect, but you get the idea) The mobiles turned out really well and everyone loves them. This year Aaron found a guy on u-tube that teaches origami. He watched and taught himself how to make all sorts of figures. He received a calendar with different origami instruction for each day. He also got a small video camera and has had fun playing with that. He got the game Mancala and we have all learned to play. It is fun and takes a lot of strategic thinking.
This is Aaron opening his Christmas tree ornament. They each get a new one every year. this year Aaron's was a clear glass ball with thin filaments of glass going every which way inside. I picked it for him because he likes looking at the way things are made and the interplay of lines. It looks great when the lights from the tree shine through it.
On Bob's suggestion, Joe received one of his gifts in a giant sour cream container. This was the chocolate from Jacob. I got Joe Jeff Dunham tickets and this year I didn't ask for the popcorn popper that I have asked for for the last 5 years and he got it for me! Whoo-hoo. I'm seriously so happy. I also received some things I wanted for the kitchen, some fun money, and lots of hugs and smiles and love.
All in all it was a really great Christmas. The basement was a little worse for wear, but that was part of the fun!
We enjoyed both giving and receiving, visiting with family and dear friends. We never forgot that the greatest gift of all was given by our Heavenly Father in allowing His son to sacrifice Himself for us and by Jesus Christ for being willing and able to do so, that we may return to live with Them and our families forever.
Doing a lesson on journaling for my Sunday School class and remembered my long forsaken blog. Looking at it makes me happy and I need to start doing it again. So to start here is a quick pic of the family in Funks Grove. These were taken by my sister Janet at the nature center on the day of the Funk-Stubblefield 130th reunion. Aaron has gotten us into frisbee. We all really like it, but it does get competitive sometimes. It was nice for me to take a break with a very tired baby and watch the family play and enjoy the hummingbirds.
Of all the elves, the one named Bob really out did 
