Christmas 2011

Christmas morning! 

This Christmas was a year of homemade everything!  I am loving pinterest and am loving all the creative ideas.  Mom was headed to Michigan for Christmas week and we had our Johnson Christmas a week early so it was out first solo Chirstmas!  It was bitter sweet not being with everyone. 

For 3 years I have been wanting to make stockings and this year it actually happened, twice.  Frita helped me pick out the stocking colors and she chose white feathers for hers.  It could also be a cool native american head dress?

Felt ruffle

A work in progress.  Notice the countdown is 11 days til Christmas but at least the stockings got done.

 Funny story about the stockings.  I down loaded a pattern for the elf stockings that turned out rather small.  Upon showing Rich the first round of stockings he said they're kinda small- and I said well do you think I should make bigger ones?  He said yes!  So round 2 of stocking began.  To give him some credit for this comment.....we decided to do 3 presents for each kid.  One for each of the gifts that Christ recieved from the wise men. 

The "gold" gift, an extravagent gift (the big one), frankincense which was often burned for its fragrance, symbolized prayer rising to the heavens, their spiritual gift.  Last year Frita got a Bible and this year she got a Gigi movie.  Myrrh was often used in preparing the body for burials so something for their body such as clothing.

Then add in a present from each sibling and oh my it all adds up so quickly.  But since I am quite proficient at stretching a dollar this was very daunting for me.  Ok so purposely choose each present AND whatever I could fit in the stocking =).   Hence the need for the big stockings.  We didn't exactly stay within out limits but we were close and I'm determined to stick to it next year! 

Here is the signage I made for Christmas.  I am in LOVE with making these signs and can't wait to paint scriptures all over the walls of our home!

Rojo the Rooster- I got him for my birthday and I love him!  He was incorporated in the decorations, of course.

Richard borrowed this guitar from his parents in hopes to learn how to play.  Bub thinks it the coolest! 

 As presents arrive at our home from relatives from afar we allow the kids to open them when they arrive.  It helps disperse the craziness and they appreciate them so much more when spaced out.  One of my aunt's from Michigan it an expert at themed gifts for our kids! 

Had to crop this picture becasue Bub had to put his matching Thomas underware.

Score Buzz bandaids!



Oh tutus!

There was lots of spinning and dancing!  So excited.

Oh how he loves Thomas!  So excited that he go a Thomas swimsuit especially since we are going on a Disney cruise this year!

Christmas day fell on a Sunday this year so we had to disperse the presents and hang on while the schedule was crazy but so fun!  Christmas eve service was at 5p so we came home ate dinner and opened a few presents including their Gold gift which was a Wii-  all 3 of their gold gifts was the wii.  After a few wacks to each other's heads there were consequences set in place for that but only after Bub recieved his first black eye.

Rich has made it a habit of taking the kids to do building projects and now they have their own real set of tools.  I wonder if this set came with spackle for the holes in the walls that have a great probability of happening.

The stocking's won't stay on the hooks after presents have been placed so on the ground they go.

It was little bit of torture since I thought to do this Christmas morning.  They could see their presents but not touch them yet.  I had about 30 seconds to get these shots.



I love these no flash lights pictures!



I found this helmet at a thrift shop- he loves it!



 Pretty awesome story here.  We are avid fans of the show Biggest Loser and this year our youth pastor and his son are on the show!  We are beyond excited and can't wait to see how big God goes on this show.   On Dec 15th they had a preview of next season and one of the fellow contestants on the Spring season is "Santa."  The show even put him on the red team.  How appropriate.  This all led to the follwing conversation between Rich and Frita........"Dad what if Santa is on a diet?" Richard- "Well I'm not sure but maybe."  Frita- "We should leave him some apples too and we'll know if he's on a diet if he eats the cookies or apples." What to do, what to do? Where's the user manual that came with the children!!!  So I let Santa decide how this was to play out.



Not totally awake but ready to go.

Ah the Christmas pickle!  An Irish tradition that was too funy!

Target had all of it's Halloween clearanced out just after Halloween and I got this one for $2ish dollars.  This little man is in serious need of some dress up clothes that aren't a Cinderella dress.  Yes more than once he came out of the play room dressed up in his Blue for Boys Cinderella gown. 

Yes I got dressed and ready before the kids woke up but it was only because we were on such a tight schedule with church at 9:45a.



Big boys still like toys!  It wasn't on purpose but the kids can't cock this gun so for at least now they can't shoot each other or the dogs.

 After the craziness of opening presents it was throw some clothes on, eat quickly, load up and head to church.  We had all 3 kids in the service which was a whole lotta crazy but we made it through and I was so glad to be with lots of church family prasing the one who came to save us!  After the service we ran over to one of the local fire stations, armed with  baskets of goodies to give to the firemen that were serving on Christmas day.  I am still kicking myself for not taking the camera (in the running out the house I forgot it).  Othese did take picutres and I'm hoping to get my hands on them.  It was so awesome to serve others this Christmas and our family plans on doing it through out the year with our local firemen.

The girls got  homemade outfits this year. 

 Got this idea from pinterest.com but later found out that picture came from a girl I went to highschool with.  She is super creative.  Here's here blog http://www.bjanebrewing.com/

 We rounded out our Christmas week with fever and sickness.  Good news was that it was only 24 hours and only 2 of the 5 of us got it! 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!  And Happy New Year!!!