Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas, All! :) For unto us a Savior is born! Praise Him! :)

This year, we decided to have present day earlier than Christmas Day. Mostly, just because we could.  :P

So on Sunday morning......

Anxiously awaiting present time.....teenage style. :P Actually, he got up hours before everyone else and was nice enough to lay back down on the couch and doze while waiting for the rest of us to wake up. :)

Throwing knives

Taz opening the little wooden dolls Crawdad painted for her

Boys opening their remote control helicopters. Crawdad loved the one he got for his bday, but it wasn't very durable, so we replaced it and added one for his brother.

Yep, that's a sword. Alicia, Cub requests that you make sure and show J and I this one. :D

There is a champion in the game Papa Bear works on named Teemo, whom Crawdad just loves. He is wearing a Teemo hat (not a Christmas gift--he already had it). Teemo carries a blowpipe, and Crawdad has been begging for one. This is the Nerf version of said blowpipe. (And since I have now been hit 487,000 times with Nerf darts, I'm wondering what on earth I was thinking! :P)

Cub opening the gift Crawdad painted him--a little shelf to hang his necklace on at night.

 The boys love playing around with their helicopters. I had intended to get Papa Bear his own, but just didn't have time. Need to get on that, I'm thinking, as he is continually stealing the boys'. :P

She absolutely loves the stuffed Mario that Papa Bear picked up for her. She is into playing the Mario game on the 3DS, and in true Taz form, is now a bit hyper-focused on all things Mario. Papa Bear did good with this one--it's been a big hit. :) (Of course, now she's lobbying for a Luigi, too. :P)

Cub airing up Taz's bouncing horse-ball thingy. The horse cover doesn't stay on very well, but oh how she loves to bounce on these!

This picture is pure Taz. :) Her fashion sense, her beloved Mario doll, her bouncing horse. Love it!

Of course, there had to be Lego's. :)

Taz with her very own pink 3DS. Now maybe she'll quite swiping Crawdad's. :)

Best.coffee.maker.ever! This one is my gift. :)

Backing up a bit to the weeks before Christmas, we have some lovely children (and their Mama :P) making homemade gifts for one another. We had so much fun doing this again this year that I can't really remember why we stopped in recent years. Likely, because Mama got lazy. *Oopsy. Need to watch that one!*

Cub tying blanket pieces together for Taz

Cub is painting Papa Bear a hat rack, while Crawdad paints Taz her dolls

Cub is painting me a flower picture to hang on the wall. Crawdad took this picture, and I wasn't allowed to look at it until after Christmas. :P

Crawdad making Mama a potholder. I had to see this one early, as he needed my help. :)

Most of the stuff we made each other. The orange/red/yellow part of a quilt on the bottom left is what I am still sewing for Cub. You know, making that child a quilt would have taken far less time if I had done it before he hit 6 feet tall.

  Above, the painting Cub made me, and the wall hangings that I cross stitched for Taz and Crawdad, although Taz's will likely never make it onto a wall. She likes to carry hers around. :) To the right, the hat and necklace racks the boys painted, and below, the little dolls Crawdad painted for Taz. I thought everything turned out quite nicely. :)

I sent Taz in to wake her oldest brother....

...and lost her to the comfort of the top bunk. :P

Teemo Elf helping wrap presents

Regular ol' Crawdad elf helping wrap presents. :)

My little Angel making a funny foam angel

Papa Bear reading the Christmas story from the Bible. It's obvious from the disaster that is our living room that presents have already occurred. :P

Happy Birthday Jesus cupcakes. 

And this one is Cub, recapturing a bit of his preschool years, when he took part of our Happy Birthday Jesus cake out into the yard and threw it up in the air so Jesus could have a piece of His birthday cake in Heaven. And the awesome, sweet thing about this is.....part of my precious boy still believes that Jesus is going to reach down and catch that cupcake. You know, I wouldn't be surprised myself. :)