2014 Final Christmas day photos

Here are family photos we took with my camera's timer and a tripod

And some silly ones:

2014 - Christmas photo shoot

Here are photos from our Christmas card photo shoot

Photos by J Jackman Photography - see here

2014 Day 26 - Boxing Day

Boxing day = get to mall by 9, have a coffee, meet Jocelynne and my mother, and shop until we drop!

Last year was the first year the mall advertised they would be open at 7 am and this year was the same.  The parking lot was almost full by 9 am when I arrived and some sections of the mall were very busy - but not nearly as busy as last year (which was the busiest I had ever seen it in all those years we've been going there on Boxing day).

I only purchased 5 tops, but my shopping buddies did purchase a ton!  We also had a lovely lunch in our secret spot (beef dip with  tomatoe basil soup).  We were there from 9 am until 6 pm!  WOW!  I had on my new fitbit and we walked 12,294 steps that day!

The following day was our annual scrapbooking day - my only day to scrapbook at a real shop, rather than on my kitchen table.

2014 Day 25 - Merry Christmas

I got up at my regular time, made a final check that everything was good, turn on all the Christmas trees, took a photo of the tree and Santa's letter and went to wake up kiddo.  GJA was up already and had the video camera ready.

He wasn't sleepy at all and the 1st thing he said when he got out of bed was - I wonder if Santa came?   I said...I don't know, let's go look.  Instead of his normal morning routine, he actually DID go down stairs to look to see if Santa came.  He looked at the tree in the bonus room and said - wow, look at the presents.  We continued down to the main floor. 

He said, what's that (while looking at the main Santa gift)...I didn't ask Santa for that.  I said - you didn't ask Santa for anything, so he had to bring something he hoped you would like.  We played with it a bit while trying to keep him from ripping open the stocking gifts.  I did let him open one...one that would go with the unwrapped gift.  Then I asked him if we should look to see if Santa left a note - which he did - and he ate the cookies and drank the milk.  I got him to read the note from Santa.  I noticed that it was the exact same writing we had on our Christmas morning Santa letters - he MUST be real!

Then we went upstairs for a photo with the tree - he was so excited! He grabbed a gift under the tree and was ready to open it.  I said - read the tag to see who its for.  He said - its to Dad and it from ME, so I can open it.  WHOA big guy....as he started to open it.

Look how tall my little cutie pie is!

Lee came up and wanted to have her bath, but we convinced her to open stocking gifts first so PJ would get to have some early morning Christmas fun and THEN she could have her bath...no point us all taking our showers at different times and prolong getting to the REAL task at hand!  Kiddo was super excited with pretty much each item he opened.  At the toe of the stocking, like last year, was his favourite treat - red lollipops...which he pulled out, counted and lined up so we could all see his 10 lollipops.

 

He wanted SO BADLY to go and unwrap the other gifts, but I told him that we wanted to eat breakfast and that we all had to be dressed before we open those gifts.  Both Lee and GJA went for their baths and I sat down with a Cinnamon coffee (thanks for the new k-cups, Santa).  Finally we were able to have our panettone.  PJ decided he didn't want breakfast...not a great idea, but he wouldn't cooperate to eat.  While we waited and waited for the other two, I took some more photos of him by the tree.

 

 

Finally everyone was fed and dressed and we went to open gifts.  He pulled out gifts from under the tree and they were both to ME from HIM so he decided that since his name was on it, that he could open it...NOT!  He grabbed one with his name on it and was ready to rip into it...so I told him that he had to find one gift for each person before he could open his....which he did.  He continued to be the present distributor the entire morning.  He was really excited about each of his presents.


My parents and brother came just as we were finishing our own gift opening - so then we re-loaded up the tree with their gifts and went at it again!  We ooh'd and aah'd at everyone's gifts and then went and made fuzzy navels and started getting ready for lunch while my brother assembled gifts and my parents played games with PJ.  Since he didn't have any ideas of what he wanted, I took a chance and chose a bunch of games (Operation, Trouble, air hockey & Foosball) - all of which were a huge hit - he enjoyed them and engaged with us while playing it and asked us to play with him.  So cool - normally he grabs his electronic devices and plays by himself!

After lunch was eaten, it was time for my parents to leave to get the turkey in the oven.  Before dinner, 2 of the people in our house went for a 2 hr nap & I was going to work on photos...but I was tired too, since I had stayed up until 2 am on too many recent nights to wrap gifts, so I tried to nap too.

 

 

 

 

It was SO GREAT that he was excited about the day - maybe he WILL have fond memories of Christmas, just like I did!

Then, assemble all the sleepy people and head on over to my parent's place.  Everyone cooperated for photos with silly Christmas Cracker crowns on and the kiddo even stayed sitting for the entire meal!  Had a lovely turkey dinner with all the trimmings, sat and chatted for awhile, then off home to put them all to bed.

 

 

It was a fantastic day as far as I was concerned - my boy STILL believes!

Merry Christmas to ME!

2014 Day 24 - Christmas Eve

Today, like every other Christmas Eve - its a gong show!  I had to pick up baked goods and bananas - then home to crazy, crazy town!  GJA had been at home for 4 days and waited until today to finish his moving of crap!  SO...there I was, at 3 pm having to CLEAN all the flat surfaces and vacuum and get dinner and appetizers going for Christmas Eve!  It was all so stressful and unnecessary!!!

Managed to get it all done - plus setup more decorations (that I couldn't bring up until GJA's crap was gone).  We hosted dinner with my parents and brother, GJA's mom and my friend Jocelynne - it was a fun evening and a crazy long day!

Of course, we also had to get ready for Santa - so before PJ went to bed, we wrote a letter to Santa and left him cookies, milk and carrots for Rudolf.  PJ chose each cookie!

2014 Day 23 - By the Chimney

Today is all about Santa's gifts - we have stockings down on the main floor and gifts up in the bonus room under the tree.  It takes me about 30-45 minutes to get everything into stockings and under the tree on Christmas eve.  

On Christmas morning, we come downstairs to see if Santa came and then we have to wait until everyone in the house is around before we open anything....and it can be a painful wait.  Thankfully Santa leaves 1 gift unwrapped so we can play with it as we wait for everyone.  Then PJ gets going at unwrapping everything....paper is flying all over.  We watch him do his so we can make sure nothing gets lost/put in the paper recycle bag with the gift wrap.

After that, he helps US unwrap our gifts - this is only the 3rd year that he's been interested in opening gifts, so to keep him occupied, he helps us too.

Then we get dressed and have breakfast and poor PJ has to keep away from the gifts under the tree while he waits and waits and waits for the grown-ups - its tough, I'm sure, but he does it!

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This year on Dec 23, PJ had a 1/2 day camp up in St. Albert - during this time, I did grocery shopping (yay)

In the afternoon I made the pizza bun sauce & more baking.

2014 Day 22 - Warming the Heart

Today we are to talk about a defining moment of Christmas for the year or witnessing (or doing) an act of kindness.

The 1st thing that came to mind was purchasing and delivering toys for Santa's Anonymous.  I started doing this several years ago (at least 10...maybe more).  I love going around TRU and finding gifts for babies, toddlers, girls, and entire family.  GJA does the same and focuses on the boys.  We easily spend more on these gifts than we do for our kiddo.  I always think about how happy PJ would be to receive the gift, if he was in a family that couldn't afford to purchase gifts....every year I get all misty eyed just thinking about these poor kiddos.

The 2nd thing that came to mind for this specific year was PJ and his attempt to coexist with my brother.  PJ maybe sees my brother once a year (if he's lucky), so is very scared and anxious around him.  My brother is really tall, loud and present, when he's around and its pretty overwhelming for PJ.  He did such a great job sitting at the table for any family function, offered to share his food with my brother and even happily posed with him for a photo.  To any outsider, it would seem like it was the opposite of a win - but in our family, it was huge growth and win!

PJ wanted to sit in his regular chair - even though it meant sitting by Dean

Came for a photo without fuss and smiled nicely

See...he can be kind of scary

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This year, on Dec 22, I did my walk and there were tons of MEN at the mall - it was hilarious watching them wander around dazed and confused.  We also went for supper for my mother's birthday.

2014 Day 21 - Snapshots of Reality

Well....since I am doing these entries many, many days late, I didn't read the prompt to take a photo of our reality on Dec 21...but I do recall that our house WAS a disaster zone!

I had rolls of paper all over the living room floor because I was wrapping gifts late into the wee hours every night.  GJA's piles of CRAP were all over the floor and on top of every flat surface.

TODAY we had to get up and ready to go downtown for our Christmas Symphony at the Winspear centre.  We enjoyed it a ton.  They had a guest artist...who had won some Junos - she was quite eclectic and folksy...she had a nice voice, but her style isn't my favourite.

GJA had to leave the concert early to go to the Oiler game.  After the concert was done, PJ and I went down to the Legislature grounds to see the lights.  I never went there as a kid, but I did go down a couple of times as an adult - so it was fun for me to see all the lights.  PJ wasn't too impressed, but I enjoyed it.

Today is my mother's 72nd birthday - and she, and my father, were picking up my brother Dean at the airport (coming in from Kelowna for Christmas...YAY!)