Pictures

A few weeks before Christmas we got our kids and their Austin cousins together so I could try and get pictures of all of them for Grammy and Grampy for Christmas.  I am no photographer, and SURE don't know how to edit, so we were trying to get all 6 kids looking at the camera and smiling.  Never quite got them all smiling, but came close enough to do the job.  Ha. 

 

Then I took some of just the Austins and just the Jacobs kids while we were at it.

 

 Some other random combos:

 

I don't know if this is typical or if our girls are just weirdos but those four year olds are impossible to get pics of.  Their eyes wander, and it's so hard to get natural smiles when they know a camera is involved.

 Anyway, then we tried for some individual ones, which was pretty tough because they had lost interest in the taking of pictures long ago.  Still got some cute pictures I'm glad to have though.

 

 

 

 

Two Christmas Programs

Wednesday and Thursday were the last days of school before Christmas break.  Cason had his Christmas program on Wednesday.  We picked Jess up from work and went straight to the school.  We were allowed to check Paige out early to come and watch.  Cason had been nervous about it for days.  He doesn't like the be in the spotlight too much.  He walked out all shy and cute, trying not to smile and staring at the wall as if it was really interesting, so he didn't have to acknowledge the audience. 

He was in the top row, wearing a red shirt.

It was cute watching him talk to his buddy next to him.

Reed liked watching him sing.

He did a great job, and clearly knew his lines and the signs that went with them.  My favorite part was the end of the songs, when he'd turn around, suddenly really interested in the wall again when people started clapping.  Haha!

The next day was Paige's turn.  The night before she'd decided out of nowhere that she wanted to play Jingle Bells on the piano.  She assured us that she was allowed as long as she could play and brought her music.  So Jess printed out the music for her and she practiced the night before.  I was nervous for her, considering she decided she didn't want to take lessons anymore and hasn't practiced in months.  She did awesome though.  They were kind enough to let her play on short notice, and she opened the show.  :)  She looked nervous but went through with it.  Brave girl.  I took video, but you can't see her in mine, so my dad sent me the one he got.

Then she took her spot with her class.

Reed started out super interested...

...but pretty quickly faded on us.

I realized when I glanced over that there were 3 generations of Jacobs guys to my left and I'd never taken a picture of the four of them together.  So we did that.

Christmas Crafts Days 16-20

 Day 16:

We went over to the Cassons' house for a playdate and the little kids made suncatchers with those melty beads, with a bit of help from their moms.

Neely's is the ornament, Liam's is the Santa, Colin's is the snowman. 

Reed wandered around, stealing ornaments off their tree and smiling at Amelia.

He gives her the cutest smiles, you can tell he feels big. 

While their suncatchers were in the oven, they had some pizza and watched Frosty the Snowman.

Sarah sent suncatchers home for the big kids to do that afternoon.  It ended up being a rough afternoon for us, lots of frustration and fighting, and they kept getting their suncatchers ready, only to have me ruin them when I tried to put them in the oven.  (My dumb oven rack seems to be a little bent or something).  

We eventually gave up and they colored the 3-D Christmas trees(also from Sarah)

 

 

 During the fighting, Paige told me "Maybe doing a craft every day isn't a good idea."  Ha.  Sooooo we decided to do some simple crafts for a few days. 

On the 17th we nearly forgot to do one-and close to bedtime I looked up an idea for a quick, easy one.  We settled on thumbprint Christmas lights.  

 

 

 

 On the 18th, Veronica had us over and they each picked a craft to make.  I think Paige and Lily are the only ones who picked anything Christmas related, but I'll count us eating Veronica's chocolate peppermint cookies as a Christmas activity.  Ha!

 

 From left-right, Cason's panda, Lily's polar bear in a hat, Paige's elf and penguin

 Neely made a "cat".  Ha!

Reed went through their art stuff.

On the 19th, we did popsicle stick reindeer.  Paige got mad at me again and didn't finish hers.  Ha.

On the 20th, I set up a sleepover for them with Grampa and Grama Trudi, so that Jess and I could take just Reed and finish our shopping, and wrap gifts without them there to peek.  So we did another quick one that day, before seeing them off on their sleepover.

Thumbprint candy canes.

This isn't one of our official crafts, but on Monday Sarah came by to drop something off and while they were here Colin asked her to draw for him.  Neely was inspired by Sarah's picture and drew this one.  I think it's so cute.  I love how she drew the antlers, and how Santa is hanging upside down on his way up the side of the house.

Christmas/Winter Crafts Days 11-15

On Thursday last week, there was some crankiness, and it was probably the least fun we've had doing our craft of the day so far this month.  We got it done though!  Ha.  I sent the kids out in the yard to hunt for sticks that they liked for antlers.  Then we used felt, buttons, sequin noses, and hot glue to make little reindeer ornaments.  

On Friday, we did a more involved one, since the big kids didn't have school.  Egg carton Santa's sleigh and reindeer.  

They really liked this one.  I loved the faces Neely made for her reindeer.  They were all unique. 

 

 She even decided this crazy fella should have no nose, and crooked eyes.

On Saturday, I decided riding the Polar Express was more than sufficient as our Christmas activity for the day.  :)

Sunday we made Christmas cards.  I'd come across two little girls online, who are sick, and had asked for lots of Christmas cards this year.  So the kids each made one.

I've been looking online for craft ideas, and have quite a few saved, but don't have our days planned out.  I just pull them up a bit before the kids get home from school, and pick one to do.  So today, when Sarah stopped by with some crafting goodies she got in Flagstaff, I let the kids do that for today.  One was a suncatcher that you paint-and I knew immediately which one each of them would choose.  I was right, Paige wanted the owl, Cason wanted the penguin, and Neely wanted the fox.  They loved this one.  I'll have to pick up more of these next time I'm in a craft store apparently.  Thanks Sarah!