It never cease to amaze me how quickly Christmas comes and goes. So much gets pack into a month and there's so many feelings that go with it all that can't be captured in words. Hopefully the pictures will spark some of that when we look back on it.
We got some presents from some our favorite people. Our respite worker (Ms. Mary) has become a favorite fixture in our home for everyone, especially Bubby. He will grab her hand as soon as she comes to go swinging in the back. Pumpkin always is darling with her and so she's become an adopted Grandma of sorts, bringing story books or small toys from the dollar store. We love her!
The Harrisons are a couple I visit with often and has always been so kind to make candy trains for us at this time of year. This year she gave up blankets as well everyone loved them!
We found some unique light shows around the valley and went out in our PJs to enjoy them as a family.
Kent's siblings and their families came to our home for the Christmas Eve party. We see each other so little so there's always some catching up to do.
These two are such hams together! We just wished they weren't on the other side of the valley because they love each other so much!
Sitting around waiting for the big man in red to appear.
We finally had a tiny little one for Santa's lap and heard the good news of Jess and her baby to come. Just Bug-love and Pumpkin sat on Santa's lap this year and Santa felt the need to make her Christmas wish come true by giving her a Paw Patrol stuffed animal.
Pumpkin's response to her gift was perfect delight, on everyone's part. She won't be this little much longer so I love seeing the magic that it is when wishes come true.
These guys are too big and cool for Santa but they sure had fun playing games together.
Christmas day is always a joy. In general we've tried not to make it about big things, most of the kids get their presents for each other at a second hand store or dollar store. We do try to make it about thoughtfulness, something they know the other person will enjoy. This year Bud was particularly thoughtful and it showed in how his gifts were recieved. It warms my soul to see this sensitive side finding expression.
Snuggles are always the best!
A surprise gift of slippers, even a Pokemon themed one for Bud which has seen a ton of use since.
After the chaos everyone settled into books and puzzles.
It was Ms. Mary's birthday so I had prepped a cake, a rather sad attempt at a chrismas tree, and we stopped by in the early afternoon to surprise her. We got to meet one of her sons that we hear so much about and help to get Chloe her dog dressed for the day!
Things were fairly quiet and content post-Christmas. So much satisfaction was found in their new art sets that the spent the remaining hours on that. We started a 500 piece puzzle as a family on the 29th and finished it in 4 days. Pumpkin won some tickets to go to the movie theater so I went with 3 of them to see Mary Poppins which we loved.
Park days with friends filled the in between times. Bud got a kick out of digging tons of holes with connecting tunnels. Somehow he got everyone into the fun.
We also celebrated our Baba's birthday. Kent bought his own Cannoli cake from a special bakery not too far from his work place. We place it in our fridge and somehow Bubby got to it and decided to redecorate it. I asked if he wanted a new cake and he said, "Are you kidding? this is the stuff memories are made of!" so we piled the remnants onto a plate and plugged in some candles!
It was a wonderful holiday filled with laughter and fun. I'm so blessed to have this crowd to grow old with!
Christmas always comes in such a flash. There's the gift buying, the parties, decorating and baking. More often than not it can be one too much for the kiddos (neurotypical and autistic) so we carefully choose those activities that bring the most pleasure.
For the first time we took everyone to see the lights at the Mesa temple. It's an impressive display and we worried about the numbers of people and how Bubby would do. Inspiration came and I brought along an apple which he happily gnawed on as we walked and took pictures. Pumpkin was in Heaven! She adores all the Christmas lights and had to touch all the colors. Bud is reach that tween phase where he's not so interested but even he had a good time.
We tried a drive through light show set to music as well. Honestly we came through it a little bewildered. It was just too much stimulus for most of us and especially for Bubby. From now on we'll stick to Mesa's show with it quiet reminder of what this season really is about.
The gingerbread houses are a must! I'm not sure there is every any esthetic goal here, just the need to stick as much sugar as possible to consume later.
Here in Phoenix you must travel to have the pleasure of playing with snow. Fortunate for us the science center had a nice pile for us to play with. Bubby wasn't to happy with the cold wet stuff but the other kiddos had fun.
The older two and Pumpkin caught Coco in theaters. It was a beautiful story of loved ones lost and by the end the two oldest were sobbing into my shoulder. Bug's final remark was that it warmed her heart to think of her Grandma Young on the other side and how she lives in her memory.
For our annual ornaments we brought back from Utah some of their metallic skeleton leaves. They were so beautiful, reminding me of my college days with fall leaves. Pumpkin opted for a wooden zebra, something she has just recently claimed as her favorite animal. For Bubby we tried searching for an apple ornament. He adores apples and must consume one a day (or two or three if he manages to sneak them) Sadly, we didn't find any we liked so Kent made one from a book Bubby had torn up. (So proud of his up cycling skills) If he ever gets his hands on it we can rest easy that it won't shatter into a million pieces!
We had our annual Christmas Eve party with family. Sadly I didn't get much in the way of pictures and the few I did get somehow got deleted. We did keep this video of Pumpkin on Santa/Baba's lap. She has been raving for months about seeing him and about the present he says he'll bring her. She wasn't shy in he least and the joy of a candy cane was enough to fulfill her dreams. Even Bubby did okay. He refused to sit on Santa's lap but he did move close enough so Santa could pat him on the back and hand him a small gift. It was a big step for him and we are proud of it
The big day itself was filled with fun gifts, food and games. Bug's favorite gift was the dollhouse and Pumpkin adored he 'fuzzy bunny' family to go with it. Bubby loved his big red bouncy ball and Bud's favorite gift was from his sister, a nerf gun.
Bud recently befriended some neighborhood boys who have an arsenal of nerf guns. He had some years ago but never had anyone to pay with. Over time the guns broke, bullets were lost, etc. The boys always shared with him but he wanted to own his own. I had taken the girls out to do their Christmas shopping and was impressed with Bug and her generosity. She has always been careful of her spending and had about $30. She rejected buying the cheap knock off at the dollar store but was torn at spending more for him than she did for the rest of the family combine. In the end she did it because she, "couldn't wait to see how happy Isaac would be". She could barely contain herself as she wrapped it and waited for the big day. Bud's response was epic and Bug loved all the joy it brought him and still brings him to this very day. I love her generous heart.
She couldn't sit still for him to open it. He was shocked into silence which is a big deal for him if you know him well. After that it we had to drag him back for the rest of the presents because nothing could beat it.
In the end it's not the gifts we remember, but the smiles, the laughter. Even as I write this now I warms me to look back on these pictures. It's the feelings I hope we never forget. On to a new year!
