Brian, Dejah, Elliott & Trevor: 2012

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We were very blessed this year and had a wonderful Christmas season. Christmas Eve we spent at my Aunt Nancy's house eating soup and playing games. Then we came home and went to bed so Santa Claus could come. On Christmas morning, Elliott came downstairs and saw the tree and stockings and was very sad. I asked why and he kept asking where Santa was. I suppose that when we told him that Santa Claus came on Christmas Eve to bring presents, we should've been more clear that he leaves again to go to other houses. Elliott came down fully expecting Santa to still be here so he could see him. After getting over that disappointment, we went on to have a delightful Christmas day.

Here Elliott is blowing on his train whistle.

After Elliott opened each gift and saw what it was, he exclaimed it was "just what I always wanted!" We couldn't have trained him better to give such a perfect response!

There were surprises for all, here daddy and Elliott open a moon and earth in my room set. I thought Brian would especially like it since he loves looking at the stars and moon. And Elliott closes all the doors in the upstairs hallway to make a rocket and blasts off to the moon and Mars all the time. (Also note our Daisy kitty in the window - she also got a kitty stocking with kitty toys that she loves.)

I enjoyed opening up the presents too. As you can see from the sunshine, we didn't wake up extremely early to open gifts. We Ashtons value our sleep.

Here is my last minute perfect find for Elliott! Target had a Thomas train set that was also a pirate ship!! Can you get any more perfect for this little boy?! Trains and pirates have been his whole world all year and he loves this as much as I hoped he would!

Our old, hand-me-down tv had been having problems all year with the sound breaking out at least once during every movie and the picture going out and finally it popped and blew and died. Sooo, we decided to get a new tv for Christmas. Bless Brian's heart, he knows how to research brands and sound quality and spent quite a while to find the perfect deal for us. It was delivered a few weeks before Christmas, but we kept it in the box next to the tree until Christmas morning. It was fun to open and set it up and test it out!

After watching some clips from various movies, we all ate and got dressed and headed to Brian's parents house for the day. We had a lovely dinner and opened more presents and spent time with family. We are truly blessed with all that we have and that we can spend so much time with those we love!

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Christmas Quilts

Last year for Christmas I made a jeans quilt for Brian and I with Lorraine's help!

I think it turned out great and wasn't too hard to do so I decided to get some of the jeans my mom has saved for years, including all my dad's old jeans to make a quilt for Craig and Holly for Christmas. I had to work quickly, but I made it in time for Christmas.

That experience helped me to decide to make a jeans quilt this year for Christmas for David and Celeste and their family too. I used dad's jeans as well as jeans we all wore growing up. Some even had oil stains from getting loads of firewood and helping dad outside and painting. Smelling the denim while cutting and sewing brought back memories of stacking hay and riding horses and other childhood memories.

This is the quilt for David and Celeste. I finished it a few weeks before Thanksgiving since that is when my family all got together to exchange gifts.

I love the design made on the back too, and if you look closely you can see that COOK spelled upside down and backwards still spells COOK. Pretty cool, huh?

I worked really hard and continued in the zone to make a jeans quilt for Mom too. After all, she'd saved all the jeans and I thought it would be nice for her to have a quilt made from Dad's jeans too! She knew I'd been working on David's, but had no idea I was making hers as well. She had told me she thought a pocket quilt would be fun. Thankfully my dad had big pockets and were a perfect size to fit in a block for a quilt.

I enjoyed figuring out a pattern and even sewing on some of the Arizona Jean Company labels. There were a lot to choose from since that is the only brand Dad wore.

Can you spot the COOK in the pattern?

I made them in a matter of weeks and trying to stitch around the pattern instead of tying the quilt caused me to have very sore fingers for a few weeks, but it was so worth it!

Maybe next year I'll start early and not rush in the month or two before Christmas. I still have lots of jeans left!

Friday, November 30, 2012

Thanksgiving at our house

This year for Thanksgiving my mom and all my siblings and their families gathered at our house for Thanksgiving. In the morning while the turkey cooked, the men and children raked leaves. Some leaves made it into bags.

But most leaves were used for this...

And this...

Rachael and Liz holding Brooklyn watch as Elliott, Ruby and Ephraim make it rain leaves while Peyton digs for toys in a box.

Joy is found in little miracles!

Can you find Ruby in this picture? (Hint: she is wearing a camouflage hat.)

There she is!

Ephraim is burying Elliott in the leaves.

It tickles on the neck!

Leaf fight!

Our fruit trees make great climbing trees, but these Cook monkeys could climb anything!

Willard up in the branches.

Ben climbing and posing.

With Keith for a dad, Peyton has no fear of heights! If you look closely, she is peeking through the gap above the rain gutter. Don't worry, Keith is strong and steady.

Then we came inside for play time.

And time to sit around and visit.

Liz brought yummy ingredients to make candy turkeys.

Ben, Joselyn and Willard hard at work.

Ben's masterpiece!

Will's turkey!

Brad getting in on the fun! I made one too!

Cute Peyton putting leaves on the window....after taking them off first!

Gorgeous Peyton!

With so many family members bringing yummy food, the prep wasn't too hard and soon we were all eating a delicious Thanksgiving meal.

Rachael, baby Brooklyn and Peyton.

The infamous "kid table!"

I am partial, but I think Elliott is the cutest kid ever!

Although Joselyn taking a huge bite is pretty darn cute too!

And I don't think "cute" is the look Ben is going for here.

Ephraim looks like he is already in turkey-coma mode.

My brothers, Keith, David and Dewey being good husbands and dads and making sure their kids and wives have food first. Now it's their turn!

Emily, Holly and Jeffrey enjoying the meal. What is Jeffrey looking at you say?

Why, Uncle Brad, of course!

I love how all the nieces and nephews love their Uncle Brad so much!

Caleb, Celeste and Enoch eating too! There is room for everyone!

Mom, enjoying all the time with her kids and grandkids.

She is an excellent Gramma!

Brian and I enjoying the food too!

We are all together for the first time since Keith's wedding, I think, so what better time to take a family photo! Thanks to a tripod and Dewey setting the timer, we have a picture of the entire Cook Family!

Starting on the back row, Ruby, Liz, Holly, Elliott, Dejah, Brittany, Caleb, Celeste, Rachael and Peyton.

Sitting: Dewey, Craig, Jeffrey, Brian, Brad, David and Keith holding Brooklyn.

Front row: Ben, Joselyn, Gramma, Emily, Ephraim, Enoch and Willard.

With Thanksgiving now over, we can start off the Christmas season and have our family gift exchanges while we are all together! Gramma handing out advent calendars to all the kids.

Oh the excitement of presents!

Emily waiting her turn and Keith and Peyton looking on.

All attention is on Gramma and the gifts!

Everyone behaving well, except Dewey!

I love Ben's expression of jealousy over Enoch's rubber-band gun!

My favorite gift was the quilt I made from my dad's jeans to give my mom.

She liked it too!

It was so wonderful to have my entire family at my house for Thanksgiving. We are truly grateful we all live close enough to gather together and that our home is large enough to hold us all and centrally located too. I am thankful for my parents and my siblings and their amazing wives and all the nieces and nephews that make us such a blessed family! I love this time of year to remember with gratitude all we have been blessed with.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!