Christmas 2007

Merry Christmas to all!

I am finally getting a few free minutes to post all these pictures and I got them so out of order! Sorry, but I am to tired to delete them all and figure out where I went wrong. :-)

Here is our group in front of the chapel tree. Our own tree died within 2 weeks and was to pitiful to take pictures in front of, so we used this nice big one!

And their individual Christmas pictures!

Collin - age 10 1/2

Kaitlynn - age 8 1/2
Christopher - age 5
Here is where the out of order pictures begins. Christopher is obviously VERY excited about his new books! 2008 WILL BE the year he learns to read!

Why are these pictures here? Well, just let me tell you!!!!!
Sam got me an INCREDIBLE, WONDERFUL, AWESOME, AMAZING present.
A new camera!
I know, I know, that makes like, what, 6 cameras I own?
But this is different. This is a professional grade DIGITAL camera. The whole world has gone digital and left me and my expensive medium format camera in the dust. It is time for me to join the 21st century and take my skills to a new level! AND NOW I CAN!
My last camera is only a few years old ( it was my first digital) and does take pretty good pictures. But to my extremely picky self, they weren't good enough.
This camera is amazing! Just turning it on and taking a simple picture on automatic, I can already see a world of quality difference. Once I read and learn and understand the 456 page instruction manual, they should REALLY be good!
Below is just an example. If you look closely at the first picture, the shelf and lenses almost appear to be 3D. The depth of field choices on this camera are unbelievable.

Another simple, yet demonstrative way to show the depth of field variety. Anyway, I am VERY excited and anxious to learn it all. I have had several photo jobs this year, a few small weddings, a handful of senior portraits, some families, and a lot of fighter jets, with families in and around them. I am looking forward to doing more since I am hoping this camera will have me more pleased with the results instead of frustrated.

I was offered a job for the summer helping the photographer who did our family portraits do her weddings. I am seriously thinking about it. Even if I hardly make enough to cover my gas expenses driving back and forth to Boise every Saturday, the experience would be good. I told her I would call her as it got closer to summer. This one should have been up with the others, but here is Kaebrie (age 3) in her alone picture!
Kaitlynn got a pair of real cowgirl boot! Yes, I know they look big, but they fit her size 8 women's feet!!!!!! She also got a real silver belt buckle and a genuine calf-roping rope that our neighbor is going to teach her how to use.

AWWW! She is saying. So happy to have her princess box filled with dress up shoes.

(Now Tabitha, I know you are rolling with laughter that I finally gave in to this, but she was SOOOO happy. The first thing she said after she opened them was that Lauren gave them to her)!
She was wearing her once piece jammies and couldn't get her feet into her new shoes, so she disappeared into her room and came back clunking down the hall totally naked except for her new high heeled shoes.
OK Tabitha, you can stop laughing now! :-)

Collin got the one thing he asked for, an genuine Auburn football jersey!

Lightning McQueen was a favorite this year.
PONIES!
Yet another Auburn gift!


This is baby Christy. The kids all drew names on Thanksgiving night for each other. We call it "Secret Sibling", so Tiff gave Kaebrie a nice pink baby who was named Christy.

We did stockings first when we all woke up, but being out of order those pictures are at the bottom of this post. Then we had a nice breakfast of eggs, sausage, strawberries and cinnamon rolls!
Tiffer LOVED his Lightning McQueen computer game that was in his stocking.
Collin checked to make sure his was totally empty!


Kaitlynn got her first FARM GIRL t-shirt. The bottom of the shirt says
Sorry, I only clean up after horses.

Kaebrie pulled an orange out of her stocking and was so happy with it!
What is this? Well, the chaplains here have a Christmas Eve tradition. Each year somebody gets "Homer'd."Last year it was us. This giant inflatable 9 foot high Santa -Homer appeared on the front yard. We had to store it all year then this year we got to HOMER somebody. We decided on the Barfields, kind of a welcome home to Steve. :-) So here, we are blowing it up to make sure it still worked!
And that afternoon they went sledding as you can see below.

Christmas night we had dinner here for 22 people. It was very informal, jeans and paper plates, but there was a ton of delicious food and we got to meet some new people that our friends brought over.

I think that is all the pictures.

Hope your Christmas was joyful and meaningful.

Thank you all for the Christmas cards. One of my favorite parts of recent days was opening all those cards and seeing all the pictures.