gingerbread houses

we have always made these darling little houses with the 3rd graders at work.
last year anne and i made a 'real one'.
it was a bit much-probably would have helped if i would have read the directions...
so this year, we did the mini version.
my friend, lindsay, from highschool was with us visiting that particular day and joined in the fun.
they thought it was so cool to create them with her. :)

kate partnered with lindsay to make her second house...

very proud of herself...

they completed it.  finished off with residents that were little people. :)

in kate lingo- 'can i WICK IT?'

completed

Ariel view

backyard. :)

~chat soon

Random...

Just some stuff from the break...no rhyme or reason!

Anne got this from Santa...one random moment on Christmas Day she shouts-Mom!  Do you know what I am....??? What? 
A PHOTOGRAPHER! :)

secrets only cousins tell

always fun when suz is here!

Love this chick!

Jacob and his Philly Pop! :)

Anne being a cowgirl for the day

Sweet Jacob.

Always instant playmates...

No one can get enough...

Chat soon!

Christmas Part 2.

Christmas part 2 was at Mom and Dad's house.
It is always a blast.
Lot's of noise!
We took a family picture which involved a broken light bulb, a lot of sweeping, and worries that too much mercury may be giving my mother a headache! HA!

playing cards. 

 checking out the best one.

 intermission of the whole family photo-post lightbulb problem. 

 sheer innocence.

i love games!

 can't you feel the creativity?

 bogged down with gifts!

 a tutu and a barbie camera...heaven.

 funny stuff-they covered W's book with B.O.'s book cover! Ha!

 SERIOUSLY, who put this BOW ON MY  HEAD?

don't remember what was so funny, but it was good!

All in all-it's been a wonderful season!

Christmas...part 1.

A little hear, a little there, a little more here...
It's a good thing.
Here is part 1.

It has been a great Christmas. The magic has been so intense I could just pop.
The girls were in love with it. The fall after the high is always crummy, but we are wading through it. :)

Thanks to all that celebrated with us. You help make it so special.

Christmas Eve at MawMaw & PawPaw's
Kate mesmorized by the snow fall.
Adam reading the girls the traditional Night Before Christmas...
Christmas Morning-the blur is their excitment...Santa left a letter to read. He knew it snowed and brought them BOOTS! :)
Zsu Zsu Pet goodies and HUGE teddybears courtesy of Daddy

We spread Christmas out a bit.

I declare this day...

SIT AND STARE DAY.that's it.
i'm going to do dishes, laundry, and sit.
all the while the girls will play with all their new treasures.
we will then promptly after lunch, pile in bed and...nap.
to make sure we have enough energy for CHRISTMAS WITH MY FAMILY!
can't wait.
but until then...i'm sitting, and staring!
~chat soon!

From Us to You...

~chat soon!

Silent Night...

Holy Night...
~Chat soon!

ha. hahahaha. ha.

Today, the girls and I ran a couple of very last minute errands.
Target, dry cleaners, grocery store.
Everything was heavenly until we got to the grocery store.
Holy Moly.
Crazed people, clutching their carts as if the hams were going to sprout legs and run.
Silliness.
We survived. Girls had McDonalds. We had planned on going to see a Christmas Light display and have pizza night-just the chicks and I.
Everyone has happy.
Anne has been off the last few days. Not listening, not eating well, just grumpy. I wrote it off to the impending holidays. Schedules different etc.
Fast forward to rest time...
A-Mom?
Me-Yes.
A-My ear hurts on the inside.
Me-(thinking @#$%#@) oh. Really? Have you been picking at it? (she has a wierd habit of that)
A-yes. I think it is better now.
Me-Cool.
A little while later...
A-mom?
Me-Yes.
A-my hear feels 'foggy'. I mean, full, I mean, I can hear things, but only when they are loud.
Me-(*#&$^%@) OKAY! Everyone get their shoes.
A-I'M NOT SICK I'M NOT SICK I'M NOT SICK IDONTWANTASHOTIDONTWANTTOSEETHEDOCTOR...Me-we're fine, you're fine. DOYOUWANTTOBESICK? SANTACANTCOMETOHOUSESTHATARESICK. GETINTHECAR. (not nice of me I know...)
Pouts the whole way to Urgent Care-missed our last doctor appointment by oh a mere 10 minutes.
We get to the Urgent Care. Diagnosis. Fluid on year and LOTS of pressure on ear drum. NICE.
Mother of year award right here!
She has had a cough, but really, what 5 year old doesn't this time of year. Its only sometimes, a little runny nose from time to time, nothing alarming...
So we get the prescription and head home.
Bide time until it gets dark to see the lights.
Get in the car,knowing that the 25 minute drive was going to do only one thing.
put.them.to.sleep.
We get to the place. The line is miles long (I have no concept of measurement)
I look in the rear view mirror.
THEY ARE SLEEPING.
Nice.
*&^$%#
Do I pay the 9 bucks and enjoy them myself?
Do I wake them and risk either one of them just FREAKING OUT?
I pop a u-ey and head back to the highway.
Proceed toward home to order Chinese and drink some wine.
And all I can really do is laugh.
Doorbell is ringing...My Chinese is here! :)

Ritz

In November, I got an email.
It was an invite from a mother at CCLS for Anne and I to come to the Teddy Bear Tea.
Sounds fun, I thought.
Scrolled down.
It was being held at The Ritz.
Nice.
Wow.
Nice.
Okay, so we RSVP'd.
The day came. We got all dressed up and headed to Clayton to The Ritz.
It was b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.
Anne thought she died and went to heaven.
The tea was darling!
Little sandwiches, china, silver, tea cups.
~chat soon!

last minute...

i have a weird little notebook i keep in my purse.
it's kind of like 'the little black book of my life'.
anything from grocery lists, to notes about what to do tomorrow, to kate's 3 year check up measurements, various phone numbers that aren't labeled so i never remember who they are when i look back...it's all scribbled through this notebook.
i never lose it. can you believe it?
anyway. in it this year, i wrote the gift list.
the list was about the normal length, except with a few extras....principal, secretary, after school care people...the list goes on...
i couldn't figure it out.

i didn't want to do gift cards, i didn't necessarily have the time to craft something from scratch...

i was just at a stand still. every time i thought of it. i heard crickets.
then target came to my rescue.
10 pretty ornaments, in a tube.

5 bucks.

SOLD!
played with a little card stock and some old scrapbook paper and got this...

tacked on a little verse about the true meaning of Christmas and VIOLA!
a little something for Anne to give out.
nothing major. less then a dollar a person.
Cool.
~chat soon!
i do not claim this to be an original idea...i just don't know that i have seen the exact idea anywhere in particular. so if i recreated your idea and didn't cite it. let me know...i'll make sure you get the credit! :)

Cookie Time

The past week I have only worked two days.
Thanks to Mother Nature.
I'm not complaining.
In fact, I could use just one more day...
We did some baking.
Kate and I worked extra hard one of the days Anne was at school (poor thing, she had to go.)
We had a blast, and Kate is getting so cute, I could just pop!

The Pagent

This past Thursday was Anne's Christmas Pagent.
It was an old fashion pagent, garland halo's, angel wings, the whole sha-bang.
Anne held the roll of "Wooly Sheep".
If you know Anne, even a touch, she is very animated, very much a performer, except when she actually has to perform. (hence the boring pictures) Proof in the pudding at last years pagent as well. :)Anne's teacher Mrs. Dittmer wrote a book last year called "Angel, Angel".
The pagent was a simple reproduction of the book.
Very sweet.