gingerbread house

Brinley, Crafts, Drew, Rowan 3 Comments »

You know us pretty well by now: cheap and crafty! The Christmas decorating marathon continued as the kids decorated the gingerbread house.

Attention to detail is important. Drew was very concerned about patterns.

That side yours and this side mine…

I don’t think they cracked a smile until the house was done.

This is very serious business, not to be taken lightly.

 

Now for the landscaping. We’ll start with the porch and then the trees…

 

We added some fresh snow to cover up any mistakes that may or may not have been made.

The completed masterpiece. Hurry and take a picture before its…

…Condemned. This was only about a week later, and look – Brinley is sporting another one of her coloring projects. Yes, I let my kids eat the gingerbread house, piece by piece. What is the point of a dusty house made of candy at the end of the month? That’s no fun! Swiping candy off the gingerbread house is a right of passage. It MUST be done, or it’s not Christmas. Mmmmm…crunchy!

Rowan was a little wrecking ball herself and snatched up a candy cane when nobody was looking. She has her “I just woke up from my nap” face on. I wonder what that tastes like to a 6 month old? Maybe she thought the candy would give her a sudden burst of energy. And now for the disclaimer: I would never have let my first or second child taste candy at the tender age of six months, but hey – I’m a little more relaxed this time around. And we are talking about seconds here, I’m pretty sure she will still live long, prosper and eat her veggies 🙂

 

 

Peppermint drool…..mmmmmmmmmmmm. And still pretty sleepy…

 

I’m guessing she really liked it, because she smeared the candy cane and frosting on her feet to save for later.

chemistry

Everyday 1 Comment »

Once upon a time, Drew was an only child. We taught him all about Christmas, and like any other kid he was excited to decorate the “chemistry.” Chemistry? Oh, Christmas tree! Got it. That 2 year old, now almost 6 (yikes!) wasn’t wrong at all; Christmas Trees create and cause all kinds of chemistry!

Once we had made it through the twelve-step Grandma Detox Program (ha!) Drew & Brinley couldn’t wait for Daddy to unpack the tree and dig in to decorating the house for the season.

Whoa! What the heck is this thing?!

At first, Rowan looked to be thinking “Why, is there a pine tree, in our living room?”

What are presents? Who is Santa? And what does this tree have to do with it?

Ooooooh, it has lights!

And it’s pokey! And plastic! What the?!

What am I supposed to do with this?

It’s easy Rowan, just watch adorning ace Drew..

 

Look at the intense focus!

The tools of the trade.

 

We put Rowan in charge of ornament inventory & distribution. She may have taken her job a little too seriously… 

Look, it’s Rowan the Ornament!

 

Brinley looking at the camera AND smiling? Say it aint so!

Merry Christmas!

fiesta san jorge

Family 4 Comments »

Part two of our adventure to Grandma’s house.

Free at last! We arrived in St. George and the adrenaline was pounding through our veins! What glorious reward have we achieved for patiently keeping our butts in one place for the las 13 hours?!

Well for starters, Grandma had the freezer stocked with faux dilly bars. Victory!

Rowan was the wrapper keeper, she didn’t mind. She likes anything that crinkles Nice tongue! And yes, you are number one, no doubt!

The Princess went for several glides on the tree swing. Isn’t she the graceful swan? The best part about Grandmas house, is that this was MY Grandma’s house when I was a kid. I have many memories swinging on this swing.

Drew’s bike has been gathering ice dust in the frozen wasteland we call home. But down in balmy St. George Drew was burnin’ rubber in no time after he and Grandpa got this bike put together.

Rowan practiced her sitting up skills. She was still pretty wobbly. Tiiimmmberrrrr!!!

That’s okay, because there was always a plethora of people willing to prop her up again. Is she a lucky girl or what?!

If you’ve never had the opportunity to pluck and orange from a tree and eat it while it is still warm from the afternoon sunshine, you are SO missing out.

Juicy deliciousness right there. Totally unparalleled, even by those little orange blobs called “cuties.”

Drew taught himself to play T-Ball. He also caught this ball and tagged himself out at home plate. I think he may have a future in sports, despite the shallow athletic ancestral gene pool…

We took Candy Grandpa’s Jazzy Chair for a spin. I don’t know who had more fun, the 15 year old, or the 3 year old. Don’t worry, we didn’t leave ole grandpa sprawled out on the floor like a turtle on his back.

Drew put a call into Grandma before we left to make sure she had construction paper. He was fully prepared to bring his own stash, but Grandma assured him that she had some to spare. The kids made lots of Thanksgiving decorations, and some badges to hang around their neck. Who knows when they might need to identify themselves.

The Mecca of Fast Food has arrived in Utah! For a moment it’s not so special because it’s down the street, but then you take a bite and forget all about that… We also stopped at Cafe Rio, but I was too busy snarfing my salad to take a picture. YUM-o.

Even though we were far from home, Drew was sure to keep his chef skills razor sharp. He toasted come coconut for a thanksgiving pie.

Mmmm…Kelsey slaved over a blueberry pie. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot!

 

During some down time on Turkey Day, the kids watched a movie and strung some handmade napkin rings. Yay for multi-tasking!

 

Welcome to our fine family restaurant. If you need to know how much it costs you can’t afford it.

After operation napkin rings was complete, the kids primped for Thanksgiving dinner. Brinley was lucky enough to get her hair styled by Uncle Dan.

Miss Diarrhea-Rashy-Pants aired out for a bit while the rest of us bustled about.

Dinner was so good that Drew went back for a hefty pile of seconds. He helped himself to just about everything from potatoes to green beans. That boy is growin!

This cute couple is always the star of the show. Uncle Boone and Aunt Shauna, two of the most special people you will ever meet. Guaranteed.

Great Grandpa J, also known as “Dinosaur Grandpa.” Not because of his pre-historic age, but because he accidentally unearthed dinosaur tracks and founded THIS place.

The Jazzy went out for another spin around the block. I’m pretty sure they turned a few heads rolling down the sidewalk like that.

 

The kids made many much visits to “Candy Grandpa’s” house to load up. Candy Grandpa knew they were coming for a week long visit and decided to put out three bowls of candy. Candy Grandpa lives across the street, and also had sugary beverages to share. I’m sure he is glad to get these two hooligans out of what little hair he has left. They’ll rob you blind in a matter of minutes. They’ve been known to bring bags and strollers with them to carry back the loot.

We went to visit Aunt Kristy’s Lamb “Leonitis,” She almost named him Baaaarack Obaaaaama. Baaaa!

There are plenty of trees made for climbing at Grandma’s house.

Grandma bought these fancy wiggle racers at a local craft show. The learning curve was a little steep for Brinley, but she worked it out.

Drew had a blast zooming down all the windy driveways at Grandmas.

If Thanksgiving dinner wasn’t enough to clog your arteries, these will do it. But oh they taste good, SO good.

Back at home Fall is a distant memory, but here the Leaf Patrol is still in full swing. It looks like a training day, with several new recruits! Wipe those smiles of your faces this is the…oh nevermind. 

 

My sister attempted to teach me how to sew, we made a purse and a nursing cover. Santa, I want a sewing machine for Christmas.

One last orange for the road. Oh yes – it will be hard to eat a store bought orange after this.

Before we left the men made sure all of Sally’s systems were operating normal. Check, check, check. And an oil change to boot.

And we are off! Part three coming soon, a harrowing tale of a family of five trapped for hours in the frozen tundra of the Rocky Mountains!