Christmas Fun

"That scarf looks really good with that jacket, but wus'up with that TAG?!" -Maya

Mark and I have been in NH now for about a week and we are really enjoying spending Christmas with the family.I had some decorating the tree pictures I was saving and I left them at the house-so all of you just have to miss out this year. Christmas this year really was fantastic for several reasons I think. For starters, the girls are really at a great age where there is still the magic but there is also an awareness about the real meaning behind Christmas as well as such an appreciation for each other and family in general.
What I have just loved about Christmas this year is seeing the girls spend some time with their grandparents as well as each other. This year they made presents for each other and they were genuinely grateful for the homemade things they received. When Lucy brought up Aida's piano bench that she had built with Mark and then diligently stained for days with her grandmother, Aida gave her a big hug and spun Lucy around. This after receiving all of those store-bought presents and seeing the look of pride and happiness on Lucy's face really was such a wonderful gift for me and Mark. Lucy has spent the last few days carrying the dog that Aida made for her all around the house. The dog's back opens up for storage and so does the head. Aida painted it all herself. I could go on and on about the consideration of Aida this year but that may be more for my private journal-if and when I keep one :). Just for an example I included a picture of the note she left for Santa. Anyway just thought I would throw on some pix for all of my peeps! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well.

Gingerbread Part 1.5

The little thief in action.

I love the concentration-it is a serious business and she knows it!

Lucy held onto those candy canes waiting for them each to set. When she sets her mind to something...I was in a good mood and there was no whining involved so hold away!

Ed would eat the candy off faster than I could put it on. Note Mark's "Feliz" lights draped in the background. We have a good laugh over them most every night. Our decorating skills are special.

Yummy! My kiwi kids just love gingerbread!

I know the anticipation has probably killed my reader by now, but you will have to wait a bit longer for the finished houses. I just have to say that I LOVE to make gingerbread houses. I love the smell of the gingerbread, the challenge of construction, the piles of candy and seeing the varying results. This year was particularly exciting for me because it was the first year that I had meringue powder for my royal icing. It made it A LOT easier and the consistency was perfect-as noted on the detailing on the houses. I admit, once again I mixed them up during assembly so all the windows were on one house and I was too lazy to properly construct Ed's mini-house, but all in all it went well.
I had skimped on Ed's house so I could have some spares to eat and decorate with but Ed had other plans. Turns out he is a gingerbread fiend. I had put the gingerbread in the oven to shelter it from some of the humidity, I am not sure if that works, but I was willing to give it a go...Ed found this out and took the liberty of helping himself whenever he pleased. Come to fine he probably ate a baker's dozen worth of reindeer and then he proceeded to rip them off of the houses. I think it is finally out of his system...Or perhaps this is payback for all those times I would bite off just the heads of the sugar cookies and run away?
P.S.
If anyone is curious I use the gingerbread house recipe from nickjr.com. It works every time. I actually roll it out super thin and I get a couple of houses from one batch of gingerbread.

Baking wtih Ed

Labelmaker Fun

I came across this picture today and it makes me laugh every time I see it. Lucy was particularly mad at Maya one day and this is how she chose to express it. Of course, I did not ever bring it to Maya's attention, that would only make her feel bad. I chose to take a picture and document it instead. Nothing is quite like a misspelled insult done on a labelmaker right on your back so you can't even see it.

Ed-You-Kate

This is what Maya's fancy education has gotten her. She used to know how to spell Aida just fine-until she learned her sight words that is. Now she sounds out and spells according to her sight words. Here is a card that she made for Aida, now spelled "A the" by Maya. It looks like Santa has shaved his beard, and the sack of toys has been replaced by the uh-hem "husky" reindeer. Note that Rudolph is still in the lead as the reins curve around. At the bottom is the back of the card featuring the Maya original "Pizza Slice Reindeer" (sorry for it being upside-down). I am just waiting to hear how the lyrics work for that one.

Waiting

I love this because there is excitement in her eyes and you can tell that she sees what she is going to do to her house.

Advent Calendar

Okay Jillo, you made me do it. I had big plans for my advent calendar and at the last minute I kind of wimped out. In any case, I decided to limit my candy to things that could also be used on the gingerbread houses. Just to go off on a tangent here, do not buy the peppermint peeps. I have to admit I am not a huge peep fan in the first place, although I do find their seventies style very appealing. Snowmen peeps are your standard peep flavour but the peppermint stars (not shown) I bought completly hoarfacious and I am a huge fan of peppermint. It was sort of worth the purchase to see Mark pop one in his mouth and go running out of the room to find somewhere to dispose of the yuckeep. BLECH!
Back to the advent calendar, I was too cheap too lazy to make my own bags and too cheap to buy two packs of ready-made so we had to wait until yesterday to start our adventing (pack of 18). I had the girls stamp their names on an equal number of bags because 1) i thought they would have fun doing so-they didn't and evntually Aida resorted to stamping miscellaneous numbers all over hers. 2) It would remind me whose turn it was to open the bag- Ed doesn't get a turn. In each bag I put a treat for each child, a puzzle piece to glue onto our nativity puzzle advent thingy and a challenge. The girls helped write the challenges and they did have fun doing that. It has things like help a neighbor, read a story about Jesus, help mom or dad without being asked stuff like that. The big question is how well will we follow through with it-our track record is not well. Will we stuff the challenges and just eat the candy? Probably, but I hope not.

My Life As a Pie

Okay, Chris followed my Elves and I saw Ali's Pie and I had to bite. So.... does anyone agree with this synopsis of my personality? I am sure all the other pies are lovely so no offense will be taken if you disagree.

You Are Cream Pie

You're the perfect combo of simplicity and divinity. You are a secret hedonist. No one knows how indulgent you can be. You don't indulge often, but when you do, you go for the best. You have expensive taste - even if you aren't rich. Those who like you life for understated pleasures. You're not flashy or trendy, but you have a depth that most people lack. Interacting with you makes most people feel incredibly satisfied. You are gentle, super sweet, and in harmony with those around you.

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Another Variation

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Couldn't Help Myself

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