Real Photos!

I had some professional shots done of the family!

Christmas

Christmas... It was a lot of fun around here with the rowdies.

I am not terribly sure what this pose was... but it was better than the one where he was sprawled on the floor.

Mr. T was snoring and it woke me up.  I am so glad it did because I got to hear my sweet girl gasp when she saw that she got an American Girl Doll.  A real American Girl doll, not a Target knock off like she was expecting.  The dolls were a screaming deal, and I feel so very lucky to get one.  Honestly, I was going to buy her a full price one anyway.

This was a slot car set that did not work out as well as we expected it to.  In the end, we needed to return it because it was broken.

The kids papa is a wood worker.  One of the things they really enjoyed getting was a magnifying glass.  That is always on the list of things they liked that they got for Christmas.

And no, his face is not mockery.  BabyP is really that excited to get cologne.  He has wanted it since school started, but it is really hard to find a scent that is good for little boys.  BabyP is a boy that likes to be clean...

Remnants of Christmas.  This year, Santa left a mess and a foot print in the chimney.

Everyone is happy and watching Harry Potter.

Snow-my-god!

It iced here, and it was beautiful.... for the first day... until it got really cold in my house because the power was out.  

This tree across the road looks so harmless, except it is resting on my power line.  And it did not come off of my power line for 3 more days.  4 days without power in the cold winter.  Granted, I did not lose my Christmas dinner, and I had a warm place to sleep, so I will not complain.  

It was really beautiful for that one day of somewhat quiet.  Mind you, the neighbors have generators that make it not so quiet.  The quiet I would expect around my house did not happen because I could always hear generators.  

This is my buddy.  Nothing really bothers her.  She had a great time being outside playing.  She got really cold, so to warm her up, I gave her a hot bath and some hot cider.  Then she threw up in my bed and passed out.  It was awesome.  Then I called Mr. T. and told him I really needed him at home.

I think BabyP was inside at this point.  One snowball to the face, and he was done!

Room Mom Duties - Christmas Party

When the kids were in different schools, I gave myself a "grace period" where I did not join either of the parenting groups.  I figured with kids at different schools....

But that came to an end this year when BabyP went to Big Kid school.  I signed up to be a room mom, and Peanut's class is who I was assigned to.  Funny enough, I actually know less parents in Peanut's class than BabyP, so it has been exciting to meet some new people. 

Part of the duties of room mom is to help organize the party.  I took the route of having everyone send me money.  I actually did all the "work" which means planning and coordinating.  It seems like a lot, but it isn't really.  I set a budget and looked on Pintrest for some ideas.  I was really happy with how it all turned out.  and the kids seemed to have a good time.  We actually ran out of time, which makes me happy!

I had them dress like snowmen.  I thought this would either be really fun or a disaster.  It was fun for some kids.  No one was forced to do it, so that is great!

They also painted ornaments that I got for 3 dollars at Target.  I set a budget of 50 dollars, so the craft had to be cheap!

They decorated Christmas trees with candy and icing.  I also brought juice, cheese, and fruit to eat.  Everyone seemed to have enough, and it worked out well.

Bathroom!!

With walls and cabinets, it looks pretty good!  More pictures to follow

Making Ginger Bread houses and Candy

You may have noticed that our Christmas was a bit chaotic this year.  We were hitting the bathroom really hard prior to the holidays.  This bathroom was supposed to be finished in October, I really never expected January to roll around.....

Every year we make ginger bread houses.  For a number of years, I tried to make them myself, but it never really worked out well.  They would always rise so much that the pieces never fit together.  I also hate rolling things out.  I think it is awful.

This year, I bought store bought houses at the HOME DEPOT!  That is right!  My kids did home depot ginger bread houses.  It was fun!  and I also thought it was cute and kitschy   

Baby P doesn't generally get too into it, but this year he did!  Peanut, as always, had some weird concoction that she was making.

I also tried chocolate covered pretzels and candies this year.  I just kind of guessed at what to do.  Next year, I will look it up! The white candy ones were pretty gross.  But they had a good time and were engaged while Mr. T. and I continued wiring the bathroom!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my very favorite time of year.  I love cooking for people.  I love conversation.  Lucky for me, all of these happen on Thanksgiving with no strings attached!  No searching for an excellent present... just cooking very decadent meals with lots of butter and cheese.  Hmmmmm

My dad was away helping with Hurricane Sandy recovery.  However, I was still able to wrangle up some people to come over.  My in-laws were still here, my cousins from Texas came up, and my friend from work came over.  It was a fun mix of traditions with the Australians,  Californians, and the token New Yorker fitting in well.  

I try to do something active on Thanksgiving every year.  This year, I ended up running to the bridge on my own, but meeting up with everyone there.  It was a nice walk across the bridge with Arkansas putting her best foot forward for tree color and mild temperatures.