What do a vampire, TARDIS, and magical fairy princess kitty have in common?

HALLOWEEN, of course!

Merry Christmas!!

A little catch-up

Mom hasn't been posting in forever, and I kept bugging her about it, until finally she set this up for me. Anyways, I'm going to do a little catch-up for all the stuff that happened over the holidays. This first one is on Christmas Eve, which is when we open our presents. I got a pocketknife from Dad, and I gave him a book of prayers. (No kidding! It was a total coincidence.) I also got a remote-control F-8 Hornet that doesn't break whenever it lands. Yay!! Aaron got a remote control monster truck, whereas Alli got a ton of drawing supplies. Mom's big present was pictures from Alli and mine's art class that we go to. Alli drew an awesome person, and I drew an abstract painting called Beasts of the Sea by Henry Matisse. Mom loves abstract.
The second one, also on Christmas Eve, we were all patiently waiting for Aaron to fall asleep. Dad had told us that when he told Aaron to go to sleep, because otherwise Santa won't come, Aaron replied,"Well, Santa's probably in China right now, so I'm okay." The third thing Mom hasn't told you about yet was Crystal Mountain, also known as the best ski resort EVER!!!!!!!! (Well, except this one in France that we went to when Mom was on sabbatical, but that's a different story.) Anyways we had an awesome time there, Ginny beating us on blues,(but she has a tether)just Dad, Alli, and I, having an awesome day skiing down lots of diamonds, and of course just relaxing lazy days. We also spent New Year's there, and they had fireworks that they shot from just up the bunny hill, so close, that I admit that I hid behind Dad at the finale.

The Twelve Days of Christmas (Cookies)

We're trying to make a different batch of cookies for each day of Christmas (with a little help from Grandma)! Here are our 12 Days of Christmas so far: (try to sing along...)

On the first day of Christmas, my bakers made for me Gingerbread Molasses as sweet as can be...

On the second day of Chistmas, my bakers made for me 2 dozen Jam Thumbprints...and Gingerbread Molases as sweet as can be.

On the third day of Christmas, my bakers made for me 3 dozen powdered apricot Kolackys...2 dozen Jam Thumbprints, and Gingerbread Molases as sweet as can be.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my bakers made for me 4 dozen chocolate and vanilla Pinwheels...3 dozen powdered apricot Kolackys, 2 dozen Jam Thumbprints and Gingerbread Molases as sweet as can be.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my bakers made for me 5 dozen Snow Balls...4 dozen chocolate and vanilla Pinwheels...3 dozen powdered apricot Kolackys,2 dozen Jam Thumbprints and Gingerbread Molases as sweet as can be.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my bakers made for me 6 dozen Sugar Cookie cutouts...5 dozen Snow Balls...4 dozen chocolate and vanilla Pinwheels...3 dozen powdered apricot Kolackys,2 dozen Jam Thumbprints and Gingerbread Molases as sweet as can be.



Yes, I know there should be 6 more dozen cookies in here somewhere...but one can eat only so many cookies!

Merry Christmas!!

A Summer in Haiku

My kids have been giving me grief that I have been so lax updating the blog lately, but we've been having too much fun this summer! So, I thought the kids and I would review the summer's events -- and to make it even more fun (and short), we would do it in haiku. So, here goes (in chronological order):

First Skiing of the Year at Timberline Lodge (May, 2009):
Skiing in powder
Swimming in the deep blue pool
Then Ginny threw up.

Annual Father's Day Camping Trip (June, 2009):

Father's day camping
It was so perfectly planned
Rained out - no can do.

4th of July:

Saved money for months
Oh glorious explosions
Zipper didn't run

Timberline Skiing for Tim's Birthday (July 7, 2009):

One day skiing trip
Met Guinness record holder
Skied til the runs closed

Snow Lake Camping Trip (July, 2009):

Hiking in and out
A great first trip for Aaron
Didn't fall down cliff

Camp Howard (July, 2009):

Camp Howard was cool
Canoeing and archery
The pool was fun too

Trip to England (July, 2009):

First hour - car broke down
Two silly pictures were drawn
Saw Harry Potter

Redwoods Vacation (August, 2009):

Giant trees, cool seas
All cliff climbing on the beach
Hanging with good friends

My Little Leprechauns

My little leprechauns have been very busy this week! They have been crafting (out of all imaginable materials) a very elaborate Leprechaun Hotel in celebration of St. Patrick's Day! What they have made is truly a little miniature work of art. See for yourself.

The Golden Shamrock Hotel:

The "Rooftop Room" (check out the little chest of drawers made of matchboxes):

The Complete Leprechaun Complex:

The Rainbow Room:

The Leprechaun Hotel (Aaron's Addition - notice the little ladder at the bottom):

Interior shot of The Golden Shamrock:

Sailboat for the Pool:

The Waterpark:

Playground:

A Bedroom:

To show gratitude for all their hard work, this big Leprechaun left a pot o' gold chocolate coins for my little Leprechauns to find after school today.

Why 2 Yr Olds Shouldn't Play with Scissors

Were you expecting a picture of Ginny with her hair cut? Nope, although she has done that, too. But, yarn (unlike hair) does not grow back...

Here is the "before" shot of a beautiful scarf I knit for my mother-in-law for Christmas:



And, an "after" shot of some of the million ends just waiting to unravel:



Although my first reaction was utter dismay, my second reaction was "Wow, Ginny has really great manual dexterity!"

The Line

Chardy had her Christmas play tonight and we were all eagerly awaiting her one line...the opening line to the Christmas story. So, without further ado, the famous line:


P.S.Chardy was playing the role of a "senior citizen", thus the gray hair, glasses, and shawl.

Love this Scarf

I'm not normally a scarf person, but I had the most fun making this Christmas present. Here's hoping the recipient has as much fun wearing it...

Gingerbread Fun

In the midst of decorating our Gingerbread House, Alli takes a break to down some frosting straight from the tube... This on the same day that they had just received a lecture on the perils of sugar...I guess it really sunk in!

Some other pics from the fun: