I might have a problem

I can't help it, I'm addicted to this little pattern. This shirt is my favorite so far, I love the mushrooms and the colors. The shirt took me about two hours and the pockets took me another hour. I didn't realize that pockets would be so tricky. It was my first experience with pockets and I think it went well.

I have a plan

Peasant dress take two

This one fits a little better in the arms and it is a little fuller around the chest. Jane loves her dresses, never mind that it's been snowing for days, it's perfect weather in the house for summer dresses. I might try a shirt next with the same no pattern pattern! I'm just a little bit excited!

My first Dress for Jane

Jane and her Easy Bake

Jane asked for a "cookie maker" for Christmas, so when she opened the Easy Bake Oven she freaked! "A real cookie maker!" We having been making coin sized cookies and cupcakes all day.

Christmas Adam Party

We spent last night at Jones Cottage with family and friends. We had a yummy feast, a little music and a lot of good conversation. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Jones for the wonderful time!

It's starting look a lot like Christmas

This year it has taken us a little longer than others to get into the spirit of things, and even longer to blog about them. We started the calendar a few days late and then we have missed a few days because of our trip to NYC, but the kids have enjoyed our traditions anyway.
I always think, next year will be different, I will be so prepared. It won't be different and I'll still be scrambling but that's just par of Christmas now too.

Christmasing with you

Every year I think that this will be the year of the perfect gingerbread house. With necco wafers for the roof and perfect piping on the windows and doors and icicles dripping from the roof. Not this year, I don't know if I've finally surrendered to the inevitable or if it was not being able to find necco wafers that was the death blow.
Culinary school or no my piping skills are sad at best and by the time the kids are old enough to make the house pretty they might not care to make one at all.
So this year we are celebrating little helping hands and our beautiful gingerbread house that love built.

Not off to a good start

Christmas Eve morning is not off to a good start. All three kids are in time out. Josh is writing "I will not climb on the white shelf" twenty times, Jane is in time out for inciting a riot and Elliott is serving time for excessive screaming.
Hopefully the rest of the day pans out.

Word to the Wise

Bullies Beware!

Aunt Michele's cookie party

Jane and I put a lot of effort into decorating this year. This is just one of the plates of cookies we brought home. Thanks Aunt Michele for carrying on the family tradition.

It's a Pirates life for Boodles!

Time for one more list?

I can't get enough Jane's letters to Santa, she is so polite. The artwork was Elliott's contribution.

Little reindeer

He loves his antlers!

The Twins Christmas Lists

The twins wrote out their Christmas Lists this morning. Notice that Josh's list is only a list while Jane's is specifically addressed to Santa. The lists speak for themselves.

Pretty night

Last week Dorri came to visit and we had a chance to watch the kids play as the sun went down. Gorgeous night and good company.

Jane in the sun

Last week during Thanksgiving break the twins and I enjoyed some outdoors time. I laid on the little hill while they balanced and rolled on the empty 55 gallon water drums next to me. I remember playing on the ones we had at the old house in Santa Rosa. We would walk on them like lumber jacks or use them as a fulcrum for a teeter totter. We took some time to tell silly stories in the hammock and there was a little jumping on the trampoline. It was a beautiful fall day.

South Fork

Took a little drive up to Vivian Park. The kids were inappropriately dressed so we didn't stay very long. The river was completely frozen for a long stretch so naturally we all searched the ground for rocks. When the rocks didn't work Kgördee found some firewood from a nearby fire ring and flung it at the ice. The kids following their dad's example grabbed chunks of charred wood too. By the time I told them to stop Elli had grabbed a log almost larger than his body to chuck in. Everyone ended up very dirty with very little broken ice to show for it.

We always have time for the pie David

Jane made her very first pie on Sunday night. Since we didn't have any pie leftovers from Thanksgiving I decided to remedy the situation. Jane wanted to help so I showed her my nijia pie makin' skills and let her practice on her own set of crusts. She did an amazing job and picked up a lot of the finer points of pie making with ease.
She is so proud of her pie, and I am so proud of her!

Never tell a Pirate he can't dance!