Gingerbread House

I love making Gingerbread houses.  I realized this year however, that I love making them so much that I cannot be patient enough with my kids to allow them to even have an ounce of fun while making one.  I hate that!  I didn't realize that I was so completely anal that a project which was supposed to be fun for the kids turned into an all out scream fest in which the kids just stared at me unsure of how to proceed.  What.A.Grinch!

I vow to buy little houses for the kids next year so that they can each make their own.  There will be no yelling or anxiety at all.  All was not horrible though and I truly believe that Avery and Bria had fun despite my tantrum. 

We started making the house on Friday night only to realize that once we put the roof panels on we had to wait 3 hours for it to "cure."  The kids were really good about it though and I told them we would do it Saturday morning.  Much to our delight/horror we woke up to a blizzard and all activities were canceled so it was the perfect time to make our gingerbread house.

Within two minutes, Bennett had been yelled at and sent to sit on the couch with daddy.  How can I put this mildly: he is a wrecker.  The kid is creative in ways I could never have imagined.  Again...realizing that I need to relax and let it go next time which I will but man was it frustrating.

The girls each took turns making things.  Avery did the door.  Bria did the windows.  I did the roof(and it ticked me off so royally that I almost threw the darn thing away).  The girls did do a good job and they decorated the whole house with candies.  Bennett was allowed back over while I tried to frost the roof.  I had to use so much corn starch to get it to not be sticky to my fingers that it looked like it was dusted with a fresh layer of powder.  The girls thought it was quite funny.  Thankfully Bennett didn't touch a thing, he was content to just keep eating candy. 

All in all, it turned out pretty decent.  You live and you learn.  At least the girls had fun :)  

My little model

On Wednesday, my neighbor Jen asked if Bria could come into her studio and model a tutu set that she has on hand.  Of course we said yes.  I was a little bit nervous at first because our recent family photo session did not go very well because Bria was just not having it.  She was a little cranky pants and it was very difficult to get a great family shot because of her unwillingness to participate.  However, the moment we walked into the studio and she saw the beautiful background that Jen had put up and the bright red tutu her eyes lit up and I knew we were good to go. 

She posed and smiled and wiggled her bottom.  She curtseyed and giggled and held onto the dainty bow.  She acted as if she was a little pro.  I thought it was so adorable to watch her be a little diva for a day!

Thank you Jen from http://www.elizabethgracephotography.com/ for thinking of Bria to do some modeling for you.

Thanksgiving

This year we spent Thanksgiving in Kansas City.  It is always a fun road trip to go on with the kids.  I enjoy this time of year so much that even a 6-8 hour drive doesn't bother me(unless I have the stomach flu which is a story for another time).

We decided to stay with Chadd's cousin Marcus and his wife Justine.  They live close to the in-law's in De Soto, they have a 17 month old son Madden and they do not have any cats(Avery is allergic).  So, it was the perfect option for our family and we are ever so grateful to them for letting us stay there.

They have a lovely double sided fireplace where I was able to get some really great pictures of the kids.  I love to dress my family up on Thanksgiving in hopes of snapping the perfect Christmas picture.  While I do not think that we got "that" picture this year...we are having family portraits done today with my Uncle John and it is a sure thing that we will get some really awesome photo's.

Justine and I were going through the photo's from the day and we decided that this picture captured the personality's of each of my children pretty much to a T.  Benny is our little ham, Avery is ready to pose at the drop of a hat, and Breezy is as sweet as ever.

Justine and I at The Fowble's. 

Cousin Erick and Benny boy.

 Justine and the boys!  The three blondies!

Marcus(Chadd's cousin) and Janet.

The Green's.  Adorable family!

Every year, they try to get the same picture of all of the men and then all of the women on the stairs.  With differing schedules not everyone is able to be there each year.  This year almost everyone was there so the staircase got crowded.  It is always fun to go back year to year and view the pictures and how everyone has changed.

Janet pulled out a hat from the closet and I demanded that we do a pic with all of our hats on.  It was pretty funny.

Bria and Great Grandma Green.

The women plus the dog Buster.













Janet and her sister Phyllis found this amazing recipe for the turkey.  They actually brined it in the refrigerator for 3 days before Thanksgiving and I must say that it is the best Turkey that I have ever tasted.  It was like something you would order from a restaurant.  Grandma Green made these delicious dates that I was a major fan of, especially since they had coconut on them which is an absolute favorite of mine.  The food was all so delicious that we were all quite full and borderline uncomfortable after dinner. 

We played pool, listened to the kids entertain us by singing and playing the guitar, played card games, and had great conversation.  It was a great Thanksgiving all around.