Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to you and yours!  May today and the remainder of the Christmas season be a time filled with joy as we celebrate our Saviour's birth! 

Christmas Cookies

Every year, the girls and I make Christmas cookies - some years more than others.  I try to make a wide variety to give away, but no matter what, we always make decorated sugar cookies with royal icing.  This Christmas, this was the only variety we got around to making.  They are our family favorite, not only because they taste great, but also because they are so fun to decorate and are pretty to look at on a plate.  I always think that painting would be great fun and since I'm no painter, this is a great way to "paint" an edible treat.  I love this Christmas tradition of ours and hope it will keep going for years to come . . . maybe even with my grandchildren one day, God willing.  :-)

Wordless Wednesday 12-21-11

The Great Rush to Christmas Break

It seems every year, that the week right before Christmas break and the week before the end of school in the spring are the two busiest weeks of the year in our family.  Given that my hubby is a high school teacher, this makes sense; not only are our girls finishing up before the holidays with school work, school Christmas celebrations, and last minute teacher gifts, but then my hubby is also preparing his final exams, finishing up grades, and wrapping up his semester.  So, needless to say, this past week has been quite a whirlwind for us - from our internet being down for a couple of days to my hubby's car breaking down (towed and fuel pump replace, too), then baking 4 dozen cookies for my kindergatener's school cookie exchange, volunteering in my first grader's class for a holiday luncheon, and baking undecorated sugar cookies for my third grader's class party.

Blogging is an activity that I thoroughly enjoy and gives me an outlet of communication with others as I traverse my way through motherhood, but when it comes to the holidays, it has to go by the wayside to some extent.  The joys and pleasures of being with family and spending time together monopolize my time (in the best possible way).  So, between now and the New Year, my posts may be rather infrequent . . . and you'll know I'm off having fun!  :-)

Fun with Leftover Fleece

Fleece is such a fun fabric for projects because it doesn't really fray.  You can cut it, use it, and there you have it.  Last winter, I lined a scarf that I had knitted for Selah with fleece that she picked out and made her a matching beenie.  We have been using the leftovers little by little.  Ken doll, who had lost his clothes, got a pair of board shorts for surfing that are now permanantly on his body.  :-)  #1 and #2 wanted to make little baby blankets from some of the fleece, so I cut out two squares and cut fringe around them (while they are pinned together) and the girls tied together the pieces of fringe which holds together the blanket; this method making fleece blankets is quite popular and super easy.  It's a fun idea for baby showers, Christmas gifts, or just a warm blanket for your child's bed.  We had a very little bit of this fleece left and #5, Little D, has 2 matching monkeys and they now have the remaining fleece as winter outfits; #4 and #5 are getting a kick out of it. 

Awww, Mom, Was This Really Necessary?

Lilah's an extremely tolerant dog, but that's my impression of what she is thinking while I took these pics. 

Dress-Up

Yesterday's shots were of some of my girls playing dress-up.  Raiding their own closet and mine (my wedding veil, hats, scarves, belts, shoes) is a regular occurence and the results never fail to crack me up.  When the girls came down in these outfits the other day, it was just too funny.  Livia meant to be dressed as a bride (and a lovely "bride" she was), but Isabella and Selah just put together outfits with no intended look in mind and they ended up looking like a hippy and a gypsy.  I love watching children put their imaginations to work - it is definitely one of the joys of parenting!

Wordless Wednesday 12-7-11

Pictures with Santa [or Terrifying Your Toddlers]

Why is it that toddlers never seem to want to see Santa or take a picture with him?  Before the age of 3 or 4, I think that kids are only excited about this idea because someone has told them about it in an excited voice.  I'm pretty sure that the whole excitement over Santa in my children's imaginations last between about ages 4 and 6 until they realize that Papi and Mommy are really Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

The business where my Mom works was offering Santa photos to their clients as a holiday treat, so I took the 5 girls in with hopes that all of them would somehow be in this picture smiling all at once.  You can see the results below; at least we have some pictures for posterity.