Gingerbread Party

Every year we get together with some friends and make gingerbread houses. It's a favorite activity of my kids, and they look forward to it every year.



Of course, sometimes eating the frosting is more fun.

My friend who hosts the party every year has a daughter in high school, and she brings her friends to help out. This year we made cookies, which was right up Andrew's alley.




It came as no surprise that he ended up in a flour fight with a bunch of high school kids.




The older kids also happen to be in the band, and are very musically talented (one of them got into Juliard!). The Christmas music they play every year is awesome, and is Willa's favorite part. She loves the instruments.

The Blizzard of 2009

The week before Christmas we had a full-fledged blizzard. We got over 2 feet of snow, which NEVER happens here. The kids loved it, but with the deep freeze we've had since then the snow is still lingering around. Check out the mountains of snow on our cars! (yes there is a car in the 1st picture) Luckily for me my dad was in town that weekend to help dig us out, and I could stay tucked safely inside with the whole I'm-too-pregnant-to-help excuse.




Andrew had a lot of fun in the snow, jumping in the drifts and putting his head down and burrowing through like a mole. Willa was briefly fascinated, and then decided it was too cold and went inside. She didn't come out again.

Christian Hammond

Signed and sent to the the records office.

New Baby

2nd Male Child Jan 6

Little Casanova

A couple of weeks ago Andrew started bringing home pictures in his backpack that his friend Ieva drew for him. Then last week another mom at preschool (where Andrew and Ieva both went last year) told me that she heard that Ieva is calling herself Andrew's girlfriend. I assumed it was all very innocent, that Ieva is just a girl that is Andrew's friend, and didn't think about it again.

Then today when I picked Andrew up from school two very giggly girls came up to him and said, "Bye, Andrew," and giggled their way down the sidewalk. Things started clicking in my head. Andrew told me they were two girls in his class, but emphatically denied ever playing with them or sitting by them in class. "I don't play with any girls, Mom."

I tried to casually ask Andrew if he has any girlfriends, and he said yes, Ieva is his girlfriend. I asked him what a girlfriend is, and he said, "Well, girlfriends and boyfriends are special friends." He says they like to talk about silly things, like marrying each other's eyeballs.

Am I in big trouble with this kid?

Halloween

Halloween is always a fun time of year, and the kids have been as keyed up as ever getting ready for the big day. Both Andrew and Willa kicked off the holiday with costume parades at school. Willa was once again a princess, this year Snow White.



Andrew was upset that he didn't get to wear his mask to school, though, and was concerned that no one would know what his costume was without it. I convinced him that if he struck a good ninja pose then everyone would know that he was Snake Eyes from GI Joe.



He took that advice seriously.



Very seriously.



But of course in the end it's all about the candy. Being an experienced trick-or-treater, Andrew was all business. Willa was a little more excited, and ran around calling out every thought that entered her head at the top of her lungs.



She exclaimed over the candy at every house (and occasionally asked for more), asked people if their house was haunted, and was relieved when the people who gave out candy were not scary.



We love Halloween.