Spending Christmas Money in NYC

The kids had plans for their Christmas money. Elli and Amy wanted American Girl dolls and Adam wanted a Lego set. I made them wait until after we went to FAO Schwartz before they spent all they had. Elli snuck on the big piano.Adam searched the Lego section for his favorite set, but didn't find it. Even the Lego store didn't have it. It is a limited edition and we had to come home and order it.

So, we headed over to Rockerfeller Center to see the tree and ice skaters. The kids were pooped, so I ran into a store real quick while they rested here. You can see the disappointment on Adam's face at not finding his legos.
After I came back, we crossed the street to the tree. There were people EVERYWHERE! Lots of them! I think we ended up walking over 60 blocks, but the kids did OK. I can't say 'great'. There was a bit of complaining and blisters.

Watching the Skaters

Amy got the best seat.Riley loves to ice skate and wished the line wasn't so long. I didn't get a picture of the skaters, but it was pretty crowded.

Christmas Recital

Elli's piano teacher had a little recital at her house for the kids to play some Christmas songs. It was a very nice evening with no pressure. Elli did great and said she wasn't even nervous. One kid forgot his music and tried for about 5 minutes to remember his song, but every time he messed up, he'd start all the way over. Finally the teacher had to finish for him. One kid even played an accordion! Pause for applause! P.S. I love her house and want to buy it.

A Little Bit of Snow

It snowed over the break and Amy and Elli played in it once for about 10 minutes. It was just too cold to enjoy. The snow has since melted and I hope that's all we get!She inched closer and closer to the shelter of the house,
with frequent cries at the door for a nose wipe.
Thank you.

Nerf Wars

Adam got some Nerf guns for Christmas from Elise and has been tormenting each of us with surprise attacks. This was one battle Riley chose to fight back.Adam is a pretty good shot now and can hit his targets quite accurately.
It gets serious sometimes. Sandy hates the noise and tries to get as far away as she can.

Gingerbread Men

I didn't do much for Christmas this year, but I did have a gingerbread man kit from last year that we never used. Isn't that a good mom?! And I let them get it out of the closet and decorate some. Only four. They are a year old. Not like we are going to eat them all. And we can't give them away, gross!They are having so much fun.
Amy's turned out pretty cute! It's because it's Amy herself!
I'm boring. I did the one on the top like the one from the box. I copied. Elli did the other two. Ouch! Amy's arm is missing the tip! Someone snuck a bite before I could take the picture...and some frosting!

And a House Too!

I did see this kit on sale at Target and bought one fresh this year. Adam didn't want to help with either. Amy is wearing the same pajamas although it is a totally different day. See, Elli changed.Just in the past few weeks, Elli has turned into a young lady. She got makeup for Christmas and is putting outfits together that I never would, but they actually look cute. She did a real bang up job on her side of the house all by herself, even though the frosting was hard to work with.
I didn't get a final photo, but it was fun. We picked at it for a couple days and then the frosting got hard, so I nibbled what I could and threw most of it away.

Thanksgiving Dinner

This is what I saw from my seat at the table this year. Here's Adam. He sits on my right by the wall. Easy to reach and keep under control. Boys need a lot of help with table manners and a quick tap is a good reminder to keep elbows off the table and to sit up tall. He complains about me now, but his wife will absolutely love me!Elli is on my far left, closer to Riley. She may need to be moved closer to me soon. She is always so silly.
Amy is close to me on my left and does pretty well.
And there's the spread. Riley and I sit at the ends and man the conversation. I am thankful this year that Riley is home with us. It sure has been nice having him around for every holiday.

The Plain Meal

I was hoping to put a bunch of yummy recipes on my food blog, but none of them are special. Riley likes plain, plain, plain. Here's the pie he picked. He always picks a plain pecan pie. No chocolate chips or anything.The roll look yummy and they were, but they are the normal roll recipe. Plain.
This is his plate. Full of plain. Turkey, beans from a can, rolls, roasted carrots, and potatoes. Those potatoes are actually pretty good. Maybe I'll put that recipe up. He asks for those at Easter and Christmas, too. I shouldn't complain though. Plain is easy.

Huntering and Gathering

Riley read a book once called "My Side of the Mountain". He since has had a primal desire to live off the land. He already got a deer this year which we have turned into yummy jerky and eaten. Recently he gathered acorns and more acorns and shelled each one. Then he rinsed and rinsed to get the tanic acid out so he could turn it into acorn flour.There's the acorn flour on the right and the pancakes he made from it on the left. It is highly nutritious and delicious.
The kids were hesitant at first. Elli, who hates anything brown and will only eat white bread, but no crust of anything, was very skeptical. Maybe adding butter will help.
Hey! Look! They are good and she liked them! (Even though the pancake on the plate looks like she didn't have any yet, she really did like them.)

So Good We Have Company

Adam liked them too. I took a bite and it was actually pretty good.Remember all those acorns? Well they were in the garage for a while and the squirrels wanted to help themselves. I had to keep shoeing them away. Can they smell the acorns or what? Luckily none came searching inside.

Fall Hiking

This Fall, Riley scheduled a hike as an activity for our church. It ended up being just us and one other family. Although it started out a little chilly, it turned out to be a beautiful morning, just right for a hike. Too bad more people didn't make it.Here's Amy before we started on the trail.
This is the other family. They are funny and we had great time!

About Half Way

Here we are taking a break.

Coming Round the Mountain

We made it to the top and started heading down. Much of the fall splendor had already passed, but the colors were still pretty amazing.It was one big loop and ended right where we started from. Thanks for showing up, "other family"! We had fun and hope you did too!

Halloween 2010

This year was a bust for costumes. The kids had big plans, but I just didn't have time to gather supplies and help make them. About an hour before go time, Adam tried to put this together. It was pretty good for a last minute costume, but it fell apart 20 minutes later. Elli ended up being a midget marine and Amy was a cheerleader like last year. They all got plenty of candy and had a good time anyways.

Here Comes the Fifth Grade

Each year the elementary has a Halloween parade. All the parents line the sidewalk and take pictures as the classes walk by. Last year I went to the kindergarten center's parade and missed Adam and Elli. For this one year they are all at one school! It was kind of fun to shout out, "Adam, look over here!" or "Elli, give me a smile!" I felt like the paparazzi and got a few good shots.They all used their costumes from last year. It was another last minute scramble. Good thing I didn't throw anything away. Adam is a ghost buster again, minus the knee pads and brown pants.

Next Came the Third Grade

Elli was a witch again. She left her hat inside because it was too hard to keep on her head. Any little breeze would grab it and send it sailing.The hair is pretty scary though!