three years later

I'm not a professional photo kind of gal.  I love when I see friend's wonderfully taken photos of their little ones and always think I might set something up. And then I never do.  The outfits coordinate so well and the setting is perfectly selected.  Our lives are well photographed.  I'm always taking pictures.  I even upload them semi regularly and back them up and print them out.   It's been almost three years since I had the kids photos taken by a photographer.  It's been since before Lou was born that we've had a family photo taken like that. Geesh.

 

Hubby's cousin helped us out and took some lovely photos of us a few weeks ago.  I was even going to make Christmas cards.  I didn't.   Maybe New Year's cards!

 

We were in town for Hubby's grandmother's funeral.  We hadn't planed on photos, so our outfits aren't well planned but did end up looking decent together.


 



Hubby's parents joined us and I plan to frame some for them for Christmas. These are taken out at the edge of one of his uncle's property.  I was nervous about the setting sun causing problems with lighting but it ended up making it really lovely.

Thanksgiving December

 

It's December... It's 4 days until Christmas... Here are Thanksgiving pictures. It's seasonally inappropriate.   It's the first day of Christmas vacation so I have time. That's makes it totally appropriate.

 

 

Happy thanksgiving!  Decemgiving.  Thanksember.  Happy I'm-on-Christmas-vacation-and-finally-printing-first-day-school-pictures.

 

There was the usual.  Ad looking,

 

my youngest sister, Meg

 

entertaining of the kids,

 

Meg and Lou with Juggle Bubbles

cooking,

 

my sister, Chris

 crafting,

 

 

 

 

a little bit of dancing,

 

 

and the annual trip to Scheels.

 

Lou drove the race care simulator and I nearly puked in the car!

The ferris wheel wasn't much better for my stomach!

 

Daddy and Bee

 

 

I seriously wish this kid wasn't so anxious all the time.  He's an actor, but the thought of being on stage freaks him out.  He can't wait to come to musical practice with me and loves the idea of it all... just not with him on stage. 

 

Lou and his catch. 

Lou and his catch.   Bee walked around with my sister, I didn't get any of the traditional funny photos of her with the fish or the talking presidents or the big bear.



This year, there was a special activity organized by my sister.  Minute to win it... family style.

 

Chris and the boyfriend, the organizers but not the winners!

 

 

She asked me to make a trophy.  The kids and I bought a large candle holder and a glass eagle candy bowl topper at the thrift store. We glued them together and spray painted them a lovely textured gold.  I added some vinyl letter cut out on the silhouette.  I think she was hoping for a tackier trophy but I loved this.

 

 
 We played couples.  There was the dice on a tongue depressor stack.
 

 

 

 
 W had the create paper unroll race.  
 

 

 
There was the tissue box empty race.

 
The M&M straw transfer game,

 
and the ping pong wobbly cup stack.

 

There was some unfortunate crying from Lou, as he an Bee weren't doing as planned.  Lou did well with the cookie on the face race.   

 

 

 
 My sister and her boyfriend ended up in a tie with my brother and his wife.  The tie breaker was blowing the cups off the table race. 

 
 The winners were my brother David and his wife, Kelly. Their names are on the trophy and they will hold the title until next year.

  
 Happy Thanksgiving... at the end of December.

Bee from scratch

We've been watching Master Chef Jr.  It's our treat to ourselves on school nights when daddy's working late and the homework is done and dinner is done and cleaned up.  It's about the only way I can get my people motivated to get through dinner and get baths in a timely manner.  It's a treat for me to sit down and veg on the couch with the kids.  The days when it's all me after school are extra wearing, especially after a long day at school.  They are always long days in third grade.  I love them, but I am worn out.

 

 

So, because of this Master Chef Jr. watching, the kids are especially into cooking.  It's nice, but that used to be my quiet time.  It's probably worth it that someday they'll be able to take some of the cooking duties for me.  It makes them more willing to eat different foods.  They've eaten goat cheese and pomegranate.  They are messy cooks.  Messy.  Bee has been taking cook books to bed with her to read, which makes me giddy.  She really loves The Pioneer Woman cook books since there are so many photos.  It's great for the young at-home cook (as Chef Ramsey says).

 

 

She decided she wanted to make glazed yeast doughnuts from scratch.  It took a whole weekend, since they need to sit in the fridge overnight.  She stuck with it and did every step (except some of the end frying- after an upsetting burn) and was pleased to share them with us and the neighbors.  They were scrumptious and a great lesson for her in patience.    They were an additional lesson for me in the need for a renewed gym membership.