Candy Construction

We have kept the Hibbert tradition of building candy houses around Christmas time. Instead of the frosted binding of the graham cracker walls, I used melted sugar and only burnt myself twice (an improvement from last year). After construction, I evenly divided the candy I had left over from halloween and what I had saved from other events. Around four o'clock, Patrice, JT and Jayden arrived with a few more goodies and we sat around the table and exterior decorated the houses.

 Builders hard at work

 Additional construction materials

"We can't just eat this stuff now? Why not?"

Jayden sat for a minute but decided the toys upstairs would be more fun than not eating candy, so Patrice decorated their house. Neta was more into eating the bag of sugary goodness in front of her than putting it on a graham cracker box. I managed to get some smarties and a cookie door on, but that was about all that she would permit.

"You did such a good job, Mommy!"

"The candy is for eating. See?! Not decorating.
Crazy grown ups."

I think the kids did a pretty good job. Unfortunately the icing was runnier than Patrice and I remembered Mom's being, even though I used Mom's recipe, so some things slid and had to be held in place for a bit. They construction was completed on Monday ...

...and demolition was finished by Thursday (Xela's house lasting the longest).

Let it Snow!

Last Monday we had enough to go play in and that's just what the kids did. Xela had her friend, Lily, over for the afternoon and they, with Graigry, went outside and built a snow midget. They did a good job.

Nate went outside, not wanting to be left out of the frozen fun, and made himself an ice cream cone, at least that is what he called it. This last week, every time he's seen snow falling, he cheerfully and excitedly says, "It's Christmas time!!" He's such a cute and happy boy, when he wants to be.

Four Saturdays in a Row

We took a Thanksgiving weekend trip to visit Eric's sister, Keri Walker, in Tennessee. They were blessing their little Elizabeth, so we left Thanksgiving evening around 6:30 and got there around one in the morning. Unfortunately our DVD played didn't work, but fortunately I felt I should bring the last two Indian in the Cupboard books we were reading. We finished the third one on our trip down there and then started the fourth on our way back north.

Anyway, on Friday, to get out of the house, we went to Foster Falls. There is an overlook and then a short, steep climb down to the gully where you can be on the water front of the falls. It was an enjoyable outing for the adults and kids to visit nature.

Neta had a good time getting her hands wet and slightly muddy. We had to keep an eye on the kids. They would walk right up to the edge of the water and step in a very shallow part. Nate was all over the rocks. All the kids climbed on the rocks. We boring adults were just happy that no one fell and that we didn't have any wet feet. Graigry also got to learn one of the finer points of being a boy.

There was a bridge, one of those old rickety ones that swing, that you had to cross to get to the falls. On the way back, Eric made sure three of them got a little more swing than they had wanted. It was great to hear them scream. Unfortunately, my phone doesn't take the greatest pictures in motion, so this is a little fuzzy, but you can see what I'm talking about with the bridge. Nate, Neta and Graigry didn't like fast moving grown ups on it at the same time because it would sway or bounce.

When we got back up to the car, Eric had bought doughnut holes and carrots as a snack so we munched on those before our next short stop before driving back to their house. It is always fun to be with the Walkers. The kids love playing with their cousins and they don't live very far away, considering other family members' locations.

Everyone needs a few Saturdays in a row, sometimes.

Bikers at the Church

On the last couple of warm Saturdays, we packed the bikes into the big green van and let the kids ride in the church parking lot. Our driveway is plenty long, but not great for a beginner and new learner, so the parking lot is perfect.

Eric took the training wheels off of Aurora's bicycle maybe two months ago and she has been intimidated by that. When we got to the church, she just needed a little coaching and she was off no problem.

We have two little bikes for the boys, but only one has training wheels. Guess who got that one? Yep! Nate. So Graigry had to start the learning process. Eric helped him a little and then it was my turn. I started off pushing and balancing and running with the pedaller, but was grateful I'd brought my roller blades. Training Graigry is much easier when I have roller blades on and I can roll instead of trot next to the little bike.

He does pretty well for only two days. It took a few tries for him to trust that I wasn't going to purposefully let him fall. He gets frustrated quite easily and his legs got tired, at least that's what he said. Then I mentioned the little engine that could, pulling a large load over the mountain and when we started off from then on, Graigry would repeat: "I think I can. I think I can." as he pedalled. It was great to be a part of that process and if we had the whole summer left to practice, I"m sure he'd have it mastered. We'll have to wait until it warms up again, unfortunately.

Neta's little plastic car had a tweeked wheel so she didn't really have anything to ride. She either chased the other kids, got in their way, or whined that she wanted me to hold her. When Graigry was ready for a rest, Neta would get on his bike and I'd push her around the parking lot, again, much easier with blades on. She played in the van a little bit with Eric, but mostly he listened to NPR with his eyes closed.

Xela and I had a race, her on her bike and me on my blades. I think I won, but I can't remember for sure, no, I won because she had to pull me on her bike for my victory lap.

They were two good Saturdays and activities to do as a family. It was a good thing that I have a key to the church, too many potty breaks.

Who needs a snuggie!

Guess what I just finished? A quilt that I started sometime in the summer after having the jean scraps from a friend a long time before I started. I know the squares/triangles have been sewn together and tied since summer and with Eric gone, I thought I'd take an evening to finish it. I started when the van wouldn't start and I still had the sewing machine out and Graigry mentioned the quilt. I got done, after unpicking one side, twice, about 10:30.

Hurray for finally completing one of the unfinished projects that are scattered around the house!

Now, should I give it to Eric for Christmas? We aren't in need of blankets and it's not big enough for a bed, maybe a twin or toddler bed, but I made it! Maybe I'll wrap it for myself!