Merry Christmas!

Ginger Bread Cottage(disaster)

UPDATE: One whole row of  gumdrops have disappeared. It wasn't just Taylor either:)


And so the story begins of me-the over-acheiver. I saw a beautiful gingerbread house on, you guessed it…pinterest. It looked amazing and it had a template for all the pieces that I would need! So I made the gingerbread and cut the pieces out. All was going great until after I had baked them and we were starting to put it together that I realized that this was going to be a challenge. Getting the house to stand up was your typical experience, and then the frosting wouldn’t harden fast enough. Oh what Christmas Cheer. I was beginning to think I might just throw it away when someone said the word ‘hot glue’. I promptly threw the mangled pieces away and plugging the glue gun in. Next year, I’m not even going to try to use frosting! Anyway, I downsized the cottage and came up with a cute little thing that we’re quite proud of. I have to say that the chimney is my favorite part. Gabe and I had to leave in the afternoon, so we reluctantly told aubrey and cole that they could decorate it all by them selves. When I got  back home, I was greeted with an adorable gingerbread house. We all had fun, despite the first part of the construction! Sadly, all is not settled. Our next challenge is keeping Taylor from eating the gumdrops off the tray. We are thinking about hot gluing them too.

A Merry Thanksmas to You!

We spent the last weekend in IL, and celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas in one! We have delicious food, and we exchange gifts. We recall memories through old videos, slides and personal recollections. Here is a few photos from our adventures!

 

Piano Recital

Hey look! Its Jared from Wind From The Willows! a budding photographer perhaps?

Singing Jingle Bells with a twist…That song is SO much fun to sing:)

Many years in a row we’ve been blessed with good health at our gatherings. This christmas however…lets just say that Laura’s kleenex box was taken from her room and was seen being carried around the next day:)

Grandma always had this tray on hand for the wheezes and sneezes!

Singing

Cutting the turkey and ham-Cameron and Matt were elected for this position!

It’s become a tradition for Faith Grace and I to put together a little play using the younger sets of cousings as cast. We exausted Anne of Green Gables, so we moved on to Little Women. In this scene, Meg(hope) is getting her hair fried off by Jo. (aubrey)

Since we don’t have Grandma’s wall to measure on anymore, we lined up in order of height!

the guys were’nt as excited to pose:)

this WAS going to be a cute photo… PHOTO BOMB!

 

I think that this has been going on since Cameron could wrestle. But now, it’s the Kingly Kansan against the Ingenious Illinoisan. 

That’s who’s boss.

Skits!

Cole got a RipStik!!! Now he doesn’t have to fight over Gabe’s.

Crafts

Grandma’s beautifully set table for the Leman Ladies Luncheon.

We all went to the Pearce center for some swimming and other sports. We had our nummy pizza and the Chicagoans departed because they weren’t feeling very good. Todd, Faith, Marcus, Gabe, and I stayed up till 1:30 looking up funny pinterest quotes, laying dutch blitz and having ‘disscusions’. We groggily awoke to a wonderful Sunday morning! Our family isn’t very fond of traveling(to put it lightly) but we arrived back in Kansas, thankful that Taylor’s trap didn’t do to much damage to Marley’s foot, and that in less than a week, Grandma and Grandpa would be in KS with us!!!!!