Happy Birthday Jonah

Dear Jonah,

On December 18th, you turned 3 years old.  This has been quite a year for you.  You started school two days a week, and are thriving in the social aspect, learning new things about friends as well as your shapes and colors and letters.


Showing off our decorated pumpkin display for autumn (the sparkle pumpkin is the one you made in your class at school)

On the days that you do not have school, you have been learning (very slowly) to make your own fun and keep yourself occupied when you are at home with me.


Eating breakfast together.

You are my little buddy.  You help me cook and bake and clean, and love nothing better than to be glued to my side, shadowing my every move.


Coffee date on our historic city square

This year you've started to establish some of your own friendships -- nearly every day you ask if you can play with your two little best girlfriends, A and M, and it's fun to see you growing in your ability to play with other children rather than just next to them.


With A on your way home from school




Playing dress-up with M

I love you, and I love discovering who you are as you grow and your personality continues to unfold.  You are a challenge, you are a handful, and you are one of the most hilarious little people I've ever had the privilege of knowing.  I'm so glad you're mine.

I love you always and forever,
Mommy

Handmade Christmas

In the past, I have often planned so many Christmas projects for the month of December, that I've hardly had time to be present and really enjoy the season with my family.  This year, in search of balance, I opted for a much simpler, pared down version of what I would normally do.  Instead of baking every single delicious looking cookie and bar and candy recipe I could lay my hands on, I made a giant batch of lemon curd (this recipe x6), and processed 4-1/2 lbs of jalapeños into spicy-sweet Cowboy Candy.



I then packed the treats into tiny jars for friends, neighbors and teachers, and was done!  Two days of cooking/packing vs. 7 days of baking/packing.  Perfect!  On top of that, no one was saddled with a billion-calorie-Faith-induced-overload, because...Christmas comes but once a year, but no one wants to work for the next 6 months trying to get all that business off the hips.




For my children, instead of coming up with all kinds of last minute handmade gifts, I stuck to my original plan: five little 6x6 photo books (one for each of my children, one for my 3-year-old nephew).  I didn't write a story line for the books, I didn't put any captions in them, and for the most part didn't use any special paper -- just plain and simple photographic memories from the past year, tailored to each child.


(It's obviously not possible to find all of the books at the same time to take a group shot, so here are two of them...)




Today I am working on a little pair of mittens for Lavella and watching my current favorite guilty TV pleasure: The Vampire Diaries (thank you, Netflix), while the children take their afternoon nap.



Tomorrow we are having friends over for dinner, and then on New Year's Eve we intend to stay in, eat a simple dinner followed by Cinnamon Brown Butter Puffs, watch some silly family videos from the past year, play a few board games, and gather around a little campfire in our backyard with mugs of hot chocolate (or perhaps some milk punch or hot buttered rum for the grown-ups).  Greg and I will then tuck our children into bed well before midnight, and spend the rest of the evening together, just the two of us.  We began dating on a New Year's Eve 11 years ago, and have never managed to celebrate our little mini-versary on our own until this year.  I'm excited!

How are you spending the last few days of 2011?  Here's a list of some fun ideas if you're stumped for plans to ring in the new year.

Christmas family photo shoot

Traditionally, we've taken our self-timer family holiday photo outside, but this year it was far too blustery and cold outside, so we decided to pile on our master bed instead.  It only took about 12 takes to get this shot....



And some of my favorite out-takes....







We wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Sugar Cookie Day and a Gingerbread House

(Edited to add gingerbread house pictures...oops!)

Every year, the children and I have a tradition of making and decorating sugar cookies, and also making a gingerbread village.  This year, I bought a gingerbread house kit, so I did most of the decorating, but we used Dorie Greenspan's sugar cookie recipe (with lemon zest rubbed into the sugar -- yummy!) from this book, of course.


The whole proccess takes a while, as does anything with small children, so by the time we finished stamping out the shapes, Lavella had just had enough.  A good long nap followed shortly after this shot.






Some superfun sprinkles that I found at Target.


By the time that we got around to the decorating, both of the little guys were solidly asleep for their afternoon naps, so Elijah helped them out after dinner to fully sprinkle their own cookies.








Cookie Monsters




I used my favorite vintage biscuit cutter to stamp out circles with the re-rolled scraps of dough left over, and gave them a simple (and slightly more grown-up) apricot glaze.

Night out with the girls in Austin: Pete's Dueling Piano Bar

Last week, a handful of girlfriends and I took a break from the business of Christmas prep, dressed up, and went out to a fun bar on North Austin's 6th Street: Pete's Dueling Piano Bar.


Jenny (one of my major partners in crime)


Rachel and Jenny



This, apparently, is how I look when I dance in a chair.  Other chair dances may vary.


Talisia

There were several other ladies there as well, but any pictures that I have of them turned out with all of us looking like demons with magical haze all around, or else smearing across the frame and I only post flattering pictures of my friends.  :-)

We had a fantastic time, stayed out too late, spent too much money...and next time we've decided to try and re-create the experience in Rachel's living room.  Apparently I am going to duel with myself on the piano.  Wahoo!

Celebrating Three Years of Jonah

Three years ago I participated in a government-funded hiking/camping/gear-testing/off-road driving/marksmanship expedition to an extremely dusty region in the middle east. And although this was a marginally enjoyable and financially beneficial trip I was very happy to be able to make it home for the birth of our youngest over the holidays.

Three days after I landed in Frankfurt Jonah enthusiastically announced his presence to the world in our humble German apartment and his joie de vivre hasn't ceased since. Last Sunday we jointly celebrated Jonah's birthday with one of his little friends, Jessiann. The party was a huge success and although strangely, not a single person captured any photographs of the party, here's some shots of gift opening the next day.

Huge thanks to the Phillips family for hosting the joint birthday party and to all family and friends who sent/gave gifts. Jonah says, "Fankyou!"

Whoovillage, Christmas Stroll 2011

Every year at the beginning of the Christmas season, our church sponsors the children's area of our city's Christmas Stroll by creating a Dr. Seuss style Whoovillage with free fun activities for families to enjoy together.  My area of responsibility is the Grinch house, where I decorate the inside of a trailer to look like the Grinch's living room and set up a studio to take pictures of anyone who wants their picture with the Grinch.

Greg and all of our children were in the parade this year at the beginning of the stroll, and then participated in many of the activities throughout Whoovillage.

Early on the morning of the Stroll, I dressed Lavella and I up as Whoos, since our costumes/hair/make-up is the most involved of our family.



Decorating the Grinch house -- trying to figure out how to wrap the lights around the logs in the fireplace for a "real fire" effect.  (I'd gotten all of the decorating mostly in place in the two days before, but there were some finishing touches that needed attention that morning.)












Test shooting -- Andrew went with me early to the Stroll to set up, so he got an early look at everything that morning.


The entrance to Whoovillage (complete with snow machines!)


Andrew/"Thing 1" checking out the Kid Fish tank (live catch and release catfish).


Parade!








Lavella and our friend Addie (the children's much loved babysitter)


Kid Fish tank




Lavella with the Grinch


Some of my favorite shots from the Grinch House Studio.


Our "outside" Grinch (Chris) with my Grinch House Grinch (Josh).


All of our little Whoos.


Deb, Queen of the Whoo Hair Salon


Inappropriate, so inappropriate...


Becca, our Whoovillage Coordinator


Rachel


Thad


Josh and I


Our whole Whoo-ish family


At the end of the day, all of the children got out of costume and hung out with me in the Grinch house while Greg started breaking down Whoovillage to pack it all away for next year.

So much work, and SO much fun!  I am looking forward to next year already.