Isaiah-isms

So, I didn't mean to let the blog lie fallow for a month there, but... oh never mind. Allons-y!

Ah, Isaiah. My platinum blonde firecracker at war with himself (and often with others). I'd write more often about him, except I'm still trying to sort him out. He doesn't make that job any easier with things like this:

- For whatever linguistic reason, he prefers to begin some of his words with "ka-". For instance, "Kefigerator" = refrigerator. Also: Ka-pleece = Police. Er, what?

- He has been diligently honing his insult-hurling skills. In particular, he seems to think that calling someone a "silly old [appliance]" is the ultimate in name-calling, as in: "You silly old...kefigerator!" "You silly old...wawnmower!" And my personal favorite: "You silly old...pwessure washer!!"

Flowers and snow

Goodness, January went fast. Without further ado, I give you the month in pictures.

Mom sent us these flowers when we were stricken with a G.I. bug. Nasty bug, pretty flowers.

Snow! Snow!! ACTUAL SNOW!!!

Eve took this picture of Samuel. (And of the snow! Which is sticking!)

Fat flakes in our backyard.

I wanna know... did you ever see the [snow]... comin' down.. onna sunny day.

The snow stuck for all of about one day before it melted, which is par for the course in our part of the Pacific NW. But the kids got to romp through it and throw snowballs, and Brian and I got to gaze out into the luminous night while it was falling, so I count myself blessed.

Christmas 2011

Surprisingly, or perhaps not surprisingly, of the many pictures I took over Christmas very few turned out to be blog-quality. Here's what made the cut:

I love having a proper mantel to hang stockings from.

Eve in her Christmas Dress (the picture doesn't do it justice, it was quite glamorous)

Samuel, channeling Donald Trump?

Isaiah, somehow managing to look three and forty-six at the same time.

Samuel hasn't fully grasped the concept of presents.

Loot

Colors that do not occur in nature (Brian surprised me with flowers! Squee!)

Belated Advent post

Before I launch into the Christmas photos, here are a couple more from this past Advent:

Samuel, this is the logical consequence of rubbing peanut butter in your hair.

Feast of Santa Lucia, Dec. 13

Eve's school Advent program (Eve is under the angel)

Isaiah helped me cut these cookies out, and Eve helped decorate them.

Gingerbread houses

Just a short post to say that I finally did it: I made my first solo gingerbread houses.

I've helped make them before, while studying under my gingerbread sensei Amy. When I got married she gave me her recipe, pattern and instructions. Every Advent for seven Advents I've looked at the recipe and thought "Now is not the time." This year, it was time.

This is the one I decorated.

I haven't gotten around to adding "snow" yet.

The kids helped with this one.

Advent update

Sorry for the dead air there on this blog: my posts are most often inspired by pictures I've taken, and for whatever reason I took almost no pictures of note over the past month. I anticipate taking quite a few pictures as Advent wears on and Christmastime loometh, so hopefully my next post will be along fairly soon. In the meantime, here's proof of life:

Our Advent wreath. New this year: a seasonally appropriate tablecloth.

Baklava! I've wanted to make this for 15 years but never got around to it until now. I'd say it was worth the wait, but what I really mean is, why didn't I make this sooner?? Drool.

Last year our front birch was quite drab. It's making up for lost time.

I'm so glad to be living in a place that gets frost in December!

Below is an impromptu photo shoot with St. Nicholas at our church. This is perfectly typical of each of the kids' photographic styles. Eve: hamming it up and trying to direct everyone else. Isaiah: trying to be simultaneously solemn and goofy. Samuel: slightly apprehensive and wondering what's going on.

St. Nick Wants You!

Halloween 2011, subtitled: Oh My Gourds!

Another Halloween successfully in the bag! Now that our kids are getting a bit older, Halloween has taken on an increased significance. There are expectations.

But first, I want to take a moment to acknowledge a milestone. For the first time ever, Eve actually helped with a baking project. I can honestly say that the process of decorating the cookies would have taken twice as long had she not been helping me. She was industrious, focused, and took pride in her work. I was holding my breath waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it didn't. She got a little tired toward the end (of decorating 60+ cookies) and I offered her the opportunity to bow out, but she shook her head and persevered. I actually teared up at one point, I was so proud of her and so grateful this day had come.

We were taking the cookies to her kindergarten costume party, which may have added to her motivation.

On to Halloween proper. Eve wanted to be a lion, citing a picture and set of instructions she'd seen in a National Geographic Kids magazine.


Isaiah wanted to wear the same dinosaur costume he'd worn last year, which mercifully still fit.


Samuel was garbed in the same toddler costume his older siblings wore their first times out: a long black hoodie and a rope belt. We told people he was a Jawa trader, from Star Wars.


Our two pumpkin plants produced a total of eight pumpkins, varying in size and ripeness, but all suitable for carving.




Brian was the one who suggested that we take advantage of his spiffy assortment of shop tools and try out a fancy stencil or two.

Brian's handiwork!

(Of course, when came the time to do mine, did I take advantage of his spiffy tools? No, because I am scared of pretty much any form of technology that is unfamiliar to me. I struggled along with an X-acto blade like the closet Luddite that I am.)

Don't. Blink.
(If you have no idea what this is, look here: link.)
The stencil art came from here: link