Faced With the Horrible Prospect of Having to Take Leftover Ravioli to School

"I'll just have peanut butter and jelly, because cheese is not allowed at school."

Gallery

S: I'm going to make a new place to display all the artwork you guys are always making.
H: Are you going to buy another fridge?

HomeMade

Doug made Griffin a beautiful wooden play stove for his birthday. I painted it. We're a good team! 

Griffin and Cousin Lili are having a tea party, above.

Happy Birthday Griffin!

Starter Quilt

I can check off one of my winter goals: make a quilt. I finished this one yesterday. The pattern is Amy Karol's Basic Lap Quilt, from Bend the Rules Sewing, a perfect fit for Griffin's crib!

Best Buds

Kaiva, Inga, and Karlina visited last weekend. What fun!

And Harrison's writing up a storm (this one's for you, Aunt Val)

Sentences You Never Thought You'd Have to Utter: Installment #1

[during bath last night]

"Harrison! COME ON! You don't PEE on other people!"

Keeping Them Busy

Ankylosaurus wreaks havoc on a platoon of army guys (these belonged to my dad):

"Turkey" (hahhhahhahahhahahhahah!):

Psychedelic fort/love den:

Action figure tea party:

Puppet Show

This was the first of several puppet shows that have been put on since we got the big box of play scarves from Aunts Val and Tara. What fun!

Dichotomy

This is sad:

D: I'm thinking about getting an electric caulking gun.

H: Why? Are there Bad Guys around here?

Oedipus

Case study for Freud.

Harrison, at dinner: "I wish Daddy wasn't here so that I can be the Daddy."

Christmas Break Part 2

I made Christmas Dinner this year, for the first time, and with much help from Val and Doug.


Best of Christmas Dinner:


Harrison and his beloved Aunties
Chatterbox.
The comfort and joy of using Gram's china.

Chocolate, almond, and pear tart from Martha. Yum.

[Here's the recipe. So easy and tasty!]

After-dinner drinks.

Dessert part 6,378.

Christmas Break Part I

What a restful and relaxing holiday! 

In summary:

We made a lot of cookies.  I'm not kidding: black forest, gingerbread, peanut butter blossoms, wedding cakes, sugar cutouts, and lemon bars. Between us and all our company, we even managed to eat most of them. 

Here are the boys, baking with Aunt Val and me on Christmas Eve morning.

Harrison and the Tongue of Concentration: 

Griffin licks frosting beaters:
This was our first Christmas spent at home, and it was lovely. Aunts Val and Tara stayed with us and were there for the Christmas morning insanity. 

Harrison has moved up to 100 piece puzzles and between Santa, his Aunts, and Grandparents added 4 new ones to his already impressive puzzle collection. It won't be long until he's memorized this bunch. It's rather frightening to watch him put his 48 piece puzzles together. He has several and can do them in under 10 minutes because he knows where every piece goes. These new ones should challenge him for a while. 

Val and Tara completed our handknit stocking set this year with a red stocking with a big blue star. Completed two days before Christmas with handcramps and much Auntly love. Thank you guys! Here Griffin digs deep for stocking treasure:
More treasures from the Aunts: play silks galore!

Snuggles after Christmas breakfast: Grandma, Aunt Val, and Griff.

More to come....