On the First Day of Christmas

First thing, we opened stockings – and ate all the food that was in there. Nuts, orange, Rocher chocolates, squeezy toddler food, Nutella dippers.

X got a push-and-go cat on wheels; Z, M, and M2 got magnetic doodle boards.

BB got a headband maker kit.

G got a kazoo and some caps for her toy pistol.

Drew got a bag of (chocolate) coal – from G. She was so amused by her little gag gift.

After our snack/first breakfast, everyone picked out a gift to open. X got a Mr Potato Head from G.

BB re-gifted one of her dress-up dresses to M2.

M got this fancy Spring Blossom Barbie from the piano teacher.

A drawing book from G.

Doodle Crate featuring a silk screening activity.

Tinker Crate constructing a doodle-robot. (Not pictured: Drew's gift was a plate of chocolate shortbread from BB. My gift was a set of red pens – for correcting homework – also from BB.)

Lego Parisian Cafe from Santa.

Pipe from brew buddy Elijah.

Christmas Eve Pajamas

Through the Casserole Dish

Hair Party

Interestingly, M's hair she did entirely on her own.

Sunglasses Brigade

Cooperative

G has an Enchanted Forest (Johanna Basford) coloring book that she recently started allowing BB to help her color. This was their first cooperative effort, the trees colored according to the four seasons.

Spaghetti Face

Saint Lucy

This year Saint Lucy served a delicious chocolate babka. We liked it so much, we might very well have it again for Christmas morning.

Saint Nicholas

Plucking a Wild Duck

Drew and I at a Field to Fork class on waterfowl by the Dept of Conservation. A presenter discussed bird calls, hunting, identification, and cleaning; area chefs prepped several dishes – a confit on flatbread, duck and pork sausage, duck breast with huckleberry sauce, and a kind of duck jambalaya without the rice (cassoulet) – for class attendants to taste. After class, those who wanted to could pluck and clean a duck, and take it home to eat. And that's what we have, a mallard hen to be precise, in our fridge!

More Pop Beads

Chocolate Factory

And samples!

St James, the Peg Doll

Gak Bubble

Filling Dad's Slippers

Light It Up

Playdoh Dumplings

He's been watching AhPoh do her thing.

AhPoh's Homemade Playdoh

Reunited

Reworked blankie so it has bias binding. Unfortunately had to adjust all three layers because I simply didn't know what I was doing (with regards stretch and shifting of batting layer) when I first sewed this.

AhPoh Back for Thanksgiving

Tooth Hole

After much wiggling and agonized pulling, M's first baby tooth is out (on the bottom front).

Bye-Bye

When Drew leaves for work in the morning, X and I will see him off at the door to the garage, where X will literally slam the door in Drew's face and then go running to the bedroom window to watch him get in the car and wave goodbye.

Indoors

Rained all night, forecast to rain all day. Someone forgot to cover the sand table.

Girls busy building a shelter to keep off the wet.

Discovery Center

Middle two learned about the oak's life cycle; oldest two learned about animal body characteristics that help survival (e.g. camouflage) and made up animals that had their favorite.