Candy houses and fun surprises!

Every year, I see those Gingerbread house kits and think I should get one for the kids to put together...but, for some reason (usually money), I never do. Well, this year, I bought one. They had them on sale at Michaels for only $7.44. Well, let me tell you, my kids LOVED putting it together (they didn't even fight!) and it looks SO cute. We didnt' follow any of the "beautiful, but obviously done by a professional" decorating plans but rather, I put on the frosting as they plunked down the candies. I think it came out just lovely :)

Today, Audrey had to be at the dentist at 9 a.m. so it was an early morning for us. (we are not morning people). Good news, no cavities! Now, you must realize, we haven't had the best of luck with Audrey's teeth. They are crowded and soft and are easily prone to cavities but she is diligent with her brushing and I'm very proud of her for this no cavity trip to the dentist. So, luck was with us today and she was to be even more rewarded because after the dentist, we stopped at the beautiful, old Stanley Theater to pick up tickets for Lord of the Dance coming in February. I know, I know, it will be fabulous. I'm taking my mom and my 2 girls. It will be a wonderful girls night out and I just can't wait!!! Anyway, right when we got to the theater, busloads of children were showing up. What's up? I ask. Perfect timing, a musical of Junie B. Jones was just about to start. We obviously didn't have tickets but they just asked for 5 bucks and in we went. What a special treat. It was an adorable musical and even my little Henry loved it.

After all this excitement, we came home and plopped on our comfy couch for a little snooze. I love days like this, where everything comes together and all is right in our world:)

Kids group photo & sparkly lights

Being the non-photographer that I am, I had the darndest time getting all three kids smiling, looking at the camera, eyes open, etc....This was the best out of, oh, I don't know, 50! When I tried taking photos inside in front of the Christmas tree, Henry kept shutting his eyes because of the flash. So, we traipsed outside and sat them on the front steps. Well, then it was the sun that bothered him. So, we finally settled on this shot where I told him just to keep his eyes wide open just for a moment. He went a little overboard and this is the result...but hey, it's better that eyes squeezed shut, right?? So, this pic will go in the lovely frames we bought for the grandparents and Aunt Jill.

I'm terrible about sending pics to the grandparents and they see them only occasionally (like, every other year or so!) so they really deserve this photo. :)



We decorated the house over the weekend. I went a little crazy with tiny white sparkle lights and garland. They are on the mantles, up the staircase and a few outside. Of course, I chose the windiest day to hang the lights outside so they ended up only on two of the front porch posts. Then, I put a single candle in every window. It's simple, elegant and understated. I like it :) Our tree, on the other hand, is our usual eclectic mix of lights and ornaments collected over the years. You wouldn't find this tree at Martha Stewarts house but then again, you wouldn't find much of any of the thrifted goodies I find at her house :) Jason and I bought these M&M lights years ago and they go on every year but somehow we're down to only one strand of them so we supplement these gems with another strand of candy lights and then a strand of red. I did start a lovely tradition of getting the kids a new ornament every year so that when the leave the nest, they will have enough ornaments for their first tree. They are all piled on our beautiful, family tree :)