Gingerbread Houses

I am trying to catch up on last year so there are lots of post dated post and catch up post.

These were the original gingerbread houses we made way back in December. I was way too lazy to actually bake gingerbread and way too cheap to buy the kits, so I hot glued some graham crackers together for houses. They didn't seem to mind, they all loved making them. In case you were wondering about Jacob's eye patch, he is really a pirate. Well actually his is blind in one eye so we are trying to strengthen it so he can see.
Fast forward to January. I was in Michael's and Merry found the gingerbread kits on clearance and begged to get them. So here is round II of gingerbread houses. I especially like the smiley face that Merry put in candy on her roof. Hopefully my kids do not remember this and I can still get away with the glue/graham cracker houses this December.

Field trip and a snap shot of my life

Today we went on a field trip with Jacob's 1st grade class to this place pictured below.

We didn't actually get to go in the cool plant.

But we did see hundreds of manatee that come to enjoy the warm water from the plant in the winter time. We also saw lots of fish, crabs, sharks and rays. It was pretty awesome.

The kids enjoyed it too.

This is what the evening looks like at my house. Jacob and Merry play a game or build stuff like the "tallest tower ever" (according to Jacob).

Grace tries to force feed Adam and finally gives in and eats the baby cereal herself.

Always lots of fun around here.

January Randomness

A random picture taken by the automatic timer. For some reason all the kids love this feature and want to take pictures like this all the time. They all like to run and jump in the picture. I have this metal tree that was my Mom's. I have been wanting to make ornaments for all the holidays for it. The kids and I finally got around to making Valentine's ornaments. They never turn out quite like I plan when the kids are involved. Oh well, they had lots of fun. Jacob made the striped heart, Grace's red stained fingers turned her polka dots pink and Merry made the be-swirled square. I love the baking clay stuff. I really don't know what it is called. If you run and long pin through the stuff before you bake it, the clay makes great beads. Maybe I will finally get around to painting the tree black too.

More great things about Florida.

1. Busch Gardens- not so much tattooed nudity as Sea World and more kid rides

2. Birds- lots and lots of them, they are always out sunning themselves.

Merry is 5!!!!

A look at Merry at 5
Favorite food: cake
Favorite song: she doesn't like any songs
Favorite color: pink and orange
Favorite book: Little Bunny Foo Foo
She said, "Five feels about the same," and to stop asking her questions.
Just in time for her birthday Merry fell while pushing her bike and got some nice road rash on her forehead and nose. Her official 5-year old pictures will be coming later. I still need to hem the birthday dress she requested. The eye on the Hello Kitty face kept growing and growing due to humidity, still no where near the entertainment as the Mace Windu cake I made last year for Jacob's birthday. Maybe one day I will get around to posting about that.
Jelly Bellies were the most used gift.
Merry lost her first tooth the day the movers came to load the truck. It was loose but a kick from Grace helped the Tooth Fairy come a little earlier. The Tooth Fairy brought her a dollar and a giant pencil.
At her impromptu birthday party the day before we left (nice hair).

Adam at 10 months

Adam turned 10 months this weekend.

This is his posed picture.

This is what he really looks like most of the time, runny nose and all. He is my only pacifier baby, which is nice when I put him to bed but not so nice on his teeth since he still will not give up the newborn pacifier.
He is a very jolly baby and has a nice cheerful giggle.

We are all settling into life in Florida.
Here are a few improvements from Texas.
1. Non stinky mother's room at church
2. Bus route for Jacob
3. Uniforms at school
4. Lots of rain

Here are a few things that are worse
1. No cell phone service in my house - this could possibly be added to the better list too.
2. Faux painted walls- this could never move to the better list.

All-in-all life is pretty much the same.

A few pictures from Dec. part 1

December seemed to fly by. With the all the business of moving it seems we missed out on the whole season.
The kids acted out the Nativity on Christmas Eve. Jacob was Joseph (I didn't know he had strawberry soda stains on his undershirt), Merry was Mary and Grace was the angel. Adam was a very fast shepherd who would not stay by his sheep.
Adam liked to shake the presents.
Our sadly decorated tree. I only got out about a quarter of the ornaments because of the impending move.
Brother Dan came one weekend and we made tons of tamales and drank a lot of DDP.

House pictures

So I have been slowly cleaning the house and getting pictures taken. I thought I would post a few pictures for memories sake.

Formal living/ dining

Kitchen

Boys room

Girls room

Grace and Merry posing in front of her doll house that Merry built last year- she loves power tools.