Christmas cookies '10

Today we baked and decorated more than 12 dozen cookies. I ate 2 cookies. The kids ate between 4-5 cookies, 5ish Hershey's kisses, several hundred sprinkles and an undetermined amount of red, green and white icing. I'd love to say that we had a Norman Rockwell-ish Christmas Sunday with Jingle Bells playing in the background, a crackling fire and a mug of hot cocoa in every hand. In reality, it turned into a hectic, exhausting and whiiiiiiny, looooooong day. Don't know if it was the sugar, the lack of naps or just one of those really tough days that we seem to cross every couple of weeks. Either way, I'm glad that we did our annual cookie decorating tradition -- and glad that it's over. 'Til next year!  

Lessons from Dad

Santa & whatnot



Decorating miniature gingerbread houses. Though the pictures are cute, it's not something I'll rush to do again soon.





Waiting with canned food donations for Santa on the fire truck.



Fa la la la la

Celebrating Indian Heritage

[excuse me while I catch up on the blog-- this is from Thanksgiving]

I present to you.... Roars Like Thunder:

Meeting The Mouse

Last week, we took a family vacation to.... Disney World! It is something we had talked about for a while, but never got around to planning. When Jason learned he had a couple of days off at the end of the week, we planned a last-minute trip. We decided not to tell Evan & Grant until the morning we left. So on Thursday, the kids woke up and climbed in our bed, per usual routine. I said, "Hey, why don't we go to Disney World today!" To which Evan replied, "I don't really want to go to Disney World." Wow. Bubble=burst. As the morning went along and we explained about The Happiest Place on Earth, he became more interested, but not entirely clear. Like, when we stopped at the side of the road for a potty break (boys can do that, ya know), he asked if we were at Disney World. By the end of the trip, of course, Evan didn't want to go home. Jason asked him, "What was your favorite part about Disney World?" He said, "Everything!"

Trip-or-Treat

Grant's favorite thing to say on Halloween this year? "Trip or Treat!" The boys both enjoyed collecting candy this year and the loot was plentiful. Despite my alternate suggestions, Evan chose to dress as Superman. And in spite of changing his mind 15 times, Grant dressed as his original choice, Woody from Toy Story. We were treated to a visit from Nana (my mom) to enjoy the festivities (and sift through the candy in search of Reeses Cups). Like any decent Peachtree City resident, we traveled from house to house via golf cart caravan. These kids are lucky. When I was their age, I had to WALK to get my candy. Oh, the humanity!

Absence

I guess I've been spending too much time "in the moment," thus the lack of posts lately. I'm loving this time of year--fall. It's beautiful around here. The lakes are bordered by a kaleidoscope of color-changing trees and the cart paths are littered with golden, orange and burgundy leaves, making them look more like the yellow-brick road and less like asphalt.

What's been happening? Soccer, family visits, school, friends, work-- you know, the norm. The kids are good--growing in size and spirit. Evan's favorite thing to say these days is "I have a good idea..." What follows is anyone's guess, but it is always creative. The kid is FULL of big ideas. Grant is equally as verbal. He likes to say "Alright." He's also super-snuggly and still loves to cuddle up with his mama. In fact, he's pretty affectionate toward everyone, including his brother, much to Evan's distress. As for the "brotherhood," well, it continues to evolve and dissolve on a daily basis. As would be expected, Grant adores his older brother despite not always feeling the love back. He also, as you might guess, spends a good deal of time annoying his brother. 

'Nuf chitter chatter. On to the pictures.

Family visit

Last weekend, we were treated to a visit from brother/brother-in-law DJ, sister-in-law Heather and nephew Connor. We spent most of the weekend gallivanting around town in the golf cart, hopping from park to house and back, along with an afternoon at the Georgia Air Show. Can you see the family resemblance in Connor? Reminds me a little of this kid.