Gingerbread House

Yay! Merry Christmas Eve!

We have been enjoying slow days. Just doing a couple of activities each day. Zoey wakes up each morning to tell us how many days left to open presents. The other night we busted out our Gingerbread House kit. (Ummm, it was actually from last year, and I forgot about it.) So FYI, if you want to add one to your emergency kit, you know, if you need a craft during an emergency... Anyway, it actually worked out well. I told them that they COULDN'T eat the icing or anything because it was old, and they didn't. They just decorated. And took turns being the Project Manager. All three of them.

Here we are getting started... The kids patiently waited as Ross and I put it together. Max and Zoey organized the candy and planned what they were going to do.

Time to Decorate!
This house building is work! Max takes a break to stretch...


Here's the mandatory, "Smile for Momma while you work!" picture. Seriously, how posed is Max's smile? Stinker.

AND, TA-DAH!!! The finished project!

And here is the back of the house... You can see the family has their Christmas tree up in front of the window:)


Enjoy today!

We Still Believe... for now!

Well, despite Zoey's very logically thought out denial of the elves... She apparently is holding out for the Big Guy in Red. The other day we picked her up from school and she was beaming! She exclaimed when she got in the car, "I know my Christmas Wish!"

I was thrilled to see her joy, but was a little concerned. I had just finished, that day, with Christmas shopping. So I asked what it was and she said, "Monopoly!"

She's been playing at school and loving it, and we don't have it at home. I smiled. A smile filled with relief (I think Santa can definitely manage that gift...wink, wink) and warmth at the fact that out of everything she could have asked for, she wants a simple board game. I counted my blessings that she hasn't been overwhelmed by consumerism yet. And as for the other gifts under the tree? They will be a sweet bonus to her! And she will love them and we are excited for her to open them. Making the whole gift-giving that much sweeter, I think. And well, it also made me realize that when I get frustrated sometimes with her ummm.... stubborness, that she is a pretty wonderful girl, and I am blessed.

So, home she went, to write her letter to Santa:

And off I went, for that one last present...

And as a side note... I had to take this picture of her and her outfit... She is my little bohemian, ecletic child who must dress herself and often comes up with some interesting creations. This one was mild, but a favorite. She wore boots, too but they aren't in the picture. (And I made the skirt out of some old curtains!!)

CAUGHT! But with a Smile

I enjoy and treasure the two days that Max stays home each week from school. He is just so easy and fun and funny, and I know that this time with him is limited. Even when he is "up to no good," he is a joy to me. The other day, Zoey was off at school. It was mid-morning. I was downstairs in the kitchen when I suddenly realized that I didn't know where Max was in the house and it was VERY QUIET!

I s-l-o-w-l-y walked up stairs and peeked in his room.

Nothing.

But, then I heard him. He was in the greatest place of all.... His sister's room, while she was away at school!!!

So, being the blogger that I am... I ran for the camera.

And really, how can you resist that sweet smile and cutie pajamas?


All I can say is... he's just sitting at her art table... I have caught him here making a much bigger mess, so it could have been a lot worse!

Logic and Reason

The kids in Zoey's class must be discussing the truth about Santa a lot, because she seems to ask daily if Ole St Nick is real or not. And really, what do you say when they ask you point blank?

I just mumbled something about, "oh, he's real if you believe in him and want to believe in him." She was pretty content with that, for the moment. Then she started asking about the elves and I gave her a similar answer and she just flat out said, "I'm sorry, but that just doesn't make any sense!"

I have switched my focus with her to Jesus' birth anyway, so I am sure the Santa thing will just fade into the background.

Besides, nothing is getting past this kid anyway. My parents had a package sent to us for our entire family. I knew what it was, so it was no surprise to me, and when the package came, I naturally wrapped it up with the other presents. Zoey inspected them all and was surprised that a present was to all of us (me included), from Grandma and Papa.... HOWEVER, it was in the same wrapping paper as the others.

"This is not right!" she exclaimed. "If it is wrapped in this paper, then you (me) already know what it is!!"

Oh, the injustice.

Have I mentioned already that we see "lawyer" in her future?

Farm Life

Warning... This is not the holiday decorating post I said was coming... It is quite different from that, actually.

So Ross got to be a lumberjack and cut down a tree one day. And the next? Well, he played rancher and shot a cow and skinned him up! His (the cow, named Frank) hind quarters were aging in our temperature controlled garage! When Ross removed the dressing to clean them half way through, Zoey wanted to check out the pieces of meat!

Here she is next to them, just for some size perspective.


Ross and his friend with the farm, who raised the cow, are now out in the garage processing him in all of his grass-fed glory. Zoey is enjoying being the spectator and making comments about everything she sees. It is a weird lesson in cow anatomy!

O Christmas Tree Farm!

So we had a pretty cool day the other day. We went to a Christmas Tree Farm to chop down our own tree. It was a first for me! Ross and I were amazed at how pretty all of the trees were. There were four or five different kinds and they were all beautiful!

Here the kids are in the tree sled. Their natural inclination? To hop in a go for a ride, of course...

It's funny to see them in a sled without snow, though. Ross and Zoey went running off and I was left to pull Max in the sled for a bit. He wanted to ride over all the bumps! He is getting heavy, is all I can say about that.

We searched and searched. It wasn't hard, though. Like I said, there were tons of trees that would do. I felt myself being a little Charlie Brown-like though, feeling sorry for the puny trees and wanting to take one home. When I told Ross, he just laughed. Typical of me, I suppose. I love the underdog. Anyway, he quickly explained that those little guys, they are still growing and will be good for next year. So, I was okay with that. And then, we found our Christmas friend...


And here is my lumberjack going to work... (he brought his own saw, by the way. the old guys at the farm liked that!)



Alright, Dad... Load it up in the sled. I'm Ready!!


And we're off... Our tree went from living on the tree farm, to in our house in less than an hour. I just love that, definitely a benefit of country living. (I know, I just milk that whole country living thing). Anyway, decorating pictures soon.

Errr.... Happy Thanksgiving...

Yikes, you got me. I totally forgot to do my little "Happy Thanksgiving" post. I sat down today to write of other adventures, and then realized what happened. So just skip it,right? Well, I can certainly use my mild mishap as a reminder to not reserve my thanksgiving for just one single day. I have been blessed, and need to remember that on a daily, even hourly basis. BUT, I also just couldn't pass up the opportunity to let the Johnston boys (all the ones in Ohio, that is) wish you their best...

I mean, you wouldn't have wanted to miss this sweet thing, right?


Another thing to be thankful for... my sweet sis-in-law and I have it pretty good... We just send the boys to the kitchen! (They seem to have more fun anyway)


PS: I took the picture with you in mind, Bette... I figured you'd truly appreciate these boys in the kitchen.

Christmas Card Picture Rejects

Usually I am running around on December 23, looking for an outfit for Max for Christmas. Zoey finds hers in October. And then I just forget, and end up searching through ski clothes or Valentine's stuff to find Max an outfit because everything is already gone! So, feeling very proud of myself for actually being ahead of the game this year in terms of Christmas clothes for both kids, I had them try them on the other day. And then I figured, hey, they are dressed and relatively clean, so let's take our Christmas photos for Christmas cards!! I'm thinking I just scored two points for myself now (it is a game against myself, but that's irrelevant if you ask me).

So I get the kids outside and try and set up some sort of pose...

Here we go, how about just a nice, sweet, brother/sister pic...


not too bad... everyone's at least looking at the camera. Not exactly what I want though... Oh, good, here is Zoey and her cheesy smile she has perfected. I think this one should be "This is all about me, oh, and I guess my little brother has to be in the picture too."


Well, now we need one with Max's cheesy smile. It just wouldn't be fair otherwise. With kids, its all about fairness.


Let's try again... We always need an eyes-closed shot, don't we?

It is a sweet, look though, isn't? Even angelic? It could be my theme for the cards if I get desparate...


This next one, I actually like of both of them. If they were separate pictures, and I wasn't trying for the whole Christmas card thing...


Well, at this point, we need a little tension breaker... let's just get silly:


Okay, now we're ready. Sillies are out. This is it. This is going to be the one. (or I am giving up!) On Three... One... Two... Three... SMILE:)

Yay! Both kids looking at the camera! Perfect. And I love how Max has his arm around Zoey. And, well, you didn't really think I would show you my Christmas card picture, did you? Of course not. I changed my mind completely and went with a whole other look. It happens. I do like this picture and I even made cards on-line and well, you'll see the real ones in the mail!

Doggie Dress Up

Sometimes at night, after the kids go to bed, I walk around the house a do a little clean up. I like to see what the kids have been doing when they quietly play by themselves throughout the day. A lot of times Zoey has written poems or stories that make me laugh. Or Max has put together some scene from a story with totally different characters (like he acts out the Cars movie with penguins or something). And they both love their stuffed dogs. They all have names, and Zoey has recently given them each a collar with a tag that has our address on it!! This one, however, takes the cake...

Tiny little dog

Denim skirt

Cloth collar and construction paper tag...

Totally cracks me up


I hope it makes you smile, too.

And Happy Thanksgiving! I am certainly thankful for you!

CAN-tucky

So I am going for the "how many blog posts can I get out of one trip to the aquarium" record. This should actually be my last one. I just wanted to post a couple more pictures. So, the aquarium is technically in Kentucky, but just barely so. Zoey was amazed by that fact. We were in Ohio, and we crossed a bridge and POW! Kentucky! And to top it off, Ross and I just kept cracking ourselves up, thinking we were so hilarious, telling her every time that we were no longer in Ohio, but "CAN-tucky!!!" (With a southern accent) It's probably one of the reasons we are married. If we both had taken Zoey separately to the aquarium, we both would have told her the same joke! I think she just rolled her eyes after the fifth time or so.

By the way, we do not mean to offend any friends who hail from the Bluegrass State. I actually think the state is quite beautiful. We are just dorks sometimes, who totally amuse ourselves with silly humor.

Here are the pics:
Ross and the kids standing in CAN-tucky (see, I just can't let it go), but with the Ohio River and Cincinnati in the background.


And here's me and Zoey (Max was pictured out by now, and sick of the joke as well)

Fun For All

So, a quick update on Zoey's Race... she won and came home in a very good mood that day. She is holding on to her "fastest in the class" title, even if it is just based on a race against two people!

Okay now, if you talk to me for about five minutes (give or take) you will learn that I have a deep love for Costco. It pains me that we don't even actually live close to one, but that is another story... (if you have a moment, go e-mail them to put one in Beavercreek, OH. I am making it my personal mission.) ANYWAY.... I love Costco. Half the stuff in our house is from Costco. It makes me smile to walk in the store. I could literally spend thousands... And luckily for me, the kids do not protest when we take the long journey to the closest one. The fun continues after we get home as well! I sometimes am slow to put our treasures (okay, usually its toilet paper) away, but have found it just becomes an hours worth of joy for the kids. Check out the pictures:

Here comes Zoey running into the paper towel tower!


And then Max has turn:





Oh, and here we are heading down the basement stairs... I am not sure what this game actually was... but it provided lots of giggles.


I guess I know what to get my kids for Christmas...

Just Kidding

Don't forget to send that e-mail (wink, wink). I think they're getting tired of the crazy lady from Beavercreek requesting a Costco and just hit delete...

The Race

I just have to post this, because it makes me laugh too much. Last week at school, during recess, Zoey told me that she was playing "chase" with a couple of people. It then paired down to just two, her and this boy. But, because she was so fast, he spent the whole time chasing her. According to her (this all is, of course) she spent two seconds chasing him and the rest of the time he had to chase her. So one day, he tells her, "Zoey I think you must be the fastest in the class!" She is proud of this, of course.

Fast forward to this morning, getting ready for school... She informs me that she may be going a little slower than usual. I ask "why?" thinking she's hurting somewhere or not feeling so well... She tells me, "Well, I mentioned to Thomas that Codie thought I was the fastest in the class, and well... now he wants a race!" So it's going down. Today, recess... And so she was saving all of her energy!!

As she was walking out the door, Ross said, "come on, speedy!" She replied to remind him, "Dad, I'm not moving like normal today. I'm going a little slower."

*I know I'm biased, but she is fast... Ross and I are always amazed at her running when she puts it into high gear. Speedy Speedikins we call her. I have to wait until the end of the day to hear the results!!

Love These Guys

The other day, Ross and Max had on matching outfits (not planned) and they were playing and wrestling with each other. Just having a good ole time! I had to snap some pictures.

Big Smiles

So Sweet

The Muscle Pose

And Silly Faces

I do so love these boys...
And her too,

Hanging out on a frog at the aquarium

How Do You Measure Up?

Our trip to the city (I say that like I live on a farm! Ha!) included a visit to the aquarium. We love aquariums. We had a season pass to the Long Beach Aquarium where we got to go to members only nights and be the only ones staring in front of a 30 ft high tank. Something so peaceful about that! Well, visiting this one on "field trip Friday" was a little bit different. Not quite so... serene. Still, we had a nice time. Zoey saw all the kids taking pictures, so she took the camera and had fun... here are some of her favorite pictures...

The Lorikeets

And Moon Jellys


And here are my three kids (yep, three) seeing how they compare in height to a shark.

Max - always the one with the map!

Zoey

And...

I know. I have my hands full.
But I love them anyway.

Through a Child's Eyes

We were driving into the big city of Cincinnati today. We don't actually drive too often in a city since moving to Ohio (we live in a quite suburban or even rural area), so things are noticeably a little different. Max always yells, "oooh, the city!" whenever he sees more than one large building in a row!! So as we were cruising through the more industrial part of the city, Zoey noticed a smoke stack coming out of a factory and exclaimed with joy, "Look at that! I see where they shoot clouds into the sky!" Ross and I just smiled. It certainly looked exactly like that... big, puffs of white shooting into the air! How sweet and refreshing to see something in a different light.

Falling Leaves...

Falling Leaves, Calling Trees
Pumpkins in Halloween,
Apples are So Sweet,
For a Treat,
In the Season of Fall.
Going Trick-or-Treating,
It is So Much Fun!
Come On, Come On and Play With Us.

original song by Zoey

It's even cuter when she sings it, but I wanted to post her cute poem/song so that I wouldn't forget.

We are having beautiful weather... finally the Indian Summer I was waiting for, so we went outside to play in leaves and just enjoy the sunshine.

Pumpkin Carving

We got into the Halloween Spirit with a little pumpkin carving. I had the kids draw their designs on their pumpkins, and then Ross did his thing with some tool.


They drew on the pumpkins first, so here is Max's design. I just thought it was a cute pumpkin with a button nose and smiley face.



And Zoey decided to go theme... She drew a ghost and spooky tree. And then a haunted house with the word "Boo!" Here is Ross doing his part of the "carving".

And here are the finished products: