Christmas week

It was a lovely Christmas at home. The kids enjoyed it, we kept things simple and relaxed (baked potatoes for the main meal!), and friends came over for the evening which kept us from getting sick of each other. Speaking of, while it's always lovely to spend time as a family, it's even more lovely to get back to a normal schedule, which we get to (briefly) do tomorrow. This means: CLEANING DAY!!!! Yay, I do love Mondays! Making it even better, I got a steam mop for Christmas from Steve. Buh-bye germs. Yes, I'm a nurse and mom, How could you tell? ;)
So, here's the past week from the phone:

This was actually a while ago, but I looooooooove my pho. Sheffie gave us a date night and we pigged out :)

Quick brag, Is our church not the most gorgeous you've ever seen? And did we not do a fantastic job of decorating yet again (yes, everything was handmade. We are incredible DIYers. After 6 years, we ought to be!)?

Chores

Dance party. Hud's into heels right now

Making gingerbread men with Dad for the neighbors

Hudson helping to "decorate" them 

Oh, you know, just a gift from our fabulous neighbors. That was 70+ Lindt truffles, folks. They continue to sustain my holiday sugar high

Every girls dream, a horse for Christmas :) Hud got a turn too

New crayons and coloring book in the stockings

Hen's been either on this, or playing with the train set they got. Success on getting stuff they really liked!

The Christmas gang. This was well after bedtime but both kids were awake. Should have let Hen get up....

Jesus's birthday cake. Strawberry. Denser than a brick. I've taken a vow to never make a layer cake again. Anyway, Hen decorated it, and it's supposed to be a squirrel

Take a wild guess who won (all) the games(s)?

Hudson finally settling down

My mop!

They all have on their "cheese" face :)

Saturday was a freakishly gorgeous days so we went on two of our favorite walking paths. Here's a sampling of all the sticks Hudson insisted we keep (any stick on the path, roots included, he tried to collect).

Then we went to Barnes and Noble for some brief browsing

I think we have a few more photos on the camera, and then this week is packed with plans; most important? My birthday. Also a New Years Eve gathering, a full day with our favorite neighbors ever, and...oh yeah, Meg's wedding. Also steam mopping :D

Adoration

We're in the midst of a very low key approach to Christmas. We've watched White Christmas, walked the neighborhood to look at lights, eaten tons of cookies at the church program, listened to Christmas music all day, opened the Advent calendar every day (chocolate coins inside this year), taken all the decorations off the tree (Hudson). My shopping was done a few weeks ago so now I just need to wrap the kids stuff, but I'll put that off till next week. I know all my relatives in VT don't want to hear this right now, but it doesn't feel the season with the warm weather we're having. And sadly it's slated to last through next week :/ But I know we'll have a fun day, and Henri is very excited for the planned festivities, especially the gifts :)
We've had pretty typical days the past month, but something that struck me this week is how much the kids play together. Like, 24/7. Hudson is much more into imaginative play than Hen was at this age and that puts them at a pretty even level right now. He loves all the dolls and takes very good care of his babies, and they both spend a ton of time concocting in their kitchen. And when that all gets boring, they chase each other through the house, over and over and over. Their friendship and love for each other is not something I take lightly, so I especially love this picture I caught last week:

He loves his "Nee". :)

November review

We got to head to my parents for Thanksgiving, and while it was a very small gathering for them (only 18) we had a wonderful time of relaxing and stuffing ourselves. As in, gained five pounds in one day. But it was good! My apologies to the relatives, we got not a single picture of the gathering. Not one of the table, the food, the kids in the snow. Nothing. We were too busy having fun. Keeping an eye on the weather, we left first thing on Wednesday morning. Not a single bit of trouble, zipped along until we got to the Robert Frost Trail. Steve had never walked it, and as Frost is his favorite poet, and we'd gotten such an early start it wasn't even lunch time, we decided to stretch our legs. Hudson proudly marched the entire mile under his own steam and LOVED it. Henri walked it too, but more because Hudson did. Girl does not enjoy her exercise. A few flakes were falling by the time we were finishing, so we booked it home, and as we pulled in it started to snow. A few hours later we had a ton and it stayed for the whole visit so the kids got to play and sled a lot. The cold doesn't seem to bother either of them.
We came back Saturday for a lot of prep for Sunday. Then after church and naps we went to Russo's and got our tree (it's a sacrilege to buy a non-VT tree, but we had no room to bring one home, *sniff*). So, that was our holiday. How was yours?

Lots of dress-up lately

We are never ever ever going to get a decent family picture. This was the best of the group.

Hudson got way too much attention with everyone telling him he was "adorable". I mean, he totally is, but he's been a bit unlivable since we've gotten home. And the hand is at the wrong angle, but there's a gorgeous ring on Meg's hand! :)

My beautiful baby sister. I get totally spoiled when we're home because Hen sleeps with Anna, and Anna does the morning with Hen. As Hudson slept in till 7 each day, this was luxury!

Lots of extra readers to keep Henri happy. 

He wasn't too impressed with the tree-cutting experience. With all the outdoor activity, and the running around the house, the kids were in bed by 6:30 every night. I can not begin to tell you how wonderful that was. 

Looking up to the house from the west field

Mt. Abe

The frost/snow crystals looked amazing on all the tall grasses in the fields.

Anna's first kill! :)

Our tree

Oh, he has loved the experience. We have lights on the tree. And two ornaments at the top. That's it. For one, we don't have a lot. For the real reason, Hudson stripped them all off in .000001 seconds. So I made a cranberry garland (giving up a valuable naptime slot) and he ate them. Raw cranberries. The kid who won't eat anything likes the bitterest food out there. I give up. 

Out of order now, but there's been some interesting fashion choices lately. Always a tutu. 

We had a gorgeous sunset not too long ago

My new mirror reflects the tree lights nicely

At 2130 on Sunday night I got the urge to decorate the outside. Which involved a lot of pine pitch and me tramping around in the snow in my flipflops. But I like the end result.

We're starting the New Testament in school and I didn't want Hen playing with my nativity set. $store had this great magnetic set! The kids are enjoying it. 

A semi-safe place to put up a few glass decorations. Though first day Hen pulled it down to see if she could. Rice in 3 rooms, I'm still finding grains

I think these are up high enough to prevent destruction. Love the Willow Tree collection

Sums up the kids personalities: Hudson nervous that he's being left behind or not touching Mom, Henri singing a made up song

A coordinating outfit! A true rarity these days

Henrietta took this and asked me to share it :)

I'm sure it's of little interest to others, but I need to sit down soon and give a summation of the kids. This was intended to be a bit of their baby book, and they've both sort of hit identifiable milestone/personality markers. I feel like we've been in transition for a long time, and now it's sort of stable. Which means it'll change soon. But I'm enjoying this time of set schedules and knowing what I can expect :) And I'm really enjoying this holiday season. I'm keeping plans to a minimum and not caring how many treats they get.

Glimpses from the phone

Typical weeks we've been having over here. Lots of activity, but none of it profound or note-worthy or truly profitable, just....life. So I've been pretty terrible about documenting. We're in the midst of a storm, the first we've had in ages, and then the temperature is supposed to drop to true November levels and from here on out I think Henri finally gets her wish of winter. I read on another blog about how this lady never feels the need to spring clean, but goes crazy in the fall, and I completely identify. Come Spring I want to get out of the house. But once the nip in the air arrives, I have a huge "to do" list in anticipation of months (and months) of being cooped up in the same four walls. So I've been washing said walls, and painting, and rearranging, and making lists and throwing everything out. I've got plans and dreams, and if the kids would just sleep a bit longer I'll get them accomplished :) So, what we have been up to:

Pretty boy's hair is getting long

Words can not describe how tickled he was to have his hair done AND to be sitting on the bench with Henri

Steve surprised me with the back issue of Taproot I'd wanted! A few patterns in it I've put in the "to try" line up

Finished up the gutters, He kindly buried the drain spouts so I don't have to see them/trip over them

These would be an obsession but Trader Joe's only had them for the month of October, and by the time I went back to buy a truckload they were gone :/

My first attempt at Jamberry nails. I can't cut straight, line stuff up, or follow multiple precise directions well, so these might not be for me. But I'm told the second time is better, so I'll try them again.  

Went for an impromptu walk up Prospect Hill as far as the park

Great playground, will be better once the kids are a bit older

Steve had Veterans Day off, so we went out to breakfast, up Prospect Hill, then watched a parade. A really fun day!

A warm park day

We've just started to feed the ducks. The kids are more interested in sneaking the bread for themselves, but I love to watch the different families of ducks and how they establish and maintain their pecking order (pun sorta intended). You should see the feathers fly when a subordinate duck dares snag a piece of bread the alpha duck wanted! 

Hm. This child is on a roll lately. You name it, it's not safe. Add in this hysterical pout he's got when I tell him "no", and oh boy, I'm in biiig trouble with this one. 

Snow! Haha, I realize it's nothing, but it's our first and the kids were soooooo excited. 

Came home Saturday afternoon from a conference at church to find Steve had decided it was the day to paint the living room. Despite lots of "help" from the kids, we got it done (huge thanks to Sheffie who really was a help!).

The new color is a cool grey blue, very light, so of course I need all new accents :)

Moved the mirror around and bought a huge sunburst/flower petal one for the West wall. More plans to finish it off, but very happy with how it's all coming along. Truly hated the previous color.

Our "Thankful Tree". Henri's contribution was "going on a bumpy ride that Hudson took me on" and "My Dino light and butterfly pajama's". Hudson's was "forks, paci, and Gertie (his lovie)".  The really fun tags were an Ikea find from the girls afternoon out trip I took yesterday with a friend. 

Hudson is continuing to teeth (Hi, upper molars!) and has a cold. Henri has a cold. I have to judge a homeschool science fair on Friday and should probably bone up on the scientific process. Our lovely neighbor just texted me that she's bringing me a turkey tomorrow (no, really, our neighbors are for real, Sailboat? Grass fed organic beef? Lawn games? Plow out our driveway every storm? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. We are blessed and so humbled by the kindness we're constantly shown. That's why "neighbors" are the first and front tag on the tree). Steve's trying to continue his bike commuting through December but the 30 degree weather might finally defeat that. I just used up the last of our apples (though Mom is hooking me up with some more over Thanksgiving). And in the tradition of my Grandma Elsie, I will finish this by informing you that I only did two loads of laundry today, neither of which I got to hang because of the storm. Off to prep some soup for supper! :)