first 'real' snow of the winter

christmas day - macedon (part 2)

Sarah

Henry, Theresa, Matt and Max

Uncle Andy reading bedtime stories

Grandma, Isabella and Sebastian

Grandma with new necklace (thanks to Uncle Ed who commissioned pieces for Grandma and all 5 siblings - beautiful!)

the necklace

Caitlin and Morgan

Hudson

christmas day - macedon (part 1)

snuggling with cousin Sebastian

crafting with cousin Morgan

making ornaments

time with Grandma

wrestling with uncles

Morgan, Margaret Rose, Elijah (front), Blaise, Ambrose, Henry, Sebastian (front), Isabella
Hudson, Caitlin, Tobias (in lap)

new gift for Blaise

opening gifts

John Deere handmade pjs
Spiderman book for Ambrose from Blaise (he picked it out at Park Avenue Comics)

Geechie Boy fleeces

Daddy's bike helmet

Mater costume (cost $.51 - love after Halloween sales!)
Spirograph

enchanted by buildings, ferries and cases for his matchbox cars

time to put together the new firetruck Lego set

dessert for Christmas dinner - Chocolate, Almond, Raspberry Torte (can you believe none was left?)

artistic choice

As soon as I drop off Blaise to preschool he runs to the drawing table. Less then a minute later, he is running towards me waving a paper that has a portrait of me on it. Blaise loves to draw. He draws left-handed, (still can't figure out how that happened), quickly and with a purpose. He first started drawing 'scribbles', then onto portraits of people and continues to expand on his repertoire of items to draw.

Today when I picked him up from preschool he had decided to draw on a new medium, shoes. I am all for being artistic but it may be time to reintroduce him to paper . . .

gift of music

Ambrose's teacher, Mrs. Gravelle, talked today in class about gifts that we give each other during the Christmas time. A 'gift' doesn't always have to be a material object; for instance Jesus gives his 'presence' each year.

Ambrose played his guitar today for his class. He played 'Jingle Bells' and 'O Christmas Tree' and gave the gift of music.

gingerbread house

Frosting, frosting everywhere
it even ended up in my hair!
Lick a bit, taste a lot
just don't drop it on my sock.
Gingerbread house decorating is a delight
and it came out just right.
Wait, Daddy what did you do?
I see not one but two!

christmas happenings

simply divine - our church's stained glass

hand stamping paper and attaching candy canes to hand out at our church's soup kitchen Christmas dinner

decorating Christmas cookies or as Blaise says 'when can we sprinkle the cookies?'

annual pdp

Our annual Progressive Dinner Party took place this weekend with 39 people attending - WOW! I was in charge of soup and made from scratch my favorite soup (which ironically was my first time making it) - Italian Wedding Soup. I used Barefoot Contessa's recipe; the soup was a hit!

What a fantastic evening of trying lots of different foods, good wine, kids running around and spending time with wonderful friends!

play

Ambrose wrote this play and performed it for us today (note to self: must have video camera available next time). He set up a stage and had a stuffed Santa and Mouse to act out the whole thing. CUTE!

Santa Mouse
There was a mouse who didn't have a name. Then on Christmas Eve he was dreaming about Santa Claus picking him up. The dream was real. Santa asked what his name was and the mouse said I have no name. Santa said your name is Santa Mouse.

images I saw this week

'Give what you LOVE' - at the mall

the manager on our mantle with twinkling Christmas tree lights

cars speeding by the lit trees lining the street by Pittsford Wegmans

sometimes we need time too

rainy day

love

picture holidays

Even though it is a busy time of year, I'm trying to carve out some 'me' time and take a photo class online; "Picture the Holidays". Each day of December we receive a prompt; today's was 'reframing the season'.

My original idea was to have Blaise frame with his fingers the outside of the George Eastman House. He tried so hard but couldn't hold his fingers still very long. Then along came some guy walking his dog . . . bingo. I didn't get the house in focus as I originally intended but then I realized this was even better with regards to the meaning of the photo.

For each of us it is what we make of the holiday season. Some of us choose to have a very long list of 'to do's, while others focus on the real reason for the season. I'm hoping to be somewhere in the middle leaning towards the later. One thing I am very focused in on is seeing the coming of the holiday through the boys' eyes - 'seeing is believing'.