Sunnier Days

I am a big fan of rain. I'm loving the weather that we've been getting here the past few days. The kids haven't, so much. I've bundled them up and taken them out to play in the wet, but it doesn't take long before they get cold and whiny, and we head inside for a bath and warm pajamas. last Saturday, though, was a great day for a spur-of-the-moment picnic and a walk to the park.

Ryker spent most of his time running back and forth across the bridge (but every time I tried to take a picture he would stop, and hold very still).

And Anicka spent most of her time on the swing. I spent a little time on the swing, as well. :) (Hello, comfy jeans and worn-out tennis.)




Adam got some really fantastic pictures of the kids in the tunnel:
Seriously. So cute.

Blue

I am always amazed to learn that there are people who still don't know what Etsy is.
Etsy, in a word, is AMAZING. If you like handmade goods, if you like one-of-a-kind pieces of art, furniture or clothing, if you identify with vintage style... then Etsy is for you.
It's is one of my very favorite places to shop. Now, if only I had unlimited funds, a house to decorate, and a closet to fill.

Here are some of the things that I'm coveting today:



1. Tree Pendant 2. Reupholstered vintage footstool 3. Bud Vase
4. Whale Painting 5. Hand dyed yarn 6. Navy Dress
7. Glass Vase 8. Knit neckwarmer 9. Pendant Beads

A beautiful day for a stroll

the after party

The day after Christmas, we went back out the my parents' house and I helped the girls decorate some itty bitty gingerbread houses. We've never done this together before, and I think they enjoyed it.

I know Ryker did. He managed to swipe a couple of cookies off of big sister's plate. Doesn't he look so pleased with himself?Here are the finished products:





And here is Eric's contribution:



I got the gingerbread and royal icing recipes from marthastewart.com, and they were delicious.

We spent a lot of time last week playing with the new games and puzzles that the kids got for Christmas... (The ladybug game, Jumping Monkeys, a memory matching game with pictures of our family on the tiles, a giant floor puzzle of the USA)...
We were having too much fun to take any pictures of all that. But, I think the main source of entertainment has been the Thomas and Friends railroad.

it's too bad that vacations can't last forever.

I have been having too much fun the last few weeks to worry about blogging. Adam was able to take a week and a half off of work (with pay!) and we enjoyed every minute of it. Well... the one possible exception might be the day that we spent doing a deep clean of the apartment. Adam might not have enjoyed that quite as much as I did.
Christmas this year was fantastic.
Anicka was old enough that she remembered last Christmas and was excited for this one, and Ryker was old enough that he knew what to do with the presents that he was handed. The kids had a great time decorating the tree




Anicka was determined to wrap all of her gifts herself, this year. The only thing I was allowed to do was hand her precut strips of tape, since she still has a bit of trouble working the tape dispenser on her own.

As per tradition, we spent the night at my parent's house in Leeds. And by 'we', I mean 'everyone in the family', which is starting to become quite a feat. It's hard to sleep twelve people in a tiny, three bedroom house. But, as the saying goes, love grows best in little houses; and it's wonderful (and worth it) to have everyone together on Christmas morning.




I forgot to take pictures of most of the gifts that I made, but here are the pajamas that I made for Anicka: And the CD holder that I made for Evie's new car:

I used this tutorial from Puking Pastilles to make the CD holder.

And, lastly, here is Ryker devouring the first of about half a dozen of my mom's awesome cinnamon rolls that he ate over the course of the weekend.
Since there are already half a million pictures in this post, I will end it here and share more tomorrow.