more birthday

Playing with the v reader

Opening presents

the cake...mmmm...and the girl they both love

Happy birthday, Granty!

Love that spaghetti face!

Presents

More presents

Playing with his new V reader

Christmas 2011

Real shovels for the sandbox at the park!

"Spencer help me"

So sleepy, Grant was up all night vomiting.  Ewww.

Thank you bachan

Spencer's loot

Grant's loot

Trains from aunt Eileen in Japan

Christmas cookies you can keep-Gingerbread playdough

DO NOT EAT THESE COOKIES

but you really should make them because they are super fun.  

Making cookies that will not be eaten...so pants are optional

Gingerbread Play-Dough

1 Cup flour
1/2 Cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tsp. vegetable oil
Spices--Cinnamon, Allspice, Ginger, Nutmeg


DIRECTIONS--
1. Mix the dry ingredients..
2. Mix water and oil together first and then add them to the dry ingredients
and stir.
3. In a pot, cook the mixture for three to five minutes on low/medium, stirring
constantly.
4. The dough will start to pull away from the sides of the pot and
stick together in a large ball.
5. Take the dough out of the pan and knead the dough until it becomes soft
and smooth.
6. Allow the dough to cool and then store it in an airtight container.

For better instructions and pictures and general cuteness go to this post

http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/blog/2011/12/gingerbread-playdough/

We added beads and detail.  They are drying overnight and we hope to try decorating them more with markers tomorrow.  I will try to come back and post update on how they dried and how the markers worked.  

Snow much fun in Nebraska

Warning...Random Photo overload

Polar express

We decided to treat the kiddo to a trip on the polar express at hood river railway.  It was awesome!

note: this train car was from the indiana rail road company

We got a golden ticket

Cookies and cocoa

Santa at the north pole

The conductor punching our tickets

Grant would not talk to Santa but was happy to hug the Hobo

Finally willing to talk to santa