Longwood Gardens

We were going to go to Longwood Gardens before Christmas but it was just too cold, so we made it out there on Saturday. Here are a few pictures of the festive place. It is always so pretty and we had a nice time. They even had a nice organ sing a long.

Christmas Eve and School Party

The 24th in the morning Oakley woke up and asked if he this was the day that he could open one present. I told him yes, since Christmas Eve we usually let them open one gift. I got in the shower and when I got out, he and Tessa had each opened one of their presents--not exactly the timing I had in mind, but I guess I wasnt entirely clear.
We got togetger with friends for Christmas Eve dinner and Nativity Re-inactment. Here are the angels talking with the shepherds.

The wisemen visiting the baby Jesus (isnt it nice to be a shepherd and a wiseman all in one night).

The cast.

The angels and Mary.

Oakley at his school party.

Looks like Santa came.

Christmas

We had a fun Christmas and the kids thoroughly enjoyed the day playing with their toys and then going to the Cox's.

Tessa got a baby doll, Lucy. Lucy and baby Anna (her other doll) have become fast friends. She is really going to be ready for the real thing.

Here she is in her new boots. She also did get her only request, red shoes (I'll have to take a picture and post it later), she can take them on and off by herself and wears them all the time.

We couldnt wake up Tessa on Christmas morning and we had a hard time keeping Oakley at bay--he got a little jump start on her.

Train Museum

Before Christmas we took Bryce's sisters and the kids to the model train museum in Flemington. It was pretty fun and the kids liked seeing the trains and settings.

Cozy

Really, why do you need a bed or a couch--just make a nest in a box or basket. The kids thought these little nests were great. Nothing like relaxing before the holidays.

Thanksgiving

Sorry, we are going back to Thanksgiving for this quick post before we get current for Christmas. Just a few pictures of Oakley's school party and our Thanksgiving with the Cox family.

Our little dancer

Tessa started taking dancing classes, and she really loves them. She likes to dance, do spins and bow, just like she learned in class. We think she is pretty cute.

Trip to SC

We had a great time visiting Grandma and Grandpa Harrison in South Carolina. They, along with their dog Jesse, were great hosts. We went to Magnolia Gardens, an old plantation and saw some real, in the wild, alligators. Oakley found a snake and caught a lizard, so it was successful. It was great weather and we got to see some other sites. G and G also babysat one night so Bryce and I could go out to a nice dinner. We went to Magnolia's, where they serve upscale southern food. I ordered the fried chicken breast. I know, not healthy, but it was delicious. Bryce ate more then half of mine (as well as his own pork chop) and said it was the best fried chicken that he had ever had (we are NOT talking KFC here).

Halloween....a little late

Some late Halloween pictures.

It's beginning to look a lot like....Halloween

We are getting ready for Halloween around here. We got some Halloween cookie cutters for Oakley's Halloween Craft and Treat party he is hosting for some friends on Monday. Of course, the kids wanted to use them tonight, so we used them to make Halloween bread sticks for dinner. Oakley told me it was the best idea I have ever had. Above is Tessa in her princess hat--you wont see her in any from the Trunk or Treat below because she had a melt down and head to go home early.

Above, Oakley and his friend at the Trunk or Treat at the church. Below, his upgrade cheetah costume. He added the mask this year and on his own added the black lines (to differentiate from a jaguar), pink in the ears, and red around the mouth so he would look like he just ate a zebra.

Sisters' Reunion

I love all my sisters--and we love to get together. Last weekend all of us got together in New Jersey to spend some time together. It was crazy (with lots of kids) but it was a lot of fun.

Another project

OK, here is my latest project: a little table for our living room. I wanted to add a little color. I tried antiquing the piece (which I had never done before) and I think it turned out OK.

First Day of School

Here he is in the official kindergarten line! What a big kid (sorry these are a little blurry--my lens must have something on it--I will have to clean it).

We walked to school with the Cox kids--here they are. A bunch of serious students.

So, yesterday was the big first day of school. The night before I asked Oakley what he wanted for breakfast on his first day of school and he said cinnamon rolls....First cinnamon rolls take a LONG time to make and we hardly ever have them so I didnt even know if he would eat them. But, after thinking about it (and thinking about what Heather Nielsen would do), I decided to make them. I started the dough the night before and the got up at 4am to shape the rolls and give them time to rise. Half way through making them, I realized in my sleepy state I had pulled out the nutmeg instead of the cinnamon! So, I ruined half the batch (OK, so Bryce had all the nutmeg rolls) and salvaged half into cinnamon rolls. He even ate 5 of them yesterday for breakfast and lunch, so I guess it was worth it.

...OK onto the stuff you really want to hear about: Oakley's first day. He seemed totally fine when he walked into the class with the rest of his class. I think he was glad to have Hazel with him.

When I picked him up he gave me his backback and said, "too much, can I go play now". I let him play for a while on the playground, then questioned him when we got home. He seems to have had a good day and made a name for himself:

-he had chosen hummus and pretzels for his lunch. His teacher noticed the hummus and said he was the first kindergartener EVER to have hummus for his lunch, and the teacher really liked hummus. He said he wanted to bring tofu today to see if any other kindergartener had ever take that.

-they had a story about a racoon. The teacher asked why they thought the racoon went to school at night. Oakley raised his hand (quietly) and when the teacher call him he said it is because racoons are nocturnal. Then the teacher had him explain to the class what nocturnal was.

I think the teacher got a good dose of our real Oakley Pokley!

Enjoying the last bit of summer

While Bryce's sister was here, we thought we would enjoy a bit of "summer fun" while we still had the chance. For FHE on Monday night, we went to the beach. It was great: no people, no fee, lots of fun. Saturday, we went to Howell Living Farm, one of our favorite places. It was the fiddlin' festival, but our kids weren't really interested in the music. So, we headed to the stream and looked for crayfish with some great music in the background. What a fun day.

Another great garden

We sure our lucky to have a great gardener (Bryce) living at our house. We have been eating a lot of yummy food. If you live close and want any, just let us know.

Bald Mountain

Since the YM campout was

cancelled, we decided to do something fun with the family. We did some hiking at Baldpate Mountain near Titusville. We had a fun time and even some some animals, but not as many as Oakley wanted to. The kids did a great job hiking. It was a fun day!

Stitches!

I am sure that he would love to say he was rescuing an animal and fell...but the truth is this is what goofing off in the shower gets you: a morning in the ER. The tough guy had 6 stitches in the chin without a flinch. He was a little afraid when I was explaining that he might need stitches. He even wondered how they were going to fit his chin into the sewing machine. It hasnt seemed to slow him down much/