Front Porch Fun

We had a little painting and science session on the front porch awhile back.  I think our front porch will never be free of chalk, paint or the occasional permanent marker, so at this point, it's just trying to make those things into masterpieces, ha!

Here we tried a little volcano.

Needless to say, I quickly learned that my baking soda was old.

It was a tiny bit of a letdown.

So, we pulled out the paints and crazy brushes, and all was made well again.

This little guy is my artist.

Have the best weekend!

A Baking Day

Sophie received the sweetest little baking set for Christmas to match her tea set.  So, we decided to christen it with some chocolate chip cookies.  

Everyone wanted a job, so we all took turns passing the mixing bowl around.

Yes, that's a whole lotta butter!

Whatever chocolate chips that hadn't already been eaten were thrown in.

One final stir, and the cookie dough was ready for a taste test.

Someone was extra proud of her little pan.

And, she waited right by the oven.

You can probably guess what happened next.  She touched the pan.

But, she came back around quickly, and we all decided they were the best cookies we had ever made!

B-I-N-G-O

Before we took down all of the Christmas decorations, we had another round of Bingo the other evening.  John Paul got it for Christmas, and it's really something everyone can enjoy (Sophie just needs a little help).

I'd be lying if I didn't say I had a set of fairly competitive kids (some a little less intense than others), BUT, I'd also be lying if I said I didn't know where they got it from.  To this day board games are not the best idea at a family gathering.  Ha!

It's been so nice to play a game when the time allows in the evenings.  It seems to be an easy way to all be together and connect.  And, it's a great way for me to work on my patience, haha.

Our next thing is Old Maid, I think.  Any games that your family loves?

Christmas 2016 in Pictures

So...it's be a whirlwind over here, but as always a good one.  Minus the mom who gets too hung up on her kids getting enough rest so they don't get sick that she kind of gets a bit uptight (that might be me).  Oh well.  So, we saw all sides of the family...cousins, aunts/uncles and everyone in between. The kids were champs, and we've had a wonderful Christmas!  I hope you did, too!  Here it is...in a albums' worth of photos.