putting up the tree

Well, here goes nothing . . .
it's time for another tree. Last year our tree ended up being the biggest blaze at the Prangins tree burning and while we do feel we have a reputation to maintain, we'd rather not have that fire hazard in our house for a month. So this year Daniel trimmed the stump up a little higher in hopes that it will actually take up water . . . only time will tell!
Analise had fun going through the tool kit and my flowery tools (gifts from Uncle P.J.) were a big hit.
Tonight Daniel and I trimmed the tree - so we'll see how long that will last once the wee one wakes up tomorrow.

Making cookies

Chef Analise at home in the kitchen













Mommy and Lissy in our aprons -
Thanks Janette Z. for Analise's and to Betty for mine!
(Mine in French says "Queen of the Kitchen" - not too sure about the truth of that statement, but I'm not saying anything :)





We were making Grandma Volm's ginger cookies with maple syrup - do I need my head examined??
Maybe, but the process was actually pretty fun and worth the added clean-up.








The video gives a nice close up of the snot nose/ flour mixture we have going on . . . yummy . . .

watching our show

I do apologize for the lack of "material" on the blog lately but today we were just watching the Praisebaby DVD, which buys a precious half hour before dinner is ready, and I thought maybe we should just capture a few of those mundane moments that I'll probably miss when she's 25.
Socks and shoes are off because they are actually quite muddy from our walk earlier this afternoon. Analise has discovered how great it is to walk through puddles.
And sorry about the kiss dad - I think she was a bit more engrossed in watching a video than in recording one.

something in my eye

This is one of the outfits from the lady who gave me 5 BAGS of clothes for Analise. They're a little baggy, but soon!
I was trying to get her to talk to Grady, which is a constant occurrence, expect for when you try to catch it on video . . .
So anyway, we did a few animal sounds but something stuck in her eye was clearly bothering her - it must be all that hair!

Goodnight Papa . . .

Heading up the steps to go to bed

Goodnight daddy - we love you!

snow in the mountains . . .

We drove up into the foothills today to enjoy some of the new snow. It was quite funny to turn the bend and go from "fall" to "winter" in a matter of moments!





















































Later in the afternoon, I was trying to get a family picture before church. Here is one of the options - but it turned out to be more fun just snapping pictures of Analise walking in her new coat.

47 days . . .

I love my family and I love their posts on the last blog (even if Andy's does make one gag) :)

Just so you know, we had dinner with friends from church last night and confessed that we'd been listening to Christmas music earlier that day. Her response was "FINALLY!" and she immediately turned on Bing Crosby Christmas! She has a countdown in her hallway and let us know that it was only 48 days left.

It was a successful evening with Analise falling asleep in the pack-and-play in their storage room right around the main course (but not before she consumed half a bag of chips thanks to their little three year old who thought it was hilarious to continue to feed her). And as an added bonus she slept until 8:30 this morning.

Well, no pictures, but just wanted to share the contagious Christmas spirit . . . even if it does mean I'm a brainwashed minion of my mom.

Is it Christmas yet?

I know, I know . . . we haven't even celebrated Thanksgiving yet. There are still plenty of red and gold leaves on the trees. We still have pumpkins out and fall decorations up.

But this morning Daniel left for work and then came back in to say that the foothills were covered with snow and sure enough - the foothills as well as the mountains across the lake are beautifully white. The days are starting to get dark at 4:00 already (especially when it's rainy and cloudy) and I'm wanting the comforting glow of all those twinkly little lights.

So is it too early to bust out Amy Grant, Mannheim Steamroller, Johnny Matthis, the Carpenters, Michael W. Smith and "Windham Hill Christmas"? ah, all my friends
Is it legal to bake a batch of sugar cookies? . . . . mmm, just one
Can I hang some lights? . . . . o.k., but only a few

I mean, half the fun of Christmas is the anticipation, right? So rock on Karen "It cay -m upon a midnight clear . . . that glorious song of old - o . . .of ayngels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold . . . "

Merry Christmas everybody and happy Thanksgiving planning!