Christmas Eve Preparations

Lia and Meg volunteered to help Val get ready for tonight's special time with friends. I think she's ready. (!)

Our First Gingerbread House

On this Christmas Eve morning, we set off on a new family adventure - the making of a gingerbread house. We had little idea of what we were doing, but we're pleased with the end result. The girls contributed a bunch with helping hands and fun ideas. There was a minimum amount of bickering from the girls about decorating it so perhaps we'll make this an annual Christmas Eve tradition. :)

Christmas Eve Dusting of Snow

It's Christmas Eve, and we woke up to a very slight dusting of snow. But it was enough that Lia and Meg wanted to go outside with pajamas still on and play. I wasn't so anxious to go out into the cold so I snapped these from our window.

Sisters, a Kitchen Counter, and Cookies

Meg and Val sit atop our kitchen counter as they joyfully work on spreading icing onto Christmas cookies and immediately eat them. Isn't this what the Saturday morning before Christmas is really for? We think so, too.



Here's one of their finished products.

Radiator

This morning, Val and Meg huddle next to the radiator to keep warm. That's definitely the best spot in our apartment. It's getting really cold here!

Chilly Trip to the Zoo

Lori took the girls to one of our favorites places in the city. On this day, there were probably 10 other people in the whole zoo. In part of the zoo, some animals are wandering about the grounds and paths so that visitors can get up close and personal. The girls loved it. "So cute!" was very often said.




This guy is definitely looking for a hand-out.

A highlight was a bus ride through the big cat exhibit. Unlike last time we were here, the cats got really close to the bus. With a lot of space in the bus, the girls made there way around in it yelling, "There's another one over here! There's another one over here!"

Thanksgiving 2010

As the day began, we had the busy work of prepping two birds for a big crowd. In October, we had ordered them from our local import store. (We're so thankful for that store!) A few days prior to Thanksgiving they arrived, with just enough time to defrost them. The girls immediately named them Bob and Larry - after the kid's television show. Below, Lia takes mental notes as I prep Bob.

My friend, Mark, and I are ready to carve. With two birds, it was definitely a two-man job. And Lia is most certainly impressed with our pose.

Note my professional stance and technique in carving a bird - my body weight is clearly above the bird to assist in carving as well as keeping fingers well away from the knife. :) The night before, I watched three different videos on-line about how to carve a turkey. Very helpful.

Part of the spread. Tip - chopsticks are a great way to serve turkey without mangling the meat.

Lori and I post-meal.