December 22

We celebrated my sister's birthday today, but sadly, I forgot my camera. 

After naps, the kids and I made these cookies. They were delicious! They had to bake for a long time, though, so while they baked Chris took Caleb and Daisy outside to pick up sticks. We're still figuring out how to coexist with all of the trees in our yard, and one of the things we're discovering is that when it's windy out, we end up with lots of random sticks in the yard that should probably be picked up. Despite the cold, Caleb and Daisy had a lot of fun helping Daddy!

That red bucket is a remnant from some warm-weather project. As it has sat, neglected, it has filled with water. On warmer days, we love watching the birds drink and bathe in the water. Today it was frozen solid, and it looks like Daisy was pretty interested. (Note: Girl doesn't look bundled, but she was wearing a shirt, two sweaters, a hoodie, a hat, leggings, pants, and boots. It just takes all of that layering to make her look like a normal, chubby 19-month-old.)

I think Chris was making that funny face because he was snapping branches. With all of our trees, the man may need to invest in a chain saw in the near future.

Daisy quickly grew bored with helping pick up sticks and wandered forlornly over to her swing. Sadly, she couldn't find anyone to help her up, so she toddled off somewhere else.

Exciting adventures today, huh? That's just how we roll.