The painter

Before

After
Sophia wants to be involved in whatever project we are working on. If that means we are painting the cabinets, she wants to grab a brush and join in. Who are we to refuse free help? We found her some old clothes, and handed her a brush and just look what she accomplished.

Union break.........

Pals

Although they show moments of irritation and jealousy, it is clear that Sophia and Keenan love hanging out with each other. Together, they come up with fun games and then try to out do one another.....laughing hysterically, right up until one of them crashes into the wall or falls down. But if the tears start, Sophia will pat Keenan on the head and say "Keenan, you OK?" or will reassure him that "itz awww right". The other day, Sophia ended up in time out for hitting Keenan (it was one of those moments of irritation). I turned away from her to look at the clock and when I turned back, I found Keenan sitting next to her, holding her hand and smiling broadly at me. What a team.

Old Fashioned Ginger Creams

I have been making Ginger Creams since I was nearly Sophia's age. It is a recipe that is been handed down from my Great Grandmother and it's even made with lard (gasp). They are delicious and a holiday tradition in our family for more years than I care to remember. Sophia loved making them and loved tasting the dough even more (no eggs in this recipe). I make several big batches, freeze the dough and thaw it out when it gets to be Christmas cookie making time. I am so thrilled that Sophia loves doing things with us and she really is a huge help!

Happy Thanksgiving-two days early

Because of Colin's work schedule, we celebrated Thanksgiving a couple of days early. Keenan enjoyed his place at the head of the table and thought that stuffing was some pretty good 'stuff'. I'm not entirely sure his digestive system agreed as he threw up at 2 am. Colin got to deal with that unfortunate mess. Poor kid, he does have a pretty bad cold, so it might have been that. It's too bad, it was actually something he really liked to eat and that is pretty rare to come by. I'll wait until he is really over this cold and maybe try again, early in the day perhaps.

Keenan's first hair cut.........

One week ago, Keenan got his first hair cut. Unfortunately, we stupidly forgot the camera so we missed the actual event. Here are some photos of the result. He was fantastic during the 10 minute cut and actually seemed to enjoy it.

Sweet as Pie

Sophia helped bake our early Thanksgiving (Colin is working on the actual day) Apple Pie. She proved to be an accomplished stirrer and took tasting lemon juice like a champ. In fact, she loved it and wanted more! Go figure.....

Camo Kids

We bought the fleece bear suit for Keenan a month ago because I missed the wonderful bear suit that Kimberley had given him last year (he has long outgrown it). This was the closest thing I could find to it.

It has proven to be so easy to put on and kept him so toasty (until it gets a bit colder that is) that we decided to get Sophia one too. I had originally intended to get a different color and they did have a pretty version in pink and brown, but since Sophia's is a 24 month size, we figure Keenan can probably wear it next year and pink just isn't his color. So let me introduce the camo twins. Sophia told us that she loves the suit and that is good enough for us.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Sophia took a fancy to the brown bear. That might have had something to do with the fair distance between her and the bear and the big moat in between.

Polar Bear, Polar Bear-Up close and personal

Prior to our recent visit to the Lincoln Park Zoo, Keenan's favorite book was "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" with "Polar Bear, Polar Bear" running a close second. All that changed after we visited the real deal.

On previous visits, we have watched this Polar Bear many a time and he always makes the same loop. But something strange happened when Colin stood by the glass with Keenan in a backpack, complete with the sun hood. The polar bear veered off his beaten path and appeared to literally be doing a double take at the strange looking pair. I might mention that he did not appear to be pleased. We could actually hear him growl (roar?) under water and he kept circling around where we were standing.

Sophia looked quite awed and appropriately, a little apprehensive about the whole the display but Keenan seemed to think it was hilarious.

All the while, there was a little boy that decided to climb up on the wall and bang against the Plexiglas every time the poor bear passed. To make matters worse, his parents just sat there, smiled indulgently, and said "Oh, are you hitting the bad bear!" It wasn't long before I wanted to want to smack the bad parents and could tell that several other folks in the vicinity felt the same way.

In the meantime, Colin had stepped back several paces to not further agitate said polar bear. I spent a minute studying Colin's profile and wondered if the shape of the backpack and sun hood might have looked a bit like a tasty seal to the bear. If that was the case, one could certainly understand his frustration at not being able to act on his natural instincts.

This close encounter with a polar bear ensured that "Polar Bear, Polar Bear" became Keenan's new favorite book. He still smiles broadly and points wildly anytime he sees these photos. All in all, it was a fun day at the zoo, but maybe not for the polar bear.

p.s. the figure you see plastered against the plexiglass is the nasty little boy.

Baskets and Mr Pine's Purple House

The kids are very fond of baskets, and especially love sitting in the one in our bathroom. On this particular occasion, Sophia was enjoying reading her favorite book (Mr. Pine's Purple House) to Keenan. It is very special to me that she loves this book since it was my favorite book as a child. It has a great message about expressing your individuality and I have never forgotten it. I was lucky enough to find an anniversary edition on Amazon and she almost has it memorized.

Lake Michigan Chill

On a recent outing to the beach, the wind was a little more than we bargained for. Despite having dressed for some cold weather, we cut our outing short when we noticed the kids were starting to resemble icicles and did not look the least bit happy.