Gingerbread Spongebob?

Look, I appreciate all this Christmas-themed art. I'm just really confused how a pineapple under the sea can be made with gingerbread. 

Christmas #2

On Christmas Eve, we all helped Grandmom Shane put the baby Jesus into his manger ...

Then listened to Pop read "Twas the night before Christmas" ...

And woke up to a ton more presents! Not only were there presents from Santa, but also Mom and Dad and Grandmom and Pop and Aunt Kate and Tommy and Shane and ...

I even got some fabulous new dress up clothes! Only 364 days left until we do it again!

Christmas #1

For some families, one Christmas isn't enough. So we had a weekend celebration with Grandmom Linda's family before we had the whole Santa Claus experience on the 25th. That meant catching up with our cousins for the annual seven-fishes feast: 

And then presents at Grandmom's the next morning: 

Some might say that's enough celebration for the whole holiday season. They'd be wrong, but it was awesome fun. 

Chilling with Pop

The thing is, he's super warm to sit with. 

Winter dance recital 2018

After months of practice, my friends and I had our annual winter dance recital today. And we killed it, thank you very much. 

Here we are doing the formal dance portion of our program: 

And here we are being a little sillier:

And, finally, here's our free form dance: 

I sorta turned that last one more into a full stage performance, but Miss Heather didn't seem to mind. Sometimes you just gotta go with where the music moves you. 

Church pageant

Church had a surprise Christmas pageant today, and they needed a few extra performers who could play angels. I mean, could you say no to me? 

The part had less dancing than I usually prefer in my roles, but I figure any stage time is good practice for my future art. Not picking up the baby Jesus doll was tricky, but I had to set a good example for the more junior actors. Next year, I'm gonna ask for a speaking part. And more dancing. 

So ready for Christmas

So, so ready. 

Santa's helpers

My cub scout troop wrapped up gifts for the needy at our meeting on tonight. Getting presents is a ton of fun, but helping other people with friends by your side is pretty awesome too. 

Christmas decorating!

We got out Christmas tree and Christmas village up this weekend. This place is ready for some holiday cheer now. 

Of course, you can't really decorate a Christmas tree right without some dancing. 

Fancy pants brunch

Grandmom Doyle took us out for a neverending Sunday brunch today on Baltimore harbor. Jonathan loved the view of the water all around us. I loved the view of the bacon. 

More dancing time

I just can't keep it in. 

Happy birthday, Dad!

Well, are you gonna cut into this football cake or what?

Deep thoughts

I wonder how much longer until we can go swimming again? 

Tommy party!

Tommy turned 7 this week, which is just crazy to think about. I still remember when Aunt Beth and Uncle Tom brought him home for the first time...

Sloth fun

We had a great after Thanksgiving feast at Grandmom and Pop Shane's house on Saturday, and Bob and Nicole were there to help add to the fun. Nicole made a little clay sloth man with me which was ... interesting. But she's almost as big a Wonder Woman expert as me, so she's still cool. 

Emma concert

There are no words to describe this. 

Steady as she goes

I don't really understand this game. The point is to carefully remove pieces so the tower doesn't fall over, but knocking the whole thing down is the most fun part. Weird.

On the trail with grandparents

No, that's not a path up in the Poconos. That's all of us walking though a nature preserve just 20 minutes away from the house. Pop got tired a few times but Emma carried him whenever he needed a rest.

Soccer star

Jonathan's not the only one with crazy kicking skills. And I have a certificate to prove it!

Crazy leaf dance

I have no explanation. 

Campfire #1

Yeah, it was waaaaay too cold to sleep outside this weekend. But Jonathan and the scouts had a great time Saturday on a nature hike and then cooking dinner on a campfire before heading home to warm beds. Very, very warm beds. 

Magic tent trick

Before: 

And after: 

\

We tested out our new tent this weekend just to make sure we know how everything sets up. We probably won't be able to use it this fall -- it's way to cold already -- but we want to be ready for a cub scout camping trip this spring. 

Two crazy girls

Sure, we could have stepped out from under the counter for a picture, but where is the fun in that?

Costume parade and trunk or treating

Getting picture of trick or treating at night doesn't usually work, but luckily that's not the only fun we had on Halloween this year. 

I had my Halloween parade at school early in the day. My teach was also a super hero, but I don't know if she was from the DC or Marvel Universe. 

After that it was time for trunk or treat at Emma's school. Guess who was first in line for candy? 

 

 Well, I guess Wonder Woman does need some extra energy to fight crime.

There were a ton of kids at Emma's school, but luckily Grandmom Doyle and I had enough to give something out to everyone but the babies. And, frankly, they don't really need the sugar. They'll have plenty of Halloween fun once they get teeth. 

Halloween 2018

Never fear, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern are here to save all the candy from the forces of evil!

Leaf pile time!

Playing in leaf piles is always a blast.

However, there are consequences to all that rolling around. 

Practicing her soccer skills

Jonathan isn't the only one with moves, you know. This is just like dancing, but with a prop. 

End of the soccer season

We didn't get to play a lot of games this year because of the rain, but we had a pretty good time anyway. And the fun thing was that our team was so big, we could play games against each other in practice.

Next season, though, let's have less rain.

Bobbing for ... donuts?

Yep, that's what we did at scouts this week. Instead of bobbing for apples, the adults tied donuts to strings and had us try and eat them without using our hands. It was messy, but also kind of delicious. 

Spooky house

It's amazing how well those pumpkins bring out the scary side of our front porch. 

Also, I don't know who the guy is in the leaf bag back there. I'm a little afraid to look. 

Pumpkin patch time

October means fall, Halloween, and our annual visit to our favorite pumpkin patch. Dad keeps saying something about a Great Pumpkin, but I don't get it. But it is a beautiful place to visit. 

Emma and I both love the corn maze, but I had to promise her we wouldn't get lost before she'd follow me in. 

For the record, we got lost. 

Riding in style in the deluxe wagon this year. 

The white pumpkins were extra spooky, but they're harder to keep clean. 

Emma found the "Boo!" sign hiding in the sunflowers. It wasn't really much of a scare, but it was fun anyways. 

And I found the gourds! Dad said this would make a great Halloween costume, but that weird vegetable is heavier than it looks. I'll go with a superhero instead. 

"Look what I wrote!"

I forget what I was about to get in trouble for, but this ought to help me out. 

Practicing our wrestling entrances

We've got no plans to actually wrestle, but who knows when we'll need to enter a room acting crazy and wild? 

Babysitting Henry again

It's hard to tell who is having the most fun when we get to watch baby Henry, but I think it's probably us.

Earning our keep

Sometimes Dad's hands get full, and it's up to Emma and me to help out. Bringing the recycling bin in isn't too tough for me, but this is one chore that Emma may still be a little too short for.

Just horsing around

Hey, I got a question for you: What do you call a horse that lives next door? 

A neigh-bor. Get it?

Anyway they were doing pony rides in Grandmom Shane's neighborhood and we couldn't say no because pony rides are awesome.