For 4 or more years now, my brother’s MIL has made gingerbread houses and people for us to decorate with the kids.  This is something my SIL and her sister did every year with their mom, Marlene (our gingerbread baker!).  Here is my post from 2008, which includes a gingerbread recipe link if you want to make your own!  This year, we had a brunch get-together, because our evenings were getting full too soon.  It also happened to be this little guys birthday…

So his Aunt Lesley gave him four candles in his donut hole (don’t worry, he had birthday cupcakes with his supper later that day!).

I had help with my house this year, 3-year-old Jonah decided this was “our house” and he was determined to cover every bit of gingerbread surface while packing his chipmunk cheeks as full of candy as he possibly could…

 

The boys were way into the activity this year, typically they only last about ten minutes then head off to play while the adults finish up decorating houses (Easter Eggs, etc.) but all three stayed with it the entire time…

Here are our finished houses…from the front:

and the back:

You can probably tell, but Jonah and my house is the one in the back by the Pepsi can, I told you he was determined to leave no surface uncovered.  And here it is from the front, the house on the right:

I’m not sure how that gingerbread girl avoided being covered in candy and icing…

Next year we will have two new helpers, my niece Zoe will be big enough to be at the table, and my 4 1/2 year old nephew from China, who will be coming home to the United States for the first time three weeks from now will both be a part of this tradition.

I’ve been helping Caleb’s new Mommy, my SIL, Lesley, make her first quilt, a 100 wishes quilt for Caleb.  I’ve only instructed her up until now, answering questions for her as needed.  She has cut and sewn every block herself with fabric donated from friends and family.  I have the blocks at home now, while they are in China, because I offered to square them up for her, so she can piece the quilt when they return and finish it up for his new bed. 

We welcomed Caleb into our family in May–having never met him, we already love him and claim him as our’s.  My brother, his wife, and their 6 year old son left Iowa, for Beijing, this morning.  Next week they will meet and adopt their son and brother, Caleb.  And our family will become just a little bigger, and a little more complete.