Christmas Day

Sugar

Seby and Zane being amazed at how MUCH sugar I was putting in for the buttercream. I am making 4 batches at one time, so it is an amazing amount of sugar. It was bedtime and Slade was putting them down - but they had to wait until I got the water in - so they could watch the sugar dissolve.......



Here is the buttercream (with all that sugar!) made and ready to sit until we decorate the Bush de Noel cakes tomorrow. There is no room in the fridge (and we also already have stuff out at Erika's) so I am using our last resort fridge/freezer space. It is the corner cabinet in our dining room. It is 9.6 degrees outside (at this later hour)!

Happy Holidays!

New Orleans

Does anybody out there have some ideas about doing volunteer work in New Orleans?

I'm hoping that next spring for Cody's spring break (which is different dates then his brothers) he and I will go do some volunteer work in New Orleans.

I have been looking at some ideas, but would love to hear others.

Crows

The black crows are flying around. Erika told me about a walk she went on early the other morning. She said there were a ton of crows in the trees by the Minneapolis Art Institute. Well it looks like this afternoon they were over a few blocks.

A Christmas Carol

Here are the boys at the Guthrie during intermission of A Christmas Carol. We went to lunch at their restaurant, Level Five Cafe. Slade and I have season tickets and usually have dinner at Cue, the restaurant on the main level. Level Five Cafe was more of a burgers and sandwich stop - which was perfect for our crowd.

Zane was a bit scared by the performance -- and I lied to him (didn't mean to). There were really four ghosts, not the three I told there would be. Remember? Ops, bad mommy.

It was a very fun day and we can't believe that this is the best picture of the many we took.

Community Service

Pictures of the kids doing Community Service, of course!

I went with a group from the JH to do some community service at the local public elementary school. We read to a class of 2nd graders. It was in the school's library. The kids picked out books and then found someone to read to them, or we approached them. They were all very eager to have someone read to them. Then we spent some time with them in the computer lab, where they had to log onto a network and do a typing program. It was great to watch the JH kids - Graham, Sam, Oliver, Lena & Ingrid - interact with the younger kids. I look forward to doing it again with them in the spring.

I meant to take pics of the JH kids reading to the 2nd graders, but I spent the whole time reading also! There would of been some great shots of each one of them!

Snow!

It is been snowing all day. We got about 6 inches on Saturday and at this point I think we have another 3-4 inches - with the snow stopping late this evening!

Doorbell - oh cool, I just got our UPS driver to pick up a large pre-paid package!

The snow is awesome. Zane has been going out in the back yard the last two mornings to play in the snow before going to school - where he also gets time to play in the snow!

I had to take a pic of the house and carraige house for our insurance company.



Don't you love the wreaths that Erika made? She and Graham hung them this morning. I have forbidden Slade to put out the Santa, etc this year. This year we will have tasteful holiday decorations!



Here is the carraige house.



We put up a lot of the holiday decorations this past weekend. Zane is loving it. We still haven't finished putting on the ornaments and he isn't too happy about it.

Here is the pic we are using for our holiday card this year (first one is too many years!)



This pic was taken at Muir Woods in SF when we were out visiting in October.

Ok, the kids are all getting off the bus - so I must run!

Slade and I went to Naples, Florida this past weekend. It was a business trip for him that spouses are invited to. All expenses paid vacation for us. It was quite lovely.

We also had some great spa treatments and one afternoon took an airboat trip into the Everglades. We saw a few gators and the boat riding was a blast. This is a pic from my phone as we head out on the boat.



Here is Slade on the beach on our last day. We laid out in the sun and read the paper, we really gave into laying around and doing nothing!



Sunset from the hotel room.



It was a great trip and we hope that we will be invited back yet again. Last year the trip was to the Biltmore in Phoenix. Who knows where it will be next year.

Luckily the amazing Erika stayed with the kids while we were gone. She and Zane made pepper jelly out of the banana peppers left on his plant. She had a great time getting to know them more.

Frost Please!

You wouldn't think I'd be asking for that, yet I am. A frost will kill all the crap that is causing seasonal allergies in my house.

The kids have been sick this past week. Well, actually Zane is the only one who isn't. We feel like it has been FOREVER since they have been ill. It is from seasonal allergies. I didn't quite realize this until Graham came home Wednesday from his 6-week residency at the Land School - and has the same nasty cough and congestion as Cody & Sebastian. Halloween week is also a nervous week for me. It is a time when someone has been quite ill for most of our parenting years. This year Sebastian has the worst case.

On Tuesday I kept him home for a nasty sounding cough. You know, the kind that sounds like it is going to infect all those around. He stayed home Wednesday, and Thursday. Thursday mid-afternoon it got worse and I called to make an apointment with the Doc. Friday first thing we were set to go in. But then with 30 more minutes of the Doc's office being open I decided to take him there (they are one walkable block away). They were none too happy to see us showing up without an appointment, I apologized right away and just said "Sorry, I'd rather bring him here then to the ER later." Luckily the Doc agreed, unfortunately Sebastian is now on steriods. His cough is much better though! And the steriods make him starving and full of energy. He is speeding around the house. Lucky for us some friends asked if they could bring Seby & Zane home after church this morning. So they have him speeding around their house and eating all their food! I guess I should of warned her. Ops.

Today Cody is taking a turn with his cough/asthma. Unfortunately he is on all the highest doses of preventative meds. But, he is hanging in there with taking nebs. Hopefully we will keep him out of the Doc's office this week.

Well now it is Monday and I still haven't finished this post. It turns out that Cody's asthma was in obvious needs of steriods and I took him off to the ER Sunday afternoon to get some. Maybe this will be the year that they ALL get it. Zane woke up this morning saying "everytime I cough my heart hurts." - which means his chest. Oh lucky me. As long as we get them all well enough for me to feel comfortable to leave with Slade on Thursday to a trip to Naples, Florida. Those steriods work so fast I'm sure all will be fine.

Well I might get my wish for frost. Our lake house is getting snow as I type and we might get a dusting this evening. Bring it on!

Reunion Weekend

Not enough time to add more pics and write more about our weekend in California - I promise I'll do it next week! Right now we are heading out for a weekend at the lake house. Must put away the rest of the summer stuff - canoe and kayaks! Maybe it will be warm enough for one last paddle around the lake. We are bringing our winter gear of course, who knows how cold it might get!

We had a fabo time in California, it was of course too short. But, we are busy planning some trips for next winter/summer to come back. Seby & Zane had the most fun playing with all their cousins. Cody & Graham really like Muir Woods and seeing other sights.

Smith Reunion

Here are all the grandkids with the grandparents!

We had a great time on our too quick trip to California!

It was so great to see everyone and we will have to plan another (longer) trip out sometime in the spring/summer.

I will post more about our weekend and pics too! Must get to bed so I can get up at the crack of dawn to drive Graham out to the Land School in Wisconsin.

Alum Campout & Fall Festival

Today was the Fall Festival for the kid's school. This is the biggest event at the Land School for the school community. Graham has been out at the Land School since September 24th! So it was fun to get to see him too! Last night Slade drove out with Cody and four friends who all graduated last year. It was the first Alum Camp Out at the Land School. Slade camped out too. As it turns out all the kids crashed in the basement of the Homestead (the building where the dorms are). Slade stayed outside in the tent! It sounds like it was a great time for all and a new tradition that all are looking forward to continuing.

Here is Graham helping prepare dinner for the residency kids and the alums. Also visiting were a group of kids from Great Rivers (a Montessori High School in St. Paul) and a Montessori school from Connecticut that was also started by Larry & Pat Schaefer (our school founders).



Here is Graham sitting with kids from the Connecticut school.



Some of the alums at the campfire - texting of course!



Mr. D singing and playing the guitar.


These are the alums that Slade drove out.





Here Zane and some friends are playing in one of the many farm "buildings."


Seby bobbing for apples.


Graham sneaking up on Seby to say hello!


Here Zane and his good friend Chole are looking for the perfect pumpkin.



Zane has found his favorites.


Slade and Zane back from a hay ride around the farm.


The homestead from the hay ride that Seby and I went on. What a view Graham has been having for these last few weeks!


Our awesome school community musicians are giving a great show.


Two of the Land School teachers and two others I don't know are giving us all a taste for a very interesting dance. I can't even remember what it was called. It was quite lively though!


Slade and Zane making a wreath out of straw.


Zane face painting. First year he wasn't spiderman!