Gingerbread Houses

For three years running, my sister, Karen, has had us over for a Gingerbread House Extravaganza. She bakes these houses, from scratch. Since she only has one mold, it takes her like a week to bake all of the necessary pieces. Each "kid" gets their own individual house. Not just my kids, but Karen's too. Her youngest is 15! Unfortunately, the oldest, Erin (who turned 21 yesterday--shout out!) has never been a part of this event. We thought this year was the year, but she HAD to spend the night in Paris since her flight from Italy was delayed. Poor thing. Seriously, we missed her and hope that maybe next year, she can participate. But Patrick and Megan, 19 and 15 respectively, have been a part of this tradition every year! Our kids LOVE it and look forward to it! Who wouldn't LOVE the candy buffet that IS gingerbread house making? We are so thankful to have an Aunt Karen that takes care of our gingerbread house needs. She ROCKS!

Amelie arranges Christmas Peeps in a bowl, while Megan waits patiently in the ready position. Can you even believe ALL of that candy?

Bowie Grandma (my mom) assists Amelie, who really didn't need much help this year.

Duncan was on Linus duty.

Linus could have cared less about the house. But once he got a taste of that frosting, he kept snatching the candy that Duncan used to decorate the house. It was hilarious!

Bowie Grandpa assisted Violet, who was a bit more independent this year.

More candy snatching...

Violet was interested in how everyone else decorated their houses.

She picked up a few ideas.

Megan is always masterful.

Patrick (Let's Go, Mountaineers!) always does a nice job. See that uniformity?

It was the last straw when Linus grabbed a handful of sprinkles. He had to be removed from the table.

Amelie took her time this year.

Violet and Megan had completed their houses and were taking a break. Everyone was quite pleased with the gingerbread outcome this year. Such fun!

On a final note, the Rudolph dress worn by Violet that day was made for Erin when she was a tiny tot. It's been passed down all of these years and is still in great shape!

I think I need to go and schedule some dental appointments or something.