Ryleigh helped me make my new door decoration. All of her sketching over the last few months has led to an artist who can do delicate work for her Mom.
RJ helped me make a pumpkin cake roll. It helped him knock out one of his assignments for the month of November. It also allowed us to talk fractions and math. And, he found out he can make a pretty delicious cake. He polished off the cake today for me.
Thursday was a bit of a lazy day for the kiddos. Ryleigh did puzzles all morning. RJ discovered a 3-D puzzle game tucked into a corner of our game cabinet. They enjoyed some quiet concentration before lunch.
They both requested naps Thursday afternoon. Jip wanted one, too. So, they all headed upstairs. But, when they got there, Ryleigh couldn't find a comfy spot. Instead she decided to make her own--in the hallway.
Friday was outside decoration day. It was nearly 70 degrees, so we took advantage of the mild temps and fetched all of the Christmas stuff from the storage unit and got the front of the house looking lovely.
Saturday was inside decorating day. But first--breakfast at Denny's and a Home Depot Workshop. The kids enjoyed their reindeer cups and the reindeer pancakes. Mom and Dad liked the HD Workshop--hardly anyone was there, so there was no fighting over table space or hammers or paint. The kids made picture frame ornaments, and I'll say that they turned out better than most of their HD workshop projects.
We finished decorating the tree Saturday morning and the village, or "Ryleigh Town" as RyJo calls it, was complete by mid Saturday afternoon. RJ liked helping with the tree, but when it came time to do the village, he decided that he should watch his iPad and build a Lego set that Jip got out of the storage unit. Once the village was done, the kids played outside for a bit while Jip ran the bins back to the storage unit. The process was definitely faster this year with Jip being here, using the trailer to make fewer trips, and the small helpers actually helping.
We bid Jip good-bye this week for what should be his last underway on this ship. They should be back for Christmas, but I'm crossing my fingers Jip will be home in time for Breakfast with Santa. We also need to take in some holiday lights and deliver Christmas cheer (cookies and wine) to friends. So, hurry back, Jip!
As for the rest of us, it should be a pretty normal week. The kids and I will be taking a little road trip next weekend to Raleigh to meet up with a dear friend. The kids are looking forward to the pool. I'm looking forward to catching up with T and her daughter. I just hope the kids don't drive me totally crazy during the 3+ hour drive each way.
As always, pics to come. Until next time, cheers!
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