As part of Advent each year, we always make gingerbread houses together. I even threw a Gingerbread House Party for several two and three year olds when Sam was that age. It was so much fun. We never forgot it!

This year we’re in Virginia with family so I thought it would be fun to host a family gingerbread house party! We set the date and told everyone to bring 3 bags of candy per family. We provided spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and the other two families covered salad and bread.

After dinner we got to work on our gingerbread houses. The only rule was that everyone had to make one – even Big Papa! Mark and I assembled the houses beforehand for each person so there were no, “my house won’t stay together” moments. Plus this made it easier for Timmy and Sam since they are much younger, allowing Mommy and Daddy to participate too. I also made sure there were enough icing bags for each person to have, and we all just passed around the colors.

If you want to throw a party, or just make gingerbread houses without paying a fortune, check out this post.

First everyone filled up mini-muffin papers with all the various candies. I’ve found this easier than sitting the candy on the table and passing it around. Eventually, we pull the bowls over, but mini-muffin papers are perfect!

This boy has been asking to make gingerbread houses since December 1st. I think the countdown to today has been just as exciting for him as Christmas Day!

Timmy’s house stayed mostly bare. It took him quite a while to get in on the decorating. He was perfectly content eating all his candy.

He finally asked me to help him put a candy cane on top. He really wanted it to stand up straight, but we couldn’t get to stay.

The works of Uncle Ray Ray in the front.

Timmy’s is on the left. Mark’s is on the right.

Daddy’s meticulous work. 🙂

I think this might be Grammy’s. I’m already starting to forget which was which! They were all really good.

Emmy’s house.

Sam’s very, very meticulous work. He didn’t ask for help a single time. He knew what he was doing and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. I think it was all he expected it to be. 🙂

Timmy’s finished work!

A better look at Daddy’s house.

This one is mine. Merry Christmas!

When we were all finished, everyone voted for their favorite gingerbread house. The only rule was that you couldn’t vote for your own. Once the count came in, we had a four way tie. So we all voted again on those four houses.

It was a tight race, but Jackson pulled away the winner and he walked with $20. He’s the one who really thought he’d lose. He said when he found out we’d all be voting at the end, “Mine always turn out horrible.” I’m always up for an underdog win. 🙂

I think it was the snow that won it for him!

I really had no idea what to expect when we started, but what a great time we had! I can’t wait for the second annual gingerbread house party!

We trimmed our tree and put out several of our Christmas decorations today. We decided to get a fake tree this year after many years of real ones. We love it!

I am pretty sure Timmy never wears clothes when I plan to take pictures of “memory making” moments. He was dressed the same last year too. This year we had to keep telling him that the ornaments weren’t balls.

Sam knew what he was doing. He looks so big!

Cutie patooty!

Timmy didn’t believe us about the no ball thing. Sad moment…

I love having a fireplace, even though we don’t use it for a fire. haha!What a peaceful sight!

One of my favorite things about where we live is the town events. Halloween is one of my favorites. It’s always fun with family because there is a lot of thought that goes into the costumes.

This year I am pregnant and in the throws of first trimester, so coming up with a costume idea was hard. I put it off and put it off as I listened to Sam rattle off ideas. We talked about David and Goliath, dressing up as S’mores, and countless other things. But Sam eventually settled on a rocket ship. When I asked him what Timmy would be, he said, “Moon and stars, of course.” Oh, well, duh then.

I tried to sway him in another direction. How was I going to manage two homemade costumes when I couldn’t even get off the couch? But it was the night before Halloween when all through the house the children were bathing, and my time was running out. I asked him again, and he said, “Rocket ship, Mama.” I looked at Mark and said, “We’re going to make this happen.”

So we set to work when the kids should have been in bed and built the bones of the costume. We finished it the next day after a harried trip to Wal-Mart for a few supplies to make Timmy’s, and in the end, I’m glad we did. It turned out cute and the boys were excited!

The helmet for Sam’s costume made it. Thanks, Daddy!

Look at those happy cuties!

We also made a cute hand print pumpkin.

We joined the cousins for some trick or treating through town. The donut and slurpee was amazing too!

That light was a hit! Of course some people thought he was a flashlight, but who cares. 😉

A very happy moon and stars!

What a fun night! Love this tradition.

We spent Thanksgiving in Steamboat again. It’s just too much to try to fly out this time of year, and the thought of alternating families just sounds awful. Even though we miss family on this special holiday, we’ve managed to make it fun and have found that we (Mark and I) really enjoy preparing the feast together!