A little coloring action x 4

Last night our friends Caleb, Joshua and Abi came over.  I like having four kids at the table.  I especially like them all at the table making art!

book buddies

Theo spent the morning Wednesday and I couldn't resist pictures of two cute boys exploring good books.  (And one must love Theo's curls!)

Mornings at our house

Theo, Dashiell, and Morley came over Wednesday morning (Morley isn't in the picture.)

My first Mitten:  I just decided to knit Jonah mittens and am really enjoying using a knitting pattern and learning some different skills.  

Jonah helped make cookies for uncle Jeff this Morning.  He loves licking that spoon!

Jonah wanted to paint this morning.  I was soaking beans to make "Gingery marinated chick-peas" and a "four-bean salad" from the Moosewood Cookbook and he thought that the beans were pretty cool.  All that to say we ended up with a nice bean and paint collage - quite fun.

The buzz at Sophia's Birthday party

Jonah's friend Sophia had a bug themed birthday party.  The setting for our little bumblebees, ladybirds, and other flying friends was an indoor play gym - which Jonah thought was the coolest place ever.  

The night before the party I hand sewed strips of yellow fleece around a black shirt and sweatpants (the ones that grandma sent for a pilgrim costume).  I added some tulle for wings and Jonah was a very excited bumble bee.  I was planning on taking the stripes off, but it is so cute and he loves it so I may leave them on and see if they survive a wash.

The kids loved the bug themed books and antenna head bands.   

Caleb, Jonah, Abigail and Sophia

Jonah loved the slide, but it was really fast.  I went down with him once and then had someone tell me adults can't go down - whoops!  Luckily Caleb who is five didn't mind a scared, yet eager Jonah going down behind him.

Happy 3rd Birthday Sophia!

New Years Day in the Scottish Countryside

We spent New Years day at some friend's cottage in the scottish countryside.

Jonah loved playing outside with Piper a very amiable beagle who will sit, stay and fetch for Jonah.  It is every 2 1/2 year olds dream to have someone who will obey them for hours on end.

Jonah is loving his new hat that Cousin Elijah (and family) sent him for Christmas.  His hat from last year wasn't covering his ears so well any more.

Cliff and Sheila (it was their home) and Sarah and Shawn (they own Piper)

Daddy and Jonah are following behind.

We all took a mile walk to a castle.

Boxing Day

So I was making the waffles, but Casey took these great photos and told me I could snag them off her blog.  We had our friends and neighbors Casey and Jesse - their boys Dashiell and Morley and John and Jannah and their boys Theo and Emmaus and John's sister Hannah over for boxing day brunch.

Here is Jonah enjoying one of the first waffles off of the new waffle iron my parents gave me for Christmas.  Thanks!  They are so yummy!

Jannah, John, Me and Casey (Theo and Dashiell are at Jo's table)

John brought his guitar and we sang some Christmas songs.  I got out my mandolin - though I'm not much good at playing it.  I should practice, but I never seem to get to it.

Dashiell loved Jonah's Kitchen set and he even served Jim pizza.

Christmas Dinner

Over a dozen families from the St. Mary's community met at a church hall to share Christmas dinner.  After dinner we sang carols with the kids.

Jonah loved playing with his friends.  Joshua, Abigail and Jonah are in a perfect hide out in the hallway behind the kitchen door.

A family photo and it's even on Christmas day - we don't get many of these, but our friend Shawn took this one for us.

Christmas Eve

More Christmas reading.  I just realized how many photos I have from the past few days of Jim and Jonah reading together.  There are probably several reasons for this. First, if Jim is reading with Jonah that means I have time to take a picture.  Second, they have been reading a lot in the past couple days.  But mostly, I think it is because there are few things I find more wonderful than hearing them read and talk about the pages of a good book.

So we gave Jonah the table from Granddad and Grandma on Christmas eve so that he and Joshua and Caleb could eat at it on Christmas eve night.  I even managed to make his little table a table cloth to match the one on the big table.  What a hit!

Our friends, the Gabrielsons joined us on Christmas eve for the Wingard traditional soup and star bread.  Followed by their fudge and my cookies - yum, it was a good night!

A Pilgrim and Wampanog Thanksgiving party

Jonah's friends Isaiah and Joshua show their handprint turkeys

Jonah devours his turkey cupcake

Jonah's turkey...  "The turkeys are here, the turkeys are there, the turkeys are everywhere!  The turkeys are up, the turkeys are down, the turkeys, the turkeys, the turkeys all around!  The turkeys are in, the turkeys are out, the turkeys, the turkeys the turkeys are all about!" (You can sing this to The Farmer and the Dell and do the motions with a turkey)

My little pilgrim with his Wampanog headdress.