Gingerbread houses

Last year we started a tradition to make gingerbread houses for Christmas.  This year we tried and tried to find a time we could make.  But since Blake traveled so much during December, we never found a time.  So we decided to make them Sunday - yes, after Christmas.  It was still really fun... actually more fun because there was nothing else going on.  Blake made his super-duper-yummy-extra-soft gingerbread cookies.  My kids always want to eat the houses and candy and I think that's absolutely disgusting (we buy the kits because they stay up better, but they're SO HARD!) so Blake perfected a gingerbread recipe that's heavenly.  We decorate gingerbread cookies and eat those so we can leave the houses as decorations. 

Elizabeth and Lydia helped Blake make cookies.

 Assembling the walls.  Tthat was quite a feat with 5 helpers!) I should have done this ahead of time.

I think this is a funny picture - they wanted to eat the candy right NOW!

 Caleb "kneading" the frosting:

 I bought 2 kits this year - a gingerbread house and a gingerbread train.  They decided they would "pick teams" - the house team and the train team.

The Train Team:

 The House Team:

Caleb absolutely amazed me during this activity.  He wanted to "help" and I envisioned a disaster.  But he helped decorate just like the big kids - with amazing dexterity for a 2 year old!  I had a ball watching the kids have so much fun.

Blake finishing the cookies while we decorated.  He doesn't like decorating and prefers to cook.  That's what he says anyway.  I can't imagine choosing to cook over decorating (I avoid cooking whenever possible!), but if it's true then I'm glad we're both happy doing what we like.

 Time to decorate and eat cookies!!!  We all loved them, but I think Caleb MORE than loved them.  Mr. Picky ate FOUR!!!  (and wanted more, but I said no.)

And the finished product.  They turned out so cute and everyone had so much fun (especially me)!

A few closeups that the kids wanted me to make note of...
Anna made the wreath over the door and the front snowman.  Elizabeth made the second snowman and made sure it had BLUE eyes like she does.  Anna kept praising Elizabeth about how cute her BLUE-eyed snowman is.

Lydia put the lights on the top of the engine and Caleb did the caboose himself.  Michael put the frosting on and Caleb added the candies.  I just told him where to put them and he did the rest alone!!