Gingerbread Houses (and fun with friends)

The Dukes invited us over for a second year in a row to decorate gingerbread houses and for general merriment:

Benji and Dylan putting on a play

Benji as santa claus

Hot Cocoa and Secret Santas

Fun Friday night. At Panera for cocoa after our annual holiday light tour:

Once we got home, we decided to let the kids open their secret santa gifts (in order to spread out the joy). This year, the CMC crew decided to have the kids do a secret santa with each other (thanks for the idea, Amy!). We used an online site, Elfster, which matched the kids up and let them ask each other anonymous questions. Julia and Sophia ended up getting our kids, which meant they had a pretty good idea of what they would like. They were still in heaven the next morning:

Benji with his "tornado" car

Abby reading Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

Holiday Food Drive

We decided that our family service project this year would be the annual food drive for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. I was not sure how the kids would do, but they were fantastic! Benji walked right up to every person who entered the store and said "Hi. I am Benji. We are doing a food drive today for the food bank. Please buy one item on this list and then put it in this bin. Thank you." The customers ate him up, and several came back to tell us they only gave because of him. I expected Abby to be shy, but she put herself right out there and says she wants to do it again:

Creative Hanukkiah Contest 2014

We decided on a solar system theme this year:

Benji with our prize -- a dozen doughnuts for Hannukah!

The Day After

Didn't realize I had these on my back-up SD card. The day after Julia's sleepover, still up in Herndon:

Steph made a riddle hunt for the little ones, who desperately wanted to participate the night before

Benji and Sophia puzzle out the clue

Tired girls zoned out in front of the Disney Channel

Making Christmas Cookies

Gingerbread men!

More Family Photos

We were trying to get a good one in our Christmas attire:

Julia's 11th Birthday Sleepover (and Happy Birthday Julia!)

I was tickled when I realized I was posting this on Julia's actual birthday. We traveled up to Herndon last week for the annual sleepover:

Twister

New -- and very messy - game. There were marshmallows and chocolate sauce everywhere

Spin the bottle nail polish game

Best friends

Trimming the Tree 2014

Our traditional "trim-the-tree" night:

Hats added an extra dimension this year

Tree trimming treat spread

Abby played some carols

Benji decorating at his level

Don't I look like Santa?

Benji did the topper this year. Whoops -- tree is too high -- Kevin needed to take the top off

Boar's Head Tree Lighting

Fun chance to see the holiday decorations there:

Another Visit to Santa

Family photo this time:

Thanksgiving Plays

Benji has been interested (more like obsessed) with directing and producing plays in his bedroom. He has turned his bunk bed into a box office and plugged his microphone into his CD player. He uses his projector as a spot light and insists that we all join in as both audience and actor. On Thanksgiving weekend, he produced two plays. I took some cast photos after the second:

Thanksgiving Day 2014

We had a quiet day at home. Abby and Benji dressed themselves "fancy:"

We made our traditional Thankful 4s:

In the afternoon, Gammy joined us for dinner:

And another thankful year in the bag.