December - Banket Pics

Banket Paste Day 2 - it went even faster with 5 instead of 2!

Rachel and her mixer right before it died.

I promise this will be the last banket post :). Here we are

hard at work in the kitchen we rented. It was such a great time

of fun and fellowship - I am truly blessed to know and

have these women as my friends!

Cousin Judy!

Seriously, how could you not have fun with these two!

The assembly line method worked the best!

December - Dinosaurs Take Over The World

I think this pic is hilarious because Nikki is so into her broom...

Courtney has loved dinosaurs for a very long time. These are hers.
Now Thomas is addicted thanks to "Dinosaur Train." What is hilarious
is that when Courtney lines them up, he says their names.
Three year olds should not say big words like that.


I think Thomas wants some dinosaurs of his own!

December - Banket Sale Begins!

Here's John selling banket at the Green Barn, where we buy most of our fresh produce. He really liked taking people's money and figuring out the change!

December

Hey family! Sorry I did not get December done yet but I am getting sleepy! Pics of Christmas and the latest and greatest K baby coming soon! :) Good night!

Late November - Keven M visits!

Keven popped in for a few days after Thanksgiving,

and we really enjoyed his visit and hope he comes again.

Thomas latched right onto him, of course...

Keven and Calvin went to Vancouver for a day to

check out some of the Olympic venues. This is the

speed skating oval, currently open for public skating.

We decorated the banket with Christmas carol stars.

Courtney lined them up on every windowsill she could reach while

Leshia was cutting them out. Today I found another

ten in my bedroom behind a side shade that had been down for awhile.

This window seat gets a lot of use from the little

people. This is also Thomas' newest cheezy smile.

On the rare occasion he doesn't shut his eyes.

Betsy Ross

November - DH Thanksgiving

They set a very pretty Thanksgiving table!

Uncle Jim ready to open in prayer...

Following are pics of the cherished DH tradition of

building "gingerbread" houses after the dishes are done...

They have been doing this since Calvin's cousins were about

John's age. Now they are in college or in their thirties...and

still loving it!

This picture was taken after most of the "gingerbread" houses were built.

It was a tough year as most of our graham crackers were

cracked out of the box. This is the time that the "grownups" come

to watch the last ones finish up - that way they can snoop candy!

John and I made an animal cracker zoo this year. It was

waaaaaay easier than a house!

This is the first year Calvin made a house, mostly

because someone had to help Thomas :)! He had a lot

of fun and Thomas just thinks "his" shack is the best

thing ever. He won't let me move it from his bedroom!
Every day we have to fix the mailbox - it falls over...

This photo will show you that C's cousins are

truly crazy. Yes, that is a Dremmel tool being used.

They are a very competitive breed!

Molly always works slow and her house is always the best.

This year she made a Christmas tree out of green chewing gum cut in

triangles, pasted on an icecream cone. It was amazing.

Uncle Jim is admiring Benjamin's post-modern cube...

He gave up on his rather ambitious plan to build a suspension bridge,

which had thread and everything! It collapsed :(

November - Random Photos

More proof that my husband is a really good daddy...

Calvin & "Kuip" talking MI football, what else?!

Thomas' first "shave" - he loves it now!

John eating a whole stick of banket - he sold over 20

on his own. He tripped on the sidewalk with the sample while bringing

some money back to the house and was devastated...

until I told him he might as well eat it! He is just like his daddy!

Here is Leshia during banket-paste making day#1. We

did 50 pounds that day. We ended up selling 945 sticks as

a school fundraiser. Different moms made all the ingredients

before hand, and then we got together in a school kitchen and

rolled them out on two separate nights...It was a lot

of work but so much fun!