The scary part

We were out a lot today, and came home tired and hungry. Nothing a good snack of tea and gingerbread couldn't conquer.

Calvin had his first theater class at our homeschool gathering today. It is a several week long class and is the first he is taking via the group. Actually, other than swimming, I think it's his first class period. He has been talking about it non-stop all week, so I was as almost as glad as he was when the day finally arrived. He seemed to have a great time, although there was some disappointment that they are going to be doing a Percy Jackson play when he had been hoping for a Jack and Annie play. Still, he is thrilled, and I think we might try the first Percy Jackson book to see what it's all about.

Speaking of books, Calvin is still on his Magic Tree House kick. He was hell-bent on having all the books in the series, and we'd been slowly buying them (for .25 each) from our library as they came into the sale room, but one of his favorite Christmas gifts was the last five he was missing. He can spend hours reading and play-acting the series all on his own. He loves the magic theme in them—the references to magic spells and Morgan le Fey and Merlin, and will happily march around chanting incantations. He is now asking me to find a copy of the Puffin Classics King Arthur for him to read, since  he saw it listed in the back of his copy of The Wizard of Oz (which we recently replaced with this one that he likes much better, but that's neither here nor there). It is incredibly hard not to cave and give in to every single book desire he has.

As for what we're reading out loud lately, we just finished The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, also by L. Frank Baum, which he loved. You can read all about that below, including the "sort of scary part" (which he wasn't even going to mention until I suggested that he might want to warn other kids).

Getting back on the horse

Swimming yesterday, a little laundry, some exercising, and lots and lots of work at the library. We have a sale coming up this weekend.

Two journal entries, and handful of math worksheets, lots of Lego play, and lots and lots of reading. We both got some great books for Christmas, after all.

There are still piles of laundry, and we have yet to return to the history train, but between a smattering of unexpected doctor visits and all the prep work for the book sale on Saturday, we're still trying to get back on the normal horse.

Up north for new years, 2012

We always head to northern lower Michigan to celebrate a late Christmas and an on-time New Years with my Godmother. It's a trip we look forward to immensely for the silliness, serenity, and snow. Weather is weird this year, and we thought we were out of luck on that last bullet point, but nature delivered just as we were looking to head home, and we got an extra day out of that timing. As for the other two wish list items—silliness is no problem, but serenity is always at an arm's length with a five-year-old. Still, two out of three isn't bad.

More Christmas? Such a lucky boy. Look at those wonderful penguins.

Blue (the dog, not the Christmas)

Sleepy-heads

A cherry-berry pie from Jesperson's in Petoskey, photo taken five—literally five—minutes after we got home with it, still warm from their heavenly ovens.

The bushes were masquerading as dog/bear/snow/burlap people so Jack Frost (and possibly the deer) wouldn't recognize them. I was thoroughly fooled.

Jon and I got some of that serenity we were looking for by heading out the store for some last-minute necessities on New Year's Eve. To extend it a bit we walked, and we also added a few things to list of "necessities" that took us not only to the grocery store, but also into our favorite quaint little town, Harbor Springs. Whose to say that we wouldn't find "necessities" at their little book store?

Bot Bie is a family food tradition. It fits the definition of comfort food to tee—warm, filling, and not so very good for you.

You'd think he'd done all the cooking...

Last nap of 2011.

And finally the snow has arrived.

This is what a chickadee looks like head-on. He makes me giggle.

The bear/dog/snow/burlap people say "Happy New Year!"

And now we're home, the blog is "caught up", Michigan has won the Sugar Bowl (in a not-so-pretty game), and 2012 can get underway.

Well loved friends and a brewery

We headed north for new years as usual, but on the way we detoured to Grand Rapids to visit friends (who are from Seattle now, but come back once a year to visit friends and family). With growing kids and families, once a year hardly seems like often enough to catch up, but we'll take what we can get, and one of these years we'll visit them out in Seattle, too. And since we were headed to Grand Rapids anyhow, we stopped in at Founder's, our favorite Michigan brewery for lunch. Turns out they have really great food, too.

Christmas

Still Christmas Eve...

Christmas morning at home

His favorite gift? The five new Magic Tree House books. He was ecstatic.

Grapes the Penguin. He was on Calvin's Christmas list, and he'd already named him. Grapes.

Grapes is going to be well, well loved.

Programming the car with new music for Christmas

...for a long winter's nap

Eating Christmas calamari and discussing my new (very old) book art. Awesome.

Jon playing with Calvin's new train.

It's Christmas morning all over again!

Puppet chef! Nom nom nom...

Ahhhh...Christmas music

Crooked IPA is crooked

Merry Christmas!