The Red-Headed Groundhog

Ginger turned 13 on Groundhog's Day. It really seems like Pen should still be 13, but whatever. I was going to wait until after Ginger's friend birthday party this weekend to write this post, but the procrastination was getting on my nerves. I'll just have to include some photos from her friend party in my next photo dump.

Since Ginger's birthday fell on a Sunday, we were able to enjoy it in a leisurely way as a whole family. Kinda nice. Ginger did a lot of reading and listening to music-- two of her favorite pastimes. I hope she found her birthday as relaxing and enjoyable as I'd hoped for her.

She actually let Pen curl her hair, but aborted the mascara attempt after one eye. You can only tell if you really look. I think she was just happy to be doing something with her sister. Edith got in on the action, too, when it came time to paint nails. Fun with sisters is the best. Doesn't Ginger look beautiful?

I fixed Ginger's favorite Chicken Tikka Masala for dinner. It was delish. We haven't had anything with a similar flavor recently so it was a really good choice. Thanks for picking it, Ginger! Mmmmm… just thinking about the leftovers in the freezer makes my mouth water.

After dinner we gave Ginger a chance to open her gifts. She got a pair of shoes and 3 books. Just about perfect, I'd say.

Ginger's cake of choice was a big hit with everyone. I made my go-to chocolate cake and frosted it with stabilized vanilla bean whipping cream, with a little dark chocolate grated on top. 

It really was such a great day, I think. I sure hope Ginger thinks so, too. Happy Birthday, Ginger! We love you!

Sledding Together

I totally forgot about these pictures I took of Edith and Big sledding together in the back yard on the day after Christmas. They were so cute together that I just have to post about it. We only have one saucer sled left (all the others went to sled heaven), and Big was such a good brother to take turns and help his sister learn the ropes. 

Even though Edith couldn't seem to manage to stay upright in the saucer, she was having a blast sledding with her brother.

Big waited patiently for her to take her turn before taking his own…

…and then helped his sister again. Over and over.

His turn.

Her turn.

I could tell that helping his sister so patiently was making him feel really good inside. 

And when Edith finally managed to stay upright as she went down the hill…

…his smile was just as big as hers was. 

Thanks for being such a great brother, Big! 

Finding Normal

I don't know what it was about break this year, but I had a really hard time feeling like I could get back into my routine when it was over. Maybe because the break was so long it made going back more of a shock. But, eventually, we started to find normal again. 

A lot of our normal is doing stuff that we enjoyed during break, too-- reading books…

..doing puzzles together…

..and shoveling snow. Edith does a really good job, but both of us were really missing Big. No one has the same love of (or stamina for) shoveling that Big has. 

The back-to-normal of it all is that it's just the two of us doing it together. Edith really misses having other kids around during the day to do things with. It sure is quiet around here.

Part of our normal, of course, is taking trips to the bread store. They know us (and think that Edith is the cutest) so we always score a nice big sample. I think the chocolate cherry bread might just be her new favorite.

I knew we were headed for a long stretch of bad air, so I made sure to get Edith out one afternoon. I thought she would want to go for a tricycle ride but she really wanted to take her new stroller out for a spin. As is typical, once you mention you're going out EVERYONE wants to go, so Edith loaded her stroller up with 4 baby dolls, a puppy dog, a horse, a bunny, and a hedgehog. We don't get to get outside much in the winter around here, what with the frequent bad air, so it was lovely to be out. We walked and walked and walked.

We are trying to add a few new things to our normal, too. I really like this new recipe. The whole family likes it, in fact, which definitely means it will become a new part of our normal.

Rophone has also started having family band practice/jam sessions with the kids. A huge hit. It makes me smile. So big. Edith got so into it that she gave herself a blister on her finger and tore it off. That's some vigorous strumming. I hope we keep it up, because it's awesome.

Christmas break was a lot of fun, but the normal isn't too bad, either. I can't wait for more normal tomorrow!