Turning Blue at the Zoo

Since several of our Holiday guests were delayed due to bad weather up north we decided to spend Sunday at the Zoo. Our local zoo isn't the biggest or the best but I am amazed to see something new and fascinating each time we visit. This visit was unique because it was VERY cold out. The advantage to visiting the zoo when it is near freezing-no crowds. The disadvantage -it is freaking cold!

Inner City Safari


Pandas Love the Cold Weather


All Aboard


Geek in training-notice the sandals with socks and back-pack.



No pictures please

Deadliest Catch

No crabs were harmed in the making of this blog-oh wait-they were!

A big Green Family Thank You to Jim and Patty for our Christmas Eve Eve king crab feast. "D's" sister's in-laws were generous enough to overnight 10 pounds of king crab legs for the whole clan to enjoy. While I don't personally enjoy crab (makes a gaging face like my 5 year old does when asked to eat vegetables)-I loved learning to prepare it and I enjoyed watching the Green gang dig-in! Bon Appetit

AWESOME


Big Smiles and Full Tummies

I Want Candy

I have been making Gingerbread Houses with my children ever since they were old enough to stick a gumdrop in a glob of icing. One year I hope that a few hours (if not days) passes between the completion of the Gingerbread House and the inhalation of it. We made the gingerbread houses yesterday-today they have been eaten down to the frame.

"J" demonstrates proper use of the pastry bag


"T" gets the M&M placement "Just Right"



My inspiration (Mom and Me) circa 1975.

Bronze Medal Winner

Wow! "T" won his first award at school. This fall he entered the National PTA "Reflections" contest. This program allows students in grades K-12 to enter their work in both the visual and performing arts as well as composition. "T" entered the photography portion of the contest. "T" took about 200 hundred photos and he had a very difficult time narrowing his entries down to three. The pumpkin photo (courtesy of a pesky little sister who insisted she place one orange pumpkin right in the middle of the white ones) was the bronze medal winner. Congratulations "T".

Under the Sea

After Thanksgiving we headed to Chattanooga (a short drive) to meet up with a friend of mine from college whom I hadn't seen in years. We had as-good-a-time-as-can-be-had trying to catch up on the past 10+ years with kids in tow. It went something like this "oh my gosh did you hear that so-n-so got divorced...stop hitting your sister." We visited the Tennessee Aquarium which while not as flashy as the Georgia Aquarium...is much less crowded therefore way more fun.

Amy's son Kai and "T" and "J" in a brick boat (a brick boat?)


Jill at the Butterfly Garden


In the Shark Tank

Hanging with the Penguins




Amy (aka Chia) and Me Before



And After.....

Ho Ho Ho

It's Santa time at the Green house...or basically time to make the earliest possible appointment to see Santa. Yes they have appointments now and yes we go even before Thanksgiving. I hate lines. The advantage of going to see Santa early is that he is fresh....early in the day he has plenty of energy, no one has peed on him yet, and he takes his time talking to the children.

Our time with Santa may be limited. This year as we were driving to the mall "T" said "is there more than one Santa? Because there has to be one at every mall" then later as he was looking over our Santa photos from previous years he said "Mom, I think there are four Santa's because I see four different Santa's in these pictures". Oh, so that is why parents make such an effort to go to the same "Santa" each year...duh...wish I had thought of that.

Pie in the Sky

Every now and then I try to make up for my failings as a mother by doing something "fun" with the children. I love having make your own pizza night. It is dinner and an activity all in one.