It has been a very busy time for us. Well...for me, specifically. Last week, I did not each lunch at all at work, just because I was seeing patients that whole time. In the evenings we have had Christmas presentations and concerts from all the kids, and the weekends have been busy shuttling cars to/from various destinations. It's been wild, and is finally showing signs of slowing down. Here is a brief highlight list of our last little while.

1) Gingerbread contest. Whoville won by a landslide. It wasn't even close. Good job to everyone, but especially to team Whoville.

2) My knee is finally feeling better. I mentioned it a little bit in the last blog, and I was originally more worried than I let on. It's taken a couple of weeks, and it's still a little sore, but I skied yesterday and I'm back to full-on leg days in the gym. A week from now I think I'll be a hundred percent again.

3) The kids have all been annoyingly under-the-weather. Not like super sick or anything. Just coughing. A LOT. Our house sounds like a hospital. 

4) Lindsey choir concert. This was an outdoor concert at the Post Falls Winter Festival at city hall.

5) Church potluck and chili cookoff. Rachel defended her title from last year and came away a second time with the winning dish. 

6) Skiing with friends. 

We forgot forks. No problem.

Addy and Jace

Evelyn and Josh

7) High school band concert. Both girls did great.

9) Unpagent. It is a Sunday devoted to a reenactment of the nativity. Lindsey was a wise gal. Addy played in the ensemble. 

10) Maren Voice recital. She did great. I am always a little bit surprised at how big her voice is when she sings. 

First things first. Gingerbread house contest. We do this every year. At first, it wasn't competitive at all- it was just a thing that Rachel and I did for fun. Then we started doing it with extended family. Then kids got involved. And now, Rach and I stand aside pretty much completely and just watch in on the action. It's a fun tradition.

Not everyone. We had around 20 people working on houses this year. This is just the beginning.

We do need some judges though, and that is where, if you are reading this, I will ask that you let us know your vote. Leave a comment, send a text, call us up...whatever. 

Here are the contenders:

 This creation features a vibrant coral reef teeming with life. Colorful, candy-coated rocks form the base, while intricate sugar-spun seaweed sways in the current. A school of gummy fish swim among the coral, enjoying their underwater habitat.

Here we have Whoville, from the Grinch who stole Christmas. Classic. The Whos are standing outside of their whimsical houses, holding hands around the tree. The Grinch (and Max) look down on the scene from the top of Mt. Crumpet as their hearts begin to grow.

The Banana farm, with banana trees and bananas everywhere.  A playful shark family makes their home here, and their peculiar appetite for bananas adds a quirky twist to this sweet and sunny creation

The candy shelter. This one is a little bit sad. There were big plans to do a ski resort. They tried real hard and had many committee meetings along the way. It didn't really work out in the end, so they just cut their losses, made a teepee, and stuffed it with all the candy they wanted to eat later on. It's not a bad strategy. In the foreground, the skeletal remains of a parking lot serve as a poignant reminder of the dream that once was.

The bowling alley. This was a side project, but I promised I would put it on.

So...Which one wins? Let me know!

*****

Next up: Thanksgiving. To be honest, the day itself was a little "meh." We sat around the house, watched some football, made some food, and sat around the house some more. I think there were people who really appreciated the laid-back day. I'm not great at sitting around, so the other days of the vacation were a bit better for me.

Of course we went skiing as part of the break. I was hoping to get a full four days in over the course of the week, but an ugly fall and tweaked knee forced me to take a couple of rest days. Nothing serious except for a damaged ego, and I'm already looking forward to being back on the slopes next weekend. We have had an amazing start to the season.

Also, Rach and I took an overnight getaway to the Wallace house and completely finished the next phase of the attic project. So far we have the subfloor, walls, and ceiling all the way finished. Windows are scheduled for installation later this month. Carpet and lighting will be done in January, and we are already discussing furniture and décor. We'll for sure have a little electric fireplace and are aiming for a cozy nook with maybe some bedding options. It is exciting to see things actually happening here and will make our little vacation house that much more versatile. 

Since it gets dark so early we are usually able to enjoy some spectacular sunsets before going back down to reality.

*****

There have been a few performances that we should mention. The first is Maren's showcase for a drama class she has been in. She got a central role in the play (a fairy-tale mash-up where she was the blue fairy), and she did a great job.

The next is just when Ev and I played at church last week. It's not the first time we've played together, but it was probably the best for me so far. There was a magical moment when the band was totally in flow together, and the congregation was obviously connecting with the music, and we all just looked at each other, smiled, and nodded, then kept going like, yeah, this is pretty sweet. I think it's really cool and rewarding that Ev and I get to share this music thing.

*****

Finally, a few more photos of the gingerbread contest. Don't let the teams sway your opinion.