Wood, glorious wood

Phew - we were JUST about to run out. That there is three cords, apparently, although there's no way I would ever be in a position to dispute it. It's the second load this winter and we'll probably need just one more...

The Rejected Xmas Cards

Jami wanted to use the third of these and have done with it, but I objected on the grounds that (a) Thomas's laptop dominated the picture, (b) Thomas was gazing into it, and (c) Frederick was in his pajamas. After extensive healthy debate, Jami took some more the next day, and the Xmas cards coming in the mail are the result...

We fought the law

Yes, this is blatant post-padding, just so we get to 100 for the year, but I also like the pictures.

First Decent Snow

And the ducks are not happy about it. Where are the foot warmers they asked for for Christmas, hmmm?

Simon and Frederick headed out to go sledding. It started snowing yesterday evening so I told Frederick last night as I tucked him in bed that today would be a "big sledding day"--which was a mistake as he lay in bed, giggling, for several hours and was up, wide awake, long before the sun was.

Here he puts in the hard work.

After about an hour, Frederick decides that climbing up hills isn't such fun after all and lying down is much more fun.

Now what should we do?

Ah, yes, tree climbing--an all time favorite.

Here is a good vantage point.

Another Christmas Day

This year seemed to feature a lot of giant apes. Here, Frederick sits next to one, which Thomas gave him, a giant gorilla. He also received a giant orangutan.

Thomas had claimed that he didn't want to receive any Christmas presents this year ("There are too many poor people in the world and I have too many things. Don't get me any more things.") Yet he enjoyed all the presents that he got, nonetheless.

Simon cheerful.

For some reason Grandma insisted that face painting was an amusing way to spend an afternoon. Frederick enjoyed getting whiskers and giving her whiskers. "Grandma has whiskers!" struck him as very amusing.

What's That?!

Despite the gloomy sky and the brisk temps, Frederick and Simon headed out for their usual walkies in For-Mar.

There was a strange rustling noise.

And even stranger footprints.

Then, from out of the woods, came a mob of turkeys.

With Thanksgiving long past and ham the preferred dinner for most Americans on Christmas (not us--we're having a veggie Shepherd's pie), these turkeys seems fairly at ease with the world.

Thomas Doing Time

Thomas was roped into doing charitable deeds yesterday for his FIM group, the Flint Youth Symphony. So he decided that the least painful was hours and hours of wrapping presents at our local Barnes & Noble with Omid.

I dropped him off, mid-afternoon during a sleet/rain/ice storm and Thomas was filled with dread at the thought of having the deal with The Other.

Amazingly, he survived, I think primarily because the storm kept most shoppers at home and many mothers took a shine to him and bought him cookies from the Barnes & Noble cafe/coffee shop.

Out Of Season (Fredericks in the mist)

JacQue was sick (for the first time) today, and Jami had to teach, so I was stuck with juggling both kids. Predictably, Frederick and I went to parks. It was amazingly foggy today. The first place we went to was Pontiac Lake. Observe:

Then we showed up to pick Thomas up from school and he announced he had to "rehearse" "a skit" for "about half an hour", so F. and I popped round the corner to the nearest state park, which was if anything even eerier:

Spot the duck, apparently floating in mid-air: