Graham Cracker Creations

Last year, we introduced my family to one of David's family traditions: Graham Cracker Creations.  Here were the results:

This year, there was great anticipation for this event.  Emma (Shelly's 5-year-old) was begging to do them right when David and I arrived.  She did wait, however.

Here I am preparing bags of mortar for the building portion.

Candy ready to go on the table.

Ready and excited participants!  My mom, Nicole, Jeff, and Emma.

Getting started.

 

David pondering what to do next.

Janene still working on frosting.  (We have 2 different types of frosting.  The mortar is so strong that if you use it to attach candy, you won't be able to get the candy off.)

My mom working on her Appalachian Trail shelter.  (There's a fire inside, you just can't see it yet.)  Nicole with her stable.  She made a Nativity scene.

Jeff with his football field.  This is where we determined that we didn't have enough M&Ms.

My dad with his creation.

Shelly working on her tree.

My completed creation.  "There was an old lady who lived in a shoe."

David's completed creation.  I really like his mast.

And of course, the sharks are great, too.

So, another successful year of Graham Cracker Creations.

Jewelry Making

One of our Christmas Break activities was Jewelry Making.  Here I am with Nicole and Emma, showing them what kinds of things they can try.

Nicole displaying her new earrings and necklace.

Brooklyn displaying Emma's new necklace and bracelet.

Brooklyn really likes jewelry.  When the first bracelet Emma made broke (I hadn't attached the clasp well enough), Brooklyn picked up the remaining string and motioned downstairs, where I was.  Apparently she had figured out who could fix it.

Shelly had to go pick out her own beads at the craft store, but here's what she made.

After all the time she spent on it, she's not sure she'll ever want to try making jewelry again.

White Christmas

We had a wonderful white Christmas at my sister's, so we went sledding!

Pulling the sleds toward the hill.  Brooklyn got a ride.

Shelly ready to go down with Nicole and Bradford

Jeff and Brooklyn at the bottom of the hill.

David ready to go down!

The whole crew (except me): David, Jeff, Nicole, Shelly, Emma, my mom, Bradford hidden behind my mom, and Brooklyn.

Emma got a pull up the hill from her favorite uncle.  She's pretty lucky!

Jeff and Nicole sledding down.

We all got a lot of snow in our faces that way.

Brooklyn pulling a sled.

Emma's snow angel.

The twins were done after one trip down--they didn't like all the snow in their faces.  Emma made it down a few more times.

Then Shelly and my mom left with the little kids while Jeff, Nicole, David, and I stayed.  We made a bunch of trains going down the hill, and demonstrated a few physics laws--like how the acceleration increases as each attached sled reaches the slope.  :)  We were reminded to put the heaviest person in front.

Nicole afterward:

Bowling

The last two years, we've gone bowling the day after Thanksgiving.  And, we've played with bumpers.

I find that I really like playing with bumpers.  (I'm the first J).

This year, I got an awesome spare out of a split.  My mom was asking Shelly how you would hit both pins after a split like that, and as Shelly explained, I hit both pins!

 David's awesome bowling skills.

 I won again.

Later, we played bowling on the Wii.  This is at my sister Shelly's house.  Her daughter, Brooklyn, REALLY liked watching the pins go down.

So, in case you didn't think bowling is a spectator sport, Brooklyn is here to prove you wrong.  (Hopefully the video works this time.)

Christmas Carol Puzzles

For those of you who need an intellectual challenge this Christmas, can you identify these Christmas Carols?

A Small City in Judea

Colorless Yuletide

Singular Yearning for Twin Anterior Incisors

Righteous Darkness

Loyal Followers Advance

Weather: Cloudless; Arrival Time: 2400 Hours

Far off in a Feeder

Array the Corridors

Bantam Percussionist

Monarchical Triad

Nocturnal Noiselessness

Father Christmas Enroute to Borough

Initial Christmas

Frozen Precipitation Commence

Proceed and Enlighten on the Pinnacle

The Quadruped with the Vermilion Proboscis

Query Regarding Identity of Descendant

Delight for this Planet

Give Attention to the Melodious Celestial Beings

Hence Arriveth Kris Kringle

To Decry Matriarchal Osculation of Yuletide Anthropomorphism

At the Zenith of the Habitat

Endocarp Vestiated in a Conflagration

Jehovah Dulcify Blithe Chevaliers

Derek's Wedding

 My brother Derek married Brooke in October.

Can you tell that he's happy about it?

Bradford (my sister Shelly's son) was not happy about having to wear shoes.

David worked to help exhaust / distract him:

The exhaustion part didn't work; Bradford has lots of energy.
Audrey (my brother Kevin's wife) kept Brooklyn (Bradford's twin) occupied:

The four siblings, youngest to oldest: Janene, Derek, Kevin, Shelly.

My mom's siblings: Dave and Ilene, Kurt and Linda, Curtis and Christine, Leigh and Nancy, Nancy (missing Ren), Max and Lonna.

My dad with his brother, Dale.

 David and I enjoyed the reflecting pool.

Although we didn't get quite this elaborate of an effect.

 And, some fun pictures of the reception:

 Yes, that is a bagpipe band behind them.

Why I need to write more

As I've been working on a paper, I realize that I don't write nearly enough.  And, since writing skills need continuous practice, that means that this paper is really painful to write.  Really, it shouldn't take me a full day to come up with a good, professional, concise explanation of one graph, should it?

As I've been processing data, I've kept a document with a running commentary of my observations.  That has helped, but now, having to go through, determine what is truly significant, and make my conclusions coherent to an outside reader, is a daunting task.

Just to give you a taste, imagine trying to explain this plot:

Can you see my difficulty?