ScotFest 2014

I need to do some end of the summer catch up.

We enjoyed going up to Estes Park for the ScotFest in September!  

It is always so much fun to see B march with the pipe band.

This is clan Murray, but I didn't get a good picture.

The kids and I went into the festival, as well, and got to hear the band play with some other bands.  Lots of pipes and kilts!

4th of July

The 4th of July ended up being a nice, quiet day for us.

St. Patrick's Day

Obviously, this is a little late.  But...better late than never!  Last week was St. Patrick's parade.  

Irish Storm Trooper

Cam the Ram

FC Bagpipe Band

It's not the best parade, but the FC Bagpipe band was good as well as these baton twirlers.  People don't seem to put much effort into making floats anymore, they just drive their trucks down the street and hand out flyers.  Which brings me to my other disappointment, the lack of beads and candy for the kids.  Very few people were handing out candy, and those who were just gave it to the big kids because they were the ones pushing their way to the front.  Despite all that, it was still fun.

For dinner we had, of course, Corned Beef and Cabbage.  Fun fact: B was talking to an Irishman who said that they don't really eat Corned Beef in Ireland.  Oh well, it tastes good.  We also had Irish Soda Bread and  baked potatoes.  For dessert, Black and Tan brownies.

Earlier that week, B was asked to play his bagpipes at an elementary school.  The kids and teachers loved him!  He was so good at interacting with the kids and telling them about the pipes.  He had them marching, dancing and clapping.  He's available if you ever need a bagpiper.  I highly recommend him!

 

Hugs and Kisses!

Burns Supper

 This past Friday, as I'm sure you all know, was Burns Day in Scotland.  In honor of B's Scottish roots, which don't go very deep, we held a Burn's supper at our house.  It celebrates Robert Burns, a Scottish poet.  As you know, B's been faithfully learning the bagpipes, so he appreciates all things Scottish.  

Christmas Wrap-up

So, we wrapped up Christmas and are already moving on to 2013!  Soon, tiny A will be 1 year old.  Crazy!

The Christmas countdown ended with a successful "Minivan Express" trip after our Christmas Even service.  As the kids boarded the "Minivan Express" they handed me their ticket and I punched it with my hole punch.  I printed the tickets on the back of a shiny gold gift bag to create golden tickets.  Then, they each got an individual bag of popcorn and hot chocolate for the trip.  It was  the perfect night because it started snowing while we were inside for our Christmas Eve service.  It was cold, dark and snowy...just as it should be on Christmas Eve.

Not only did Santa visit our house on Christmas Eve night, but the Tooth Fairy made a visit as well because Cb's lost her second tooth!  What a lucky duck!

The kids enjoyed opening their Christmas presents in the morning and it was filled with tons of excitement and chaos.

Each kid got a kangaroo jumper ball, so they've been bouncing all over the house.  F and Cb's got little MP3 players and we had no idea that they would be such a hit.  They've been wearing them everywhere listening to their music.  I ended up buying F regular headphones that go over his head, but prior to that he could not keep the ear buds in.  So, B tied a bandanna on his head to keep them from falling out.

I finally finished little A's doll.  I absolutely love her curly hair!  It is so fun, and it was fun to make.  

All you do is wrap the yarn around wooden dowels (I used wooden pencils), soak them in water overnight, and then bake them on a cookie sheet at 200 degrees for about an hour.  When you pull them off the pencils, you get beautiful ringlets!  Here's the original tutorial.

Our Christmas feast consisted of a delicious ham, rolls, asparagus, brussel sprouts and MomPom's potato casserole.  I didn't think I liked brussel sprouts, but my friend sent me a recipe that sounded good, so I gave them another try.  I loved them!  All I did was coat them in olive oil, seasonings, Parmesan cheese and crumbled cooked bacon.  Then, I roasted them for 30 minutes and they were fantastic!  I'm making them again for New Year's Eve.  For dessert, sweet potato pie, which is my favorite pie.  I use this recipe for the crust, but increase the sugar to 1 Tbsp. and decrease the salt to a pinch.

Other than our blessed Christmas celebration, tiny A started pulling himself up to standing with consistent frequency, this week.  This is creating havoc for little A, because now tiny A can reach more of her toys.  Needless to say, she doesn't usually handle it with much patience.  Some might even say that she over-reacts...quite a bit.

B got his Christmas wish of bagpipes!  They sound much nicer than his practice pipes.  I'm looking forward to seeing him in a kilt and playing his bagpipes, someday soon!  Since B got his bagpipes, I'm going to go out with a friend tomorrow and get mine...cowboy boots!  I'm so excited!