Gingerbread Spectacular!

We went to the Gingerbread Spectacular at the Opera House yesterday, just in case we couldn't make it on account of the snow we were expecting today (prescient, because we were snowed in all day after all!). Boy was it spectacular! Not as many gingerbread houses as in the past, but still so many amazing ones. Check it out:

A nice, classic candy house. With penguins.

Don't worry, the placard with it made it very clear that bullying is NOT to be tolerated.

This next one was one of my favorites. We couldn't fit the whole thing onto the lego camera without getting too much sunlight coming through the back and washing out the gingerbread, so here it is in a series of 3. First comes the Big Bad Wolf:

I love the way the baker brought that huffing and puffing to life...

Then the straw house!

The curly pink pig tail sticking up from the rubble is too funny!

And the house of sticks and brick. That is some serious talent!

 Unfortunately, when we got home, we discovered a tragedy.

It was the girls' advent calendar. Someone (or two somedogs) had found it on the counter and gotten in. They'd eaten up every last one of the chocolates. Wow did our little girls wail!

Fortunately for the dogs, who weigh a combined 180 lbs, 1.26 ounces of chocolate isn't a harmful dose, and they were just fine. In the doghouse, but fine.


We were right to go to the spectacular yesterday though! We got about a foot of snow overnight and spent today playing in it. Nina's chorale group sang at the opera house, but we didn't get plowed out until about 3 pm, so we couldn't make it. She was disappointed, but having so much fun playing in the snow that  it made up for it. Anyway, her chorus is singing again on Thursday night at the Congo church and on Friday at school, so she'll have two more chances to perform.

It's going to be a busy week for sure! Lots of wrapping and last minute shopping. We can't wait for our vacation!!!!