Twas the week before Christmas...

Twas the week before Christmas and it did nothing but rain,

The kids were home from school, and drove Mama insane...

OK that's enough poetry. But really, what do you do with 3 active kids who can't go outside and play? We did not have big plans since Greg worked all week, so we turned to the old stand-by--creativity. The kids did some pretty cool things.

This is the map they made of San Francisco. They worked on it for hours together, each one adding details and including their favorite places. The next time we visit the city, we'll take it along so we don't get lost!

Jaren made a vacuum out of a wrapping paper tube, pasta box and candycane box. Too bad it didn't actually work--that could have been really helpful since he spent a ton of time pretending to vacuum when he finished!

Kaelyn and Kenna fashioned this paper ensemble. In true Kenna style, she shows us that she is most definitely NOT camera shy!

The kiddos decorating sugar cookies. A tradition we just can't go without!

Don't be surprised if you see a Fabulous Dickson Kid Bakery opening in your area soon. These guys mean business! Each cookie was a work of art...and they tasted sooo good, too!

My good friend Bryn gave us a soap carving kit to make a nativity set using Ivory soap and plastic knives. It was amazing how even the little kids could carve a rough shape. Of course we had one mishap: Jaren was lamenting that his sheep didn't look real, so Kenna leaned over, cheerfully cut it in half and said, look Buddy, now it's a stable! He was not so happy about that, but overall it was super fun and made the kitchen smell so nice and clean!