his name is Gingerbread Fred

And he is spending the holiday break with us. Gingerbread Fred came home from school with Ren on Wednesday, along with an adventure journal and small "suitcase" of momentos. (Apparently, he's gone home with other classmates over the course of the last several weeks.) Fred traveled with us on Christmas Day and was able to meet Grandma Lita. (Afterwards, Ren mentioned that Fred was "quite disturbed" because everyone was eating gingerbread men cookies.)

My youngest nephew ended up in the hospital Christmas morning. Thankfully, he is home now but sadly missed out on the gingerbread consumption festivities. We were able to spend a little time with my hubby's cousin (Cindy), which is good because it's been AGES since our last visit:

She promised to get together with Stacey and I very soon... I'm holding her to it. Here are a few more shots from our day:

It was a wonderful afternoon, despite the fact we were all sleep-deprived and hopped up on sugar. For the second year in a row, Meeley dubbed it "the best Christmas ever" (which is good because both follow "the worst Christmas ever" in 2007 when the boys asked only for rare and impossible-to-find items).

So glad we're past that ;) My hubby and boys are off the entire next week. I plan to hang out in my jammies most of that time. We'll be having lots of Movie Nights, game time, and a fondue in there somewhere. A great way to end the year.

BTW, my mother-in-law has gotten me hooked on a new treat: Regina's Candies Peanut Brittle. (Just click on the orange link to find out how to score your own... it's only available through January!!)

Enjoy the afternoon...