Gingerbread Houses

Ian was soooo excited to make gingerbread houses!

For Family Home Evening, we went up to Ian & Serena's place to make gingerbread houses. It was sooo much fun! I decided to let my candy monger (Amalie) eat as much candy as she wanted while we decorated the gingerbread houses. I figured that way, she wouldn't eat the finished product and we could enjoy it . . . at least until the next morning.
But I was wrong! She ate candy consistently as I decorated the house. She was quite upset when I took one of "her" candies to put on the house. Once the houses were finished, we took pictures and then moved the houses to a different counter. About five minutes later, all four cousins were crowded around the gingerbread houses, eating. I'm not sure how Amalie fits so much in her stomach! She eats more than me at times! There is no way her stomach is bigger than mine! I just had to laugh. It was so crazy!
The next morning, I woke to graham cracker crumbs and icing sprayed all over the counter. The kids cleaned up the mess (with my prodding), but later in the day, the same mess was there again. Hmmmmm.
So the next day, I got out a sheet and laid it on the kitchen floor. I put the gingerbread house on the sheet and let them have at it. Once they were finished, I threw the remains in the trash. It was a great memory for them and a great way for me to have clean counters!
But then Noah came home from school a day later with another gingerbread house . . .made with delicious frosting that his mother could not resist. A day later, I confessed that I had snitched two candies and some frosting while he was at school. (And Mom, you probably thought I would stop stealing candy someday!)
"Do you forgive me?" I asked sweetly.
Noah glared at me. "Yes, but don't do it again." His face was still stern.
I tried not to laugh. " I won't," I promised.
I guess I only have myself to blame. They inherited it from their mother!