The Gingerbread Massacre

One of my favorite things about any holiday is the contests between the Rothey's and the Shupe's. Whether it be pumpkin carving, gingerbread houses, or easter eggs-there is always a contest to be had! This year we were all prepared. We had mini ones for the kids and big ones for the boys. We scheduled out enough time for healthy competition. The contest began, Garrick decided to make the "empire state building", and Jake went with a classic "cabin." The judging?

Execution=10 points

Difficulty Level=1o points

Creativity= 1o points

No matter who wins, the outcome is usually the same; a massacre. After they had spent hours creating their masterpieces, the houses took a serious beating. Everytime one of them would turn around there would be a knife slash, or a fist slam. It escalated to the point of total demolition. I was laughing so hard I had tears. A holiday wouldn't be the same without the contests!

Preschool Christmas Party

We had a great time. Jane got to make her own gingerbread house, and all the kids did a show for us. Even though Jane was the only student not to say her line-"that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly," I was still proud of her for getting up there. It's not an easy thing to do when you are a Rothey!

"Gigantic Gingerbread House"

Okay so maybe it wasn't quite "life-size," but as a kid I remember it being much bigger. I actually thought that we would technically be able to walk inside of it. Ummm, not so. So I convinced the people that I love to come with me to the Ritz . It was cool for the kids, and maybe for us for a total of 120 seconds-but after that it was time to go home. Oh, something I did learn was a good tip for gingerbread houses at home. Cereal . . . cereal can do some pretty serious things to a gingerbread house.