Gingerbread!

Sunday we tried something new... we made gingerbread houses for the first time.  And of course, we couldn't use some pre-fab kit from the grocery store, because that would be just too simple!  

Last January, Mommy bought some special gingerbread house cookie cutters on clearance and since then she had been patiently awaiting the arrival of the Christmas season to put them into use.  (It may have been all worth it just to have the house smell soooo good!)  We picked up some random candies in the bulk food section of the grocery store and to work we went.

The freshly baked house parts. The cutters made interlocking pieces. 

Here's Chris assembling our first house.  He was our official contractor of the gingerbread house experiment, and was awesome at it!  Because of expanding in the oven, the pieces didn't fit together like legos or anything, but Super Daddy was able to make it work.

We used royal icing in a squeeze bottle for the "glue", though we found out later that melted white chocolate works pretty well too! 

Daddy's finished house.  

Featuring a gumdrop shrub line, peppermint walkway and mini candy cane on the roof as a flag.

Natalie's "boys".  She called all her gingerbread people "boy-ze".  Not sure why...

...unless it had something to do with Jillian's gingerbread GIRLS.  

All of Jill's were female and a stern correction was issued to anyone who slipped and called them men!  (Check out the licorice hair on the right one!)

Mommy's house front view.

Rear view of Mommy's house.  Pretzel decking!