Viva La Gingerbread!

[ another long post, with lots of pictures that will mean nothing to you if you don't already know about this event and aren't acquainted with these people...sorry]

...and then, it was on to the Gingerbread!

I am the only nut who actually made gingerbread this year. Everyone else was working on graham crackers. But that's just as cool, and definitely less stress beforehand. As usual, Grandma was on Royal Icing duty, but she had plenty of help. We discovered the joy and convenience of plastic icing bags this year, which made a huge difference in how much the kiddies could do before their little paws got too tired of squeezing the icing bag. I think it was Uncle RJ who pioneered the concept of the "treasure box" house, wherein the architect puts up the walls of the house, and then fills the inside with all the candy one can put one's hands on. Then, on goes the roof, and then more candy. Brilliant. A lot of candy went to this construction method. You know, this gingerbread building thing is where dads really shine. RJ, Seth, Mark and Ryan jump in and help out. Seth really gets into it, and has some serious techniques and trade secrets
Lots of people teamed up.
A lot of the "building materials" never made it onto a house (read: there was a whole lot of snackin' goin' on!).
It's fun to see what the kids come up with.
For a long time, none of the grandkids were really old enough to do this on their own. But now, they're paving driveways with Nerds and making DirecTV satellites with licorice whips and pretzel sticks. They get serious about it, and the best building stuff goes quick!
Annie & Sarah hard at work
Hyrum pointing out architectural features
Rachel covering every last centimeter with icing and goodies

Eliza

Laurelin

Blake

Hyrum

Caleb

Erin & Lucy

Matthew

Gabba

Sarah Sue

Wyatt

Kyle

I took this picture because I was so pleased with how the kids did this year (my house is the one thatched in frosted mini wheats), but I also knew that these houses were structurally doomed. By the end of the next day, they were nothing but gingerbread crumbs and Royal Icing dust: