Decorating the gingerbread house

About a week before Christmas, the kids and I decided to decorate a gingerbread house. I had bought a kit a couple weeks before and Gabby was DYING to put it together. So we sat down and went to work.

James mostly ate the candies and begged (and begged and begged) for more. Gabby on the other hand really got into the actual decorating. Now while they were decorating and James was begging for candies, I told them that they could have whatever candies were left over, but that the gingerbread house needed to be completely decorated first. James, being the smart 5 year old that he is, realized that the fewer candies they used, the more they would have when it was over. So he talked Gabby into using the candies sparingly...

They both enjoyed the leftovers...

And the house was beautiful...

Until you looked at the naked sides...

And the nearly naked back.

Gabby was ok with the idea when it was explained to her, but once the candies were eaten and I turned the house around and she saw the back and sides, she lost it. She cried and cried and cried. Poor thing! I couldn't stop laughing and still find it humorous. I'll have to put a few thousand extra therapy dollars into her therapy account I guess. I did scrounge around the house and found some m+ms, sprinkles and other miscellaneous candies that she got to use to finish it off. When she was done, it had ALOT of candies EVERYWHERE and she was very pleased, as was sweet-toothed James :-). Unfortunately, I didn't think to take a picture of the finished product so you will have to use your imagination. Just take the pictures above and add m+ms and pastel colored candied hearts and green tic-tacs.