Letters to Santa

Kate wrote her first letter to Santa!

Collin and Reagan wrote letters to Santa too.  I let them choose what type of paper they wanted for the letters.  They finished the gingerbread cookies and drank hot chocolate while they wrote.

 I love that Collin asked for snow for Christmas!  I hope he gets that one!  So cute.

Things they will NOT be getting:  ipod, ipad, puppy, computer!  Ha!

Gingerbread Cookies

We had rainy, slushy weather all day today.  It was perfect gingerbread cookie weather!  I used a Food Network recipe, and it is a keeper.  The cookies came out perfect!  I cut out gingerbread boys, girls, and ninjas.

I used my KitchenAid mixer to mix the dough.  I love my mixer and use it every time I bake.  That information is for Tom who thought he should get rid of the mixer because he didn't think I use it!  Every. Time. I. Bake.  Stay away from the mixer.

I read a tip to roll out the dough in between two layers of wax paper and then put the whole thing in the freezer for ten minutes.  This worked so well; it was much easier to separate the cookies!  Plus, I had a lot less mess than usual.

Kate has such a sweet tooth.  She was begging for the dough while I made it and as I cut it (I didn't give her any), and then she screamed for the cookies as soon as they came out of the oven.  She had one before bed, and she enjoyed every bite.  

Waiting for decoration!

It's always nice when Tyler joins in the fun.  He won't pass up an opportunity to eat cookies covered in icing.

Last Christmas, Auntie Karen gave us Ninjabread Cookie Cutters.  Collin LOVES them.  

I think Collin did an amazing job decorating his cookies to look like three of the Ninjago guys.

I think Reagan said the girl on the left is Nya from Ninjago.  I know that the one with the bars on it's belly is supposed to be a robber in jail!  The gingerbread girl with the green hair is Mrs. Rayray, Reagan's Kindergarten teacher.  I sent her this picture and she loved it; she said if she had a green wig she would run right over and knock on the door.

These cookies are sooooooo good.  I'm glad I took the time to make them today.  It was fun to see the kids decorating them together.  Little moments like this make me so happy.

Elf on the Shelf and our Gingerbread House

Our Elf on the Shelf, Cherry, arrived the morning after Thanksgiving.  We are so happy to have him back.  He makes us laugh and he is also very sweet.  It's nice to have him around for the Christmas season.

Cherry brought these placemats.

Marshmallow messages are the best.

Cherry enjoyed a game of Candy Land with Snow White and Tweety.

Someone has a sweet tooth!

We assembled our gingerbread house and left it overnight to set.  The next morning, we discovered that Cherry brought extra decorations to make the house really beautiful!
Collin and Reagan worked hard on that house, and did indeed make it beautiful!

I think Cherry hanging from the fan has made Collin and Reagan laugh more than any other spot  to date.

I can't wait to see what Cherry has in store for us next!

Thanksgiving 2012

I love everything about Thanksgiving.  It's so nice to have a day to concentrate on all that we are thankful for, and just enjoy good food and being together.  No presents, nothing fancy, just tradition and togetherness.

Reagan made this turkey in art.  I LOOOOVE it!

Reagan loves to help me bake.  Last week she said, "Mom, I know what your favorite hobby is, baking with your kids!".  She is so right!  I'm not the best baker; I can't make anything fancy or too complicated, but I love to make special treats with the kids.  It's one of those things that they still love to do, and I know we will remember these moments forever!    

This book and the recipe in it for cranberry bread have become a Thanksgiving tradition.  

On Wednesday, Collin and Reagan had a half day of school.  Collin's class had a feast and Reagan's class had a party (the difference is important to them).  They helped me bake for the special day.  We made pumpkin bread for Collin's class and corn muffins for Reagan's class.

This afternoon, we went to Grandma Susan's house for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast.

Collin, Reagan and I made turkey cupcakes.

I also made pecan pie and whipped sweet potatoes with caramelized apples.

We had a great time at Grandma's and it was nice to see everyone.

When we came home, we read the notes in our Thankful Box.  We have so very much to be thankful for!  I am thinking of using clear contact paper to turn the notes into placemats.

Happy Thanksgiving!