So Far, So Good!

Last week a neighbor brought us a HUGE zucchini from her garden.  Lyla and I had just finished reading The BFG and we joked about it being her snozzcumber.  It was gigantic!  The best part was that I'd tucked away a little zucchini oat chocolate chip cookie recipe on Pinterest, and it gave us the perfect excuse to whip up some homemade cookies.

It's been a while since I've baked with the girls, and I'm pretty sure it was the first time Sis really got to get her hands good and dirty with some real baking, not just our simple no-bake cookie balls.  Ahh, I had forgotten the joy that is baking with a 2 year old.  I'm not joking when I say we completely started over twice, and it is a real live miracle that we ended up with something edible.

I had to fight back my frustration occasionally, especially when on our third attempt I turned around to see most of the bottle of vanilla poured into our mixture.  Luckily I could pour it out, and we went on our way with the rest of the recipe.  (I have no idea how much vanilla actually ended up in those things, but they did turn out - and even tasted pretty darn good!)

It's easier for me to laugh now, thinking back to Evie grabbing every.single.thing. and dumping it in the mixer, then looking at me with wide eyes, like "oops?"  Lyla was just too cute the whole time.  She is becoming the best little helper, always in a hurry to help me do anything and everything, and kept pep talking us throughout the spills and messes.  "So far, so good!" she kept saying, even when a mountain of salt ended up in my mixture.  (Not so easy to pour out.)  Her optimistic little spirit kept me smiling and reminded me that it's about the experience - not the messes.

They eventually went down for naps and I finished the actual baking part myself - in peace and quiet.  :)  After naps we headed to a friend's house and brought some cookies along.  The little girls dressed up and an impromptu tea party broke out - complete with real tea.  It was so darn cute

It's always more difficult, more messy and more time consuming having mini helpers in the kitchen, but it's also just about as sweet as it gets.  Their tiny fingers and excitement to be helping, their proud faces when they've completed the job, and the jumping up and down before that first bite.  These days can be so hard and messy, but they are the very, very best.  And a little dose of optimism never hurts.  So far, so good!  :)

- K

 

This girl loves posing for a picture these days.  :)

Cutest little helpers.

 



 

Love these tippy toes.

Those blurry, eager hands.  :)

Tea party time.  Cheers!

 



Sis opted out of the tea party.  Forever doing her own thing.  :)

Cookie Decorating + Ugly Sweater Housewarming!

Last weekend we finally had our housewarming party - and made it an ugly sweater party too.  The week leading up was nothing less than stressful because why not do ALL those silly little projects like painting kids table and chairs into the wee hours of the night before a party? 

The girls and I also made and decorated sugar cookies.  Lyla spent a whole week collecting the perfect cookie cutters, which included a heart, a hand and a cowboy hat.  The girls were so cute rolling out and cutting the cookies.  Evie mostly just snacked on the dough, swiped the freshly baked cookies taking exactly one bite out of each, and snuck fingers into her sister's (heavily) frosted cookies.  Lyla was so cute, insisting on pink frosting and teaching her sis exactly how to do this whole cookie thing.

The party was a blast, and the ugly sweater turnout was impressive.  We're absolutely loving our new house, and particularly our new neighborhood.  Thanks to all that came out!!

- K

 

sis got her hands on a red hot :)

hot chocolate bar!

check out that killer photo bomb :)

Festive-ities

Tonight officially wraps up the holiday season, hard to believe how fast it always goes.  Putting away all the Christmas decorations always makes me feel a little sad, all that anticipation and excitement gone already, but this year I've decided to just move on and look forward to next year.  So far every year's been better than the last, and I know with Sis being a little older we'll have even more fun with everything. 

We did a lot of festive activities this year, and the girls were so cute with it all.  And although most things went smoother once they lost interest, it was a little bit of my dream come true to have my little ones joining in the fun Christmas traditions like making and decorating sugar cookies. 

Here are some pics from the season.

Happy NYE!

- K

 

I don't know why, but Lyla was completely obsessed with stars on the tops of Christmas trees this year.  It was cute seeing her try to reach and put it on top by herself.  :)

 

I'm a little bit obsessed with Christmas trees myself, and found this one at a thrift store to put in Lyla's room.  She loved having her very own tree, and of course a star on top! 

 

I got this Disney Princess village when I was in college.  I never opened it and thought "this will be cute for a daughter some day", and then I blinked and had two daughters to share it with.  Lyla was so excited to open it up and put it in her room.  Most of the pieces have already been super glued back together.  :)

 

Something you may not know about Ryan is that he is actually super artistic, and really good at well, pretty much everything.  Which can be really annoying, but that's another story for another day.  He's also a liiiiittle bit Type A when it comes to artistic things, which doesn't go well with doing anything artsy with a 2 year old.  Namely coloring coloring books, building gingerbread houses and decorating sugar cookies.  I laughed inside when I bought this kit because I already knew what was coming.  Lyla was dying to open it up when Dad got home, and she immediately took about 500 bites out of the gingerbread, and Ryan had a heart attack.  It got off to a really good start.  :)

I'm going to have to go ahead and take the glory for this gingerbread house.  They had to give up before anyone had a complete meltdown and I sat down and made all the finishing touches.  :)

 

 

One day Lyla and I made sugar cookies - one of those activities that went much smoother once she lost interest.  I have to say that besides all the dough she ate (seriously, she might have worms), she did pretty darn well.  I think that face above is her "Hey Mom, what'd you say about not eating dough?!" face...plus a middle finger or two.

 

She was so proud of that first cookie!

 

There it is, and it is really darn good!

 

Dad got to help with the decorating, and I'm guessing you can imagine how smoothly that went.  ;)

 

Always sneaking a taste.

 

We went through our fair share of sprinkles.

 

 Our friends had their annual Christmas party for the kids, which is always so fun.  Evie learned she loves frosted rice krispie treats, and Lyla got to shake her margaritas (maracas).  :)

 

 

These were just after church one day, but give another look at that stinking bunny dress that I probably shouldn't have bought, but love SO MUCH.  Also, how old does L look here?!  Freaks me out.

 

These girls were hilarious and actually pretty accommodating to me and my photo shoot.

 

These were from the Life Time Reindeer Games - at which they had Santa, a real reindeer, and a mini horse.  Nothing says Christmas like a mini horse.  ;)

Lyla was really into Rudolph and all the reindeer this year, so seeing one up close was pretty magical for her. 

 



 

Evie Sis gave Santa the cold shoulder.  Lyla asked for a sheep blanket from Costco.  :)

 

L had the best time in the bounce house until getting nailed by these knuckleheads.  Luckily she's a tough cookie.

Sis stole all of Lyla's snacks, per the usual.

 





 

This little stinker hates looking at the camera for me.