Gingerbread Cookies

This year for our Christmas Eve party, my food assignment was cookies.  So, I decided to make gingerbread cookies.  I bought all ingredients, and somehow lost my recipe along the way.  Not to worry, all was well, as I found a recipe on line that was DELICIOUS.  So, I thought I'd share.

1 c margarine
1 c sugar
1 c molasses
2 egg
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking pwd
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cloves
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg

Cream together butter and sugar.  Stir in molasses and egg.  Mix all other dry ingredients but flour.  Sift flour in, and mix.  Chill for 1 hour.  Roll out and cut.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Icing:
1 c pwd sugar
2 tsp milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
1 tsp almond extract
food coloring if desired

Stir together sugar and milk until smooth.  Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is glossy.  If icing is too thick, add a little water to get the right consistency.  Put in an icing bag to decorate cookies.

Arizona Christmas Trip

The day after Christmas we left and headed to see my brother and his family in Arizona.  It was a horribly LONG trip, but we made it, and the kids actually traveled pretty well.  I thought I'd taken a bunch more pictures, but this was all that was on the camera, so I missed a bunch.  Oh well.  Live and learn huh?

Grandma and Grandpa Trane let the kids open a christmas present from them in preparation for our trip to the zoo. 

 They both got cameras.  Ethan LOVES his camera, and filled up the 100 picture memory in less than 12 hours.

 The next day we headed to the World Wildlife Zoo.  It was pretty incredible and so many different types of animals that i'd never seen before.  Here are the twits with their cameras taking pictures of the birds at the zoo entrance.

 Our favorites were the monkeys.  This is a momma and baby monkey.  They were adorable.  There was a super fun capuchin monkey that kept making silly faces at Andy as if trying to communicate with him. Andy also had a Macaw that was laughing at him.  Andy would say ha, ha, ha, and the bird would repeat it back to him, and when we walked off, he did it a few more times as if to say, get back here and talk some more.

 My favorites might have been the flamingos.  I didn't know they were so tall.  they had oodles of them at the zoo!

 Here is Andy and Ethan looking at the flamingos!

 Julia and Ethan had fun petting the sting rays.

 Julia helped to push miss Addy in her ghetto stroller that we rented at the zoo.

 Maybe the coolest part of the zoo was that you could feed the giraffes.

 That night we opened presents from each other.  I have NO pictures of this.  Maybe it's because our little bully (Addy) kept getting on her hands and knees and using her head to bull doze Sawyer and Julia, and anyone else who touched any of her things.

Anyway, I gave mostly handmade gifts this year.  So, I gave Colby and Suzanne roasting sticks, and a roasting stick holder I made for them with a basket full of goodies to make smores.  Julia got a purse, and felt play makeup, as well as a necklace I made for her, and Sawyer got felt tools and tool box, and a shirt I made for him.

Suzanne and Colby gave Andy a Marilyn Monroe poster with an Itunes gift card (his favorite thing to get as a gift), I got a hobby lobby gift card, Addy got a doll and crib and stroller, and Ethan got a rocket ship alarm clock and buzz light year activity kit.  Thanks again guys!

The next day we went to a really neat park.  I wish I would have had pictures of it, it was HUGE!  Addy's favorite part was these rocking toys.  She sat on them the ENTIRE time that we were at the park, and once again, was a bully to anyone who attempted to take her toy!  She rocked like a pro on those things.

Colby and Suzanne made us all lunches, and we played at the park for hours.  Then we went back to the house and played a new fun game that mom brought.  We laughed super hard while playing it and had fun just hanging out together.  We ate "christmas dinner" that night, and then had to say our goodbyes so that we could leave early the next morning.

We really had a good time at uncle Schmozy's house (as ethan likes to call him), and wish that they lived closer so we could play with them more often.  Love you guys.

Christmas Morning

Christmas was SO much fun this year.  The kids had a ball playing with all their toys.  This first picture is super blurry, but it's the only one I got of everything set out from Santa.  

The kids LOVED the kitchen.  Santa left a special note letting them know that it was theirs to share, and then they each got their own shopping cart to go with it.

 Here is Ethan's pile of presents from Santa

 And for miss Addy

 And now to present opening.  Ethan obviously was a little disappointed in his clothes, even though one was a spiderman t-shirt.

 Miss Addy was thrilled about her chair, and didn't bother to really open any presents.  She just like sitting in the chair.

 Now, he was a little happier . . . spiderman walkie talkies.

 Helping Addy open her presents, since she wouldn't really open them.

 Tons of play food for the kitchen

 And he loved his spiderman house.

 Miss Addy was thrilled with the goldfish crackers Santa left in her stocking

 Mom and Ethan reading a new spiderman story book

 Miss addy was just as happy as could be on Christmas morning

 Addy playing with Ethan's prized Christmas present . . .his spiderman webshooter

 Ethan playing with his spiderman house.

The Loot:

Both:

Kitchen

Shopping Carts

Play Food

Ethan:

Clothes

Spiderman Web-Shooter

Spiderman Walkie Talkies

Spiderman House

Camera & Book - Grandma and Grandpa T

Spiderman Lamp, Blanket, and Remote control car - Grandma and Grandpa A

Rocket ship alarm clock and night light/buzz light year activity set - Colby and Suzanne

Addy:

Princess Chair

Clothes

Zhu Zhu Pet Dog

Play pots and pans and tea set - Grandma and Grandpa T

Shape, Color, and Music learning toys and Clothes - Grandpa and Grandma A

Doll with playset - Colby and Suzanne

Andy:

Ice Fishing Pole

I-Tunes gift Card

Hand warmers

Thermal Underwear

$ - Mom and Dad Allen

I-tunes - Colby and Suzanne

Window well covers - Mom and Dad Trane

Les:

New desk for craft room

Hobby Lobby gift card - Colby and Suzanne

$ - Mom and Dad Allen

Window well covers - Mom and Dad Trane

All in all, it was a great Christmas day.  The kids had a ball playing with all their toys, and we spent the majority of the day at our house so that they could.  

Christmas Eve Present

Christmas Jammies on Christmas Eve were the tradition at my house growing up.  I thought it was a fun tradition, and wanted to continue it with my little ones.  So, I purchased them both PJ's to open on Christmas Eve.  Ethan was excited to open his present on the night before Christmas.

 Well, they got them open, and Ethan tried on his jammies, and took them right off.  He hasn't put them on since, and I doubt will ever wear them.  Addy's had feet in them, and we put them on her, and she kept tugging at her feet and crying, so we took hers off too.  So, neither child slept in or wore their Christmas Pj's they opened on Christmas Eve.  Hopefully next year I'll pick out PJ's that they like. :)

Christmas Eve Party

This December has been a little hectic.  I was sick for almost the entire month with pneumonia, so I missed the Allen family Christmas party.  I'll get Andy's pictures another day and add them to the blog.  So, my festivities began Christmas Eve with my mom's side of the family.

When we got there, we played an unscramble the Christmas Song game, and had dinner.  Once dinner was over, the kids made crafts.  As you can see, Ethan is THRILLED beyond all possible imagination to be creating this bucket.

 So, I gave it to Addy, who decided that she'd just like to pull everything off of it.

 Well, then Aunt Connie pulled out all the stuffers for the buckets, and then Ethan decided he certainly needed a bucket, but didn't want any of the fluff on it.  So, he filled up a plain bucket with all sorts of treats and toys, and now he is a happy camper!

 I made miss Addy a cute little Christmas tree outfit for the party.  I wish I would have done a better job of getting a picture of her in it, but this is the best I found.

 After the crafts, we did the annual Christmas Nativity, and read about the birth of our Savior in the scriptures.  The kids all dressed up to play parts.  I asked Ethan if he wanted to be in the nativity and dress up like a shepherd or a wiseman.  He told me he wanted to dress up like the black spiderman, and that he wouldn't be a wiseman or shepherd.  So, he didn't participate this year.

Next we opened Christmas presents from Grandma and Grandpa Bateman.  As you can see, Ethan got a super cool dinosaur robot.  It moves and roars, and he was quite thrilled with it.  Addy got a really cute little blanket that rolls up to look like a kitty cat.  Andy and I got a $40 gift card to chili's!

 While waiting for everyone else to finish opening their gifts, miss Addy decided that the shoes and socks had to go.

 And then she found a little santa car and a screw driver, and did some fixing.  I'm glad she takes after her momma a little and isn't afraid to use tools! :)

 After presents, we played a game.  We had to blow up the balloons, and stuff them into a pair of nylons, and then wear them like antlers.  My team won!  Here is a picture of our little man in his "antlers".

We had a great time at the party, and best of all, we got to spend time with our extended family.

Family Pictures

Well, so far December has been one CRAZY month, with MANY doctor visits, trips to the pharmacy, and more tissue than you can possibly image.  We're bound to get better soon right?  Here is to hoping.  

In the meantime, we were able to make time to get our family pictures done.  Our last family picture was clear back when Ethan was 11 months, so we are long over due.  

 I absolutely love this picture of the two twits.  They did a great job, and I can't believe we got them both smiling at the camera at the same time. (they look cute and innocent right?  well, have they got you fooled! :))

 I also thought these pics were super fun of them looking through presents!  They were fascinated by these props, and spent a good deal of time pulling them out of the boxes.  The photographer was great and patient with them and managed to get some fun shots for Christmas.

I know that sometimes I loose my noodle and my patience with my little family, but I certainly do love them dearly, and pray that Andy and I can do the very best we can, with the Lord's help, to raise them up right.