Cookie Baking 2011

OK it may take me all of January to get caught up...sorry:(

So every year the kids and I bake our holiday cookies together...

that is...Dominic Connor and I do it while Emma Kate is sleeping...she's just too young still.

When I think about it, it's kinda of ridiculous how many cookies we make.

But we give boxes of cookies to several of our neighbors, some family friends, I take some to work, and of course we have to save some for ourselves...which may account for some of the 5 pounds I gained in December!

Also cookie baking is a tradition that I hold near and dear to my heart.

From as young as I can remember up until the year 2000, when my grandmother passed away on Christmas day, she and I baked Christmas cookies together. I love the memories of racing her to see who was quicker, as she rolled the sugar cookie balls and I dipped them in the sprinkles. (Yes, I think I have always been a competitive person!)

This year I thought that maybe we would cut back...you know...scale things down a little...

So I asked the boys what cookies we absolutely needed to bake in their opinions...

Dominic: "Grandma's Sugar Cookies for sure."

Connor: "Cut out cookies!!!"

Dominic: "Oh yeah...can we do the M&M ones?"

And I voted for Peanut Butter and my secret Chocoloate Chip recipe.

Yes...count them...5 different types! I really don't think we scaled back!

But I did plan ahead and made my faves ahead of time, spreading the baking out over a couple of days.

So Thursday before Christmas came and I couldn't put it off anymore.

Emma Kate went down for nap and the "Elves" went to work.

We got our sprinkles all set up...

We had happy faces...

 But not for long...

 Oh boy...here we go...one of the joys of baking with the kids...arguing!

Dom helps me in the kitchen all the time...we are just fine.

Connor and I do baking and cooking projects together regularly...we are just fine.

Put all 3 of us together...combustion!

But it didn't last long...we got to workin' and decorating the cut out cookies...everyone was too busy to argue.

 It is so hard for me to put so much work into cut out cookies and not have them look "perfect."

But I am a work in progress and am learning to let go of control here and there and let the kids be creative with them and...have SO much fun!

Here's a pic of a few of the finished products...

And here is a peek into the kitchen I had to clean up afterward...! 

Art is never tidy right?!?!

So there you have it...another year of cookies...another year of happy kids!

Another year filled with tradition:)