Snack time

When a package arrives

For Christmas, as all of you must know by now, Bailey got an apron from Aunt Sue.  It was a big hit.  Really big.  There was only one drawback to be seen.

There was only one of them.

And you see when you take to wearing your apron morning, noon and night including meals, it’s bound to get dirty and need to be washed.  Your brother, who is possibly a bit jealous of your good fortune, will take to pointing out that your apron, being worn nonstop, is dirty.  Your mom will have to wash it despite your insistence that it isn’t ‘durtee’. But then you might reply ‘I need another one’.

If someone as awesome as an “Aunt Sue” hears of your woes, she may just make you another one, perhaps even two and one for that pesky brother of yours.  Which is nice, because as soon as you get it in the mail, you’ll want to put them on, despite the fact that you’re eating a rather messy snack of cinnamon sugar bites. 

But of course there is little to fear when you have almost as many aprons as days of the week.

 

Thanks, Aunt Sue, you rock!

Last year for Christmas Todd bought me Photoshop Elements and only now, a year or so later, am I finally playing around with it.  I have no idea what I’m doing, it’s all trial and error (mostly error), but it’s fun when I’m up in the middle of the night.

I love when I capture something like this.

All boy

 

Cooper is such a rambunctious little fellow.  The other day he was playing with his daddy and he just closed his eyes and jumped off the couch.  I happened to catch that feat with my camera and that photo has been making me both laugh and smile for days and I just thought I would share.

My little taste testers

I have recently been doing a lot of baking, so much that I even went and started a new blog to record all of my sweet treats and baking feats, you know, because I have so much free time on my hands and all. 

The thing is, I really want Bailey and Cooper to experience home baked goods though.  I seldom recall my own mother baking, actually I think there is only one memory I have of my mom baking Christmas cookies with us, and I want my kids to have even more memories, whether or not their fond  memories (OK, so that isn’t true, I want them to be some of their favorite times because already it’s been some of my favorite times with them).

I have been baking cookies and cakes, brownies and muffins.  Lots of muffins.  This week I decided to make seven muffin recipes to try out.  By the end of the week some of us won’t care if we ever see a muffin again.  But I have been ‘testing’ my recipes out to see whether or not their kid friendly.  The other day we were snowed in and I made two different muffins; Cinnamon Sugar muffins and Maple Muffins.  When they were all done I let Cooper do a little taste testing.  He had quite the time with it. 

He was thrilled to be chosen as number one taste tester.

 

He sampled the Cinnamon Sugar ones first.

He decided pretty quickly that he liked the Cinnamon Sugar ones over the maple ones.  I wasn’t a bit surprised.

Here he’s saying “Anytime, Mom.  Anytime.”

The next day I made Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins.  Bailey got to be number one taste tester that day (Cooper was still down for his nap).

She loved them.

 

She couldn’t stop singing their praises.

Our arms are full and look how happy that makes us.

I always find it a tiny bit rude and very funny when people comment how ‘full’ our hands are, but the truth is, they just don’t know how fortunate we are to have our hands this full.  It can be very difficult and trying to have three kids but we wouldn’t want it any other way.

Round and round.

The twins got an electric keyboard for their birthday from their friend Jack.  They love it.  Love it.  I only wish there were two.  I think so do they.

I think I understand why my grandmother always got my sister and I the same thing at Christmas. 

You can’t tell by this picture, so I will just tell you.  This shot is of the two of them rocking out, playing wonderful music together on that new keyboard.

How did I get so lucky?