Cookie Decorating Party

With all these cookies, how's a mama supposed to lose her pregnancy weight? Our friends, the Braatens, had ther annual Crazy for Cookies party for the kiddies. We put on our Christmas aprons and decorated some gingerbread men. The boys made me proud; they didn't lick the community icing knife once! Nope, they did it twice! Just kidding.


Thanks, Meredith, for this pic! Annabelle's shirt appropriately says "Always jolly."


Barrett gave his man a "sprinkle of hair"

Kyle showed such restraint with the sprinkles and red hots! Oh, and he ate the gingerbread man's leg and then told me that now he couldn't walk because his leg was broken so he gave him a (candy) cane!

Cookie Exchange

This year's Mom to Mom cookie exchange was a couple weeks ago but I'm just now able to post my pictures and recipe. My cookies took the prize for best lookin' cookie! I loved what my friend Stephanie did with her Haystack cookies. She used them for the hay in the manger by putting Nativity scene figures around them and Baby Jesus on top. Really clever...which is why she won for best presentation!





Ulimate Sugar Cookies

1 cup White sugar
1/2 cup butter (room temp)
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon bakingpowder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat 375 degrees.Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. set aside. In a large bowl beat butter, sugar and shortening until well blended. Add combined dry ingredients and mix. Separate dough into several balls, roll out and cut into shapes. Place shapes on cookie sheet and bake for 5-9 minutes.


Icing:

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (sifted after measuring)
1 tablespoon low-fat milk (skim or 1% is fine although I have made this successfully using 2% fat milk)
1 tablespoon corn syrup (more if needed to reach desired consistency)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
food coloring (use colors of choice)
Change Measurements: US Metric

1 VERY IMPORTANT; the confectioners sugar must be sifted before using. 2 In a bowl beat the sifted confectioners sugar with milk until smooth. 3 Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until smooth and glossy (if icing is too thick add in a small amount of corn syrup). 4 Divide into as many separate bowls as desired. 5 Add in different food coloring to each bowl beating/whisking until the intensity is achieved. 6 Paint the icing over the cookies using a brush or dip the cookie edges into icing (this will set quite quickly). 7 Place cookies on waxed paper to dry.

Toe Love

I have a lot of photos to go through (Christmas is a very photo-heavy time), but I wanted to get this up before Annabelle is no longer 6 months old.

We went to the doctor today for her 6 month appointment and she got her first vaccination shot. She didn't cry, or even stick out her bottom lip. She was actually smiling at the nurse! After a few minutes, I tried to put her in her carseat (which she doesn't care for) and she cried about that.

Nuthin' better than a preschool Christmas show

Last week was the last week of school for the boys before the Christmas break. Every year they have a little show where the kids sing for the parents. The kids look so cute in their Rudolph and Angel costumes I could just squeel. As if seeing my kid singing Christmas songs as an angel wasn't sweet enough, Kyle did something that brought me to happy tears. As we were all sitting and waiting for the show to start, Kyle spotted me and waved. Then with his crooked little halo he shouted across the room, "I love you, Mom!"
I hope the lady behind me who had her video camera recording at the time will send me this so I can watch it over and over. Until then, here's a pouty picture of Kyle.



Since I'm talking about Kyle in this post, I have another one. The other day I had Kyle on my lap and I was talking to him about how God forgives us. He was really focused and I remember thinking to myself, "Wow. I think my words are actually going into his ears and registering in his brain! I must be doing a really good job of explaining this!" When my monologue was over, he said, "Mommy, what are these lines on your face?" Yes, that's right. He was studying my wrinkles! At least I have that "I love you, Mom" from the Christmas show.

Annabelle is 6 months old!

I can't believe it's already been half a year since she was still in my tummy and yet I already can't imagine my life without her. Annabelle is such a blessing and she brightens our lives everyday.
Annabelle can sit up for a few seconds before losing her balance. She loves to jump in the jumperoo or in one's lap. She is rolling from her back to her tummy and tummy to back. She drools buckets and smiles almost constantly. Annabelle has dicovered her toes. She "talks" to them and tries to put them in her mouth. She is reaching for things and loves for me (mommy) to hold her. We can still take her to the movies at six months. I think people sit far away from us fearing she will cry during the movie but they don't know her. Annabelle is very ticklish. everywhere. Her enamored big brothers have been talking to her and trying to teach her words. The other day Barrett was talking to her saying Heh-heh-head. and Annabelle said, "Heh." Barrett felt very proud. I appreciate his efforts but this is not a word, more specifically it's not the word Mama, so therefore it's not her first word. ;)
Annabelle is magic. She can make people smile...and when you see these pictures I bet you my last $6 you'll be smiling too.

Here's some pictures of Annabelle at 6 months





This toothless grin just kills me!


You're smiling aren't you?

Christmas PJs

We took some pictures in front of the Christmas tree in the Christmas pajamas.

They just wanted to get to the Lakehouse, but I made them stop and take ANOTHER picture

It may become a yearly tradition that the kids could live without...stopping to take a silhouette in a field on the way to Grandma's and Papa's house for Thanksgiving. This is the second year in a row, which in a family of Aggies, makes it a tradition. We had to do it again this year because last year's image didn't have Annabelle. So now I have a header picture for my blog with all 3 of my kiddos.

I can't wait to see what the boys get us for Christmas

The boys made a list of things they thought we'd love to get for Christmas. Oh boy, it's gonna be interesting opening our gift from them.

Here' what they think are perfect gifts:

For Daddy:
tweezers
salad tongs
coffee mug
screw and screwdriver
jacket
flowers
soldier hat
race car shirt
real shopping cart
sunglasses
fancy tie
cool socks
light bulb
fancy hat
christmas card

For Mommy:
mummy costume
clothes
purse
car
flowers
sunglasses
sparkle hat (for when she goes to a fancy restaurant)
fancy socks
computer
wipees
M&Ms
christmas card
bowl

Kyle's Letter to Santa

(Dictated to Mommy)
Dear Santa,
I know you're working hard making presents right now because I saw you for real. I love you, Santa. I have been very nice. Do you give presents to kids if they get scared? I used to be scared of you but now I am not. My name is Kyle Starr and it is spelled K-Y-L-E S-T-A-R-R and I live in T-E-X-A-S. I am a good speller. I am smarter than Daddy. I like you a lot. I have a baby sister and I am very nice to her. Her name is Annabelle. Please put me on your nice list because I am thankful for my toys, and my teachers, and my mommy and daddy, and my Lego Spaceship, and my brother.
I want a Millennium Falcon that is just for me, not to share. It's a good guy spaceship from Star Wars and Chuy's in it.
I also want big boy bike and a jet pack. Is there such a thing as a real jet pack, Santa?
And I want the kind of space ship that looks like this (drawing in the air with his hand in the shape of a triangle.)
That's all I want. I will be very thankful for these things.
Love,
Kyle

Barrett's Letter to Santa

The other day at lunch Barrett wanted to make his Christmas list for Santa. I suggested he might want to say a few words to Santa in his letter about how deserving he is rather than just sending a list of toys. So he dictated the following letter to me:

Dear Santa,
The first thing I want to tell you is I have been good. All year. I help my mom and dad by cleaning up my toys. Kyle doesn't. And I am always nice to Jack and everybody. I am nice to my brother sometimes and all the time nice to my baby sister. I set the table for dinner and once I helped Daddy clean up his tools. And I help with the laundry and I make my bed if I don't forget. I always do what Mommy and Daddy tell me...except when I don't.
Here's my Christmas list:
Transformers
Sail boat
Hot Wheels

Love,
Barrett

(He wrote the toys himself with our help sounding them out. After Transformers, I think he was just trying to think of toys that were easier to spell. I am not sure if those are toys he really wants.)

NOTE TO FAMILY: Please do not buy the items on this list. This is a list for Santa.

an attitude of grattitude...startin' 'em young

(These are all pics taken with a camera phone)

Today, Annabelle did some volunteer work with me at the food pantry. Here's a pic of her working hard bundling food for pick-up.


She enjoyed her work to help others...until she fell asleep. (Thank you Leslie for the pictures!)
Then, we picked up Barrett from school and my heart was warmed by the Turkey he and his classmates had made. They listed what they are thankful for on the turkey feathers. Oh how I love this kind of thing!

Here's Barrett's feather:

Next week, Kyle will be putting together Christmas gifts for children and families in need. And today, he brought food to donate to the food pantry. I hope they continue to give to and serve others and grow up thankful for all they have. I am very proud of their generosity and giving spirit.

Random Halloween Stuff

I call this lunch "Mummy loves you" Bwahahahaha...okay, I know it's cheesy...there I go again!


Barrett and Kyle at the Dallas Arboretum.


Annabelle at the Arboretum in her super cute ribbon pants that Gigi made.


Sadly, this was Barrett and Kyle's very first time to go real Trick or Treating...at houses. Barrett kept saying "Trunk or Treat!" when the door was opened. Kyle came back from the door and saying "Mom, they gave us candy!" every time. EVERY. TIME. So cute! He just couldn't believe that people would give him candy for knocking on their door. They are with their friends Jack and Dylan, A.K.A. Darth Vader and Super Why.


Yes, I know the previous post had pics of Annabelle in her costume, but she smiling in this one! Gigi and I took all three kids to the Farmersville Fall Festival on Saturday night. It was really unbelievable how many people stopped to look at Annabelle in her costume. A man standing next to us at one point said he estimated about 60 different people took her picture and she smiled for every one. That's probably about right, not even exaggerating.

Trunk or Treat

Last Sunday, we went Trunk or Treating. It's always a treat for me to see the kids dressed up in their costumes. This year Barrett is a Lego Man, Kyle is a Sock Monkey and Annabelle is a Baby Chick for her first Halloween. Gigi and I made these costumes this year. It may be the last costumes Barrett and Kyle let us make for them. They have asked to be Darth Vader and Iron Man next year. I guess I have to let them. I guess. So this year I have to soak it up!

Can you guess which teddybear is the sweetest?

No, this is not her Halloween costume. Kyle and I were home yesterday and he helped me set up for this shot.

disgusting!!! Thanks, Mom!

I have been trying to make the boys' lunches special and fun to eat so their lunch box doesn't come home full. Here's some of what I have done.


For an October/Halloween theme, I did Frankenstein: This idea came from a Brookshire's flier. It's craisins, almond slivers, marshmallows, and eye holes I cut out with an icing tip. Kyle loved it.



When I found these Scrabble tile Cheez-its I think I squealed aloud right there in the grocery store aisle. I just used a little peanut butter to glue them in place. If you're wondering about the bite taken, it was my breakfast.

To stick with a Halloween theme, at lunch today the boys found (gummy) worms crawling out of their sandwiches. This one got rave reviews from both boys. So the grosser the better, I guess.
Sorry I don't have a pic of that one.

In the middle of the night

I hear a baby crying in my sleep. Not a demanding cry, but a soft cry that seems to say, "I am a bit hungry, would you feed me please?" The clock is blurry, but I can make out between long blinks that the the first number is a three. Despite the sweet manners, I am not too happy about being awake at 3:00 am. She has been sleeping through the night most of the time now. I guess this is not one of those nights. I grunt and slowly roll out of bed to change her diaper before feeding. I have managed to pry one eyelid halfway open so I can see what I am doing. The crying has stopped as if she knows I am here and I am going to take care of her needs. Through my one half-open eye, I see her smiling at me with her huge wide awake grin. Then something strange happens...I can't help but to smile too...desipte the hour. After I feed her, I put her back in her bassinet next to my bed. She is still awake, but she just coos a couple times and then allows me to go back to sleep.
Thank you sweet girl, for bringing me sunshine in the middle of the night.

Here's some pictures I took of the little cupcake in a tutu.




and we can't forget the little piggies

Laughter

"When we hear the baby laugh, it is the lovliest thing that can happen to us"
--Sigmund Freud

Annabelle has started laughing out loud and today she got the giggles with me. I could watch this a thousand times and it will make me smile every. single. time. She is such a happy little thing.

35 second video

Kyle's Lego Party

For Kyle's fourth birthday party, we had a little Lego themed get-together with mostly family and a couple of friends. I made Lego block shaped cakes and the candles were held up by 4 little Lego men AKA MiniFigures to the die-hard Lego lovers. We had a Lego hunt where the kids hunted for Legos on the porch. I think they had a good time. Oh yeah, almost forgot, I made Lego Man Pops out of marshmallows and candy melts. I drew the faces on with food markers but it didn't work all that well.

When Kyle's teachers asked him about his birthday party, he said excitedly, "We had jellybeans!" Yup folks, that's right, I went to all that trouble of making Lego Man Pops, the Lego Block cake, a banner, etc, but the highlight for him was the jellybeans I bought on a whim. figures.




Kyle showing off his loot from the Lego Hunt.

Isn't it hilarious how other kids always try to blow out the candles? I know I have some pics like this from when I was little where my cousins are blowing out my candles.

Happy Birthday, Kyle

Dear Kyle,
You are now four years old. It has been so fun these past four years watching you become the little boy you are today. You make us laugh one minute, amaze us the next minute, and pull out our hair the next when you refuse to do the logical thing just because we asked you to. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree--you are so much like me.

You are such a good brother to Annabelle and Barrett. This year a new baby came into our lives and you are so proud of her and loving to her. You tell everyone we see that you have a new baby sister with such pride in your voice and love on your face, it melts my heart. You like to hold her hand and sing her songs. She is only 3 months old, but Annabelle already smiles and laughs at you. You and Barrett are buddies. You have so many common interests and you guys play together all the time. You like to make up games to play with each other in the car and you finish each others sentences. You are so close that when you are apart, you can't stop talking about each other. It's really wonderful to have someone who will be your friend for the rest of your life. You are so lucky.

Right now, you love Legos, superheroes, your rubber boots, space stories, jokes, dressing up and pretending. You can play with Legos for hours and create truly amazing airplanes and rockets. I'm not kidding. The planes you make with Legos are awesome. Not just for someone your age, for anyone. You really enjoy dressing up like a superhero, policeman, Star Wars character, etc. and you are completely willing to go out in public as that character. The other day, I took you to Target while you were wearing a blue floatie vest that you call a jetpack, shorts, rubber boots, goggles, and a superman cape. Seriously. You told me you were "Snobie Kinobe One." I asked if you meant Obi Wan Kenobi and you told me no. Another day, you were pretending to be a pirate with a rolled-up piece of paper for a spyglass and saying, "Arrgh, me hineys!" Oh yeah, that one still makes me smile. You light up my life and make me smile everyday.

You are like a sponge and surprise me all the time with what you know. Just this morning, you were talking with Patty about whether something was blue or green and then I heard you tell her that it was aquamarine! You are learning Spanish in school and you very often ask me how to say certain words in Spanish. My Spanish vocabulary I learned in High School has been exhausted by you and I now have to look words up. At the age of four, you are about to know more than me. Good for you, sad for me. In English, you can spell Daddy, Mommy, Gigi, and the word toe (random. I think you sounded it out) on your own. You might be able to spell other words but these are the ones I know.

I love that you love to cuddle and be held. I want you to know that I am always available for a hug. Happy times or sad times. No matter what. Even if I'm mad at you. Even if you don't want to talk. My arms are open. You are a sweet, sensitive, caring person who cares about others' feelings and one tough kid at the same time. Your teacher told me how you once stopped what you were doing, ran across the playground and put your arm around and comforted a girl who was hurt. She was very impressed at your thoughtfulness. I am proud. Not at all surprised, though, because I see you do that kind of thing all the time.

You are funny, sweet, smart and so charming. You are cheerful, and genuine, and honest even when it's hard to tell the truth. You are tough, but vulnerable. You wear your heart on your sleeve, and you stand up for your convictions. I admire you and adore you. You are an amazing person. Thank you for lighting up my life. I feel so blessed to get to be your Mommy and I love you more than words can express.

Love,
Mommy

Here you are first thing in the morning on your birthday.


You are wearing pajamas that make you look like Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story movies. Toy Story 3 just came out this year. You also have the bumblebee Pillow Pet that Uncle Casey gave you for your birthday. You were so excited and told him it was just the one you wanted. Yes, you have a band-aid on your forehead...you tend to play hard and a day doesn't go by when you do not need a band-aid. I had to get up very early to make sure I got your picture before you got out of bed. You usually wake me up at about 6:45 these days! I am going to remind you of this when you're a teenager and I need an airhorn to get you out of bed.

Mama's boys

I wish! Cody was out of town on business this past week and so the boys, Annabelle and I were on our own. I found these tattoos while cleaning out my purse and thought it'd be fun to take some pics. I have never let the boys wear fake tattoos before. I told them, with a wink in my voice, that if they ever got a real tattoo, it better look like this.
But as far as being mama's boys, that is not the case right now. maybe someday. A girl can dream. For now, I just cling to the brief phase when Barrett wanted to marry me when he grew up. sigh.

Here they are looking all boy and a little too grown up. Kyle has a shiner and a skinned knee. that's just him at this age.

unapologetically bragging.

"A daughter can light up your day simply by blinking her big, bright eyes."
-Crystal Dawn Perry

It's hard to believe that in just 5 days Annabelle will be three months old. This little girl get lots of attention everywhere she goes. People are constantly stopping me to admire her...her hair, her big blue eyes, her smile. And I know of 3 different two-year-old girls who have named their babydolls Annabelle after her. Love it! We think she's pretty wonderful too.
She is such a good baby. Annabelle loves to be held and loves when her brothers sing to her. She is now sleeping 5-7 hours at night. School started for the boys this week and we made it on time everyday (just barely) which means the morning routine with 3 kids is somehow working. I may have looked like I just rolled out of bed with no make-up, but I am hoping no one noticed since it was pouring cats and dogs almost everyday. I woke up late today which was problematic, but Gigi helped me and we made it.