Can you tell that I have a lot more free time since I'm blogging almost every day? We've been having so much fun together on our "snow days." Today the kids made cookies with hardly any help at all, and they were delicious. They made up their own creation of half and half cookies and double chocolate M & M cookies. After we baked, we went out for lunch and did a little bit of shopping for a family of one of my students who is in need of a few things. The kids exchanged presents from each other tonight - they have been wanting to open "just one" present..... They earned money from the cookie business to buy each other presents, so it was fun to see what they chose for each other (Conner bought Kelsey a Webkinz parrot and McKenzie some gum and $5. McKenzie bought Conner a $15 iTunes card and Kelsey a $15 McDonalds card). Conner said afterwards that it felt really good to spend his money on someone other than himself :)

We Love Snow

Today was so much fun! We spent hours outside sledding, having snowball fights, making snow ramps, etc. Kelsey said she had a dream about tasting a snowflake, so she decided to see what one really tastes like today. Kelsey and I walked over to Sami's neighborhood where there is a fun hill. Sami has a real sled that goes much faster than the other plastic sleds! It was nice to go in for some hot chocolate before walking back to our neighborhood. Peter came home from work early, so he was able to watch Indiana Jones and play games with us!

Tis the Season

We have loved not having school for the past three days! We have been able to sleep in, read books, play many games, listen to books on CD, and bake. We received an amazing gift of the "12 days of Christmas" toffee from one of our neighbors. It was so beautiful I just had to take a picture. We finally got our tree last night and finished decorating for Christmas. Conner and McKenzie decorated the banister - it's amazing how much help they are the older they get! After we decorated, we did our annual tradition of drinking hot chocolate by the tree. Peter went to bed (because he was the only one who had to go to work....), and the kids and I played a game of Mexican train dominoes (our new favorite game) by the tree.

Oops!

On Sunday, I was mentioning that we have never dropped any cookies or had any cooling trays bumped off of the tables. I spoke too soon.... On Tuesday, just as I was pulling the very last cookie tray out of the oven (the 32nd dozen), I bumped the wall and all of the cookies went flying onto the floor. All I could do was laugh and take a picture.

Cookie Business Helpers

We are SO grateful for the wonderful help we had baking cookies on Saturday. We were able to make 66 dozen cookies and have the entire kitchen cleaned up in 7 1/2 hours - I think that's a new record. We neglected to take a picture of Mom who was this year's shipping manager as well as the Starbucks coffee delivery service. Dad came through with his great box folding and scooping skills. He was concerned, though, that he was being demoted when he was asked to cut ribbon, but it was actually a very important job. Dad always keeps me smiling with his great sense of humor. I am always glad when Mary arrives to help as she can easily take over all duties. The only task she says that she can't do is ribbon tying! Amy is always willing to pitch in with anything that needs to be done. Her strong stirring arms from her Baskin & Robbin days have come in quite handy. The kids helped out quite a bit, too! We're praying that the post office will make it to our house in the snow and ice to pick up our 22 packages that need to be shipped out tomorrow. We are so grateful for all of our family and friends who help us with our business - THANK YOU!

Game Night!

Friday night we went over to the Siems for a potluck dinner and game night. We had a great spaghetti dinner, and quite a sample of desserts. Bekki's family brought 6 different desserts! The guys played a little Rock Band, and then we played some Rummikub and Mexican Train Dominoes. It was fun spending time with our good friends.

Half-Way Done!

We are a little more than half way done with our cookie orders. We made about 130 dozen cookies in three days, and have 117 dozen left to go! Everyone has pitched in to help, so it has truly been a family affair. Since our furniture was occupied with cookie stuff, we had to have a picnic dinner on the dining room floor. I was the only one who spilled my food! I enjoyed a nice break today which included working out and then going to Starbucks to drink a latte and read a good book!