Cookies!

What do you get when you mix 14 kids, a quadruple batch of gingerbread cookie dough and a table full of toppings? Why a rockin' good time, of course! I love watching kids create. Not only did they make some awesome cookies with the crazy variety of cookie cutters I inherited from GGB...giraffes, elephants, pigs, lips, etc....they created a safari in the garage. They made tickets you had to give to security, and then you were free to tour the grounds. They took videos of themselves acting all kind of nuts and then laughed hysterically when they watched them! The cookies were my favorite, though, hands down. Everything from a TARDIS and a dalek (and not even by my kids, ha!) to crime scene victims, baby zombies, and snow giraffes. Kisses.  Mustaches. Flamingos and palm trees, of course! Every sheet of cookies I put in the oven was so fun to check out, and I loved the pride in the faces of each and every artist that triumphantly brought me a sheet to bake! We're grateful for such a great group of friends!

Wintler Park

Yesterday afternoon we met some friends for a very fun, though very cold, afternoon at the beach. (Translation: parents froze our hineys off while the kids had the "Best.  Play date. EVER!") The girls made sand villages, buried each other, and started a tunnel to China. Elora fed some bread from our picnic to the ducks, who seemed ever so grateful.  Amarra was the sand castle queen, and had fun flying the micro kite she got from Auntie Stacey. Dashiell crawled at high speed through the sand, making manly sounds as he went, and laughed and laughed with total delight. (He also thought the sand was quite tasty.) A few times he,quite proud of himself, walked a few steps in the sand before plopping back down to do some more digging. Seleia and the gang ran the beach from end to end, climbing on everything they possibly could and loving every minute of it.  Then a storm rolled in, so we rolled out! But I have a feeling we'll be back soon!