Do I Smell Ginger Cookies???

This year was Callie's second year to help Grammie with her Christmas cookie baking.  Last year she pushed a cookie cutter into the dough with Dreama's help.  This year she was able to fully participate and even take over and start giving the orders!  We were all amazed by how quickly she picked up on the process and how neat and methodically she cut into the dough.  And then we all enjoyed the results.  Callie enjoyed the results at least four times (that is all Grammie will admit to) and was wild until after midnight, going to bed still begging for "cook cook".  (By the way, this is my THIRD post today.  I am trying to get all caught up so if you are just "tuning" in, be sure to check the two previous posts that go back as far as Thanksgiving.)

 The set-up (two jammie-bottomed butt-butts!)

 The demonstration...

 Callie was amazed by it all!

 ...and Grammie was amazed by how quickly she got it!

 Eying those cookies...ready to dig in before they are cooked!

 "Row, row, row," Callie would say. (Roll, roll, roll)

 And eventually, she just pushed Grammie out of the way insisting she do it all herself!

Callie's precious little open-mouth amazed face.  She would do that almost every time!

 No, Grammie, use this one!

 

 Not much dough left, but just enough for one more snowman.

 

Watching them bake...

 I asked Callie, "What did you do?" and she pointed to the cookies and replied, "Diss!"  She was very proud of her handy work!

YUM! 

...Take Three...Take Four...Take Two Hundred?

Christmas portraits proved to be very challenging this year with our rambunctious Callie Mae.  We had an appointment with a local photography studio that I changed three times before finally giving up and canceling it.  The first time was due to Matt's incredibly busy schedule as he worked himself to exhaustion finishing up a project.  Then we all got a stomach bug topped off with a nasty cold.  Finally, when we were healthy enough to go out in public, Callie pulled a stocking holder down on her forehead, had a mystery scratch under her eye and a chapped face from being sick and drooling so much.  I called the studio, assuming touch-ups would not be an issue since everything is digital.  But they said that they did not do touch-ups and so I just canceled the appointment.  Michelle came over one night to help and we just did our best with our camera and in our family room.  I think they turned out pretty good considering!  I then touched-up the photos that went in the Christmas card, but I left some of the ones in this blog post unaltered to document the season of the many boo-boos!

Uh-oh!  Boo-boos on forehead and under her eye.  Her left cheek is all chapped.  Poor baby!

 We have such a loving little girl who gives great hugs and even "eskimo kisses".

 "What's this?"  Her favorite question right now.  

 Testing, testing...yep, camera works!

We can never get the boys to participate in pictures so I just did some digital paintings of them for this year's card.

Thanksgiving 2010

As usual, I am way behind on blogging this time of year.  But we are getting another blizzard here in Virginia Beach and this one may end up being much more accumulation than last year's.  It started on Christmas night too.  I never thought I would see a white Christmas while living here so this winter baby is very happy!  So, since Callie is busy watching her new videos and playing with her new toys, I finally have time to catch up on this blog.  Here is Thanksgiving--a month late!  There are not many pictures to share.  It was a relatively uneventful holiday, but nice.  Callie took her nap while we ate Dreama's delicious dinner so we only have a few pre and post-feast pictures.  Everyone rushed off the next evening either back to the beach or up to Tech to watch the VT/UVA football game. 

Callie, Matt and Grampie visited with Pa on Black Friday while us girls had our annual spa day.  Here is my little tom-boy, enjoying her favorite snack -- Booberries!

Starting a Leaf Pile Tradition

    Callie is old enough this year to appreciate how much fun a pile of leaves can be.  On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we got to enjoy our first family leaf jumping event.  Matt had raked an impressive pile in the backyard and I could barely hold Callie back as we got the cameras ready.  Needless to say, she had a great time and here are some pictures to prove it.

 She did eventually get bored of the leaves and went back to her hideout to play.

The next morning she slept in much longer than normal.  Her leaf pile romp must have really worn her out!