Bakin' up Christmas

****Note: You'll have to bear with me for the next few posts, I've got to go back and document our Christmas holidays.  We've been super busy--work, parties, cleaning, organizing, more parties, and more work.  So, I'm going to try my very best to get caught up in three posts.    

Every year, my cousin Lauren and I get together at her house to make sugar cookies for Christmas.  We have a great time cooking, while the kids have a wonderful time playing together.  This year we were VERY brave.....  We let the kids help!  Yes, I know we are crazy, but they had an awesome time.  We hope to continue this tradition for years to come.

Connor just loved it.  He has started pulling up a chair to the counter when Jed and I are cooking.  So, this was right up his alley!

Connor and Kade worked together.  Kade would cut cookies out and before he could pick them up, Connor would cut more out on top of them. 

Here's Kade helping Connor.  Kade is such a sweetheart.  Connor loves him SO much!!!!  He's so good with the little kids!

Bailey provided everyone with aprons.  She wore a chef's hat.  She was too cute!!  She and Brock thoroughly enjoyed making eating the cookies.  Bailey wanted to cut some out, but before she could Brock would steal her dough and eat it!  They were hilarious. 

Needless to say, we didn't eat any of the cookies that Bailey and Brock made.  We kept those separate!

We also made each of the kids a big gingerbread boy and girl that they could decorate.  I helped them, and Lauren took pictures afterwards.

It is so hard to take a picture of Connor lately.  He runs away or just won't smile.  It is SO not fun.  Of course when we took these, he didn't want to do it.  We finally talked him into it.  Here's the first picture.....

He inspected it and decided it looked good enough to eat.

  So...... he ate it!

Bailey, Brock, and Kade all smiled for pictures with their cookies too! 

Caroline couldn't help us make the cookies this year, but we made her one anyway. 

Next year, we'll have to remember to take a group picture (and make sure that I'm not in any of them)! 

We really enjoyed this day and will make it a new tradition every year!!!