Aunt Olives Cookies...with my favorites...

So... I am totally cheating here... I posted this last week...but it has been super duper crazy around here...with all the kids activities and with Ryan being so far away...
and I loved this day...
so repeating it...
does my heart good!

Come on over to Sunday Snapshot with my friend Stefanie...
you won't be sorry!



Every year since I was a little girl Christmas has been my favorite time of year.  It's so true that when you have children you get to enjoy the Holiday in a whole new way...

and for me...The Christmas season wasn't the Christmas season with out Aunt Olive's Sugar Cookies.

These are the kind of cookies that take two day to make...

Mix and put in the fridge over-night..

and the next day...roll and cut...

and seriously...it doesn't get any better than making my favorite cookies...with one of my very favorite people...

This kid is one heck of a baker...

and this year is a little different than last year...

This year she pretty much did it all by herself...

She wanted very little help...

and she did an AMAZING job...

It was so much fun...with the tree all lit up...

and Christmas music playing in the background...

This little baker...

baked to her hearts content.

She didn't have to rush...we had no place special to be...

She didn't have to share...her teenage sister was at the mall...

She didn't have to be quiet...she could sing at the top of her lungs...

It was just her and I...

making the same cookies...

I made with my mom when I was her age...

and the same cookies I know she will make with her babies someday..

I would be willing to bet...

the waiting was the hardest part...

but the cookies turned out just right...

except for the one batch I seem to leave in the over too long.

every. single. year.

and then...

she waited just a little bit longer...

for her sister to come home...

from the mall...

(Really she is months away from being a teenager, where else would she be?)

So that they could decorate them together...

just like they do every year...

Yes, these are Patriotic Christmas cookies...

I LOVE that my kids LOVE America!

and this is the final product..

SUPER cute SUPER yummy Christmas cookies...

we always lay them out on the counter...

so that the frosting will harden a little bit...

After promising to pack one in Reagan's lunch box I ushered her off to bed.

and while I was tucking her in...

this guy...

the one with the frosting ALL OVER HIS FACE...

dug in..

to about 8 of our gorgeous cookies...

I distinctly remember this happening last year...

what a great Sunday

The only thing that could have made it better...

was Ryan home

laying on the couch watching football...

Merry Christmas all....