Snow Delay

Watch out people!  It’s snowing in Texas!!!  Well…kinda.  An artic blast came our way Thursday night bringing ice, sleet, snow, and lots of road conditions us central Texans just aren’t used to.  So, in honor of this wonderful weather, school started 2 hours late!  WooHoo!!!  Happy Dance!  Happy Dance!!!  If you couldn’t tell, I might have been a little excited about that extra time off from work.  It meant extra time with my sweet little family AND our baby girl was able to see that white stuff she kept singing about all Christmas season long (Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow).

Waking up Friday morning was glorious, just knowing we didn’t have to get up and start getting ready right away was amazing.  I was able to leisurely sip my nice hot coffee and hang out in my pj’s, something I don’t get the luxury of doing on weekdays.  Let’s be honest here, I’m usually drinking my coffee as I’m trying to straighten my hair and put on my makeup all the while trying not to poke my eye out or burn myself.  Not exactly the most relaxing start to the day, but hey, it’s what I do.  So, needless to say, Friday was a real treat!  As we sat on the couch drinking our coffee, Haylen brings me my iPhone that she’s been playing with.  She had found and opened my new Starbucks app, showed me a picture of a latte, and said quite matter of factly, “I need Starbucks.”  She then proceeded to jump and prance around the living room chanting, “Caramel Spice!  Caramel Spice!”  OH. MY.  Our child can readily identify the Starbucks logo and tell you her specific drink of choice (Caramel Apple Spice).  How many 23 month olds do that!?!  Most kiddos can spot the golden arches a mile away..NOT our kid…she knows Starbucks!

Once the sun came up, we went back outside.  Yup, that’s right.  Back out.  We first went out while the coffee was brewing to check out the winter wonderland.  It was still super dark, so I just snapped a few iPhone pics.  Very winter wonderlandy, huh!?!


So, the second time we went out, I brought the good camera to document Haylen’s first snow!  She loved it!  It’s always amazing to see her experience something for the first time.  The wonder and amazement in her eyes was priceless.  It sure does make this mommy happy to see it! 

Haylen’s first snow!!!

       

Daddy’s lack of pooper scooping the backyard was bothering her.  “EWWWW! POOP!!!”  So, she decided to take matters into her own hands.  (just keeping it real, folks!)

Sweet little feet in the snow.

My sweet girls!  Two peas in a pod, or partners in crime…however, you choose to look at it!

    

Checking out the snow.

             


She had just seen Aunt D in this picture, who had come out to take snow pictures too.

Our very own winter wonderland.  Check out all the white stuff…

After all our picture taking fun and playing in the snow, I had to come back to reality and actually get ready to go to work.  Bummer!  But on the bright side, our day was 2 hours shorter, and I get a jeans day on Monday to make up for losing my conference time to the delay.  Jeans on Mondays make me happy.  It’s the little things, I guess!  And after school I took my sweet girl on a little Starbucks date to get that “Caramel Spice” she needed so early that morning.

 Hope everyone enjoyed your very own snow delay/day yesterday.  I know we did!!!

The Girl’s Got Wheels

Haylen got her first set of wheels for Christmas.  Her very own Minnie Car.  She absolutely loved it, not to mention she looked stinkin’ adorable driving it.  After a quick driving lesson from Daddy, she was off!

 

Look out world!  Here she comes!!!

Cookies for Santa

This Christmas has been by far the most exciting Christmas to get ready for.  Haylen really caught on to the magic of Christmas…Santa, reindeer, her elf of the shelf.  Seeing her face light up as she learned a little about each them.  Oh. My.  The excitement was quite contagious!  As she soaked it all in, I knew I wanted to make this holiday season special.  I wanted to start new traditions with our little family.  You know, the ones you look forward to each year.  She was ready, and so was I!
On the way back from our little trip to Dallas right before Thanksgiving, we stopped in Waco at the Heitmiller Steakhouse.  While we were waiting on our food, I took Haylen to walk around in the little shop they had at the front of the restaurant.  The poor kid needed to stretch her legs after being cooped up in her carseat for so long.  As we looked around, she was immediately drawn to the Christmas tree they had decorated in the far back corner.  “Mommy!  Mismas tree!  Mismas lights!!!”  While back there, she also noticed several pictures they had hung on the wall with the big man in red plastered all over them.  She pointed up to them with a quizzical look on her face. “Mommy, this?”  I then explained to her that that was Santa.  I then told her how he comes to visit on Christmas Eve and brings toys to sweet little girls and boys.  I asked her, “Is Santa going to come see you?”  With her hands stretched way above her head she jumps up shouting, “YES!!!”  I then told her Santa might be hungry when he comes.  “Should we leave him something to eat?  What should we leave him?”  To which our child quickly replied, with great enthusiasm I might add,  “Bock, Bock, and Rice!!!”  (Quick side note here, the kid LOVES bock, bock (chicken) and rice.  When you ask her what she wants to eat, 99.9% of the time, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, she replies, “bock, bock, and rice.”)  She was quite certain that if she loved chicken and rice, so did Santa!  After a quick fit of giggles on my part, I told her that while Santa might like that what he really liked was cookies.  Her reaction to this information was priceless.  Her eyes lit up, she began to giggle with one little hand covering her mouth like she was just let in on a secret, and very hilarious, joke and said, “Santa likes cookies!!!”  It was then and there I knew there I MUST bake cookies for Santa with my sweet little girl. 
Christmas Eve morning, she and I set to work making cream cheese sugar cookies (this might quite possibly be the best sugar cookie recipe ever)  for dear ol’ Santa.  He was sure to love them!  I sat her up on the counter and really let her help.  Before starting she had to try on all the cookie cutters.  Apparently, they double as bracelets.

As we began, I gave her the job of opening the butter and putting it into the mixer.  She may or may not have tried to take a huge bite of a stick of butter…
                   

She intently watched as it mixed…

And quickly learned that if she pulled the knob on the side she could send the mixer in to super warp speed and send flour flying every where!

She also had to try the dough, as any great pastry chef would.
   
Rolling out the dough was quite the adventure.  She proceeded to try the flour we were going to roll the dough out on.  Why?  Who knows!?!  Apparently it seemed like a really good idea to her at the time. 
         
She was such a great little helper!
          
          
By the time it was all said and done, the kitchen was a wreck but the smile on her face was well worth it.  The cookies turned out great and …

Santa LOVED them!!!