Christmas Cookie Decorating

Now that Lyla is old enough to enjoy holiday traditions, I really wanted to incorporate some this year that she could enjoy and be apart of. Holiday traditions are BY FAR my most memorable  childhood memories, and everyone knows how much I love the Christmas Season, so I hope that Lyla grows up feeling the same way.

I have great friends. I had a few great friends growing up, but the Lord has really blessed this season of my life with several GREAT friends. I am not the kind of person who has to have a million friends and everyone I meet does not become my best friend. I prefer to have a few really deep meaningful relationships rather than a million best friends. The Lord has really provided that for me over the last several years and it has been amazing. I do not know what I would do without these special ladies. My heart is full with their friendship and what they mean to me. They have gone far beyond the call of duty as friends and mean more to me than they could possibly ever know. They love me well and they love my daughter well. I know that they would do anything for my family!!

So, I thought it would be fun to have a few of them over to have a cookie decorating party for the kids before Christmas. These girls are girls I met through work before having Lyla and we have all gotten engaged, married, bought houses and had babies together. Those HAVE to be the best kinds of relationships, where you go though the most important events of your life together. We get the kids together on a regular basis and had a fun time painting pumpkins as our Halloween/Thanksgiving get together. Now that they are old enough to actually have fun doing these activities it will be fun planning fun holiday get to togethers with them each holiday.  

Lyla and I were so excited to host and we had fun picking out fun cookie decorations and icing. She helped me bake the cookies prior to everyone coming over. We had fun setting the table and getting things ready for our friends.

I put several cupcake holders at each child's place filled with several different kinds of toppings. We had several different colors of frosting as well. I made several different shaped cut-outs for the cookies. There were Christmas trees, snowmen, candy-canes, bells, stars and angels.

Lyla put all of her decorations on one single cookie!!

Lindsey and Oliver decorating their cookies.

Lyla excited to taste her creation. And yes I took my child's shirt off because I knew she would end up with red icing all over it.

I think Tripp ate all his mini m&m's before they ever made it on his cookies.

"Cheese!"

Molly tasting her cookies.

"I got this mom"

No hands needed.

Nicole and our newest addition to the group baby Camille watching.

"Yum, Yum!"

Just licking all the icing off.

Messy face.

Tripp still eating his m&m's.

Oliver decided his cookies were better without anything on them.

Sweet boy.

Still just eating the icing.

All done with that one....

...on to the next.

All the cookie decorating necessities. 

Molly likes the frosting too.

Sweet baby Camille.

Just hanging out.

"Any more m&m's mom?"

Lyla's finished product.

"Anyone have a wet paper towel to clean me up with?"

It was so fun to see each kid's personality shine through their cookie decorating decisions. They really are all so very different, but they get along so well. I love watching them grow up together. It is nice having mom friends in the same stage of life!