Cookies Full of Cheer

Hi Everyone,


We've been busy preparing to have a festive Christmas at our house. My work has been insane since the week of Thanksgiving with a very huge audit. Today we finally hit the mark we needed to hit for everyone to be granted their Christmas leave, which has made for a very happy day at work.

Unfortunately, this evening hasn't been quite as much fun due to Josie running a fever shortly after dinner. Hopefully she will be past the worst of it by Christmas. Fingers crossed!

Wim and I kept busy this past weekend doing all kinds of fun Christmasy things with Josie Dong Dong.

"I'm not so sure about this cookie-making thing."

After watching me roll out some dough and press shapes, Josie got in the swing of how to do it and was ready to roll out some dough herself.

After pressing shapes for the sugar cookies, we worked on the chocolate chip cookies.









We soon had racks full of cookies-- ready to decorate. Although, Josie Dong Dong thought they looked pretty good for eating without decorating.



"Cookies? What Cookies? I don't see any COOKIES."

"Oh, these cookies?"

"OK. I maybe I did notice these cookies."

"Oh No! I'm not planning to eat any of these . . .

giggle-giggle."

More giggling.

A lot more GIGGLING!

"HA! I got one! I got one. I got one of the COOKIES!"

I don't know if I have mentioned it before or not, but it is super hard to get good pictures of Josie. She will not sit still for me to take a picture or two and she gets fussy really quickly if she even suspects I am trying to get her to sit or stand somewhere 'special' for a picture.

I was hoping to get some pictures of her in front of the Christmas tree, but she was being her typical self. She did sit on the ottoman next to the tree.

"What is wrong with me sitting here Mommy?"
"OOOOooooo, these lights are really pretty!"

After her afternoon nap, Josie has a snack and since we made cookies I let her have one after she ate her fruit.

"Don't even try to tell me there aren't any cookies!"

"Mmmmmm!"

After her snack we took Josie for a little sled ride around the neighborhood on her new sled. Yea, Christmas is right around the corner, but like a lot of states, we got socked pretty good with some snow and wanted to make the most of it.

This is Wim pulling Josie on her sled on the street in front of our house.

On Sunday Wim decided to get some of his wrapping done. Much to his dismay, Josie Dong Dong didn't nap for very long and was quite interested in Daddy and his new 'task.'

If there is one thing Josie LOVES more than cookies it is watching either her Mommy or Daddy do 'tasks' and joining in to 'help.'




"What is Daddy doing? I need to investigate!"

"I can be a big help to you Daddy!"

"Daddy is talking to me in his funny Grumpy voice."

Hmmmm. I wonder what Wim is thinking in this picture as Josie continues to 'help' him and I continue to watch her 'help' and take pictures. Did I mention that he isn't all that into "wrapping?"

It's Almost Christmas and nothing is going to put a damper on this little girl's spirit!!!!