Life with Brody: "Cookie Day"

Yesterday was "Cookie Day" at our house. I had a very lofty goal of making at least 7 batches of cookies throughout the entire day for our neighbors and all of Brody's teachers at church (there were SIX!). As soon as we got home from eating breakfast with Santa, I went into BAKING MODE. I hate cooking because of the amount of time it takes to prepare, bake/cook, and clean-up! I'm not sure why people (like my mom, for instance.....lol!) enjoy spending their entire day in the kitchen! =) Now, most of the time, those individuals (like my mom....) are EXCELLENT cooks. I guess you'd have to be with all the practice.... I just can't appreciate the "art" of it as much as they do, but I am sure they don't appreciate my obsession with photography, creating memories, scrapbooking (when I have time), and blogging (again, when I have time). SO, since we probably won't ever see eye-to-eye, I will just enjoy the food they make! =)

"Cookie Day" doesn't usually happen too often around here. Probably only once a year, OR LESS! I would much rather make something else for gifts than baked goods. For instance, I like to make ornaments for my family each year. I have done it since Dave and I got married. My Grandma Welsch used to make salt dough ornaments to sell around Christmastime YEARS ago. There were several of them on my mom and dad's trees growing up and I always thought they were the coolest ornaments (those and some my mom made). Here are a couple that Grandma made...when she passed away a couple years ago, I asked my mom to get some of them for me to remember her by. I wish I had more of them, but these will definitely do.

They were usually very intricate (she painted the backs as intricately, too) and I know they had to take TONS of time! She was my inspiration for starting my yearly ornament tradition. Mine have NEVER been near the quality of hers, but I am sure she had lots more practice since she made lots to sell. I tried to ask her one time for her recipe, but the one she gave me couldn't have been what she used because it didn't work out so well.... Her ornaments were for fun, but mine always have a story or reason behind each one. It was fun thinking of a shape I could make to represent something BIG from that year, then searching far and wide for just the right cookie cutter! I had to stop making them last year because it was too stressful with a little baby to make any so I started doing picture frame ornaments instead. I'm sure they'd rather see a picture of Brody on their tree than my attempt at a homemade ornament anyway, right??? =) Here is what I have made over the years....

2003-wedding bell

2004-Cuddles/Chipper (year we added our second kitty to the household)

2005-Louisiana (with Shreveport marked)

2006--cookie cutter ornament from a cookie cutter that was my Grandma Welsch's (she passed away the year before and I was able to get several of her cookie cutters--this was in memory of her...)

2007- i heart 5Ks (a HUGE running year for me!)

2008-store bought frame (and I couldn't even find them all the same one...bummer!)

Until last year, I even wrote a short poem to go with each ornament to tell the significance of it...guess I don't need that now as they are pretty self-explanatory! =)

Here's the one from this year--I was finally able to at least go back to making them again. I painted them all this year! Fun!

I have a little wooden train that I am going to paint for Brody...I think I am going to start painting him one every year from now on.

Enough about ornaments....back to "Cookie Day". At least you know a little more about me now that you may not have known before! I am crafty, not a chef! =) My high hopes of making cookies all day were suddenly dashed on the very first batch! Brody started screaming and crying in terror because of the loud mixer--red face, tears, sobs, EVERYTHING!! Oh brother--I had to finish making that one batch and I felt horrible because the whole time he was crying. I didn't want to waste all the ingredients because I barely had enough for the batches I was going to make and I certainly didn't want to drag him to Walmart for one or two things! With that batch finished I decided to truck on as planned, but only baking the store bought dough until he went to bed (which made for a VERY LONG day!!). I ended up making NINE batches of cookies when all was said and done--I over-baked once batch and found another kind at the store I wanted when I had to end up going to replace the cookies I'd overdone! So much for avoiding Walmart!

Most of the time while I was preparing the cookies, instead of Brody playing with the TONS of toys he has, this is what was happening:

And my personal favorite:

I'm sure you get the idea....he was attached to me or right by where I needed to be whining or fussing because he wanted to be held. I know he felt a little neglected as I wasn't sitting in the floor playing with him like usual, but sometimes mommies have to do other things, too. Afterall, these were for HIS teachers. =) (Oh, and I want to point out that this is the same scenario everyday when I try to get ready for the day, or try to get our lunch together, etc.....makes it rather difficult! Ha!)

In the end, I managed to get enough cookies to make 8 plates that looked like this:

Believe me, I am sure they looked MUCH better than they tasted but hopefully it's the thought that counts and I didn't embarrass myself!! =) I got this idea from my mom because she used to do the same thing for all our teachers growing up. Now I see why! (Only difference was that her cookies were DELICIOUS!!!!)

For his teachers, I also painted ornaments. There weren't enough of them to all have the same, so I opted for making his Sunday morning teachers one kind and his Sunday evening teachers another kind. My personal favorites were the stockings, but they both turned out well.

Brody DID enjoy watching the cookies bake. He loves to look in the oven...

And, he DID manage to play on his own...a couple times.

Don't worry though. We had plenty of playtime while the cookies baked! We read stories together, too...remember, he's bringing me books and wants me to read them to him now! YAY!

18 sec.

He even amazed me ONCE AGAIN by showing me something new he now knows!

I have read this book, "I Love You Through and Through", to him since he was just a couple weeks old. It's his favorite book. As he gotten a little older, I always point out whatever they are talking about on the page. This time, when I turned the page (and before I could even say anything), he did what I usually do--touched the top of his head and said "top" for "I love your top side"!!! I was so surprised!!!! He even did it on command every time I read the book today! =) My little boy makes me smile every day!

Later in the evening, Brody started acting SO SILLY (probably from the small pieces of ginger snaps I gave him...I found something new he likes)!! He was bouncing all over the couch and in the BEST giggly mood! I can't get enough of his smile and laugh!

If you really need a smile or a good laugh today, here are some videos for your viewing pleasure. They make me smile every time I watch them!!

Video #1

1:49 min.

Video #2

49 sec.

Video #3

56 sec.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Dave got to witness this same silliness today....so glad he did because videos only go so far when it's your own son! =) I hate it that he misses out on so much like this....