Tea Parties and Christmas Treats

This post is going to be a million years long. I apologize for that- not sure when I decided it was necessary to blog everything that happens again but I guess we'll roll with it :-)

The girls enjoy making sugar cookies every year.  They decorate them at their tea party as well as with their cousins for Santa so we make lots and lots.  

Berkley has gotten so silly and wacky every time we do pictures

 The cookie dough bandit could not stay out of the dough. She was constantly sneaking bites.  I don't know where she gets that from.....

 There's another bite-

 I don't even know what is happening here- but when she walked into my office and this was on the screen she cracked up laughing and said I HAD to put it on the blog. I think I'll print it out for any future boyfriends.

 P woke up from his nap.  Or should I say we finally dragged him out of bed- the girls went and tried to wake him up twice before he came down to participate.

 I think he wasn't very impressed

 Vanessa probably got a little flour on his hands

 The big Tea Party Day- This was my first year to do them back to back.  In the past Berk had pre-school off on Friday so we would do hers around lunch and I would have time in between to clean and regroup. This year Berks was from 3:15-4:45 and Elliott's was from 4:30-6.  They always do a craft and tea.  I was super nervous that it was going to be mayhem but my friend and my sister were here for Berk's party and helped me with the clean-up. It also helped that Elliott's party pretty much ran itself.  I just have to tell them what they are doing for the craft and after that they pretty much take care of themselves.  I don't really stay in there for the Tea part anymore- I just occasionally hear bits and pieces about crushes and pop my head in for more info.  It is SO cute! 

 Elliott's group

 Berk's group (she wanted to invite about 49 people I think- I learned my lesson at Elliott's kindergarten tea when I let her invite all the girls in her class.  Kindergartners are too high maintenance and the rule now is they have to all fit at the dining room table)

 Elliott's group made snowmen out of flower pots.  Berk's did a reindeer puppet- I forgot to get a pic of it.

That night I hosted my second annual Mama's "Tea" it was super fun! A bunch of my neighborhood/elementary school friends

 One of my crossfit girls- the others had left already

 Everyone knows Bec- and Zoe went to A&M and has worked with Becca forever- and is a photographer now.  Poor Becca when she hangs out with Zoe and I has to listen to a bunch of photography talk.

Amanda, Brad and the kids came to hang out one night- Elliott always gets the duty of keeping the little people safe and out of our hair.  On this particular night she scored 5 dollars for her work because she was able to get Eli to go to sleep.

 Some of our East TX pics- P was showing Paw Paw how to play a game on my phone. This was over Thanksgiving

 The kids stayed with Brandy and she brought them back to us on Saturday- Dakota was helping him hide his play doh in his jammies so the girls couldn't get it.

 Date night with Amanda and Brad to the movies and out for dinner

 I read this article over Christmas that was interesting- the author was telling people not to get her kids anything- they have enough of everything.  Just give them time- take them to the park- to do something fun- the memories last longer than some toy they play with for 3 day.  We're still working on how to pull that off with Amanda's kids or for her to do it for ours- but since Jamie and Rachel have no kids it was easy for them to come up with something fun to do and take the girls each out on their own.  They took Berk to Disney on Ice- she was SO excited!

 Elliott got to go to Six Flags with them for Winter in the Park- it was her first time to go- so I know she'll remember it forever and ever. How fun to get a date out with your Aunt and Uncle all by yourself? I had some SUPER cute pics of her with them in front of the tree but I managed to shoot over one of my memory cards- I am SO sad!