Our (third with my kiddos!) annual cookie party!! I never know if *this* will be the last party at this house but I tried to capture more memories of it this year!
We all wore red!
Silly picture.
Gotta get Bailey in it.
And Holly too…
A lab and her girl.
Christmas angel.
My yearly 7 layer magic bar— always a hit!
Snacking away on all the yummy goodies!
Mom friends!
I just love a Charcuterie board.
We even had some introverts, who mingled sparingly but still enjoyed themselves!
Alison and I have been friends since we danced together back in what, 1997? We were then college roommates and still remain friends today! She probably makes my favorite cookies–I don’t even want the recipe, she makes them perfectly every time. Molasses ginger or something with a white dripping all over….yeah I want one now!
One of my newer mommy friends is my neighbor down the street Katie! Her kiddos love playing with my kiddos and we have had many laughs, tears, and WTH moments together. It’s an amazing feeling to know you’ve got someone on your street who will care for your kids if you can’t (like getting them on/off the bus!)
More mommy friends!! In all stages of life, it’s so important to have some mama time! Being able to share ideas, hear each others’ frustrations and realize you really aren’t alone, is so comforting. We just need to be better about making more time for this.
As for the kids?? They’ve gotten old enough to realize how awesome the cookie party is and they’re even a little sneaky! They had so much fun running around all together, everyone got along and played great.
Of course I could not get a still shot of these two. All hyped up over having friends and sugar!
Grateful that my step-mom could come as well! She’s been an OG since the first cookie party and she brought some delicious Chai cookies with Eggnog Frosting that are Taylor Swift’s favorite. I think this may be the recipe here!
It’s funny how the kids really gravitated to playing upstairs and on the stairs. Our little basement room was not the hotspot this year!
Cookies upon cookies!!
Joe gave me some fancy champagne flutes for my birthday and I haven’t gotten to use them…I was originally going to just use red solo cups but then realized THIS was a special occasion and time to break them out!!
I served Mango & Peach Mimosas. It’s nice to have a glass and relax with the girls!
I love my outdoor fridge. Super classy.
I told the girls I may re-name the cookie party, “HOT MESS MOMS COOKIE PARTY” because I legit feel like one!! My driveway and walkway were covered in snow and ice and I had no salt. My cookies weren’t the greatest and those that were, my husband ate most of them. He even told me it was cute how nervous I get the night before–thanks babe. I just want everything to go smoothly!!
All in all it was so much fun and still so crazy how much it’s evolved since 2009. I had no kids and we used to bake all of the cookies at my house. I don’t even have a double oven! We then tried to just frost the cookies and it still was a bit much. Now that I have two of my own, I love that we just exchange what we can (I encourage store bought if that’s all you have time for!) and just stop by for a hello. During such a crazy busy season, I hope it sealed some beautiful memories in the hearts of moms and kids alike!