We had a nice weekend, but it’s nice to get back into what ever normal is in our house. For Christmas Eve, my inlaws, my parents, Uncle Rick and Auntie Connie and our friend Melissa all came for a nice Italian dinner. Not the traditional italian christmas eve of fish and seafood, but my own version of an Italian dinner….Salad, homemade Lasagna, homemade meatballs and sausage, homemade eggplant parm and lots of yummy Italian bread!! What’s an Italian meal with out yummy bread. OH and top that off with a real yummy Italian dessert with lots of cream and friut. I have no idea what it was called but it was good!!! We all enjoyed it very much and we ate way too much, both…

Holly and I had a craft day today (Monday) and we had so much fun. I pulled out the washable markers and gave her lots of paper and sat her across the table from me while I scrapbooked. My best friend Jodi challenged me to do some pages this weekend, but I never got to it. Today I sat us both done and went to town. Holly had a lot of fun with the markers, and thankfully they were washable because she made a mess, a cute mess, but a mess. Hope you all have a good week!!!

Halloween is approaching and I need to find Holly a costume but I’m so tempted to put the same thing on her as last year just because it was so darn cute. (But I will get something different). Here she is, just under 1 years old, walking already, on her first night of trick o treatin….she seemed to enjoy it and we loved how cute she looked….

Today is my nephew Kristopher’s Birthday. He is 5 today. WOW 5!!! That’s amazing how fast he is growing. It really does seem like yesterday he was born. I remember when I went to go see him for the first time, his brother Jonathan, who was 3 1/2 at the time, was with me. He said hi to his baby brother then looked at me and said “Auntie Karen, why doesn’t say hi to me?” It was really cute. I think he as expecting a full grown boy to be born that would talk and play with him. This kid was kinda boring he thought. But Kristopher was absolutely adorable. It’s been 5 years since that day, and it feels like yesterday. And now Jonathan…

Steve and I (along with my parents) had a little cake for Holly last night, her party is this weekend and our family’s will come over to celebrate with her. Let’s just say that she LOVED having Happy Birthday sung to her and she was even excited to blow out her candles. I never realized a 2 year old could do that. But she could NOT keep her little fingers out of the frosting. We won’t let her do this to the big cake on Saturday but we just let her have fun with her little cake. It was so cute and of course, I got it all on video!! Here’ it is……….enjoy!!

I’ve been baking cookies for the past 8 years now and last year was the first Christmas that I didn’t bake (I think I baked the year Holly was born but I’m not sure, I might not of, it’s all a blur). I was so sorry that I didn’t so I made sure this year I did. I usually stress about getting it done but I didn’t. I enjoyed the process and I especially enjoyed Holly helping me. She was such a good helper and very eager. Here are some pictures of her baking……….. Peanut Butter Blossoms……..yum yum!! Cinnamon Oatmeal yum yum…… Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies yum yum……. and Cinnamon Gem Cookies yum yum….. OK I love Peanut Butter and Cinnamon, can you…