More Cupcake Kids

Here are the "babies" at play!

The Adventure of the Snow Man Cupcakes

Yesterday, my friend Jess and her kids and Meg and her kids came over for a Cupcake Making play date. Here's the math: 3 infants, 3 "big kids" under the age of 4 years old. 18 cupcakes needing frosting and marshmallow snowmen = Fun Stuff! More on the little kids tomorrow.

TIGF - Christmas Style!

I am thankful for so many things this after-christmas/New Year's week. I'm thankful for a very generous gift from my grandma that more than helps pay the Santa bills and a rather entertaining card to go with it. I even had some money left over to buy a little extra for mom at Albertville this week...and still put a bunch in saving for the kids too! Thank you Grandma!!!

I'm thankful for a very nice gift from the Schusters too, that helped Josh pay for HIS part of Christmas shopping...my fancy new earrings! (I'm also thrilled that Josh did a great job with the gift this year!) I am even thankful that Linda cheats a little...cuz I really like my new dish towels and can't wait to go to HomeGoods:)

I appreciate the way we celebrate holidays. My parents are awesome with all 6 grandkids and still make it extra special for the grown-ups too! (Some of us never grow up!) So many traditions and so much spoiling! Thanks Mom and Dad~~I love my new coat and my Philosophy stuff ROCKS! And Mom, thank you so much for saving me a caramel roll:)

I'm thankful for Pammy's cookies too!

And a gift that wasn't even really a gift but meant sooooooooooooo much to me. I am thankful for my dad making the chicken wings without MSG so that I could still have them for Christmas. You see, it's just not Christmas Eve without Dad's chicken wings! And since I am trying to do without MSG to make my reactions go away, I woke up in a panic early that morning thinking I wasn't going to get wings...and then I called home and all was right with the world. They left it out without my even mentioning it to them! YEAH!

There is so much I am thankful for as this year ends. Happy (albeit sassy) Healthy kids. My family and friends. Josh's new Job. So many things! Here's hoping for a GREAT 2011~

Happy Birthday Uncle D!

Today we wish the last of the December Birthdays in our family...Uncle D, we hope you have a fun day and a wonderful year ahead with no basement leaks and lots of kiddo hugs and smooches!

Happy Birthday Miss Brynn!

We wish our little Brynnie a HAPPY First Birthday! Can't believe it was a year ago that she arrived rather quickly into this world! She has already had her first taste of Birthday Cake...she was kinda sneaky with big sister's cake a few weeks ago:) Happy Day Miss Brynn, we love you!

Christmas at Schusters in a Nutshell

Doodle plays with doors (and Great Uncle Don!), lots of Noisy Toys, Daddy needs a bib, bring on the cookies!

A little Christmas in a Nutshell - PArt 1

Christmas Eve is always at the Cooley (Tom and Trish, I mean) Household. Here's Christmas in a nutshell: 2 matching boys, 2 matching girls, 6 crazy kids, and Timmer's engaged to Colleen. That about does it! Oh and we're spoiled and THANK YOU Mom and Dad for hosting as always and for making the Chicken Wings without MSG so I could still have Dad's famous wings! I love you guys for every little thing you do, especially things like that:) It just wouldn't be Christmas without wings!

P.S. No success on the Riley sings Christmas Music...but I won't give up yet! She was just TOO TIRED to even try it today.

Now Dad, Top THIS!

Ok, so when I was a kid, we used to make the biggest snowmen...or snow bears or whatever...with my dad. But Dad, I think this house up the block from us has us beat!

Merry Christmas!

We hope you and your families have a wonderful Christmas and safe travels to wherever you may be visiting this year. May your stockings be full of happiness and good health...Here's to a great 2011!

I am hoping to get video of Riley singing a Christmas song, since both my sisters have posted this in the past and I have failed to get her on camera. She can never decide what she wants to sing and when she does she won't do it on camera. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday Emme and Izze!

Today we want to wish some of our favorite buddies a very Happy 5th birthday! These are from their party on Sunday night. We will also be spending the day with them today (weather permitting) doing pedicures for the little ones!

HAPPY 40th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Last night we celebrated 40 years of marriage for my amazing, wonderful, AWESOME parents! Thanks Mom and Dad for the model of what love is and can be!

P.S. Our little Doodle Man has his first tooth!!!

Jingle Bells Batman Smells (And P.S. So Does May)

We took the older kids to see a plat at Stages Theater in Hopkins this week. It was called "Junie B. Jones, Jingle Bells Batman Smells (And. P.S. So Does May). Riley has been into us reading her Chapter Books and Junie B is a favorite. This February, we're going to see "If you Give a Moose a Muffin" and hopefully "Pinkalicious" this Spring. I love Stages:) Meg has a cool picture of the stage at the end of the play on her blog today too.

TIGF

Thankful that my friend's little guy got his liver transplant and seems to be recovering and doing well with his new organ. I am als thankful for the family in OK who gave the organ of their own small child so save this one and I pray for them in a difficult time. Why do little people have to suffer? But at least Collin has a new chance at life!

Proud Pastry

Ok, so I normally cheat when I'm asked to bring an appetizer. I bring shrimp or something I bought in a bag and have to just heat it up. But my friend Emily had this at her cookie exchange and it was so good I had to make it. Pretty easy too. Even I didn't screw this up! I was supposed to make it for my holiday party this weekend, but that got cancelled, so I made it for Adie's b-day party:)

Our Free Tree

The first weekend in December, my friend Missy, who also happens to be our real estate agent dropped off a nice gift from Edina Realty. Our Christmas tree was free this year and it is a pretty darn nice tree if I do say so. And I am a fussy tree picker! It has to be tall enough, fat enough, full enough, a certain kind etc. I would say this tree is just about perfect. I'm not going to complain one bit! Thanks Missy!

Adie's Birthday!

Happy 3rd Birthday to our beautiful niece, Adie-Bug! Pictures are from her party this weekend. Brynn liked the cake:) Doodle fell asleep in Brynnie's crib for a quick cat-nap snuggling her pink elephant. Better that than the pink poodle;) We also got to meet the newest Tredinnick, Graeme (pronounced Grahm). What a cutie!

Doodle's First Visit with Santa

This weekend, just before the snow hit, we went to dinner and a play date at Rosedale with a friend from high school and her family. We started at Santa and went from there. Now Doodle had not napped all day for some reason and was CRANKY while we waited in line. I just got him settled down seconds before we sat on Santa's lap, he cried a little, then he got curious...and then not another tear after we left Santa. Huh? Was it the anticipation? Riley also appears to have another boyfriend:)