Cupcakes for my Baby

We have one big event in December that we never forget. Violet's Birthday! This year she turned 2. It is always a little hectic since it is so close to Christmas, but I decided to make her cupcakes again this year. I got them ready the day before her big party. I didn't make them as amazing as the cupcakes last year. Remember those sunflowers with little ladybugs? This year they were simpler but still yummy. I have learned that boxed cake mixes are better than any scratch recipe that I have found yet. They always turn out so moist from the box, especially if you add a little vanilla pudding powder to the mix. I made vanilla cupcakes and cream cheese frosting. Last year I bought some really cute flower liners and used them with these cupcakes. I wanted to make them look like flowers.

In the end though they look more like deviled eggs...sigh. Violet didn't seem to mind though :)

Long Lost Family Fun

When I was a kid we would always get together around Christmas with my mom's family. We would be surrounded by oodles of aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course my wonderful dutch grandma. Over these past 10 years we lost my Grandma, my Mom, an aunt and an uncle. The family parties disappeared, but we decided this year to change that. My wonderful aunt Anna organized a wonderful party! We brought soups, salads, sides, and desserts, including a wonderful dutch dessert that I had several helpings off. My aunt also organized games and crafts.

It was great to see so many of my relatives again. I think Lydia was a little nervous.

It is amazing how much everyone has grown up!

Violet enjoyed all the different food.

After eating we all sat down for a white elephant game. One of my cousin's presents went awry before we even began. He and his wife thought it would be fun to surprise some unknowing soul with a real mouse. It started chewing itself out of it's present and had to be whisked away to their car. My girls would have LOVED a mouse but there was NO WAY that was coming to our house.

Everyone really got into the game. Poor Adelle got a remote control caddy that she wasn't so thrilled about. I ended up opening a Battleship game that I gave to her. Lydia got one of the hottest items of the game, a Grinch Hat. She wears it to school even. We also picked up an Ants in the Pants Game for when Violet is older.

After the white elephant game, we all gathered around for a wonderfully, fun game. There is a present wrapped up in several layers of wrapping paper. A dice is passed around and each person rolls. If you get a 6 you put on gloves and a Santa hat and you try your very best to unwrap the present layer by layer. When somebody else gets a 6 you get pushed out of the way and it is that person's turn to unwrap. It was the funniest thing ever! Everyone really got into it, especially my uncle Dave.

In the end my cousin's daughter ended up winning. It was a cocoa set. I was very surprised that will all the roughness the mugs were still in good shape.

After the last game we all sat down at tables to make our ornaments. It was a tradition at each Christmas party to make a new ornament each year. My aunt decided to have us make elf ornaments with our own pictures. They are so cute! Wes had to keep Violet entertained so I made my ornament and Violet's. Lydia and Adelle worked on their own and I helped them out. I still need to make Wes' ornament. I'll have to do it before next Christmas for sure.

My aunt puts so much work into the ornament kits. She is so amazingly sweet! We all had a really fun time and it was wonderful to see everyone again!

Finding the Perfect Tree

A week or so into December we all packed in the car so we could find the perfect Christmas tree. We didn't go too far, just to our local hardware store.

We walked up and down the rows and rows of trees, until we found the right tree just for us.

It was a cold night, but we all bundled up as best we could.

Violet by the end was pretty crabby, but Wes did his best to keep her spirts high. He held her close while our tree was trimmed and wrapped up tight.

We loaded the tree on top of the car and headed home. We set up the tree, decorated it, and gave it plenty of water.


There is something about a real Chirstmas tree that just can't be matched. The smell is amazing and the full green branches are so beautiful. It finally began to feel like Christmas once we had our tree. Suprisingly Violet did a really good job not playing with the ornaments. She would ask each of us to pick her up so she could look at the different ornaments. She particularly liked the crab ornaments that we picked up in Oregon on our trips. Lydia and Adelle were great decorators this year and were so helpful! I couldn't have done it without them.