Valentine Play Date

by Carrie Wells, Ed.D.
Inspired by Pinterest, Lydia had an awesome Valentine's Day play date with her friend Brandon. 

Here's our party agenda!

I prepared a heart-shaped fruit salad.

First Lydia & Brandon made chocolate marshmallow pops.

 Then they made heart-shaped pizzas.

Next they made valentine cookies.

They each decorated one card for each other and one card for their daddies. 

They ended the play date with a gift exchange and hug.

Holiday Cookie Party!

by Carrie Wells, Ed.D. 

This holiday was a very special one. My husband is one of 6 children - he's the baby. He grew up with his half-brother Scott (who is 8 years older), but he also has 4 other siblings: Bryan, John, Paul, & Tena. Due to circumstances that don't make a whole lot of sense to me, Richard never saw much of his other siblings. We met up with some of them a few times over the years, but nothing ever came of these meet-ups...until recently. Richard's dad, who lives in the Bahamas, came to visit. He asked us to hang out with some of the siblings, and we did. We learned that Lydia and Bryce have four awesome cousins, Aryssa, Luke, Kyle, & Alana - who is two just like Lydia! They welcomed us into their homes for Christmas last weekend and New Years this weekend. I decided to begin a new tradition - I invited them over for a holiday cookie party!

We made Chocolate-Gingerbread cookies and Sugar cookies. We decorated them with sprinkles, M & M's, homemade buttercream frosting and colored icing, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and small candy stars.

Lydia and her Aunt Tena making a chocolate gingerbread Mickey Mouse.

Aunt Tena making a swirled Mickey Mouse.

Luke decorating a gingerbread house.

Aryssa decorating a gingerbread man.

This was quickly eaten!

Tena, Alana, and Adam decorating cookies together. 

Cousins Luke & Kyle decorating a Jewish star.

Aryssa made this HUGE cookie! It was two layers of cookie and at least 6 inches long!

I decorated two cookies, too. Yum!