"C" is for Cookie

The master gingerbread decorators

The masterpiece!

Kayden helping decorate the Gingerbread house

Kayden frosting a sugar cookie

Gingerbread Cookies (everyone's favorites!)

Grandma-the master gingerbread cookie baker

Kyle and Uncle Kurt making the peanut butter cookies (they thought their cookies were the "best" and needed to be put on fine china:-)

Climbing on the presents

Cheesing

Uncle Mark's friend got stuck in the driveway and it took 4 guys to push him out....good ole Nebraska fun:-)

Playing in the snow

He went around and showed everyone his cool new dinosaur slippers that Uncle Mark and Carrie got him

Kayden and I flew into Omaha, NE on the 16th, I wanted to go early so I could help bake cookies, wrap presents and spend some extra time with the family. My favorite part of Christmas time is the time before Christmas, I love all the prep work and it is so fun to do it together with my family all around. This year Kayden got to help out with all of our fun Holiday traditions and prep and he made each moment so special. I loved seeing him eat a sugar cookie that we all made together or put a candy on the gingerbread house that we all decorated together.
Getting there was a little interesting though...our flight started off a little frightening, we were stuck on the plane for 2 hours due to mechanical difficulties. They kept telling us it would be 30 more minutes and as each 30 minute stretch passed I became more nervous that Kayden was going to be a terror once the plane actually took off. We ended up having to switch planes after sitting cooped up in the one for 2 hours. Thankfully, Kayden slept the whole flight once we started moving! He continues to surprise me with his perfect attendance on planes.
Once we got to NE, snow was falling and Kayden's eyes were huge as we landed in Omaha. When we went outside to the car he said snow for the first time and kept saying it over and over as it fell on his little head. And then he started saying "BURRRR" with more intensity than he has ever said in the AZ chilly air. We arrived in NE to the bone chilling kind of cold that PHX has never seen, and I was so happy about it! I love the cold air, the jackets, scarves, boots, hot cocoa. I love it all! And I really love the big, soft flakes of snow drifting to the ground. It was a perfect start to our winter wonderland holiday. Uncle Mark and Grandpa were there to pick us up and it took awhile to get home to Kearney b/c the roads weren't too good (and we had to make a stop at Runza!).
We spent the next couple of days baking cookies, Christmas shopping, wrapping presents and I ended up with a 24 hour bug that gave me a tummy ache, the chills and a fever but luckily it didn't last long. Friday daddy arrived and Kayden was so happy to have him join us!
On Sunday we did lots of baking and made our 1st annual gingerbread house with Kayden. He loved helping us decorate the house and thought it was so cool to add the candy and see the house transform.....he is now officially a gingerbread architect:-)