Kitchen Memories

Some of my most cherished memories with my Grandma are from her kitchen. I loved everything about being there--the smell, her soft voice, the little lessons I learned (very little of which was cooking), and the end product...especially when it was Christmas cookies.

Well before I married Clay, my Grandma gave me a very memorable Christmas gift. It was a cookbook and maybe even her little way to market me for married life ( I think she was always secretly up to that). Regardless, it was special and what made it so special was what she wrote on the inside cover...think of me when you are in your kitchen and the happy times we had in mine -Grandma, Christmas 2001. *sniff sniff*

So every time I pull out that red cookbook, guess who I think of? Yes, my incredible Grandma, and every time a smile comes across my face and I am taken back to that very special place in my childhood.

I tell you all this because now it is Jack and Maggie's turn. It's their turn to make kitchen memories with their Grandma...the good kind...the Christmas cookie kind. With Grandma's extended visit, they were able to do just that. I feel happy for my kids. This is what Christmas is all about. What family is about. And I am so grateful that they get to experience it. Thanks Grandma for two very special days of messy kitchen memories (and everything else that fell in between).

The first day of making kitchen memories with Grandma was a glorious Gingerbread Boy.

Maggie intently watched on with her own kitchen utensils. And yes, she is that yummy...who needs Christmas cookies anyway when you have a Magpie?

Okay, so we did let Jack attempt to reap his rewards. However, thankfully for all of us, he only made it through good ol' Ginger's toes before calling it quits.

Day 2 of kitchen memories with Grandma were sugar cookies, icing, and sprinkles. What else could a boy ask for?

"There's no such fang (thing) as a green stawur (star)" and I quote from guess who.

Jack requested a yellow snowman with a blue hat (his two fave colors). I guess he got over the color issues he was having earlier with the green star.

Top that with sprinkles and you've got one pretty good Christmas memory.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

The stockings are hung, the tree is up and decorated, Christmas cards are mailed, the house is decorated inside and out, and my kids (okay, maybe just Jack) are wild with excitement. And, to top all that, we've already got company--one of Santa's elves, kindly named Clarence by Jack, is here to send reports to the North Pole. It definitely feels like Christmas at the Cibula house.

What's left? Finish a tiny bit of shopping and start wrapping presents. Although I'm already feeling worn out, I don't know if I can take 20 more days of this.

We did however start the first weekend in December with a festive bang. Our dear friend Alexandra turned 2, and guess who was there to celebrate the December baby's big day?...none other than Santa. Loved it...marked one more thing of off my to do list. Santa visit...check!

Do I seem picture happy? I know this post has a ton of pictures (like the 3 previous posts), but...Tis the Season!

Look at those Christmas babies! Aren't they yummy? Maggie is a few months older than sweet Eliza Kate, but somehow I always forget. In my head, I put Maggie in the same group as those Spring babies. Those will be her best pals in a year or two.

Mommies and baby girls waiting for Santa's big arrival. We didn't even realize it until half way through the picture that there were no boys. Go figure...the boys were playing hard while the girlies were sitting pretty.

Santa's arrival began with a reading of Twas' The Night Before Christmas. Maggie was pretty entranced...from a safe distance.

Time for Santa's lap. I was shocked that Maggie let this happen. I'm thinking big brother by her side gave her the courage. Whatever it was, I am a happy Mommy, I was totally expecting to have to join them.

Jack had some alone time with Santa. He is telling him how he wants "magnetic cars" for Christmas. Just great...the only thing I didn't buy. (Oh, and you don't even want to see a picture of Maggie's alone time with Santa--it was not pretty--a Mommy can only ask for so much, huh?) Maggie however, did give Santa a pretty smile and giggle from my arms.

Cupcake time! I caught Jack right before he looked like his messy friend Patterson. Except Jack's wasn't confined to just his face, it was ALL over his shirt too.

Sweet Mags opted for fruit and pretzels over cupcakes. Mommy's choice--I did not feel like soaking two articles of clothing when we got home. It's plain to see, she was just as content with her healthy meal. Love that girl!

Thankful

Our little family of four has so much to be Thankful for. This Thanksgiving season was a gentle reminder of how truly blessed we are.

Although it was Maggie's 2nd Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually the first that she could enjoy the meal. And for Jack, it was the first that he couldn't get enough of his family. If I had to guess, my two little turkeys are more than thankful for all that Thanksgiving 2010 had to offer. With that being said, here is a peek at our list of "thankfuls" for this year...

Our first Thankful...the weather in Florida. Jack could not get enough of Grammy and Grampa's hot tub. And although I remembered to pack a bathing suit, just in case, Jack decided he didn't need it.

Our second thankful...a crawling baby! Yes, you read right, our Magpie has finally gotten the urge to get up and go. It's not a conventional crawl--Daddy calls it the Spiderman crawl with one foot and one knee on the ground. But, we can proudly say she is officially a mover!

Our third thankful...solid foods. And boy were they good!

Our fourth thankful...Grampa's cozy lap for a tired baby with a full tummy.

Our fifth thankful...cousins to chase so Jack could sport his infamous sweat head. I would say Jack was having a goood time.

Our sixth thankful...an Uncle to wrestle with. This pushed Jack just to the limit of exhaustion.

Our seventh thankful...Maggie's first trip to the zoo. I'm not sure if I want this to be considered her first. Although, she was amazed, she was still a bit confused and spent a lot of time observing from her stroller. We can call it her "pre-first".

Our eighth thankful...a joyous family train ride, cousins, Uncles, Grampas, and all!

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday too and made your own list of "Thankfuls"!

Mickey Mouse's House

I bet you thought November was all about Maggie and Turkeys. And it was mainly, however we were able to squeeze a vacation to Disney in there too.

I wish I could call it a family vacation, but we decided dear Maggie had her fun for the month and wasn't quite ready to appreciate the chaos of Disney World. So Grammy and Grampa graciously offered to give her a vacation of her own at their house. You better believe our sweet Maggie will be on the next trip to Mickey's House (as Jack likes to call it).

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Clay missed the first half of our trip too. Jack and I were devastated, but Clay was where he needed to be. So, my little monkey and I made the best of it and enjoyed every minute in the most magical place on earth until Daddy arrived. And then, we enjoyed it even more.

Of course, Jack was in ahhh. The highlight of his trip was actually visiting Mickey's house (who knew?) and meeting the characters. We actually waited in line 3 separate times to see Mickey because after each visit Jack "forgot" to tell the giant mouse something. So, back we would go again, usually I could talk him into waiting until the next day though. I was ready to do something different, but this was Jack's trip, so I bit my tongue and drug myself to the line...again and again.

I learned a lot on this trip and that is actually what I was hoping for. It was a kind of "get our Disney feet wet" trip. We want to do it big (and right) when Maggie joins us in a couple years. A few tips...never go Thanksgiving week...the lines and crowds were nuts! And stay on the monorail, especially if you have a little one that needs to return to the hotel for a nap or rest. Other than that, it was great!

Jack, of course, devoured every moment of it, but finally hit a wall the last day. We surely wore him out and are still trying to get back on routine around here. It was all worth it though...seeing the wonderment on Jack's face on such a magical vacation!

I could never share our visit in just a few pictures, especially when I have over a hundred to choose from. So here it is in slide show form. You will have to do without my narrating, but I'm sure you can get the just of it. Enjoy!