Baby Jesus's birthday cake and Cookies for Santa

On Christmas Eve we baked cupcakes for baby Jesus and cookies for Santa. The girls literally did it all on their own. The only thing I did was pour or scoop the ingredients into the measuring cups or spoons. They poured everything in. They even cracked the eggs themselves. They both LOVE cooking!! Especially Abigail...you can't be in the kitchen cooking without her coming in there asking what you are cooking and can she help.

These pics I think are my most favorite of this season!!! Sorry there are a TON but they are so hilarious I couldn't help it!

Chef Abigail
We are READY we have our spoons!

Taking turns adding the ingredients.

Love this one...of cours Abigail has a little "taste" in her mouth.

Yep tasting it again.

Of course...Ms. Abigail telling someone what to do and Amelia just having a BLAST!

Caught her again "tasting"

REady to roll out the dough.... I didn't get any pics of them cutting out the cookies...that was an all man on board kind of job so I couldn't take pics too!

Caught AGAIN!
Amelia adding the sprinkles.

Neville wanted to see what was going on.

TADA Yummy cookies for Santa!!!

Morning of Christmas Eve Tradition

The last couple of years Brian and I have made Beignets on Christmas Eve morning for breakfast. This year since we have a Cafe Du Monde we decided to buy them instead of making them ourselves.

Amelia's pretty happy to be there!
So is Abigail...she is laughing in this pic, and of course hiding from the camera!

Powdered sugar...yummm

Check out Amelia's sweater..I would say it was a success.

Gingerbread House

We made a gingerbread house (with the help of a kit) the other night. Brian helped ALOT so of course I could take pictures.

Putting the house together.

Decorating the house.

Isn't it pretty??

This is what the house looks like on the box....

Here is ours done! I think I like ours better!!!!

Tea Anyone? Pip Pip Cheerio....

Last week we went to the Teddy Bear Tea at the Royal Sinesta. Brian told me he would go with me for two more years and then I am on my own with the girls! :) Of course the tea was RIGHT up the girls alley! They kept saying we were going to say "Pip Pip Cheerio" (they got this off of the Backyardigans.) Anyway it was SUPER cute... They LOVED the snow princess, and Santa, Ms. Claus, Frosty, and a Trumpeteer. Ms. Claus talked to them for a while and then read them the night before Christmas. They had even the cutest "tea food" for them!

(Sorry some of the pics are dark...still learning the settings!)

A very unusual family pic!

Amelia with Santa.

Abigail talking to Santa.

The Snow princess...you can not even imagine how excited they were when they saw her!

They said "oh mommy she's BEAUTIFUL!"

Ready to go into the tea.

The parade.

Teddy Bear peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Loving on Ms. Claus.

Ms. Claus reading the night before Christmas.

Pip Pip Cheerio
Hanging out with the Teddy Bears.

Leaving the tea...

Window shopping on Royal Street.
LOVE this one of Abigail.

Celebration in the Oaks

Last weekend we went to Celebration in the Oaks. For those of you who have known us for a long time know that it is a VERY sepcial place for us. Brian proposed to me there in a carriage ride almost 8 years ago. Since Katrina the whole park isn't back lit up so they don't have the carriage rides yet, but each year they are getting a little bit closer to back to what it used to be. I am HOPING the driving tour will be back along with the carriages. We have always gone after Christmas, but before New Year's eve. THere was so many people there last weekend we are going to make a 2nd trip after Christmas this year...so I will have double the pics! :) We didn't get to play in storyland and the girls REALLY wanted to...but Abigail had an accident (the first one in so long I can't tell you the last time...I didn' t even have a change of clothes!) Daddy promsied them both we would go back! No arguments from me-- I LOVE it!!!

This year they had this HUGE alligator...funny thing is Amelia LOVES Santa...I guess just not a HUGE Alligator dressed up as a Santa! :)

Amelia checking out the Cajun Night before Christmas lights (the story would light up the appropriate lights as it was read..the pics of the lights didn't come out , sorry haven't figured out what settting to put my camera on for that!)

I think the girls LOVE it too!!!!

They were chasing and dancing by the laser show....Abigail fell down..this face says it all!!!

Mr. Bingle

They have a train village...all of the bldgs. are replica's of New Orleans. The girls could have sat there forever.

Here is Abigail just watching the trains go by.
My FAVORITE!! The carousel is now running again! It was completely under water during KAtrina. They just got it up and running right before Thanksgiving. It was VERY popular that night...we had to wait 20 minutes to ride. I thought the girls were going to go into melt down mode!! They sure did have fun once they were on it!!
Abigail being silly!
They were ready for this ride..no wait here.. They were both VERY insistent on wanting to ride the motorcycle.
I hope this isn't a glimpse of our future...biker chicks!
This is the only thing we really got to play on in Story land..then Abigail poor thing had her accident.. SOO much excitement for all of us we forgot to ask her along the way if she needed to go! We'll be back soon though for a train ride and to play in Storyland!!!