A slight diversion.

I just got done chatting with Kelly and told her that I needed to go clean my kitchen, but I found a diversion... I have not blogged in a long while and thought I should... good excuse, right?!

Christmas was fun along with the New Year. We made it to four Christmases: Christmas Eve, Christmas Morning, Christmas Night, and the next Morning. We were pretty worn out, but with smiles on our faces. Right after the last "Christmas" we headed over to Riggins to spend time with the Henrickson clan and play in the snow. As seen below. I bought Owen these gaitered mittens and they were worth every penny. Owen spent almost an hour playing in the snow with Daddy and wasn't too happy to have to come in to eat lunch. When we got home we spent the New Year at Ryan and Deb's with several friends and ALL of us actually made it to midnight. (except the kiddos, of course).

The snow was so perfect, they could just roll it up like batting.
My dad has always reminded us kids(my siblings and I) (even before we had kids) to always let your kid(s) "help" whenever possible. Luckily, with a little one I am practicing patience, expecting mess, and forgetting perfectionism (all things that don't come natural to me) and it always turns out fun. Maybe it is because there is only one kiddo, but preparing for those three things has helped tremendously. I actually look forward to saying, "Owen, do you want to help Momma ...?" And, of course, he does. Here he is "helping" me make gingerbread cookies. We had a good time. By the way, I am going to plug a product... I have owned a Silpat for a while now and just recently discovered new ways for it to revolutionize my baking. My mother-in-law recommended rolling out dough onto it instead of a cutting board or other flat surface and it has actually made me want to bake pies, cookies and biscuits that I previously dreaded. So, if you don't have one, add it to your Birthday or Christmas list for this next year. They are wonderful!