Christmas Baking

The twins are in 'stu co' (the hip middle school way of saying student council). I'm really impressed with their student council program...they involve the kids in a number of philanthropic activities. In the last two months there have been Pennies for Peace (an ongoing effort one week a month throughout the school year to collect pennies to build schools in Africa) a book drive for impoverished children around Lincoln (the twins spent some of their own money and bought a total of 27 books- YAY, girls!), frequent trips to an old folks home to visit and treat the elderly, and the teacher Christmas cookie exchange (each child in stu co brings three dozen cookies so that each teacher at their middle school can mix and match a dozen to take home).

My children, the generous souls that they are (insert dramatic eye roll here), volunteered to each bring double. So twelve dozen goodies were made this weekend...thank goodness my friend Jess came over to help!


While we baked and mixed and covered everything resembling a cookie in almond bark- Pucca and Ms K played and played. Ms K is Jess's daughter...a sweet little thing that I was able to watch when Jess and her husband first moved back to NE.



Ms K is 2...uh going on 16. She's a little bit of a thing and talks like the girls. Sarcasm, attitude and a sweet little girly laugh that you never tire of. Pucca LOVES playing with her. At one point while Jess, the twins and I were in the kitchen baking, John went to check on them upstairs. He found them in our bathtub playing time out. They had also built a fort in John's closet...filling it with every stuffed animal and baby doll in the house. It was super cute!

It was totally worth all the work...when this morning I took in the treats and was greeted with huge smiles. 'ooohs' 'ahhhhhs' 'Don't those look yummy!' and 'thank you thank you' were more than enough.