advent adventures: days 15, 16 and 17.

it's been a looooong 72 hours.... and i have a feeling the next 72 will bring more of the same exhaustion i feel right now.... BUT the amazing part is that come 5:00 p.m.-ish on friday, my holiday celebrating will begin and  it won't end for at least four days!  i cannot wait to wear pajamas all day, snuggle with my boys, feel the magic of last minute holiday preparations and watch jack's excitement as he experiences another christmas.

anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program.  our advent adventure for day 15 was some holiday baking!  when i married into my husband's family, i was given a copy of a cookbook my mother-in-law had made for family members years before (and saved for her sons' future wives).  included in this collection of amazing recipes we love and enjoy regularly was the famous holiday cookie recipe.  it is guarded under lock and key... we'll share a dozen cookies with you, but not the recipe.  :)

he does exist!  (our faithful photog hops in for a photo opp)

 cookie decorating with cousin sara

some of the DOZENS of cookies john decorated.  please note his breastfeeding support cookies, pictured top right.

on the agenda for day 16 was the classic christmas activity - gingerbread decorating.  to be honest, jack didn't totally grasp the concept of why we'd waste perfectly good candy on a house we weren't going to eat. the kid has a point.  he kept trying to steal the supplies, which had serious implications for the structural integrity of the gingerbread houses.  

 sneaking candy

and... finally, day 17 required us to embark on a little adventure for a christmas treat.  we chose the village inn for some pie, and jack and i shared some candy cane pie while john tried the pecan.  UMMMM... the candy cane pie is AMAZING.  go buy some right now.  go buy a whole pie!  as we were putting our coats on to leave, jack exclaimed, "i need more pie!"  took the words right out of my mouth, youngun!  i don't have any pictures of this particular adventure, but trust me - you'd rather see a piece of that delicious slice than my smiling face anyway.  heavenly!  also adorable - jack understands that cheers requires a clinking of glasses and no less than three times during our excursion, he insisted on "cheers-ing" with john and me.  i ate it right up.  (pun intended)

i don't know why you're still reading this anyway.  why aren't you at the village inn buying one of their candy cane pies?!  seriously - get there.  now.