This annual event has come to mean so much to our family. We look forward to it and get all tingly anxious with excitement in anticipation leading up to it. Noble helped hang the decorations this year. He may be a 1/2 shorter than me but he has good 3-4 inches on me in reach. Standing on a step stool he can easily reach the ceiling, I on the hand am an inch or so short.
Our number continue to grow - and I think some people may avoid coming now that it is so large, but the big numbers seem to work out just fine. This year we had 20 adults, including Grandparents and the Missionaries, and 48 kiddos. It was awesome! Here is a sampling of some of our favorite people. (Just know I couldn't put 68 pictures on here! You are all our favorites!)
Everyone seemed to have a really good time. We are blessed to live in South Texas where although the weather can be "if-y" in February, most likely we will have sunshine. The warm day allowed the kids to play outside as they finished with the cookies. As I stood by the windows talking to a Mom-friend I realized maybe we just need to have a mega-play-date. I don't recall seeing 40+ kids play so freely and without dispute for two hours straights before. It helps that we have a "fun" backyard. It might not be pretty to look at, but kids think it is awesome.
Another new occurrence was that the older, shall we say "cooler" kids, participated in cookie decorating long enough to get some sugar in their bodies and then separated themselves from the group by "playing" in the front yard. They kicked and threw balls and sat out on the fence of the drainage ditch watching traffic go by and I assume talking. Can I really be old enough to have a kid, and a kid with friends, that hang out like... teenagers?
And this is what it's all about. Imperfect yet perfectly decorated cookies. This party has always been hosted with the purpose for kids, all about kids. And watching this sweet little girl pile on the sprinkles made my heart sing.
