Cookie Parties Overload

Before kids we use to have all our friends over for a nice dinner and then a night of games. Then Kaden happened and it just didn't feel the same so we changed it up. We still got together but instead of the party occurring at night, it occurred during the day. & as the kids grew older, it morphed again, into decorating gingerbread houses and cookie decorating parties. I always look forward to seeing all the kids together and with it being the holidays it makes it that much better. 

So we planned our 3rd Annual Kids Party & we picked a date--12/12/15. & since we were already having our friends over on Saturday, why not add another cookie party to the calendar and invite my dear co-workers and their kiddos---they are all about the same age and love playing together too. So that's what we, well I, did. I ran it by Justin, he said sure and we sent out the invites. & then our neighbors invited us over to their house on the 11th for their annual cookie party. 3 cookies parties in three day---thankfully, I only had to plan one and replicate it the following day. 

And even though we were only headed next door, like literally next door, we still needed a sitter so we dialed one up and both took a drink to go. Talk about conveniently located. This first party was an adult only cookie party & each couple received a their own apron for the event. We all had to roll out our dough and decorate a few cookies---I decided to go against the norm and went the freehand route with my Red-Nosed Moose. 

We were also introduced to Fireball and iced shot glasses, followed by a game of Left, Center, Right to which I almost won. So close. We said our good-byes around eleven fulling knowing we had a busy morning to get ready for our afternoon cookie party and as soon as I was awake I was in the kitchen baking cookies.

We didn't have as many kids as we did last year---it's the holidays and everyone is busy---but we still managed to have fun. 

Pretty sure each of the kids had more fun eating the sprinkles and licking the icing. Then again, isn't that how it should be. 

And before we knew it we had gone through over 40 cookies and a truckload of sprinkles. They range in age from 6 to 2 1/2 and yet they all have so much fun with one another. Kaden use to see Sophie and Lilly almost every day when he was at Brenda's but now since he is at school he doesn't see them as often and you can always tell how much they have missed each other from the size of their hugs. It warms my heart.

We had two parties down and one more to go so there was no time to slow down. Instead of waking up on Sunday morning to bake more cookies I decided to go ahead and bake them the night before. All that was left to do was make some icing & I wasn't all that happy with my first batch so I made a second which seemed to be a little more kid friendly & now we had two options---trial and error. We loaded the table with icing, sprinkles, cookies, chocolate milk and little reindeer and snowmen kits & we wait for our guests to arrive. 

It took no time for the kiddos to dive in and my boys weren't the only ones who became pros at cookie decorating---each of the kiddos had recently been to other cookie parties & they did not want help when it came to the sprinkles and decorations.

& once again, it took no time at all for the kids to go through 40+ cookies---next year, I may have to make a double batch or we may do gingerbread houses again! 

The best thing about this party, Kaden and Logan made some new friends. I see my co-workers pretty much everyday but we hardly get to see each other's significant others and their kiddos and if we do, months go by before it happens again so this kiddo cookie party was perfect for introducing them to a few new friends. New friends that they haven't stopped talking about since.