Santa and Gingerbread

A week or so before Christmas, we took the boys to see Santa. And boy were they excited! Cameron was talking so quietly to Santa that I couldn't hear what he was saying until he hopped down and said, "Can I have a candy cane now?!" I swear that kid can spot a confection from miles away.

Porter was just happy to see him and kept asking Santa questions on the way home. "Where is Santa going to stay? Is he going back to the North Pole tonight? Where are the reindeer?" And on and on.....:)

Gingerbread house making day is always a hit. I'm one of those people who buy the pre-made kits. So much easier!

 Making icicles

More Christmas fun to come!

Breasts, Boobs, Melons.......Whatever.

I have to get this off my chest. Pun intended.

I hate it when my boobs get bigger! I didn't have much before I got pregnant. It didn't really bother me.

I've hit the point where all my bras are too small. I can't get away without wearing one because you can definitely tell I've got them now. And the bouncing. Oy! It drives me insane! I just don't understand women who get implants.  I can't wait for them to get even bigger when I start breast feeding.

If your flat chested, be grateful. So very grateful!

Christmas Concert

I remember going to my siblings Christmas programs and thinking they were pretty dull. It's totally different when your own child is participating. I found Porter's program adorable and wishing they would have sang more than two songs. His Grandma Stayner also came to watch.

Please note the shirt and pants that are too small. John was in charge of getting him ready. Enough said. I had Activity Days right before the program. I barely had time to stuff my face with some Chick-fil-a and then head back out the door.

This is what my son does when he realizes your watching him. He tries to hide and sucks his cheeks in, trying not to smile. Ha!

Christmas Snoop

When I got older and found out when my mom had been Christmas shopping, that's when the snooping began. I tried to find my presents ever year and usually succeeded.

One year, I had looked in all the usual places and couldn't find a single thing. I knew there were gifts to be found. So, I lied one Sunday.  I told my parents I was sick so I could stay home and look for my presents. I finally found them in the attic of our garage. HA! They thought they were so smart.

Eventually, my mom started keeping my gifts at a neighbors house. Oh, the agony!  Until I realized I could sneak in my mom's purse, look at the receipts and find out that way. Yes, I was terrible. Why did I do this? It was the thrill of the hunt. The rush of adrenaline I got from finding out.

I should have been a detective.

Temple Square

It's not a tradition but if we can find the time, we go see the lights during Christmas. Even though it was freezing, we had a good time together. The only picture we got was from John's phone. It's not very good and my eyes are closed, but at least the boys look cute!

Kiddie Christmas Reads

Every year we add a few Christmas books to our collection. Thanks to Porter's book orders, we can get some for $2 or $3 dollars. We have the traditional nativity story books, The Grinch and The Night Before Christmas.  Here are a few new favorites.

I was beyond excited when I found this on Amazon. I remember this as my favorite childhood Christmas book. It's a scratch and sniff! Do they even make those anymore? 

Porter brought this home from the school library the other day. It's cute and funny. Poor Santa has a series of unfortunate events and a surprise at the end that clears up the grumpiness.

Love the Snowmen.Who knew they could do so much?! The boys want lots of snow so they can make a snowman!

This is one of my personal favorites. Such a great story.

What are some of your favorite Christmas books?

Peppermint Candy Cane Brownies

One of my new favorite recipes. This is what I made for John to take to work on Sunday. I think these would be perfect to take to a Christmas party. Oh, and I hope your not afraid of butter. ;)

Peppermint Candy Cane Brownies
4 4oz squares unsweetened baking chocolate
2 sticks butter
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbs butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
2-3 Tbs milk
pink or red food coloring
Chocolate Glaze
6 oz (about a cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 Tbs butter
Additional
crushed candy canes

Preheat oven to 350
Give your baking chocolate a rough chop so they'll be easier to melt. Place them in a microwave safe bowl along with the 2 sticks of butter (also chopped).
Melt in 30-45 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Set aside. In a stand mixer or with electric beaters, beat eggs for about 3 minutes until thick and frothy. Add sugar and vanilla and beat to combine. Then add in the melted chocolate and butter. Whisk flour and baking powder into the brownie batter, by hand, until just combined. Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Don't over bake! When brownies are done, cool on a cooling rack. When completely cool, pop them in the fridge to chill. It will make spreading the frosting easier.

Combine all frosting ingredients and beat until light and fluffy. Add extra milk to reach desired consistency. Spread evenly over chilled brownies and place back in the fridge to chill again while you make the chocolate glaze.

Place chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl and cook in 30 second intervals until smooth. Stir occasionally, so it can cool off just a bit. Quickly spread on top of brownies.
Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top and return to the fridge until chocolate is set.
Remove from fridge a few minutes before serving and cut into squares.

John prefers them without the candy canes on top, so I did half with, half without.
I hope you make these and enjoy them as much as we did!

More Randomness

1. I'm pretty sure there was a woman wearing a bump-it at church today.

2. I have a suspicion that I was narked on, by someone in my ward, after making known my feelings about my calling. I mean, how often does someone in the bishopric call you in just to ask how you feel about your calling? If they were hoping I would get released, it didn't work!

3. Porter asked me how the baby was going to come out. I just told him that mom's have a special place, in their body, where the baby comes out. Gotta love those questions!

4. I didn't help one bit with the decorating of our Christmas tree. And it shows. That's ok. The boys are so proud of their decorating"skills."

5. The Christmas Monkey song, from the Curious George Christmas movie, has been stuck in my head for at least a week.

6. My desserts are now being requested my John's co-workers. Apparently, they are the best.  The guys ask John to ask me if I will make something at least twice a month. 

7.  While grocery shopping, I got the biggest kick to my bladder and nearly peed my pants. That really would have sucked.