the best christmas pageant ever

Delaney got to be in the children’s Christmas program at church this year. The toddlers and preschoolers sang a few songs that had actions. Of course Delaney didn’t want any part of singing or doing actions. She was just really taken aback by all the people watching her on stage.

The only words out of her mouth during the whole program were “Daddy” and “Mommy” when she caught a glimpse of us in the audience.

At the end of the program, the kids sang “Happy Birthday, Jesus” and put a heart in the manger. Delaney just stared at the paper heart in her hand, trying to figure out what to do with it.

She hasn’t quite conquered her stage presence. Yet.

advent gifts…a christmas tradition

For the past several years, Jeremy’s parents have given us a basket of advent gifts. One gift to open each day as we count down the days in December until Christmas.

 

And Delaney is really “getting into” this tradition.

In fact, she’s literally “gotten into” the advent gifts. While we were enjoying a little peace and quiet as we watched TV in the living room, she was enjoying the lack of supervision as she opened half a dozen advent gifts. I rewrapped them as best I could and stuck them back in the basket.

And I know she is going to be thrilled on the day she gets to unwrap (for the second time) the “moomie” (movie).

Christmas parade

Nothing gets you in the Christmas spirit like a hometown Christmas parade. This was actually my first Christmas parade and it was a bit reminiscent of something out of A Christmas Story. Only on a much, much smaller scale.

We met up with the girls from our ‘hood to watch the floats and collect our candy.

 

Imagine my surprise frustration anger when the band marched by and my daughter wasn’t in it. (There’s a reason I’ve never gone to the parade before but decided to this year. It’s because my kid was marching in it and I wanted to be a supportive parent). But she didn’t show up. She was at her dad’s house and said she thought it was optional. I was NOT a happy person!

All in all, it was a nice evening out with Delaney, my seasoned parade goer. Even if the girl we went to see was a no-show.

ice cream cake

Here is the recipe for the ice cream cake from Bri’s birthday. I’ve made this twice and it’s really pretty easy and quite tasty!!

Go buy these 4 ingredients. You could use any kind of ice cream you want. And if you like Cool Whip, the original recipe calls for that on the top layer instead of another layer of ice cream. But I have someone living at my house who doesn’t really like Cool Whip, so I used another layer of ice cream. You’ll also need a stick of margarine.

Smash up the Oreos. I stuck them in a gallon bag and rolled them with a rolling pin.

Hold back 1/2 cup of cookie crumbs for the topping at the end. I didn’t top mine, so I just held back a couple of cookies and at them. Mix the remaining cookie crumbs with a stick of melted margarine.

Spread crumb mixture in the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan.

Top with ice cream. You’ll have to let it soften a little or stick in the microwave to defrost it a bit to make it easier to spread. You can use whatever flavor of ice cream here. I chose chocolate.

Spread the can of Hershey’s syrup over the ice cream. You must use the can, not the squeeze bottle.

Top with second layer of ice cream. Or you could top with Cool Whip. Cool Whip would be MUCH easier to spread and would look prettier. Then sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs. I decorated it with frosting, so I left off the cookie crumbs. Stick in the freezer and enjoy!

Here is the recipe in it’s entirety:

1/2 gallon of ice cream
1 can Hershey’s syrup
1 package of Oreos (not double stuff)
1 stick margarine, melted
1 carton of Cool Whip (or second 1/2 gallon of ice cream)

Crush cookies. Reserve 1/2 cup for topping. Mix remaining cookie crumbs with melted margarine. Spread in 9 X 13 pan. Top with ice cream. Pour Hershey’s syrup over ice cream. Top with Cool Whip (or a second layer of ice cream). Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs. Place in freezer until ready to serve.

super sweet sixteen

Well, she did it! She turned 16 on me. How can that even be possible? How can I have a 16 year old?

Is this not the cutest card? Scott and Erika made it for Bri. Can you tell who is driving that Barbie car?

We had a very small get together for her birthday on Saturday evening. Just the grandparents. And then Scott and Erika surprised her by stopping by. In a couple of weeks, we are taking Bri and a friend to Great Wolf Lodge for her real birthday celebration.

She wanted ice cream cake again. So I made this one. It’s definitely not going to win an award for presentation. But it sure tasted yummy!

Happy Birthday, Brianna! I love you so much and am so proud of the beautiful young woman you are becoming!