365 - Yum!

Day 22

  Olivia and I have been quite the pastry chefs this Advent season!  While baking is joyous in itself, it just feels more wonderful sharing it with my little angel.  I am so blessed that I am able to stay home with her right now.  I know this time is short and I want to cherish it!  She and I have been spending so much quality time together the past few weeks as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ.  In my kitchen window is a wooden nativity set (one of two in our home) handed down to me from my Mom.  While we are baking Olivia and I talk about Mary, Joseph, Infant Jesus and all the other visitors.  I'm not sure she truly understands, but I know in time she will.

Today we baked brownies and chocolate Christmas cookies, all from scratch.  She ate a lot of "rotten" (raw) egg.  Every time she dipped her fingers in batter she would say, "Mama, is there rotten egg in here?"  I would say, "Raw, and yes, there is so please stop eating it."  She didn't, but no worries, she is fine.  Last week I told her the story of when I was baking when I was a little girl and the dough was so stiff that I broke a wooden spoon.  Now, every time we bake she says, "Mama, tell me the story of when you were little."  I do and she says, "Mama, I will try not to break a spoon."

Today I put her hair up in a clip just to get it out of her face (and out of the brownie batter).  I couldn't believe how grown up it made her look.  I feel like it was just yesterday that I was barely able to put a tiny bit of hair into a ponytail on top of her sweet little head.  Oh time, if I had one Christmas wish it would be to stop you right now so my kids would stay little.