Isa's Cookie Exchange

Isa was invited to the 1st Annual Cookie Exchange with some friends from her old school (we just switched schools this school year). She was excited to see her friends - they were her school friends, soccer friends and Girl Scout friends. Her new school gets out 1.5 hours after her old school so being in the same after school activities are almost next to impossible. Husband took on soccer as coach and built a new team for Isa and Girl Scouts conflicts with her commitment to her school play OLIVER! So she had to drop Girl Scouts to make time for her role in the school play, OLIVER! Making this change for our family was most definitely positive and will be beneficial for all of us in the long run (our new school is a K-8 multi-age classroom and a very artsy school)...but I know seeing them-there's a part of her that misses seeing them everyday, playing soccer with them and selling Girl Scout cookies with them. She was oober excited to participate in her friend, Alayna's Cookie Exchange tonight. Thank you, W4 for inviting our Isa!

The whole idea behind it was they were to make and bake the cookies themselves and us mommies were the "helpers". She put all the ingredients together, preheated the oven, mixed it herself with hand mixer (big step for me to let her do this!), placed them on the cookie sheet and put the timer on. Our oven is over her head so I placed them in the oven and took them out.

She made White and Milk Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies.

Good work, Isa! They were yummy.

She only had to bring 12 so, Nana and Em (from the C6 Family), Daddy, Me, Madi, Cousin Kae and Dev snacked on the 2nd batch. Nice end to a school week!

We arrived last to the Cookie Exchange and the girls were marrying veggies and fruits in Alayna's bedroom. See the streamers behind Alayna on the right? Yep, the girls put that up so that they could marry Mr. Pumpkin, Mr. Squash and Mr. Pickle in the mini ceremonial place on Alayna's bed. I told them Isa was too young to think about marriage and would be hiking around the world before embarking on such a big commitment to any fruit OR veggie. HA! :)

They all screamed for joy when they saw Isa! Very sweet of them all. She felt so welcomed. She wasn't sure what to expect especially because she hadn't seen them all in such a long time (some of them since the end 3rd Grade). She wasn't sure how she was going to nestle back in with this group of friends. But, she did. Just lovely too might I add.

12 girls + 12 cookies = Isa has enough to share with US! YUM. YUM.

They watched a Christmas movie, baked Gingerbreadman cookies and decorated them! Can you tell this was a treat? The girl has no reserves to refined sugar! She let that little gingerbreadman have it - decked out in sprinkle-frosting galore! They sang Christmas songs and had hot cocoa + spiced hot apple cider...it was freezing tonight and it felt like Christmas was just around the corner. I love holiday parties and I love love love seeing my kiddos excited to see their friends (new and old) during this time of year. Isn't that what it's all about? Merry Almost Christmas!