Baking with little ones is an adventure (read: challenge). As you know, the magazines and commercials portray nostalgic pictures of perfectly clean children making cookies with Grandma. All the cookies come out with arms and legs attached, everyone is smiling, the kitchen is clean, and the four-year-old shows off her decorated cookie that looks like a professional cake decorator iced it. Seriously? Not so in our house! (Well, we did smile….most of the time…)

My sweet Savannah posed for a picture with my Kitchenaid. In the background, Buddy is asking if he can eat the butter he just swiped from the bowl. (How many times do I have to tell them not to put their fingers in that bowl? I mean that is seriously dangerous, right?)

Here is Buddy eating the butter after I told him not to put his fingers in the bowl. Yum! Ummmm…maybe not…why do kids like to eat plain butter?

Poor little butter-eater, now he is punished and has to sit on the rug for a little while.

In the meantime, Savannah licks the bowl like Pooh Bear with a “hunny” pot.

Now after the ETERNALLY LONG thirty-minute wait for the dough to chill in the fridge, we have the dough rolled out and ready for making people! Aw! The little butter-eater is so cute! He and Pooh (I mean Savannah) did such a good job cutting out the cookies!

Hmmm…I wonder where the missing appendages of these cookies went?

These guys safely made it to the cookie sheet! Isn’t it cool how the chandelier reflects in the pan? Adds a touch of elegance (or maybe I’ve just inhaled too much flour).

All baked and ready to decorate! I did put the icing in a decorator bag for the kids to use, but it quickly became obvious that it would not work. So, I just gave them a bowl of icing and let them have at it. It was much more fun that way! (Oh, and I made my own powdered sugar to make the icing! Just whirl granulated sugar in the blender. Isn’t that great?!)

“Mom, can I eat this?” That’s one of Buddy’s favorite questions. I’m so glad he asks!

Ta da!!!! I love that “I’m so proud!” look on Sweet Pea’s face.

Now it’s time to eat them up before they run away!