Holiday Cookies 2011

As part of our holiday tradition, we started baking cookies for our family and loved ones last year.  We make everything from scratch - no mixes in the Robbins' kitchen.  However, this year, due to Hannah's recent arrival, we focused more on drop cookies and did fewer roll outs.  Our cookies aren't quite as pretty this year as they were last year, but I checked, and they are all tasty.

Both Leah and Hannah help in the kitchen.  It turns out that Hannah loves to sit in her bouncy seat and rock out to music from my computer while I am baking.  Leah loves to turn on the mixer and food processor ("It's amazing!"), helps measure, mix, and stir, and helped frost whoopie pies. 

Assuming Jordan doesn't eat all the cookies, we'll be filling our tins with these cookies this year:

Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cookies
Chinese Almond Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Eggnog Stars and Snowmen
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Spiced Apple Cookies
Gingerbread People and Houses
Pumpkin Biscotti
Nutella Thumbprints
Seven Layer Rainbow Cookies

 
We also made Nutella Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats, Leah's contribution to our friend's cookie exchange party.  These were devoured at the party.  I didn't try to brown the butter, but it was a happy accident.  We had one spectacular flop - Coconut Wafers.  We now have a bag full of Coconut Cookie Crumbs.  We'll have to find a good use for them.  Jordan suggested it would make a great crust for a vegan key lime pie.

The Pumpkin Has Arrived

Hannah Elise Robbins, aka Hannah-Banana, was born on September 30, 2011 at 10:11 a.m.  Though I didn't think it was possible, Hannah's delivery was even smoother and quicker than Leah's.  At birth, she was 6 pounds 15 ounces, 19.5 inches long.  She was jaundiced for three weeks, but by one month, Hannah was 9 pounds 4 ounces, 20 inches.  Now, at two months, Hannah is 11 pounds 8 ounces, 22.5 inches.  Leah has fallen in love with "her baby," as have the rest of us.  As Leah has said on many occasions, she's so cute, we should keep her.  


Some Pumpkin Photos (Hannah is about one month)

Hannah's arrival *may* have kept me so busy and so tired that I did not have time to write until two months later, though there have been plenty of adventures.  Over the week of Thanksgiving, Hannah finally seemed to figure out that night time is for more than a cat nap.  Mommy is thankful indeed.   But I hope we are now back to our regularly scheduled programming - holiday cookies.