Cookies and Castles 2014

We joined Amy, Stella, and Henry for our annual trip to Cookies and Castles Gingerbread Extravaganza -- a Tri Delta alumnae fundraiser for Texas Scottish Right Hospital for children.

Some photos beforehand (and this was inexplicably before anybody got amped up on sugar (I'm looking at you, Scarlett)).   Max was finally old enough to come! 

Anyone who knows Scarlett is not surprised to hear that she is not into Santa (or at least not the talking to/sitting on his lap part; the bringing her presents part she is totally into).  So in prepping her for our visit, we settled on writing him a letter that she could give to him.  I wrote most of the letter and then she wrote in what she wanted (a robe, ha!), signed her name, and decorated it with a flower and stickers for good measure.

Hello, Henry and Stella!

Max takes a quick look around to make sure nobody catches him eating the candy.  Smooth move, buddy.

Happy girls.

I put the icing where the kids wanted it and then let them have it.  They both did a great job.

Note the big "M" on the roof for "Max" (his request).  

The masterpieces.

Checking out the trains while waiting in line for Santa.

Ah, Santa.  One of these days my children will not be terrified of you.  But this was not that day.  (And now that Hattie is here, his reign of terror over the little Schwegmanns will almost surely be extended by another five years or so.  By the time all three are collectively over their Santaphobia, Scarlett will probably think sitting on his lap is lame and will refuse to do it for pre-teen-angst-y reasons rather than who-is-this-strange-guy-in-a-fake-beard-and-bizarre-fuzzy-red-outfit reasons).  Regrettably, I didn't take a picture of the Santa picture before putting it away with the Christmas decorations.  And I know myself well enough to admit there is no way I'm going to dig them out now to find that photo, and I'm already six-plus months late posting this Christmas post in JULY, for crying out loud.  So just close your eyes and imagine the cooperative Kovac children and Amy smiling happily, my pregnant self with a crazy "we WILL take this Santa photo and WE WILL ENJOY IT" smile holding Max in my lap while he desperately tries to squirm away and run for his life, and Scarlett safely standing several feet to the side of the photograph because she doesn't even want to be in Santa's field of vision much less his lap.  Sounds like a keeper, doesn't it?

Letting off some steam after surviving the Santa encounter.  

Riding the "elevator" on the awesome playground (we've been to several birthday parties at this playground, it's great).

More silliness.  Max takes it in ...

... and decides he wants no part of the tomfoolery.