Christmas with the Kids

I am grateful that my three best friends have kids. It makes getting together super fun. Tonight, we had a Christmas party for the kiddos. My very brave friend Natalie volunteered to host the party since she has the largest house and more toys than any kid could ever hope for. Aven is the youngest, but she still managed to get involved in plenty of the action:

She wasn't thrilled about my insistence that she sit on the bed with all the other kids for a photo. Sweet little Gwen was nice enough to hold her while I took the picture.

I loved seeing the two girls at the party playing with a big bucket of plastic bugs and snakes.

Present time! We did a gift exchange for the kids. I believe everyone was quite satisfied. Aven got a really cute pony that makes horsey noises and also works as a flashlight.

Then came the fun part- decorating sugar cookies and eating them. Aven was mostly interested in eating the m&m's and frosting off her cookie. By the time she was done she had chocolate frosting smeared all over her torso, arms, and face.

Partying with the kids is always fun, and even though I'm usually so beat by the time we're done that I'd like to lapse into a coma for a couple days, I can't wait to do it again.