Things I love, Valentine cookies

Sugar cookie baking and decorating on a February Sunday night before Valentine's Day is a family tradition. I make up a Bosch full of sugar cookie dough and cut and bake half of it before the grand kids arrive. They roll out and cut the rest and then we frost and decorate.

This year Julianna was old enough to be part of each step.

I demonstrated how to use the rolling pin.

She was also very good at applying frosting and sprinkles (well, I helped a bit with the sprinkles.)

Everyone was given their own small dish of frosting because of knife licking as demonstrated by Sadie.

That's Grandpa Glen in the background watching the Super Bowl. Before our cookie decorating he grilled everyone a hamburger.

Toby took the first bite (notice that he, too, has just lost his first tooth.) He thought he needed to eat all of his cookies before going home.

But I had a plan. Each child got a paper plate with an assortment of different heart shapes to frost and sprinkle. Then we slid each plate into a gallon Ziploc bag for travel home.

It used to be that all the decorating occurred at the kitchen counter but as they are getting older and more can now participate, Heather and Ruby moved to the table. TJ decorated at the table as well but somehow I missed getting his picture.

Just give us a couple of more years and the two babies will be in on the fun. Sweet Mabel needed her picture taken as well.

She and Oscar entertained each other on the carpet in the living room while we decorated.

Mabel, my lovey, will you also be my Valentine?