Growing up my family always had a HUGE Super Bowl Party, complete with a real "super bowl" tournament where we went bowling. We had a set of strict rules and a monster trophy that the winner would add to each year. Too bad I never won, even with a generous handicap score figured in. We don't go all out anymore but we still get together for food, food, food, and oh yah, a little football. So here's how we spent Super Bowl Sunday in '09:
Dad - Playing with the grandkids...what else do Grandpas do? Oh and enjoying every second of my mom cooking and feeding everyone.
Mom - I'm not sure if Mom left the kitchen once the entire day! With a huge pot of chili, clam chowder, snacks, veggies, and a birthday cake (not to mention 3 loads of dishes) no one left hungry.
Jeff and Kurtis - Battling on the Wii Guitar Hero. I think they came upstairs once to get food and pee that's it, then it was back to the basement to rock! I did join them for a couple of songs but got booed off the stage. 
Jesse - Playing "boink" with Pearl and Ruby. I have no idea why this is so funny to Pearl but she finds it absolutely hilarious to "boink" Uncle Jesse's bare tummy. Oh and trying to convince everyone to squeeze into his apartment to watch the game on his mega TV.
Ruby - Scouring Kurtis' room for fun things like an alarm clock, American flag, and a headlight which she refused to take off.
EZ - Sorry Emily, no pictures! You should have called into work sick!Pearl - Stuffing her face with candy and fishy crackers, playing with grandpa and Ruby, running as fast as she could, sleeping in (thanks Pearl), and then falling asleep in my arms from complete exhaustion.
Nick - When he wasn't napping, he was freaking out when he thought Arizona had the game in the bag and then freaking out again when Pittsburgh stole the game in the last few minutes! Nick really is a hoot to watch a football game with.
Kimmy - Eagerly awaiting her birthday cake. If you can't tell, I tried to arrange the candles as a big 21 but I dropped one of them and had to just go with where it landed, hence it resembles nothing special. 
Me - Running around the house trying to keep Pearl happy and helping my mom cook. I even found a few minutes to draw this beautiful rendition of Dory and Nemo. We have it on the fridge and Pearl loves it!
Juno - Destuffing a new doggie toy. That poor thing didn't stand a chance, but then again neither did that plastic ball she found.
This is not some racy, inappropriate post despite the title, I just wanted to catch every one's attention so you'll read my blog! But it's true I am a virgin...at baking sugar cookies. Jeff has been hinting ever so sweetly that it would be really nice to have some sugar cookies around. And with the XOX cookie cutter from the New Year's Elf, it was high time to break out the Kitchen Aid and make a huge mess! Pearl was right in the middle of the action the entire time, from prep work to taste testing and cookie cutting. I had so much fun letting Pearl help and it was well worth the hour of dishes and wiping off the counters, table, and floor in a futile attempt to clean up the spilled flour and sprinkles. Since we don't have much counter space in the kitchen we rolled the dough out smack dab on the middle of the dining room table. Pearl climbed right up to help and I gave her two little cookie cutters that I got in Nauvoo (a little boy and girl gingerbread people). She figured out that if she pounded them enough that eventually she could get some of the dough to stick to them and then eat it. Of course she didn't really get the difference between the dough and flour and I had to laugh at some of the faces she pulled when she licked the flour off the table. Pearl was a great help until we all realized bedtime had come and gone. After a bath, story, and bottle break I was back at the cookies frosting away while Pearl and Jeff both snoozed. Let's hope there is some redemption with these cookies to make up for my last few dinner attempts because there are a ton of hot pink sugar cookies to be eaten!
I gave Pearl her own set of baking essentials to use as we made the dough (thanks to Hayley's blog). She carried them from room to room and made quite the racket. 
Pearl was pretty excited to get the dough rollin'. I think she must have thought it was a giant batch of edible play-doh. Let's hope she doesn't try to eat the real play-doh now!
Don't you just love the little speck of flour on her upper lip? Too bad you can't see the flour handprints all over her stomach and legs.
Ta-da! Well, what do you think for a first timer?
