Snoopy Sno-cones

We tried out a gift from Santa today. It's the Snoopy sno-cone maker! Dwight was the best one at getting the shaved ice perfect. Anya likes hers without the syrup.. just the ice. She LOVES ice!

Go Pats!

Nice hair girls! ;)

The girls ready for the game yesterday..

Cousin kisses!

Disney on Ice

We had the best time today at Disney on Ice! Anya was excited... we were too. It lived up to our expectations.. and went past it. Anya sat for the whole show (2 hours) and was entranced for every second. It was called Disney on Ice: 100 years of magic. It included all of the Disney characters. We saw everything from the princesses, Mickey Mouse characters, Nemo, Pinocchio, Lion King and more. At the end Anya went up to the edge and got some high fives from the characters as they skated by. I was amazed at our seats. We got the cheaper seats but we were almost on the ice. I bought tickets the first minute they went on sale which may have been the reason. When we got seated I wondered if they had seated us wrong lol. It was great and I think we will all be smiling for the rest of the week after today. Anya didn't want to leave and asked for more.
Personally my favorite part was when they did "It's a small world" and showcased the different parts of the world.. and then they had an electric parade right on the ice and Mickey came down in a hot air balloon covered in lights... so cool. I didn't get many photos of the actual show since Anya sat on my lap for half of it. :)
This is Anya before we left for the show..


This is how close we were to the ice!

Anya and her new lightup princess wand!

.. and waving to the characters at the end before she got some high fives..

MS Walk 2012

Click HERE to pledge me in the MS Walk for 2012! We didn't walk last year but this year we are up and at it again. I am walking alongside my sister and mother. I am walking for my mom, who lives with MS. I am doing something new this year. If you pledge $40 or over I will do a FREE 1 hour photo shoot for you and your family.

MS stands for multiple sclerosis. Having multiple sclerosis means that you may not be able to walk when you wake up. Or that you may suddenly have impaired vision. Or that your memory will fail you for no apparent reason. The symptoms of MS are different for everyone, and can be disabling -- the only certainty is that it will affect yet another person every hour of every day.

I've registered for Walk MS because I want to do something for the people who have been diagnosed - and because I want to do everything to prevent more people from having to live with this disease. Today, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, and with a diagnosis occurring most frequently between the ages of 20 and 50, many individuals face a lifetime filled with unpredictability. My mother has MS and I will be walking next to her in our fight for a cure.

snow with friends

Today during our Wednesday playgroup we decided to take the kids out in the snow. This is a first.. to have all 5 toddlers out in the snow at once. I think we have been a little scared in previous years. Since the kids are over 2 1/2 years now we took on the snow and everyone had a blast.
Kai tried to pull Anya in the sled...

The kids even used Camden's swings and slide..

This girl is full of personality..

Anya's first haircut!

Anya had her first haircut! She was very serious while her hair was being cut, blow dried, and then a braid and glitter were added! I brought her to a salon that is only for children. The walls were colorful, she had a tv to watch, and in the end she got a special prize, certificate, comb, sticker and a lock of hair for mommy to save. She did great. My mom came along with us for her special day and brought us out to lunch after. Anya ordered her own meal (hot dog, fries, and milk please), she sat in a booster seat instead of a high chair, and the biggest thing was that she went potty in the restaurant bathroom!! Wow! Where did my baby go? I would be lying if I said I didn't shed a tear tonight while we played together before dinner. She is growing up so so so fast. I am so proud of her and it just amazes me that she is this little young lady that I share so many laughs and conversations with every day. Some days I just wish I could freeze time for a bit longer.. sigh... :)

Pure happiness = marshmallows from hot cocoa

Snow!

Anya had a great time playing in the snow yesterday. We even pulled out the sled :) I had to bribe her into going back inside for hot cocoa and marshmallows :) She is a fan of it all.. the snow.. snow angels.. the sledding.. hot cocoa.. and marshmallows.

Paintbrush Cookies

We finally got some snow! This morning Anya and spent the snowy morning making paintbrush cookies. Anya's grammy bought her some new cookbooks recently and she told me her favorite recipe as a kid was paintbrush cookies. We made sugar cookies from the cookbook first. (you could also use cookie cutters to do shapes) Next we took 1 egg yolk, 1/4 tsp water and food colorings to make the 'paint'. Anya had a fun time painting her cookies before we put them in the oven. :)


Do you see her smiley face?...

Mommy may have had fun too ;)

celebratory cupcake!

Anya has decided that this week she will use the potty! I have taken the approach of just waiting for her to tell me she is ready. We have left the potty out since the summer months but did not push it AT ALL. I have always told her if she goes on the potty I will buy her a cupcake and a balloon. She didn't forget and reminded me yesterday haha! We headed out to the store after naptime for her prizes. Today she has used the potty once again multiple times. We are very proud. I think a visit to a preschool last week has helped. She found out that the children do not wear diapers at school. It may have been the motivation she needed for herself. :)

Anya's snowman

Don't you love her smiley face? She did the face all by herself :)

Gymnastics

Anya started her first gymnastics class this week. She loves it! She cried when we left because she wanted to stay longer. It is perfect for her age group. There is free time in the beginning, circle time, an obstacle course, and parachute play. There are songs included in the circle time and parachute time which she loves. Three of her friends are in her class as well which makes it even more fun. Here are some pictures from the 1st class...