Character Sitings

We returned last Thursday from an action-packed, fun-filled, and exciting week in Disney World! Mark and I had not been to Disney World since the 80s, so the "big" kids had just as much fun as the little ones. We were lucky to have two sets of grandparents join us for a couple of days to share in the "magic" of the adventures.

Kate loved getting signatures in her princess autograph book and taking pictures with the many characters throughout the parks. Lauren wasn't quite as receptive to the idea, but did her best nonetheless. Although she just had to have her own Tinkerbell autograph book. Here are just a few shots of the numerous characters we saw. (More pictures of our trip to come!)

Holiday Tea Party

Last week, the girls and I attended a holiday tea party at a friend's house. The girls dressed up in their holiday best and enjoyed the party's numerous activities. The activities included making an ornament, a gift exchange, a Christmas story, and of course, cookies and lemonade. The moms got to enjoy delicious treats and coffee while also having the opportunity to socialize (a nice treat). Kate and Lauren had a wonderful time!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Lauren!

Our youngest daughter turns 2 today!!! Happy Birthday, Lauren!

Thank you for two wonderful years. You are truly a blessing in all of our lives. Your smile lights up a room and your beautiful and caring personality brings joy to those around you. We wish you all the happiness in the world and look forward to watching you grow in the years to come.

Thanks for making our lives complete! Endless birthday wishes to one COOL kid!

We LOVE You!
Mom, Dad and Kate

Who Can Resist a Party?!

This past weekend, Kate attended a birthday party for one of her preschool friends at the Life and Science Museum. I sent Mark along since he had never been before. Kate (and Mark) had a blast! The party was complete with face painting, a Dora pinata and cake, and an afternoon filled with fun and excitement exploring the museum. After being gone for 5 1/2 hours, the duo returned home with numerous pictures and videos. Here are just a couple that highlight the event.

From Under the Sea to Never Never Land

The girls had a great time trick-or-treating this year and thoroughly enjoyed Halloween! Kate transformed herself into Ariel (her favorite princess), complete with her wand and tiara, while Lauren became Tinkerbell for a magical evening! (Thanks to our friends who loaned us the wings... Lauren lit up the sidewalks as she walked.) Although the girls enjoyed going door-to-door, Kate spent most of the night watching all of the kids come to our house, admiring the vast array of costumes. Lauren, on the other hand, had difficulty at first with others taking our candy. She started to cry, yelling "Nooooo! That's my candy!" We were able to distract her enough to empty the candy bowl and enjoy the evening. Fun was had by all.

(Kate has already informed me that next year she wants to be Belle!!)

Pumpkin Day

Although this event occurred about a week and a half ago, I felt it was still worthy of posting. The girls, Grampy (Rich), and I attended Pumpkin Day at the Farmers Market. The events of the day included a pumpkin decorating contest, the biggest pumpkin, and kids activities (face painting, moon bounce, etc.). Although we didn't partake in the kids activities (the lines were too long), we did witness the largest pumpkin and some of the winners in the pumpkin decorating contest. Believe it or not, the largest pumpkin there (not in the contest) weighed (?) pounds!! (Take a guess at the weight)

It took quite a while to pick out our pumpkins. Kate gravitated towards the odd shape ones with bumps and lumps. She sees beauty in everything! We also had the opportunity to see the "pumpkin blow-up" that Kate asks about each year, as well as come home with an orange pumpkin, a white pumpkin, and two small tri-color pumpkins. Fun for the whole gang!

Crib Diving...No Longer an Option!

About a week and a half ago, we heard a loud "THUD" about 15 minutes after putting the girls to sleep. Lauren had decided it might be fun to climb out of her crib. Although it startled her, she was okay, no broken bones or bruises. She assured us that she would stay in her crib the rest of the night, which she did. HOWEVER, she repeated the act the next night as well. (We never experienced this with Kate, so this "crib diving" was new to us.)

So, the next day we headed out to purchase a mattress for our daredevil. Since Lauren has a timetable all her own, her room has not been redecorated. Kate allowed us to paint her room and decorate prior to moving into a "big girl bed." Hence, Lauren is in her same room, nothing changed, just a mattress on the floor in place of the crib. (We did order a bed for her this weekend.)

We must say, she loves her big bed and has actually slept longer in the mornings than she did in her crib. I guess it's well worth it!