Happy Valentine's Day...

...from the sweetest little valentines!

Winter Wonderland

This morning we walked outside to the most beautiful winter wonderland! The camera could not possibly do it justice...it was breathtaking! We were so lucky to even see it, as the ice was all melted not even 30 minutes later. Mornings like these make winter worth freezing through!


views from porch (click to see full screen)



weeping cherry in back yard


ice crystals


Ellie's home-made bird feeder


close up


Ellie and Josie

Wizard of Oz Play

On New Year's Day, Ellie, Josie. Eric and I, along with 6 more of our family members, all attended the play The Wizard of Oz at The Civic Theater. This is the same play that Ellie had so much fun getting to see all the behind the scenes things to while on her preschool field trip in November. It was such a perfect first play experience for our future actress Ellie!

No pictures were allowed during the actual play but here are a few from before, intermission and after...

Ellie before the show. We were lucky enough to get tickets to the only night that included audience participation so Ellie got to dress as Glinda the Good Witch. We all also got goody bags that had items to use during the show including bubbles to blow whenever Glinda appeared on stage. Ellie was already trying them out!



Before the show all dressed up audience members got to enter a costume contest and walk across the stage in front of 400 people! We had no idea it was going to be like this or we might have tried to get Ellie (and her cousins) an official Wizard the Oz costume instead of the Barbie princess dress she wore!



Regardless, Ellie still got to be one of the three children's finalists and got called back up on stage during intermission!! Here she even got to tell her name into the microphone.


The super cute Tin Man won but, just for being a finalist, Ellie won a free session of classes at the Civic Theater. These were the same classes that we were already considering signing her up for in the spring so this was a HUGE blessing to now be able to do them for free! (They cost $125 which is exactly what the prize she won will cover.)



After the show, Ellie and her cousins got to meet all of the cast!

Ellie and Glinda


Sara and Dorothy.

Sara's doll was dressed in her Dorothy costume, too, and the "real" Dorothy loved it! (We were hoping Sara could enter the contest with her doll but, unfortunately, it didn't work out...)

Ellie and the Wizard.


Sara and the Wicked Witch.


Ellie and the Scarecrow.


Sara and the Tin Man.


Both girls with the Cowardly Lion.


This was such a great play and has only fueled the stage performing spark for Ellie that began on her field trip to the theater. She is so excited to start her classes!!!



And here is just a cute little bonus video of Josie getting into the Wizard of Oz spirit right before we left for the play.

(Josie, by the way, did great for the 3 hour play! She just kept going back and forth between all of our family members and I caught her being completely enthralled with the play several times!)

Halloween

We all had a great time trick-or-treating in my mom's neighborhood on Halloween! This was Josie's first time and she was so in to it! She was so proud carrying her pumpkin bucket and said "trick-or-treat" and "thank you" at each house. The cute thing was that when we got back to my Mom's house, every time the doorbell rang with new trick-or-treaters, Josie shouted "I have to go get my bucket, go get candy!" and then ran to the door for her candy too.

Ellie was Snow White and Josie was a pumpkin. Cousins Sara and Silas were a princess and Mario.











my mom


Later that evening, we trick-or-treated at the nursing home where my grandma just recently started living. This amazing woman is 101 years old! (Ellie changed into a warmer pumpkin costume.)



It was such a nice Halloween!

Pumpkin Decorating

The girls decorated their pumpkins "Mr Potato Head style" this year. Easy, fun, no goopy mess and oh so cute!!

MORE Leaf Fun

We had so much fun plying in the leaves on Tuesday that we decided to do it again yesterday. This time was even better because our friends came along too! All five girls had fun in the leaves and we also went for a walk through the woods and found some of the biggest leaves I've ever seen!

I have to say that with the girls both old enough to do so many things, this has to be my most favorite fall of all!








In the woods.


Maia, Ellie, Sophia, Josie (holding GIANT leaves)


Sophie



Celia



Josie's first time on a merry-go-round!

Leaf Fun

Ellie and I have been reading a couple of books about the season fall and both of them talk about raking and jumping in piles of leaves. She wanted to do it, too, so we packed our rakes in the truck on Tuesday and went down the road to Eagle Creek Park in search of lots of leaves. We checked out our favorite playground and it could not have been a more perfect place to go! We made huge piles and the girls jumped and played to their hearts content. We stayed all the way until past dinner time and the girls left exhausted and their hair full of leaf bits...but boy was it fun!!












Josie loved playing in this little puddle, too.



All the deer starting coming out as we were leaving.