Zoo

One of my best friends came in from out of town with her 2 kids and we went to the zoo. It is always a hit with the kids.

It is a lot of fun because Regina's kids Elizabeth and Zachary are almost the exact ages of my kids so they have a lot of fun.


There is a jeep where the front half is for the kids to play in, then there is a thick glass window and the back half is for the leopard to play in. You are really close!


I love that the giraffe viewing area puts you at their face level. They are so fascinating.

At the end of every zoo trip the kids hope to be rewarded with a carousel ride.

Arboretum

Mommy and Caroline got to go to the Arboretum with Caroline's best friend Elizabeth and her mommy. These two girls are a month apart and are so cute together.

The spring festival began the next week but the storybook castles were already set up so we were able to explore by ourselves.
The Little Mermaid's throne was a favorite.


Two and a half year olds are a tough crowd. Not many smiles for photos.





They loved playing in Beauty and the Beasts' castle.



Please can't we play in the fountain mommy?

Santa Visit

We met our good friends, Stephanie, Emma and Julia at the mall for a visit with Santa. Our mall Santa is the real Santa. He has been at our mall for over 25 years! He is so popular that they have a very elaborate system where you go get a ticket with a number and come back when that number is up. I like it! Stephanie got our number when she dropped her kids off at school and we all went back later that day.

Katherine is a pro and liked Santa. She told him that she wanted "Dress Up". Those kids have so much dress up but still want more.
Caroline was not as sure about Santa. As we were waiting she put her hand over her mouth in the same way that she does when we see "Josh" our Elf at home. So, I knew she was a little scared.
She insisted on taking her baby doll with her. There were no smiles but there were no tears either so that was a success in my book.
Emma and Julia did pretty well.
Afterward we went to the food court for Chick-Fil-A and then to see the ducks and turtles. For some reason this mall, one of the most popular in town, does not have a play area.
So, the kids climb and slide on the planters. I am sure all the old ladies shopping just love that. I remember doing the same thing as a child.

Christmas Card Photos

This year we did our Christmas Card Photos very spur of the moment. We were supposed to get together with our good friends Jen and Richard. Jen texted me to see if we would meet up to swap photography services. We got home from Thanksgiving and in 30 minutes I selected outfits and got everyone ready. Given the lack of planning I was quite pleased with our coordinating outfits and the cooperation of our kids.

We walked around Santa's village a little but it was not fully ready yet.

To the Ballet

A good friend and I decided to take our older girls to see the ballet, Cinderella. They were so excited and got all dressed up.


It was a very long ballet with 3 acts and 2 intermissions. They did a great job sitting still and being quiet though they were a little concerned that Cinderella was not wearing blue and did not have blond hair. Disney has really affected the way kids view the fairy tales.
Afterwards, there was a meet and greet with the characters. This is the prince and Cinderella.

The step sisters were actually boys. That totally confused Katherine.

Our beautiful ballerina's holding up their programs.
It was a fun special event. I look forward to doing even more fun things now that Katherine is older and I can't wait for Caroline to be old enough to go with us.