Snow Day

Corinne had her first snow day on Monday! (E and S aren't in school on Mondays anyway) We had some friends and cousins over to play and have lunch, and the kids made it outside twice for some fun in the snow. Of course that was followed by hot cocoa! Here's to hoping its not a long snowy winter like last year!

So Long, Candy!

 

After Halloween the girls' dentist advertised that he would buy back candy for $1 per pound to anyone who brought it in so he could send it to the troops overseas. Corinne was into the idea from the beginning but Ellen and Sophie weren't too sure they wanted to participate (ie. give up their candy). With a little encouragement from Corinne and thanks to playing up the cash incentive, E and S did give in. I let the girls each choose 10 favorite pieces from their Halloween candy stash and then we took the rest to the dentist. And what a great little operation! We were ushered back to the dentist's actual office, where there was a scale and the huge boxes that were going to be shipped to the troops. The nice hygenist actually rounded up -- I think the girls had only 1.4 lbs each but she gave them $2. They also got a bouncy ball! Pretty great for everyone involved! Otherwise we would be eating candy til Easter.

Halloween Night

It was a rainy, blustery night!! Our street kicked off Halloween with a parade for the kids, followed by a potluck dinner together, and then it was on to trick or treating! We went around with neighbors until we were too cold to continue - which didn't take long this year. I think we were finished in record time, actually. A few friends came over afterward to warm up inside and it was really a fun night! After everyone had left and it was time to head to bed I realized I didn't get any pictures of the girls in their costumes - that is, without their jackets. So I quickly got individuals of Ariel (Sophie), Anna (Corinne) and Elsa (Ellen).

School Halloween Parade

C's school had their annual Halloween parade last week and her principal dressed up as Olaf-- what a great guy! The kids and staff adore him and I can see why--truly a genuine guy and after all these years (I think it's 40 something!) he still loves his job. C was dressed up as Anna, also from "Frozen" (of course).

Disney

Nope, we did not take a trip to Disney World or even Disney Land. But we did get to go see the Disney Princesses on Ice show with our friends and cousins! The girls absolutely loved the show and I think the whole second half was devoted to...wait for it...Frozen! It was a lot of fun to take the girls, and we are thankful that we escaped without spending $12 on cotton candy or $10 on bottled water.

Prepping for Dad's Night

E and S had a "Dad's Night" at their pre school this fall where they got to take their dad for a night of carving pumpkins with their class and teachers. The girls were super excited that this was just for them and Brett and so we did our part at home to prepare the pumpkin ahead of time in anticipation of the big night. Sophie was all about scooping out the insides of the pumpkin while Ellen wanted nothing to do with that!

Children's Theater

Got the chance to see the Cincinnati Children's Theater production of "Beauty and the Beast" and it was a hit! It's always fun to go with our good friends, Lauren and Gwyn, too.

Goofy

I just enjoy this picture...not just because it shows S and C with our good friend Emmy and because I love the sweet and happy faces pictured here. But because I love that C is wearing a WIG and she is enjoying the fun of it (while still smiling sweetly for the camera, as if it is totally normal). It makes me laugh! And it makes me happy that C is doing something out of character and having a ball doing it. I remember my friend telling me that a wig is a great birthday gift around this age, and I can see how that is the case. At this age they are actually able to appreciate the silliness of it...and I may just have to check out wigs for a certain birthday coming up!

Downtown Adventure...a little late

Realizing this post is terribly out of order, but I forgot to post it and then came across the photos again just recently. This was a perfect Sunday afternoon adventure! We took the kids and their bikes and headed down to the river for a little hometown sight seeing. We just love doing outings like this and need to do more of them!