Valentine's Day

I did Valentine's Pictures of my girls last year and loved how they turned out so I made it a priority again this year.  We woke up to a super snowy day so I decided it would be perfect.  I got the girls dressed then loaded up in the car, but my car was not interested in leaving the driveway.  So we found a plan B and just did pictures in the back alley. I took each girl into the backyard for about 5 minutes and love some of our shots!  

We did heart mailboxes again this year for the month of February and the girls loved waking up to fun surprises most mornings.  Eden was sure to remind me every night so I wouldn't forget.  

Friday, we did Milan's class party.  I am the room mom so this party we did ice cream sundaes, Hershey Kiss Memory, "stained glass" art craft, and a fun Musical Hearts game.  

Milan made her own Valentines out of black card stock, foam hearts, and feathers and was very proud of her creations.  

We also celebrated with a Red Family Dinner with heart pizza, red jello, strawberries, and a special drink with ice cream, cherry pop and licorice straws.  

Dave and I even got to go on a date a week later complete with door opening and red roses :).  

Winter is flying by......

We had a new experience here in Omaha......snow days!  In Wyoming, Milan had recess until 0 degrees so a snow day for freezing temperatures was foreign to us, but hey, we'll take it!  

We brought some snow inside and made a restaurant with scoops of ice cream, shakes, and 3-layer cakes!  

Another new experience was that my car broke down and I was without a car for an entire week while we waited for the part to get here.  I already knew that I was never meant to be in a one-car family and this experience just confirmed my thoughts!  We did find some fun creative activities (plus shaving cream baths every day.)

As soon as we had a car, we resumed our fun activities!  Fontenelle Forest has a great preschool program call Mudpies.  The girls love crafts, toys, the indoor play ground, and this particular time, a pool filled with corn starch peanuts.....who knew!   I love Eden's crazy excited face!

We got to go on a bakery tour with play group.  Eden and Cora obviously loved decorating their own cookies with tons of frosting then immediately eating it.  I thought Eden and I should get a picture together, but she was being a little goofball, so I just tickled her instead. 

Eden was soooo excited for her preschool's Hibernation Party!  She planned out her jammies all week long then loved wearing them to school.  Their teachers made a fort out of desks, popped popcorn, and let them enjoy a movie.  Eden has found a fun group of girls (Sydney, Emma, Izzie) and loves to go to school now.   

Girl Scout Cookie Time!  Milan is a Brownie and Eden is an honorary Daisy (she can't officially be in Girl Scouts until she is in Kindergarten.)  We visited a couple of neighbors and friends and participated in one cookie booth for a grand total of 62 boxes.  They earned a small bracelet, but had a great time selling. 

Study time.  Dave usually gets home for dinner time and a couple minutes of Tickle Monster, then spends more time studying in our room.  Of course, he has to wear ear plugs to tune out the shenanigans around here.  Cora was not dissuaded though because she loves to hang out with daddy. 

 Family Zoo Day.  Dave ditched his studying for a fun Saturday at the zoo.  It was warm, but I was glad I told the girls to wear snow boots because they tend to go off the paved path whenever possible! 

The girls have been asking to go the circus for years!  I'm not a huge fan, but Eden got free tickets through preschool so I couldn't resist.  We met the Rose girls at the show and everyone was mesmerized by the entertainment (and the cotton candy didn't hurt either.)  

 Great Aunt Yuri and Uncle Albert sent some adorable knitted hats and generous $25 gift cards for belated Christmas gifts.  I let each of the girls select their own gift.  We spent A LOT of time in the toy department deciding on the perfect gifts.  Eden was the first to finalize her decision and chose a new baby doll and accessory kit.  Milan chose a veterinarian Barbie.  Cora wanted everything and finally settled on a big My Little Pony, which she has played with every day since!