The Big Top!

On Saturday we took the girls on their first trip to the circus!  Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus is at the arena close to our house this week, so we had to take advantage and see the show!  The girls were SO excited about going.  From the moment they woke up that morning, they were running up and down the halls yelling "the circus, the circus...we can't wait! we can't wait to get to the circus!"  J and I were cracking up because we knew they didn't really even know what the circus entailed (since they'd never been before), but I'm sure they had some ideas from books, tv shows, etc.  Thankfully, the circus lived up to their expectations of being an exciting thing!  We had great seats, and both girls had faces full of wonder throughout the show!  Here are a few pics from our fun-filled day:

Daddy helping the girls choose a souvenier:

M got an elephant light-up toy:

C picked out a circus horse:

 Motorcyle on a tight rope act:

Lions and tigers!  It was amazing to see how well these animals are trained:

Clapping for the big male lion!! 

There were lots of elephants in the show this year! 

Yummy cotton candy! 

Motorcycles in a steel globe!  They had 8 bikes all going at once at one point...craziness!! 

This year's show was called "Dragons," so they had this guy going around at the end:

My cuties leaving with all their loot! 

 Such a great day!! :)

P52 - Week 8

Week 8 (Feb. 18 - Feb.24) - Low angle.

We took the girls to the circus on Saturday!  There were all kinds of acts/things flyings around above us throughout the show, so I took the opportunity to catch some low angle shots for this week's project.  This one is a guy on a motorcycle (on a tight wire) with two girls hanging from bars below him.  No matter how old I get, I still feel like a kid sitting in amazement at the circus! ;) 

A Letter to My Daughters

My sweet girls,

What a fun month we've had!!  As I was looking through all our photos from the last few weeks, I noticed the overwhelming majority of them were filled with ruffles, tiaras, tutus, and all things GIRL!!!  Ribbons and bows.  Sugar and Spice. The frillier the better.  Everything in our house is pink and purple, and has a high probability of being adorned with a Disney princess. You are both such girly-girls and I am loving every minute of it!  

Chloe, each morning after getting out of bed, you have to prepare a purse before we walk downstairs for breakfast.  When it's time to get dressed for school, we head up to your room, open up your closet, and I watch your eyes pan over your clothes.  You always select a dress, skirt, something with ruffles, or something that is pink.  And your outfit is never complete without jewelry.  You have been wearing a "real" necklace every day since Christmas.  After returning from school, we change you into "comfy" clothes, and you immediately select a tutu to put on over them.  Before your nap each day, you "have to" use one of your Disney princess chapsticks.  In the evenings, it is routine to "dress up" and you always suggest we have a dance party before calling it a day!  

Madeline, you want to be just like your big sister.  If she has on a dress or tutu, you MUST have one too.  You are a big fan of dance parties.  If you disappear in the house, I know I can always find you in the playroom ... cooking in your kitchen, playing with the dollhouse, or pushing your dolls around in their strollers.  You have just discovered the wonder of lipgloss, and you cover your face with any tube of it that you can find.  You love sunglasses and would wear 2-3 pairs at a time if they would stay on!   

You both love baking, nail polish, and high heels.  Boo-boos are very traumatic, and bugs (with the exception of butterflies) are not your friends.  You do love being outdoors though, and are not strangers to bike-riding, leaf-throwing, and sand-digging afternoons...you just do it in sparkly shoes and use pink shovels ;)  When I was little I shared all of these same interests and dislikes, and it has been so much fun for me to see these parts of myself in each of you.   

God knew exactly what he was doing when he blessed me with my two little "princesses."

I am blessed beyond measure.

I love you, 

Mommy

Thank you for reading through our "Letters to Our Children" blog circle.  The next beautiful letter is by Melanie Kerr.

Valentines Day...or week!

We had a great Valentine's Day last week!  Although between the cards, packages in the mail, class valentines, flowers, and the actual day itself, the chain of valentine events really lasted about a week.  Chloe was very into the holiday this year...after all, it's main colors are pink and red (her favorites)!  On the morning of the 14th, she asked me when the next Valentine's Day would be...before this one even began!

Earlier in the week, the girls received cookie valentines and packages from Grammie and Cool Pops.  They get VERY excited about mail these days.  The minute the doorbell rings and they see a UPS man,  they start celebrating and asking if the package is for them.  Between their squeals and Chip's ferocious barking, the delivery people probably think this is a nut house!!  Here they are opening their surprises:

On Tuesday (the 12th), Jeremy's parents were kind to take care of the girls while he and I had a night out to celebrate at the Melting Pot.  GiGi and GranTerry gave the girls all of their V-Day gifts while we were gone, so I didn't get any pictures :(  They got candy, puzzles, a game, pajamas, and a book..to name a few! 

On Wednesday morning, Chloe took Disney princess valentines for her class.  Her teachers asked that we send them in a day early so they could get all the cards organized for the party on Thursday. We packaged together a valentine, lollipop, and either a mustache (boys) or lips (girls) on a stick for all her buddies.  The girls and I had a kick out of playing with the mustaches and lips! ;)

Wednesday night, our sweet Daddy sent flowers to the girls and I.  Oddly enough, they were delivered around 7:00pm after he was home from work.  C and M got 100 daisies and I got a beautiful bouquet of roses. 

                                      

The morning of Valentine's Day was so fun.  The girls got dressed up in their special outfits and ran downstairs to see what they got from Mommy and Daddy.  We had everything laid out on the kitchen table, along with some cards they had gotten in the mail from relatives.  Their favorite gifts were the Stompeez slippers they had been wanting.  

After school and their afternoon nap, Daddy came home early with a big surprise.  He brought the girls 36 heart-shaped balloons (as many as he could fit in his car) and laid out a trail of them from the girls' bedrooms, all the way down to the kitchen where most of the balloons were scattered.  Chloe woke up first and was so excited to find them when she came downstairs!  We are so blessed to have such a thoughtful Daddy!!

That night, Uncle Chad came over and we ordered pizza and baked cookies. It was a wonderful holiday filled with the people we love, and it certainly made our hearts happy!! :)

P52 - Week 7

Week 7 (Feb. 11 - Feb.17) - Motion.

On Valentine's Day, J surprised the girls with 36 red, heart-shaped balloons.  When Chloe woke up from her nap, she followed the trail of balloons out of her bedroom, through the hallway, down the stairs, and into the kitchen (where most of the balloons were waiting for her). As soon as she saw them all, she started collecting them, jumping up and down, punching them, and just having a great time.  I grabbed my camera and decided to "stop motion" while she was airborne :)  I thought this shot was funny because it almost looks like the balloons are carrying her away! 

P52 - Week 6

Week 6 (Feb. 4 - Feb.10) - Hands.

This is a picture of Bug with her favorite stuffed animals.  Her "piggy" and "duck duck" are the two staples in an ever-changing array of 10-15 stuffed animals you can find on her bed at any given time.  These two have been with her since the beginning.  Jeremy and I bought two identical "spares" a couple years ago in case these should ever rip, get lost, etc.  I love how she hugs them and holds them close :)