Cinderella Birthday

I knew early on this year that we weren't going to do a huge birthday party for Em at our house this year.  We had done those for the last couple of years and it was just too many people!  Then Disney came out with the new live-action Cinderella movie that was opening on March 13, and I asked Em if she wanted to take some friends to the movie.  She agreed it was a good idea!

We got the invitation printable on Etsy and cut them to look like real tickets--they turned out great.

The theater even put her name up on the marquee!

They actually have a party room, so we decided to have some snacks and cake before the movie.  Em was excited to tell her friends to wear their princess dresses, and most of them did.

We got her cake at Publix again this year--they make a delicious birthday cake!  The little castle was a plastic carrying case that Em got to keep with her little princesses in it.

It was nice that they took care of the decorations--I just brought the Cinderella-themed plates and napkins and a few balloons.

Em was excited to go to the lobby of the theater and "greet her guests" as they arrived!  These were the first few girls, so we got a picture in front of the movie posters.

Not surprisingly, no one had much of an appetite for anything except cake!

After the birthday cake and before the movie, they took us on a tour of the booth where they project the movies from, and let all the girls try on these insulated suits they wear when they change the super powerful light bulbs.

The girls had a great time and the movie was so good--it made for an easy, unique birthday party that Em really enjoyed.  Her favorite gifts were actually Cinderella and Princess Jasmine Lego sets, which she loved putting together and playing with when we got home after the party!

Busy Social Calendar

Since the classes at Em's school are grouped by birthdays, everyone in Gold Room has birthdays within a few months of each other, and spring is our really busy time with all the parties.  Sometimes it feels like they never end, but a few have been really different and creative this year.  Aamani had her party at a cooking studio called Flour Power, and it was so cute!

All of the kids decorated aprons and chef hats before they got started.

Em was pretty proud to show hers off!

The instructors did a great job with the kids so everyone had a turn adding an ingredient or stirring the pizza dough they made.

Then each kid got a little ball of dough and rolled it out into a pizza crust.

Then they spread the pizza sauce onto their dough.  Yes, Em was the only one who kept her hat on the whole time.

And even got a little block of cheese and a hand grater to cover their pizzas.

After their pizzas, they made s'mores that they melted in the oven after wrapping them in foil.  It was a really cute party and they had such a good time digging in and making the food that they had a chance to eat at the end!

Dress Up Days

Em's class had spirit week in February, and each day for a week they were scheduled to dress in different themed outfits.  One day was storybook character day, and we decided on Little Red Riding Hood.

It was a bit of a tough decision and Em waited until the last minute to choose a costume, so we ended up just using stuff we had at home.  I don't think she could have looked any cuter if we'd planned it for weeks though :).

Another day was Crazy Hair day, which Em really got into--she told me she wanted hers to be the craziest, and it definitely was.  I wish I could have gotten a picture of the front and back together.

For Dr. Seuss's birthday, the kids were supposed to wear red, black and white--Em is outgrowing her clothes so quickly that she doesn't have much to choose from in those colors for cool weather, so I made her this Cat in the Hat bow tie that morning before school.

She's very tall and lean, and really needs size 6 already for length in shirts and pants.  Since it's the end of the season, I have only bought a few things in that size, just so she's not showing her tummy and wearing high water pants!

More School Projects

I always keep the really special projects or pictures Em does, but it's just too much to keep everything, so I like to at least get pictures of things before they sneak out (if Em sees any of her masterpieces being thrown away, she doesn't approve).

This is an "all about me" poster she had to make at the beginning of the school year with pictures of her family and all of her favorite things.  This is one she did a lot more of the work on--she cut out pictures, made the 4 in the middle, chose stickers and the flower for the top, and made the little pom pom caterpillar.  It's been hanging up in her class until recently when we brought it home.

Her January home project was to make a snowman out of these three small paper plates.  She decided she wanted to cover him in popcorn, so this was obviously one we couldn't keep around the house :).

For February, the kids made Valentine boxes--we found this train idea on Pinterest and were able to make it with all stuff we already had around the house.  Em was really proud of it--this is one that required a little more help, but she gets to do all the gluing, decorating, and has the final creative stamp of approval :).

 She used chalk to draw some people in the back of the train, but they got a little smeared.

Quick Visit

Mick's parents were able to come for a weekend visit, so we picked Em up from school a little early on Friday and enjoyed some game time.

We wish both sets of her grandparents lived closer, because it's so nice to have them visit, and Em loves spending time with them!  Mick and I also got to enjoy a grown-up dinner for Valentine's Day!

Zachary's Birthday

We made a weekend trip to Atlanta for Zachary's birthday at the end of January--Em had a great time playing with her cousins and seeing her grandparents and uncles. 

She had some piano practice time with Grandma.

And enjoyed a "second Christmas" since we didn't all get together for Christmas this year.  The age difference between Zachary, Landon and Em is becoming a little more apparent as they get more and more into video games and big boy things--she still wants to play kids' games, but they're pretty patient with her, and can always find compromises with wrestling or pillow fights :).

Games! Games! Games!

On the weekends, Em starts asking if we can play games almost the minute she gets up in the morning.  I found some clearance games at Target after Christmas including this one called Who Shook Hook?  We have played it probably 200 times now, and Em was excited to show it to Grandma and Papa when they were here.

It's actually a pretty fun game--I much prefer it over some of her other favorites :).

 Em has gotten pretty skillful at it too!

 Puzzles are another favorite, and I'm always happy to do these with her because I love them too!

Time Off

We really enjoyed our down time over the holidays--I was off for a 5-day weekend at Christmas and then another 4-day weekend for the New Year, so we got productive.  I've been wanting to paint the dining room, and Em of course wanted to help, tiara and all!

She did a pretty good job until she got bored with it, and then I was left with the rest while she went off to play :).

Later that day, we decided we had worked hard enough, and went for pedicures!

Em loved that the water was her favorite color (blue) and she felt like such a big girl!  At one point, the lady told her to just sit back and relax, and Em said "I could just stay here forever!"  This is only the second time I've ever taken her, so I'm not too worried about starting a bad habit :).

The Polar Express

We went back to Bryson City this year for The Polar Express train ride--it had been two years since we went before, and Em didn't really remember it.  It was fun, but I think it will probably be the last time we go--the value just doesn't seem quite worth it.

 Em loves being able to wear her PJs and pose in front of all the train decorations!

It was chilly, but not freezing cold.

Of course she found the golden ticket for a picture.

And she loves that the conductor punches the ticket just like in the movie.

The servers do bring the delicious hot chocolate and cookies, also like the movie.

And once the train stops at the North Pole, Santa gets on the train and comes around to greet each child with a silver sleigh bell.  Em's clothes are different here because she spilled hot chocolate all over her nightgown--luckily, I brought a change of clothes for her since we weren't even halfway through the ride when it happened!

When we got off the train back in Bryson City, we drove to meet my parents to pick up my mom--we're excited for her to come stay with us for a few days!

Christmas Morning

Em really didn't have much of a Christmas list this year--she asked for building blocks, dominos, a Jasmine doll, a sword and shield, and at the last minute, she decided she wanted a lovie parrot (a small stuffed parrot).  Amazon Prime really came in handy for me this year!

We planned to get her a trampoline too (a small 7-foot one), but Mick was putting it together in the garage on Christmas Eve and there was a small tear in the mesh part.  It was obviously too late to take it back and exchange it, so we just decided not to give it to her.

She was super excited Christmas morning--in addition to the things on her list, Santa also brought a View Master (I loved this toy growing up!), a little baby fox that Em had been checking out, and some other cool toys.

She loved Merida and her horse Angus,

along with her lovie parrot and a stuffed kitty.

Her favorite was the sword and shield!

It was a fun Christmas day, spent at home with yummy food and lots of play time!