Here are the girls kicking off New Years Day, 2012...we did go to church that day, so they were excited to get dressed up for church a little more than normal. These girls are getting so big...it is just crazy to me how fast time is flying by!
January has brought us 30 degree temps and most recently 60 degree temps...and our activities have definitely reflected that. The girls have spent a lot of time with indoor play dates and have had a few days of going to the playground and riding bikes. Although like all siblings, they do have their moments, these two really have become such good friends. More and more, Megan is entering that stage of wanting to be just like her Big Sister.
Last month, Alexia began taking a Hip Hop Jr. Class at a local Christian Dance School. She really enjoys it :) A few weeks ago, they had Parent Observation Day, where we could sit in and watch them practice. Of course, I had to snatch a few pics...
This next picture turned out blurry, but her smile when she caught me taking pics of her was priceless. She just finished her 2nd month of classes and I'm really proud of her for sticking with it. She started this class 4 months after everyone else in the class and she has done a great job of catching up. She's still trying to figure out where she fits in socially since many of the girls had already developed friendships, but she refuses to give up. She is kind, friendly and outgoing towards all of the girls and I'm confident she'll have a new BFF in the class before too long.
Despite how fast these girls are growing up, they still always enjoy "Daddy Time." Reading books together with Daddy has become one of Alexia's favorite parts of her day...and of course, a spontaneous silly moment and tickling attack with Daddy before bed ranks at the top of their list as well :)
We did get some snow a couple of weeks ago, which the girls enjoyed as well. Megan only wanted to "enjoy" the snow for a short time here at home, but Alexia went sled riding Saturday and Sunday that weekend.
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| I just love that little face (and the precious girl to whom it belongs) :) |
Last Saturday, we had the opportunity to have a house full of kids and company the entire day. Alayna and Grady spent the day with us until about 7:30 pm and then Megan went to Grady's house for her first "friend sleepover" and Alayna spent the night here with Alexia. Later that evening, Grandma and Grandmpa, Steph, Jillian, Josh, Tracy, Andrea and Chuck came for a visit. So, we definitely had a full house and the kids all had a great time.
Here is a breakdown of their activities for the day:
It started with a tea party on the back patio (no, it was not warm enough to be having a tea party on the back patio...but they had their minds set on it...so, yes, they froze out there, yet refused to admit how cold they were...crazy kids!) I'm sure I never did anything like that when I was a kid...
And then they came inside and warmed up with some jumping on the trampoline...
Megan and Grady warmed up by dancing and doing the motions to a worship CD together. This is something that they always want to do when they get together at our house. It is priceless to watch!!
Then it was time to play dress-up. Grady wanted to put a princess dress on so badly, but the girls all talked him out of it. I think I will have to invest in a Prince Costume to have on hand for when Grady is over to play.
After playing downstairs for awhile, the girls came upstairs to do bead necklaces and bracelets. This seemed like a precious moment to catch on camera.
Megan and Grady wanted to paint...this is probably one of Mommy's LEAST favorite activites, but they did a great job overall, with only a small amount of paint ending up on the walls and floor.
Then, we did a round of board games...Connect 4, Operation, Eye Spy Eagle Eye, and Megan's favorite game of all...Zingo!!
The girls got a Karaoke Machine for Christmas...Megan and Grady had fun with this as they took turns singing different parts of their favorite Dora songs.
Here Alexia and Alayna are proudly posing in front of their finger painting creations. Alexia took her painting to church the next day and gave it to her Sunday School Teachers, Coach Mike and Coach Brandy, who were very touched.
So, if all of that wasn't enough fun for one day...we still had an evening of more fun with Grandparents, Aunts and Cousins. Here are the kiddos bombarding Aunt Andrea with hugs when she arrived!
We made hot dogs and french fries/tater tots for the kids to eat and here is a reflection of how dinnertime went...
Finally, we wrapped up the day with some painting nails...
Some more karaoke performances with glo stick necklaces and bracelets...
Even Josh tried to join in on the fun...although I think he was starting to fade a bit by this point.
While our disco party was going on, Miss Laura came to pick up Megan and Grady...it was a strange feeling sending my little Megs off to her first friend sleepover. Fingers crossed that she would make it through the night!!
And, after saying good bye to Megan and Grady, we ended the evening with a few rounds of Uno with all the girls and Aunt Tracy :)
Wow...just blogging about that day made me exhuasted...lol. Ya know, sometimes when I take on this kind of a day I think I must have lost my mind, and yet...the kids played so amazingly well with each other all day and I know I am helping to create wonderful memories for them that will last a lifetime. I feel thankful to have a home where we can enjoy the company of such great family and friends!!
So...you may be wondering how the sleepover went? Well, it took Megan quite awhile to settle down to sleep and Alexia and Alayna must have layed in Alexia's bed chatting and giggling until almost 10 pm...but all 4 of them had a great time and have asked to do it again very soon!
Here are two sleepy girls, who decided they needed to get up at 7:02 a.m. on Sunday morning because they were starving...really?? I was hoping for at least another hour of sleep. Oh well, such is the wonderful job of being a mom!!
